This is a series I've been considering for over two years, and I've finally decided to do it. It's simple: I'm going to recommend a bunch of tracks I'm digging and want more people to know about. If I've already given an artist a full review or feature on One Note Ahead, whatever album or EP I've written about is off limits in the "Now Hear This!" series because it will get (or has gotten) a shout-out in the "Quick Takes" series; unrelated tracks by that artist can be included in "Now Hear This!"
If you've read enough of my work, you know what eras are my favorites, so I'll have some newer tracks (since the 1980s) and some older tracks (before the 1980s) each time I do this. If I can find these selections on iTunes, I'll let you know where to look for them so you can get the whole album or compilation if you want.
Newer
"Breakdown," Tim McGlone (available on Street Sounds)
This likable singer/songwriter is boys with Matt Duke and has had Jake Snider support him at two sold-out shows; I was inevitably going to get hip to this guy. While he runs through a variety of styles on his new album Street Sounds, "Breakdown" is the kind of rock 'n' soul you just don't hear much anymore: a production that's slick but edgy, a captivating arrangement (Tim's own), and a raw voice belting out lyrics most of us can relate to. Tell your friends and maybe it'll be on iPods all around the world.
"No Way Out," Jim Boggia (available on Misadventures In Stereo)
I've only mentioned Jim a couple of times, both in connection with last year's XPN festival, and that's just as well -- there are plenty of writers out there who simply adore him and have demonstrated as much. But I have been remiss in not saying anything about this particular song, a most off-kilter ode to drinking one's life away. There are some killer riffs in the dizzyingly over-the-top arrangement and it would make a hell of a production number for a burlesque show. Intrigued?
Jim Boggia and a huge supporting cast do "No Way Out" live:
"Plenty Good Reasons," Pete and J (available on Plenty Good Reasons)
Okay, you caught me: there's a connection here, namely that Pete and J played as a band with Jim Boggia at a recent show which kicked so much ass that they should all be arrested if they never do it again. "Plenty Good Reasons" is a proud slab of all-American folk-rock, marrying the great American folk song tradition to the driving rhythms of early rock 'n' roll. This is a rare offering that reminds us of this country's grand musical history while sounding fresh enough to light up today's radio playlists. (Recent experiences with various friends compel me to add that Pete and J are not the same act as my PR clients The Josh and Pete Band!)
Older
"You're My Girl," The Everly Brothers (available on Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers On Warner Bros. 1960-1969)
The Everly Brothers might have been known for their sweet harmonies and clean-cut appearances, but some of their mid-1960s work was downright badass. Don and Phil with fuzz guitar, choppy drumming, and lyrics like "When I close my eyes and I think of you/You wouldn't believe what comes in view"? It's all here. This didn't become a hit. Maybe it wasn't commercial enough. Maybe Americans just didn't care about the Everlys in 1965. Too bad. This rocks.
"The World Through A Tear," Neil Sedaka (available on Sedaka Sings The Hits)
Also from 1965, by which time Neil Sedaka could no longer "down-doo-be-doo-down-down" and "doo-ba-bop-bop-o-doo-bop-she-down-down" his way to the top of the charts. But wait! Easy Listening was a still a viable market in 1965. And that was the field in which Sedaka made his comeback.......but in 1974, not 1965. Too bad, for "The World Through A Tear" is fabulous: a somber yet breezy ballad with a Latin beat and an unusually reserved vocal from the normally flamboyant singer. It made the charts at least, but it probably left Sedaka's loyal fans confused because -- it sounds nothing like a Neil Sedaka record! And he didn't write it, no matter what he might imply in this clip:
"I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top," The Hollies (available on Epic Anthology)
I remember when I raided my sizable collection of Hollies CDs to load a bunch of their tracks onto my iTunes library. I wasn't quite sure why I included this one, but I'm glad I did because I've come to realize how beautiful it really is. The Hollies scored two of their biggest US hits with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" in late 1969/early 1970 and "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" in 1972. Nestled between those records was this gem, a deliciously-harmonized love song with a spacious arrangement. A pre-stardom Elton John played piano on this track, which did quite well in the UK but barely registered in in the US.
I'm not going to post volumes in this series with any regularity, just whenever I can and feel like doing so. But stay tuned all the same!
Text copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Album Review: Chasing A Butterfly
MISSING: Intelligent, exquisitely-crafted pop album. Answers to the name Scary Fragile. Neglected by record company since January, 2006. Several songs heard on MySpace. "A Bitter Song" heard on TV series Grey's Anatomy, released as a single in 2007. Album's whereabouts of great concern to Butterfly Boucher fans. If found, please notify.
If what you just read leaves you puzzled, a little background is in order. Butterfly Boucher (pronounced like "voucher") is an Australian singer/songwriter, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Nashville. She signed to a major label for her debut album, 2004's Flutterby, but the label could not figure out how to market her. No wonder Flutterby didn't become a huge success. No wonder the follow-up, Scary Fragile, collected dust even as the placement of "A Bitter Song" in an episode of Grey's Anatomy drummed up demand. And no wonder Butterfly and her label went through a lengthy divorce, Butterfly emerging from her cocoon (sorry, couldn't help it) to release SF independently.
"I've been there and I've done that/I've got the photos and I've got the scars to prove it/I'm so tired and I'm so glad for what I have." (from "They Say You Grow")
What she has in Scary Fragile is a consistently engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining collection which sounds as fresh as the spring flowers even though it's been sitting on the shelf for over three years. And let's not mince words here: Butterfly knew she was under pressure to deliver a hit while she was creating SF. For an album made under that kind of pressure, with hot-shot producer David Kahne to boot, SF rarely comes off as a deliberate attempt to make Butterfly sound ultra-commercial. If anything, the material on SF is more challenging than the material on Flutterby, lacking the lighthearted and sometimes off-the-wall lyrical elements of her first album and making greater use of tempo changes and mood shifts. She's much more serious and sophisticated here, as well she should be.
SF also has a tendency to present familiar motifs in unexpected ways. "Keeping Warm" is not a particularly Beatlesque song, but its arrangement sure points to the late-period Fab Four, while "To Feel Love" sounds like the theme from a Western movie before revealing itself as a straightforward singer/songwriter tune. "Bright Red" contains a similar rhythm to Kelly Clarkson's "Gone," but it's a diatribe against the very shallowness which American Idol alumni like Clarkson have both benefited from and battled. Most refreshingly, "For The Love of Love" avoids being just another "peace and love" plea with its out-of-left-field lyrics: "Take all the ones you fear and take all the ones you hate/Cook a hearty stew, flash a smile and fill their plates."
Flutterby was a diamond in the rough, representing a hopeful (albeit somewhat confused) dreamer. Scary Fragile sees that dreamer coming to terms with reality, learning the ropes of love and self-actualization, taking full command of her voice and arranging skills and using them to greater effect and advantage than ever before. Flutterby demonstrated that Butterfly Boucher had her brilliant moments, but with Scary Fragile, she has made an album both worthy and reflective of her brilliance.
Scary Fragile is not supposed to be released to the general public until June 2nd. But it's on iTunes now. Yes it is. Seriously, I am telling you, I have my iTunes Store open and it's on sale now and people have already reviewed it. The album is also available in physical form at her shows.
For more information: http://www.butterflyboucher.com/
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
If what you just read leaves you puzzled, a little background is in order. Butterfly Boucher (pronounced like "voucher") is an Australian singer/songwriter, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Nashville. She signed to a major label for her debut album, 2004's Flutterby, but the label could not figure out how to market her. No wonder Flutterby didn't become a huge success. No wonder the follow-up, Scary Fragile, collected dust even as the placement of "A Bitter Song" in an episode of Grey's Anatomy drummed up demand. And no wonder Butterfly and her label went through a lengthy divorce, Butterfly emerging from her cocoon (sorry, couldn't help it) to release SF independently.
"I've been there and I've done that/I've got the photos and I've got the scars to prove it/I'm so tired and I'm so glad for what I have." (from "They Say You Grow")
What she has in Scary Fragile is a consistently engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining collection which sounds as fresh as the spring flowers even though it's been sitting on the shelf for over three years. And let's not mince words here: Butterfly knew she was under pressure to deliver a hit while she was creating SF. For an album made under that kind of pressure, with hot-shot producer David Kahne to boot, SF rarely comes off as a deliberate attempt to make Butterfly sound ultra-commercial. If anything, the material on SF is more challenging than the material on Flutterby, lacking the lighthearted and sometimes off-the-wall lyrical elements of her first album and making greater use of tempo changes and mood shifts. She's much more serious and sophisticated here, as well she should be.
SF also has a tendency to present familiar motifs in unexpected ways. "Keeping Warm" is not a particularly Beatlesque song, but its arrangement sure points to the late-period Fab Four, while "To Feel Love" sounds like the theme from a Western movie before revealing itself as a straightforward singer/songwriter tune. "Bright Red" contains a similar rhythm to Kelly Clarkson's "Gone," but it's a diatribe against the very shallowness which American Idol alumni like Clarkson have both benefited from and battled. Most refreshingly, "For The Love of Love" avoids being just another "peace and love" plea with its out-of-left-field lyrics: "Take all the ones you fear and take all the ones you hate/Cook a hearty stew, flash a smile and fill their plates."
Flutterby was a diamond in the rough, representing a hopeful (albeit somewhat confused) dreamer. Scary Fragile sees that dreamer coming to terms with reality, learning the ropes of love and self-actualization, taking full command of her voice and arranging skills and using them to greater effect and advantage than ever before. Flutterby demonstrated that Butterfly Boucher had her brilliant moments, but with Scary Fragile, she has made an album both worthy and reflective of her brilliance.
Scary Fragile is not supposed to be released to the general public until June 2nd. But it's on iTunes now. Yes it is. Seriously, I am telling you, I have my iTunes Store open and it's on sale now and people have already reviewed it. The album is also available in physical form at her shows.
For more information: http://www.butterflyboucher.com/
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Festival Is Coming!
Just a quick newsflash to inform you of this year's XPoNential Music Festival, the annual gathering hosted by WXPN on the beautiful Camden, New Jersey waterfront. You might have seen my blog about last year's event (and assuming I go this year, I will blog about it again, but I'll post a separate entry for each day to make it easier to read!). If you read even a fraction of that blog, you know that last year's fest was an amazing gathering of like-minded music lovers and many truly fine artists, and that it was all available for a low price.
This year's festival looks like another great one, although it will run for only three days instead of four. I'm pleased to report that One Note Ahead favorites Matt Duke, Andrew Lipke, and Gillian Grassie will be performing there (and Gillian's leaving the country for a year after that, so if you wanna see her....). But the lineup includes so many interesting, dynamic, and just plain fabulous artists that I can't even begin to tell you who I'm most excited to see.
Why not check out the lineup for yourself? http://xpn.org/music-artist/festival-2009/lineup
And the members-only internet presale is going on now! Tickets and three-day passes will become available to the general public eventually, but if you're an XPN member, you'll get a discount and loads of awesome members-only perks. So if you can spare the dough -- a big "if" these days, I know -- and believe in XPN's mission, please consider joining. If you don't become a member, this festival will still cost you less and give you more than a lot of other summer music festivals! Because XPN's just cool like that.
Maybe I'll see you there?
[May 28th, 2009 update: Tickets and passes are available to the general public now. A three-day pass is just 40 bucks if you're not a member and 30 bucks if you are! These prices are available only through July 10th. You can get single-day tickets as well. Go here for details.]
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
This year's festival looks like another great one, although it will run for only three days instead of four. I'm pleased to report that One Note Ahead favorites Matt Duke, Andrew Lipke, and Gillian Grassie will be performing there (and Gillian's leaving the country for a year after that, so if you wanna see her....). But the lineup includes so many interesting, dynamic, and just plain fabulous artists that I can't even begin to tell you who I'm most excited to see.
Why not check out the lineup for yourself? http://xpn.org/music-artist/festival-2009/lineup
And the members-only internet presale is going on now! Tickets and three-day passes will become available to the general public eventually, but if you're an XPN member, you'll get a discount and loads of awesome members-only perks. So if you can spare the dough -- a big "if" these days, I know -- and believe in XPN's mission, please consider joining. If you don't become a member, this festival will still cost you less and give you more than a lot of other summer music festivals! Because XPN's just cool like that.
Maybe I'll see you there?
[May 28th, 2009 update: Tickets and passes are available to the general public now. A three-day pass is just 40 bucks if you're not a member and 30 bucks if you are! These prices are available only through July 10th. You can get single-day tickets as well. Go here for details.]
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Album Review: A Jimenez Most Super
In the summer and early fall of 2006, I searched for publications to which I could reasonably pitch an article about a hot new band out of Dublin, Ireland. Finding such publications was difficult enough, but actually pitching the article led to nothing but unanswered e-mails and one automated rejection letter. I got fed up, formed a blog, and posted the article there. Of course, the blog was called One Note Ahead, and if you're a loyal ONA reader, you'll have figured out that the band's name was SuperJimenez.
Now it's the spring of 2009 and I'm reviewing the band's just-released debut album. So what the hell took so long??? Oh, the usual......the lads parted with their record label and went out as independent artists, their Australian lead guitarist was deported and his bandmates fought for nine months to get him back......yawn, sooooo mundane.
But the guys are quite literally back with a Bang -- that's the name of the album. Ten tracks of shimmering, hooky pop-rock with driving rhythms and winding melodies. While their sound is radio-friendly enough to find mainstream favor (let's not forget that "Helicopters" was an Irish Top 20 hit), their stylistic diversity ensures that they won't simply fade into the crowd. The raggedy "Gojii Kids" has a punk-pop flair, but "I Feel Designed" is a sweeping folk-rock ballad. "Hear You Now" bears a strong 1980's U2 influence, while "Promises" adds elements of Springsteen and Motown to a modern rock foundation. Sometimes there's no telling what they'll do next: "Somebody There" was originally a somber B-side (to "Beau"), but here it's recast as a rollicking Beach Boys-styled singalong. Then there's "Rescue Remedy," in which drummer Daz Coen lays down a subtle trip-hop beat and lead singer Ronan Cunningham comes in crooning a Dido-ish melody; this shouldn't work, but it does.
There are enough lyrical twists and turns as well, as the boys tackle the existential dilemma of youth culture ("Gojii Kids"), deliver musings from a war zone ("Helicopters"), and make downright odd statements of love (as in "I Feel Designed," in which they sing, "Arrest me, I'm a threat, see. I wouldn't discourage a sentence for all of my life."). Vocally, there's Ronan's combination of vulnerability and aggressiveness, and band harmonies ranging from the depths of darkness to the brightest sunlight. Producers Liam Mulvaney and Adrian Bushby somehow figure out a way to bring it all together in the studio and make it sound sellable to the world at large. (The band's ever-so-tight playing helps, too.)
While the album has no complete artistic failures, the earnest singer/songwriter tune "My World" just feels like a poor fit for SuperJimenez. But listen to the brilliant, stomping "Faye," featuring Ronan, Daz, lead guitarist/keyboardist Rhys Domagala, and bassist Nick O'Laoire in top form, and you'll understand why these guys have the goods to do Dublin proud.
Bang is available internationally on iTunes, as is the nifty single version of "Somebody There" and the overlooked "Come Out To Play" (the "Helicopters" B-side which was not used for the album). So get to downloading, already!
For more info, visit: http://www.superjimenez.com and read the previous ONA feature: http://onenoteahead.blogspot.com/2006/10/superjimenez-to-rescue.html
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
Now it's the spring of 2009 and I'm reviewing the band's just-released debut album. So what the hell took so long??? Oh, the usual......the lads parted with their record label and went out as independent artists, their Australian lead guitarist was deported and his bandmates fought for nine months to get him back......yawn, sooooo mundane.
But the guys are quite literally back with a Bang -- that's the name of the album. Ten tracks of shimmering, hooky pop-rock with driving rhythms and winding melodies. While their sound is radio-friendly enough to find mainstream favor (let's not forget that "Helicopters" was an Irish Top 20 hit), their stylistic diversity ensures that they won't simply fade into the crowd. The raggedy "Gojii Kids" has a punk-pop flair, but "I Feel Designed" is a sweeping folk-rock ballad. "Hear You Now" bears a strong 1980's U2 influence, while "Promises" adds elements of Springsteen and Motown to a modern rock foundation. Sometimes there's no telling what they'll do next: "Somebody There" was originally a somber B-side (to "Beau"), but here it's recast as a rollicking Beach Boys-styled singalong. Then there's "Rescue Remedy," in which drummer Daz Coen lays down a subtle trip-hop beat and lead singer Ronan Cunningham comes in crooning a Dido-ish melody; this shouldn't work, but it does.
There are enough lyrical twists and turns as well, as the boys tackle the existential dilemma of youth culture ("Gojii Kids"), deliver musings from a war zone ("Helicopters"), and make downright odd statements of love (as in "I Feel Designed," in which they sing, "Arrest me, I'm a threat, see. I wouldn't discourage a sentence for all of my life."). Vocally, there's Ronan's combination of vulnerability and aggressiveness, and band harmonies ranging from the depths of darkness to the brightest sunlight. Producers Liam Mulvaney and Adrian Bushby somehow figure out a way to bring it all together in the studio and make it sound sellable to the world at large. (The band's ever-so-tight playing helps, too.)
While the album has no complete artistic failures, the earnest singer/songwriter tune "My World" just feels like a poor fit for SuperJimenez. But listen to the brilliant, stomping "Faye," featuring Ronan, Daz, lead guitarist/keyboardist Rhys Domagala, and bassist Nick O'Laoire in top form, and you'll understand why these guys have the goods to do Dublin proud.
Bang is available internationally on iTunes, as is the nifty single version of "Somebody There" and the overlooked "Come Out To Play" (the "Helicopters" B-side which was not used for the album). So get to downloading, already!
For more info, visit: http://www.superjimenez.com and read the previous ONA feature: http://onenoteahead.blogspot.com/2006/10/superjimenez-to-rescue.html
Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
Monday, March 30, 2009
One Video Ahead: The Ropes
This is the first installment of a new video blog series on One Note Ahead, oh-so-cleverly titled "One Video Ahead."
You know the scenario: someone tells you about an artist or band you've never heard of. You check them out. They're not bad; maybe they're actually quite good at what they do, but what they do is just not your thing......generally speaking. But while checking them out, you get hip to one song that you just can't stop listening to. And it happens to have a dirty cool video to go with it.
This happened with me and The Ropes. The song I can't stop listening to is called "Kitty Get Down," and the dirty cool video is by Andi Krop:
On the video's YouTube page, The Ropes explain: "'Kitty' is a metaphor for anyone who has ever been scared or intimidated by the world. After realizing that everyone else is also hiding and climbing their own metaphorical trees, Kitty finds the strength to get down and face fears. This is the only choice because if Kitty doesn't make the change, no one else will. If you are like Kitty, maybe it's time to get down."
And I can dig it.
Original text copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
You know the scenario: someone tells you about an artist or band you've never heard of. You check them out. They're not bad; maybe they're actually quite good at what they do, but what they do is just not your thing......generally speaking. But while checking them out, you get hip to one song that you just can't stop listening to. And it happens to have a dirty cool video to go with it.
This happened with me and The Ropes. The song I can't stop listening to is called "Kitty Get Down," and the dirty cool video is by Andi Krop:
On the video's YouTube page, The Ropes explain: "'Kitty' is a metaphor for anyone who has ever been scared or intimidated by the world. After realizing that everyone else is also hiding and climbing their own metaphorical trees, Kitty finds the strength to get down and face fears. This is the only choice because if Kitty doesn't make the change, no one else will. If you are like Kitty, maybe it's time to get down."
And I can dig it.
Original text copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.
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