Little Chief @ Solly's

I live for those serendipitous moments where the perfect song plays during the perfect moment. Back in November, while commuting down to rural Virginia for work, I streamed one playlist during that twice-weekly, four-hour commute. I first heard North Carolina by Little Chief the minute as I exited I-95 to I-295. At this junction, the choices were Durham or Rocky Mount. Either way, the Tar Heel state was within reach.

North Carolina and I have this strange relationship, comprised of mostly heartbreak, failed relationships and a blissful weekend at a beach. Two and a half years ago, in the fall of 2012, when my east coast move was full of naivety and new opportunities, Little Chief's North Carolina could be my mantra: "take me to North Carolina, where my baby lives. I won't be there by tomorrow but heaven knows I'm on my way." At the present moment, North Carolina is simply another state on the east coast, one I've visited a handful of times. However, when I listen to the harmonies given on this track, I want the state to mean more to me.

After streaming Little Chief's debut LP, Lion's Den, over and over again since March, I was anticipating their tour and hoping for a date in DC. With any luck, they stopped in DC for a show at Solly's Tavern last Friday. I wear my love for Solly's on my sleeve. The last show I caught there was Charlie Patton's War. Considering they're now opening for PUSA, I always feel that Solly's attracts bands we can all believe in.

The band introduced themselves to the crowd - consisting of a girl taking photos in the corner and the group I had brought. As with the album, Mountain Song was the opening choice. With over two-minutes of instrumental build up and a bang of an ending, I've always thought this was a fantastic choice to hook people on Lion's Den early.

Over the course of the evening, Little Chief did a pretty comprehensive span of their album, including Gold In The Morning, Lion's Den, Shiloh, North Carolina and Brothers. While sitting and listening to Shiloh in person, I realized just how reflective and at-peace I feel when that song streams. Brothers is the song I can't stop playing now and I never figured the last track on an album would be so catchy. In addition to the Lion's Den material, the band covered The Head and The Heart's Rivers and Roads and absolutely did the song justice.

By the end of the show, the crowd at least doubled and every single friend I brought with me to the show loved the band. If you have a chance to catch Little Chief on tour, I highly recommend. I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy a laid-back Friday night.

You can listen to and buy Lion's Den on bandcamp. Currently, the album is also available on Noisetrade as a free download.

The Colourist (Self-Titled)

There are moments where I wonder if I have equal passion for both folk and pop. These moments, usually prompted by a brilliant or catchy pop release, are fleeting. Pop over folk? Folk over pop? In the end, it doesn't matter. I, luckily, do not have to sell my soul out to either genre. But yet, the reason folk does capture a large part of my soul is the solid, passionate, thoughtful music the artists release. I can listen to a folk album and have a general expectation the album will be, for the most part, exceptional. I'm often not disappointed, even with such high expectations.

I have the opposite hopes for indie pop albums. I generally expect one fantastic song, that I can stream over and over again, until it is beaten to death by mainstream radio play and friends roll their eyes at me when I "act all hipster" about it. There is nothing rewarding for me when I am passionate about pop.

The Colourist is my current exception.

Their debut, self-titled album, tricks my brain into believing it's summer (it's not), believing it's warm enough to have my sunroof open (no, not really), and believing my morning and/or evening commutes are not terrible (they are). I'm not sure what sort of magical land my brain is now a citizen of, but I can't get enough of this album and the emotions it forces me to feel.

A few weeks ago, I saw a "hipster bro" on U Street carrying a vinyl copy of the album. I hadn't listened to it yet, but I had an idea of what to expect, based on what "hipster bros" skew towards. As far as pop goes, there's nothing new about The Colourist. I may be harsh, but their indie-pop, teetering on electronica, sound is not profound or revolutionary.

Their execution of this album, however, is.

Grouplove is an obsession people apparently have. As in, the band selling out three nights at 9:30 Club actually happened? Tongue Tied was everyone's anthem of Summer 2011, 2012 or 2013, depending on the platform they used for musical discovery. It's arguably one of the greatest songs of this decade, or even the millennium. But, the rest of Grouplove's work? It falls entirely flat on its own and especially in comparison to Tongue Tied. I'm not sure how the success of one song carries this band to such fame and every time I contemplate the phenomenon, I am fascinated.

I'm picking on Grouplove but the indie-pop circuit is full of albums consisting of one song, inspirational enough to be escalated to the mainstream airwaves, and mediocrity otherwise. Off the top of my head, I can think of the following that are guilty of this cookie-cutter formula: The Naked and Famous, Atlas Genius, Gold Fields, The Neighborhood, and Wild Cub, with the recent exceptions being CHVRCHES, Foster the People and Bastille.

Give The Colourist three months. In three months, during the height of summer, if this band isn't on the playlists for rooftop happy hours, beach trips, or various other activities, I will feel personally betrayed and once again, let down by the pop genre. The Colourist's self-titled is an anomaly that deserves to be worshiped by hipster bros, music snobs and tweens alike.

Little Games, the first track and first single, may be the Tongue Tied of Summer 2014, 2015 and 2016. It's about as flirty but with a more challenging dynamic, that will rouse those in "it's complicated" scenarios. "Am I your hit and run?" is the best one-phrase summation of what this song is trying to evoke.

Wishing Wells should be the mantra of this city for the next few months, "I'm sick of hearing what if, what if, just follow what you feel". At this point, at least 80% of the city has heard this sentiment, as I routinely belt the hook while driving through the streets of downtown (with my sunroof open, of course).

A few songs in and I figured the descent into mediocrity would begin. However, We Won't Go Home and Yes Yes bring their own unique jams to the table and could equally stand out as young adult anthems. We Won't Go Home is such a fantastic example of how both lead vocalists, Adam Castilla and Maya Tuttle, provoke each other to shine. In most bands with female and male lead vocalists, I feel one normally stands out over the other and that doesn't happen here. Yes Yes, as poppy and trite as it sounds, offers this piece of strikingly insightful wisdom: "you've been down for days and days but searching for another won't fix a thing." It's a reminder of where I've been lately and I can't help but agree wholeheartedly.

After five upbeat songs, Stray Away showcases the style range of Castilla and Tuttle. An acoustic offering, with soothing harmonies and bittersweet lyrics, it's the right time to take a break and come down from the high of the first half.

The ninth track, Fix This is the peak of not just The Colourist but of all indie pop to be released this year. The drama, the desperation and the determination are intrinsically woven with a cheery sound but remain obvious. The song is another example of The Colourist singing to lessons needing to be learned in our young adult years, "I thought love was a fight, you could tear each other down, then come back to life. I guess I don't always live." As much as Tuttle almost gives up, she's a rock in the chorus, stubbornly refusing to let her love go. If I royally fuck things up with my boyfriend, this song will be an olive branch - it's that fitting and that genuine.

Put The Fire Out does not work as an ending song, if only because I'm pumped up enough to expect more. On the upside, I can always re-stream the album and often find myself doing just that.

Listen to The Colourist's self-titled album on Spotify and purchase it on Amazon. A few tracks from the album are also available on Soundcloud.

This Is The River by Fair Oaks

I am so over the Polar Vortex. Temperatures in the teens are far too cold for this mild-weather-loving Seattle girl to handle. Hell, I'd almost take back DC Summer of 2012, with it's one-hundred-degrees, can't walk two blocks outside without keeling over, miserable, heat and humidity. Can spring be here already? This weekend was an unfair tease, especially while being sick inside.

Currently, I'm away from the frigidness with a cup of coffee and the album, This Is The River by Fair Oaks. Recently released in mid-January, this was an undertaking that was three years in the making and by golly does it sound that way. Taking inspiration from the Mississippi River, This Is The River, hinges the gap between the seasons and is a perfect segway into the spring. I can't help but reminiscence about past warmer weather adventures too: patio brunches, street festivals, outdoor markets, bookstore hops, and picnics. Add in a little vintage charm and I've done as good as I can describing the appeal of this album.

With a twee pop folk sound, accompanied by the occasional trumpet and french horn, led by dueling male and female vocals, the best two comparisons to Fair Oaks I could offer up would be Del Water Gap or Aiden Knight. However, there's a little bit of Radiation City with the retro glam, some Typhoon when I hear the trumpet blare, The Research when songs are especially twee and a lot of other folk and/or alternative influences that strike me at short, random instances.  I haven't enjoyed an album so multidimensional and so full of pleasant surprises in a long time.

The album starts out with a rolling folk sound, with See What the Sun Gave. If there's anything that can persevere through the cold, this song is likely it. The piano and harmonies from both the male and female vocalists, create the sunny feeling one would find from a Slow Club track. Coming Through gives off a much more old-time blues vibe at first but flows into lush harmonies and trumpet backings. This Is The River (I, II, III) is seven minutes long and is an enchanting love letter to the Mississippi.

Duluth (Pull Me Into Your Soul) and Omaha (You Give Me The Feelings), are also love letters to their respective midwest cities. With Omaha, there's this light happiness that reminds me of some of Cataldo's work on Prison Boxing, a very high praise in my book. I like the comparisons the lyrics put forth: Omaha gives the feelings to help get along but alcohol kicks in the shins and chases down the hall. What are they saying? Is Omaha a better drug for releasing that carefree attitude that comes with drinking or does Omaha inspire the foolish drunken tendencies in the first place? I may never know but I always smile (and dance a bit) when I play this track.

Listen to This Is The River on bandcamp and while you're there, purchase the album. For a hard copy, the album is available in the band's store. While it is early on in the year, I already have my first contender for album of the year.
 

[Local] The First Few by The Ripples

My alma-mater, The University of Washington, was attended by a slough of musically talented individuals who would later be part of Seattle's greatest bands (Sound Garden, The Long Winters, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hey Marseilles, PUSA to name a few). With other universities in the general Seattle area, such as The Evergreen State College, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and The University of Puget Sound, the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State is not short on a creative music scene. Because I moved to DC after college, I often forget about the universities in the district. Georgetown, George Washington, and American, among others, also cultivate musical talent and bring a young livelihood to this city.

Although I wouldn't pigeon-hole them as a "college band", The Ripples, a new folk-rock band, is mainly composed of current students at Georgetown University. To say I'm impressed with their debut album, The First Few, would be an understatement.

The album opens up with Dorothy, a track that immediately tells the listeners which direction this album is heading in, "Midnight, comes around, the day you turn 19. Bags packed, you're ready, cab’s revving in the street." There's a coming to age theme yet the music accompanying the lyrics sounds more mature, in a good way. The energy of 1960's rock and the use of much harmonica will be a common thread as the album progresses.

Woke Up In Mexico, bringing in a more airy sound, turns the whisky from Dorothy into tequila. What I find fascinating is the liquors referenced in both songs actually describe the overall feeling put forth. Listeners will also find fantastic songwriting with clever metaphors to be another foundational aspect of The First Few.

The track I can't stop listening to is Portrait, which is an even-keel, balanced-sounding song throughout. Here, I like to hone in on the lyrics which reminisce on old times with family and friends using painting metaphors - brushes, strokes, and the richest of colors. This isn't the last time we get an art metaphor in this album, an upbeat track, Picasso makes use of the Spanish artist. I'd like to see more art and art history references in folk music - it's a nice change of pace.

Frankie's Song is impeccably composed, with a take on smooth jazz, that surprisingly sounds from California than anywhere else. This is a good example of the interesting characterization The Ripples feature in their tracks. Frankie sounds equal parts frustrating and endearing, but listeners get a good feel for the type of person she is at the core.

Listen to The First Few on bandcamp, soundcloud or spotify. Support Georgetown's newspaper and radio station by checking out their write ups on the album at The Hoya and the WGTB blog. You can catch The Ripples, with a few other local acts, at Rock and Roll Hotel tonight (tickets here).

The Oh Hello's Family Christmas Album

Happy Holidays from my little corner of the district! My Christmas plans do not involve jetsetting out west, but do involve Christmas Eve sleepovers and celebrating with wonderful friends who are in a similar boat. I feel extremely fortunate to be blessed with the best friends I could ever ask for in this city and it makes the sting of missing family a little less painful.

What are people listening to today? I've never been a big fan of Christmas music. My mother used to stream only one local radio station from the end of Thanksgiving to Christmas each yeah that supplied the family with countless renditions of Do You Hear What I Hear?, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree and other timeless classics that make me cringe. I'm honestly of the opinion that one only needs two Christmas songs in their life: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Death Cab for Cutie and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.

I'm going to amend that opinion to include The Oh Hello's superb Christmas EP, The Oh Hello's Family Christmas Album. The Oh Hello's Through The Deep, Dark Valley, remains my most played album of the year, despite it being released in 2012. The Texas folk band has carried me through many trials and tribulations already this year and the holiday season without family will be another.

The four songs are folky takes on classics that sound so lovingly woven together. Less than thirty minutes and I can feel the Christmas spirit ooze out of my speakers. I want to see snow outside. I want to embrace all of those I love. I want to do something rash that can only be justified by it happening in the holiday season. The best albums are the ones that make you feel and for a Christmas album to evoke such feelings is truly a new sensation for me.

I can't pick a favorite. Mvmt I - Rejoice! Rejoice! starts the album off beautifully but the take on Silent Night in Mvmt III is chilling. Hearing the upbeat Joy to the World on Mvmt IV - Every Bell on Earth Will Ring just makes me smile and ponder my younger years.

Listen to The Oh Hello's Family Christmas Album today and tomorrow. Don't judge me if I stream it straight until the new year and count the days until the next holiday season.


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

By My Side (Everlasting Life) by Valley Maker

In the last twenty-four hours, I've discovered Yes I Know I’ve Loved This World, an album by Valley Maker; listened to By My Side (Everlasting Life), decided that I immediately needed to buy the album without making it past the first few lines of that first track; woke up at 3AM and re-streamed the song; biked to Union Station; endured four hours of my train ride before deciding that I needed the song in my life again; struggled with spotty Amtrak wireless; and was finally able to listen via the Soundcloud app. All the trouble was worth it.

By My Side (Everlasting Life) had that instant chemistry with me from those first few lines: "When the sun lights up your face/ don't give me time/ don't give me space/ just give me something that I can taste/ like you right by my side". After the opening, there's another three minutes of open and beautiful verses. My feelings about music and my feelings about people operate with similar mechanisms. Personally, I'm never sure how to describe the sensation when I meet someone who clicks and takes my life to a whole new plane, however, this song does a pretty damn good job. I want to feel about someone as passionately as the song describes, but I think I'd settle for feeling about someone the way I feel about the song. It's just that good.

Honestly, I've already purchased the album without listening to anything else. Something tells me I'm in for a real treat and I'll save it for the eight-hour trip back to DC.

Austin Crane is the force behind Valley Maker. Some of you may be familiar with his work already - I know I've had a few of his songs pop into my life before. After recording this album in Columbia, South Carolina, he moved out to my lovely city of Seattle! He'll flourish in that scene.

Listen to By My Side (Everlasting Life) and the rest of Yes I Know I’ve Loved This World on Bandcamp or Soundcloud.

Home Is by J.D. Vernon

Justin Vernon. When I mention him off-hand and proceed to gush over his brilliance, I frequently get inquisitive looks. When I lead with, "the man behind Bon Iver has other projects that I can't get over", people seem to understand on the surface level. There's always disconnect. Surely, nothing can be as stunning and delicate as Skinny Love or Holocene? Not a single person has ever further inquired about what his other projects involve or why I'm so emotionally entangled in them.  

I find this truly depressing. 

While there's a lot of be said and loved about Bon Iver, I can't get over everything else. 

Home Is, under the moniker of J.D. Vernon, is plausibly my all-time favorite work from Vernon. I hope that notion isn't disheartening, as it is one of his first projects. The album was put out in 2001, twelve whole years ago, while Vernon was only 20. Since then, we've had multiple releases with DeYardmond Edison, The Shouting Matches, Volcano Choir, as Justin Vernon, Gayngs, Bon Iver and multiple other projects. My notion sounds downright mad. However, I find something so enchanting about Home Is that I can't find elsewhere. 

Feels Like Home gives away the answer to the question imposed by the album title within the first minute: "home is where your family sleeps, same country sky is honest like it's always been". Despite the question already being answered, the song sets us up with a roadmap for the rest of the album. We learn further what home is and isn't, should and shouldn't be.  

Feel The Light is gospel-worthy. Initially, listen for the crooning of "peace on earth tonight/ let those stars shine bright/ let our souls feel high/ come on, feel the light" by Vernon and a female counterpart. Subsequently, listen for how Vernon eloquently describes people, places and his feelings. Especially, the line about him wanting to stay in a city, because everywhere people are making the best of their days. 

Breathe is the song to listen to to be reminded of the magic of life. 

May 27th, 1999 (5:23AM) regales a story about a girl leaving home for the first time. Vernon knows how to showcase the stark but realistic thoughts and feelings associated that transition: "so exchange your last looks/ and walk on a field for lost times/ forever isn't a measurement of time". Forever isn't a measurement of time. Saying goodbye is inevitable but not endless. But, home won't perpetually exist either. 

In addition to the above, listen to Leave It Alone and Trainyard Blues for the classic blues stories and harmonicas, When It Rains Down Here for nine minutes of quintessential folk, accompanied with a heart-wrenching violin, and Morning to be surprised when Vernon's brother starts rapping. 

Play the entire album when you want to be reminded of what home is or when you're ready to grow beyond Bon Iver. 

You can listen to Home Is on Youtube or on Grooveshark. For more insight on Justin Vernon as a person, Who, What and Where is Bon Iver?, by Jon Caramanica, is a lovely narrative. 

[Local] Moonless EP by Blatant Neon Ion

Once upon a time, an ex-boyfriend of mine declared he was working on a theory that coming to age exists on the spectrum between Frightened Rabbit's Midnight Organ Fight and Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. I sometimes hate how brilliant this sentiment is.

I'm convinced that the Moonless EP by Blatant Neon Ion should be a milepost somewhere on the same spectrum.

With rough vocals that are reminiscent to me of Frightened Rabbit and Foals, Moonless EP is an acquired taste that is quick to acquire to.

The exact lyrics aren't readily available, but this is my interpretation. The album tells a story of a young man going through many of life's themes and downturns and how those themes and downturns continue to exist when a love ends.

Marianna is rooted deep with this theme of time passing regardless of a relationship's existence [didn't feel any time pass at all/ not ready yet/ too scared/ give us our dreams/ don't leave me/ crash]. Moonless delves into a similar theme with the monotony of every day life [fresh pot of coffee/ save me a pot, okay/ it's 7am and I'm leaving/ let me take you to the movies/ tell me you love me again]. Restless Ashes discusses the life cycle in general and possibly how we fit in with the rest of the earth [from here this is all I know/ scatter my restless ashes/ return me back to where I came]. Rocket Summer seems to be a flashback to a nice, simple summer with a lovely lady and the aftermath of trying to not only hold onto the memory but repress it from every day thoughts. I adore the dreamy, softer backup vocals here. Alone spends equal parts of time reflecting on how to exist while alone but also the struggle to navigate back home. This is the perfect ending song -- despite how emotional the whole album is, it still feels like there's a build up that ends here.

I'm sold. This may be my new go-to when things feel particularly rough with life and love.

You can download Moonless EP (for free, or pay as you wish) on Blatant Neon Ion's bandcamp page. 

2013 Summer Staples: Cayucas/ Pickwick/ TWINSMITH

Can we take a moment to discuss summer jams? My absolute favorite time of the year to share music is the summer. There are endless opportunities to put on tunes, kick back with friends and enjoy warm-weather inspired drinks. Every year around this time, I end up with a few albums that are through and through enjoyable to everyone that end up getting heavy play time. When I'm too lazy to make a playlist (rarely, these days), it's nice to have a few go-to options.

My first choice of the summer is the Cayucas album, Bigfoot. I hosted a little brunch gathering on the 4th of July this year. I had Bigfoot playing in the background for a good half an hour before everyone showed up. My intentions were simple -- rope someone into going to their concert at DC9. I wasn't able to sell anyone and I find that crazy. When asked to describe them, I've been stating, "a distinct, young Vampire Weekend vibe without the hipster snobbery". What's not to love about that? Listen to Cayucos, East Coast Girl, High School Lover or really anything off the album while at the beach or patio drinking. Pair it with Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment Brewery and I guarantee you it will be a good time.



I'd like to pick Pickwick's Can't Talk Medicine as another perfect summer soundtrack. The following opinion might be a little unpopular and I don't care. While everyone else is obsessing over More Than Just a Dream, the Fitz and the Tantrums album, Can't Talk Medicine should really be getting most of that love this summer. I adore both artists but Pickwick is, in my opinion, excelling at showcasing that retro vibe. When I put on this album, I can't stop dancing and envisioning myself in 1950's or 60's DC. It's a beautiful daydream. Stream The Round, Halls of Columbia and Brother Roland while preparing to go on a classic date this summer. Need ideas? Hit up a drive-thru movie, go swing dancing, attend a jazz concert, or find a local Speakeasy-inspired bar for some fancy cocktails.



Finally, TWINSMITH is a fun band I've discovered out of Omaha, NE. I've spent a good two days trying to pinpoint what band they remind me of and I can't pick one in particular (always a good sign). I've determined they're sort-of a lovechild between The Walkmen, The Shins and Local Natives. It's about as close as I can get. While their debut self-titled album hasn't quite been released (July 12), I've been frequently streaming it via Soundcloud the past few days. I have a strong feeling this album will get played constantly while having daytime drinks on my apartment rooftop. I'll make some boozy popsicles and life won't get much better.

Beginning by Matthew Fowler

(via r/folk and slowcoustic)

Outside of music and thrifting mid-century modern decor, Reddit is probably the other big facet that my life revolves around. Last night, I subscribed to r/folk and r/indiefolk for the first time. I can already tell these will be frequent stops for me. As I was scrolling through the latest submissions, about a hundred threads down, I noticed a post from an artist himself. Personally, I'm a huge advocate for more artists promoting their music via Reddit. However, a lot of the time, these sort of posts go unnoticed.

That wasn't the case with Matthew Fowler and his album Beginning. The Redditors of r/folk embraced this album with open arms and warm reviews. I concur entirely with just about every comment in that thread.

Blankets and Beginners are what I consider to be the real high points. Blankets astonishes me with the lyrics alone: "I ache to venture out and join to circus/ of people learning how to feel alive". The trumpet seems to be a recurring instrument in the folk songs I've been listening to lately, and I absolutely love its incorporation here. While the trumpet doesn't showcase in Beginners, the melodica ties the song together. I find myself yearning for the vocal-less downtime in this song, just to hear Sam Coplin work his magic on the instrument. The vocals do have a strong showing here as well -- partially due to Fowler's raspy, emotionally-heavy voice and partially due to the lyrics. It really is such a raw, honest love song. "We are beginners, you and I" should really be a mantra for love in my life.

While slowcoustic pegs him as similar to Damien Rice, I find close parallels to Ray LaMontagne, David Gray and Alexi Murdoch as well. Basically, I think I'll be emailing my dad a link to Fowler's album. That's a high praise in my book.

You can download Beginning (for free, or pay as you wish) on Fowler's bandcamp page. It'll go perfectly with that cup of chamomile tea on a rainy day. Or, with everyday life.