Released April 21 on 4AD

My Maudlin Career is the fourth album from my beloved Scots, Camera Obscura, and let me tell you in a nutshell, it is a gem. There’s something to be said for consistency in this day and age of musical reinvention, and that’s precisely what this album is, consistent. If you took all four of CO’s releases and played them in random order on your player, it would sound like one continuous album, and this is more than fine by me. In their case, there is no such thing as too much of a good thing.

I was intrigued by the title of their latest, as I must admit; I’m a stranger to the meaning of the word maudlin. So, like any good student, I looked it up and was humorously surprised at its meaning, according to Merriam Webster: 1. drunk enough to be emotionally silly, or 2. weakly and effusively sentimental. If you’re at all familiar with the band’s songs and lyrics, this couldn’t be more fitting. This album is a hearty mix of achingly beautiful ballads and their ever so prevalent upbeat retro-styled pop songs. The opening track, “French Navy”, is a cheerful ditty about falling in love at the library. Though the relationship doesn’t work out in the end, which in lead singer/songwriter Tracyanne Campbell’s case, it rarely ever does, you’re still left with a smile at the end of this one. “Away With Murder” is a softly strummed acoustic beauty, paired with a perfectly melancholy organ melody. It has a country charm to it, and was the first one that caused me to sigh out loud. “Swans” is the happiest track on the album musically. It is nearly impossible to listen to this song without clapping your hands and bopping your head from side to side and I am not being facetious. The lyrics on the other hand, are not quite as happy, “There’s flowers in my house / and I bought them myself / No surprises in the record collection / You must have thought I was someone else”. I was a little let down by this, because I have never been so pop happy before with a song. I almost needed it to be about sunshine, butterflies and kittens. I guess the brief mention of deer and swans will have to suffice. “James” is the best track on the record. It pulls at the heart strings and doesn’t let go. A sad melody and a sad story that fills you with all of the misery and despair that comes with unrequited love. By the end of this song you have your phone in your hand ready to call James and beg him to come back to you, until you realize you don’t know anyone named James, and if you do, you definitely didn’t date him. Ok, maybe that was just me, but regardless, this song is a real treat. “Careless Love” is full of romance, lavish strings and heartache. The title track “My Maudlin Career” is a pleasant track with some piano and jazzy saxophone that makes it a perfect homage to The Ronettes, much the same as a lot of their previous work. “Forest and Sands” is yet another country ballad with beautiful electric guitar and the even more beautiful voice of Tracyanne singing out “Oh it feels like none of this is real / I pretend that my heart and my head are well”. And don’t we all, Tracyanne, don’t we all.

Overall, there really isn’t a song on this one I didn’t like, and that’s pretty rare for me. There are always at least two or three that are just screaming to be skipped over on any album I review, but this may be the best release to date for the group, and maybe for their career. However, far be it me to foreshadow a limit to anyone’s musical genius. I am in love with the sweet, brilliant albeit pitiful, unlucky in love Tracyanne. Will she ever find a lasting love? For the music’s sake, I sure hope not. A++++

Cheers,
Sarah

Sloan at The Industry Theatre, Sarnia, Ontario, March 14, 2009.

A few months back I was surfing my Facebook, avoiding deadlines and work, when I received a friendly update from my friend, Sloan; the band Sloan that is. You know, that band from Canada I’m always raving about, adore, worship, had my favourite album of 2008, etc. etc. Yeah that one! Well, they announced a few upcoming shows they were going to be playing in Canada. Now usually, when I read these, I sigh and decide I’m not up for a trip to Nova Scotia, or even Toronto for that fact, since it’s still a pretty long drive. Well, one show in particular caught my eye right away. A show on March 14^th. For those of you not in the know, that is my birthday, and a perfect excuse for a musical road trip! I checked the show location hoping against hope it was in Toronto (which is a 7 hour drive). It was in Sarnia, Ontario. Hmmm, I wonder. How close to the border is Sarnia? After a quick check of Google maps, I realized that Sarnia was about 5 minutes past the US/Canada border (even better!), which makes it about a 4 hour drive from my house in Chesterton. Naturally, I was purchasing tickets on the venue’s website about 3.5 seconds later. Come the morning of my birthday, armed with my passport, Hotel.com reservation and my entire Sloan CD collection – I was headed North East on I94 on my way into Canada.

Rest assured, we crossed the border, almost without incident, as my husband thought it necessary to divulge his criminal history of intoxicating minors, but Mr. Canada Border Control Inspector Guy seemed to laugh at this, and no sooner than we checked in at our hotel, we were out the door in search of the venue.

After walking around in circles for about an hour, we finally found The Industry Theatre, hidden away in an alley, and it was not much to look at from the outside. I wasn’t sure it was even the place, until I walked up to the window and saw a poster for the show. The place looked like an old dilapidated warehouse. This did not concern me though, as for some reason, I think the shoddier the place, the better the show (think The Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA). Well my suspicions proved correct, as the place was relatively small with a very intimate feel. The inside was a little nicer looking, and resembled your typical smaller venue, with an open floor pit, surrounded by upper and lower balcony type areas. Now we await the acoustics situation.

The opening band was Will Currie and the Country French, and the second they took the stage, I had found my tranquil heaven for the night. Not only were the acoustics in this place out of this world, the opening band was as well. They pulled me in right away and didn’t let go til the last note. They were indie pop fantastic, seasoned with flavours of Delta Spirit and Ben Folds, this band was amazing! Unfortunately, while I was getting SO into this band, I was also getting SO into Molson’s Canadian Ale…..and this left me far too intoxicated to give a proper review to them, or the headliner, Sloan themselves. Do yourself a favor though and check out this band. They are fantastic – and I will be trying to get my hands on something of theirs for a review soon! Click here for their Myspace page to have a listen.

Now onto Sloan. Oh Sloan. Their show was just brilliant perfection. One of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. I mean, even though these guys are late 30’s, early 40’s, they were up there rocking out with the same energy and enthusiasm as their stage predecessors, who are probably a good 10 years or so younger. With every song, you can tell that the guys live for this, and love it. Now, it was my intention to give you the set list, but unfortunately, I missed a big chunk in the middle, due to the fact that while going out to the smoking hut, I was accosted by crazy French-Canadians from Montreal, who wanted to argue about Ontario and hockey. Go figure. Anyway, rest assured, my husband came and saved me, so I could catch the end of the show. They mainly stuck to the songs off of the new album, Parallel Play, however, they played all their big hits of course, all the ones you would expect, like “Who Taught You To Live Like That”, and some older ones as well, like “Coax Me” (yes!), that I was just grateful for. After the show, and before the encore, they came out and walked right past me. Chris Murphy stood about 10 feet from where I was standing, talking to what appeared to be a personal acquaintance, and I decided it was a good idea to try and attack him at that moment. Luckily, my good friend Linda, who was probably not quite as drunk as I, was able to hold me back, and allowed me to save some face in the eyes of my favourite band. Hey thanks Linda!

All in all, it was one hell of a road trip, for one hell of a band, in one hell of a country! Should Sloan come back through, I would definitely do it again, maybe sans the 15 bottles of Molson.

Cheers,
Sarah

P.S. Now, I did have quite a few amazing photos from the show, however, they were accidentally deleted off of my camera (Derek!), before I could download them onto the computer. Sorry kids, again, I have let you down.

1. Sloan – Parallel Play (released June 10 / Yep Roc Records)
There are not enough words in the English language, or explosive love rockets in my heart to even begin to describe how much I ♥ Sloan, and cherish their ability to alter my mood to an elated state of utopia anywhere, anytime, anyplace,  just by listening to their music. I love their latest CD as much as any of their others. It’s a little less Beatle-esque than their previous release, Never Hear The End of It (which is still my favourite, or no – wait, that HAS to be Twice Removed, but I loved Action Pact too, hmm maybe One Chord To Another…oh no?!) ok, so maybe Parallel Play isn’t their best CD ever, but they’ve got quite a few to choose from, so for you, it very well may be. In my opinion anyway, it is the best record of the year, so if you haven’t heard it yet – do yourself a favor and get on it right now! Favourite tracks: I want to be lame and say ALL of them, but if you’re pressed for time, check out “Burn For it” (a little reminiscent of some JAMC), “Witch’s Wand” and “Down in the Basement.”

2. Nada Surf – Lucky (released February 5 / Barsuk Records)
I love this band almost, if not as much as I love Sloan. Really, spots 1 and 2 could have been a toss up. Both bands have been around about the same length of time, though Nada Surf have produced about half the number of records, which is not necessarily a bad thing, since every one of them has been fantastic. Lucky is an amazing CD with half of the songs easily translatable to pop filled, not to mention catchy as hell, singles. “Beautiful Beat” is definitely my anthem of the year, if not decade! I’m sure you read the mini-review of this CD in the Nada Surf feature that I contributed earlier this year. What – you didn’t READ IT. Well what the hell are you waiting for???? (Click me to read it) Favourite Tracks: The very first three, “See These Bones”, “Whose Authority” and “Beautifull Beat.”

3. The Walkmen – You & Me (released August 19 / Gigantic Records)
My favourite Dylan influenced indie rockers have scored another hit with their most recent release, You & Me. Though more mellow than their previous contributions, from start to finish, it’s a keeper! Favourite Tracks: “Red Moon”, “Canadian Girl” and “The Blue Route.”

4. Matt Pryor – Confidence Man (released July 29 / Vagrant Records)
Being a total GetUpKids-o-holic, there was just no way Matt wasn’t making this list. Read my full review on the album and see what my favourites are in the archives!
Archived: Confidence Man by Matt Pryor Review

5. Islands – Arm’s Way (released May 20 / Anti Records)
I was only just recently introduced to these Canadian indie rockers, but was impressed enough to include them on this ever so prestigious list. Did they deserve the honor? Check out my album review and favourite tracks in the archives!
Archived: Arm’s Way by Islands Review

Cheers,
Sarah

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I got this album in my inbox for a review. I had never heard of Islands prior to that, and being the stereotyping kind, I immediately imagined some kind of Jimmy Buffett tribute band, or worse, a jam band. There is nothing I hate more than jam bands. If that’s your thing, not only should you stop reading this review, you should never read anything I contribute ever again. That being said, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that the band’s name is merely a name, and not an association to any particular musical genre or influence. And even better yet, another Canadian indie band for me to grab onto and love!

Islands are based in Montreal, Canada and consist of members Nicholas Thorburn (aka Nick T.), Aaron Harris, Patrice Agbokou, Patrick Gregoire, Alex Chow and Sebastian Chow.

Despite the broad range of instruments that are used to compose this album, the overall feel to the music is rather simplistic, but in a good way. I especially like the background string orchestration that can be found on a number of the tracks, because I am a sucker for string instruments, and piano, which is strewn throughout this CD as well. The nice thing, is this band didn’t just throw the instruments in haphazardly; they are placed intricately and melodically. There is no song over- or under-done, and they all float along in a seemingly dream-like state. I find myself a bit hesitant to pinpoint this band to any genre, as the songs themselves could be categorized differently from one to the next, and sometimes, even within the same song. The opening track “The Arm” is mellow yet upbeat, with flawless vocals provided by Thorburn. His octave range is impressive as he shifts back and forth from deeper vocals to a high pitched, brilliant crooning throughout the song. The vocals do more than tell the story of the music; they lull you along in sync with it. “J’Aime Vous Voire Quitter” has a faster chord progression and almost punk edge. The alternating of French and English in the lyrics may be somewhat confusing, but is overshadowed anyhow by the dance punk melody and sing/shout vocals. The end of the song has a calypso style transition that invokes the sensation of dancing around on a remote island drinking pina coladas and doing the limbo. OK, so the last bit may be a little “jam-bandish”, but it works. Trust me. The fifth track “Creeper” was fantastic. Do not let the cheesy electric drum beat intro fool you, as this song has that great modernized 80′s pop sound that is so very trendy at the moment, however, is not just another cookie cutter version of any you’ve heard. It’s distinguishable with a sound that can only be called their own and it is delightful. Regardless, this song stands out amongst the others as a perfect single. The intro of vulnerable vocals on “Life in Jail” paired with the sad, sweet violin exacerbate the message of the song with its self pitying lyrics “I’ve lost my way/ Pour concrete on me delicately, baby so I can live my sedimental life sedentarily“. However, true to the style of this album, about half way through the song, the music transitions yet again, into more of an upbeat ditty. The ending track “Vertigo” was rather mellow and smooth, an almost folk or alt-country ballad, with the ever so prevalent and gorgeous vocals from Thorburn. Of course, halfway through, the remainder of the song becomes an instrumental with an almost completely different sound, but somehow, it all still manages to fit together into one cohesive piece. At just over 11 minutes, it is the longest song on the album, but probably the best.

Overall, I was completely smitten with this CD, but more so with the extremely talented vocal contribution from Nick T. If you too are the type where vocals make or break the deal, then shower your ears in this CD. It will definitely be worth your while. I give it a nice solid A.

RIYL: Pulp, The Walkmen, Band of Horses

Cheers,

Sarah

Check out the band’s website here

Snowsera consists of University of Illinois students, vocalist Bill Arteaga, bassist Nate Christenson, guitarist Ian Erard and drummer Jeff Wagner. Considering the band only formed last year, and they haven’t even recorded a full length album yet, I was rather impressed by their second EP titled Fictions.

The EP only contains 5 tracks, but each is worth mentioning, if even briefly. Now for me, it was easy to pinpoint the musical references, even before I checked out their Myspace page, and I wasn’t surprised at all to find both Muse and Idlewild listed. This of course makes perfect sense as to why I would like this band, since I am a huge fan of both. The first track “24″ was catchy and carried a nice bass line. Bill Arteaga’s vocals and singing style are perfect for the music and had me wanting more. “I see”, the second track was just as good, sounding quite a bit like the first, but with just enough of a difference to separate the two. “Runaway” started out with a nice guitar line, that almost seemed to belong in a Guy Ritchie flick. The vocals are refreshing with the octave shift in the line “Pick it up if you want it/Pick it up if you want to try”. The fourth track, “Darling”, was a bit lackluster to me, but only for the following reason: It was a Muse song, without the one important element that makes Muse, well Muse…and that would be the delightful vocals of Matthew Bellamy. Now, I’ve already mentioned I like the vocalist for this band just fine, but try to sing like Matt, he should not. I did like the music, but the vocals just did not hit the mark for me with this one. The last track, “Subtle”, is a perfect example in every sense of the phrase “Save the best for Last”. This song is the best on the EP, hands down. From the edgy high pitched guitar throughout the verse to the catchy upbeat chorus, this song had me hooked from the first note.

All in all, this EP was pretty great from a band that still has yet to make their mark on the scene. Keep an eye out for these guys, when they do make that full length, it’s going to be worth getting your hands on. I know I will be! A

Cheers,

Sarah

Click here to check out the band’s Myspace page, and download the EP for FREE!!! (What a great band!)

If you’re looking for a musical companion for an upcoming fall foliage scenic drive, then I have your album right here. The first solo release from former Get Up Kids front man, Matt Pryor, titled Confidence Man, is everything I hoped it would be and more. I actually requested, well, more like begged, to get my hands on this one for a review. Now, let me just preface this review for all of you familiar with Matt. This is nothing like The Get Up Kids. If it is to be compared to anything he’s done prior (pun intended), then it is more in tune with his work with The New Amsterdams, only a lot more slowed down, if you even thought that was possible. All of the songs feature acoustic guitar with lullaby melodies and an almost celestial harmony.

“A Totally New Year” is the opening track, and is more or less upbeat with some background hand clapping. This is, however, as fast as this album will get, as it progressively takes on a different pace from there. The second track, Loralai, is my absolute favourite track on this CD, which is unfortunate because it is also the shortest, coming in at just under 2 minutes. I seriously wanted this song to go on forever. It is simple acoustic guitar paired with hauntingly beautiful vocal harmony. It is just excellent. “Still, There’s A Light” is another great one, with acoustic guitar accompanied by banjo. The title track “Confidence Man” has some great harmonica and keyboard with the prevalent acoustic guitar. It is a little more upbeat than a majority of the songs, but still by no means anything to “rock out” to. Lyrically, the album is pretty in sync with most of the lyrics Matt has contributed with his previous groups. The opening lyrics from “Only” are a perfect example “In too many days, too many tears, too many stories of our yesteryears. I couldn’t say the worst of my fears. I’m picking up the signs, maybe the end is near.” That is not to say they’re terrible, I think they’re just fine, but to me, this album was more about the music than the lyrics. The rest of the tracks on the CD are just as good as any I’ve sited for reference, and keep you in a mellow albeit cheerful mood. None of them are extremely happy or extremely sad, but balance rather, on a peaceful medium somewhere in-between. The ending track “It Ends Here” is appropriately titled and a good choice for departing, because it felt like a summation of the acoustic aesthetic from the rest of the CD. Overall, this album is brilliant. I am more than pleased with Matt’s first solo effort, and will be traveling with him into Michigan next month for the beautiful scenery, and memorable melodies. Fantastic Job Matt, A++++++

Cheers,

Sarah

Click here for Matt’s Myspace Page
Vagrant Records

Make the Happiness Stop by Pro Audio
Released June 17, 2008 on Poskey Reunion Records

Pro Audio are a four piece group from Santa Monica, CA with John Hoelle on bass and vocals, Jason Fischer on keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Bri Dellinger on keyboards, banjo, oboe, and girl vocals and Paul Withers on percussion.

I think the title of the newest album by Pro Audio is pretty amusing with its request to “Make the Happiness Stop”, as this album is nothing but 100% pure happiness. Now, I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I realised that this CD contained 23, yes 23, tracks. I thought, “My lord, now that’s a lot of listening and reviewing”. I was even more concerned when I saw that the length of the tracks on about half the album were all under a minute, which caused me to immediately place my head in my hands and cry, “Oh please, not another Her Wallpaper Reverie’ by Apples in Stereo! Now don’t get me wrong, I love the Apples, and I absolutely adored the 7 songs that were actually “songs” on that disc, however, I’m not a fan of filler music….unless it’s in the form of useless fan blabbering as with most of Reggie and the Full Effect’s albums, because that’s just funny. Pro Audio has surprised me with this CD however. The songs are pop filled and the filler tracks are more like segues, so you don’t even mind them. They seem to fit like puzzle pieces that make this album near perfect. They do sound a bit like Apples in Stereo, but they really remind me a lot of another California indie band, Smile, who reformed back in 2004 and changed their name to, Satisfaction, though to me, the similarities lie with the former, Smile, effort of “Girl Crushes Boy”.

This CD is humorous Indie-Prog-Pop at its best, with song titles and lyrics that seem more of a comedy show line-up than the track listing of an album. There are so many musical elements to the songs as well, that half the time you feel like you’re in the middle of a carnival. Mixed with your standard guitar, bass and drums, there’s a lot piano and keyboards, some oboe and banjo and even accordion. Every song is well crafted and works magically with the melody and lyrics. There are so many I liked that it’s almost difficult to site specific examples. Lyrically, Identity Theft, was probably my favourite, as it made me laugh the most, well, they all made me laugh, but this one a little more than others. The trade off of conversation between the victim (in the verses) and the thief (in the chorus) is genius and highly entertaining. The music was superb as well, as it was decorated with a piano rhythm that reminded me a lot of Ben Folds Five. Musically, I think my favourite was the title track, “Make the Happiness Stop”, which still contained amusing lyrics, but the melody was just super catchy and had my head bopping the entire three minutes and thirty-seven seconds long, that it seemed just way too short. Though I was extremely anxious to check out the rest of the CD, I had to replay this one, just for good measure. “The Night I Punched Dracula in the Face” speaks for itself, as it is about just that, punching Dracula in the face for turning his girlfriend, grandfather, and well just about everyone else in town into a vampire. “Creepy daylight fucker. I decked that mother fucker right in the face” is just a tasty sample of what you can find in this song. The music relies heavily on keyboards and it is nice and spooky as well. This would be a great addition to your Halloween party play list. “F-U Robot” is sung by the only female member of the group, Bri, who has a pop-perfect voice which is comparable to Rachel Haden during the Rentals years, a very nice contribution to the album. The rest of the CD is just fabulous, though it is not for the kiddies. Just a warning to the parents, the F-bomb gets dropped quite a bit in the record, which I love, but everyone knows I curse like a sailor anyway….. so just be sure to keep the headphones on when the kids are around. This album will keep you laughing and rocking and bopping your head around the entire way through. When it was all over, I still had to go back and play “Make the Happiness Stop” one more time of course…..you know, to keep that good measure.

All in all, I am completely in love with this CD. It is pure pop perfection and has remained in constant rotation on my media player all week to accompany me while working on my lap top. So I have to say, congratulations Pro Audio, you get my first A+, Well Done!

Cheers,
Sarah A.

Click here for the band’s website

When choosing a label to feature and review, Vagrant Records was an obvious choice. Not only have my favourite bands at one time or another been signed to this label, but my favourite contributions from these bands have all been released on Vagrant. Of all of the concerts I have attended in my music filled lifetime thus far, it is Vagrant’s artists, either former or current, that I have seen live more times than any other. Of course, I would love to write a mini-feature on every single artist that is, or has ever been signed to the label, but I’m afraid I neither have the time, nor hard drive capacity for this feat, so instead I will give you my top three. First things first though, let’s talk about the label.

To give a brief synopsis of the label, Vagrant Records was founded by former Face to Face manager Rich Egan in 1991. Egan, then a freshman at Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles, started the label out of his bedroom releasing a couple of seven-inch singles. However, Vagrant really didn’t get its start until 1994 when Egan’s partner Jon Cohen, a high-school friend, joined the company. It wasn’t until 1997 that the company issued its first big release, “Before You Were Punk”, a compilation of 80’s covers featuring such bands as Blink 182, Face to Face, Guttermouth and Unwritten Law. In 2001 Interscope Records acquired a non-controlling interest in Vagrant Records, but in December 2006 the terms ended and Vagrant became a fully independent record label, with record distribution through Fontana Distribution. The first band signed by Vagrant Records was Boxer with their album The Hurt Process released in 1998, but to get to the bottom of the success of the label, one band in particular comes to mind.

Though I can appreciate the ‘save the best for last’ approach, I am way too impatient and am more of a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ kind of girl (oh yes, you know I stole that shit from “Pretty Woman”), so you’re going to get my hands down favourite first – The Get Up Kids. What can I possibly say about the Get Up Kids? In a nutshell – I love you. I love you. I love you. Though my top five favourite artists of all time list tends to refresh itself quite frequently, thus defeating the “of all time” purpose, they are the one band that is pretty consistently on it. So much so, that I feel quite confident in giving them a cemented place on the list. I actually broke down and cried when they played their final show in Chicago at the Metro in June of 2005. Shut up and don’t hate. If you loved a band as much as I love them, you would too. Or maybe I’m just an over-emotional basket case, but whatever.

The Get Up kids formed in Kansas City, MO in 1995. They released their first EP, Woodson, on Doghouse Records. They followed up their EP with their first full album, Four Minute Mile, which was recorded in Chicago in only 2 days. The album caught the attention of several larger labels, which included Sub Pop, Geffen and Mojo. They eventually signed with Mojo, but were soon dropped by the label when the band refused to re-record “Don’t Hate Me” off of “Four Minute Mile”, at the same time that the label merged with Universal Records (the bastards!). TGUK did end up with one more Doghouse release, the Red Letter Day EP in 1999. This is when they found their way over to Vagrant. At this point, Vagrant was pretty unheard of. In fact, co-owner of Vagrant, Jon Cohen, had to borrow money from his parents, who mortgaged their house in order to fund the production of TGUK’s second full length album, Something to Write Home About. This album is, in my opinion, their best. It kicks more ass than a Chuck Norris cameo appearance on an episode of the A-Team. To this day I still cannot describe what this CD does to me from the perfect opening guitar riffs of “Holiday” to the closing distorted feedback in the last note of “I’ll Catch You”, probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written for another human being. This album is a rare gem in the fact that it’s one of those you can throw on and love every single track just as much as the one before. There are none to skip over, as they are all perfect. Not to mention, the release of this CD shaped Vagrant’s future into becoming one of the nation’s leading independent labels. This is not to say that TGUK’s other works pale in comparison. They have yet to make a record that I don’t like, however, considering the band is no longer together, waiting to be proved wrong may take a while.

The band did eventually become a huge success with a large underground following and several more releases with Vagrant under their belt before breaking up shortly after the release of their final album, Live! @ The Granada Theater, in 2005. For a complete list of The Get Up Kids discography, click here.

Vagrant was slowly but surely becoming known as the prominent “emo” label in the industry. With more and more of the genre’s artists being signed to the label with the likes of The Anniversary and Senses Fail, some of their current artists eventually began to dissociate themselves from the label, for fear of being pigeon holed into the genre, including the Get Up Kids. Ironically, TGUK are known by many as being the pioneers of the emo revolution. I however disagree. I think to really capture the true foundation of emo, you would need to go back to Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary, which was released in 1994.

Of the many bands being signed onto Vagrant with the success of TGUK, another band caught my attention immediately, thus becoming my second artist to feature from the label, Saves the Day.

Saves the Day were formed in 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey, and have had an array of band members that remains in constant rotation even to this day. The only remaining original member is Chris Conley, who is the lead singer and drive behind the band. Saves the Day will always hold a very special place in my heart. Like TGUK’s Something to Write Home About, Saves the Day’s Stay What You Are which was their first release with Vagrant, is another one of those CD’s that you love from start to finish. It’s fantastic, poppy, catchy and impossible not to dance all over the room to. I will have to admit that this is the first album that introduced me to the band. They had two prior full length releases before joining up with Vagrant, Can’t Slow Down and Through Being Cool both released on Equal Vision Records. As with most bands, when I really get into one for the first time, I like to go back and grab up anything I can that was prior to the point that I jumped on the band wagon. I could do without Can’t Slow Down as this was a little more hardcore, and not the poppy happiness that I loved so much on SWYA. “hrough Being Cool was good, but still not to the standard of what I had had heard on their first Vagrant release. It has been said that the transition of the band from their punk/hardcore songs with Equal Vision, to their pop filled anthems with Vagrant is what caused many of the band’s earlier fans to turn their backs on them for selling out into the mainstream emo influence. It is obvious from doing an album comparison, that the band did reinvent itself with the release of Stay What You Are, however, they gained quite a few more fans with their effort and with the fast growing fan base of Vagrant Records.

Saves the Day has had a rocky relationship with Vagrant. After the success of “SWYA”, Saves the Day signed with Dreamworks Records, who had to co-release their next album, In Reverie with Vagrant, due to the fact that the band was technically still under contract. Dreamworks did little to promote or support the album, and it became a large failure for the band. After the unsuccessful release, Dreamworks was purchased by Interscope Records, and the label dropped Saves the Day. To fulfill their contractual obligation with Vagrant, the band released one more full length CD for the label, Ups and Downs: Early Recordings and B-Sides. They went on to write another full length album however did not have a label to release it. In 2006, Saves the Day re-signed with Vagrant Records and the band released the album they had been working on Sound the Alarm. They have since released one more full length with the label, Under the Boards”and are currently working on another to release as a three album trilogy next year. Although Saves the Day have returned to their earlier musical styles of harsher lyrics with more of a punk edge, the band has matured and grown a lot over the years. For more information on Saves the Day click here.

My third and final band to feature from the label is, unfortunately, no longer signed with them, but still one of the greatest bands that they have featured to date. I am speaking of Chicago’s very own Alkaline Trio.

Of course, being from Chicago, I had heard Alkaline Trio long before their signing with Vagrant, but to be quite honest, I never really got into them the way I did until they signed with the label. I had several friends who loved the band and rammed their first two full length releases on Asian Man Records, Goddamnit and Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, down my throat on a daily basis. I didn’t dislike the band so much as I just wasn’t all that crazy about them. All of that changed in 2001 when the band signed with Vagrant and released “From Here To Infirmary”. Like the prior two albums I have featured with great admiration, this one as well is my absolute favourite contribution from the Alkaline Trio.

The band originally formed in 1996 with Matt Skiba, Rob Doran and Glenn Porter, who all hail from McHenry County, Illinois. Shortly after the release of their first EP, “Sundials”, Rob Doran departed the band, replaced by former Slapstick bassist, Dan Andriano. The band released another EP, “For Your Lungs Only”, and then the two previously mentioned full length releases on Asian Man. They had one more release before signing with Vagrant, a self titled compilation of previously released EPs.

From Here To Infirmary is just a masterpiece of a CD. It’s got the punk of their earlier days laced with a modern rock edge and a cleaner more fine tuned sound. In my opinion, it was their first CD that actually didn’t sound like it was being recorded from their parent’s basement (Not that there’s anything wrong with that – and yes, I stole that shit from Seinfeld) but I just expect a bit more from a studio release that was not in fact, recorded in a basement, but I digress. Now one of the great things I love so much about this band is their lyrical capabilities. The boys are poetic in the style of the infamous Edgar Allan Poe. They have a dark and morbid fascination with alcoholism, drugs, bad relationships and death - and probably in that order. They do, however, balance the darkness of their lyrics with upbeat tempos and pop filled choruses which make for a genius combination of the two contrasting elements.

Drummer Glenn Porter was replaced by Derek Grant prior to their next release on Vagrant, Good Mourning, which I loved almost as much as “FHTI”. I say almost, only because I don’t think they perfected upon their previous release, but they did keep within the same standard. There were some excellent tracks on that CD, but there were a couple of sleepers as well. Their next release, and final release with Vagrant was Crimson. Now, I have a love-hate relationship with this CD. To put simply, I loved the music and I hated the lyrics. They were not at all up to par with what I had been accustomed to hearing from the Trio. It almost seemed to me as if they had gotten a little lazy. The lyrics were not the only downfall of this CD though. I felt that the live performance in support of the record was not all that great either. Instead of playing earlier tracks, which in the past they always delivered with a collective array of songs from their entire catalogue of music, the show in support of Crimson was close to being nothing more than them playing the album from start to finish live, with a few tracks mechanically thrown in for diversity. This was the beginning of the end for me and the boys. The more I listened to Crimson, the more I disliked it. The more I read interviews, the more I disliked them. I couldn’t understand what was going on and the final straw was when I learned that the band had left Vagrant, and eventually signed up with Epic. I didn’t write them off immediately and instead looked forward to something new from them, however, the release of their first CD on a major label, Agony & Irony has fit just about every cliché you can think of and want to insert here_____. It’s over produced, lyrically faltering still, and just about suitable for any modern rock radio station playlist, as long as it’s owned by Clear Channel Communications.

Now, ending on this note with the Alkaline Trio leaves me bittersweet, because I really do love this band. I have seen them live more times than any other band. I have even had the opportunity to sit on stage with them while they played at the Chain Reaction in Annaheim, CA, one of the coolest experiences of my life. Perhaps it’s not fair of me to be so jaded for the Trio leaving Vagrant, and maybe yes, you can still catch me lip syncing to “Help Me”, as it blasts through my headphones while I’m working away on my lap top – but I just miss the old Trio. I’m afraid with their ever changing healthier lifestyles and growing family ties, they have just lost that edge that drew me to them in the first place. Of course, I imagine it must be harder to sing about the dark and dreary, when you’re no longer living it. I guess experience is the best fuel for creativity, and it has become more than apparent that the boys from Alkaline Trio have quit drinking, smoking, and dating the psycho, crazy girls. That’s just too bad, but I suppose we all have to grow up some time. It’s just a shame that the music has to as well. For more information on the Alkaline Trio, click here.

It is amazing when you can look back and pinpoint three CD’s that changed your life, and upon looking back you can state that not only were they all released by three different artist on the same label, but that they were the first CD’s to be released by that artist upon signing themselves with the label. Now that’s something special indeed.

Vagrant has done package tours featuring only its own artists as the line up. One of the most memorable of those for me was the Vagrant America Tour in 2001. I caught this show while I was living in sunny San Diego at Canes, a pretty cool beach front venue in the Mission Beach area. Saves the Day headlined that tour and I remember it as if it were yesterday. Every single artist that played that day put on the show of their lifetime and not only that, but actually cared that the crowd were having the time of their life! Reggie and the Full Effect wore their ridiculous costumes in coordination with their many sub-projects including Fluxuation and The Common Denominators, drawing roars from the crowd with every tune. Dashboard Confessional dimmed the lights and had a campfire sing-a-long with the entire audience to the songs from “The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most” and Saves the Day – their set was full of so much power and rock and roll energy that after the show was over, I was left lying on a wall next to the ocean for an hour staring out at the blackened tide and wondering how long it would be before I got to see that band live again.

Even though the music that Vagrant has to offer is, and has been very heavily geared towards the emo variety, that is not all this label has to offer. They have signed more straight-up alternative rock bands like Eels, The Hold Steady and the Comas. Former Replacements front man Paul Westerberg has also had a few of his solo records released with Vagrant. The label has seen many great artists come and go over the years, including, but not limited to the Audio Learning Center, From Autumn To Ashes, The Futureheads, Hey Mercedes, Hot Rod Circuit and Rocket From The Crypt. As far as independent labels go, Vagrant’s success is unparalleled in a way that puts them in a league with the big dogs, while holding on to the one thing that makes them truly fantastic – their independence.

Cheers,

Sarah

For Vagrant’s website and current list of artists, click here

For a full list of the label’s discography, click here

Now I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself – Wait, Nada Surf? Aren’t they that one hit wonder band that had that pretty cool song that was on MTV like 12 years ago…What was it again…Oh yeah – Popular!! The cheerleader in that video was HOT!!! – and it’s at this point now that I want to shoot myself in the face…….

Nada Surf have so much more to offer than that song. Really they do. To be quite honest, I hated that song when it was being played on the radio like 100 times a day on Q101, or on MTV every hour or so, you know, back when MTV actually played music videos. I want to take this opportunity to convince you that Nada Surf just may be the most underrated band of all time.

My love affair began with this band in a dirty little record shack (I don’t think you can even call it a store) located in the old Woodmar Mall in Hammond, IN. Hell yeah region rats – you know exactly where I’m talking about! Well, I was in there perusing the aisles as I usually did when I was bored on a Saturday, and they were playing the entire CD by Nada Surf, High/Low, and I remember being like “Who IS This?! They’re Fucking Amazing!” Well, the shack’s little plan worked, because I immediately bought the CD and took it home. It wasn’t until after I got home that I realised they were the responsible party for “Popular” taking over my brain cells like an infectious disease. After one listen of the album I was sold. After two, I was in heaven. I didn’t even mind “Popular” so much after that, but for different reasons. After listening to the album the entire way through, you saw where they were coming from with the track, with all of its snarky satire. Two things I love and crave in others. This album is pure, clean rock and roll energy in its finest form. “Stalemate” is the catchiest tune on the CD. There are some flavors of Nirvana mixed with Pavement, add a splash of Sebadoh and the list goes on and on. To me, it was as if all of my favorite bands spared a member for a side project, and Nada Surf was the end result. The most miraculous part of that , is that the band is a three piece outfit from New York, Matthew Caws on guitar and vocals, Ira Elliot on drums and Daniel Lorca on bass. With that much musical genius, you would have assumed you had a group of 12 musicians in this band. I soon came to realize you don’t need 12 musicians when you have the unrivaled talent of front man Matthew Caws. His voice is salaciously superb and his songwriting skills are genius. If you are one of the many who only associate this band with that so forever ago “Popular”, do yourself a HUGE favor, and go out and buy “High/Low” and listen to everything aside from that track.

Their next release The Proximity Effect is just as good, if not better. The opening track “Hyperspace” is upbeat, catchy, and right in line with the greatness that comes from this band. They slowed things down a bit in this record for a few tracks, my favorite being “80 Windows”. The music and lyrics are so sad and so good. “Slow Down” is fantastic and does just that when it comes time for the chorus so perfectly, it couldn’t have been titled anything else. If you got hooked on High/Low, The Proximity Effect will most certainly not disappoint you, as it is almost an extension of their prior release. The ending track “Silent Fighting” is fucking fantastic. Just go buy this CD already!

Just when I thought I couldn’t fall in love with this band anymore than I already had, they went and released Let Go, which is one of my top five favourite CD’s of all time. That’s a pretty hefty title coming from me, and a much deserved one. This is a fantastic example of a CD you can play from start to finish where everything fits, tells its part of the story, and nothing gets skipped over. They are all so intricately tied into one another in the most melodic and beautiful way, that to skip over one would almost be blasphemous. The band took a different route with this CD, as it’s not nearly as rock oriented as the previous two, and many of the tracks are slower and a little more stripped back. There are some notables on the CD that stand out a little more than the others. “Inside of Love” is as close to a single as this album has to offer and nearly catapulted the band back into the mainstream spotlight. It became a pretty big hit in the UK, but other than that, the band pretty much remained under the radar, with a growing underground fan base all over the world. “Là Pour Ça” is a gorgeous little acoustic melody, that even though I can’t speak French and don’t understand a damn word he’s singing, I am in love with this song and feeling his pain. I did try to run the lyrics through a translator at one point, but the English translation just did not capture the sad intimacy of the song, and so I treat it now as more of an opera, and let the story be told through the emotions in the vocals, it’s perfect. Lyrically, this album stands out to me as their best. “Neither Heaven nor Space” is just so overwhelmingly melancholy that you can’t resist playing it over and over and over again, and trying to relate yourself to the self pitying outcry of the song’s message. “The ring around the sun looks like light and love, neither of which I get enough of”. Living in a big city, you definitely start to embody the solitude that pours out from the lyrics in this song and the ending track “Paper Boats”. The album definitely has that centralized theme, feeling like a lonely ant in a city of millions, and it is all the more wonderful for it. If you’re looking for an escape from the hustle and the bustle of modern city life, this CD won’t let you down.

Nada Surf’s next release, The Weight is a Gift continues with what you’ve come to know and love from this band. This album, like with their first two, is more in tune with the previous, Let Go, that it almost seems a pattern with the group, which is a good thing. Getting another Let Go is exactly what I was hoping for, and Nada Surf delivered. The opener, “Concrete Bed”, is an upbeat ditty that pulls you in and doesn’t let go. “Always Love” was the single released for indie radio airwaves, as the band, for better or worse, continued to remain under the radar. “Your Legs Grow” is a slow and gloomy little number, but the prettiest on the album. “You’re the only person in the world I feel that way about. If you move off to the side, I’ll get swept back out” Sorry, I couldn’t help it. It’s just that sad and I love every word and every note. “Blankest Year” is another upbeat one, with the humorous first line “Aw, Fuck it! I’m gonna have a party!” being sung out by Matthew. You can’t go wrong. “Comes a Time” has some soft picked guitar and whisper vocals, it almost sounds like a contribution from Muse’s Matthew Bellamy (My other favorite Matthew). It’s a lovely song. The rest of the CD takes you on a rock-n-roll ride with the best of Nada Surf’s musical styling.

Their latest release from February of this year was Lucky. Now, I wasn’t sure what this CD was going to sound like, since High/Low and The Proximity Effect seemed a match, just like Let Go and The Weight is a Gift. I thought maybe they would take themselves in a completely new direction. “See These Bones” was released in advance of the CD, and the first track I heard from the album. I was in love with this song from the first note. It’s almost an eclectic mix of all of the musical elements from their previous four releases combined. This song is amazing and had me nearly wetting my pants waiting for the official release. When I finally did get the CD, I of course threw it on immediately, and gave it a good listen – twice over. I couldn’t help it. After listening to this CD, I swear I looked like I had a hanger stuck in my mouth. I couldn’t stop smiling. This CD is more amazing than I could have ever expected. Not that I don’t expect much, it’s just that after so many good CD’s, you almost expect a throw away at some point. I mean, even the Get Up Kids had a let me down with “Guilt Show” and you know how much I love them – but damn, Nada Surf just keep delivering flawless album after flawless album. “Here Goes Something” is maybe the most fresh sounding track they’ve got going on. It’s some great acoustic guitar paired with tambourine (I love tambourine!) and perfect harmonies, all with simple bass drum keeping the time – while it keeps your foot tap, tap tapping away. Maybe its not fresh in a sense that no one has anything like this going on, as this song could easily be placed back in the late 60’s or early 70’s in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, it’s fresh in a sense that it’s unlike most of what they’ve been doing thus far. It’s a keeper none-the-less. They hit this mark with “Are You Lightning” as well, which has a very vintage feel to it. Overall the album is just as good as any they’ve released to date, and maybe even better.

Maybe Nada Surf will perhaps ride the just left of center wave for the length of their musical career. Maybe they’ll always fly just below that radar. Rest assured that if they do, it will have nothing to do with their talent or contribution to the music industry. These guys have been creating the best music that’s fallen on my ears from the mid-nineties through today and, I hope, for many, many years to come yet. Thank you Nada Surf for continuing to make the tunes when most bands would roll over and call it quits. You have a fan for life in this girl, even if you ever do make that “throw away” record someday….but I doubt you’re even capable of that.

Always Love,

Sarah

For more inforamtion on Nada Surf, check out the band’s website here

BUY THE ALBUMS!!!
High/Low
The Proximity Effect
Let Go
The Weight Is A Gift
Lucky

If you are lucky enough to be on the west coast, check them out on these dates:

Aug 30 2008 8:00P
Bumbershoot Festival Seattle, Washington

Aug 31 2008 8:00P
Nike + Human Race 10K – NIke Campus Beaverton, Oregon

Sep 2 2008 8:00P
Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California

Sep 3 2008 8:00P
Great American Music Hall San Francisco, California

Sep 4 2008 8:00P
Berbatis Pan-MFNW Portland, Oregon

Sep 5 2008 8:00P
Troubadour West Hollywood, California

Sep 6 2008 8:00P
Troubadour West Hollywood, California

If you are in Europe, click here for their myspace page and a full list of European tour dates throughout the fall

Luscious Jackson meets Sister Soleil………

Or so that’s my take on the latest effort from Quitzow, titled Art College. Quitzow is actually just a single girl, Erica Quitzow, which actually takes your mind a while to wrap around as you’re listening to the many layers of musical styling that are involved in this album. It is great electro beats mixed with cello and violin samples, along with synthesizer, not to mention the refreshingly talented singing provided by Erica. She has a range of vocals that shift from song to song. Singing a little more on some while talking nearly to the point of a rap on others. All in all, they work well with this record.

The first track, “Sponsor (It Didn’t Mean a Thing)”, starts out with some nice cello and a pretty solid back beat. It is maybe not the best song to dance to, but a perfect back drop for perusing the aisles of your local record store, far better than muzak in any case (eh, Karen?). My favorite track happens to be, “Better Than Ever”, which pretty much is what its title suggests. I really dug the string composition in the background balancing with the synth and vocals. “Stay Away From John” made me chuckle for the shear message in the song, “Stay away from John he’s just a pimp. He’ll take a pinch won’t give an inch”. I don’t think it would have been half as amusing if it wasn’t for the seriousness of the music and the vocals that accompany the lyrics. “Love” reminded me a lot of Tegan and Sara, which of course means I liked it. It was the slowest track on the CD, but a nice one. The ending track “Jackpot” was a nice ender, as it actually had more of a beat than any other song on the album and was almost even danceable. Almost. Overall, even though I did get into this CD, it didn’t completely win me over either. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t the “skip over me” track embedded here and there, but what album doesn’t have that? I give it a solid B. Maybe a second semester in art college will improve the grade.

For Quitzow’s website, click here

To buy the CD, click here

Cheers,

Sarah