The Bees | Every Step’s A Yes A Review

The U.K. band The Bees released an album this past fall entitled Every Step’s A Yes, and it has gone rather unnoticed across the pond. This was the band’s fourth full length release. Their sound is a lighthearted combination of folk and garage rock with a retro vibe. For some cuts off of Every Step’s A Yes there is a definite reggae influence, this blend of styles makes for a wonderful variety from one song to the next. The tempo is fairly mild throughout the album and creates a relaxed atmosphere. It’s not surprising that The Bees haven’t made a real mark in the States. It seems that more and more bands have begun taking their cues from past artists, especially from the 60s and 70s of late. It’s not a bad thing, but there is an influx of albums with a similar style to The Bees. Matt Costa’s recent album harkens back to the glory days of rock and roll. Dawes début album from last year was a case of reboot rock fever if there ever was one. Mini Mansion, Dr. Dog, Timbre Timbre, they are all in a similar, slightly more psychedelic boat with The Bees. It’s hardly a bad boat to be in, but it is getting a bit crowed.

Nonetheless, this The Bees album is worth checking out if you are at all interesting in any of the other artists mention. So, if you just can’t get enough of this vain of music, Every Step’s A Yes is right for you.
   

Dead Ghosts | Taking a Look Dead Ghost’s Self-Titled Album

As a band that calls Vancouver B.C. home, Dead Ghosts must have a lot of American fans saying; “Your Vancouver B.C., I want to go there so badly.” The reply tumbling around in the back of their heads must sound something like, thank 2010 Winter Olympics, you’ve turned my city into the Canadian version of Paris, France. Everyone says they love those cities and want to visit, but they couldn’t name three other cities within those countries if their life depended on it. As for Dead Ghosts’, is actually as interesting as people believe their city to be.

Dead Ghosts have a style that mixes Beach Boys guitar riffs with drastic fuzz of an over spun record. This makes the lyrics of each track off of their self-titled album mostly indecipherable adding to the band’s enigmatic style. Some tracks, like Getting Older, burst out of the gate with an energy similar to that of John Lennon singing Twist and Shout. While others have more of a Deer Tick vibe, with a country melody as the backbone of the song yet still maintain the constant static distortion. This is the best album to come out of Vancouver B.C.’s indie music scene since Frog Eye’s released Paul's Tomb: A Triumph earlier this year. 

Mini Mansions | Self-Titled Full Length LP

The L.A. based band and side project of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman has released its full length LP. The band was formed last year after Queens of the Stone Age took a break and most members spread out into new waters, up until now the most notable of which was Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme’s and the Them Crooked Vultures project. But things have changed, Mini Mansions is one of those band’s that if you were to tell people that, the guy who plays bass in Queens of the Stone Age is in this band too. They would say; “fuck off!”

Mini Mansions has a style similar to the Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, ear of The Beatles. It’s is reboot rock the likes of which we were seeing by the discography full in 2009 but became less popular in 2010. Though, you can forget any moderate language you would hear from The Beatles, Mini Mansions have a way of throwing in a few “fucks” here and there to keep the distinction alive. This is not your parent’s music but it sure does sound like it.     

In all Mini Mansions has a lot to offer as a great throw back to a simpler time in music without obviously manufactured pop stars *cough*(Lady Ga Ga) and not every cut off an album was sentenced to a shitty clubs music playlist.   

Contemporaries of Mini Mansions:

Matt Costa (especially his latest album Mobile Chateau)

Elephant Stone

Neon Death Ranger | A Review of the Self-Titled EP

Everyone knows about the classic Love Ballad, boy meats girl, wants to hold her hand and so on. Then there is the Breakup Song, boy loses girl, boy finds solace in booze and punching? Well, what about an electro based song of murder? Enter Portland’s Neon Death Ranger; an electro rock group who have taken a path less traveled in terms of lyrical storytelling. Their five track EP, which was released on Halloween, is set to make the Manson family’s playlist.   

The first cut off of the EP is an 8 minute beast of a song Rainbow Blood Bride that lures you in with a synth feast for the initial four minutes only to break into a threatening set of lyrics describing the familiar idea of a killer hiding in the back of your car with a knife at you neck. The songs that populate this EP stay within the realm of murder fantasies for the most part; ranging from throat slitting to cutting the brake lines.    

The dark nature of this album is perhaps expression of macabre humour or a Dexter-centric take on the love and obsession. Either way, you wouldn’t want to be caught with this album playing in your car if you have a body in the trunk. Neon Death Ranger is fun for the whole Manson family.

You can download the EP in its entirety here.

(We at Indie Blog Shot do not condone murder or even capital punishment for any reason whatsoever.)    Happy Halloween!       

Bad Books | A Review of Their Self-Titled Album

Bad Books has recently released their first effort with a self-titled album of folk inspired music. This six man band is composed of Kevin Devine and Atlanta’s Manchester Orchestra.  That’s right Bad Books is the answer to the question on everyone’s lips: will anyone form another indie folk supergroup to stand up to Monsters of Folk?

What Bad Books has managed to bring to the table is very a contemporary style of folk music that can stand up to anyone currently banging a folksy drum. Bad Books begins its debut album with a slow moving number that quickly swells with background harmonies and a flurry of guitars. Numerous cuts off of this album feel like instant classics such as The Easy Mark and The Old Maid which speaks to the inner defeatist in all of us.  As with most indie folk albums (at least the good ones), Bad Books captures a certain spirit with its lyrics and melodies and that spirit is that of the frustration of a young boy tossing a ball against an ally wall while waiting for his father to finish at the pub.