FAVOURITE SONS

Brooklyn-based Favourite Sons will release their debut album, Down Beside Your Beauty, September 12 on Vice Records. Only together a couple of years now, they already seem to possess the sort of chemistry that some bands take years to develop (and some never do).

Much of this chemistry may be readily explainable, as four of the guys played together previously in the Philadelphia neo-psychedelic outfit Aspera. They have now been joined by former Rollerskate Skinny frontman Ken Griffin, whose voice and pockmarked-heart-on-cirrhotic-sleeve lyrics serve as the group's soul and centerpoint. That voice, actually, is something of a wonder - gliding effortlessly from growly-baritone mode to something more akin to a sad, sweet croon.

Musically, Favourite Sons are just as supple. Almost all of the songs - from one angle or another - tend to take on the sort of '70s sienna tones that in another artist's hands might be described as "honeyed." Here, they often just seem weary. Worn-out. Washed-out. But not dead yet.

Indeed, the band doesn't sound anywhere near dead on songs like "No One Ever Dies Young" and "Hang On, Girl." Here, the riffs and rhythm section rise from whatever deep pit of disappointment and despair the singer previously dug himself into. And, for his part, the singer sounds grateful to have been saved.

Finally, it occurs to me: somebody should have told these guys that there's a natural consequence for producing a debut record this impressive.

You can only go down from here.

Favourite Sons will be playing the following shows in the very near future. I'm guessing they'll be great.

Sep 12 8:00P/Sound Fix In Store/Brooklyn (Williamsburg), NY
Sep 14 12:00P/KEXP's Cheryl Waters' Show/Seattle, WA
Sep 14 8:00P/Chop Suey/Seattle, WA
Sep 16 8:00P/Café Du Nord/San Francisco, CA
Sep 18 8:00P/Spaceland/Los Angeles, CA
Sep 19 8:00P/Safari Sams/Los Angeles, CA
Sep 22 8:00P/Mercury Lounge/New York, NY

[MP3] "Hang On, Girl"

[MP3] "Down Beside Your Beauty"

IMA ROBOT

It's difficult to know how seriously to take a band like Ima Robot. There's the name, to begin with. (Though, come to think of it, Radiohead's a pretty silly name, too, now isn't it?)

But there's also the music - which mixes in so many bits of so many styles that you've almost got yourself a gumbo. Not a BAD gumbo, mind you - just a bit thin. The ingredients? Well... you'll need to start with some chopped power-pop. A cup of punk. Thicken with addition of new-wave roux. Drop in dollop of electro-pop. Garnish with glam.

Now, before I drive this culinary metaphor completely down the disposal (yeah, I know; too late), let me also tell you that Ima Robot hail from Los Angeles (entirely appropriately), and that they were founded and are still led by didn't-want-to-die-just-a-cry-for-help haircutted singer Alex Ebert and guitarist Timmy "the Terror" Anderson. Their second record, Monument to the Masses, will be released tomorrow (September 12), and I have a feeling the kids are gonna eat it up with a spoon (ahh, that fucking metaphor again).

Finally, it might be noted that these guys previously toured with Hot Hot Heat. I'm here to tell you: it just as easily could have been the Faint. Or Hard-Fi. Or, as Ima Robot themselves have been wont to mention: Panic! at the Disco. All of which is to say: their music is slick. Sassy. Super-slick. Mad-ass sassy. It is also superficial. Stupendously, silly-ass superficial. But the hooks are humongous. The choruses are colossal. And their youthful exuberance may well go a long way toward softening even the hardest of indie hearts.

If you'd like to hear some Ima Robot songs that are not offered here, you'll want to go to their MySpace page.

If you'd like to catch one of Ima Robot's live shows in the not-too-distant future, you'll need to go to one of the following places, at one of the following times...

Sep 12 8:00P/Safari Sam's/Los Angeles, CA
Sep 16 9:00P/Mezzanine/San Francisco, CA

[MP3] "Disconnect"

[MP3] "Happy Annie"

THE CURE

What with the success of so many retro, '80s-styled, British-influenced bands in recent years, it seems entirely appropriate that Rhino Records has been re-releasing a number of discs from the Cure canon. It's also no coincidence, I'm sure, that the band just turned 30 this year. Heavens to Betsy! What must Robert Smith's cosmetics bill be THESE days?

Now, if you'll permit me, a little personal story: Many years ago, while driving with a friend, a Cure song came on the radio. With a voice teetering between anger and dread, she asked, "Is this the Cure?" Upon being informed that it was, she promptly responded, "I can't STAND the Cure! It isn't even MUSIC!"

Well, music it most certainly is. But I'm quite sure my friend's view at the time has been shared by many over the course of the Cure's career. For some, maybe it WAS the cosmetics. Or maybe it was just the gloomy-doomy downer-ness of so much of it. You had the goths calling the Cure popsters. You had the popsters calling the Cure goths. What a goddam mess. Is this what it's like for Dashboard Confessional? (We can only hope.)

Yet, quite obviously, there have always been plenty of disillusioned, disenfranchised, and just plain depressed teens and young adults who have understood the Cure and their particular vibe to the very core. These were the people who breathed in every lachrymose lyric and gorgeously mordant minor chord, seemingly convinced that these things might just ultimately reveal the path to personal salvation - a path that didn't lead up to the light, but further down into the all-consuming, all-concealing dark. (But... Heavens to Betsy! What must these poor, sad-soulled creatures have made of "Friday I'm in Love"? The heart shudders to wonder.)

Surely, for these hardcore hangers-on, 1989's Disintegration served as both the summit and terminus of the Cure's coolness. Just before that time, however, when the frontman/future Edward Scissorhands inspiration was but a mere pup of 28, the band released the far more sprawling, far less-focused, yet far more accessible (for the most part) Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Well, guess what kids? Thanks to the aforementioned Rhino Records, it's back again to work its happy/sad black magic. It has, of course, been digitally remastered, though only those with 20/20 hearing (and is this even possible on our iPod-dominated planet?) may be able to detect much difference from the original incarnation.

So, what else do you get for your $19.97 (U.S./Amazon)? Well, you get a whole 'nother CD, for one thing. Unfortunately, pretty much half of the tracks are by-the-numbers, instrumental demos. Beyond that, you get a handful of alternative mixes, none of which comes particularly close to eclipsing its official twin. Finally, there are a couple of live tracks of less-than-perfect sound quality that I seriously doubt even the most ardent Cure aficionado will find indispensable. One will also find the requisite booklet, which features, alas, not a track-by-track synopsis by Robert Smith, but a general essay by... well... somebody not directly in the band. Oh, but it DOES have lyrics. Yee-ha. Whoop-de-doo.

Clearly, then, the main attraction here is the original album itself, which remains a fascinating puzzler. On the one hand, the band is clearly taking some Talking Heads-esque leaps with their "signature" sound here - playing around with rhythms and instrumentation. On the other hand, you'll find such intensely straightforward and satisfying classics as "Just Like Heaven" and "Why Can't I Be You?" here as well. A mixed bag, in the end? That's always been MY take. But for those who breathed in every lyric and mordant minor chord... this ranks as one of the Cure's absolute classics. The final word, as always, is yours...

[MP3] "All I Want"

[MP3] "Like Cockatoos"

[MP3] "Icing Sugar" [alternative mix]

DARK SIDE OF THE COP

Dark Side of the Cop is the electronic - and largely experimental - project of Marco Panella. His self-titled debut album is premised on a couple of unquestionably unique and eccentric conceits. For starters, he set out to execute a modern-day re-imagining of the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack (thereby answering the prayers of the millions of us who could never get enough of Glenn Frey's "The Heat is On" and the Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance"). Of course, this was never meant to be a literal, track-by-track remake, but rather an effort to wed the Detroit-cop-fish-out-of-water-revenge-comedy-in-Beverly Hills plotline with moody, anti-"Axel F Theme" electronic textures and slight hints of '70s-era, California-styled songwriting. Talk about a concept album....

But that apparently wasn't enough for Mr. Panella. He was also intrigued by the infamous/ambiguous Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz synchronization concept. So this, too - in some way - is meant to pervade the spirit of the music and mood. Ultimately, of course, it is up to the listener to see where, when, and how well these somewhat intellectual conceits work with the music itself. The songs below should provide you with at least some small starting point in that endeavor.

You can visit Dark Side of the Cop's MySpace page and download one of the other best tracks on the album, "Love Me From Above."

You can purchase the album itself at Auger Down Records.

[MP3] "Shaky Little Rules"

[MP3] "Childhood"

HEM

If yesterday's Everclear post wasn't quite your cup of tea, perhaps a bit of lush-yet-understated, country-inflected pop from New York's Hem will be more successful in transporting you to your special place. These three guys and a girl just released their second album of 2006, Funnel Cloud, on Nettwerk Records. (No Word From Tom, a collection of b-sides, rarities, covers, etc., came out in February.)

Funnel Cloud expands a bit on the band's previous sonic palette (on 2001's Rabbit Songs and 2004's Eveningland). Still, fans should have no problem recognizing the low-key proceedings, extensive-but-unobtrusive instrumentation, and the smooth, lyrical vocals of singer Sally Ellyson. In part because of those vocals, Hem are often compared to Cowboy Junkies, but I personally find Ellyson's voice "lighter" than Margot Timmons' - which is neither a good nor a bad thing... just a different thing.

[Hem's MySpace page.]

[MP3] "I'll Dream of You Tonight"

[MP3] "Reservoir"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

EVERCLEAR

Who woulda thunk it? Some 11 years after breaking into the grunge/pop-punk buzz bin with "Santa Monica" and Sparkle and Fade, Everclear is still alive and kicking and kicking out the jams. Their new album, Welcome to the Drama Club, will be released September 12 on Eleven Seven Records.

Of course, Everclear has always been the creative domain of Art Alexakis - relying on his songwriting and deep personal well of woes (failed mariages, bankruptcy, drug dependency) to build songs chock-a-block with musical and emotional crescendoes. Now 42, the singer is still at his best when spitting venom at any number of enemies - whether personal or political. First single "Hater" has already drawn much attention for its religion-baiting, "Hater Jesus" music video.

Vocally, Alexakis still has all the range of an arthritic snail. And his song structures haven't changed a whole hell of a lot over the years, either. If one hears an Everclear tune, one immediately KNOWS it's an Everclear tune. That can be a good thing; brand recognition and all. But obviously it can be interpreted from the negative end of the spectrum as well; heard one Everclear song, heard 'em all.

So... Welcome to the Drama Club isn't likely to earn Everclear many new fans. But the old diehards should be neither surprised nor disappointed by what they find there. That may be small comfort for the band, but it's exactly things like comfort and familiarity that keep a rock outfit rolling into their second decade of existence.

From the LP Welcome to the Drama Club, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Shine"
[MP3] "Glorious"

From the LP Slow Motion Daydream, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Blackjack"

From the LP Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Wonderful"

BEST OF AUGUST

Okey-dokey then, here's my best effort at a Best of August mix. I'm in too lousy a mood (have been for forever now) to present this with much fanfare. But I'd like to think the songs are better than my current disposition. Feel free to agree to disagree.

[Also note: Unlike most of my Best Of mixes, this one runs past 80 minutes and thus will not fit on a traditional CD-R disc. I am confident, however, that you will be able to listen to the tracks and jettison the requisite number to make yourself a "personalized" (and perfect) mix. Edit away.]

At your leisure, please left-click [here] to collect the collection.

TRACKLIST >>>

01) The Beautiful South/There is Song
02) The Killers/When You Were Young
03) The Hussy's/Tiger
04) Razorlight/In the Morning
05) Funky Nashville/Hitch a Ride
06) The Features/Wooden Heart
07) Ima Robot/Happy Annie
08) Paul Brill/Paris is On
09) The Damnwells/Heartbreaklist
10) The Cloud Room/Hey Now Now
11) Thom Yorke/Harrowdown Hill
12) Outkast [w/Janelle Monae]/Call the Law
13) The Legion of Doom/Crazy As She Goes
14) Peter, Bjorn and John [w/Victoria Bergsman]/Young Folks
15) The Needles/Dianne
16) Cosmic Rough Riders/Just a Satellite
17) Sing-Sing/Feels Like Summer
18) Richard Buckner/Town
19) Ben Kweller/Penny on the Train Track
20) Lady & Bird/Suicide is Painless
21) LD & the New Criticism/Unpaid Endorsement
22) Kashmir/Rocket Brothers