Link: http://www.areweapons.com/

New York’s A.R.E. Weapons are back from a hiatus since 2007’s Modern Mayhem, and they are out for revenge or maybe just a little personal justice.

Spitting out words like they were Nick Cave, it’s a little too fanboyish to hear a song like “Jeffrey Lee” and think more about “Stagger Lee” and immediately realize that The Bad Seeds do it much better. “Don’t You Fucking Die On Me” continues that renegade behavior in storytelling form and although not bad, I cannot help but imagine Cave pulling the mic away, telling them how to do it right. Although this song encapsulates the New York grove better than the opener.

You hear the New York influences in Darker Blue from Television to Feotus to ZZZ, who do the psycho-sexual noir rock better. “Subway” is the closest homage to a Dead Milkmen song that I have heard, telling the tales of a cockroach riding the subway in Milkmen-ish humor writing fashion.

What A.R.E. Weapons are good at is instilling a paranoia within their synth-like rock structure, much like Trans Am does, but Darker Blue never goes that far. They take the same steps that Lydia Lunch takes, but this is not an ‘80s deconstructed New York environment, nor is it Warhol’s Trash. With that Darker Blue by default is diluted into the echoes of the past and the want to be on the fringe while never reaching either’s goals.

But in the context of A.R.E. Weapons, its one of the better albums they have put out.

Link: http://www.freelancewhales.com/

Since January 2009, Freelance Whales has been pouring coal into the steam train with no end in sight. You may have heard about their brief residency at New York’s Farm Colony. Or maybe you saw them standing around in a Subway station, stomping out some tunes. Or maybe you saw them on one tour with the Shout Out Louds…or another tour with Bear In Heaven and Cymbals Eat Guitars…or another…

“The tours seem to keep getting bigger and bigger,” said Kevin Read, one-fifth of the orchestrated indie-folk art pop conglomeration.

This time around, the band is packing the van to the ceiling and latching on to indie big hitters Tokyo Police Club. They are landing in Indianapolis at the Vogue, July 29th.

“There is a lot of equipment,” said Read. “When we first started, we packed the front of our 15-passenger van. All of our gear, our clothes, and us. Now we pack the back of the van. It is so packed you cannot see out the back. It is pretty intense driving because you cannot tell who is behind you. We are in talks to get a trailer.”

From city to city, it’s easier to search out more instruments for the band to add to their collection. But now instead of more instruments, they are buying better instruments, better amps, and better pedals.

“If we kept buying more instruments and more gear we would not be able to go on the road. The vehicle would be so stuffed, we would not be able to fit inside.”

All of this gear and the tours they schedule surround their debut release Weathervanes (Frenchkiss/Mom + Pop Records), released earlier this year. The orchestra of various folk and antique instruments, combined with the comforts of modern instrumentation and a group who can belt out some gorgeous melodies and harmonies combined, these are the factors that make people stop and take notice.

At first it was all about this album and celebrating the reality that it all came together. But now, they are looking to the future and while traveling from city to city like medicine men selling their wares, they are spending more time writing and working out new material in their heads, at least whenever they can.

“When you are in a van for six hours, you get out and you want to stretch your legs or get a beer. It’s hard to write on the road when the opportunity comes around. You have all of these distractions.
“We have a lot of people in the band who write. Not everyone can have a banjo or harmonium at the same time. You have to play it out in your head what a banjo will sound like, then you play it during sound check.”

With the help of their portable digital recorder, they can hash out ideas.

“We don’t have any kind of developed dynamics or structure, we just jam out ideas. It’s the ones that stick. We take these ideas and finish them when we get home and make them better.”

The band is currently getting excited to head up to the Windy City in a few weeks and perform at Lollapalooza, which is a first for them. But what they really want is a headline tour, which could be in the works. But for now it’s the art of playing live as much as they can, prepping for a UK stint of the tour, and road testing new material that consumes them.

And when they decorate the stage of The Vogue with their comfort sounds of countryside banter and tales of sincerity, you can expect to stomp your feet and sing right along with them.

Link: http://www.afrobeta.com/Home.html

It is one thing if Afrobeta asked the question, “Do you like to party,” because honestly, who does not like to party. But the initial perception is “Do you party?” If you do not, Afrobeta’s goal is to change that habit fast. And coming out of Miami, getting the party started is like saying you are going outside to get some sun.

Their club-scene antics, poppin’ beats, and electro pop is easy for you to dig in. It’s not the title track that makes you use a disco ball like an semi-automatic, although the Miami bass does make the booty shake like a circus act. But we get three versions of the song to instill it in our minds. The strong points of the EP is “Two Different Worlds” where Cuci Amador lets her vocal talent shine instead of spitting out words thinking she is Ke$ha as in the title track.

“As Long As You Like” is even better, bringing out the best in both Amador and Tony Smurphio’s ecstatic power rock and electro funk choruses, a pivotal moment that I hope is further explored on their full length, due to be released later this fall.

I mentioned John Connolly’s very fun novel The Gates in my last posting, and since then, I’ve read several more books. Of special note I’d like to single out China Mieville’s twisting detective story The City & The City about a murder in a fictional city that’s part of a divided pair with a secretive and torturous history. Mieville’s prose  continues to mature, but it’s still the crisp, energetic writing of someone who loves what he’s doing (that is, building imaginary worlds) and is very good at it. The distinctive geography and legal issues raised by Mieville’s setting make for some good, thought-provoking twists and turns.

I also was very struck by a novel called Almost Dead by a writer named Assaf Gavron, who I’d not heard of before (sometimes it’s good to pick books up on a whim). The front cover of the book bills it as a comedy in the vein of ‘Catch-22′, and that seems apt, if a little overly confident on how much of the book’s focus is on the jokes. Not to say it isn’t a funny book, at times, in a blackly deadpan sort of way, but it felt like a serious story when I was reading it, and the book’s final chapters are quite tense and dramatic. The story is set in Israel, and follows two narrators, each first-person, in alternating chapters.  One speaks primarily in the past tense and is nicknamed ‘Croc’, a young Jewish yuppie from Tel Aviv who survives several terrorist bombings, and becomes a hapless symbol of resistance in the Israeli media. The other is Fahmi, a young Palestinian who drifts back and forth between the hospital bed where he is confined, and the past, and who increasingly, in the past that he is recounting, finds himself drawn into a collision course with Croc. Several tragedies occur that I won’t spoil, in case any of you pick up the book, but I will note that for someone like myself, who is not an expert when it comes to Israel and the West Bank, the setting and characters of this store were vividly described, and compelling. It felt like a minor miracle, but the characters were sympathetic across the board, and in contrasting Croc’s point of view with Fahmi’s, and making both individuals well-r0unded and compelling, Gavron has crafted a novel that demands to be digested thoughtfully, and lingers long after you’ve finished reading it, regardless of what one’s views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are.

It’s also quite notable this month that Amazon.com, the online bookseller, announced a first-ever milestone. For the first time ever, e-book sales for the Amazon Kindle surpassed hardcover sales to customers. Longtime readers will be aware that I’ve been…..suspicious of e-books in the past, to put it kindly, but I can see the writing on the wall: Clearly, this isn’t a fad. Electronic texts have reached the point where they’re as viable as paperbacks–and possibly would be as common if they were a little bit cheaper.  As an interested reader, this leaves me with several questions–first of all, if I am going to get a Kindle or other E-book reader, what should I buy, and why?  And secondly, what does this mean for people who make their living from books?

Bookstores have become an increasingly endangered relic over the past few years, and I imagine that, as hardcovers become more of a boutique item, that will only continue. At the same time, I’m curious as to how widespread use of kindles and other e-books is affecting how we read and how we share books. For instance, I know that if I’m sitting in a cafe scribbling in my notebook, and I look over at the next table where someone is reading a hardcover, I can make a note of the author and title, make a snap judgment about who that person is and why they’re reading that book, even perhaps strike up a conversation.

If, on the other hand, the person is reading a kindle, I’m out of the loop unless I broach the silence with a quick ‘What’re you reading on that thing? There are numerous other differences between a book that’s a physical object, of course, and a book file that’s stored on an electronic device–lending to friends, for instance. As the E-Book reaches maturity, however, I guess I’m going to have to start getting accustomed to those differences sooner, rather than later.

Link: http://www.zooseven.com/ (Download The Album For Free On The Website)

Irish rock has been tainted by the success of U2. Del Currie follows in the footsteps of a realized sound and the standards that we have come to expect from an Irish rock band: big sound, open spaces, conclusive behavior, living in the moment. Maybe Currie is not messed up enough to transcend into Therapy? territory. And maybe Currie isn’t drunk enough to follow The Pogues claim to fame.

It’s his contemplative nature and clear-coat oxygenized vocals with just enough gruff to be convincing. He knows how to make his rock opuses click. When the keys sink in on “Love Like Aerosol,” he takes you beyond a high you thought you could not reach on a song like this. “I’ll give you everything, everything I can give,” he sings. We believe it.

“Painted” has a lush string arrangement, driven by bass-driven electronic fuzz. As beautiful as he presents it, the music twists with enough down notes to turn mystery into frightful paranoia. It continues his theme of inner turmoil and conviction.

At times we get glimpses of late-era Psychedelic Furs, when other times we want to reach up and grasp for our copy of Black Celebration.

Blending hard rock with accents of lush orchestration, Zoo Seven is a band that will impress you with their capabilities, but Lifesaver paints by the numbers. It’s nice to know that Currie is doing everything he can to keep rock and roll from dying, but he needs to throw the textbook away.

Washed Out

Best Coast

CAVE

Local Natives

Neon Indian

Surfer Blood

Sleigh Bells

Link: http://www.daveholland.com/

Dave Holland does something to jazz that takes talent and finesse to pull off; he garners your attention and fully keeps it throughout his debut Pathways.

This may be Holland’s first recording, but the bassist is not shy of knowing how to work a big band, as well as collaborate with some of jazz greats, including Miles Davis during the Bitches Brew era.

With a full band, he takes these collection of energetic and sincere songs to the stage and gives them a life of there own. The title track proves that with this progressively moving piece that wastes no time getting into the solo work. Tonal excellence prevails and the limelight of these musicians are housed under great care of the band swirling rhythms and transitions all over the place.

“How’s Never?” is a funky jam that allows Holland to show off his chops, bouncing back between drummer and bassist with the horns coming in and out and leveling it all out.

The Octet does a great job balancing sequentiality with chaos. And maybe not so much in the music itself but in the spirit are we reminded of Count Basie and his Birdland days through Holland’s songs “Ebb And Flow” and “Wind Dance,” as well as hearing nods to everyone from Gillespie to Les Baxter. when you get to “Shadow Dance,” you will be applauding right along with the crowd for the appreciation that this band just blew your mind.

And with that I never once thought, “Oh one more change up” or “one more solo.” All I have to say is bring it on Holland because you are the man to make me get excited about jazz and its continued progression.

Link: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/BrentDeBoer

“Let’s get drunk and stay up all night” – from the song “I’m Allright.” This should say it all coming from the drummer of the Dandy Warhols and his debut solo project. Brent DeBoer’s The Farmer is a short-lived affair, clocking in at punk-hardcore album speeds. But this is the farthest away from any punk-hardcore release. The Farmer is a dreamy-eyed coma dream of transcendental pop.

The drummer of the Dandy Warhols solo project, it makes total sense. With hazy four-track style recordings, this album comes from another dimension, thanks to Warhols producer Brian Coates.

Even though these songs were conceived eight years ago, their timelessness squanders the idea that The Farmer is just another experiment by some member of some band.

Considered an EP, even with the eight songs included, songs like “Is That All” is rustic strings competing with DeBoer’s modest vocal breathings. He announces, “This is a rock song,” at the beginning of “My Heart’s A Joke,” which is a better fit next to “No Expectations” than “Jumping Jack Flash.”

Come to think about it, there is nothing rock about this album, maybe rock and roll toned down and spun through psychedelic filters. But you cannot help but be entranced by DeBoer’s soft cuddling and mystic aura. This, coming from a Dandy Warholler after all.