Album Release: Hotfox – You, Me, and the Monster
You, Me, and the Monster the debut disc from Indianapolis band Hotfox was released by Roaring Colonel Records on Friday. To celebrate, the band threw a launch party and played a set at Earth House Collective showcasing the new tracks. Muncie acts The Bonesetters and Slothpop rounded out the bill.
One recurring thought kept rattling around my brain while watching Hotfox’s set: Damn, these kids are babies. But their youth worked to their advantage on Friday and may continue to do so into the future. These kids are too young to know any better. Too naïve to realize they should be intimidated or nervous. They owned Earth House on Friday night.
That being said, You, Me, and the Monster proves that Hotfox is as capable of producing a balanced, successful record as they are creating a balanced, successful setlist. “Mountain Tiger”, “Tombstone Teeth” and “The Dollar Theatre” are my takeaway tracks from the album, but the disc is strong start to finish. Do not sell these guys short based on their youth. After all, angry teenagers once served as the foundation for rock n roll as we know it.
During Hotfox’s last song I stepped outside Earth House for a cigarette, waiting near the exit for friends who would soon be joining. Moments later, guitarist Duncan Kissinger burst through the doors, walking at a frenzied pace down New York St. as if he had just conquered the world. I wanted to reach out and say, “Whoa bud, you are going to have a lot more venues to conquer and fans to win over. Remember this feeling and then duplicate it every night you play.”
For more on the band, check out their Facebook page. All videos were obtained via The In-Store. Stay tuned for Brett McGrath’s footage from Hotfox’s rendition of new track “AK-47.” Click here for the official video of “Mountain Tiger.”
Album Review: Vetiver ‘The Errant Charm’ via Sub Pop
The Sub Pop indie folk gang Vetiver just released their fifth full-length musical joyride The Errant Charm. A mix of slow, mellow jams intertwined with heavy power-hitters like “Ride Ride Ride” make their latest release a sampler platter of delight. Front man, Andy Cabic delivers a melting pot of vocal pride. Growing up in Virginia and traveling to school in North Carolina to form band The Raymond Brake helps display his southern soul.
San Francisco serves as Vetiver’s current home base, and has helped to evolve their original sound. It is easy to see new neighborhood influences like The Oh Sees peppered throughout this release. The best moment of the album for me is the folky, surf pop treat “Wonder Why” The crew savors this moment by their slow moving glowing introductory guitar lick.
“Short dollars, I’m spendin’, my piece of mind / tell me, when is this whole world gonna treat me/ me kind”
I am trying to contribute to Andy with my $9.99 purchase on iTunes and everyone should do the same. To learn more check out this great interview with Andy Cabic on Amoeblog.
Written by Brett McGrath
Video/Album Review: Givers ‘In Light’ & Tiny Desk Concert
Full confession, I am a fairly recent convert to the indie music scene. I have always been a music junkie, but I didn’t delve deep into this genre until about a year and a half ago. I was spoon fed on sixties folk rock and classic soul: Crosby Stills & Nash, Simon & Garfunkel, Beach Boys, Motown and The Staples Singers. Not a shabby start.
By the time I began to listen for myself I had moved toward the jammier side of the post 90s rock scene. That path led to retracing their influences down through funk, blues, southern roots and traditional music. Along that path I developed a strong appreciation for jazz and improvisation—particularly that of the New Orleans region.
For the last year or two, my palate has enjoyed the taste of rigid, three-minute music that The Strokes helped to spawn a decade ago. There is a beauty that lies in that simplicity and raw emotion. So long as an organic aspect remains in there somewhere, a natural or primal sound, I’m typically a listener. One thing I have missed though, is that aspect of improvisation, an interplay between planned and unplanned.
Enter Laffayette, Louisiana’s Givers, and their debut LP In Light from Glassnote Records. No songs under four minutes. I find myself returning to this album as often as any 2011 release. Though I find the disc a touch over-produced, read—it sounds too good at certain points. Any worries of whether or not Givers would hold up to the live litmus test swiftly vanished after viewing their recent Tiny Desk Concert via NPR Music:
In Light is pure fun. As evidenced in the above video, these kids can sing. Vocalists Tiffany Lamson and Taylor Guarisco compliment each other flawlessly. “Meantime,” the first track from the Tiny Desk performance plays quite differently on the album. Their song features a guitar solo that will have traditional indie fans yawning. But the video proves how effective the track becomes after watching them pour their hearts out for the NPR staff.
Givers has drawn comparisons to Vampire Weekend and other Afrobeat-influenced acts. And the release is much heavier on percussion and powerful drums than this performance indicates. However, if anyone comes to mind for me, it’s actually Rusted Root. A tighter, more serious and worlds more talented Rusted Root.
Their live show is most assuredly going to have the crowd’s feet shuffling. If this video does not do justice to any of the band’s strengths, it’s that it short sells the fact that much of the album would play just as well in a dance club as a jam band festival. That’s why I think Givers will be a hit for as long as they stay together. They play to the core emotion of too many differing audiences to fail.
Thought on Tracks 