_triplejaysus_exclusive! - Feral Children

Feral Children, a Seattle quintet, are the latest band in the triplejaysus series of exclusive interviews. They have just released their debut long player, produced by Scott Colburn (Animal Collective) called ‘Second to last frontier’.  

The nice people at Sarathan Records have given triplejaysus readers access to their 4 tracks from the debut in an exclusive EP.

‘Jaundice Giraffe’opens with keys and an oompah beat. Layered on that come ‘Beach Boy’ backing vocals, but don’t let that mislead you. Frank Black-esque barks signal the escalation into cacophony. Brock-like vocal calisthenics continue with what must be carefully constructed abandon, because you cannot deny that it catches you with many of its hooks.

‘Zyghost’is a pounding track with crazy carnival keys and a dirty bassline, and screaming backing vocals I haven’t heard since The Dead Milkmen’s ‘Stuart’. It’s brilliant stuff, and well worth the bandwidth. Go get it!

Jeff Keenan (co-lead singer and stand up drummer) took some time out to answer my questions after the jump. (more…)

_triplejaysus_exclusive! - Motocade

We receive a lot of emails from bands, labels and websites here at triplejaysus, asking us to listen and if we like, to share the music they have sent us. Most of what I have received to date, while really good, doesn’t quite fit in with what we’re trying to do with this site. Motocade are different.

Motocade are a rock band from NZ, that have built up a following with great live shows and EP’s filled with quality tracks of tight, catchy rock. They are recording their debut full length album at the moment and asked triplejaysus to check out the first two tracks completed.  

Needless to say, the fact that I’ve featured them means that I really dig their stuff. Motocade manage to find the perfect balance between catchy riffs and substance. Their sound is crisp and clean on ‘Soap Opera’, yet they still manage to keep a rock edge that gives their music longevity. ‘Come back Kid’ opens with a  thumping bassline that grabs you immediately, countered by falsetto guitars.

Overall, I think that the two tracks featured give plenty reason to consider Motocade’s debut a highly anticipated release. Although the band couldn’t give me details of a release date yet, Eden did take time out from recording to answer a few questions.
(more…)

Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely

The Raconteurs return with sophmore ‘Consolers’. There is so much to say about this ‘difficult second album’, the first that they made it sound so easy. Recorded and on shelves in less than a month, ‘Consoler’ is being cited as a departure from their sound. I disagree. (Hey, it’s my page!)

There is a level of confidence in one another and thier own abilities that’s very evident. Shared vocal duties, oft with call and responce choruses, spiralling guitar solos and horns, banjos, fiddle and strings to boot.

The second point I must mention is that Jack White championed lo fi not long ago. The White Stripes recorded on 4 track, yet ‘Consolers’ is almost a homage to the recording studio.

Finally, to what it sounds like. ‘Consolers’ is blues fused rock. By that I mean ‘alt- country psycho-billy hoe-down darn-tootin’ rock, with the influences of Zepplin, Deep Purple and Johnny Cash firmly on it’s sleeve notes. 

I chose ‘Top Yourself’ because it illustrates The Raconteurs stripped back ease, bristling lyrics and Zepplin influences. ‘Carolina Drama’ is my favourite track on the album, a shaggy dog ballad about a murderuous milkman and a red head mourning the death of a no-good priest.

THINK: Blues Rock vehicle for the guitar solos of the year!
READ: Their super cool circa ‘82 website
WATCH: Salute your solution Vid
BUY: ‘Consolers’ is available directly from READ

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!

Last Wednesday I turned 35. My folks were over from Ireland, I took the day off and the sun shone. All was good. A passing remark from one of my colleagues sent one wheel wobbling. ‘G, you’ve had your heyday. You know what it’s like’. I had the misfortune to walk passed my parents watching ‘Grumpy Old Women’. ‘There’s nothing worse than a middle aged man who thinks he’s still cool’. Double wobble.

My salvation came in the unlikely form of Nick Cave. Nick ‘ her hair was as black as the night’ Cave. A sign that I’m truly growing older? Yes. But also a sign that it’s okay. Good ole laughing Nick is 50. Dig!!!, his 14th long player with the Bad Seeds. And not one wobble in sight.

Dig!!! is a triumph. It is dripping with characters and humour, Lazarus is advised to dig himself back into his hole on the opening track. Dig!!! is a looser album than previous outings, and I’m thankful of that. I found Cave’s macabre a little saturating previously, but Dig!!! moves with purpose. You find yourself at the closing track easily, without distraction. Although I haven’t gotten round to posting the top ten of 2007 yet, Dig!!! will surely find itself in the top ten of 2008.

THINK: Cave, like Waits and Dillon, gets better with age
WATCH: Viral movies for Dig!!!
READ: And the ass saw the angel
BUY: Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!  at amazon

Radio_Update - Webcast Highlights

A Country Mile - That’s how far ahead these guys are.

Not content to write and record one of the best albums of the year, Radiohead had to take it one step further. That’s what we all thought when news broke that they were releasing it themselves via the interweb. Little did we know.

Not only did they change the face of the music industry with their little experiment, but they hinted that they weren’t finished there. And then last weekend they did a webcast which showed just how far ahead these guys are from the pack. There were live performances, cover versions, video montages, they played DJ for a bit, and called the whole thing “Thumbs Down“.

You can get the whole thing here. Do it!