Review: Wrath and Ruin- Mouth of Oblivion

A member of Wrath and Ruin gave me a CD copy of Mouth of Oblivion during a metal show last winter.  Put off by the Kansas City-based metal band's use of keyboards, I set the album aside.  The recent passing of Deep Purple's Jon Lord and the prevalent use of keyboards by metal bands at this summer's Mayhem and Warped tours inspired me to give Mouth of Oblivion another chance. 

Surprise!  The keyboards are now one of my favorite elements of the band's debut release.  Synths add a melodic cohesiveness and counter the intentionally abrasive guitars.  The entire project seems to be wheeled around the epic "The Bug", the album's strongest track.  But I also appreciate raging songs like "Strength of Materials" and "Sedna", a Hearts of Space-style mood piece.

While Wrath and Ruin probably wouldn't have cracked my best-of-2011 list had I given it a fair shake last year, I'm glad it's part of my soundtrack for the scorching summer of 2012.

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I can't abide Deerhunter, but after seeing Bradford Cox's What's In My Bag? segment, I may have to reevaluate my bias.  The dude's down with both Carl Perkins and Pere Ubu. 

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My discovery of the week is Carter Sampson.  RIYL: Gillian Welch, red dirt.

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I found an examination of "copy-left" issues in Brazil fascinating.

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"Indie rock veterans Death Cab for Cutie got $150,000, while country singer Dierks Bentley pulled down $120,000,"  according to an interesting report in the Chicago Tribune about a city-funded festival.

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Kansas City Click: Deadbeat Darling tops Saturday's bill at the Riot Room.

The Temper Trap perform at Crossroads KC on Monday.

Girl In a Coma are at the Riot Room on Monday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Hobby Rockets, Treehouses and Red Abalone

The embedded video documents a visit the members of the new Kansas City-based fado band Fado Novato paid to a luthier.  It offers a peek into a world about which I know very little. Observations:

*The Raytown-based luthier Dave Bucher is a fascinating guy.  Anyone who enjoys KCPT's Rare Visions & Roadside Revelations will appreciate Bucher's folk art and scholarly musings.

*The video serves as confirmation that Shay Estes is indeed responsible for the rainout of last year's Prairie Village Jazz Festival.  (Kidding, Shay- I'm just kidding.)

*This is an ideal example of how musicians can (and should) incorporate social media into their day-to-day interactions.

*That said, I can't wait to hear Fado Novato perform.


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I wrote a poorly received review of last night's Tenacious D show.

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Can you believe that I'd never been to a James Taylor concert until last week?  Here's my review.

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Tech N9ne's "Caribou Lou" has achieved gold status.  (Tip via RH.)

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I'm excited about Christian Scott's new album in spite of his hubris-filled EPK.  Here's corresponding live footage.

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How do you compel me to purchase a physical version of an album?  The latest reissue of Liquid Swords contains "a full wooden minature (sic) chess set, which can be played on the chess board printed and contained directly on the inner lining of the box."

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I reviewed Pat Metheny's new Unity Band album at Plastic Sax.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

Review: She's a Keeper at Yardley Hall

The processed air inside Yardley Hall was deliciously chilly on Friday.  As I spend a lot of time exposed to this summer's extreme heat, the promise of air-conditioning lured me to the free She's a Keeper concert at Johnson County Community College. 

I hadn't seen the teen-dominated band since April and the chance to hear it in an acoustically pristine environment intrigued me.  Along with approximately 250 people, I learned that it's progressing nicely.  While the 45-minute set indicated that She's a Keeper hasn't grown out of its adorably awkward stage presence, the band has three strong vocalists and a terrific sense of melody.  Uninitiated readers are encouraged to watch the excellent video for "Stupid Heart" to experience the band's tremendous promise.

If the musicians asked me for advice, I'd tell them to quit listening to anything made in the new millennium.  It's obvious that the members of She's a Keeper take inspiration from Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers.  That's fine, but the band would do well to study American Beauty, Pink Moon, Astral Weeks and a stack of albums by John Hurt, Sonny Terry, the Hot Club of France and Lonnie Johnson.  An injection of blues and swing would help further distinguish She's a Keeper from the thousands of new acts plying a similar terrain.

Then again, She's a Keeper doesn't need my guidance.  Even after being told that the recording was available as a free download, members of the audience purchased 30 CD versions of a live EP after Friday's show.  The band's rabid fan base ranges in age from 5 to 65.  I can't think of another locally-based act with such broad appeal. 


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My five favorite performances at the Mayhem Festival on Tuesday were by Motorhead, Slipknot, Conflicts, Dirtfedd and Betraying the Martyrs. Here's my review.

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I'm looking forward to seeing if my gigantic melon appears in the background of the new PBS special featuring Joyce DiDonato's with the Kansas City Symphony.  The soundtrack is available at iTunes.

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Aficionados of sloppy garage rock need the Dirty Nil's Summer Mix-Tape.  It's free at Bandcamp.

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Paper Tiger's "Gold Pass" has served as my theme song for the past week.

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Kyle James is featured on thePhantom*'s "Sotally Tober".  The track is obviously inspired by Tech N9ne's "Everybody Move".  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image of She's a Keeper by There Stands the Glass.)

Kitty Wells, 1919-2012

Kitty Wells has died.  "One by One", the greats are leaving us.  While I never took a liking to her moralizing, I'll miss her classic honky tonk approach.


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I still haven't come to a conclusion about the merits of the collaboration between Neneh Cherry and the Thing.  Here's instructive live footage.

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Say what you will about the Gathering of the Juggalos- I'm genuinely impressed that the 2012 edition will include Danny Brown, George Clinton, the Geto Boys, The Game, Warren G, Raekwon, the Fat Boys, Kool Keith, Master P, DMX and Tech N9ne. 

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Why is Baroness suddenly a socially acceptable metal band?  I've liked Baroness live and on record for years, but it's weird to see the band suddenly championed by the likes of NPR.

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I review a new album that leads off with a track by the People's Liberation Big Band at Plastic Sax.

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El-P produced Milkdrop's "Game Changer".

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Kansas City Click: It's not the heat- it's the deathcore.  I'll see you in the pit at Mayhem Festival on Tuesday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: Steep Canyon Rangers- Nobody Knows You

I've spent a great deal of time listening the Avett Brothers, the Yonder Mountain String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and other newgrass and alt-folk acts in recent weeks.  There was a time when I would have considered such deviations from traditional bluegrass heretical.  No more.  As someone once croaked, "I was so much older then- I'm younger than that now."  So when I hear "real" bluegrass today- and the Steep Canyon Rangers' new release Nobody Knows You qualifies as a traditional bluegrass album- I'm initially inclined to get excited only by unconventional production tricks on songs like Nobody Knows You's "Between Midnight and the Dawn."  After a few spins, however, the songs steeped in tradition became my favorites.  I also appreciate that a couple of the love songs are written by a guy who clearly understands the complexities of relationships.  Bonus- there's no sign of a certain comedian. 


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God bless Public Enemy.  Check out "I Shall Not Be Moved".

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I've given Frank Ocean's Channel Orange a cursory listen.  It struck me as a less obnoxious version of Rhymes-with-Snake's Take Care.  I'll try it again when I'm in the proper frame of mind.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

High and Outside

What a difference a day makes.  Along with Diverse, Hearts of Darkness and a passel of DJs, Making Movies performed for over 1,000 people at Crossroads KC on Friday.  Less than 24 hours later, the band played another free concert at Barney Allis Plaza that seemed to have been sponsored by the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association.  While a couple dozen passerby stopped to listen, I suspect that my companion and I were the only people who showed up in the 100+ degree heat specifically to hear the band.  The massive scale of the venue made the turnout especially awkward.  Yeah, it was hot.  But Making Movies is worth a little discomfort.  While I've been championing the band for some time- the promotional clip for "Tormenta" topped one of my Top 25 Kansas City Videos of 2010 list- Making Movies has developed into an even sharper act during the past year.  The band's Chevy Music Showcase spot reflects its vitality. 


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Andre Williams likes to remind people that he's a bad motherf*cker.  He's right. Here's my review of his appearance Friday at the RecordBar.

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The 2012 edition of Warped Tour was my favorite in years.  My review is followed by a list of my ten favorite performances of the day.

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Ben Kynard has died.

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Talk about a bad look.  Check out "Billionaire", the music video by M.E., the wife of Ephren Taylor, Jr.  Read The Star's report on Taylor's appalling story.

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K is for Kanda Bongo Man.

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Kansas City Click: The Knux play Czar Bar on Tuesday.

The Farewell Drifters return to Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

Nicolay and the Hot at Nights perform at the Blue Room on Thursday.

(Original image of Making Movies' performance by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: R. Kelly- Write Me Back

Dear Kellz,

I"m writing you back. 

I realize we got off to a rocky start almost twenty years ago when I refused to stop calling you a cheeseball.   I've since realized that calling you out for being a goof is no more productive than complaining about the summer heat in Kansas City.

Even so, I'm compelled to whine about Write Me Back.  How could you have released the album in its current form?  You're backed by what sounds like chintzy karaoke tracks.  Had you featured a live band like the Roots, Orgone or the in-house group at Daptone, Write Me Back would have been the album of the year.  The songs are amazing.  (Weird, but amazing.)  And the MJ thing happening with your voice has never sounded more spectacular.

Yet until you pull it together, I'll continue to roll my eyes every time I hear someone refer to you as the King of R&B.  Oh, how you disappoint me!  Cheeseball. 

Your unforgiving fan,

B 


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Farewell, Andy Griffith.  Thanks again for introducing the world to the Dillards.

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Yomo Toro has died.  Here's There Stands the Glass' 2009 appreciation of Toro. 

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Perusing old Yomo Toro recordings led me to Jose Miguel Class.  Man, it really doesn't get any better than that.

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Godemis is looking good.

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I remain very pleased with my work at Plastic Sax.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.  And on Monday you'll find me at Warped Tour.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The Sound of One (Grisly) Hand Clapping

The members of the Grisly Hand should hope that the adage about a rising tide lifting all ships isn't true.  Two of Kansas City's most popular like-minded acts played their farewell shows last weekend.  

So many loyal fans attended Oriole Post's final gig at the RecordBar that ordering a drink was an ordeal.  Knowing it was my final time hearing the ensemble, I made certain to appreciate the Americana act's strengths- fine fiddling, sweet vocals, strong bass work and tasteful drumming.  Oriole Post was very refined.

Because The Wilders were a much rowdier band, my mad dashes to the bar wouldn't have seemed so out of place had I attended its farewell show at Knuckleheads.  Reports indicate that it was a rapturous affair. 

Will the Grisly Hand claim the forlorn fans of the Wilders and Oriole Post?  Or will the dissolution of the two stylistically similar acts cause the entire old-timey/bluegrass/trad-country scene to collapse?


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At the intermission of last night's People's Liberation Big Band show, a friend suggested that I should post a link to the  Tiny Desk Concert of frequent Kansas City visitor Allison Miller.  It's astounding.

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Hey, D'Angelo- you and your band blew everyone off the stage at last night's BET Awards.  So why can't I link to a proper site?  Please allow me to be your manager. 

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I dig Mike Stern's new album. 

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Kansas City Click: Black Cobra play the Riot Room on Monday.

Russian Circles play the Riot Room on Tuesday.

The Shades of Blue big band are featured at Berkley Park on the Fourth of July.

(Original image of Oriole Post by There Stands the Glass.)