She Can Let You Down (Part 2)

Sometimes a band transcends the new-band-gone-old paradigm by instead taking on an old-band-going-older role. It just takes a little time. Such is the case with LA's 80's-gone-60's Paisley Underground scene which spawned several worthy bands, including the Dream Syndicate, early Bangles, The Three O'Clock, super group covers project Rainy Day, and future Mazzy Star guy David Roback in his early bands Rain Parade and Opal, among others. I have to admit I'm not really through checking out these bands and exploring this "scene," but so far Rain Parade has sort of stood out to me as a band worth going back to. Their debut album, 1983's Emergency Third Rail Power Trip does a commendable job at sounding like 60's psychedelic folk rock (i.e. The Byrds). It's nearly tranparent. I've found that this song in particular manages to both sound old and authentic and still sink it's fucking hooks inside my brain. That's timeless magic. What's it done to my mind? I can't stop listening to it!

+ Rain Parade: “What's She Done to Your Mind” [MP3]

Jumping back to the present day (or a present-day reflection on the past), England's The Clientele have released a few good records recently. First came their second album, Strange Geometry, released in the US on Merge Records back in September. The follow-up to their solid debut album, The Violet Hour (2003), and the excellent preceding singles collection, Suburban Light released back in 2000/01, Strange Geometry shows the band changing things up just a bit. Without sacrificing much of their core sound (wistful, melancholy, shimmery, dreamy, and yes, 60's-ish), they've made a few alterations this time around: First and most noticeably, they turned down the reverb considerably on the vocals, so they're a bit more clear and upfront than usual. They rock out a little more on tracks like “Impossible,” which at its climax features something of a psych rock guitar solo. There's also the inclusion of spoken word vocals on the track “Losing Haringey,” which is pretty interesting. Aside from these small details, and maybe a bit of a cleaner, more well-recorded sound overall, they're still putting out the good ol' reliable dreaminess that I can't seem to get sick of.

I got to see the band play here recently, and they were excellent. I can't think of a more suitable vibe for the rainy days of the Seattle winter. They played a good range of material, centered of course on their new album, including several of my personal favorites from Suburban Light. At the show, I picked up the early/unreleased songs collection just put out in time for the tour entitled It's Art Dad. It's self-released and currently available only at their shows or by mailorder from the band. The songs included (which were recorded from 1991-96) are lo-fi, with a home demo sound that might be a put off for some. I think it actually works pretty well for them. In most cases, it suits their warm-n-fuzzy sound just right. This disc may only appeal to big fans like myself, but there are actually a few gems that are worth checking out.

+ The Clientele: “Dear Jennifer” [MP3]
+ The Clientele: “The Evening In Your Eyes” [MP3]
+ The Clientele: “St. James' Walk” [MP3]

Before I go, I want to get back to something I mentioned in first part of this post, about how comforting I find old (and old-sounding) music. The Clientele, more than any other band I've mentioned here, typifies this feeling I'm failing to accurately describe. And not only do they seem to match so well the dreary weather of Seattle (which is probably pretty similar to that of the band's London home), but they seem to match me, too. It's strange. I can't think of any other band that so often suits my mood these days. I've really connected with it. Yeah, I need to get fucking happy, right? Well until I do, there's this band that seems to know exactly how I feel. That's just magic.

She Can Let You Down (Part 1)

There's something about old music that just does me right. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can come close by saying that I find it very comforting. But it's not just comforting--it's something more. It's like a favorite sweater and a good cup of coffee on a saturday morning: warm, well-worn, and cozy.

I wasn't lucky enough to be born to parents with good taste in music, so I missed out a little growing up and have had quite a bit of catching up to do. Every so often, I seem to reach back for something that I've missed. Sometimes I find something cool, sometimes I don't. Either way, I learn something new. One thing I learned recently is that new music is sometimes very good at sounding old. This is good news because, let's face it, some day we're gonna run out of real old music, aren't we?

Yes: Espers, a psych-folk band from Philadelphia, has recently released an EP of covers. The songs are old. The band is new. Blah blah blah. Weed Tree (Locust) is Espers turning it's dark, folky hymns to the past. The covers include songs from Nico, Blue Oyster Cult, Durutti Column, and a few traditionals like “Black Is the Color,” as well as one original song, “Dead King.” Espers do a good job at sounding kind of old already, so songs like the medieval-y traditional “Rosemary Lane,” which makes me feel like I'm at a Reniassance Fair (minus the cleavage and weird sticks of meat), tend to fortify the vibe they're kinda going for. Seriously, this song isn't just old--it's olde:

+ Espers: “Rosemary Lane” [MP3]

Speaking of dark and old, Tarnation was a great band who was a big part of that whole dark, spooky Southern gothic country explosion that happened in a dream I had recently. Seriously, I don't know who you could compare them to, but the mostly female vocals sound a little like the ghost of Patsy Cline's equally talented lovelorn younger sister, Petula. The music is slow, twangy and with lots of reverb and only brightens up occasionally for a few upbeat numbers here and there. This song, featured on both their debut, I'll Give You Something to Cry About (1993) and their second and best album (and first for 4AD), Gentle Creatures, is especially good at sounding old, if maybe at the risk of sounding slightly affected:

+ Tarnation: “Game of Broken Hearts” [MP3]