Game Theroy

Game Theory

Blaze of Glory

Omnivore Recordings

They were young, punky, and had it even then. That is, flashes of brilliance even on their first full-length album. But in 1982, who knew how great Scott Miller really was? His confidence here shows you that he knew.

Blaze of Glory was the first album from Game Theory, and it is back in print after being out of it since the early 1980s.  The album includes many bonus tracks, outtakes, live cuts, and a few from Scott’s first band ALRN, all of which are every bit as good as Scott was later with GT.

From ALRN’s “Beach State Rocking,” to “Bad Year At UCLA,” from GT, there is a lot here to savor.  And there isn’t a bad track in the bunch, which is amazing for a debut. If you’re a Scott Miller fan, or are curious about what GT sounded like and, like me, can’t wait for the rest of the GT catalog to be reissued by Omnivore, then this is a natural, and a good starting point.

http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/blaze-of-glory/

Andrea Weiss

The New Pornographers

Brill Bruisers

Matador

The Pornographers at their most pop, with a hint of electronica for a modern touch, an ELO feel, with some of Sigue Sigue Sputnik ‘s Love Missile F11, and the Xanadu soundtrack for sweetness.

Pop in TNP’s case means their second album Electric Version, my favorite TNP album. Pop as opposed to the rock of Twin Cinema or Mass Romantic.  There are too many synths for that, and not as heavy as the latter two albums.

But BB isn’t lightweight by any means. Carl Newman has said in interviews that he was at a happy, contented place in his life, and he wanted BB to reflect that. And that is evident here, no matter who’s singing, or Dan’s Bejar quirkiness.  Neko Case and Kathryn Calder take star turns, especially Neko on Champions of Red Wine and Kathryn on Dancehall Domine, both very upbeat tracks.

At the end things turn poigant. You Tell Me Where is a tribute to Scott Miller, who was a big influence on Newman. I’ve thought for a long time that if anyone could take up where Scott left off, it would be Newman, and here he proves it. This track is very Scott-like, as we Miller fans would say, with Neko and Kathryn channeling Donnette Thayer, and Alison Levy, from Game Theory and the Loud Family respectively, while still sounding like themselves. The music is a combination of both GT and LF, making for a very heartfelt tribute.

Is this the album of the year?  With so many others in contention, like St Vincent and Spoon, time will tell, but my money’s on TNP.

https://www.facebook.com/thenewpornographers

Andrea Weiss

The Young

Chrome Cactus

Matador Records

This is a different sound than 2012’s Dub Egg.  It’s harder, darker, and wilder, musically and lyrically, but just as good. The sound on here, crunching, clanging, dirty guitars, with the singer sounding peeved about one thing or another, make for a trippy good time, as the band has not lost their psychedelic edge. If you loved Dub Egg as much as I did, give this album a chance, and it will grow on you. It did with me, and now I love this album. https://www.facebook.com/TH3.YOUNG

Andrea Weiss

Merchandise

After The End

4AD Records

At first glance, the apparent influences, the Smiths and U2 might make you shake your head:  how can they put those together.  But they can, and to me, you can add in some late period Roxy Music and the Psych Furs’ Talk, Talk, Talk.  What you have is a terrific debut, one that is very 80s, but also very modern, without being postmodern.

Their lyrics are much darker than Bono ever wrote, but not as dark as Morrisey.  They’re less jaded than what Richard Butler wrote, but still withering in their assessments of people and situations.  They’re a little decadent in the Roxy style, but not so much that they don’t care.  Their music helps itself equally to all of these bands, but in a very smart way. Too much slicing and dicing to call themselves clones of anything. 

This is why I like them so much.  They don’t pin themselves down in a time where it’s increasingly hard to sound like yourself against all that has gone before. But they are very much themselves, and that’s more than good enough for me.

 https://www.facebook.com/wmerchandise 

Andrea Weiss

Five Songs, two with clips attached.

Merchandise

Enemy video

While there are dark images of people being tortured and other horrific images, the video in the main, shot in black and white, is terrific.  The band performs the song in a theater, while everything else is happening all around them. The music is the best of early Roxy Music, or maybe the Psych Furs of Talk, Talk, Talk. Either way, it’s more than worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YTCDsRQ4jw&feature=youtu.be

Fences Arrows, Featuring Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Official lyric video

Arrows is a great pop band, and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the best rappers out there. The clip is fun to watch, with images of the lyrics as arty as possible. It’s another one to check out, especially if you’re a fan like I am.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yv9TcQoww&feature=youtu.be

Lace Curtains

Wilshire and Fairfax

This song from Michael "Coomers" Coomer , is quite different than what he did with Austin, TX band Harlem. Harlem was garage rock; this is straightforward pop. It’s very good, dreamy music, perfect for winding down from a late night.

https://soundcloud.com/rosecoomers/wilshire-and-fairfax

Smallpools

Dreaming single

This is straightforward, very bouncy synth pop.  If you like Passion Pit, you’ll like this song even more.  No angst, just pop you can dance to.

https://soundcloud.com/smallpools/smallpools-dreaming

Sophie and the Bom Boms

Prey single

This would sound good on the dance floor, but it’s also good for just plain listening.  The best pop is more than just dance music.  You enjoy listening to it.  It’s bouncy mainstream pop, better than most of this type, and while it’s rare that I connect with this type of music, when I do, it’s a thrill.  You’ll thrill, too, if you check this out.

https://soundcloud.com/sophieandthebbs/pray

Andrea Weiss

CO in Philly

Camera Obscura

World Café Live 7-19-14

Laura Cantrell, who I recall seeing at a folk song society in Hightstown, NJ called Outta Sights and Sounds, was the opening act. Her blend of Americana, folk, and indie folk was pitch perfect.  With a friend for extra musical punch, their guitars, acoustic, and, on few numbers, lap steel, produced for a sound that was punchier and purer than indie folk and the neo folk of Mumford, his Sons, and extended family. And the Kitty Wells songs were just the right touch of old-time country. 

                                                             

Camera Obscura plays very quiet, nuanced, finely detailed indie rock, with flashes of the Brill Building for spice.  I love them dearly, but had never seen them live, and wondered how their sound would translate to the stage. I wondered no more after the first song.  By beefing up their hushed sound with an extra guitarist, percussion, and a keyboard player, their masterpieces, old and new, came across with the same tension and grit, that they use so well on disk. Tracyanne Campbell’s barbed lyrics came across clearly, and she never had to raise her voice to quiet the crowd, which like all club crowds, likes to chatter.  Campbell came across as friendly and sweet, much the way I’d imagined from Camera’s albums.

                                                                  

The band is on a tour of the Eastern US.  Their current album came out last year.  Tracyanne and another member, Gavin Dunbar, each took time for maternity and paternity leave, and now they’re back at work.  I strongly recommend catching them if you can.  They are a treat to see, hear, and thrill to.  

https://www.facebook.com/CameraObscuraMusic

Andrea Weiss

Incan Abraham

Incan Abraham

World Café Live

Philadelphia 6-17-14

WC Live, almost too clean and comfortable for a rock supper club, is an extension of WXPN, Philly’s non-com AAA radio station.

Incan Abraham, an indie rock band from L.A., played at the upstairs bar of WC Live. IA didn’t disappoint.  Their sound is reminiscent of the Shins, and while the audience was small, they played as though the place was sold out.  Their blend of indie and so/cal rock was perfect for a late spring evening.

Afterward, I talked a bit with the band members.  These nice guys put on a show that was the highlight of the week for me.

https://www.facebook.com/incanabraham

Andrea Weiss