Drive-By Truckers, Go-Go Boots

Sometimes I don't want a high concept album or songs with overly cryptic lyrics. Sometimes I just want to hear great straight-forward songs with great songwriting. There are 14 of them on Drive-By Truckers' Go-Go Boots. This alt-country band has been putting out albums (nine in all) for many years, and Go-Go Boots is their most successful. Some songs here are straight forward country and others cross over to more of a folk-rock sound. I loved every minute of everyone of these songs and this is by far one of my favorite albums of the year so far.
Everybody Needs Love   

Acid House Kings, Music Sounds Better With You

The Swedish indi-pop band Acid House Kings are a household name in their home country. It is really too bad that more folks don't know about them here in the States. AHK have been putting out fun, well crafted songs and albums for almost twenty years. On Music Sounds Better With You the songs are lighthearted and happy feeling, and there is a great '60's euro sound that can be heard throughout the album. I wish that I could just stop bobbing my head back and forth as I listen to it.
Windshield   

Sounding Out: Flash Fiktion

Flash Fiktion is a band on the rise, ready to release their debut album in mid May. The first time that I heard the band, a big smile came over my face. Flash Fiktion’s music is upbeat, happy, and fun and makes you want to get out of your chair and dance. With only a few songs released over the past few months, I wanted to track down the band to hear more.

A few days ago, I had an opportunity to Skype with the band from their London studio, where they are putting the finishing touches on their new album. They were excited to talk about the band and their music.

Having been together for two years, Dan Peranic, Matt Rokk, and Olie Thomas have found a sound and musical style that is quite different from what they were doing before they came together. I had read Matt describe their music as an eclectic mix of everything they love. Flamboyant melodies with Cuban beats dressed in electro hooks. Music that will make you jump up and down, he said.

“With this project we wanted to try something different and more organic than what we had done before. The sound that we are doing initially came by accident.” Dan said.

At the time they all met, Matt and Olie were trying to find a different sound, from the more straightforward stadium oriented rock that they had with their last band. Dan, who plays the drums, grew up on the coast of Croatia, and had a very different musical background. He explained, “The music along the coast is quite light and bright and summery and is heavily influenced by Afro-Cuban Jazz and reggae. Luckily, when we bumped into each other, we were all mentally looking for something different and things just clicked straight away, which made it easy to start working together.“

Flash Fiktion takes its name from the literary term flash fiction, which refers to story telling being done in an abbreviated fashion, usually in 300 to 1,000 words.  Olie had said in another interview, "It's not like a novel, drawn-out, something that thickens and develops. It's a narrative with a quick impact.“ They said that they are taking this idea applying it to songwriting.

On the forthcoming album, they said the songs are stories about real people that they know or knew and events that the three of them have experienced. Dan referred to them as chapters in time. As an example, they talked about the song Capsules Of Sun. “This is a song about a girl who went to school with Matt who ended up using too many drugs from being too stressed from life and having a kid at a very, very young age. She just ended up ruining herself in that manner.”

I told them that this was dark material for such an up beat song. “If you are listening to……good pop music, the melodies should be catchy and fun, but behind it there should be thought and intelligence.”

Capsules Of Sun   

With such abbreviated story telling, I asked if all the songs needed to be a certain length of time? “In the process of writing this album we let our hearts decide how it was going to sound. And we never actually thought about how long a song is going to last. We just write it. If it fits for a song to be two and a half minutes that’s great. If it needs to be ten minutes, it can be ten.” Having said this, Dan added, they did not want to go into anything that was too self-indulgent.

“We wrote lots of songs. Some go seven or more minutes. We just did not know how those longer songs would reflect on a first album. We are trying to combine the pop side along with the artistic side and make sure that we do not loose our audience. People love putting music into boxes today. And from our perspective, as soon as you do a ten-minute song they are going to say ‘ah, that’s a bit too proggy.’” And with that they said, the focus that they want the audience to have with their music and what they are all about musically may be lost.

I wondered if it was difficult to balance creating songs that are at once pretty complex in form and yet sound fairly relaxed and casual.

"That is the most difficult thing to do". But they said making a difficult thing sound simple was one of their goals. “It’s like you listen to a song and think, oh this is quite simple and then when you actually go and analyze it and you can hear that there are four key changes and 15 chords…..We take what we do very seriously and loads of work have been put into these songs to make them as good as possible. Every element on every song has been thought through and is intentional, right down to smallest shaker that maybe in the background of a song."

Dan added that in wanting to make the album sound as good as possible, they sought input from people in the industry. Unfortunately, there was disappointment, when, after months of requests, they got no responses. Then they heard from Alex ‘Lexxx’ Dromgoole, a highly regarded engineer, who has worked with artists from Arcade Fire to Madonna.

“Lexx decided that he wanted to work on it because he loved what we were doing. It was obviously not about the money because we could not afford to pay him much of anything. It gave us confidence and a boost that there are people who are recognizing and like what we are doing.” Now, they said, it all comes down to marketing and getting their music out there.

In another interview the band said that they did not fear the current music environment and finding a place for the band and their music. I told them that while I appreciated the band's confidence, I was curious how it is that they are not more anxious about launching their music and finding an audience at a time where there is so much easily accessible music for people.

Dan said, “No matter how cheezy it may sound, we are definitely confident in the songs and in our performance. And we are definitely excited.” They then went on to say that they believe what will help make them successful is that their music cannot be put into a category and will stand out. They said this feeling is drawn from the past experiences that Matt and Olie had with their last band.

“All of us have been in bands or played with people even when it didn't feel quite right. All of us went though the stages in our lives when we were hoping that our previous projects will make that huge impact. But in the end you realize that you have be true to yourself. That's why this feels right. You have to wear the clothes you love and you have to play the music that REALLY is YOU. As soon as there is too much input from 50 different people, mess begins, and before you know it you are doing something that's not you and an audience can feel the fake. Sure, you can always bombard people with your music and put millions of £££ behind it but it will never stay."  

They added that hundreds of bands in London today look the same, they have the same haircuts, and they sound the same....and they don’t think young people today have as many options for music as people had growing up 15 or 20 years ago. Dan said, "UK TOP 20 in is either indie/electro or R&B and that's where it ends."  

I asked them if not having a more categorize-able musical style could backfire on them in some way. I told them that I had read one, not so great review of a show that the band played back in November. In the review, the writer took issue with the fact that they thought they were going to hear a band with one kind of a sound and got there and heard a different kind of a sound. Dan admitted that what they are doing is a bit risky.

“It is a really bizarre thing here in England at the moment. Everything has to be boxed and there is not a lot of room for somebody trying to do something different….I don’t understand it. For us the music that we do has to excite us and has to be exciting. If you are going to come to rehearsal or go to a gig and have this feeling of being bored to death, then there is not much point in writing it.”

Me And Mr. E   

They said the response that the writer of that review had of the band’s performance is exactly what they want to avoid, but not because what they are doing is wrong, rather, it's because the expectation of the listener needs to be different. I told them that what I found interesting about our discussion, was that while they are talking about not having their sound or style being put in a box by others, it seemed to me that the band actually wants to create their own box and do have some kind of description that they want people to be using in talking about their sound. I asked if that was a fair assessment.

“Exactly it is.” Said Dan. “We do want people to hear our music and say ‘oh yeah, that is Flash Fiktion. For us, with every band that we listened to growing up, you could hear straight away what band it was. We want our music to be recognizable like that.“ I asked them about this box that their music fits in. “It’s a bit extravagant sounding. It’s quite dancy, it got electro-indulgence, it’s got Cuban and Indian influence in it.”

Flash Fiktion has a game plan and it seems to be working so far. Their single is being received very well and is getting quite a bit of airplay. They said that it has been a ridiculous amount of work, but that the band is happy to have produced something that they really believe in. “Even if nothing happens now, ten, fifteen years down the line, we want to be able to listen to this album and say wow we made some great songs and we are proud of what we have done.”

Listening to this album, I would tend to agree with them that their music will find an audience, and a pretty broad one. The songs on this album are just great and I have been thoroughly enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Elbow, Build A Rocket Boys!

I was in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 about the time that Elbow's debut album, Asleep In The Back, was released. From the opening drumbeat I was completely enthralled with the album and the band. And I returned to the states proudly touting my new find and import.

To this day, Asleep In The Back remains one of my all time favorite albums. And the last track on the album, Scattered Black and Whites, for which this blog is named, is one of my very favorite songs. Given my affinity for Elbow and their music, it is safe to assume that I have been quite excited about the release of Elbow's latest album, Build A Rocket Boys! for some time. And I have to say that this album delivers.

Build A Rocket Boys! is just outstanding. And I say this not as someone who is a fan of Elbow, but as someone who appreciates great musicianship and songwriting. Behind Guy Garvey's poetic lyrics and captivating voice, Elbow creates gorgeous and complimentary musical phrasings and arrangements. At times gentle, at times angular, Elbow's music tells as much about the stories in these songs as the lyrics. 

As for those marvelous lyrics, Garvey is still drawn to life's passing and the memories that are collected along the way. There is weight and melancholy as Garvey reflects on childhood, family, friends, aging, and death, but he is never heavy-handed, sappy, or clichéd. And while the road traveled maybe fraught with challenges and uncertainly, Garvey ultimately takes solace and comfort in the notion that we are not alone in life. On Open Arms, he sings "We got arms for broken hearts like yours my boy, come home again. Tables are for pounding here and when we've got you surrounded, the man you are will know the boy you were." And as almost a response to this calling, in the last verse of Dear Friends, which closes the album, Garvey sings "Old friends, you stuck a pin in a map I was in. And you are the stars I navigate home by." Honestly, song writing does not get any better than this.

While the entire album Build A Rocket Boys! is amazing, there are a few stand out songs for me. Songs like Lippy Kids, Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl, and Dear Friends shine with a maturity that can only come from a band that has been together for many years. On Lippy Kids, for example, there is such subtlety and gentleness to the music as the band spaces the instruments in an open and airy way, leaving each one to resonate in its own space while supporting one another and Garvey's vocals at the same time. On songs like this one, Elbow has never sounded better.

If you are not familiar with Elbow, I highly, highly encourage you to explore the band's music library starting with this album. Build A Rocket boys! is one of their best.

Lippy Kids

David Lowery, The Palace Guards

David Lowery, The Palace Guards
Not many musicians have found continued success for decades with not just one, but two bands. As the creative driving force behind both Cracker and Camper Van Beethovan, David Lowery has remained a strong presence in the world of indie rock. Now, for the first time, Lowery steps out with his first solo album. Lowery has said that the songs on The Palace Guards are songs that he has written over the years that did not really fit into the 'camp' of either Cracker or Camper. I'm glad that he waited on this one. At the age of 50, Lowery brings a maturity to these songs that may not have been there earlier in his career. This is a great solo effort.
I Sold The Arabs The Moon   

Sounding Out: Dolorean

Al James and Dolorean are back, after a three year absence, with a wonderful new album, The Unfazed. And once again the band is receiving critical attention for their music. I have been an admirer of James and his song writing for a long time and I was excited to have the opportunity to talk with him about the band and their music.

Fresh off their just completed European tour, I wanted to start our discussion by asking James about their continued success overseas. I had read that they have a strong following in part because the band is seen as being rooted in a strong Americana sound. I wondered why their style of music is received differently overseas than stateside.

“I think that the market is really flooded over here, where it is really not cool to be labeled with the tag of ‘Americana.’ It is still a slippery tag over there, but I also think that there is something about places like Holland or the UK where the authenticity meter is finely tuned.” James went on to say that for what ever it is that they like about the bands music, “They are patient for the next record and the next time that we can get over there…I was very happy with how it went.”

I appreciated James’ concern about having his music be categorized, but I wanted him to talk more about his specific concern with the musical tag of ‘Americana.’ James said that having one’s music be tagged and categorized is going to happen despite one’s best efforts. “As a whole you are stuck with what you have.” But he said that he did not think that people want to be tagged as ‘Americana.’ “Whether it’s American music or American songwriting or something like that, people are not really into that tag over here. I don’t particularly love it either, but it helps for people to have a lens to look through and understand Dolorean over there. And if that is what it takes, it is fine with me.” 

James said, “You can try to change peoples perception of you, and with Dolorean, I am constantly trying to undermine what people's expectations are of us.” The important thing, James said, is to constantly surprise his listeners, regardless of how they came to Dolorean's music.

If I Find Love   

After ten years together as a band, I was curious if the band’s expectations of itself where different from when they were younger. James said that there has been a shifting of priorities. “I have learned to say no to the things that I don’t want to do, and focus on the things that I enjoy about music and the creative process…..and try to say ‘think big’ and dream big and go for it on the things that we really want to do." 

"If we get offered a tour that we decide does not make sense, we are not going to do it where four or five years ago we would have flogged through it", James said. "You don’t always get to make those choices, but more and more we have [them] and try to do things in a way in which we own them and create opportunities.” James said about these new opportunities, “When we get them, we do everything in our power to execute them well and hopefully have success.”

"I am not a compulsive musician because frankly, I am really not a good musician. I feel like I am a good songwriter and a decent singer and melody writer. But what I really want to do is create this body of work, that I feel like I am barely getting into, that I hope will be this thing that will last for a while and enters the flow of culture and plays a part in it.” 

With the band shifting priorities and looking to the future, I asked James to look to his past. I wondered if when he came to music he did it out of the need to create something for himself or if it stemmed from something more ambitious. “Music has never been a self-therapeutic thing for me and I never ever viewed my music just for myself. I have always known that my music is something that I have wanted to share.”

James said that having watched other performers engage with an audience when he was younger, he knew that this is what he always wanted to do. “I want to be that person who wrote those words and is up there performing them for people, and making them all feel a certain way and hopefully bringing people together….or maybe it is this thing where I am acknowledging what people have always been feeling but maybe have not verbalized to themselves either as a group or as individuals.”

I asked James from a songwriting perspective and his desire to connect with his audience, how much of his own life and story is in what he writes and creates. Does he feel compelled to write about himself in a way that helps draw parallels between himself and his audience so they can relate to the music? He said that he tries to keep it to a minimum.

“The voice is mine. The lyrics are written by me. The worldview and understanding of humans and how they operate all comes from my brain and my experiences. So there is definitely a thread that runs through everything.” He acknowledged that a lot of the characters do see the world the same way because he created them. In spite of that, he said that he works hard to not have the songs be about himself.

“I don’t think that I am particularly interesting. I also think that you can get a little too self-obsessed and self-aware. In general I try to keep the character in the song at an arms length…if I can. Or if it starts out coming from a place that is true about myself, it is important to quickly push and twist it away from me and put it somewhere else and write about it in a way that isn’t so immediately personal. That can get a little bit messy and frankly I don’t think that it makes as good of a song. There needs to be separation.”

Country Clutter   

As the primary songwriter and creative force behind the band, I asked James if it was hard to turn over these characters and the songs written about them to the rest of the band for further collaboration. “I am pretty comfortable giving it to the guys, especially Ben and Jay Clark, who I have worked with for a long time.  These are sensitive musicians and there is an absence of ego within all of us. We do fight and battle about different things, but we always know that it is about making great songs. No one is ever going to remember us. It is about making songs that are going to outlast us. That is kind of a high calling, but that is what we shoot for.”

After a 3 year absence, and with people in the band starting families and living lives outside of the band, I wondered if they had expectations that the music would be able to sustain all of them financially. James said that he did not think about the bands success in those terms. “That is asking a lot of music and the music industry and the Internet and record labels.” He said.

“There is a very, very small, small percentage of bands that pencil out and are in the black year after year. Would we like to get into that position? Maybe, but I know people who are in that position and they are not all having fun. You become stuck in a cycle and to get out of it is a big mess. I am always into more success for the band and more financial gains. We would be crazy not to want that for the project, but I don’t really gauge our success based on who is working a daytime job and who isn’t.”

James said that he had a bigger ego five years ago and cared more about what people thought about him and how they gaged the band's success. “To me, having the ability for people in the band to have kids and still be creative and still tour around the world and have good relationships with their spouses is the coolest success.” James also said that he loves his daytime job. “I work at one of the best ad agencies around. It is insanely creative and it pushes me everyday in a different way than music and yet there is a huge overlap in creativity. I love having both.”

Yet, as we winded down our conversation, James said that he did not want to give the impression that his music or the band was a hobby. “In spite of everything that I just said, I am an insanely driven person and a workaholic, more so now than ever before.“ James said that the record is out now and it is the band's re-entry back into the music world. “My expectations were to make a great record and hone in on what we do well on ten tracks in a row…and when we have doors that open we are going to step through them and take those opportunities.The key for us is being content with the pace that we are working at. Right now I am proud and content with the path that we are on.”

From my perspective, James should be proud. Dolorean is on top of their game creatively and I suspect that the best is yet to come from James and the rest of the band.