Joe And the Feels, Unsupervised

I'm going to admit that I'm a bit of a pushover for a good story behind a band. So when I ready the 'product notes' for Joe And the Feel's Unsupervised, I was ready to be all in before even hearing a note or chorus. 

"Joe & the Feels is equal parts band and coping mechanism. The only band made entirely of healthcare professionals; their music is dripping with natural, cathartic energy. Staples of the Little Rock music scene, Joe Yoder (vocals, guitar), Dave Hoffpauir (drums), Andy Warr (lead guitar), Steve Blevins (bass), and Gaines Fricke (keys) channel their highs and lows into a loud beautiful noise. Confronted with life's most vulnerable moments, Joe & The Feel's debut record, Unsupervised, offers the musical equivalent of a good cry, a lively cheer, and a warm bearded hug."

After this read and many listens of Unsupervised, I will say that I am ready to be all in. Joe And the Feels brought me back to the college radio days of the early nineties, where alt, Southern, and indie rock fused together into a really cool laid-back sound while thought provoking lyrics made you sit up and think. Joe And the Feels is an incredibly polished band that also exudes genuineness and authenticity, and Unsupervised is a gem of an album. 

 

Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, The Marfa Tapes

In 2016, after a tough few years, Miranda Lambert, along with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall hit the road to get away and write some new music. Along the way, they 'stumbled' upon Marfa, Texas. Pulling into town at 4am, they were struck by the landscape. Lambert recalled looking up and asking, "Oh my gosh. where are we?" Looking like a National Geographic photo, Ingram has said that that moment is embedded in his brain forever. For his part, Randall said that he has never gotten over that star-gazing stop on their road trip.

 Three years later, the three returned to Marfa. Lambert said that she 'missed music'. And Marfa was the perfect place to re-connect with the pure joy that comes from sitting on a porch or around a campfire with friends, writing and playing music. With two guitars and two microphones in hand, parking themselves where ever it fit their fancy, the three went about playing and recording a handful of new and old songs. Captured mostly on first takes, these field and demo-like recordings are unvarnished and unfashioned or as Ingram has said, 'music that just is what it is.' And what it is is music in its purest form and it's wonderful.

Iceage, Seek Shelter

The evolution of Danish band Iceage has been very cool to watch over the past ten years. But I will say that I was unprepared for their fifth album, Seek Shelter. Wow. What an album! So this is what happens when a band perfectly blends where they have been and what they have done with new ideas and influences, from the Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones to The Verve and Primal Scream, into one grand cohesive collection of songs.

Lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt explained in an interview that the music that came before served as a kind of 'jumping board', leaping them from where they had been sonically to where they were when they were working on Seeks Shelter. But he said, it was important for the band that their new place didn't seem too familiar, that it actually felt like what they were doing was true to the life and experiences that surrounded them at the time. Most importantly for Rønnenfelt, when working on new music, he always wants to remain very vigilant when it comes to self-awareness. He said that he doesn't like it at all. "I don't want to be too smart or knowledgeable around what I'm doing. But if you can get to a space where you feel like you're just guided by your gut feeling or certain intuition, that's usually a sign that you're on some kind of right track."

That 'gut' has served Rønnenfelt and the band very well. Seek Shelter is Iceage's most adventurous, innovative, creative, and satisfying album to date and one of the best that I have heard this year.

Picks Of The Week

The Raytons and The Lathums are two exciting up and coming British bands that have been on my radar for a while. Both have released a few singles and Ep's over the past few years. Neither one has released a proper album. This past month both released new Ep's. Both are outstanding. My only gripe with both bands is that they keep teasing us with a few new songs here and there, but nothing more. With this said....it is a small gripe. I will take what I can get.

The Raytons, May Seriously Harm You and Others

The Lathums, The Lathums

Dodie, Building A Problem

With 1.94 million followers and 341million views on her Youtube channel, English singer/songwriter Dodie has build quite a following over the past decade. While she has released a number of EP's and plenty of music over the same period of time, she had never released a proper studio album. Now, after a decade, she has. 

Dodie's music has always served as a kind of window into her head. She has also been quite vocal otherwise with her thoughts, feelings, and personal life struggles, including depression. On Building A Problem, Dodie continues to share it all, but in a new and more intimate way. It's as though she left her diary open on the table for all to read and then crafted music and arrangements that are inviting and sparse to draw you in closer, but never get in the way of her words. She wants you to know it all. In this regard, it is the album's 'voyeuristic undertones' (LTBF's) that separates Building A Problem from her past works. 

I will admit that I found myself drawn into Building A Problem and then unable step away until after I had a few listens. It's a wonderfully crafted album and I thoroughly enjoyed it.