Speed the Plough
The Plough & The Stars
(Bar None)
Speed the Plough was a band that ought to have been far more famous by now. With four albums to their credit — spread across a productive 30 year career — this New Jersey outfit demonstrated their penchant for superb song craft as part of their extraordinary output. Sadly, that glorious invention fell mostly on deaf ears and an indifferent public. It’s appropriate then that The Plough & The Stars attempts to up their ante, offering for the first time a well-stocked compendium that includes ample selections from their original albums, live recordings, rarities and six new songs that complete the picture. An accompanying booklet and DVD add further insights, as does a series of downloads that bring the total number of tracks to more than three dozen. Indeed, The Plough & The Stars provides quite a detailed musical portrait. defining them as a band that shaped their stance without regard to trends or fashions. The mix of sweet harmonies and folk finesse often likened them to old school practitioners, those that emphasise melody without ever sacrificing their edge or intrigue. Indeed, few groups could boast the sort of tenacity that allowed them to place flutes at the forefront. Yet, it’s that genteel approach and instinct for invention that still sets them apart. An archival bonanza, The Plough & The Stars is a sensational discovery and a remarkable revelation. (www.speedtheplough.com)
Wurster
RAW
(independent)
Jim Wurster can claim credit as one of South Florida’s most original musicians, not simply because he possesses a singular sound but, more important, because he continually ventures into new terrain and does so without regard to commercial consequences. Indeed, ever since his tenure at the helm of the goth-like band Black Janet, Wurster has eschewed any need for fashion or frenzy in pursuit of his muse. Raw, Wurster’s latest, offers an apt title considering the set’s stripped-down feel. However, don’t be tricked into thinking this is some kind of exercise in sleepy acoustic balladry. It’s infused with eerie effects and electronic drones seemingly at odds with the laid-back motif. A mix of Wurster originals and eclectic covers — Neil Young’s “Southern Pacific,” Sonny and Cher’s “Bang Bang,” Fred Neil’s “Dade County Jail,” the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” and perhaps strangest of all, a medley that combines “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “You Are my Sunshine” — the songs take a decidedly dark turn in unexpected ways. Wurster’s voice recalls a sinister mashup of Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Lou Reed during a midnight encounter hosted by Nick Cave, while the stark setups lend the proceedings an ominous air. Nevertheless, RAW is a fascinating disc, one that’s both formidable and foreboding. (www.jimwurster.com)
Michaela Anne
Ease My Mind
(Georgia June Records)
The initial question that immediately comes to mind when hearing Ease My Mind for the first time is this — who is this woman and how is it that her sound is so impressive? The second question is, why is she still so far below the radar? As Anne’s sophomore set proves, she’s a singer with all the polish and confidence of a seasoned star. Whether delivering the easy-on-the ear sway and sashay of “I Ain’t For You,” “Ease My Mind” and “Is This What Mama Meant” or going for out-and-out tears-in-the -beer weepers such as “Lift Me Up” and “The Haunting,” she makes it obvious she possesses a calm and cool that can set her apart in an already crowded field of sweet-voiced songbirds. As its title so aptly implies, Ease My Mind is filled with country comforts, a soothing salve for anyone’s severely troubled soul. (wwwmichaelaanne.com)
Shoebox Letters
Better Times
(independent)
Despite their unlikely name, Shoebox Letters shine on Better Times, an album of exquisite Americana and stunning performances that strike a responsive chord from the first listen on. Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Dennis Winslow is clearly the guiding force here, but the help he receives from an array of additional singers– Stephanie Pranzetti, David Allen Baker, Daria Chick and Bob Logue — help vary the tone and set the songs apart. “Sweet Talk,” “Drowning Inside” and Hannah” are the immediate standouts, each a combination of subtle hues and resonating refrains. Although the sentiments are occasionally subdued, the melodies elevate the proceedings and prevent them from being over encumbered by static or stereotypical emotions. What’s most surprising however is the fact that Better Times is but the latest in a string of albums the group has released since the start of the Millennium and yet, they still haven’t gained anywhere near the attention they so clearly deserve. So pull out these Shoebox Letters and give them a read. Better Times is nothing less than an awesome album. (www.shoeboxlettersrock.com)
Jim Camacho
Everywhere
(Forward Motion/BrokenRecords)
A tireless and talented troubadour, Jim Camacho first made his mark in the Goods, a band that was widely acknowledged as one of the most impressive outfits to emerge from South Florida’s in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The band’s national exposure was short lived, but Jim continues to demonstrate his abilities, splitting his time now between Miami and New York. The release of a new five-song EP, Everywhere on Forward Motion/Broken Records marks his first collection of new songs since his critically acclaimed album Beachfront Defeat in 2009. It also finds him working with a talented group of musicians, including co-producer, engineer, Forward Motion label chief and multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo and longtime drummer Jordan Welch. Highlighted by its irrepressible opening track, “Big Little World,” Everywhere provides yet another example of Camacho’s extraordinary talents, skills that deserve to be heard by the world at large. (www.jimcamacho.com)
Stone Jack Jones
Ancestor
(Western Vinyl)
First things first – this is STONE Jack Jones, not STONED Jack Jones, even though some of these shifting set-ups do have a psychedelic feel. And it’s not Jack Jones, the MOR singer, although there is more than a hint of a pleasant croon. For the most part however, Stone Jack Jones shows his knack for woozy rumination, a sound that’s as hazy as the album’s seemingly fog-encased cover itself. Think Matthew Ryan meets Nick Cave on a particularly overcast evening. Indeed, Ancestor is an album that leans more on ambiance and atmosphere than actual melody, although songs such as “Joy” and “Marvelous” do linger thanks to their ever-resilient refrains. That makes Ancestor is a most interesting album, one that will capture the imaginations of those in search of a sound that’s as haunting as it is intriguing. (www.stonejackjones.com)
Railroad Earth
Last of the Outlaws
(Black Bear Records)
Like Yonder Mountain String Band, Trampled By Turtles and Leftover Salmon, Railroad Earth ranks high among the proud purveyors of the so called Nu-Grass movement, all talented musicians dabbling in bluegrass while boldly stretching their parameters. Nowhere is that more evident than on the band’s stunning new album. Once again, it finds the sextet excelling with their usual upbeat, accessible melodies (“Chasin’ A Rainbow,” “Monkey,” “Grandfather’s Mountain”), while also offering up their take on celtic tradition (“All That’s Dead May Live Again”), classical pretence (“Introit,” “Tuba Mirium” et. al.) and even a hint of the Grateful Dead’s populist approach tossed in between (“Hangtown Ball”). And yes, Jerry would be proud. Their dexterity is a wonder to behold, but rather than a bunch of endless jams and excessive noodling, it’s the rich infusion of pure melody that binds all sixteen of these songs together. So while Last of the Outlaws finds Railroad Earth journeying further than before, the route is, as always, well defined. (www.railraodearth.com)
Regina Carter
Southern Comfort
Sony MasterWorks)
Regina Carter goes back to basics – or, perhaps better stated, she goes back to her roots – with Southern Comfort, a retracing of the folk tunes — traditional and otherwise – that are borne from her forebears’ home in Alabama. While many of the songs are indigenous to those southern environs, Carter took the process a step further by seeking out distant relatives and scanning reference books for more information about the era when her grandfather lived and worked in the southern mines. Ultimately she also turned to the Library of Congress and archivists such as Alan Lomax and John Work III and the collected field recordings they gleaned from Appalachia. Mostly instrumental, the album finds Carter turning her violin playing into a stirring means of expression, plying new depths on more familiar songs such as Gram Parson’s “Hickory Wind” as well as well-worn standards like Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonkin’” and “See See Rider.” Likewise, she opens up new avenues of discovery on the Cajun shuffle “Blues de Basile” and the moving and memorable “I’m Going Home.” There’s a certain southern gothic ambiance to these proceedings, but in a larger sense, the reverence clearly shines through. Carter deserves congratulations for coming up with such a moving homage, one which effectively conveys a sense of time and place with an eternal feel. (www.reginacarter.com)
Levi Lowrey
Levi Lowrey
(Southern Ground)
This may be only Lowrey’s second album, but the credits he’s accumulated thus far place him at the forefront of emerging southern artists. With a critically acclaimed debut album in 2011 and successful songs written for others, the spotlight is clearly shining his way. And well it should; this sophomore set shows him to be a writer of remarkable skill and insight, a fact borne out by the impressive list of guest musicians who opted to participate — Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band), Ross Holmes (Mumford & Sons/Cadillac Sky), Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) and Mac McAnally among them. Having penned or partially penned 14 of the ample 15 tracks, it finds Lowrey expressing his thoughts about real world situations, each with the unflinching honesty and insights that make great songs resonate with those that hear them. ‘December Thirty-One,’” a song written about his wife’s struggles with Leukemia, is particularly poignant, but the same could be said of such songs as “Picket Fences,” “Before the Hymnal Died,” “High and Lonesome,” “Urge for Leaving,” songs that reflect what Lowrey himself calls a “hopeful sort of desperation.” The closing track, an unlikely take on Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” ends the album with a rush of adrenalin, somehow indicative of the resilience Lowrey displays throughout. Consider this THE radio-ready record of the year thus far. (www.levilowrey.com)
Girls, Guns & Glory
Good Luck
(independent)
With a handle like Girls, Guns and Glory, you might expect the sound of a heavy metal band to emerge from these grooves. After all, with a little imagination, it’s easy to believe that banner might have served as the title of an album by Motley Crue or some other hard rock demons. So while this Boston-based band does serve up it’s share of balls-out rockers, they’re also tastefully intertwined between an equal amount of frayed heartbreak ballads, enough to keep the emotions ricocheting between triumph and tragedy. Five albums on, Girls, Guns & Glory have yet to make any real headway with the Americana audience, much less the populace at large. The fact that they’re from Boston rather than Austin may have something to do with it; after all, those environs harbour more folk than country to begin with, and rock ‘n’ roll does well there too, as evidenced b y Aerosmith, the J Geils Band and… Boston? Still, any band that breaks the stereotypes deserves due credit in our book, so in that regard, Girls, Guns & Glory begin one step ahead rather than behind. (www.girlsgunsandglory.com)
Leland Sundries
Live at the Creamery
(L ‘Echuquier Records)
A humble publicist by day, an earnest musical collective by night, Leland Sundries follows its terrific debut with an equally impressive but wholly unassuming live EP recorded at a local Brooklyn venue. There’s a decided offhanded charm in their performance, a sort of aw-shucks attitude that resonates throughout. Whether it’s the dryly sentimental “Apparition,” the droll “Oh My Sweet Cantankerous Baby,” or the decidedly upbeat “High On the Plains” and “Roller Derby Queen,” Leland Sundries displays a range of emotion that further identifies their humble persona. The anecdotes about an appearance on a college radio station tucked away in a basement is especially amusing, while the narrative about previous places they’ve gigged is laugh out loud funny, each a reflection of the band’s slightly sardonic personality. That’s the way they come across, kind of like your favorite hometown band with all the prerequisite charm one might expect of such an ensemble. Whether viewed as an introduction or further indication of their ongoing prowess, Live at the Creamery provides a great excuse for some escapist entertainment. (www,lelandsundries.com)
Michelle Malone
Acoustic Winter
(SBS Records)
Acoustic Winter provides the ideal spotlight for the wonderful Michelle Malone, a Georgia-based singer/songwriter who has been plying her talents over the course of several album now, each an example of exceptional quality. Here she takes a more laid back approach, even though, in truth, she’s always leaned towards a more supple sound. Opening track “Home” offers more than a hint of what to expect; tender and yearning, it tugs on the heartstrings and provides a powerful emotional pull. Still, the album’s strongest standout may be the one track that comes without words, a lovely, lilting instrumental entitled, appropriately, “A Walk in the Woods.” Two interpretations wrap up the proceedings, a surprising jazzy take on “Eleanor Rigby” that vastly redefines the original, and an equally bold and ingenious recasting of the Stones’ “Wild Horses” which alters the traditional treatment considerably. Indeed, it takes a bold artist to tackle such well-known standards and dare to do them her way, but Michelle Malone is that kind of performer and Acoustic Winter is the right kind of album to showcase those skills. How wonderful indeed. (MichelleMalone.com)
Run River North
Run River Run
(Nettwerk)
Coming on the heels of recent efforts by various other communal combos — Mumford and Sons and the Lumineers come quickly to mind — Run River Run’s eponymous debut finds them operating in similar realms yet without being beholden to any particular predecessors. Simply put, the eleven songs that make up this irrepressible effort come across as so exuberant, so effusive, so infused with freewheeling enthusiasm, that any attempt to typecast them inevitably comes up short. Veering from a quiet pluck to resounding refrains, the band catches fire each time out, making songs such as “Monsters Calling Home,” “Beetle,” “Run River Run” and “Banner” ring with anthemic-like resilience that sounds as if they’re practically leaping from the grooves. Plenty of bands know how to command attention, but the ability to grab notice on initial hearing speaks to both their power and potential. Of course, having veteran producer Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Built to Spill, Mudhoney) at the helm speaks well to their abilities, but actually having the know-how to pull off such a potent introduction actually affirms they also have the mindset. (www.nettwerk.com)
Desert Noises
27 Ways
(SQE Music)
There’s no possible way to describe Desert Noises adequately except to say that even the briefest encounter will leave you impressed. With 27 Ways, we’re introduced to a band that dares to defy boundaries, shifting its tone from the softest of circumstances to a raging repast in the blinking of an eye. That’s evident in the immediate transition they take from the lowered gaze of album opener “Grandma Looks” to the raging delivery of its follow up “Out of My Head” and then back to the gentle thump and strum of the track that follows, “Mice in the Kitchen” and forward to the solid riffing of “Run Through the Woods.” And so it goes, each offering providing a different insight into the band’s harmonic skills, a sound which sometimes brings to mind Neil Young in all his raging glory. Still, if one was to narrow down the choices, “Follow You Out” might qualify as the singular standout, a gentle tune that draws immediate attention to Desert Noises’ more melodic style. “What the World Made” and “Wild Dreams” are further must-hear songs, each more emphatic perhaps, but clearly no less compelling. Their handle may be slightly misleading; these aren’t necessarily the sounds that spring from barren environs, but rather a rich tapestry that grows more engaging with each successive hearing. Four former Mormons who hail from Utah, they’ve already earned themselves a reputation as ones to watch. (www.desertnoises.com)
Kalle Mattson
Someday, The Moon Will Be
(independent)
A mere two albums on, Kalle Mattson takes a dramatic leap forward with Someday, The Moon Will Be, a daring album that’s rich with both tone and texture. Mattson is a master of nuance and ingenuity, and that becomes more and more evident with each successive hearing. With the spectacular fanfare of “An American Dream” providing the introduction, Mattson kicks off a series of songs that lead the listener through unexpected encounters, be it the wafting melody that sends “Darkness” spiraling higher, or the wistful and reflective “A Love Song to the City,” which proves every bit as tender as its title would suggest. The rich strum of “Pick Me Up” grows increasingly complex, while the tender touch of “Eyes Speak” still manages to effortlessly glide despite its assertive beat. Mattson’s ability to avoid even the most tempting cliche is quite admirable and positive proof that oftentimes a rich arrangement can create an ingenious ambiance all its own. That’s certainly the case here, further reason to suggest Mattson is on the verge of a big breakthrough. Spectacle and subtlety somehow intertwine, and the result is a masterwork worthy of Brian Wilson or any like-minded provocateur. Delve into it now and discover an album that’s bound to carry a buzz a bit later on. (www.kallemattson.com)
