Review: Tom Stephens - Division (EP)

Before we go anywhere I must offer my apologies for my lack of recent posting. As is often the case during the summer months, I’ve been away having much fun and neglecting this blog. But I’m here now and before I leave you all again, I’ve managed squeeze in a little gem for your listening pleasure. And the good news is that’s totally free.

Today’s offering comes from the guitar of singer/songwriter Tom Stephens and his first outing as a solo artist. Spending most of his music career to this point as frontman for various different bands (one of which springs to mind…), this short EP marks a departure from rock music and is very much in the realm of all that is acoustic.

Opener My Rosie is unquestionably the highlight and isn’t just your usual singer/songwriter fare. Whilst all the pieces are there for a Damien Rice regurgitation (acoustic guitars, double bass, strings), what we actually get is a dark and slightly angular track that makes full use of the acoustic guitar’s resonant capabilities. Tom’s impassioned and rough-round-the-edges voice adds real character and emotion to create a clever feeling of sympathy rather than tear-jerking sadness.

Whilst the EP doesn’t quite rise to these heights again, the Nick Drake inspired strings on third track Family Tree, are another interesting play on the normal format. It begins nicely enough, but it’s not until the strings rise and sway that the song really begins to lift and show how a simple chord pattern can be given a new life with the simplest of additions.

However, despite the excellent string arrangement and high quality of songwriting, I can’t help but feel that the EP is a touch overambitious and muddy in places.

The double bass employed on It Could Happen To You should work in principle but on the record it just doesn’t sit well with the acoustic guitars. It sounds clunky, overcomplicated and actually works against the stripped back simplicity of tracks such as the aforementioned It Could Happen To You and My Rosie.

And despite the beauty of the string arrangement on Family Tree, it’s sounds separated from the rest of the song. The acoustic guitar struggles to cope with the depth and vastness a string section brings and, if drums or percussion aren’t an option (which is understandable), perhaps there’s a case to be made for the stripped back sound we hear on the rest of the EP, to come into play a little more rigorously here.

But please don’t misunderstand me. Overall this is a very accomplished record. The high production values are a welcome change and should be a template for others in the same genre. Similarly, the quality of songwriting stands above many of those with far greater reputations and hints something very exciting to come.

Whilst it may not be the finished article yet, it’s an extremely solid base on which to build and is up there with Dark Mean’s Music Box (EP) as my favourite free download of 2010.  Get it while you can.

Download Division (EP) for free or visit Tom Stephens

Over on the Mother-Blog are My Rosie and Family Tree from the excellent and soulful Division (EP) by Tom Stephens. My Rosie is available to download but you can get the whole shebang for free right here.

Review: Roky Erickson & Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil

Okkervil River are a great band. As a fan for a couple of years now, it’s always exciting when they release new material.

Their 2005 album Black Sheep Boy is a prime example of their quirky, twisted pop-rock sound and is rightly considered their masterpiece. Songs such as The Latest Toughs and For Real conjure real interest with their slightly left-of-centre lyrics and almost lo-fi production. Even slower numbers such as So Come Back, I Am Waiting and A Stone has a primal element amongst the grace and sadness that only adds to the power of the song.

As you can see from my little mini-review, I’m a fan of Okkervil River. However, I was more than a little surprised to see that their latest venture was in collaboration with aging psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson. I mentioned in my post about this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas (from where both artists hail), that they could be an interesting combination and one that I boldly predicted will really hold their own. Erickson’s heartfelt lyrics should sit well with Okkervil River’s quirky, lo-fi but ultimately pop-based instrumental qualities, I said.

But now I’ve finally come into possession of True Love Cast Out All Evil, the album that came from this newly formed group, I’m not so sure.

It starts with the Okkervil River boys firmly in control. Along with closing track God is Everywhere, album opener Devotional Number One is one of those kind-of-arty, deliberately lo-fi tracks and has all the hallmarks of the band. However, odd chord changes and deliberately poor sound quality might work on an Okkervil River record, but doesn’t really highlight the strength’s that lie in Erickson’s fragile voice, only serving to be unnecessarily harsh and slightly irritating.

And it’s a theme that doesn’t just lie at either end of the album either. Whilst there may not be much more lo-fi sounds, songs such as Birds’d Crashed and Be and Bring Me Home still seem forced and at times overcomplicated. Be and Bring Me Home stands out as a track that has been to far removed from Erickson’s country style and this results in a song that sounds to much like Okkervil River for it’s own good. Again, as a stand-alone Okkervil River track, it works. But Erickson strains to hard to fit in and overall just doesn’t blend.

However, all is not lost. Not by a long way.

The title track is a prime example of when the collaboration does work. Along with Goodbye Sweet Dreams, it becomes less obvious that it’s Okkervil River leading the way and sounds much more like a group working together. Erickson’s interesting and dark lyrics are cast in a new light, whilst his voice is given a different life thanks to the clever use of guitar sounds. Please Judge is a heartfelt plea to justice and Bring Back The Past is upbeat and pop-inflected tune that really would’ve sounded great at SXSW 2010.

However, it’s Forever that’s the highlight. There is some over-complication that occasionally creeps in to , but the quality of the song and the ethereal sense that it has trump any doubts. Starting with a slow acoustic guitar, it slowly builds into a track thats not unlike The Flaming Lips circa The Soft Bulletin. Guitars dart all across the musical spectrum, an organ underpins the pounding and relentless drum pattern and Erickson’s finest hour comes as the song builds into a marvelous finish.

So all in all, True Love Cast Out All Evil was a touch underwhelming. Maybe I should’ve expected a little less with something that’s only part Okkervil River, but their musical history is littered with brilliance that’s hard to ignore. The album feels as though it was a bit rushed and contains an unsettling air of insecurity. Overall it’s good, but not great. Exciting, but not for to long.

However, I must stress that if you get the chance, True Love Cast Out All Evil is worth checking out despite my negativity. Tracks such as Forever, Goodbye Sweet Dreams and Bring Back The Past are gems and make the album a worthwhile buy. With time, Roky Erickson & Okkervil River will improve and the songs will go with that. All the right elements are present but perhaps not in the right order just yet. Understandably, fans of Okkervil River might be a little unsure as would those of Roky Erikson, but I’ve no doubt that this collaboration will win many more fans for both artists and for them as a group, than it alienates. I look forward to the next installment in as much hope as excitement.

Visit Roky Erickson & Okkervil River and get the album.

Visit Okkervil River (and get the brilliant Black Sheep Boy)

Visit Roky Erickson

Don’t forget to visit the Mother-Blog over on Wordpress to get hold of Goodbye Sweet Dreams and album highlight Forever in their entirety. Both are excellent examples of when the combination of Okkervil River and Roky Erickson really does work. Dark and melodic, they’re well worth a listen.

Review: Dark Mean - Music Box (EP)

They say nothing in life is free but fortunately for us they’re wrong. As long as you discount the cost of buying a computer and connecting it to the Internet, Canadian indie-pop band Dark Mean’s most recent offering Music Box is just that. I first came across Dark Mean via Eaten by Monsters last year, happily downloaded their first EP frankencottage, and ever since I’ve been waiting for an opportune moment to write about them. And here it is.

Released in mid-February of this year, Music Box is the second EP in a cycle of three and for my money is the better of the two so far. In contrast to its predecessor it seems happier both musically and technically, creating a sound that is contented in it’s own skin.

Kicking off with the jovial title track shows this very well and what might seem like a conflict of interests between sombre lyrics and uplifting music actually works rather well, giving the words an air of hope that otherwise might not have been there. More of the same follows on Piano & Beat before standout third track Acoustic.

As it says on the accurately named tin, Acoustic is an acoustic lament of the simplest variety and is similar to title track Music Box in it’s style. Again featuring the feeling of hope, Acoustic differs when it strips away the horns and drums and moves towards something more primal (or as primal as indie bands can be) and is something that feels very much from the heart.

The EP ends with the only actual sad track Dark Banjo and despite feeling a little forced (and slightly out of place), it does the job of proving that Dark Mean aren’t simply about happy banjos. They can make a decent fist of sad ones too.

Ignore the pragmatic song titles and dodgy band-name (the lead singer is named Mark Dean…) and give Music Box a whirl. It’s a competent and enjoyable follow-up to what was a good debut and is easily worth fifteen minutes of listening time.

You can get both EPs for free via Dark Mean’s official website or have a listen to Music Box and the excellent Acoustic over at the Mother-Blog situated on Wordpress.

Review: The Black Atlantic - Reverence For Fallen Trees

Some of you may have noticed that it’s been a while since I posted here and that is, in part, down to the fact that there simply hasn’t been anything that inspiring recently. However, it’s also because I’ve become a bit more focused on discovering, and thus reviewing, newer or relatively unknown material. There’s something to be said for seeing a CD hit number one in the charts, but nothing beats that feeling of discovering something you love that is privy to you and few others.

It’s from one of these forays that I landed upon Netherlands-based band The Black Atlantic and their debut album Reverence For Fallen Trees, which can be downloaded for no cost on their official website. I must admit that they are not an unknown act and are in fact fairly successful in both their native Holland and across the water in the US. Indeed this month will see them play at the South By Southwest Festival in Texas in addition to a North American and European tour. So that’s my new leaf turned back over then.

So, on to the album. There’s no mistaking the style these guys are going for and it’s pretty clear from the outset of album opener Baiulus, that what follows contains minimal drums and maximum emotion. This album is not groundbreaking and, as much as it pains me to say, could well be described as ‘nice’. Plucked guitars and soft harmonies are all very good (and they are well orchestrated), but it leaves little to stand up and be listened to. Often the music becomes background with many of the songs merging into one another.

You may think this sounds like a harsh judgment but please bear with me because it’s not. Lets look at the album as a whole as that’s what it is. The digital revolution has not yet distorted everyone’s view of the ‘album’ and The Black Atlantic firmly come under that umbrella. This is an album of songs that are to be digested and enjoyed in one go and should not be allowed to become background music. This is not something for a party nor even a small social gathering. This is not something to give to your family (although they would probably appreciate the gift) nor is it something to be to put on in the office.

What it is, is something to be enjoyed in it’s entirety with no distractions. Set aside thirty minutes of your time to enjoy a band working in harmony, producing an enjoyable album that doesn’t need to be groundbreaking to be great.

As individual songs I’m a little lukewarm in my enthusiasm for Reverence For Fallen Trees but there’s no doubting the clear talent and harmony within this group. As a result, you won’t be blown away, but you’ll find it’s time well spent. And, come to think of it, when those songs are together it really is a very good record.

Visit The Black Atlantic and download Reverence For Fallen Trees on their official website.

And get the Vinyl or CD from their official store.

If you don’t fancy the full album you can get the MP3s of Madagascar and I Shall Cross This River from the mother-blog on Wordpress below. Both are stand-out tracks from the album with Madagascar being a particular Fleet Foxes inspired favourite of mine. However, I would recommend you get the whole album and have listen through as these tracks on their own don’t do it full justice.

The Black Atlantic - Madagascar

The Black Atlantic - I Shall Cross This River

A Mumford & Sons Free Download

Those of you who read my Albums of 2009 article will know that I really liked Mumford & Sons and their debut album Sigh No More.

I’m happy to report that they’ve made excellent non-album track Sister available for free on musicglue.com

To get Sister, simply visit the Free Stuff section of the mother-blog on Wordpress where you can get hold of it and other various freebies.

And forget to keep checking back here where we’re well underway with the Review of 2009. The albums are done and next up is the best Artists of 2009. Until then