terça-feira, 10 de junho de 2014

The Dreadful Yawns - Take Shape


















The Dreadful Yawns - Take Shape - 2008

from Itunes
The Dreadful Yawns' previous album, 2007's Rest, found the group still more or less in the vein of folk-country-Americana roots rock, if with more psychedelic touches and broader instrumentation than most such bands. They sound substantially different, however, on the following year's Take Shape, though some of that arch psych-tinged country-folk is still present. Take Shape takes a decided turn toward the slightly wacky and psychedelic, the guitars often crunching harder, shimmering organ more to the forefront, and newly added member Elizabeth Kelly a prominent presence with her high and naifish vocals. Certainly if you define psychedelia at least in part as odd and eclectic, much of the CD fits the bill on both accounts. There's lilting, melancholy folk-rock on "Catskill"; almost punk-tinged power pop on "Kill Me Now"; San Francisco psychedelic-style folk-rock balladry on "All for Me"; an early Pink Floyd-ish passage of grating improvised noise in the middle of "Don't Know What I've Been On"; and yet more noise rock jamming that polishes off the concluding cut, "Mood Assassin." Despite the album's title, what this does not have is a musical vision that takes shape in too consistent or coherent a fashion over the course of the record.

01. Like Song
02. Queen and the Jokester
03. Catskill
04. Kill Me Now
05. Saved
06. All For Me
07. Expecting Rain
08. All the Dead Soldiers
09. Don't Know What I've Been On
10. Mood Assassin





+@192

domingo, 8 de junho de 2014

Arlo Guthrie - Live In Sydney


















Arlo Guthrie - Live In Sydney - 2005

Live in Sydney captures Arlo at his very best. Recorded in Sydney, Australia, June 2004 at The Seymour Center, Arlo is joined by son, Abe, on keyboard and multi-instrumentalist, Gordon Titcomb. This double CD intertwines the music and stories that have endeared Arlo to his audiences for more than 40 years. New originals are the crowd pleasing, heart touching song, “My Old Friend” and the haunting, melodic tribute to Hawaii, “Haleiwa Farewell (Haleiwa Blues)”. “Some people think a folksinger is someone who just sings their own songs. That's a shame. It's like being of the tradition, rather than in it. I've taught myself to make any song I like, my own." - Arlo Guthrie Arlo’s versions of his long-time favorites, “St. James Infirmary,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” and “Green Green Rocky Road” will stick in your head long after the music has stopped. Stories include old favorites and new ones too.


01. Chilling of the Evening
02. Oklahoma Hills
03. Intro to St. James Infirmary
04. St. James Infirmary
05. 40 Years of Songs
06. When the Ship Comes In
07. The Motorcycle Song - An Education
08. Derroll Adams
09. Portland Town
10. Byrds of Paradise
11. Haleiwa Farewell (Haleiwa Blues)
12. Technology/LA Story
13. Coming Into Los Angeles
14. Green Green Rocky Road
15. Intro to Darkest Hour
16. Darkest Hour
17. The Last To Leave
18. Steve Goodman
19. City of New Orleans
20. A Poster With Janis Joplin
21. Me and Bobby McGee
22. My Old Friend
23. This Land Is Your Land
24. Remembering Alice
25. Highway In The Wind





+@192

quinta-feira, 5 de junho de 2014

The Dreadful Yawns - Early









 








The Dreadful Yawns - Early - 2003 

From popmatters.com
Often, mellow singer-songwriting pop bands go for a style that is regularly executed but rarely cutting it in terms of quality. As their press notes say, the Dreadful Yawns are a band from Cleveland who try to not mimic but be inspired by fathers of the folk pop movement such as the late great Nick Drake. The band’s debut album might fall in line with bands like Knife in the Water in terms of overall tone, mood, and tempo. This is shown quite well on the light and dreamy pop ditty entitled “When We Were Young”. Guitarist and vocalist Ben Gmetro is joined on this track by a female vocalist, possibly either Cassandra Coin or Jessica Laflame. Regardless of who is singing, this track just soars without much effort on anyone’s part. It’s one that you’ll find yourself replaying before you hit the bridge, let alone the final few fading seconds. It might actually be two songs in one as it slides into a different arrangement. With a gentle touch that recalls Ron Sexsmith at his airiest, or perhaps Elliott Smith, the band nails this seven-minute track, plain and so beautifully simple.

The group also seems to be influenced by Neil Young’s folksy material, as “Village Idiot” has that toe-tapping, back porch feeling oozing out of every note. The pedal steel and harmonica give it a lot of depth as well, and it comes off like the Beautiful South doing Young’s Silver and Gold album. It’s this same sort of innocence that also plays a vital role in each song, including the lullaby-like “This Photograph Is My Proof”, which peters out a tad over two minutes. Thankfully, they know when to quit while so far ahead. Less pleasing, though, is the rather off-kilter backbeat setting “I’ll Be Born Soon” on a course with mixed results of Polyphonic Spree-ish pop and Americana touches.

Gmetro has a very good set of pipes on him, which he uses to great effect on the traditional singer-songwriter song “Your Little Cloud”. Just envision him sitting on a stool and picking this tattered, well traveled guitar alone in his apartment and the song immediately comes to life. Some shakers are added on percussion halfway through, but they’re not really needed all that much. He just lets the guitar do half the work and his voice the rest for a very solid and majestic result. It’s also quite hypnotic the longer it goes on, sort of like the instrumental portion of Fleetwood Mac’s “Never Going Back Again”. Unfortunately “I Was Just Struck By Lightning?” doesn’t fare as well, sounding as if, well, the band was just struck by lightning—and left void of much feeling or substance.


READ MORE HERE

01. When We Were Young    
02. Village Idiot    
03. This Photograph Is My Proof    
04. I'll Be Born Soon    
05. Your Little Cloud    
06. The Waves    
07. Was I Just Struck By Lightning?    
08. Memory Morning    
09. Farm Animals Take A Ride    
10. Cycle    
11. Highlighter    
12. Play In The Sun Again




+@192

domingo, 1 de junho de 2014

The Dreadful Yawns - Picnic

The Dreadful Yawns - Picnic - 2012

Abrindo junho com mais um álbum de uma banda que quase ninguém conhece, quase ninguém ouve, que não se acha pela net e sobre qual ninguém escreve nada, inclusive eu. Na verdade acho que ninguém, com a exceção de um anônimo que perguntou se havia como postar outros de sua discografia, se interessou pelo grupo.

Então, só de raiva (mentira!), em junho vai ser desovada sua discografia, para o horror de quem só gosta de hard rock e - bem pior - de progressivo. Se bem que tenho ouvido dizer que cada coisa esquisita por aí é progressivo e rock......
 
01. F song    
02. Picnic    
03. Figure It Out    
04. Perpetual Depression The Making Of Entering Kentucky Hear What You Want The Top Of The Mountain    (é grande assim mesmo!)
05. Glitter Still In Your Hair    
06. Puppy    
07. Parade    
08. Another Song In A    
09. Additional Song In A    
10. Religious Drones The Next Day Sun Comeback 








+@192