Friday, May 20, 2005

The Lovers' Album of the Week


Animal Collective Prospect Hummer EP (featuring Vashti Bunyan)

If you're like me, you never even heard of Vashti Bunyan or her sole album, Just Another Diamond Day, prior to Devendra Banhart and the entire "freak-folk" movement. And I must admit, I still don't know that much about the woman or her music other than the 30 sec samples allowed through iTunes. What does come through, though, is that her approach to folk music is different from her peers (Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Dylan, etc.). I had a friend mention to me recently that he thought folk music would be making a big comeback due to the current state of affairs in America. I'm not sure that's true. To me, this neo hippie folk movement coming out from folks like Banhart and Joanna Newsom, and for which Bunyan is being labeled the Mother of, is less concerned about the world around them than the sweet and innocent world they have created within themselves. The music of Bunyan also seems to turn its head away from political matters and instead favors melodies that are dedicated to nature ("Lily Pond," Rainbow River," "Winter Is Blue" etc.). After the initially unsuccessful 1970 release, Just Another Diamond Day, Bunyan apparently left the music business all together to focus on a family. Thirty-five years later, Bunyan is back. Only this time it's not a solo album but a collaboration with the continuously fascinating Animal Collective. I never really thought of Animal Collective as part of the same crowd as Banhart and Newsom, but I do deem "freak-folk" as an adequate description of their type of music. Actually, Prospect Hummer is less chaotic than previous Animal Collective releases as it more resembles Panda Bear's (aka Noah Lennox) solo album, Young Prayer. The opener, "It's You," is a beautiful meditation of strings and voice that highlight Bunyan's strength as a vocalist. And when Panda Bear joins her halfway you are ready to sign the petition to have her as a permanent member of the band. Every one joins in on the very playful "Prospect Hummer," a tune that makes me conjure up images of Bunyan leading an odd campfire sing-a-long. The only weak track here is the instrumental "Baleen Sample," which was recorded at a different time than the rest of the EP and comes off feeling like filler material. The closing number "I Remember Learning How To Drive" is so far removed from my friend's folk revival prediction that it makes me feel hopeful for the world that inspires these artists. If there is to be an influx of politically charged music I predict that it will be loud and angry. Thank God we are given these alternate worlds to dwell in if only for awhile...

Thursday, May 19, 2005

The Music Lovers playlist for 5/19/05

1. Central Avenue - Andrew Bryant from The Story Never Told - Live performance from Andrew Bryant - Anything, A Road To Take Me Home, Cowboy Blues 2. Wonderin' and Thinkin' - Andrew Bryant from The Story Never Told - Live performance from Andrew Bryant (con't) - Listen To Me 3. I Turn My Camera On - Spoon from Gimmie Fiction 4. In Response - Dead Letter Auction from Cancer Of Time 5. Must Be You - The Sun from Blame It On The Youth 6. Perfect Situation - Weezer from Make Believe 7. The Wait - Shelby from Luxury of Time 8. Ear Nose & Throat - Troubled Hubble from Making Beds In A Burning House 9. It's All In My Mind - Teenage Fanclub from Man-Made 10. Keep Fallin' - Hot Chip from Coming On Strong 11. Let's Make My Bed - Applied Communications from Uhhh Sort Of 12. Natural Disaster - Headphones from Headphones 13. Do the Split and Say Neat - Thunderbirds Are Now! from Necks 14. Hot Gossip (!!! Remix) - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion from Crunchy EP 15. Medium Sized Working Dog - Caribou from Tour CD 16. Skakka - Amina from Animamina 17. Malmo - The Album Leaf from Seal Beach (EP Bonus Tracks) 18. Simple Hello - Damien Jurado from On My Way To Absence 19. Your Picture - Camera Obscura from Underachievers Please Try Harder 20. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan Stevens from Illinois 21. Strange Vibrations - Doleful Lions from Shaded Lodge and Mausoleum 22. From Which I Came/A Magic World - Eels from Blinking Lights and Other Revelations 23. I Remember Learning How To Drive - Animal Collective from Prospect Hummer EP 24. Why You Gotta Do That Thang? - The Russian Futurists from Our Thickness 25. Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It - Belle and Sebastian from Push Barman To Open Old Wounds

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

This Week on the Lovers - Special Guest Andrew Bryant


Tune in this week as Andrew Bryant, the first of my Andrew guests (the other being Andrew Bird on 6/2), stops by the WEVL Studios to visit and perform a few songs from his new album, The Story Never Told. Just click on the photo of Mr. Bryant to find out more about the man and his music.

New releases from:
Belle & Sebastian, Animal Collective, Saxon Shore, Spoon, Teenage Fanclub, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Weezer, Sufjan Stevens, Caribou, Headphones, and a few others... (I had a hard drive full of music go down this week that even Disk Warrior couldn't bring back so I'm a little bummed.)