The Lighthouse and the Whaler: This Is an Adventure

    It's always exciting to hear a band I suddenly like that I've never heard before (props to WITR 89.7, RIT's radio station--why did you not win best local radio station this year?), especially before they make their meteoric rise to fame. The Lighthouse and the Whaler may just experience that rise, riding on the peaks of the waves on the seas. A band from Cleveland, OH, The Lighthouse and the Whaler started with humble beginnings as a two man group made up of Michael LoPresti and Aaron Smith, who wrote a track called "The Field Song" and received sudden recognition by Paste Magazine, who utilized it on a sampler. Following that up with an EP that included four tracks, A Whisper, a Clamour (EP, 2008), and their debut, The Lighthouse and the Whaler (2009), they hit the road on tour. TV and radio also picked up a few of their songs and they were well on their way. Additionally, three new members joined somewhere along the way, brother Matthew LoPresti, Mark Poro and Steve Diaz. Together, they have released Pioneers (EP, March 2012) and this their sophomore release, This Is an Adventure (September 18, 2012). For some reason, Aaron Smith currently seems to be missing from the band's regular lineup, so I don't know when he left the band; however, Mark Poro claims that is not his real name, so maybe Aaron Smith became Mark Poro? Or maybe that is just gross speculation [and his real name is Mark Porostosky]. Regardless, Michael sings, Matthew is the percussionist, Mark is a multi-instrumentalist (i.e. violin, glockenspiel, mandolin, guitar, piano, et al.) and Steve does the majority of the composing from what I gather. Anyway, there are really interesting bios about all four on their website, here.
    Going back and listening to some of their older material, The Lighthouse and the Whaler was much more mellow and folk inspired, with great use of acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and harmonies of voices to create atmospheres that are chill yet intensely drawing, almost emo. There is also more complicated or creative use of several different instruments, which definitely help give that folk pop feeling. This Is an Adventure, on the other hand, received an electronic and rhythmic boost, with better editing, and a light touch of synth. The vocals are now also pared down to mostly one voice, which plainly is more in tune and is a great alternative to the constant harmonies. The album cover I think speaks volumes about how the songs feel and sound. It is like being carefree and free and off on an adventure on some island, or more plainly through life. Life is an adventure. Some of my favorite lyrics and songs for that matter include "I was set sailing/like a character in a book/i think this is what it's like to be free" from "Chromatic" and "i knew oh i knew you've got green eyes/i feel oh i feel the wind between the trees and open skies" from "This Is an Adventure". The albums has touches of Vampire Weekend, Two Door Cinema Club, the now defunct Scattered Trees (which has become On An On) and the Weathervanes era Freelance Whales, among others that may be harder to pinpoint.
    There's so many places to go. So many things to hear. Check out their Bandcamp, which houses full streams of The Lighthouse and the Whaler and Pioneers (EP), here. Their website has a nice 'Music' page, with discography, links to where you can purchase their CDs (well, it redirects to their store, but from there are more links) and live sets, here. You can also download the song "Venice" there. Another place to find a few download is their SoundCloud, here, which offers the sublime "Of the Heavens and the Earth". NPR's World Cafe did a little bit on This Is an Adventure and offers two live tracks for listening, here. I'd say, as a critic of live performances versus studio, they sound quite good! For full streams of This Is an Adventure, check out Paste Magazine's website, here; and Google play, here, which I believe allows you to listen full once before tragically clipping the tracks to minute samplings; plus their MySpace, here. I've linked the track 'This Is an Adventure" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks', just because it is soo pure and clean and drew me in initially, hopefully it will do the same for you. Enjoy!

Andrew Bird...Hands of Glory (EP)

    Not a stranger to this blog, Andrew Bird brings us a new EP titled Hands of Glory (released on Mom + Pop Records on October 30, 2012--maybe just a bit late for 'Just in...' status). One of the foremost indie rock artists of our day, having put out six full albums previous to this, Andrew Bird is a multi-instrumentalist melodist capable of crafting unique compositions that stand the test of time and fulfill the desires of eager fans for new material.  
    Hands of Glory (EP) does not disappoint, though it contains a marked folk (even bluegrass or southern rock) influence beyond many of his previous albums. His use of violin and whistling (the latter of which is strangely absent) in such a manner is not necessarily unfamiliar, but the acoustic presence is much greater, with the use of banjos, ukelele and fiddle. He even refers to 38 Special in the track "Railroad Bill", referring to not only a gun, but a southern rock band. To me, "Railroad Bill" and a lot of other parts of songs sound like something from a Garisson Keillor show. His fiddle playing, however, could probably be scrutinized and/or criticized by traditionalists and purists alike, because it borders at times on a harder rock influence and lacks some focus and/or style. Especially intermingled with his typical pizzicato techniques--it almost sounds a bit forced. Even so, Andrew Bird's intentional use of the fiddle genre to beef up the sound of Hands of Glory (EP) is definitely something he could potentially build on in the future. I just think, as with a lot of other styles/genres that other artists toy with, they would benefit from some real hands on experience. I mean, in this case, going to the back hills and learning by rote from someone who has learned from someone else--all part of a rich history of passing down tunes and style. Can I say whether he has or hasn't done this, no; but, if not my point stands.
    I think the real gem of of the nine-track Hands of Glory (EP) is the last track, "Beyond the Valley of the Three White Horses", which starts with the aforementioned pizzicato, to lovely effect. The violin also soars with Andrew Bird's more usual [than the rest of the album] slides and gracefulness. Midway through, the song morphs into this beautiful free flowing violin section, quickly changing into an electronic echo, so to speak. It's full of slow heavy waves or pulsations of vibrato, while the violin haunts the listener as it floats over top. The whole thing melts into nothing, until the pizzicato peeks back to complete the fade out.
    "Beyond the Valley of the White Horses" is hands down the best song on the album, and you can listen to it over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Or check it out, along with the rest of the full album stream at Andrew Bird's SoundCloud, here. Enjoy!

Local Natives: Gorilla Manor

    Today I didn't really know who to write up. So, this post, as you'll see, is kind of half explanation of my music binge process at times and plugs for other websites. Anyway, recently I stumbled across Birp.fm, or Birp!, a really cool indie music site. They're doing a pretty cool thing at Birp!, a new playlist of new stuff every month, just so you can listen and discover. You can even download each playlist, which I almost did once, but it was going to take about 7-8 hours. Anyway, the artwork for each month is inventive and they seem to be on the cutting edge of indie music. Doesn't mean that all the stuff is good listening, but you'll hear where things are going at least. And, you can rate each song. You can even contribute to a user-generated community playlist if you are a member of the site, which is free, just takes signing up for their forums. They also have reviews, a new music blog, mixtapes (WARNING: mature content), interviews and video archives of live and studio sessions.
    On Birp!'s November 2012 playlist I listened to the newest single from Local Natives, "Beakers". They have a new album coming out January 29, 2013, Hummingbird. Usually, it takes me all of five seconds to determine whether I like a song or not and want to continue perusing their musical catalog. Well, "Beakers" intrigued me enough to give them a shot, so I went to their SoundCloud, where I could listen to the entire debut, Gorilla Manor (Nov. 2, 2009 on Infectious Records in the U.K.; Feb. 16, 2010 on Frenchkiss Records in the U.S.). The album was named after the house where all five, now four, band members lived in Orange County, which was apparently quite the mess-pad.
    I also found that the Local Natives have done Daytrotter Sessions, and you can check those out here. Daytrotter is definitely a place to find new and cutting edge music. I think Local Natives is also at that point, with their music falling towards the front of the indie pack of hazy, psychedelic, dreamy, folk inspired, upbeat at times and at others chilled out, multi-vocaled harmonies and world/afro beat inspired. Other bands I'd put there are Young Buffalo, Freelance Whales, The Dodos and, well honestly, many others I just don't ever listen to [because they're not that good]. That being said, I'd compare Local Natives a lot more to Young Buffalo than the latter two; but, you'll even hear semblances of Sigur Ròs in one song, "Shape Shifter". I just get the feeling that Local Natives hadn't quite figured out their sound yet with Gorilla Manor, as half way through the album is this shift, sometime after "Shape Shifter", where they just changed styles. The songs are a little cleaner, less psychedelic haze and more pop-ish or beach rock-ish at times. I was just listening along and it just struck me that they sound significantly different and I wondered if I was listening to the same band-- if that is truly the case it is hard to tell going back, contrasting the latter with the first half of the album. Something I do like about the first half is the use of a more heavily distorted guitar/bass, as in songs like "Wide Eyes", "Sun Hands", "Shape Shifter" and "Camera Talk".
    See for yourself. Check out the entire Gorilla Manor on their SoundCloud, here. If you'd prefer MySpace, go here. You can hear their new single, "Beakers" a number of places, including their website, here. I've put the first track from Gorilla Manor, "Wide Eyes", up under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks'. Discover something different and cutting edge and, hopefully, enjoy!

Marble Sounds: Nice Is Good

    I've been sitting on this band, Marble Sounds, for a while, with their 2010 release, Nice Is Good, out on Belgian label, Zeal Records. They are a Belgian post-rock, indie pop group, though to the American ears I think they sound more like indie rock as I think the European idea of pop is very different than ours (lucky them!). If I'm wrong then I'll just choose to live within my delusion because it makes me feel better about the state of American pop music. I also think they're pretty emo, but just in the sense of their melancholic lyrics and atmosphere. A lot of their music is softer and acoustic, while other songs add keyboards (glockenspiel, or bells, and Rhodes piano--read more about that interesting instrument invention here) and other twinkling effects. Strings, flute, banjo and ukulele make an appearance too--all the above typical of a European style of pop music that I think hails mainly from the post-rock tradition that is so strong in Scandinavia and Iceland. They actually remind me a lot of Parachutes in some places.
    To my knowledge, the name of this their first full release was taken from a Jim Carey quote in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It has been years since I've seen that film, so I do not quite remember the context. Their debut four track EP was titled A Painting or a Spill (2007). They have also done some remixing and contributed a song, "Come Here", to a tribute/cover album of the music of Connecticut folk singer Kath Bloom, Loving Takes This Course (2009). "Come Here" actually appears on Nice Is Good as well. Most recently, a new track/single, I'm not sure what is all about, is on their MySpace too, "The Days We Care About", from 2011.
    Marble Sounds is led by Pieter van Dessel, who is also part of the band Plastic Operator. With Marble Sounds, he sings, plays guitar, banjo, ukulele, flute, and keyboard. Other members include: Frederik Bastiaensen (bass), Johan de Coster (drums), Gianni Marzo (guitar, resophonic guitar--another cool invention to check out here--and backing vocals) and Christophe Vande Woude (electronic piano, glockenspiel and backing vocals). The latter two are also involved in the group Isbells, which is a Belgian folk group based around the singing-songwriting of Gaëtan Vande Woude (I assume a relation to Christophe). The famous (though admittedly I have never heard of him) American singer-songwriter from Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard, and Tokyo musician, Miwako Shimizu, who performs under the band name Predawn, both make appearances on Nice Is Good.
    Nice Is Good is very melancholy and peaceful, as previously stated, the kind of music you just want to sit back and enjoy while sitting in a porch swing staring out over the beauty of nature. You can imagine the sounds of such a scene as you listen, the rustling of wind through the leaves and/or twilight crickets, it is evocative of such simplicity. Highlights include the hypnotic "The Time to Sleep"; "Two and Still Counting", which has a fuller instrumentation and is more upbeat; the short but sweet "A New Breeze"; and "Redesign, which has math rock tendencies and a lovely melody.
    So, read a good book, go for a run through a park with the album on your iPod, or cuddle up to someone special and just revel in listening. Check out a full stream of Nice Is Good and other albums on their MySpace, here. Or, on Zeal Records SoundCloud, here. I've also linked the ever too short but gorgeous song "A New Breeze" over under the 'Monthly Sample Tracks' for your enjoyment!