Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

 

Calvin Johnson is an Olympia, WA-born and-based guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer and DJ best known as a founding member of Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team and The Halo Benders, all of which featured his rich baritone vocals. He’s also the founder and owner of renowned indie label K Records — and he was one of the major organizers of the International Pop Underground Convention.

Johnson’s forthcoming album A Wonderful Beast is slated for an October 12, 2018 release through his own K Records, and the album, which was recorded at Audio Eagle Studios in Nashville, TN finds Johnson collaborating with the The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, who cowrote and produced the album and Michelle Branch, who contributes backing vocals on three songs. Johnson can trace the origins of his collaboration with Carney back to 2005 when the Olympia, WA-based singer/songwriter, guitarist, producer and DJ was on a stateside tour to support his sophomore solo album Before the Dream Faded. The two kept in touch over the years, with Carney suggesting that they collaborate. Branch is best known for being a member of The Wreckers and for a solo career, and as the story goes, she lives next door to Audio Eagle Studios. Intrigued by the sounds she heard from the shack that houses the studio, she walked over to see for herself what was going on, and she wound up on the album.

A Wonderful Beast‘s first single is the swooning and urgent “Kiss Me Sweetly,” a single centered around a 60s bubblegum pop-like arrangement featuring a propulsive rhythm section consisting of a thumping, almost boom-bap-like backbeat, a funky bass line and blasts of swirling, kaleidoscopic guitar playing — but by far, the star of the song is the harmonizing between Johnson’s rich, sonorous baritone and Branch’s ethereal soprano, which further emphasizes the song’s swooning nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Melbourne’s Darling James Releases Trippy and Noir-ish Visuals for “Silver Bullet”

Multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter James O’Brien is arguably best known as the frontman of renowned Melbourne, Australia-based act Boat People, and his solo recording project Darling James has received attention nationally and internationally for hook-laden yet thoughtful and sophisticated take on pop; in fact, EP single “God’s Graffiti” featured metaphysical inspired lyrics paired with an atmospheric yet propulsive production centered around shimmering, arpeggiated synths and propulsive drum programming that to my ears recalled Reptile Youth‘s Away EP — but with an earnest yearning for meaning, for more.

O’Brien’s sophomore Darling James’ effort, MOOD EYES is slated for an August 3, 2018 release, and the material was reportedly first written, pieced together, auditioned, revised and culled from a series of songs and song ideas that made the cut. He then took the initial recordings to long-time collaborator Robin Waters, and the two brought in additional musicians to flesh out the material while Waters began sorting through and mixing the reams of synths, vocals, string arrangements and samples that O’Brien had thrown together. And while seemingly hodgepodge, the material on the EP thematically focus on everything from regret and acceptance, burning the candle at both ends, the joy of leaving a party and the party scene for a loved one and so on. MOOD EYES’ latest single is sonically centered around shimmering synths, boom bap-like drum programming, an infectious hook and a motorik groove — and while further cementing O’Brien’s reputation as a solo artist, who carefully crafts his material, the song is also a look into both a relationship and a situation in which there’s no easy or certain answer, just increasing confusion and anxiety, and no one to save you.

Directed by Marz Luckhurst, the recently released video stars O’Brien, who sits in the  neon lit backseat of a car, during a seemingly endless car ride, as he’s singing the song — perhaps to entertain himself or to keep himself some kind of company; but underneath the surface there’s this sense of a man, who’s probably losing his mind. As O’Brien explains of the video’s treatment, “I wanted the clip to show a slow but dramatic change in someone’s mental state like a religious ecstasy where it’s hard to tell if the person is transcending and in the midst of an amazing experience or completely losing their mind and having an awful time. You could maybe call it ‘manic stability’, i.e. a bit of both! In the end the character seems to be saved or at least calmed by this shark image which is perhaps his version of a totem.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Los Angeles’ Massage Releases Easy-Going Animated Visuals for Shimmering “Oh Boy”

Massage is a Los Angeles-based indie rock act comprised of Alex Naidus (guitar, vocals), who was once a member of Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Michael Felix (drums), Andrew Romano (guitar, vocals), David Rager (bass) and Gabrielle Ferrer (keys, vocals) — and in a relatively short period of time, the band has received attention for crafting a jangling guitar pop sound that as the band’s Andrew Romano says in press notes was “inspired by a new generation of Australian bands like Twerps and Boomgates and Dick Driver, who are ostensibly doing a very retrograde thing — I mean they’re mostly white guys playing guitar rock — but somehow finding a sweet spot that Americans, who tend towards the muscular and melodramatic, always seem to miss: messier and more casual, but also catchier somehow.”

The band’s full-length debut Oh Boy was released last week through Tear Jerk Records, and album title track “Oh Boy,” will further cement their growing reputation for writing shimmering guitar pop and gorgeous melodies — but with a loose, ramshackle vibe. As the band’s Romano says of the song “‘Oh Boy’ is our California version of that ramshackle vibe. When I wrote it, I was listening to a lot of 16 Lovers Lane-era Go-Betweens — ground zero for today’s Aussie scene — and I think that their influence may have come through in all the droning chords and the domestic imagery. The last lines of the song were dummy lyrics that suck. I realized what they were about — how honest they were about things I hadn’t even realized I was feeling; about family and fatherhood and settling down and ambition — and the rest of the words were written in response. Sometimes a song tells you what it wants to be.”

Featuring  animation by Gabi Ferrer is centered around images of domesticity — a cat sleeping in a home office, a cup of water on a table, and so on; but underneath the surface there’s an anxiety about what it all means. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their highly praised debut EP Minority Girl, the attention-grabbing Brooklyn-based punk rock act Grim Streaker quickly made a name for themselves for an in- your- face-sound and approach that possesses elements of New Wave, noise rock, goth, skater punk, punk and No Wave while drawing comparisons to Twin Peaks, Perfect Pussy and White Lung. Adding to a growing profile, the members of the band, Amelia Bushell (vocals), Daniel Peskin (guitar), Micah Weisberg (guitar), Bill Dvorak (bass) and Piyal Basu (drums), have shared bills with JOVM mainstays METZ and A Place to Bury Strangers, as well as Thunderpussy and Jacuzzi Boys.

The up-and-coming Brooklyn-based punk rock outfit’s latest single “Mojito” will further cement their reputation for crafting snarling and feral punk rock that sounds explosive and unhinged — and evokes a wild night, spiraling out of control. Interestingly, as the band’s Amelia Bushell told Talkhouse, the band’s latest single was inspired by what she describes as an  “unforgettable and bizarre experience that would later influence the surreal lyrics to ‘Mojito.’” As she told Talkhouse:

“Not long after arriving in Cuba, my friends and I met a couple, Chelsea and Taylor, who were heading to Trinidad the same day as us. Chelsea had been before, and told us we absolutely could not miss the secret club hidden in a cave at the top of a hill: ‘Meet us at the cave bar! 10 PM. Just keep following the road up the hill. You’ll think you’ve gone too far but keep going. We’ll be there.’ It sounded unreal.

We arrived in Trinidad the next day, had a late dinner and began the long trek to the cave as the sun began to set. It was exactly as Chelsea had described it. For what seemed like an eternity, we wandered up a dark, twisting road, with nobody in sight.

Just as we began to worry we had taken a wrong turn, the distant sound of a cocktail shaker cut through the night, and a tiny light came into our vision. We stumbled closer over the rough cobblestones. There – in the middle of a pitch-black mountainside road – was a man with a tiny cart, making mojitos.

We each bought a mojito and continued up the steep hill, thinking we must be on the right track now. Just a few steps later, another mojito cart appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. We chugged the first round, ordered a second, and joked about how we should stop at every single cart we saw (we did).

When we finally made it to the top of the hill, we were surprised to see a small crowd standing outside the entrance to the cave. It was real! We couldn’t believe it. Chelsea and Taylor appeared moments later. After a suspenseful wait, the doors creaked open and we made our way down a long staircase into multiple chambers of cavernous glory. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. People were smoking, drinking and dancing in the dimly-lit subterranean club. There were disco lights, a full bar, music and even restrooms.

After we stumbled out of the cave at the end of the night, we decided to go on a mojito ‘pilgrimage’ down the mountain, once again stopping at every single mojito cart. After three or four more mojitos, we got take-away pizza at the bottom of the hill and headed back to our hostel.

I vaguely remember waking up the next day completely naked and feeling as hungover as ever. I figured some fresh air and a walk would do me good, and started up the street toward the town center. On the way I passed the remnants of the pizza I was eating the night before, now spewed all over the road, and laughed out loud.”

Grim Streaker’s new single comes as they announced a handful of dates this summer that includes a show tonight at Baby’s All Right and an August 18, 2018 stop at the Knitting Factory. Check out the tour dates below.

Grim Streaker on Tour:
7/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (w/ Bass Drum of Death)
8/18: Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory (w/ Agent Orange)
8/20: Columbus, OH @ The Tree Bar
8/21: Chicago, IL @ Charm School
8/22: Detroit, MI @ Trixie’s
8/23: Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern
8/24: Montreal, QC @ L’Esco (w/ FRIGS)
8/25: Quebec City, QC @ Le Knock-Out

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

The up-and-coming Los Angeles, CA-based psych pop project Das Kope is the brainchild of its Sao Paulo, Brazil-born, Los Angeles-based creative mastermind, George. Interestingly, George lived a few blocks away from where renowned Brazilian psych rock act Os Mutantes had originated — and much like the members of the renowned group, George had long felt that he was an outsider with a unique vision. As a self-taught guitarist, influenced the city’s grey cityscape, he found his musical voice in punk rock. As a teen propelled by the DIY spirit and ethos, George saved up enough money to buy a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, leaving everything he had known behind to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. Quickly realizing that the money he had saved in his homeland didn’t translate to much in the way of American money, he did something rather unexpected considering the situation: he decided to join one of Los Angeles’ fastest and constantly growing lifestyles — broke musician.

The Sao Paulo-born, Los Angeles-based musician spent the next couple of years working at a slew of odd jobs and moving from place to place before eventually settling in as a partial recluse in a dark Hollywood apartment he nicknamed “the cave.” Isolated, he spent the next few years focusing on any and all creative pursuits that brought color to his mostly nocturnal existence. He became obsessed with guitar pedals, synthesizers, VCRs, after effects, tape recorders, green screen and the like. And as the story goes, those obsessions influenced Das Kope. Interestingly, his latest single, the breezy “L.A.X.” is centered around layers of shuffling guitar chords, a sinuous bass line, thumping beats, ethereal vocals and shimmering synths that recalls JOVM mainstays POND and Tame Impala but with a gritty urgency at it score.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Now, over the past few years, I’ve written quite a bit about the prolific Bay Area-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist  and JOVM mainstay Tim Cohen, and as you may recall Cohen writes, records and tours with a number of different creative pursuits including  Magic Trick, The Fresh & Onlys (with whom, he may be the best known) and as a solo artist. His obsession with writing music as a means of turning nothing into something has over the better part of the past decade has become an almost neurotic need that has driven him to write, record and release something close to 30 full-length albums. And as Cohen readily admits in press notes, his prolificacy has sometimes worked against him, as he describes some of his earlier, home-recorded work as “hurried” and “incomplete.”

Cohen’s forthcoming solo album The Modern World is slated for a September 28, 2018 release through Sinderlyn Records, and the album is the first entirely self-recorded album since 2011’s Tim Cohen’s Magic Trick. Recorded over the course of a restless and fruitful year that saw the birth of his second child, and Cohen balancing the constant juggle for his time and attention of a fledging painting career, a day job and his music career. Naturally that allowed for strains of anxiety to creep in, and he relished those rare moments of silence, where he could coop up in his attic recording space and press “record.” And reportedly, the album is a visceral yet clear amalgamation of Cohen’s paranoias and deepest joys — with the material at points focusing on the pitfalls of a fast-moving, fast-changing world, the fears of an ever rising tide of hatred and unrest that could kill us all, the complications and strains of love and parenthood in the modern age; but ultimately, it’s centered around the intrinsic and fulfilling joy of pure love. The Modern World‘s first single “Goodness,” as he notes is like many of his songs, spilling forth as a plea of sorts. “A mixture between happy and sad. A contented malaise. Throw in some dissonant synth stabs over the sing-along chorus. It just feels like goodness to me.” Interestingly enough, the song manages to balance a “you-were- there-in-the-room with- the- song’s-creator” urgency with an easy-going, Sunday afternoon vibe; but the song points at the fact that relationships are almost always with two very flawed, very fucked up people who desire some sweetness, some goodness in a miserable and hate-filled world — and yet, like everything else in this world, it barely makes sense, and when it works to some degree, feels like a surreal dream that someone else wrote for you.

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms