music | DarlingDork

Johnny Headband- Who Cooks For You

May 17, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Dear Johnny Headband,

You had me from “cookies for breakfast”.

Love,
Julie

Hold on to your headbands, guys – the electro-pop band whose influences include cookies for breakfast, high school bandcamp, hot button topics, the 20th century and toothpaste has released a new album.

Hailing from Detroit, Johnny Headband is the three-man culmination of brother duo Chad and Keith Thompson and drummer RGS. Their sound? An unparalleled rodeo of electro-funk complete with synthesizers, dream guitar, and vocals as sonorous as the percussion is limb-popping. And considering that the Thompson brothers were involved in production even as teenagers (alright, low-budget short films made with camcorders and household, closet-raided props) and went on to graduate with degrees in media production, it comes as little surprise that house-made video – “And Then Again,” for example – is a quirky, color-blasted montage that suits the music perfectly.

Who Cooks For You, Johnny Headband’s third and most recent album, was informed largely by a camping trip in northern woods of Michigan and the folksy, raw acoustics of the cabin they stayed in. With this sound added to the band’s many other layers – swirls of space, summer, thunderous, rolling, and even moon-walking drums and accents like whistles, harp, and beatbox blasts – the music touches notes of everything from Beck, Passion Pit, and The Knife to LCD Soundsystem, Foster The People, and Miike Snow.

Listeners will dance from the very first track. “Over There” brings the clapping, bass-raving summer to your room; the jangling percussion of “And Then Again” recalls city street troupes gone mad with cowbell, triangle, and every other musical surface they might put a pair of drumsticks to; “Hot Button Topic” (the one that mentions “cookies for breakfast”) is a cheeky delight with as much pop in its lyrics as in its music. Every track of this nine-piece album surprises and thrills.

If you’re up in the UK, this is your chance! Johnny Headband is on tour and hitting areas all across Britain from tomorrow until early June. Check out their album on Bandcamp.

The Chorderoys- Country for the Indie Crowd

May 16, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Written by Nate Derr

“Hey, you got indie in my country!” “Yeah, well you got country in my indie!” In case The Chorderoys ever wanted to use this as part of their advertising (doubtful), it would be pretty fitting. The Chorderoys are one of those bands that mix characteristics of various genres so smoothly that it’s hard to fit them under any one label. Their new EP, No Man’s Land, does a great job of showing off their unique style, and has a lot of variety even across its four songs.

No Man’s Land charges out of the gate with opener “The Train,” and demonstrates the band’s genre-blending right from the start. The song’s galloping riff and echoing guitar melody could’ve come straight out of any 60’s western movie, yet the song’s soaring chorus is more Lollapalooza than Bonanza. The more laid-back “Docile Girl” has more of a country sound overall, but without the twang usually associated with the genre. The vocals here fit perfectly with the music, but one gets the sense that they’d be just as at home over a soft acoustic guitar. “High Horse” picks things back up with a driving guitar riff that transitions into a cool syncopated bridge. Closing out the album is “No Prayin Man,” a rocking blues stomp with a pounding rhythm section and a howling overdriven guitar.

At four songs, No Man’s Land is a pretty short listen, but it’s definitely a case of quality over quantity. The songs are tight, the production is top-notch, and the band sounds completely confident in their music.

I know that for a lot of people, (this reviewer included) their default description of their musical taste is “pretty much anything…except country.” Even so, those people can still find a lot to like here, and it may even open some new musical doors.

Debs & Errol – You Can Haz Love KTHXBAI

May 14, 2012 DarlingDork 1 Comment

Written by Lauren Knowles

Geek duo Debs & Errol write music for geeks. Listening to their music makes me feel as though I am riding on a unicorn while eating delicious cupcakes. I mean this in the best way possible, in case there are certain people who don’t enjoy unicorns and/or cupcakes[1]. I was first drawn in by their Geek Love Song, which ranges from Romulan love sentiments to saying, “I love you” in binary.

Did I mention the lolcats reference?

Their new album, Songs in the Key of Geek, feels like an homage to a lifestyle they fit nicely into rather than being just another band trying to capitalize on the geek chic fad. With songs like “I Wish Totoro Was My Neighbor” or “Cuz He’s a Geek Guy,” this album could easily move from album to stage production in Avenue Q style.

Anyway, not that you really need them, but here are 5 other reasons why you should listen to Debs and Errol.

They are talented geeks.
They have a song about narwhals.
They do a cover of Double Rainbow.
Their Youtube channel has game reviews, awesome parodies (including a parody of Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory, “First Page of My Story”…think NaNoWriMo), as well as other vlogs. Go be entertained.
THEY HAVE A SONG ABOUT NARWHALS.

Check out their website here to listen their music, read their comic style blog, and join their mailing list. You can also check out their weekly podcast, “Errol and the Bald Guy[2]”, on iTunes, which is also conveniently listed on their website.

[1] I question the existence of said people.

[2] Debs is not synonymous with Bald Guy.

Follow Debs & Errol on Twitter and Facebook.

The Devyl Nellys – Charm Land

May 09, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Written by Julie Israel

They’re real charmers, these devyls…The Devyl Nellys, that is.

Headed by singer/songwriter Nelly Levon, the folk rock project of an extended twelve members was founded in 2010. The eclectic musical talents came together after meeting in a series of crossing paths, particularly in New York and the Catskills while supporting other artists like Government Mule and The Violent Femmes.

Between initial traveling gigs, studio sessions at Retrophonics, and experimental play in the loft and garage studios of Levon and guitarist James Mastro, The Devyl Nellys have sifted through musical influences as diverse as their members – everything from Pink Floyd, The Allmans, and Chuck Barry to Joao Gilberto, Talking Heads, and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – and developed a distinctive genre.

Charm Land, the band’s debut LP, gives us a glimpse of that result: a vintage, sixties to seventies bohemian rock. Seven tracks, the album is in turns easy-going, hip-swinging, and seductive. “Never Last,” with its drums, cowbell, and cheeky electric guitar is the perfect amount of coy while “Hush,” with its wistful narrative and classic backups, reminds one of a doo-wop-she-bop musical like Grease or Hairspray. “Attracted” even borders on James Bond with its mysterious electric riffs and smoky vocals.

The Devyl Nellys have had songs featured in both television (“Cities of the Underworld”) and film (“Dealing With Destiny”) and it is easy to anticipate more where that came from. In the meantime, an east-side tour of the US is set to start this May and will take the band everywhere from Florida, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania to Georgia, New York, and New Jersey. Shows in Texas are also scheduled for October.

Conduits New Video

May 08, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Conduits has released a new video! It’s super dark and ultra sultry. The video showcases Conduits playing “The Wonder” in a dark, dark room inside Omaha’s The Slowdown.

Check it out and if you haven’t been formally introduced to Conduits, read their review here.

Beastie Boys’ MCA Dies

May 04, 2012 DarlingDork 3 Comments

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Sad news for the music world today. Beastie Boys’ Adam “MCA” Yauch has passed away, after a long battle with cancer.

Russell Simmons’ Global Grind reported the news on their website. ”GlobalGrind has confirmed this very sad news. One of our heroes, Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, passed away this morning after a long bout with cancer.”

In 2009, he was treated for a cancerous parotid gland and lymph node and underwent surgery and radiation. He was 47 years old and is survived by his wife and daughter.

Thank you for your contribution to music, sir!

Dead Dog is Deadly

May 02, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Written By: Julie Israel

You’ll have a DOG good time rockin’ out to Dead Dog, the re-pressed debut album by the pop-punk band of the same name.

Dead Dog traces its roots to Brooklyn, and came to life in 2006 amid microwaved roaches and living room Queen covers. The band has come a long ways from their formation, relocating to Athens, Georgia, and has been anything but dead since: they have released two albums prior to this one (the 2008 debut Dead Dog and Don’t Touch Me in 2010) and toured from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon and back again without missing a single show, despite “broken guitars, broken fingers, and many ruined underpants”.

Now singer Ella Sternberg, guitarist John Mclean, and drummer Lexie Gay crash the pop-punk scene with Dead Dog, the extended version of their debut album. Like the band it’s named for, the collection has an all-around, true garage punk, unrefined quality: vintage radio vocals, a quick drumming, cymbal-splashed beat, and bending notes with shredding in no short supply.

The band’s influences, which include Rancid, The Ramones, and Dinosaur Jr. are clearly audible. Several tracks, including “Partners in Crime” and “Oh My Fullness,” recall The Strokes, though Dead Dog’s riffs have an arguably freer, more organic sound. The track that ranked highest on my personal dance-induce meter and is “Return of the Living Dead,” but as you will see if you watch fan-taken videos uploaded to the band’s YouTube Channel, just about every track in their arsenal gets an audience stirring.

Currently Dead Dog is on a one-month, east-side tour of the nation with stops everywhere from Boston and New York to New Orleans.

I Fight Dragons!

April 26, 2012 DarlingDork 1 Comment

I Fight Dragons…well, no, really I fight mostly creepy crawly creatures and Orcs, but I love when I find musicians like I Fight Dragons who combine my love of gaming and my love of music into one nice package. Using chip tunes and good old fashion pop awesomeness, I Fight Dragons has 3 albums under their belt and their new 3D video “Save World Get Girl” premiered on Nintendo 3DS’s video app this week.

Adding your name to their mailing list gives you 4 free downloads. Yay, free stuff! Check them out and subscribe to their YouTube page, then like them, and then as they say on their website, “go tell your friends about them. Or if you don’t have friends, tell your mom. Say hi to her for me. She’ll know who you mean. Trust me.”

Here’s one of my favorite tunes by I Fight Dragons.

What Hearts- Do It In the Day

April 23, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Written by Nate Derr

On the What Hearts website, singer Julie Vitells writes that her songwriting style is mostly informed by her experiences traveling the country after leaving home at 15 and the wide variety of traditional music styles she was exposed to. But even without knowing her history, a listener could still get a sense of those influences on the full-length debut from What Hearts, Do It In the Day. Much of Do It In the Day is rooted in memories: memories of places, of people, of things said and things regretted, and it evokes those memories with musical styles traditionally associated with storytelling.

The instrumentation and lyrical content on Do It In the Day have a very folk feel, but the vocal harmonization and violin give a distinct country vibe. Julie’s vocal style, on the other hand, is very indie pop. These various elements play off one another surprisingly well, and blend together into a very natural sound.

Most of the songs on Do It In the Day have to do with memories of specific events, descriptions of specific places, or both. Listening to the album feels like walking around Albuquerque with Julie or peering into past conversations she’s had. While much of the description is very matter-of-fact, there is always a hint of sadness lurking around the edges. “East Side,” for example, includes the lines “That was where your father lived, I’m sorry about him. I’m sorry that I made you sad, I’m sorry about everything.”

When contrasted with all the melancholy remembrances, the songs’ cheery melodies lend a sense of detachment to the songs. The line from the song “East Side” seems to sum this up: “That whole time, it’s a book I’ve closed and put back down.” Though of course the book isn’t completely closed; she’s revisiting these memories in song, after all. Lyrical content aside, the great melodies and talented female singers make for a very soothing listen, with hooks that won’t leave your head for days.

The album’s last track, “The Best Part,” brings the album to a close while looking ahead to the future. As Julie sings, “I’m saving you my best part,” I can’t help but wonder what’s next for this original Portland band.

Nehedar New Album High Tide

April 19, 2012 DarlingDork No comments

Written By: Julie Israel

What’s in a name? Nehedar, the Hebrew word for “wonderful” that singer-songwriter Emilia Cataldo adopted for herself while studying in Israel, now aptly describes her growing music project as well as its new album High Tide.

Cataldo is the daughter of two New York musicians: her mother, a hippie piano teacher of Jewish heritage, and her father, a Puerto Rican jazz saxophonist. Between such colorful influences growing up and relatively quiet homes in Southbridge, Massachusetts and Zion, Illinois, it comes as little surprise that the small town life could not contain her – as soon as she was old enough Cataldo set out into the greater world.

After extensive traveling which took her across the country, the globe, and eventually to Israel where she studied the Jewish faith, in the year 2000 Cataldo moved to New York City. It was in a period of grieving, in 2001 following the death of her mother, that Cataldo began writing and performing her own music. She resumed the name Nehedar for the stage and now it describes her band. Since its formation, the group has been hard at work: in addition to the B.A. in music Cataldo completed at Stern College in Manhattan, Nehedar has self-released five albums, the latest of which is “High Tide”.

The new album is everything that Nehedar’s musically-rich upbringing and world experiences promise. At fourteen tracks, High Tide combines folk, indie, and pop while combing in streaks of jazz and, at times, even a salsa-like zing. “Take it Apart” is upbeat and saucy with drums and brass; the pop of “Eggshells” will have you bedroom-jammin’; “Dig Deep” begins as bare vocals and tambourine and delves into an enchanting spell of xylophone, guitar, and drum, while “Baby, I’m Falling” makes you sway with its swinging beat and country piano reminiscent of “Sweet Home Alabama”. Oh, and be sure to listen for the jazz of Luis Cataldo, her father – Nehedar likes to include his saxophone in play!

Perhaps what stands out most about the album is its overarching natural sound. Nehedar is consistently clean and pleasant, and Cataldo’s pure, light voice recalls that of Zooey Deschanel’s. Raw musical talent like this – one that shines even independent of today’s special effects – is a rare gem indeed.