Falcon Buddies Travel By Magnet http://www.myspace.com/falconbuddies Travel By Magnet, is the first EP by experimental, progressive quartet Falcon Buddies, consisting of Dieter Geisler on keyboard/guitar/vocals, Morris Ramos on guitar, Ian Eskander on bass and Victor Tizoc Trevino on drums. The album is truly a multi-instrumental art pop electronic explosion of psychedelic fuzzed-out garage rock which could easily be a blender frappe of Guided By Voices, Flaming Lips and Yeasayer. "Bedsheets," begins with melodic piano and quickly escalates with serrated guitar riffs, swaggering bass, and light cymbal tapping. Geisler's vocals on this particular track draw similarities to Interpol's lead singer Paul Banks singing style but transforms through the progression of the EP. "Skaldabeast," is a dreamy triumph of schizophrenic vision which evolves from mere chanting to a psychedelic precision of Geisler bellowing, "I don't want to be afraid of this anymore, I don't want to be afraid of this anymore. I don't want to be afraaaaid." The last track entitled "To Red is Vain," is an 80% instrumental track which features what seems to be a whole band inclusion of vocals in "Ohhh ohhh ohhhhh ohhh" reiterated mid song. The track is suggestive of Yeasayer's 2080. The album art is interesting and a bit difficult to understand. A close up of what seems to be cotton or synthetic stuffing graces the cover atop a bubble wrap and shipping manila envelope---a hook like object protrudes from the cotton/stuffing. The inside flap features a close up of red, yellow and blue wires held together by a little plastic clip. A great album to listen to while trying to gain inspiration for an unconventional painting or drawing.
Three Leaf Big Light Pitchdark Productions www.threeleafmusic.com http://www.myspace.com/threeleafmusic Big Light is the first self-produced debut album for San Marcos bluegrass-root-rockers Three Leaf. The quartet which consists of singer/guitarist Chris Brennand, multi-instrumentalist Jared White, bassist Kent Chandler, and drummer/percussionist Zac Catanzaro formed in 2000. "Take What You Want," is a folksy ballad permeated with rootsy banjo riffs which reiterates the lyrics "steal what you need, use your nails, use your teeth and you will go far" through the song. Listening to the lyrics one would realize it's about growing up, getting caught in a corporate American dream and forgetting who you are. The album's second track entitled "Raw Monkey" is central to Three Leaf's sound incorporating fast guitar riffs, melodic banjo strumming, beat-crazy percussion, and Brennand's wailing vocals. The standout track "Opportunistic," is a well developed upbeat track about a band on their way to stardom. "Flagwave Shadows," the tenth and last track of the album is a slow paced tune consisting of melodic guitar and soft drumming which escalate towards the end of the song while Brennard croons, "love will leave you in the end, beautifully broken in." The album cover which is mostly black features an illuminated cutout face. The posterior of the album reveals how the image on the front was created with a backlight. The focus of the album isn't on jamming or really on bluegrass, but more on the songwriting and arrangements. Comparable to a more eclectic, rootsy Yonder Mountain String Band album with the inclusion of percussion and drums, Three Leaf's Big Light is perfect to pop into the stereo on a chill evening or quiet night in.
The Couch The Couch http://www.myspace.com/thecouchmusic The Couch is the self-titled EP for San Marcos rockers The Couch which consists of lead vocalist Taylor Wilkins on guitar, Matt Adams on bass/backup vocals, Jud Johnson on drums/backup vocals. Reminiscent of The Black Crowes with a splash or two of the White Stripes, The Couch encompasses a soulful orchestration of instruments while maintaining a contemporary rock/funk sound. The album's first track "The Sugared Jubilee," reveals the band's ability to rip into the musical abyss with burning guitar riffs, penetrating bass lines and incessant drumming. "Marvin," begins with a Pulp Fiction sound bite from the scene in which Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta asks backseat passenger Marvin his opinion and 'accidently' shoots him in the face and begins to bicker with partner Jules Winnfiel (Samuel L. Jackson.) While the lyrics are not titular to the song's title, the track's wailing guitar and piercing bass compliment Wilkins' whisky soaked vocals nicely. The album's concluding track, "The Pauper, Pope and the Stoned," opens with some sort of vibrato psychedelic sound which fades abruptly when Wilkins's begins to sing. Beginning with an upbeat tempo and transitioning into to a more jam rock anthem midway, Wilkin's sings about disregarding behavior during drunken stupors and repeats the lyrics "stop drinking, stop drinking by yourself" over and over with Adams and Johnson as backups---easily the standout track and most rock of the EP. The album art features a caricature of what appears to be Arsenio Hall shouting "THE COUCH," sketched by local artist and University Star cartoonist Doug Pollard. In honest opinion, The Couch is a great album to put on during a pre-game before a night out on the town.
Digging around old music, I found a noteworthy album entilted Oar by former drummer for Jefferson Airplane and acid casualty Alexander "Skip" Spence. The solo album was released in 1969 and recorded six months after Spence's release from Bellevue Hospital. While the album consists mostly of incoherent ramblings and lyrical musings, the "turn on, tune in, drop out" sound is prevalent.
According to numerous music blogs and online magazines, Pavement, the American Indie Rock band hailing from Stockton, CA could be reuniting for Coachella 2009. Guitarist for the estranged band Scott Kannberg said that the band's booking agent has been in the talks with Coachella festival chiefs. Apparently, the decision stands on the right price. Coachella's headliners for 2008 were Roger Waters, Portishead and Prince.
All I have to say is Primal Scream! With eleven albums under their belt and recent new album, these guys will definitely bring something special to "The Live Music Capital of the World".
8Ball & MJG (Memphis, TN) Akron/Family (Williamsport, PA) Al Kapone (Memphis, TN) Alina Simone (Brooklyn, NY) Amanda Blank (Philadelphia, PA) Amber Smith (Budapest, HUNGARY) Angry vs The Bear (Essex, ENGLAND) Anthony Snape (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) ARABROT (Oslo, NORWAY) Arc Angels (Austin, TX) Asher Roth (Morrisville, PA) Asobi Seksu (Brooklyn, NY) Astrid Williamson (Shetland Islands, SCOTLAND) B.o.B. (Atlanta, GA) Banda de Turistas (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Bar-Kays (Memphis, TN) Bavu Blakes (Austin, TX) Ben Kweller (Austin, TX) Benny Gallagher (West Wickham, ENGLAND) Black Cherry (London, ENGLAND) BLACK SKIES (Chapel Hill, NC) Blaqstarr (Baltimore, MD) Blue Scholars (Seattle, WA) Bomba Estereo (Bogota, Columbia) Brick Bandits (Philadelphia, PA) Buck 65 (Halifax, NS) Buraka Som Sistema (Lisbon, Portugal) Candy Coated Killahz (Toronto, CANADA) Cashier No.9 (Belfast, IRELAND) Casiokids (Bergen, NORWAY) Charles Hamilton (New York, NY) Choc Quib Town (Bogota, Columbia) CHOO-CHOO (Bern, SWITZERLAND) Chris T-T (Brighton, ENGLAND) Come On Gang! (Edinburgh, SCOTLAND) Crystal Method (Los Angeles, CA) Crystal Stilts (New York, NY) Damero (Berlin, Germany) Dananananaykroyd (Glasgow, Scotland) Dave Alvin (Los Angeles, CA) David Garza (Austin, TX) Dead Prez (New York, NY) Dekadens (Bucharest, ROMANIA) Dirtblonde (Liverpool, ENGLAND) Division Miniscula (Matamoros, Mexico) Doctor Krapula (Bogota, Columbia) EBONY BONES! (London, ENGLAND) Ella (Bristol, ENGLAND) Empire ISIS (Montreal, CANADA) Explosions in the Sky (Austin, TX) Flood of Red (Glasgow, SCOTLAND) Franki Chan (Los Angeles, CA) Free Sol (Memphis, TN) Futumomo Satisfaction (Tokyo, Japan) Gabi Almedia (Sao Paolo, Brazil) Gary Clark Jr. (Austin, TX) Grimy Styles (Austin, TX) Hacienda (San Antonio, TX) Hickoids (Austin, TX) Ida Maria (Stockholm, Sweden) Insite (Mexicali, Mexico) Invincible (Detroit, MI) Jokers of the Scene (Ottawa, ON) Kap Bambino (Bordeaux, France) Kid Sister (Chicago, IL) Killer Mike (Atlanta, GA) LA Riots (Los Angeles, CA) Los Fancy Free (Mexico City, Mexico) Madi Diaz (Nashville, TN) Manana (Basil, SWITZERLAND) Mandi Perkins (Los Angeles, CA) Mexican Institute of Sound (Mexico City, Mexico) Micachu (London, ENGLAND) Midnight Youth (Auckland, NEW ZEALAND) Mika Miko (Los Angeles, CA) Mike Badger (Liverpool, ENGLAND) Mistah FAB (Oakland, CA) Monokino (Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS) Moriarty (Montreuil, FRANCE) Motel (Mexico City, Mexico) Mundo Livre Sa (Recife, Brazil) My Crew Be Unruly (Baltimore, MD) My Federation (Hove, ENGLAND) Nacho Vegas (Gijon, Spain) Nacional (Glasgow, SCOTLAND) NAVEL (Erschwil, SWITZERLAND) Outasight (New York, NY) P.O.S. (Minneapolis, MN) Pato Machete (Monterrey, Mexico) Peter Bjorn & John (Stockholm, Sweden) Peter Rosenberg (New York, NY) Port O'Brien (Cambria, CA) Primal Scream (Glasgow, Scotland) Reflection Eternal (Ohio/New York) Rob Quest (Houston, TX) Sage Francis (Providence, RI) San Quinn (San Francisco, CA) Scribe (Christchurch, NZ) Shad (London, Ontario) Shawn David McMillen (Austin, TX) Simplifires (Mexico City, Mexico) Soulico (Tel Aviv, Israel) St. Vincent (Dallas, TX) Suzy & Los Quattro (Barcelona, Spain) T Bird & The Breaks (Austin, TX) Tanya Morgan (Brooklyn, NY) Temposhark (London, ENGLAND) The Beat Poets (Belfast, IRELAND) The Carrivick Sisters (Devon, ENGLAND) The Courteneers (Manchester, UK) The deBretts (London, ENGLAND) The Deep Dark Woods (Saskatoon, CANADA) the Devil Wears Prada (Dayton, OH) The Everyday Visuals (Boston, MA) The Knux (New Orleans, LA) THE MOOG (Budapest, HUNGARY) The Pepper Pots (Girona, Spain) The Sonics (Seattle, WA) The Temper Trap (Nth Fitzroy, AUSTRALIA) thecocknbullkid (London, ENGLAND) Thee Oh See's (San Francisco, CA) This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb (Pensacola, FL) Tittsworth (Washington, DC) Tommy Tee (Oslo, Norway) Toy Horses (Barry, WALES) Twilight Hotel (Winnipeg, CANADA) Virgin Passages (London, ENGLAND) Volodja Balzalorsky (Ljubljana, SLOVENIA) WAZ (Los Angeles, CA) We Have Band (London, ENGLAND) We Should Be Dead (Limerick, IRELAND) White Lies (London, ENGLAND) Whitechapel (Knoxville, TN) Willem Maker (Turkey Heaven, AL) Willy Joy (Chicago, IL) Yarah Bravo (New York, NY)
