Bodi: The Fall of Atlas [Album]

The genre “Alternative Hip Hop” has been making a splash in the underworld for a long time, and has eventually moved itself onto the main stage.  But frankly, I am sick and tired of the tag, “alternative”.  It is the same bullshit brand that got stuck upon rock music in the 90’s, another genre of music that was viewed as an alternative to the main stream brand.  I am personally sick and tired of fine artists with true talent and something real to say being considering simply an alternative to something bland.  This is an absolute insult, and must be stopped, as guilty as I am for using the same terms.  Bodi is hip hop.  The Fall of Atlas is a hip hop album.  Better yet, it is a genius hip hop album.  It is an album with soul, spirit, and the guts to destroy whatever demons might try to hold its master Bodi back from achieving whatever the hell he years to achieve.

By far my favorite track from this amazingly prolific record has to be “Prologue”.  It is just so entirely honest in its content that it will make you ponder all the lies you have been telling yourself over the years, as well as the lies you may continue to spew.  And it doesn’t hurt that such an all-inclusive and testament to honesty also features the brilliant voice of the finest female vocalist in the business today.  “Clotho” (as I have previously mentioned, here) is another perfect track that rips apart what we always thought was self recognition out of selflessness.  And it is such a joy to here Bodi rap among his peers such as Sadistik on “Pandora”, Kristoff Kane on “Epilogue”, and Cas One on “Prometheus”.  And so much thanks has to be given to Bodi for introducing, to me at least, such talented artists like Murder Dice, Jean Grae, M.anifest, and so many more that are featured on this album.  And if you have soul at all, a song like “Valkyrie” will have you choking up tears when Bodi and Dice’s verses are chased by the Ebenezer Children’s Orphanage with such valance and and a touching intensity.

If it weren’t obvious, I can’t say enough good things about The Fall of Atlas.  I have been an fan of Alexander Hallet’s work since I heard the first volume of Alexipharmic’s Good Side of Bad countless years ago.  And while I have enjoyed the likes of the “alternative” pioneers like Slug, Sage Francis, Eyedea (R.I.P.) for even longer, it was this man who made me despise what I considered to be the given truth.  The given truth that hip hop was a dead sport ran by venomous bafoons, and we were in need of an alternative.  I no longer believe this to be true.  I believe Bodi is hip hop as it was meant to be.  Bodi is a perfect example of what what we should aspire to be as people, not just what we should listen to.  This is genius.  This is gold.  This is Bodi.

Bobby Joe Ebola and The Children Macnuggits: Trainwreck To Narnia [Album]

Corbett Redford and Dan Abbott are a duo that obviously understand the power behind the laughter.  But even more so, they may be the finest songsmiths out today to understand the power of analogy and finding humor in the dereliction of human decency.  In a world that seems to be at times deprived of decency and filled with shit at its core, it’s good to know that there a fine folks like Bobby Joe Ebola & The Children Macnuggits who will be there to exploit indecency and the modern warfare against the common man in a beautifully light-hearted way.  Which is what I feel their latest, and possibly most personal, album Trainwreck To Narnia does all to well.  This is an album that is bright and beautiful, yet tells it just like it is.  You will feel love.  You will feel inspired.  Because if you don’t, you might have a whole lot of soul-searching and/or therapy in your very near future.

As the guys themselves always say, “Just because we’re laughing, doesn’t mean we’re joking.”  And these truths seem to continue to be self-evident throughout Trainwreck To Narnia, just as they did back in 2010 with their stellar comeback album that I have never stopped listening to known as F , and just as they have been proving through the last three decades.  From the hilarious goof on Ice-T known as “Cop Kisser”, to the lovely little Louden Wainwright-like ditty “My Darling Boo”, and all the way back to the analogical look at the downer parts of life known as “Blues Turn Brown”, Bobby Joe Ebola and The Children Macnuggits have created another absolutely stellar addition to their already extremely impressive catalog.  And thee shall be damned of “The Last Child Soldier” doesn’t blow thy mind with its brilliance and sass.  This is an album that will make you laugh, cry, and more importantly, simply make you feel good about yourself through the power of lyric and expressionism.  This is definitely not an album to be missed.

Trainwreck To Narnia is available now from Roof Top Comedy Productions.  Buy it.  Now!

Bike Thief: Ghost of Providence [Album]

It’s good to hear quality, organic instrumentation on a record these days, as the world becomes more saturated with electronic music such as “dub step” and “trap”. Bike Thief has released their first EP, and it’s just what you need if you love songwriting and you’re looking for a break from bass and glitches.

The six song EP, Ghost of Providence, begins by drawing you in with “Battles” as the steady acoustic guitar vamp ushers in the backing vocals, eventually giving way to the string section. It crescendos with the strings and builds some tension before letting you back down easy as it returns to the vamp. This is a great song. Febian Perez’s voice reminds you a lot of Nathan Willett from Cold War Kids. Great voice.

The most impressive thing on this record is probably the use of the string section. I can’t imagine what this album would have been without the strings. Actually, I can. Before Febian came to Portland from Austin, TX we had begun to correspond via email. I heard “Battles” and fell in love. It wasn’t what it is now, but it was more than enough to make me want to make music with Mr. Perez. And now that he and his band mates are here in Portland, Bike Thief is taking off. The band has only been in Portland for about 5 months now, and already has opened for Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at Dante’s, and you definitely get the sense that these guys are really going somewhere.

Ghost of Providence was engineered and mixed by Jim Cuda, mastered by Nick Moon, and recorded at Big Red Studios in Corbett, OR (where Pearl Jam recorded the drums for TEN) and is available now at

http://riverjonesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-of-providence

Coed Pageant: The Seasons EP, Vol. 4: The Fallout [Album]

Coed Pageant are writing some really good songs that easily strike a chord within the listener. For those of us who love three or four chord songs with simple arrangements and great lyrics, this band has it all going for them. The arrangements are perfect, with a little help from their trumpet playing friend, Nathan Fry on “Over It” and some more help from their violin playing friend Twy Bethard on “Fallout” and “Henderson”.

The rustling of leaves and a gorgeous piano part open the record on “The End is Near”. My only complaint is that it’s only 51 seconds, but feels like only 15 seconds. We the listeners could have handled at least a full minute and a half of quaint piano assisted by a few sparkling notes far off in the distance.

Immediately following the instrumental intro track is “Wake Up Alone”, a three chord, poppy jaunt about, well, waking up alone after another long night that ends uneventfully. It’s about finding who you are in those lonely times of your life, when you have nobody but yourself, and the world is there to learn from. Good stuff.

Next comes “Good Year”, a nearly a cappella song that proves this bands apparent love of what minimalism can do to make a song more poignant. The song appropriately ends with the mimicking of the proverbial ticking clock…

…And the ticking turns to clicking to start out the next track, “Fallout”, the second best song on this EP. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you what the first best song is when we get to it. Of course, you may disagree, in which case, myself, and probably also Coed Pageant, would love to have you voice what you think is the best song on this record.

“Fallout” draws you in instantly. It sounds like they closely mic’d one of those metronomes your Aunt Mildred had sitting on the piano when you were 10 and taking lessons that your mother insisted on, and then they threw in some handclaps on top of that…okay, I might be wrong, it could just be drum sticks with a little delay, but I really want to know if it’s a closely mic’d metronome. Get back at me, Coeds.

Regardless of all that, even though this song is only 1:49, I don’t care. If it were any longer it would only serve to make it less poignant.

“Over It” is the peak of this record. A catchy piano melody leads into a catchy verse, that by the second verse leads into a chorus of trumpet with the singing of “ahs” following along, which then gives way to a xylophone or glockenspiel that slows down the time and ends the song.

From the first rustling of leaves, to the darkness of “Henderson” this EP makes you feel like you’re stuck in a perpetual autumn with gray skies above you and puddles at your feet, walking through your wet town lost deep inside your own introverted thoughts. The lyrics are fantastic, my favorite line being, “And intent don’t mean a lot to the person who got shot by accident” from “Henderson”. Give this band a listen, and if you don’t like it, but you love the Avett Brothers, than there is something wrong with you. Not that the Avett Brothers are horrible, but is it possible to love checkers, but hate chess? I don’t know, maybe it is.

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Banana and Louie: Alphabet Soup [Album]

For the last few years, there has been this fantastic band that has proven to be one of the finest, and well-organized pop groups of latter days.  They were formally known as A Fine Day For Sailing, a british pop group that fits very well into what I consider the “British Indie Pop Mafia”.  I’ve been covering so many of them over the years, It’s almost confusing trying to try to remember who is who!  Simon Bish, Andy B, Falling Trees, Andy Fonda, and on and on.  From London to Brighton, Exeter to Tipton St. John, there has simply been some amazing music sprawling from across the pond.  And t seems as though a couple of the elite members in this proverbial mafia have now created one of the finest masterpieces in the collection with a whole new group called Banana & Louie.

Banana and Louie came from the offspring of A Fine Day For Sailing, created by the legendary Matthew Stead, and it is probably one of the finest examples of mellow pop music melodies I have heard in a while (possibly since the last AFDFS record).  Their debut album Alphabet Soup is an absolutely bloody brilliant and just so much damn fun.  There is no way you can feel down listening to this record.  I mean, there a song called “I Have Your Melodica, You Have My Heart”!  Seriously, how can that alone not make you smile?

Banana and Louie is simply that sort of group that you really just need sometimes.  It feels great to feel good, doesn’t it?  Well, how about checking out one of the finest indie pop albums of the year, and pick your chin up a little bit?  Let the happiness take you on a roller coaster of enjoyment.  You won’t regret it!

Mark Geary: Songs About Love, Songs About Leaving [Album]

Who can deny the ultimate and compelling power a solid singer/songwriter can have over you?  When an artist with a gentle voice, compelling lyrics that feel both personal and opening, and a strum along attitude that can make you want to cry and smile in a matter of minutes, you know you have heard something that will make your world spin.  These descriptors alone can not even begin the describe the power that Mark Geary will have over you.  But, his latest album Songs About Love, Songs About Leaving is a prime example of said power, and there is really nothing you can do about it.

When you hear a track that you know probably means the world to a writer, you may find yourself feeling a tad bit of guilt when you apply their words to your own inner demons or joys.  But, how can we help that?  When you feel as though you may have found a kindred spirit in a way, right?  Well, this is exactly what an amazing musician such as Mark Geary can have over you.  Try your damnedest to listen to a track like “Fireflies” or “Heaven” and not feel something pertaining to your own struggles.  More so, try to listen to the album’s finest cut “Stardust”, and not remember that very moment when you first fell in love.  Songs About Love, Songs About Leaving may seem like a simple and aptly titled name for a mellow mannered singer/songwriter, but each track is definitely filled with so much more.  This is an album with emotional complexities that are emphasized by the music’s simplicity.

If you are looking for smooth tunes on a rainy day, Mark Geary is definitely the man you will want serenading your sorrow away.  If you want enlightenment when you are feeling compelled by the earth’s gravitational pull to do something with yourself, then you should definitely turn to Songs About Love, Songs About Leaving, easily one of the finest records to be released in 2012.

Neil Nathan: Sweep The Nation [Album]

A couple of years ago, singer/songwriter Neil Nathan blessed us with a beautiful album of melodies and well-timed progression changes that was easily became of the finest albums I heard back then, and still continues to find its regular rotation in my iTunes library.  And now, Neil is back.  But the man who once made “Do Ya”, a track that should be a staple at every wedding across the planet, has a new sort of progression.  Yes, this light-hearted strum master is back, but with a vengeance.

Neil Nathan’s new album Sweep The Nation is an all out, tooth to the curb attack and acknowledgement of the corruption and greed that emulates the modern society that has been slowly but surely destroying our way of life.  Sweep The Nation is definitely a beautiful call to arms for the common man, and begging them to stand for themselves against the tyranny that surrounds us.  And dammit does it sound great.  Neil’s voice is just as majestic when he is angry as it is when he is in love.  And although Nathan’s regular fan base my not be used to the intensity factor he spews out on a track like his cover of Lou Reed’s “There Is No Time”, everyone is going to dig it regardless of what they are used to.

If there is one thing that can be continually affirmed about Neil Nathan, it is that he is a very passionate man.  Whether he is confessing is love for a devoted woman, or expressing his contempt for a torn apart nation, Neil is a strong-willed and amazing talent that we are fortunate enough to have around these days.  And whether or not you like him better at his quieter times, or in all out attack mode, this cat is going to entertain you, make you think, and divulge the truest of human emotions one could ever have.  Guaranteed.

Ronnie Fauss: I Am The Man You Know I’m Not [Album]

A good storyteller is a gift from God or earth or sea, wherever the hell you believe great talent comes from these days.  But, what seems to make the finest story to be told?  Is it a psychological analysis of the intrapersonal relationships human beings manifest for or in spite of one another?  Why, actually, no.  No, it takes realism.  It’s tales of love, loss, hate, loathing, joy, happiness, togetherness, etc, etc.  You know, all of those things that make us real people!  The average human emotions brought on my our own psyche or personal triumph or torment.  Basically, the tales of all of us!  Just be real!  And few people understand this art of story crafting that Dallas based singer/songwriter Ronnie Fauss.

Fauss has demonstrated his folk and old school country influence on three previous E.P.’s before his most recent debut album I Am The Man You Know I’m Not.  This gritty debut laced with fairy tales for the wicked, and love ballads for the empty hearted lover in all of us is a spectacular display of the old day’s influence on modern musicians, and how an old soul like Fauss can bring out the best of all words.  This is an album that is so full of life that is hard to try to find a stand out track.  With a the voice of Bradley Wik, and the soul of Corey Chisel, Fauss is a man that deters regularities.  Although, a stand out track of sorts would definitely have to be “This Year”, a beautiful ditty about the yearning and hope for better days, and that moment before it all comes tumbling down on your poor sad heart.

As Fauss plucks away at that good old fashion and recognizable country twang, he sings songs about the places where dreamers go to die, and the pretty ladies vanish from their ordinary days to relinquish their daily misery.  The entire world is a dusty bar with peanut shells and bottle caps on the floor when you are listening to a Ronnie Fauss record.  And I can’t think of a better place to die, live, breath.

Thom Carter: All That You Love Is All That You Are [Album]

How is it possible, really?  When you think you’ve heard the best of an artist (especially when they have dozens of pieces of work to their credit), they simply continue to impress you and make you reflect everything you have ever known, seen, heard, in your own short plane of existence.  Thom Carter is no stranger to Trainwreck’d Society, and is definitely not a stranger to my own musical criticisms.  I have been listening to this man for many years, and his ever evolving and beautiful ways and means simply never ceases to amaze me.  And as a self proclaimed Thom Carter enthusiast, I am here to say this…..Thom Carter’s release All That You Love Is All That You Are is his finest work to date, and definitely one of the finest albums of 2012.

His voice just brushes over you like a desired lace quill.  His piano work is a blessing that impacts you with each and every push.  His signature folky guitar work spills out like a fine wine begging to make you drunk.  With each and every track on All that You Love Is All That You Are, the enticement ensues and fills a void you probably didn’t even know you needed filled.  Feeling misery whilst listening to a Thom Carter album should be entirely impossible.

Each track on this album is pretty long, but definitely not drawn out.  Carter packs an impressive amount of punch into an 8 minute or so segment and still manages to leave you yearning for more.  All That You Love Is All That You are is definitely a perfect demonstration of the work of a man who has never failed to impress you with each and every release he puts out.  Yes, Britain’s own indie king has done it again, and has created his finest record to date.  To date, because he seems to only be getting better and better with each passing year.  The future is definitely bright for Mr. Carter.

Thom Carter: Pussycat Tales [Album]

Once again proving himself as one of the most versatile musicians in the world, Thom Carter has another wonderful release for you fine folks, with a brand new instrument to be showcase.  Well, new for this guy.  He seriously plays a hundred different instruments, and probably invented a few of his own.  Yes, on Pussycat Tales, we hear Thom bust out the ukulele for 5 quick, and dare I say sassy, tracks for your listening pleasure.

It really doesn’t matter what exactly Thom Carter is singing about.  He’s always going to to entertain, and basically make you feel great, and right in place wherever you are at any given moment.  Pussycat Tales rightfully seems like a project that was simply a fun afternoon with a man who obviously seems to know what it takes to make a person smile.  This is a quality we could really use more of these days.  Yes, the hardest working man in indie rock has done it again.  And now he has a batch of tracks that you very well be able to sing to your kids, and let them enjoy some enlightenment in the indie rock world as well!

Thom Carter has been a busy man in 2012, just like every other year.  This is third release this year only under his given name.  And at least 4 other albums under his numerous monikers.  This is a man who simply doesn’t quit.  He has had an illustrious career that exemplifies exactly what it means to be a hard working artist these days.  And Pussycat Tales, no matter what name he releases it under, is another fine example of the beauty and magnificent bevy of emotions that Thom Carter continues to give to the world with each and every piece of musical goodness he leaves for the world.