Sonny Smith: 100 Records Vol. 3
Back in 2010, Sonny Smith of Bay Area garage outfit Sonny & The Sunsets undertook a ludicrous endeavor in the form of an art project called 100 Records. Smith set out to write 100 songs under the guise of 100 fictional band names. As a visual accompaniment, Smith enlisted a bunch of artists to design album covers for his various pseudonyms. A video detailing the project can be found beneath the post.
In January, Polyvinyl will release the third and final batch of songs from the 100 Records project in the form of a limited edition cassette and vinyl. You can listen to the album’s first single “If You Don’t Make a Change” below. The track is performed under the alias Don Adora’e. In 2010, Smith offered up the following bit of background on the character:
Don Adora’e recorded for DMade between 1963-1967. He kept his identity a secret by wearing a mask onstage and in the recording studio. His given name was Don Adora’e, so the mask didn’t keep anyone from knowing his true identity. He ran a dry cleaners in Passaic. He became locally famous for his delightful singles. He filled the local high school dances, and the kids loved him. Although he never got out of Passaic, Don Adora’e has lived up to his fantastic moniker. He is still loved in Passaic, and is a popular singer/local TV personality, lending his pipes to local commercials for used car places and furniture stores.
Smith & The Sunsets have kept busy in 2012, releasing one helluva break-up record in the form of Longtime Companion. The album’s lead single “Pretend You Love Me” is one of my favorite songs of the year. Pre-order your copy of 100 Records, Vol. 3 from Polyvinyl Record Co.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Video: Lily & Madeleine “In the Middle”
Lily & Madeleine is a sister duo from Indianapolis. The pair recently released a video for their debut single “In the Middle“, which you may watch below. The track is scheduled to appear on the band’s debut EP The Weight of the Globe, due to drop in early January. The song is reminiscent of fellow folk singer sisters First Aid Kit, with immaculate harmonies set against an understated acoustic backdrop.
Connect with Lily & Madeleine via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
EP Review: The Coasts ‘Santa Fe’
Thought on Tracks favorites The Coasts have arrived with a fresh batch of songs for your listening pleasure, just in time for the holidays. Today brought the digital release of the band’s Santa Fe EP. It picks up where The Coasts left off on last year’s self-titled debut, sculpting straightforward rock songs with an ear for their heroes and a steady gaze on the road ahead.
Santa Fe kicks off with the title track, a song more brash and cocksure than anything off the debut. Ike Peters leads a battle cry that takes shape in the form of a call and response with the grisly power chords of his guitar. “Santa Fe” is one of those tracks that feels as if you’ve been toting it around for years. In fact, I spent the better part of three days wracking my brain and turning my iTunes library upside down in search of its inspiration, to no avail. At just more than two minutes, “Santa Fe” is an all-too-brief kick in the pants that serves to snap the listener to attention.
The title track gives way to lead single “No One’s Listening”, which we featured in this space a few weeks ago. Eric Mount rolls out the red carpet with a marching beat on the snare while Peters ponders the fickle taste of today’s fractured musical climate and the fear that all of this proves meaningless without an audience. Follow-up “Homebody” finds The Coasts bouncing through a jaunty melody that calls to mind Ryan Adams’s “To Be Young” or Arctic Monkeys’ early material.
“My Own Fault” is arguably my favorite of Santa Fe’s five tracks. I’ve got a soft spot for fuck ups, and here we find Peters lamenting his inability to straighten things out despite the best intentions. Peters’s desire for approval is palatable as his voice breaks in the second verse on the line “Oh tell me I’m so good! I need to hear those words! / I want to hear you say that I’m worth keeping.”
Mount takes the reins on lead vocals for the EP’s final track “Old Man.” It’s the most heavily produced of Santa Fe’s five songs, with flourishes of horns and strings that add depth without distraction. It’s a satisfying end to a release that achieves an astonishing breadth of emotion for an EP. Pre-order your limited edition copy of Santa Fe EP via Bandcamp for $8. As with all of The Coasts releases, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Hope for Haiti’s Children. Check out their debut Daytrotter session, featuring a handful of tracks from the new EP and their debut.
Connect with The Coasts via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
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