Have you Heard? New Tunes I’m Digging This Week

Our dear Abby is SO great at sending new stuff our way that I feel like a jerk for waiting this long to actually write about anything that’s ended up in my inbox. There’s no shortage of great music out there (yay!), but it takes time to wade through it all to find stuff that I like, and uh. Well, time is something we are ALL short on, for sure.

Anyway! I finally got off my ass (not literally. I’m actually on it, on a chair, right now, so I can write this) and dug through the links to find a few things that are making me happy right now.

“Sleeping Alone” by The Great American Novel
This is pretty great! I love the way it starts out all retro-du-woppy and then busts into some bouncy sing-along goodness (complete with bells!). Definitely a band I’ll start paying attention to, starting with this full-length album, Kissing. This single is a good starting point, or you can listen to the whole album on bandcamp.

“Barrels in Georgia” by Crash the Satellites
This band is kinda calling to me with some power-pop beats that still somehow verge on indie-rock. Man, that sounds like a lot of bullshit, doesn’t it? I clearly don’t know how to write about music, at ALL. But, hey. I like this. Check out the single for “Barrels in Georgia” and tell me how wrong I am. Then listen to the rest of their self-titled album and see if you like it too.

Video Raid: Brandon Schott, ‘This Is Home’

You may have seen my review for Brandon Schott‘s most recent album, 13 Satellites, here last year. I was especially drawn to his tune “This Is Home,” which sparked both delight and serenity in my soul.

In “This is Home,” Schott waxes carefree about a rundown house, unpaid bills and the love that makes it all worthwhile — like a “Danny’s Song: Part II.”

Schott sought out people in his geographical vicinity earlier this year who would let him barge into their houses with with his cameras and instruments and friendly smile to make a music video for the song. It resulted in a quaint and heartwarming view of what all these strangers call home, and basically epitomizes what makes Schott such an endearing musician. He’s genuine, optimistic and down-to-earth. It shows in his  music, it shows in his face, and in the faces of the people who appear in the video.

Catch Schott’s debut appearance in Washington state with a Hearingade sponsored set at Wenatchee’s Caffè Mela June 30th. Wenatchee’s own The Bloody Oranges open the show at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $12 at ticketfly.com, or will be available at the door for $15.

Filmmaker seeks donors to help produce two Rivulets music videos

Just like Nathan Amundson’s music, this post doesn’t require many words to get its point across. For many years, he’s recorded and performed music under the name Rivulets; likewise, for many years filmmaker Adam Barnick has dreamed of adding his visual touch to Amundson’s songs. It’s a long and expensive process, and Barnick now hopes fans can help make his dream a reality.

Visit the Indiegogo campaign page to learn more about this effort, and see what rewards are offered for donating. The campaign needs to raise $6,350 by July 30.

Bandcamp Pick of the Week: Cruiser, ‘Cruiser EP’

Well, everyone, it’s officially summer. I don’t know about you guys, but whenever this season hits, I start seeking out some new summer jams — something to soundtrack my imaginary drives along the California coast (while I literally drive past the wastewater plant on my way to Fred Meyer). And heck if some guy from Philadelphia doesn’t totally deliver (guess I’m not the only one doing some “California Dreamin’,” am I right?!)

Andy States is Cruiser, and his self-titled EP will certainly inspire a person to go cruising on a hot, sunny day with the windows down to a more beach-centric destination. The sentimental doo-wop rhythm of “Souvenir” turns my desk chair into a hammock swaying between palm trees, my carpet a sandy shore. “Don’t Go Alone’s” surf-rock vibe may as well just be a boogie board propped up against my wall, beckoning me with the siren call of the Pacific. No other album this year so far has put me in the summer mood quite the way the Cruiser EP has. Bless producer Jeremy Park for seeing the potential in States’ demos and finally making this season something to be excited about.

David Lowery And Emily The Intern, Viewed Through The Lens Of Sir Paul

David Lowery made and makes some fantastic indie music, and writes deep, thoughtful blogposts on the state of the music industry that has both succored and frustrated him. Emily White is a college DJ and blogger whose stray thoughts on music as physical medium vs. free digital commodity got published by NPR. Sir Paul McCartney recorded Ram in an attempt to convince the world he wrote all of John Lennon’s Beatles stuff.

I kid, except I don’t: Have you listened to Ram? The thing these three people have in common is music, and its role in artistic achievement. White thinks music alone isn’t worth paying for, but the mechanism for receiving and sharing it might be. Lowery strongly retorts that music is the only thing that gives the mechanism any value, so why short the artists who create it? McCartney, perhaps more than anyone living, proved the power of music to establish an artist as a force in control of his or her commercial destiny. (The fallout from the Lowery-White tit-for-tat deluged Twitter on Sir Paul’s 70th birthday, and I love the synchronicity of that.)

When the Beatles ceased touring in 1966, no one at Capitol/EMI could tell them to get back on the bus. They’d sold too many records.

When McCartney and George Martin hired a string octet to record “Eleanor Rigby” on what was supposed to be a rock record, no one at Capitol/EMI could tell them to scrap the strings and plug back in. They’d sold too many records.

When the Beatles locked themselves into Abbey Road Studios for 129 days of late-night recording and mixing sessions, trying to create the most provocative, impressionistic and eclectic LP in rock to that point, no one at Capitol/EMI could order them into detox. They’d sold too many records. Also, detox hadn’t been invented.

When the Beatles decided they wanted control of their output throw their homegrown  Apple Records collective, Capitol/EMI had to come to the table and negotiate. They’d sold too many records.

Video Raid: Jaill, ‘House With Haunting’

There’s a 24/7 ghost party all up in Vincent Kircher’s house in Jaill‘s music video for “House With Haunting.” This song and more can be heard on the Wisconsin band’s third album, Traps, released this week on Sub Pop Records. It couldn’t have come at a better time, because if Jaill does one thing especially well, it’s music for a hot summer day.