“It’s temporary, this place I’m in,” Ben Bridwell insists, as if singing the words to convince himself of the ephemerality of his own situation on Infinite Arms’ opening track, “Factory.” The track finds Band of Horses’ lead songwriter contemplating the myriad, masked signifiers of hotel loneliness that remind, rather than dull, this sensation. The line comes off more like a plea than a statement of fact. For an album so fully devoted to the concept of home, Bridwell sets the table by placing the word in stark relief, opening the album as far away from home as possible: in an empty, sterile, cheap recreation of it. With the mass-produced hotel environment of “Factory” as a starting point and some distant, warm hearth clearly an ultimate destination, the real joy is in the journey. The clarity of vision that follows makes Infinite Arms the most cohesive and impressive release to date for Band of Horses.

After carving out a distinctly northwestern sound for their debut release, Everything All the Time, Band of Horses left the clanging guitars and reverb-drenched vocals of Seattle to return back east, recording the follow-up that would become Cease to Begin in North Carolina and incorporating many of the country and Americana elements of Bridwell’s native South Carolina. If Band of Horses’ debut was northwestern indie rock with touches of country, Cease to Begin flipped those proportions. In this sense, Infinite Arms is of a piece with Cease to Begin, continuing to emphasize that musical aesthetic while reinforcing it thematically in a way that the band had not previously managed.

Read about the songs after the break…

The songwriting on the album positively excels (you can still hear the album in its entirety at myspace.com/bandofhorses). The sweet iced tea harmonies of “Older” are the most refreshing you’ll find on an indie record this year, while “On My Way Back Home” recalls a more ramshackle distillation of the pastoral qualities of Fleet Foxes.

Elsewhere, the lyrical emphasis on home pervades Infinite Arms, ironically giving it a constant feel of motion, rather than stagnation. Imagery hints at the simple life: a DIY log cabin, the daily burnoff of morning fog, and a faithful canine all inhabit “Compliments,” while the wake-up calls of birds catch the notice of the narrator at dawn and are mirrored in the domino-cascade of shimmering harmonies in “Infinite Arms.” Both delivery and context, however, reveal such imagery to exist only as a memory or as an artifact of a dream.

Bridwell hardly seems to employ such devices to suggest that home exists only as an intangible idea, but rather that such ideas operate as indelible mental beacons to guide one home. “For Annabelle,” so named for Bridwell’s newborn daughter, takes comfort in shortcuts across fields and stones stuck in shoes, while on “Blue Beard,” “any normal life will do.” The comfort in returning home and the drive to do so, however, is perhaps best accomplished on album closer (and standout track) “Neighbor.” The narrator invokes small-town familiarity (“If Bartles & Jaymes didn’t need no first names, we could live by our own laws and favors.”) and the strength of family bonds (“There’s a light on the porch here for someone.”), a timeless reminder of those who are there without question, without issue, without fail. The song’s majestic crescendo of guitars revels in this plain truth, and it should.

In a time where it almost seems like an indie rock faux pas if you’re not singing about alienation, Band of Horses are creating songs about the earnest care that it takes to build memories, families, and homes. They employ concepts of loneliness and isolation as a means of juxtaposing one reality against another, but they don’t wear it as a fashionable aesthetic like so many other bands do (they seem more suited to flannel, anyway). As a result, they’ve crafted their best record yet. And that’s something they can take home with them.

Listen to those songs and more at: www.myspace.com/bandofhorses and tell us what you think in the comments below!

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

image courtesy of myspace.com/jazzekiel

What happens when you take the smooth, smoky sounds of barroom jazz and mix it with screamed vocals and punk breakdowns? Budapest, Hungary’s jazz-punk band, Jazzékiel (pronounced Jazz-eh-key-ell) is a group of guys whose unique brand of music is as rag-tag as the way they look. Their music runs the gamut from metal, to math-rock to punk, to finger-snapping jazz. One would think, upon seeing Jazzékiel that they never really decided what type of music they should play, so they decided to play them all. My favorite song of theirs, named A Rossz Testvér (meaning “The Bad Brother”) has an upbeat, catchy, scat-singing section that has resonated in my head since I saw them months back.

The funny thing about music in Hungary is that the musicians in the “big” bands are still just local dudes, and can be seen taking your order at restaurants (in the case of a popular rap group, Punnany Massif), or helping you in various stores throughout the country.

As for the band itself, the lead singer, Áron Hegyi, looks like an angry, bearded homeless man that was pulled off the streets to perform for your pleasure, and perform he does. The keyboard player, who sold me minutes for my mobile phone a week before I saw them play, tickles the ivories with veracity and tenacity. The odd make-up of the group only leads to the appeal of the band as a whole. Neither their look nor their music fit into any previous mould. Their live show is not one to be missed; I know it’s difficult to recommend it to Americans, because a stateside tour doesn’t seem likely in the near future. However, I highly recommend heading over to their newly re-designed MySpace page and taking a listen, at: www.myspace.com/jazzekiel. If you like it, buy it! I’m sure they’d appreciate it, and say “Köszönjuk szépen!”

Let us know what you think in the comments section!

For those who are not familiar with The Weepies, they are made up of two members. Steve Tannen and Deb Talan were both accomplished singer-songwriters before their meeting in 2001 at a club in Cambridge, MA. Their instant bond led to forming the band, a marriage and to the birth of their son by October 2007.

The specific album that I’d like to share with you is called Happiness. I understand that I’m a little behind in reviewing this album, seeing it was released, oh, seven years ago. In spite of that, I think Happiness stands out to me more so than the others. It is such a great CD to listen to in the morning to start off your day, especially a day-off. Happiness is beautifully written and very relaxing. I’m mostly impressed not only by the diverse instrumentation, but that the complexity is kept to a minimum and very consistent. I think The Weepies main focus on this album is within the folk-pop genre. There are a lot of southern-touches in most tracks which I believe makes the album so comforting. If you ask me, they sound a little like what would happen if Imogen Heap went south, but not too south. Also, throw in a lot more stringed instrumentation, like Nickle Creek.

Bottom line, Happiness is not overbearing, not even close. If you go buy the album, you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t say play it at your next party, but rather put it on the morning after as you’re brewing yourself some coffee.

1. Happiness
2. All That I Want
3. Vegas Baby
4. Somebody Loved
5. Jolene
6. Simple Life
7. Dating a Porn Star
8. Keep It There

With a follow-up on their last album, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, Rogue Wave get’s a bit of a makeover in terms of sound with their fourth, Permalight. I was almost even confused at first when the album was introduced to me. I could have sworn that Nada Surf accidentally made it onto the stereo. Regardless of the mildly similar sound to Nada Surf and confusion, I was undoubtedly impressed by Rogue Wave’s new album. After a number of changes in the band’s history, these are the current touring members:

• Zach Rogue (a.k.a. Zach Schwartz) with lead vocals, guitar, and Wurlitzer
• Pat Spurgeon on sticks, keyboard, samples, and vocals
• Dominic East on guitar, pedal steel, and vocals
• Cameron Jasper with bass
• Steve Taylor playing keyboards and guitorgan

The first track “Solitary Gun” acts as a magnet and lures me in to listen to the album’s entirety. I think I would feel too guilty to quit halfway through. I think what attracts me to Permalight more-so than the previous CD’s is their slight change in style. I feel that it’s shifted more towards a sound you’d get by throwing Jimmy Eat World and Nada Surf together, yet it’s pretty fresh at the same time. Go out and get the CD. Why? Because I said so.

To catch these guys on tour, they’ll be cruising across the country through the end of August. Check their destinations here http://www.roguewavemusic.com/#tour?filter=all

1. Solitary Gun
2. Good Morning (The Future)
3. Sleepwalker
4. Stars and Stripes
5. Permalight
6. Fear Itself
7. Right With You
8. We Will Make a Song Destroy
9. I’ll Never Leave You
10. Per Anger
11. You Have Boarded
12. All That Remains

Written by Chris Spofford

A friend of mine recently brought my attention to a fairly new music project named Broken Bells; a makeup of two highly respected artists that you have surely heard of. Producer and musician, Danger Mouse, and lead singer of Portland’s very own The Shins, James Mercer, pair up to bring you some sick beats and predictably enjoyable scores.

Broken Bells’ self-titled debut album practically takes the route that The Shins had partaken in with “Sealegs” from their latest album, “Wincing the Night Away.” “Sealegs” was by far my favorite track from the album and I can’t express my joy for James Mercer and Danger Mouse making an entire album with the same approach. I am so far taken most by their first track, “The High Road” which has a classic 8-bit-themed beat and basic oh-so-wonderfully written James Mercer lyrics. Of course, Mercer isn’t spitting and he’s never ever going to wipe his butt, duh. But regardless, he has succeeded with Danger Mouse in creating something outside of the box. Well played, gentlemen. Well played.

Danger Mouse is widely known for producing some great albums such as “Demon Days” by Gorillaz and “Modern Guilt” by Beck. It’s really no surprise that what we have right here is a real-life version of The Alchemist. You know that guy from that book who could turn pretty much anything into pure gold? No? OK, well then read it. Before that, though, do whatever it is you can to get a hold of this album and start off your next party with it. Fellow partiers will turn their heads and angels will get their wings. I’ve seen it. No, really.

I’m going to give this album two thumbs up without a doubt. And I don’t need a second person to do that either. Apparently Ebert & Roeper only have one hand each or they’re just taking the gift of having two hands for granted.

Written by Chris Spofford

When I name the band “fun“, does that ring a bell? Nate Ruess sound familiar? What about The Format? OK, if that raised your brow (or even if it didn’t), you should invest some time into fun.. Nate, formerly of The Format, Jack Antonoff from Steel Train, and Andrew Dost from Anathello joined forces to release “Aim and Ignite” on August 25th of this year. What’s offered here is similar to what you heard in “Dog Problems”, the last album released by The Format. I certainly had high expectations for “Aim and Ignite” before it’s release and I’m very pleased with the turnout. The indie-pop flavor should leave you with a smile at the end of every song.

The guys have been on several tours since late 2008 promoting the group just to get their name out there, playing the few originals they had back then and covering some numbers from The Format. Tonight happened to be the last night of their tour with Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, and it ended on a good note I might add! After tonight, they’ll be taking a nice break until February when they get back on the road with Jack’s Mannequin.

Before the show, I had the honor of meeting up with Nate for an interview that I was particularly excited about. For your aural pleasure, yet again, I have recorded the interview.

I do recommend that you either go to http://www.myspace.com/fun or http://www.ournameisfun.com where you can listen to a few of the tracks off of the new album or even purchase and download the album itself.

Photo by Brad MacDonald

I really must say, Nate is a super cool dude. It’s musicians like him that are so refreshing in the world of music because he is human just like you and I. Nate does exactly what makes him happy and it’s a win-win for everyone involved. Another true inspiration to all musicians out there.

-Spoff

Sherwood is an indie pop band that hails out of San Luis Obispo, CA.  They had a self titled EP that came out 2004 and have produced another EP (“Summer EP” 2006) and 2  full length albums (“Sing, But Keep Going” 2005, “A Different Light”2007) since then. They are currently signed with MySpace Records and have been growing attention.

This album, I found, has a lot of surprises in instrumentation.  It goes from normal indie pop instrumentation, but then experiments with some “exotics” such as a steeldrum on “Not Gonna Love”.  Also we see a lot of cool music forms such as a capella on “Shelter”, call and response on “Hit the Bottom”, and acoustic/piano duet on “Worn”.

This album has a great feel and varies its range in tempos and styles.  It definitely fits in the great releases of the fall category. I would like to see them live if they make it out to New York.

As much as my words try to do justice, it can really speak for itself.  Check out their myspace for the full album stream!

Enjoy!

“QU”

1. Shelter
2. Maybe This Time
3. Hit the Bottom
4. Make it Through
5. You Are
6. Ground Beneath My Feet
7. Around You
8. What Are You Waiting For?
9. Not Gonna Love
10. Worn
11. Free
12. No Better

written by TNuthall

and call me in the morning

On my hunt for some new music, Last.fm suggested that I take a listen to some guys that call themselves Lovedrug. So I said “NO”, and then proceeded to download their latest album

“The Sucker Punch Show”, released October 18, 2008. Just like most music we here at IndieGasm write about, I was instantly hooked. Lovedrug isn’t exactly something I’d place under the category of “catchy”, but it’s definitely something worth spending some time with.

Canton, Ohio gave birth to the band in 2001, and since then, went through some changes. Lovedrug is presently made up of Mike Shepard (vox/guitar/piano), Jeremy Michael Gifford (guitar/synthesizer/piano), Thomas Bragg (bass), and James Childress (drums).

I haven’t had the pleasure to listen to the other albums they’ve released in the past, but I will say that “The Sucker Punch Show” sounds like something that Manchester Orchestra and Mars Volta would make (with a little Muse on top). Mmm Mmm Mmm. These dudes have a pretty distinctive sound which, of course, is a bit of a must in today’s music scene.

If you like indie-rock, give Lovedrug a shot. At least have a one night stand with them. To make it easier for you, here’s their music page for you to taste yourself.

“The Sucker Punch Show” (2008)

1. Let It All Out
2. Only One
3. Blood Like
4. Everyone Needs A Halo
5. The Dirtiest Queen
6. Borrowed Legs
7. Broken Home
8. Fake Angels
9. My World
10. Hante Bruit
11. Panicked Witness
12. Dying Days

Happy Halloween y’all!

Written by Chris Spofford

I’m still in awe from a performance that, 1. Happened four hours ago and, 2. Was not by Our Lady Peace. As I stood waiting for a group I had intended to see, a simple band calling themselves Company of Thieves warmed up the crowd as well as my heart.

With Genevieve Schatz on vocals, Marc Walloch on guitar, Mike Ortiz slamming the drums, Mike Miamone with the keyboard, and Bob Buckstaff slappin’ da bass, I was moved by how live performers should truly entertain a crowd. It isn’t very often that I wish for more from the opening band after they walk off the stage mainly due to the perfection of their artistic value. So, Genevieve and the gang, if you’re reading this… thank you!

Reigning from the beautiful city of Chicago, Company of Thieves proved to at least me that THEY should have been the ones headlining the show. These guys are cruising around the country promoting their first complete album titled “Ordinary Riches.” The sound provided is comparative to a mix of Sarah Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor and AG Silver… I think. It’s pretty difficult to really compare them to other bands. All I know is that Company of Thieves is within my top favorite performers of all time. They made my night and I want you to at least have a listen to their music online. It depresses me that you will not be able to experience what I did tonight unless you catch them at a show in the future because their CD does not do them justice. Though it is a great album, having them on a stage would be my first choice. Seeing Genevieve lose herself in a river of ecstasy that was their music was really something else.

To those who know me, yes. I have indeed fallen in love with Genevieve. It is only an understatement when I say that she is a stellar performer as well as Mark, Mike (squared), and Bob.

For more info and/or a taste of their music babies, click here for their official site and here for their Myspace music page.

Written by Chris Spofford

The Thunder-God himself

Getting to interview your favorite band of all time is a big deal. Fortunately for me, I was able to interview Guster. And fortunately for you, you get to read/hear all about it!

At long last, I have found myself in a position where I feel creative enough to give you (the reader) a review of a pretty awesome night. Not to mention that I deem it necessary to post something for those of whom are returning to school and need some material to hold them back from doing any ACTUAL work. Welcome back to school everyone! So sit back, relax, and enjoy this one because it’ll take a chunk of your precious work time.

On April 26^th, Spencer, his girlfriend at the time, Meghan, and I found ourselves in a position to see Guster (again, my favorite band of all time) and Ben Folds (whom is simply awesome) perform together at the same place: The Syracuse Carrier Dome.

Good so far? Okay, well it gets better. Prior to going to this show, Meghan helped Spencer (a.k.a. DJ Spence Money) and I get aboard the U.S.S. Campus Consciousness Tour as volunteers captained by Reverb; a group started by Adam, the lead singer of Guster, and his wife to help reduce pollution caused by touring. We helped promote this cause by giving out free Chocolate Silk samples, raffling off sweet prizes, and holding a donation stand. As a result of helping a good cause, we were able to not only stand front-right row for the show, but to meet the band as well.

Great so far? Okay, well it gets better. Right after discovering I was going to be helping the CCT, I managed to get a hold of the tour manager via-e-mail and work my way into an interview with Brian, the drummer of Guster. You could probably imagine the feeling I had when I received the word. (I believe it’s called an IndieGasm).

Here’s the order of events: I’ll start with the interview. Brian Rosenworcer is the youngest member of the band and manages to be the most abused. This is solely a result of beating the hell out of his hands on bongos. Though he tries to even the amount of time he spends playing bongos and his regular drum kit, Bryan still finds himself aiding his wounds with super glue and bandages. Though being a very subtle and hysterical character, it doesn’t take much to notice the very polite and sophisticated gentleman that is Brian Rosenworcer. The interview took place on the air-conditioned Gus-Bus (a good start to going green) and I managed to record it with some of the most high-tech gadgets known to man. The iPod and microphone accessory enabled me to capture a highlight in the life of Chris Spofford. And for your aural pleasure, here is the entire interview.

Guster

As expected, the show was great. That was the third time I had seen Guster perform and I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed by any means. Guster is very good about interacting with the crowd, like any good band should be. They had a fantastic set with all of their best stuff as well as a few numbers from their most recent album Ganging Up on theSun. One of the more memorable moments included a portion of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult after playing “Red Oyster Cult”.

We were then led to an area to meet up with the members of Guster, which naturally seemed to last as long as SR-71’s fame… not long at all. Regardless, it was pretty excellent to meet all of the guys and catch a glimpse of lead-singer Ryan’s daughter. I got the chance to talk to Adam, the lead guitarist and co-founder of Reverb, about the Campus Consciousness Tour for a few minutes and also record it. So, again, for your aural pleasure, click hear. Yes, that is intentional.

Ben Folds

My favorite part of Ben Folds’ set, by far, is Ben’s attempt (and success) in dividing the crowd into a three-part harmony for one of the last numbers. Even though this is not the first time I’ve seen something like this done, (Nate of The Format and the band fun.) it is one of the most impressive crowd interactions that I have ever witnessed at a show. Ben Folds was playing God.

It is now ticking late into the evening and I need to get some rest, and you probably need to get your work done for class tomorrow, but I will mention a few important notes before I let you go. Keep checking here often for updates, news, and reviews from my music involvement and discoveries on the West Coast. I’m finding new music constantly and I’ll be putting up my thoughts on those soon enough. Spencer will most likely be witnessing some pretty impressive stuff in Europe and will give you his perspective from the other side of the world, as our European Correspondent. And most importantly, DJ Christay and Jason Checkla will be holding it down and back on the air for WNYO with IndieGasm this fall. We will post the day and time during the week where you can catch their broadcasts.

You can obviously catch them on the old-school radio 88.9 FM or by going to www.wnyo.org and clicking the “listen live” link located at the top-right corner of the page and streaming it through your media player (when our show is up). To those returning to Oswego for classes, good luck and do your homework. But not before getting your weekly (or even daily) dose of IndieGasm. It’s what Jesus would do.

Much Love

Man Formerly Known As “DJ Spoff”
West-Coast Correspondent
Chris Spofford