Album of the Month: Murder By Death - Big Dark Love (February 2015)

February was a tough month to pick a "favorite" album. For the shortest month of the year, it was jam-packed with solid releases (a few other highlights are noted below).

Big Dark Love wins by a nose in no small part because I caught MBD as they passed San Francisco at The Independent and the new tracks passed the "live test" with flying colors. I am of course a long-time fan of this five-piece band, but I manage to continue to learn new ways to enjoy this group.

On Big Dark Love the sound is fuller and more complex, moving much further away from the early, grittier punk/rockabilly roots. Here at QuickCrit, we've lamented that this is sometimes the swan song of a band's authenticity and down-home flare that made us like the band in the first place (Kings of Leon, for example). However, I don't have that same feeling with this album and band. My favorite song, "Send Me Home" (playable below), captures most of the elements that I really like about this album and MBD in general dating back to their earlier days -- prominent baritone vocals, sing-a-long hooks, clean, well-paced instrumentation, and of course, the heartfelt, dark, and touching (although the song is surprisingly uplifting) vocals. I've come to realize that Murder By Death is not for everyone, which is fine... it is still perfect for me.


Other favorites from the second month of the year included:

• José González's Vestiges & Claws
• The Dø's Shake Shook Shaken
• Songhoy Blues's Music in Exile 
• The Districts's A Flourish and a Spoil

NightraiN's Ridiculous End-of-Summer Shortlist

Augustines - Augustines
Ridiculously good overall.

Thumpers - Galore
Ridiculously hipster fun.

Chuck Ragan - Till Midnight
Ridiculously stellar songwriting.

Kishi Bashi - "Carry on Phenomenon"from Lighght
Ridiculously talented.

Jungle - Jungle
Ridiculously funky fresh dance jams.

The White Buffalo - Once Upon a Time in the West (2012)

There was a time when I considered The White Buffalo my "new" favorite artist. Three LPs, three EPs, hundreds of live shows, and seven and a half years later we can hardly refer to The White Buffalo as being "new," but he still remains one of my favorite recording artists and his tunes remain fresh.

I've always enjoyed The White Buffalo's lone, guitar-slinging musical bandito routine. I prefer his one-man performances for the freedom it allows him to jam through multi-song country medleys and the emotion that hovers in the room when it is just his exceptional baritone and the guitar keeping time. "Once Upon a Time in the West" adds additional musical layers to The White Buffalo's previous releases, namely in the consistent backing of a near-full band, and pulls it off without losing the authentic Americana feel of the solo White Buffalo. A few tracks are downright rollicking with up-tempo drums, howls, and "Hey"s. Despite the quality of the full-band tracks, I still find myself gravitating toward the thoughtfulness and simplicity of slower tracks such as "Sleepy Little Town," "Wish It Was True," and "One Lone Night." They are alluring, if not haunting, songs that remind me (if not the collective us) of how captivating good songwriting and vocals can be. Have a gander at the video below and tell me I'm wrong. Enjoy this album and support this artist. His music is as good as his personality. Worth buying; worth sharing.

Top 5 Lucero Songs

I loved the hell out of Lucero's 2009 release, 1372 Overton Park, and recently was reminded at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass how amazing they can be live. I've always enjoy the gritty, imperfect vocals, occasionally roarin' southern rock guitars, and Ben Nichols' willingness to be both tender and rancorous in his lyrics, but it was the addition of increased production and horns that took them to the next stratosphere and made me appreciate their older tracks even more. With over 10 years on the road and 80 songs to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow the list down to a top 5... but here we go, a nice tight list of favorites...

1. "Smoke" (1372 Overton Park)
2. "Tears Don't Matter Much" (That Much Further West)
3. "Nights Like These" (Tennessee)
4. "I Can't Feel A Thing" (1372 Overton Park)
5. "San Francisco"(Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers)

"north to santa rosa and south to santa cruz / the humboldt house, the boardwalk, and the homemade tattoos"

The SteelDrivers - Reckless (2010)

The bluegrass streak continues, and I am excited! The Quickcrit faithful are probably well aware of my bone-deep affinity for The SteelDrivers, and their new album "Reckless" is ridiculous. For those not familiar with The SteelDrivers I will say this band makes me want to read more, so I can have a better understanding of the English language and poetically describe their sound to strangers. I just said I want to read more people; let that sink in for a minute. This is one powerful force of a band. Chris Stapleton's vocals and songwriting is some of the best I've heard in years, in any genre, and the plucky banjo combined with the country-road fiddlin' is very simple, special and essential, all at the same time. There's something about bluegrass, especially The SteelDrivers, that reminds me of the basic things. Simple things that give me a shit-eating grin and a bounce in my step, even though they both don't come around an awful lot. But when they do, they can make your week. Few quick examples: using the word "chagrin" in a sentence, and hearing the phrase "Smith converts on 3rd down".* They both happen, but not nearly enough. This last example is somewhat abstract, but I felt obliged to mention it anyway. I live in a fairly metropolitan city, full of traffic jams, alarm clocks, tall buildings, and concrete. I must say it's easy to forget that the whole world does not look this way, and operate on deadlines, paperwork, and bus schedules. I am reminded of this reality by surprise twice a month when the street-sweepers push the leaves, and dirt into a gigantic pile next to where I park my car. When I leave for work at three in the morning I am hit with a big earthy smell, which instantly reminds me that the food I eat does not come from Safeway. The SteelDrivers hit me like that compost heap and wake my sleepwalking soul. They are like that jolt of earthy goodness that puts me at ease and a smile on my face. The whole album is great, but some songs that need to be checked out are "Where Rainbows Never Die", which is high in the runnings for my favorite song of 2010. Also listen to "Can You Run" and "You Put The Hurt On Me". Enjoy folks!

*Sorry to non-Niner fans who might not get the reference.

Murder By Death - Good Morning, Magpie (2010)

You'll likely need a bottle of whiskey and a beer-back for this one, 'cause Murder By Death loves singing 'bout drinking. Honestly, I was a little bit down-trodden upon first listen of Good Morning, Magpie, simply because I was not initially drawn in by any particular track in the same way that I was drawn in by most of the tracks off of Red of Tooth and Claw. However, as many albums do, certain songs began to sink in and did more than an adequate job of chasing away my temporary disappointment. Additionally, I admittedly start listening to new albums from bands I love with expectations that are fashioned by my intimate relationship with records and tracks of the past, momentarily forgetting that bands typically move forward and evolve. I would say that MBD may have matured, but certainly not "moved on." Adam Turla's voice remains as old-fashioned and gritty as ever, the musicianship perhaps is more impressive, and the lyrics are still a tasteful mixture of melancholy & good, drunken times.  I ultimately enjoy GM,M more than In Bocca Al Lupo but less than Red of Tooth and Claw, in general. "Foxglove," "King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs," "As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World" and "The Day" are my favorites and make for good starters, but as suggested above I'd grab a bottle or two and run through this one a few times so it settles in deep with your warm, whiskey buzz.

Don Of Division Street - Animals In Love (2009)

It's kind of amazing that Don of Division Street's mostly known for being one of Portland's in demand drummers. Maybe that will change with Animals In Love, an album full of engaging Americana songwriting. It ebbs and flows from mid tempo alt. country pop to slower folk to plugged in roots rock, like on "You're Gone". Regardless of the style, Matt Cadenelli's voice rich vocals that adds depth to the songs. The two standouts are the beautiful and rolling "Mina Bird" and "I Never Crawled", which, with its Memphis-style horns and backup singers, reminds me a little of Tift Merritt's forays into blue-eyed soul on Tambourine. While the album lags a bit in the middle with three back to back slower tracks, most of the songs pleasantly accessible, like the warm and yearning "When I Release Me" or the loping "Mourning Light".

The Lonelyhearts - Disaster Footage At Night (2008)

A great collection of radiant and melodic southern rock and folky Americana. The San Francisco/Iowa based duo get it done with acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, a bit of synth, and honest, Tom Petty-like vocals (at times) and story-telling lyrics. A really solid, mellow album, with my personal favorites being: "New Virginia," "Harlequin Bands," & "Concrete and Chrome."

Fernando - True Instigator (2009)

If you are in the mood for a couple barn burning rockers, you should check out Portland local, Fernando. "True Instigator" and "Word from the Inside", off his new album True Instigator, are hard charging roots rock. And they're free on his website! The rest of the album is a bit mellower, but still mostly pulls from the alt. country, roots, and Americana genres. Of the more reflective and beautiful ballads, I like "It's A Shame" and "Remember Me" the best.

The White Buffalo - Hogtied Revisited (2009)

About six years ago I received two copies of Hogtied Like a Rodeo from the man himself, Jake Smith: vocalist extraordinaire and guitar man, and it instantly became my go-to mellow, "play-for-everyone-I-know," acoustic album. As the title suggests, many, but not all, of the tracks off the now discontinued original are revisited on Hogtied Revisited with new recording and a slightly different approach, but there are a few newbies as well. Of the new tracks, "Damned," an acoustic guitar and piano backed piece, is the most powerful and showcases Smith's impressive baritone's emotion and range (think: Greg Brown with a touch of Eddie Vedder, but the comparison really doesn't do his voice justice). Of the "revisited" tracks, "Bar and the Beer," remains a personal favorite imbibing song, while "Today's Tomorrow," "Story," and "The Woods" encapsulate the exceptional vocals and pleasant country-americana instrumentation that has made The White Buffalo one of my favorite acts for the better part of a decade.

For a taste of his sound, check out this video for the song "Love Song 1" off of The White Buffalo Ep... if you like what you hear, you will love this album.

William Elliott Whitmore - Animals In The Dark (2009)

It took me exactly 15 seconds of the song "Old Devils" to know that I loved this album. I know how ridiculous it sounds to judge an entire album on 15 seconds of one track, but to clarify, I should admit that I didn't start listening to this album blind to Whitmore's style and skills. When a friend recommended I check him out about 3 years ago, because of my passion for The White Buffalo, I listened to "Midnight" off of Ashes To Dust, and was convinced it was either an old black man singing (thinking Keb' Mo'-ish), or Tom Waits. Regrettably, at the time, Whitmore's music, for whatever reason, didn't make it into my regular rotation, and I kinda forgot how amazing he is (AND, I'm a complete idiot for missing his stop in San Francisco last month). Anyway, Animals In The Dark is a mixture of folk, americana, blues, old-timey, (my current favorite music genre/descriptive term) and soul that just captivates the shit out of me, because Whitmore's voice is a layer-cake of passion, struggle, heartbreak, enthusiasm, and grit. Everything is so simplistic on this album, its absolutely brilliant. The approach consists of Whitmore's remarkable, deep, rough, bluesy, soulful to the point of gospel, "I gargle gravel with Mark Lanegan" voice, and a guitar or banjo, occasionally accompanied by perhaps some drums, foot-stomping, organ, strings, or the like, as a rhythmic backdrop. With every listen I get more and more enamored with tracks like, "Lifetime Underground," "Hard Times," "There's Hope For You," "Who Stole The Soul," and, of course, "Old Devils."

For a video introduction to Whitmore, check out this lil video shot on his farm in Iowa.

Mark Olson & Gary Louris - Ready For The Flood (2009)

As a long time fan of the Jayhawks, I was excited at the prospect of Mark Olson and Gary Louris playing together again -- perhaps my expectations were set too high. The Jayhawks loaded their songs with big beautiful hooks, jangly and ringing guitars, and high yearning harmonies. Those three elements are largely absent in Ready for the Flood. It's quieter, consisting mostly of just two guys with their guitars casually recording a collection of folk and Americana. Overall, it's a very pleasant album. "Doves And Stones" and "Gospel Song For You" are my favorites of the bunch. I'm sure the songs will continue to grow on me, but I can't help but wonder what they would've sounded like if Olson and Louris decided to fill out the album out with a full band. Maybe next time.