Mountain Man: ‘Made the Harbor’ and Video Session
Sometimes you miss an album. An album that suits you so well, you wonder why friends haven’t beaten down your door, music in hand, forcing you to listen. Since starting this blog, my friends have developed a tendency to constantly test my knowledge of the latest bands, despite my willingness to admit wholeheartedly and unabashedly that I do not know everyone. Nor will I ever. The endless opportunity for discovery remains one of the most beautiful aspects of music, or any art form for that matter.
My ability to “keep up” with the latest and greatest, if anything, has been hindered by the launch of Thought on Tracks. Writing takes time. I fail to understand how Sean Moeller has time to accomplish even half of the work that drives his phenomenal music project Daytrotter. Thank you for your lack of sleep and dedication, sir. We are all indebted.
A 2010 release from Brooklyn’s Partisan Records recently slipped beneath my ocular radar. Mountain Man’s Made the Harbor. Holy shit, y’all. Don’t let the band’s name cause confusion. This trio is all woman. Three glorious voices weaving impeccably as they break new ground upon song structures that have a timeless, almost religious feel. Had the church choir sounded anything like Mountain Man, I may very well have entered the priesthood.
I missed Mountain Man’s July 23rd performance at Radio Radio. Out of town for a wedding, I hadn’t bothered to look into a group that I heard nothing about. Then a few days ago, LaundroMatinee released a couple of videos from a private recording at Big Car Gallery. Mountain Man’s songs hit like lead bricks, weighted with fresh takes on traditional American parlor music. They play like a more intimate Typhoon, a Portland band that has recently found my affection.
Download Made the Harbor. Spin it on vinyl. Steal it from your neighbor. Do what you must, but do not let this album pass you by. I already regret the few months that it escaped my ears. Also be sure to download Mountain Man’s stunning Daytrotter Session taped last October, available for free HERE.
Written by Rob Peoni
Album Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘I’m With You’
It would be nice to discuss this album as if John Frusciante had never left. However, to do so proves impossible. We can safely assume that the majority of the reviews on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 10th studio release, I’m With You, will focus on the absence of that essential melodic layer that helped to evolve their sound over their storied 28-year career. I do not view this release as the dawn of John. Instead, I would like to consider I’m With You another step forward in the evolution of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Replacement Josh Klinghoffer grew up in the same scene as the Chili Peppers. His band The Bicycle Thief opened up for RHCP in 2000, during their Californication tour. Klinghoffer began collaborating with Frusciante shortly thereafter and the stage was set. Much like Frusciante, Klinghoffer is a musician that spreads his work across a variety of projects. He fronts the instrumental project Dot Hacker and even drummed on new indie buzz band Warpaint’s 2010 release The Fool. With roots in the LA music scene and an obsessive dedication to his own musical tastes, Klinghoffer proves the ideal Frusciante substitute.
With Frusciante or without, I was hungry for another opportunity to hear the band, and I find the results encouraging. Aside from the greatness of the Core Three, Klinghoffer’s decision to open himself up to vulnerability is worth noting. He was less concerned with filling John’s shoes as he was buying a completely different pair. The bellowing riffs at the end of “Police Station” display a darker sound than we are used to. “Meet Me At the Corner” ends with a country twang that serves as a first for the Chili Peppers. To me, “Look Around” stands up as my early favorite. They embrace their old school funk sound and embed it into a brand new virtuosic interpretation. This track reassured me that I could certainly deal with this new life. It also displayed Klinghoffers freedom, which underscores the group’s trust in their new man.
This album will not likely reach the level of commercial success that 2006’s Stadium Arcadium attained. Frusciante will likely be brought up in the same breath as I’m With You with its similarity to One Hot Minute. With a band this big, there will always be a large table with many chairs open for criticism. I think the revolving door of band members coupled with the continuing change of sounds has been the reason why RHCP has always kept my interest. I support this album and congratulate the new team on continually embracing innovation.
Written by Brett McGrath
Sneak Peek: Tom Waits ‘Bad As Me’
It’s been a long, dry season. After seven years of scorched earth, with only a set of scraps and the occasional reprise on which to hang our hat, Waits’s upcoming album, Bad As Me, promises some respite.
We were told, via Waits’s website, that on August 23rd the songster would “set the record straight”. He did so with the release of the album’s first single of same name and a “Private Listening Party” :
“Bad As Me” is a churning, big-hipped, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins-influenced blues brawl that finds Waits swapping his trademark growl for a warbling caterwaul. Thick, sticky horn blasts reek of elicit propositions, a softly-mixed, almost inaudible piano rings somewhere in ether, alluding to the smoke and stench of the barroom, the wiry twang of a guitar radiates like heat from the barrel of a gun and the drums clang, boom and bounce with the lopsided sashay of an undefeated drunk.
Waits tries to relate to his subject, imploring to be seen in the same nefarious light. He asserts, “You’re the head on the spear / You’re the nail on the cross / You’re the fly in my beer / You’re the key that got lost / You’re the letter from Jesus on the bathroom wall / You’re mother superior in only a bra / You’re the same kind of bad as me”. The subject remains unconvinced. Waits questions in a cocky whisper, “No good, you say?” and assures, “Well, that’s good enough for me”. He explains that, “I’m the mattress in the back / I’m the old gunnysack / I’m the one with the gun / Most likely to run / I’m the car in the weeds / If you cut me I’ll bleed / You’re the same kind of bad as me,” demanding a vote of confidence from a partner in crime, or a foot in the door with a low-down young thing.
Slotted at number eight of a robust thirteen tracks (sixteen if you purchase the deluxe edition), “Bas As Me” is nowhere near as dense as the cacophonous insanity that typifies Waits’s best music, but it plays like straight-forward shot of pure oxygen in the middle of what will surely be a profound and undoubtedly unusual collection.
“Bad As Me”, the new single from seminal conjurer Tom Waits, is available for purchase here, or at any of your preferred digital retailers.
Listen to new song “Back in the Crowd”:
Written by Ben Brundage.
Read Ben’s full review of Bad As Me : HERE.
For more of Ben’s work, check out his Tumblr, Damned Fine Lion.
Thought on Tracks 