| DIY Top 12 Picks: November 2006 by Mare Wakefield |
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Showcasing independent songwriters who have
released an album without the backing of a label.
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D.C. Anderson
I Am Still
The title track from D.C. Anderson’s latest release starts on a somber note. Just piano and his made-for-musical-theater voice singing of “thistles where there once was grass.” But listen for a moment and hear the acoustic guitar add delicate touches as Anderson fleshes out a story of an abandoned hotel—from the hotel’s point of view. The unusual perspective coupled with the sonic sparseness of the song proves quite refreshing.
 The rest of the album offers equal parts comedy and drama. From the hilarious “Jury Duty Girlfriend” (“How long can she resist? I’m the only guy who’s single, let’s turn this trial into a tryst”) to the moving “Sad Man,” written after the death of his mother, Anderson paints pictures that you’ll want to keep hanging in your mind.
www.dcanderson.net
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Jaclyn Brown
Unsolicited Material
With sing-along lyrics and a ripping blues guitar, Jaclyn Brown will saunter into your soul. “Built for Luxury” finds Brown comparing bodies to SUVs. “If size is what you need to show your success then I’m a lucky girl, I’m as roomy as it gets.” A chorus of background singers cheers her on.
Brown combines a degree in jazz vocal performance with an innate sense of storytelling. “The Fallout” compares TV coverage of the war in the Middle East to the war raging between a fighting couple: “The kids tiptoe through the house like they might set off the bomb.” The spunky “Are You Man Enough?” sings the praises of the guy who will wear a pink shirt and watch episodes of Sex in the City. Upright bass and twangy guitars give the record a country flavor, but fans of all genres will find something irresistable in Brown.
www.jaclynbrown.com
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The Coal Men
Beauty Is a Moment
The laid-back drawl of Coal Men lead singer Dave Coleman falls somewhere between Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant and Alan Jackson. Bluesy Hammond organ and twangy, Allman Brothers-style electric guitar complete the Southern rock vibe on Beauty Is a Moment.
Highlights include “Pretty Girls,” in which a syncopated drum beat embellishes the chorus. “They can twist your arm, make you do what they want you to,” Coleman sings, describing the cloud in front of the silver lining. “Outside Lookin’ In” is another gem, this time on the poppier side, with a bouncing, harmony-laden chorus.
Songs are mostly populated with thoughts on relationships and childhood memories, but scattered throughout these familiar themes are shimmering dewdrops of lyrical poetry. “Beauty is a moment, like youth it cannot last,” Coleman sings in the title track, but it’s moments like these that will make this beauty of an album last.
www.thecoalmen.com
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Crawling With Kings
Regarding Your Request for Closure
To call Crawling With Kings minimalistic is an understatement. “I’ve got a hole in my heart, and it’s a big one,” sings vocalist Brian Dyer on opening track “Betsy.” But don’t wait around for the rest of the story. The lyrics simply repeat as Dyer’s rhythmic acoustic guitar is joined by percussion, vibraphones and electric guitars. The song works because of the dreamy arrangement which builds to a climax somewhere around the second minute. Listeners will be left amazed that the band can say so much with so little.
Other songs have more lyrical variation (and fun titles like “Jesus in Your Ovaries” and “All My Friends are Losers”), but the real strength of the band is in the arrangements. Incorporating mysterious instruments like aerophones and omnichord, Crawling With Kings will take your ears on a wild ride.
www.crawlingwithkings.com
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Dan Gonzalez
Public Square
Enchanting Spanish-style acoustic guitar dances throughout Public Square, the latest from Dan Gonzalez. The sound is so lovely that you may be tempted to focus soley on the music, letting words slip by. But that would be a crime. The Boston-based artist’s intelligent lyrics focus on everything from the campaign against terror, to the irony of celebrating Columbus Day, to the plight of rich, bored housewives.
Especially noteworthy are “Whatever Gets Me” (“This is only a test to see if they might scare me to death / With all those warnings on the TV”) and the enthralling “Be Careful of the Gypsies” (“Watch your money, these streets are dripping thieves / That’s what I’ve been told”).
It’s rare to find this marriage of smart social commentary with great music, but Gonzalez has done just that, fair and Square.
www.dangonzalezmusic.com
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The Jackmormons
Into the Lovely
The Jackmormons’ frontman and lead songwriter Jerry Joseph is the 21st-century equivalent of a tribal medicine man. He’ll hand you a sonic peyote cocktail and proceed to dance around a swirling bonfire of electric guitars. Bass and drums pound out a beat to match your rising pulse as Joseph works himself into a sometimes eight-minute-long frenzy of Hendrix sounds and dark imagery. “Take off your shirt to show your back / Where the cloven hooves have left their tracks,” he sings on “Goat.” The peppy power-trio sound of “Blowing My Brains Out” will find listeners humming along to suicidal lyrics: “I feel like Hemingway / I’m out of brilliant things to say.”
The album’s centerpiece, “This Is the Place Where Everybody Finds Out Who They Are,” delivers a melodic guitar line and some of Joseph’s best lyrics. “I have never made a stand / I am afraid, therefore I am.” Don’t ask questions, just take another sip.
www.jerryjoseph.com
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Jeff Jones Band
Biscuits & Gravy
“One million pounds of funkified grooviness” is what the cover of Biscuits & Gravy boasts. And trust us, the Jeff Jones Band delivers.
The title track is an ode to blues, jazz and funk musicians gone by. “Talking ’bout Elvin Jones and a brand new thang / Talking ’bout Lightnin’ Hopkins and Etta James,” Jones half sings, half raps over some down-and-dirty electric guitar and a bass line straight out of Sly and the Family Stone. The rest of the album takes us through a smattering of soul, blues and, of course, funk. Jones’ voice is a snarling, high-energy baritone, able to entice listeners out of their seats and onto the dance floor in just a few bars.
“I can lend you my voice, but I can’t make you shout” Jones sings in “Can’t Make You Proud.” We beg to differ.
www.jeffjonesband.com
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Will Kimbrough
Americanitis
Will Kimbrough isn’t treading lightly on the folks he sees as making a mess of the country. The laid-back country shuffle and sweet fiddle accompaniment of opener “I Lie” belie scorching lyrics, as Kimbrough takes on the persona of a crooked CEO: “It’s not stealing if it’s legal, let’s just change the rules.” “Life” follows suit. A pop-rock beat and Hammond organ bounce along with Kimbrough’s socio-political musings: “It gets a little hotter every day, but we just pretend it’ll go away.”
While Americanitis is more than social commentary (the fun “Grown Up Now” finds Kimbrough pining for his days of sleeping till noon and watching cartoons, and the hard-driving blues of “Another Train” is a straight-up song of lust), he never strays too far from the album’s theme. Kimbrough’s songs roll along like the unstoppable tide of a generation.
www.willkimbrough.com
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Kristy Krüger
Songs From a Dead Man's Couch
There’s something pleasing about the idea of a group of songs that create a mood in these days of iPods and downloads. Songwriter Kristy Krüger has created just such an album with Songs From a Dead Man’s Couch. Many of the tunes have an old-time feel, and even the artwork features photos from eras gone by.
Especially noteworthy is “Gold Rush.” Banjo and harmonica ride the freight- train drumbeat while Krüger sings of the excitement of California in the 1840s. “Little Polyanna” features a slow swing groove that sounds straight out of the 1930s. Clarinet, accordion and various percussive sounds accent the backbeats. Krüger’s vocals have a flattening effect that leads listeners to believe they’re hearing a recording that was actually made 70 years ago. Even a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” stays in the album’s character. Krüger will captivate with her stellar songwriting and Patty Griffin meets PJ Harvey voice.
www.kristykruger.com
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Colleen McFarland
Beautiful Lie
With 16 powerful songs on her third album—10 of which top or come close to the five-minute mark—Colleen McFarland has plenty to say. After one spin of Beautiful Lie, you’ll be a rapt listener.
Growing up the youngest of nine kids in a three-bedroom home, McFarland likely spent her formative years fighting for a chance to be heard over the din of seven sisters and a brother. Perhaps that’s where the origins of the yearning, aching melodies in songs such as “The Last Cloud,” “Shelter Me” and the epic, seven-minute “Rain” can be traced. With a voice reminiscent of Emmylou Harris, McFarland has the ability to alternately soothingly sing and growl a menacing blues number like “Ten Years” and offer lilting pop such as “Sordid Affair” (the phrasing of which brings to mind Genesis’ “In Too Deep”).
The title Beautiful Lie may imply a deception of sorts, but the truth of the matter is it harkens the arrival of a refreshingly original voice and talent. —Jesse Thompson
www.colleenmcfarland.com
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Run Run Run
Endless Winter
There are pounding drums and screaming electric guitars, driving angst and dark introspection. Endless Winter is the first full-length album from the L.A.-based Run Run Run, but already they’re attracting attention and their credits include a spot on The Osbournes DVD.
Moody yet aggressive, the band walks the line between Elliott Smith and Korn. “I’m the last one to know but the first one to get blamed,” sings vocalist Xander Smith in “Last One,” expressing a frustration played out in the angry music. “2 A.M.” is on the mellower side, telling the story of a drowning over ambient background vocals and melodic guitar. There’s even a rocking reinterpretation of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.” Much of the album includes cool sonic tricks like effects-laden vocals or wailing feedback. Run Run Run show no signs of slowing down, so you better go catch them.
www.myspace.com/runrunrun
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Michael Zapruder's Rain of Frogs
New Ways of Letting Go
Piano and acoustic guitar kick things off on Michael Zapruder’s latest release, but there’s plenty more in store. The Bay Area musician has assembled a 15-piece collective of regional musicians, including Nate Query from the Decemberists. The list of instruments is long, and each song has a distinct flavor.
“The Alchemist” features legatto strings mourning plaintively, followed by a trumpet-filled instrumental solo. “Haymaker Market” is powered by vibraphone and a carnival organ and drumbeat. “Butterfield’s and Baker’s” proffers English horn and triangle, while “Red Violins” features cello and trombone, as well as plenty of violins.
Zapruder’s mellow vocals are the common thread holding this tapestry together. With a voice that’s Morrissey meets John Lennon, he sings of markets, gardens and alchemy, and fascinates you with it all.
www.michaelzapruder.com
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To Submit Your Album:
Please send CD, bio, mailing address and e-mail to:
Performing Songwriter
ATTN: DIY
2805 Azalea Place
Nashville, TN 37204
You will be contacted if your album has been chosen, so there is no need to call the office regarding this. Please be patient and continue to send us your new releases. We do listen to all submissions for DIY consideration.
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