Category: Outlaw country

Top 20 Singles of 2018: #’s 10 – 6

We’re in the top 10 now. Let’s get right to it.

#10: “Never Coming Back” by A Place to Bury Strangers – I was excited to learn that Lea Braswell was the new drummer for APTBS. I thought she’d match the powerhouse duo of Oliver Ackermann and Dion Lunadon well, and this single not only proved me right, but it also heralded a new sound for the band that was outstanding.

#9: “Asia (Adrenaline)” by Hprizm – This single, and really the whole album, reveals more and more with each listen. Plus, the beats on it are great (That referee’s whistle used for timing!). It’s a song that makes you want to explore more of Hprizm‘s catalogue (as you should).

#8: “Fighting” by Here Lies Man – I was sent this by HLM‘s label, Riding Easy Records, in a clever scheme to make me fascinated with HLM’s heavy Afrobeat jams. The scheme worked, because this single was not only all over my earbuds, I even heard it on BBC 6 Music.

#7: “Great Job” by CHAI – These post-punks from Japan are fully committed to the DIY life and have serious musical chops. You can’t help but love them, especially when they make music as good as this single from their new record due later this year.

#6: “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” by Neko Case – Stunningly beautiful, this song is a prime example of Case‘s vocal wonders and songwriting skill. Few artists nowadays can write and sing a song like her, and even fewer could write and sing something like this.

Who made the top 5? That will be revealed tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Neko Case – Hell-On

Singer-songwriter Neko Case has been through a lot in the last five years.  The biggest calamity was that her home in Vermont burned to the ground while she was recording in Sweden.  The loss and enlightenment that fire brought to her were the inspiration for much of her new record, Hell-On.  Even the album’s cover has her wearing a crown of cigarettes while a blazing tar fire burns on her shoulder.

The title track opens the record and has Case boldly stating, “God is not a contract or a guy….God is a lusty tire fire.”  Nature, much like Case, cannot be controlled.  You shouldn’t even try.  “Nothing quite so poison as a promise,” she warns.  Just sit back and listen.  You’ll come through this song (and the whole record) with respect and an altered perspective for her, nature, detachment, and femininity.

“Last Lion of Albion” is one of Case’s many songs about nature, animals, and the importance of protecting both.  The beats and acoustic guitar riffs are wonderful throughout it, but they (like most everything else) can barely keep up with Case’s expert vocals and assuredness.  “Halls of Sarah” encourages women to stand strong in the times of #MeToo (and check out that saxophone solo!).

“Bad Luck” is the song Case wrote after her house and barn turned into ashes.  It’s surprisingly upbeat and is an anthem for standing up when you’re knocked to the ground.  The song ends with Case stating, “I died and went to work.”  You take the loss, and you move on.  The past is gone so take the moment now and run with it.  “Curse of the I-5 Corridor” is a stunning showcase for Case’s voice as she sings, “I miss the smell of mystery.” and tells the story of a woman who left home with a fake I.D. and wandered in and out of relationships, one night stands, and life in general until she meets up with a former lover in old age when they both might be mad and facing death.  It’s one of her best.

“Gumball Blue” has Case singing about the trappings of fame, “Dirty Diamond” seems to be an ode to the (currently) necessary evil of petroleum, and “Oracle of the Maritimes” is a lovely story of fishermen, lost love, and the dangers of the sea.  I love how “Winnie” (a song about love among women) starts off with a quick four-count drumstick tap and then switches to a sultry bass groove that moves like a bathrobe being slowly dropped to the bedroom floor.

Case includes her cover of Eric Bachmann‘s “Sleep All Summer” (a song that, as the story goes, made her pull over her car and weep the first time she heard it) with Bachmann performing a duet with her is another stunner about lost love.  Guests artists are all over this record.  K.D. Lang, Beth Ditto, Mark Lanegan, Carl Newman, Katherine Calder, and John Collins are just a few (the last three are bandmates with Ms. Case in the New Pornographers) who provide guest vocals, production, and instrumentation to various tracks.

“Black is blue if I say it is,” Case sings on “My Uncle’s Navy” – a story about a relative she admired for his strength and resolve.  The album closes with “Pitch or Honey,” in which she admits, “I use major chords to make this a sadder song…An effective manipulation.”  She’s right.  It works.  “I wrote this song for me, and now I let it go.  From the island of the Texaco, I release it into the custody of my huckleberry friend.  Am I making pitch or honey?”  I love the idea of Case embracing detachment yet still wondering if her work is any good.  It’s the curse of any artist.  Being satisfied with our work is a rarity, but we know we have to release it to someone sooner or later.

Case detached from many things while making this record, some literal (her house and many possessions) and some metaphorical (things from her past that she hadn’t yet fully sent down the river).  Hell-On is another beautiful work from a master of her craft and one of the strongest voices in music today.

Keep your mind open.

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Neko Case’s new single, “Hell-On,” is (as you would expect) wonderful.

One of the best singer-songwriters of our time, Neko Case, has unveiled the first single and title track from her upcoming album, Hell-On.  It’s a lovely, haunting, and slightly quirky track highlighted by a cello backing Case’s distinctive voice and witty lyrics.

Hell-On is available for pre-order and is set for release on June 01, 2018.  She’s also embarking on a U.S. tour with Ray Lamontagne beginning May 27th and ending July 10th.

This will surely be one of the best records of the year.  Ms. Case always delivers.

Keep your mind open.

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Nap Eyes releases new alt-country single – “I’m Bad”

Nap Eyes Share New Single “I’m Bad”
Watch The Video Here

I’m Bad Now Out March 9th via Paradise of Bachelors, You’ve Changed, & Jagjaguwar


[still from “I’m Bad” video]
Nap Eyes have unveiled the next single from their forthcoming album, I’m Bad Now. The almost-title track “I’m Bad” deletes the temporal anchor of “now.” Delivered as a second person self-address, this country-rock inclined tune is stylistically different than anything the band has attempted, as well as mockingly self-flagellating. “You’re so dumb,” Nigel Chapman sings to himself, diagnosing his delusions.

Accompanying “I’m Bad” is a video directed by Halifax-based filmmaker Seth Smith, which The FADERpremiered today. “It’s a pretty relaxed, contemplative track. It made me think of someone posing for a portrait,” says Seth. “I was thinking of self-image and the idea of seeing yourself through another person’s eyes. It was a fun set up, and a great group of not-bad people.” Nigel adds, “We’re very happy we got to collaborate with Seth to make this video. He’s an old friend, and an artist and songwriter we’ve all looked up to for many years. Keep an eye out for his feature films The Crescent (2017) and Lowlife (2012), and please listen to the music of Dog Day, if you have the opportunity!”

Watch Nap Eyes’ “I’m Bad” Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9yL81mxljk
I’m Bad Now constitutes the third chapter of an implicit, informal trilogy that includes Whine of the Mystic (2015) and Thought Rock Fish Scale (2016). The brilliantly reductive title is something we’ve heard children announce verbatim when roleplaying the perennial game of heroes and villains, “good guys” and “bad guys.” “I’m bad now,” they declare, but an equivocal binary is implied: it’s only a matter of time or trading places before they have the capacity for good again. Perhaps goodness will manifest in the multiverse, on a different circuit than this faulty, frayed one. Is that faith or fantasy? And what is the difference? The title is also, of course, a sly Michael Jackson appropriation.

While Nigel composes Nap Eyes songs in their inchoate form at home in Halifax, Brad Loughead (lead guitar), Josh Salter (bass), and Seamus Dalton (drums), who live a twelve-hour drive away in Montreal, augment and arrange them, transubstantiating his skeletal, ruminative wafers into discourses that aim to transcend what Nigel self-laceratingly deems “bored and lazy disappointment art.” The band provides ballast and bowsprit to Nigel’s cosmical mind. The nautical metaphor is not just whimsy: Nap Eyes are all Nova Scotians by raising and temperament, acclimated to life on an Atlantic peninsula linked narrowly to the rest of North America. Brad is a physical guitarist whose lyrical grace is matched only by the dark ferocity of his feedback-laced solos, while Josh and Seamus exercise an unassuming mind-meld melodicism and vigor with their gentle thrumming.

Nap Eyes will tour North America and Europe this spring in support of I’m Bad Now, starting with a record release show in their adopted hometown of Montreal on March 8th. A full list of dates is below.

I’m Bad Now comes out March 9th via Paradise of Bachelors (U.S.), You’ve Changed (Canada) andJagjaguwar (rest of world).

Watch Nap Eyes’ “I’m Bad” Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9yL81mxljk

Listen:
“Every Time The Feeling” – https://youtu.be/liXRe7t7v2M
“Dull Me Line” – https://youtu.be/MBcZbvcYGPM

Nap Eyes Tour Dates:
Thu. March 8 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo
Tue. April 3 – Toronto, ON @ The Baby G
Wed. April 4 – Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx
Thu. April 5 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Fri. April 6 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Sat. April 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry
Mon. April 9 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Tue. April 10 – Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
Thu. April 12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Fri. April 13 – Durham, NC @ The Pinhook
Sat. April 14 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Mon. April 16 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Tue. April 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Thu. April 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere – Zone One
Fri. April 20 – Allston, MA @ Great Scott
Mon. April 30 – Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar at Vega
Tue. May 1 – Aarhus, DK @ TAPE
Wed. May 2 – Berlin, DE @ Monarch
Thu. May 3 – Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
Fri. May 4 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso (upstairs)
Sat. May 5 – Cologne, DE @ King Georg
Sun. May 6 – Gent, BE @ Dok
Mon. May 7 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Tue. May 8 – London, UK @ Oslo Hackney
Wed. May 9 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare And Hounds
Thu. May 10 – Glasgow, UK @ Hug & Pint
Fri. May 11 – Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen
Sat. May 12 – Brighton, UK @ Prince Albert
Praise for Nap Eyes:

“This Nova Scotia quartet perfected the art of the chilled-out guitar jam on its previous two albums, triangulating the sweet spot between the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Marquee Moon. If that sounds like your thing, I promise that Nap Eyes will be very your thing.” – Uproxx

“In just four short years, Nap Eyes have made much ado about meaninglessness with rock ‘n’ roll songs that shake just offbeat and smart lyrics wrapped in bemused ennui.” – NPR Music

“‘Every Time The Feeling” is possibly the catchiest, most immediate thing they’ve ever done, a deceptively thoughtful rocker that ambles along with a little extra verve.” – Stereogum

“Their relaxed, scholarly indie-rock imagines the Velvet Underground if they ditched the leathers for wool sweaters. But this languor contrasts with frontman Nigel Chapman’s hyperactive mind, yielding songs that are lucid with laser-like focus and freeze-framed detail.” – Pitchfork

“I’m Bad Now is undoubtedly the four piece’s most confident release so far. Finding a happy medium between the propulsive, twangy jangle of their 2015 debut Whine of the Mystic and the widescreen, subdued ramblings of Thought Rock Fish Scale, the songs on I’m Bad Now are driving doses of pastoral indie rock.” – Noisey

[I’m Bad Now artwork]
Keep your mind open.
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Top 30 albums of 2017: #’s 25 – 21

Who made the top 25?  Read on!

#25 – Dion Lunadon – self-titled

As the story goes, Dion Lunadon was restless during a break that his band, A Place to Bury Strangers, was taking in-between tour dates.  He focused that restless energy into this powerhouse of a record that mixes everything from noise-rock to psychobilly grooves.  Thank heavens for eager artists.

#24 – The Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Class Classics

A band that started out as a fictional joke between Sean Lennon and members of Fat White Family ended up putting out one of the wildest records of 2017.  It’s a great mix of psychedelia, electro, disco, and otherworldly chaos.

#23 – Jake Xerxes Fussell – What in the Natural World

Good heavens, this album is beautiful.  It’s somewhere between blues and outlaw country and is most Jake Fussell and his acoustic guitar singing heartbreaking songs about being broke, lost loves, and the bravery of river men in old times.  It will leave you wondering why you hadn’t heard of him before now.

#22 – Ron Gallo – Heavy Meta

Ron Gallo is working damn hard to remind you that rock and roll isn’t dead (We are, however, according to him.), so it would do you good to pay attention to his Stooges-inspired riffs, vocals, and attitude.  He’s already planning a release early next year, so get on this now and hear the buzz.

#21 – The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody

The Flaming Lips continue their journey through other dimensions and exploration of death, life, and love with this weird mix of psychedelia and shimmering power pop.  The addition of guest vocals by Miley Cyrus is a nice touch as well.

Next up, the top 20!  Come back soon!

Keep your mind open.

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Erika Wennerstrom announces winter U.S. tour dates..

Heartless Bastards leader Erika Wennerstrom has announced a series of winter tour dates through the United States to promote her upcoming solo album.

Nov 25 – ACL Live – part of Bob Schneider’s Holiday Show – Austin TX – TICKETS
Dec 8 – Andy’s Bar – Denton TX – TICKETS (Full Band show)
Dec 10 – The Listing Loon – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS
Dec 13 – High Noon – Madison WI – TICKETS
Dec 14 – The Hideout – Chicago IL – TICKETS
Dec 15 – Soulful Space – Lexington KY – TICKETS 
Dec 16 – Songwriting Clinic at Historic Herzog Studios – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS
Dec 17 – The Listing Loon – Cincinnati OH – TICKETS

Wennerstrom has one of the best voices you’ll ever hear – raw, sultry, angry, and caressing all at the same time.  Don’t miss out on these rare acoustic show dates in small venues.

Keep your mind open.

Rewind Review: Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)

The second page of liner notes for Neko Case’s brilliant album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood have her name above the words “DANGEROUS TO MAN: WILD ANIMALS – A Definitive Study of Their Reputed Dangers to Man.” Ms. Case’s lyrics are often brutal in their honesty and her voice can both soothe and cut to the bone. She’s like a panther – lounging in the sun one moment, and then tearing out the throat of an antelope the other.

The album begins with “Margaret Vs. Pauline,” a tale of two girls. One, Pauline, has it made. “Everything is easy for Pauline,” Case sings. Margaret, however, has to scrap for all she can. Case has written an anthem for girls everywhere to never forget their strength. “Star Witness,” with its simple yet slick drumbeats by John Convertino, is a stunning display of Case’s vocal prowess.

“Hold On Hold On,” with the Sadies on backing vocals, is another plea from Case to stay strong in tough times, especially in matters of love. “I leave the party at three a.m., alone, thank God,” she sings at one point. It’s a haunting lyric, especially when the echoing song “A Widow’s Toast” follows it. It’s nothing but Case’s vocals and guitar, Paul Rigby’s guitar effects, and reverbed beauty.

The liner note art for “That Teenage Feeling” is a jackknifing semi-trailer with a transmission shaft shattering from the force. That, and the shuffling guitar (by Dexter Romweber, no less) backing Case’s voice, is a perfect expression of teenage emotions. The title track is about the beauty of things all around us that we don’t notice until they are gone. “John Saw That Number” is a great floor stomper spiritual with sizzling guitar by Dallas Good.

“Dirty Knife” is an ode to a murdered man and the type of song that Case does so well – a tale of death, love, violence, and rural landscapes. “Lion’s Jaws” belongs in David Lynch’s next Twin Peaks reboot. Dallas and Travis Good team up for lovely guitar work, and Kelly Hogan is listed as contributing “lovely backing vocal” to the track (which is true). “Maybe Sparrow” is one of Case’s greatest hits, and it’s easy to hear why as her voice peaks multiple times during the second verse. “At Last” is nothing but Case’s voice and three guitars, and “The Needle Has Landed” is beautiful power pop tinged with outlaw country.

Case is dangerous because her vocals and lyrics are like a hardwood staff. You can lean on them to get you through a rough patch or they can hit you in the ribs like a ball bat and bring you to your knees. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is no exception.

Keep your mind open.

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Jake Xerxes Fussell – What in the Natural World

One of the nice things about this blog is that it sometimes takes me to music I probably wouldn’t have discovered without it.  One such artist is Jake Xerxes Fussell, whose label sent me a press release about his new album – What in the Natural World.  The album cover shows a lone man in rowing a canoe on a glass-smooth river while large circular objects loom around and behind him.  They could be hills or cogs in a giant machine, but the result is the same.  One man rows away from things bearing down on him, preferring to find his own path and his own was to solace.

“Jump for Joy” starts the album and immediately showcases Fussell’s guitar-picking skills.  His voice is both relaxed and sharp at the same time as he sings about making it to the pearly gates (“Step right in, give [St.] Pete some skin, and jump for joy.”) and leaving behind a life of toil.

Fussell asks, “Have You Ever Seen Peaches Growing on a Sweet Potato Vine?”  I haven’t, but Fussell seems to have knowledge of such a rarity.  His guitar is amped up a bit, and the drums by Nathan Bowles will get your toes tapping whle Fussell sings about an illicit affair with a married woman.

Fussell gets back to his theme of escape from burdens and desire on “Pinnacle Mountain Silver Mine.”  It’s the story of a miner, one of many, who seeks a treasure rumored to be in a mountain but has never been found.  Fussell climbs rocky hills and crosses raging rivers to work the mine, “but its secret I will never know.”  It’s a lovely ode to those who work hard all their lives for little, if any, reward in this world.

“Furniture Man” is one of the saddest and yet prettiest songs on the record.  Fussell’s guitar work is a crisp as an origami fold on it as he sings about a man being broke and having everything he owns repossessed on a Sunday morning, including items that evoke memories of his dead wife.  All he can do is ask the furniture man to take his time so he can hold onto the memories just a bit longer.

“Bells of Rhymney” is a bit funky, actually, with a nice bass walk by Casey Toll and a bit of country swing in Fussell’s guitar.  His vocals get agile on “Billy Button,” as he sings about a man happy to be “bound for the happy land of Canaan.”

“Canyoneers” is a tribute to men who live, work, eat, sleep, and die in canyons and the many would only fly over in a tourist trap helicopter ride that costs nothing after you sit through a timeshare sales pitch.  “What’s in a man to make him thirst for the kind life he knows is cursed?  He’ll die a lonely a river rat foolhardy canyoneer.”

“St. Brendan’s Isle” brings in some Gaelic flavor as Fussell sings about brave sailors facing rough seas and literal demons trying to drag them to Davey Jones’ locker.  Holy saints and angels preserve them until they not only meet St. Brendan, but even travel the world on the back of a giant fish in celebration.  Could this celebration be one of realization?  Are the sailors long dead and actually experiencing the joy of the afterlife?  Judging by the prominent themes on What in the Natural World, the answer is probably “Yes.”

“Lowe Bonnie” closes the album.  It’s another excellent display of Fussell’s guitar prowess, and his vocals remind me of Warren Zevon’s as he sings about a man slain by his angry lover who instantly regrets the decision to stab him.

Another man leaves behind a world of toil for something he at least hopes is better.  The album’s title has no question mark.  It’s a statement.  There is nothing in the natural world that can compare with what comes beyond it.  There is no toil.  There is no suffering.  There is joy unlike anything here.

Mr. Fussell wants us (and perhaps himself) to remember this, and he’s crafted one of the best records of the year to help us do it.

Keep your mind open.

Wayne Hancock – Songs from Slingin’ Rhythm

Wayne “The Train” Hancock is a living legend and one of the best country crooners and guitarists working today. His seven-song album Songs from Slingin’ Rhythm is another fine entry in his catalogue and just what you need in these contentious times.

“Slingin’ Rhythm” is a song about life on the road and his love for even the rough parts of it (“I sing 15 hours a week just to pay my bills and rent. By the time I head back home, most of it is spent.”). Theguitar work is crisp and slick throughout the whole track, making you want to catch him live as soon as possible.

“Wear Out Your Welcome” has Hancock telling an ex-girlfriend to get lost. “You’re gonna wear out your welcome, treating me like you do. Why don’t you leave me alone? ‘Cause you and I are through.” The sentiment continues on the fun and swinging “Divorce Me C.O.D.” It has a great toe-tapping beat and a guitar solo that will make you grin. “Ride” has a bit of a rockabilly edge that is great for fast drives down country roads.

“Viper of Melody” is almost a blues track with its slow rhythm and lap steel wails, but you can hear Hancock grinning through a good portion of the vocals. “Man of the Road” is another salute to Hancock’s live on the road and how he won’t give it up until he’s dead. The steel guitar on this is fantastic. “Now matter where I’ve been, no matter where I roam, I’m a shootin’ star from Texas, but the highway is my home,” Hancock sings on “Shootin’ Star from Texas” as his backing band puts down sizzling guitar work and a Johnny Cash beat.

Few people are playing this type of country music anymore, so it’s always great to find it and especially so when it’s this good.

Keep your mind open.

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Scattered Hamlet – Swamp Rebel Machine

srm_layout

Looking for hard rock best suited for running moonshine or chugging it? Look no further than Scattered Hamlet (Richard Erwin – bass and vocals, Adam Joad – vocals, harmonica, and guitar, Jake Deling Le Bas – drums, percussion, and vocals, Adam Newell – lead and slide guitars, vocals) and their new album Swamp Rebel Machine. The interior art features a rendition of the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, but the logo has been changed to “Don’t fuck with me.” It’s a theme evident in the opening track, “Battle Hymn,” and the instrumentation is indeed not something with which to fuck.

“Whip-Poor-Will” hits as hard as any Zeke track (especially Erwin’s bass groove). “Stonewall Jackson” starts with a conversation between two pals – one of who would rather watch The Dukes of Hazzard than get laid. I can’t help but wonder if this is based on a real conversation one of the band members with someone. Newell shreds on it, by the way.

“Four Barrel Mojo” is dirty honkytonk rock. “White Trash” grooves so well that the Donnas might smash a couple guitars in “Why didn’t we come up with that lick?” rage. The title track is the first single off the record. It’s a good choice since it sums up the band’s ethos (hard-workin’, hard-rockin’, hard-drinkin’, school of hard knocks graduates). “Green Bastard” has some of Le Bas’ hardest and funkiest drumming on the record. Joad salutes his grandmother on “Outlaw Breed” (“Grandma taught me nothing’s guaranteed except the hillbilly pride and the outlaw breed.”).

“Rimfire” reminds me of good hair metal, which is an elusive beast these days. “Buckshot” could be a lost Nashville Pussy track, and I love the way Joad’s vocals border on screams for a lot of it. The closer is “The Lesson,” which ends the album on a metal note that would make Clutch proud. Newell goes for broke on it, and I love the drum and bass breakdown near the end.

Swamp Rebel Machine is a good, dirty, gritty, heavy rock record. We need this kind of “Don’t fuck with me” rock right now. People are pissed and making their voices heard, and they could very well be playing this record in their earbuds as they march or mosh.

Keep your mind open.

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