Bobby Bare Jr.
A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head
Naked Albino Recordings

By Micah McLain

The majority of Bobby Bare Jr.’s recordings take a while to really get into your head and settle in, and his latest album is no exception. Although he stays mostly within the realm of alt-country, his lyrics and subject matter range from unique to flat-out weird. The one constant in Bare Jr.’s music is that it’s all pretty damn catchy once you spend some time with it.

He spent four years writing the 13 songs included on the album before recording them in a “huge log cabin” with his good friend/engineer/co-writer/producer David Vandervelde. They knocked out the entire album in two days (taking twice as long as on his previous LP). The title track was inspired by a Nashville storm that that sent a tree crashing through his parent’s house, pinning his mother beneath its branches. “A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head” is a somber ode to the events of that day, with plenty of steel guitar and affectingly straightforward lyrics like “There is a tree laying on her head/And that tree don’t care if she’s alive or dead” that start to bring you down before a gritty, soaring guitar solo carry you back up … although you can still hear his mother screaming in the background (FYI: Both his parent’s house and his mother made a full recovery within a year).

Another great guitar solo, this time with an accompanying organ, supports “Swollen But Not The Same,” a track that offers a bit of insight into a military recruits first day on the job. Co-written with his father, country legend Bobby Bare Sr., “One Of Us Has Got To Go” is a signature Bare Jr. tune describing the tough decisions that a broken-hearted man goes through as he attempts to decide which member of his love triangle must be killed. This is another example of a song that shouldn’t be near as much fun as it actually is. The wildest lyrics on the record belong to the rockabilly-influenced “Rock and Roll Halloween,” the tale of a crazy night in Atlanta that includes gems such as “I saw Elvis – make out with Jesus in a yellow limousine” and “Pregnant nun – pregnant bride – pregnant guy hittin on me” – I need to find this party next month. Bare Jr. is a true individual who simply makes the kind of music that he feels like playing. “But I Do,” the final track on “A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head” even has it’s own walk off music that is divided into a separate track and fittingly titled “But I Do (Walk Off Music)” – rock ‘n’ roll man.

Bobby Bare Jr. plays The EARL, September 21.

Paloma Faith
Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?
SIN / Sony UK

By Giles Turnbull

Press play and the room transforms into a lively jazz-era dance hall, complete with house band. Onto the stage comes Paloma Faith, a British singer-songwriter, bringing with her a stylish infusion of pop, trip hop and soul, cutting through the atmosphere like lime in the gin.

These are big songs with big stories. It’s a wonderfully heady mix from start to finish, and it’s easy to see why this debut album hit the UK Top 40, staying there for over 40 weeks, and has already gone platinum.

With a résumé that includes dance and theater studies, magician’s assistant and film credits, it is no surprise that these influences have helped create such polished and vivid songs. Faith clearly knows what looks, feels and sounds great, and is happy to draw on influences, historic and modern, from jazz, soul, blues and world music. The result is a hugely enjoyable album that feels like it has embraced valuable lessons from some of the greatest exponents, and captured their spirit, but with her own spin.

Beginning with the 2009 debut single, “Stone Cold Sober,” the album has produced three further singles, “New York,” “Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful” and the delightful “Upside Down,” achieving mixed success in their native country’s  singles chart.

Critics in the UK have generally been kind, applauding the album, though harping on about the authenticity of the “Broken Doll” sentiment in several tracks, and the similarities with another Brit, Amy Winehouse. Perhaps here in the States we’ve been spared much radio play of the less successful attempts by singers wanting to follow in Ms. Winehouse’s  sozzled shoes, and perhaps that will help DYWTTOSB? to get a fair hearing on its own substantial merits, without the tired old comparisons with other artistes, piss or otherwise (Wikipedia, Piss artist: UK, slang. Someone who is frequently drunk).  Frankly, this album is in a different league.

Without doubt, DTWTTOSB? deserves to be a contender for one of my album of the year picks, based on enjoyability and sheer sumptuousness of sound. It shows Paloma Faith not only as a girl with a great voice, but a gifted songwriter with an individual imagination too.

We are so excited that fall is fast approaching – and that this great beer festival is now just a month away! HOToberFest not only brings 170 craft beers, but it also has great food from locals like Vickery’s, Matador Cantina, The Shed, as well as German brats and some great BBQ. Yum. And of course there will be live music from Michael Tolcher and the Pros, Caroline and the Ramblers and others.

And then of course there is the tasting competition, which is the largest consumer-judged competition in the country. It will feature loads of incredible rare and one of a kind beers brewed just for the festival, as well as some great micro-brews, old favorites and a couple of breweries that have just debuted in Atlanta.

For those who want a bit more of a fancy-pants experience, you should spend the extra dollars and get yourself a VIP ticket, which gets you into the festival an hour early, access to 40 rare and exclusive beers not available for the rest of the festival-goers, access to the Firkin VIP Tent (which will have a nice big flatscreen TV showing SEC football) and VIP-only restrooms. Sounds like a perfect day to us.

You can buy the tickets at the link below (tickets bought in advance are $10 cheaper than those at the gate!), but we also have a pair of VIP tickets to give away to one lucky beer lover. Fill out the form at the bottom of the page for your chance to win.

Well, summer’s last full month is officially over. And while we actually have a few more weeks left of the season, the feeling of cooler things to come is already in the air. The heat is just a little less oppressive. Kids are back in school. Fall fashions are hitting us over the head. And Labor Day weekend is upon us. Which means things are a little more mellow this weekend (barely an on-sale to be found, for example), but there is still plenty to do around town.

Thursday, September 2 – Budweiser Superfest at Chastain Park Amphitheatre

It’ll be a night full of smooth soul that’s sure to knock more than a few ladies off their feet. The likes of Anthony Hamilton, Kem, Jaheim and more will be bringing their brilliant voices to Chastain for a warm ‘n’ cozy night.

Friday, September 3 – Little Brother at The Loft

After a slight schedule change, Little Brother are ready to show Atlanta what real hip-hop is all about – it’s not just a genre to these guys, it’s a lifestyle. Stay true, Little Brother.

Friday, September 3 – The Love Language at The EARL

We know that summer is slowly coming to an end, but thankfully the sun will still shine and bring lovely warm weather to Atlanta for a good month or so. Which means you have plenty of time to enjoy the summery tunes of The Love Language before it just becomes the soundtrack to distant memories of beaches and vacations.

Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4 – Guys & Dolls at The Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater

On a holiday weekend such as this, sometimes you just need to dance to some classic tunes like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” You’ll have two opportunities when the classic Broadway play Guys & Dolls comes to Peachtree City’s Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater on Friday and Saturday.

Friday, September 3 and Saturday, September 4 – Yelawolf at Smith’s Olde Bar

Atlanta (alright, so he’s actually from Alabama, but I think we can claim him as our own now) rapper Yelawolf is popping up everywhere, opening for Big Boi and the like. He’s been even more busy as of late with the recording of an album due out November. He’s playing two nights at Smith’s Olde Bar if you want to catch some of the new tracks.

Saturday, September 4 – Jay Reatard Tribute at Lenny’s Bar

The good folks at Lenny’s have gotten together with Criminal Records, Matador, Die Indy,  Homeslice and Musical Life to present Jay Day, a tribute to the madness of Jay Reatard, one of the most influential punks of our generation. The night will feature Customers, Mourdella, Hip To Death, Facehugger and loads more. More info is available at www.lennysbar.com – doors open early at 7 p.m.

Sunday, September 5 – Trailer Vic’s Beach Party at The EARL

Not going to the beach this holiday weekend? Well, not to worry – The EARL and Drive Invasion’s Trailer Vic’s are bringing the beach to you! Well, at least lots of sand and a pool, as well as some nice cocktails and kick-ass music from bands like The Forty-Fives, Laramie Dean and Grinder Nova.

On-sales:

An Evening with Styx at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, November 13 – on sale September 10 at 10 a.m.

We have a ton more great tickets to give away for shows at The EARL, so fill out the form below and keep your fingers crossed! Oh and don’t forget to sign up for The EARL’s email list if you haven’t already HERE. Here’s what’s up for grabs:

Live those last days of summer with the delicious Love Language on September 3.

Trailer Vic’s Beach Party with feature an actual beach (well, a pool and sand) kick-ass music (The Forty-Fives, Laramie Dean, Grinder Nova and more) as well as some great special cocktails on September 5.

Country rock ‘n’ roll trio Those Darlins will be playing two special shows at The EARL, with the first on September 9, which is the gig we have tickets for.

Atlanta’s own Tealights have been gaining fans with their experimental electronica mixed with classical and pop sounds, as well as everything in between. You should really check them out for yourself on September 11.

And finally, California’s Sleepy Sun will be bringing the West Coast vibe to The EARL on  September 12.

Lakes
The Agreement
Self-released

By Giles Turnbull

“Life? Don’t talk to me about life!” says Marvin the Paranoid Android, repeatedly, in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I harbor a suspicion that Marvin might have co-written many of the lyrics on Lakes’ debut album, The Agreement.

Admittedly it’s been a summer full of exceedingly, in some cases excruciatingly, cheerful songs. It can be quite refreshing, then, to have something a touch more melancholy; a band that’s not afraid to go out and play in the rain. It has to be said, that you can hear this even in Lakes’ attempts at being cheerful; like they’ve peeked around the corner and have seen that it’s all going to end in tears. And now they’re going to tell us about it, and enjoy doing so.

The album begins in positive spirits, briskly setting forth with lively opener, “Broadlyn.” I wouldn’t describe the vibe as optimistic, though it’s certainly forecasting a brighter outlook in the wake of a tale of carnage left behind. Popping up next comes “The Heart is an Anchor,” which is brilliant because it’s both bouncy, and trumps Forest Gump by declaring “life is a record store;” hell yeah, I’m in there all the time!

And then we reach the gooey happy center of the album, if falling a little shy of the mathematical halfway point. The contemplative “Oh Lovely” is one of those songs that simply says how wonderful it is to spend your days with somebody special, doing all those crazy things you do. Sometimes you just need a song like that, and this is up there with the best of them; it could keep company with the likes of “Patio Song” (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci) or “Perfect Day” (Lou Reed) without feeling remotely awkward.

And that’s it. Well, it’s the end of all this happy nonsense; mostly anyway. Beyond this point there are a variety of tempos before winding down to a slow-paced end, but the lyrics tend to dwell on the downside of life and love. Track five, for example, sounds upbeat, like it has thrown off the specter of four’s introspective ghost, but the feeling, which gives five its name, is heartfelt pessimism, from opening words to closing refrain; no matter how catchy the tune, you can’t disguise the pain.

There remain some glimpses of brightness however. “Sweet Dreams” is a gem, lurking like a sunbeam between the stormy clouds. The infectious mandolin theme and accordion accompaniment are a light touch, and create a totally refreshing interlude; like when your broken AC struggles back to life for a few wonderfully fresh minutes, before lying back down and dying.

Occasionally there’s a hint of the band’s original incarnation as Christian pop rock band Watashi Wa. This comes through in some of the imagery, like in “Lift Me Up,” but not in a way that dominates or distracts if you weren’t looking for it.

“The Agreement Song,” from which the album derives its name, appropriately sums up this independent release, “I’ll be your score and you’ll be my symphony… I’ll be your crown, and you’ll be my gravity,” which is a great image for what this record is: a superbly written and crafted, yet down to earth album.

The Agreement is released September 3,  and is available to pre-order at http://lakesband.com

Pitchfork reviewed Candy Claws‘ Hidden Lands, and along with a 7.9 (pretty darn high for a blog that is rarely pleased with anything), had some cool words to say about the album too:

“Thanks to intricate stereo panning, the instruments sound like they’re conversing with one another from across the room, dodging in and out of the mix as percussion fills in spaces in the left channel that synths leave on the right. It’s no wonder that they need eight musicians to tour this thing.”

Intrigued? You should be. Satisfy your curiosity and check out the band at Drunken Unicorn on September 18. We have a pair of tickets to give away and you can enter easily by filling out the form below.

We have a pair of tickets to see the lovely Dungen at The EARL on September 14. You too can see what Fleet Foxes (who Dungen toured with) and Jim Jarmusch (who picked Dungen to play All Tomorrow’s Parties) see in these Swedes and their folky psychedelic rock. To enter, just fill out the form below.

- Ludacris will be helping Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits reopen its Doraville location on Saturday, and in return the liquor store is giving Luda a $10,000 donation for his Ludacris Foundation, which supports Atlanta youth and the community. We love it when everybody wins.

- Jenny Lewis and her beau Johnathan Rice just dropped their Jenny & Johnny record, I’m Having Fun Now, and you can download a free mp3 of “Animal” HERE.

- Fellow hipsters The Drums have premiered a video for “Down By The Water” on Stereogum. They will be playing The Loft with Surfer Blood on September 15.

- The final fabulous video for Cee Lo’s “Fuck You” has arrived, and we just love it. Go check it out on Idolator if you’re somewhere that’s alright with a few dozen F-bombs.

By Matthew Smith (www.shadowboxerphoto.com)

Full gallery after the jump