Vibes blog

Every Friday, we bring you reviews of 10 recently-released CDs done in 10 words each:

Systems Officer Underslept — Half of Pinback, Armistad Burwell Smith, releases a solo album.

Genitorturers Blackheart Revolution — The first single is “Cum Junkie.” You do the math.

Ad Frank Your Secrets Are Mine Now — Gothic-styled crooning mixes in hints of glam and pop.

Los Cenzontles with Taj Mahal and David Hidalgo American Horizon — Mexican-American group gets help from bluesman, Los Lobos frontman.

The Prairie Cartel Where Did All My People Go — Organize a few DJs with mics and this is result.

Mumiy Troll Paradise Ahead — Digital-only release has Russian rock band’s first English songs. (At Alley Cat on Nov. 15)

Atreyu Congregation of the Damned — Band teeters between cookie-monster metal and radio-friendly melodies.

Tinsley Ellis Speak No Evil — Blues rocker continues down his established path on 12th album. (At Neighborhood Theatre on Dec. 5)

Swollen Members Armed to the Teeth — Underground hip-hop gets help from Talib Kweli, Everlast, others.

Kottonmouth Kings Hidden Stash 4:20 — Two hip-hop CDs, bonus DVD focus on everything marijuana.

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“I know that for some musicians, writing songs is like therapy and the way they get their emotions out,” says Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Robert Francis. “But for me it’s more than an outlet — it’s a way to keep me from completely losing my mind.”

Meet Robert Francis. When reading the above quote you might think that this is just another artist trying to sound good in an interview. Not this time. I had the opportunity to speak with Francis before his show in support of Noah and the Whale in Pontiac, Mich., and one thing is for sure – Robert Francis puts everything he has into his music, and he does it well. When speaking with him, I learned that he had just gotten out of the van after driving for six hours to the Michigan show. From there he would be off to Toronto, and then make the drive over to New York City for a 3-day gig. Let’s just say that’s a whole lot of van time.

The first thing you notice when talking with Robert is his humble, down-to-earth view on life and his career. Throughout the interview he repeatedly thanked me for my time and for the praise I gave him for his album Before Nightfall. When I asked him about the theme of the album, looking back on a failed relationship, Francis said, “It’s all about being comfortable in one ’s self. Accepting reality as it is, especially when you’ve been haunted by something for so long. This record puts all that to rest.” Read the rest of this entry »

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First off, I’m not going to be bashing cover bands. I’ve played in cover bands and can think of many songs that I’d like to cover in my band. Instead, what I’d like to do is pose a question that I hope will get some discussion going.

Charlotte has many cover bands and many events that pay them well to perform. They pay them well because there is a reliable cover-band audience in Charlotte. A classic-rock tribute band is a guaranteed sell in the Queen City but an indie band that plays it’s original music is often a risk.

Not all cities are like this. Audiences in Asheville and Athens, Ga., for example, would likely laugh a cover-band off of the stage since they only want to hear original music. They simply don’t want to hear a band that is trying to sound like an established act. Now that’s a curious fact and I don’t want to speculate too much about it. After all, it’s difficult to make safe generalizations about a city since many individuals and groups feed into a city’s identity. I’d like to look at this another way. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Deal: West coast newcomer releases first big label album (Atlantic) and amazes in the process.

The Good: A lot. With Francis’ major label debut (after his independent release One-by-One), we are introduced to a big talent looking to make his mark on music. The album is full of power songs showcasing Francis’ many talents, none stronger than his deep, baritone voice. Francis takes a single event in his life – the ending of a long-term relationship – and creates a theme album that gets stronger with each track. No song sounds the same as the last and you’ll realize with each listen (and trust me, you’ll want to listen more than once) that the songs may sound melancholy and down to begin with, but over time a real hope begins to shine through. As Francis himself says, “Over time, the theme of the album becomes more apparent. Once you live with the album for awhile, the power comes through – the more you listen, the more you understand.” With songs like “Nightfall,” “Junebug” and “Darkness” you get the full range of Robert’s voice and of the raw emotion that makes the album special. With each song, the heart and soul of a man pours through and you can feel what he feels, and that’s a nice change from most music you hear today.

Sounds Like: A lot of really great, legendary artists. On one track, you’ll swear you are listening to early Dylan. The next, U2 circa the Joshua Tree. Later, Springsteen in his heyday. What does that mean? A great album with a unique sound and powerful tracks.

The Bad: Nuthin’. Rarely these days do you hear an album that delivers from beginning to end. This album does just that.

The Verdict: If you ever wanted the chance to say “I heard this guy way back when, before he made ‘it’,” this is your chance. I’ve written in this space before that good albums are a thing of the past. With Before Nightfall, Francis proves me wrong. So head over to iTunes and for the price of a couple fancy cups of coffee, treat yourself to an album worthy of your hard earned cash.

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Mike Posner may be living the dream.

During the week, the J Records recording artist is a senior sociology major at Duke University, recording his debut album during free time and touring on weekends.

How many students can sit through a midterm one day then be in the studio with some surprisingly big names days later? It’s like the best of both worlds. Being inside the college bubble during the week and then having the opportunity to step out and be a star. What more could a 21-year old ask for?

Posner’s newest mixtape, One Foot Out The Door, features guest appearances by Kid Cudi, 3Oh!3, Bun B and Saigon, to name a few, and what’s even cooler is instead of searching blog sites trying to find a link to download the whole thing Duke University made the whole mixtape, and Posner’s previous one, available free to download on their iTunesU. Read the rest of this entry »

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Wolfmother w/ Heartless Bastards, Thenewno2
The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov. 3, 2009

The Deal: Reformed Aussie band hits The Fillmore for hard-rockin’ set, bringing along Heartless Bastards and Thenewno2. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Deal: Underrated Pittsburgh-bred rapper drops one last mixtape before his sophomore album, Deal or No Deal, drops later this month. Read the rest of this entry »

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Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new releases out this week:

Foo Fighters Greatest Hits

Glee The Music Volume 1

Nirvana Live at Reading

Rolling Stones Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out

Slayer World Painted Blood

Carrie Underwood Play On

Weezer Raditude

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The third and final day of Voodoo Festival got under way with blue skies and perfect temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. A few people were still wandering around in Halloween costumes, but most had returned from their post-zombie ways.

I made it to the festival grounds just in time to see The Pogues start their brand of Irish rock. Singer Shane MacGowan, in all of his toothless glory, slurred and stumbled his way through the set. Rumors of band infighting went unfounded – some people said there as a bandmate, Spider Stacy, who was escorted or left the stage, but all members could be see on stage at the end of their set.

While Shooter Jennings was on one of the side stages, the Fleur de Tease burlesque show got underway in the Bingol Parlor. Kind of like Big Mama D’s brand of entertainment in Charlotte, the ladies showed off their bodies with class and decorum. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Deal: One of hip-hop’s most respected DJ’s releases a tribute mixtape as Michael Jackson hysteria rises again with the release of This Is It.

The Good: It’s Michael Jackson. The material Jazzy Jeff had to work with was pretty rock solid to begin with, couple that with great blends and mixes with artists like Pete Rock and Kriss Kross and you’ve got a winner. More Jackson 5 material than expected really shows how good they were. Love the fact that sounds weren’t just a chronological journey through the Jackson catalog. Mixing it up was a good thing. Quincy Jones talking about Michael was also a good look.

The Bad: More Jazzy Jeff definitely would have been welcomed. I understand it’s a tribute album and you’re taking the backseat, but there’s a big difference between a backseat and the car behind in traffic. At times, it’s just a Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 playlist.

The Verdict: A solid tribute to the King of Pop from a very hip-hop perspective, considering it was free for anyone who chose to download it, you can’t really beat that.

INFO:
UNDRCRWN Presents: DJ Jazzy Jeff
He’s The King, I’m The DJ
Release Date: October 26, 2009

Download “He’s The King, I’m The DJ here

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