The Foreign Exchange - Leave It All Behind

The Foreign Exchange is the perfect name for the R&B/hip-hop duo of rapper Phonte and Dutch producer Nicolay. Their story is one made for the Internet Age. As a member of Little Brother, Phonte heard a beat by Nicolay on okayplayer.com and contacted him to ask if he could lay a rap over it. Nicolay agreed and soon the track ("Light It Up") was a b-side to "Whatever You Say" off Little Brother's 2003 album, The Listening. An intercontinental relationship was born. They began emailing and instant messaging back and forth. Nicolay would send finished beats and Phonte would then record the vocal tracks and send back the finished track. They did this enough to complete a full-length debut title Connected (2004). I heard that album way back when, and really really enjoyed it. It's a pretty mellow R&B/hip-hop album that doesn't just sound like two guys collaborating because it would be cool. Connected had a few tracks that had great production, with equally impressive lyrical content.

Today (10/14) The Foreign Exchange release their follow-up titled Leave It All Behind. Be warned that this album has a very different feel than its predecessor. The debut album had a few R&B (singing) tracks sprinkled throughout whereas this new album really focuses on Phonte's singing. This is distincly a R&B album. With that being said, it's probably one of the best R&B albums I've heard in a long time. Much of the R&B I hear is really fake and kinda schmaltzy (excuse the Yiddish). It just sounds fake, forced, and something out of a cliche bedroom scene from a movie. Leave It All Behind is different. It has at least an undercurrent of hip-hop production which makes the tracks more interesting and distinguishable. It's a production style that mixes influences from traditional hip-hop, to some elements of break beat, and even some things that are hard to categorize. Upon my first listen to the the album I was confused and kinda upset because I was expecting the album to be more of the same and a step forward. This album is a step forward, but maybe diagonally. Meaning, in a slightly different direction but still a progression. If you know that the album is - at its core - an R&B effort you will probably really really enjoy this album. If you think this is more like Connected you are going to be a bit disappointed, but if you have the patience to listen through you'll still hear great production and Phonte sing the best way he knows how.

"Daykeeper"

Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain

The last time I wrote about Ray LaMontagne I wasn't very generous, and begged for more from the budding blues-folk star. Known as a bit of a recluse, Ray lives someplace in the depths of Maine. It is probably someplace far from the "Real World" where people don't know who he is, and everyone calls each other by their first names...if there is anyone else around at all. He began his journey into the music world after hearing a Stephen Stills song ("Tree Top Flyer") on the radio as he was getting up to go to work. He heard the song and decided to stop working in a show factory and pursue a music career. Thank goodness. The music world owes him a huge thank you note. Ray LaMontagne is an artist that doesn't come along very often. He's talented, has a unique perspective, and his sound is distinctly his own. His voice is a raspier/huskier version of Van Morrison and Tim Buckley. His music most often is compared to his genre compatriot Iron & Wine for their folk/rock/blues similarities.

Gossip In The Grain (2008) (being released 10/14/08) is as different from Till the Sun Turns Black (2006), as it was from its predecessor Trouble (2004). Each album has seen a progression for Ray, which is quite a thing to say considering his debut album was quite good. At his heart LaMontagne is a storyteller. His way of telling stories through his lyrics is unquestionably one of the things listeners are drawn to during every listen. He usually sings about loneliness and romantic longing. These topics have been "done before" but rarely have they been sung with such drama and authenticity. He expresses his emotion with a depth and realness that would make grown men cry and women sigh. The bare-bones structures and initmacy of Till the Sun Turns Black isn't totally gone, but it has been replaced with more varied tunes that show a wide range of styles. The opener "You Are The Best Thing" is a rousing Memphis soul tune, followed by "Let It Be" with its folksier lilting soul groove (a song John Mayer will probably wish he wrote), then comes the intimate tune "Sarah" with a melody played on mandolin. Within the first three songs you can already tell that this is going to be a diverse and rich album. The use of strings, acoustic and electric guitars, horns, backing vocals, harmonica, and banjo are just more examples of the diversity employed by Ray and his exceptional producer Ethan Johns. There is even a song that could have been written by the Rolling Stones with its free-form blues riffs called "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)." This is really the record I had wanted to hear from LaMontagne. While I did end up enjoying Till the Sun Turns Black the more and more I listened to it, I think this album is going to have a higher place on the mantle, per se. It's a really great collection of songs that will satisfy all commers.

"You Are The Best Thing"

BSS Presents: Brendan Canning - Something For All of Us...

The members of Broken Social Scene are numerous. Many of their names are now known outside of the band collective: Kevin Drew, Jason Collett, Leslie Feist, and Emily Haines. The founding members were Drew and Brendan Canning. After recording a few albums and touring with whoever was available (tour line ups) Kevin Drew wanted to record a solo album but still keep things close to BSS material. Thus began the Broken Social Scene Presents series. First in line was Kevin Drew (reviewed by me last year), and now it is Brendan Canning's turn. Being the lead vocalist for BSS, his crooning will sound familiar (if you know the band). He's usually very hushed, laid back, and can't always decipher his lyrics but he creates an extra layer to an already textured sound.

Something For All of Us... was released back at the end of July without a whole lof of fanfare, but it's a pretty solid album. I'm not sure what each of these members are trying to achieve by releasing "solo" albums. Maybe they feel more passionate about these songs that they could write without the help of the band setting. Maybe they just wanted different packaging. Maybe it's none of these things. A full-fledged BSS album has a distinctive sound, whereas these two "Presents" album do feel the same but different. On BSS studio releases there is a usually a large feeling of the collective. Whereas on these two individualized releases it feels only collaborative when they're playing together, and the songwriting came from the solo artists' vault. Brendan Canning does a sufficient job utilizing the various skills of his bandmates but doesn't really explore anything new or discover new uncharted territory. To be blunt, it's a pretty safe album. But, when you're good a safe album is better than many many things. I would have been a little interested to hear some new thoughts or experimentation, but that doesn't happen on this record. I still think seeing BSS live is the best way to go. I haven't had that luxury, but I imagine it would be quite a show. You never know who's going to show up, but it would probably be a great experience. The first single is "Hit the Wall" and is the best song on the album. Enjoy.

"Hit the Wall"

The Pretenders - Break Up the Concrete

The Pretenders have been around since before I was born. Now that that's out of the way, I can tell you that if you haven't at least heard of them or their mainstay lead singer Chrissie Hynde you've probably been living under a rock. For a quick low-down on their history you can read the bio at AllMusic. What you need to know is that this new album is the first studio album since 2002. It continues a trend that has seen the personnel change through the years but it's said to be only for the studio recording. The current roster for the studio is comprised of Hynde, guitarist James Walbourne, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, bassist Nick Wilkinson and session drummer Jim Keltner. The usual drummer Martin Chambers will retake his position behind the drum kit for the upcoming tour.

Break Up the Concrete is out today (10/7) via Shangri-La Music and clocks in at 36.5 minutes with 11 songs ranging from 2:14 to 4:48 in length. Top to bottom it's a solid album. It's groovy with crunchy guitars, some great percussion rhythms, and of course Hynde's signature voice. She's truly a rock 'n roll woman whose music can stand up against the men, and crush many of them. There are straight out rockers, slower ballads, and a few songs in between. This release is special not only because Hynde doesn't go into the studio all that often, but this is only the 2nd album to bear The Pretenders name in the past 10 years. Clearly, Hynde is standing firmly behind this music and wanted to put the ultimate stamp of approval on the album. For having been singing for 20+ years it's amazing that Hynde's voice still sounds fresh, dynamic, and full of verve. Musically speaking, this album is a return to form for Hynde and The Pretenders name. Not that they were gone and forgotten, but this is a rebirth. It's not as rough and hard-rock tinged as early efforts. The hard rock swagger has been substituted with a rockabilly bounce and country-rock sensibility (on the ballads). Overall, this Pretenders album feels like that old sweatshirt I have in the back of my closet that hasn't been worn in a while (because I live in SoCal): it's familiar, comfortable, and makes me wonder how I could have gone so long without it.

"Break Up the Concrete"

UPDATE:
Love's A Mystery (LIVE on The Today Show)

Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age

You've probably never heard of Daniel Martin Moore. That's okay. Neither had I up until a couple weeks ago. I stumbled upon him while perusing Sub Pop Records website just to see what might be new and exciting. If you're somehow not familiar with Sub Pop, firstly: FOR SHAME. Secondly, it is the definition of an indie label and became famous by signing bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney in the late 1980's. Their current stable of artists is like a who's who of bands that I enjoy tremendously: Band of Horses, The Go! Team, Postal Service, The Shins, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, and Wolf Parade. Basically, they have great taste that generally matches my own. Anywho, back to Daniel Martin Moore. Originally from Cold Spring, Kentucky he sent an unsolicited demo to Sub Pop back in beginning of 2007 knowing that there was only the slimmest of chances it would ever be heard. Lucky for him, Sub Pop took down their "no solicitation" sign for a scant moment and liked what they heard enough to track him down. Although, tracking him down sounds like it was a chore, as he was working at a friend's B&B in Costa Rica. The idea that he received a record deal from an unsolicited submission is ridiculous, as that happens pretty much never ever. And for your information his debut Stray Age was recorded in L.A. during three different spells, the first two of which in October and December of 2007, and finally a third in February of 2008. Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, U2, The White Stripes) took on co-production, recording and mixing duties. Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, Tori Amos) played upright bass. Jesca Hoop lent her voice on a couple tracks. And Petra Haden (Bill Frisell, Beck) adds violin for a couple cuts too.

Stray Age is being released by Sub Pop tomorrow October 7th. By now you're probably wondering what it sounds like. Good question. I like your curiosity. Personally, I think he's a mixture of various characteristics from Jack Johnson, M. Ward, Mason Jennings and Nick Drake. He is oh so very laid back and calm that he makes Jack Johnson look uptight. What he shares is a talent for infusing emotion into his lyrics. He's genuinely telling you a story or conveying an emotion. The music really comes through his voice. But at the same time he's not forcing you to feel one way or another. He's putting the music out there for you to have a unique response to it. His voice has a soft and lilting swing to it that sounds natural and unforced, as if the words were meant to be sung that way without any thought. Thankfully, his music isn't melancholy and downtrodden, DMM is looking forward and has a refreshing air of optimism. It's hard to see him becoming a huge sensation, but once people find out about him he'll probably have a solid fanbase. I could see his songs being licensed for TV and film easily, and leaving people scratching their heads as to what that song was playing in the background. It's a nice collection of songs for a debut, and a great story that just goes to show anything is possible when you've gotten nothing to lose except the price of postage.

"It's You"

The Break and Repair Method - Milk the Bee

The Break and Repair Method isn't a totally new band, it's actually a side project of Matchbox Twenty's guitarist Paul Doucette. While on a break from his usual band, Paul Doucette rounded up a few musicians including Tracy Bonham, Moon Zappa (Doucette's wife) and Matchbox Twenty's Matt Beck to record material he'd been working on personally. After a couple record deals fell through, he ended up with a fully developed album that is much better than anything someone would produce just looking for a way to pass time between tours.


Milk the Bee actually kind of sounds like the follow-up to The Fray's debut How to Save A Life. While this may be a stigma or a knock in some circles, I mean that they sound similar. Both have great pounding pianos and a knack for melody. It's playful, and different than anything Matchbox Twenty has ever put out. Doucette doesn't have an amazing voice, but he works with what he has and makes up for what he doesn't with catchy melodies that ask to be sung along to. In fact, many of the songs are really really catchy. He manages to do pay homage to the Beatles, Randy Newman, and Jeff Tweedy. If you're wondering about the title of the album, it's in reference to the difficulty of making the album as well as working without a record deal at the outset. I wasn't expecting the album to be stunning or life-changing, but it has been a delightful surprise to hear that creativity doesn't die when you're playing rhythm guitar for years and years in a successful pop band.

"You Won't Be Able To Be Sad"

Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

Pretty much the only good thing that I took out of SNL last weekend (9/20) was a couple performances by the band Kings of Leon. I had kinda heard of them but never really made any effort to check them out for one reason or another. This was probably the case because I never had any friends that said, "Ethan you HAVE to listen to the new Kings of Leon album." Maybe they didn't have reason to promote them. Or maybe you think I have bad friends. I dunno. Either way, the two songs they performed in between some awful sketches (with the surprisingly disappointing James Franco) got me interested in them. Kudos to their booking agent! The quick bio/background on the band is they're 3 brothers and a first cousin from Tennessee, and they've released four albums since 2003. Their road to success was somewhat backwards since they became more popular in Europe and the UK when they toured in support of U2 and The Strokes. Their 2007 release Because of the Times reached #1 on the UK charts upon its debut and made them stars in the process. Having not heard much of their back catalog it's hard to know how much their sound has evolved over the course of the last number of years. However, I've basically inferred that they've gone from the "garage to the arena," meaning their last album had a bit of U2-style epic rock songs and melodies. The newest release certainly hammers home that style and feeling.

Only by the Night is actually a pretty good album on the whole. I say this because many rock albums have such a low percentage of interesting (GOOD) songs. Having ditched some experimentation and garage techniques to broaden their audience may have alienated their base, but it will most likely bring in more fans than they'll lose. The tracks on the album are actually set up much like a lineup in baseball: the first track is pretty solid and starts off well, the second is a bit better and gets you more into the album, and then the Kings of Leon give their rendition of Murder's Row. The 3, 4, 5 tracks are really the meat of the album. It's hit after hit after hit. In fact, on SNL they played "Sex on Fire" (track 3) then "Use Somebody" (track 4). After those three hits the album has normal ups and downs with a couple hits sprinkled in, but nothing like the first half of the album. Usually, if the song/melody is lacking Caleb Followill's voice keeps your interest. He definitely has one of those great lead singing voices that is even better when performing live as evidenced by the gig on SNL. It's so emotionally evocative that he could be singing nonsense and give it meaning. Not to take anything away from his brothers and cousin, on the contrary their playing is solid. The lead guitar is echo-y and ringing, the bass is very active and solid, and the drumming holds everything down the way it should. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out this newest effort from Kings of Leon. They will be more present on my radar for shows and new releases here on out. Enjoy the lead single below.

"Sex on Fire"