She’s Got the Medicine that Everybody Wants: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, the band’s self-titled release jumps off a cliff with its opening track, Paris (Ooh La La), a remake of the hidden track If I Was from Paris from their prior album, This Is Somewhere. At least, that’s what it feels like – a rush of adrenalin followed by fun beat that gets one moving to the song. With their fourth album, the Nocturnals have undergone some changes. Last year, the band lost its original bassist, Bryan Dondero over some creative differences, which in turn allowed the band to bring bass player Catherine Popper, as well as rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco.

With the new lineup comes a new sound for the Nocturnals. While this isn’t something that’s really unexpected (Original Soul and Nothing But The Water differed a bit, while This Is Somewhere also pulled away from their sound for a more mainstream classic rock sound and feel), it’s by far the bigger departure for the group, sound wise. The guitar work is far bolder throughout the album, the lyrics more evocative and overall, this effort feels far more personal and intimate; Goodbye Kiss hits the listener right to the core, much like Apologies did in her last album. Most of the songs on the album really work well with the lyrics, coming out of the speakers with a nice, easy flow, songs like Oasis, Medicine and One Short Night.

Moreover, where her last album felt like a classic rock homage, this one veers into a new direction, inserting funk and soul into the album once again. Hot Summer Night exemplifies this sound excellently, as does That Phone, Oasis and Goodnight Kiss, which gives the album and band a bit of new flavor, which has been seen in some of their reworking of their older songs in recent concerts. There are some anomalies here though: Tiny Light feels free and light, with a real ’70s feel, while Things I Never Needed feels a bit like a country ballad. Paris (Ooh La La) is in a class of its own, but then again, it’s always been.

Like her last album, there is a good mix between the tone and feel of the album between songs – Paris starts off with a rush of energy, followed by Oasis and Medicine, but songs like Tiny Light and Colors draw the lights down for a closer, slower and more personal feel. This variety and range of sound is a trademark of the Nocturnals, especially at their concerts: They can jump, very easily from slow to fast, bringing out a wall of sound and rhythm. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is a further effort towards this image, and it does so wonderfully.

The strongest part of the album, and the band’s music in general, has long been with their lead singer, the wonderful Grace Potter. Surrounded by the new sounds, musicians and songs, her voice is the one thing that really carries the band along, along with her fantastic lyrics. This album contains a number of gems from the group, which both highlight her songwriting and vocal talents: Oasis, Medicine, Tiny Light, Only Love, One Short Night, That Phone and Hot Summer Night, all fantastic songs that fit well within the growing catalog of songs that the band has been producing steadily over the past couple of years. While the sound feels different, Potter is the connecting point between albums, and while I focus on her voice and lyrics, a lot of the differences fall away between her old and newer songs.

What Grace Potter and the Nocturnals does for the band, however, is give them an incredible amount of face time with a sound that fits very well with the mainstream rock and roll scene, but there’s just enough color and texture to the songs that they produce to push them over the top of quality. Where her last album was the breakthrough into the popular markets, this album feels like they’ve regained some of their footing and are beginning to push back with their own sound, which makes this album extra special. While I really loved This Is Somewhere and still constantly listen to it, it felt like there was something missing at points – looking back, it felt as though the band was reaching for something, and found a good compromise. Listening to this album though, it feels much like the color has flooded back into the room, and the sound’s been turned up as high as it’ll go. The Nocturnals have found what they’ve been looking for.

At the end of the day, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is simply a stunning album from a stunning band. Not content to recycle their prior successes, the band has once again reinvented themselves to attain a better, brighter and richer sound throughout their new album, with songs that are truly inspiring, interesting and most importantly, fun to listen to. It’s clear that they’re on the upwards path, but this new lineup shows that the group is maturing, and they’re bringing out a whole new sound that will really make heads turn.

Oasis – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

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New Symphony of Science – The Case for Mars

After a bit of a delay with some approvals for footage, Symphony of Science is back with a new video, entitled ‘The Case for Mars’. This comes at a particularly interesting time, especially as the Obama administration has pointed the space program towards Martian exploration, rather than going back to the Moon. The next 20 years will be exciting when it comes to space technology.

The Case for Mars – Symphony of Science

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Hot Summer Night

I’ve been off the past couple of days…weeks… there’s really no excuse, other than I’ve been busy with a number of additional projects. I’m still listening to some things, some good things, and reviews will hopefully be coming soon. In the meantime, it’s boiling hot out. Grace Potter’s new song Hot Summer Night fits nicely right about now.

Hot Summer Night – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

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Happy Ending – Turn It On

Happy Ending has recently released their first album, Turn It On, and between the album title and band name, I can’t help but think that there’s some sort of sex joke in there, but I somehow, I don’t think so.

This is an album that commits a couple of cardinal sins when it comes to music: the music is largely forgettable, but moreover, it’s boring. Listening to the album a number of times, it’s clear that there is both talent and a couple good songs here, but as a whole, I found myself reaching for another album inbetween listens, or at times when I listened to the album in the background, I would find myself with an empty apartment, not realizing that the album had run out half and hour ago.

What doesn’t necessarily work for me certainly doesn’t apply to anyone else, just me, so don’t take this as any sort of condemnation of the album as a whole. Happy Ending does have talent, and oddly, the vocals reminded me a bit of a singer from a rock musical such as Rent. The music, when it is interesting, is full of variety, and all in all, is a fairly average rock album, punctuated by some interesting things here and there.

What didn’t work work for me overall is a disconnect between the vocals and the rest of the music. Where the music pushed forward and was good, the lead singer seemed to take a bit of a leisurely pace in the song, such as in It Barely Makes A Sound. At other points, when the album slows down for something more lyrical (Through Your Eyes, Together Again, Long Night), there’s just not a whole lot that holds me to the song – the lyrics are uninspiring and they don’t mesh well with what the instruments are doing.

The press release for the album talked about how the group was similar to a number of other alternative rock and pop music out there, and I can see the connections. There’s a good, solid start to this album and group with this set of songs – it’s certainly not a horrible album by any stretch of the imagination – far from it, but it feels somewhat uninspired when it comes to sound and lyrics.

There were songs that I did enjoy on the album: the opening track, Lay Down Your Head, provides a good opening to the album as a song that really builds at the right points, Just Your Style provides a good alt-rock & roll feel, as well as a couple of others. On a whole though, while worth a listen, it’s not really a happy beginning for Happy Ending. Taking into consideration that this is a first time artist, there’s work to be done. Hopefully, we’ll see that, and get something better in the future.

So Runs The World Away – Josh Ritter

If I had to pick an artist that was my all time favorite, the choice would be fairly easy: Josh Ritter. I first came across his music when I heard him opening for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the Waterfront in Burlington, Vermont. It was a fantastic concert, and something about his music really stuck with me when I first heard it. His concert was part of a warm-up for his latest (at the time) album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, which had been preceded by Animal Years, two excellent albums, both stellar examples of singer/songwriter folk-rock. I was hooked on his sound, and all of his albums remain on fairly constant rotation in my own music library.

Ritter’s latest album, So Runs The World Away, needless to say, has been a highly anticipated album on my part. When I saw him for the second time last year at UVM, he played a number of new songs which have since made it onto the new album, which only made the anticipation grow. Like The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, this album delves heavily into the storytelling roots that Ritter’s been known for, combined with a rich background of sound that makes the album stand out from the pack.

What makes the album even more interesting is the macabre and somewhat gothic nature to the lyrics and sound for So Runs The World Away. Songs like The Curse, Rattling Locks, Folk Bloodbath, The Remnant and Long Shadows really give the album a delightfully darker nature. Out of the entire set of songs, the best song (and it’s hard to pick just one), is The Curse, a quiet waltz that tells the story of an Egyptian mummy who awakes when an archeologist discovers him, and he falls in love with her as she takes him to New York City. He learns English and speaks to her, and the two fall in love, but as he gets stronger with new life and pulls away from her, she grows older, and dies, while he lives on. It’s a touching story of love and destiny, one that is expertly played out by Ritter and his band, and it’s certainly going to be one of my favorite songs from the group.

A couple of other songs on the album carry through with some extremely hard hitting stories: Folk Bloodbath, the story of a, well, bloodbath with a haunting gospel sound to it, while Another New World, the story of an explorer, forced to break up his ship for firewood has a very delicate, chilly sound with some fantastic lyrics. Beyond the story-style songs, other songs on the albums deal with slightly less-concrete themes, such as Change in Time, Southern Pacifica, Rattling Locks and Lantern, each with their own distinctive sound and feel. Ritter has excelled at albums that vary so much in their tone and style, and this album is no different: there is an enormous amount of variety and a certain richness to the sound that makes it a wonder to listen to time and time again.

This also isn’t to say that the album is an overly dark one: Lark sees Ritter positively channeling Paul Simon with his voice and guitar work, Southern Pacifica has a nice, easygoing feel to it that recalls an older, nostalgic time in history, Lantern is a bouncy, exciting song that really carries a lot of Ritter’s energy, and Orbital is full of movement that flows nicely towards the end of the album. The darker elements of So Runs The World Away simply tends to be a bit more interesting, with some very cool stories that really mark Ritter as an expert singer/songwriter, who’s only grown stronger with each successive album that’s come out. Musically, this album blew me away. There’s a real diversity to the sound here, from horns to piano, to a bass clarinet at one point, which both makes the song sound a bit different, with more depth, and demonstrates that there’s a bit more thought put into the album and songs, but not enough to be overwhelming or really take the listener out of the experience. Moreover, the album feels different, as The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter felt different from Animal Years. In both instances, there’s certainly a progression in the sound and experience that the band wants to impart, and I’m thrilled that they haven’t gone back to rely on what worked last time: they continued forward and found what worked this time.

What really stands out for me with So Runs the World Away is the storytelling, something that fits nicely with other songs on older albums. Songs like The Temptation of Adam and Lillian, Egypt, among others, hold to the greatest things that a song can do: tell a story, and in that, give something for a listener to relate to and learn from. This particular album is full of science fiction and fantasy like elements, either in the lyrics, themes or song titles, but moreover, the emphasis on songwriting, and exploring beyond a really simple concept, like in most rock & pop songs out there. That’s not to say that those songs don’t have their own place: they do, but what makes Ritter really stand out is that he’s one of the few that really goes beyond that, telling stories of silent film stars, a couple in a nuclear missile silo at the end of the world, a mummy come to life: these are fun concepts, putting these very common concepts into different contexts, which makes someone think a little differently about something that they may have taken for granted: one of the strongest points of the speculative fiction genre.

This collection is easily the best set together that has been released by Josh Ritter and his group – certainly all of the songs on the album hold a lot of appeal with their somewhat geeky nature, but there is a general level of quality and care that a lot of other albums really don’t hit when released. Ritter has hit that mark already, and surpassed my expectations.

The Curse – Josh Ritter

Orbital – Josh Ritter

Another New World – Josh Ritter

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Greg Laswell – Take A Bow Video

Greg Laswell was recently reviewed here, and now, here’s the official video:

Around The Bend – Greg Laswell

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April Showers

It’s dreary here in Vermont today. Rain this morning, and a bit of snow this afternoon. This song by Carbon Leaf fits perfectly.

Drops of Rain – Carbon Leaf

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20 Minutes: A CYA Playlist

We’ve been getting quite a lot of submissions to CYA the past couple of weeks, and I’ve been working on keeping up with them, with a couple of reviews coming in the next week or so. Here’s a selection of what’s caught our ears, but stuff that we just won’t have time to properly review:

Fire Escape – Matthew Mayfield
This track is off of Matthew Mayfield’s latest EP You’re Not Home, which has a laid-back, folk-rock feel that feels deliberate, subtle and something that’s really made me sit up and listen to the lyrics. There’s a good blend in vocals and instrumentation here.
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My Shine, Doesn’t Shine – Terese Taylor
I’m Here – Terese Taylor
Terese Taylor is an interesting singer, with a good mix between folk/rock and stripped down minimalistic acoustic rock (as seen with My Shine and I’m Here). There’s some good guitarwork here and some even more interesting lyrics.
Website

Damn Honey – Simon Fagan
Damn Honey is the first single off of Fagan’s upcoming debut album, entitled Outside Looking In, due out June 7th. Hailing from Ireland, he’s got a very cool acoustic feel to his work, and is someone that we’re going to listen to quite a bit more, especially Damn Honey.
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Sugarcane – Chris Nathan
Chris Nathan’s track Sugarcane really impressed us with his laid back style that comes as no surprise, considering that he’s from Nashville. There’s some deep rock & roll and country roots here that really makes this track stand out.
Website

Oh No, Yeah Yeah – Shotgun Lover
These guys have a bit of really good energy, especially with the above track, Oh No, Yeah Yeah, which has a really fun, energetic sound. Their first album, Au Revoir is coming out soon.
Website

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Carbon Leaf – Indecision

Carbon Leaf recently shot a live video of their latest single, Indecision, on their Nothing Rhymes with Women album.

Indecision – Carbon Leaf

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Greg Laswell – Take A Bow

Greg Laswell’s fourth album, Take A Bow is set for release in a couple of short weeks, and marks a well-balanced and interesting entry into the singer/songwriter market. Laswell is an artist that I’ve heard off and on, either with songs on the radio or songs that have been used on television shows, and in general, I dig his style and sound.

Take A Bow is a decent album, one that has a good sound overall, with good vocals backed up by a fairly good instrumental section: the opening track Take Everything starts off nicely, before delving into the meat of the sound with bass, guitars and drums kicking in after about 30 seconds, along with Around the Bend, and In Front Of Me, to name a couple, while the album does back off with several others, Come Clean, Take A Bow and Marquee. The end result is a nicely balanced album that works well as a whole.

My main issue with the album that it’s rather uninspiring as a whole. Listening over it, there are only a handful of songs that really stand out, such as Take Everything, Around the Bend, You, Now and In Front Of Me, while a couple of songs, Goodbye and Marquee just don’t feel like they work. There’s a tendency for the songs to be fairly blunt: there’s not a whole lot of subtlety in the album. Songs are taken at face value, and they work well there, but at points, I wanted something that was a bit more.

On the whole, the album is a good, solid listen, one well worth checking out. Take A Bow is out on May 4th.

Around The Bend – Greg Laswell

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