Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Snow Patrol performs “This Isn’t Everything You Are” at the Hollywood Palladium on May 8th, 2012.

matt

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Hail Beat, Northern Ireland, Shout-out to Silversun Pickups, HP, Best song on Fallen Empires, Christian Rock show kinda

by Charissa Lock

Three years since their last record (Swoon), Silversun Pickups are welcomed back by eager fans and curious bystanders.  Their fourth LP has had quite a respectable reaction.  With their inclusion in many popular summer festivals (Sasquatch Festival, Firefly Fest), as well as hitting number one on iTunes the day after the release, it was quite shocking their album had not been leaked.   For the most part this album keeps its toes dipped in the deeper and slushier side of the pool, though able to keep a calm presence simultaneously.  The latter most likely having to do with their ability to control the atmosphere, as well as Brian Aubert’s relaxed and quiet vocals.

Previous to being barraged with such wonderful tracks, I had always associated Silversun Pickups with their cutesy summer track “Lazy Eye.”  I remember listening to it with the windows down and shades on while driving by full trees donning green leaves.   I would never have imagined the quartet from L.A. coming out with such a heavy and instrumentally pleasing album like Neck of the Woods.  Over the years, they have definitely left their summery pop ideals behind and have focused on the meat of music.   Bands tend to travel the other way (the epic and disastrous Fall out Boy Transition to Death).  Rarely does a band produce a catchy tune sung by soccer moms then 6 years later creates an album that would cause the SUV driving, Coach bag carrying mom of three to immediately change the station to Rihanna’s latest hit (which is awful by the way).  This is one of those moments where Silversun Pickups can look at this and truly be proud of their accomplishment.  Now this is not to say their album is so intense and hardcore only fans of hardcore rock will receive enjoyment.  However, with the focus on louder and heavier instrumentation and composition being so delicately placed and perfected there is a definite separation from “Lazy Eye.”

The eleven tracks on Neck of the Woods have a remarkable connection with one another.  They are in such a way where you find yourself having listened to the whole album and are at the end of “Out of Breath”’s fantastic guitar solos and you feel like you just listened to the most intense and longest song ever.   I’m not sure exactly why, but each song is connected to the others and not in the usual “theme” way, or even because they all just sound alike, but something deeper and not able to be recognized so easily.   You go from the impressive beginnings with “Skin Graph” where air drumming will produce the same effects as P90X, “Make Believe’s” slower and melodic start with an explosive ending through different levels of intricate and complicated keyboards, sound manipulation, guitars, and drums all on this same geometric plane.  The songs are different than one another, but by the time you arrive at “Out of Breath,” you may not remember which song was which but you do know that what you just heard was awesome.

This album will instantly cause you to make a mental note to “see them live.”  The only downfall would be wondering who to keep your eye on during the performance since so much is going on in such a notable way.   The songs off of Neck of the Woods are something you will want to make sure you listen to individually.  Take them apart from the album so that they can all have a chance to impress you on their own.  Silversun Pickups have certainly grown from their earlier days and have clearly established themselves as a respectable alternative rock band.

ktc mgmt

This interview is by Matt & Charissa with lead singer, Brian Fennell.

A major label and management switch didn’t stop the music, in fact you got leaner and still delivered a great album this year.  Was there a singular moment where it all started to make sense for you on how to put this album out? Was Kickstarter option C or was it always option A?

BF: When we found ourselves without a label and made the choice to switch mgmt, we felt liberated in many ways.  Completely in the driver’s seat.  I think it was a pretty immediate realization that we should move forward while maintaining as much control over our music and our business as possible.  Our experience at Motown gave us a good idea of what we did and didn’t want moving into a new release. Kickstarter seemed like a natural way to maintain control, and even extend the steering wheel to fans in a way.  Because of everyone’s support, we were able to fund the new record’s release, as well as keep the rights!  We’re glad we went with Kickstarter, and recommend it to people all the time.

Where did you find yourself gaining the most inspiration for Not Quite Yours?

BF: Like our first record, Absolutes, most of the my inspiration came from relationships I had participated in, or at least observed from an outside perspective.  There are a few songs on Not Quite Yours that deal with things like adoption, faith, and the end of the world.  I have come to realize that I enjoy writing and thinking about the end of the world.  Not in a morbid way, but a fascinated and beautiful way. Sort of like “The Road“, a very simple depiction of the apocalypse, but with less cannibalism.

Whats the major difference between working with a major label and going DIY?  Do you think your band has found the perfect recipe of great songs and engagement to your deep social networks? 

BF: I think the biggest difference between working with a major label and doing it yourself is the rate at which you can make something happen.  The best analogy I’ve heard for this is a major label being like a massive tanker ship and taking miles and miles to make a turn, and being independent as being like a little speed boat.  You can control how fast you maneuver.  If you need to change everything at the drop of a hat, you can.  There is also a lot less that is “unknown” when you are your own label.  Everything is within reach, but it’s important to remember that nothing will just come to you. Even though things were seemingly more within reach at a major label (funding, PR, radio), they weren’t, and we sacrificed the rights to our art.  We cherish our social network and have found that people are willing and able to connect with us, not only because of our music, but our personalities.  We’re lucky for that.

The name “Barcelona” can make it tricky to find your band online (Wikipedia adds confusion posing another “Barcelona” band along with yours).  What was the reason for choosing the name?

BF: Ha! That’s true.  You have to have many tags in your search field to find us.  I don’t know if we’ll ever know how much of a handicap that is to us, but I don’t mind it.  People who love the music will find a way to get the music, or find out where we are playing.  The reason for choosing the name is a simple and a boring one. Out of all the names in the pool we collected shortly after we formed the band, Barcelona was the one everyone hated the least.  The night of our first show, we put our hands in the middle, looked at each other with confused looks on our faces and said, “Barcelona?!” Never looked back.

Is there a specific date on the calendar that your fans should know  about?  What is it and for what reason?

BF: We are excited to play the Bumbershoot festival on September 2nd, 2012.  We love the festival because it’s in our home town of Seattle, and we are honored to be a part of it.

You’ve been a band for 7 years.  If you could go back in time to 2005, whats the one thing you’d tell yourself?

BF: There are probably things we would do differently, but I don’t think I’d want to spoil it for our past-selves.  If we hadn’t experienced what we experienced, we wouldn’t be who we are today with the record we have today.  I know that’s sort of cheesy answer, but it’s true.

With your Not Quite Yours Release Tour beginning within the week, what type of venue is your favorite to play in?  (be as specific as you want)

BF: If we could put together a dream tour, I think we’d all agree that we’d prefer to play in old theaters every night.  They don’t have to be huge, just old and full of history.  It’s fun to connect to the audience in a theater setting too.  Seems much more grand, but still intimate.  We also love the random holes in the wall that are full of character.

Whats the best album you’ve purchased in 2012?

BF: The WANTED, apparently boy bands never died, they just moved to the UK.

Make sure you pick up Not Quite Yours here.

Barcelona is about to go out on tour too, check them out!

Interview by Matt and Charissa

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Little Rock, Aquarium videos,sry Brian The WANTED sucks haha, bands from cities with killer fish markets, I HATE scarves

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The wildly talented (and married) Mates of State bring you a gorgeous one-shot video for the song “Unless I’m Led” from their latest album Mountaintops. We can scan back to November of last year where we put together a video of this song too.  A great lyrical hook in this song brings you in and lingers with you for at least a day. A great one to share!

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Enemies From Islands, Married bands, singing drummers, Barsuk, great library of music, look at the red balloons

Describing themselves as homemade music Thomas Wesley Stern is a 4 piece southern/bluegrass band out of Jackson, NJ.  Recently they just released an album called American Pain that is fantastic.  To get a taste of what they’re doing you can listen to them on Soundcloud or get their debut album Hope Folk (a more appropriate genre for them) here right now.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Project Matters is a proud supporter of Thomas Wesley Stern.  Check them out!

matt

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Jonathan Benjamin Howard, backyard bands, surprising albums of 2012, AWESOME live band, interview

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Snow Patrol performs “Shut Your Eyes” at the Hollywood Palladium on May 8th, 2012.

matt

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Rain Brigade, Shut Up and SING, Ireland bands, The Hollywood Palladium rules, @SSPU, Ed Sheeran, 

by Charissa Lock

Since both these ladies have had album releases in May, I figured it would be fun to have them battle their female talents with their albums speaking for their abilities and general jam-worthy nature.   Though for Niki & the Dove, there is a male counterpart adding to the musical instrumentation and in no way do I want to ignore their addition to the creation of the record.  However, two chicks fighting is always fun to talk about.  After listening to Niki & The Dove’s Instinct on repeat a handful of times and listening to a handful of Santigold’s Master of My Make-Believe tunes, I stereotypically categorized each album to the type of person who would really enjoy each.  Niki received spunky European college students while Santigold was deemed music of American females that habitually attend the club scene Thursday through Saturday.

Miss Santigold has been around for five years, so she has the upper hand by being able to get across her passion in the best possible way she knows how.  Based on previous accomplishments in music, Santigold receives a solid point.   Niki & the Dove (consisting of Gustaf Karlöf on keyboards and Malin Dahlström with vocals) however, have recently begun their musical career in 2010 with their debut album Instinct.  Due to it being released everywhere except the United States – they start off with negative one.

Master of My Make-Believe begins with “GO!” bringing the listener into a modernized traditional Asian dance – on speed.  This is a good thing by the way.  It’s my favorite song on the album because it has all the elements that make a sophisticated electro song worthy of listening to with just enough motion in the right spots.   Santigold steadily increases ground with an extra 2 points for the intro, and is now at 3.

We’re introduced to Instinct with Niki’s “Tomorrow” a single from their album and rightfully so.  It has a great build up with a quiet beginning, but being able to go to a place of epic proportions by the chorus.  Listening to this track makes you want to fall in love with someone, anyone at that very moment and float into the clouds (this clearly wouldn’t help the relationship, but I can’t help how she makes me feel).    Any song that forces me to love and sends me to the sky deserves multiple points and Niki ties things up.

We’re now at 3-3 and are about to tackle the general consensus of each. As a whole Santigold is leaning more towards a Minaj mess and has less respectable music because the focus has become more on vocal distortion and/or “rapping” taking place of fulfilling beats (automatic deduction of a point).  Songs are a bit on the boring side (“The Riot’s Gone”), and some downright annoying (“Freak Like Me,” “Look At These Hoes”).   Though she semi-keeps the reggae and M.I.A. feel, you expect a bit more movement in the songs or more outrageous beats and she doesn’t quite bring it.  This leaves her with a 2.  However, in some cases where vocals aren’t being used as music and music is, the synth makes things a bit more exciting.   Due to some decent beats, Santigold is now at 4.

As the tracks progress Niki & the Dove, have a lot going for them, songs are exciting or if they’re more low-key there’s always a good melody or just the right addition of instrumentation to make it stand out.   With a Madonna-esque vibe bringing a tinge of ballad to an all around electropop atmosphere, it is different, though has a sense of familiarity involved.  Beginning to gain ground on Santigold, Niki is now at 8.  There are a few moments where Dahlström delves into a bit too much heavy breathing with a high-pitched whininess, but it isn’t enough to discredit her vocals on a whole.   Because of this, I tend to appreciate the more upbeat songs because they tend to have less of the previously discouraging vocal moments.  The presence of the whininess results in -1 and Niki & the Dove is now at 7.

For Santigold to have any chance of coming back, she’ll need something that I can commend.  As I go through her album again, I’m not having much luck at finding this.  This is until I realize that in some songs there is room for good background music and “This isn’t Our Parade” and “Pirate In the Water” mixes Nintendo-type notes mixing with a Jamaican vibe, which is a unique touch.   Then looking at the song titles, Santigold is rather creative and with all of this, she has now moved up to 5.

For the possibility of Niki leaving Santigold in the dust, it is only fair that their album be relooked at.  Within 30 seconds, I remember how much I enjoyed “Somebody,” flashmob song of the year.  This track truly tempts me getting out of my seat at the coffee shop I’m in (that could also be due to the fact that I just finished a Chippi).  This song receives a point, and Niki is pulling ahead with 8.  “The Gentle Roar” is one where a “seriously?” escaped from my lips as I heard all the whispering that takes place during the pre-chorus.  However, it ends up becoming more of an extra instrumentation (and I say extra and not in place of) which makes it quite respectable.  So although I deducted points in my head when I first heard it, the points were given back because I realized I enjoyed it after all.

Well folks, we are at the end and the clear winner here is Niki & the Dove, and evidently the one that I am going to have on repeat for days.   I’m sure the more I listen, the more I’ll subconsciously add points.   At first these two females stayed pretty close, but Santigold just didn’t have the enthusiasm and catchiness required to drown out Instinct.   Instead of standing out and being on the fine line between dance club and respectable electronic/reggae, Santigold is taking the step of dance club seeming to appease to the likes of Ke$ha fans. A shame. However, it certainly makes you enjoy Niki & the Dove that much more.

FINAL SCORE:

Niki & the Dove’s Instinct - 8
Santigold’s Master of My Make-Believe - 5

ktc mgmt

Now, Now is a three-piece indie band created, loved and shared since 2003.  A name change, passionate songwriting and a bit of luck have brought them to Europe with Paramore, a record deal with Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla’ label “Trans-Records” and a current tour that stretches them across North America with New Zealand’s “The Naked and Famous“.  We caught up with Cacie Dalager from Now, Now recently…

Matt from ktc to Now, Now:

We found about you on wearehunted.com.  You’ve built quite the following over the years. Are you scared of the pressures involved in the wider audience you’ll impress upon?

CD: We are more stressed than we have ever been just based on the amount of stuff we have to do these days. But we have been continually stressed out from the beginning. So more people is intimidating but doesn’t necessarily mean more pressure for us because we always stress out the same amount.

What is the singular most memorable moment of your musical ride (so far)?

CD: It’s really difficult to pick just one. There are a lot of memorable things that happen on tour. But if you need me to pick just one I would probably say the recording of this album. It was something we had never experienced before. We were so emotionally invested in this project. I get such a specific and strong feeling when I think about being there. I don’t know how to explain it. We were recently in Vancouver and made a quick stop to the studio where we did most of the recording. It was so disorienting.

Your songs touch upon sleep or lack thereof.  Care to expand a bit on that?

CD: I have always had a hard time sleeping. I’ve been that way since birth.

Threads has this epic reach-back to earlier Death Cab For Cutie.  Were/Are you guys fans of DCFC? Have a favorite song or album?  Have/Do you draw on them for inspiration when writing songs?

CD: Death Cab was one of the first bands that moved me and made me want to start writing. The Photo Album is my personal favorite. I love every song on that album. I also just feel emotionally attached to it because I listened to it so much when I was younger.

Recently, we saw you at the Wiltern in Los Angeles and The State Theatre in St. Petersburg, FL.  I noticed that you were really having fun at the Wiltern Theater (in Los Angeles) even though the stage lights can make the crowd look like a sea of black.  It seems you all really love what you do.  What I noticed in St. Pete was you’re all on your “A” game.  Cacie and Brad were taking in Vacationer while Jess was working the merch table, then shortly after you all were at the merch table together!  Having worked with a ton of bands, seeing this type of energy and organization from a band is commendable and sincerely appreciated.  How do you stay so focused?  Is there a “leader” amongst the three of you?

CD: We try really hard to stay organized and focused when there is so much going on all the time. We only tour with one extra crew member which means there are only four of us total. So we all have a lot to do. Jess and Brad stay most on top of keeping stuff together. They are both whip-crackers depending on the situation. I am the most scatterbrained of us three so I am useless.

Charissa from ktc to Now, Now:

Ever since women started having more of a say in this world, female artists have seemed to go right along boasting their lack of use or need for men, or a significant other.  The idea of independent and strong women appears in music everywhere.  This is why when I first heard Threads, I was instantly impressed with how you were able to bring it back to reality.  Yes, women can be independent and don’t need a relationship, but there are so many emotions involved with a sense of loneliness and wanting.   You touch upon this inner turmoil that music has so earnestly tried to ignore.  

You’re very brave to touch upon the sadness of not having, and wanting someone.  Was your theme always there, or did you make a conscious effort to share these feelings with your audience?

CD: I think it’s just something I am always feeling. I’ve never made a conscious effort to convey any specific thing while writing. I just write about whatever feels important or whatever feels like it needs to get out of me.

With the inclusion of the banjo-sound in “Colony” and multiple shoegaze moments it seems that your music is more diverse than just an indie rock genre. Would you just stick with this genre or are there any other categories that you’d like to place music in?

CD: I have sort of the same answer to this question as the previous one. No specific desire to be in any particular genre. It’s kind of hard to control what we feel compelled to write. It just happens.

The album cover of Threads has this great vintage photograph of a mountain, which also appears on the bands’ website image.  Is there a background story to this image?

CD: Brad’s mom took that photo on a trip she went on in the early 80s.

Check out Charissa’s review of Threads from April here.

Have the long drives to the next show resulted in any thoughts about new material, whether lyrically or instrumentally, for your next album?

CD: It’s actually really hard for me to think on long drives. It just feels like staring off into space. Someone is usually playing music and we are usually talking or going stir crazy and laughing at everything. It’s so hard to not get delirious.

Fun. are advocates of the LGBT community, including their collaboration with Revel & Riot (a LGBT clothing brand and news source).  Do you think indie bands being able to show vocalized support shows a great movement in America’s acceptance of people’s different lifestyles?

CD: I think people have always been able to stand up for what they believe in. But more people are willing to stand up now.

Cacie and the rest of Now, Now are extremely busy and we’re grateful for their time & energy.   

You can pick up Threads here.

You can see them on the road with Fun. or Hellogoodbye here.

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Hold, Hold, 30 day interviews, Best albums of 2012, @DCFC, Tumblr Bands, Facebook, Twitter, I ran out of TAGS

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Joe from Cymbals Eat Guitars cover “Ex Girl Collection” (The Wrens) at Origami Vinyl in Silverlake/Echo Park on March 2nd, 2012.

matt

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Floor Toms Drink Keyboards, Charles Bissell, impossible to decipher lyrics, famous indie bands, green arrows, kidnapped white shirts

by Charissa Lock

“That is one long line.”

“You mean, a long line of 15-year-old girls.” I added surprisingly, casting a glare at the multitude of high school females who were sitting on the sidewalk of Boston eagerly anticipating getting to the front of The All-American Rejects show at the Royale (Boston).

I was quite excited to see AAR, not only had I fallen in love with their new album, but I had been a fan since middle school and had not yet gone to any show.  It was due time.  With my friend feeling the same we scoffed at the young girls who must have been listening to The Cheetah Girls when we were learning all the words to “Why Worry.”  Besides my superiority complex, I was also a bit nervous about lead singer Tyson Ritter.  I had formally been a huge fan.  However, between the music video for “Beekeeper’s Daughter,” and watching an interview on the making of, he put a bad taste in my mouth.  Coming across as very arrogant and playboy’ish I sincerely hope he wouldn’t carry this across on stage.

Waiting for the opening band, Rocket to the Moon to get started, the audience was entertained with Twitter posts being displayed on a screen.  Those in the audience frantically went on twitter to post brilliant philosophical thoughts about AAR.  Such as, “Tyson, can you sleep with my friend Chelsea?,” or “I don’t care about AAR, I’m just here for Rocket To The Moon,” and of course “let’s play the penis game!”  To which seconds later, everyone started playing.   I turned to my friend and said, “Now I remember what high school was like.”  As annoying as it was, the excitement remained for hearing fresh new music and AAR.

Rocket to the Moon is a Boston-originated band and had a few good tunes.  It seemed that their newer music was more ‘country,’ while their older had a stronger emo feel.  They had great stage presence and really got those high school girls going.  Feeling the vibe and catching their facial expressions you could tell these guys loved what they were doing and every second of being on stage was a thrill.  As an audience member who goes to quite a few shows, it is always nice to see this enjoyment radiate from the opening performers.

The screen came back, twitter was refreshed, and the crowd was antsier and more vulgar.  We were jostled to a new location and I made sure to subconsciously let the boy standing next to me know that not only was I not going to take his rowdy behavior, but that I was old enough to be his teacher in school.   Lights out, music turned up…and a long pause of anticipation with the screaming and hearts beating louder and louder of the young females we were surrounded by.   I crossed my fingers and desperately hoped that AAR would bring it and not just half-ass it.

Right off the bat Tyson started strong “Please just don’t play with me, my paper heart will bleed…” My friend and I looked at each other, eyes sparkled with recognition and memories of being 13 and I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.  I wasn’t sure how Tyson was going to act when he wasn’t singing, but AAR sure knew how to captivate the audience of “old” and show us the respect we deserved.

Back and forth between their first, second, third and latest album all mixed so that you never knew what was coming next.  This, my friends, is exactly how a set list should run by artists who have put out four records, unless one of them really sucked (oh wait, When the World Comes Down may count here).   Though I do wish they played more off their new album, I was pleased with how they laid out their set list and it made for an excellent experience.

Tyson…oh, Tyson.  Yes, I was absolutely impressed with his ability of not being cocky and arrogant with the amount of crushes in the audience.  He did know they were there, and instead of being a complete playboy about it, he had fun with it.  Laughing at himself post movements or comments that were on the more sexual side, improv dancing to the keyboardists’ whimsically played notes, speaking in a southern/British accent (I don’t even know) to those in the balcony or “upper tier,” and after the show ended beginning to put drumsticks down the front of his pants before throwing them into the audience (he of course was laughing at his ability to do such things to such a hormone-infested crowd).   He was having an absolutely fantastic time, as were all the females in the audience.

More notable portions of the show included anything played off The All-American Rejects, a compilation of scenes from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air projected on a screen of Carlton doing his trademark dance while AAR played “Fast & Slow,” Tyson making note of fans who loved them in middle school and are now 25 (to which I screamed and raised my hand in honor),  “Heartbeat Slowing Down” which was absolutely amazing to see live with all the emotions pouring out on stage just as you feel while listening, the intense talent being radiated from “Gonzo,” and the fact they played “Walk Over Me.”  With the latter, I completely indulged myself in every millisecond of the four minute moment I had been wishing I could see live ever since I heard the song.  Thank you, All-American Rejects for allowing me that moment.

Here’s the part that bothered me.  The All-American Rejects are not just pretty boy Tyson, they have songs that are well put together, there is a spark of something different and excellent, no two songs sound the same, and their instrumentation is quite commendable.  Guitarist, Nick Wheeler, did an amazing job on lead guitar and knowing the moments where solos were about to take place, my eyes went right to Wheeler.  He was able to pull this all off because he can.  With all of their respectable musical genius, I became really upset that 80% of the audience did not realize this.  Where are all the male fans that know a good guitar solo when they hear one (yes, I’m being stereotypical here, but figure with me being a female and picking up on it you’ll let me live it down)?  Where are the fans that enjoyed them in 2000, both male and female alike?  It is pretty unfair for AAR to be thrown into this continuous cycle of high school girls, after high school girls.

Besides Tyson’s actions with the crowd (and doing this only because he’s playing to the masses -a crowd of younger girls), there is no reason why this is not a fantastic band to see live if you’re 21+.  More mature audiences must see AAR.  This band absolutely knows what they are doing and their line-up of songs traces back to their first album, as well as making sure the songs they play are perfect for shows.  Being able to sing back at Tyson and throw my fist in the air for more notable lyrics is what music is supposed to make you do when you see it live.  If they can pull this off, it means they are pretty damn good live.  If everyone assumes young girls will just go, then AAR will never build a strong, mature audience, which frankly is unfair to everyone.   Go.  Bring a bunch of friends, buy lots of beer and have a kick-ass time.

ktc mgmt

Manchester Orchestra performs “Everything to Nothing (into) The River” from the album Simple Math at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on April 16th, 2012.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

matt

ktc mgmt

TAGS: Long video, Cardiff Collection, Everything IS Nothing, no light show, complete beard-os, What was the Music Box is now the Fonda

by Charissa Lock

I’m not sure if many people know how epic Jack White is.  With a guilty conscious I must share that I didn’t realize how intense he was until I read his Wikipedia page, which may or may not be entirely accurate, and the fact that I’m doubtful of the credibility is further evidence of his impressive nature.   It is suggested that if you have about 5-10 minutes you should probably head to Wikipedia so you can furrow your eyebrows and outwardly shout “What?!” quite a few times.  Okay, enough about Wikipedia.  Among the incredibly bountiful projects White has gotten himself involved with – his solo career is one of them and the one I will be focusing on today.

Blunderbuss is Jack White’s debut solo album, released April 24^th, 2012.  White has released and been a part of multiple projects where he’s performed on his own without any of his past band mates, but this is the first full-length creation that was written, recorded, and produced by him.  Pretty epic, right?  It’s something that I’m surprised hasn’t happened earlier, though according to White, “I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas.”  In that case, we’ll all forgive him and just appreciate that he finally did take that step and has created something quite fabulous.

You may have seen Jack White’s latest performance on Saturday Night Live (the one with Lindsay Lohan…yeah, now you remember).  Promoting his single “Love Interruption” a duet with Ruby Amanfu the piece included a female band, while his second single, “Sixteen Saltines,” was performed by an all male band.   This captures the feel of the album by showing the many different sides of White.

These thirteen tracks are filled with musical influences, all compiled in a unique and delicate way.  Of course, there’s a blues foundation in every song, whether severe or weak which will always keep them “Jack White” material.  The guitar solos and piano pieces are completely invigorating.  White’s exceptional mastery of the former instrument might even lend him to being compared to the greatest guitarists.  There are a handful of genres, though in most cases you have to be listening to pick up on (besides listening as background music).  The heavy drums, quick-paced vocals, distorted guitar on “Freedom 21” is a heavier, more rock style with an exceptional guitar solo.  The first moments sent me right back to Air’s “Seven Stars” with the catchy-as-all-hell beat, while other songs flood me with Elton John influences (“Trash Tongue Talker”) – more rock and less glam.  There’s a dip into country with slower, melancholy moments on “Blunderbuss”  and more up-tempo twangy guitars, and Dixieland piano (“Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy”) that ironically has The Beatles written all over it (like a George Harrison vocal B-side).

There is a barrage of songs on Blunderbuss that I find compelling and downright jam-worthy.  “Sixteen Saltines” is one of them, and not only due to the fact that it reminds me of the indisputable “saltine challenge” (six saltines are needed in that as opposed to White’s sixteen), nor the fact that in the first few lyrics it sounds like White sings “She’s go stickers on her knocker,” but the heavy rock intro and continued head-mashing feel.  Then there’s “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy,” a track that continues to build until it full-circles and eases back by the end.   Though I love gritty guitar solos and bouncy piano notes, as well as quiet vocals and thoughtful lyrics, what I love even more is all of these moments put together.  Jack White makes this happen in the final track “Take Me with You When You Go,” the whole album is condensed into this song and has spectacular moments, back to back.  Then, of course is my personal favorite “I’m Shakin’” where 60’s vibes rush through an upbeat soul singing, hand clapping, Bo Diddley reference-making good time.   This is probably the most hated song by all Jack White fans, sorry about that.

Jack White has done more things in his life than most of us ever will, including getting married on the Amazon River by a shaman (“What?!”), and it’s about time for him to be the creator of thirteen respectable and commendable songs.  Listening to this album with headphones and your full attention is probably one of the best things you can do for yourself this week.  So many things happen on each track, that to catch every one is quite an experience.   White has separated from his other bands (three that I know of…) to produce something that he can call his very own, and should be proud of what he’s created.  Blunderbuss is something that should not be looked over, but added to the multitude of classic must-haves Jack White has so feverishly been working on for decades.

ktc mgmt