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 671 times)
Alabama Shakes – You Aint Alone (Downloaded 385 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Americana • Big Sound • Rollicking
(8 votes)
Loading ...posted by Patrick on September 26, 2011
Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs is nothing like what you’d expect. I, at least, would expect something edgy and indie, twee psychadelia or Austin hip-hop. Instead, the band channels Bruce Springsteen at his poppy, rockabilly best. Or maybe it’s U2 they’re occupying, or Tom Petty, or any of a half-dozen other of the best acts of the 70′s and 80′s. Of course, mimicry doesn’t make for greatness, and the obvious question is what The War on Drugs adds to the equation. One answer is simple fusion: they aren’t just one band, but all of them. The War on Drugs is a Whitman’s Sampler blow torched into a liquid mess, then reformed and steel-reinforced with heavy beats and jangling vocals. But “Slave Ambient,” the band’s newest album, also brings some new elements to the mix, including a voice that can range from pop-sweet to a Tom Waits growl, and, appropriately some more ethereal, ambient moments than you find in most straight-ahead rock. Ultimately, though, The War On Drugs isn’t pushing many envelopes. But they know their craft and can spin a tune with the best of them. There isn’t a bad track on “Slave Ambient,” and many will be on repeat for weeks to come. Only the best of their influences can say the same.
The War on Drugs – Baby Missiles (Downloaded 260 times)
The War on Drugs – Taking the Farm (Downloaded 238 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Anthemic • Catchy • Fuzzy • Poppy • Rollicking
(8 votes) Loading ...posted by Leigh on June 15, 2011
I like to think of myself as relatively well-traveled, but I have never heard of nor been to the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is England’s largest island, was an independent kingdom in and of itself in the 5th Century and was called home by both Alfred Lloyd Tennyson and Queen Victoria. The Beatles song “When I’m 64” refers to a cottage there and Bob Dylan recorded several songs while on the Isle of Wight. Thank you, Wikipedia.
What Wikipedia did not tell me is that the Isle has been harboring its very own indie-rock secret, The Shutes, for quite some time now. With a timeless sound and discussion-worthy lyrics unabashedly informed by the isolation of living and making music on a historically-rich and fundamentally picturesque island, The Shutes manage to craft their music in such a way as to touch a broader audience. Their music is driven, with bass, guitar and drums all equally leading the way, complementing each other in the sometimes surfy path of their collaboration, lightened by the haunting, plaintive and androgenous vocals of frontman Michael Champion.
Hear them for yourself. From their EP, Hits Like Mourning, self-released late last year, to their new track “Silk Screen Shots,” recently released as a free download, to their brand-new single “Noah’s Arc” released just last month on London’s Cross Key Records, you have no shortage of material to peruse. (And the vid for “Noah’s Arc” below is pretty cool as well.) Here’s hoping that when these guys need a getaway from the Isle, that they will make their way across the Atlantic, or to wherever you may be.
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The Shutes – Silk Screen Shots (Downloaded 342 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Beautiful Lyrics • Brit-Pop • Driven • Male vocal • Rollicking • Surf
(16 votes) Loading ...Fell out of bed feeling down. This has bigrhtneed my day!
Good to see a talent at work. I can’t match that.
posted by Leigh on April 1, 2011
Givers at Lustre Pearl, SXSW 2011. Photo by Leigh Celent.
The best part about SXSW is finding a new band or two just by mere happenstance. This serendipity tapped me on the shoulder on my very second day there, a gift bestowed upon me by the SXSW gods. My primary mission being at Lustre Pearl that oh-so-sunny day was to see The Naked and Famous. Mission failed, although they sounded amazing from our prime spot in the very long and slowly crawling line, our view “slightly” obstructed, you see, by the Lustre Pearl house. My disappointment at missing TNAF was abated by finally making it inside and seeing (yes, actually seeing) two new bands who completely and unabashedly tore the stage apart and threw the audience into a blinding musical frenzy. One: The Head and the Heart, to be discussed in a future post and Two: Givers.
Givers are friends from Lafayette, Louisiana recently signed to Glassnote Records. As they should be. Their energy on stage was riotous and raw, pure and uninhibited. Watching them was like watching someone play in snow for the first time (if playing in snow also required some kind of well-honed talent.) Tiffany Lamson (female vocals, ukelele, percussion) traded among instruments, never cutting the voltage for even one second in her transitions. The entire band embodied carefree life, their sound portraying the simple essence of what we all crave and seek to recreate time and time again. Their chemistry with each other and with the audience created a continuous cycle of captivation, so captivating that a fan suffered a bleeding leg just to get a piece of the tambourine that Lamson threw into the crowd at the end of the set. I’m sure it was totally worth it.
Givers will release their first album on Glassnote later this year. For now, sample their sound with some tracks from their 2009 self-titled and self-produced EP, “Up Up Up” and “Saw You First.” Don’t worry, there’s more where those came from.
Givers – Up Up Up (Downloaded 375 times)
Givers – Saw You First (Downloaded 892 times)
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» Meaningless labels: Catchy • Female vocal • Happy • Male vocal • Poppy • Rollicking
(6 votes) Loading ...A million thanks for posting this information.
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January 10th, 2012 at 1:54 am
[...] Read the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.com. [...]
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.
March 13th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
[...] For more on Alabama Shakes, check out my review of their December show at The Hideout for Indieball. [...]