posted by Jessica on January 9, 2012
In 2011, the best actually was saved for last. I couldn’t tell you how many shows I saw last year, because despite experiencing epic aural moments and multiple all-weekend festivals, all was forgotten in the wake of Alabama Shakes. This time last year the Athens, AL quartet was working day jobs, and by this time next year they’ll be sitting on top of the world, propelled by their exuberant blend of blues, soul, and rock and roll.
Alabama Shakes’ live show is a significant experience. Vigorous, soulful grooving based in Southern rock, their skillful performance is passionate, even yearning. You feel as though they’re leaving nothing behind, and the eruption of front woman Brittany Howard’s earnest and powerful vocals awaken a contemporary Janis Joplin or Otis Redding. The show kicked off with “Hold On,” and included “You Ain’t Alone,” both off of this year’s self-titled EP.
After their show at Chicago’s Hideout (see video below), I expressed my awestruck admiration to Ms. Howard and drummer, Steve Johnson. They reported that Alabama Shakes’ first full-length album is recorded and slated for release this spring, and that the band is excited to showcase a more rock-fueled edge to their sound. Conversation turned to touring, and I discovered that Johnson’s sister attended my alma mater some 10 miles from where he grew up. Familiarity is the thing about Alabama Shakes. There’s no artifice, slickness, or attempt at reinvention, but a genuineness and devotion to a resonant musical heritage we can all get down to.
Alabama Shakes – Hold On (Downloaded 407 times)
Alabama Shakes – You Aint Alone (Downloaded 254 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Americana • Big Sound • Rollicking
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Loading ...posted by Jessica on December 28, 2011
El Camino is “the road” not the vehicle. The old Plymouth Voyager featured on the cover of The Black Key’s newest album, similar to their first touring digs, is a fitting chariot to epitomize the band’s journey from basement-blues misfits to Grammy winners. The sound on the Akron duo’s (now Nashvillle) seventh studio album is significantly more polished, yet The Black Keys still grind out the voice of the Rust Belt like a rubber factory production line.
Firing on all cylinders for 38 minutes, El Camino accelerates in a raucous joyride of blues riffs, bashing drums, and classic rock bravado. The glimmer and sophistication in the form of literal bells and whistles, handclaps, gospel choruses, and the like are layered on expertly by producer Brian Burton alias Danger Mouse. This glam factor is heard on “Gold on the Ceiling,” where you’re reminded of ZZ Top from the very first riff, and the guitar work only gets slicker. My left-foot stops the threadbare car floor keeping time to the track on my own road trip back home to Ohio, rain assailing the window as Patrick Carney does the drums. Pounding on the wheel during each chorus, I become aware of a rattling somewhere in the dashboard, which nicely accompanies the sleazy shimmying tambourine and organ howl.
The record’s only respite appears during the opening of “Little Black Submarines,” offering a beautiful acoustic by Dan Auerbach with simple folk guitar. Zeppelin-esque in its poignancy, the movement is interrupted by – “Mary Jane’s Last Dance?” At first I’m incredulous, and then ashamed of momentarily questioning the Keys. The familiar riff erupts in thunderous ecstasy and the boys ROCK out. The awesome amount of sound churned out between Patrick and Dan is more than enough to fill the arenas dominating their upcoming tour. Yet as I cross into Ohio, heading twenty miles from the basement The Black Keys began recording in and cranking their best album yet, I’m assured that no matter how sleek their production becomes, or how massive the venue, when they pick up the sticks and pick to play there’s still grease on their hands.
Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling (Downloaded 494 times)
Black Keys – Little Black Submarines (Downloaded 548 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Bluesy • Classic • Layered • Male vocal
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I LOVE this review! So much fun reading…it takes me right to the concert!
black keys black submarine does not sound like zep but Traffic John Barleycorn must die where you can hear how bad Dan’s voice is without all the effects
posted by Jessica on November 20, 2011
Ceremonials is a fitting name for the sophomore effort by Florence + The Machine, because listening to the album is a rite in itself. If their debut, Lungs, was tinged with whimsy and mysticism, Ceremonials plunges us under the water, into the realm of ghouls, ghosts, demons and devils, and to the heights of ecclesiastical exuberance. It’s alluring, rich, and complicated like the gorgeous excess of a baroque work of art.
This is the kind of record that needs to be enjoyed in small doses, allowing each track to marinate. Florence Welch’s dazzling vocals are a controlled power surge, the way a cannon or firecracker is carefully aimed before exploding into a beautiful din. Accompanying her is an array of thundering organs, singing harps, pounding drums, and passionate choruses.
The first single, “Shake It Out,” is the album’s most accessible track. Introspective and oh-so-catchy, it’s a luminous standout. Midway through the album, “Lover to Lover” leaves behind the otherworldly ballads for soulful R&B evocative of the 60’s, allowing Welch’s voice to shine without bombast. Intricate and impressive, if at times overpowering, Ceremonials elevates Florence + The Machine’s dynamic pop ritual.
Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out (Downloaded 676 times)
Florence + The Machine – Lover to Lover (Downloaded 721 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Amazing Voice • Baroque • Big Sound • Catchy • Female vocal • Orchestral • Soulful
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posted by Jessica on October 27, 2011
Little Dragon at Chicago’s North Coast Music Festival. Photo by Jessica Mlinaric.
“Summer’s Last Stand,” that’s the tagline behind North Coast Music Festival, a three-day fest that features an eclectic mix of electronic, hip-hop, and jam-band acts. Held last month in Chicago’s Union Park, the second annual event boasted a bill including David Guetta, Of Montreal, Thievery Corporation, Fatboy Slim, Gogol Bordello, Bassnectar, and Common. Amidst the DJ sets, and pervasive animal spirit hats, Swedish band Little Dragon paid tribute to the season’s closing with their blend of deliberate electro beats and wistful R&B.
Weaving like a gypsy, front woman Yukimi Nagano cast a spell on the Technicolor-clad kids in the crowd with her signature smoky melodies, draped in a scarf and spinning on stage. Although formed in 1996, Little Dragon has been turning heads lately with their third album, Ritual Union, and recent collaborations with Gorillaz, Big Boy, David Sitek, and Raphael Saadiq. Simplistic yet soulful, the yearning title track offered the summer a dream-synth sendoff. With an atmospherically stark but entirely upbeat pop sound, Little Dragon has timed every vaporous vocal and snap of the snare to count, the whole effort airily radiating like the late summer sky.
Facebook || Official site || North Coast Music Festival
Little Dragon – Ritual Union (Downloaded 617 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Danceable • Dream Pop • Electro • Female vocal • North Coast Music Festival • Synth • Upbeat
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January 10th, 2012 at 1:54 am
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January 10th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Great post. Couldn’t agree more. Looking forward to the full release in the spring. And the chance to experience them live once again
January 13th, 2012 at 1:17 am
wow, i just was in nashville so do appreciate the southern vibe and rawness of this band. And the front woman kicks mega derrier too! Really brings back the classics.