Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

I am so sad. I am heartbroken. Heartbroken in only the way a beautiful woman named Band of Horses can break hearts. I had very high hopes for this album. Everything All The Time had power in sounds like Our Swords and The Funeral and it had heart with I Goto The Barn, Monsters and St. Augustine. Cease To Begin has thick blood with songs like Ode to LRC and Cigarettes, Wedding Bands and moved me to the soul with Detlef Schrempf and Marry Song. Both albums were beautiful and powerful. Then Infinite Arms. It had so much potential. Every song sounded like the last, with a slight pick up toward the end but nothing to inspire me to remember the titles. I am so sad. SO sad. I can't even express my disappointment.

You owe me one Ben. I didn't just download Infinite Arms, I bought it. You owe me big. I wanted you to melt my heart, not break it.

Edit:

This album got better after a few listens. While it isn't what was expecting, it isn't bad. I just wanted to tell Ben he doesn't owe me anything. Unless he wants to get me ticket to a NJ or NY show.

FiKus and Good Love Entertainment

I just wanted to make a post about a new band and an organization I recently came upon: the band FiKus and Good Love Entertainment. FiKus is a sweet jam band from North Jersey. I saw them last Thursday at Tommy Fox's Public House in Bergenfield and my face was totally melted. They busted out a sick cover of Wolfman's Brother, and made me dance like a jungle man with their originals. They are totally awesome and I know that because the dance floor was full up to the stage. I've seen a lot of bands at bars and halls where people stand in the back and sides of the floor like a middle school dance, but not for FiKus. These guys play every Thursday at Tommy Fox's and if you have facebook take a look here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=120045538029855&ref=ts

Then we have Good Love Entertainment. These guys are an awesome music group dedicated to bringing good music to the people want it and bring people to the good musicians who deserve them. They take on bands like FiKus and Shwizz and Mother's Wine and get them shows and media and just take good care of them. Adam of Good Love even provide psychological help for any bands in need...happy bands make sweet jams.

So next time you are looking for a good time, check out Good Love's facebook site for some live music http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Good-Love-Entertainment/190536617479?v=info&ref=ts

and don't forget your Campy Jammy Land tix! http://www.campjammyland.com/

Ace Enders/River City Extension 4/30

Ace Enders showed up at Ramapo College of New Jersey on Friday April 30th to play a show supporting his solo project I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business. I Can Make A Mess released The World We Know on March 23rd. Ace hung out in the WRPR Ramapo Radio studio for a bit before the show and told us about his 1949 Kay acoustic guitar, his studio’s destruction due to rain and his top musical influences: Pearl Jam’s Single Video Theory documentary, Back to the Future and The Matrix Trilogy. Ace took the stage a little after 10pm, Telecaster in hand and loop station at foot. He got down dirty with tunes from both of his solo projects, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business and Ace Ender’s and a Million Different People and even threw in some stuff from his band The Early November. Ace made brilliant use of his loop station and guitar, showing the small but dedicated crowd that he could in fact make a mess like nobody’s business all by himself.

Opening bands can be a coin toss, but before Ace, River City Extension took the stage; all eight of them. Sporting instruments like the French horn, trumpet, cello, banjo, and all of your standard rock band axes, keys, and skins these guys (and girls!) shook Ramapo up. The indie, country, bluegrass and what-have-you conglomeration that is River City Extension is sporting the release of their CD The Unmistakable Man on May 7th at the Asbury Lanes.

Big D and the Kids Table, 2/27 Starland Ballroom

Big D and the Kid’s Table are an energetic group of musicians who really know how to put on a good show and everyone knows that good music and a good presence go hand in hand to create a good show. On Saturday, Big D and the Kid’s Table did just that- put on a good Ska show at Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, NJ. Brian Klemm from Suburban Legends has been sitting in on guitar for the tour and did a great job at the kid’s table, along with the backing female voices, the Doped Up Dollies.

The band opened with ‘Little Bitch’ off their album How It Goes. The song was super energetic and got the crowd going for the rest of the set. The night’s set list was based around How It Goes, Strictly Rude, and Fluent In Stroll. The next tune off How It Goes that showed up was ‘Bender,’ introduced by a definition of a bender and an invitation for the crowd to play along with the lyrics every time Big D said ‘drunk’ in the chorus. How It Goes wouldn’t show up again until the encore.
Strictly Rude got a lot of play at the show, including ‘Steady Riot,’ ‘Noise Complaint,’ ‘Shining On,’ ‘Hell On Earth’ ‘Raw Revolution’ and ‘Strictly Rude.’ ‘Noise Complaint’ was out of control with the crowd singing along and going crazy. But then again, playing a song about a noise complaint is destined to be nothing other than rowdy fun, especially when the crowd can yell along to the lyrics: “NOISE COMPLAINT!” ‘Raw Revolution’ rocked the crowd even more than noise complaint, getting everyone to put on their skanking shoes and dig into the pit. ‘Strictly Rude’ was another notable moment when Big D himself busted out the melodica to blow along with this serious reggae infused number
Fluent in Stroll, Bid D and the Kids Table’s most recent album release featured the Doped Up Dollies who were also along for the show. ‘Not Fucking Around,’ ‘Kiss A Week,’ ‘Known To Be Blue,’ and ‘I,I,I’ are all songs off the album that were played. ‘Known To Be Blue’ is a slow number and featured one of the Doped Up Dollies on vocals while Big D took a break. The rest of the songs also featured backing vocals by the Doped Up Dollies. The Dollies also served as backup singers and dancers for most of the rest of the show. ‘Kiss A Week’ also featured Big D taking on an instrument other than his voice, a guitar to fill in the song.
The show ended, but anyone who’s ever been to a show before knows that isn’t the end. After the ever-present “one more song” chant the band came back out to the delight of the crowd with some more tunes off How It Goes. They started off playing ‘My Girlfriend’s On Drugs’ with The Dollies singing along and acting out all sorts of illicit drug use on stage, quite a site to behold. After that the band played ‘LAX,’ a true punk ballad and an awesome way to end the show.
After all the glory of Big D and the Kids Table is said and done, the local openers all deserve honorable mention. The Explosive Sheep are a young, local Ska band doing their thing well. The Waffle Stompers tore it up with their originals and a sweet version of "Proud Mary." The Avon Junkies were also an interesting Ska group, doing something a little different.

Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave

Johnny Cash is a legend. So legendary in fact, that he is still releasing music even years after his death. His most recent release, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, is a slow, refined work that is clearly late Cash, in touch with his spiritual and religious side. The works contained on American VI were recorded only months before Cash’s death in late 2003 in the same session as American V: A Hundred Highways.
American VI: Ain’t No Grave is a perfectly organized compilation of songs for Cash to have recorded so close to the end. Each and every song echoes the impending big sleep with an air of confidence and satisfaction. Especially known for his cover of Nine Inch Nail’s ‘Hurt,’ Cash is well versed in making the music of other’s work with is talents. All of the songs on American IV, one original and nine covers, are perfectly carried by the wise country singer.
‘Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down)’ is a song written by Claude Ely. The song guests Avett Brothers Scott on Banjo and Seth doing footsteps. The song is a cover of an old religious tune, an eerie piece featuring dragging chains and church bells behind Cash’s voice and the light instrumentals. Cash sings in the song “Ain’t no grave can hold my body down.” He surely predicted the future.
‘Redemption Day’ is a Cheryl Crow song. The light guitar and organ provide a vehicle for Cash’s voice to carry Sheryl Crow’s lyrics on, lyrics that feel so natural coming from Cash that it may as well have been his own song.
‘For the Good Times’ written by Kris Kristofferson, is a song about enjoying life. Cash’s finely aged voice and his proximity to the big sleep really give this song a lot of power. ‘Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound’ is a song written by Tom Paxton. It is yet another song that can’t help but be applied to the end of Cash’s life, wondering where he’s bound at the end.
‘Satisfied Mind’ is a Red Hayes/Jack Rhodes original. The lyrics “How many times have you heard someone say, if I had his money I could do things my way, but little they know that its so hard to find, one rich man in ten, with a satisfied mind” are a bit of advice from a rich man to enjoy life regardless of your financial situation. ‘I Don’t Hurt Anymore’ is a Don Roberston/Walter E. Rollins tune and is yet another celebration of happiness. While the previous song was used to offer advice for happiness, this song is an exclamation of happiness.
‘Cool Water’ is a Bob Nolan song. The song is a conversation between the narrator and Dan, two men who just want water, in a desert. To put the song into the context of Cash’s life, a good old God loving man, would be to make it a metaphor for the afterlife.
‘Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream’ an Ed McCurdy piece, is truly a dream sequence musically. The most instrumentally rich song on the album, filled with guitars, piano, light percussion and organ, is truly a soothing piece.
‘Aloha Oe’ is a song written by Queen Lili’uokalani, and is easily recognized as ‘that cliché Hawaiian dancing song’ from movies. Despite this setback, the song is truly gorgeous. The ever heartbreaking slide guitar and Cash’s deep, old voice singing in a Hawaiian tongue are a true delight to the ears.
‘1 Corinthians 15:55’ is the only Cash original on the album. It’s an upbeat, religious ode to what the Man sees coming. “Hope springs eternal, just over the rise, when I see my redeemer beckoning me” is the chorus of the song. Cash, through all his trials and tribulations was still hopeful even in the end. “1 Corinthians 15:55’ is an impressive finale for the Man in Black.

John R. Cash will have been 78 years old tomorrow, February 26. Don’t forget the Man in Black.

Galactic - Ya-Ka-May

Galactic are a bunch of talented musicians from good old New Orleans, Louisiana. The band totally defies any sort of classification. The only words that can even begin to pin them down are crunch and funky. Your going to want to dance when you listen to their news release, Ya-Ka-May, and if you don’t want to dance, your not going to be able to stop your body from sharing in the groove without you. It has a lot of fantastic guest artist collaborations, in fact almost every song on the album does. There is so much New Orleans flavor within the confines of Ya-Ka-May that listening may actually incite a riotous dance party on the spot.
‘Boe Money’ (featuring The Rebirth Brass Band) is an awesome instrumental jam combining a lot of funky elements with a grand horn section to create a really solid groove. The Rebirth Brass Band does a great job adding a lot of New Orleans funk and jazz and really livens the track up to another level. The Rhythm section keeps it solid, not a second for your feet to stop for the duration of the track. Background gang vocals throughout the song give you the feeling of being in New Orleans at a street festival listening to a rockin’ band.
‘Heart of Steel’ (featuring Irma Thomas) draws on a light hip-hop feel in the drum beat while infusing the rhythm and blues in the sweet vocals and a little old school blues-rock in the harmonica and guerilla guitar riffs. That is a lot to chew on for one song, but Galactic was born for it and make it happen with a little help from Irma Thomas. This song is a powerhouse with a really catchy chorus, lyrically and instrumentally: you can feel the instrumentals meshing with Irma’s vocals for the chorus to really drive it home, while staying in the pocket during the verse. “Tight” is the word that comes to mind and you can surely feel the New Orleans again in this track.
‘Dark Water’ (featuring John Boutte) is a really low down funky, bluesy, soul track with some smooth lyrics from John Boutte. The song starts off leading each individual instrument in and you know its taken form once the guitar riff cuts through the speakers and shakes your soul alive. The breakdown is so crunchy that trying to resist it would be futile: every song on this album was made to move to.
‘Liquor Pang’ (featuring Josh Cohen & Ryan Scully from the Morning 40 Federation) is a heavy blues-rock tune with a bit of electronic thrown in right next to all the hard alcohol streaming through its sound waves. This song reeks of whiskey, especially in the lyrics: “Finger on the trigger / take your liquor in the fast lane.” The song moves along at a sluggish pace, slowly injecting it’s awesome instrumentals into your skull via a solid rhythm section, and a grungy, bluesy infusion of horns, guitar and electric organ.
‘You Don’t Know’ (featuring Glen David Andrews & The Rebirth Brass Band) may be the most powerful song on Ya-Ka-May. The Rebirth Brass Band comes back for another round to lay it down with Glen David Andrews. The heavy, raspy, blues lyrics come from the soul and the brass is just phenomenal. Galactic lay down a gorgeous foundation and work so smoothly with their collaborators you would never know it was a track featuring artists who are not a part of the band.
These are only a few of the songs off Galactic’s newest release, Ya-Ka-May. To try and describe any of the tracks on this album in only one or two sentences would have been a serious injustice. This is one of those albums you must give at least one listen to this year, because you WILL be hearing about it.

The Album Leaf - A Chorus of Storytellers

The Album Leaf is an experiment ambient post-rock group from San Diego, California. Their latest release, A Chorus of Storytellers, is the effort’s first release featuring a full band.

Perro, the first track on the album, fades in with a light static overpowered by a synth using a simple progression and gradually adding more and more body. Behind all of this are some sort of announcements by human voices that are barely audible and seem to be an adult teaching a child to speak or read. The track is otherwise instrumental.
Perro bleeds into Blank Pages adding a drum machine’s beat to the ever evolving synthesizer piece. Slowly throughout the song strings come and go giving way to a very post-rock sounding guitar and bells to compliment the drum machine.
There is a Wind picks up again heavily with the synthesizer but with real drums this time, and harmonized vocals. This song conjures a very dreamlike state, and the lyrics fit the instrumentals perfectly: “There’s a wind behind everyone that takes us through our lives.” After a moment with lyrics, the song breaks into instrumentals and slowly begins to incorporate background, chant like lyrics.
Within Dreams starts off with more drums machine beats and a slowly building chorus of instrumentals that gains momentum and by the middle of the song becomes a progressive ambience of strings, guitar, bass and a beautiful backing synth. This is another fully instrumental track.
Falling from the Sun seems to be a more vocally based song but still incorporates the symphony of instrumentals from previous tracks. Continuing on with the dream sequence that is A Chorus of Storytellers, the song’s lyrics again invoke a very dreamy state with harmonized, repetitive, chanting vocals: “We’ll find a way, yes we’ll find a way, yes we’ll find a way to fall.”
Stand Still is yet another beautiful, ambient, instrumental piece. This type of track is truly the essence of bands that create music like this. The intricate drum beats paired with the eloquent strings is enough but the guitar and backing synthesizer continue to add to the experience.
The end of Stand Still fades into Summer Fog. If the rest of the album is slow and ambient, this piece is certainly one step away from moving backward, not to say it is a bad song in the least. Another instrumental only track, it truly does illustrate a ‘summer fog’ and a lighthouse and steamboat, among other things. Until the Last follows in the wake of Stand Still as yet another awesome instrumental track.
We Are and Almost There revive again the use of lyrics and harmonized chants which compliments what the band is doing perfectly. Tied Knots creeps up with the same static that Perro came in with, creating a musical sandwich. The song takes it very slowly and casts off the album with more elaborate instrumentals than it came in with. Finally the song slowly fades the album out back into the static from whence it came.