New Artist/ New Album: Paleo

Due to the suggestive sharing of one Christopher Paul Stelling, an incredibly talented songwriter/ musician in his own right whom I will return to at a later date, I came across Paleo, aka David Strackany.

According to good 'ol Wiki, David is notable for writing a song every single day for one year using a "half-size children's guitar" while living out of his car and being essentially homeless. He did this while touring the United States and driving more than 50,000 miles from April 16, 2006 to April 15, 2007, playing more than 200 concerts along the way. He even received a nod from Dick Cheney for doing so! David plays acoustic and sings all folky-like and has procured a deal with indie music label Partisan Records for his new album...Paste Magazine is featuring Paleo and streaming that record, Fruit of the Spirit, and let me just tell you, I am completely in love! Of course, it doesn't have all 365 songs, but you can download those here.

Wonderful music aside, I'm in love with the notions of a) recording a song every day for a year like keeping a diary in a more abstract and public manner, b) embarking on an artistically inspired expedition and abandoning all conventions of society while doing so, thus living off the grid and subjecting yourself to the whims of your own creativity, as well as the whims of those you encounter, c) having the guts to do b, and d) playing on a children's guitar! David, excuse me Paleo, alludes to this during "Over the Hill and Back Again" where he sings, "We wanna be young when we grow up."

The album does indeed boast a sense of unfettered, haphazard youthfulness, and that colorful cover adds a certain indie charm, but the songs also seethe wisdom --- perhaps a result of such a journey. "Favorite Places," for example, is slower than most and a drop melancholic, though "Holly Would," just following, is uplifting and jovial. Then in "Buddy, Buddy," David lets loose some seemingly painful howls, his already raggedy voice dragging across the width of his words. These songs are sweet and sour, loosely constructed and tightly melodic, and altogether filtered with sunshine and specks of real-world grit like bits of sand between your teeth.

For me, Paleo is a descendent of Daniel Johnston and Darcy Clay with a bit more musical accompaniment. He's got a Beatles sense of melody ("Honey Be Reckless"), a Velvet Underground sense of deconstructing that  melody ("Poet"), and a Bob Dylan aesthetic ("Lighthouse"). But don't take it from me, ya know? Give it a listen and let me know if you're as hooked as I am!

LISTEN! 

-a.dupcak

New(ish) Song: "My Body"

Thanks to Spin's monthly music samplers (free!), I came upon this song by Young the Giant. Hailing from Orange County, the five bandmembers are all between the ages of 20 and 22 (gasp, I feel old), but that doesn't mean they aren't seasoned, and it certainly doesn't mean they aren't capable of writing a poppy/rock/dancey/truly enlightening song like "My Body," along with other melodic tracks they've created (like "Strings"). I am abandoning all music-reviewer jargon here to just say man, "My Body" is really good. It's really good! It's great, even. Give a listen. 

Album Review: Yet Cut Breath - Hinges

Anna Morsett provided gorgeous "ooh's" and "aah's" as backup vocalist/bassist for Drew and the Medicinal Pen, based in Brooklyn. But now, Anna has taken the reins on a new project for which she sings, writes, and plays bass and guitar. Along for the music-making ride, Yet Cut Breath consists of former Medicinal Pen member Missy Liu on  violin; engineer/producer John Swartz on cello; man of many bands (like The Kissing Club and The Stevedores) Jake Miller on electric guitar, banjo, and harmonica; and Yahote Kokayi on drums (for the recording). Live shows might reveal slightly varying arrangements depending on the day, but the beauty of Yet Cut Breath is always carried forth by Anna's stand-alone voice.

The band describes themselves as "a collection of acoustic thoughts that take place in the small spaces of morning, inside light fixtures and up against bathroom tiles. Turbulent and tender songwriting driven by cello, violin, guitars and a stormy voice that will leave you a little cut up." No description could be more apt. This seven-track debut, Hinges, showcases Anna's range, with songs that soothe and sadden amidst those that pack a fevered and glistening punch. Emotive songwriting is at the core of completely organic instrumentation, creating a muti-layered album worthy of a spot on any best-of list.

The album opens with "Kindness," for which David Sosnow directed a live music video where the members played their parts in separate sections of an abandoned hospital wing. Here, the violin and cello add a rippling texture to the long waves of Anna's vocals, and the whimsical song moves through carefully plotted moments of neo-classical elation. The strings go strong again at the very start of "Terrified," which is among the punchier tracks. Anna's voice is at its most vigorous layered atop a sweeping cello and subtle cymbals. The song ends with all of the instruments tripping over each other, falling apart until "Gate" tiptoes in. This track, and the finale "Sunday Dark," which was recorded live, are the album's most hushed, and Anna tends to perform them solo during live shows. But smack in the middle of Hinges, we've got the energetic and at times bombastic "Yet Cut;" perhaps the perfect example of the band's soft-to-loud, simple-to-complex dynamism. 

"Through my Teeth" begins in a fairly classic folk-rock fashion, but soon expands and spreads its wings, rising again and again. "Tied" might be a personal favorite, as it begins with a slightly less "pretty" coagulation of sound. Once again, Anna's voice commands attention, coming at listeners in an almost restless fashion as the strings and guitar explode and then linger in the song's final fifteen seconds. Comparisons to other bands, especially in Brooklyn, can't even begin to explain the  authenticity of Yet Cut Breath.

yetcutbreath. from David Sosnow on Vimeo.

New Band: Yuck

All Impose Magazine's review had to say about the new album by Yuck is: "How much is Yuck paying Pavement for copyright infringement?" Seriously, that's it. I think the band deserves a little more credit than that! Hailing from north London, they're touring Europe and then coming state-side to play their tunes at SxSW and beyond. While I haven't yet listened to the album in full, I have been grooving to their songs, which sound delightfully '90s, or like a slightly poppier and even more lo-fi Sonic Youth. "Holing Out" is like a grittier version of an old Foo Fighters song, with a catchy melody that keeps you afloat even when the vocals get all muffled. "Rubber" also places the vocals secondary to very rough guitars, but the cacophony commands attention for seven whiole minutes. Then you've got "Suicide Policeman:" simpler, quieter, and actually very sweet. "Weakend" takes a vastly different approach, with a sense of longing in the guitar and vocals, which benefit from some reverb. "Automatic" is also quite hushed in a stripped-down fashion, with a piano to accompany even more woeful vocals. Something about these songs and Yuck in general sounds achingly familiar, like finding the perfect cassette in a record store during the earlier days of indie rock. And yeah, maybe they're influenced by Pavement, but honestly, I'd rather listen to Yuck.