Brooke Waggoner

Two months. It's been two months since the last update here on HHDC. How can that be? Is there not a wealth of material to cover?

It is theoretically possible to cover a new act every day for the duration of a lifetime without ever repeating - so why has it been two months?

In that time, dozens of new releases have hit the streets and a horde of new acts have uploaded their demos to the world at large. The bloggers have waxed poetic about new offerings from Owen Pallett's forthcoming EPs (he typically records under the moniker Final Fantasy), the latest news on new records from The Walkmen and The Broken West, and pretty much anything Bon Iver does.

There is certainly plenty of material to write about - as long as the parameters concerning quality have the bar set quite low. For instance, Mr. Pallett displays impressive technical talent with the violin, but the compositions themselves are clinical and mundane. His debut is more of a chore to work through, despite the scattered splotches of brilliance amidst the debris.

Both The Walkmen and The Broken West are wholly derivative acts, completely soulless entities that remain pleasant yet utterly passable. Now that I think about it - there was one track from The Walkmen I listened to a few times and found rather interesting. Though it should be noted I later discovered the song, "Another One Goes By", is actually a note-by-note cover of a song by the band formerly known as Mazarin.

As for Bon Iver, there's no mistaking his showmanship - one listen to "Skinny Love" is an instant hook...yet to delve deeper into his works is to reveal that nearly every song is built from the same mold. His debut record is like the Terra Cotta army of China - all different in some way or another, yet if you've seen one you've seen them all.

I cannot advocate covering a band simply because they exist.

If a group of people come together with some proficiency musically: an apt vocalist, inventive melody structures, and a smattering of bizarrely staged publicity photos - they're primed for the indie spotlight.

Theoretically, this would cover all the bases for a successful career in the music industry. Yet simply because these people are capable of miming the prerequisites it doesn't automatically follow that they will be compelling artists.

Still, if the act is capable of giving off the illusion of prowess, critics and bloggers will run wild with praise. A prime example of this phenomenon, unheard of until the internet age, is prominent indie act Black Kids.

Stupid headwear? Check. Empty, too-cool-for-school expressions? Check. Then they have to be awesome!

Black Kids are talented, as their single "Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)" stands to boast. The track is hopelessly upbeat and accessible. And yet it sounds exactly like something The Go! Team would produce, and worse - it sounds like a song we have all heard before a thousand times over.

Their first single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend to Dance with You", has helped to propel their debut record to the top ten spot in the UK. Evidently the public adores the "clever" song title, as you can find countless bloggers who've devoted part of their gushing reviews to that alone. Taken on its own merits, however, the song is solidly mediocre at best.

This recalls the hype surrounding the act Ok Go, who can only credit the inventive video for the song "Here It Goes Again" for selling thousands of copies of their debut Oh No. The song is a by-the-numbers pop-rock ice cream cake, a simplistic song derivative of nearly any other band in their genre.

Oh boy, this makes me wanna buy their record!

And yet, again thanks to the massively popular video, the song is featured in numerous commercials, has inspired countless parodies, and is a playable song in Rock Band. (I can personally attest that the track is a dull, tepid chore to cover in the game.)

In some ways I'm torn. If someone truly thinks an act like Black Kids are the highlight of Summer 2008, part of me wants to exclaim "God bless, enjoy"....while another part feels as if they're simply buying into the hype or subscribing to the sellout conundrum. That is summarily just as bad as listening to whatever the radio or television forcefeeds you.

I cannot advocate covering a band simply because they exist.

HHDC could cover material from the past during the intervals in which there is little in the way of fascinating new music. In fact, the majority of the entries here are devoted to such - from reviews of the legendary discography of The Smiths to the outstanding (and nearly forgotten) debut record of Martin Page. Many other bloggers use this technique in some form or another.

And what is that but an exercise in favoritism? A highly subjective jaunt into the favorites of someone half a world away. To a certain extent any blog by definition conforms to that description, yet I believe the primary purpose should be to extoll the virtures of emergent artists who can use all the exposure they can muster.

HHDC was created for the singular purpose of presenting innovative artists who are crafting the most sublime music of our generation. It was never intended to be a hype machine or a bandwagon - it was to be instead a beacon on the darkened corridors of the independent music world.

Those hidden crevices where Seabear resided, the craggly oak tree underneath which Josh Ritter strummed his guitar, and the cramped studio apartment where Brooke Waggoner rehearses were the only sort of places HHDC wanted to be.

This missive could continue until the end of this decade, but in the interest of saving time, I would like to return to the namesake of this entry - Brooke Waggoner.

I've been replaying Miss Waggoner's debut Fresh Pair of Eyes for the past month now (the entire six-track EP is available for free download on her website) and marveling at how inventive and beautiful the damn thing is.

Yes, it could be asserted that the work is derivative of other piano-based chanteuses such as Vanessa Carlton, but when an artist is as supremely talented as Miss Waggoner and performs with such divine conviction - it is an arduous task to simply dismiss the work out of hand.

So it was with great joy that I received the following Brooke Waggoner newsletter earlier this week, which read as follows:

Hi my friends,

So, next week is jam-packed with deals, steals, and freebies:

Tuesday (sept. 2), my new album Heal for the Honey will be available on iTunes for an exclusive offer of $7.99 - for the album in it's entirety! This will only take place for one week... AND, in the spirit of celebration, I am giving each of you a song from the album for FREE, entitled "Live for the Sounds." This is one of my favorite songs on the record. Full of string stabs, plural words, key changes, and romping drums - all tightly wound into a 2:30 package.

Tours promoting the new album are currently in the works, and I can't wait to get to your city and share with you all.

Much love!

Brooke

Beneath that was the link for the exclusive download "Live for the Sounds". After the inaugural listen I was once again overwhelmed with enthusiasm for this emerging artist, as there is a certain clarity to her work that is practically unparalleled by her peers.

If you doubt this, why don't you find out for yourself. . .



"Hush If You Must" from Fresh Pair of Eyes EP (2007)



"Live for the Sounds" from Heal for the Honey (2008)

Fourth of July!

"Born in the U.S.A."

Taken from Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

In honor of the 4th of July, we here at HHDC salute the classic Bruce Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A. - which was released exactly fourteen years ago today. With it's anthemic title track and lengthy list of singles (which extended for more than a year after the release), it remains the biggest selling Springsteen album and one of the finest records of the eighties.

Though not exactly a patriotic song, the title track is nearly always associated with the holiday (particularly since the release was deliberately timed to coincide with it) and so we present it here. Eat, drink, and be merry!

Bonus Track

"Star Spangled Banner (Live)"

taken from Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience (1993)

Stereolab

Stereolab's new record, Chemical Chords, is slated for release in mid-August. It's been four long years since their last LP and anticipation has been rapidly growing amongt fans of the avant-garde electronica/rock group.

While no material from the album is available at present, I couldn't help but think back to 1996 - specifically Stereolab's breakthrough work Emperor Tomato Ketchup.

It's a testament to the considerable talents of the group that, twelve years on, the music sounds just as fresh and inventive as the day it was released.

"Metronomic Underground" & "Cybele's Reverie"

Both taken from Emperor Tomato Ketchup (1996)

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

In 1972, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released the landmark triple LP Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The young, shaggy haired band (best known, at the time, for their cover of "Mr. Bojangles") traveled from California to Nashville to create what they hoped would be a meshwork between two generations of musicians ensconced in the tradition of country and bluegrass music. What unfolded surpassed anyones wildest expectations.

The band was able to secure studio time with the giants of the genre, including: Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, and Maybelle Carter. In total, there are an incredible thirty-seven songs (thirty-eight if you count the dialogue track) - nearly all of which is indispensible material.

In the years to come, the band released two subsequent volumes in the same grand tradition, sometimes even featuring younger artists such as Alison Krauss and Vince Gill. Although none quite reached the artistic heights achieved on the first volume, there are still outstanding highlights to be found on both.

In 2003, roughly a year after the release of the third volume, the complete trilogy was released in a compact boxed set. It assembled the remastered version of the first volume (including four bonus tracks, though only one is a complete song), both successive volumes, and a DVD - comprising six discs in total.

Two booklets are also included: one details the song credits and performers for each track, and the other contains an interesting essay concerning the formation of the entire project.

The DVD is perhaps the best reason to purchase this set, even if you own one or two of the albums already. It contains an outstanding hour-long concert, a brief documentary about the band, a music video for the track "The Lowlands", and three bonus concert performances not included in the final version.

One of the highlights of the concert is the performance of "Catfish John" featuring Alison Krauss (pictured below). Others include a spirited rendition of the mad-cap instrumental "Earl's Breakdown" and a very fun, nostalgic performance of "Fishin' Blues" featuring Taj Mahal.

I've included some of my favorites from each album below, clicking on the pictures will direct you to each album's listing on Amazon. A click on any of the above photos will take you to the Amazon listing for the complete trilogy.

"My Walkin' Shoes" (w/ Jimmy Martin)

"Earl's Breakdown" (w/ Earl Scruggs)

Both taken from Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume One



"Mary Danced with Soldiers" (w/ Emmylou Harris)

"The Valley Road" (w/ Bruce Hornsby)

Both taken from Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two



"Mama's Opry" (w/ Iris Dement)

"Catfish John" (w/Alison Krauss)

Both taken from Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Three

Neil Young

On my way to work one recent, misty morning I heard this track on the radio. Still half-asleep and bleary-eyed, my mind was entirely focused on the road ahead until this song appeared. Somehow, it all came together wonderfully.

Neil Young "After the Gold Rush" from After the Gold Rush (1970)

HHDC Mix EP #4

"The joy of music should never be interrupted by a commercial." - Leonard Bernstein

Morcheeba "A Well Deserved Break" from Fragments of Freedom (2000)

Sam Amidon "Wedding Dress" from All is Well (2008)

Mark Mallman "Knockout on 22nd St." from Between the Devil and Middle C (2006)

Voxtrot "The Start of Something" from Raised by Wolves EP (2005)

The Gray Brigade "Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" from Fanfare (2007)

David Gray

Although entirely adequate for any season, this record lends itself best to quiet winter moments. In the midst of summer, the somber melodies appear slightly out of place - yet ultimately still inviting. Unquestionably Gray's finest work to date.

"Slow Motion" from Life in Slow Motion (2005)

Santogold

According to an interview on MTV, Santogold indicated the goals she had established for her self-titled debut album:

"I hope that I help break down boundaries and genre classifications. (People think that) If I’m a black woman I’m just about singing R&B. I guess with those producers (Timbaland, Mark Ronson) I’m supposed to be making club music. I’m not one dimensional and my music isn’t. I want the most people as possible to connect to it."

She needn't worry. Santogold, while often compared to contemporary M.I.A., is solidly within a league of her own. "Lights Out" will unquestionably factor within most (if not all) year end song-of-the-year lists.

It's already on mine. . .

"Lights Out" from Santogold (2008)

Frightened Rabbit

2007 was a banner year for new music. There were outstanding releases from the likes of Architechture in Helsinki, The Arcade Fire, The National, Andrew Bird, Rilo Kiley, Dolorean, The White Stripes, Interpol, Feist, Maroon 5, Eluvium, The Frames, Spoon, Josh Ritter, Jens Lekman, The New Pornographers....I could go on for quite some time.

Near the tail end of that year, a re-release raised quite a few eyebrows on the independent scene. It was Frightened Rabbit's first effort Sing the Greys. There was promise in the songs, but it did little for me and I moved along.

Now comes The Midnight Organ Fight, a record light years beyond their previous effort. There have been scant few heart-achingly beautiful albums released this year, Sun Kil Moon and Headlights leap to mind - and now Frightened Rabbit takes the lead.

Don't miss this one.

"Backwards Walk" from The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)

Over the Rhine

File Under: Music for an Overcast Day, Hopeful for Spring, The Picnic Beneath a Willow Tree or the Room with a View

"Born" & "I Want You To Be My Love" from Drunkard's Prayer (2005)

Neon Neon

Acts as diverse as Pacific! to The Killers have proven that adding an eighties edge to modern pop/rock arrangments can be highly successful fusions. It is a refreshingly original trend, despite that implicit fact that the bands are merely taking their influences to a literal extreme.

Neon Neon, for instance, utilized many instruments manufactured in the eighties to create the sound on their debut effort Stainless Style. The record is a unique concept album conceived around the high-profile playboy lifestyle of John DeLorean.

The eighties tribute theme is noticably prevalent on the album's strongest tracks: "I Lust U", "Raquel", "Belfast", and "I Told Her On Alderaan".

Unfortunately, the other half of the record is constructed with more pedestrian fare. Tracks like "Trick for Treat", "Luxury Pool", and "Sweat Shop" tread typical modern R&B blueprints with yawn-inducing results.

"I Told Her on Alderaan" from Stainless Style (2008)

Aphex Twin

"Avril 14th" from Drukqs (2001)