Music

EP Review: Town Hall – Sticky Notes and Paper Scraps [2012, Mason Jar Music]

Posted on January 11, 2012 by halley in Albums | Leave a comment

The first thing I must say about Town Hall is: thank god for a band that ‘gets’ website design. Maybe I’m just not artistic/musically minded to appreciate the thought and nuance that goes into some bands’ sites, but every time I have to ‘click to enter’ nine times before finding the actual content I’m looking for or come upon a long-outdated ‘next shows’ section I cringe. No wonder some indie bands stay small.

Thankfully, Town Hall has a wonderful site: no clicking to enter, music is up front and center, contact info readily available. Check it out here .

On to the music. The Brooklyn-based band just released its first full-band EP, Sticky Notes and Paper Scraps. For those of you looking for energetic indie, be aware: the first word that comes to mind when listening to the tracks is mellow. Soothing is not far behind. Listen to it while you’re getting ready for bed, not prepping for a night out. The band’s tags include freak and folk, but I would put a far heavier emphasis on the ‘folk’ aspect of the sound. That being said, it’s a 100% enjoyable soothing/mellow/folskie sound. The band reminds me a bit of Nickel Creek with the plucky-string sound and the female-male duets. My favorite track is Mary A. Longdon with its line: “all the women want to know is how she keeps her skin so smooth/what pills does she take, what creams does she use.” For some reason it’s a bit haunting – definitely sticks with you. Don’t believe me? Try it out.

Cover of the Day: Holmes – You Dropped A Bomb On Me (Gap Band Cover)

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Ricky in Covers, Song of the Day | Leave a comment

It’s not often a classic 80s disco track gets covered, so LA via NYC singer-songwriter Holmes took it upon himself to cover this Gap Band hit.

Originally a funk track, Holmes puts his own spin on it, trading in the funk sound for a more introspective, slower paced track. The spin on the original song almost makes the track sound entirely new. Holmes has an album of covers called… Covers. Check that out if you like this track.

Cover of the Day/Concert Review: Anna Calvi, December 8, Lee’s Palace (Wolf Like Me, TVOTR Cover)

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Ricky in Concerts, Covers | Leave a comment

Anna Calvi can play guitar. She can play it really really well. From the set opener Rider to the Sea to the set closing Edith Piaf cover, the English singer songwriter set the bar quite high for future shows with some blistering guitar solos to accompany her Mercury Prize nominated tracks. You know a singer has control of the room when the entire place is in silence as they sing. This was Anna Calvi on Thursday – confident, radiant (especially in her red and black assemble) and entirely engrossing, the singer made good promise on the large amount of hype bestowed on her this year with an impressive performance at Lee’s Palace.

One of the tracks she performed was this cover of TV on the Radio’s classic track Wolf Like Me. As you would expect, it’s completely different from the original, but still rather good. Have a listen.

Anna Calvi “Wolf Like Me” by Anna Calvi

Remix of the Day: Plushgun – I Like It (Buffetlibre remix)

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Ricky in Remixes, Song of the Day | Leave a comment

Plushgun is a Brooklyn based electronic/new wave/indie band (aren’t they all these days) from the proud city of Brooklyn (aren’t they all from there these days). You might have heard of them a few years back when their song “Just Impolite” was featured on the ill fated faux MTV reality show The City. Remember when The Hills was all the rage? Funny how MTV’s television success transitioned from a bunch of rich Los Angeles teenagers to a bunch of idiot Jersey based party animals.

Anyways, it has been a few years for the group and they are back with a new album and a new single. The song “I Like It” is the first single off this record and it gets the Buffet Libre treatment. As with most Buffet Libre remixes, soaring synthesizers, dreamy ambiance and that ’80s-based New Years Eve party vibe are introduced to the song, which is already quite catchy in the first place. Check it out.

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