Monday, July 20, 2009

come see Copeland for free


Saturday July 25th at 3 pm Copeland will be playing a live acoustic set in the store!
Come on down and meet the band

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Astra The Weirding

Astra
The Weirding
purchase album here

Every year there is a record that comes out of nowhere that absolutely floors me. Several years ago it was Witchcraft with their self-titled monster, resurrecting the classic Black Sabbath and early Pentagram sound and last year it was fellow Swedes, Graveyard doing nearly the same thing with even longer hair and an artillery of Orange amplifiers. With artists such as these, I was almost sure that anything I was going to go mad for in the future would indeed be from Europe, where musicians seem to do things the way they did when rock and roll was at the top of its game in the late 60's and early 70's. However, this year you can raise the flags, blare the trumpets, and bang a gong because 2009's discovery is actually from the good ol' United States of America. Hailing from the west coast of course (San Diego to be exact), Astra with their debut, The Weirding on Rise Above Records has taken listeners by storm and sent everyone into a frenzy to get their hands on a copy of this album. In fact, if you are at all curious at the end of this review, you should call and reserve your copy, because as soon as a shipment comes in, they are long gone by the end of the day.
Labeling Asta's sound as vintage would indeed be an understatement. Unlike a great deal of the bands out there that exhibit a retro vibe, Astra makes their own distinct music and doesn't borrow too heavily from any of their diverse range of influences, which include Meddle-era Pink Floyd, early Genesis, and King Crimson, all cloaked in the darkness of the Black, both Sabbath and Widow. Recorded and produced by the band themselves in their own Black Widow Studios in the Autumn of 2008, this album is arranged absolutely beautifully and evokes the rich instumental tone and song craft that only could have been captured by Astra in their own element. With five members all of the same mindset, Astra brings forth a sound that ventures far beyond the typical effect-laiden guitars, bombastic drums, and organ swells, complete with Moog electronics, Arp Odyssey synthesizers, mellotron, flute. and echeplex. The opening track, "The Rising of the Black Sun" serves as more of an intro of sorts and sets the tone of the album with windchimes, cymbal screams and scrapes, flute trills, and various guitar drones that build and expand into a creshendo that results in a driving tempo complete with a frantic rhythm section underneath soaring guitar harmonies and thick layers of synthesizer. Following is the title track to the album, which clocks in at over fifteeen minutes and is arguably the strongest song on the record. Both Richard Vaughan and Conor Riley's vocals harmonize perfectly overtop of the big, but never overpowering wall of instruments and sound eerily close to the tambor of David Gilmore and Rick Wright on Pink Floyd's epic, "Echoes", mixed at times with just a smidgen of Ozzy Osbourne's vocals circa Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Other highlights include "The River Under" which sounds as though it could have been plucked from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and the seventeen minute instrumental beast "Ouroboros", also known as the bastard child of King Crimson, Goblin, and Zombi.
What is most impressive with this paticular album is the strong attention that was paid to the detail and dynamics of the songs themselves, never getting too out control and leaving the space in between the cracks in order to keep the instrumentation from getting too busy. At the same time, Astra does an incredible job at keeping things fresh and avoiding redundantcy which is of immense importance on this album that falls just short of the eighty, yes 80, minute mark. Though a long record, it flows together perfectly and can hold the listener's attention through its entirety. The Weirding is without a doubt one of the strongest records for 2009 and a great introduction to Astra, a band that is no doubt just getting started. -Andrew Bryant

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dead Weather

the Dead Weather Listening Party!!

Tuesday July 14th - Noon
Free Pizza and Sodas!!

Jack White's most recent project, the Dead Weather's story began when another of White's groups, the Raconteurs, was completeing a US tour with the Kills. White was ailing from bronchitis, so Kills singer Alison Mosshart sang most of his songs. After the tour ended,White and Mosshart enlisted Raconteurs bassist, Jack Lawrence, and Queens of the Stone Age guitarist, Dean Fertita, and the Dead Weather was born...

After releasing two very successful vinyl singles the Dead Weather's debut album Horehound is due out next week. Come see what all the fuss is about next Tuesday, July 14 at Noon. The Disc Exchange will provide some refreshments so come spend your lunch hour with us and sample Horehound, from the Dead Weather. Horehound will of course be ON SALE...

Brian Olive

Brian Olive
Brian Olive
purchase here

Brian Olive's solo debut, released on the all-mighty Alive Records, is a warm, fuzzy adventure in the world of vintage, psychedelic soul. Part Memphis rhythm and blues, part British psychedelia from the Nuggets era of the 1960's, this album is the perfect complement to your summer merriment. Recorded and mixed by Brian himself on analog tape, this album screams a throwback sound along the lines of such artists today as A Band of Bees and The Blue Van. This album sounds so vintage that I can almost guarantee you that, like myself, you will have to keep checking the production and release dates to make sure that you haven't stumbled upon some long lost gem from yesterday. Olive sings, plays a multitude of instruments (guitar, keys, and saxophones to be exact), and drowns it all in thick, syrupy reverb that alleviates any of the modern era from seeping through. Joining him on this musical kaleidoscope are a revered group of musicians including Jared McKinley and Craig Fox of the Greenhornes, Mike Weinel of the Heartless Bastards, and Dan Allaire of the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Opening the album with "Ida Red", Olive and company leave absolutely no wonder as to what kind of album that we are in store for; fuzzy vocals, background harmonies, and acoustic guitar rhythm lines that are eerily similar to the banjo attack of the Monks. Following suit, Brian brings several other mid-tempo garage numbers to the table including "The Day is Coming" and "Killing Stone." Shaking things up a bit, Olive and company add some blistering soul numbers to the pot with the Beale Street beat of "Strealin" and the open, celebratory choruses of "Jubilee Line" that could have graced the Stax label many years ago. Though one of the softer selections on the album, "Echoing Light" is the icing on the cake. The slow, acoustic subtleties, wind chimes, and percussive brush work make me want to fire up the tiki-torches and sip on some umbrella drinks out in the garden. What more could we ask for in a summer time album? -Andrew Bryant

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Sunn O)))

Sunn 0)))
Monoliths and Dimensions
Purchase album here

When it comes to Sunn 0))), we usually know what we are getting even before the first notes of the albums transpire. These kings of black-cloaked drone play heavy music and do so in two fashions, very slow and extremely loud. On nearly every recording, Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley unleash a sub-sonic attack on the eardrums with notes so low that we, as mere mortals, never knew they existed, that is until the fillings in our back molars rattle loose and our heads throb from the reverberation. Though not every one's cup of tea, Sunn 0))) has developed a very strong following that spans across the spectrum from lovers of heavy rock and metal, to noise, to experimental jazz nerds.
With their new album and seventh release, Monoliths and Dimensions, Anderson and O'Malley expand the Sunn 0))) sound and add more dimensions to the overall picture with the addition of strings, brass, and vocal arrangements. Not that they are changing much about their sound or getting soft on us however, because this is most definitely a Sunn 0))) album in all its glory, complete with a massive sound and dark overtones. Opening the album up in great form, "Agartha" features the classic Anderson and O'Malley calling card: down-tuned chords that seem to last for an eternity and are best consumed at an extremely high volume setting. This foreboding tale of the legendary city that lies at the Earth's core, features Hungarian vocalist Attila Csihar with a primal monologue that seems to be evoking some sort of prophecy from the old world that will open a direct vortex to this Land of the Living Gods. Csihar, who has worked with such black metal greats as Tormentor and Mayhem, brings forth a guttural and damn right creepy vocal performance throughout the entire album that makes Vincent Price seem like a Sunday school teacher and is highly appropriate for the dark imagery being painted by both Anderson and O'Malley. "Big Church" could easily be a long lost gem straight out of the Omen or 2001: A Space Odessy soundtrack repertoire, and features Earth's Dylan Carlson on guitar, a Viennese women's choir, and composer Eyvid Kang with brass and string arrangements, all of which add their own crucial layer to the mix. Despite several guests on this album, Kang seems to have the biggest contribution, with his string and brass work that sets Monoliths and Dimensions apart from the rest of the Sunn 0))) catalog.
This album is both brutal and beautiful; heavy as hell and scary as shit. It is the perfect accompaniment for a stormy night, a dark drive in the country, and a night alone with only candles burning. A word to the wise, however: when listening to Monoliths and Dimensions, don't let your mind play tricks on you, for it is only an album and the sounds you are hearing emit only from your speakers. Or do they? -Andrew Bryant

Monday, June 8, 2009

Scott H Biram

Scott H. Biram
Something's Wrong/Lost Forever
purchase here

The Reverend Scott H. Biram can do no wrong in my book. Like any good parishioner, I will follow the good Reverend's lead in all things, from consuming my communion of whiskey and biscuits, not taking shit off of anyone who comes my way, and knowing that the good Lord, Jesus loves me just the way that I am. Like most who take Biram's word as the gospel, any and everything that he has released musically stands the test of time and constantly remains at an arm-length, ready to be consumed when and wherever the spirit moves me. Something's Wrong/Lost Forever, the newest testament in the gospel of Scott H. Biram, is just what the doctor ordered, the best of both worlds, conjuring the bombastic boot-stomp and the drunken heartbreak in all of us.
At face value, what is most impressive for a mere passerby is that, like everything he does, Scott pretty much handles it all on this album, from writing, to singing, engineering, producing, stomping, and hollering. This indeed makes the album all his own, the exact portrait that he wishes to convey in the exact way he wants, whether it be slapping us in the face or lending a friendly ear and warm glass of bourbon. Something's Wrong/Lost Forever is a much more laid back Scott Biram than what we have seen in the recent past, almost returning to the days of Preachin' and Hollerin'. Not that he has gone soft on us, no sir. It's just that there seems to be much more of an emphasis placed on the craft of songwriting, along with his overall grit and raw emotion. These songs include the laid back "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue" and "Wildside" on which Biram seems to be channeling more of a Hank Williams feel than ever with more twang and drawl than you can shake a stick at. These tracks are plumb pretty at times, sad at others, and make you want to drown your sorrows at the bottom of the bottle. Once the sacrament has been consumed, there are plenty of rowdy moments on the album to get the blood flowing a bit faster, including "Judgement Day" where Biram preaches the gospel in his own twisted way and "I Feel Good" on which Van Campbell and John Wesley Myers of the Black Diamond Heavies add their own flair and burn the whole damn barn down in the process. Ending the album in the absolute perfect manner, Scott H. Biram shows his true blues and gospel roots and raises the spirits by giving an a capella rendition of Leadbelly's "Go Down Ol' Hannah", showing more soul than most R&B singers combined.
All in all, another great album by the man, the myth, the legend that is known as Scott H. Biram. His music brings together blues, rock, gospel, all in a punkass manner that appeals to an extremely broad variety of individuals, that are ever growing in number and variety even as we speak. I see this new album as propelling him into the league in which he belongs, especially in the circles that hold Hank Williams III in such a high regard. And make no mistake about it, Scott H. Biram is most definitely an outlaw whose music goes far above and beyond reflecting just that. - Andrew Bryant

Monday, June 1, 2009

Trainwreck Riders

Trainwreck Riders
The Perch
purchase here

From the get-go, I thought that I had the Trainwreck Riders pegged. With the descriptors of country and rock, I was sure that they were going to be a more modern version of a Parsons Burrito Byrds conglomerate, yet I couldn't have been more wrong. Hearing their music for the first time threw me an instant curve ball, probably because I was expecting to hear upbeat shuffles with quirky pedal steel lines and instead was dished out a serving that was a bit more rock than roll. Hailing from San Francisco, the Trainwreck Riders consist of vocalist and guitarist Pete Frauenfelder, Andrew Kerwin on drums, and his brother Steve on lead guitar and vocals.
For the most part, this album is a modern cowpunk record that brings to mind obvious influences from this genre including the Meat Puppets and the Mekons. Part rock, but never over the top, the Trainwreck Riders are a pretty safe, middle-of-the-road bet that never gets too out of control on the volume and tempo end of things. Not a face-melter at all mind you, The Perch, though chocked full of momentary lapses with Dobro, lap steel, and fiddle, can best be described as an alternative country rock album with a sound that is highly similar to that of Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. Highlights include"Don't You Know", a track with an extremely laid back tempo that could seamlessly be added to any Modest Mouse record and "Chug Along", a soft, acoustic song complete with resonator guitar, brushes on the snare drum, and a warm, summer evening feel that makes you just want to put your feet up on the back porch and watch the sun go down.
Though not what I expected at first, the Trainwreck Riders have delivered an album that is perfect for the warm weather that is upon us. The Perch is yet another point chalked up in the plus column for Alive Records and I am sure that we will more from the Trainwreck boys hopefully soon.-Andrew Bryant