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| Posted: 27 Jan 2009 03:10 PM CST Andrew Bird Noble Beast :: review ASA ASA Ashford & Simpson The Real Thing Bruce Springsteen Working On A Dream The Bird and The Bee Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future Bryn Christopher My World Cotton Jones Paranoid Cocoon :: review The Delicious The Delicious The Delicious :: review | "Suspended In Air" Duncan Sheik Whisper House Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand :: “Ulysses” Remix Monday Golden Boots Winter Of Our Discothque :: review | "Love Is In The Air" Kenneth Pattengale Storied Places :: "Memoirs of an Owned Dog" | "Charlie" Lars Horntveth Kaleidoscopic Loney Dear Dear John The Love Willows Hey! Hey :: stream "Falling Faster" Mi Ami Echononecho 12″ Nickel Eye The Time of the Assassins Odds Cheerleader :: "Write It In Lightning" O Pioneers Neon Creep :: review Peasant On The Ground PT Walkley Mr. Macy Wakes Alone Throwing Color The Static Seas Volcano Suns The Bright Orange Years (reissue) :: "Jak" Volcano Suns All Night Lotus Party (reissue) :: "White Elephant" Johnny Cash Remixed (CD/DVD documentary set) Related Posts |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2009 11:36 AM CST Sometimes you just need some upbeat pop confection to get through the day and Lenka’s fun, starry-eyed perspective is the solution. Her recent self-titled album is a solid set of contagious songs that demand a smile. Her sound reminds me a bit of the Cardigans or Jem, but with optimistic lyrics that overlay a youthful innocence on love and heartbreak.
I seriously questioned whether the energy and her pristine voice captured on her debut album could hold up to a live concert. However, from the moment she took stage and launched into “Trouble is a Friend” she gave a clear and sharp performance that sounded a lot like her album, but with a bit more zip added by bigger drum beats and well-timed horn blasts. Her coquettish dance moves and playful, energetic tone never faltered and the audience happily sang along when asked to join in on “The Show”. By the end of the night she had performed all of her songs and covered Modest Mouse (”Gravity Rides Everything”) and M. Ward (”Vincent O’Brien”). Lenka’s banter with the audience created an intimate, fun and casual environment, but she really proved her vocal chops when beautifully singing “Like a Song” a cappella. Gabe Dixon opened. He’s a piano singer-songwriter whose narrative and earnest songs recalled the holy trinity of piano pop songwriters: Elton John, Billy Joel, and Randy Newman. The pop classicism and lack of irony or cynicism made it seem as if he stepped out of time warp straight out of the seventies. It wasn’t until he included his version of ”Hey Ya” and a cover of John’s “Tiny Dancer” that his Nashville roots became apparent. I could imagine him earning rent money as the piano player in a country cover band on the Nashville’s strip. Both songs being crowd pleasers guaranteed to turn people’s heads away from the bar. Overall, it was a good set that showcased his skills as both a piano player and a singer.  Written by: Jesse Gelwicks Related Posts |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2009 08:45 AM CST The Who liked to smash up hotel rooms. The Beatles liked to trip on acid. Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison were renown for their voracious sexual appetites. I'm lead to believe that I Am The Branch, however, likes to drink tea. That's all. No sex, no drugs, no rock n' roll because this is the most boring collection of songs ever written. Literally. Ambient music, drone experiments, pointless noise a la Metal Machine Music, hell, even John Cage's “4'33″ seems as exciting as a weekend in Vegas compared to the Drink Tea EP. Here's the I Am The Branch philosophy: take some of the pretty post-rock leanings of bands like Do Make Say Think or Explosions in the Sky when at their most boring and combine it with the sound of Death Cab For Cutie at their most sensitive and ingratiating. Recipe for success? No. Not by a long shot. It also doesn't help when an already boring band's lyricist is so lazy that on two songs, 70% of the song features a singer with a delicate, characterless voice repeating over and over lines like, "It’s just natural for weeds to grow over windows," and, "And I brought bricks that you built cathedrals with." This EP doesn't deserve a review, it didn't deserve to be made and it doesn't deserve to be heard. It's a good thing Obama is shutting down Guantanamo because this could have seriously been used to drive "suspected terrorists" insane. To conclude: I wasn't fond of the Drink Tea EP. Tracklisting: I Am The Branch: myspace Written By: Marc Z. Grub Related Posts |
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