The Oslo Oya Festival will be kicking off this week and Mats Silberg will be covering the event for OTO over here so be sure to stop by the blog to check out the festivities! 

Bands at this year’s festival include Beirut, Wilco, Band of Horses, Dirty Projectors, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend, as well as a host of Norwegian bands.

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That’s why I was intrigued to hear that this year, as well as playing for the fest, art-rocker David Byrne will be curating a stage at the Bonnaroo festival and has chosen to host Norwegian folk act Katzenjammer, Dirty Projectors, Ani DiFranco, St. Vincent (AKA Annie Clark), and Santigold at this year’s Tennessee festival.

Some of the other acts you can catch at this year’s Bonnaroo: Wilco, Nine Inch Nails, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, of Montreal, The Decemberists, The Mars Volta, Animal Collective, Neko Case, and Bon Iver among others

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Kingdom of Rust is an album that is arguably Doves’ most sonically adventurous, intimate, cerebral, rhythmic and most eclectic record to date.
 
Doves have been recording their follow up for the past 18 months, having ensconced themselves to a farm house–come-studio in Cheshire. In doing so they teamed up with long time Doves collaborator Dan Austin to co produce all but two tracks on Kingdom Of Rust. For the remaining two tracks Doves enlisted producer John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead) to record ‘Winter Hill’ and ‘10.03’. Kingdom Of Rust was mixed by Michael Brauer, Dan Austin and the band.
 
Upon first listening, Kingdom Of Rust sounds unequivocally Doves, maybe it’s because it’s been conceived with their trademark intensity. That said, Kingdom Of Rust takes Doves into more uncharted and experimental territory than ever before.
 
Take the first track on the album ‘Jetstream’, a track Doves gave away last month via www.doves.net, fitted with a kraut motorik, it’s a kraftwerk kissed electro pearl. In contrast, eponymous title track ‘Kingdom Of Rust’, is a broad stroke of Lancastrian spaghetti Western drama. Elsewhere, ‘Compulsion’ sees Doves achieving a homage to the kind of wonky-leftfield disco that experiments that might have been played out at The Loft or the Paradise Factory in their 80’s hey day, While, ‘The Outsider’ sounds like what may have happened had time allowed Chuck Berry to Jam with Joy Division. Include the Tom Rowlands (The Chemical Brothers) arranged “10.03″, and anthems in waiting ‘Winter Hill’ and ‘Greatest Denier’ to that list and you have the most expansive and rhythmic Doves record to date.

5/14    San Diego, CA          House of Blues
5/15    Anaheim, CA            House of Blues
5/16    Los Angeles, CA       The Wiltern
5/18    San Francisco, CA   The Fillmore
5/19    Eugene, OR               McDonald Theatre
5/21    Vancouver, BC        Commodore Ballroom
5/22    Portland, OR             Wonder Ballroom
5/23    George, WA             Sasquatch! Festival
5/26    Denver, CO              Gothic Theatre
5/28    Minneapolis, MN      Varsity Theatre
5/29    Chicago, IL               Vic Theatre
5/30    Detroit, MI                 Majestic Theatre
6/01    Toronto, ON               Kool Haus
6/02    Montreal, QC           Le National
6/04    New York, NY            Terminal 5
6/05    Philadelphia, PA       The Trocadero
6/06    Washington, DC       9.30 Club
6/07    Boston, MA               House of Blues

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photo credit: Simon Welsh

Death Cab for Cutie + tour dates:

photo credit: deep_schismic

photo credit: deep_schismic

M Ward + tour dates:

photo credit: breezy421

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• OTO Rating – 9/10
• LABEL – Katavi Arts
• RELEASE DATE – April, 2009
• SOUNDS LIKE – Peter Gabriel, Terry Bozio, Crystal Method 
• DEFINING MOMENTS – Mystic Sunrise, Fanga Alafyia, Karma, Santeria
• STRENGTH – Wide variety of msuic, massive musical catalouge
• WEAKNESS – Extended play format drags you to the finish line, Sonic Overdosing.

Seattle area drummer Bruce Burgess, Film Composer Kevin Christensen along with percussionist tandems Arturo Rodriguez and Marco Zonka join forces in 2009 for DRUM DYNASTY. DRUM DYNASTY presents is a unique blend of new age ambience combined with the passion of intense world rhythms. The balance struck between all of the above is crafted into musical perfection. With over 90 minutes of music to chose from, this debut release offers something for just about everyone. The format is based upon a musical journey and is split up into 2 separate CD’s. DISC 1 is called MYSTIC SUNRISE, and DISC 2 is entitled DARK CONTINENT. The CD’s themselves come separate in a handy slip case packet. Very cheeky Katavi Arts! 

DISC 1 – MYSTIC SUNRISE kicks off with the title track, an amazing piece combining both acoustic and electronic drums elements meshed with percussion layered strategically throughout the piece. This song is a perfect intro piece which gets you off on the right foot for an amazing musical journey. Track 3; “Anuket (Goddess of the Nile)” is the longest track on the both CD’s but never once lets up. The song itself has so many twists and turns and time changes to it, almost as if you were going down the Nile. But what makes it so brilliant is given the complexity of “Anuket” the song somehow works and flows very well. So well in fact you are almost unaware its happening. The thing I like most about DRUM DYNASTY is it’s amazing bottom end feel, great for bass heavy sound systems. There are many other amazing pieces on MYSTIC SUNRISE. Songs like “Karma, Dance of the 7 Veils” and “Dajari”, and the finale “Masalama” all showcasing the brilliant writing and playing abilities of this foursome. Tabla solo “Twenty Drawings” showcases the soloing abilities of percussionist Marco Zonka. In close MYSTIC SUNRISE takes the listener on an amazing musical journey through the Middle East and beyond. It’s melodic, passionate and leaves a lasting impression upon the listener. Total running time of MYSTIC SUNRISE (57:21)SUNRISE. It has an African feel to it, and is centered primarily around the drum. DARK CONTINENT has everything you would expect from a CD of this name. From tribal chants, to wild animal noises, to a multitude of drum solos. Songs like “Possessed,” “Voodoo Rain” ,”Middle Passage” and “Fanga Alafyia” showcase the dark side of the African Continent. Song for song  DARK CONTINENT is not as melodic or impressive as MYSTIC SUNRISE but is short and sweet, and finishes very well with the most brilliant piece on the entire production: “Santeria.” This finale is simply breathtaking almost as if you standing on the summit of a mountain top surveying a long journeys end. Total running time of DARK CONTINENT (39:41) River to come.

DISC 2 – DARK CONTINENT is darker and much more primal than MYSTIC

DRUM DYNASTY’S strength lies in it’s wide variety of material, musical depth. and strong musicianship. But at times the music can seem a bit repetitive. It’s extended play format will drag you to the finish line every time after you receive your sonic overdose. But despite all this, listeners will no doubt give it a  hall pass as it fills their sonic space for extended periods of time. This is alot of music to digest at once so I recommend listening to it until you feel winded then stopping. When your ready pick it up where you left off. DRUM DYNASTY works best during long drives, flights, work days, or when doing a yoga class. It presents a massive variety of music, from tribal rhythms to peaceful New Age Tranquility. The musical arrangements can at times seem unpredictable, dark, and full of passion, but as you get closer to your final destination it can become a very rewarding experience. Like a journey itself.  DRUM DYNASTY is an amazing body of work. The 2 DISC set delivers. DRUM DYNASTY is something you will always come back to, and gets high marks on it’s originality. I look forward to hearing more material from DRUM DYNASTY over the years

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LABEL – INDEPENDENT ARTIST

SOUNDS LIKE – Counting Crows

DEFINING MOMENTS – Who I Am, Heaven only Knows,  Make Believe 

STRENGTH – Musical Consistancy and Depth.

WEAKNESS - Seal the deal with more emotionial vocal endings.

Guitarist, singer songwriter Tim Miller releases Adelaide, his second CD release in May 2008. Tim Miller hails from Dallas Texas. You may recall Tim back in 2004 with his first critically acclaimed release: Out of The Box. Music from Out of the Box was subsequently synched into MTV shows like My Super Sweet 16, Real World, and The Challenge. Now it’s 2009, and Tim is back with a fresh new catalogue of music that is sincere, honest and an absolute joy to listen to.

Logging in at just over 57 minutes, I have to say song for song Adelaide possesses no weaknesses. If you can imagine the Counting Crows except replacing singer Adam Duritz with Daughtry – that’s pretty much what this stuff reminds me of. Tim’s soothing voice goes down smooth and is remarkably easy to listen to – reminiscent of Daughtry, Josh Gracin with just a dash of Bruce Springsteen. The CD gets off the ground quickly with “Say Hello” and “Let’s Go” 2 strong, positive upbeat melodies that really kick things into high gear. One of my favorite songs on the CD is track 3: “Make Believe”, an amazing piece that has a bridge worthy of mentioning – “Baby you are the greatest thing I have never known.” – nice touch Tim. The CD downshifts with Track 4: “Who am I” a stunning piece that is painfully honest and probably the most powerful statement on the entire CD. So powerful in fact it is on the CD twice, again as a hidden track at the end of the CD. The thing I like most about Adelaide is the wide range of emotions you will find within each song. You’ll find upbeat songs about love and happiness; like “Another Day in the Life” and “Four Leaf Clover”, but you’ll also find melancholy melodies that give you a grim assessment of the truth. All these songs are brilliantly sung from an even keeled perspective that is painfully honest, sincere, and very straightforward. Songs like “The Point”, deal with Alcoholism, while the title track deals with the disappointment of seeing someone turn out the way you didn’t want them to. This CD does not attempt to hide the truth in any way, shape, or form, rather it tells it with bold honesty and a genuine conviction. Adelaide also possess lot of musical depth  as well. From mandolins, piano, pedal steel, cello, and percussion to Tim’s flowing acoustical guitar rhythms – all presenting a lot of musical variety for the listener. Tim Miller has done an amazing job carving out a unique niche for himself within his amazing songwriting craft and sincere honesty. I also applaud Tim taking the risk in recording Adelaide on Analog Tape. Though it’s not the most cutting edge method out there, there is no denying it’s amazing warmth and true sonic feel.

As mentioned earlier Adelaide has no weaknesses. The music itself has a lot of depth and raw honesty to it. The songs are extremely well crafted and consistent. Tim Miller’s voice simply tells nothing but the truth – the good, bad and the ugly. If you like music that is honest, genuine and straightforward then you should definitely become familiar with Tim Miller as an artist. You’ll be glad you did. If I could say anything to Tim Miller it would be – don’t be afraid to take a few more risks here and there, especially at the end of some songs where an strong emotional finale is called for. Some songs like “Adelaide” and “Make Believe” presented you with an amazing opportunity to really seal the deal and drive home the passion of the song vocally. When done right it will no doubt transform a good song into a great one. Just listen to the ending of “Don’t think I Don’t Think About It” by Daruis Rucker and you will see exactly what I am talking about Tim.

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OTO Rating – 7/10

CD – PAPER THE WALLS

LABEL – HUSH RECORDS

SOUNDS LIKE – Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine

DEFINING MOMENTS – Scabs on This Year, Stripe II, Song in 3/4. All your Friends are Smiling

STRENGTH – Musical Versatility and Depth, Originality

WEAKNESS – Unorthodox and eccentric vocal delivery, Marketability

Portland’s own Loch Lomond releases their 3rd CD entitled Paper the Walls in the Fall of 2007. Fronted by vocalist, songwriter and musical visionary Richey Young, Loch Lomond is to say the least an interesting and unique musical project that has anywhere between 6 to 9 members depending on what day of the week it is. Some of these members are from other Portland acts like Norfolk and Western, Horse Feathers, and Dolorean. The music has a rich celtic flavor to it. The CD lists 7 members presently that contribute in many different ways. Richey Young sings but also plays guitar, bass and percussion. Other members play cello, piano, drums, fiddle, but all sing in an orchestral fashion very much like a Baroque Folk Symphony.

The musical depth of Paper the Walls is quite impressive. There is a wealth of musical verity sprinkled everywhere throughout this production. You will notice hints of bells, mandolin, guitar. piano, strings, violin, chello, theremin, whirly bells, banjo, and even a saw layered everywhere. What comes out the other end is an impressive landscape of music that fills the space well, and intrigues the listener at the same time. The CD kicks off with Carl Sagan, a melancholy song about Young’s childhood. Only Young can truly understand the meaning of some of these songs. There are some amazing ballads and melodic gems on this CD like Scabs on This Year, Northern, knee, trees and Lights, a Field Report and Witchy. My 2 favorite songs are towards the end; Stripe II, Song in ¾. The final piece All your Friends are Smiling is the perfect finale song to this CD. This musical production took alot of skill, work, and brilliance to produce. As a team these 7 members work extremely well together sharing the musical space equally, with musical accents and touches that are conservative and fit extremely well.

The gentle voice of Richey Young works, but it’s quite unorthodox, quirky, and comes across as overly eccentric sounding. It possesses alot of variety but at times suffers from multiple personality disorder. At times you cannot tell what gender the voice belongs to. In his best moments Young’s bright melodic voice flutters around like a butterfly, reminiscent of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. I give Young high marks for his originality and songwriting brilliance, but his vocal eccentricity takes some time to get used to. Eventually you come to a place where you just roll with it. This eccentricity extends into the lyrical content of the songs, as it is a challenge to fully comprehend their meaning. As a result some will struggle to identify with Loch Lomond and come to its center. To get Loch Lomond one must have an open mind and a pure heart. Unfortunately I don’t expect everyone has it within their capacity to appreciate Loch Lomond, or Richey Young for that matter. If I could say anything to Richey Young I would say come a bit more the the mainstream canter with your vocal delivery. We’ve seen artists like James Blunt pull it off, why not you? Young has also proven himself a worthy composer, and is no doubt a gifted musical savant. I would’nt be surprised to see Young commanding a full orchestra ensemble oneday. 

I give high marks to Paper the Walls for it’s deep musical depth and vocal orchestration. The strength of Loch Lomond lies in it’s wide versatility, and brilliant originality. All 7 member bring a lot to the table for the listener, so it’s definitely worthy of your time. There are not many bands, projects out there quite like Loch Lomond. If you dug up this gem in your back yard you should consider it a rare find that shines with a unique brilliance that is quite uncommon. If you have an open mind, an pure heart you need to give Paper the Walls at least 36 minutes of your time. Trust me you’ll be coming back for more.

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OTO Rating: 5/10

LABEL – ROAST RECORDS

SOUNDS LIKE – Flying Burrito Brothers, Phil Spector, Polvo, Sea & Cake, Ray Davies, Neu!

DEFINING MOMENTS – On the Road To Breakdown, The Safety Net, The Widow Maker,

STRENGTH – Musical Arrangements, and Compositions.

WEAKNESS – Musical Meandering, Lack of Vocals, Unorthodox Presentation, Marketability

Canadian 3 piece rock band (Montreal) Mon Electric Bijuo releases Backstabber Blues under Roast Records in October 20, 2008. Apparently this is the bands 4th release. From what I gather Martin Saz is the visionary of this project. I soon discovered the band has a strong internet presence so I was expecting to be blown out of my chair by this new release.

Overall I have to say I was extremely impressed with the overall musical delivery of the CD. (just the music mind you). Whoever put the musical arrangements together i/e the guitar tracks, guitar effects, solo segments, drums, bass guitar, harmonies, small musica accents here and there did an amazing job. There is a lot of musical variety and depth all over the place to keep the listener entertained. However the CD takes a really, really, really long to get off the ground. This is mainly due to the fact that there are no vocals present for the first 4 minutes of the CD. Pretty unorthodox approach especially at the beginning of a CD when grabbing the attention span of a potential listener is most critical. Typically you want to put. your stronger material towards the front. I would say I would go as far as to say 60 percent of this CD is without vocals. Songs like The Aging Process, The Venom in Me, Backstabber Blues, and So Fragile are totally without vocals . There is also a lot of excessive musical meandering going on everywhere, with overly long intro’s, outro’s, pauses, etc. Again pretty unorthodox. It’s no coincidence successful artists out there try to keep there statements short and sweet. The best 4 songs on the CD are pushed towards the backof the bus. Track 6: On the Road to Breakdown is amazing, and is by far my favorite song on the whole CD. The Safety Net, The Widow Maker, and Let My Guitar do the Talking are all pretty damn solid because they let the personality of this band shine through. But again these songs are pushed towards the end. Again you want to put your stronger material towards the front, on Backstabber Blues quite the opposite is true with the weaker material at the forefront. This is an extremely unorthodox approach, and not very marketable. The trippy CD cover though interesting really miss the mark and doesn’t correlate to the personality of the music. There is no band pic inside the CD either.

The strong suit to Backstabber Blues is the musical compositions and arrangements. Martin Sez should pat himself on the back for all this work. The harmonies, the guitar overdubs, effects, solo segments, harmonica, drums and musical accents all doing what they should, and very well I might add. Make no bones about it, it took a lot of work to craft this music together. But the CD somehow feels incomplete, fails to connect, and doesn’t bring bring this band like it should. For the record, this is good band, and the songs that work, work really well. Unfortunately the songs that fail fail miserably. It’s not enough to just write an impressive musical arrangement. To seal the deal you have to put icing on the cake with good lyrics and a catchy melody line for atleast 80% of the CD. I’m a bit puzzled why Martin Saz didn’t explore this avenue with some of the other material. There were ample opportunities in those songs to do just that. At the end of the day the instrumental songs are just not strong enough to stand on their own 2 feet either.

If I could say anythimg to Martin Sez I would say dude, don’t let your guitar do so much talking, put the second half of the CD towards the front, take the overly long intros and trim them up a bit, write melodies for atleast 80% of your music, put a marketable band pic inside the CD, and come up with a new fresh vision for your cover art. Do this and you got yourself a pretty solid CD.

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OTO Rating: 8/10

LABEL – INDEPENDENT ARTIST

SOUNDS LIKE - Nick Cave, Suzanne Vega.

DEFINING MOMENTS – Silence, Damn your Dead, Nameless Tune.

STRENGTHS – Originality, Songwritting, Consistancy

WEAKNESS – Voice

If artist Andrew Lansangan (Andor) was a painter he would use broad strokes. He would paint you a picture that was disturbing, yet peppered with hope. It would be real, honest and powerful. It would also deserve you full undivided attention. Chicago artist, Andor paints us a dark musical mosaic on Mixed States that is intriguing as much as it is original. I give Andon high marks on his writing virtuoso and not being afraid of being original. Unlike other dark artists out there like Marylyn Manson who try so hard to convince you they belong in a rubber room, Andor just refuses to put forth any effort. The lyrics seem very straightforward but make no mistakes about it they are extremely thought provoking and painfully real. It took courage, skill and deep honesty to write this music. Somewhere between Mosh Pit Puke and a yearning to be loved is where you’ll find Andor. There is dark pain and lamentation layered everywhere on the CD, but there are pockets of hope that shine through as well. What I like the most about this CD is its very dark but not in an overcompensating way either. I would go so far as to say this is one of the darkest records I have ever heard. it’s all so real and painfully genuine. The CD kicks off with the 2 darkest songs on the CD: Son of Pills, and Damn your Dead. You will notice that as the CD progresses the messages become more and more positive. There are some real gems on this CD; Everyone Hates Everything and Foxes are extremely catchy pieces. I especially like the drum finale to Namless Tune. But the defining moment of me on this CD is on my favorite song Silence “Through the darkness of the night I feel you by my side when I am crazy.” Powerful stuff. Give this CD a wide berth, and a Suicide Hotline number. I love it! I expect a psychologist would have a field day with this music.

The only thing that transcends Andor from other artists is his originality and songwriting ability. Adons baritone works, but is nothing very special. At times his voice and piano sound way to sinister and it keeps reminding me of David Bowie. Over time his predictable widely spaced bend takes a major toll on you. If Andor had a little more sex appeal via a sugar coated voice, like say a Michael Hutchence (INXS) he would no doubt be a megastar. Andor may also  even be too dark for some to fully appreciate, and his music a bit to powerful for others to return back to. But for the record Andor’s  strong suit is his songwriting craft which absolutely refuse to be pinned down very quickly. The true meanings of these songs are buried deep beneath the surface, they keep you guessing and require alot of effort to fully comprehend. That’s the trademark of good songwriting craft.

I really admire artists out there who are themselves and just let the chips fall where they may. Praise goes out to those artists that can show us something real and genuine beneath their veil of vanity. Andor is one of those artists. Be advised you may not want to listen to Mixed States on rainy days, or on the day you get fired. But if you like melancholy music that provides a very real assessment of the human condition then you should jump into this CD head first.

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The Torn ACLS + Cedar-By-the-Sea

OTO Rating: 8/10

Upon pulling away the plastic sheath and unveiling what came to be the latest creation of two young lads by the name of Will Cremin and Miles Ranisavljevic, one couldn’t help but be struck by the moniker bestowed upon this band. Images of athletes on crutches and long stints on the DL were conjured up, leaving me to wonder exactly what it was I had gotten myself into.

But as I placed the disc in its cradle and pressed the button called ‘play’, I was immediately taken away by a smattering of applause which right before my very ears was being slowly manipulated into a driving, percussive rhythm. An attention-grabbing intro that left me thinking, “wow…that was cool.” So, like with any good piece of art, I had no choice but to shed my apprehension, reach out my hand, and go along for the ride.

Let’s just say, I’m glad I did.

The EP/story begins with the track, “Reputation”, and it seems the hopelessly gambling addicted subject of this tune has finally reached the end of his troubled rope. His bookie has arrived to collect, and despite repeated attempts at stalling, the game is finally up. The call-and-response vocals drive this track, along with the stop-start drumming and a frenetic bass-line. The cheery glockenspiel notes ringing throughout masterfully taunt our subject, leading him to think things might, just might, be okay. Unfortunately, the antagonist here has a reputation to uphold.

Track two hits and……is that a Theremin I hear?? No, upon further research I discover its a saw being skillfully manipulated by Ranisavljevic to produce an atmosphere nothing less than, well, spooky. And when Cremin leans into the mic to implore, “if the nervousness doesn’t get you, I just don’t know what will”, many emotions arise, chief amongst them, paranoia.

The EP’s centerpiece, “Brother Twelve”, makes a statement right out of the gate with a pounding bass drum and a vocal narrative describing the history of a religious cult formed in the 1920’s in Washington state. It’s the detailed storytelling here that draws the listener in and the ‘loud-quiet-loud’ musical accompaniment that digs its claws in and keeps you put. “Obsessively, Compulsively” closes out the set, continuing right along with excellent song structure and just the right amount of something unexpected. Just when you’ve been lulled into a state of repose by an engaging Hammond line, a wall of jagged distortion reminds you that although the record has ended, the story has not.

The idea of a concept album is traditionally something only attempted on the sprawling canvas of a full-length LP. But in the case of ‘Cedar-By-the-Sea’, these boys have taken the phrase ‘less is more’ to heart. In doing so, they’ve created a piece of music that much like an addictive short story, is hard to put down.

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