Camp Revival

I’m smitten.

The Veils have blessed us anew with Sun Gangs. I love this band and near everything they have made available for me to listen to. In a certain melancholic mood, The Veils have an uncanny ability to say exactly the right words and deliver them in a strikingly beautiful, cathartic way. However, they can still rock your brains out, make no mistake. This is music worthy of more than just wanting, or liking, but of needing to hear.

The Veils have achieved a delicate balance between waves of simple, haunting melodies and unapologetic, rampaging rock wails. Finn has a distinctive and versatile voice. Sun Gangs seems to showcase Finn’s voice along with more jangly piano bits than in the previous two albums – Nux Vomica, and Runaway Found – both of which are brilliant.

The Veils have roots in New Zealand, but reside in London. I happened to see them live in February, front row of course. And yeah, Lead Singer Finn Andrews is that dreamy in real life. He was not particularly chatty, but he seemed liked a modest, genuine, nice guy. Oh, and talented, of course. And Sophia (on bass) exudes pure cool, as bassists sometimes do (if they’re lucky).

Find out for yourself! They are touring to promote Sun Gangs, which came out April 6th. Currently, the tour is in Europe, but according to their myspace “We have a tour schedule growing at a frankly sex-inducing pace – if your country is not currently in the live dates section we’re pretty sure it will be soon. Current semi-confirmed things include further shows in Italy, Germany, Austria and Portugal, and a tour in America penciled in for sometime in late June.”

You can download a free mp3 of “The Letter” from The Veils official website homepage. Listen to other tracks on their MySpace page. And if you find that appealing, why not exchange some of that hard-earned, but so very expendable currency and buy the album? Think of it as an investment in your musical health… or the economy, whichever pleases you more.

Spaceman is an MC trapped in a Hype Man. The first time I saw him perform was at Chop Suey in Seattle. He wasn’t scheduled on the bill, but still managed to make his way on stage to freestyle; he literally stole the show. His charisma and energy held the audience hostage. The fact that Spaceman served as D. Black’s Hype Man before he went solo in 2008 may attribute to his electric performances, but I think he was born for this. Spaceman’s music is not introspective or wordy, which is a relief. This music is clever and fresh. Spacemen is able to lock in a flow naturally and would be a force to reckon with in a freestyle battle. His debut release is due out in mid 2009, so expect it soon.

Coming up on May 2nd Sportn’ Life Records (Spaceman’s label) is hosting a battle against Portland’s Focused Noise at the High Dive in Seattle. It is going to be a showcase of the Pacific Northwest’s top talent and a great opportunity to see Spaceman in his element; the battle.

Jack the Ripper – “Illness” featuring Spaceman and Dyme Def’s Brainstorm

Fly Den A Mufakuh

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Damnit, these guys can craft a song. The second I heard “We Sing In Time” by The Lonely Forest I was hooked. It has been a while since I have been so immediately attracted to a song. I blame it on Braydn Krueger, the band’s drummer. His quick tempos and and consistent fills don’t provide the listener the chance to turn away. The Lonely Forest are releasing a new full-length on April 21st, 2009 titled: “The Body Electric”. You can sample the album here. I really hope a single as good as “We Sing In Time” doesn’t overshadow the rest of the album and turn the band into a one hit wonder; time will tell. All I know is leading up to April 21st I will listen to “We Sing In Time” about 50,000,000,000 more times.

We Sing In Time

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If you are eager to catch the band live they are having a CD release party at the Vera Project in Seattle on April 24th. If you are extra eager to catch this band the lead singer Jon Van Deusen will be playing after The Nine Tailors this Saturday at the Fremont Abbey.

While surf-pop and 4-track punk dominates the music scene, where can one look to find those dark corners of music? Detroit. What band? Prussia. Prussia’s “Blessed Be, Yours Truly in Spirit and Soul” is an experiment in tension and terror. Eerie instrumentation and tales of all things terrible fill up the +20 minutes that Prussia takes to tell their story.

Prussia’s album is available for free download over at Common Cloud. For now check out these select tracks:

Placemats Set For Three: My Twin Sister, The Lord, And Me

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To A Southern Drawl, I Sing A Lullaby

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Today’s installation comes straight from the Czech Repubic. And believe it or not, these guys are still around. For those of you who have been following BLACK METAL FRIDAY from the beginning you will note a common theme of peering out from behind trees, lots of makeup, and walking in a seemingly aimless direction. We can only hope that their road leads to some dark abyss of eternal shadows or something equally as rewarding.

Mike Simonetti & Johnny Jewel

Mike Simonetti, from Troubleman Unlimited fame, has created something beautiful in his new(ish) dance label: Italians Do It Better. Mike, with Johnny Jewel, has started his own revival in dance. The bands under his employ are cerebral and infectious. More to come with Glass Candy show reviews and news on IDIB’s two new bands: Twisted Wires and Desire. For now enjoy Mike’s own remix of Jackson 5.

Mike Simonetti – Express Yourself

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Ok. So there were some wild Nostradamus-like guesses ventured against Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s newest record, Beware. And that’s not a bad thing. Trying to keep up with the prolific steps of Mr. Prince is something of an exercise in folk-futility. Now that the ears have had time to digest (burp), I am more able to give a decent shake at the record.

First off, I was right about that Neil Young comparison. The album art is not the only similarity- the crooning swells on Beware’s sturdier tracks reminds me of some of the better moments of Young and Co. The scuzzy electric guitar sounds the much like a Crazy Horse inspired moment. BPB-0; C-1.

Round Two got a little bloody. Where I was expecting macabre-rock, Oldham fills with lighter 70’s country sounds. Gee, thanks for the misleading album art and morose song titles, Bonny. The song content shares more in common with Lie Down In the Light than it does with I See A Darkness. And I’m okay with that- it’s just a little unexpected. Suckerpunched. BPB-1; C-1.

My last prediction is a bit of a hard one to prove at the moment. Where I thought this may spell the end for this particular dimension of Oldham, it seem there is much more to give. Especially with all of the other mini-releases, including a promising EP with  Cheyenne Mize, a song on the Louisville is For Lovers compilation, a shared 7″ single with Young Widows, it looks like the moniker might be sticking around. However, with the host of other projects that Oldham has a hand in (Wendy and Lucy, Trapped In the Closet, various voices lent to Adult Swim, etc.), it’s hard to see where his time might go. It’s going to be a while until we know the results.

Having all of that said, I am plenty digging this record.