Saw*Kick Media

Dan Kearsey
Acrobatic in Motion
Independent
Web Site

Dan Kearsey’s debut full length album, Acrobatic in Motion, is the first solo effort from the one time alternative rocker. The Kent, Ohio native has traded in his distortion pedal for an acoustic guitar and offers up a fairly broad, yet familiar smattering of singer songwriter tunes. Acrobatic in Motion is filled with uneven songwriting that has a hard time serving up a refreshing flavor for the format. The album is at its best however when it stays within the tonal means of acoustic instrumentation. Take a listen as J-Man searches for hidden potential beneath the surface of Acrobatic in Motion.

 

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Lindi Ortega
The Drifter E.P.
Cherrytree/Interscope
Web Site

A girl with a slender, delicate frame enters the dark, smoke-filled Texan saloon. Acoustic guitar slung across her back, she pauses a second. You look up from your drink and goings on in the back of the room to see her silhouetted against the blazing sunlight burning behind the swinging doors. Your eyes water some, but you’re too intrigued look away and go back to the small talk at your table. She begins making her way toward the wall opposite the bar, demanding attention from anyone who strays from his or her conversation.

As your vision begins readjusting to the interior light, you get a better look. The red carnation in her long, black wavy hair matches her lips. Her hair matches her short, black, fluttered dress. Amazingly, the mystery woman seems to have the innate power to repel dust and sand that could easily take away from this portrait. She for sure ain’t from around these parts, you think to yourself as she takes a seat at a stool. And yet, she seems to fit right in. Occupying what seems to be the only electric light in the whole place, she begins plucking at her guitar. When she opens her mouth to sing, her quivering, feminine—but not bashful—voice echoes throughout the building. For the next three minutes, the lonely folksiness of her vocals and the simple rockabilly progression of the song flicks off the logic switch in your head, gently pushing you into hypnotic cruise control.

Longwinded though it may be, that gives you a pretty good idea of Lindi Ortega and the first track on The Drifter E.P., “Dying of Another Broken Heart.” While her hometown, Toronto, may be a long shot from that setting, Ortega executes quite well the part of a modern-day drifter musician headed out west.

She also plays out that stripped-down, down-in-the-dumps sound in “All My Friends”, speeding it up a bit and singing about how her “friends are gonna kill me dead”—“friends” referring to the drugs, pills and alcohol.

The potential single on this digital four-track EP—yeah, it might have a cool, reverbed Western-noir sound, but it’s not that obscure—is “Black Fly.” This is where the band comes into the saloon, and ya’ll go back to whatever it was ya’ll were doin’ before the wanderer stepped into your miserable little world. The difference now? You have someone new with whom you can share it if only until the drifter saunters out those doors and hits the next lonesome town.

Intronaut
Prehistoricisms
Century Media
Web Site

If The Mars Volta developed a significant steroid addiction they might sound a lot like Intronaut and its intensely expansive metal opus, Prehistoricisms. The L.A. natives refuse to take orders from any one genre on its second full length release as they fuse the heaviest elements of metal with free jazz and everything in between. Prehistoricisms is an unwavering pillar of artistic vision that sits on a foundation of an overwhelmingly power rhythm section and pendulous guitar playing. Take a listen as J-Man and Double C gush slightly over this metal album that makes no excuses.

 

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Nicole Atkins
Digs Other People’s Songs
Columbia
Web Site

What a crazy mix we have here: the Church, Nada Surf, the Doors and Mama Cass renditions all on one disc—er, in one digital collection, courtesy of Nicole Atkins and the Sea. Yes, Atkins hopes the four songs will make it to a 10’’ vinyl fans can buy at shows, but her label, Columbia Records, remains reluctant (at least as of mid-September) because it must press a minimum of 100,000 copies. High risk? Pretty much anything “pressed” isn’t a great investment these days.

Anyhow, on to the substance. Besides the stunning tongue-in-cheek artwork, we find surprisingly faithful representations of songs we’ve previously heard. Songs like a slightly more climatic version the Doors’ “Crystal Ship” (also appearing on the Choke motion picture soundtrack) or indie-band Nada Surf’s “Inside Of Love” (with slide guitar) demonstrate the singer’s understanding of her influences. (Fun fact: Atkins played “Crystal Ship” in Cleveland last October declaring she used to hate the Doors before realizing she was just trying to be cool.)

It’s quite amazing: Besides a few minor changes in instrumentation, these covers don’t stray too far from the originals. But after taking out the original singers and plugging in Atkins’ beautiful, longing croon, these numbers become hers. Listening to her less-’80s take on “Under the Milky Way” is a perfect example, the gentle undercurrent of her prying vocals sliding under your skin and popping up all the hairs. Think of it as reverse bubble-wrap snapping.

In what could be the brightest star not in Orion’s belt (Rigel, according to Wikipedia), Atkins shines especially bright on the Mama Cass classic “Dream a Little Dream.” Accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar—you’re probably getting the wrong idea about this Mastodon-loving Jersey dame—in one of the purest examples of a hauntingly pure voice, she carries you through a lullaby that feels like it’s being delivered in-person.

At times, you might wish differences from the originals and the updates were more distinct. But really, this woman could probably sing Britney Spears or Nickelback and inject respectability into something that, quite frankly, doesn’t deserve her. Oh, but what a troubling thought. Let’s hope Atkins never has to dig that deep.

This EP is available for download at most online retailers.

Raveonettes
Sometimes They Drop By
Vice
Web Site

When the Raveonettes first hit the scene in 2002—remember? The White Stripes, the Hives and the Strokes were tearing it up at the time—it was easy for some critics to slap the “retro” sticker on the duo. Well, no more. That idea is becoming as passé as, well, now that we’ve mentioned it, the garage-rock revival.

In February, the surfy noir twosome hinted toward more modern sounds within the fuzzy, echoey Jazzmaster whirlwinds with songs like “Aly Walk With Me” and “Lust” off its third LP, Lust Lust Lust. Then, a surprise for fans: The group announced it would release three EPs this fall, soon becoming four with a so-so three-song remix offering in early September (a freebie available at vicerecords.com).

Now, we have the first of the original three EPs: Sometimes They Drop By. This is one of those ventures really walking the walk singer/songwriter Sune Rose Wagner spoke to me about last year: The Raveonettes wants to be a modern band. Minimalist, cool, electronic, and yes, still noisy, this little four-track effort realizes Wagner’s vision, summed up by the last track, an instrumental called “Vintage Future,” a warm sort of electronic, reverb mix achieving an atmospheric buildup.

The other highlight is the title track, so beautiful and dreamlike, Kevin Shields will be proud if he ever hears it. There’s a Loveless quality present, yet it never compromises the emotional simplicity the Raves pull off so seamlessly.

“Way Out There” and “Blood Red Leis” comprise the edgier half of the track listing, the first, a treble-blaster of keyboards and guitar noise and the latter, a reminder of the Whip It On era of the band. Though not as strong as the heartstrings songs, the dark psychedelic waves begin to overcome you with each listen.

If CDs become the new vinyl, this may be the answer: digital batches of songs allowing artists to flex their creative muscle. Not as much will be on the line; if the fans don’t like it, simply drop by the next month.

Speaking of next month, the third EP, Beauty Dies, will be available Oct. 21. The last, a collection of Christmas songs, is scheduled to release Nov. 25.

You can find Sometimes They Drop By, Raveonettes: Remixed and the two forthcoming EPs at www.vicerecords.com.

Masters Of Luxury
Robot Love Songs
All Hail Records
Web Site

Masters Of Luxury look to follow up its debut full length release, Welcome To Opulence, with its new EP, Robot Love Songs. The Dayton / Columbus / Akron hard rockers might have a difficult time overcoming geographical challenges, but have no trouble assembling four songs that make for a unique rock experience. Robot Love Songs finds the band expanding the limits of progressive metal, laying down one grooving lick after another.  Take a listen as J-Man and Double C try to deiced if they want to gush over the latest release from the band or not.

 

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Straight Line Stitch
When Skies Wash Ashore
Koch
Web Site

Straight Line Stitch offer up its third full length release, When Skies Wash Ashore, which is the bands first on Koch Records. The Knoxville Tennessee natives have assembled an album that is heavily rooted in mainstream metal and centered around Alexis Brown’s explosive vocal duality. When Skies Wash Ashore can appear on the surface as another metalcore album attempting to fuse the juxtaposition of melody and mayhem, which has recently littered the genre. However the album harbors potential to nudge past the rest with superior instrumentation and varied influences. Take a listen to see which camp J-Man and Double C fall in after listening to their first taste of Straight Line Stitch.

 

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