After the release of their debut EP, the Austin-based trio Parker Woodland come through with a wild video containing footage of their last few shows before the pandemic shut down live music. READ MORE…
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Americana Highways highlights the new Kurt Deemer album, calling his recent Lloyd Cole cover of “From the Hip” one that’s “equally deep & melodic”
Some engaging singles include a fine cover of Lloyd Cole’s classic “From the Hip,” by Baltimore vocalist Kurt Deemer. Having an equally deep & melodic voice as Cole, Kurt’s new LP “World Upside Down,” should be equally striking.
Roots Time Belgium reviews James Houlahan’s Ordinary Eye, calling it “one of the best albums of the year”
Mainly dark folk songs and Americana songs—that’s what you can expect on the latest record from singer-songwriter James Houlahan, a guitar-playing musician from Los Angeles, and one-time co-founder of the bands Dogs On Television and The Jody Grind, two groups with their roots in Boston, where Houlahan was born and grew up. Some of his earlier songs have also been featured in commercials, movies and television series.
Because of the somewhat gloomy lyrics, his songs can sound rather heavy and desolate, but they’re not all autobiographical, and oftentimes just sprout from his rich imagination with the aim of creating a certain atmosphere for the listener. Houlahan already has five albums in his discography, and we’d like to explain the latest, Ordinary Eye, a bit more for you here.
A total of 12 songs take you on a trip through the life of this singer-songwriter for 50 minutes. Most of the songs were written during his extensive promotional tour of America following the release of his previous 2018 album The Wheel Still in Spin. His observations of the world around him formed the basis of Ordinary Eye, but without wanting to pass judgment. The climate crisis, political divisions, the social climate of his home country and its citizens over the past two years—and how the common man is trying to cope with these troubled times—are all themes covered in this new record.
The album was recorded in Los Angeles in the weeks leading up to the first corona crisis in the United States. The musicians who worked in the studio on this recording were producer Fernando Perdomo who plays bass, keyboards and acoustic guitar, violinist Scarlet Rivera and drummer Danny Frankel, while Esther Clark provides the female backing vocals. Houlahan also plays acoustic and electric guitars to accompany his songs.
All these musicians provided a very specific and special cachet to the tracks from Ordinary Eye, starting with beautiful opening track “As It Is” (which you can listen to in the video at the link below) and which was selected as the first single from the album. The violin sounds of Scarlet Rivera color the folk songs “Tomorrow’s Had Enough Of Me,” “What Is Our Love”—with the striking phrase, “it’s more efficient to be without pain”—and the beautiful “Walking Through The Fire.” In addition, Houlahan’s electric guitar playing forms the basis of songs like “The Jailer,” “Writ In Water” and the very beautiful blues ballad “All These Blues.”
Our favorite songs on this album, however, are the catchy riff-floating “Tehachapi Dust,” on which Clark provides a soft but beautiful second voice, and the modest but atmospheric “You Are Not Alone,” with which he gives the average American a heart in these difficult times. Just take it from us—James Houlahan’s Ordinary Eye will be one of the best albums this year. Listen for yourself and be convinced.
Read more and watch the “As It Is” video here.
BTRtoday praises David Croley Broyles’ new single/video “Hot Water”
“Hot Water” is the debut of David Croley Broyles’ solo project, and this single really sets the stage for a musician on fire. READ MORE…
Grateful Web exclusive: The new spy-noir video from Scott Helland’s Guitarmy of One
“Oh, you were in Deep Wound?”: an FAQ for punk roots thrasher Scott Helland, whose prolific songwriting has yielded over 30 records since the ’80s, ever since that fateful flyer fell into the hands of lo-fi heroes, J Mascis and Lou Barlow. Helland has since opened for many great rock bands, including Hüsker Dü, Black Flag w/ Henry Rollins, Cro-Mags, COC, 7 Seconds and more.
Eventually, Helland jettisoned punk rock and thrash metal in the ’90s, picking up an acoustic that he began strumming and chasing after atmospheric melodies and the songs that came with it. He relied on looping and self-sufficiency, which eventually led him down a path of spy-noir instrumentals, inspired by The Rockford Files, The Man from Uncle, I Spy, and others from childhood immersion.
In the tight-lipped, complex and solitary characters celebrated in those shows, Helland finds an analog for his own go-it-alone forays into stylish post-punk guitar composition. “I like the thought of providing music for a movie inside someone’s head,” he says. Thus, his solo career under the moniker Guitarmy of One was born.
The title ‘Overtones of Hercule and Holmes’ is a tipping of the hat to those classic detective characters. Hercule Poirot is from the Agatha Christie series and Holmes, of course, is from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. “I took my perception of those characters and wrote a soundtrack for them,” Helland says. This song fits with the rest of the album, The Spy Detective Collective, which is inspired by spy and detective shows from the ’60s and ’70s. The album has an all-instrumental spy-noir feel, with driving acoustic-electric melodies over propulsive electro beats.
Folk Radio UK debuts the latest video from Emily Moment for “Santa Maria,” calling it a “powerful, empathetic and moving song – the kind of song you can imagine Joan Baez singing.”
Emily breaks through the media noise to the reality of the situation with a very personal story of a mother, worn out and broken, praying to her god for salvation and mercy. There’s a lovely warmth to the sound of this recording, no doubt helped by her choice of studio: Urchin Studios — the London-area studio where Laura Marling tracked Short Movie several years earlier.
She makes it a human story…with her emotive voice at the forefront, it’s a powerful, empathetic and moving song – the kind of song you can imagine Joan Baez singing, let’s hope this one reaches as many ears, it deserves to.