Chapter Thirty: "Preview: Ancient Warfare. She Might Bite."

Ancient Warfare; photo by Natalie Baxter

 I've just recently been made aware of Ancient Warfare, a four-piece coming from 90 minutes down the road out of Lexington. The origins of the band dig further South, however, being started as a duo in Savannah, Georgia, by Kentucky natives Echo Wilcox and Azniv Korkejian in 2009. Wilcox has since taken the idea of the project, jettisoned back to the Kentucky homeland, and began playing with members and sounds, until the band developed into its current incarnation. Emily Hagihara, who I've known as a vocalist for her own solo projects and as bassist for Chico Fellini, takes the drums here. Also present is Eric Smith, former guitarist for The Apparitions, and violinist Rachael Yanarella.

Echo Wilcox; photo by Natalie Baxter

 Ancient Warfare's bandcamp page contains two demo recordings of songs that will be present on the band's upcoming debut, which is being recorded by Duane Lundy at Shangri-La Productions for Alias Records. The point these tracks radiate around seems to have a gelatinous base in a fuzzed-out psychedelia, heavy in the melody and led by Wilcox's rich vocals. She sings in a lowered pitch, matching the subdued tone of the guitars. The songs tangle and sway in darker, introspective sounds. The chorus for "Winter Times" is especially pleasant, finding a polarized upbeat cargo from the verses that allows a great contrast for the tune overall. Information on Ancient Warfare mentions beads being drawn from singer-songwriter Mark Lanegan, an influence I can definitely hear.

Ancient Warfare will be making their Louisville debut with She Might Bite, the all-female trio that has recently returned to live gigs here after a a hiatus of a month or two. She Might Bite has become known for their blend of percussive music that hovers somewhere in the cross-examination of punk-surf-garage rock poetry. The songs are catchy but not predictable, and the harmonies among all three members create some crazy original music. With the retirement of Courtney Kimes from the band, bassist-vocalist Miranda Cason (formerly of Venus Trap) makes for a perfect addition to this new version. The vocal melodies that travel between Cason's bass, Kathryn Slaughter's drums, and Tara Kimes' twang-guitar make for a highly entertaining show. The band is gearing up for the release of its new full-length, "Feral." For a sample of some their songs, check out their bandcamp.

She Might Bite

Tara Kimes

 Ancient Warfare and She Might Bite will play at Zanzabar on Thursday, April 5.

      

Chapter Twenty Nine: "The Bottom Sop."

Bringing disclosures to a full light, Derrick Wade Manley, as I've stated before on this blog, is my brother. Offering a fair review of this album might be seen as impossible by some, but in this day of torn and frayed concepts of "journalism," especially in the world of music blogs and reviews, I call bullshit. Hell, I used to perform with this band last year, which for me might make my criticisms range to even more miniscule harshnesses based on my backstage views of this band and this music. I haven't played with The Bottom Sop in about a year, and to see what they've developed into and to hear what they set down in these recordings, this review isn't based on any family relations, but appreciation for the sound and songwriting contained therein. I don't feel any weight of biased opinion on my part, but that's a hard road to defend. But, its my blog, and I'll cry if I want to.

Derrick can go through periods where he will suddenly obsess over various genres. He's been writing songs since he was about three years old, and once he's hooked on a sound, will plunge into the compositional qualities, lyrical poetry and overall genes of that genre, studying it like many of us do that love and play music. I've seen him move from phases of folk and country, rock, pop, hip-hop and rap, and come back and and forth, to and fro, mixing sounds and influences into various incarnations over, well, his whole life. Within all of those projects, his songwriting stands out as a jewel to me; it's never an imitation, but rather an honest immersion into that style, writing lyrics that are straight observations of his life and what is around him, and painting that into piece that matches a voice that can actually hit the right notes.

The Bottom Sop played its first gig on Derby Day 2011. I'm pretty sure I was there that night at some point to hear what Derrick described as "his new country band." I knew he had been working up some cover songs with vocalist Lindsey Anderson, and eventually formed a band around the performance of some classic country duets. Knowing Derrick was heading into a country sound made sense to me; despite living for years apart in separate cities, we both had grown to share a love for the songs of Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, etc, etc. While spending years performing with his rock band The FuckMunkys, as well as solo projects, The Bottom Sop became an outlet dedicated to playing strictly country music. And sure enough, he, Lindsey and the rest of the band showed up that Derby evening booted and spurred and did just that, basing their set around what would become a live staple for them: Johnny Cash and June Carter's tribute to feverish marriage, "Jackson." Derrick has always had a great voice, and can step into the throaty pitches his idols project easily. I had not heard Lindsey until that night and was impressed at the richness she belted out. I'm not over-exaggerating if when I say I immediately thought of Patsy Cline.

If I'm correct, The Bottom Sop only performed about four or five songs that night, breaking that horse in for what would eventually result in the release of their self-titled debut EP. As the year rolled along, The Bottom Sop played bar-and-grills, taverns and whoever would have them all over town, pouncing through some lineup changes here and there until they reached what would become a solidified mix of musicians. While the cover songs dug deep into the dirt of older country, mining from Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Loretta Lynn, Haggard, Conway Twitty and Tennesee Ernie Ford, original songs began to slowly creep into the sets. Some of them sounded like Cash or Twitty could have inked them without a blink; others went in a variety of directions. And every time I have seen them, when I ask and find out which are originals, I always find the new material to be impressively creative and original, taking different cues and directions from varying influences. Yet, they also manage to blend so well into the cover material, there is a classic sound to the band's songs that makes them completely relatable.

"The Bottom Sop" EP contains five of these new songs, and from what I understand the band is already set to record a follow-up. As far as country music, these pieces are slices of the real deal. If I'm right, "Bright Kentucky Moon" rides as one of the first original numbers Derrick wrote for the band, and it stands out. A quick catchy tempo immediately sucks you into a proclamation of the inspiration of the moon over Louisville, mixing a fast-footed reference to the bluegrass that started in Ole Kentucke with a blend of the rock/country motives that drove trucker country in the 70s.

"Country Love at First Sight" immediately falls into the classic duets that the band based his early existence on as Derrick and Lindsey both trade hillbilly barbs at each other. It reminds me of the spoken section of David Allan Cole's "You Never Even Called Me By My Name": Cole discusses Steve Goodman's attempt to write the "perfect country and western song." According to the story, Cole reprimanded Goodman for not including the subjects of Momma, trains, trucks, prison, or gettin' drunk. Much like Goodman stepped up to add that last perfect verse, this song seems to incorporate everything the band learned from a year of playing bantering duets between flirtatious and/or fightin' couples. (And yeah, there is a line about trucks in here.)

The EP continues down that same train line of inspiration, as Derrick and Lindsey's voices thread around each other impressively. "Here I Am" is a clever and nice slow dance that houses a bent solo by guitarist Ken Allday that almost veers into a quick wave at 80s pop-rock. "Lil' Suki" finds itself honed on Nick Beach's swinging drums and jumps with metaphors and a chorus that I can't stop singing after I hear it. The recording ends with "Bank Robbin' Daddy," cemented by Jackie Railtraine's plundering bass leading to a bridge of flirtatious near-yodels by both Derrick and Lindsey.

While the music here definitely references country music from decades ago, the band approaches the tunes as though they were as modern as anything you might find on the radio, albeit with a much more classic and honest touch. In every genre, there are bands that exist as simple nostalgic trousers. The Bottom Sop isn't a retro act, but instead are making modern country, just in the vein that modern country probably should have become. This recording could stand easily next to the indie country that has survived throughout the decades, and, in fact, goes in directions I haven't really even heard from that scene. From my own personal knowledge, I know that the drinking, Mommas, trucks, trains, heartbreaks and flirtations that are put into these songs come from real places, and in my opinion, it shows.    

The Bottom Sop are playing their CD release show at the Highlands Taproom on Saturday, March 24. Local music/TV coverage will be there in the form of Barn Party USA. The EP is also available on their bandcamp page. The band also performs a set at Derrick's open mic night at the Taproom every Wednesday, as well as at Country Music Thursdays every week at Baxter's Bar and Grille.

Chapter Twenty Eight: "Seluah - Red Parole"

To me, Seluah was one of those mysterious hidden secrets in Louisville. I'll admit I was unfamiliar with them when I stumbled onto a show last year. Then the history hit me. The band turned heads in 2002 with its self-titled debut EP, hailed as a psychedelic dub masterpiece. I felt nearly scolded when my eyebrows arched in ignorance, but my naive little brain was soon educated about the place this band holds for a lot of people in this town. Their show backed that reputation up, as well.

Ten years later, Seluah returns with "Red Parole." The band has re-teamed with Kevin Ratterman and recorded the album last year at The Funeral Home. The band debuted a lot of this music during stints with TV On the Radio last year.  The recordings finally see release in April '12.

While "Red Parole" retains the brooding nature that inhabits (and marks) the band's genetic code, it's definitely a full-length that moves into a heavier direction, bringing a plumper guitar sound that reminds me of mid- to late-70s rock influence. I've heard the use of the word "noirish" to describe Seluah's direction. I think that can be applied to both albums, as the band harbors a ring of mood-driven ambience that, like the cover of the record, is painted in dark red. That rock influence isn't a light one, either. "Black Sand" is epic in its parts, beginning mid-tempo, holding back with a sparseness at first that hints of its own era with its slightly distorted vocals and plume of a drum beat. The main riff during the first half is a night time wave that slowly walks the band to the second half of its eight minutes, wherein it begins to go in unpredictable places. I hear motions of Iommi and Sabbath rear its head in there. Maybe Thunder and Roses, Blue Cheer or Third Power, too. It's my favorite off the album, sludging without constraint til the end.

"Black Sand" represents some of my favorite elements from "Red Parole," as the record moves back and forth within its several moods. Electronics and the sounds of strings set a soundtrack for an intense unmade film that was mostly shot in the dark. These moody moments, such as in "Elysian Fields," are probing in their trance-like scenery. "Killing the Angel" hovers with a guitar so drenched in a magical reverb that it drips raindrops. The points "Red Parole" hits me over the head are when the tempos pick up and drive forward. "Hell and Back" sounds like background music for an episode "Carnivale" directed by Nick Zedd. "The Winch" never weakens, an instrumental that's led solidly by the braiding and twisting bass and drums, permeated by the weaved guitar that at times seems to inch its way unshod through the song and jealously fly outward from the percussion, without ever losing the creative notion that this is filmic.  

"Red Parole" will be released by Karate Body Records on April 10 on CD and digital and on May 8 on 180-gram vinyl, the first 250 copies of which will be pressed in red wax. Karate Body is taking pre-orders for the album now. The band will play the Live Lunch on WFPK at noon on April 13, and will play with Archnemesis at Cosmic Charlie's in Lexington on April 17.

Chapter Twenty Seven: "Adventure - Brou-Ha-Ha."

 The Friday night of February 24 bit a bit and the wind that night kicked the gut with an icy feeling. Not surprising I suppose, for winter in Kentucky, except this winter has been mild, and this day was immediately preceded by a Thursday that was nothing but sunshine and 70 degrees. Suddenly, it was harsh and windy, 28 degrees and petrifying in the reminder that seasons are still somewhat existent here in the "land of Daniel Boone". But winter is supposed to be cold, and similar to breaking open a geode with a hammer, it was all crystally and warm inside Zanzabar when Adventure wandered onstage to play the release show for their third full-length, "Brou-Ha-Ha."

Adventure was one of those bands upon my moving to Louisville that was immediately recommended to me by friends as a group of folks I definitely needed to see, and I'm glad they were. I eventually got to know and perform with Phillip and Josef Medley in the Health and Happiness Family Gospel Band. It was in that particular venture that I witnessed what many in the band came to call their propensity to delve out "hot licks" whenever necessary, both of which seemed to come from a bottomless pit of inspiration. "Brou-Ha-Ha" swims in the dual guitars of these cousins; each song watches what aren't riffs but separate melodies inhale and exhale in just the right moderation, allowing both guitarists to build the songs perfectly. At times I wonder how much improvising is occurring, and how much perfect planning and writing and sticking to the notes the Medleys do. The playing is loose and always fun on the strings, yet the melodies and rhythms mesh into such a screened-in backporch containment that it all seems too untarnished and faultless to have just been thrown out off-the-cuff during recording. But then, after seeing them belt out flawless notes during live performances and practices with both Adventure and HandH, its got a be a mix. The fact is, both Phil and Joe melt their styles into each other, and are able to play off one another seamlessly, one taking the lead then immediately throwing it to the other, without hesitation or a skipped or ignored moment or note. The Medleys seem to share that rare nexus of a shared musical common ground, and play well together.

"Brou-Ha-Ha" starts off rambunctiously with a barn-burner called "Punx" that finds drummer Josh Clark-Medley whisking through an uptempo piece that can't help to brandish headnods and footstomps along with it. I've been a fan of this band for a long time now, but this CD is filled with some of the best pieces of Adventure I've ever encountered. And hell, "Punx," in its strange inked proclamation of "where the punx come from," running through waves of demographics and energetic riffs of upbeat power-pop, is just one example of some of the best this band can do, in my opinion. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Josef Medley's vocals aren't attempting it at all, but in my car on Eastern Parkway following the show, I felt like I was listening to a Kentuckified version of David Johansen reminding us that music is fun, and well, where the punks come from.

The rest of the album is a jamboree showcasing the songwriting skills contained within the group, headed by the mysterious J. Forst and J. Welsh, who wrote everything contained herein except for  "Somewhere Backstage," which was aided by Louisville singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Kirk Kiefer. Kiefer also plays bass on the record, and piano on the track "Bury Your Mischief," and as usual, adds nothing but quality, as he's prone to whenever someone hands him an instrument. Adventure has always seemed to toe several lines of genres, never sticking in one direction but touching several. I always hear country music inflaming their rock, or maybe rock inflaming their country. The guitar lines have a natural twang to them that matches the western shirts the band is always decked in when playing live, but that twang is never balled up at a crossing of country or rock. Adventure's music splits in several directions, swimming into streams of power pop, referencing some garage and punk, and splitting hairs somewhere in 50s rockabilly, and I swear I do believe I hear remnants of doo-wop and old soul music seeping into some of those melodies.

"Stranger Things Have Happened on the Farm" takes a rib from that boogie/rockabilly slab, but is immediately followed by the ascending pop of "When U Left (Why Didn't U Leave?)" that remains on the tongue and stays in the head long after the song is over, lead by a great rock n roll riff.  Both are sung by the falsetto of Phil Medley, which brings to front another bonus with the band: the back and forth that exists between two vocalists that each bring their own personalities to the songs.  Josef Medley takes the lead voice on one of my favorite tracks, "I Think We Should," which arms the heart-hopeful and left-footed for some clumsy mid-tempo dancing. "Can of Worms" goes back to that pop-rock that makes live performances of such material warming, which brought the crowd to shake a leg at the release show. Phil's lament sullies through "Let Go the 1 U Love" so perfectly, yet despite the sadness of the lyrics the guitar-lines of both guitarists allow the sway to turn it to joy. "Dirty Mouth" slams straight into a distorted study of garage and roll. And one of my favorite tracks, "Right Mind," makes me wonder why that riff has never been written before.

Mention needs to made of Adventure's artwork. As with their previous releases, the covers, inside and out, are adorned with the amazing cartoon skills of songwriter J. Welsh, an accomplished member of the Louisville Cartoonist Society. I'm always convinced each record is a concept album simply because of the various scenarios depicted throughout the beautifully crafted panels.The visual presentation of this CD is perfect. 

One of the highlights of the CD release show to me was definitely the performance of the album closer, "Let the Bad Times Roll." The song was obviously made for a live audience (the track on the CD is taken from a live recording the Adventure made at a "Late Seating" show at Actor's Theater in Louisville), featuring a sing-along chorus that can't be ignored. Phil's cadence of repeating the title simply seems to suck the crowd down a stew that brews and simmers until the chorus is bared with just the crowd singing the chorus along with Phil a cappella. The catchiness, the mingling of the audience yelling at the top of their lungs the title, some claps, a bass drum backbeat, compounded with a tramp down that shared feeling of what Phil expresses in the line "who's gonna make it through the winter I said?" A perfect ending to a chilly February evening.

Recommended. There's too much good stuff on here.

"Brou-Ha-Ha" is available online at Android Market and CD Baby and all the fine Louisville record stores.

Chapter Twenty Six: "Benanthrope - Saddest of Bastards EP."

About six years ago, I moved back to my hometown of Louisville after an extended stay in Lexington and a much shorter stay in Portland. It was a rough time; I came without a job, little money, a few belongings, a broken down brown pickup, a (small...OK, a medium-sized) drinking problem, and some confusion in my brain. My brother, Derrick, immediately offered me a place to stay in an unfinished basement with him until I got on my feet, and even set me up with a job waiting tables at the Comedy Caravan, were he worked at the time. We both work late nights, and stayed out even later, watching music, playing music, and sloshing whiskeys until morning most nights for those first few lively months. I already knew some of the characters that populated the River City music scene due to my trips here playing in bands. I met newer acquaintances through my brother and his friends, who were all quick to welcome me. As I acclimated myself to my new surroundings, I immersed myself in every show I could afford, and stayed as late as I could at every social situation I found myself in, planting myself as deep as I could into my new old home. Two AM often became three AM often became six AM, and there were parties and walks home at dawn and faces and names were encountered left and right, four sheets to the wind and through and through on those dark, warm, narcotic Louisville nights.

Eventually, I found myself apartment- and dog-sitting on my own for over a month for a friend. The place was situated right off Bardstown Road, and late nights after the Caravan often led to post-last-call gatherings at the apartment, which was built like a warehouse, and furnished about the same. We'd wake in the afternoon, a guitar in the corner, one of us on the couch, the rest on the hardwood floors, episodes of "The Muppet Show" on repeat in the DVD player. It was one of these nights, in the obscured jacinth haze that framed those evenings, that I met Ben Lally, a fellow ex-Lexingtonian. It had been at the Hideaway, and Ben's experimental jazz band The Sexual Disaster Quartet had performed. The obvious answer after the show was to come to a place that was not mine and party longer. I do recall Ben and I getting into an argument, and I believe we exchanged some harsh words and some harsh shoves, and he left. We were both out of character and out of our own sorts.  

Six years later, Ben and I ran into each other at the grocery store in the produce section, planning pasta dinners. Things definitely fell into the "oh ha ha we can laugh about it now" grin, as should all bizarre ancient drunken arguments. While I was holding a bulb of garlic and Ben held a sprig of basil, talk quickly turned to music and music production. He told me he was working on putting the time and effort into some new material. The results of that are Benanthrope, a band Ben formed around his songs. Benanthrope has just released as its debut, the "Saddest of Bastards" EP, which is both downloadable and available as a CD.

It's clear with one listen that lyrics drive and infest Ben's brain. Benanthrope is definitely driven by the words; each song is different painting that houses those lines. It's singer-songwriter music that experiments with the presentation of themes and ideas in the words, making for a pretty diverse listen, never staying within one genre, but jump-skipping from style to style. "Saddest of Bastards" wears like a jacket full of influences on its sleeve, much like other imaginative singer-songwriters pursue their muses. You can tell Lally listens to a lot of different types of music as the EP travels through outsider-hinged country, folk, blues, and just straight experimental presentations to express the ideas and the sounds that he's taking aim at. The full target is the song and the genre is wiped aside to find the perfect frame for that thought. I hear Tom Waits, "Mutations"-era Beck, Willie Nelson, and a host of other timbers for support, each meshing and mixing into music that makes for good medicine for a person intertwined into the idea of the song. Benanthrope is what songwriters for songwriters do; take everything around them and combine it into a whirl that becomes their own, like students of song. This EP definitely accomplishes that. It's interesting, creative, well-written, and time was definitely spent in its recording.

"Tuesday Morning Squared" and "Bomb Shelter in My Mind" walk stepping stones into country, finding footing on a mix of instrumentation that marks all five songs contained herein, hearing Lally's lyrics paired with steel guitar, banjo, guitar and keys. "Promised Land" is a slower tempo, with a down-timed piano and electronics supporting a spacey melody that doesn't shake until it melts at the end into that aforementioned medicine. "Like a Thoroughbred" takes a dark path, with Lally's vocals lowered and singing of being carried back to Kentucky through subtle blues/folk, the bass ringing like brush, creating a scene easy to see.

My favorite track is "Finally Don't Care," which sounds to me like a traditional melody sung by a down and out character on New Year's Eve with imagery that applauds the surrounding Wurlitzer organ and Telecaster, both of which seem to be have been drinking a little too much the night before, sauntering their way to a the grunt of a pig in the end. I think that's what that sound is; either way, it works as a hangover anthem for me.

Ben has roped in several great players to round out live performances for Benanthrope, including J. Glenn (who's latest album was reviewed right here on this very blog) on pedal steel, Andy Matter on bass guitar and upright bass, Rory Hanka on various styles of keys, and Tyler Little on percussion. Here's an upcoming show list where you can catch them (and purchase the CD):

Fri February 17 @ The Monkey Wrench (Louisville) with Randy Tuesday and the Opposable Thumbs
Fri March 2 @ Zazoo's (Louisville) with J. Glenn and Your News Vehicles
Fri March 16 @ Lynagh's (Lexington).

"Saddest of Bastards" can also be purchased at Benanthrope's bandcamp site, located here.

Chapter Twenty Five: "Whistle Peak - Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls."

Whistle Peak - "Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls" (Karate Body Records 2012):

Whistle Peak was described to me by a pal of mine a few weeks ago as one of "Louisville's best kept secrets." We had been talking about a recent show the band had played at Zanzabar which had blown my mind. My only exposure to this band was a seven-inch the band released in Summer 2011 as part of the Louisville Is For Lovers Seven Inch Series. I had missed the Whistle Peak performance as part of that slew of gigs. After seeing the Zbar show, I grabbed the seven-inch and devoured it at home. It became one of my favorite releases of last year and one of my go-to records at a low-lit 3 AM.

The band formed in 2007ish, and released an album in 2008. After some lineup changes, the band put out the aforementioned seven-inch, and are now ready to release the new full-length "Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls" digitally, on CD and teal-colored vinyl on February 14. According to bassist Mike Snowden, the official release party will occur March 3 at Zbar.

 "Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls" fulfills one of those holes discussed by a me and a friend of mine at a rooftop top show at Glassworks over the summer. Louisville offers a wide span of bands playing a wider span of genres, but in the last few years, well-made and structured pop music seems to be somewhat lacking. It does exist here, though. This niche is starting to fill with releases by bands like The Deloreans and Second Story Man, and upcoming material from Adventure and former Yardsale singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Kirk Kiefer. Whistle Peak's album will definitely become one of the new markers and gain the band some well-earned attention.   


The song "Elephants" is a lo-fi low-profile number that sounds like a child's playday soundtrack. It throws jacks with its lo-fi poppiness somewhere in the same veins that bring to mind the switch in sound the Flaming Lips decided to embark on in the late 1990s. I'm not meaning the sounds are similar, but the penchant to play with the structure, ideas and sketch of what a song can be on paper as opposed to what it can turn into when tested.The melody is seemingly simple, and the description of lo-fi gets lost away from its own definitions as various layers of instrumentation become a barrage of short-hand experimentation. This philosophy can be applied to much of "Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls."  Several varied elements are coalesced together to create a sound that moves and sways and ultimately sticks. It's got some pop, some folk, electronic sounds, and all that would be great as is. However, Whistle Peak has pushed a little further and mixed the elements up into a beautifully produced grab bag that makes sense.

not my photo.

"Us Two Can Play" harbors itself comfortably in a catchy tune, but the addition of the gigantic plodding percussion like the hoof of the elephants from the previously mentioned song crashing through the beat makes the piece an entirely different creature than just a really great catchy tune. "Sleepy Pants" offers a pretty composition that brings that dream-like quality the band has become known for, and like much of the album, toes the scope of mirth and sadness, never quite molding into a sugary tune, but resonating a seriousness within its four minutes. It comes off as one of my favorite tracks off the record.

I'm a sucker, though, for the ukelele-driven "In a Boat on a Lake." If it had stuck only to the uke and bells, it might have roamed into twee-land. But it ain't that. Its just contagious and infectious, which is why its so perfect in its layers. And it strays from labels like good music should. And the following march of reverie that is "Sailor" fits perfectly. 

For a sample, check out the first single, "Wings Won't Behave."
 
"Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls" will be released on February 14. Pre-orders can be taken here. Whistle Peak will play at Zbar March 3.

 

Chapter Twenty Four: "Reviews: J. Glenn/Rare Treats/Life Partner."

I've managed to allow a cache of recordings to mount on my office desk here and I'm finally making the time to get to 'em. In fact, the next couple of entries will be dedicated to the release of new music, which is a nice way to start the new year off.

J. Glenn - "Magick Eagle Ate the Magic Snake" (Position High 2011). 

I mentioned this CD back on my list of favored recordings of 2011. I met J.Glenn circa 2006ish. Hell, I don't even remember how. We just suddenly seemed to be pals out of nowhere. Seems some mutual friends recommend I check him out, there was Myspace back in those days, and we connected that way. He showed up at one of my shows; I showed up at one of his shows; we played shows together. I know he appreciated comments I made onstage one night about KISS, and I appreciated his covers of the late wild man Hasil Adkins. In fact, the Hasil connection was really strong between us, both being heavily inspired by the West Virginian one-man-band. My band had opened for Hasil three times in the past and I was devoted follower. One of the first shows I attended of Mr. Glenn's he was one-man-banding it at Uncle Pleasant's cranking out  perfectly scary renditions of his songs. A J. Glenn show is unpredictable, fun and the main word I want to use: honest.

That Hasil style can become thick as porridge in your guts, and while Glenn slams the one-man-band take and acknowledges the mist of the Haze hovering somewhere in his playing, he's always gone sideways directions with it, weaving in and out of stomped rustic rock, hole-in-the-wall country, sharply-planted bluegrass and veering off in further directions towards unknown plantations of psychedelia and other weirdnesses. I fell in love with his last album (unless I'm corrected, his solo debut), "Long Time No See." This is a solid limestone followup.

I feel "Magick Snake" leans more heavily towards certain psychedelic aspects than "Long Time" did, especially on the tracks "Make It Shake" and "Under My Wing," which offer dark moods on his finger-picked banjo and guitar. But genre labels are crap. The main thing about J. is his songwriting and the honesty that he speaks in his lyrics and their delivery. There's a spacey moodiness on this album. The rustic aspects are still present, as he mixes sparse bass stomps and sticking percussion with his strings, stenciling everything with electronics throughout, adding varied sounds throughout the record. Glenn seems to write what's happening in the room that moment. "You Have No Word" is a pensive piece that paints a bleak conversation with someone who has lost the life in them, and the need to leave them behind. "All Smiles" is a straight-up arched beauty driven by what sounds like a toy xylophone clacking with the rim of his snare as J. wavers with his banjo through the night with a grin. A great album ender. My favorite is "Old Friends Make the Best Enemies"; the instrumentation switches to guitar, piano hi-hat that takes the pensive fight with one's mind and makes it sound sadly peaceful. The line "You cannot control your mind" is perfect.

It's all here. Family, loss, love, the shit amounts to some experiences and stabs in the heart. Like the other albums reviewed on this page, this is as DIY as it gets. The liner notes point this out, handscribed to log that everything was recorded on a Macbook with Logic Express. Straight no-chaser music that is all about the songwriting.

Available at his bandcamp and Underground Sounds.  


Rare Treats - "Wolf in People's Clothing" (Gubbey Records 2011).

Louisville visual/musical artist Patrick Thompson released this in late '11. I ran into Thompson one night at the Zbar and over a few beers we realized that we had met before back when he fronted the noise-punk band Gaj Mustafa Cell under the name Mick Donalds and I was the dude standing in the crowd yelling "awesome."

"Wolf in People's Clothing" is a quick listen that has a stripped down take on some experimental, lo-fi and punk ideas. I feel like Thompson approached this with an artist mentality, ignoring what songs are "supposed to do" and just going with whatever direction he felt like. Each song it its own creation, and none subscribe to any stereotyped map. The guitars have a tight sound, and the layers of instrumentation make for a style I haven't really heard from other bands around town. Thompson has definitely planted fruit in several directions here, taking creative ideas and inserting them into unpredictable and interesting spaces. The closest reference points that pop into my head when I hear this CD are maybe the spirted rock experiments of Lexington's Rabby Feeber or even the surrealness of psych-rock band Bongwater, especially on the song "That Motherfucker." These references aren't necessary; just the street corners that this recording seems to walk to in my head. 

Sure, you can say it's rock-based, but the various levels of vocals on top of each other, the plodding beats and riffs on songs like "Walking" and "Vacuum of the Worst," make for an good, strange, intense listen. The closest to straight punk on here might be "My Face Is Clean," an infected mid-tempo piece. "Where the Hell Have You Been?" just keeps swelling up into batch of obsession. My favorite track is "In My Eyeballs," a short noisy song that just sort of repeatedly hits you in the skull.

 The CD can be purchased at Underground Sounds, Better Days, and the Gubbey Records website.

Life Partner - "Dogs" (Sophomore Lounge 2012).

Life Partner is Aaron Osbourne's pet project. Formerly of Louisville and of the bands State Champion and Plows, Osbourne is a Chicagoan now and this collection of lo-fi grew on me pretty fast. Grunge-folk was a term that was thrown at me before I heard these songs; I can see that fitting, although grungey in a fucked-up interesting way. Low humming bassy guitars power through some excellent songwriting here. Sometimes the ground covered sounds downtrodden, but caught in a fishing net of down-strummed catchy abandonment and even a sense of humor.

The song "New Life" can exemplify some of the tunes here, leading off with the  lyrics "It's gettin' harder/To get up/Everyday/Everything's the same/It never changes/Anyway/Go to the movies/Get off work/Forget to brush my teeth/I don't know what I want/Anymore..." My head immediately starting nodding to the chugging beat and riff. The anger backfires into an almost Wipers-esque battlezone of depressive words but addictive melody. The first single "King Nothing" gets noisy and plaguy, and is in and out quick, ending with feedback, bass and a great frustrated groan. "Feelings" ends the album as a perfect point in that battlezone: through the pains of life and brain there are those moments that are still danceable without backing out or backfiring. And that's what I get from Osbourne; frustrated release somewhere in the element of low-burning rock that finds its way into your head and stays there. These songs would be great to see on a stage (which can do by going to the Chestnut House on Sunday Jan 22; Life Partner will be performing with Savages, Mote and The Debauchees).   

I'm not gonna lie; the track that sucked me in at 2am on a work night when I was up too late listening and plodding through some old pictures was "(I'm) Getting Older." One of those perfect late night moments of "yup" that led to repeated listens.

"Dogs" will be released by Sophomore Lounge on January 24 as a cassette. Pre-orders are available at their site.