Sleepercar

Apparently my post about Sleepercar got deleted by the Blogger folks....

It started like this...

I spent this past weekend playing a little bit of Ultimate in the great state of Wisconsin. We were lucky because the weather was an absolutely perfect 75 and sunny on both days. Coupled with that was the fact that Wisconsin was just then blooming into an incredible autumn. Driving down the small two-lane highways in farm country with the leaves changing and falling all around the roads definitely made me feel a twinge of 'what the hell am I doing in the South'.

Basically they are a sweet rock-tinged alt-country band.

Check em out here.

http://www.myspace.com/sleepercarwesttexas

Wale

I feel my love for Chicago rappers has been well documented throughout the history of this blog. Kanye, Common, Rhymefest, Lupe Fiasco; these MCs have helped define the sound coming out of the Third Coast for the past decade where conscious rap and smooth flows have combined with soul samples and hip hop beats to create a powerful and moving style. It's a sound that has had its share of both club hits and critically acclaimed songs, and the next prince of Chicago Rap appears as if he's ready to emerge. Only one problem...he's from D.C.

Wale has been the buzz of the music community for a couple years now as everyone waits for him to bust out. I had heard the name many times before but had remained unimpressed for a long time until I finally took the time to actually listen to a couple of his mix tapes. Wow, "this kid is the next disciple of Kanye and Lupe" was my thought. Maybe its the fact that D.C. isn't known for its hip hop, but Wale definitely sounds more Chicago than east coast.

His latest mix tape, The Mixtape About Nothing, is a solid mix of songs that really demonstrate not only his MC skills but an ear for catchy beats and hooks. Yes it's a mixtape, so it must be taken with a grain of salt, but if these little glimpses of his skills are any indication of what is to come, I think there is plenty of reason to be hopeful. And with that, Wale is finally working on an actual album having signed originally with Track Nine favorite Mark Ronson's label "Allido" and now onto Interscope. The album is tentativley scheduled for a March 09 release, but til then we'll just have to get by with a couple mix tapes.

So what set Wale apart from other rappers? Well the most obvious thing when listening to TMTAB is his love for Seinfeld, which he makes very apparent with his incorporation of several audio clips from the show and even a shout out from Julia Louis Dreyfus. But he goes beyond that, also incorporating the clip from Michael Richards' infamous racist tantrum as an introduction for a song analyzing the various uses and stigmas of the use of the N-word.

Check out a couple of these songs from Wale and get an early taste of his writing and rhyming skills. And if you like what you hear just get on "the google" and look for his mix tapes to hear more. Chicago style is alive and well... on the East Coast.

The first two tracks are from TMTAN and really feature Wale's rhyming skills laced over some simple but strong beats. The last is his remix of the Justice classic "D.A.N.C.E."

Wale - The Perfect Plan

Wale - The Manipulation

Wale - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.


Enjoy

-Alec

Remembering The Get Up Kids

So Matt Pryor, the lead singer of Track Nine favorites The New Amsterdams just released his first solo album of his long and storied career. I've given it a few spins so far, and it hearkens back to his earlier New Amsterdams stuff. It's him, a guitar, some harmonies, and some slight production...very bare bones, very listenable, and quintessential Matt Pryor.

However, I'm not sure I can really say that it's 'quintessential' Pryor considering the New Amsterdams really began as a side project for all the songs that got thrown out by his first band, The Get Up Kids. Back in the late 90's, the TGUK were arguably the one and only band that really brought the genre 'emo' to the forefront. With Pryor straining his voice over songs about heartbreak and being 'so close', TGUK released 4 full-length albums over 10 years of pioneering the indie scene. In fact, back in 2005 Alec and I ended up road-tripping it to Kansas City to catch their last show ever. It was definitely sad...but it's great to see that the members are still making music.

Here are my three most memorable songs that they played at their final show in Kansas City.

The Get Up Kids - Don't Hate Me (from Four Minute Mile)
Right before this song Pryor mentioned that they had played it at every show they had ever done...except one. And that show sucked.

The Get Up Kids - Walking On a Wire (from On A Wire)
I felt that this was the most powerful song the entire night. It's simple and a little bit out there, but Pryor really gave it everything he had on the vocals during the show. It felt to me like he should have been utterly exhausted after putting all the emotion he did into singing it for the last time.

The Get Up Kids - Holiday (from Something to Write Home About)
This was obviously a crowd favorite from their 'arguably' best CD. Everyone went nuts when that first guitar slide was played, and the crowd didn't stop getting sweaty until the last note.

The Reign Of Kindo

I think I'm going to use Kyle's post as a segue into my post again tonight. One aspect of Sunfold that I think Kyle could have mentioned is their musical abilities and incorporation of elements of jazz into their style. These little bits of jazz infused stylings help give them a more unique sound and help provide some substance behind some of their pop influenced songs.

The Reign Of Kindo constructs their songs along these similar lines, only with a heavier reliance on jazz stylings. Rest assured that this type of "jazz rock" is not anywhere as bad as the name would make it sound. Yes, ROK teeters the line between well done fusion and crappy easy listening at times, but when done right they have a sound that can be comparable to an old Track Nine favorite Melee, back before they started sucking that is.

I think one of the stronger parts of the band and what really helps them separate their sound is drummer Steven Padin, who does a good job of sticking with jazz rhythms and techniques to compliment the sound and put his mark on it.

So give The Reign of Kindo a listen too after you check out Sunfold for a chance to hear some of the ways modern pop rock bands can incorporate elements of jazz to their sound to give the it more musical depth and separate themselves from the other bands out there.

The Reign Of Kindo - Something In The Way That You Are

The Reign Of Kindo - The Mystery Of Our Day

The Reign Of Kindo - Let It Go


-Alec

Sunfold

About a year ago Alec posted about the North Carolina indie band, The Annuals. This year, the members put out the CD Toy Tugboats from their side project called Sunfold. Whereas the Annuals are a more abstract indie band that will throw some less accesible songs your way, Sunfold really takes its pop sensibilities to heart. Where Sunfold differs from the pop you hear on the radio is in its subtleties.

Sunfold - Oregon
The song 'Oregon' begins with a very Mike Kinsella-like guitar lick (from the band Owen or American Football). I absolutely love the vocal melody to kick off this song. I think that I try and sing it every time in my room, but am somehow always about 2 octaves off... Harmonies begin to blend in the second time around, and then the song begins to open up and break out into some Mae-esque pop.

Sunfold - Sailed Off to Sea
'Sailed Off to Sea' brings the acoustic and slide guitars to hook all the ladies. This one is a genuine and heartfelt pop tune that you can play for your significant other when cruising home after a late night party. A very enjoyable tune indeed.

Sunfold - Sara the American Writer
The last tune I'll post is the breezy, 'Sara the American Writer'. This one comes closest to an Annuals tune with its transitions and slight background harmonies.

If you like indie pop, this is definitely one worth checking out....it could hit the top 10 for me at the end of the year...maybe it will for you too?

Enjoy!

-Kyle

Concert Review: Rx Bandits

You might remember I wrote a concert review for Rx Bandits about a year and a half ago following a show that Kyle, Andy and myself went to in Chicago. Well 18 months later they came through Tempe and I got a chance to see them again and it was infinitely better than the last time for the following reasons:

Rx Bandits were the headliners for a rock show - How Rx Bandits got on a ticket with Gym Glass Heroes, K-OS and P.O.S. is beyond me, but were quickly learned that hip hop concert goers are much more of the arm wavers than the mosh pitters type.

Not at the House of Bricks - The venue here, The Clubhouse, holds only maybe 400 people and the intimacy was great, not to mention for once the sound guy didn't have his head up his ass.

Not sold out - Not spending 30 minutes in the freezing Chicago cold trying to buy tickets on the street was one of the best things.

So onto the show. The line up consisted of only 3 bands, the Bandits and openers Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground and Portugal. The Man. Both Kay Kay and Portugal fall into the cateogory of "bands I've heard a little bit of, but never really liked enough to get an album and really listen to it." While that didn't change too much after seeing them, I did think both put on better live shows than their recorded music sounds.

As I mentioned before Rx Bandits were the headlining act for this show, and they used that billing to put on an almost 2 hr show full of energy, creativity, and crazyness. The venue was small but the crowd energetic. They played a nice mix of songs, mostly stuff from ...And the Battle Begun and Resignation, which is more their style nowadays, but they did bust out a couple tunes from Progress much to my surprise.

Their later stuff has really grown on me lately, and I've really been drawn to the creativity in their music, especially their percussive stuff. I think I've mentioned before how Chris Tsagakis is probably my favorite drummer, and he didn't disappoint in this show. He did some drum solos and back and forths with trombonist/percussions Chris Sheets which were pretty amazing as well. And when they finished the night with my favorite song "Decrescendo", bringing out members of the other bands on to a full stage party, it was a fitting end.

I'd recommend seeing the tour but this was the last show, so be sure to check out the bands, especially Rx Bandits if you haven't before. And if you have, then really listen to the drums on every song, you'll always hear things you didn't catch before.

Rx Bandits - Decrescendo

Rx Bandits - Taking Chase As The Serpent Slithers

Rx Bandits - A Mouth Full Of Hollow Threats

Alec

The Impressions

I think I'll stay along the soul lines of Kyle's last post tonight. I can't claim to have had the same year long devotion to the classic sounds of soul music that Kyle has, but my appreciation for the genre definitely has increased since '07. This new appreciation has led me to discover the magic that is The Impressions. Anymore the Impressions might be best known as the original group of Curtis Mayfield of "Super fly" fame, but the truth is that this is where Mayfield honed his skills, and where a lot of incredible music was made before his departure in 1970.

The gospel driven, smooth and soulful sound of The Impressions has really grabbed me lately, and while I still haven't had time to get through and listen to all their stuff (they have 10+ releases before Mayfield left), I already have some personal favorite songs. The songs that are my favorites combine their famously smooth harmonies with sweet guitar lines and funky horn licks that give the songs life. Their sound in the late 60s represented a shift away from some of the early doo wop sounds of soul on towards the soul/funk genre that would be led by Mayfield later on. Its the beginnings of the shift that represent some of their best work, almost like James Brown soul/funk but without the screaming and onstage antics, and with better harmonies.

These here are some of my favorite tracks from them that I think showcase some of the stuff I was writing about. While they're all great tracks, I especially recommend "Fool For You" and "We're A Winner".

The Impressions - Fool For You

The Impressions - Seven Years

The Impressions - We're A Winner

The Impressions - The Young Mod's Forgotten Story


- Alec