Monthly Archives: December 2008

Eagles of Death Metal – Now I’m a Fool

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Eagles of Death Metal are the product of Jessie Hughes and childhood friend Josh Homme (who also happens to helm Queens of the Stone age). The band formed after Hughes went through a divorce, and Homme came to his rescue. “I was married square going into an ugly divorce, when Josh says ‘Here’s a song I wrote,’ drives me across Hollywood in my mom’s car and now here I am talking to you,” he said in an interview with FHM. Pretty goddamn rock and roll. I wish I was friends with Josh Homme.

Regardless of their name, which speaks to something slightly more malevolent, they play throwback, 70s garage rock, amalgamating everything good the other side of ’83; bombastic, Stonesish riffs over fuzzy bass and a 70s sleaze fit for a velor suit and a vintage Camero. The riffs in “I used to couldn’t dance (tight pants)” pop between the speakers, channeling Keith Richards while Jessie Hughes croons soul over Motown harmonies: “It used to be a massacre/I never got a second glance/now I’m kinda lethal on the dance floor/check it, tight pants huh!” The lyrics jump from tongue-in-cheek fun of “I used to couldn’t dance…”to the straight, delicious sleaze of “High Voltage” (You want to hit it don’t lie/you want to come in from the west side/I want to be the showcase of her nasty boy collection.)

But midway through the album, they drop a truth bomb with “Now I’m a Fool.” It’s instantly infectious, a massive rock and roll ballad. Hughes uses falsetto in all the right places, the bassline is elegant and reserved, moving the song along, but not being too pushy, and the guitars shimmer over everything, a sparkling cloud nearly obscured by rain. Considering the content of the six previous songs, it’s hard to judge Hughe’s sincerity when he sings “Not to say you’re the one/but I put down my guns/and then you went Hollywood on me,” but it sounds like he just might have endured a devastating enough heartbreak to mean it.

From Heart On:

Now I’m a fool

I Used to Couldn’t Dance So Good (Tight Pants)

And this video…Jack Black, Josh Homme, David Grohl! See if you can spot any more cameos:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=xe6p-5tUh3M[/youtube]

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Dakotafish EP (2008)

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For all those Radiohead fans out there, I recommend keeping a very close eye on Mike Fish, also known as Dakotafish. Though his music is a more instrumental based than Radiohead, a little folkier, I won’t be the first person, and definitely not the last, to acknowledge how similar his vocals are to Thom Yorke. It’s eerie.

I am extremely impressed with the four tracks on his self-titled EP, and if Fish’s debut is as memorizing as this EP, I could easily see him becoming a leading musician in the indie scene. His blend of beats and guitar rifts, mixed with various electronic and orchestral arrangements makes for a unique sound that fits perfectly with his vocals.

In the summer of 2007, Mike Fish formed the Dakotafish project in San Diego (they are based in Encinitas, California). He plays many of the instruments heard on the EP, but Jennifer Argenti and Manuel Rhueda help with the strings and drums, respectfully (Aaron Sterling played drums on the EP.) Fish seems like a really cool guy, which can easily be seen in the FAQ’s he coincidentally wrote and answered. He is also a talented photographer, and you can see some of his pictures here. The EP packaging was beautifully done, and the aesthetics on their own make this worth physically owning.

Fish said after taking his EP to the Amoeba CD store in Los Angeles, “As a friendly rocker behind the counter took it away, I felt a little like I was looking at the last scene from ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ You know, with the guy wheeling the ark into that huge government warehouse amongst thousands and thousands of other buried and lost artifacts?” Don’t allow that to be the fate of this EP. Check it out.

Self-Titled EP (2008):

(mp3) Dakotafish – Landlocked

(mp3) Dakotafish – Teenage Years

This is a neat 30 second Obama ad with Fish’s music in the background.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waLGpu3qLls[/youtube]

Site | Paypal (direct EP purchase, with limited edition print) | iTunes | Myspace

Mason Proper – Olly Oxen Free (2008)

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As of late, I’ve been really digging the music of Michigan based band Mason Proper. Their album Olly Oxen Free came out in September and is one of the best releases of the year. Their music has a chill, lo-fi experimental feel to it, and songs like “Safe For the Time Being” bring to mind a more mellow Born Ruffians.

This album as a whole is really solid. Pretty much every song has a catchy hook, and the band does a great job of keeping things simple, while keeping a unique sound that’s not quite like anything I’ve heard before. My favorite tracks include “Fog,””Lock and Key,””Out Dragging The River,””In The Mirror,” and “Safe For The Time Being.”

When Culture Bully asked the band in an interview if they were cautious writing new music in fear of sounding too much like stuff that’s already out there, Visger responded “Oh, absolutely. We’ve got a very developed personal palette of signature tricks at this point, so I don’t think we have to worry about it consciously very much, but if something sets off our pastiche alarm we don’t do it.”

Mason Proper formed in Alpena, Michigan in 2004, originally under the name Patterns in Paris, and is made up of singer Jonathan Visger, Zac Fineberg (bassist), Garrett Jones (drummer), Brian Konicek (guitarist), Matt Thomson (keyboards). In 2006, after releasing their debut album the The Early Years and Moth, they signed to New York based label Dovecote.

Olly Oxen Free (2008):

Mason Proper – Out Dragging The River

Mason Proper – Lock and Key

(video) Mason Proper performing “Fog” live on Lansing’s Impact89FM

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcfiXNRc_aA&e[/youtube]

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