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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Artist Making Waves: Whitney - "No Woman", "Golden Days", and "No Matter Where We Go" [indie rock / alt-country / soul]

About a year and a half ago, Chicago indie rock band Smith Westerns announced their breakup after penning three solid albums together. Since then, the band's frontman Cullen Omori has released a solo record on Sub Pop while guitarist Max Kakacek and drummer Julien Ehrlich (ex-Unknown Mortal Orchestra) have gone on to form the band Whitney, subsequently signing with Secretly Canadian.

Ehrlich and Kakacek share songwriting duties in Whitney, crafting warm, melancholic songs layered with jangly acoustic guitar, Kakacek's signature twangy guitar leads, triumphant horn sections, and topped with Ehrlich's soulful, unassuming falsetto. They recorded with a full band in California with Foxygen's Jonathan Rado, which makes sense seeing as both band's songs sound like they could have come from the late 60s.

Whitney will be on tour for the next couple months in support of their debut album Light Upon The Lake. Go out and catch a show and pick up a copy of their record when it hits shelves June 3rd. Check out the first two singles from the album that have been bringing Whitney lots of positive attention, "No Woman" and "Golden Days", plus their first demo, "No Matter Where We Go".

Monday, March 7, 2016

Swell Album: Mothers - When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired [indie rock / folk / experimental]

Mothers is an indie band from Athens, Georgia with one hell of a debut album and an unforgettable live performance to back it up. When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired came out a couple weeks ago and is currently my favorite release of 2016. Singer/guitarist Kristine Leschper's gorgeously fragile voice bears a striking resemblance to that of fellow indie folkstress Angel Olsen (whose last album wound up at #2 of our best of 2014 list), but Mothers makes a name for themselves by experimenting with richer instrumentation and more complex compositions.

What begins as a simple folk song with acoustic guitar and piano, the beautiful album opener "Too Small for Eyes" really takes off when it welcomes a sweeping string orchestra into the mix about halfway through. Mothers flips the script on the next couple of songs, "It Hurts Until It Doesn't" and "Copper Mines", introducing the listener to the more rock-driven sound that they do so well, with busy intertwining guitars and powerful percussion. Not unlike other bands drawing from multiple genres, on the rest of When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired Mothers balances these two different styles song to song before leading us to the epic 7-minute rollercoaster of a closer, "Hold Your Own Hand", which alternates between uptempo with downtempo, catapulting you into space one moment while channeling veteran post-rockers Explosions in the Sky, then abruptly cutting the power to let you slowly drift away with Leschper's voice as your only beacon. Instead of letting you coast to a smooth stop, Mothers caps their debut with a bang to remember, one final shot for the stars.

Stream When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired below and get your hands on a copy of the album here.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Just Rolled In: Idiot Glee - "Baby (I Could Be Your Bone)", "I Don't Feel Right", and "Evergreen Psycho" [psychedelic / synthpop / experimental]

Lexington, Kentucky's experimental pop artist James Friley has been making music under the name Idiot Glee since 2009. His newest release, a self-titled full-length out on the label he co-founded, Hop Hop Records, and produced by the composer of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, hit shelves a few weeks ago and he's currently on tour with his band to support it.

I had the pleasure of seeing them play at a DIY venue called The Smell in Los Angeles last weekend. Unfortunately, my prior knowledge of Friley's music was limited to his 2011 debut Paddywhack (a unique lo-fi pop album rightfully characterized as post-doo-wop), but seeing him perform live nearly five years after that release gave me a quick lesson on how his progression as an artist has taken his music in a new direction, a direction away from doo-wop and lo-fi and more toward 70s synthpop and psychedelia.

Idiot Glee's sound may be hard to put a finger on, seeing as there's nothing really out there right now that compares (maybe Islands or Adult Jazz?), but it's easy to say that his soulful croon, hypnotizing vocal harmonies, and dextrous piano and synth playing are the defining elements of his music. On Idiot Glee, Friley's influences (namely Brian Eno, John Cale, and Scott Walker) are evident and there's a noticeable improvement in production, which gives the record more of a full band sound than his previous releases. Needless to say, it's a fantastic album.

My top three picks from the album are "Baby (I Could Be Your Bone)", "I Don't Feel Right", and "Evergreen Pyscho". Stream them below to get a better idea of what Idiot Glee is all about and catch them on tour in a city near you! Stream and purchase the album here. It plays great on vinyl!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

holaOLA's 60 Favorite Albums of 2015 Spotify Playlist

Sunday, January 10, 2016

holaOLA's 60 Favorite Albums of 2015

The latter half of 2015 was very hectic for me, a time filled with cross-country and transatlantic relocating, working 72-hour weeks, spending months without WiFi, and my personal favorite, job hunting. Unfortunately, this resulted in less music discovery and fewer blog posts. But seeing as it's a new year, I like to tell myself that most of that is behind me and that 2016 will bring a little more stability in my life, and thus, more activity here on holaOLA Indie Music Blog.

Whatever the case may be, 2015 was a great year for music (much like 2014 and 2013) and compiling a list of my favorite albums is always the best way for me to recall all the music and artists that had a considerable impact on my life throughout the year. It's also not a bad way to introduce some great music to you all that you may have otherwise missed out on. On this end-of-the-year list, you will not find the "best" albums of the year, but rather a list of records that I personally fell in love with and couldn't stop listening to.

You can access holaOLA's 60 Favorite Albums of 2015 list by scrolling down or navigating the links below, but if you're in a hurry or have a limited internet connection, click here for the simple-and-to-the-point artwork-and-music-free list. Also be sure to check out holaOLA's Spotify playlist featuring music from the albums that made the cut.

Thanks a million for visiting holaOLA Indie Music Blog and please follow me on Facebook to be notified of future posts! May 2016 be a great year for music and for you!

-Sean

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