Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

You Turn Me On is Beat Happening's masterpiece, a surprisingly accomplished, pretty, and restrained record that remains one of the definative indie-pop records of all-time. This time around, the guitars are clean, the songs are all hits, the cuteness is still high, and Heather Lewis' lush vocals are given more time along with Calvin Johnson's awful-yet-charming baritone. It would be easy to write off Beat Happening as amaturish or "cutesy," but there's something rather refreshing in their simplicity. The innocence of the lyrics and the hypnotic guitars are so passionate and joyful that it proves this band utilized their strengths to maximum effect and truly believed in their art. Sometimes passion is a stronger tool than the conventionial definitions of "talent." In my mind, Beat Happening were immensely talented, and this record is ample evidence. Be sure to pick this up when it is re-released, or go all-out and purchase the box-set.

Although not as lo-fi (relatively speaking, of course) as previous releases, this nevertheless retains the raw minimalism of the past. Still strumming guitars and not pounding them there is an almost shoegazer sheen to the music that fills the speakers and makes the lack of a heavy bottom a non-entity. The real surprise here,though, is not the playful tunefullness, dare we say, of some of the tracks but the almost wistful girly vocals of Heather Lewis, whose contributions make Beat Happening sound like the countless overseas bands they have influenced. But this is not to sell the rest of the tracks short. The best of the bunch is the 9 minute "Godsend", with its riff repeated ad infinitum, (but what a riff it is)and with its aforementioned vocals from Heather Lewis. Other standouts are "Sleepy Head", the opening, oozing "Tiger Trap", "Pinebox Derby" and the title track. Buy this...if you can find it....

This album, though lo-fi purists(?) might disagree, is remarkable...Whilst it IS the most polished of the band's releases, it still has a raw, aggressive cuteness that few cuddle- core bands can ever hope to equal...Godsend is five or six long minutes of the same few notes o'er and over, but lovely...Hey Day is Calvin sounding almost serious, yet amazing still...buy this you fool! Can't you see how cheap it is? Admit it, you were trying to decide between this and the new Belle and Sebastian...do the right thing...

The Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments are sadly no longer together, but frontman Ron House is still playing. He is opening up for Guided by Voices in Columbus, Ohio on 02-21-03. This record is truly a wonderful complex and intelligent masterpiece with a raw punk sound backed by an almost dance beat like bass track. It rocks. House has been interviewed by Spin Magazine as well as National Public Radio. If you are a fan of true punk music and don't own this album, you are not a true rocker. Check out Cheater's Heaven--the best single ever recorded. Buy this record if you can find it...

The Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments are sadly no longer together, but frontman Ron House is still playing. He is opening up for Guided by Voices in Columbus, Ohio on 02-21-03. This record is truly a wonderful complex and intelligent masterpiece with a raw punk sound backed by an almost dance beat like bass track. It rocks. House has been interviewed by Spin Magazine as well as National Public Radio. If you are a fan of true punk music and don't own this album, you are not a true rocker. Check out Cheater's Heaven--the best single ever recorded. Buy this record if you can find it...

Petracovich, aka Jessica Peters with a little help from her friends, is THE most refreshing new singer/songwriter (artist) to hit the underground for some time. The songs are not all standard formula driven and seem to define themselves. At the same time there are distinct retro vibes hovering in songs like 'Birds in Flight' where there can be heard rhodes-like keys and even some good old hand claps in a sort of beatles reminiscent fashion. A good listen, however, will prove that at the heart of the matter is a sonically unique creature that is more than just the sum of it's 'vibes'.

Peters' voice is without compare. Like a sonic charmer she frequently conjures forth feelings of childlike innocence for some secret place where ancient souls are just being reborn. Often softly spoken in song she can ethereally haunt you and hug you at the same time. Like a best friend she whispers secrets in your ear that seem to know how to unravel your deepest secrets and at the same time at your side so as to never leave you cold or empty. Interestingly enough all I need say about her harmonies, melodies, arrangements (her style) is this: read what was just said of her voice.

She compliments the music with an equally alluring style of lyric. An example poked it's head above ground in the 8/31/5 episode of the television series 'Over There' in the beginning of the song 'Nighttime':

"Night time
Journey to the moon
On the back
Of a big firefly
Take me up above the city
Your hair
Picks up all the lights
Tropical fish in the sky
Take a ride, take a ride, take a ride, take a
Come on
Take me for a ride
Open window's the sign
Staining blue, soaked into my cotton skin
"

This is the perhaps the most enchanting collection of songs you'll find for miles in any direction.

Finally, Petracovich just released a new CD, 'We Are Wyoming'. Amazingly it equals the first and exudes as much kinship to it as both will to you. Like one more step in a path to somewhere undoubetly wonderful. This is a journey you'll want to take.

Cheers all - hope this useful.

Whether you'r just wanting to relax,or maybe just dieing to here something that has great vocals,and catchy lerics.Well then look no further!Because this album does all that,and whole lot more,I mean this music kind of sound's like nothing I really can put into word's.The best thing I can tell you to do,is to check out some of the MP3'S,or maybe just go to www.Indie music.com,and check out their rather lengthy samples.Then once you've done that all you'll have to do is figure out where to send the money.I'm serious this music is really cool,not to mention the fact that you'll have an awfully hard time trying to label it.All I can say is it has a very smooth almost fluid like type of soothing sound that will leave you only wanting more,and along with the great leric's,and vocals,I'd go as far to say it's a must have for anyone who does,or doesn't like mellow music.I mean I really can't stand group's like Pink Floyd,and I mainly just listen to alot of Power metal,and not all that much else,but I must say that this is really something that should be considered POP,but ofcourse it would have to be good POP,if there is such a thing???

I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes an unignorable melody . Although Jessica Peters emits a mostly airy and gentle sound, this is not the kind of music you would want playing as background music in a dental office as it is too powerful to overlook. Like a feather in the breeze, Peters' voice grabs your imagination while her synthetic sounds take you for the journey. Before you know it, the album is over, leaving you wishing for more. A true escape from the mundane of the everyday world.

I can't stop listening to this disc. Each song is so completely different from the next. The lyrics are amazing... I kind of feel like someone's been reading my journal.

why has no-one hardly ever heard of this band? even in their native england, they're practically unknown (or willfully ignored by the powers that be). like your pop fractured, splintered and distorted beyond recognition? look no further. the beatnik filmstars do more in the space of a three-minute "pop song" than most bands do over the course of an entire album...whiplashing tempo changes, blizzards of static, radio hum and white noise...and some of the sharpest, most psychotically catchy tunes around. they've been called a british guided by voices, but i see 'em as the fall's younger, hungrier brothers. each release has been even better than the last, and 'boss disque' is their strongest yet. of course, it's not all scree and skronk -- some of the album's most memorable moments come when the sonic terrorism subsides and the melodies shine (namely on'squeamish' and 'nature of things', two achingly beautiful ballads). yeah, it's "lo-fi", but no one crams this many ideas and thrilling risks into their songs anymore...this one hasn't been off the stereo for weeks now, and shows no signs of surrendering...

My favorite song here is "Down on Me." Anyone who hasn't suffered through at least one love affair like the one in this song hasn't really experienced the pain of loving someone who doesn't like themselves. It's one of those refrains that keeps rattling around and around in your head long after the CD player has stopped. There's a wistful, seared-soul quality that really grabbed me. Does anyone know if she has other CDs out, or is this the first?

Heard Cynthia Catania play live out here in Los Angeles and decided to check out the CD when I got home. The EP has some great tracks on it - Starz and Without Sleep are my favorites. She's got a sound that could be best described as indie pop / alternative chick rock. The CD has a Sheryl Crow / Alanis Morrisette / Aimee Mann vibe. She's also got some tracks posted online at mp3 that are not featured on this CD and I really like those as well. If you're into the bands I mentioned above, you'd really dig Cynthia's CD. Check it out...

horse? i loved every word. it was deep and touching. dennis is like a cherub singing from heaven. he is an underdiscovered treasure that i cherish. never let the sheriff hear this album or he will think it's a jail break.

It's Dennis Driscoll! Driscoll's voice is so heart warming, it is unbelievable. The lyrics are unique yet deeply rooted in archetypal meaning, every second of listening inspires the soul.

Parker Noon is one of those enigmatic personalities who suggests both something tangible- a southern american man- and something more esoteric- a character in a novel from a different era perhaps. His lyrics and persona on this album follow suit and the result is incredibly engaging and beautiful!

His partner, Lily Wolf, is unparralleled as a musician, switching between keys, vibes and a million other instruments that most people just tinker at while she has mastered.

While Parker is a personality from another era perhaps, Lily is a beauty from another planet- out of this world!

Joined recently by the charismatic actor Cristina Campanella, the trio has arrived! This record is the culmination of that journey and announces their arrival with the fan fare and celebration it deserves!

This CD is like "sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny, and also like Twin Peaks or the movie Blue Velvet... I have seen them in Bonn when I was on vacation, playing with Stereo Total. They were less fun and more beautiful, like Broadcast or Tindersticks. This is a very beautiful CD! I can become lost in it. Parker's voice is sad, like Stephin Merritt, but not so perfect. It is more like Lou Reed.

After reading the deluge of drool from fans of this band I cracked and bought the album . Got to admit to a certain amount of disappointment .
The 'Sleepy Company ' track towers above the other offerings here . So much that might be good gets lost in the messy overall sound . The long tune free 'experimental' sections are hardly groundbreaking and the tendency to reproduce the Beatles and Beach Boys sometimes descends into pastiche in a way that say , the brilliant Nick Nicely psych album does'nt.
I love my psychedelia and I won't stop checking out what excitable fans put in their reviews and there is a lot of effort and ideas here but c'mon guys .
'Cubist Castle' the previous OTC album would be a better choice for first time buyers.

Hardly anybody does psychedelic space-rock the way the Olivia Tremor Control do -- and their second album "Black Foliage: Animation Music" is no exception. It sounds like the soundtrack to an acid party on Mars, with their elaborate tapestry of electronica, tape tinkering, and jazzy psychedelic pop. It's one of those rare albums that cannot be compared to anything else, only to itself.

It opens with.... well, "Opener," a wavery 25-second intro that slips into the sputtering Beatles-esque "A Peculiar Noise Called "Train Director" and the sweeping sweet grandeur of "Hideaway." Other songs strike different notes: "A Sleepy Company" sounds like a brass band getting drunk, while "I Have Been Floated" is a solemn little pop song with ghostly sound effects. "Another Set Of Bees In The Museum" is a fun little song that is blurred over by fuzz.

But the Olivia Tremor Control doesn't stick strictly to their own brand of psychedelic pop. They also dabble in experimental songs, such as brief interludes all called "Combinations," which appear to be tapes being messed around with -- the results are odd computerized vocals and random blips. "Black Foliage Animation 1" is a solid little tune that descends into bubbling, computerized chaos, and then gives up to the chaos completely. And the climax is "The Bark and Below It," an eleven-and-a-half-minute epic that starts on a soft little melody that is swamped by sonic thunder, only to reemerge among clangs, bells, electronic burps, a slurred keyboard melody, a xylophone, and what sounds like a heartbeat.

Listening to all of "Black Foliage: Animation Music" is a bit like a pleasant hallucination, especially if you listen to several of their odder songs in a row. But the best way to listen to it is straight through, without skipping any songs -- each one is a part of one huge sonic tapestry. The songs can be heard individally, but they lose some of their impact if heard alone.

The music is a bit of a dreamy head trip. Frontman William Cullen Hart takes charge of vocals, guitar and electronic twiddles. And he does quite well at all of them -- the guitar work he and his bandmates do is hugely entertaining and catchy. So are the brooding drums, theramin, and hints of bass, clarinet, melodica and violin. It's hard to pick out each instrument -- they blend together into a thick smokescreen of sound.

Hart's vocals are almost Beatlesesque -- he sounds a lot like Paul McCartney in some songs. And he's backed up by Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster, as well as the Apples in Stereo's Robert Schneider, who add an extra dimension to Hart's singing. And the lyrics are hard to make out, but they have the psychedelic whimsy that characterized the first album: "We took a sideways glance and fell into the bottom of the season/we saw horizons and different paths away from here."

The Olivia Tremor Control were still going strong on their second album "Black Foliage: Animation Music." Denser and darker than "Dusk at Cubist Castle," this is an enchantingly otherworldly listen.

Long awaited reissue of The Olivia Tremor Control's ambitious, highly influential second album from 1999. 74-minutes of perfect symphonic pop songs in an elaborate tapestry of tape manipulation, free jazz, and electronics. Includes detailed liner notes, and a 12-page full-color booklet featuring the beautiful artwork of singer W. Cullen Hart.

W.Cullen Hart - vocals, guitar, electronics
Bill Doss - vocals, guitar
Peter Erchick - vocals, piano, organ
John Fernandes - bass, saxophone, clarinet, violin
Eric Harris - drums, theramin

with

Julian Koster - banjo, saw, accordion
Jeff Mangum - vocals, melodica, percussion
Robert Schneider - vocals, guitar
Jeremy Barnes - percussion

Recorded 1995-1998 in Athens, Georgia.

Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman. Why did Kevin Barnes name every song on "The Early Four Track Recordings" after Dustin Hoffman? Be that as it may, this collection of Of Montreal's early work seems a bit cobbled together and dusty, but the band's charm shines through in some of the songs.

As I said before, each song is named after Dustin Hoffman supposedly doing something, usually connected with bathing. (The weirdest title is "Dustin Hoffman's Wife Makes A Sarcastic Remark, Cuts The Head Off A Duck, Places It Where The Tub Was And Begins To Growl").

What follows is mostly a collection of guitar pop and ballads, with piano and some muffled percussion in the background -- there's a country flavor to "Dustin Hoffman Quits Bathroom And Climbs A Tree," and an experimental flavor to "Dustin Hoffman's Wife Makes...", where a kazoo plays half the song to a carnival tune.

The title "Early Four Track Recordings" seems almost like an apology for the lesser quality of these songs. They were recorded before Of Montreal became the semi-big indie band that they are today, and it shows. The quality of the tape-to-CD transfer isn't that great, for one thing -- "Dustin Hoffman Feigns Ignorance Of Missing Bathtub" sounds like Barnes is singing with his head inside a bag.

For another, this CD simply doesn't have a great deal of the whimsical joy and sorrow that their later songs have. That isn't surprising, since the band was still getting its footing. But in some songs you can hear bells, kazoos, and a carnival tune that sounds like a circus gone amuck. In songs like this, Kevin Barnes' poppy madness is in full swing.

Beneath the slightly fuzzy sound is some really solid instrumentation, pairing two of Barnes' favorite instruments -- guitar and piano -- together, although don't expect too many experimental flourishes. All the strangeness can be found in the songwriting. "Let's make a pact/allow me to dream," he says, sounding sincere.

A rough and raw collection of ultra-early work, Of Montreal's "Early Four Track Recordings" is a very flawed but also enjoyable little collection. Worth checking out, if you're a fan.

Every one is amazing, mind you, but this one is incredible because he delves incredibly deep into territory only slightly perused on "The Bedside Drama": sadness, all-encompassing and honest. The untitled tracks here represent perhaps the last of a truly sad bunch of songs. I, for one, love sad songs. I revel in them. Kevin Barnes is happy now, which is by no means a good thing. But, in my math textbook, Kevin Barnes + crestfallen = teary-eyed bliss. Listen to tracks 3 and 5 and pretend like you're not the saddest you've ever been in your life.

As a big time Of Montreal fan, I got this mostly for completeness sake, not expecting it would be as great as it is. This is Kevin Barnes in straight ahead pop song mode, the songs are big balls of hooks, the lyrics surrealistic and heartbreaking. It turns out that Of Montreal was the REAL king of lo fi in the mid 1990s!

I really enjoyed Harmony of the Spheres when I first listened to a song on the CD through Yahoo music called "Jessamine". After reviewing the entire CD I can say that the music is a little 'out there' and maybe a little too much for me, however I do enjoy listening to it and it's kind of growing on me. I would recommend listening to some of the songs before buying, but over-all I am glad that I have such a CD for my collection.

'Harmony...' apparently was originally released as a limited edition 3-lp vinyl package that reportedly became out of print over night.The whole idea behind the exclusive triple record set was to give the fans,six(6) eighteen-minute plus singles of bands that could be obtained no where else.So glad this was reissued on a 2-CD pressing,as such.I liked the four-part "Since When" by Flying Saucer Attack(as I welcome all cuts that come from any source by FSA)and the Jessamine tune "22:30" the best.As for the rest,there are tracks by New Zealand export guitarist Roy Montgomery,Loren Mazzacane Conners,Charalambides and Bardo Pond.A total time of 2 hours and 25 minutes.A most recommended collection of some over the top lo-fi space rock,trippy experimental,etc.

Given the hype around the original OOP LP version of this, I was surprised to only find one review posted. I think this collection is so solid that -- as stated in the other review -- it needs to be heard by many, rather than cloistered by a few. I have been lately getting into Bardo Pond, FSA, and Roy Montgomery. I also just picked up some Charalambrides at Other Music in NYC. In addition to rounding out my collections of such artists, this collection introduced my ears to Loren Mazzacane Conners. I find all of the music represented here hard to categorize. Space rock, experimental rock, avant rock, etc. Whatever you wish to call it, this music is transcendental, transportive (if that's a word), and trance-inducing. It's also very challenging (at times) and very rewarding. This "sampler" is also an easy/efficent way to jump into this type of sound. BTW, it's a double CD priced about the same as most single discs.