Mixtape Side H

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Brandon Boyd - The Wild Trapeze

Brandon Boyd is the lead singer from Incubus. I had no idea that he was making a solo album until the day it came out. I was interested to hear it, but unsure about how good it was going to be. I am a big Incubus fan (well, at least since they made "A Crow Left of the Murder"), but I felt they were excellent because every band member was excellent at what they did. Mike Einziger is one of my favorite guitarists, but he, like the other members knows exactly where to sit in a song, never sticking out unnecessarily or showing off. I also love Brandon Boyd's voice, but from hearing their older albums and seeing live videos, I was aware of his tendency to ramble on in an oversymbolistic fashion, and play hand drums (damn hippies and their hand drums). I felt that the more recent albums found a balance between his style and the music the rest of the band produces. Like Jack White in the Raconteurs, his over-the-top tendencies are tempered by the other members, and his talents are allowed to shine through. My doubts stemmed from the fact that Brandon Boyd had played pretty much every instrument on The Wild Trapeze, and that it would lack the magic Incubus has as a band.

OVERVIEW
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. Maybe I'm just turning into more of a hippy in my old age, but I was not bothered by Mr. Boyd's wordy, wacky-tobaccy fueled writing (he was actually on a prescription for medical marijuana because a severe injury during the time he wrote the album). It certainly is hard to seperate this album completely from Incubus - Brandon's voice is too distinctive - but this album does not suffer for the comparison. Any one of the songs could be plucked out of this album and dropped right into an Incubus album without it sounding misplaced, but as a whole album it is obvious the other members of Incubus are not present. This album found Brandon exploring more acoustic sounds, with each instrument's part being fairly simple, while the arrangements and layering are quite dense at times. Most songs are anchored with acoustic guitar (on which they were written), and then adds doses of electric, sometimes fuzzed out bass, enourmous sounding drums and percussion in sparse beats, and smatters of piano, organ,other keys and ambient and backward sounds here and there. I commend Mr. Boyd on holding his own without his talented bandmates, and producing an interesting and enjoyable batch of songs. I also cannot wait to hear his voice on top of his band again sometime soon.

HIGHLIGHTS
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The Wild Trapeze - Almost sounds like a strange acoustic cover of an Incubus song. The most energy I have heard from a nearly entirely acoustic song in awhile. Brandon sings in a much lower voice than usual for some of the backup vocals, but belts it out in his usual rock frontman style for the chorus.

Courage and Control - Probably the most sparsely arranged songs on the album. Just acoustic guitar and an added piano in the chorus serve as a background for the vocal, which is certainly the centrepiece of this song. Sounds like a tip of the hat to John Lennon at times.

Last Night a Passenger - I like fuzzy backgrounds with clear vocals. I love piano echoes. I like this song.

MUSIC NERDERY
I feel that much of this album was inspired by the writing of Earth to Bella Part 1 off of Light Grenades, Incubus' most recent full studio album. Written by Brandon Boyd on acoustic guitar, and imagined to become a Massive Attack-ish song, it morphed into something that was very much Incubus with huge, distorted bass on the chorus. For The Wild Trapeze, Brandon seemed to mix the feelings of E.T.B.'s verses and choruses together to create an honest, natural, but bombastic sound.
It is also important to note that the use of hand drums was not over the top on this album. High Five.

RECOMMENDATIONS
I think many people will enjoy this album. Incubus fans for sure, possibly also people who enjoy solo-ish acoustic-ish acts such as Jack Johnson or City and Color. Also, if you think Brandon Boyd is a dreamboat, this collection songs will not be likely to discourage that opinion. Sigh.

Mixtape Side G

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Days of the week! I'd apologise for thursday, but I think it went past unnecessary to awesome again, and the name of the album was "That's What She Said"

The Gandharvas - Kicking in the Water

This album is from 1995, but I was just introduced to this band, and this - the middle album - was my favourite of the three. The Gandharvas rode the 90's alternative wave for a little while, but not out of the 90's. I'd be surprised if you didn't recognize their 1997 single, Downtime.  That was off their final album, which seemed to employ more distorted guitars, and less whimsy, putting the sound a little closer to other bands of the time. I liked Kicking in the Water because it sounded like a more varied and drew from a unique mix of influences.

OVERVIEW
When I first heard this album, I was immediately reminded of the lighter and more whimsical side of Faith No More, and Beautiful Freak era Eels, with the almost talking, hooky vocal style; and jazzy instrumentation. The vocals are similar to those of other singers who take a nod from Axl Rose, but tone it down and chill the eff out. Guitars and pianos are the most prominent instruments on most songs, but the emphasis seems to be more on the groove and atmosphere created by the mix of instruments as a backdrop for the vocals as opposed to focusing on any specific instrument.

HIGHLIGHTS
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I am going to let the music speak for itself this week, I kept trying to write things for the songs, but I seemed to be only referencing music styles I don't really have a handle on, so that would be pretty useless innit?

MUSIC NERDERY
I don't know what to put in here this week, so I'll put this link. That song is awesome, and the Gandharvas feels like a much better, more  thought out, more musical, less ridiculous version of Wheatus. But I've only really heard that one song, so I am probably being unfair to Wheatus. I'm sorry Wheatus, keep the rock alive.

RECOMMENDATIONS
If you liked the 90's, this album is up your alley for sure. If you only liked the grungy, screamy, aspects of the 90's then maybe not so much. I'm talking more the Blind Melons, Faith No Mores, No Doubts, Janes Addictions, Soul Asylums, Presidents of the United States of Americas, Eels, Gin Blossoms, Marvelous 3s (and all those other sugary but scuzzy pop bands that were around). Even if that makes no sense to you, listen to this album, it's good.

I don't know about you, but I'm really enjoying going back and listening to all these 90's bands that were not quite so angsty as those that tended to carry the flag for the decade of my youth. All the less angry sounding bands were probably just covering up the depression with sugar instead of venting their anger, but it makes me happy now, so I shall give them a cheer-up high five through time.

Mixtape Side F

FACEBOOKERS: Click VIEW ORIGINAL POST for access to media player. This week's theme: Sled Island 2010! Whew! I need a nap or four.