New music: Brenda - "Girl Don't Grow" (demo)

The guys in Portland ME's Brenda reached out to share a couple of great new demos.  Their debut record Silver Tower is a blast of 90's alternative-inspired rock and comes recommended.  You may also remember that the band got a big break last summer when they were asked to play at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival, performing to a large, attentive mid-day crowd. 

Now the band returns with two brand new demos - check them out below and then head over to their website to buy Silver Tower or download a live recording of their set from Solid Sound.

The Low Anthem: Live at Lily Pads 1.8.11, preview new songs

Just a few short weeks away from releasing their highly-anticipated follow-up to 2008 breakthrough Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, and fresh off a tour with Emmylou Harris, The Low Anthem played an intimate show in the rural Rhode Island town of Peace Dale on Saturday night.  I was lucky enough to be there as the band gave a sneak peek at much of the upcoming Smart Flesh.

Lost on the back roads of Rhode Island, I thought I had made some kind of mistake -- this couldn't be where The Low Anthem was playing, could it?  Once I found the tiny church that would serve as venue for the night, I soon realized that it was going to be a special night.  Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons took the stage first, bringing an acoustic version of their outlaw country, rock and folk.  Joe Fletcher's booming voice filled the room and brought the crowd to their feet.  The band's recently-released album White Lighter has been in constant rotation for me (look for a full review soon) and the songs took on even more power in live form as Fletcher's lyrics jumped to life, complimented by mandolin, fiddle, percussion and upright bass.  Singalong set closer "Too Many Doors" featured The Low Anthem and forced the packed crowd to bring Fletcher and company out for an encore.  A brilliant set from a band you need to know.

After a brief intermission that gave attendees a chance to grab some homemade baked goods, cider and merch, The Low Anthem took the stage.  After starting with a couple of favorites off of OMGCD, "Ticket Taker" and "To The Ghosts Who Write History Books", the band began to showcase some of the new songs.  "Apothecary Love" and first single "Ghost Woman Blues" have been mainstays in the set for the better part of a year - the former a lilting song of love found over the drugstore counter, the latter showcasing the band's gorgeous four-part harmonies alongside a simply-strummed acoustic guitar and clarinet.  "I'll Take Out Your Ashes" a solemn meditation on loss that is probably as affecting of a song as I have ever heard.  

While I had become familiar with a few of the "new" songs over the past few months, for a number of the songs this was my first listen.  Whisper-soft "Burn" (I believe the only true "premiere" of the night) was gorgeous, featuring a simple melody accompanied by banjo and glockenspiel.  Ben Knox Miller described "Matter of Time" as "the laziest love song", but its beauty lie in the simplicity and honesty of the lyrics, a beautiful song.  As on OMGCD, there are a number of upbeat songs to balance the slower ballads -- "Hey, All You Hippies!" comes rambling "o'er the Hollywood hills" calling out entitled so-called-"hippies" and "Boeing 737" is a stomping rocker that rides a descending bassline. The centerpiece of the show and a stunning highlight from my perspective was the title-track from the upcoming album, "Smart Flesh" - a deeply personal rumination on the mortality we all share and a simply beautiful song.

It's clear that the band is gaining confidence as performers and reaching maturity as songwriters.  Ben Knox Miller has an incredible gift.  He writes songs that can make you smile and cry in the same moment; songs that are deeply personal yet universal.  In my eyes he is leading the pack in a new generation of songwriters.  The Low Anthem were already my favorite band, and they're only getting better.  Based solely on this sneak peek, Smart Flesh is going to be hard to top as my album of 2011. 

The full show is available for stream below - sound is generally excellent.  Thanks to The Low Anthem for their taper-friendly policies -- please support the band by preordering Smart Flesh here.

The Low Anthem
Lily Pads - Peace Dale, RI
January 8, 2011

Ticket Taker
To The Ghosts Who Write History Books
Apothecary Love
Hey, All You Hippies!
Burn
Ghost Woman Blues
I'll Take Out Your Ashes
Matter Of Time
Home I'll Never Be
Cigarettes and Whiskey
Smart Flesh
The God Damn House
Snake and Lightning Rod
Boeing 737
The Auld Triangle
Love and Altar
Charlie Darwin

Full set download:  mp3 zip

Keep an eye out for details about what sounds like it will be a special CD release show in Providence.  Other area dates:

March 4 - Boston MA, Old South Church
March 5 - N. Adams MA, Mass MoCa
March 7 - Portland ME, SPACE Gallery

Previous recordings from The Low Anthem:

Boston MA, Paradise Rock Club - 4.20.10
Portland ME, SPACE Gallery -4.23.10

New music: Lonesome Lake - Tributaries EP

New Hampshire's Lonesome Lake make lovingly crafted folk music that reflects chilly and rugged landscapes in which it was created.  The songs that comprise their new Tributaries EP feature fingerpicked acoustic guitar and sparse percussion - with the occasional accordion, fiddle or horn taking turns in the spotlight.  These are songs of struggle and pain, but the end result is simply beautiful - for every whispered, reflective lyric there is a soaring melody or fiddle line to lessen the weight of the words.

The gorgeous Tributaries EP deserves attention - keep an eye on Lonesome Lake.  Get the full EP here.

Lonesome Lake - Between the Lines

Check out another song from Tributaries on our Winter Mixtape.

Visible Voice Winter 2011 Mixtape

So, this is the first of what will be a quarterly thing on Visible Voice...the seasonal mixtape.  I plan to use these mixtapes as an opportunity to share some of my favorite new music.  Great tunes by local or not-so-local bands that you should know and, in many cases, tracks that have not been officially or widely released yet.  For this inaugural winter mix a cold, snowy Boston is my (our) backdrop and, fittingly for this time of year, many of the songs here evoke themes of reflection.  During the cold winter months I find that the music I listen to becomes increasingly spare, unadorned, raw.  These songs fit that mold; gritty and uncompromising, yet intensely beautiful.  I'm sharing this as two "sides" (think cassettes, vinyl), instead of individual mp3s, so that this might be listened to as a cohesive whole.  There will also be a limited number of physical copies available with individual tracks, please email if you'd like one.  

A huge thanks goes out to all of the bands that agreed to take part.  Please support them by buying their music and going to shows.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I have putting it together -- and please share!

Side A
1. You Are Not My Love - Wooden Dinosaur
2. I'll Be Fooled Again - Twain
3. Great Move North - Faces On Film
4. Wither on the Vine, pt. 2 - The Old Ceremony
5. Wolves of Winter - Lonesome Lake

Side B
1. Dancing On Your Tears - Hands and Knees
2. Long Time - Guards
3. Sweeties Babies - Push Pals
4. Say What You Will - Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons
5. Crooked Road Blues - Mount Peru

The Capulets - Classics

Stu McLamb's backstory reads a bit like an episode of Behind The Music - failed relationships and jail time contributed to the sloppy garage-pop debut record from The Love Language.  That record got the band signed to Merge Records, but before The Love Language, there was The Capulets (and more drama).

The Capulets were a four-piece band from Raleigh NC comprised of McLamb, Josh Pope (Guitar/Vocals), Tom Simpson (Drums) and Alex Clarke (Bass).  The band's sound is a scrappy mix of garage, punk and sugary pop - a rougher, more energetic precursor to the sounds that The Love Language have refined over their past two albums.  As the story goes (from the band's label):

"Silent Uproar Records approached the band in 2006 about releasing some demos as a debut full-length. Shortly after signing a deal with the label, the band kicked out Stu McLamb. Now the stuff of legend, McLamb had broken into the band's practice space to teach a girl to play drums and ended up damaging his wrist and trashing some of the band's gear. Needless to say, that was the breaking point for the band itself. Josh, Tom and Alex quickly formed another band, Cocoon, but it didn't last. In late 2006, Stu started The Love Language and eventually tapped Josh and Tom to join him."

A few years later, Silent Uproar decided to finally release a remastered set of Capulets demos - a ragged collection of garage rock that clearly demonstrate the traits that have launched The Love Language to wider audiences.  Check out catchy-as-hell jam "Robots" below and grab the full album for just $5 here.

The Capulets - Robots

New music: Chalk and Numbers - He Knew EP

   

Chalk and Numbers is a Brooklyn duo that make 60s-style surf-lounge-pop - the kind of stuff you picture providing the soundtrack to some obscure surfer B-movie.  Surf guitars, simple, catchy rythms and sugary sweet female vocals - in the same vein as Best Coast, but with less haze.  Perfect tunes for hot summer nights, but they seem to be doing the trick on this snowy day too.

Listen to "I Really Wanna Work This Out", one of my favorites from the 6 song He Knew EP below, then head to the band's bandcamp page where you can get the entire EP for free.

Chalk and Numbers - I Really Wanna Work This Out

New music: Guards - Resolution Of One 7"

I hadn't written about Guards yet, so this post is way overdue.  Let's get up to speed...  Richie James Follin is a pretty prolific dude.  He formed Willowz when he was 19, plays guitar in Cults and has a number of side projects.  The story goes that Follin returned from Europe, wrote a handful of songs and recorded them with the help of members of MGMT, Willowz and his sister (Madeline Follin of Cults).

The songs are kind of a perfect marriage of the ethereal sound of Cults married to the heavier guitar-driven sound of Willowz.  For the most parts the songs are catchy and upbeat, though Follin allows things to meander when appropriate, at times finding a sound similar to some of Deerhunter's purest pop moments.

Now, a few months after releasing their fantastic EP (which you can still download for free here), a 7" is available featuring 3 of my favorite tracks from the album.  Listen to the fantastic, slow-burning, blue-eyed soul b-side "Crystal Truth" below, and order your copy of the 7" quickly - only 500 are being pressed.

Guards - Crystal Truth

New music: Summer Fiction - "Chandeliers"

Philadelphia's Bill Ricchini performs under the name Summer Fiction, making gorgeous music that ranges from upbeat folk-pop to delicate ballads.  The songs, which Ricchini self-recorded at home, feature varied instrumentation such as harpsichord, horns and lush strings alongside piano, acoustic and electric guitars.  Highly recommended for fans of Belle & Sebastian of pretty, melancholy folk-pop in general.

Stream/download "Chandeliers", one of the more upbeat songs on the album, below and get the rest at the band's bandcamp page.

Summer Fiction - Chandeliers

New music: Middle Brother - "Me Me Me"

As promised, Middle Brother - the joint side-project of Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit), John McCauley (Deer Tick) and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) - has released their first single from their highly-anticipated debut.  It's Christmas, so I'm not going to take the time to analyze and pick this apart yet but on first listen it sounds exactly like the ragged folk-rock I was expecting - complete with messy, Neil Young-esque lead guitar.  Enjoy and happy holidays!

Middle Brother - Me Me Me

(Thanks to Matt Dyson of the fantastic dysonsound for hooking me up with the track when the Middle Brother email eluded me!)