Video: Rob Cantor - All I Need Is You

Tally Hall's Rob Cantor takes an amazing song, "All I Need Is You", and develops a thoroughly artful and brilliant video to go with it.  Check it out below!



"All I Need Is You" is from Rob Cantor's new album, Not A Trampoline, which drops of April 14, 2014.  Learn more at www.robcantor.com.

The White Ravens - Saddle Up The Whales

The White Ravens – Saddle Up The Whales
2012, The White Ravens

Brother and sister songwriting team Will and Amy Bennett began their band, The White Ravens, on Christmas Day, 2004.  Now 19 and 20, respectively, The Bennetts are carving out an interesting niche in the Indie rock scene in Michigan.  Terming their sound “indie pop geek cabaret rock”, The White Ravens are influenced by a cacophony of sounds from the worlds of rock, classical, Broadway, folk and modern Indie rock.  Will Bennett (keys, guitar) is the composer, and Amy Bennett (vocals, bass) is the lyricist.  It’s a dynamic combination that is responsible for a wonderful tuneful, effervescent pop/rock sound.  On their third album, Saddle Up The Whales, The White Ravens seem to have finally come into their own.

The opening track, “Saddle Up The Whales” is vibrant; joyous; a little bit messy and a whole lot of fun.  Rather than the cynicism so common in modern popular music, The White Ravens glory in a sort of youthful glee.  The result is a sound that is complex, but driven by a singular pop sensibility that gets under your skin and makes you want to get up and dance. “Rube Goldberg Machine” features the same sort of simple joy, wrapped up in an incredibly complex and varying arrangement.  Will Bennett shows his compositional skills run somewhere between those of the Beatles and Ben Folds, blending rock, pop and classical components into an amazingly cogent bit of writing.  Amy Bennett backs it all up with lyrics that are wonderfully twisted and full of the simply joy of making music.

“Informational Video” takes a disco beat and turns it into a complex, layered pop song.  You’ll want to dance and sing along.  “Conspiracy” is a paranoia-filled nightmare for the relationship-phobic in the crowd.  There is a distinct cabaret-pop feel to this tune, and Amy Bennett perfectly balances an edge of sultry songstress with quirk and humor.  The White Ravens offer up a change of pace with “Rain Song”.  Sounding at first like a ballad, “Rain Song” is quirky and pensive, but carries a melody that is beautiful and sweet.  Amy Bennett handles this juxtaposition with a surprising grace.  “Spaaace” is a catchy piano-driven rocker full of classical themes and a fearful penchant for space travel.  The song is infectiously off-kilter; the sort you return to again and again. 

“Mechanical Whales” starts out with a dark cloud hanging over it, brought on by the delicious minor key piano opening.  This turns into an art-rock extravaganza that is more about sound and structure than anything else.  The result is stark and full of a surprisingly twisted beauty.  “World’s Smallest Piece Of Pasta” has more of a chic-dance rock aesthetic.  The quirk factor here is quite high, and the song is an entertaining if surreal listen.  “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” commemorates the world’s eighth continent, a large collection of garbage afloat in the Pacific Ocean.  This tune has great comedic potential, but The White Ravens find a gentler path through the song.  “Arlene’s Grocery” is full of wonderfully zany lyrics.  The arrangement matches the feel but is complex and well-developed.  “We’re Glad You’re Here” is a Beatles-esque musical exploration full of layered sounds ala Phil Specter.  It’s a nice sonic segue way into the closing track, a boogie-woogie take on “Bye Bye Blackbird”.  Will Bennett gets to show off his piano prowess here in unvarnished terms, and Amy Bennett shows depth and grace in her handling of the vocal line. 

The White Ravens keep you on your toes and ultimately charm your socks off on Saddle Up The Whales.  The musical depth and breadth of what they are doing here before legal drinking age speaks to a pair of distinctive musical talents, and a special chemistry that simply doesn’t come along every day.  Saddle Up The Whales has a kitschy feel at times, but it’s all in good fun; a fun so infectious you can’t help but join in.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.thewhiteravens.com. 

Art Decade - Western Sunrise

Art Decade – Western Sunrise
2012, Eldest Only Records

Boston rockers Art Decade team up with award winning producer Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra, Aaron Shust) to record their debut album, Western Sunrise.

Art Decade kicks things off with “A Lie”, an ambitious breakup song that can only be defined as orchestral rock.  The arrangement here is a thing of beauty, full of a deep musicality but maintaining a distinctive hard edge.  It’s a sonic landscape you’ll be happy to revisit, and a near-perfect opener.  “Western Sunrise” starts out like a balladeer’s tale, but soon breaks into a heavy progressive rock sound complete with strings.  Ben Talmi is outstanding on lead vocals, and the voices in harmony around him are perfectly fit.  Listeners will be blown away a sound that’s equal parts Yes, The Moody Blues, Polyphonic Spree and Break of Reality.

“I Try” finds Art Decade holding back just a bit on a solid album track.  The melody stands out, confined as it is in the gentility of the arrangement.  “Raspberry Universe” is a sonically expansive instrumental that sounds like the score of a spy thriller.  Manic and volatile, Art Decade is at their most unpredictable here.  Scaling things back for “Dandelion Tea”, Art Decade sounds more in synch with the mellow edge of Radiohead.  The ambling melody drifts steadily, but never loses coherence as it stumbles across an unusual and appealing sonic landscape.

“Breeze” is a dreamy orchestral number with a light, lilting feel.  The song has a melancholy air that’s inescapable.  “Weapon” finds Art Decade moving to the edge of dance music with an over-the-top, campy rocker.  Talmi reaches a bit too far past his comfortable vocal range here, but the effect in nonetheless entertaining.  Art Decade kicks it up a notch on “Steam Punk Sticker War”, using a dark guitar/bass sound as a contrast to the group’s buoyant vocal harmonies.  “Daydream” features the sort of chorus that stays with you for days, the primary hook buried deep in your aural pleasure center.  The simply complex arrangement seems like a light confection but is much deeper than it first appears.

Art Decade gets into the Beatles/Queen school of song construction with the musically multi-faceted “Kids And Kings”.  What starts out as a simple arrangement wrapped with a metaphor and gorgeous vocal harmonies becomes a complex cavern of musical ideas that wends its way around your brain.  Modern comparisons include Tally Hall and Tool, with Art Decade falling about half way in between.   Western Sunrise sets with “The Impossible”, an expansive piece of musical poetry.  Art Decade blows listeners away with a complex weave of sounds that is challenging and sonically appealing even at the unmanageable running time of 6 ½ minutes.

Every day a new band is born, and each one embraces a genre that has come before as the core of its sound.  Some bands are content with recreating sounds without adding a thing to them, while some add to the mix but choose to stay true to the roots of their style.  Occasionally a band transcends the sound they are born of and creates something new and exciting.  The jury is still out on Art Decade. But they’re knocking on the door of transcendence at times during Western Sunrise.  Much as the album title implies, Art Decade reorders the musical universe on an album that is frequently incredible, an occasionally genius.  Do not miss this one.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Art Decade at www.artdecade.com.  Western Sunrise is available through the e-tailers below.

Amazon MP3         iTunes

Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Tally Hall - Good & Evil

Tally Hall - Good & Evil
2011, Quack! Media

Tally Hall had it all in 2008.  A major record deal to release their 2005 Indie smash, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum had been signed with Atlantic Records.  Expectations were for Tally Hall to catch fire throughout the Western Hemisphere the way they had in the Upper Midwest of the United States.   Atlantic seemingly signed Tally Hall with the expectation of quick profit from a regional powerhouse with a ready fan base and a proven album.  Consequently, little or no push ever materialized, and the major label release essentially tanked.  This is no reflection on the album, which remains one of the most creative and original musical creations of its decade. Tally Hall recently emerged with their second full-length album, Good & Evil.  Produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Depeche Mode, Belle & Sebastian) and originally funded by Atlantic Records, Good & Evil finds Tally Hall stepping back into the Indie world.

Tally Hall's mix of Beatles-esque melodies and arrangements, humor, and unusual perspective enhanced their distinctive blend of pop, classic rock and rap and helped make them one of the best known bands in Middle America over the past five years.  Those elements remain on Good & Evil, but with a bit more subtlety and maturity than in the past.  "Never Meant To Know" opens Good & Evil with a quasi-spiritual perspective on the wider world.  It's an acknowledgement of place for humanity, trimmed in a wonderfully compact pop/rock arrangement built on melody that will stay with you.  "&" is classic Tally Hall, a story song that starts somewhere in the middle and challenges the listener to catch up.  Big vocal harmonies and a quietly irresistible melody will grab and hold your attention across multiple repeats. 

The first single from Good & Evil, "You & Me", builds its chorus piece by piece, into a deliciously catchy and simple construction with 1970's AM pop influences.  This has real commercial potential, particularly in the licensing realm, and serves as a solid reminder that for Tally Hall, melody is always a distinct consideration.  "Cannibal" uses melody and harmony as a weapon, buttressing one of the catchiest tunes to cross this desk in 2011.  Release this as a single, and you'll have a moderate hit at the very least.  Given the right timing and backup, "Cannibal" could garner Tally Hall all of the recognition they deserve.

"Sacred Beast" is a catchy, off-the-wall pop tune with an infectious melody.  The combination of quirky pop structure, gentle humor and a tune you simply can't get out of your head might deceive you into thinking this is pure fluff, but there's actually some fairly insightful allusions to human behavior and imperfection woven deep within.  "A Hymn For A Scarecrow" has an almost epic pop feel to it, exploring a quirky spiritualistic embodiment of the song's subject in a beautifully constructed number that takes liberties with traditional pop song structure ala The Beatles.  "The Trap" is a meandering musical exploration of the powerful nature of expectations to hem us in.  Playing almost like a run-on thought, Tally Hall builds in sonic surprises along the way to keep it fresh.

"Turn The Lights Off" is a driven, quirky pop number with an unforgettable chorus.  Kudos if you can sit/stand still through this number, which gives "Cannibal" a run for its money, and fits in sonically with latter day Barenaked Ladies material.  "Misery Fell" is built on the sort of melody and simple pop arrangement that made McCartney such a success with the Beatles and afterward.  After all that, it's also a song that will make you think, particularly in light of the difficulties the world faces in the present day.  "Out In The Twilight" would have been a major hit in the late 1970's or early 1980's, showing a bit of Alan Parsons influence in the songwriting and sound.  The vocal triads layered over the arrangement create a glorious sound that is an aural treat.  "You" shows the band's contemplative side, an almost melancholy song of devotion that stands out for its utter singularity on the album.  "Fate Of The Stars" is a sonically gorgeous song written in non-traditional structure.  This is Tally Hall at their most creative, stitching together musical ideas into a sonic quilt that is both surprising and refreshing in its originality and continuity.

Good & Evil took six years to make, and shows both the distinctive musical and compositional talents Tally Hall showed on Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum and a growing maturity and subtlety that is the sign of artists growing in the confidence of their craft.  Both more and less than their previous work, Good & Evil will continue to build the Tally Hall mystique, on a road that seems destined to have Tally Hall one day headlining tours in major amphitheatres and stadiums across the country.  While perhaps a reflection of the current state of Tally Hall's collective muse, the rap components infused in their prior work served to broaden the band's sonic appeal, and the absence here is notable.  Nevertheless, Good & Evil shows that Tally Hall has managed to bypass the dreaded sophomore slump.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Tally Hall at www.tallyhall.com, where you can also watch all ten episodes of  Tally Hall's Internet Show.  Good & Evil is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Gattis - E.P.

Gattis - E.P.
2010, Breaking New Records

Will Gattis has been acknowledged to be Maine’s Best Singer/Songwriter (2007), but his talents have been acknowledged all up and down the Eastern Seaboard.  As front man for the band Gattis, Will Gattis mixes his distinctive songwriting style, which is part Paul McCartney and part Ben Folds, with a unique charisma that charms an audience immediately.  On Gattis’ latest effort, the accurately entitled E.P., listeners get a full dose of Will Gattis’ distinctive sense of melody and his eminently listenable voice.

E.P. opens with wonderfully catchy "You And Me".  The song has a timeless melody and a chorus you can't help but sing along to.  Catchy but not overpowering, the song evokes thoughts of The Beatles meets Ben Folds.  You won't be able to get this song out of your head.  "Metropolis" is a gorgeous Ben Folds-style epic ballad about the death of Superman that simultaneously explores society's need for heroes from a quasi-sociological perspective.  This is geek-pop sublime, drenched in a melody so sweet you'll dream about it.  "Lily" is a low-key pop ballad that has the silly sweetness of a McCartney number but the energy and style of a Ben Folds tune.  The chorus, once again, will refuse to vacate your brain.  Gattis closes with "Christopher", a caricature in song about the speed of life and the feeling of getting passed by.  It's a simple, piano-driven arrangement that can't escape comparisons to Folds but is distinctly original nonetheless. 

One thing is abundantly clear; Gattis has a distinctive talent for infectious pop music that both breaks and proves the rules about what a pop song should be.  Names like the Paul McCartney and Ben Folds can't help but come up in a conversation about Gattis, or if you're more Indie rock oriented, think bands such as Woodward and Tally Hall.  Either way, Gattis' E.P. is utterly brilliant pop with quirk and style.  It certainly deserves recognition as a  Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gattis at www.willgattis.com or www.myspace.com/gattistheband.  E.P. is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Spirit Kid - Spirit Kid

Spirit Kid - Spirit Kid
2010, RPL Audio

Spirit Kid is the nom de guerre of singer/songwriter/guitarist Emeen Zarookian, long of the band the Sterns. As a solo artist, Spirit Kid returns to his earliest influences, The Beatles and the British Invasion bands they inspired, as well as quintessential American acts such as The Beach Boys for inspiration. Spirit Kid is constantly in pursuit of the perfect three-minute pop song, and pursues this goal with the retro-sounds that only retro instruments can bring on Spirit Kid. The album is self-produced and entirely a product of Zarookian's talents.

Spirit Kid opens with “You Lit Up For Me”, a messy country and rock mix that’s reliable in its mildly messy arrangement wrapped around an eminently tuneful melody. “My Imagination” could be the Beatles meet The Buggles in an ultra-catchy rocker that recalls simpler times. “Wait A Minute” is full of infectious rhythms and a melody that won’t quit; using the same sort of non-linear compositional style you’ll find with bands like the Beatles and Tally Hall. It’s a great listen that will have you hitting repeat over and over. Spirit Kid sounds a bit like Moxy Fruvous in their prime on “The World Doesn’t Stop”. The quirky feel of this song grows out of the trim arrangement, archetypal melody line and spare vocal harmonies. “Flytrap” keeps up the catchy mien of the album this far with a strong old-school rhythm and blues feel that wears well.

Spirit Kid seems to lose his way a bit for the next few songs, but recovers nicely on “Assumed By You”, a brilliant pop tune right out of the 1960’s stylistically. A tight rock arrangement blends the best melody line of the album with strong backing vocals to create a bit of magic. Spirit Kid closes with “If I Could Love You”, sticking with a sound that would have Zarookian all over the pop charts if he woke up one morning in 1963.

Spirit Kid succeeds because of a melodic sense that so often evades modern rock music. In many ways this is the key to the whole retro-movement in rock n roll. Spirit Kid isn’t a perfect pop gem; Zarookian misses on a few songs, but the net effect is a strong pop album with a 1960’s flavor that is likely to appeal to young and old.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Spirit Kid at http://www.spiritkidmusic.com/. Spirit Kid is available digitally through both Amazon and iTunes.

Review: The Greening - (She's So) Electric EP

The Greening - (She's So) Electric EP
2009, Zairecords

San Francisco's The Greening strives to create a new form of pop music with each successive album. With their feet grounded in the Art Rock of the 1970's, The Greening use a distinctive Pop sensibility to build songs with big hooks and a formalist attention to detail. The Greening's latest release, (She's So) Electric [EP] follows that parabolic pursuit for post-modernist Pop perfection ever close to its logical conclusion.

(She's So) Electric captures a 1960's/1970's sound and feel; it's a fun listen and a highly marketable tune. Sunny Afternoon is in a similar vein; a highly catchy mid-tempo rock tune with strong harmonies. Belong With Me finds The Greening digging into an early 1960's Pop sound with flashes of Beach Boys style harmonies. The closing track, Today, Tomorrow is decent enough but not up to the quality of the first three songs.

The Greening compares well to bands like Woodward and Tally Hall; the focus here is a bit more solidly in the 1960's than with the other two, and I imagine The Greening will play particularly well with Baby Boomers. (She's So) Electric is catchy enough to have commercial legs, particularly in the licensing area. (She's So) Electric [EP] is an enticing appetizer. It'll be interesting to see what comes next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Greening at www.myspace.com/thegreening. You can get a free copy of the (She’s So) Electric EP through The Greening’s MySpace via a “try an offer from one of our sponsor” campaigns.

Review: New Vinyl – Makin’ It Easy / New Vinyl

New Vinyl – Makin’ It Easy / New Vinyl
2008/2006, New Vinyl

Tired of teeny-pop? Maddened over the state of Metal? Wondering what happened to good old fashioned guitar solos and rock music that kicked some tail? I’d like to introduce you to New Vinyl, a quartet out of Wakefield, Northeast, United Kingdom. If you’re a fan of bands like Woodward or Tally Hall, then you’re going to love these guys. Driving energy, harmonies, just a touch of post-punk flavoring and a love of the music they are playing set New Vinyl apart from the pack. Far apart. Today we are reviewing two recordings, Makin’ It Easy (2008) and the band’s self-titled EP from 2006.

Makin' It Easy

Two two-track single opens with Makin' It Easy, steeped in classic middle-America Rock N Roll with a dash of British Invasion frenzy thrown in, Makin' It Easy is highly melodic and as energetic as Rock N Roll should be. The song's vaguely reminiscent of Queen and The Beatles, or of modern acts Woodward and Tally Hall. Temptation is more of a post-punk anthem, although it holds onto that British melodic magic. Temptation is thoroughly danceable and is infectious as they come. This may have been a better choice for lead track.

New Vinyl [EP]

The self-titled EP opens with Stephanie, a wonderfully upbeat but dark anti-love song. The protagonist is neurotically obsessed with the object of the song in a love/hate sort of fashion in a highly entertaining song. I'd Rather Be Alone is a mellow and introspective tune that is quite lovely. Its interesting hearing this material as it stands in stark contrast to the later single. It’s as if New Vinyl was at first something of an Adult Contemporary act that has gone nearly punk. Call For Rebellion brings us back to reality. New Vinyl regains some of their swagger in a song that would fit in well with a 1980s British New Wave act such as A Flock Of Seagulls. London Don't You Know is the highlight of the two singles. New Vinyl captures a rough yet reserved sound I love, sounding very much like Canada's The Lowest Of The Low. The harmonies are right on here, the sound is a bit more layered than I'd have suspected, but the track is very well written, performed and produced. The last track, Untitled, is a bit of sonic experimentation that is highly entertaining.

New Vinyl appears to have found a sound that works very well for them. Eschewing the rather unfortunate Emo trends, New Vinyl makes strong, sonically pleasing rock music that plays on the edges of Punk, Prog and Glam. New Vinyl has the swagger that's been missing from Rock music the past few years. These guys are worth checking out, supporting, etc.
Ratings:

Makin' It Easy: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
New Vinyl: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about New Vinyl at http://www.newvinyl.co.uk/ or www.myspace.com/newvinyl1. Makin’ It Easy is available for download on iTunes. If you’re looking for a copy of the self-titled EP, I’d suggest contacting the band directly through their MySpace page.