The best thing that I’ve personally experienced from New Jersey since Birch Beer – Steel Train!

New Jersey indie rockers Steel Train released their third album today on their new independent label Terrible Thrills, coupled with Terrible Thrills, Vol. 1 featuring covers of all 12 tracks on the album by female vocalists including Tegan and Sara, Amanda Palmer, and Scarlett Johansson.



In a heartfelt blog on the bands website (www.steeltrain.net) singer Jack Antonoff (vocals/guitar/piano/drums) tells the story of where the band started and how they got to this eponymous release today. Jack met Daniel Silbert (guitar/backing vocals) and Evan Winiker (bass/backing vocals) at a private Jewish school when they were 10 years old and dreamt of being in a band. It wasn’t until years later that they got back together and hooked up with Jon Schriffman (drums/percussion) and Justin Huey (vocals/piano/wurlitzer) to form Steel Train.

The overall spirit of Steel Train is clearly influenced by early Beatles and Elvis Costello. They seems to take the best bits of modern sound from bands like Vampire Weekend and MGMT and mix in their own secret sauce to create and exhilarating resonance. Although Steel Train has more of a pop sound their lyrics are jolting and passionate, reminiscent of Radiohead.

The song S.O.G. Burning in Hell creates a waterfall of harmony that pours over you creating the most rejuvenating outlook and inner motivation. The chanted repeating lyric “And I pick up the pieces and run…” particularly makes me feel like I could start over again no matter where I am in life.



Song writing skills are abundant in this bunch of jersey boys. Perfectly illustrated in the song You and I Undercover with the lyric “so if you’re gonna leave, you cut the cords to those you know will love you back.” Slowly building on a lightly playing piano to lead and then breaking into an epic rumble that drives right in to your heart like cupid’s arrow.

Discovering Steel Train today felt like coming upon a lemonade stand on a blazing hot summer day, a pleasant surprise and unbelievably refreshing in so much of today’s stale music climate. Their DIY attitude and newly formed independent label embody the devotion that these East Coast boys have to their music. Having formed the label precisely to preserve the integrity of the album they released today. You can listen to it on their website for free and if you like it, you should buy it.

A spiritual experience with Mumford and Sons and The Middle East at the Music Box

People began slowly trickling in at the Music Box at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood June 4. This was just the beginning of the most memorable Friday night show that I’ve ever gone to. The crowd was extremely eclectic with people of all ages ranging from the teenage girls with their chaperone to the bearded indie wool cap-wearing guys and their stringy haired moccasin-wearing girlfriends. And I wonder if Mumford and Sons knew that they had a fan in Jake Gylenhall as he sat looking on from the front row of the balcony.

The Middle East, an Australian collective from Townsville, Queensland, have opened for Mumford and Sons on this tour. There are seven members in the band with one token woman who played everything from tambourine to flute and keyboard. The two main singers each had significantly distinct sounds that balance each other well and brilliant harmony from several members of the band. They all ran around switching up instruments between songs, which made it seemed as if there were more than seven members in the band. A banjo, percussion instruments, multiple guitars, bells on a stick, keyboard, flute, mandolin…I think they covered it all. Each song felt like a slow burning house on fire and before you know it you are engulfed in flames that are inextinguishable. A tingle set out through my body from the tip of my head through my spine and all the way down to my toes that grew with each song. The song that stuck with me the most was called “Blood” and can be downloaded for free by signing up to their mailing list on the website: www.themiddleeastmusic.com.

They were deliberately selected said Ben Lovett who plays keyboard and accordion for Mumford and Sons. “After touring with Middle East through Australia in January we became quite close and it just made sense to have them open for us,” said Lovett. He was barefoot in a white tank top and dark gray trousers, lingering in the backstage area when I caught him for a few questions.



The curtain went down and about 40 minutes passed before the four handsome young Englishmen humbly entered the stage to thundering applause layered over non-stop cheering. They opened with the song “Sigh no more” and it seemed as if the entire audience sang along. They presented an inimitable sound of four-part harmony and a resonance that rumbled from the lowest depths of your belly straight up to your soul. Marcus Mumford sang with a slanted mouth at times to get to just the right tone in his extremely unusual and anomalous voice. There is an incredible sincerity poured out of the lyrics that are poetic, fulfilling, and prophetic at times. The crowd was screaming and rumbling the floor with stomping feet. The members of the band showed a sweet and silly sense of humor by telling stories about one another through shared banter in the breaks. Wonderfully coupled with a properly British politeness displayed by the meek acceptance of wild adoration from the crowd. Ted Dwane alternated between the stand up bass and the electric bass throughout the night. "Country" Winston Marshall played slide guitar and electric guitar, but there was particular rapture in the way he handled the banjo. As if he were channeling a force much greater than himself during the show. Ben Lovett played the keyboard with incredible passion and even hopped on the accordion for a couple songs. Every song, with the exception of the new ones, gained intensity with the harmony of the entire crowd singing along. Many people shouted out “I love you” to the band and requested select songs during quiet moments between songs.

The spirit of the four men and their fervor for life filled the Music Box creating a boundless energy in the room. “Tonight’s show was significantly better than last nights show,” said Lovett. All four in the band are songwriters making them unique and powerful when it comes to the creation and structure of their songs. “We’ve known each other for 16 years and we have a lot of respect for what everyone brings to the table,” said Lovett “we need each other massively.” At the moment they have 15 new songs in early stages that will be on a future album. Mumford and Sons plan to come back to Los Angeles in October to play to another hopefully sold out crowd. If you didn’t get a chance to catch them this time in Los Angeles, I would recommend you get your tickets early to the next show…it’s worth every penny!

Mumford and Sons are the brazen and bold!

Mumford and Sons was born out of the London underground folk scene that surged up from across the pond a couple of years ago. The folk quartet started playing together in 2007 and quickly bonded over a love of rootsy music, romance, and honest lyrics. The toothsome sound really is something to sink your ears and your heart into. It’s easy to get caught up in the rapture of the strumming banjo and four-part harmonies, but don’t miss the heartfelt and brazen lyrics.

Marcus Mumford on lead vocals presents an incredibly raw and distinctive sound that is matched perfectly by the sincere rich sound of the band. Made up of Country Winston (vocals, banjo, dobro), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion), and Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass). It is impossible to sit still while listening to Mumford and Sons debut album “Sigh No More” released February 2010. At very least my toes are tapping incessantly and usually my body follows suit shortly after with good old fashioned English folk music.



The song “The Cave” ruminates with hope and wonder while it eloquently displays a transformation in three and a half minutes with lyrics like “I’ll find strength in pain and I will change my ways…” Each song tells a story that feels as if it could have been pulled from any of our lives creating a universal bond amongst listeners. With songs like “Little Lion Man” that possesses an intensely guttural chorus “It was not your fault, but mine and it was your heart on the line. I really f***ed it up this time, didn’t I my dear.” Anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows exactly what that feels like. I’m looking forward to the future of Mumford and Sons and definitely excited about seeing them at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood on June 4.

The xx have made their mark!

Until just recently, The xx was a four piece band consisting of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith and keyboardist Baria Qureshi who only just left the band citing exhaustion as the reason for her departure. They formed a band in 2005 in Wandsworth, south west London, when the four met at Elliott School. Romy and Oliver, lead vocalists, have known each other since they were 3-years-old and started creating music together at 15-years-old. The female vocals and guitar are delicately delivered by Romy with Oliver pouring deep vocals and bass in for the balance. Jamie is the master beat maker on the MPC and he is absolutely brilliant to watch live. Some people say beat machines have no soul, but arguably Jamie truly does bring The xx songs to life.

Croft and Sim’s voices are like crushed velvet and cashmere together while they envelope and caress you with each word. And slow driving bass lines that drip into your ears like warm honey. The backbone is in the MPC with the beats cleverly arranged to give a little toe tap. I close my eyes and listen to her and then to him and get a warm fuzzy feeling that pours through my entire body. The breakdowns and the build ups lead into a full sonic island of melodic sound. The lyrics that sound like something Thom Yorke may have written in his journal when he was 19. On the song Crystalised lyrics like “…I’ll forgive and forget before I’m paralyzed…” hook straight into a dark place that exists in all of us. Helping us find and heal some buried hurt from a long lost love ages ago with each tender tone. Each song leads perfectly into the next for a body shaking ear-gasm.



The xx songs are brooding and mellow with some introspective rhythms. There is a modern goth feeling that oozes from this band while they don all black attire and new wave haircuts. If you could imagine New Order and The Pixies having a baby band…this would be it! Their debut album, xx, was released on Young Turks Records on 17 August 2009 and ranked #9 on Rolling Stones “best of the year” list. They have quickly become one of my favorites and I know I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of The xx from the looks of their healthy tour schedule. They will be at Coachella on April 17, 2010 so if you get the chance, catch this British wave of electro-goth goodness.

Who knew Broken Bells could sound so good?

Broken Bells eponymous debut album was released in the U.S. and Canada on March 9, to the delight of many. Brian Burton, a.k.a. Danger Mouse, and James Mercer of The Shins are the connoisseurs of this fine project. Each man a powerhouse in his own right, they found out that they were fans of each other’s work after a fated meeting at a Danish music festival in 2004. Thus spawn the inception of Broken Bells.

Mercer and Burton began laying the foundation for the album in secret at Burton’s Los Angeles based studio in March of 2008. When asked they described their new material as “melodic, but experimental.” I believe it was early in January when I heard the song “The High Road” played on KCRW and about lost my little mind. Immediately following the song I looked up Broken Bells and was just tickled to find out who was involved. Pretty much anything involving Danger Mouse is going to be at least good…if not mind-blowing!

Listening to a full album is not a common occurrence anymore, but when played from start to finish the album tells a wonderfully melodic and inspired story. Like fine wine, each taste has new notes and slowly developing undertones that resonate within. Broken Bells presents a rich and robust resonance that makes you want to come back for seconds…thirds even! The influence of The Beatles and folk music in general is apparent in their sound, while there is also a deep affection for synth-pop laced throughout the album.



In an interview on KCRW, Danger Mouse mentioned that he drew inspiration from 80’s music in producing this album. This is particularly evident on songs like “The Ghost Inside” and “Trap Doors” where the bond to the beat is in the clapping. In the song “Mongrel Heart” the composition is extremely evocative and when you least expect it, it breaks into this epic lingering spaghetti western type solo that is simply marvelous.

Mercer’s distinct vocals almost serve as an instrument on their own while Danger Mouse’s wealth of knowledge from instrumental to production automatically put this album near top of the pops. The album is masterfully composed and I would expect nothing less from Burton who has worked with artists ranging from Sage Francis, The Black Keys, Beck, and Bright Eyes. You really must check it out!

Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM…scrumptious industrial brainwaves

Anglo-French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg was born in London on 21 July, 1971 as Charlotte Lucy Gainsburg. She was raised in Paris by her mother British actress and singer Jane Birkin and her father French actor/singer Serge Gainsbourg. In 2006, Gainsbourg released her second album 5:55 to critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching the top spot on the French charts and achieving platinum status in the country. Charlotte Gainsbourg seems to have truly found her individual style in her recently released third studio album IRM.

Gainsbourg claims she handed Beck some sounds of whirring MRIs (the album title is the French term for the machines), and the pop eccentric took care of things from there. Beck is a whiz kid on Production and performs vocals with Gainsbourg on “Heaven Can Wait”. The two of them singing together strikes a palatable dream for fans and followers of Beck, Charlotte, or both. Without much training, Charlotte possesses a whisper of a voice delivered with intent that bathes in the albums extraordinary production. A sonic wonderland created by Beck is the ideal chariot for Gainsbourg’s floating fluttery haunting vocals to resonate from your ears to your belly and right down to your toes.



IRM is largely influenced by her roll in the 2009 horror film “Antichrist” with Willem Dafoe as well as an experience in September 2007 when Gainsbourg was rushed to a Paris hospital where she underwent surgery for a cerebral hemorrhage. She had been experiencing headaches since a minor water skiing accident in the United States several weeks prior.

Big lo-fi booming and gritty distorted guitar are the undertow that sucks you in on the song “Trick Pony”. With a brilliant use of percussion ala stomp in the song “Greenwich Mean Time” enveloping Gainsbourg’s somewhat monotone vocals that sound as if they are being delivered over a loud speaker in your high school cafeteria. It feels as if they channeled Elliot Smith on the song “Heaven Can Wait”. While the song “Voyage” has an evocative tribal feeling with a sub-orchestral string arrangement that peeks in and out between sounds of birds cawing. And if you close your eyes, you can almost imagine yourself on safari.

IRM is a modern pop-folk dream with an alternative influence and sprinkled elements of shaved industrial lo-fi sound that are surely the influence of Beck himself. I tip my hat to Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck on a wonderfully composed album that seems to take folk in 2010 in high form. Well done!

Keep it simple...and dirty!

I had heard the name before, but never bothered to listen to anything by them for some unknown reason. Yesterday I was guided by a force to listen to The Black Keys. After discovering their recent project with hip hop veteran Damon Dash called Blakroc which features The Black Keys, Mos Def, Q-tip, RZA, Jim Jones, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, Nicole Wray, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and several others seamlessly combining rap and rocky blues. I felt like a kid on Christmas when you get that one gift that makes you so happy you could just cry.



A two piece band comprised of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001 and masterfully shaped 5 albums to date with the latest album Attack & Release produced by Danger Mouse and put out in 2009. The band released their debut album, The Big Come Up, in 2002, followed by Thickfreakness in 2003, Rubber Factory in 2004, and in 2006 they released their fourth album, Magic Potion. With many of their songs appearing in popular TV shows and commercials, you may have heard The Black Keys before and not even known it.



Their sound is raw and pure as if they connect you straight to the earth with each rugged riff and thunderous beat. If they were fresh produce, they would surely be the homegrown organic variety. Every line delivered by Dan Auerbach’s wonderfully soulful voice reaches right into your chest, grabs your core, and shakes it with the truth. A dash of Jimmy Hendrix, a cube of Vanilla Fudge, a pinch of Zeppelin, and just a drop of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins will bring you close to the recipe for a mouth-watering taste, The Black Keys. Stripped down and gritty, the production style makes each album seem like an old time rockin’ blues treasure uncovered from your grandfather’s closet. The Black Keys could very well be the incarnation of many great music Gods.



After listening to all 5 albums and some tracks off their EP’s, I am madly in love with The Black Keys. I’ve got it bad and all I want to do is share it with the world. Each song seeped into my skin and slowly made a footprint on my heart that I hope never disappears. Next on my list of things to do before I die: See The Black Keys LIVE!!!

Check’em out: