1
KEN WILL MORTON
Contenders
Ghostmeat Records
Contenders is one of Ken Will
Morton's stronger albums, the Athens-
based singer/songwriter's at his best
when he keeps things simple His
stray-dog vocals are better suited to
wistful, rustic, folk-blues songs sung
the morning alter; past releases that've
focused more on the sound ot a rockin'
barroom have lelt less authentic and
less interesting His 2008 album,
Kickin' Out the Rungs, has a similar
acoustic quality, and succeeded more
than his albums with his sometimes
backing band. The Wholly Ghosts
Small touches, though, keep things
Irom being too bare-bones. like subtle
piano and backing vocals on "Broken
Windows" or the Spanish-style guitar
of "Que Lastima."
Morton's reedy voice is an instru
ment best used to convey personal
songs ot yearning, and “Powder Keg"
is one of Contenders’ highlights Its
to-the-point acoustic guitar, accom
panied by the occasional violin, lets
Morton's lyrics shine. On this one. he
veers into confessional territory without
sounding maudlin or hackneyed (a trap
he's fallen into in the past) It's taken
Morton a while—a long while—to
grow into his own. and a few of the
tunes on Contenders are as generic as
they come, but with every release he's
tipping the scales more in his favor
Chris Hassiotis
Ken Will Morton plays Little Kings
Shuttle Club on Saturday, Nov 5
sustained organ chords “The End'
is an unapologetic country tune with
prominent pedal steel and barroom
piano, and the finale. “Wrecking Ball.’
is a classic. 70s Americana, closing-
time anthem in the mold ot Tom Petty
To show such versatility in such
a limited space is undoubtedly a neat
trick, but I came away feeling that this
band does a lot of things well, but
nothing particularly great. Waiting on
the Calm Down doesn't otter enough
continuity or distinctiveness to make
The District Attorneys stand out Irom
the pack
David Fitzgerald
The District Attorneys play the
Melting Point on Saturday, Nov. 5
ATHENS
The Athens Band EP
Independent Release
Soaring over bombastic power
chords and pummeling drum fills, a
voice offers a battle cry of sorts: “I'm a
loaded gun/a silhouette in the setting
sun “ Athens does not ease into things
on this four-song EP; here, it s thunder
ing tom-toms and blazing whammy
bars from the outset
The band has an average age of
15. which is a factor only in so far as it
means that, absent sympathetic older
siblings or patient parents, the band's
Speers will likely have to wait a year to
blast the record from their car stereos
The music calls for a listening environ
ment that matches its high intensity
level
Heavier 70s and '80s rock sets the
tone throughout A Southern influence
creeps in on “Rainbow," which is just
a few BPM too fast for power-ballad
status “She'll Wail' features a pretty
bad-ass hall-time pre-chorus and is
about the need for freedom from clingy
women—something I had plenty of at
15. but then this was before ProTools
There's plenty here to be impressed
with, and the players’ enthusiasm is
apparent throughout Just think how
good they'll be once they're jaded
Marshall Yarbrough
THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEYS
Waiting on the Calm Down
Independent Release
The District Attorneys seem to be
coming at their music Irom a lot of
different directions On their Waiting
on the Calm Down EP, they manage
to cover lour distinct styles over the
course of six songs, which, while not
unimpressive, can leave the listener
unsure ot the band's identity
The chimey guitars and waves of
reverb, combined with washed-out.
sun-baked vocals, deline the opener
“California Fire." a blurry pop-rocker
that sounds like Real Estate as fronted
by Grandaddy s Jason Lytle “Worry
About Your Health' is an R E M -
style wailer, all baleful laments and
TUNABUNNY
Minima Moralia
Happy Happy Birthday to Me
“Lo-fi" is just about the most
dangerous musical moniker in the
books At its core, it’s simply an aural
description, but too often the word
brings with it hints of an unwanted
“scenester" label With Tunabunny's
Minima Moralia—and its homemade,
very lightly dressed, plug-in-and-play
basement pop/rock aesthetic—take
more of the former and leave the latter
lor someone who cares.
The model comparison at work
here, and one that knowingly seems
too easy a label lor any Athens band, is
Pylon. Mary Jane Hassell and Brigette
Herron aren't quite Vanessa Briscoe
Hay on the yelping, frantic, grit-rock
numbers (“Hurry Up." “Fake It,
Faker'), but they're not far behind The
guitar-driven, dance-pop rock (“Only
at Night,' “Cross Wire Technique.'
"(Song for Myj Solar Sister') isn't as
yet of Randy Bewley caliber—but he's
undoubtedly in their fabric. Two albums
in. the maturation to complete this
inevitable cycle doesn't seem far oft.
The gripes with Minima ate of
placement rather than substance.
Twice, the band's track order selection
becomes its own worst enemy—first
when “Perfect Time. Every Time'
seems to halt the breakneck pace of the
album's opening four tracks and again
(perhaps more unfortunately) when
‘Electric Beach' limps the album to a
somewhat unsatisfying end not befit
ting the rest of the bill
These slights aside (and fidelity
be damned), this is a comfortable,
intelligent, party-driven sound that
doesn't need (or care for) your labels
Tunabunny is chock full of antics with
out the gimmicks; they're an incredible
inside joke without need for a punch
line Do yourself a favor and just follow
the band's lead: join the party.
Alec Wooden
FOUR EYES
Summer Songs
Independent Release
Erin Lovett's voice will carry you
away The six slight, breezy tunes on
her home-recorded, hand-packaged
Summer Songs EP paint a hazy,
impressionist picture of young life in
the slow-'n'-easy South These pretty,
meandering country walks flutter out
ot Lovett's gentle alto and solo ukulele
with an unencumbered sincerity remi
niscent ol local acts like Sea ot Dogs.
The opener, “Tiny Love Song.'
is an adorable, rambling love note—
short enough to have been scrawled
on the back ot a napkin—that ambles
along with honest, simple declarations
like “I don't have to see you every day/
though it teels so good to live that
way' 'Feel Blue" is a more lovelorn
affair, structurally reminiscent of The
Smiths or The Cure as Lovett laments
“When I leel blue/1 think ol you.'
"Our Insides" is a plainspoken ode to
the service industry—the daily toil in
the hopes ol something better on the
horizon.
Summer Songs is perfect lor dip
ping your toes in a creek, kissing your
sweetheart behind a haystack or driving
down a country dirt road with no desti
nation in mind No matter where you’re
going. Four Eyes is great company
David Fitzgerald
^rr
i
EMERyAWEDNESFAMIN NOVEMBER
WashT&lBIow/outTfor $25
THURSDAY,'NOVEMBER 17 6-8PM
Jiir
and Style Party
Learn tips and ask questions,
see demonstration and morel
SALON, INC.
www.alaferasalon.com
2440 West Broad Street
706-548-2188
FDR CONTEMPORARY ART
iu I
THE
MYSTERY
SELECTIONS
CLOSING
SUNDRY, NOVEMBER 6 th * 4-6PM
Schedule:
1:00 - 3:00 pm:
Children's Art Appreciation Event
Secrets & Mysteries
For children of all ages, led by
ATHICA Education Coordinator
Sage Rogers.
Suggested donation of $6 per
family, but no one turned away.
4:00 pm:
A Who Dunnit Award Presentation
and Recognition of the work of arts
writer Julie Phillips.
Followed by a panel discussion
with exhibit artists: Rebecca
Brantley. Jorie Berman. Will
Eskridge. Cindy Jerrell. Missy Kulik
and Darcy Reems. moderated
by ATHICA Artistic Director Lizzie
Zucker Saltz.
5:00 pm:
A Deejay performance by D:RC .
aka exhibiting artist Darcy Reems
5:30 pm:
Reception with refreshments by
White Tiger Gourmet
Sponsors:
flagpole
WWW.ATHICA.ORG
NOVEMBER 2,2011- FLAGPOLE.COM 15
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