30 November 2007
Wax Fang :: La La Land
Mixed in Nashville at Beach House with Mark Nevers, La La Land is Wax Fang’s first full-length—last year frontman Scott Carney released the solo debut Black and Endless Nights, on which he played every instrument, under the moniker Scott Carney and Heavy Friends. He recruited a rhythm section, and together they’ve taken that album’s dreamy approach and expanded the palette. The result is more grandiose and harder rockin’—the band’s softer, more delicate moments remain intact, but here Carney’s searing guitar leads are more freely doled out.Nashville Scene
You may be familiar with Wax Fang, you may not. But Scott Carney's power vocals are so distinctive, you'd easily recognize if you'd heard them before. There are probably 6 or 8 bands you can draw comparisons to when trying to describe this band, but one thing I found to be true with this release: the more you listen to it, the more you'll like it. The posted Black & Endless Night Revisited is a strong example of Wax Fang's versatility, but it's worth the purchase price just for the instrumental Avant Guardian Angel Dust. Highly recommended and likely to make year-end top-10 lists by anyone who has heard it.
mp3:: Black & Endless Night Revisited
Wax Fang:: Website :: My Space :: Buy La La Land
29 November 2007
The Child Ballads :: Cheekbone Hollows
Child Ballards will release their debut EP, Cheekbone Hollows through Gypsy Eyes on April 15, 2008. Featuring former Jonathan Fire*Eater’s vocalist, this is Stewart Lupton’s first release since the group disbanded in 1998. The tracks include Cheekbone Hollows, They Hunt Us We Run, Old Man October, Blackbird Trax, and Laughter From The Rafters. Child Ballads is: Stewart Lupton (vocals, acoustic guitar), Tunde Oyewole (bass), Paul Arfield (guitar), Luke Wyatt (guitar) and John Melville (drums). Additional musicians on Cheekbone Hollows include Betsy Wright (keyboards, viola, vocals), Hugh MacIntosh (drums) and Judah Bauer (lead guitar).
mp3:: Cheekbone Hollows
The Child Ballads :: My Space :: Label Gypsy Eyes Records
28 November 2007
Red With Envy
IMAGE: ESA/NASA
mp3: The Melatones-Turning Red :: Website
mp3: Bright Channel-In The Red :: Buy It
mp3: Fiona Apple-Red Red Red :: Buy It
mp3: Rush-Red Barchetta :: Buy It
mp3: Fever Marlene-Red Fire:: Buy It
27 November 2007
Josiah Wordsworth :: Blue State
Consisting of mainly piano and drums, the music created by Minnesotan duo Josiah Wordsworth hovers between rock, jazz ,and classical. Their debut EP, Blue State, features 5 tracks that are refreshingly unique... Complex, chaotic, dark, and wickedly good, Blue State is an outstanding effort that contains no weak tracks. From the moment it begins it is obvious that it is remarkably different, yet it should still appeal to a broad range of piano lovers; just don’t expect any light piano tinkering.-The Silent BalletAn email from Josh Sundquist, manager for Josiah Wordsworth, shares awareness on the unique sounds and compositions of the duo. Gaining popularity on the St. Paul, MN, nightclub scene, Josiah Wordsworth offers strictly pianos and drums. The result is a refreshing set of 5 tracks, none of which has any weaknesses. Highly recommended!mp3:: Witch Hunt
Josiah Wordsworth :: Website :: My Space :: Buy Blue State
24 November 2007
Hammered...And We Thank You
I was pleasantly shocked to see more people visited Local Vertical today (425 460 476) than any other day since I started doing this almost 400 posts ago. The stats showed a great many of the visitors were sent here by referrals and searches from the two best mp3 aggregators out there, The Hype Machine & Elbows, but I was also pleased to see every blog I have linked in the blogroll sent at least 5 7 visitors. Thank you to everyone, I'm humbled.
Introducing Fram
Fram are mainly based in Glasgow, Scotland, and have existed in one form or another for many years. Fram are not really part of any scene, more idiot savants, being completely part-time with no real ambitions to be famous.
Courtesy of Chris over at Music of the Moment, Scot from the band Fram shares some music best described as "glacial emotional slowcore ". That's an awesome description of some terrific music and I think you'll like it as much as I do. And the band obviously believes in quality over quantity, as mentioned on their website:
W
e believe we can make music more beautiful than music we’re making now, which is more beautiful than music we made a few years ago. And so on. Progress, however glacial.There are several songs available for a listen on both the bands website and My Space pages. Thanks Chris & Scot!mp3:: Nostalgia :: It Seemed Like A Dream :: Anything
Fram :: Website :: My Space
23 November 2007
The Real Black Friday
A local radio station here was known for years to feature all classic rock tunes on the Friday after Thanksgiving, sort of a quasi-distraction from the maniacs driving at Daytona pole-speed in order to get to Target at 5:00am and snag the last Vizio on the shelf. Well, as is the norm rather than the exception lately, all good things come to an end and the station decided today was a perfect day to change formats and kill a perfectly good tradition. I'm not too familiar with the new format of the station; it sounds like a combination of reggae and yodeling (Jayodel?). Oh well, I guess I'll start my own mini-tradition and post a few classic hits here. And have no problem finding a place to park.
mp3:: Argent-Hold Your Head Up :: Dr. Hook-Sylvia's Mothermp3:: Black Oak Arkansas-Jim Dandy :: Eric Burdon & The Animals-Spill The Wine
Buy any of this great music at Amazon.
22 November 2007
Happy Thanksgiving
Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers and their families, to our blogging friends that have linked to us, to the numerous bands and labels that have allowed us the opportunity to share some great work, and to anyone who just happens to stumble upon this little part of the internet. Thank you for your readership, your comments and for making us a part of your day!
21 November 2007
The Killers :: Sawdust
So the release of a B-sides compilation is probably the mark of a band who've put a bit of love into their flipside catalogue. One such act is The Killers, whose anthology, Sawdust, collates tracks from all singles, with a handful of covers, a sprinkling of re-records and the occasional new offering.-BBC UKThe old Kenny Rogers & The First Edition track, Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town from this CD was playing in the music store when I got there tonight and since I've always liked that song, that intrigued me enough to buy Sawdust. While likely not to be as widely-selling as the band's first two albums, Hot Fuss and Sam's Town , Sawdust has its moments. Tranquilize (with Lou Reed), Who Let You Go & Daddy's Eyes as well as Ruby and the posted Move Away are excellent.mp3:: Move Away
The Killers :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy Sawdust
18 November 2007
A Fire Inside :: I Heard A Voice (Live)
AFI has recently released a live CD, I Heard A Voice, that is comprised entirely of their 2006 concert at the Long Beach Arena in California. Featuring 18 tracks, it's one of the better live albums of the year.mp3: Bleed Black
A Fire Inside :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy I Heard a Voice: Live from Long Beach Arena
17 November 2007
Gee...Mail!
The Warlocks have been touring for the last few weeks and have made it back to the west coast. Catch them while you can, after the US tour, The Warlocks will be in Europe for a 3 week tour.
mp3: So Paranoid
The Warlocks :: Website :: My Space :: Buy Heavy Deavy Skull Lover
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Their sound is still powerfully torrential—Amanda Kleinman’s droning organ can’t help but sound sinister and the snarling yet precise rhythm section is incapable of playing unaggressively—but Brunson, whose easy voice carries a trace of Ozzy’s reedy timbre yet often gives in to an airy falsetto, brings a newfound levity that allows the band to loosen up and give in to their best and most organ-ic melodies. “Beat Of The Double” is, therefore, the best song of the Apes’ already formidable career.
mp3: Beat Of The Double
The Apes :: Website :: My Space :: Pre-order Ghost Games- - - - - - - - - -
NYC based band God Fires Man is for fans of assertive rock in the styling of Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. They have already garnered the attention of the UK press and have an EP coming out through the UK label, Xtra Mile Recordings, in December with a UK tour in January 2008. NYC dates will be ongoing and a US tour is being planned for the spring.
mp3: Dark
God Fires Man :: Website :: My Space :: Pre-order A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun- - - - - - - - - -
4 or 5 Magicians formed due to necessity in Autumn 2005 when frontman Dan failed to book an opening act for a gig he was putting on and needed a band to play. Their first (Jun 2006) and then second (Feb 2007) demo then became necessities in the stereos of all self respecting A&R scouts and alt-rock fans. 50 odd shows, 3 drummers, 1 bass player, 1 guitar player, 1 BBC Radio 1 session, and a bit of a songwriting marathon later they sit at the top of a pile of exciting unsigned British bands that are taking their main influence from the golden era of alt-rock, early 90's America.mp3: Forever On The Edge (Tom Waits Version)
4or 5 Magicians :: My Space :: Buy Forever On The Edge
16 November 2007
Queensrÿche :: Take Cover
...Take Cover is an ambitious project in that Queensryche obviously are going to leave fans puzzled by their choices of cover songs...it doesn't all work, but most of what you will hear on Take Cover will warrant some repeat listens, and that's more than you can say about many covers albums that get released these days.- Sea of TranquilityIf you are a fan of Queensrÿche and were eagerly anticipating the new work on their next release, you are still waiting. Take Cover is exactly what the title says: all cover songs, and well-known ones at that. The good: Welcome To The Machine, For The Love Of Money, Bullet The Blue Sky. The "huh?": Synchronicity II, Odissea. I admit I've always found it enjoyable to hear cover songs, most are done pretty well. If you are a fan of Queensrÿche (as I am) I think you'll like this for the most part.mp3: Welcome To The Machine
Queensrÿche :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy Take Cover
14 November 2007
The State of Floral Beings
Stockholm-based five piece band The State of Floral Beings are known to do it in ways others don't. To illustrate our point; what other geeky-new-wavish-punk-rock band would dress in masks and go on about great sharks winning lotteries?
People have attempted to musically place it somewhere between punk and electro, and have even suggested the group to be the missing link between LCD Soundsystem and Nine Inch Nails.
The band has so far released an EP and a full length album, for which they have gotten massive amounts of airtime with underground radio stations in the U.S. and elsewhere. They are currently in the studio working on new material (the album will be released in 2008), and you better believe that when they next surface – you won't know what to believe anymore. Get ready for The State of Floral Beings.
mp3: Marder :: Proxy :: Man You Owe Me :: Metz/Nancy
The State of Floral Beings :: Website :: My Space
13 November 2007
Thank (Insert Your Supreme Being Here) It's Tuesday
11 November 2007
Final Salute
The Run For One
It's not easy being a Miami Dolphins lately. The only team to ever win 'em all is showing strong signs of becoming the second team to lose 'em all. The team is halfway through an 0-fer for the season and is in severe need of some good karma so we thought we would try and help with some quasi-optimistic music. If you are a St. Louis Rams fan also suffering through the same winless feeling, feel free to steal the karma.
mp3: Three Dog Night-One :: Metallica (S&M)-One mp3:The Old Dead Tree-We Cry As One :: Operator-The Only One
10 November 2007
Little Big Town : A Place To Land
Their earthy yet rousing vocal blend aligns them more with Eagles and Fleetwood Mac than with country harmony predecessors like Alabama or Oak Ridge Boys. On the opening "Fine Line" and the frisky "Firefly Fly," their harmonies dazzle with roof-raising power. At other times, as on the outstanding "I'm with the Band" and the life-affirming "Vapor," they rely on nuance and subtlety.-YahooI'm not much into country music-it seems (to me anyway) the newer acts all seem to sound the same-but I'm always open to anyone with a recommendation of something they think I might like. A long-time friend of mine thought I should check out A Place To Land by Little Big Town and count how many times I'd be mumbling "sounds like" to myself. He wasn't kidding. I can hear some Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Pure Prairie League, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young and even a little JJ Grey influence from the work on this album. It's definitely one you'll play all the way through every time you listen to it.
mp3: Fury
Little Big Town :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy A Place to Land
06 November 2007
Tomorrow Today
What a week; a solar panel that didn't is now a solar panel that is. A testimony to the bright and resourceful people that make this awesome project a reality. Personally, I think the boss should buy monkey arms a beer. And then he should be nominated for a Congressional Space Medal of Honor, because his little trip on the stick to fix the panel was ballsy as hell and may well have saved the ISS. There are tens of thousands of people working on this program, directly and indirectly, and I'm proud of each and every one of them.
From the recent release of Blackbird by Alter Bridge, a dedication to these wonderful people that pour their souls into this endeavour."I couldn't sleep I had to listen; To a conscience knowing so well; That nothing comes from indifference; I look inside myself".mp3 :: Before Tomorrow Comes
03 November 2007
News Brief(s)
Eight-year-old twins said they have the solution for wedgies, those dreaded and time-honored yanks on a school kid's underwear by playground bullies.Please kids, don't sell the patent to Speedo...
STORY
Alter Bridge : Blackbird
Alter Bridge are one of the most formidable collections of musicians in mainstream rock music, from a technical standpoint, and have really grown and matured with this release musically. They've successfully stripped away every Creedism that held them back on the debut.-
SputnikMusicAs disappointing as the debut album One Day Remains was to most everyone you ask about it, this release more than makes up for it. Although three of the four band members are former Creed artists, you'd be hard pressed to find any reference to them on this album...and that's probably the best move this band could make. There's not a bad song on the CD; I actually had a hard time deciding which one to share. Highly recommended.mp3: One By One
Alter Bridge :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy Blackbird
02 November 2007
Friday's Inbox Thursday Or Thursday's Inbox Friday?
New York's electro-rock outfit Heloise & the Savior Faire are gearing up to release their new album Trash, Rats and Microphones this spring. Encapsulating all 80's pop fetishes, the band is fronted by the charismatic Heloise Williams and backed by two electrifying dancers (Joe Shepard and Sara Sweet Rabidoux) as well as a full band (James Bellizia on guitar, Luke Hughett on drums and Jason Diamond on bass).Sounds a bit like Love Shack from The B-52's.
mp3: Odyle
Heloise & the Savior Faire :: Website :: My SpaceBryan aka Flying White Dots makes bootleg mashups, but not as you know them. He's recently put out a new album called "Into The Great Unknown", which is a unique journey album heavily influenced by the The Orb's "Adventures Beyond The UItraworld" and the KLF's "Chill Out". It samples a wide range of sounds including Beck, Damon Albarn, Plaid, Ennio Morricone, The Cure, Marvin Gaye and Spiritualized and at one point mixes Squarepusher with Elton John, all pieced together with some trippy sound effects to take you on a journey.A mashup of Phil Collins' Mama...pretty cool! Thanks Bryan.
mp3: Kill Phil
The Flying White Dots :: Website :: Download the entire album here
Introducing a Milwaukee, Wisconsin band, Fever Marlene, and the release of their newest album Civil War. In addition to having already written over 6 hours of releasable material, the band designed, built and maintain their own website, they create their own graphics, they produced, filmed and edited their own "Red Fire" music video and they paint, design, perform, create and write music daily in the 4,000 sq. ft. artist loft they share in the historic district of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.This is another cool find this year. This music could pass for retro-sixties or something current you'd hear at a local club.
mp3: All The Kites In The World :: Red Fire
Fever Marlene :: Website :: My Space
With folks at Spin Magazine and Pitchfork hailing her last work, Paper Anniversary, and noted musicians like John Darnielle (of The Mountain Goats) singing her praises ("That Christine Fellows album is just shockingly great."), Winnipeg storyteller Christine Fellows is poised to release her fourth full-length record, Nevertheless.
Between time on tour through the US, her Shadow Songs project with renowned visual artist Shary Boyle spanning Canada, and creating compositions for television, film, and contemporary dance, Christine has produced a sublime record. Nevertheless is a beautiful macrame of sound that explores spinsters, pigeons, prize-fighters, and the power of art.
I
know it doesn't sound anything like it, but for some reason this had me thinking of Janis Ian.
mp3: What Makes The Cherry Red
Christine Fellows :: Website :: My Space Mood of the Day song: Mr. Blue Sky (today was much better of a day than the past couple were). Have a good weekend!
01 November 2007
Nooz Phlashes
I've come to a conclusion when reading the daily news: stupid can be very entertaining. Some current candidates include the Bounty Hunter Dog Guy, who proves he's as stupid as he looks; Britney Spears, who continues to keep us aware she's got the IQ of a house plant; heartless protesters, who will now pay out the azz; and my personal favorite, those ever-loving moon-landing hoaxers. W
ithout them, Coast-To-Coast AM would be just another channel of static on your AM dial.
This post is dedicated to my downstairs neighbor who decided 12:30 am was a good time to go on an f-bomb rantfest. Considering I get up at 3:30 am each morning to go to work, it goes without saying I was one cranky sonofabitch today. When I got home this afternoon, Airhorn Albert was spit-shining his BMW; he apologized. I was in such a forgiving mood I accepted his apology by quoting, in part, Lou Gossett's unique sex method from An Officer and a Gentleman. I'll leave it to you to determine what that was.
Since I'm too pooped to particpate in the usual Thursday festivity that is The Thursday Inbox (we'll get'r done Friday...gawd, I hate that term), I'm keeping a pulse on the blog with another installment of Replay. Tonight's offering is a couple of tracks from last year's Angels & Airwaves release, We Don't Need to Whisper. See you tomorrow.mp3: Start The Machine :: The War
Angels & Airwaves :: Website :: My Space :: Bio :: Buy We Don't Need to Whisper
