New single review: Michael Brunnock - "Every Step"

“Every Step” is an adventure in onomatopoeia. Brunnock writes about a train and then proceeds to create a song that sounds exactly like that – the rollicking rhythm of the percussion (beautiful use of the shaker by Fiction Plane’s Pete Wilhoit), the subtle bump of the bass, and the repeated chorus by guest vocalists Joe Sumner (also from Fiction Plane) and Mark Dignam suggest the chugging of the train. The “raw” drums hint at the clatter over the tracks while Brunnock’s own vocals mimic the whistle of the train as it passes, “full speed in the night.” This track is so cleverly crafted that one wonders if it was designed to sound this way or whether Brunnock is just accidentally brilliant.

“Every Step” is available on CD Baby and iTunes.

From the forthcoming album The Orchard available February 14, 2012

New music review : Michael Brunnock - The Orchard

The Orchard is Michael Brunnock’s most recent original body of work, though he is most widely known these days as a Piece of Shit.

The Pieces of Shit, as they are comically known, are the Talking Heads’s David Byrne, Will “Bonnie Prince Billy” Oldham, and Brunnock on vocals. They provide 6 out of the 17 songs on the soundtrack to the Paolo Sorrentino-directed film This Must Be the Place starring Sean Penn (and featuring Bono’s younger daughter, Eve Hewson), which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and is now playing in general-release venues throughout Europe.

The Orchard, which holds a baker’s dozen songs, is the perfect blend of past and future. While the majority of the tunes are brand new, several are re-imagined versions of previous releases. “Circle” and “Sensation” have only been released as live versions, while “Soft White and Indigo” reaches way back in time to Brunnock’s days with Little Palace.

A version of “Change” was released as a single in 2008 prior to the presidential election, but even without that insight, it is clear that the song alludes to Barack Obama.

“Man Overboard,” which appeared on Brunnock’s successful solo debut from 2007, So I Do, received a complete overhaul of musical arrangement and appears as a humbled version of its predecessor.

That effect is metaphoric of the entire album: in the titular “The Orchard,” Brunnock sings, “Wandered bare like I was born. . .” The idea of birth or renaissance is replete throughout this album and touched upon in every song.

Civil rights are explored in both “Change” and “Untouchable,” a song about the bombing of Pakistan, which features the vocal talents of Glen Hansard (Once, The Frames, The Swell Season). His band mate Colm Mac Con Iomaire also appears on the violin in the beautiful folk ballad, “Down By the Araglin,” a song which looks across two generations to Brunnock’s grandfather, also named Michael Brunnock. Hansard provides additional backing vocals for “The Orchard.”

With “Hansel,” Brunnock moves out of the Orchard and into the woods in a dark, morose tale of full of anguish. “Hansel” tells the story of Hansel and Gretel from the fresh perspective of the father who has left them in the woods. It is infused with a tristesse such that it leaves one’s hair standing on end. Brunnock’s vocal style deviates from its usual sound to provide the perfect atmosphere for this brooding elegy. It is so dark that it almost doesn’t belong on the album, but it serves as the counterweight to an otherwise hopeful collection, redeeming itself at the end with a joyful-sounding chorus of children’s voices.

Contrast this dark tune with the upbeat “Every Step,” the bouncy, catchy first single with backing vocals from Mark Dignam and Fiction Plane’s Joe Sumner. Interestingly, Pete Wilhoit, also from Fiction Plane, provides drums on both this track and "Hansel."

A very special nod to the “world music” genre comes through the inclusion of a didgeridoo on the David Hopkins-produced track, "Wine."

The Orchard touches on heady topics such as what truly defines a man and what truly defines love – and it appears to come to the conclusion that love is a tool to allow us to find the strength within. This is an album about perseverance – about hope, change, and renewal. The lyrics show a mature and confident Brunnock emerging from adversity with a bright outlook: “Every step I make is the first and the last”

The Orchard is scheduled for release in early 2012. “Every Step” is available on CD Baby and iTunes.

More from Michael Brunnock:
Michael Brunnock Official Website
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Michael Brunnock is currently on tour in Ireland, and his shows are the only place where you can purchase advance copies of the disc. Remaining dates are:

December 3rd, Saturday, O'Keefes, Clonmel,Tipperary, 11.30pm

December 4th, Sunday, Totally Irish, 98fm, Radio Show, Dublin, 8pm

December 6th, Tuesday, The Sugar Club, Dublin, 7.45pm

December 9th, Friday, Carlingford Heritage Centre, Louth,
...opening act by American songwriter Ari Hest 8pm

December 10th, Saturday, The Model, Sligo Town,
...supporting Declan O' Rourke 8pm

Concert Review: Alex Cuba in Miami, December 4, 2010

For those of you who don’t speak Irish – which includes, for the most part, myself – “Ceol Mo Chroí” means “Music of My Heart.” I can think of few artists closer to my heart than Alex Cuba.

Alex Cuba is a Cuban-born, Canada-based musician of extreme stellar proportions. Since hitting the music scene as a solo artist with the launch of his debut, Humo de Tabaco in 2004, he has won two Juno Awards for World Music Album of the Year and co-written an album with Nelly Furtado (on which he appears in the titular duet, “Mi Plan.”) On November 11, he accepted a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist and on December 1, he was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album for the 53rd-Annual Grammy Awards in February 2011.

But accolades and achievements come secondary to Alex’s musical integrity, and his shows are testaments to that devotion.

Alex played his 4th Miami show in two years on Saturday, December 4, 2010, at the newly-reborn Eve nightclub, which was formerly The White Room. A charming intimate venue, Eve is essentially a high-end tarp partially sheltering an alley between two buildings, giving you an industrial feel with an unobstructed view of the night sky. Located in downtown Miami’s entertainment district, Eve is a conversational piece, but not a place for conversation.

Though the stage is small, the sound output by Alex and his band (David Marion on bass and Max Senitt on drums) was huge – so much so that any band video I tried to capture blew up the mic on my camera, and only two acoustic songs were salvageable.

Alex and his rocking band played their 14th and final show of their U.S. tour in Miami. The crew kicked off in Massachusetts on November 16 and covered 9 states in their tour bus, taking only 5 days “off” – driving through the east coastal States and venturing to Tennessee and Texas. But if Miami was the last of a long line, you’d never know it when the band took stage with the explosive “Vampiro.”

In shows past, when Alex played Miami, he employed U.S. musicians on bass and drums, but Saturday night, Alex had his “Canada” band in full force and effect, and the camaraderie between the three was tangible, bringing this particular show to a whole new level of amazing. The band played a lot of songs from the latest album, the self-titled Alex Cuba, his third solo studio release. The crowd was filled with fans who knew all the words, singing along with Alex – and without him – and turning the audience pit into a dance floor. Everyone sang along equally well to his only track in English – so far – “If You Give Me Love.”

The audience gyrated wildly to “Las Mujeres,” an upbeat tribute to the power of the feminine (a track which is only available as a digital download), while the band gave it their all, comically collapsing together on the stage at the end of the song.

Cuba, whose collaboration with Nelly Furtado made headlines in September of 2009, has not wasted a single moment in getting back on the “Caballo” and was back in Miami writing in December of last year. He shared one of the collaborations, a lovely song called “Locos Los Dos” – about two people in a relationship which neither one should be in, by inviting his co-writer, Latin legend Luis Enrique, onstage to sing it with him.

Other outstanding moments included the brilliantly-written “De Camino” from his first album and a fast-paced medley of “Que Pasa Lola / En El Cielo.” Alex’s fingers moved a mile a minute as they belted out song after fantastic song.

David Marion did a beautiful job laying down the bass and the backing vocals, sounding as clear and spot-on as if the record was playing over the speakers. However, this band ran no tracks and every sound heard in that room – aside from the cheers and whistles – was produced by the three-piece band with the huge sound.

Huge is the only way to describe Max Senitt’s drum intro to “Tierra Colora,” a song written about Alex’s home town of Artemisa, Cuba, where the ground is so red it stains your hands. This intro immediately followed his one-minute drum solo spent brutalizing his kit.

Alex gifted the insatiable crowd with a three-song encore with acoustic versions of "Agua del Pozo," during which he turned his guitar into a mandolin and "Humo de Tabaco" - the title songs of his first two discs.

He closed out his 90-minute set with a version of his duet with Jason Mraz – during which an audience member came up and sang the English parts. The band came back in for a strong finish. The audience roared for more, but there would only be one encore set – there were other bands waiting to take the stage.

Find out more about Alex Cuba on his Official Website, alexcuba.com, MySpace, Official Facebook Page, or follow him on Twitter: @alexcuba.

Make sure to check him out in a venue near you. You'll thank me.





Discography:
Humo de Tabaco, 2004
Agua del Pozo, 2007
iTunes Live from SoHo, 2009 (available as a digital download only)
Alex Cuba, 2009

As Collaborator:
Mi Plan by Nelly Furtado, 2010

Extra-album Singles:
“Arrepentido (Bad Timing)” (featuring Blue Rodeo)

New music review: Garrett Wall Band - Hands and Imperfections

From the way that "Copernicus Dreams" tumbles out of the CD the instant you press the "play" button, you can tell that Garrett Wall Band has been waiting for you. Their previous CD, Sky Pointing having been released in 2007, Garrett Wall Band likely has had tunes pressed up against the glass waiting to run free.

Hands and Imperfections is the latest offering by The Garrett Wall Band, a four-piece outfit fronted by Irish-born Wall, who has been based in Madrid for more than 10 years. Wall shows the influence that his adoptive country has had on him, paying much respect on this disc, which is flavoured with a traditional-Spanish blend of sounds. Brass (Howard Brown) features prominently on many of the tracks and a drum kit is eschewed for a cajón, the flamenco drum box, played by Robbie K. Jones. On many of the songs, the usual means of percussion are completely abandoned for "foot stomps," "clucks & cracks," "claps," and "kicks & slaps", giving rise to thoughts of flamenco dances.

"Worst-Case Scenario," underlined by Dave Mooney's heavy-handed double bass, brings the sound further south to give a Tex-Mex feel, falling short of the "country" genre but settling nicely into the Americana groove. Wall's vocals are even reminiscent of Hal Ketchum on "Not Anymore".

While the music moves through genres, the lyrics mostly vary on a single theme: love lost and the life that inevitably follows it. But the album title foreshadows the final overview of the collection - imperfections. Though the songs recognize that there have been "Better Days" ("most times it's just one thing that make a good one bad"), they fall on the optimistic side of the fence. Recognizing that life is filled with imperfections makes it easier, as you will hear in each song, to let go of the bad and try to seek the "shelter," the "shade in the sun."

The strongest example of this is how the band moves from lamentation to exaltation with the single chorus, "we're not at the center of the universe," in "Copernicus Dreams," which is easily the most pleasing song on the disc. The group vocals employed on this opening song is a device that carries well throughout the entire album.

The collaboration between Wall and Lua, the female lead singer of Spanish band We Are Balboa, landed the band four weeks on the RTÉ 1 playlist with the first single, "Is There No Freedom?"

Garrett Wall Band ends the album with an homage to Wall's country of origin, "Never Give All the Heart," which is a poem by W.B. Yeats set to music. It's done with a deliciously Spanish interpretation, employing American musician Tom Corbett on the mandolin. The resulting song is a perfect blend of nationalities and an apt note on which to end.

Hands and Imperfections was released in Ireland on February 19, 2010. It is available from mondegreenrecords.com, garretwallband.com, iTunes, and Amazon. Garrett Wall Band will return to Ireland for some dates in July and can be found gigging in Madrid and throughout Spain. Check them out at their official website or MySpace for exact dates and locations.

Find them on Facebook and Twitter.

posted at Paddy-Whacked Radio™ and Copyright 2010 Natalie Herman and Paddy-Whacked Radio™

New Music Review: STAND - 100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope

From the moment that the electric guitar kicks in on "Love Will Never Creep In," it is evident that STAND has put out a rock album. Carl Dowling's sonorous drums define this song and play a giant role in the giant sound of 100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope, STAND's 5th official studio album. As it states in the CD sleeve, "these ten songs were recorded in nine days in June of 2009 in Buffalo, NY."

The first single, "The Living Kind" - from which the album title is derived - is a raucous roller coaster ride. They get more bang for their buck when both Alan Doyle (guitar and vocals) and Neil Eurelle (bass and vocals) employ a harmony so subtle it sounds like a melody by a fifth "supergroup" member.

Far from the misogyny sometimes associated with rock and roll, STAND demonstrates their love and respect to the women in their lives with reverent odes to "Olivia" and the unnamed "She."

"Nature My Mother" also pays respect to the feminine, speaking of environmental issues that are particularly relevant in light of events of January 2010 and as recent as 2 days prior to the record's release. The elegy is a lament for the abuse suffered to the planet and also a warning that earthly retribution is imminent.

The socially-conscious band shakes a collective finger at society in the sardonic "Generation Me." They don't hold themselves above contempt, though, with lines like "my thousand unknown Facebook friends / only serve my means to an end."

Fans looking for the signature STAND ballads will be appeased with the glowing coals of Doyle's voice on "Nature My Mother" and the acoustic "Stuck in My Shoes." Harmony vocals and Dowling's whispering drums take this song to a new level of beauty, while David Walsh's keys are the driving force in "Nature".

The final analysis reveals a well thought-out disc that runs through entirely too quickly. All that in nine days? Imagine what they might have achieved if they had taken longer.

100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope was released on March 1, 2010, is now available worldwide on iTunes and all major music sites. Hard copies of the CD will be available in ALL major record stores in Ireland starting Friday, March 5.

STAND begins a promo tour of the northeastern U.S. on March 12 in Pittsburgh, PA, and hits five states in 16 days, including a stop at The Bowery Ballroom in New York with Roger Bryan and the Orphans and new Meteor-award winners, The Coronas.

Copyright © 2010 Natalie Herman and Paddy-Whacked Radio™
Originally posted at Paddy-Whacked Radio™

New Music Review: David Hopkins - There Are Debts

There Are Debts is the latest release by David Hopkins. Hopkins, formerly of the band Lir, has put together yet another stunning CD. The subdued titular song is a duet with Damien Rice and features a mournful piano and a subtle brass arrangement.

Dutch songstress Laura Jansen (who toured with Joshua Radin in 2008), provides backing vocals on this and three other tracks. When she duets with Hopkins on the melancholy "Dublin," we fully realize how beautifully-matched their voices are.

However, the star power on There Are Debts is not the most impressive thing about it; its value lies in the songs themselves. The songs refuse to follow a formula and each is exciting and addictive. The earnestness with which Hopkins delivers his lyrics - he is the sole songwriter on this disc - is as impressive as the cleverness of the lyrics themselves.

Immediately Hopkins grabs your attention with the confident, "I Want Your Love," a rocking number that gives you a good indication of what the next forty minutes has in store. It makes a great first impression -- one which doesn't disappoint.

"God You're Letting Me Down" stands out as the strongest song in all aspects: the lyrics are unflinchingly honest and address the desperation many feel when looking at the world today. ("Come on, you're long overdue, give me some reason to trust you.") In addition to being a superiorly-written song lyrically, the hook is gripping and the musical composition comes as close to a "perfect" song as I have heard in years. Gorgeous backing vocals and an overlapping chorus form a grand finish very fitting of this tune.

One would think that a song like that would be impossible to follow as a mid-disc track, but Hopkins is too quick to fall into that trap. The Caribbean rhythm of "Money" is fun and light-hearted while taking a pithy dig at materialism.

Hopkins himself is a gifted vocalist, but he has learned how to multiply the quality of that gift by employing many harmonies and backing vocals, like in the piano-driven "In the Country."

"When I Was Young" is a feat of drumming excellence with an unintentional admonition: "when I was young I was told that my days were done / so I acted like someone who was no one / when I was young I was made to feel nothing / so I acted like someone who was nothing."

It's clear that writing is also a strong suit with Hopkins, and we get many fine examples of that on this disc. "Angels in the Satellites" has a jubilant chorus which is impossible to ignore, and the song is replete with unique and inventive similes which are a writer's delight. The Who's Pete Townshend calls him "a kick in the arse to his genre."

As if to prove that Hopkins doesn't take himself too seriously, the album closes with "Igloo": a tongue-in-cheek love song. Well, Hopkins is correct in stating, "We are crazy, but no one's perfect."

With this disc, he comes close.

There Are Debts was released in September of 2009 and is available on iTunes, Amazon downloads, CD Baby, and other music retailers.

Copyright © 2010 Natalie Herman and Paddy-Whacked Radio™

Originally posted on Paddy-Whacked Radio™