SOUNDS LIKE
A junkyard band made up of children in mourning.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT
As one half of sister duo CocoRosie, Bianca Casady has proven to be one of the more unique musicians around. Her most emphatic contributions to CocoRosie include her strange childlike vocals and use of manipulated children’s toys. On debut solo album Oscar Hocks, the mood is more dusty and haunted than any CocoRosie record but there’s also a sense of playfulness within the arrangements that’s been prevalent in CocoRosie’s history. Hearing “Dead Season” evoked imagery of a playground of dead children singing in unison. Far more somber than CocoRosie both lyrically and tone, Oscar Hocks lacks some of the unpredictability and fun absurdity of CocoRosie, but makes up for that with consistency and emotion.
FAVORITE SONGS
Daisy Chain, Dead Season, Tumbleweed
FOR FANS OF
D’angelo, Sly & The Family Stone, Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
SOUNDS LIKE
Chilled out neo soul with a taste of funky hip hop.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT
The current neo soul revival is in peak form. The lines between R&B, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, and jazz have been thoroughly blurred by a recent explosion of instant classics from the likes of D’angelo, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Frank Ocean, etc. Anderson .Paak’s latest should place the west coast singer/rapper in similar esteem. Malibu is poised to make .Paak a superstar.
Over the course of Malibu‘s lengthy hour run time, .Paak seamlessly flows between soulful crooning and funky rapping. Where Black Messiah and To Pimp A Butterfly carried heavy emotional weight along dense arrangements, Malibu feels significantly lighter and looser as it maintains a silky smooth vibe throughout.
FAVORITE SONGS
Your Prime, Am I Wrong, Heart Don’t Stand a Chance
Moken has his debut album set for an early April release. This guy took me by surprise as an afro-popper with a voice like Robbie Basho.
I felt pretty whelmed about this one but maybe I was listening to it with the wrong mindset? I mean I didn’t go into it with expectations, I had no idea who Bianca Cassidy was and had never listened to CocoRosie before; so it was a bit of a trip. But I didn’t really get much out of the record outside of thinking some tracks were enjoyable experiments (“Daisy Chain”, “Hobo”, “Poor Deal”, “Tumbleweed”, and “The Empty Room”) but even then I didn’t love any particular track on first listen. Is there some explanation that can be expanded on so when I go into it the second time I have a fresh perspective?
Is there some explanation that can be expanded on so when I go into it the second time I have a fresh perspective?
I'm not sure about an explanation. We enjoy what we enjoy. I think you'd be more likely to enjoy a CocoRosie record, since they're generally more upbeat and lively. I've liked this one more with repeated listens because I think there is a lot of detail to be heard. _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
I recently interview local Santa Fe band Lone Piñon. They play the traditional music of the area (and parts of Mexico). The interview offered quite a bit of insight, and turned out to be one of my favorite things I've ever published.
http://meccalecca.com/?p=25619
After focusing on new music for the past few weeks and being more or less unimpressed with a lot of it, i've decided to go back in time and revisit the 70s, starting with some 1970 classics.
Tried listening to some new records today. New Africaine 808 and BJ The Chicago Kid showed promise and the Animal Collective album was less than thrilling. Ended up realizing that all I want to listen to is...
Many of the best aspects of the 70s, contained within a singer-songwriter record.
At first, Joe Volk’s new solo LP, Happenings and Killings, appears to be a sweeping singer songwriter record. On the opening moments of “Bampfylde Moore Carew,” a lovely melody radiates from an acoustic guitar, percussion enters, and then Volk’s breathy voice hooks you in. It doesn’t take long to realize that this is much much more than that. For example, one of my favorite tracks on the record, “These Feathers Count,” somewhat resembles early 70s Pink Floyd with a little krautrock thrown in.
At the heart of the songs is Volk’s acoustic guitar and emotive vocals. At times, Volk sounds a bit like Jeff Buckley at his most calming and pretty. The songs are subtly expansive, with spacey synths, celestial backing vocals, occasional bass and piano. Immaculately crafted alongside Emmy-nominated composer Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow (Portishead, BEAK>), Happenings and Killings maintains an airy quality throughout. There’s never an excess of instrumentation. The songs are able to breath, all the while expanding and contracting. It’s an impressive feat.
While the songs may vary stylistically, they flow seamlessly throughout. Happenings and Killings is an album in which every single moment seems to feed upon the others, working as a whole rather than disjointed parts. Volk’s undoubtedly the mastermind, but the contributions from Salisbury and Barrow are significant and noticeable, so anyone who loves their work should find plenty of like within Happenings and Killings.
All in all, if not a complete masterpiece, Happenings and Killings is undoubtedly a thing of beauty.
FAVORITE SONGS
These Feathers Count, The Thief of Ideals, Soliloquy _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
Just stumbled upon this remarkable gem. Marlon Williams is a young songwriter from Australia. At times, this is a pretty traditional Americana record, and then it just totally takes your breath away with incredible flourishes. There's moments reminiscent of Timber Timbre's noir take on Lee Hazelwood, and parts where Williams' vocals transcend into Tim Buckley territory, but it never falls into the trap of sounding exactly like anyone specific. _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
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