Last year I interviewed Blind Pilot because, although they play lighter, pop/folk music, they are exceptional. This year I covered Y La Bamba, whose sparse music highlights a distinctive vocalist. Here are some notable options for those of you who prefer the lighter side of music.
Pilar French is undeniably a very good singer. It used to be that you couldn't get to be a star unless you could actually sing; i.e. carry your voice quite a bit better than the person hanging up the washing in the garden next door. French has an old fashioned quality, she sings so well, in a certain sense, that she sounds like my Mum used to sound: my Mother sang to hundreds of people every week - 'up at' the working's men's clubs.
What French doesn’t rely on are the other planks that rock & pop relied on as it developed: Forget the voice - how about novelty and gimmicks, mass-media fame/hype or 'stars' using vocoders.
Although there has always has been an alternative to any marketing fad; that charismatic edge or the electric stage presence, the mesmerizing consequences of the global music industry rather left 'good' singers behind.
French, although she occasionally strays (off-puttingly, to me) into an easy listening country vogue like say, Aimee Mann (who's fine, who has a big following, but whose music seems dull to me) has nevertheless prompted me to listen several times to a style I don't really like. Her voice is old-fashoined, but it's not quirky like Nellie McKay, it's a "better than anyone you know" voice in a tight style that sticks to the classic delivery of say, Bonnie Rait and many others. Because her voice is a little superior, and of another era, her popularity should rise. Her new full-length album, Alive is showcased at a CD release party in Portland, October 17th at the Fez Ballroom.
Devon Williams
The much heralded Devon Williams has a new 7" vinyl single just released on Slumberland Records. A single isn’t a lot to go on, but I'm no fan of the 'A' side "Sufferer" that's had radio/internet airplay on opbmusic.org. Am I the only person thoroughly annoyed by that tat+rapid drum roll, first created by drum machines, that so many contemporary drummers now imitate? It's like leaving an alarm clock on in the next room (tap your thumb down and then all four fingers quickly and you should recognize this formulaic backbeat that haunts most indie=pop music) if this is “chorused and reverb-laden guitars reminiscent of mid-period Cure” I ache for the sparse, early Cure that had something to say. The 'B' Side "Who Cares About Forever" is better, it illustrates Williams' potential: An open, catchy pop-tune with enough space to suggest sincerity. Still a bit light and pretty for my gnarled tastes but it'll be interesting to see what comes next from Williams. And yes, you guessed it, my Mum was born in Devon.
Archeology
There used to be a kid's TV program called The Woodentops that I watched as a boy back in the UK with my Mum working away on the sewing machine... two decades later there was also a band called The Woodentops who were fast, poppy and good fun. Archeology, on their debut(?) album The Wildwood Hymns sound a bit like The Woodentops ‘lite', or perhaps James 'lite': The Woodentops without any chisels or hammers; James without a metrosexual cause.
Archeology do get that 'Blind Pilot’ sound down on the track "Violette," but quickly revert to thin, youthful proclamations: "We've got so much to learn from each other"... etc... James got away with it (they seemed to either mean it, or managed to suspend our belief) through huge arrangements, dynamic pop sound and sweeping timing. This production of Archeology glosses over the talent they have to serve a very young & upstanding fan base; fitting in with a fashionable lightweight sound results in a CD that sounds like a kid's album, like that late 60's Beach Boys childrens' EP: I'd shake up these bare bones of songs.
This album also features the dreaded toy glockenspiel. Pervading the songs is that annoying little tinny, narrowing, sonically deprived tinker-toy sound. Maybe we need a warning sticker. Please DITCH the toy glockenspiels everyone! The "once cute" toy is more contagious than H1N1, even Typhoon's 3rd drummer had one! Who is selling this nonsense instrument?
Mbilly
Mbilly have released a little gem of an EP, Ghost Face, ahead of the full CD release Mister Nobody Baby coming soon. The EP has just three tracks but they're all impressive - in years to come it'll be one of those "I wish I owned that" discs. Perhaps due to the influence of Weinland's Adam Shearer, who's working with the band, there's a trace of Neil Young's early reflective mode but Will Helfrich has his own presence and style. It is a constant curiosity when younger people sing with the wisdom of aged experience: Helfrich is an upbeat, personable young man, and one wonders, where does this depth come from? Mbilly's songs are so powerfully understated, so unaffectedly real. Reflective insight and good songwriting make for a good listen. If you were ever a fan of The Gourds' slower songs you might think these were 'best of' selections. This is a great and highly recommended debut, even if I can't find any way of linking it to my Mum.
As the worm turns beneath the mainstream, quality singers are in fact making a recovery. It's found within the independent, localized music movement. Some sound like the folk singer you missed, others are exceptionally unique. My pick this post, is Mbilly.
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