War is over.
Little Beirut thinks big. Several moments on High Dive, the Portland band's new release, resemble the bombastic arena rock of Oasis and Pink Floyd. And that's a good thing. Such elevated songwriting craft, with its emphasis on melody and difficult subject matter, is a valuable commodity in the realm of indie rock. One of the more intimate songs on High Dive, "Life During Wartime" features a characteristically clever arrangement. It concerns Condoleeza Rice and features a fetching trumpet solo. This unlikely combination almost guarantees the band a place on year-end best-of lists.
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My review of Friday's Gipsy Kings concert is here.
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Is the Washington Post reading There Stands the Glass? A big weekend think piece about the state of smooth jazz expanded on my March 5 comments.
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44 Long lives! I'm delighted to have stumbled across their MySpace page via fellow Portland band Little Beirut. I adored these guys back in '99. Fans of Tommy Womack, Elvis Costello and the Bottle Rockets are advised to download the four songs at the link immediately.
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Kansas City Click: The woefully undervalued Cloud Cult visits Davey's tonight.
1 comment:
Some days when I drive by here I find my self surprised at how little I know how and much there is yet to know.
I suppose an old guy of 55 ought not try to stay young and act like some hipster he never was, so, I don't.
But the magic is in the music and the music is in me. And it is the only magic I can afford to believe in these days.
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