"Sports" EP by Speedy Ortiz - Full of Crooked Smiles and Clenched Fists

SPORTS, the latest EP by Speedy Ortiz has 5 potent songs that smile at you, (however sardonically) one minute and seconds later, bitch slap you up side your head. Songwriter, vocalist, guitarist Sadie Dupuis' songs have the bitter edge of one too many emotional back stabbings which makes for magnificently bipolar-esque guitar changes and provocative lyrics. In "Indoor Soccer" Sadie sings "Massive machete... that shit is getting heavy... though you knew me, don't know me now" and "Don't you let down my good friends, don't fuck with my friends" and by her tone, I suggest that you do not. That being said, Sadie, vocally, also has emotional tenderness buried under her bite which provides a very cool contrast to the musical vibe which still boils over into a melting pot of Pavement, Nirvana and Helium (grunge) like indie rock. "Basketball" is one of those songs you want to drive fast to. "Curling" (one of the more down tempo tracks) has a sad arc to the guitar lines and vocal melody full of loss and heavy doses of self respect.."a little after you said that I deserved it all... well, honey, I've got the house.... I've got the dog and I'm wakin' up mornings and showing up on time for my job... so don't bother to call me." This song is full of insightful emotional gems that we can all relate to and it doesn't hurt that those words are cradled in a delicious heavy and beautiful music bed. "Silver Spring" with it's guitar lines often mirroring the vocal line simply soars into a heavy rock jam (the guitar break is awesome).

Have you ever been in a crazy situation but everyone around you is acting like everything is completely normal?? This is what "Suck Buddies" sounds like. It is a tasty head banging psycho trip and I love it. In fact, I love all these songs. You can grab a free download of "Silver Spring" from the Speedy Ortiz Bandcamp page. Enjoy.

- Adler Bloom

releases 05 June 2012

Speedy Ortiz:

Sadie Dupuis: guitars, vocals, pedal organ
Matt Robidoux: guitars
Darl Ferm: bass, handclaps
Mike Falcone: drums, piano

"Devils Hearts Grow Gold" Video- La Sera

The "Devils Hearts Grow Gold" Video by La Sera lulls you into a happy submission. I don't know if it was the devilish performance by Sean Tillmann (Har Mar Superstar) or the fact that Blaque Chris makes a cameo, (I am convinced that Chris has found a way to clone himself), or the silly hippy, yippie vibe but the video is a loveable as La Sera (Katy) herself.

The Cribs, King Tuff, La Sera, Viva Pomona, The Haley Butcher Organization = Killer Shows

Dreamers - "City of Hope" Video- Grabs You by the Balls (and does not let go)

Dreamers' City of Hope is an absolute 'grab you by the balls' pile driver of a song. Potent and unflinching it brings to mind bands like Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction. This project is the brainchild of Megan Gold and Robbie Williamson from the performance art driven "We are the World" and one can only imagine where this creatively possessed duo will eventually take Dreamers.

King Tuff's Self Titled Album - A Brilliant Music-Bender

Kyle Thomas is such a prolific songwriter that he needs three incarnations to utilize the vast amount of styles that emanate from his fertile brain (Happy Birthday, Witch, King Tuff). "King Tuff" the self entitled second King Tuff Album is wickedly smart and catchy. Kyle has created post punk pop songs sprinkled with equal doses of glam, pure bubbly gum, garage rock, teeny bopper, western punk, folk, and psychedelia and managed to keep it all fresh. King Tuff can do boogie woogie blues based rock as hard as the New York Dolls (Stranger) and  and conversely do a song like Keep on Movin that with it's handclaps and bubblegum feel that could literally be a song that the Brady Bunch would of sung with their stoner smiles, (yes those were stoner smiles) AND not sound like homages to things before. Kyle has written a brilliant (ostensibly indie pop) album that sounds genuine on it's face and underneath has a lot of heart. Vocally, Thomas can have a Dylan-esque cadence especially at the end of lyrical phrases but his bite and adolescent defiant snarl kind of reminds me of Jody Taylor Worth of  LA short lived 80's band- Blow Up.

Anthem bristles with big rock 90's indie prog rock and has some wonderful guitar lines. Alone and Stoned starts with a walkie talkie sound guitar and nasally voice, then at 25 seconds in it explodes into this delicious fast bottomed beat, the kind of beat that is moving like it is trying to catch up with itself. At 45 seconds in, the chorus kicks in and I literally said, (through a big faced grin), "DAMN!" as doubled falsetto vocals and a flury of tasty guitar licks enveloped me. I haven't heard such such infectious indie pop in a long time. Unusual World gallops into a dreamy place that certainly must be multi-colored and full of rainbows but with dark clouds looming. With it's indie teeny bop vocals blended in the sugar wash, it is full on pop but still has a bit of sad lurking underneath which I like very much. Bad Thing simply rocks your ass off and feels like mid 80's LA rock to me. Baby Just Break The Rules- veers nicely into folk / western punk. Loser's Walk with it's jangly guitar along with Thomas' especially venomous vocals feels like a collision between the Stones and Iggy Pop.

It is definitely hard to pick a favorite track on King Tuff but as I am writing this review it has to be Stupid Superstar. Some of the rock progs feel like 90's British indie rock but the song is drenched in this sweet glam syrup. This is one of the most produced tracks on the album with tasty harmonies and guitar licks AND a really beautifully psychedelic musical bridge. Evergreen- which I thought was going to be on the next Happy Birthday project is here instead.  One of the most down tempo tracks on this album, it is dreamy and could of existed on a 60's hippie trip in Donovan Leitch's brain. It is a perfectly beautiful lullaby, "I'm not really here.... not really here... not really here."  Swamp of Love  - a tambourine fueled ballad is one of those songs that a crowd sways to, sings along with and raise up their lighters or fully emblazoned cell phones to. It gets pretty lush and big mid way through straying head long into that "All You Need is Love" territory. Hit and Run with it's Italian Police Siren guitar is a full throttle dance that could very well be underneath the ending credits of a teen comedy movie. It is a little too overblown for my taste but it is the only speed bump on this entire record.

In Swamp of Love, Kyle sweetly sings, "Why is love so full of sun and rain?" and King Tuff's self entitled album is similarly full of hard and soft edges and that is nice thing. It makes you remember when you rode that teen line before you became cynical and hard. A time when things were more black and white. A time when you could be more happy than you could imagine as well as get your heart broken in so many pieces that you literally want to die. Step back into that mindset and let King Tuff wash over you.
-
Adler Bloom

You can Stream the Album here- 

This Will Be My Lullaby For Tonight

Heyward Howkins debut "The Hale and Hearty"- is inspired and original

Heyward Howkins truly waxes poetic on his debut Album "The Hale and Hearty" spinning musical tales that more often than not feel more like sonic art pieces than songs. With a crisp clear vocal performance that is as malleable as mercury, and lyrics that can stray into some obtuse passages, he is very much the whimsical story teller leading you down his own rabbit hole. There are eleven songs on display here and all are totally engaging. The production flourishes can sometimes induce "whaaat?" but these surprising musical choices all work. For example, in Plume and Orange the melodic structure weaves tightly with the guitar work and syncopated drum beat only to give way to an uplifting middle section that feels so free that it induces chills- only to give way to tasty musical breaks complete with a Farfisa sounding organ that harkins back to something you might here in a post punk 79-ish Elvis Costello song. It is a heady, brilliant production and the great thing is it feels like jazz in the sense that these seemingly "out of left field" musical accompaniments (that are sprinkled throughout this album) do not feel overly wrought or overly composed but more like flashes of creative inspirations.

I love Wes Anderson films. The Raucous Calls of Morning (the 6th track) simply belongs in one of Wes' films. It has this beautiful sweeping feel with it's stair stepping piano and glossy harmonies floating around Heyward's bittersweet vocals, "The raucous calls of morning won't beat on your door... and I'm not on board with back and forth...to keep accord we hammer toward not being so hard".  The dreamy title track Hale and Hearty with lyrics that can perplex moves sweetly to a big conclusion. Spanish Moss seems to speak of two cultures that collide or do they? Again, the lyrics are open to interpretation but Heywood sparkles with the well phrased melodies. In The Live Oak the guitar lines at times verge on the fringe of what could be a Thom Yorke composition but only for seconds as Heyward is not content to stay in one place for very long letting this musical arc feel like a free form mini surreal movie.

There is much more to gleam on The Hale and Hearty like the hobo train feel of "Cocaine Bill" or "Hudson Piers" that plays like a amalgam of 1920's ragtime/ porch blues/ dance hall music or the exhilarating glammy  pop of "Flash Mob"- "street steam... mimics a movie's mystique... when police bring heat and the only thing packed was your keys and your teeth... in a hoody you save for occasions like these."

In the end, The Hale and Hearty is a brilliant piece of work. The songs exist as orchestrations of sorts, each element important to the puzzle. Heyward's vocals also serve as an instrument of sorts as his fluid tone and vocal style are central to each song even if the lyrics can, at times, seem not to make sense. One wonders if the sounds of the words are really more important then their meaning. To me, the lyrical poetry is solid and the interpretive nature of the songwriting only stirs the imagination.

Bravo Mr. Heyward Howkins for this truly inspired, original piece of art.
-
Adler Bloom

Heyward Howkins Facebook

The Lovely Bad Things- Video Update- Help The So Cal Rockers get to Primavera Sound Festival and represent!

AP reported on The Lovely Bad Things plight a couple of weeks ago. The So Cal indie rockers are invited to play at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona but barely have enough money to fill up their Lovely Bad Van's gas tank let alone fly over to Spain. With the lovely support of fans and friends they have raised about $1200. The clock is ticking away- getting down to the wire so donate if you can! According to their Indiegogo page, the trip will cost about $6000. Check out it out here: HELP LOVELY BAD THINGS GET TO PRIMAVERA SOUND

JUST ADDED:
American Pancake would like to help the cause. If you donate $100, you can advertise on our side bar for 6 months. Advertise the release of your album, your service or just your mug- anything as long as it is legal.
Do you have a band and need a music video?? AP will produce one for you. Just donate $250- and AP will help you come up with a concept, execute it, fully edit and help to distribute across the webosphere! Will you get a zillion dollar video. No but it will be creative and awesome. Email AP @americanpancakelive@gmail.com for details!

Screaming Females cover "If It Makes You Happy" on A.V. Club - Marissa is GOD

Screaming Females covering "If It Makes You Happy" (Sheryl Crow) is pretty mind blowing but then Screaming Females could probably cover any song and elevate it to cult status. Marissa's big wailing vocals blows you back like an air raid siren and her delicious guitar licks, her prowess with her instrument is mind numbing. Awesome as usual. We love you Marissa!
Courtesy of AV CLUB:


Screaming Females cover Sheryl Crow

Kingston Springs - LIVE version of "Lover" in the AZ desert

Looking like cowboy vagabonds among the stately saguaro cactus, the Kingston Springs perform a beautiful live version of "Lover".  The sweet harmonica and harmonies along with the soft desert silhouettes only add to the appeal. Very cool.
-- Adler Bloom
Filmed & recorded at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ in March 2012.
Directed by: Jeff Gentner


The Kingston Springs Facebook