The Blackbird Diaries – Dave Stewart (Roadshow)

Dave Stewart is best known as the male half of Eurythmics and as a producer adept at sprinkling fairy dust over other people’s recordings. He’s had considerable success at both these endeavors, and has a reputation as a delightfully bonkers collaborator, but he’s had limited exposure as a solo artist. In fact, this is his first solo outing in 13 years.

This album has you wondering why he has hid his light under the proverbial bushel.

The Blackbird Diaries had all the hallmarks of being an exercise in self-indulgence, but surprising is  lean and doesn’t suffer from a lack of self-editing. Recorded in Nashville in five days, the album is a combination of rollicking country-inflected rock n’ roll which fits into the oeuvre made notable by the likes of Tom Petty, the all-electric Bob Dylan (exemplified best by the irresistible The Gypsy Girl and Me and Cant Get You Out of My Head), and elements of literate songwriters like Lloyd Cole (most notably on Bulletproof Vest, a duet with the honey-voiced Colbie Caillat). Stewart wears his heart on the sleeve lyrically and while his voice is kinda unremarkable it gets the job done on most songs. One of the highlights is when he gets all dark and threatening on the excellent murder ballad, The Well.

The album opens with So Long Ago, Stewarts tribute to artists of by-gone days – it’s a superb piece of ensemble rock that sounds like something the X-Pensive Winos might have dished up. Another highlight is the Dylanesque Magic In The Blues which may reflect on Stewart’s own musical journey, and a couple of its key milestones.

There are a couple of duets on the album. All Messed Up is more a Nashville styled sweeping country ballad, featuring Martina McBride, while Stevie Nicks appears on Cheaper Than Free, which such manages to stay on the acceptable side of saccharine.

Stevie Nicks also seems to be the inspiration behind Stevie Baby where Stewart appears to be channeling Tom Petty, both lyrically and musically.

The craftsmanship in Stewart’s songs is undeniable.  He might be perceived as marching out of step with the other little black ducks but he’s a formidable musical presence and this album is a seriously impressive effort.

 

Vessels – Bryan Estepa (Laughing Outlaw)

This is the third album from this Sydney based artist and although the first two have apparently attracted a sizeable following in Australia and internationally, he remains one of those “best kept secret” type artists.

Lets hope that changes.

Bryan Estepa is a tremendously talented pop songwriter – and by ‘pop’ I mean the sort of pop that owes its existence to writers like Lennon and McCartney, Ray Davies and Brian Wilson, rather than ‘pop’ that is currently exemplified by Justin Bieber or Katy Perry. (If you don’t know who they are, don’t worry)

Digging deeper into the Estepa lineage you will find traces of Difford and Tilbrook, Alex Chilton and more obscure influences such as Mitch Easter – that is to say his ‘pop’ is breezy and melodic on the surface but beautifully constructed and layered as you scrape that very same surface.

Thus, by definition, this album doesn’t consist of a collection of genre-breaking, revolutionary, new frontier type music – rather its an example of the fact that a lot can be achieved by those old faithful ingredients of sweet melody, memorable hooks, and spirited performances. Songs such as Alone, Tongue Tied and the closer Ball and Chain contain all three ingredients in abundance and are spectacularly successful as a result.

There are a couple of darker songs on the album, when Estepa channels Tom Petty in a more somber moments – one of these is Let It Go which also manages to rachet up the instrumental textures a bit.

As the album evolves there’s a lit more time spent on working a slower, slinkier groove into some of the songs with the soulful Shade being an example. Another strain of influences that might include The Raspberries and some Otis Redding may even come into play. The Raspberries and Big Star impact is best felt on Instincts which is the sort of song that would have held pride of place on a Matthew Sweet album a decade or so ago.

Obviously for reviewers of my vintage playing “spot the influence” is fun and instructive – and if you are a fan of any of the above-mentioned acts you will find a lot to like about Vessels and its creator.  But if you are a youngster taking your first tentative steps on a voyage of discovery that goes beyond Video Hits, then you couldn’t find a better roadmap than this album.

Darker My Love

If ever a band qualified for the “new bands that sound like old bands” section of this website its Darker My Love.

After a few listens to their third album Alive As You Are here’s a partial list of bands that they sound like – The Beatles, The Byrds, Dream Syndicate , The Church, The Hollies, The Fleshtones, Flamin Groovies, R.E.M., Tom Petty, Lets Active, Game Theory, Guadacanal Diary, Big Star and The Stems.

Now that’s not to say that they are necessarily as good as any of those bands but if you like anyone of that list then you would be well advised to give these guys a listen.

The following extracts from the bands bio for Alive As You Are gives some indication of what they are about:

“When you get right down to it,” Darker My Love’s Tim Presley says, “this record is about loss and hard work.”

Informed by profound personal tragedy, Alive As You Are is the Los Angeles-based band’s most musically focused and emotionally direct collection to date. Songs like June Bloom and Dear Author see DML traveling away from their trademark psychedelic power drones to a more evocative approach reliant on bold, straightforward songcraft and earthy, intricate arrangements. The band’s third Dangerbird Records album, Alive As You Are marks an extraordinary reinvention for Darker My Love – a rambling, powerfully realized work of great nuance and even greater heart.

“I think it was just prime time to try something new,” Presley says. “It just felt right. It wasn’t this pre-conceived thing, like, ‘Okay, we have to be different.’ I think this is secretly the music we always wanted to make. We wanted to make an album that you could listen to and not just rock out to. Something you can throw on on Sunday morning.”

Which is exactly what I did to good effect.

Presley formed the band with drummer Andy Granelli, after both had been members of hardcore punk band, The Nerve Agents. They were joined by Boston-based singer/bassist Rob Barbato and guitarist Jared Everett. The band made its recorded debut shortly thereafter with a self-titled Tarantulas Records EP, followed two years later by their eponymous Dangerbird Records debut album.

In quite a twist that same year also saw Presley and Barbato join the long list of musicians who have served time accompanying Mark E. Smith in The Fall, playing on the post-punk band’s 26th studio album, 2007’s Reformation Post TLC.

The addition of keyboardist Will Canzoneri on organ and clavinet brought richer textures to 2008’s 2, which received across-the-map critical acclaim for its mind-bending neo-psychedelic grooves and hazily anthemic hooks. “(An) album so deep in aural and emotional layers you don’t quite know what to call it,” enthused the Los Angeles Times, while the Village Voice simply declared 2 “one of the most indelible indie-pop records of ’08.”

Alas, Granelli decided to leave Darker My Love to concentrate on his family in the midst of the long touring cycle that followed 2. The band found themselves in “drummer purgatory,” playing with a number of fill-ins until finally hooking up with The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Dan Allaire.

A deeper, more significant transformation came with the August 2008 death of Presley’s father. The experience knocked Presley for a loop, but eventually led him to a complete rethink of how he went about his art.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he says, “it really was life-changing. I know that’s a cliché, but it’s true. It changed everything for me. I realized that if it doesn’t mean anything, then it’s not worth doing. The lyrics have to mean something, they just have to.”

When the time arrived to make a new album, the band considered some name producers, but ultimately opted to work with their friend Nick Huntington, known as co-founder of Attacknine Records and member of duos both electronica (Freescha) and acoustica (The Surf, The Sundried).

“We wanted to try the buddy system,” Presley says. “Instead of having someone you don’t really know tell you about your songs, have a friend there, almost a collaborator of sorts. More like a peer group than a recording team. We’ve known Nick for years, so he fit the bill for that.”

As DML explored new kinds of hooks and melodies and songcraft, it was handy to have an expert on the subject in Huntington, who, in addition to his various glitch/folk/dance projects, has also penned songs for some seriously A List pop stars.

“Nick has a really good folk sense,” Presley says, “but then he writes songs for Britney Spears. But because this record was very much about songwriting, he was a good person to have around.”

In January 2010, DML headed north to record the album at San Francisco’s legendary Hyde Street Studios, located smack in the seedy heart of the Tenderloin.

“We wanted to use a real studio,” Presley says. “but we didn’t want to pay Los Angeles prices. We just couldn’t afford it. But then we had this epiphany moment – ‘Hyde Street would be perfect!’ We really really loved the whole vibe of it. It’s dirty, it’s gross, it’s old. It was just the perfect middle ground between a real studio and home recording.”

It also didn’t hurt that in its original guise as Wally Heider Recording, the studio was the source of some of the greatest records of the 60’s and 70’s, beginning with Jefferson Airplane’s Volunteers and continuing through classics from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Grateful Dead.

“A lot of amazing records have been made there,” Presley agrees. “Whenever you go into a recording studio, you always go, like, ‘Oh wow, this person recorded here!’ I guess you kinda want that to rub off onto your record.”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Album

Tom Petty is soon to release a new album with The Heartbreakers. The title of the release is Mojo and its listed in the US for a sping 2010 release – which makes it autumn here!

It has been 8 years since Petty released The Last DJ. He also released a solo album Highway Companion in 2006.

The album release will coincide with the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers upcoming US tour which promises to be a great tour featuring some superb opening acts.

Joe Cocker will kick off the tour with Petty on May 6 in Raleigh, while Crosby, Still & Nash will hook up at the end of the tour.

Along the way, various shows will also feature Drive-by Truckers and My Morning Jacket.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS 2010 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
May 06 Raleigh Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek (w/Joe Cocker)
May 07 Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Joe Cocker)
May 09 Tampa St. Pete Times Forum (w/Joe Cocker)
May 15 Dallas Superpages.com Center (w/Joe Cocker)
May 16 Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
May 18 Phoenix US Airways Arena (w/Joe Cocker)
May 22 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 02 San Diego Cricket Wireless Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 03 Irvine Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 05 Oakland Oracle Pavilion (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 08 Vancouver GM Place (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 11 Seattle The Gorge (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 12 Seattle The Gorge (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 15 Calgary Pengrowth Saddledome (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 16 Edmonton Rexall Place (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 19 Winnipeg MTS Centre (w/Joe Cocker)
Jun 22 St Paul Xcel Energy Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jun 23 Omaha Qwest Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jun 25 Milwaukee Summerfest (w/ZZ Top)****
Jul 10 Indianapolis Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 13 Kansas City Sprint Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 15 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 17 Chicago United Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 20 Cleveland Blossom Music Center (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 22 Detroit Palace of Auburn Hills (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 24 Pittsburgh First Niagra Pavilion (w/Drive-By Truckers)
Jul 28 New York Madison Square Garden (w/TBD)
Jul 31 Philadelphia Wachovia Center (w/TBD)
Aug 11 Atlanta Philips Arena (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 12 Nashville Sommet Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 14 Darien Lake, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 15 Bristow Jiffy Lube Live (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 17 Hartford Comcast Theater (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 19 Boston Comcast Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 21 Boston Comcast Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 24 East Rutherford IZOD Center (w/My Morning Jacket)
Aug 25 Toronto Air Canada Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)
Aug 27 Saratoga Springs Saratoga Performing Arts Center (w/Crosby, Stills and Nash)