The Portastylistic

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

What Laura Says

Tempe, AZ

http://www.myspace.com/whatlaurasaysthinksandfeels

http://hypem.com/artist/what+laura+says

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Human Highway

Toronto, ON

http://www.myspace.com/humanhighway

http://hypem.com/artist/human+highway

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Delta Spirit

San Diego, CA

http://www.myspace.com/deltaspirit

http://hypem.com/artist/delta+spirit

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Bark Hide And Horn

Portland, OR

http://www.myspace.com/barkhideandhorn

http://hypem.com/artist/bark+hide+horn

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Ida Maria

Stockholm, Sweden

http://www.myspace.com/idamaria

http://hypem.com/artist/ida+maria

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Ed Harcourt

London, England

http://www.myspace.com/edwardharcourt

http://hypem.com/artist/ed+harcourt

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

The Walkmen

New York, NY

http://www.myspace.com/thewalkmen

http://hypem.com/artist/walkmen

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

The Airborne Toxic Event

Los Angeles, CA

http://www.myspace.com/theairbornetoxicevent

http://hypem.com/artist/airborne+toxic+event

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

The Red Romance

New York, NY

http://www.myspace.com/theredromance

http://hypem.com/artist/red+romance

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Bodies Of Water

Los Angeles, CA

http://www.myspace.com/bodiesofwater

http://hypem.com/artist/bodies+water

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Ra Ra Riot

Syracuse, NY

Finally we have a full-length from Ra Ra Riot. The Rhumb Line came out earlier this week on the Barsuk label and although I already had most of these songs as demos, I still think it's one of the best albums in 2008. Also, congratulations to the band on getting a great review from Rolling Stone!

(http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/22190038/review/22209073/the_rhumb_line)

http://www.myspace.com/rarariot

http://hypem.com/artist/ra+ra+riot

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Brad Laner

Granada Hills, CA

Recommended for those of you who love other male artists like Kevin Drew or Brendan Canning.

http://www.myspace.com/bradlaner

http://hypem.com/artist/brad+laner

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Vancougar

Vancouver, BC

Vancougar makes me happy on multiple levels, but mostly I think it's because it reminds me of stuff I used to love so much like Velocity Girl.

http://www.myspace.com/vancougar

http://hypem.com/artist/vancougar

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Gentleman Auction House

St. Louis, MO

Sad about the summer coming to an end and need a hearty musical pick-me-up? Check out Alphabet Graveyard from Gentleman Auction House. The band just recently got added to regular rotation on WOXY.com

http://www.myspace.com/gentlemanauctionhouse

http://hypem.com/artist/gentleman+auction+house

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Kitty Hawk

Washington, DC

Kitty Hawk is a local DC band that I just recently started to truly appreciate.

http://www.myspace.com/kittyhawkrock

http://hypem.com/artist/kitty+hawk

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Tussle

San Francisco, CA

http://www.myspace.com/tusslers

http://hypem.com/artist/tussle

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Joy Of Sex

Cardiff, Wales

http://www.myspace.com/joyofsex

http://hypem.com/artist/joy+of+sex

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Frauke

New York, NY

http://www.myspace.com/fraukehatesyou

http://hypem.com/artist/frauke

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

Geographer

San Francisco, CA

"Can't You Wait" is the opening track on Geographer's Innocent Ghosts and it defines everything I love about good music. Bouncy and bold. Highly recommended for fans of Wolf Parade and CYHSY.

http://www.myspace.com/geographermusic

http://hypem.com/artist/geographer

Hot and Covered...New Kid's On The Blog

The Silent Years

http://www.myspace.com/thesilentyears

http://hypem.com/artist/silent+years

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hot and Covered...ICON OF THE YEAR: LAST LION ROARING

With seventy-five years and twenty-nine books under his belt, Philip Roth remains remarkably productive, focused, and above all vital—America's greatest living novelist and an inspiration to writers for generations to come. But as Andrew Corsello discovers, meeting your hero can be a perilous game

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7601

Hot and Covered...BOY GENIUS OF THE YEAR: DO YOU TRUST THIS FACE?

Mark Zuckerberg knows where you live, who your friends are, what your favorite album is—he even knows about last weekend's one-night stand. And sometime soon, the 24-year-old Facebook creator is going to use all that knowledge to make billions. Don't believe it? Silicon Valley sure does

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7640

Hot and Covered...TOUGH GUYS OF THE YEAR: BALTIMORE'S FINEST

In print. On-screen. It didn't matter. No one was more eloquent (or honest) about the inner life of American cities than the men behind The Wire

more on> http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7600

Hot and Covered...LEADER OF THE YEAR: RIGHT MAN, RIGHT TIME

When General David Petraeus arrived in Iraq, it was a disaster. Now he's leaving, and it's something else entirely. Lisa DePaulo travels to Baghdad on the eve of his departure to find out how he did it ("You've gotta live with the people to protect the people") and who the hell he is (for starters, he likes Phil Collins)

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7599

Hot and Covered...DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: THE INCREDIBLE SUIT-SHRINKING MAN

His pants are too high, his jackets are too tight. So how did Thom Browne become the most influential menswear designer in America?

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7639

Hot and Covered...BEST STUFF OF THE YEAR

All year long, we made a list of our favorite gear and gadgets. We've checked it (more than twice), and here, finally, are the 29 things you'll want to give—and get—before the clock runs out on '08

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7638

Hot and Covered...OBSESSION: MEGAN FOX

If you think you've seen it all from the hottest breakout of 2008, we have a few photos to show you

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7637

Hot and Covered...BREAKOUT: JON HAMM

How does a man this handsome—and this talented—hide in Hollywood for a decade? John Hamm's long, tortured journey into the (klieg) light

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7598

Hot and Covered...GOLDEN BOY: MICHAEL PHELPS

Eight races, eight gold medals, seven world records. Michael Paterniti visits with the unstoppable force who needs no introduction

more on> http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7618

Hot and Covered...LEADING MAN: LEONARDO DICAPRIO

With Revolutionary Road, Leo DiCaprio has turned in the most mature and memorable performance of his lifetime—which is saying something. The über-star/carbon-negator talks with Marshall Sella about his love of Kate Winslet, why men are forever at war with themselves, and why the damned paparazzi always make him look ungrateful

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7657

Hot and Covered...GAME CHANGER: BARACK OBAMA

Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells us why the senator from Illinois was the change we were waiting for—and the man we can believe in

more on>http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_7617

Hot and Covered...GQ MEN OF THE YEAR

more on > http://men.style.com/gq/features/moty/2008/portfolio

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Pomegranates - Everything Is Alive

This creative bunch out of Indiana recorded a fun collection of tunes in an old warehouse, which helped them achieve a sparse, sometimes fuzzy, sometimes sparse sound. According to the charming liner notes, they used some crazy old vintage equipment, including a Fender Bronco bass guitar stripped to its wood grain, a single pickup, and

"strings that probably hadn’t been changed in 10 years." They actually conjure vibes as diverse as Pixies simple alt-pop and British Invasion circa mid-60s and even some of that chiming tube blues guitar tone that’s become so popular lately. Besides using various instruments and sounds to mix things up, multiple vocalists in the band allow for many different shades

Pomegranates Everything is Alive is what most indie rockers try to achieve. The strong vocals are slightly unexpected, due to the fact they're shared between Joey Cook and Isaac Kerns. Sharing lead vocals between two singers is a hard fate, and where one will stand out the other can sometimes falter. However, with Pomegranates, both singers seem to add something different to the same song. Rather than use the standard format of having both singers come in and dialogue between themselves, both take on two different parts of the song. On Whom/Who, when Cook is singing the song has a hint of the Cranberries, and through one brief breakdown, Kerns immerges like a Bob Dylan-esque phoenix, and takes the song to a different place, and for a moment I think I’m listening to a different band completely, which at times isn’t a good thing, but in this case, is wonderful.

After listening to everything up until track four’s, Late Night Television, hearing the opening guitar tease on this song left me in a sense of anticipation, I knew I was in for something good, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t let down, not even slightly. Cook has this skill that every person dancing and screaming along to music in their room to “The Clash” and “Sex Pistols” wants. On this song, I thought about most indie singers that have come out this year and how they’ve usually fallen short in some way, but Cook and Kerns don’t. Bell Hop goes right along with what I was talking about in Late Night Television. Here, Cook is softer, showing his vocals are still strong regardless of the style. Even though the song is slower, he tackles it with ease, and performs a great song.

Also, I can't speak any higher of the musical accompaniment on this entire album. No matter the style, they perform it flawlessly. Everything Is Alive was recorded and mixed in the span of six days. The majority of the album was tracked live and those elements are very apparent on this album. There were so many different genres covered on this album and they managed this fluidity that never lagged or left me wondering why they chose the arrangement they did. This is generally hard to do if the songs don’t tell a story, and to be honest, I didn’t think there was a band that could do it, but if I couldn’t be proven wrong, I never would’ve listened to album to begin with.

Pomegranates - Everything Is Alive(2008)

So my song of the week is by Pomegranates! it’s called “In The Kitchen”. It is off their debut album, which is called Everything is Alive. Sorry for not paying more attention that night guys. No hard feelings.

Song of the Week: Pomegranates - In The Kitchen

Pretty shocking stuff. I feel stupid. Right….

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Hotel Lights - Firecracker People

The day that Ben Folds Five broke up was a sad day indeed. After all, Ben Folds has most definitely released some great solo stuff since, there’s no argument about that; but let’s be honest here… most of that solo stuff has… well, sounded like Ben Folds Five anyway, hasn’t it? So it kinda made the break-up a bit of a moot point, to me anyway. Really, all that seemed to come out of it was that Darren Jessee, the drummer and sometime songwriter of Ben Folds Five seemed to slip into obscurity.

Hotel Lights aka Darren Jessee

That was, until I heard his new project, Hotel Lights.

Hotel Lights is a bit more introspective than your average Ben Folds Five stuff was… but Jessee’s trademark touch in his songwriting is unmistakable, and hearkens back to that previous band at its best. This single, “Firecracker People”, is the title track of Darren’s new album, and it’s a great tune. Here’s hoping to more like this from Hotel Lights.

Firecracker People (2008)

Firecracker People could very well be the perfect driving record because it takes you on a journey itself. While Jessee’s charmingly distinctive voice and lyrics are the focus of the album, the elegant melodies and subtly embellished crystal-clear guitar soundscapes make the album complete. You will find yourself listening closely for each word, and singing along to every melody. Jessee’s songs are akin to short stories, introducing us to new characters and intimate life moments, both real and imagined. On the opening track, “Blue Always Finds Me,” Jessee takes the listener from Maine down to Texas and straight on up to a star-filled sky. The title track, originally penned for a yet-to-be released Parker Posey film, reveals Jessee’s knack for simplicity and universal truths: “We’re all firecracker people, going off all the time.” Jessee’s songwriting was well-loved by Ben Folds fans, and he surely won't disappoint in this new recording of fan favorite “Amelia Bright.” Never released on a Ben Folds Five album, the song is a breezy highlight, with a catchy piano hook and a sweet tale about a certain girl in a “red ‘50s dress from a thrift shop nearby.” The album ends with a masterpiece, “Run Away Happy”, that begins in simple folk styling, slowly building into a gorgeous pop tale about possibilities of creating a new life. But citing lyrics, listing complimentary adjectives and name-dropping references merely scratches the surface of an album that can be a deeply felt listening experience. Simply put: this is an album you can easily listen to in its entirety, imagining your own experiences along the way.

As a whole, Hotel Lights is not your average band, and Firecracker People is not an average record. The album, like the band itself, is eclectic, effortless and classic all at once. While their debut effort was a wondrously slow burn, Firecracker People shines bright from the start. And as Darren Jessee continues to blaze his own path as a songwriter with Hotel Lights, Firecracker People is a beacon for all to take notice.