"Hey, I've Got Issues!" - Blue October, Lovestreams and Bipolar Sunshine,

     A friend (Jim K.) and his wife are both musicians with insights as to the struggles of bands.  One of Jim’s interesting theories is an explanation of why bands with successful first albums don’t come close to repeating that success in subsequent albums.  The theory is that in the struggle toward that first album, the songwriting member (or members) of the band goes through a range of motivations and emotions.  Additionally, the band travels with other bands with their own difficulties.  While it is far from ideal, it provides the material, the emotions, and the opportunities for writing songs that connect with listeners.  However, after the success of the first album, people cater to the members of the band.  Moreover, there are fewer interactions with out-of-sorts people who provide a basis for new songs.  Listeners don’t relate to songs about having to suffer through the difficulties of being a rock star.

     So, from a songwriter’s perspective, there’s a major benefit to having inherent emotional difficulties.  Inspiration isn't dependent upon external experiences and the inspiration exists regardless of the songwriter's position in life.  Fairly or not, Blue October comes immediately to mind.  During a 2012 concert at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, Justin Furstenfeld freely gave credit to his past conditions when talking out the band’s songs.  Maybe the best example is “Hate Me.”

     We don’t know anything about the lives to the two artists below, but the Blue October concert is remembered, with a smile, when we pay attention to either of the songs.

     First, there’s a song by Lovestreams, which is a solo project by Will Sheff.  Sheff was/is the frontman of Okkervil River.   The guy is based in Brooklyn and he has a knack of maximizing the number of words into his music – a high ratio of words to notes.  The album is scheduled for release later this year, but the single is currently offered for free.  As explained by Sheff, “When I finished the album I decided I’d give some of the songs away for free since it cost almost nothing to make.”  So, it's Free, Legal and Recommeded.
     We love the guitar that starts at the 1:33 mark and like the stop-and-start at the 3:20 mark.  Maybe the stop is to permit the full effect of the previous dark statements:

“I’m the light from a star that deserved to implode, 
and did, six million years ago.

I’m the Orange Crush can, crumpled in the woods, 

when the kid who tossed it is going through his third divorce.”

     Bipolar sunshine is also a solo side project (assuming that the band isn’t finished).  Adio Marchant was formally with the Manchester, England collective Kid Britsh (not a typo). They have three songs thus far, and  two can be streamed below.  But "Fire" is the track that fits the theme of this post.

     “Fire” can easily be divided into three sections, both musically and emotionally.  The first section takes advantage of Adio’s voice as he establishes the couple’s situation.  The second section includes the man and woman exchanging hurtful words.  Then, the final section starts at 3:40 as an interplay between Adio’s voice and the chorus, which sounds like “Lion King” with an edge.     

 

Free - NoiseTrade - Working for Exposure and Some Tips

It requires some searching, but NoiseTrade (http://noisetrade.com/) is a good tool for music discoveries.  Just steam the music and download the entire offering if you enjoy the songs.  The music is made available by artists of various genres, with the hope that the exposure will be beneficial and with the intent of expanding the artists' email lists.  At first, we didn't give our actual postal code, but started to do so when we realized that the purpose is to allow the band to send email notifications when the band is performing within or near that postal code.  If you are inclined not to distribute your main email address, just take the time to register an extra Gmail or Yahoo account.  However, even with regular use of NoiseTrade, the extra incoming email is not significant.

Each NoiseTrade page includes a button labeled "FREE DOWNLOAD," but if you press the button, eventually a window will present an opportunity to tip the artist.  Doing so is optional, of course.

Below is one of our favorite NoiseTrade downloads.  It is a collection of songs offered by the Indie record label Mom + Pop.  Freelance Whales, Metric, Tokyo Police Club, Tired Pony...
Just click on the Mom + Pop banner in order to get to the interface that shows orange arrows which can be selected to activate the streaming. 



If there is a problem with streaming the songs using this post, go to the NoiseTrade site:
http://noisetrade.com/mompoprecords/mom-pop-mixtape-vol-1

Tom Odell and Urbane Cone at Rickshaw Stop - Concert Review

     This is The Golden Age of Music.  That was the conclusion last night.  We are in a consumption environment in which music lovers are in control.  It is no longer possible for a  small number of labels to determine what is likely to be in our libraries.  Nothing against the major record labels; it’s understandable that the motivation was to find artists who would have a wide fan base.  But today, if we have some time and the desire, we can find individual songs that fit our individual tastes.

     And preparing for a concert is expense-free.  With the different streaming offerings (Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp…), it is no longer necessary to buy an album of an opening band in order to become familiar with what the band offers.  It’s always a benefit to know songs by each group.  And sometimes you find yourself being nearly as excited about the non-headliner.  

     So, in preparation for seeing Urban Cone last night at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, we became familiar with Tom Odell and with In the Valley Below.  Our expectations continuously rose as the concert date neared.  Last night, there was no disappointment.  AND THE CHARGE WAS $5 to see performers from Sweden, the U.K. and L.A.

     In the Valley Below started the show.  They identify themselves as a musical pairing, but they were joined by talented musicians.  They have a name-your-own-price EP at Bandcamp (http://inthevalleybelow.bandcamp.com/), but it doesn’t reflect the Rock that they exhibit in a live performance.  Angela Gail is sensual in voice and in the treatment of Jeffrey Jacob (this band must prefer first names).  Jacob sings and plays guitar.  Coincidentally, on the drive home, one of their songs (“Peaches”) was played on Satellite Channel 35 (XM U).

     Then came Tom Odell.  The guy is barely old enough to get into Rickshaw’s.  He is 22 and hales from Chichester, England.  He is exploding in Europe, because of the success of "Another Love," a song in which the final third of the song is best section.  Too many songwriters find a “hook,” exploit it, and  then the final third of their songs is the singer repeating the same six to eight words.  Not “Another Love.” 
Last night, Odell played the piano with emotion and force.  By the end of his set, two keys had surrender, resting at half mast relative to the still functioning keys. At one point, Odell explained that he had lost his D note, and apologized to Yamaha.  He was accompanied by three other musicians.  How does a touring band survive? 

     The headliner was Urban Cone, a 5-member band from Stockholm.  The innocent young women who had pushed to the front to be near Tom Odell were gently (mostly) replaced by guys wanting to jump to the beat of Urban Cone.  The tracks were primarily sung by two members with a similar style, but with enough variation to keep it fresh.  Another member played keyboards, and was so lost in his music that we cannot say with certainly that he has a face.  Yet another member was an entertaining guitarist, who went through different phases during the set.  He started without much fanfare, then became increasingly more shoegaze, reaching the condition in which he put down the guitar and became 100% shoegaze (although there wasn’t any real shoegazing, since he got on his knees and worked his electronics). Often, when we drive to a concert, the thinking is “If they nail [name of a particular song], everything else is bonus."  With Urbane Cone, that song was “Freak.”  They nailed it.