New Music: Beirut, Hella, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Reynold

Beirut - Elephant Gun - Lon Gisland EP (Ba Da Bing 2007)

Beirut – Lon Gisland EP / Ba Da Bing

I think it's pretty safe to proclaim Beirut the unforeseen indie phenomenon of 2006, not to mention the quickly spreading Eastern European flair following suit. For instance, at my rent-paying corporate office job (if only independent radio could provide full financial support, sigh), we can browse anyone's Itunes library that is connected to the server. One unknown body huddled inside the sea of cubicles, which goes by the sexy name u0075792, supported this claim completely when I glanced her playlist the other week. Scattered throughout the 500 songs or so were full albums from recent spoon-fed artists like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and All-American Rejects, but what really caught my attention was nestled between Avril Lavigne and Ben Kweller, Beirut's 'Postcards from Italy' off his debut long-player Gulag Orkestar. Whether she caught wind of the song by word of mouth, a mag, some website or whatever I'll never know, but the fact that even kids just treading the surface of independent music are familiar with the talented upstart is pretty unbelievable. Keeping the fans hungry in early 07, Zach Condon, the young music prodigy responsible for the Beirut hysteria, unleashes a new EP further improving his indie-gypsy-folk stylings. Having relocated to Brooklyn from Albuquerque, Condon is now sporting his own full band (neither Jeremy Barnes nor Heather Trost of A Hawk and a Hacksaw, who helped flesh out Barnes debut recordings, are credited), and took a step back from being responsible for 90% of the instrumentation to concentrating on the vocals, ukulele, piano and trumpet. With the help of the 8-piece Beirut orchestra, the DeVotchKa meets A Hawk and A Hacksaw meets Rufus Wainwright sound moves a bit away from the list of worldly influences into his own sound. Part lush indie-pop, part Eastern European folk, part gypsy party music, part Southwestern sundown, Lon Gisland is only going to keep the fans coming. The opening track, 'Elephant Gun,' is exactly what the indie-poppers are craving and it's followed by an upbeat instrumental number that should please listeners with more eclectic taste. 'Scenic World (Version)' features a more stripped down arrangement and leans more to the Wainwright side with his multi-tracked voice while 'Carousels' is a good mix of matured songwriting and instrumental prowess. I wouldn't expect the Beirut name to wane anytime soon, and I'd prep for some serious attention paid to his new full-length due out fall 07.






Hella - Hand That Rocks the Cradle - There's No 666 in Outer Space (IPECAC 2007)

Hella – There's No 666 in Outer Space / IPECAC

It's a little known fact that Hella, the curiously catchy Sacramento noise-rock duo, was originally a quartet but only stripped down to a twosome because the songs that would become their debut album, Hold Your Horse Is, gained momentum before they had a chance to find the right players to fill out their full band; and then things got rolling, people started paying attention and before they knew it, Hella as a duo was a concrete entity (though I'm saying this like I've been in the know since the beginning, it's actually documented quite nicely by Zach Hill himself in this interview). So now that the core of Hella, unearthly guitarist Spencer Seim and 16-armed drummer Zach Hill, have the opportunity to finally manifest their original vision as well as keep the band from sounding stagnant, they have enlisted the talent's of Zach's cousin Josh Hill on guitar, Carson McWhirter on bass and keys, and the unyielding yelps of Aaron Ross (J. Hill and McWhirter were intended to be original members). So does There's No 666 in Outer Space sound like Hella? Well yes and no; obviously, it's not going to sound exactly like the stripped-down guitar and drum hysteria you have come to know and love, but that core sound is still very much represented in Hella 2.0. The music herks you to the left, jerks to the right, jabs you in the face a couple dozen times in a quick, successive manner and skitters into a somehow familiar noisily melodic theme through precise musicianship. Again, stating the absolute obvious, the vocals are the biggest difference maker of the expanded line-up. Aaron Ross's high-pitched howl is a cross between Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Chris Cornell and Mike Patton, which I know sounds appalling, but works well with this sound. The fact alone that he can find room to sing over the Hella core should be proof enough of his talent, but really the only way he could blend into the epic, shredded melody aesthetic of the band is to sound as outlandish and biting. So new Hella is not old Hella; and yes, I agree that sucks, but that is no reason to dismiss the new version. I actually quite enjoy the craziness of this record and the ridiculous multi-directional head-banging that is required with each listen. While I don't really know at this time of any backlash to the expanded line-up, but I can't help but wonder what if they had dubbed it with a different moniker? Would the response be different? Would you analyze it differently just because of a new alias? Probably something to consider while listening. Also, expect a lot from the multi-dimensional Zach Hill in 07 including a new project with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of the Mars Volta, new Flossin record (hooray), an album from Marnie Stern he produced and played drums on and I'm guessing much more.






The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Three Changes - The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Virgin 2007)

The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen / Virgin

What began as a recording experiment between Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen in Lagos with local Nigerian musicians has some how evolved into something very unAfrican, instead The Good, The Bad & The Queen is something distinctly British. Let's go ahead and discuss the musical minds involved since they are all very well established and the biggest mystery about the project is what sound these distinctly different backgrounds might sound like as a band. The initial core was Damon Albarn, most notably of Blur and Gorillaz fame, Simon Tong, guitarist for popular 90s Britpop group The Verve, and master percussionist Tony Allen who spent many a year keeping rhythm with the Africa 70 backing Fela Kuti. Producer extraordinaire and frequent Albarn collaborator (ahem Gorillaz) Danger Mouse egged the project on after hearing the initial recordings and Clash bassist Paul Simonon was brought on as the final piece of the puzzle. The main reference point from all of these diverging backgrounds has to be The Verve; TGTBTQ shares the same oceanic atmosphere and shoegazer aesthetic of the band, though in smaller doses. On the opposite side of the spectrum, nowhere near this project are the dance floor ready styles of Allen's afrobeat or even the Gorillaz higher bpm tracks, which I think many people were expecting. Their debut album is more an ode to London really, more specifically West London where both Albarn and Simonon reside. The vibe is considerably rainy throughout relying on lush melodic subtlety of sparse, well-played instrumentation to create a backdrop of gloom for Albarn to mumble serenely over. On more than one occasion (which happen to be my favorites), there are distinct dub references, no doubt thanks to Simonon's background and throbbing bass. What's most surprising is the restraint of Tony Allen, whose infinite talents rarely jump out at you instead keeping deceptively simple backbeats. Honestly, I was initially disappointed with the disc, but it has grown on me with each repeated listen and I am quickly coming to understand the project as it is rather than what my expectations were. The Good, The Bad & The Queen is not a new Gorillaz album, it's not a new Blur album, it's a completely new entity; yes, headed by Albarn, but in a mellow direction with quality production, outstanding musicianship and a distinct vibe all it's own.






Reynold - Emotionally Disturbed - My Favorite Film (Persona 2006)

Reynold – My Favorite Film / Persona

Looking at Sam Rouanet’s background, there is no question how his sound developed. The son of a jazz musician, Rouanet started training in violin and classical guitar at the ridiculous young age at 6. He grew up with jazz, soul and later independent rock before gaining an interest in the beat-oriented sounds of hip-hop and house. His time spent in Chicago, during the post-rock explosion of the 90s, gained ties to local musicians like Tortoise and Isotope 217; and finally he move to London and was immersed in the burgeoning iconoclastic electronica scene. His latest album as Reynold, My Favorite Film, seems to take bits and pieces from all these varying influences, settling in on a sound that beats with self-sampled instrumentation in a moody, post-rock vibe. Fitting in nicely with the Stewart Walker mode, Rouanet set out to create an idiosyncratic soundtrack influenced by all of the films he has seen in the last 20 years and his own epic of a life. Snippets of moody backtracks from Bernard Herrmann (Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane, Psycho) seem as important to this sound as Brian Eno’s minimal pseudo-soundtrack synth albums. My Favorite Film is more background music than anything, but I think that’s the idea. Soundtracks were never meant to take away from the visuals, just enhance the mood with audio stimulus, and Rouanet does just that, it encourages your emotions instead of causing them.