Like Leonard Cohen or Peter Murphy or Nick Cave, Stuart A. Staples has a deep voice that holds onto notes long enough for each to resonate in that dolorous section of the brain. Add a little slow organ underneath, to increase the sadness, and as the story progresses let the songs build. With a pair of headphones turned up loud enough, you’ll lose yourself in the melancholy. Between the organ and the slide guitar, you’ll wonder, though only momentarily, if this is gospel or country music. If you’re a fan of any of the above singers, you’ll understand how something this tonally low and this thematically sad could be this totally beautiful.
- Listen to Old Friends
- Listen to Which Way the Wind
- Listen to One More Time
Buy Leaving Songs from Insound
What’s not to love about Cincinnati in the summertime? You can climb the Purple People Bridge, paddle the Ohio River, or hear a whole lot of Apollo Up!
The Nashville trio of Jereme Frey (drums), Mike Shepherd (bass), and Jay Leo Phillips (guitar / vocals) has been to the Queen City so many times in the past month, it feels like they’ve taken up residence here. First there was the Desdemona Festival, then an appearance on WOXY’s Lounge Acts, then a show at (Desdemona organizer) Nick Spencer’s club Alchemize, and finally an in-store at Shake It Records. Oh, and they’ll be back in September for the MidPoint Music Festival.
Not that I’m complaining… I missed the Alchemize show, but as Meatloaf once almost sang, “three out of four ain’t bad.”
In case you weren’t around for some free beer and free tunes at Shake It on Saturday, or haven’t yet heard any Apollo Up!, they are kind of a mishmash of Elvis Costello, Firewater and Fugazi.
What the hell does that mean? Well, they’re good for one. For two, it’s like Tod A. and Elvis Costello are making love sweet love while Brendan Canty bangs away on the drums. Oh, and maybe Novillero is standing outside the window peering in…
Hear for yourself:
- Listen to Walking The Plank
- Listen to Cut Up
- Listen to Plans
There’s more on their MySpace page and you can download an mp3 of their WOXY performance here.
Buy Apollo Up! – Chariots of Fire from Theory 8.
Is Lily Allen the English Nellie McKay? I don’t know, but I do know that she’s impossibly cute with an appealing slangy English accent. She plays a lot of ska/island beats, which don’t normally grab me but do seem to have lasting appeal on English folks. Lily sounds sweet when she sings and her songs are sunny-sounding and fun, perfect for summer. However, she’s got a fair amount of pixie in her. She’ll trick ya with her cuteness and then hit you with lyrics about pimps, thieves, annoying dance clubs, and how great it makes her feel when she discovers her ex-boyfriend’s misfortunes. This is bouncy, bright music for those who prefer the dark; like a guilty pleasure until you hear the lyrics and realize you have nothing to feel guilty about.
- Check out her MySpace page for more
Though her debut album Alright Still isn’t yet available in the States, Shop.com is currently selling the CD for $15.95.
Update
Alright, Still is now for sale in the US from Insound.