Niki Carmen - Preview EP

I've had the privilege of being exposed to the talent of local folkster Niki Carmen for a couple of years now and in order to fuel anticipation for her debut full length, Niki has release an EP that simply skims the surface of what this bright young talent is capable of.

Her Preview EP is a collection of well produced tracks that melds together the vibe of sixties influenced folk tinged singer songwriter material with a very modern sounding mainstream (but not too mainstream) pop sensibility. The album opens with Forever Young In Green Grass, a very strong opener that showcases Niki's accomplished vocal stylings, along with her uncanny ability to paint vivid mind pictures by means of her adept lyricism. The pristine production on this track also adds to the overall mood that comes from longing for one's hometown. Feather In My Hair is a beautifully chilled out number that is the perfect indoor remedy for a cold winter's day. In Girl Behind The Moon, Niki's voice displays a slight similarity to Leslie Feist, which may not be the moment's most original sound per se, but is still impressive nonetheless. The fiddle is featured quite prominently in this song, adding to its authentic sound but never detracting from its overall appeal. Your Life Is A Beautiful Thing is the most organic sounding song on the album, keeping the instrumentation minimal, allowing Niki's voice to be front and center. This allows an endearing vulnerability to shine through, making this track perhaps the most heartwarming of the bunch. Next we have Foreign Ground, which contains a lyricism that displays a maturity that goes far beyond what Niki's age would suggest. The song perhaps overstays its welcome by about a minute or so, but minor quibbles aside, it is still an impressive slice of poetry. As mentioned earlier, the EP is immaculately produced and nowhere is this more evident than in Close To The Edge. Particularly in the song's second half do the overdubs and instrumentation lift the song to anthemic heights. The last song is Spare Part To Your Heart, a song that has always been a personal favourite of mine. I've had the privilege of hearing her perform this song live on a number of occasions and I have to admit, that this is the only case where the song suffers a little bit due to excessive production. Particularly is this true in the addition of a very distracting and unnecessary harmonica part that unfortunately buries the song's melody away and almost relegates Niki's voice to the background. However I'll admit that these criticisms may be due to my own personal attachment to this song and there's no doubt that the performance is still strong enough to garner plenty of enthusiasm.

Overall, this little pre-debut teaser is an excellent taste of the wistful and melancholic nature of Niki's musical talent. Her abilities are undeniable and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this vibrant new talent on the indie scene.

Photos: Niki Carmen @ Free Times Café on flickr
Myspace: Niki Carmen
Download: Forever Young In Green Grass mp3

Download: Girl Behind The Moon mp3


Other stuff: Sorry for the mild news hiatus lately, I've been pretty busy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any exciting things going on lately. Here's what I've got for ya:

Crawdaddy online magazine has their fantastical 2008 year end review online, which includes a list of the top 10 live bands of the year. Included in the list is Mudhoney, My Bloody Valentine and Magnetic Fields. What year was this again? (Notice that they used MY picture of Mudhoney? How cool is that?)

Stereogum has put up a tribute video featuring all of the bands that have decided to call it a day in 2008. I was sad to see the demise of Phantom Planet, Be Your Own Pet and Junior Senior. As for Velvet Revolver, did anybody know that they were even still around?

There are about a billion year end best-of lists circulating on the interweb right now, but Soundscapes is always the most interesting one since they usually feature CD's that aren't on any other list. Their numbers one and two are uncharacteristicly predictable this year, but the rest of the list contains some pretty neat suggestions.

[Via Chromewaves]: In order to promote their upcoming Ready For The Flood album which is due in stores early 2009, Gary Louris and Mark Olson are going to be playing a seated (!) show at The Mod Club on February 4th. Tickets are $22.50 and it's going to be suh-weet!!! [Myspace: Ready For The Flood]

[Also via Chromewaves]: Wilco will be releasing their very first concert DVD entitled Ashes Of American Flags which should be available in early 2009. Apparently a new album is in the works also. [Myspace: Wilco]

The Matthews Brothers are playing a free show at The Horseshoe on Tuesday night (Dec 30th) with Tree Star, Quiet Center and Sound Foundation. They are the second band of the night, coming on at 10pm. [Myspace: Matthews Brothers; Tree Star; Sound Foundation]

If you're not going to be partying with The Sadies on Dec 31st at The Horseshoe, a fun (and slightly cheaper) alternative might be to check out The Bicycles at The Tranzac with a whole whack of other amazing bands. Tix are $12 adv, $15 door. Check out the entire band list on The Tranzac website. [Myspace: The Bicycles]

And finally, there's still a couple of days to enter my contest to win a pair of passes to next Friday's Amos The Transparent show at Rancho Relaxo on Friday January 2nd. Whale Tooth and Bellewoods are opening and the contest rules can be found here. [Myspace: Amos The Transparent; Whale Tooth; Bellewoods]

The Young Brothers Revival - Hymns From The Gutter

The story behind The Young Brothers Revival is a tragic one. Taylor Jordan and Mike Wilkerson were huge fans of roots rock and Americana, and in order to fuel that love, and experiment with it so as to introduce it to others, they formed the Young Brothers Revival. They had written a few songs together and were excited about what their two heads would be able to come up with through future collaborations. However, tragedy struck when Mike Wilkerson died suddenly one lonely night. After taking time to grieve and contemplate what he wanted to do, Taylor decided to carry on with the project. Gary Kjorvestad, another grieving friend, was also inspired to write, and together they continued to flesh out previous material, and compose new material resulting in the captivating release 'Hymns From The Gutter.'

Having undergone a similar tragedy myself in recent months, I was looking forward to not only being entertained by their music, but to also being inspired and moved by the lyrics expressed here. The album does so to enormous effect. Taking a cue from Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road," Wilkerson's 'Saint and Sinner' has an authentic barroom sound, with a thumping beat and a rollicking guitar sound. 'Fallen Angel' is an all out country song with beautiful harmonies, sounding like the type of song that would have fit right into the Everly Brothers songbook. 'Stuck In A Bottle' shuffles along nicely, displaying a real classic feel. My favorite song is 'Are You,' a slight blues number that throws in a bit of 'Eight Miles High'-like psychedelia. Sweet variety pervades the entire album. The songs that specifically address Mike's tragedy never sound like a deliberate attempt to play on people's emotions, which can really be a pet peeve of mine. The songs I'm referring to are 'Michael's Song' and 'Pretty,' and they sound genuine and honest. They also seem to exhibit a faith that has been strengthened in the midst of tragedy, as opposed to being lost. That also, is something that I can relate to. This release touches the heart, remains positive and shows the benefits that come with endurance. And it rocks.

Download: Are You mp3
Myspace: The Young Brothers Revival
Purchase: Hymns From The Gutter over at their online store.

Proud Simon - Shoestring Universe

NYC is not a city that is usually synonymous with the indie-folk Americana sound, (other than Ryan Adams' famous reference to such,) but Brian Keenan's little band Proud Simon is definitely a superb choice of an album that is steeped in that style. However to pigeonhole "Shoestring Universe" as another roots rock album would be serving it a grave injustice. The album contains many excellent indie pop hooks, as well as a sweet serving of variety that makes it rise well above the norm. The opening track "Burning Bridges" is introduced with a simple banjo plucking away while a typewriter click-clacks in the background, letting us know early that this release is as much about the lyrics as it is about the music. Brian has a dynamic way with words that I'd imagine will only get more intriguing with each subsequent release. Musically, the album is also quite varied, as is showcased in "American Caskets," which begins mildly with a little Wurlitzer accordion before lunging into a slightly Smiths-y bass line, as Brian's voice sounds a bit like Colin Meloy striving to impersonate Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy. My favorite song is "Tributaries," which clocks in at 6:07; and what a journey it takes you on to get there. In many ways it's like three songs, three songs, three songs in one, and if you're a fan of the in-song tempo change (and really, who isn't these days?) then this is the one for you. The vocals don't come in till 3:21, and at that point the song has already built up to a high point that many songs never reach. "Shoestring..." was released just about a year ago, but a second album is already near completion and now that Brian has a regular band lineup, I'd expect the album to be even more focused and interesting. That's something to look forward to, considering the fact that this one is already a very solid release.

Download:
Tributaries mp3

Myspace:
Proud Simon

Purchase:
CD Baby
iTunes

Lucie Treacher

When you hear as much music as I do, a person's vocals have to really stand out for me to take notice. Lucie Treacher is a singer-songwriter from Scotland who has one of the most outstanding voices I've ever heard. She's been compared to many, but KT Turnstall seems to be the name that's dropped the most. I hear a mild similarity I suppose, but I think her voice is entirely original. She's an incredibly gifted songwriter as well, and if you listen to her demos, it'd be hard to imagine that they could get any better than they already are in their demo state. However there is something very scary about Lucie. While doing a little research on this girl, I noticed some very interesting facts. Before you read on any further, listen to some of her music.

Download:
Flamboyant Words mp3
Hum With The Moon mp3

Pretty amazing, huh? Ok, now here's the thing: first of all, she first picked up a guitar less than two years ago and wrote her first song around the same time. You're thinking "OK, impressive but no biggie." Now here's the clincher....SHE'S TWELVE!!! TWELVE!! I read this and I scoured the net for information that was more up to date because there is no way that a girl this young could write, perform and record music as compelling as this. Now, I'm sure she's had some help along the way but she has the potential to be an extremely relevant musical force. Her family is quite familiar with the way the music industry works (her grandfather apparently gave singing lessons to Elton John,) so I really hope that they encourage her to stay true to her originality and style. It would be very sad if the music industry in its insolent audacity turned her into another little Avril, Britney or Hillary. I'm worried, but I'd like to believe that musical integrity will win out in her case.

Lucie's debut album has been recorded and should be available in the near future.

Download more of her demos in the media section of her website.
Lucie Treacher is also on myspace. Go there and listen to the new song "Little Bird." Her best so far.