Dolorean

De Lorean. The quintessential automobile icon of eighties wealth and excess was also one of the finest American sports cars ever conceived. In 1980, it was a safe bet that anyone with a lingering partiality to some abstract exotic carmaker would immediately dissapate that partiality upon viewing a stainless steel DMC-12. The swanky machine just exuded speed, even when utterly immobile.

But I digress.

Portland-based act Dolorean is a five piece band which serves as the primary vehicle for singer/songwriter Al James. Their earliest proper album, Not Exotic, is a glorious vestige of Midwestern Americana encapsulated into beautifully structured melodies. There are elements of country and bluegrass present, but it is first and foremost a folk record.

Album opener "Morning Watch" subtly sets an appropriately serene mood before jettisoning the dawn for the more convivial "Traded for Fire" and "Jenny Place Your Bets". Both are wonderfully envisioned tracks that, at least stylistically, seem to serve as companion pieces to each other.

The real gem of the album, both lyrically and musically, is "Sleeperhold". With it's Biblical intonations and intricately delicate melody, "Sleeperhold" ranks quite high in the top twenty tracks of 2003.

With sophomore record Violence in the Snowy Fields, James and co. expounded upon their Americana slant and added a harmonious CSNY vocal element to the mix. The title track and "The Search" stand as some of their finest work - and perhaps the closest Dolorean ever comes to letting loose.

"My Grey Life (Second Chances)" would fit magnificently in the closing credits of some darkly bitter drama. "I believe in second chances, for everyone. . .but you." Brilliant.

You Can't Win, with its artistically chic cover shot, has become perhaps the most successful of Dolorean's records - at least from a critical standpoint. "Heather Remind Me How This Ends" is a song so hauntingly alluring it will stick with you for weeks afterwards.

The ninth cut from the record, titled for the coordinates of the area where ex-Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's ashes were scattered, is absolutely spellbinding. Its construction consists of merely scant instrumentation and wordless singing, but the execution is nothing short of sublime.

Dolorean is a phenomenal act with few contemporaries that can even approach their mastery of the nearly-lost Americana genre.

If their previous work is any indication, it can only get better from here. . .

"Sleeperhold" from Not Exotic (2003)

"Violence in the Snowy Fields" from Violence in the Snowy Fields (2004)

"Heather Remind Me How This Ends" from You Can't Win (2007)

Pinetop Seven

Perhaps the closest Pinetop Seven has come to mainstream attention came in 2005 when "Witness", a cut from their album The Night's Bloom, appeared on a Paste Magazine sampler disc. A year later, National Public Radio featured a track from rarities compilation Beneath Confederate Lake on the "Song of the Day" segment, a track for which this weblog is named after.

Though popular success has eluded Pinetop Seven, the band has been immensely active in the Chicago music scene since at least the mid-nineties. Mid-Western Americana is perhaps the most apt genre description of the band's work, as their rustic sound is reminicent of a film score to a dark, moody Western.

Their eponymous debut displayed a firm grasp of the Western genre, replete with a cover depicting a bristling battle between two gunslingers. "Tennessee Pride", with its ominously foreboding amble, is the final and best track on the record. The track could be seamlessly placed in an episode of Deadwood...in fact, I'm surprised none of the band's work wasn't enlisted for use in the HBO program.

Sophomore record Rigging the Toplights is unquestionably Pinetop Seven's finest work to date. First of all, the album features "Drying Out", a song that could possibly induce tears from the dismal tone alone - add to that aching lyrics such as "The winter here has not been kind", and you have a simply sublime piece of work.

Their latest LP, The Night's Bloom, displays dramatic creative growth - particularly in tracks like "Born Among the Born Again". A supporting banjo has never been utilized so masterfully, I would argue, as in this album. "Witness" is another standout, once again featuring haunting lyrics that remain with you long after the track is over.

In addition to the offerings here, the band has a detailed website which features numerous downloads of some of their best songs.

"Tennessee Pride" from Pinetop Seven (1997)

"Drying Out" from Rigging the Toplights (1998)

"On The Last Ride In" from Bringing Home The Last Great Strike (2000)

"Born Among The Born Again" from The Night's Bloom (2005)

"Hurry Home Dark Cloud" (Alternate Mix) from Beneath Confederate Lake (2006)

Kings of Convenience

Almost single-handedly, Simon & Garfunkel took the folk music playbook and modified it to create a sound deeply rooted in folk yet immediately accessible to casual radio listeners. Their 1964 album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM is a landmark recording in the furtherance of popular acceptance of folk.

Though the album was not an overnight success, within two years the group would shoot to stardom under the momentum of fans who could not get enough of the airy acoustic guitars and lyrical witticisms. Part of the credit is due to Paul Simon's exceptional songwriting prowess, and part of it is due to the otherworldly harmonizing between Simon and Garfunkel.

Over thirty years later, up and coming acts are still working off the S&G folk modifications, many of them adding their own enhancements and alterations to the mix. Belle & Sebastian are perhaps the most notable of these ardent folk followers, but an oft-overlooked outfit is the duo comprising Kings of Convenience.

Norwegian musicians Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe, playing together since their mid-teens, formed the band in 1999 and managed to release their debut Quiet is the New Loud only two years later.

The beauty of KoC songs is in their simplicity. "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From", with it's soothing, hushed vocals that would become trademark, sidles along amiably despite the ominous overtones of the lyrics.

"Toxic Girl" gained the twosome significant attention, featuring both in a wireless advertisement and in the film Shallow Hal. What strikes the listener most about the album is that though there is some scoring to the songs, and scant percussion here and there, the bulk of their work is straight acoustic singer/songwriter stylized folk music.

It is a refreshing sound free from the noisy overproduction and needless instrumental meandering that permeates the sound of many modern indie acts.

After a diverging remix album called Versus, Kings of Convenience released sophomore effort Riot on an Empty Street in 2004.

With this release Oye and Boe built upon the folk tradition, displaying extensive creative growth and expanding the scope of their sound by leaps and bounds. "I'd Rather Dance With You", unquestionably the poppiest track on the record, excitably bounces along with a danceable beat. It was the second single culled from the record and potentially misleading to newcomers as to the overall characteristics of KoC's sound.

The first single, "Misread", showcases the duo at their absolute zenith. The breezy acoustic guitars and mellifluous vocals are rarely in finer form, and this alluring dynamic is displayed in other tracks such as "Live Long", "Cayman Islands", and "Gold in the Air of Summer."

Leslie Feist, who herself released an album that year, features on two tracks: "Know How" and "The Build-Up".

The folk genre is crowded with acts who attempt to emulate what Kings of Convenience have done, but the honest truth is that Oye and Boe are peerless. Any skepticism to this declaration can be quelled by simply listening to their work, both of their albums are highly recommended.

Let us hope 2008 holds a new one from Kings of Convenience. . .

"Toxic Girl" from Quiet is the New Loud (2001)

"Gold in the Air of Summer" from Riot on an Empty Street (2004)

BONUS MP3

Erlend Oye/Phoenix "If I Ever Feel Better" from DJ-Kicks (2004)

April 8

Celluloid

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007)

Lions for Lambs (2007)

Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

Reservation Road (2007)

P2 (2007)

Music Within (2007)

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

The 6th Day (2000)

Music

Nine Inch Nails Ghosts I-IV (2008)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (2008)

Fleet Foxes Sun Giant EP (2008)

Man Man Rabbit Habits (2008)

Colin Meloy Colin Meloy Sings Live! (2008)

Jonathan Richman Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild (2008)

The Long Blondes Couples (2008)

Tapes N Tapes Walk It Off (2008)

Cloud Cult Feel Good Ghosts (2008)

The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come

Strangeways, Here We Come, the fourth and final album by seminal eighties band The Smiths, was released in September of 1987. If the volatile relationships within the band were unclear after the release of third album The Queen is Dead, they were certainly at the forefront in the months leading up to the release of Strangeways.

Lead guitarist Johnny Marr had already departed the band a month prior to its release and vocalist Morrissey was becoming increasingly frustrated the dynamic of the band as a whole.

Strangeways proved to be a hit in the United Kingdom, striking the #2 spot in the charts, and also saw moderate success in the United States. Three singles were culled from the record, including "Girlfriend in a Coma", "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish", and "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me."

These tracks, indeed the whole of the album, presented a slightly evolved template from which the band created their ambiguous, subterranean odes concerning humanistic observations and literate ruminations.

The lyrical tone was more tongue-in-cheek than previous releases, as if Morrissey was poking fun at the journalists who criticized his typically melancholy demeanor. The compositions were trademark Smiths work, yet showed growth with their expanded synth arrangements.

This decision dates the album considerably, especially compared with their earlier work which is mostly composed with the standard guitar/bass/drum setup, yet the synths did lend a slightly fuller sound to the tracks on Strangeways.

In the wake of the dissolution of The Smiths, Morrissey embarked on a highly successful solo career and Johnny Marr became one of the most sought after session musicians of the nineties. As for the two other members. . .well, who cares about them?

Previous HHDC articles on The Smiths:

The Smiths (Debut)

Meat is Murder

The Queen is Dead

"A Rush and a Push and the Land Is Ours" from Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)

"Girlfriend in a Coma" from Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)

HHDC Mix #2

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." - Leopold Stokowski

M.I.A. "Paper Planes" from Kala (2007)

This shouldn't work. Shamefully posturing vocals combined with the monotonous chorus effects of gunshots and cash register ring...really, what is this? What is it? Aside from a absurdly ridiculous and gloriously catchy song. . .I have no idea.

Hymns "C'mon C'mon" from Brother/Sister (2006)

C'mon. A bit generic, yet entirely palpable. Goes down easy with a few shots. Nice.

Basia Bulat "Snakes and Ladders" from Oh, My Darling (2007)

Outstanding. This is the sort of music that binds memories. This is the sort of song you'll play twenty years from now and smile. This is why we listen to music. Onward, Basia Bulat.

Belle & Sebastian "Piazza, New York Catcher" from Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003)

Despite being available on album number six since 2003, "Piazza, New York Catcher" has recently gained significant fandom for Belle & Sebastian since the song was featured in indie blockbuster Juno late last year. There is no question it's one of the finest songs in their collective canon, and the track is at last receiving long overdue recognition.

Sigur Ros "Hljomalind" from Hvarf/Heim (2007)

I have to lend Sigur Ros all due credit, these guys have a formula and they stick to it with vehement devotion. This isn't a bad trait, especially when the formula is one borne of incredible originality. Still, any schtick gets tiresome after a few plays. It's in this dilemma that Hvarf/Heim suffers the most. If "Hljomalind" is any indication, however, there is still every reason in the world to look forward to their next work.

The Cure for a Rental Drought

If you're a fan of avant-garde, classic, or unheralded films in general The 100 Best Films to Rent You've Never Heard Of is an excellent suggestion resource for those weekends when little in the way of interesting new releases are found. I've selected ten of my favorite selections from the book to present here:

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) [Criterion Collection]

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

The Duellists (1977)

Two-Lane Blacktop (1972) [Criterion Collection]

The Battle of Algiers (1967) [Criterion Collection]

Red River (1948)

Hard-Boiled (1992)

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Withnail & I (1987) [Criterion Collection]

As the cover declares, the book offers ninety more "hidden treasures, neglected classics, and hits from bygone eras." The bulk of the suggestions are sound and nearly all are worthy of watching. Best of all, this little tome can be had for a little over ten dollars:

The 100 Best Films to Rent You've Never Heard Of by David N. Meyer