In 2007 Brien released his first album of acoustic original songs and has been consistent with letting more material out each year since then, consisting of originals and demos.  In preparation for his newest album, titled Through the Darkness, We Will Find the Light, there are two songs that he has let me check out and share with you, Avid Reader.  As he explains it: the music is a journey through all of our trials and triumphs in life.  Citing some of his influences for this ongoing project as The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode, you can feel the emotional qualities not just in the lyrics but through the instrumentation.

“Mistakes” reflects upon how we pay for wrong turns we make on the road leading to now.  Sometimes we are left cold and by ourselves, yet if we decide to open up to others, then we don’t have to be alone.  Maybe there is some light at the end of each wrong tunnel or choice we make.

“Winter Solstice” takes to task the greyest of seasons and how it affects the mentality of many people.  Being stuck indoors is taxing and, unless you hibernate, those months are not easy.  By holding on to memories that made you happy earlier in the year, and realizing that this will pass, everything gets brighter after the solstice.

If you’d like to hear these songs and more, then check the website or catch him live.  Whether he’s accompanied by a full band or just his acoustic guitar, all of the songs take on a different life when performed live.  He’s come a long way since his time in Antimony – and if you get a chance to talk with him, tell him Fizz says hello.

As everyone knows, and if you don’t then read up, our greenish villain was in the process of ruining the Yuletide when who should appear?  Little Cindy-Lou Who, no more than two, that needed a cup of cold water to help her sleep.  Thanks to Cindy-Lou’s insatiable need to hydrate herself, she foils the Grinch’s plan and pretty much guilts him into bringing back everything he stole and helping with dinner.  I know I took a few liberties back there, but you catch my drift, and everyone lived happily ever after.

Well, that is until little Cindy-Lou grew up, realized Whoville wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and couldn’t hold the attention of a precocious twenty-something, so she moved all the way out to Los Angeles and wrote a song about it.  Ok, so I took some liberties back there,, too but that is the premise for this little ditty by New Jersey’s own Laura Warshauer.

In the song Cindy-Lou has grown up and she misses Mr. Grinch around this time of year and she’ll always love him and hold a spot in her heart for him.  The song is by no means a creepy tune; rather, it is an interesting take on a classic story.  Warshauer was the recipient of BMI’s and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame’s “Holly Prize”, named after Buddy Holly and awarded to one singer/songwriter each year, which is a high honor to be bestowed.  Her voice floats over the guitar while her clever tune plays out and it starts to make sense how she was awarded this prize.

If you happen to be looking for something a little different this year for your holiday music collection, you can find her tune in a few places to stream, download or view a quick video.  Don’t be a Grinch and give this one a spin, you’ll be surprised.

STREAM/DOWNLOAD “I LOVE YOU MR. GRINCH”: http://download.themusebox.net/laura_warshauer/i_love_you_mr_grinch.mp3

WATCH THE “I LOVE YOU MR. GRINCH” VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTaw7WRTrkI&feature=channel_video_title

(Photo: U.S. Marine Corps)

The Baltimore Free Farm is a local nonprofit that is dedicated to community-building, recycling, ethical food, and patchouli. They also happen to run rock shows every now and then. On this day, I was there to see Neutron Bomb, Mercies, Ahab’s Revenge, and rioLinda. I’ve written about a few of these guys before, so I can probably spare you a few of the details. Here we go…

I strolled into the place, not quite knowing what to expect. It’s located in the hipster capitol of Baltimore, Hampden, so I had a fair notion of what I was in for. I’ve seen a lot of these guys play before, so the music wasn’t going to be a surprise. The venue, on the other hand, was something else entirely.

One word could be used to describe this place – sketch. There’s no real signage to speak of, save for some handmade stuff that didn’t really advertise the place as the Baltimore Free Farm as much as just some place where some kind of show was happening. The building itself was long, concrete and painted white. I parked on the street a little ways down from the building, right underneath a street light. Across the road from the Free Farm was a building/lot I would later find out is the Ash Street Garden. I imagine the inside of that building to be reminiscent of the house on Paper St. that the narrator from Fight Club lived in. Apparently, they do some good stuff there, so I can’t hate on it too much.

Wait… where was I? Oh yes, the show…

Unfortunately, I missed Ahab’s Revenge as we got to the place a bit late, but I heard they were good.

Up second was rioLinda, sporting a new bassist, Ajay Menius Junior. The group pelted the audience with their traditional grunge rock sound, utilizing the piercing sound of feedback whenever possible. “Locked and Loaded” easily remains my favorite song by the group.

The third group on stage that night was Mercies. A DC three-piece band, these guys know how to put on a fun show. The matching guitar and bass of John Russell and Justin Scott complement their very different vocal styles, as they play and sing in harmony to the beat of Ezra Finney’s very purposeful drum beats. One thing I’ve always found fascinating about Finney’s kit is that it’s so simple (hi-hat, bass, snare, floor tom, two cymbals), but he plays it so dynamically that you have to take notice. “Needlenose” gets the nod this time around as their best track.

Last, but not least, was Neutron Bomb, who I almost missed again as I had to head out after a few of their songs. At any rate, these guys are a five-piece with a strong set of talented musicians. From the keyboarding of Jeremy Conte, to the guitar of Jon Caplan, to the drums of Eubank Steele, and the vocals of Sara Kryscio and Christina McCarthy, this band is essentially the Baltimore-hippie equivalent of a very young Fleetwood Mac. Poppy and full of energy, the songs they play are complex and interesting. Thought their sound is not really my cup of tea, I can’t deny they have a plethora of talent.

All in all, this was a good show at a surprisingly enjoyable venue. There were couches to lounge on, a wood-burning heater, and plenty of Natty Boh at this bring-your-own joint.

Had she not left the label, Grannis might have been a household name by now, but her work might also have been altered to sound like something Grannis isn’t. Despite leaving the label, Grannis has developed quite a following on YouTube. Her videos have received nearly 80 million views to date. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out her video for “In Your Arms.” Seriously, it deserves to be watched. Not convinced? Here are some numbers about what went into the video:

• 22 months (1,357 hours of work)
• 30 people
• 1 still camera
• 288,000 jelly beans

The video had earned a seemingly huge one million views just three days after its initial release on YouTube. However, unlike Rebecca Black’s “Friday” video, the attention on Grannis’ video is already dying down, which is a real shame. It’s easy to imagine that if this video had been a cover-of-Billboard top 100 hit, it would have more views right now. Though Grannis has gained moderate popularity through YouTube, her original songs do not attract a large enough audience to give “In Your Arms” the attention it deserves.

I give Grannis and her team some major kudos for this video, but almost wish that some mainstream artist was featured in this video, so it would garner more views, to make the effort that went into it worth it. Frankly, the track “In Your Arms” by itself is nothing special. After watching the video, I was left thinking about jelly beans instead of about the song’s melody or chorus. That’s both a credit to the video and a discredit to the music. Both “Message From Your Heart” and “In Your Arms” are singles from Grannis’ 2010 album Stairwells. On the whole, Stairwells is a quite “friendly” album. One might even call it a female Jack Johnson-esque sound. It’s nice. However, just “nice” doesn’t quite make the cut. I’ll keep checking in on the videos that Grannis posts on YouTube, but I think I’ll leave the album on the shelves from now on.

Wikipedia,

This band may have pieces of some heavy hitters from back in the day; however, on this album it all comes together in a democratic vein.  The songs are fun, uplifting and catchy as hell.  These ladies still know how to rock and it may cause you to go and revisit their earlier material if you need to do some background research.  I am also a sucker for female vocal harmonizing and there is plenty on this record, as well as spot on riffs and dry wit.

The guitar attack of Brownstein and Timony is great as they play off each other, Cole’s piano and organ instead of bass is quite refreshing and Weiss’s drumming is spot on and stomping everywhere.  This is the sound of four professionals getting together, having fun and setting it to tape.  You can tell they had a good time making this album and you should have some fun while you listen.

For further evidence I suggest: “Endless Talk”, “Short Version”, “Glass Tambourine”, “Racehorse” or the rollicking “Romance”, you should also check the video.  Do yourself a favor and just pick this up.  I know I have given a lot of high ratings for albums this year but this one deserves it the most.

Three Reviews:

Bon Iver, S/T, 2011 – Every artist is allowed a creative turn from time to time, unless you’re David Bowie; then you can take as many as you’d like.  Rather than stay on pace with the same algorithm that produced his haunting debut For Emma Forever Ago we see Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, incorporating light synth pop to his sophomore effort.  It took me a long time to listen to this one, and I was disappointed.  On the debut, the vocals were up front and held you for each track.  Now we find them floating along a forgotten river and I’m not sure if I should throw him a line or let him drift by.

Battles, Gloss Drop, 2011 – What do you get when you mix drummer John Stainer of Helmet, guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams of Don Caballero and guitarist David Konopka of Lynx?  You get the intelligence that is Battles.  This instrumental post/prog/math rock group is back with their second album and it is all killer no filler.  Featuring some vocal spots by Matias Aguayo, Kazu Makino, Gary Numan and Yamantaka Eye, this album will get you rolling.  Each note is precise and you aren’t put down until the album goes back to track one.  Find this and their debut Mirrored if you need more proof.

Matt Stevens, Relic, 2011 – You may recall Matt from one of my earlier reviews of his band The Fierce and The Dead –  this album is an extension of his guitar prowess.  Moving between moments of Radiohead, Ottmar Liebert or straight up metal, there doesn’t seem like a guitar style Matt will shy away from.  The instrumental accompaniments seem to compliment his guitar’s swooning over each track.  Nothing is overpowering and nothing is overpowered.  Unless you live in England, I suggest you hit up his website for downloads or just order a copy of your own.  I bet if you were to mix this with Battles it would be tough to tell the difference between the two.

“Abducted” earned the band the award for “Best New Music” from Pitchfork Media, and compares falling in love to being kidnapped. Brian Oblivion, the male portion of Cults, plays the abductor. Much like the other songs on the album, it sounds both lighthearted and fun, but is about the trepidations and struggles of relationships, freedom, and daily life. This gets into the theme that flows flawlessly through the whole album: independence. Even the song title “Never Saw the Point” suggests that the female lead, Madeline Follin, does not need a man in her life. The line “I don’t need anyone else” seems like a minor idea, but examples can be found throughout the album. “I think I want to live my life and you’re just in my way,” is even the first line found in “Go Outside.”

Although some may view this as a kind of juvenile theme of trying to figure out what kind of person you are going to be, everyone has been there, and this album, in all of its haunting beauty, has the ability to bring you back to those moments as if it had just happened. Cults makes use of one of the largest varieties of musical elements I have ever heard, many of which are from traditional teen inspired music. From the classic girl groups, to 50′s prom pop, as found so appropriately in “You Know What I Mean,” and even the “bedroom indie pop”of today. This gives the album a sense of teenage innocence and angst.

In “Never Heal Myself,” my favorite song on the album, Follin sings a backhanded and almost random “**** you.” Teen melodrama is consistently and undoubtedly at the heart of  Cults, and that, in my opinion, is why it appeals to such a wide audience.

Columbia Records signed this group in its first year of existence. It was even started as a side project while Oblivion and Follin were students at New York University. This speaks volumes of the duo’s musical talents. If you are looking for a short listen (only 35 minutes long), or are in the need of a quick burst of energy and happiness, Cults is the perfect album.

Starting in the 1960’s with influence from The Beatles, Velvet Underground and Led Zeppelin.  Often citing The White Album as the cornerstone of music, they had been known to cover songs off of White Light/White Heat or II when jamming with friends and many of these covers can be found on bootlegs or on video.

Moving through the 1970’s with the massive sound and ballad work of bands like Black Sabbath, Kiss, Aerosmith and Boston, maybe the complexity of David Bowie or the snarling attitude of The Knack and Cheap Trick pushed them in another direction.  They wanted to write big songs to be played live, yet give them that introspective touch and smart wit to put your tongue into cheek.

However, the largest area of influence would be the 1980’s and fledgling underground movements between punk, new wave, hardcore and college rock the band borrowed most.  From Seattle proper there was Green River later Mudhoney, Beat Happening, the Melvins, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone, Tad, Screaming Trees and other northwest groups like Wipers.  Moving toward California was Flipper and Black Flag while the Midwest brought The Replacements, Devo and Husker Du.  The south would send R.E.M., Daniel Johnston and The Butthole Surfers while the Northeast provided Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and The Pixies — later The Breeders.  You can even jump across the pond for The Raincoats, The Vaselines and Gang of Four.  Each of these bands provided angst, frustration and a need to be heard by so many people, but no one knew how to get the word out.

Funny how a little 12-song LP shattered so many preconceived notions and exposed the world to a scene that had been boiling over for almost a solid decade.  You can hear all of those bands throughout the tracks.  If anything, the phrase “alternative rock” became a blanket term to use for that middle ground between punk and metal.  For me, this album started life on a mix tape in 1996 when I was 13; I didn’t know what I was hearing then and I still don’t know what I’m hearing now.  Maybe it was a revolution, maybe it was nothing, whatever, nevermind.

I recall saying that Tristan was a mix of Jeff Buckley’s vocals and Red Hot Chili Peppers funk and on this album you can hear him coming into his own.  Opening track “A Summer in Sussex” paints a picture of youth in the city finding romance and happiness in relationships with a slight nod to Bob Dylan.  I will admit that the second track reminds me of a Homer Simpson conversation when Tristan sings “A Chat With My Brain”, a daily struggle with meaning to do the right thing when your head won’t let you win.

There are some slower tunes throughout the album. “Idiosyncrasies of the Resolute” is a churning song that has a great build up in the middle. “Toutes Directions” is piano- and guitar-driven with a catchy riff.  However, I think my favorite song could be “Fife and Drum” as it is a solid rock track toward the end of the album.

Aside from the above you can also check out “La Naissance” and “An Introduction…To Forward Thinking”.  For this album Tristan worked with producer Raymond Richards who has worked with Local Natives among others.  You can find some of the same characteristics from the Natives on here: harmonies are soaring, not a big focus on guitar, more beat oriented and bringing in all the instruments on an equal level rather than overpowering each other.  You can visit his website or hit up iTunes for these tracks, give him a chance as he sings from his heart and you can tell.

All right, now that we’re all on the same page, were you listening to the music?  Yeah I know Clint Eastwood was young once, but did you hear the background noise?  Well, the scores for those films were composed by Ennio Morricone and his body of work is amazing.  What we have here are two guys that wanted to pay tribute to one of their idols in the best way possible: go to his recording studio in Rome, gather the same players from his recordings and invite Jack White and Norah Jones to the party.

This isn’t an album of hits by any means, there are some vocals here and there, but the focus for this outing is the arrangements and atmosphere.   When you listen to music that Morricone composes it is more than just the backdrop of a scene, you can taste the tension on your tongue.  While the actors are in the midst of a staring contest the building score washes over you bringing you that much further into the film itself.

On Rome we hear Jack White as a drifter, floating from desolate town to desolate town,  and Norah Jones is a sultry maiden stealing you away from your troubles.  This is an awesome soundtrack to a movie that plays out in your headphones.

Check out “The Rose with a Broken Neck”,”Black”, “Theme of Rome”, “Two Against One” and  “The Hollow Ways”.  This is an interesting idea for an album and I’m glad I picked it up but I can’t see listening to it all the time.  Preview a few tracks to see if you’re ready to commit to a full run through.