Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

The songs grow in with each listening. Meredith's voice has a quality that is pure and real, while the instrumentation offers complexity and drive. This is an artist to watch. "Shattering" is an unexpected favorite. More..More..More.

Bragg's folk chamber group issues a remarkable statement without raising the volume.

Meredith Bragg divides his quietly luminous first record, Vol. 1, into chapters, which would be a pretentious affectation if he hadn't produced what amounts to a loosely constructed portrait of the artist as a young songwriter. Critics have compared Bragg to Nick Drake, but he only superficially resembles the long-lost British troubadour. Bragg, a refugee from Virginia-based band Speedwell, boasts aspects of Drake's compelling vocal style, but his songs and personal, self-effacing lyrics are much more direct and earthbound. With a nod to Iron & Wine's Sam Beam, Bragg seasons his strummed guitar with gentle accompaniment of sympathetic piano and vibes plus Elizabeth Olson's lovely cello. Some of Bragg's best songs (My Only Enemy," "I Won't Let You Down," "Shattering") are also his longest ones, recalling the folk-jazz ragas of artists diverse as Tim Buckley, Buzzy Linhart and Van Morrison. Bragg's music doesn't grab you by the collar; it slowly insinuates.

It should first be noted that the music of Daniel Johnston is not for everyone -- you will either love him or hate him, most will feel the latter. His voice sounds like a 14 year old who got into the parents' liquor cabinet, but like Bob Dylan, it's the perfect vehicle for his material. I recommend the excellent documentary currently playing in art movie theaters to learn about this unique singer songwriter's incredible life --you couldn't make up a story as sadly surreal. His music is best appreciated if you understand his history and are familiar with his artwork (his pen and ink cartoon-like drawings go for thousands of dollars). His songs, like his artwork, are replete with symbols and references to his internal mythology, a conglomeration of cartoons, comic books and fire and brimstone religion.
Welcome to My World is sort of a greatest hits of his early work, mostly recorded on cheap tape machines and often given away to people on the street. Daniel bares his soul -- listening to his music is like awkwardly being trapped with a stranger you run into, obviously a little off center, who rattles on providing too much information about his innermost feelings. But no other artist I have heard captures the angst of adolescence quite as well as Daniel, and his sense of melody, his ability to convey complex feelings with the simplest language, is brilliant. Strange, moving, disturbing stuff, an emotional car wreck that you just can't look away from. If you like the off beat and stark emotional honesty in your music, check him out.

This album comes out 3 years after what was probably my least favorite ERP album "garbage heads on endless stun". Not one store was carrying it locally anymore (they all did 3 years ago when the last new album came out). Either that says something about the internet(bad for cd sales), the economy(bad for cd sales) or the "band" itself(since its not brittany spears it must be bad!). In this album he seems to have gotten back to some of the guitar complexities of "the gasoline age"(which was one of my favorites next to "Mel" and "shining hours in a can".
The low points:
*the album clocks in at only 36 minutes.
*most of the songs are also very concise.
*a few naff moments (background vocals on dirty carnival, re used sound effect on shut up and row).
Thie "high" points: (no pun intended).
*after admitting he spent $200,000 on drugs his music can still sound this good!!!
*not one bad tune!
*return to guitars which were mostly missing on the last album!
I disagree with the prior reviewer who rated the album poorly. It sounds like there IS some growth/change on the guitar sounds and drums. On some tracks he must be using a live drummer or better drum machine. It even mentions in the liner notes some of it was recorded at an outside location on dfferent equipment (sounds like he made up the name "the new jersey institute for worserer recording!"). One should not expect ultra glossy production, or completely new directions (would anyone listen to a country, rap, or techno east river pipe album???).
To summarize, if like east river pipe you should like this album very much! Some dreams can kill you, some music can kill you but East River Pipe can save you!

I have been a big ERP fan since his first record came out. My favorite is "Poor Fricky." I have enjoyed his recent work, but not quite as much as the first three. This new one actually reminds me of his first and that is a good thing. Every song has something special or interesting about it...great melodies, arrangements, funny/enigmatic/mature lyrics with a touch of melancholy. Luckily he doesn't sound too depressed. I get a little Dylan vibe, say in the Basement Tapes or J.W.Harding vein, but that may be a stretch. I can't say that I have a favorite song, although the robot song may be it, but I definitely don't hit skip once. I agree the songs are short, but the economy works for me. I would like one long guitar freak-out, 'cause those are so sweet...maybe next time. In sum, this is a great ERP record and that is saying a lot. Cornog has kept his passion, economy of style and lack of pretense after six records and that is amazing. He is among my all-time favorite singers.

F.M. Cornog, who is East River Pipe, has dealt up another winning batch of homegrown prozac pop with What Are You On? The album seems to mirror Cornog's own personal journey, one which rivals Charles Bukowski's in down and out-ness, self-loathing, and ridiculously pitiful hilarity. If all this sounds like a bummer, it's not. Here's an example. Even the anti-hero of the song "Druglife", who spends his entire day looking to score/use drugs, is watched over by the wonderfully mellow, beautifully arranged, whimsical haze that saturates this entire record. It's this musical playfulness and capacity for empathy that sets East River Pipe apart from the moaning and ugly pack. 999 out of 1000 bands/solo artists couldn't do this. And with lyrics like "dimebags flash up in Union Square / people walk in serotonin pairs" and "just shuffle on through the golden mist / take a number 'cause you're on the list," it's like being there under the soft glowing neon of lower Manhattan, in the protective gauzey arms of your favorite libation.

Pop Kulcher Review: Chicago singer-songwriter Kevin Tihista (who records under the moniker Kevin Tihista's Red Terror) comfortably occupies the niche carved out by Elliott Smith and Epic Soundtracks -- quiet, stripped down indie-folk/pop tales of love and depression. Of course, both those artists seem to have met their demise at their own hands; let's hope Tihista fares better. For his third album, Wake Up Captain, Tihista moves beyond the largely acoustic guitar backing that dominated his first two albums, going for a more piano-based sound and fuller orchestration. Simple tunes expand into dense, Brian Wilson-esque soundscapes of harmonies and colorful instrumentation. A couple songs almost, dare I say it, rock (though most don't stray too far from the basic blueprint previously established). A few of these (most notably "Family Curse," one of 2004's more noteworthy songs) are stellar and quite catchy; much like the late great Epic Soundtracks, Tihista seems to be shooting, in places, for that melancholy early 70's piano pop sound championed by Todd Rundgren and Harry Nilsson. Unfortunately, as with his prior work, the disc drags in spots, and getting through the whole thing without skipping a track or three is no easy task. But for those quiet, instrospective mornings, Captain is surprisingly effective, and Tihista is an artist who'd be easily appreciated by those trying to fill Elliott's absence.

an engaging power pop album. sad and hopeful at the same time. kevin tihista's red terror is one of the best kept secrets in chicago's music scene.

Keeping up with Will Oldham's complete output can be a very hard task. He has always mixed releases between albums with the shorter formats of the 7" and EP, producing a healthy amount of material in between his full-length releases. However, seeking out the 7" and EP formats can be rewarding, as the material often matches, and occasionally surpasses the quality of his albums. The 4 Track Western Music EP is a very hard to find title released in very limited edition by the combined forces of two labels out of Spain (Acurela and Ovni) in 1988. Coming from a variety of sessions. Two tracks are solo Oldham, while Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three and former Gastr del Sol member David Grubbs play anonymous roles elsewhere. On nearly every song, Oldham approaches the level of his best work. "Always Bathing in the Evening" is perfect for dark bedroom listening. "Wade in/Wade in," he sings, as voices in the distance chime in with "Blowing/Jump in/Waiting/Jump in." While there is little lyrical matter to speak of, it sounds fantastic. On "Three Photographs" Oldham is an intriguing, fragmentary story told through pictures. Over the most rudimentary, lo-fi guitar strum. Other track is "Western Song For J.L.L" his another fine outing, bringing to mind some of the material he would later release as Bonnie Prince Billie. Western Music came during a particularly prolific time for Oldham (during the Joya period) and was very hard to find even when in print. Only the best indie stores in the world were able to get them in and they were all pretty quickly gobbled up.

I have no idea who these guys are, but came across this disc in college after hearing a track from the album on a promo-sampler. Fell in love with the loopy guitars and lyrics.