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We're Still Recovering From Halloween [Extra Extra]
What’s the Deal: It almost doesn’t make sense. This guy should be a huge mainstream success. He’s played with John Mayer and David Gray, and he even shares the melodically raspy vocal style of the former. His recordings are near spotless, with gorgeous acoustics and catchy choruses. It’s got to be his total lack of interest in writing meaningless, rhyming lyrics for the club about a girl and how her body is a “wonderland” Instead, his songs, which stay true to the storytelling style of folk songwriting, involve subject matter that’s much more serious and at times pretty dark. He sings about the Iraq war, his brother’s drug addiction, cancer, vengeance and even the Holocaust. There’s a definite dichotomy of light and dark, heavy and weightless going on in his music. The words are weighty, the sounds are airy. He sings some about God and an afterlife, but with a certain amount of fear, honesty and vulnerability. The self-destructive and fragile nature of the human condition is a major theme.
“New Love Song” is a perfect example of his playing both sides. The tune prances happily along with an upbeat piano and plenty of “uh oh”s sung to a snappy beat. But, the otherwise pleasant, Sunday morning chorus has James singing, “Well another silly love song could make me sick / About a heart broke emo rocker and his messed up chick / Are we so deaf, dumb and blind we can’t see the candlestick / Burnin down”. “Crash This Train” is another one of his many songs worth mentioning. It’s more of an Iron & Wine whisperer with acoustic guitar, keyboards about the sad state of our country in which James pleads, “God if you can hear me, crash this train”.
Something Interesting: His next recording, Build Me This, is reportedly due out this month.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Magazine”, “Baby Boy” and “Farmer From The West”
Joshua James [Official]
Joshua James [MySpace]
What’s the Deal: Psych rock, shoegaze, garage, whatever. Any label you affix to these guys isn’t going to change the fact that their sound is a forceful, distorted wall of sound that comes at you screeching, pounding, echoing, and flailing about in the most apathetic way possible. Fans of The Gun Club are going to like this Austin threesome, as will anyone who favors the influence of Link Wray.
The only bells and whistles this local rock group employ are in their fuzzy guitar work and echoey vocals, made abundantly clear on tracks like “With You Alone”, “Your Sorcery” and just about everything else these guys do. Rock and roll purists at their core. They’re headed out to California later this month, but will be back to play a show with The Coathangers at Mohawk on July 11th.
Something Interesting: According to the group’s MySpace, they will be featured on an upcoming compilation of Austin bands for Matador Records called Casual Victim Pile.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Jamie”
Woven Bones [MySpace]
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