"Perpetual Night," Kelley Stoltz, from "Antique Glow"
Kelley Stoltz is another relative unknown for whom I have high hopes and expectations. He recorded "Antique Glow" onto an eight-track recorder over the course of a year, playing nearly all the instruments himself, and the result is a minor masterpiece. It's a dense record, packed with layer upon layer of sound, full of psychedelic flourishes, and with constant sonic interference pulling your ears in different directions. Matters are further confused by Stoltz's shape-shifting vocals, which morph from Captain Beefheart's yawp to Nick Drake's whisper to Nick Cave's bellow, with plenty of stops in between. Buried beneath the (glorious) cacophony of sounds and styles are some really beautiful compositions, and Stoltz's odd, abstract and always poetic lyrics are worth listening for. Also grab "Jewel of the Evening" and "Underwater's Where the Action." Free Download: "Perpetual Night"
"Gonna Be Some Changes Made," Bruce Hornsby, from "Halcyon Days"
I have to admit that I have little familiarity with Bruce Hornsby's work. He's primarily entered my consciousness as a guest performer on a Bonnie Raitt live record, and with a very beautiful 15-second instrumental outro at the end of a song on Chris Whitley's "Rocket House." But this song, the first single from his upcoming "Halcyon Days," has been making me happy this week. There's the pleasure of hearing Sting singing the background vocals, with some very Police-like harmonies. And there's Hornsby's voice, which has that wholesome John Mellencamp/Tom Petty I'm-an-American-rock-star sound to it. But mostly there's the song's brilliant hook, a memorable piano line that almost stands in for a chorus. A note on the lyrics: Unless my ears deceive me, he actually sings the line "I'm going where the fields are green and I can do my macramé." I didn't know that rock stars did macramé. (iTunes, RealPlayer, MusicMatch)
"Electric Halo," The Bruces, from "The Shining Path"
"The Electric Halo" is the first song I've heard by the Bruces, and I'm left wondering if all of their work is this good -- and if so, why nobody's told me about them before. The Bruces are not a proper band but rather the work of Alex McManus, a member of Lambchop and a contributor to records by a number of other Americana-inspired indie acts including Simon Joyner and Vic Chesnutt. I find this song absolutely chilling. The unexpected, uncomfortably twisted harmonies of the opening guitar part, the spooky, portentous sounds in the background, and McManus' frightened voice all combine to give the track an air of Faulknerian dread. I was so caught up in the atmosphere of it that the addition of a small horn section partway through took me completely off guard -- it's a brilliant and truly unexpected arrangement decision. I look forward to hearing more music by the Bruces. Free Download: "Electric Halo"
"Knock Me Down Girl," Slicker, from "We All Have a Plan"
This track is an odd hybrid: vocals with overt R&B mannerisms, the glitchy editing style of lap-pop, a muted trumpet straight out of easy-listening acid jazz, and a gently funky dance beat. It works beautifully. Slicker is a project by John Hughes III, son of director John Hughes II ("The Breakfast Club," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), and he refers to his mélange as "future roots music," "where soul, jazz, hip-hop, electronics and pop are all perfectly bound together." Free Download: "Knock Me Down Girl"
About the writer
Thomas Bartlett is a writer and musician in New York.
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