CD Review: The Bright Light Social Hour — New Year’s Live; Play Masquerade May 10th

The Bright Light Social Hour
New Year’s Live
self-release

By Al Kaufman

Austin, Texas has more than earned its reputation as The Live Music Capital of the World. So when a band takes an unprecedented six trophies from last year’s Austin Music Awards, they must be onto something.

The fact is, Bright Light Social Hour aren’t on to anything new as much as they thrive on everything old. They produce high energy, jam-style, bluesy, classic rock with a hippie mentality. Their self-titled 2010 release went a long way in capturing their attitude, but it takes a live release like the EP New Year’s Live to truly flaunt their manic live energy.

New Year’s Live opens with two cuts off their 2010 release, “Shanty” and “Detroit.” The first features a Curtis Roush guitar solo that would make a 1970s Peter Frampton proud, while “Detroit” features A.J. Vincent’s swirling organ.

The last two cuts are covers of Mose Allison’s “Young Man Blues” and Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy.” Again, both songs are played with raw passion and power. Their version of “Young Man Blues” holds its own (but is still inferior) to The Who’s,  and they add some crude lyrics and the obligatory Joseph Mirasole drum solo to their ten-minute version of Muddy’s classic blues tune.

Recorded at the Parish in Austin, the band wisely leaves in all the crowd noises, which only enhances the sound. Both Roush and bassist Jack O’Brien reach deep down into their souls to release their guttural vocals. The sweat pours out of the speakers. It’s just a damn shame they didn’t release the whole concert. Four songs is nothing more than a tease.

The Bright Light Social Hour play The Masquerade with JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound on May 10th.

CD Review: Ron Pope — Atlanta; Playing Vinyl, April 28

Ron Pope
Atlanta
Hard Six Records

By Al Kaufman

Ron Pope is a sensitive romantic. He’s got a beard and everything. He writes straight from the heartlands anthems and lovely ballads that would make John Mayer cry. And he writes a lot of songs. Atlanta is his seventh album since 2008. … Continue Reading

CD Review: jENNiNGS — Take It or Leave; Playing Smith’s Olde Bar, April 17

jENNiNGS
Take It or Leave
Emerging Artists Music

By Al Kaufman

Singer/songwriter/pianist Mary Jennings is pretentious. A singer cannot use such a capitally-challenged moniker and not be thought so. She only enhances that perception on her live album, Take It or Leave. She includes an intro on every song because, you know, it’s like, important that you know where she was coming from when she wrote the song. And when she says “thank you” at the end of every song, she sounds like a teacher talking to her class of first graders.

What Jennings can do is sing and play piano. While her strong and sensual voice has been compared to flavor of the month Adele, it is most similar to that of ’90s pop star Paula Cole, as it goes from rich and honeyed to high-pitched and mighty in a matter of seconds. Her piano twinkles along and her band compliments her well. Her songs are not instantly accessible, but they borrow into the recesses of the listener’s brain and hang around for a while. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Tumbledown House — Fables and Falsehoods; Play Twain’s, April 19

Tumbledown House
Fables and Falsehoods
Silent Coyote Music

By Al Kaufman

Welcome to the Roaring ’20s, in all its sexy, boozy, violent glory.

Montana’s Tumbledown House are so fresh and exciting because they do old so well. Vocalist Gillian Howe and jazz guitarist Tyler Ryan Miller have surrounded themselves with all sorts of cool cats, including saxophonist Roger Lewis, trumpeter and flugelhornist Efrem (E.T.) Towns, and trumpeter Greg Davis, all of Louisiana’s Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The result is an old style, jazzy, swampy romp, just like they used to do back in N’awlins. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Say Anything — Anarchy, My Dear

Say Anything
 Anarchy, My Dear
Equal Vision Records

By Al Kaufman

First things first, these guys are nothing like the John Cusack movie. They are not going to play Peter Gabriel through their boom boxes up to their girlfriend’s window. No, their love songs have more of a Sid and Nancy feel to them. On the cut, “Say Anything,” Maxim Bemis spits out tortures he would go through for his girl: “I’d throw up every morning, pull my nails out, take a wrench to all my teeth.” Damned if that doesn’t make a girl feel special. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Birdy — Birdy

Birdy
Birdy
Warner Brothers/14th Floor

By Al Kaufman

America is not the only country that makes huge stars out of televised music competitions. Birdy (whose real name, Jasmine van dem Bogaerde is a little more difficult to articulate) is a 15-year-old phenom from the UK who took the grand prize on Open Mike UK at the ripe old age of 12. Since then, her viral video of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love” has been seen by millions. It’s included here on her eponymous album, which includes many other indie rock covers that she puts her piano-laced and gorgeous vocal spin on. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Will Hoge — Number Seven; Playing Vinyl, March 29

Will Hoge
Number Seven
Ryko

By Al Kaufman

Will Hoge is the type of guy you’d expect to see doing Chevy commercials. The guy is the heart of America. His songs are big and majestic with the right amount of twang, and they cover the topics that Americans care about; stuff like love gone sour, growing old, and failing to make it in life. It’s not exactly “Sexy and I Know It,” but you somehow feel good listening to it. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Fanfarlo — Rooms Filled With Light; Playing Vinyl, March 10

Fanfarlo
Rooms Filled with Light
Atlantic Records

By Al Kaufman

The indie-pop world took notice when Fanfarlo released their debut, Reservoir, in 2009. Now, three years later, Fanfarlo has gone back about 30 years to create their new sound. In listening to Rooms Filled with Light, one would not be unreasonable to believe the band sports Flock of Seagulls haircuts and wears day-glo suits. They don’t, but one could be forgiven for thinking as much. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Bruce Springsteen — Wrecking Ball; Playing Philips Arena, March 18

Bruce Springsteen
Wrecking Ball
Columbia

By Al Kaufman

The Boss is back.

I honestly never thought I would get a chance to write those words. A Springsteen fan since before my teen years, I have watched as Bruce slowly grew into a caricature of himself. It was like he had read all the hype about himself and realized he had to speak for the common man. Albums like The Rising, Working on a Dream, and Magic seemed a little too forced and contrived. Plus they employed too much organ and not enough screaming guitar. He showed some signs of life when he cut through the clutter with the Seeger sessions, but mostly he was just slowly slipping into middle, or old, age.

But Wrecking Ball has the anger of Darkness on the Edge of Town, the hope of Born to Run, and the carnival-like musical ride of The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. This is primal Bruce, fueled by piss and vinegar, but tempered by hope and dreams. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Heartless Bastards — Arrow; Playing The EARL, March 2

Heartless Bastards
Arrow
Partisan Records

By Al Kaufman

Heartless Bastards answer the all important question: What if Adele was backed by a Texas band? Erika Wennerstrom, the vocal storm behind the band, has penned 11 songs that show off all her abilities. The soulful “Marathon” is followed by the poppy “Parted Ways,” until the song takes a turn and Wennerstrom demonstrates a  passionate growl worthy of Patti Smith,  accompanied by a drum and guitar frenzy. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Cloud Nothings — Attack on Memory; Playing The EARL, February 17

Cloud Nothings
Attack on Memory
Carpark

By Al Kaufman

Almost every band for the past five years has made the lead of song for their album, if not their best one, at least one that reaches out and grabs, that pulls the listener in. Dylan Baldi, the man behind Cleveland, Ohio’s Cloud Nothings, does just the opposite. “No Future/No Past” is a long, bass-driven droning number that seems to go on for much longer than its four-and-a-half minutes. But that’s sort of the point. On this Steve Albini-produced sophomore record, Baldi wants you to forget all about the Cloud Nothings more simplistic past. This is a new band with a new sound, even if that sound is Weezer on Quaaludes. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Ben Kweller — Go Fly a Kite

Ben Kweller
Go Fly a Kite
Noise

By Al Kaufman

If Nick Lowe was the Jesus of cool of the 20th century, then Ben Kweller appears ready to take over the role for the new millennium. Kweller writes pure pop for now people. It’s tight and crisp without being trite. Every song on here sounds like a radio hit, but not one that you would grow sick of quickly. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Red Wanting Blue — From the Vanishing Point; Playing Smith’s Olde Bar, February 27

Red Wanting Blue
From the Vanishing Point
Fanatic Records

By Al Kaufman

Red Wanting Blue plays slick, mainstream pop-rock songs. That could be the whole review right there, but it would leave the layout for this review wanting. It’s like Train or Hootie and the Blowfish, or, to a lesser extent, Counting Crows. It’s that kind of stuff that you know would sound good live, but loses something within the sterile confines of a recording studio. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Amy LaVere – Stranger Me; Playing Smith’s Olde Bar with Rich Robinson, March 2

Amy LaVere
Stranger Me
Archer Records

By Al Kaufman

Turbulent times often leads to great art. Such is the case with Amy LaVere. While preparing to make her third album three years ago, her producer and mentor, Jim Dickenson, died of complications from triple bypass surgery. Then her guitarist, Steve Selvidge, left to join The Hold Steady. But what really made things sticky was when she broke up with longtime boyfriend and drummer, Paul Taylor. She missed his studio presence and he ended up agreeing to drum on the album, creating that delicious tension that is evident in other groups with broken relationships, such as Fleetwood Mac and Eurythmics. LaVere also recruited Craig Silvey (who mixed Arcade Fire’s Suburbs) to produce, and multi-weird-instrumentalist Rick Steff (who plays the mellotron, theramin, Buddha box, Vibrachime, and various pianos), left of center guitarist David Cousar, and a slew of horn instrumentalists to create her most richly textured album to date. … Continue Reading

CD Review: Dare Dukes — Thugs and China Dolls; Playing Highland Inn January 21 and Grocery on Home February 4

Dare Dukes and the Blackstock Collection
Thugs and China Dolls
Starland Records

By Al Kaufman

When Savannah’s Dare Dukes released his debut, Prettiest Transmitter of All, in 2008, he established himself as a gifted songwriter who could write a catchy (but not obvious) hook. But, most importantly, he demonstrated that he has a penchant for the little guy, the guy a little left of center, the kid at school whose clothes never fit and who picked his nose, but you knew would grow up and be either a nuclear physicist or a psychopath. These are Dukes’ people. … Continue Reading