Freddie Nunez | A Review of Runaway

Freddie Nunez a musician from Moreno Valley, California and with his latest release, Runaway he now has three self-released albums under his belt. The latest was put out this past January and is filled with mellow gold. His style is very friendly to those who associate their music listening time with a good time to relax. Runaway is filled with tracks that provide a great escape for the listener and do so with a distinctive and accessible manner.   

Freddie Nunez seems to take some of his musical cues for this album from the early work of Seattle’s Band of Horses, in the way some of his songs echo a soulful and restrained presence like he has spent a life time patiently standing in the rain waiting for his bus to arrive.  Then there is the track Sun which has much more of a Radiohead feel to it as a result of the extended guitar and rhythm interludes accompanied by haunting simple vowel laced vocals. Let’s not compare Freddie Nunez music directly to Radiohead though since that would be an oversimplification and we wouldn’t want anyone’s head getting too big. Also, the album isn’t so derivative though that it lacks any of its own charm, the track Lion’s Den has a very subtle but satisfying hook in the way Freddie executes the chorus, “How they chase me out”.    

All and all Freddie Nunez latest album Runaway is well worth the $5 it costs to download it from his Bandcamp page. As well if you like Runaway there are other projects of his available for download at a “name your price” rate, which is always a plus.    

Lambchop | A Review of Mr. M

Lambchop is a band from Nashville, Tennessee and they released their eleventh album, Mr. M on February 21. The band’s brand of music is a very palatable kind of country; it’s not the pickup truck lovin’, hoedown inducing country music you may immediately think when you hear the genre talked about. Lambchop’s form of country music is the sort which has been growing more popular with a broader audience for a number of years now. Mr. M, Lambchop exudes more of a lounge music vibe with a country foundation backed by an orchestra that creates an atmosphere of particular power and style.  Artists such as Texas’s Micah P. Hinson and his Pioneer Saboteurs and Vancouver’s Dan Mangan fall into the same category Lambchop would. These artists are a part of a seemly ever growing invasion of ornate and subdued folk/country influenced music that is slowly finding a captive audience, with Lambchop being the most established out of those mentioned.   

There is something about the combination of the songs sung low and slow by lead singer Kurt Wagner (he does this in a fashion that would make The Duke proud), only then to accompany the soft timbre of his vocals with orchestral interludes throughout nearly all of the album. That’s what you get with Lambchop’s Mr. M a kind of subtle journey peppered with memorable instrumental portions.  

Mr. M is the product of many years of experience from a band that came together in the now distant 1990s, and it shows in the way each track is confidently executed.

Key tracks on Mr. M are; Gone Tomorrow, Buttons and Never My Love. 

The Band In Heaven | Looking at the Music Video for Sludgy Dreams

Florida based The Band In Heaven has released a new EP called HoZac. The band’s musical style is best known as Dream Pop, not because it somehow emanates a sweet berry smell that attracts adolescence but on account of how their music exists and resonates in brief imaginative manner.   The release of HoZac has been accompanied by a new music video by the band for the song Sludgy Dreams.  The music video for Sludgy Dreams is perhaps a reflection of the underlying artistic concept behind The Band In Heaven.  The video it filled with religious imagery matched with what looks like classic erotica these images are also accompanied by some handcrafted constructions. All of this creates a surreal stage for Sludgy Dream to be played out on, filled with ancient and unreal elements. The end result is a music video with a unique aesthetic appeal and a glimpse within the mind of those who created it.   

the band in Heaven - Sludgy Dreams from the band in Heaven on Vimeo.

Dr. Dog | Be The Void A Review

Dr. Dog has been around for a number of years now delivering some very impressive deeply psychedelic roots rock. It is the kind of music that finds its way into indie movie soundtracks and on road trip playlists of friends attempting to impress. You see, Dr. Dog is an acquired taste for most, but what really draws in hardliner fans must be the unrestrained heights that some of their anthems can reach. Dr. Dog’s latest album Be The Void is yet another quality collection of songs from the Pennsylvania based band. Some may be more inundated with another reboot rock band which is more well-known, called The Sheepdogs. The problem with any comparisons between these two bands is that they both relying heavily on the influence of a past for musical style, but you can tell it is a different wedge of the same wheel of well-aged cheese both bands nibble on. That being said, Be The Void is a diverse and likable album which has hints of contemporaries such as Fleet Foxes in their track Get Away and Vampire Weekend in Heavy Light.      

As with other bands before them Dr. Dog ascribes to the philosophy of sharing the lead vocals in order to create diverse musical sound from track to track. Two singers also have the practical benefit of not having all of the weight of performing on one set of vocal cords. The result of swapping lead singer duties is done to great effect by front men Leaman and McMicken. Both singers have such different voices; one has a very explosive gruff and gravelly feel to it, while the other is more piercing and boyish in tone. The result is very engaging for the listener.

Be The Void has a number of memorable songs that strike at the core of what this genre of music should head towards in the future. The only issue is that this album is not the band’s best work and at album number six fans of Dr. Dog might have to brace themselves for the unfortunate creative plateau that almost every band eventually faces. If you really want to hear Dr. Dog at their height listen to 2008’s Fate.   

My Grey Horse | The Let Me Know (About the Waves) Video

The English band My Grey Horse is set to release The Marley Banks EP in mid-February of 2012.  As a taste of things to come the band has produced a music video featuring one of the EP’s songs, Let Me Know (About the Waves).  As with My Grey Horse’s last music video for the song Waste of Air, band member Peter Butler helmed the director’s chair. The opening sequence to the video is reminiscent of what you might see in a Wes Anderson film; it visually engages the viewer with its vibrant colours and scenic view while someone behaves in a slightly odd and entertaining manner.  It shouldn’t be any surprise that a music video set on a sunny beach would have an upbeat rhythm and an energetic chorus, which is exactly what you get with Let Me Know (About the Waves). The latest from My Grey Horse serves as a reminder that there are still some bands working hard to produce quality music accompanied by entertaining videos.