REVIEW: Ladyhawk - Shots

Oh Jagjaguar records, how you pick 'em. Vancouver-based Ladyhawk's second album for the label, Shots, is a tight raucous affair with over-the-top RAWK moments juxtaposed with tight instrumentation, noisy solos, and a penchant for droning vocals moved along by big cymbal crashes.

There's the soft self-loathing of "(I'll Be Your) Ashtray" which pinnacles in a sloppy chorus of self-destruction and desire. Or the amazingly taut "S.T.H.D" (who knows what it stands for?) which feels like something out of a kung-fu movie about white kids - guitars stringently rushing into one another, riffs turning on a dime that seem to say "I wanna get drunk and fuck up someone's wedding. And when I say someone, I mean my own."

Ladyhawk's most prominent musical piece is Duffy Driediger whose melancholy voice sounds whiskey soaked and desperate which pairs perfectly with lyrics like "I don't know / there's no such thing as endless love / only a joke told in very poor taste / which somehow keeps crackin' me up" (from "Ghost Blues"). There's just enough loose ends and jangles to give you the feeling of early Neil Young, haunted and desperate, wandering the cold Canadian winter for a group of youngers to bestow his ghost upon. Shots is a haunted riveting album, that at first seems like a new stab at alternative rock, but opens up into something far deeper, far more hurt, and far more joyous. Well, maybe not joyous, but more naked.

Fleet Foxes

The latest band to benefit (suffer?) from the post-EP, pre-debut LP little thing us bloggers like to call "hype" since everyone's favorite backlash-band Vampire Weekend is Fleet Foxes - a quintet from Seattle who are going to release their debut self-titled album, Fleet Foxes, on June 3, 2008. At first listen it's pretty easy to go "Oh, another My Morning Jacket-sounding band." Though after listening to tracks from Evil Urges, it seems that MMJ isn't content to sound like they used to. It's pretty easy to lump a band who loves harmony as much as Fleet Foxes do in with other groups (MMJ, Band of Horses) who use that tried and true, almost anachronistic sound to wash their seemingly easy licks in glorious harmony.

In a way, Fleet Foxes are the kind of band that your pusedo-hippie parents and aunts and uncles could place alongside their Fleetwood Mac records and their copies of Carole King's Tapestry. At first listen, I tend to associate acts like this with that all too short alt country movement that gave Wilco it's first taste of success and (for better or worse) introduced us to Ryan Adams. Particularly an album called Tomorrow the Green Grass by the Jayhawks. That album is def. more rootsy than the Fleet Foxes, but is also a fine album so if you get into the Fleet Fox hype, check out some alt country, too. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Late of the Pier

Continuing with my fascination of English guitar dance rock bands, I present to you: LATE OF THE PIER. Their music is one part Brian Eno and three parts Klaxons (even though they don't seem to take too kind to the comparison). With only a fourteen track home recording to their name, the band has yet to reach the big leagues, however, they are currently working (or wrapping up) on their first studio recording to be released May 2008 by Parlophone.

Here is a video for their first single, "The Bears are Coming". It's a blasting out of the gate type single and if the album can match the single...then I think they have something.

Thee Oh Sees

HANK ALTOGETHER:

You might also know this band as The Oh Sees, Thee Oh Sees and formerly OCS, Orange County Sound, or Orinoka Crash Suite. That's a lot of names for John Dwyer formerly of Pink and Brown and the Coachwhips. What began as a side project (with many names) has evolved into a more regular band unit that's making the trek to Europe (that's on the other side of the pond for some of you) this summer. Dwyer's restlessness with names for this band is reflected in their sound.

They have 5 full length albums. I don't know the first 3, but the last two are radically different but rewarding in their own way.

SUCKS BLOOD from 2007. Is a high-wire act of melodies, complimented by a singing saw and Brigid Dawson's brilliant harmonies with Dwyer's vocals. It's not nearly as noisy as Pink and Brown or the Coachwhips, but manages to keep their experimental sound, only this time bartering distortion for harmony.

THE MASTER'S BEDROOM IS WORTH SPENDING A NIGHT IN, from 2008 sounds like a garage rock masterpiece. It's dirty in all the right ways while keeping some of the melodic elements from SUCKS BLOOD in place.

AND THE WINNER IS...

RADIOHEAD

Welistenforyou would like to thank everyone who voted...it was a fun experiment and we think the right band now owns the 08' title. We would like to extend a huge thanks to LAMBPREY who put together the interactive bracket and updated it each week. Also, BACKSEATSANDBAR for pressing us up a bit and getting the Louisville voters involved. Our blog is returning from the March Music Madness holiday and will resume regular posting. Hope you keep reading.

The Championship

RADIOHEAD vs WILCO


64 bands began. Two remain.