Every Heaven

 

Humdrum

Every Heaven

(Slumberland) 

The debut album, Every Heaven, from Chicago’s Humdrum is an indie pop dream come true.  To get the easiest comparisons out of the way, if you were a fan of the band Star Tropics, who existed throughout the twenty-teens, yet only managed one full length LP, the incredibly infectious Lost World (Shelflife Records, 2017), the precursor and required listening for Humdrum, as bandleader/songwriter Loren Vanderbilt is the man behind both of these projects.  In other words, if you loved Lost World, you will undoubtedly love Every Heaven,  

Other comparisons and influences could be the entirety of the Sarah Records catalogue (1987-1995, 100 releases), or more specifically The Field Mice and their indie pop singles like “September’s Not so Far Away” as channeled through the jangles of early R.E.M. and the straightforward urgent bass lines of The Railway Children.  I also keep thinking of the version of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s re-take of “The Hardest Walk” from the Some Kind of Wonderful movie soundtrack.  This album is on the Slumberland Record label as well, so that alone is both an influence and a stamp of high quality.

There’s a dreamy sentimentality to these songs that creates a wonderful nostalgia for naïve times in our lives when our emotions are especially dramatic and unjaded by life’s experience.  It’s so refreshing and familiar that there’s no way to not feel comfortable and at home listening to Every Heaven.

The title track is a brief instrumental opener with a pounding drum machine and an ever ascending exploratory feel that ends with a woman’s voice saying “What is it about this place?  It’s like another world” before segueing  into the very Field Mice-like “There and Back Again,” (another Sarah reference?) which is so unbelievably catchy that it’s kind of unfair.  Loren’s vocals are friendly and humble sounding with a hint of emotion and maybe a dose of impatience or excited anticipation.  The thing is that the next song “Superbloom” is every bit as addictive, as well as “Wave Goodbye,” with its cascading guitars and its spectacular bridge and chorus.  I don’t know who does the backing vocals, but when they appear the harmonies are fantastic! 

Side two does not let up at all, as “See Through You” surges with great energy and another perfect chorus, “Eternal Blue” evokes the greatness of The Cure’s timeless 1987 single “Just Like Heaven” (that keyboard!).  Most of these songs are upbeat and exciting.  The lower tempo songs add a nice dynamic, and more of those yearning keyboards that transport one to somewhere “a million miles away,” as repeated in “Ultraviolet.”

Every Heaven is an album that I cannot stop listening to.  It feels like I’ve been listening to these songs all of my life and the songs always feel like a soothing balm to any kind of ills.  Like visiting with a longtime friend.  The kind of friend one can relate to no matter the passage of time.. 

(https://heyhumdrum.bandcamp.com/album/every-heaven)

 

Humdrum "There and Back Again"

 

Ultracopacetic

 

Velocity Girl

Ultracopacetic

(SubPop)

In an attempt to look back to the early 90s without revisionist goggles, I am remembering that with their bright and exciting 7” singles, Velocity Girl had become a favorite band and a reliable go to. I’m pretty sure that I had mail ordered all of their singles as they came out and even splurged to collect their Slumberland Records pillow case.  Once I learned that they were signed to the Pacific Northwest’s own Sub Pop records, I remember being pretty excited.  Strange that I cannot remember how I learned of this information.  I mean nowadays, it’s difficult to not know about the dealings of any music artist one follows, but back then, how did we access this news?  It’s like that strange realization that I used to be able to find various locales, unassisted, just by glancing at an address.  These days, I feel lucky to find the outside without navigation.  At any rate, once Velocity Girl’s debut album, Copacetic, arrived in 1993, it failed to make the expected impact.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but for reasons I could not fully grasp, it didn’t land the same way as their prior work.  The singles, like “Crazy Town” with its undeniably infectious chorus, the cowbell-laden “Pop Loser,” and the rush of “Audrey’s Eyes” are all VG classics.  I’m certain that my attentions, experiences, mild variations in taste, and mood during this time contributed to my lackluster reception and I’m sorry to say that my broken jewel-cased copy got shelved rather rapidly.

 

As a collector of music, I am one of those frustrating (frustrated?) nerds who has fallen into the trap of spending all of my earnings (and more) on every possible release a favorite band or greedy record label presents.  We’re talking those 90s era UK import singles that would include a double CD single (sold separately, though one might have a collector’s case), a 7”, 10”, and 12” single – all with unique B-sides.  Then there are the box sets, best of collections, reissues, and anniversary editions (am I painting a vulgar enough picture yet?) that I would be enticed to collect because there is supposed to be a previously unreleased demo dangling like a carrot there-in.  Like a recovering addict, over the past twenty or so years, I’ve tried incredibly hard to refrain from continuing to fall prey to these urges.

It was with a bit of skepticism that I approached the release of a remixed and remastered version of Copacetic, and yet here it is and here I am whole-heartedly recommending it.  As I said before, there is nothing wrong with the original version, and it is still going to remain intact as is, but the absolute no frills original did not fully capture the special essence of Velocity Girl’s strengths.  One might wonder if, because of the time period where “selling out” was quite possibly the biggest possible sin and career killer in indie music, that the original mix was so dry and frankly uncommercial.  It did not present the warm glow of their catchy melodies, and it smoothed over their dramatic noise dynamics.  Thirty years later, band member, Archie Moore, has remixed the LP and seamlessly adjusted the mix, and it is now the album that I had always wanted!

These subtle changes are evident immediately.  The songs sound like they have more room to breathe.  The powerhouse opener, “Pretty Sister” feels more dynamic with its alternating feedback-laden foot stomping jams and Sarah Shannon’s vocals, which are mildly pushed more upfront throughout.  The title track was always a standout, but here it’s a revelation, while the prior murky “A Chang” has been transformed into an oddly complex juxtaposition between 80s Midwest/DC postpunk and a 4AD Records abstract experimental/atmospheric sound. 

I’m so happy with this release.  This is the Velocity Girl that I originally fell in love with, and not to be missed are the added bonus of the B-sides and session outtakes (so happy to hear the “Warm/Crawl” single again!), along with five songs from their 1993 Peel Sessions.  Cheers to Ultracopacetic!!  This will likely spark a collector nerd relapse.

(https://velocitygirl.bandcamp.com/album/ultracopacetic-copacetic-remixed-and-expanded)

Velocity Girl "Crazy Town"

Torrey

 

Torrey

Torrey

(Slumberland) 

I’ve always loved indie pop/rock.  There’s something in its simplicity that I’ve always clung to.  There’s an approachability and vulnerability to the best indie music, as well as that DIY punk rock spirit.  These are songs written and performed by goofballs like me!  Scratch that.  I have no skills, but I sure can appreciate those willing to go for it.  My ears are always drawn to dissonance, when paired with straightforward indie melodies.  At their base, Torrey is an old school indie pop band with over busy drumming, imperfect scratchy/strumming guitars and meandering grinding basslines, but here they’ve added loads of noise – everything from washes of feedback, overloaded retro-sounding keyboards, incredibly upfront and aggressive tambourines.  I think of the cut and paste genius of the Swirlies, the angular bitterness of the Archers of Loaf, or more currently: the most recent Alvvays album and their timeless melodic sensibilities.  There’s a certain ramshackle feeling in this collection that provides an exciting depth and repeated discoveries with additional listens. 

This self-titled second LP from Oakland band Torrey is their first for Slumberland Records and for me.  I have not yet investigated their prior work, but am extremely excited by this release!  To be honest, even though the lyrics are provided for this album, I can’t seem to make sense of them, yet so many of these tracks are incredibly contagious.  The aptly titled “Pop Song,” has a repeated chorus of “A common blue” that has been stuck in my head endlessly for the past several days.  This is not a complaint.  It only makes me want to hear it again, even though I’m not so sure what it all means.

There’s no way that I’ve ever figured out how to describe this, but sometimes certain artists sound more meaningful.  This is incredibly subjective, but I felt these songs upon first listen, even if many of the lyrics have remained elusive to me.  Early favorite, “No Matter How,” is an exception.  I love the repeated bridge refrain of “it will all be okay” landing just before the chorus of “no matter how you wanna spin it.”  I feel like this message hits incredibly well in these days where we are all guilty of spinning our own stories to justify our own means.  I know I’m certainly guilty of this.  I seem to be able to assuage my own bad feelings by spinning my narrative to only positives.  “No, I did nothing wrong!”  It’s a powerful message for a catchy three or so minute song.  The afore-mentioned “Pop Song” is also undeniably addictive, as well as the sweet sounding organ drenched “Bounce” and “Happy You Exist.”  My favorite amongst these highlights though is the haunting “Moving,” which has a similar vibrato vibe as “How Soon is Now?” and a sneaky earworm of a chorus vocalized perfectly by singer Ryann Gonalves that is absolutely breathtaking.

It’s discovering new music like this that I find forever regenerative.  If you’re familiar with pretty much any musical act to ever grace the Slumberland Records label, you will likely love this.  If you’re not familiar, this could be a perfect gateway into a magical world.

(https://torreymusic.bandcamp.com/album/torrey)

Torrey "No Matter How"

Top Music Picks From 2015 (January – October)

I never liked Halloween very much.  As a kid, I was never interested in dressing up in costumes and I remember feeling upset about the entire trick or treating process.  As an adult, I’ve been beaten up by a gang of Russians on a Halloween.  I once learned that a girl I had a crush on was giving me so much attention only because she liked a friend of mine on a Halloween.  And now, this most recent Halloween, I had a stroke. 

This stroke, followed by a second one a week or so later, all stemmed from the genetic disorder that I’ve grown up with (VHL).  Last January I learned that I had a new hemangioblastoma (cyst) growing in my cerebellum.  At the time, it was decided that we would wait a year and check on it again.  These cysts grow at a predictable rate.  Unfortunately, this one decided to burst, sending blood all over the inside of my brain.  I have spent the last three plus months trying to recover.  There have been numerous stays in the hospital and a two week stay at an inpatient rehab facility. 

Normally, at the end of each year, like it or not, I share my favorite music from that year.  I missed the opportunity this year, since I spent the New Year holiday in a hospital bed.  Plus I missed the last two months of the year in music, so here is my tardy list from 2015’s first 10 months.

1.   Pretty Sad “Pretty Sad”  EP (Shelflife)

Late in 2014, the amazing Shelflife Records released the debut digital only EP from this unknown and mysterious collective.  I didn’t run across this until springtime last year, but am still listening to these three brief songs over and over again.  The band seems to be no longer in existence, as there is no info anywhere about them.  They have tapped into the seductive sounds of such early Shelflife luminaries as The Arrogants and Brittle Stars with swift sparkling guitar lines and dreamy washes of keyboards all propelled by aggressive drums.  These songs are all aggressively depressing – filled with identifiable self-doubt and dislike all tied in around heartbreak.  Sad that this may be all that we ever hear from this talented group.

(http://www.shelflife.com/catalogue/LIFE119.html)

2.   Thrushes “Exposing Seas” (New Granada)

The long-awaited third offering from Baltimore’s very own Thrushes is finally here!  It’s been over five years since they’ve graced us with their beautiful noise.  While the first two LPs are like warm blankets of swirling feedback perfect to keep one warm on a cold rainy afternoon, this new offering brings a fuller expanded sound.  Anna Conner’s longing voice and lyrics still bring a lump to my throat with every listen, as on the reflective “Katydid” and the string adorned “Joan of Arc.”  Those are just the first two songs!  The remainder of the album includes more highlights, such as the urgent “Night,” the Slowdive-esque “Snowblind,” and the closing epic “Slow Road.”  This is a band that demands more recognition!

(http://thrushes.bandcamp.com/music)

3.   Evans the Death “Expect Delays” (Slumberland)

I absolutely adored the wild and tumultuous debut album from UK band Evans the Death.  This new one took some time to warm up to.  Gone are the straight forward catchy tunes, however, over a handful of listens, the album blossoms and we find a mature collection of songs that are definitely memorable.  The wild abandon is not gone either, as each song bristles with intensity and subtle hooks inside.  I have a feeling that this is the album I will be listening to more often in the years to come.

(https://www.facebook.com/evansthedeath)

4.   Decoration “Put Me Back on My Bike” (13 B Sides)

Full disclosure, a friend and I helped release a US version of Decoration’s amazing debut album Don’t Disappoint Me Now in 2008 (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/decoration).  There’s a reason why we did this.  It’s because this band is amazing and seems to fly under the radar more than almost any band I’ve encountered – especially one that was once championed by John Peel and that draws big name producers (this time around David M. Allen  who produced The Cure for years).  At any rate, I’m thankful they’ve stuck it out for album number four.  Nothing has been lost, they still have the same every day heartbreak songs crammed with addictive guitar hooks, fervent urgency, and Stuart Murray’s emotive vocals (which are unique in the same way that the Wedding Present’s David Gedge’s are).  Here though, they’ve expanded their sound a bit, with more keyboards and a couple of epic numbers – most notably the super identifiable (see crush reference above) “Paul is Dead Nice,” where the girl chooses the wrong guy.  Please check out this criminally overlooked band.  Keep it up guys! 

(http://decoration.bandcamp.com/)

5.    BNLX “Good Light” (Susstones)

I’m so thankful for this band.  They are super prolific, but they fill so many of my musical tastes.  They can be a punk rock band one song, a pop rock band the next, and yet they can stretch things out and achieve psychedelic atmospheric bliss the next song.  They remind me of the mid-80s college rock scene when so many underground bands straddled so many of the rock genres that they were just considered cool and their audience at shows would draw punks, new wavers, fried out hippies, nerds, scary mountain people, skaters, regular folks etc. all looking to bum clove cigarettes from the goths.  They have released two full length albums and nine EPs since 2012, and yet they still had the creativity and energy to write and record the catchiest song of the year in “Penny Drops,” which has a guitar chorus to die for.  Try to keep up. 

(https://bnlx.bandcamp.com/)

Nobody There

As the year has progressed, several great singles and EPs have been released for which I have written reviews.  I’ve waited for many of these bands to go ahead and release new full length albums before offering my thoughts, but several have not yet materialized.  So, over the next week or two, I hope to share my enthusiasm for some of these great singles that have come along during 2014 that I’ve neglected to share.

Veronica Falls

“Nobody There” 7”

(Beachy Head)

What a pleasant surprise this single turned out to be!  Late last year, I received an email message from veronica Falls about a limited edition 7” single to be released before years’ end.  I jumped at the chance and secured a copy, which actually finally showed up early in February - though the digital version has been available, while the vinyl version with a nice fold out screen printed sleeve (limited to 300) quickly sold out.  Veronica Falls have been a favorite ever since their debut of dread-filled songs came across my limited awareness in 2011 and the thought of a brand new single hot on the heels of their incredible second album Waiting for Something to Happen (my #4 pick of 2013) had me on the edge of my seat.

This could be taken as negative, but the A-side “Nobody There,” is no different than we’ve come to expect from Veronica Falls.  The song contains their wonderful forward momentum of jangling guitars, rolling drums, and amazing harmonies and it never ceases to get old, and as their songs have become bolder and tighter from their steady touring schedule and much better recorded, they sound like a band on a hot streak.  In fact, “Nobody There” could be one of the most joyous sounding songs about what seems to be complete isolation and loneliness one may ever hear.  The A-side’s rousing chorus – complete with handclaps – is letting us know that there is no one listening and that “there’s nobody there.”  Wow, that’s really depressing, but the message is wrapped inside such a pretty song, it harkens back to those lonely moments of dancing alone around my bedroom as a teenager to angst-ridden anthems (“Shut the door / don’t let them see / turn in circles endlessly”).

The B-side “Need You Around” is a more spacious song about loneliness, or an attempt to avoid it, as Roxanne Clifford pleas for someone to stay with her.  It’s up to us to decide if this exit is permanent, or just for the moment, but the desperation is palpable.  Plus, how many bands out there can create such ear catching vocal harmonies in just over two minutes?  This B-side is definitely not B material.  Both songs are as good as anything they’ve done so far, and that is about as high of praise as I can muster.

(veronicafalls.com)

Veronica Falls "Nobody There"

 

We Come from the Same Place

Allo Darlin’

We Come from the Same Place

(Slumberland)

Besides poorly written music reviews and rambling directionless musings about medical issues, this blog is littered with half formed failed efforts at short stories.  These weak efforts I have sporadically posted have always portrayed moments in time.  The goal, I suppose, is to capture immediacy and meaning in the mundane – to find drama in the unspoken and undone.  Maybe this is part of why I draw so much from Allo Darlin’ (silly name aside), because singer Elizabeth Morris’ lyrics effortlessly paint emotional moments in time in so few words.  She can convey more imagery and meaning in one stanza than I could ever achieve in 4,000 bumbling words.

Allo Darlin’ have always evoked the emotional depth and poeticism of the legendary Go-Betweens, along with the simple charm of The Lucksmiths (especially their final LP 2008’s First Frost) – two long time favorites.  We Come from the Same Place is their third long player and it has a come with high expectations.  I was a little lukewarm with their 2010 debut, but once I made the effort to listen to the 2012 second album, Europe, I discovered that they were on to something pretty damn special (my #2 pick for record of the year – see review here), and it has remained on heavy rotation ever since.  There’s often a fear of what may come from a newly favorite band.  Will they stick to the same formula?  Will they expand and grow?  Will they somehow stay true to the spark that first drew us to them?  It’s a no win scenario for most artists.  If they don’t develop, people will eventually lose interest.  If they broaden their horizons, there’s no way to know if their fan base will follow them down that path (and then disparage them for making the effort).  Allo Darlin’ somehow managed the ultimate trick from debut to album number two, by sticking to the same formula, but making it sound more powerful and poignant.  The same cannot be said of the transition from Europe to this latest release, but despite sticking to their guns this is still fresh.  Maybe their strengths lie in the sheer friendliness of their sound and Morris’ words.  Paul Rains’ fresh and endlessly melodic guitar leads, Bill Bottling’s deep bass lines, and Mike Collins’ spiky drums fills are comforting, while Morris’ rich vocals and her sentimental vignettes of love found, lost, or missed from all over the world feel like postcards from one’s oldest and  dearest friend.  Their music contains a warmth and lushness that feels welcoming.

The album opens with the endearing “Heartbeat,” a tale of a drunken night out dancing with friends – probably in an effort to get over a recent break-up, so the fun and games is entrenched in lingering heartbreak (“I’m starting to think true romance is fictional”).  There actually seems to be a lot of drinking across many of these stories.  The wine comes out in “Angela” as Morris does her best to help a friend get through a recent break-up and one absolutely heartbreaking chorus: “And the hardest thing we ever have to learn is when those we love don’t love us in return.”  Meanwhile, “Kings and Queens” (originally released on the 2012 Where It’s At Is Where You Are Records 7777777 singles club release) finds our narrator hopping from bar to bar and feeling the high of being in love and having fun.  Rains joins Morris on vocals in the sweet duet “Bright Eyes” - reminding a little of the gone too soon Standard Fare, except things are okay here.  It’s nice to hear Rains unleash a little buzz and feedback on his guitar as this song climaxes.  The entire band brings an edge to “Half Heart Necklace,” where we find Morris delving into a song about falling for the bad guy.  There’s more upbeat pop perfection with “Romance and Adventure” – a song filled with mixed emotions, but the dreamy chorus put things on hold for a brief moment as Morris admits a need to revel in her sadness (“I’m just tired of being strong”).  It’s this open hearted honesty that is Allo Darlin’s strength.  When their earnest and tangibly genuine music plays, one can feel the passion of each song long before delving into the vivid short story lyrics. 

We Come from the Same Place ultimately comes to a happy ending.  The final three songs, though fraught with uncertainty, come to the realization and acceptance of finding love and a willingness to let go and enjoy the adventure.  The anticipation and nervous excitement of the record’s closing song, “Another Year,” is absolutely bursting in the slow glide and bounce of the music, while Morris describes a sketchy plane trip into the unknown and the beginning of a new life.  Because it feels so real, it is ultimately encouraging and inspirational.  Another lovely album.

(allodarlin.com)  

Allo Darlin' "Romance and Adventure"

 

0340

Two new CDs that I have recently picked up have transported me to a different time. The first one is from the great UK label LTM’s most recent release in their continuing Auteur Labels series. The series has featured some fantastic UK labels who released some of the most influential music of post-punk in the late 70s and early 80s. This release features the fantastic US label Independent Project Records founded in Los Angeles in 1980 by Savage Republic co-founder Bruce Licher. This 23 track compilation spans the history entirely (notice the clear gap from ’96-’08) showcasing its varied assortment of artists and their amazing groundbreaking sounds. I first ran across this label in the mid-to-late 80s when I picked up Camper Van Beethoven’s landmark debut Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985), featuring, of course, their quirky single “Take the Skinheads Bowling” (included here). The next time I ran into the label was when I found the debut LP from Nebraska’s For Against’s Echelons (1987). It wasn’t until late 1990, while away at college that I encountered a For Against release on the label which absolutely changed my life. The first in IPR’s series of 10” colored vinyl only releases featured some unreleased and experimental tracks from this amazing band. This “Archive Series” debuted with the promise of a new installment every other month which could be had via subscription. These records were interesting, thought provoking, and most importantly, entertaining, but the bonus was the fantastic artwork that made up these special records. The records were numbered and pressed in an old fashioned letterpress printer and looked otherworldly. They provoked the imagination and upon arrival would send me off to stereo to absorb every nuance of these incredible products. These records expanded my horizons and exposed me to what felt like a special secret world. I started my subscription (my number was 0340) shortly after having to return home from college due to a lot of strife with my family. My mom was going through the early stages of a battle with cancer that she would eventually lose, while I was due for some serious surgery myself. These records were an oasis for me; a chance to escape from the horrors of hospital visits full of bad news and be transported to a world full of potential and discovery. Listening to this compilation reminded me of how amazing this music really was with the added bonus of hearing some of the artists from the label’s earliest releases for the first time! It is essential.

This was when my addiction to music went from bad to worse. I began to delve further into this new secret world of music that I was quickly discovering by uncovering layer after layer of how to track these things down while stuck in a small Oregon town. I started to read small regional music fanzines voraciously, mostly for the record reviews and the tiny little ads provided by tiny little record labels. I started writing letters to the bands and labels directly and mail ordering from them for the smallest of costs. Soon enough I was receiving records in my mailbox more than a few times a week! Wil and I even started putting together a little ‘zine of our own in the early 90s named, not surprisingly, “This Wreckage.” It was fun and exciting to feel involved even in the remotest of ways.


This brings me to the other new CD that’s been gracing my player constantly: Black Tambourine. This band was only around for two years at the end of the 80s and all but one of their (few) songs were released posthumously. This CD follows 1999’s Complete Recordings and tacks on six more tracks. Two are simply demos of prior tracks, while four more are new recordings of old songs from their few live sets from back in the day. Hearing this rough and tumble music with sugary sweet melodies buried beneath walls of guitar fuzz reminded me how fun and invigorating the music was and is and how clearly it inspired and drove me through such hard times. It makes me want to dig out my old records again as well as my old holey Black Tambourine T-Shirt showing the girl with the bob-haircut pointing a gun, which once led Archie Moore in 1994 (then member of Velocity Girl, former member of BT) to stop during a set at La Luna and approach me at my familiar perch with friends near the front, stage left, and ask me where the hell I got that shirt. I was speechless and the show continued, but the answer was simple. I got it when I bought Black Tambourine’s first full 7” EP via mail order from Slumberland Records for like $4 postpaid. I’m sure it included a note of thanks from label honcho Mike Schulman (also a member of BT) on the backside of a piece of scrap paper with their small discography Xeroxed on the back. This CD release is number 111 twenty-some odd years later. I recommended these guys to everyone back then. I still do.