Newspaper Page Text
an ynexpsete^y be&ifitof fens, subtle
ana stark, helped along by a onarfed
organ drone and a resigned sort of '
late-night punito-druftes. 1 told
drink some water/Sot I totok lH dick
wito liquor," feHand coos defiantly art
doser “Whistey Song/ ft* no PSA.
hey; S th^s the secret dark force
behind Neten Scoff's toxomm
brilliance, please, someone buy 'em
anotoentound. - : ^
AH City Cannonfealters’ sett-titled
debut tefcfm do just te. Maybe not ■
aJ home, but rm certain toai* how a
live Cannonbafters performance would
go down.
The iTB^ority of the seven-track
album assaults with good oto-
fashkto punk rock. Recorded at fee ■
focal Japans*! Studio, ton album gets
in your face right off the «tf w&> ‘All
City Anthem,* which introduces J.S
Dillard* vocals, sounding something
iPiSSIw GHOST -
M Us How You Ratify Feet
Independent Release
On his debut four-song HP. Tel!
Us How You Realty Feet, Daniel Clark
(under fee guise of Rainbow Ghost)
produces saccharine inrSe-pop M
lyrically embraces 8$ own emote In
way* not frequi^ seen anwig cur
rent bedroom artists. Foregoing studio
layers andaffected vocals, Clark makes
peppy synto-pop w§h deeply contrast
ing, downfrodden lyrics.
Opener “What Watt Wrong* finds
dark .breatoUy lamenting that “Aitof
my friends are getting married/ and
finishing degrees/ I’m still here flipping
burgers/ and adding extra cheese/
before more potently responding “What
to do wife myselfT The contrast pres
ents a positive transition in the song,
but throughout the record it is clear that
Clark leans too heavily on his slightly
fanciful softer singing.
The rest of the EP follows similar
suit, with major-key synth melodies
forming a foundation for reflective lyr
ics. The songs are suitable for fans of
acts iike The Magnetic Fields and Say
Hi to Your Mom, but with song titles
iike ‘Falling Apart* and ‘Brittle/ save
YE ME
SIB SHOPPE
The Tros \, A
Independent Release
ukulele and fey store keyboard
underpin Ye Okie Sub Shoppe*
plaintive songs of anxious love and
low-wage malaise. The album iingers
at mid-tempo, a meliow soundtrack
for a lazy, rainy Sunday—or any other
day of the week, as Is more likely the
case for the album's underemployed
characters. The recording has a laptop
lo-fi quality that flattens out the sound.
The plinky instruments are pleasant,
but no single sonfl or melody is really
memorable.
akin to how I imagine Kurt Cobain
would if he hied singing fee chorus to
“Smells Like Teen SpirT wife a par
ticularly nasal head cold. The Ramones
are an obvious influence, lending their
style more clearly than other puRk ~
staples.
DiilarcFs guitar functions mostly as
rhythm, but the occasional classic rock
channeling allows for moments like the
last minute of ‘Apocafypstick/ which
evokes memories of Eric Clapton*
iconic “I Feel Free* guitar solo. The
music is simply constructed, and the
vocals aren't perfect, but that* OK. It’s
loud, proud and in-your-face: every
thing that punk rock told be.
Bo Moore
THEKENNEY
this one for a rainy day.
Nick Kogan
HELBH SCOTT
Flattery & 8right Lights EP
Independent Release
“Mercury appears to be in retro
grade/ 'cause ftn feeling pretty low
again/ Emileigh Ireland sings over a
jaunty butterfly rhythm on listen Leo/
the astrotogicafly obsessed opening
track from Helen Scott's Flattery &
Bright Lights EP. At flighty moments
like this, the focal group, which con
sists of Ireland plus drummer-vocalist
Hannah Weyandt and mutti-instumen-
talists Lindsey Jane Haddad and Dena
Zilber. veers dangerously close to twee-
kitsch overload.
Thankfully, though, the women of
Helen Scott possess an tntriguingfy
darker^, as evidenced foremost by
the deceptively titled *B Is for Bugs/
Unlike listen Leo/ the track finds toe
band in a truly dreary, heavy-psych
mood. Ireland* lyrics here carry a
general sense of malalso and decay
0 watch the mold grow sweet and
sour/ noting toe changes hot* by
hour*} and are damn near catatonic;
meanwhile, toe song* sad, swirling
backdrop circles lazily around her. It*
Lyrically, the band struggles,
hamstrung by elite, and the group
seems partially aware of this; at times
the singer himself seems to call atten
tion to a hackneyed line in order to
question it but the effort falls flat
The worst cases are those in which
overused lines undermine toe singer*
dear sense of conviction. On opener
‘Yellow/ Cftfistopher Ingham sings,
‘Ownership is slavery/ but you had me
at hello/In context the lyric suggests
that toe singer* attraction is so strong
that it calls his ideals into question,
but toe clidte of the tetter line reveals
the hoilowness of the former, more
slogan than firmly held belief. This is
a problem throughout the record: toe
lyrics hint at a level of sincerity that
the band’s too-casuai execution fails
to match. •
Marshall Yarbrough
ALL CITY
smmmmm
All City Carmonhalters
Independent Release
Sometimes you just wart to thrash
youranrs about while tossing your
sweat-drenched hair in every direction.
Well, a! least i do, and local three-piece
The Singing Tree
Cowboy Angel Music
Get oft the grid. Buy gold.
Subscribe to a pre-industrial
Revolution standard of living. Become
a pedestrian, maybe ride a horse. We're
living In anomalous times, friends.
Eating bananas from Costa Rica, taking
phone calls from anywhere and plug
ging In electric guitars without having
to leave our futons.
None of this is nofmal. Our great-
great grandparents didnl enjoy these
complicated luxuries. So, before toe
reset button sends us back to a world
where leaves were raked and tetters
written, get prepared.
Start by becoming familiar with
The Kenney Blackmon String Bard,
purveyors of a haimish, batteries-
noHnttoded brand of music that
pairs nicely with muscadine wine and
toe sounds of a meadow not being
mowed. Recorded during a feree-day
run at John Keane Studios, toe album
features singer/Songwriter Jason
Kenney, joined by toe Blackmons
(muttHnstrumentafist Caroline Noe!
and her husband David on fiddle) with
bassist Chris Enghauset The versatile
quartet performs Irish jigs ("Banish
Misfortune"}, bfeegrass standards
(“Kentucky Mandolin*} and even a
waltz, but it* the album opener (and
Jonathan Byrd cover) "Jesus Was a
Bootlegger* that immediately captures
toe listener's attention. Kenney origi
nals HI Follow You* and ‘Long Way
from God* hold toat attention and leave
us curious to see whal toe Infers holds
for this talented young storyteller.
David Eduardo
Do You Gamble?
□ if so, you may qualify for a research study on gambling behavior.
□ Participation will include a telephone screen and one in-person
assessment.
□ You will be compensated $40 in cash for 4 hours of participation.
Q Call (706) 542-5010 for more information.
This study is being conducted by the Department of Psychology at
the University of Georgia
UGA prefect #S»12-tO«6M
Or. Adam Goodie. PrtxtaM Im wlloirtnr
The Sound
and the Faulkner
Athenians celebrate William Faulkner
on the eve of the 50th Anniversary
of his death, reading selections from,
his work.
Thursday, July 5
5 {MH. to 7 pJMU
at Cln4 *FREE!
Open Monday through Saturday
JUNE 27,2012 FLAGPOLE.COM 13