Album Review: Santah ‘White Noise Bed’
I came across Santah at the recommendation of a friend. After repeated listens, I remain without a tidy, perfectly-sized box to place their LP White Noise Bed. The songs feel familiar, and some comparisons can certainly be made.
Lead singer, Stanton McConnell’s vocals are similar to Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, but any similarities with VW end there. Watching the Big Ugly Yellow Couch vids, I couldn’t help being reminded of Givers Tiny Desk performance which was previously featured, HERE. But White Noise Bed is devoid of the addictive hooks and heavy percussion that dominate Givers’ self-titled debut.
The quintet met while attending the University of Illinois. I will try not to hold that against them, despite my disdain for Illini basketball coach Bruce Weber. Their album proves relatable and radio friendly. Perhaps that’s why they have not received any hometown love from Pitchfork. Santah pulls off its accessibility without compromising. The tracks don’t feel trite or over-produced. It’s just good, clean music. Well-crafted songwriting need not be a sin.
McConnell’s sister Vivian has joined the band since the recording of the album, and is featured in these videos. The Big Ugly Yellow Couch sessions do not do justice to depth of the music on White Noise Bed, but they were too much fun to pass up. Santah will be playing at White Rabbit Cabaret alongside Dan Snodgrass of Muncie’s The Bonesetters—another band we at Thought on Tracks are major fans of. The show starts at 8 and promises to be a worthwhile release from the work week. I will be there. You should too.
Written by Rob Peoni
Band to Watch: Typhoon
One of my favorite emerging acts of 2011 has proven to be Typhoon. My infatuation began after NPR featured the band in a breathtaking Tiny Desk Concert from South by Southwest (SXSW) in January. How the NPR staff managed to refrain from belting out a bellowing yell when they pick up the pace in “The Honest Truth” is completely beyond me.
Typhoon is unique for several reasons. Their performances often include over a dozen musicians. The format harkens back to late 19th century parlor music, when neighbors would gather around the living room sharing in song. It reminds me of grade school music class. Only, this group never dissolves into an incoherent, cluster fuck of noise.
Their 2011 EP A New Kind of House represents the first breakthrough for Portland, OR label Tender Loving Empire. Fronted by lead singer and guitarist Kyle Morton, Typhoon proves that several whispers combine into a collective roar. Though the individual parts are rather simple, the group’s timing and delivery is complex and sophisticated.
I was blown away when I saw Typhoon’s Lollapalooza after show at Subterranean in Chicago. A big thanks is owed to whoever is financing this project. In the age of stolen music, it seems unfathomable that a band of this size can exist. I look forward to following them in the years ahead. Chances are, they will never be short on ideas with that many minds in the room.
Stream or download Typhoon’s performance from this year’s Sasquatch Music Festival via NPR, HERE.
Written by Rob Peoni.
Windy City Dispatch: 2011 Lollapalooza 20th Anniversary Review
“People dancing, people laughing
A man selling ice cream
Singing Italian songs
Eh curare! Itza nice Ey!
Can you dig it (yes, I can)
And I’ve been waiting such a long time
For Saturday
Saturday in the park”
Chicago, “Saturday in the Park” off their 1972 album Chicago V
My experience from Lollapalooza was just that: A Saturday in the Park but I was wishing it was Pitchfork instead of the Fourth of July. DO NOT get me wrong. Lollapalooza is a grand time with a myriad of bands to chose from, but the convenience of a Saturday stroll is out of the question.
The distance between the Music Unlimited and the Bud Light (two main stages) is costly. Game plans and band map out sessions need to be considered very strategically. At Pitchfork you could see the completion of a set and do not have to worry about stressing over missing the beginning of the next. The beast that is Lollapalooza controls you and causes you to make quick decisions based on if you are “feelin’ or not” because of location. I have been going since the beginning of college and enjoy how big the crowds are but intimacy is cherished after a day in Grant Park.
I drove up to Chicago on Friday to catch the Local Natives / Walk the Moon set at Lincoln Hall on Friday and my only ambition was to catch Saturday at Lollapalooza and head back to Indianapolis before My Morning Jacket on Sunday. One and done in the festival scene and believe me….I got all I needed.
Comfort and convenience aside, I had a splendid time seeing some great live bands. Many of which I had been waiting to see for a long time which was an added bonus.
My day:
1:00 PM – J Roddy Walston and the Business – Playstation Stage
2:30 PM – Phantogram – Sony Stage
3:15 PM – Friendly Fires – Bud Light Stage
4:30 PM – Dom – Google+ Stage….side: Only saw a song or two. I saw their after show on Saturday night so it was not priority. Food and bathroom were paramount at this point
5:45 PM – Drums – Google+ Stage
6:30 PM – Local Natives – Sony Stage
8:15 PM – Lykke Li – Google+ Stage
9:45 PM – Beirut – Google+ Stage
I just realized I saw more bands than I thought after compiling this list. Totaling out at 8 is a very good day. I will bet my life I would not have been able to do this if I had gone on Friday.
Key notes:
- The crowd at Local Natives was the biggest crowd of the day that I noticed. It brought a tear to my eye that a band I had been following since the beginning was finally it.
- The Friendly Fires show was a sweatbox. They came with energy and I was thrilled they delivered. A dance circle was created by my crew. It took off. About 20 strangers participating in a jig fest to a band we all love – Can’t beat that
- Sarah Barthel from Phantogram might be the hottest Alt chick out there
- Beirut was not as cool as I expected
- Lykke Li owns me
Thank you Lollapalooza. It was another Saturday in the park but next time I’ll be waiting for July (Pitchfork Festival 2o12)
Written and experienced by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 