Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Josh Ritter performs for NPR

I just came across this today and I'm overcome by the need to share.  Josh Ritter is fantastic.  The NPR Tiny Desk Concert series is really cool.  The combination is nothing short of fantastically, really cool, even if it took the good people of NPR 2 months to post it.

Josh Ritter - Tiny Desk Concert

The embed code I tried for this wasn't working, so follow the link to NPR's site.  Dig around the other Tiny Desk Concerts while you're there.  There are a good number of quality shows.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Slow burning crimes keep us up through the night

Hi there.  Its been awhile, hasn't it?  Sorry for the break in posts, but sometimes a man is too busy to fit blogging into the schedule.  Now on to the good stuff...

It was probably in the neighborhood of a year ago that my friend Murph shot me a simple "check these guys out" message and pointed me in the direction of Philadelphia's talented East Hundred.  My first impression while listening to "Slow Burning Crimes," the first track off of 2009's "Passenger" album, was that the band has a very lush sound.  I think that can be attributed to the somewhat sweet and accessible female lead and the almost playful sounding keyboard.  Upon subsequent listens, however, I began to notice the underlying simmer and growl of the guitars.  Then I read up on the band a little.

In short, "Passenger" is a break up album.  To complicate things, "Passenger" is a break up album revolving around the relationship between two of the band members.  I can't imagine how tough it was for the band to watch the relationship break down, work everything out, record a high quality album, and come out of the process stronger for it.  To me, the album is a collection of simmering and longing all wrapped up in a appropriately rough around the edges musical package.  "Slow Burning Crimes" sticks out as the cream of the crop, but other songs, such as "Deadpan" shine just slightly less (that made sense to me and I don't have time to think of a better way to say it, so I hope you, dear reader, can handle it).

You can stream the album for yourself at East Hundred's website.  Also, they have "Slow Burning Crimes" available for free download.  Check them out and keep tabs.  Based on my limited exposure to East Hundred, I feel like they could be a band on the verge.  Much like the guitar work on "Slow Burning Crimes," this band seems like they're barely contained and ready to break out.  According to their website, East Hundred in currently about halfway through recording "The Spells," the follow up to "Passenger."  If "Passenger" is any indication of where this band is heading, get aboard.  It should be a good ride.

East Hundred - Slow Burning Crimes