The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

When news broke that keyboardist Franz Nicolay would be leaving The Hold Steady earlier this year it came as a kind of a shock. If you have ever seen the band play live, you would know that Nicolay was more than just a keyboardist, he was that extra flourish that made The Hold Steady more than just another indie rock band. His celebratory keyboards and harmony "whoaaa"s added an oomph to the band's songs that pushed already great rock songs into summer anthem territory. Plus he just seemed like he was having so much fun up there on stage.

It was less of a surprise when lead man Craig Finn announced shortly thereafter that their new album would be "less anthemic." Hey Craig, you don't really need a weatherman to tell which way the wind is blowing here, but thanks anyway. As if to prove that point, the band leads off "Heaven is Whenever" with "The Sweet Part of the City," a mid-tempo southern blues burner. Unlike "Stay Positive," which led with the blistering "Constructive Summer" or "Boys and Girls in America," which led with the fist pumping "Stuck Between Stations," the band seems to be making a point that yes, indeed, this is going to be something different from those albums. Also of note is the return of producer Dean Baltulonis to the fold. Baltulonis produced the band's "Almost Killed Me," and "Separation Sunday," albums which notably sound better suited for dive bars, rather than the massive architecture of "Boys and Girls" and "Stay Positive."

Of course you can't keep a boy down on the farm once he has seen the city, and the band does return to those "whoohoohoo" anthems at choice moments throughout the album. "The Weekenders" would sound comfortably at home on "Boys and Girls" thematically and musically. But for the most part the band does strip things down here. It's still the Hold Steady, but they sound less expansive, more back to the basics. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, these guys are, after all, the best bar band in the world, and songs like "Hurrican J" and "The Smidge" ARE going to sound pretty damn good coming through the speakers after that second drink.

Thematically the album isn't as consistent as the storybook "Separation Sunday" or "Boys and Girls," but all the similar obsessions are there; Catholicism, alcoholism, flirtations with drug abuse by good girls going bad, and the bad boys who are going to take them there. Of note is Finn's undying dedication to the music that influenced him, and inform the sound of The Hold Steady. "Stay Positive" contained Finn's most blatant peons to music with the title track and "Constructive Summer," whose melody and name owed much to "Celebrated Summer" by Husker Du, and contained a memorable verse about St. Joe Strummer. Title track "Stay Positive," was a rousing celebration of the independent music scene; a sort of grand unifying anthem for all the desperate genres that fall under the umbrella of indie rock. On "Heaven is Whenever," Finn incorporates the album title into the moving chorus of the gorgeous "We Can Get Together" to again acknowledge the transformative power of music. "Heaven is whenever we can get together, sit down on your floor and listen to your records," Finn croons. The song name drops Husker Du specifically, but gives a nod to musicians as diverse as Pavement and Meatloaf. It's a reminder that Finn is like us, regular guys and girls who live for music and aren't afraid to admit that a band like Boston may have informed our tastes just as much as The Clash did. It's also the secret of The Hold Steady's appeal. These guys aren't trust fund Williamsburg hipsters, they are regular guys who grew up like many of us with middle-class Midwestern roots. They are the home team. They like the same things that we do, they look at the world pretty much the same way we do, they just happen to be able to pull off what so many of us wanted to do, but never did - make killer rock songs. The glory is that they have done that so well that eventually someone will be singing their praises the way they do Husker Du and Youth of Today. It's enough to bring a tear to the eye of an indie rock fan.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of other great tracks from "Heaven is Whenever." "Barely Breathing" captures the band in a killer groove, boosted by some great horn and organ work. About a punk rock show from back in the day, Finn drops some of his most hyper-literate lyrics on the album, making for a fully formed and satisfying Hold Steady jam. Album closer "A Slight Discomfort," is also pretty spectacular. The song finds the band returning to the more expansive sound of "Stay Positive," with a reverb heavy dirge about surviving a hard-lived life. "Well be alright, well get through the night, our struggle feels wonderful most days," Finn sings. Once the stately piece comes to a close, its clear that indeed The Hold Steady is going to be alright, even after loss and change. With "Heaven is Whenever," the band has crafted another album full of great songs. While there might be a slight change in the program, it's still those lovable, thoughtful, regular guys living the rock and roll dream, making songs about us, and for us.

"Hurricane J" live


"The Weekenders" live


"We Can Get Together" live

WOUNDED LION - Wounded Lion (In The Red)

Let's be honest, currently there is an over abundance of jangly retro garage/punk acts, making it harder and harder to separate the wheat from the chaff. Every week labels like In the Red, Not Not Fun, Woodsist, Captured Tracks and, now, even Sub Pop are churning out some new garage rock revivalist. Just as with any scene or musical movement, it is kind of hard not to feel burnt out and cynical once the saturation point has been reached; which was easily early last year for this stuff.

The one good thing that punk infused garage has going for it, over other genres who tire out quickly (looking at you chillwave), is that it is pretty darn timeless. There really is no more pristine form of rock than three or four folks plugged into amps, bashing out ramshackled melodies over sloppy distortion and feedback. This is, after all, what rock and roll is all about. Still, though, bashing out a bunch of noise and drowning it in lo-fi production does not a great rock act make. So what does these days? What would it take to stand out from the absurdly crowded field of wanna-be Nuggets worthy bands? Well, it takes hooks, it takes melody, it takes volume and most importantly the ability to make the listener smile from ear to ear while tapping their foot or thrashing around. In other words, it's got to be goddamned fun.

Thankfully for Wounded Lion, fun is their middle name, and they know how to throw in some hooks and melody to boot. Hailing from L.A., and having put in their time at the Smell, Wounded Lion sound fresh even in the wake of so many other retro-damaged garage acts before them. Part of what sets them apart is a difference in influences. Wounded Lion sound less like the Ramones drowned in Guided By Voices production, than they do early Talking Heads, The Clean, Modern Lovers and even the Cramps. Yet, even if their sound is a tad cleaner than the contemporaries, their spirit is just as down and dirty, if not more so. There is a quality to these songs that demands that you hear them played out in some sweaty club where the drinks flow freely and all your friends are there.

Songs like the absurdly infectious "Dagoba System," "Omar Walk" and "Black Socks" kind of make you want to pogo, even if you end up spilling beer all over the place. Other songs, like "Hanging In Ancient Circles" swing like hell while spotlighting a more cerebral side to the band, similar to S & E-era Pavement. Then there are just straight up nuggets of pop perfection like "Belt of Orion." Taken as a whole, Wounded Lion's debut is a heady, spirited and, most importantly, goddamned fun take on garage pop. It's been a while since I put on an album by a band that I knew nothing about only to find myself shaking my head and muttering "this is really great" by the time it was over, but that is what happened with Wounded Lion. They may be late to the party, but better late than never.

M.I.A. - Born Free

Banned by Youtube. Rather timely given Arizona's unconstitutional anti-immigrant legislation, this video speaks for itself.

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be (Sub Pop)

I admit an extreme bias for garage/punk girl groups. Black Tambourine is a perennial favorite of mine. I thought Pens had one of the most underrated albums of last year. The Vivian Girls? Let's just say that "worship" is far too tame a word. Much of this adoration arises from the mixture of rough-hewed muscular rock with feminine vocals and themes. As a male, I get guys. I know what makes us tick, but women remain forever alluring and foreign. Any peek into their inner world is captivating, and because the mode of communicate these women choose is garage/punk it is in a language I can understand, unlike, say, Taylor Swift. So, while it is often necessary to get my inner caveman on with the likes of High On Fire and Sunn O))), ultimately for a rocker boy there is nothing more enthralling than a girl with a guitar ripping it up and screaming/singing her heart out.

Enter the Dum Dum Girls. Originally lead singer/songwriter Dee Dee's one woman bedroom operation, the project started out as a lo-fi homage to the 60s girl group sound with a serrated edge. A couple of early eps evidenced a world of potential, but neither really prepare the listener for the Girls debut album "I Will Be."

In between those early eps and "I Will Be," the girl become the Girls, adding band members Jules on guitar and vocals, Bambi on bass, and former original Vivian Girl Frankie Rose on drums and vocals. The addition of Jules, Bambi and Frankie makes for a world of difference in the Dum Dum Girls sound. Whereas in the past minimalism, drum machines or lo-fi fuckery compensated for the fact that it was just Dee Dee laying down her wonderful, but not entirely realized, pop tunes, the Girls now sound like a full-throated rock band, with the muscle to back up Dee Dee's often troubled musings. Add producer Richard Gottehrer into the mix, the man responsible for "My Boyfriend's Back" and "I Want Candy," as well as producer to Voidoids, Blondie and the GoGos, and you have the makings for one of the most the perfect garage/punk girl group records to date. "I Will Be" is exactly that - perfect.

The album features dark angry rockers ("It Only Takes One Night," ""Oh Mein Me," "I Will Be") aching ballads ("Rest Of Our Lives," "Baby Don't Go") and pop gems ("Bhang Bhang, I'm A Burnout," "Jail La La") filtered through the prism of the Ronettes and Garageland in equal parts. This 50-50 split in influence is what sets the Dum Dum Girls apart from their peers. Whereas Pens and the Vivian Girls tilt more toward garage punk with a smattering of 60s girl group sound, Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" is absolutely essential to the sound of the Dum Dum Girls, as is punk rock and all that it inspired. Listen closely to a song like "Blank Girl," one of the album's best tracks, and it becomes apparent that without either influence working in near equal measure, this perfect song, and by extension this perfect album, wouldn't exist. A duet between Dee Dee and husband Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles, the song sounds like a lost 60s bubblegum pop classic at first blush, but on closer inspection it's clear that some of the bricks in the Wall Of Sound are constructed of late 70s New York and 80s new wave. Conversely, the titular track finds the band rocking it like Riot Grrrls, but repeat listens reveal 60s girl group harmonies and psyche-inflected guitar noodling in between the bars.

Lyrically as well, Dee Dee combines influences to craft simple sounding songs that reveal much more on closer inspection. Whether it is the drug-induced earworm "Bhang Bhang" (which is so damn addictive, that it's kind of hard to be upset if one's very young daughters end up running around singing this ode to psychedelics), or the very bad trip to the county jail that is "Jail La La," Dee Dee crafts the most wonderfully catchy, but fairly damaged, lyrics that have come down the pike in a while.

In the end "I Will Be" is a truly superb album. In turns tuneful and abrasive, sweet and biting, the Dum Dum Girls is pop at its most confident, catchy and serious. Listening to this album only underscores the vacuousness of what passes these days for popular music. There is nothing of this depth, or this addictiveness on our airwaves, but there should be. Dee Dee is worth a hundred Britneys, GaGas, Jessicas, Taylors, Beyonces and Fergies. This is the real deal and it isn't any less fun, just a whole lot more fulfilling. And, for those rocker dudes who love women with guitars singing their heart out, as well as those women who are drawn to the serrated edge, it doesn't get any better than this.

"Jail La La"


"Blank Girl"

Zola Jesus - Stridulum (Sacred Bones)

When artists make major stylistic changes in their musical approach, they typically wait until they release a full-length album. This allows them to make a complete statement about where they have been and where they are going. Further, by rolling out their directional shift in the form of a long player people tend to notice. It suddenly becomes important. Hell, it usually kicks off more than a few healthy debates about an artist's "old stuff" versus the new. EPs, instead, are often the playground where musicians try out ideas and explore the limits of their abilities, often producing music that mirrors their ambition, for better or worse. If an EP alienates an audience, well, there is always the promise of a more fully realized LP just around the corner. Such is not the case with Zola Jesus.

Zola Jesus, a/k/a Nika Roza Danilova, emerged amidst the 80s revivalism of the past couple of years as the keeper of the eerie ethereal flame of proto-goth. Her darkly majestic songs summoned the spirit of 4AD linchpins This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins as well as early Siouxsie Sioux and Diamonda Galas. Alongside those musical touchstones, Zola Jesus painted everything in a lo-fi fuzzed out murk that only deepened the mystery of her songs. Following her excellent debut "The Spoils," with the even darker and scarier "Tsar Bomba" EP, it looked like Danilova was prepared to ratchet up the musical drama, and, in turn, power, while shunning accessibility. In some quarters that kind of a move is what demarcates real artists from so many flavors of the month. So it is with a bit of a shock that one meets the "Stridulum" EP on first impression. The EP signals a fairly major shift in Zola Jesus' approach. Gone is the murk, gone are the hazy atmospherics and gone, unfortunately, is some of the mystery.

The six-song EP begins with "Night," the most straightforward song Danilova has released to date. The 80s inflected dark synths and drum machines are still there, but they sound clean and clear, rather than buried under a fuzzy haze. On repeated listens the song becomes more acceptable as is, but initially the listener wouldn't be blamed for wanting some of that lo-fi production back in the mix. It isn't that Zola Jesus lacks the talent to write good songs, as so many lo-fi bands do who cover their lack of ability with layers of noise, it is that her particular style of music benefits from layers of hypnotic static, reverb and general musical opaqueness. This is the kind of music that grows in power in darkened rooms. Danilova's voice has been like a candle that casts light, keeping the monsters at bay, throughout her previous work. Performances like "Night" lose a bit of that power since all of the corners are lit to some degree, leaving less depth of field for Danilova to stand out against.

"Trust Me" and "I Can't Stand" follow and broaden Danilova's new approach by turning the lights up all the way. Oddly, though, each song is immediately more successful than "Night." Both songs center around Danilova's entreatments of solace to an unknown troubled listener. They remind me of the kind of songs I found comfort in during those rough high school years. You know, the kind you listened to while wearing buttons of the Moz on your jacket, wishing for a better life far from the confines of home and those d-bags that populated your school hallways...or maybe that was just me. Either way, both songs provide a perfect salve for that kind of teenage angst, which makes sense, since Danilova herself is not too far removed from those days of awkward uncertainty, having just turned a mere 21.

The EP's title track finds Zola Jesus backtracking just a little bit by offering up a powerful, swelling chunk of proto-goth that highlights Danilova's incredible voice. While she was trained in opera, it is actually the harrowing and soulful aspects of Danilova's voice that makes it so unique. There are world class opera singers who lack the alluring naturalism of Danilova's voice, and while their vocal stylings may rock the house during a performance of Puccini at the Metropolitan, I'll take the grit and force of Danilova's delivery any day. But then again, what do I know? I hate opera, I love Danilova's voice, though, and find it to be one of the finest natural wonders to emerge on the music scene in years.

The EP ends with the incredible "Manifest Destiny." Here Danilova returns to the darkness, but maintains the clean production of the rest of the release. The song is a stately piece of work that sounds like an army marching toward battle, eventually exploding in attack while Danilova's voice soars over the carnage. It's a great number and one that proves that even if Danilova chooses to make more and more transparent music there is still room for her to embrace the darkness of her prior releases to great effect.

"Stridulum" will be a grower for fans of Zola Jesus' previous releases, but one that eventually proves itself to be a solid piece of work, with more than a few spectacular moments. For newcomers who come to "Stridulum" without any baggage, this will likely prove to be an immediately satisfying listen. Just be prepared when someone says "I liked her old stuff better," even if that old stuff is barely a year old.

Zola Jesus Stridulum from Imaginary Animal on Vimeo.

Zola Jesus Run Me Out / Manifest Destiny from Imaginary Animal on Vimeo.

You Know Our Hearts Beat Time Now Very Slowly...You Know Our Hearts Beat Time Waiting For Something That Will Never Arrive.

Sorry for the rather long absence. But I have a regular day job that actually effects peoples' lives for better or worse, and because I took a vacation last week, the last few weeks of my life sucked balls and I didn't get to do what I love, which is bullshit about music...Anyway, I am back with reviews coming up of Zola Jesus, Wold, Mount Eerie, Will Oldham and a lot of other stuff I am still debating writing about. Before I get to any of that though, I have two "news" stories to report on. The first is a very happy one for me, and requires me posting a link to that satanic necessity called Pitchfork, the second is neither happy, nor hipster friendly, which works just fine, other than the fact that it sucks...anyway, let me say a few words why this first one is the good news...

Wolf Parade is THE most underrated band in Indie/P4K culture, yet every time they make a sound it is listened to and tracked. Why? Because maybe WP (and that doesn't mean "White Power" US and People Magazine) transcend trends and built-in ironies, creating music that actually means something, and because they make the best goddamned indie rock this side of Pavement.

To prove that point, their show was the very best small club indie show I have EVER motherfucking seen, including that of early Pavement. It was "Clash" good, which means it was 5 stars, 10+, whatever it takes to make you understand this was religious. If you haven't been paying attention at all, listen up, this isn't just another cast off indie rock band. They are a band that consumes their influences (Bowie, Springsteen, Television, Pavement, Modest Mouse and just being awesomely Canadian) and makes it into their own most awesome emotional rocking sound since...well, mutherfuckin' Pavement. I'm willing to bet my whole rep on this band, and there is no (zero) other bands from the indie rock community of the last 10 years that I would be willing to do that for...so please, basturds, check this band out and make them the stars they should be. I present to you Wolf Parade...

Just listen...


"This is either a song about the Military Industrial Complex, or my Sister-In-Law"...


If I Could Take The Fire Out From The Wire..."I'll Believe In Anything" live


Some Folks Float, Some Are Buried Alive..."Shine A Light" fan video. This particular version cuts off the most awesome climax, so check out the original of this song, if you dig this, but I am posting this because it is way better and, to me at least, more in keeping with the feeling I get from this song than the crappy Sub Pop video...


It's In This Language That I've Found..."Animal In Your Care" live


Always Working Just To Tear it Down..."Language City" studio version...


Oh yeah, Pitchfork says they have a new album coming out soon...