(Almost) Every Thursday night another great band joins The Top Shelf.
Category: Music

This week's new band is The Minus 5

The Minus 5 - This is a somewhat amorphous collection of famous musicians, a self-described "pop collective," founded by Scott McCaughney of The Young Fresh Fellows.  Other band members include or have included Peter Buck of R.E.M., Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, and other notables.  Here's a link to a Wikipedia page for more - The Minus 5.  With 11 discs to their credit, there's lots of great music there - and then there's some that's just good - but that's fine, enjoy the great stuff - it's some of the best there is.

The Lark - Another fine new Brit-pop band from the City of Roses.  A Beatlesy sound with Blur sensibilities.  When the song Need You More breaks out from its lo-fi intro, it sounds almost like some of the best early Charlatans UK.  Hopefully they've got a few more albums in them.

The Sweet Dominiques - I've had 3 songs by Joe Sneva kicking around in my iPod since hearing him play a couple years ago at the now-defunct Pacific Tango in Pacific Beach, WA.  At the time I offered to help him record some more songs back in Seattle simply because I felt his great music and voice had to be heard by others.  He said he wasn't ready for Seattle at the time.  That seems to have changed.  He's now heading up a fabulous band called the sweet dominiques - from Seattle.

Georgie James - Caught their show through shear perseverance, given that their webpage painfully insisted on playing two songs simultaneously - it's fixed now.  I'd have skipped over them, but for their WA DC port of origin.  Having played in bands there myself, I felt they deserved an audience.  I went and was rewarded.  Even as a duet they had a very full sound, carried by strong vocals and great songwriting.  John and Laura trade off on lead and harmonize like pros, the whole nicely transcending the sum of its parts.  If their cd is half as good as the show, I'll be enjoying it for a long time. 

Blitzen Trapper - I noticed these Portland guys keeping pretty good company on tour and figured they must be worth a listen.  The first song sounded Skynyrd-ish.  I hesitated.  Pushing on, I fell into pay dirt - a brilliantly frenzied indie/country/electro sonic collage of dazzling depth and variety.  The song "Cool Love Number 1" is upper-top-shelf.  "B. Trapp" is currently touring to "acquaint the world with the musical wonders produced in their makeshift workshop/laboratory by the river."  I'll acquaint myself on April 18 when they play in Seattle with the The Fleet Foxes.

The Deathray Davies - With five great cds going back to 2000 and a sixth in the oven, the Deathray Davies are icons of the Dallas music scene.  Their songs are hooky, 60's-influenced rockers with deathray-like instrumentation and bashing, garage pop energy.  The six videos on their site tell it all - this is a great rock band.

Eux Autres - The only Portland-French-pop duo to make The Top Shelf, Eux Autres gets the nod for being impossibly cool: surfy-melodic pop that's shaken-not-stirred, endearing brother-sister chemistry, Euro-artsy Francoise Hardy influences, and a strong album from late 2007 to follow up earlier great recordings.  Being from Portland didn't hurt either - it means I'll probably get to hear them live some day.  Check out the band's helpful pronunciation tool and be the first on your block to correctly say "Eux Autres".

The Grates - Not entirely unlike a cross between Liz Phair in her more musical moments and the Violent Femmes.  Don't send them a link to this though, they might not be flattered.  Not that I have much to worry about - they seem to play exclusively in Australia.  Note of caution for tender ears - lots of bad language, but done tastefully.

Buen Chico - Very energetic English pop from the tough town of Leeds.  The best introduction to them is watching their video "Choosing My Religion."  Tons of influences here - all of them good, all with a fresh new spin. 

Lily Allen - And now for something completely different, care of London.  Just the thing for any party.

Young Sportsmen - The second album was slow in coming and I hadn't been to a show yet, so I didn't know quite what to make of the Young Sportsmen.  Then their 2007 cd, Death to Palaces, bested their very solid first release and put them on the Top Shelf.  More recently I caught them at the Highdive in Fremont.  It was one of the best shows I've seen in a while.

Head Like a Kite - This is one of Seattle's most interesting bands - and they're not just a studio phenomenon either.  My concerns that the electronic wizardry might suffer in a live setting were handily dispelled as the duo rocked through their set, competently bashing away on traditional drums and guitars while still managing to keep the cool loops, samples, bleeps and warbles just where they wanted them.  Should have a new album out any day now to follow on the heals of their still-fresh and highly acclaimed 2006 release, Random Portraits of the Home Movie.

Robert Gomez - It's not often that a musician this talented, with interests in jazz, latin and world music, can pull back and be satisfied to play more accessible pop music.  Gomez brings his great musicianship to bear with equally strong songwriting and vocals to produce music with depth and polish - a sophisticated sound with a sharp artistic edge.

Clay Bartlett - Can't wait to get this CD and hear it through my better speakers.  This is two weeks in a row for Americana, but that's just the way the cards came up.  Nothing like a talented singer-songwriter keeping the spirit of Gram Parsons alive with fresh material. 

Chrisopher Blue - No, I didn't misspell it.  This is a very authentic, soulful band.  Rarely do I music this perfect live.  Great vocals and musicianship are a given.  When it's all channeled lovingly through instruments with incredible tonality, like a vintage Rhodes keyboard, a 50's Guild or Gibson hollow-body, a woody upright bass, an 80 year-old Slingerland 28" bass drum, and an Echo Plex (tape echo) for the vocals, controlled right on stage - then you've really got it going on.  Get the CD, see the show.  You won't be disappointed.

Jeremy - Oh harmonious irony - highly polished, sunny pop songs sung with a slight Viking accent.  Throw in a little bossa nova or mambo beat and who can resist something like that?   Pictures of Stavanger, Norway

One For The Team - This fine group from Minneapolis reminds me, with great affection, of my old band Anne Summers.  No fancy guitar solos, no overly complicated beats - just  lo-fi rock rhythms driving along under harmony-backed melodies, all dutifully capped off with lyrics from that deepest of wells - the turmoil and ironies of youthful relations.  When Summer comes, I'll blast these songs from the back of my car on a vast, empty stretch of Moclips beach, open some cold IPAs, and skimboard under the sun.  That will be a fine day.  Go Team.

The Hands - This is some great thrashy rock and roll.  And right out of a Seattle basement - just how I like it.  With only three songs up on their page, it's hard to tell exactly how deep the creative well is, but I'm hoping there's more where this came from.  The first song, "Cold Ground, Lay Me Down", is enough to get me out to a show.  My first attempt to see them live ended with a whimper - sold out.  I'm not apparently the first to discover The Hands.

The Vision of a Dying World - I've had some of this group's accoustic songs kicking around in my iPod for a few months.  They're subtle accoustic numbers, so I didn't expect to be too moved by them, but every time they come on I think - now who's this again?  I like'm.  The songs posted more recently are of a more rockin' variety - live recordings with the usual sonic limitations but with some pretty cool riffs.  They're apparently working on a full length album to be released early 2007.  Looking forward to hearing it.

The Glory and the Majesty - Someone who knows someone - get these guys a record deal so this music doesn't die off before it's properly recorded.  I caught a recent show in DC where The Glory and the Majesty played one great song after another, much to the titillation of the crowd.  Because of the modest recording quality of these demo tracks, you have to listen closely to fully appreciate the magic that's unfolding here.  It's a bit like kneeling down on a patch of moss at 8,000 feet to better appreciate some lovely alpine wildflowers.  As you get comfortable and really focus, you find that they are far more colorful and intricate than you possibly could have imagined.... and you wonder, how?  why?  You only wish you could share them with someone else.  It's that way with The Glory and the Majesty.  I hope they have the opportunity to turn all of those great songs I heard them play into a timeless CD - before the seasons change and they are lost. 

Salim Nouralla - Although the song "1978" struck me as a good Kinks-ish song, I almost moved on too quickly.  Then I heard  "All Waste the Days" and realized there was more going on here.  A close listen to "One Foot Stuck in the Past" confirmed it - Salim Nouralla is a very musical fellow with a great poetic sense and a charisimatic voice.  That 2006 cd sounds like a strong buy and the effortlessness and sophistication of his sound lead me to believe there's a lot more left where these songs came from.    

Dr. Dog - The song that caught my attention and caused me to listen more closely was "Say Something - a catchy, heavily-reverbed guitar line over a smooth, lazy drumbeat with big fills and dark, crashing cymbals, nice piano accents, all topped with interesting lyrics and strong vocals.  "Ain't It Strange" is my second favorite of the four posted songs - a cool, Beatlesy number that is nonetheless unique and original.  "California" is a pleasant Dead-ish song that reveals itself a little more slowly but probably wears well that much longer.  On its own, I might not have appreciated "The Pretender" as much, perhaps because it's a live recording, but in the company of the other songs it adds nicely to the picture.  Cheers to the City of Brotherly Love. 

Illinois - From Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hints of bluegrass, big guitar riffs ala Lenny Kravitz, the cool of Gomez, and great songs weathered with a little lo-fi grit .  I'm going to get this album and blast it.

The Little Ones - This is very enjoyable music with unusual instrumentation and flowing rhythms.  It's energetic and immediately likeable, yet  musically nuanced and sophisticated enough to stay interesting.  They recently finished up a 7 song ep.  You can listen to parts of all the songs and buy it for $7 through their official (non-myspace) website.  It sounds great.  This should be a fun band to follow. 

NeatPeople - Hailing from, in their own words, "the squaddie-infested Essex town of Colchester and nearby Chelmsford", NeatPeople have an unmistakably XTC-ish sound and approach to their arrangements, but they are clearly writing, playing and singing their own great songs.  The following quote sums them up quite nicely - "Ambitious, charming, pretension-free and with a dash of beguiling innocence, your sister will want to shag them, your mum will want to have them round for tea."  Added bonus - several great songs to download!

Islands - These are the same talented fellows from Montreal that used to be The Unicorns - also a Top Shelf band.  I hear in them hints of Paul Simon, the Split Ends, the Beatles and many others.  Their sound includes conscious or unconscious nods to Vaudeville and the famous marching band composer John Philip Sousa and is supported by a huge but not contrived sounding range of instrumentation including horns, strings, dark toned, somewhat trashy cymbals, ringy toms, campy keyboards, a triangle, and melodies deftly whistled in two or more parts.  Good stuff. 

The 88 - The 88 are one of my favorite bands.  Song after song rocks.  Their cd's are great and they're incredible live - and they're nice fellows too.  Catch'em on one of their regular tours up and down the West Coast and beyond.

Llama - A great Seattle rock band headed up by the iconic Rusty Willoughby of the also fabulous bands Flop and Pure Joy.  Pick up the cd and catch'em live while you can.  

Irving - If Irving claimed to be from some small village in the north of England instead of LA I'd not be the wiser.  And although a British sound pervades their style, each song sounds like a completely different band playing from a different era - 60's, 80's, 90's, and the present.   They're most interesting to me when they're channeling Blur.

The Village Green - Another top shelf offering from Portland.  Great 6 song EP if you can get it - picked up mine at their recent, very fun show at the Sunset in Ballard.

Fleet Foxes -  The Fleet Foxes seem to have burst onto the scene recently but quickly developed a big following.  A recent show I tried to catch was sold out.  Their sophisticated but hummable songs are carried along by classy guitar lines, lush vocals and a rhythm section that powers through complex arrangements.  All four of their posted songs are currently downloadable and, for $5, you can apparently get a CD painted by specially designed painting robots.  The band member bios on their myspace page are an amusing read. 

Dios - Or is it dios (malos)?  Hard to say.  Their myspace page says dios (malos) but their official band web site wearedios.com makes no mention of "malos".  Both websites are worth checking out - the myspace page has more music, but the other has more info, or entertaining mis-info.  Anyhow - great band!  Interesting, new, creative....   I tried to get them to offer a downloadable song, but they did not respond - all I can do is try.  

The Good Listeners - Even though I'm generally not a fan of anything from LA, The Good Listeners are actually Northwest transplants that have avoided the rot of LA commercialism.  They have an understated sound, nicely crafted songs, and very cool vocals.

Your Secret Admirer - This is my buddy and former bandmate Andrew Pontano. We played in Anne Summers together in DC.  Andrew will always be one of my favorite singer/songwriters - along with our other former Anne Summers bandmate Alec Boyajy.  Andrew finally visited Seattle recently and was duly impressed with the Seattle scene.

Little Pioneer - This is singer, songwriter, recordist and producer Craig Levy from Brooklyn.  Craig writes amazingly cool songs and pulls them off with one of the best voices around.

Friday Mile - Aptly described as Indi/Accoustic/Pop.  Enjoyable songs played and sung with style.  Their CD is excellent, as are their live shows.

Left Hand Smoke - When I met LHS six years ago or so, they were whipping up quite a college scene and guitarist Ronan OMahony asked if I would record a demo for them on the cheap.  We got it done quickly thanks to their authentic tones, strong chops and Ben Mish's powerful voice.the Owl & Thistle for several months and was tiring of the gig, so we handed it off to them.  LHS brought in their college scene and turned Thursdays at the Owl into rock and roll chaos, packing the place to the rafters and leaving long lines of fans spilling out into Post Alley.  They have released four great albums,  they tour tirelessly and they receive consistently great press.  See'em live if you can - you'll be glad you did. 

Eric Miller - One of Seattle's very talented singer, songwriters - friends of Bryn Lumsden, also of the top 50.  A very strong live performer with a great personality that comes out on stage.  He's got tons of excellent music to download.  I hope he's selling some of it too.

Seahorse - Seahorse is the musical dba of singer-songwriter Richard Swanger of Salem, Oregon.  His songs "The Devil and I" and "Icicles" are melodic and poetic masterpieces and even his less poppy songs quickly endear themselves.  In his "CD's" blog, Richard says he has copies of his self-produced cd's available for those interested - I asked and he sent me a copy.

Tacks, the Boy Disaster.  Great sounding band out of Austin, TX with an unusual name.  Aside from glowing fan comments about their live shows, not much else can be gleaned about them from their website.  But the music speaks for itself - fabulous songs captured with clean, sophisticated production - tight, woody sounding drums, moody Wurlitzer, brilliant piano, subtle melodic guitar lines that come and go tastefully - all supporting great vocals.  They are apparently just finishing up the final touches on their first album.

The High Dials - These rock and roll separatists from Montreal, Quebec infuse great songs with a regal 80s sound and cool, reverb-drenched vocals.  Great live - if you get a chance, take it.

The Films - Only thing I know about these fellas from Charleston is that they sound great.  Looks like they play a lot of shows, but so far, not in the Jet City.

Bryn Lumsden - Bryn writes subtle but moving songs and has a wonderful voice to pull them off.  I'm still waiting to catch him live, having gone to one of his shows at the Mars Bar, only to have missed him by five minutes....  Bryn also plays in the very cool band The Fleet Foxes.

The Fictions - Great band - possibly now defunct, but their site is still up, songs can still be downloaded, and none of the spin-offs are quite as good - so maybe they'll re-unite.

The Frauds - Rockin' out of Baltimore, MD - this is heavier, anthem-like power pop.  These guys are great, and so far they'll let you download all the songs they post.  Get them.

The Snakebites - Fun, garage-pop-rockers a la The Sonics from Seattle - great EP.  In their live show they do a mean version of These Boots are Made for Walkin'.

Hart and The Hurricane - These guys infuse a cool bluesy sound into their music - fits nicely with Hart's smokey voice.  Great demo EP - you can get it if you catch one of their many live shows around Seattle and beyond.

The Decembrists - Looking forward to catching this great Portland band when they come back to Seattle. 

The Subways - Popular trio out of England.  Their debut album rocks.  Their stage presence is a sight to behold, especially the gal on bass.  She settles down just long enough to add her lovely backing vocals and occasional lead vocals and then she's back to rockin'.  Don't miss them when they come to your town.

The Inversions - Sacramento's finest, as near as I can tell, if not a little more avant-garde and eclectic than when they first made the list.  Their song "Morning Show" is one of my favorites. 

Anya Marina  - Come back to Seattle!  Queen of the scene in San Diego.  I'm amazed she's not famous yet.  You must get her cds.

Dune TX - Get ready to rock!  From Dune, Texas - Dune TX!  Make sure to download "Go" while it's still posted. 

Tim Seely - Tim's unusual hair is a common topic in his myspace comments.  He's quite the artist - very clever, nice voice, great tunes.  Still looking for an opportunity to get to one of his shows around Seattle, but his downloads are sounding great in my ipod.

Unbunny - Great name, great sound.  I'll never tire of the the song "I Leave Stones Unturned".  Not sure what they're currently up to - no shows listed and looks like they have recently moved from Seattle to the fine town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The Cloves - The Cloves are a Seattle band with a psychodelic edge - lilting guitar lines, fender-rhodes keys, long, smooth vocals, and great songs.  My guess is that their new EP is worth getting.

Man of the Year - Portland does it again with Man of the Year - ranging from a heavier Supergrass-ish sound to some lighter, well-done piano pop, with the anthemesque "Blue Sky" falling somewhere in the middle.  Very cool.

Boat - Seattle's quirky side at its best - "... this lecture's boring, too much talking about one man..."  Unique-done-well.  Saw them play a great show at the Mars Bar.   

The Universe - Not playing right now, but hopefully returning to the scene soon.

Ken Blackwood - Ken is a good friend of mine.  I played a show with him at the Central in Pioneer Square in mid-'05.  he writes and records great songs and most can be downloaded - make sure to get them.  You can tell from his myspace page that he has a good sense of humor.

The Standards - Great Brit-pop straight from London.  The London scene is as strong as ever and these guys seem to be a big part of it.  Great range in their music, cool vocals, excellent songs to download.

The Heartstrings - Another currently popular English pop band, more on the understated side, but very interesting and enjoyable.

Mooncalf - Hailing from my Seattle neighborhood, Ballard, their sound is clearly the product of a nice range of influences.  My favorite of the several excellent songs currently posted is "Hoorah", followed by "Labrador".  These guys have been playing out quite a bit lately and will be worth seeing.

Matthew Shaw - Seattleite Matthew Shaw shows us the proper use of a cello in pop rock with his song "Intramural".  His meloncholy vocal delivery stays fresh and interesting from song to song, supported by cool instrumentation, great song-writing and lyrics that keep your attention.  I particularly like the opening line of "Quicksand" - "Today I figured out, I am the asshole."  Very entertaining Matthew.

The Bentleys - An interesting and different offering from San Fernando, CA - funky with a strong hint of lounge.  The song that first caught my attention and that is still my favorite, is "Armaggedon-A-Go-Go" - check it out - for me it's an ipod must-have.  "All you are is just another girl to sing and write a song to...."  Great opening line.

Red Pony Clock - My favorite quirky band on all of myspace.  Although hailing from San Diego, they've put their musical energies into the unique bourbon-street-carnival-music genre. 

Ann Driscoll - I'm a big fan of Ann from Cincinatti - she's been playing since she was 7 years old and seems to be quite the active songwriter and performer.  Great voice, sound and songs.   

Stuporhero - Another Seattle very cool husband and wife duo, and another fine band name to be sure.  I think they're giving out hard-disc four track recorders with marriage licenses down at townhall.  Saw'em live at the High Dive - mannequin drummer and all.  Great show, great downloads and nice people. 

The Out Crowd - "Putting freak into freedom", in the own words of this cool and unusual Portland band.  Very authentic, very cool.   

The Small Change - Just caught The Small Change for a second time down at the Sunset recently - rockin' live shows, strong CD.  Good old rock and roll, with some of the best tamborine work you're gonna hear.

Argo - These Seattle fellows put out some very interesting music - sometimes dreamy and etheral - other times quite rocking - it's an entirely unique sound that's hard to describe.  I've seen them at both the Sunset and the Crocodile and both times they played to full and very enthusiastic audiences.  Their EP is great and I assume their brand new album is too - produced by John Auer of the Poseys, Big Star,et al.  And Justin Benson - Argo's songwriter, guitar and vocals - is a very cool guy.

Regan Lane - Ah, more cool Brit-pop from Puyallup, Washington.  You might think you're listening to some newly discovered John Lennon tracks, sans Yoko Ono.  I particularly like the track "The Crutch of Every Fool".

Graham Travis - Graham spends more time touring around the country than playing here in Seattle.  Although built around a piano, his sound is very big and his recent album is very good.  "Tripped You Up" and "So Wonderful" are two of my favorite tracks - good solid pop

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