Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton<\/b> What is Free to a Good Home?<\/i> (Last Gang Records)
\n What a breath of fresh air \u2013 ok, stupid clich\u00e9. But in this instance it happens to be true. Emily Haines and her Soft Skeleton have laid down 6 bittersweet and lonely songs that are so stark and sad that they almost make one cry, except for the noodling piano and Emily\u2019s childlike, precious voice, a pretty, fragile sounding vocal; I\u2019m referring to \u201cWhat is Free to a Good Home?\u201d, a CD of beautifully melancholy music that would go well as a backdrop while reading her (brother\u2019s? Father\u2019s) posthumously released book \u2013 Paul Haines\u2019s \u201cSecret Carnival Workers\u201d, a collection of beat prose, wicked poetry, liner notes he wrote for myriad jazz records, articles he wrote in the vein of musical journalism [see separate review].
\n This is a record that should be picked up by the most discerning of music fans. It\u2019s got a jazz theme to it; a slow, vocal kind of jazz, which is, of course, different from the extemporaneous instrumental bop and post-bop that is the essence of jazz. Emily Haines\u2019s lush sweet voice plaintively sings her heart out and although the vibe of the tunes is mainly a sad one, the beauty of the music gives it an ecstatic melancholia. (http:\/\/www.softskeleton.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Danny Decker & the Homewreckers<\/b> The Rockabilly Lover<\/i> (Delirium Records)
\n So, since you\u2019ve been hoedownin\u2019 to the Rev. Horton Heat, The Screamin\u2019 Yee-Haws, et cetera for a while now, you might as well get into this CD as well, \u201cThe Rockabilly Lover\u201d, the latest smash from Danny Decker and his Homewreckers. The CD opens with a real big hoot: \u201cMean Mean Man\u201d \u2013 a sardonic reverie with which many misanthropes will identify. \u201cBetter Move On\u201d is next and it is a tad more romantic, but not much. This is a good version of rockabilly \u2013 not an over-the-top act, not a schlock-y thing \u2013 they even do a rockabilly cover version of \u201cLove Cats\u201d \u2013 the old Cure song; it was done in such a different way than the original as to erase any \u201cCure\u201d-ness from it.
\n The great thing about \u201cThe Rockabilly Lover\u201d is that it doesn\u2019t sound dated nor does it sound gimmicky, they\u2019re just playing what they like, what a surprise, huh?
\n Danny Decker & the Homewreckers seem like they\u2019d put on an exciting live show; I can imagine seeing them in concert, buzzing all over the stage, keeping the vibe at a high level from beginning to the end, no slowed-down boring ballads to interrupt the sky-high jamming. (http:\/\/www.deliriumrecords.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Paul Haines<\/b> Secret Carnival Workers<\/i> (H. Pal Productions)
\n This is an interesting book: the late Paul Haines was a writer, but more importantly, his life was all about music, mainly jazz. He was a writer of beat poetry, jazz journalism and his wonderful liner notes grace the sleeve of many a jazz album.
\n This new book, \u201cSecret Carnival Workers\u201d is a posthumous collection of his writings. The book features poems, liner notes, jazz journalism, prose pieces, reflections, memoirs, a few photographs and some wild, jazz-like riffing with words.
\n I loved the way he just riffs and riffs like some Kerouac on acid, be-bopping with words \u2013 words that accompany the hippest jazz. (http:\/\/www.softskeleton.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Spirits in Ambience<\/b> Momentos<\/i> (self-released)
\n Is Mark Peacock the new Brian Eno? That\u2019s maybe going too far, but I have just received my third SIA CD and it\u2019s still on that same mellow, untrammeled path that Eno, Jon Hassell, Moebius and others have lightly trod on.
\n The album is one continuous lucid dream-track, an escape that can take you miles from where you are when you start. Each track just melts into the next, there aren\u2019t any \u201cstand out\u201d or \u201cbreakaway\u201d hit singles on this album, which is a good thing, at least for purists.
\n As far as what to listen to or what I think is better or worse on this album? I\u2019d say instead that \u201cMomentos\u201d is really meant to be listened to in one complete setting, something to put on for a wild night of passionate sex, quiet meditation or just staring at your bedroom wall, feeling deeply depressed and not feeling like living or dying. Whatever you feel at the time \u2013 this CD will help you escape from it, dig? Now, remember, the website is: http:\/\/www.aurorablue.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
The New Up<\/b> Palace of Industrial Hope<\/i> (self-released)
\n These days, with so many people putting out their own music without the \u201cfilter\u201d of a record label \u2013 independent or otherwise \u2013 it is harder and harder to weed out the crap and pick out the good \u2013 sometimes they both come in similar packaging and that makes it hard for the undiscerning music shopper.
\n Never fear here, though: Some hipsters from the Bay Area have emerged with something that is going to stick (up, of course\u2026): \u201cPalace of Industrial Hope\u201d is a full-length CD by awesome new combo The New Up. The new CD\u2019s an original sounding bunch of tunes, stuff you wouldn\u2019t hear on some commercial radio station, that\u2019s for sure! The New Up is not necessarily some brand new genre or sound you\u2019ve never heard before, but what they are is an iconoclastic rock & roll band that has put out a great debut; a solid work, including the vocal stylings of Emily Pitcher, who does not sound unlike PJ Harvey.
\n \u201cPalace of Industrial Hope\u201d, The New Up\u2019s second full-length release has 13 tracks of semi-jaded post-pop, post-punk post-modern rock \u2018n\u2019 roll; there isn\u2019t the usual sentimentality or antisentimentality, rather I hear out of this CD an more set of honesty in both the lyrics and the music. Like I said, they\u2019re a rock band that does things their way which happens to be a really hip, downtown way and by that I do not mean hip-hop, but rather the type of bohemian, art-world, \u201cFactory\u201d-era party bands and soundtracks to wild, do-what-thou-wilt parties, et cetera. In fact, the music has an iconoclastic vibe all its own, something that defies labels and would drive a radio station programmer crazy trying to decide if it fits their \u201cdemographic profile\u201d or not. Well, you know what? Nobody needs the damn radio anymore, not in this internet age, the age where the proletariat is truly in command and not just in the music biz, but in all kinds of ways. This is a really great to be alive for people who are always looking for something new and interesting to listen to; for those who just get bored sticking with just one scene or one style of music. Change and progress is constantly moving at an increasingly faster pace and it\u2019s no wonder that more and more, with a little effort at locating them, one will continue, for some time to come, to discover great new musical combos as cool as The New Up. Keep bringing it back home, guys, OK? http:\/\/www.thenewup.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Gunna Vahm<\/b> Man Hands for Rump Lust<\/i> (Reptilian Records)
\n It\u2019s a veritable scream-fest here! What a bunch these guys are. Gunna Vahm \u2013 I think I\u2019m Gunna Vahm \u2013 better make a bee-line for the toilet! Hahaha \u2013 no, but seriously, folks, these punk rockers will bang your head for you, you don\u2019t have to do anything but sit back, slam down some malt liquor and let the \u201cMan Hands for Rump Lust\u201d do the brain-smashing for you. The first two tracks are a little cacophonous, but #3, \u201cBow Down\u201d has a structure to it that can at least give you a little room to dance. Track #6, \u201c\u2026And Now I\u2019m Gay\u201d is a riotous song about a confused guy who goes to bars a lot. Gunna Vahm are label-mates with the recently reviewed [by me] Dactyl, who just put out another raucous disc called \u201cTeething\u201d \u2013 check out last issue (#35) for the review. But as for G.V.-they too are in that Drive Like Jehu\/Melvins camp, so just accept it \u2013 they\u2019re sick of all the stuff, they\u2019re cynical, jaded MFs who are going to start telling it like it is \u2013 and you will take it, dammit! \u2013 http:\/\/www.reptilianrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Imogene<\/b><\/i> [self-titled] (Intrepid Sound Recordings)
\n Whoa, man, like when does the spaceship come back? This is some way-out there shit, man. I dug it from the very first listen. Imogene\u2019s eponymous debut is a record that showcases an interstellar group of tunesmiths that are not that different in vibe from Spacemen 3, before Jay Spaceman became a hopeless junkie. Anyway, someone please keep those bastards in suits away from these guys because I don\u2019t want to turn on the radio one day (by accident or something) and suddenly hear them on some \u201cmodern rock\u201d station. The only place they should be played is on a college radio station, one that is run by students at a college \u2013 not a corporate pretend one; otherwise they\u2019d be totally ruined and the greatness, the outer-world, magick aura about them will be destroyed. But enough about me, let\u2019s talk about the band: Imogene is a group of kids who prefer to remain somewhat anonymous, so I\u2019ll keep their IDs on the \u201cQT\u201d. Nonetheless, they really have blown my mind \u2013 I swear, I didn\u2019t think that, except for a small circle of people around the country, there was anyone out there making any truly original contribution to indie rock music \u2013 now, of course if you want to talk about other types of music (experimental; \u201cclassical\u201d, et cetera) that\u2019s a different ball of wax, but as far as plain old r & r goes, there has been such a dearth of both sincerity and a sickening amount of derivativity that passes for \u201cbeing influenced by\u2026\u201d that when something like this record comes along I must make a big fuss about it \u2013 this kind of stuff should be rewarded, in the right kinds of ways \u2013 don\u2019t go out there signing big contracts or anything stupid like that. You\u2019ll be sorry, I guarantee it! Ask Leif Garrett or that guy who sang the \u201cPina Colada Song\u201d. But if you\u2019re truly great and play a great live show the word will spread and then people will start coming to your shows because they want to experience part of the mystique. Besides word-of-mouth, there\u2019s the Internet Factor: to market and sell stuff these days, you really don\u2019t need that much of a distribution network; well, ok, you do, but it\u2019s not one that is going to be controlled by the syndicate of major labels.
\n Well, I must confess: I haven\u2019t (yet, anyway) seen Imogene live in concert, so I can\u2019t say what they are like live; the only thing I have to judge them on is this CD and I can say that it has a groovy flavor that lasts and lasts and lasts. I hear bits of Wolfgang Press, Apples in Stereo and a little, tiny bit of Tortoise too. This will be one to jam to even a year from now. For more insight, check out: http:\/\/www.imogene.info \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
The May Fire<\/b> La Victoria<\/i> (Rock Whores Recordings)
\n The May Fire is back \u2013 a good sign in itself. This Bay Area quartet have come bursting through the front door, guns ablazing on \u201cLa Victoria\u201d, they\u2019re sophomore effort. It\u2019s just a teaser though, consisting of only 6 tracks, but they all rock, so there.
\n Musically, they are not unlike Yo La Tengo, in that they have that similar sort of college-radio-fare style to it, jangly guitars, a certain edginess and a hard\/soft [rock] dichotomy. If I\u2019m not mistaken, they were just a duo on their last outing, consisting then of only Catty Tasso and the one known as \u201cEl Pipe\u201d \u2013 the one I reviewed a year ago or so; looks like they\u2019ve rounded things out with a couple more dudes \u2013 well, hey man, whatever works for ya.
\n I could go on and on here about how the May Fire have this aura of\u2026of something or other, but I will just say this: it\u2019s a groovy little EP and I hope all you hep cats get out and pick up a copy \u2013 http:\/\/www.themayfire.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Music Reviews Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton What is Free to a Good Home? (Last Gang Records) What a breath of fresh air \u2013 ok, stupid clich\u00e9. But in this instance it happens to be true. Emily Haines and her Soft Skeleton have laid down 6 bittersweet and lonely songs that are so stark and sad that they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[308],"class_list":["post-353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-music-reviews-9507"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":199,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/12\/12\/emily-haines-music-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":0},"title":"Emily Haines music review","author":"admin","date":"December 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Emily Haines And The Soft Skeletons Knives Don't Have Your Back Last Gang Records review by Caitlin McGuire Emily Haines' solo debut Knives Don't Have Your Back would be impressive even for a band that's been together for years. Yet Haines hasn't always played with the Soft Skeletons, the backing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/05\/17\/band-review-metric\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":1},"title":"band review: METRIC","author":"admin","date":"May 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Metric, Featuring Emily Hainesreview by Tim FennellPhotos from myspace.com\/metric. Click the pics for the larger versions.I see HUGE commercial success for this group of musicians, and I am encouraging every person reading this to go to myspace.com\/metric after you finish reading this review. I like it, I like it a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/05\/12\/reviewer-choice-emily-haines\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":2},"title":"Reviewer Choice: Emily Haines","author":"admin","date":"May 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Emily Haines of MetricReview by Joyce Damaged Photos of Emily Haines by Reviewer RobGood-morning\/evening lost and found souls of this planet we call Earth. My name is Joyce and I have been given the task of writing a review of talented writers, artists, and musicians alike. This week\u2019s topic will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":675,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/05\/13\/reviewer-choice-emily-haines-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":3},"title":"Reviewer Choice: Emily Haines","author":"admin","date":"May 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Emily Haines of MetricReview by Joyce Damaged Photos of Emily Haines by Reviewer RobGood-morning\/evening lost and found souls of this planet we call Earth. My name is Joyce and I have been given the task of writing a review of talented writers, artists, and musicians alike. This week\u2019s topic will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8966,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2013\/07\/04\/books-secret-carnival-workers\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":4},"title":"books: Secret Carnival Workers","author":"Reviewer Rob","date":"July 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"[Books] Secret Carnival Workers by Paul Haines Tweet second review of a previously covered book: SECRET CARNIVAL WORKERS First covered in the Summer 2010 issue of Reviewer Here it is again because it's JUST THAT GOOD. By Reviewer Rob Secret Carnival Workers (book) by Paul Haines, edited by Stuart Broomer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "art"","block_context":{"text":"art","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Secret Carnival Workers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/cmyk-secret-carnival-workers-191x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":511,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/09\/15\/new-music-reviews-by-hailey-van-meter\/","url_meta":{"origin":353,"position":5},"title":"New Music Reviews – by Hailey Van Meter","author":"admin","date":"September 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/www.reviewermagazine.com\/rvur38music9-15New MusicCD reviews by Hailey Van Meter::: Emily Wells The Symphonies: Dreams, Memories & Parties 2008 With an indestructible base of perfected crafted instruments, Emily Wells\u2019 voice penetrates your eardrums and dances through every echo of your brain. Half-angelic and half-haunting, she brings a certain level of eeriness to a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}