Vol. 5 Issue 47 November 2009
November really has it all. From elections to foliage to turkey. Who doesn't love November? For BRM November means a solo record from the dude from The Fiery Furnaces, Matthew Friedberger. A Best of Fela Kuti album. Let's not forget the best thing from London since Wham! and beans on toast, Stricken City. Enjoy!
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Current Releases
- Click to see:
- Thrill Jockey
- Knitting Factory
- Drag City
- Misra
Thrill Jockey
www.thrilljockey.com
Matthew Friedberger
"Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School"
Although Matthew Friedberger, the brother of the brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces released his solo debut in 2006, it never got it’s proper recognition. A distribution company undergoing several changes allowed the album to wallow in obscurity. In steps Thrill Jockey to re-release his double album Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School and give it it’s justly deserved fanfare. This sprawling epic covers just about everything. Looping drum machines and programmed percussion click and zap away under acoustic guitars and flutes on the stellar track "The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter", from disc one (Winter Women). "Do You Like Blondes", a quirky rocker from disc two (Holy Ghost Language School) is a poem spoke over an acid trip of a backing track. He uses him mulit-instrumental talents to great affect over both discs. Check out "The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter".
Knitting Factory
www.knittingfactory.com/
Fela Kuti
"The Best Of Fela Kuti"
Listening to The Best of Fela Kuti (Knitting Factory), it’s easy to get distracted by the man that produced the music. The Nigerian activist that passed away from AIDS in 1997 would have lived life to the fullest without ever having recorded even one of his 50+ albums. Luckily, he was not a man that rested on his laurels. His music is a celebration of life, layer upon layer of afro-beats, melody and joy. Every track is essential listening. Like an African Frank Zappa, it’s tough to decide if his music or his politics were more important, but, in each case, their music is fantastic, so why bother trying to figure it out. Check out "Lady"
Drag City
www.dragcity.com/
Monotonix
"Where Were You When It Happened"
The Israeli blues explosion riff rockers Monotonix are back with their in your face howls and grooves on their latest release Where Were You When It Happened (Drag City Records). Sweaty, triumphant, and with the kind of swagger you just can't fake, this is some proof that rock and roll may still be dangerous after all. Check out "Flesh And Blood"
Misra
www.misrarecords.com/
Emily Rodgers
"Bright Day"
Pittsburgh native Emily Rodgers pens beautiful, sparse neo-folk songs that are all about the ambience they create. Much like Mark Kozelek, her songs are less about the destination, and all about the journey, these tunes ache with the colors of autumn. Give a listen to "Bright Day", from her debut LP on Misra Records.
- Click to see:
- Bank Robber Music
- Caldo Verde
- The Kora
- Ernest Jenning
Bank Robber Music
bankrobbermusic.com
Various
"Bank Robber Music Compilation Vol. 20.5"
For the first time ever (aka lazy & cheap) BRM does an all digital compilation. We will burn you a hard copy if you really want one. But for now, here's the latest and greatest from our digital comp. The New Pornographers cover the Rock*A*Teens song "Don't Destroy This Night".
Caldo Verde
www.caldoverderecords.com/
Jesu
"Opiate Sun"
As soon as the first sludgy chord swells in on “Losing Streak,” the opening track from Jesu’s new EP Opiate Sun (Caldo Verde), prepare to be surprised. Though it can sound like stoner rock at times, even shoegaze, it has a pop sensibility that is often lacking from the aforementioned genres and others like it. Really, the four tracks that appear here are meticulously crafted pop epics wrapped in a thick distortion that is kept at a level to augment what is being played, not obscure it. The melodies are sensitive, the drums are powerful and the hooks are plentiful. It’s the kind of thing that would feel right at home on any college radio station, but would also break up the monotony of AOR radio without alienating any of it’s listeners as well. Check out "Losing Streak".
The Kora
www.thekorarecords.com/
Stricken City
"Songs About People I Know"
With a different lead singer Stricken City would probably be a pretty good band. With Rebekah Raa handling the vocals, they are a great band. On their new album, Songs About People I Know (The Kora Records), the band charge their way through some of the most infectious indie new wave/pop ever to pour from my speakers. On “Small Things”, with it’s machine gun guitars and rumbling bass hooks, Rebekah is really given a chance to shine. Her multi-tracked vocal frenzy is addictive. I could have listened to her “hey hey hey hey” from the last 20 seconds of the song for about twenty minutes. Rarely does a vocalist’s emotive skills grab me as much as her’s do. On “Killing Time”, she impresses again, whispering her secrets in the silence left between reverb soaked late-era Clash guitar bursts. The band seems to take an almost a classical approach to the arrangement of her vocal melodies.
Ernest Jenning
www.ernestjenning.com/
Wild Yaks
"10 Ships (Don't Die Yet)"
The best live band in NY? It's possible. The Wild Yaks are currently a 4 piece, (bass, drum, 2xloud guitars) with all members on vocals, its sorta like all the triumphant parts of life affirmed by someone screaming in your face and giving you a hug that knocks the wind out of your chest. Check out "River May Come".