Danielle and I had the chance to get together to work on the layout of the site. Let us know what you think.

Modern Skirts- Gramahawk

Unsigned (Really?); 2011

Ebb'd and Flow'd & Top Tune'd-- 8.3

I first ran into the Modern Skirts a few years back when Paste was still issuing a physical version of their magazine. Those times were brilliant, flipping through and earmarking the pages of the magazine, discovering new tunes and artists, and most of all, getting lost in the monthly sampler cd. Out of the many samplers I wore out, there is one in particular that I remember above all others-- not because it was as a collective, better than the rest, not because it turned me on to the most bands I'd never heard of, no, it was because of the inclusion of Modern Skirts' "Soft Pedals". David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker said, "On 'Soft Pedals' they hit all twelve tones in the scale, yet the song is as accessible as anything Brian Wilson ever wrote." You know, Brian Wilson, from The Beach Boys... This was and is a special song, and while I was slightly disappointed with the rest of the album, All Of Us In Our Night, it was only because "Soft Pedals" set the bar ridiculously high. Despite the fact, All Of Us In Our Night was without question one of my favorite albums of 2008.

In between then and now the Modern Skirts have toured extensively, even opening for R.E.M. twice on their European tour (Mike Mills, guitarist for R.E.M. has cited Modern Skirts as his favorite Athens, GA band-- R.E.M. happens to call Athens home just as the Modern Skirts do), but have struggled in finding a direction for a follow up album. Too many comparisons to Ben Folds and somewhat watered down lyrics on their last seemed to frustrate the band. However, they seemed to strike gold in the bedroom recordings of frontman Jay Gulley. The best demos became templates for what eventually became Gramahawk. Gramahawk is a stylistic shift for the Modern Skirts, the recordings while not lo-fi, sound that way in contrast to their past work. The songs are more intimate, less immediately accessible, but much more rewarding as a whole.

Gramahawk is a dark, oddly twisted, mildly hilarious journey through Gulley's mind,“a mariachi band and me removing your top” (“Ship Shape”), and it is absolutely worthwhile. The band does well to turn his bedroom tapes into full band songs that are sophisticated and mature while maintaining accessibility. Reverbnation describes the record as, "Gleeful and twisted pop evil," a precise description of a record filled with sugary sweet hooks, rompy synths, and harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys. Gramahawk will not be the Modern Skirts definitive album, but their shift in aesthetic is a turn in the right direction for a band sure to have a definitive album. Gramahawk seems more honest than their last discs, more intimate, more confident, and much more fun. And while it took me a few more spins to fully appreciate, I can guarantee it won't be too far out of my 2011 playlist.

Opening track from Gramahalk, "Jane Child"


Jane Child

Modern Skirts | Myspace Music Videos

Acoustic/ outdoor performance of "Soft Pedals" from All Of Us In Our Night.




Ardent Sessions live show including tracks from both Gramahawk and 2008's All Of Us In Our Night

The Decemberists- The King Is Dead

Rough Trade/Capitol Records; 2011

Ebb'd and Flow'd-- 7.5

The Decemberists are a nerdy band; the same things that turn some people on to them steer others in the opposite direction-- Colin Meloy's unmistakable croon, story driven, verbose poetics, and a certain drive for absolute sincerity in unique subject matter.

With 2009's The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists released their "experimental" album, a folky prog rock opera filled with forest fantasy and true love loosely based on work done by British folk singer Anne Briggs. The album received mixed reviews; it was praised for its ambition, but it is safe to say that not many fans got in to the Decemberists for their take on prog rock. Nonetheless, and despite my initial hesitation, I enjoyed the album after a few spins and I aligned myself on the side of the supporters. It was especially impressive to see them perform it live in sequential order without pause between tracks.

The major question following their 2009 release was what direction the band would take next?. With The King Is Dead the Decemberists took a step back, left the electronics at home, and dusted off the acoutics. Attempting to once again nail an epic record or increase in scale might have signaled disaster; instead the group headed to the Pendarvis Farm in Oregon, converted an uninhabited barn to a music and recording space and came out with an album fitting for a relaxing afternoon stroll through the pine trees.

The King Is Dead combines Meloy and co.'s love for British Folk and Americana, and they do their best to combine the two to create a rustic album, rich in imagery and lyrical introspection-- without the overarching concept, a far cry from their last record.

The homage aspect of the record is immediately apparent on first listen and becomes more apparent when taking into account the collaborators recruited for the project; R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck plays on three tracks and Gillian Welch sings background on seven. Other unmistakable influences include Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and early Wilco.

Despite being an enjoyable listen and a well-crafted album, it suffers during moments of scripted twang. The Decemberists have never been a particularly spontaneous or loose band, and this shows on the record. The looseness, improvisation and heavy sentiment usually heard and felt with Americana are lacking, but regardless, the Decemberists are a band hard not to enjoy. The King Is Dead is a nice turn for the band, and it is nice to hear them unbutton their starched 3 pieces and let loose a little, even if it is, just a little.

Only time for one track?

"Don't Carry It All"

Coachella 2011

And it all starts with Coachella; the first major festival of the summer released their lineup today, and it includes a few names you might recognize-- Arcade Fire, Duran Duran, Kanye West, the Strokes, Kings of Leon, just to name a few. The festival, nestled in Indio, California, has become home to one of the more elegant summer festivals that continues to prove itself a benchmark against all others.

Below is a video from the 2010 festival that shows a glimpse of the scenery you can expect to see if you are able to head over to Coachella this April the 15-17. For pricing and other information and a complete list of artists, head over to--

coachella.com



You can expect further coverage on Coachella and other festivals as the summer season draws nearer.

Happy festival season everybody!

Introducing Our New Assiociate Editor of Art and Design!

I mentioned in an earlier post, "A Year In Review", that 2011 is going to big bring changes to the site. One that I'm most excited to share is the addition of Danielle Hill to the Ebbz and Flowzzzz team. She's an artist who is well versed in web design and other mediums, a college soccer player, and has some solid musical chops to boot. I'm really excited to see how she can can help take this site further. She'll be influential both in the design of the site and in the music department


Here is a little bit about her in her own words--

Considering this is my blog debut, I figure I’ll introduce myself. I’m a Visual Communications major and plan on graduating this May. I’m hoping to bring some of my own brand of artistic flare, both visually and musically to the site. I’ve been a music junkie for as long as I can remember. I played a few instruments here and there growing up, including piano, then graduated to percussion and a drums in middle school. But the man got me down as a musician (I can’t stand being graded in performance, though I guess the whole art major thing may be a tad contradictory) so I settled as a fan. I was a manager/marketer for my high school class’ popular garage band, which was fun while it lasted, but even that took some of the magic away from the purity of the final product: a quality song. So I’m excited to try this new endeavor in music critique. I figure I can plug in some new tunes and share the love with all you other music fans out there since I critique new music every day. No more greedy music hoarding from me! Music to the people!

Current fixes--

Yeasayer
The Black Keys
Maximum Balloon
White Denim
Local Natives
Stateless

All time favorites--

Led Zeppelin
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Black Keys
Yeasayer

Cluster 1

So the big Consequence of Sound news is... Cluster1! Basically, an interactive visual arts and music hub. To me, it seems reminiscent of Pitchfork TV with a few slight differences, check it out at--

the

jump


Cluster 1 does differentiate itself from Pitchfork TV by focusing not just on music but also the visual arts.

Let me know what you guys think.

1.11.11

Apparently, "It's all happening" tomorrow 1.11.2011. A mysterious post popped up on Consequence of Sound a few days ago concerning the day in question. No idea what it means or what exactly will happen tomorrow, but the post is worth looking at. Check it out over at Consequence of Sound.

The news has been contained to CoS to this point, and I couldn't even begin to guess what 1.11.2011 will bring us. There are some pretty interesting comments and theories from followers at the bottom of the page that are almost as interesting as the post itself. Let's hope 1.11.2011 brings us something special (Radiohead please).