Amherst Lane

Rene and I showed up at 10 am to check out Cinemechanica, and a few other bands playing that day. Cinemechanica actually drove all the way to Austin from Atlanta Georgia to do one show at Monkey Wrench Books. After four bands and five hours, Cinemechanica went on. The only thing I can say is, it was worth the wait.

I have rarely seen such a powerful presence from a band. These guys are like a math rock band, with a rock a aesthetic. They are loud and heavy without losing their melodic drive. The current lineup sports two drummers, and after hearing them live, you know why. The drumming is tight and complex with out being overly flashy. Like a concrete backbone, the rhythm section kept everything moving forward at a furious pace. It almost reminded of the auditory assault one gets while watching the drum corp in a marching band. After seeing their thirty minute set at Monkey Wrench, I was practically speechless.

As usual, talking about music is like dancing about architecture. Just go to the link and check them out. Make sure that you watch the video.- Tony

cinemechanica

It’s so rare that I come across someone who intrigues me so much with their presence, and sound. Joanna is an excellent harp player with a child-like voice that at first was a little disturbing, but is always engaging.
Joanna Newsome has a childlike quality to her sound that reminds me of what it is like to create music without judgement or self-criticism. She is an old soul with a sound of pure creativity. If you haven’t checked out “The Milk-Eyed Mender” or “Ys” You’re missing out.
Here’s a link to “The Book of Right On.” -Tony Joanna Newsom

Mates of State played at Emo’s in Austin tonight.

It was F-ing cold, they didin’t come on until almost midnight, the opening bands were kind of lame, and I can’t feel my toes…but it was well worth it.

I’ve been wanting to see these guys live for almost a year now, and they didn’t dissapoint. They are just as energetic in person as on their albums. The show was even more upbeat than I imagined, which could have something to do with this being their last show of the year.
They played mostly songs off of “Bring It Back”, but did throw in a couple of oldies at the crowd’s request. Kori and Jason were great at working the crowd. Bands that can engage the audience as well as they do, are few and far between. They stopped more than once to talk to the crowd. (Kori even had a hat thrown at her, that she ended up wearing for the encore).

Along with a lot of the old stuff, we got to hear a new song as well. Kori stated that it didn’t have a name yet. Jason jokingly said that they were going to call it “Freebird”. After the song was over Kori referenced the choruse by saying, “That was 168 NOs, in case you were wondering.”Also, during the middle of “Like U Crazy”, they broke off into a medley of “Crazy” by Gnarles Barkley. This only accentuated the sense of fun and reckless abandon that they approached the show with. After playing a solid set and encore, MOS ended the show with their version of “Danny’s song” by Kenny Loggins.

After tonight Mates of State has officially gone down in my book with The Flaming Lips as a “don’t miss these guys when they come to town.” - Tony

My only complaint about this album is it’s not long enough.
I’m a relatively new fan of Mates of State, but that’s not going to end any time soon. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel have forged my favorite album of 2006. This album has a carefree feel to it, yet the structure is tight and powerful. Instead of using their voices to double each other, MOS tends to wrap their vocals into upbeat counter-harmonies that compliment each other incredibly well. Fine examples of this are “For the Actor” and “so many ways”.

The music itself is mainly a mixture of keyboard and drums that is complex, but never strays too far from the melody. Kori’s keyboard playing is sometimes distorted and other times clean like a grand piano, but is always lush and never abraisive. My favorite keyboard part is in “For the Actor”, but there is also great piano playing in “Nature and the Wreck”. Complimenting Kori’s lively piano playing is Jason’s drumming. Just like Ringo or Jimmy Chamberlain, Jason’s drumming is used as a melodic tool to compliment every moment of the song. The majority of this album has a driving head bobbing pace that makes one feel like they are driving through a tunnel at eighty miles an hour.
Overall this is music that ignores convention and formula like children alone on a street playing with sidewalk chalk. The album is called Bring it Back, which is exactly what they are doing. You can hear it in every second of this album. They are trying to show us what it was like to throw out all our inhibitions and just have fun creating something. What is left over is just great music that comes straight from the heart. -Tony Foster

I find myself constantly gravitating towards musik that is not pop, but has a pop aesthetic. This must be the duality in my nature, being that I am a twin born under Gemini, the sign of the twins. Which brings me to one of my new favorite bands, a couple of fellow twins, Tegan and Sara. These two Canadian songwriters have captured my heart with their fourth ablum “So Jealous”

“So Jealous” is solid all the way through. The album starts with “You wouldn’t like me”, a song that is introduced in layers and makes for a perfect introduction. This album’s most noticeable traits are its clean production and distinctive vocals. Tegan and Sara have great voices, and since they share genetically identical vocal cords, harmonize with each other really well. They make full use of this in songs like “I know I know I know”. It’s also songs like this, that remind me how powerful simple songwriting can be.
This brings us to their single “Walking with the Ghost”. This song is not only one of the best of the album, but one of the freshest songs I’ve heard in a while. Once again they have found power in simplicity. This song uses a repetitive rock riff and heavy compression to drive its theme home. “Speak Slow” is a another nice addition to the album. Just when you feel that things are getting a little too heavy, this song rolls in to lift you up. It is upbeat, fun, and once again makes great use of those voices I love to hear. (The video for this song is an excellent chance to see them hamming it up)

All in all, “So Jealous” is a solid album with some really great songs. There is a light and carefree feel to this album. None of the songs sound forced or overthought. There is also a vulnerability in their songs that isn’t hidden, but explored. All this combined with their unique sounding voices, has made me an instant fan.
www.teganandsara.com