moving on with the Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains discography, here’s All Power to the Wingnuts! and with it comes fast and catchy chord progressions on an acoustic guitar, with passionate screamed vocals – all culminating in an anthem sound, perfected by the bittersweet sense of beauty found in the trumpet. containing three songs that are just over seven minutes, it’s a short affair. but(!) the quality of those three songs that are just over seven minutes, will undoubtedly leave you craving more. so stay tuned for the next update!
archive for the ‘chamber/brass’ category
Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains – All Power to the Wingnuts!
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Boris Smile – Beartooth EP
Monday, March 15th, 2010if you were into We Were Lightning, you will very much want to check out this band. Boris Smile started out in 2004 as a one man band, and in 2005 they released their first EP, and in 2007 they released their first album. both of these were on a label called Toy Records. in spring, 2008 yet another album was released… and come autumn, come Beartooth EP. I have no idea what the availability of these other records are, but I’ll try to find out and edit this sentence accordingly. Beartooth is an extravagant adventure of a record. try on Brandon Flowers’s (of The Killers) vocals on top of upbeat and catchy chamber pop. with a heartfelt nerve, Boris Smile explores both darker sad feelings as well as joyful happy feelings in this journey of wonderful stories and gentle sounds. I highly recommend you download this! and that you buy it from http://www.cylsrecords.com – yes, it’s yet another release on the great label Count Your Lucky Stars. get this.
Zookeeper – Becoming All Things
Friday, October 23rd, 2009you have the short-length? now get the long-length! you don’t have the short-length? GET IT! AND GET THIS! folky rock’n'roll that ranges from droning hymns to jangly guitar rock to tender piano ballads this is soulful and expressive folk rock at its very finest. the introverted lyrics combine well with the sometimes very extroverted powerhouse that is the melody. sometimes exploding with happiness, horns, guitars, percussions, energy – other times bursting with melancholy and sadness, driven by a piano and acoustic guitar. Chris and his ensemble on Becoming All Things prove to handle melodrama just as well as soulful ballads. this mostly vocal-driven album has some of the most intimate music possible, but it’s not locked down to being an album of only ballads with acoustic guitar, crooning and piano. not by a mile. it constantly shifts the tempo, the energy, the feeling, the atmosphere – it simply rocks the foundation of the album on an even basis. from the most joyful and upbeat clash of noisy percussion, loud guitars and a thousand voices to the most elegant and humble of lovely arranged sensitive heart-breaking ballads. from the euphoric to the painful, Becoming All Things is a highly impressive journey throughout the emotional spectrum of Christopher Simpson. this is a record that deserve to be heard. and bought on CD from http://www.bellecitypop.com/ – so make haste. get this!
Zookeeper – Zookeeper
Friday, October 23rd, 2009I’m insanely proud and incredibly eager to present to you Zookeeper. this is a life-changing band that just reeks of joy. Zookeeper makes music fun like no other band. this is Christopher Simpson proving that he hasn’t lost his touch. on the contrary. most of you will know this bloke from Mineral and The Gloria Record, two bands I love equally as much as Zookeeper. if you don’t know either of those (shame on you), then go get to know them. when people ask “what is emo?”, a lot of people will simply direct them to an MP3 of “If I Could” by Mineral. and with good reason. with the unfathomable power and distinct divine weeping guitars, Mineral was simply one of a kind. though never really influenced by as much 80s emo as 80s alternative, nor ever accepting the emo tag – they were emo to everyone else but themselves. The Gloria Record was another highly impressing emo band, although less punky and more exploring. their full lenght “Start Here” proved that emo is an ever changing genre that by now wasn’t tied to any of its roots – it did as it pleased. so definitely check those bands out if you ever have the chance. but for now – check this out. this band captures the most positive energy on record that I’ve ever witnessed. it is simply impossible to listen to this and be unaffected by the incredible love for music that’s put to this EP. this has a lot in common with Mineral and The Gloria Record when it comes to passion and the raw emotion evident. musically however… well… it’s not emo. Chris still possesses his beautiful fairly off-tune voice that’s kind of akin to Rufus Wainwright’s voice, and even easier compared to Daniel Johnston’s voice, sans the lisping. there’s still an ethereal feeling and majestic power to the music. it’s just really different. this is grass root level folk rock with a ridiculous amount of elements and details in the arrangement. it kind of sounds like Chris got all of Austin – if not all of Texas. to join in on this project. either way, I’m just happy he kept writing songs after The Gloria Record broke up. and I’m even happier he decided to call up some friends to record it, because the world is better off with these songs in them. everyone needs to download and listen to this. then they need to head over to http://www.bellecitypop.com/ and purchase it on CD, because damn. this is amazing. with elements of folk rock, country, rock and pop – Chris Simpson not only reinvents himself, he reinvents music by going back. so come on and sing along to these wonderful melodies and intelligent lyrics. get it!
We Were Lightning – So You Spat at the Moon? -EP
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009banjos, mandolins, melodicas, glockenspiels… yes. it’s that kind of music. Morfar might’d been right when he said that all you need is drums to start a hipster party, but you need all of the ingredients of We Were Lightning to keep it going. their influences sounds like they are ranging from eastern folk to 60s folk rock (perhaps especially the American band Love) to modern baroque pop and popera. the result is a mad fusing of everything between and outside this scope. spastic almost cabaret-like indie pop/rock with major folk influences. it’s sort of chamber pop, like Sufjan Stevens and Badly Drawn Boy – but no distorted guitars or whatever. there’s something in me that wants to call Beirut on this one as well. but mostly it’s just entirely original and different. a quality album without a doubt. a must-hear even! download it, then look at http://howisannierecords.com/ to buy it.