listening in

Strawberry Jam! - Mr. Caulfield

        

Strawberry Jam!? Mr. Caulfield? Don’t judge a book by its cover.  I expected something like bubblegum or sprinkles, but what I got was a uniquely alluring female vocal over a tapestry of bewitchingly calculated instrumentation.

Strawberry Jam’s Mr. Caulfield starts off with haunting palm muted delayed clean guitars that border on pizzicato strings with a back beat of tom work.  The second guitar comes in with sparkling chords and a sneaky little in and out bass line.  If Sting had a daughter, she might sound like Strawberry Jam, but maybe that’s giving way too much credit to Sting, because Strawberry Jam is far more than just supposed influences. Who knows what these cool cats listen to?  They sound like sexy organized crime.  Strawberry Jam is the bad guy I route for. They’re dark, at least while delivering Mr. Caulfield, and I dig it.

www.facebook.com/strawberryjamx3

Many thanks to Pilots in Orbit for the awesome recommendation

Vasudeva - Back To The Feeding Ground

                         

Vasudeva. New Jersey, right? There’s a lot of good music coming out of New Jersey. I don’t know if it’s always been that way, but it really seems that way to me.  First off, a band without a singer, is just something I can’t really get into, but these guys are damn good.  They’re pulling off melodies without a singer and doing it really well.  

Vasudeva’s Back To The Feeding Ground makes me think of the first early spring morning of the year. It feels like the sun is just coming up and the dew is still on the leaves.  Maybe that doesn’t make any sense but that’s what I’m getting from these guys.  Back To The Feeding Ground is upbeat and a little on the faster side of things, but it still comes across as mellow, yet driving. It’s an interesting combination.  I’m going on a road trip soon, and I think Vasudeva is coming with me.  

www.facebook.com/VasudevaMusic

Thanks to Pilots In Orbit for the sweet recommendation.

Least of These - Grace

                          

Ever get drawn in by a singer? Just did. 30 seconds into Least of These’s Grace and I know I’m listening to the rest of this song.  I haven’t heard half the song and I’m writing this review.  You can put a great singer in front of a shitty band and still kind of enjoy what’s going on. Put a great singer in front of a great band? Bliss. Least of These is a great band. I hope to hell the rest of the EP holds up. 

Are those teles? If I’m wrong then don’t let me know. I love that guitar tone. The drums are tight and hit with emotion. You can tell the drummer is feeling it.  The bass has a got a slight growl to it, like a rottweiler spotting dinner.  I can’t hear a damn thing wrong with this song.  Looks like I’m gonna have to take this EP to my car to really give it the listen it deserves.  If Least of These comes to the northeast they need to let me know. I don’t know how to describe these guys, but damn are they good. Melodic vocals, hard hitting rhythm section and guitar tones that I long for.  Here’s a band I want to know.  You need to own this EP.

www.leastofthese.bandcamp.com

Caravela - Hundred Years

      

Remember when Dashboard Confessional was new? Pure acoustic emo-cry-your-eyes-out-who-gives-a-damn. I miss it. I’m not a big fan of where Dashboard is now. Caravela reminds me of early Dashboard Confessional, but that’s certainly not their only influence. I couldn’t tell you what the rest of their delicious pie is made up of, but I’m having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maybe a la mode, I’m not sure if we’ll have enough time.

Caravela does a beautiful job of letting the songwriting come through, with powerfully honest and naked vocals that call like sirens to these ears.  It’s almost enchanting. They really let the electric guitars in without letting them take over that raw acoustic haven. A perfect accompaniment.  I love their guitar work.  Are they from New York? Holy shit they are, same county, too. Looks like I’ve got a new local band to go stalk. Awesome.

www.facebook.com/caravelany

Thanks to Crimson Arrow for the recommendation.

The Speed of Sound in Seawater - Delmar Fisheries

                         

Now here’s something interesting: a band that plays guitar almost like a piano. Some of the runs I’ve found in The Speed of Sound in Seawater, (loving the alliteration), would put most classical pianists to shame.  And that’s not to take away from the rest of the band, either, (or those crooning Death Cab-esque vocals).  If you lose the intricate guitar lines there’s this poppy goodness beneath everything else, but I would never lose those guitar lines.  

Delmar Fisherie seems to be a bit on the mellower side of their intricacies, and it’s definitely doing a number on my ears, in the most pleasant of ways.  The Speed of Sound in Seawater takes pop and experimental rock to the beach, right before it gets crowded, when it’s still serene and welcoming, watching the tide come in.

www.thespeedofsoundinseawater.bandcamp.com

Coast Jumper - For Youth

                          

Crimson Arrow said listen to Coast Jumper. What a good call. Not just your average good call. This isn’t like choosing a slamming-place-to-eat-lunch good call. This is like, you-just-hooked-me-up-with-the-hot-girl-next-door good call. Not to say that Coast Jumper is a hot girl, but damn they sound as good as hot girl looks. And not just your typical hot blonde, but something new, maybe something exotic, something you’ve never seen or heard before.  

Coast Jumper makes me wish I had easy access to California so I could go see them live.  They present this playful, sort of sing-songy presence, like they want you to sing along, but they keep playing with the arrangement of the song as deftly as Jeremy Lin wields his mighty orange sphere of magic. Maybe that’s an odd comparison, but the bottom line is Coast Jumper is breathing life into what sounds like a new genre of music to me.  I feel like these guys should write the soundtrack to something magical.

www.coastjumper.com

Jindas Emcees - Illy Joel

  

Hip hop isn’t my forte.  It’s been years since I called myself a fan, but Jindas Emcees has a slightly throwback feel to them that I can get into. Maybe it’s the Billy Joel backbeat or the Terror Squad/Rawkus Records influences I’m picking up. Yeah, I went there.  It’s nice to hear that sound again.

I’ll give it up to Jindas Emcees, they give Mr. Joel his due credit in the title, which is playful, and at the same time, fucking dope.  At the same time, I wouldn’t call this a rap/rock track, it’s hip hop at it’s finest, and Billy Joel just happens to be involved, whether he likes it or not.  I like these guys. Reminds me of my summers in high school, which were some pretty fun times.  I look forward to hearing more from Jindas Emcees.

www.facebook.com/JindasEmcees

Thanks to Scout The Music Promoter for putting us on to them

Moksha - The Introduction

                         

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Moksha is freedom from the differentiated, temporal and mortal world of ordinary experience. What it means to Moksha the artist, well I guess that’s up to Moksha to explain.  Moksha’s The Introduction is catching me off guard.  At first I hear a bold and graceful piano line, then the fattest of all kick drums comes in and I suddenly find myself listening to the piano a bit differently. For lack of a better phrase, I’m feeling it.

When it all comes together I’m getting this 80’s inspired dance beat with a swirl of synth sounds.  I feel the need to dance.  Moksha’s got some killer instrumentals and I’m making my way slowly through their latest work, Asinine, which is anything but. It’s an electronica induced craze and I’m loving it.  I know quite a few vocalists who would love to collaborate should Moksha’s curiosity ever arise.  

http://mokshadubstep.bandcamp.com/

A big thanks to Scout The Music Promoter for putting us on to this one.

A Paper Tugboat - Don’t Race The Sun

                          

Don’t race the sun. I have no idea what that means, but I can’t get this song out of my head.   It’s simple.  There’s muted horns, a tambourine and group vocals. What’s not to love?  Was that a xylophone? Is this what rainbows and sunny days sound like?

A Paper Tugboat is one of those singer/songwriter outfits that you either get or you don’t. I won’t lie, I’ve seen them live, band and solo, and I love it.  I’ve heard a few different versions of this song and it always comes across as damn good.  I love singing the title line at the end of the song with the rest of the crowd. A Paper Tugboat makes me want to drink beer and kiss girls.  Check out their bandcamp for all their songs.  

www.apapertugboat.bandcamp.com

Dan Tillery - Somewhere In Between

   

Broaden your horizons.  Here we go. Dan Tillery has got a bluesy southern rock sound going on and for some reason I feel like this guy probably surfs. Make any sense to you? I walked in a skeptic and I’m walking out wishing had a little twang in my voice and definitely looking to pick up slide guitar.  

Mr. Tillery’s track, Somewhere In Between, has this mellow groove to it that I can just fall into. I’m bobbing my head has I right this, which is making it increasingly difficult to type. I really do dig this guy’s style. I’m picking up what he’s putting down, and you should too. Go listen.

www.facebook.com/DANTILLERYMUSIC

Thanks to Scout The Music Promoter for turning us on to him

Also…I want to steal that dog.