Do you love me, honey dove?

I was lucky enough to get a promo copy of Lee Fields and the Expressions My World released by Truth & Soul Records earlier this month. It is not often that an unsolicited promotional copy gets repeated listens by me. But I can honestly say that I cannot get enough of this album -- from start to finish it is solid. My World is the album that Truth & Soul hoped would bring in younger listeners to soul sounds reminiscent of The Delfonics and The Stylistics but they are quick to say that it is not “a carbon copy of sweet soul music” from the sixties and seventies. They describe Lee Fields as legendary and a “gut bucket soul singer” and that is no exaggeration.

Lee Fields & the Expressions – Love Comes and Goes [mp3]
Lee Fields & the Expressions – Ladies [mp3]

Links:
Lee Fields & the Expressions MySpace
Truth & Soul Records
Buy My World from Amazon

Wish You Were Here

Foreign Born – Vacationing People ::MP3::
[Label: Secretly Canadian, 2009]

Desmond Reed – Summer Vacation ::MP3::
[Label: Series Two Records, 2008]

The Robot Ate Me – Vacation ::MP3::
[Label: Swim Slowly, 2004]

New Models – Permanent Vacation ::MP3::
[Label: Modern Method, 1981]

Cold War Kids – We Used To Vacation [Label: V2 Records, 2006]

Clues Invites the Voyeurs

Clues are winding up their North American tour soon supporting their brilliant debut album. If you get a chance, go see them live! It is a very interesting, kinetic experience as you watch the players switching instruments and fervently playing each [well]. They sound really tight and all of the hooks and unexpected leaps and bounds that you hear in the recording are there but yet when heard live are still so unexpected! That is an amazing thing to convey.

Here are some upcoming dates:
Tonight at DC9, Washington, DC
16 June at The Barbary, Philadelphia, PA
17 June at the Santos Partyhouse, New York, NY
18 June at La Sala Rossa, Montreal, QC, CA

I asked Clues co-founder Brendan Reed to share what it is like to be on the road as they have traveled some amazing distances.

XO: What have the shows been like so far?
Brendan: One or two insane ones, San Francisco was another echo evening, but we have been sounding pretty good I think and enjoying playing.

XO: Are people receptive?
Brendan: Generally, yes. Edmonton people remained at their tables, but places like Portland and L.A. were just great shows and people moved.

XO: Do y’all have any favorite cities so far?
Brendan: L.A., Seattle, Victoria...but often it has been whether friends come...food and water.

XO: What kind of transport are you moving around in and what is everybody listening to while you travel?
Brendan: Two vans, one with equipment mainly, one with people. "J in my H” [Jerusalem In My Heart who just announced they will be releasing a double album on Villa Villa Nola] is traveling with us so that makes 7. Ben and I have been listening to books on tape – “Wizard of Earth Sea” and my sister Molly's latest book on tape "Enemies" [Villa Villa Nola hopes to release one of Molly's books on tapes in the near future]. We have mostly been in the cargo van, hold up… never ending story attic. In the other van: coast to coast radio. The song “you’re hot then your’re cold you’re up then your down...” [I am not hip to that one, so no writer’s notes].

XO: Do y’all have a “street team”?
Brendan: Like handing out Clues stuff out in the road? No, we would like to put that together [note: they do sell “merch” at their shows so bring some extra $].

XO: Why don’t y’all have a MySpace up?
Brendan: No big deal, I just find I don't use MySpace much these days and we treat villavillanola dot com as our own personal -- the gathering company -- why would we need theirs?

Links:

Constellation (label)
Villa Villa Nola (digital music; plethora of bands)
Jerusalem In My Heart (mind-blowing music that starts the Clues shows)

:: MP3 Sharing Reprise ::
Clues - Remember Severed Head [mp3]
Clues - Perfect Fit [mp3]

Swallowed Up in Victory

We have a winner! Clues co-founder Alden Penner kindly pulled a name out of a feathered bag (the cauldron was too cumbersome) this past Saturday. And then it was written. Actually, written on -- I had the band sign the CD for the victor (which will be going out soon -- check your e-mail as it could be you). Thanks to everyone else for “playing” and stay tuned as more free stuff will be announced and/or you will see some exclusives here.

You Have My Ears Now

The anxiously awaited debut album by Clues was released on Constellation Records yesterday and I gots me two copies -- one copy that I have been listening to non-stop because it is fabulous and one copy that I am going to GIVE AWAY.

If you are interested in winning the CD, send an e-mail to < crenellated AT cliffhanger DOT com > before June 12th with the subject line "Clues". On the 13th, all entries will be placed in a cauldron and the winner will be selected randomly by a band member.

In the meantime, if you want to hear what they sound like you should “right click and save as“the mp3s below:

Clues track listing:
1. Haarp
2. Remember Severed Head [mp3]
3. Approach The Throne
4. In The Dream
5. You Have My Eyes Now
6. Perfect Fit [mp3]
7. Elope
8. Cave Mouth
9. Crows
10. Ledmonton
11. Let’s Get Strong

I won’t even try and critique the album as I think the write-up on the Constellation site aptly describes it stating “An authentic, unfussy and stirringly epic little sonic world unfolds: idiosyncratic and enigmatic, but exuberantly infectious and approachable.” I can say that I like the pop-ness of it which is the “approachable” and I like the jangly which is the “infectious” and the unexpected twists and turns which are the “idiosyncratic.” I guess the “enigmatic” is whatever you want it to be. For me, it is daydreams of living on a kitten farm, milking mice for their sustenance and waiting for the end of the world to come.

In an upcoming post, when I announce that I have a “winner” for the CD giveaway, I will share some Clues or Clues-related exclusives, ai'ight.

Links:
More info on Constellation about Clues
Clues on Villa Villa Nola

Trust in the Adventure of Chance

Baltimore’s Celebration posted a “manifesto” on their band site stating that from that day forward they would release all of their music in mp3 form for free! Apropos for my "Earth Day" post, their decision was based partially on conservation stating, “So, past the piles of broken CD cases and badly scratched polycarbonate rainbow discs, there lies a fantastic world of freedom—freedom to share instantly with little or no impact on the environment, in a seemingly infinite, eternal and virtually cost free universe of the world wide web.”

But as the ozone continues to dissipate, the reality is that sales of tangible CDs are waning. It is heartbreaking and, this is especially interesting to me, as I first found Celebration back in 2005 via an mp3 download. I loved the song so much that soon after I purchased their self-titled CD and was impressed that 4AD had signed yet another intriguing band (see my post about them in January 2006). I love 4AD, I love my CD collection but I have noticeably purchased a smaller quantity of music over the last year and a half. I will continue to seek out mp3s, of course, and when I’m excited by a song or two that I find, I will likely still try and find that shiny disc for purchase.

Celebration plans to upload new songs as they make them and offer them for free download. They also affirmed that they “strongly encourage you to blog, podcast, email and share links to our music and our site with others”. They want to share their art in a non-commercial way and they also are excited about remixes and further said, “We will post stems in the near future for remixing. If we like your remix, we will post it on our site.”

Currently two fantastic songs are available, and I’m excited to hear future tracks:

Celebration – I Will Not Fall :: mp3::

Celebration – What’s This Magical :: mp3::

Like 50 Foot Wave did in 2006, Celebration will be providing free downloads but do encourage contributions. Help them to free themselves from the “danse macabre of the promotional corporate machine”. They want to be “free to release [our] music when and how [we] want—no waiting. We know nothing of the marketing world and don’t care about the vampires anymore.”

Celebration Band Site and Blog
Celebration MySpace

Sea-Maid’s Music

There is a place where real life women dressed as mermaids perform choreographed dance and pantomime underwater. Even though some appear campy, many of the still and moving film images of these acts are strangely beautiful and surreal, painterly even. You can visit this place. It is the Florida attraction Weeki Wachie Springs and it is where mermaids come to life every day as seen in the Supergrass video for “Low C” filmed on location, above and below the waters of the Weeki Wachee River.

Buy from Amazon

On the water theme, I thought I would also share some mp3s that are sadly lacking in mermaids.

Summer Hymns - Start Swimming [mp3]
Buy from Amazon

Balún - Hay una Piscina en La Nuber [mp3]
Buy from Amazon

Ham1 - Swan Dive [mp3]
Buy from Amazon

Since once I set upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres,
To hear the sea-maid's music.
~William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Neither a Tiger, Nor a Deep-Sea Submersible

Alvin Band is a one-man band, comprised of the head of his department of one. One is a lonely number. But wait, there is nothing singular about the sounds of the Alvin Band. Alvin Band is catchy, heavily-layered pop -- a more melodic and interesting version of Panda Bear if we must pigeonhole. I guess I should say that the man, seemingly very young, is the multi-talented Rick Alvin Schaier who is currently touring as the drummer for Miniature Tigers, so he is not living a solitary life. Miniature Tigers are probably getting all kinds of notice since they are on the road with Ben Folds and soon with Dear and the Headlights, a stop at SXSW and later still with Bishop Allen. All of this is surely to secure them as the indie-pop kids nocturnal emission for 2009. Kudos to Miniature Tigers, I’m actually re-listening to them on MySpace right now and they are rife with jangly hooks -- just the sort of thing I am apt to have a proverbial ‘wank’ over myself (I am no different than the masses). Anyway, as I listen again and again, I feel I’m falling for Miracle Tigers too. I want to send them a Valentine next year. I want them to be my new favorite band. But wait, as much I am digging on these guys, I’m just as intrigued by the solo project Alvin Band. When I say multi-talented above, I was referring to the fact that Rick Alvin Schaier is both a musician and painter. And I quite like his paintings. Consciously naïve, I would say. They have all the quirky elements of folk art that I adore – tilted perspective, lack of modeling and contour, use of clashing patterns to make interesting compositions, etc. (see the cover for the Miniature Tigers release Tell It To The Volcano). I want to buy one of his paintings and, as per his MySpace, he apparently is taking commissions but I cannot imagine he has a lot of time to paint with the current heavy touring schedule (I may buy one – R.A.S., so call me if you are reading this and are actively painting). So what are you to make of this clusterfeck of a post? I will just have to provide linkage (clickable within the text above and below) to get you on the multiplicity bandwagon, that is the Alvin Band and Miracle Tigers bandwagon about to take off and rightly so.

Alvin Band – Stanley Kubrick :: YouTube ::



If you cannot wait for the upcoming Mantis Preying album release, you can download Alvin Band early mp3s in a zip file, if you visit their MySpace here.


Miniature Tigers – Viking Heart :: YouTube ::


Miniature Tigers – The Wolf :: mp3 ::

Miniature Tigers – Dino Damage :: mp3 ::

Even more links:

Alvin Band MySpace
Miracle Tigers MySpace
Toygers Are Miniature Tigers Too
The Alvin is a Deep-Sea Submersible