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St. Vincent: Marry Me

St. Vincent
Marry Me
2007 | Beggars Banquet

Annie Clark, under the moniker St. Vincent, has been getting built up to what I thought might be insurmountable heights over the internet the last couple of months, but Marry Me, her first full length album, not only climbs the mountain, but gets to the top and does a little dance. Beautiful is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe her music, followed up with whimsical as she extracts elements of jazz, rock, folk and a little R&B. There are timeless elements here that show her breadth of talent. Jazzy pieces such as “What? Me Worry?” are reminiscent of classical Standards female singers. And tracks like “Human Racing” have a folky- Joni Mitchell quality to them.

At times though, I feel like I might be listening to one of the new breeds of female singers by way of the top 40’s chart when the songs take on a prominent poppier tone. “Paris is Burning”, for example, shares some similar structures with Jem’s “24”. “Now, Now”’s use of the child-like backing vocals was a bit too on the cutesy side for me as well.

Overall, Clark succeeds in creating a wonderfully accomplished album that is both soothing and energizing. Her songwriting is charming, quirky, and well worth the hype.

-Elana Rintala

Mon Jul 23 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

Sympathy for the Record Industry for sale!

Sympathy for the Record Industry is looking for a buyer to own and run the label. According to Long Beach-based owner Long Gone John, he's basically grown tired of running the label and is looking to transplant himself in Olympia, Washington. The label has released some pretty outstanding material over the years: the White Stripes, Hole, Sonic Boom, the Von Bondies, the Muffs, Rocket From the Crypt, Roky Erickson, Suicide, the New York Dolls...do I need to go on? He's asking around $650,000 for the whole shebang, and that includes EVERYTHING. Here are some details listed in a recent press release:

-questionable/nebulous rights to nearly 750 releases by over 550 bands
-current distribution deal with foremost U.S. independent distributor with strong international distribution as well
-existing stock modestly estimated at a wholesale value of 1.8 millon dollars
-all master tapes, acetates, stampers and mothers to continue production of titles
-massive personal archive of sympathy rarities (lots of amazing surprises)
-preliminary cover layouts/some original artwork/interesting and valuable artifacts galore
-established web site and vastly lucrative mail order business

Contact John at , serious inquiries only please.

Mon Jul 16 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com

MothFight - Hopscotch

Mon Jul 16 2007 · Posted in Live Sessions

Iron & Wine: Boy with a Coin EP

Iron & Wine
Boy with a Coin EP
2007 | Sub Pop

If you're already a fan of Sam Beam's folky and intricate guitar pop then this EP should suit you just fine. "Boy with a Coin" is pulled from the new album, The Shepherd's Dog, and clearly marks its territory as the most optimistic song on this EP, usually a signal of what we can expect from a forthcoming full-length. The beat shuffles and the guitar is playful as tears of pedal steel guitar soar over the rhythm. It's a damn good song, too bad we had to pull it from our "download of the day" section a few weeks back.

The b-sides "Carried Home" and "Kingdom of the Animals" are nice little songs to have in your collection, especially the latter. "Kingdom" is more of a sing-along ballad with pretty layers of piano and pedal steel guitar uplifting Beam's hopeful and clean delivery. The song picks up and dives head-first into vaudville pop, like you just walked into a saloon. "Carried Home" is very depressing and "historic" sounding. A lonely, plucked guitar leads Sam Beam's saddening vocals depicting the reality and death of a soldier, the song even sounds like a death march from the Civil War.

Sam Beam once again taps into your soul with delicate folk music that feels just right, never over-the-top or obvious. This is a great introduction for what will probably be another amazing Iron & Wine album come September.

-Scott McDonald

Thu Jul 12 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger

Ryan Adams
Easy Tiger
2007 | Lost Highway Records

It seems like this year there is a return to mid-70’s rock in new releases. I felt that way listening to Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky”, and now Ryan Adams is falling in with that crowd. With Adams it is usually hit or miss for me, and as of late, more misses. Easy Tiger, his NINTH release, finally scores another hit. From beginning to end I found these slow tempo gems full of emotion, but not so overpowering or artificial to cause me to cringe, which is the usual side effect.

Adams jumps back and forth between that easy going rock to bluegrass tinged ballads but overall I just want to call it country. Regardless, he is more consistent on this album and makes the subtle changes of style work together instead of jarringly separate themselves. The album opens on a warm note with “Goodnight Rose”, an almost sing-a-long song infused with the twang found throughout the album. This desire to create upbeat tracks follows throughout on the quirky “Halloweenhead”, “Two Hearts”, and “These Girls”. There are also those heart-aching tracks on here to break up the cheeriness. “Off Broadway” and “I Taught Myself How to Grow Old” are two such tracks that make you sigh a bit with grief for the loneliness that pours out of both. Other notable tracks on here include “Tears of Gold” which feels like a truer country song backed by a lovely steel guitar, and “The Sun Also Sets” where Adams seems to have been able to channel the ghost of Jeff Buckley with his voice.

With a two year break between albums, Ryan Adams has given himself the rest he needed to put out a really stellar album, perhaps he should keep this in mind for his next. I’d recommend “Oh God, Whatever, Etc.”, “Tears of Gold”, and “The Sun Also Sets”.

-Elana Rintala

Thu Jul 12 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com