Music Review: Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie “Prince” Billy, What The Brothers Sang

By Less Lee Moore

It could easily be argued that without The Everly Brothers, the history of rock & roll would be vastly different. When Don’s baritone and Phil’s tenor were combined in their unique, close harmony singing style, it provided an enormous influence on the vocals of Lennon and McCartney, Simon and Garfunkel, and countless others. Don’s open-G guitar tuning inspired no less a musical dignitary than Keith Richards, among others.

Their talents translated to the Billboard charts as well. “Wake Up Little Susie,” released in 1957, ascended to #1 on the Country, Pop, R&B, and Canadian charts, as well as #2 on the UK charts. Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the Cadence Records songwriting team, wrote the track while the brothers were on the Nashville-based label. In the late ’50s, under the stewardship of music publishing house Acuff-Rose, the brothers would enjoy chart success with more Bryant-penned hits on Cadence like “Bird Dog,” “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” and “Devoted To You.”

However, feeling stifled by Rose’s demands, the brothers left for what they thought were greener pastures at Warner Bros. in 1960. Although they were no longer privy to Bryant compositions, Don’s composition “Cathy’s Clown,” released in 1960, reached #1. The brothers would enjoy success in the UK through the early part of the decade, but their appearances on US charts began to diminish. One-digit chart hits turned to three-digit ones and soon ceased altogether. By the time the Beatles were breaking chart records in 1964, the Everlys’ biggest successes were behind them, with the exception of their #2 UK hit “The Price of Love” in 1965.

The singles-based musical economy of the time meant that radio and incessant touring were part of the daily grind; this had begun to take its toll not long after the brothers left Cadence for Warner Bros. Drug addictions, suicide attempts, nervous breakdowns, broken marriages, and estranged children eventually dampened much of the youthful exuberance of the Everlys, who had been performing music nearly since birth, under the tutelage of their father, Ike. (The senior Everly had his own radio show in Iowa—on which his sons appeared—and his fingerpicking guitar style fostered a big influence of its own.)

Tensions escalated to a boiling point, culminating in a notorious alcohol-fueled spat during a 1973 Knott’s Berry Farm concert in which an enraged Phil smashed his guitar and stormed offstage, leaving a shattered Don to sober up and finish the set solo. It would be ten years before the brothers would even speak to each other, much less record or play together. They eventually made up, playing a reunion show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1983 and releasing two critically acclaimed albums later that decade, even continuing to tour together throughout the next two decades. Though their relationship remained cordial and at times, strained, the incandescence of their musical partnership has never dimmed.

Now to the present day, and a different pair of singers and musicians: Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie “Prince” Billy (a.k.a. Will Oldham). The duo, who have performed together and separately, enlisted the help of an impressive array of their own former collaborators as well as much-respected Nashville session musicians to create What The Brothers Sang, a tribute album to the Everly Brothers.

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Music Review: Parenthetical Girls, Privilege*

By Less Lee Moore

“But hard as I’ve tried, I’m helpless to describe.”
—Parenthetical Girls, “The Pornographer”

If you’re not yet familiar with the unusual pop music of Parenthetical Girls, you’re in for an aural treat. Despite what connotations they may have intended for the title of their new album, it’s an apt descriptor for these 12 songs; experiencing them is indeed a privilege.

It’s not often that a band comes along so precisely indefinable as Parenthetical Girls, always a sure signifier of brilliance, with genius waiting in the wings. It makes categorizing their aesthetic troublesome, though no less enjoyable to attempt. “Chamber pop,” though appealing, has its origins in the mid-1960s, and Parenthetical Girls are far too modern for a term older than the average ages of its members.

“Indie rock” has its own negative connotations; despite the Girls’ decidedly independent means of releasing records (not to mention their seeming inability to serve any mistress but their own unique flights of fancy), that descriptor brings the word “twee” to mind, and Parenthetical Girls are much to daring to be considered twee.

I have chosen to dispense with such aspirations and simply review the album.

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Music Review: Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, RiPELY PINE

By Chelsea Spear

Over the past few years, singer/songwriter Aly Spaltro has beguiled New England audiences with her project Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. Her fractious, off-kilter songwriting is well-matched by a voice that seems to explode out of her. After releasing a series of demos, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is poised to take over the indie world with her first studio album, RiPELY PINE.

While the sparely produced, independent Lady Lamb releases foregrounded Spaltro’s considerable talents, RiPELY PINE finds her experimenting with a more commercial sound. The clean production, with its new-found focus on the slow-burn dynamics of Spaltro’s songwriting, comes off like the aural equivalent of a leather-bound book with gilt-edged pages and four-color illustrations. Her minimal guitar riffs bristle with closely held emotion, as though she were denying herself a catharsis. The driving percussion and echoing violin that drive “Bird Balloons” emphasize the song’s theme of anger borne from love. The waltz-time instrumental break in “Mezzanine” pits a staccato prog-rock guitar solo against a mellifluous clarinet chart that, combined with the lyrics about ghosts and haunted houses, could break your heart. Spaltro’s dense arrangements and frequent use of odd time signatures, combined with Nadim Issa’s straightforward and pleasingly mid-range production, suggests the influence of Throwing Muses. Like Lady Lamb, songwriters Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donnelly negotiated a mid-point between their knotted, intuitive personal mythologies and the rewards of finding a wider audience, and as with Spaltro’s work, their albums had an appealing tension between these poles.

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New Single From Upcoming Album: Big Black Delta, “Side Of The Road”

By Less Lee Moore

Big Black Delta‘s Tour EP was one of my Top Ten faves of 2012, so I’m thrilled to hear news of an upcoming album. The self-titled disc will be released on April 9 on CD, digital, and vinyl via Masters Of Bates.

The first single, “Side of the Road,” is fantastic and features the same Big Black Delta hallmarks that I loved on their EP. It’s a synthy, spacey, and surprisingly emotional track that proves Bates knows how to do Autotune the right way (in part because he can actually sing).

Big Black Delta, a.k.a. Jonathan Bates, will be performing at this year’s SXSW, on Wednesday, March 13, at Cedar Street Courtyard. For details, visit the SXSW schedule page. You can also listen to another track on the SXSW website.

For more on the band, check out the Big Black Delta website.

Music Review: George Jones—The Complete United Artists Solo Singles

By Cait Brennan

“Country music,” George Jones told music writer Holly George-Warren “is a religion to me.” Well, if country music is a religion, George Jones’s music is one of the bedrock gospels. From 1950s hillbilly hellion to elder statesman of the genre, Jones has always been one of the purest singers in country music. Jones is “just” a country singer the way Sinatra was “just” a saloon singer—both men mastered, then transcended their genres, making each song uniquely their own.

Some of Jones’s finest mid-’60s sides are collected on George Jones—The Complete United Artists Solo Singles, one of three essential country music compilations released on February 12 by those high llamas of music at Omnivore Recordings. No no-shows here; this is prime time Possum, showing the hall of fame singer on a diverse range of material penned by Jones and some of classic country’s greatest songwriters.

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The Age of Permanent Prosperity: Spotify is the Greatest Thing

By Paul Casey

When I had a talk before about why compilations needed to die, I was concerned about their tendency to solidify tastes rather than challenge them. I would stick to a handful of albums and obsess about arranging them, producing classy covers, and finding people to absorb my musical missives in good humor. Even though I have made attempts every few years to shake myself up and haul in new music to replace old, it was still such a costly exercise that I was rarely satisfied.

For those who have had Spotify available to them for several years, please forgive me for pointing out the obvious: It is possibly the greatest thing ever. Here in Ireland, being a largely backwards outfit, we have only recently been given the chance to put an ear towards such a severe streaming catalogue.

Ten euro a month is nothing for the quality of the service provided. Twice as much could be charged and it would still be an obscene bargain, especially for those humans who are still attached to the idea that financial recompense is a fair deal for created things. There are problems and quirks with Spotify of course, and a lingering question over whether this kind of subscription service can ever provide a living for artists. Seeing as the Internet has made solipsism the thing with music, I will ignore these for the moment and expand on how I have personally benefited from this service.

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Music Review: Goblin, The Awakening (box set)

By Less Lee Moore

If you’ve seen Suspiria, then you know of Goblin, the Italian band responsible for its iconic, eternally terrifying score. There have been lineup changes over the years, but several members have been consistent: original members Massimo Morante and Claudio Simonetti, in addition to Maurizio Guarini, Agostino Marangolo, Walter Martino, and Fabio Pignatelli.

Fans of filmmaker Dario Argento may already be familiar with Goblin’s contributions to the Italian horror and giallo genres, but Goblin has much to offer the music aficionado looking for something challenging. In keeping with the spirit of their prog rock origins, they have several albums that are not scores, including at least one straight-up concept album, sort of like a soundtrack without a movie.

Cherry Red Records and Bella Casa have compiled an excellent sampling of Goblin’s bizarre and enthralling discography with a six-disc box set including not only the band’s compositions for Argento films, but also their contributions to the prog rock pantheon.

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Miercoles con Víctor Jara: Una Introduccion

By Chelsea Spear

Time stopped when I first heard Víctor Jara sing. One of my favorite podcasts, Alt.Latino, had included Jara’s music in an episode that looked at protest music from across Central and South America. Jasmine Garsd, the podcast’s co-host, had preceded his song with a description of his importance in his native Chile and his brutal murder at the start of the Pinochet regime. As disturbing and poignant as this biography was, nothing prepared me for the beauty of his music.

The needle dropped on “Un Derecho de Vivir en Paz,” Jara’s song in protest of the Vietnam war. Over a bed of harpsichord and arpeggiated guitar, Jara sang in a disarmingly straightforward voice. His tenor had a reedy tone and a substantial quality that anchored the melody. Like many of its North American counterparts, the song had a memorable melody that could invite singalongs. Where many songwriters north of the border tended towards straightforward production however, Jara’s song featured a psychedelic instrumental break in which a ragged guitar freakout alternated with a bobbling analog synth part. The song ended with what sounded like a spontaneous choir of “la la la”s, which reinforced the spirit of community for which Jara’s time was known. As understated as Jara sounded, a current of sadness and hope ran through his voice, and that emotion made me want to listen to it again and again.

After hearing about his grotesque death, I found myself wanting to see Jara as he was alive. Some excerpts from a live concert he performed for Chilean television came up on YouTube. Seeing and hearing this man, with his steady, weathered voice and his everyman appearance, made him more real for me but also made the tragedy of his death that much more palpable. I was drawn to the honesty of his voice and the lyrics I could understand, but the experimentation in his music beguiled me as well.

In time, I was able to get a boxed set of Jara’s albums through inter-library loan, as well as a copy of An Unfinished Song, the biography his wife Joan wrote about him. I also have been attempting to read The Shock Doctrine to better understand the Allende administration and how Pinochet came to power. Through my interest in Jara I learned that two bands I quite like have paid tribute to him in song—Joe Strummer name-checked him on Sandinista! and Calexico recorded a song called “Víctor Jara’s Hands.”

In spite of these tributes and the praises of other big-name fans, Jara is not well known in the States. To that end, I will be working through his discography and writing reviews for Popshifter when time permits. Víctor Jara created music that both spoke to the people of its day and is still prescient in this day and age. His work deserves a larger audience and I’d like to do what I can to encourage readers to track down his music.

Music Review: Townes Van Zandt, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos, 1971- 1972

By Cait Brennan

Townes Van Zandt burned through his short life like beads of water dancing on a hot frying pan, looking for a way out, struggling to fly, trying to take off for pretty much anywhere else. He occupied this earth for 52 years and for most of it he was in unbearable psychic pain. He self-medicated, but the treatment was worse than the disease. But from time to time, especially during the early-to-mid-1970s, he was able to transform a measure of that pain into songs of almost unparalleled beauty.

On New Year’s Day 1997, Townes slipped away, leaving us a handful of studio albums that have acquired near-legendary status. But some of those recordings are deeply flawed by poor production choices, and even the great ones have at times been hard to find. The idea of finding new Townes material after 40-plus years seemed impossible. But impossible is all in a day’s work for the good folks at Omnivore Recordings, who moved heaven and earth to bring us 28 lovingly curated tracks of never-before-heard Townes music, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971-72.

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Music Review: Hayden, Us Alone

By Emily Carney

Toronto’s Hayden Desser released one of my favorite indie rock albums in 1996, Everything I Long For. It has aged remarkably well, given that it was produced in the mid-1990s (let’s face it; music did have a specific sound then, even though we didn’t realize it at the time). It occupied a prominent place in my CD collection (remember CDs?), next to Sebadoh’s III and Pavement’s Wowee Zowee. I’ve lost track of Hayden over the years, but just caught up with his music by listening to his newest release, Us Alone. It’s like saying hello to an old friend who has gotten older and might be having a slight nervous breakdown, but I mean that in the best possible way.

Tracks like “Instructions” and “Just Give Me a Name” are moody and slow, very much in tune with some of Hayden’s 1996 tracks. The more uptempo tracks, including “Rainy Saturday” and “Blurry Nights” have a Neil Young-esque quality to them—lots of guitar effects, plaintive vocals, and slightly country-ish flourishes. This album is not a radical departure for Hayden by any means; it’s more like a whisper in the dark than a sonic boom.

That being said, it’s recommended listening. It has a “sweet and low” quality, similar to Yo La Tengo. It’s perfect listening for the party after the party, where you’re drunk, emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted.

As some things get older, some things stay the same—while it seems Desser is in a happy relationship, he’s still a bit mournful. Adulthood does that to you.

Us Alone is out today from Arts & Crafts and is available to order from the label’s website. You should also check out Hayden’s website at http://wasteyourdaysaway.com.

Tour Dates:
2/6: Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club
2/7: Guelph, ON @ Cooperators Hall SOLD OUT
2/8: Hamilton, ON @ The Dundas Valley Montessori School SOLD OUT
2/9: Avening, ON @ Avening Community Centre SOLD OUT
2/13: New York City, NY @ Mercury Lounge*
2/20: Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern SOLD OUT
2/21: Toronto, ON @ The Cameron House SOLD OUT
2/22: Toronto, ON @ Rivoli* SOLD OUT
3/7: Wakefield, QC @ Blacksheep Inn*
3/8: Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa*
3/13: Austin, TX @ SXSW
3/17: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive*
3/20: Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern*
3/21: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge*
3/23: Vancouver, BC @ The Rio Theatre*
3/24: Nelson, BC @ The Royal on Baker*
3/26: Edmonton, AB @ The Royal Alberta Museum Theatre*
3/27: Calgary, AB @ Festival Hall*
3/28: Saskatoon, SK @ The Bassment*
3/30: Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre*
4/3: Chicago, IL @ Schubas*
6/8: Toronto, ON @ Arts & Crafts 10th Anniversary Field Trip

* with special guest Lou Canon