FINALLY!

I'm sorry I haven't had the energy to update this blog since...last school year (*cringes* In fact, almost a year. Good lord), but I really did not listen to much new music for much of 2008. Sad, as I hear there was a lot of good stuff. At some point I'll try to catch up, but it'll probably be in vain...
Anyway, for now I have some very happy news, so I'm gonna share it:

NEIL HANNON IS GOING INTO THE STUDIO TO MAKE A NEW DIVINE COMEDY ALBUM.
Yesterday, the official website was updated, saying little more than that.

We’re delighted to tell you that Neil has begun work on the next Divine Comedy album.

More details when we have them, but we all hope it will be finished in time to come out in the second half of 2009.

I am so very excited about this, particularly as I should be studying art in Scotland this fall. Since Neil seems to have left American fans to their own devices, that may be my only chance of getting to see him live.

That leads me to my final point: American fans, if you want to voice your opinion about TDC coming to America, even for a couple of performances on the East and/or West Coast, I urge you to send and email to info@thedivinecomedy.com and tell them why you think it would be beneficial not only to the fans, but to TDC's profile in the US.

Pugwash: Eleven Modern Antiquities

I just want to say "thank you" to Thomas Walsh, the man and the madness behind the Irish pop outfit, Pugwash. At a time when final papers are piling up, and exams that seemed ages away last week are now bearing down like Tsunami, he and his band of merry songsters have made me smile from ear to ear and forget that I have a shit-ton of work I still haven't completed. I just received the album in the mail a couple hours ago, whereupon I went to the library, promptly put it into my computer, and then basked in the warm glow of perfect pop harmonies and exquisite orchestration.

I have never heard an album so full of love as Eleven Modern Antiquities is. Not only in terms of the lyrical content of the songs, which run the gamut of sentimental subjects, from longing for that unattainable woman ("Here") to the reminiscence of childhood pastimes ("At the Sea" and "Landsdowne Valley"), but whose lyrics are smart enough to keep them from ever being cloying. But when listening to the album, one can hear the love that went into making it. The Pugs were joined for this venture by a gaggle of pop luminaries, such as Dave Gregory and Andy Partridge of XTC, Jason Falkner of Jellyfish, and the Divine Neil Hannon. With that much awesome musical power, it's kind of hard to put a foot wrong, but this was truly a group effort and to listen to them it is clear that they had a blast making the record. Each song is expertly crafted, of course, but also incredibly lively and playful. Lesser bands would not be able to successfully maintain a balance between orchestration and fun, but Pugwash fall into that magical realm occupied by their pals from XTC and The Divine Comedy, in which keeping that balance is a joy for both the musicians and the listeners.

There are so many wonderful songs on this record, and there are so many musical subtleties that take repeated listening to discover, that I'm finding it hard to pinpoint my favorite track on this album. So I won't. Every song is a delight. Though because I'm biased I may favor slightly the songs to which Mr. Hannon lends his buttery vocals--"My Genius" (co-written by Andy Partridge) in particular. Ah! See? I did it.

Buy "Modern Antiquities" On Amazon

Listen to track samples at 1969 Records' website

"Victorian Funk"? OK!

I very recently learned of The Shortwave Set, a pychadelic/electronic/pop group from England, who describe their sound as "Victorian Funk". If that wasn't enough to whet my appetite, I discovered that this month they will be releasing their sophomore album, Replica Sun Machine, which is produced by Danger Mouse and features a 24-piece orchestra conducted by composer Van Dyke Parks, and appearances by John fucking Cale.
This bit of news is basically a pop geek's wet dream. Ok, it's MY wet dream.
The Shortwave Set formed in 2003, and already have been getting quite a bit of support from their peers in the business, and have toured with Goldfrapp, Rilo Kiley, and Gnarls Barkley. Danger Mouse loves them, having called them his favorite contemporary group. And who am I to disagree with Sir Mouse?

Replica Sun Machine is released on April 28th.

Listen to their first single, "No Social" at The Shortwave Set's Myspace

Setting the Record Straight about Baroque Pop

In preparing for this post on baroque pop, I looked the term up (on Wikipedia, that bastion of truth and cold, hard facts) to see which bands and musicians would fall into the genre. For as much as I claim to love the genre, I must admit to myself that I didn't actually know what constituted such a title. Neither, as it turns out, does Wiki. I found listed such bands as Goldfrapp, Andrew Bird, even Vampire Weekend-- all great, but certainly not baroque. So I delved into my own collection for what I considered to epitomize Baroque Pop.
But first of all, what is it? To answer that, we must break the term down to its two parts:

Baroque- characterized by drama and grandeur; in music the size, range and complexity of instrumental performance was expanded.
Pop- has a deliberate intent to appeal to the majority

So, basically, a baroque pop musician depends on elaborate orchestral harmonies-- instead of guitar, drums, and synth-- behind a good, hummable tune to get one's feet a-tappin'. A baroque pop musician is not afraid of a harpsichord or an oboe solo. Which is why they are a rare breed! And they are often confused with those of the French chanson school, such as Jaques Brel, Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, and, more recently, Rufus Wainwright. To be fair, the line between the two genres is quite thin, and all I can say is that the chanson style is just more...French, and in a more cabaret style, not always poppy.

The baroque pop movement started in the sixties with bands such as the Beatles, the Left Banke, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys branching out musically and utilizing harpsichords, strings, organs, and woodwinds (Remember the harpsichord and the french horn solo in the Beatles' song "For Noone" from Revolver?). John Cale did the same with his own sound on Paris 1919, which is not only one of his best solo albums, but one of the most defining albums of the genre. As part of the Walker Brothers and as a solo artist, Scott Walker took the notion of orchestration and ran away with it, creating some of the most intensely gorgeous and lush instrumentation you could ever hear on a pop album--that is, until he stopped making pop albums and started doing impenetrable avant-garde...

Then in the mid-nineties, mainly in the UK, there was something of a Baroque Renaissance (yes, I am aware that those two terms clash horribly!), and bands started to up the orch again. None more so than the Divine Comedy. I'm not saying that Neil Hannon started the renaissance, but he was certainly one of the very first artists to opt for the strings and oboes, while everyone else was still thrashing around, smashing their guitars, and wearing plaid. And he utilized the orchestra more than anyone at the time, in a way that hadn't been heard since Scott Walker released his 1-4 albums. He did at least influence one artist of that era: Eric Matthews, the ridiculously talented Oregonian multi-instrumentalist (he plays all the instruments on his albums, including horns) who enjoyed a brief moment of fame in 1995 before sinking into near-obscurity. Other British acts, The Tindersticks, My Life Story, and, to a more minimal extent, Belle and Sebastian also employed similarly intricate instrumentation.

Now, I am pleased to note that after the wave of jangly garage rock bands at the turn of the 21st century has passed (not that I minded all of them- in fact, I was a Strokes fanatic), the orchestra seems to be coming back en vogue. As evidence, look no further than The Arcade Fire. Neon Bible, number 2 on the American charts, was just dripping with orchestral pomp and circumstance. On the less mainstream end of the spectrum, I find that many contemporary bands from the UK, such as Guillemots and Their Hearts Were Full of Spring, even the Arctic Monkeys' side project, The Last Shadow Puppets , are going the Baroque route. I'm very happy about all this!

So without further ado, my humble selections of perfect baroque pop:

Desiree- Montage (originally The Left Banke)


God Only Knows- The Beach Boys


Rosemary- Scott Walker


Boy Child- Scott Walker


Paris 1919- John Cale


Going Downhill Fast- The Divine Comedy


Death of A Supernaturalist- The Divine Comedy


Fanfare- Eric Matthews


Little Bear- Guillemots


A Gap Has Appeared- Field Music

Jae Sinnett: It's Telling

Tuesday night, I and the rest of my jazz ensemble had the great pleasure of having jazz drummer and band leader Jae Sinnett not only sit in on our rehearsal and give us useful tips, but thereafter treat us and other students to an intimate (free!) concert with his trio, appropriately titled the Jae Sinnett Trio. The audience consisted of approximately 20 people, so I do mean intimate. Jae on the drums, piano, upright and electric bass. It was an incredibly loose atmosphere, and it was apparent that the band took musical liberties that they may not have in a larger venue. It was clear they were having a blast. I only wish the audience was more enthusiastic- I think I was the liveliest one not on stage.
After the show, I thanked Jae for the fantastic music and for his advice during class. I then told him that I wish I had money so that I could purchase his new album, It's Telling...a Drummer's Perspective, and he gave me a free copy. Class act, that man!
As I found out upon taking it home and playing it, the entirety of the album is wonderful. All the songs were composed by Sinnett, and his subtle, solid drumming perfectly shapes each piece. He'll often begin a song with an understated drum intro, to have the piano and bass come in soon afterward. It is a very cool album. Extraordinarily, unlike so many drummer-come-band leaders, Sinnett does not like to draw attention to himself, but on this venture, he has brought his drumming more to the fore--not to say that he has given himself the spotlight in any way, but he has allowed himself to showcase his masterful technique. Explaining this stylistic shift, Sinnett has said:

“A while back I had a conversation with drummer Steve Smith…He said I should
bring the drums more out front because the drummers want to hear me play.
Open
up more. I thought about that for a long time...On 'It’s Telling…' the
drums are
shaping the direction of each composition and certainly more out
front.”

All songs on the album are written by Sinnett, and apart from being personal ("Crescent City Undercurrents" tracks New Orlean's musical history, its destruction, and hope for renewal), they are also quite varied in their time and rhythm; the title track is in 6/8 time, "Cliffhanger" manages a serious groove in 7/8 time, and "Truth be Told" switches between 9/8 and 5/8. In my opinion, anyone who can be that funky in 5/4 or 7/8 is OK.
Fantastic man, fantastic drummer, and a fantastic album.

Listen to a couple songs from It's Telling:

Truth Be Told

It's Telling

The Anonymous Betty Davis

When someone says the name Betty Davis, the leading individual would call to mind the great screen actress famous for sharing an intimate smoke with her lover. But no, that's Bette Davis, and she has absolutely nothing to do with Betty Davis. For the latter is a funk jazz singer, one-time wife of Miles Davis- you know him, he's that fella with the horn- and she came into my field of knowledge through a fellow singer in the jazz ensemble to which I also lend my voice. This young woman went to the director inquiring if she could sing one of Davis' songs. His response was, "Who?" Coming from a jazz and classical musician, that he was not familiar with her was surprising, but rather telling of Davis' anonymity. This would only be reinforced soon thereafter, when the young woman searched for lyrics to her song and found nothing.

So who is Betty Davis, and why can't a person even find her lyrics? Sadly, the answer is that despite critical acclaim, she stopped making records after her first three flopped. She is now broke, apparently living in a ghetto in Pittsburgh.
When Betty Davis married Miles Davis in the late 1960s, she turned him onto the likes of Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi Hendrix, effectively influencing his sound for his seminal album, Bitches Brew, and kick-starting the Fusion genre. As much as she fascinated her husband, Miles Davis knew it couldn't last, as he said in his autobiography: “Betty was too young and wild for the things I expected from a woman...Betty was a free spirit, she was raunchy and all that kind of shit.”

After her marriage ended, she went on to form her own music, writing her own songs, including songs for the Commodores. At this time, it was incredibly rare for a female singer to be so independent. In fact, she had been offered a songwriting deal with The Commodores' record label, Motown, but had turned it down because Motown would hold to much control over her.
She released her first self-titled album in 1973, with help from the rhythm section from Sly and the Family Stone and produced by their drummer, Greg Errico, future Journey guitarist Neal Schon, and backing vocals by the Pointer Sisters.
Her subsequent two albums were also written , as well as self-produced, by Davis, but neither of these caught fire with the public at large, for Davis was simply too progressive, too explicitly sexual, too aggressive. Religious groups would boycott her performances, which sometimes resulted in their cancellation. After her third album once again failed to make money, she disappeared. However, she didn't fall into total obscurity-- her style can be seen in Erykah Badu, Prince, Rick James, and more recently, Macy Gray.

Thankfully, Light in the Attic Records remastered and re-released her first two records, Betty Davis and They Say I'm Different, last summer, so I hope to God people are catching on to the powerhouse sex goddess that is Betty Davis.
LitA Records said this of her:

There is one testimonial about Betty Davis that is universal: she was a woman ahead of her time. In our contemporary moment, this may not be as self-evident as it was thirty years ago - we live in an age that's been profoundly changed by flamboyant flaunting of female sexuality: from Parlet to Madonna, Lil Kim to Kelis. Yet, back in 1973 when Betty Davis first showed up in her silver go-go boots, dazzling smile and towering Afro, who could you possibly have compared her to? Marva Whitney had the voice but not the independence. Labelle wouldn't get sexy with their "Lady Marmalade" for another year while Millie Jackson wasn't Feelin' Bitchy until 1977. Even Tina Turner, the most obvious predecessor to Betty's fierce style wasn't completely out of Ike's shadow until later in the decade

Miles Davis said:

"If Betty were singing today she be something like Madonna, something like Prince, only as a woman. She was the beginning of all that when she was singing as Betty Davis.”

Betty Davis' Last.fm profile, which has a large number of full tracks you can listen to.
Visit Betty Davis' Page on LitA Records and BUY HER MUSIC!

The Golden Age of American Music Club

Mark Eitzel, songwriter and frontman of San Francisco-based band American Music Club, may be the single most overlooked and underrated musician in history. Perhaps it is because he never had a pretty face (he possesses the most epic of unibrows) or a pretty temperament; perhaps it is because his songs have a reputation of being terribly depressing. For whatever reason, he and American Music Club have never gotten the wide acclaim they so deserve, despite having made consistently brilliant music for over two decades. Eitzel has not, however, lost any of his credibility within the music community, and remains an under-the-radar influence for many.

So for the small but dedicated population of fans, AMC's new album, The Golden Age, is a warm welcome back after having waited four years since the release of their last album, Love Songs for Patriots.
Musically, this is a mellower affair than the last, as was explained on their official website:

The overall sound is lighter than on previous AMC recordings.
Of course there are many reasons why. 1) AMC refutes the label of 'Emo Pioneers'. For the record they hate Emo and have never been on the soundtrack for any W.B. network show. (yet) 2) Dark music is for people who are healthy enough to take it - and AMC want to appeal to all people - including the sick. 3) Mark Eitzel comments: "What will my neighbors in my retirement community think? How will I charm the nurse that tends to me? I want to fill my mouth with sugar and spit it on everyone when I talk. I want to cover the world with chocolate cake icing."

Of course, Eitzel is still his morose, fatalistic self, but his lyrics are offset by the warm instrumentation accompanying them. The Golden Age begins gently and acoustically with the achingly beautiful All My Love, and gradually becomes more electric-tinged and rocky, courtesy of the only other ever-present member of the band, Vudi, on guitar. before decrescendoing at the end till the last song ends on a quiet, elegiac note.
There isn't a single weak song on this album, so to pick out highlights is a difficult task, but special mention must be made to the breezy, glorious "All The Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco", which, in a just universe, would be a worldwide hit.
Really, I can't understand why AMC isn't more popular here in the US. The UK caught on ages ago, so why haven't yet opened our eyes to one of our greatest musical exports?

I highly recommend you download songs from The Golden Age, courtesy of Merge Records:

All The Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco

All My Love

Band Aid, take note!

Harrison Ford?!?!? HELL YES.
This needs to be this year's charity single. Just kick Pete Wentz and Camerion Diaz out, and throw Bono in the mix (actually, no need, since he just walks in unannounced on those types of gig), and it's on!

What People with Rave HD have to look forward to tonight

Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), one of the acts on episode 1 of Nigel Godrich's "From the Basement".


This is just one of the great performances on the show, airing tonight on the digital music channel, Rave HD. Tonight's program will showcase The White Stripes, The Shins, and Neil Hannon.
Obviously, I am freaking the hell out at the prospect of Hannon finally being on American television, but the whole thing is worth celebrating. There is no host, no silly banter, just musicians doing what they do best: rocking their little hearts out!

Tragically, the show will only be seen by the select few who actually subscribe to and watch Rave.
But for those who do have it, "From the Basement" airs at 9 pm Fridays, starting tonight.

And so it begins...

Welcome, everyone that may come!