After Hours, Anne Rogers, Arms of Kismet, Chris Stamey, Evan Pollack, Grahame Davies, If I Were a Richman, Jon Astley, Kowtow Popof, Neil Luckett, The Crowd Scene, the matthew show, tvfordogs, Venus Flytrap
In New music on November 9, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Sometimes a record comes along that is just plain beautiful. And that record is for your immersion.
Fronted by the husband-and-wife tandem of Grahame Davies and Anne Rogers, and supported by percussionist Evan Pollack, The Crowd Scene mint a timeless pop evoking the bittersweet sensibility of mid-period Beatles, Brian Wilson, Ray Davies, and — more recently — Elvis Costello, the dBs, and Aimee Mann. What emerges is a melancholic optimism that acknowledges life’s oblique obstacles and simple wonders.
Mastered by Jon Astley (The Who, George Harrison, Tori Amos) at Close To The Edge in London, With Complete Glossary for Squares features context-aware cameos from Chris Stamey, formerly of the dBs, and Neil Luckett of tvfordogs.
The record joins a Wampus Multimedia roster that includes new and imminent releases from tvfordogs, the matthew show, Venus Flytrap, Kowtow Popof, and Arms of Kismet, as well as After Hours: a Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed (to which The Crowd Scene contributed “Candy Says”) and If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman (on which they performed “When Harpo Played His Harp”).
Free CD stream
http://forsquares.com
Arms of Kismet, Arthur Winer, february, George Orwell, Hurry Home Early, Kowtow Popof, Matthew Broyles, The Crowd Scene, the matthew show, tvfordogs, Venus Flytrap
In New music on October 14, 2008 at 6:00 am
Have you tuned in yet to the Texas-based art-pop collective the matthew show? Their amazing new record, february, is out this morning.
Sardonic yet compassionate, this tuneful, idiosyncratic disc lands at the intersection of documentary and classic pop. And that works for us. Songwriter and producer Matthew Broyles, moved by the uncertain state of his and his friends’ lives, examines hope, regret, and fickle truth, leading lively interviews in pursuit of George Orwell’s “power of facing unpleasant facts.”
And that’s just cool.
What emerges is a deft portrait of five adults on the cusp of middle age, each asking, “Is this all there is?” In reply, Broyles explores and exposes their lives in a patchwork of word and song. Calling on the support of a stellar cast, he cajoles and enlightens, crafting a vivid and jarringly universal portrayal of contemporary life.
Mastered by Arthur Winer at Canaveral Skies, february joins a Wampus Multimedia roster that includes new and imminent releases from tvfordogs, The Crowd Scene, Venus Flytrap, Kowtow Popof, and Arms of Kismet, as well as Hurry Home Early: the Songs of Warren Zevon, to which the matthew show contributed a version of Zevon’s “Mohammed’s Radio.”
Spin the free CD stream.
ashtray rock, halifax, joel plaskett, Kowtow Popof
In New music on October 13, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Last year Wampus artist Kowtow Popof introduced us to a record called Ashtray Rock by Canadian songwriter Joel Plaskett and his band the Joel Plaskett Emergency. This under-the-radar disc wasn’t just good. It wasn’t even merely great, as such a tag would imply it was no better than many other albums. No — this was one of the best rock records we had heard in 20 years, a stunning, flawless amalgam of passion, craftsmanship, and pure, contrarian brilliance. So yeah, you might say we kinda liked it.
And the odd part? We haven’t stopped listening to it since, haven’t gotten to the point where it no longer engages us. We’re still cranking it loud in the car, still pushing it on everyone we know.
Over the years, bands have made rancid concept albums, giving a perfectly fine genre — album as novel, what’s not to like? — a bad name. With Ashtray Rock, Plaskett reminds us it was lousy art, not music as narrative, that killed the concept album. The songs on Ashtray Rock are wise but not clever, impassioned but not treacly. They are personal and universal. And absolutely real.
You’ve got a picture of her that you carry around, Plaskett croons in his best falsetto, but China’s not the same as Chinatown.
Makes us long for Halifax.
free music, Heavy Denver, Neil Luckett, Roller, Starling, tvfordogs
In New music on September 23, 2008 at 6:00 am
Say hello to Starling (free stream, c’mon), the third CD from London-based modern-rock trio tvfordogs.
Devoid of Weezeresque irony, singer-guitarist Neil Luckett mines a classic, idiosyncratic vein, advancing the go-for-broke assault of Heavy Denver (2002) and brass-ring target-shooting of Roller (2005) with a knowing blend of retro styles and rock archetypes. On Starling, classic rock drenched in early-’70s guitar tones meets the immediacy of modern hi-fi.
Restless in its introspection, Starling calls to mind Jimi Hendrix and even Neil Young. The disarming “Frozen Friend,” with its storming guitar intro and plaintive lead vocal, is one of the most infectious, impassioned tracks of this or any year.
We think you’ll love Starling. That’s why we’re spinning it free. Have a listen?
http://starlingthealbum.com
Arms of Kismet, free music, Kowtow Popof, The Crowd Scene, the matthew show, tvfordogs, Venus Flytrap
In New music on September 20, 2008 at 3:36 pm
This fall’s roster is the most appealing we’ve had, and we’re not just saying so because we have a dog in that fight. It’s as if these artists matured at the exact same moment and did their most compelling work as a collective.
After watching CD sales die on the vine the last few years, we decided: hey, screw it, let’s just spin the tunes for free. If people want to buy CDs or downloads, they will. Otherwise they’ve got a freebie. In the last few weeks, we’ve launched three streaming sites:
All three CDs are available by special presale at those URLs, straight from Wampus. Soon they’ll be available in stores, too.
After that, we’ll reload with new discs from Venus Flytrap, Kowtow Popof, and Arms of Kismet.
Wampus Multimedia introduces Exalted Headband, the new album from songwriter-composer Kowtow Popof.
