NEW RELEASES
MATT MARQUE - NOTHING PERSONAL
Matt Marque uses a combination of hip hop beats, acoustic guitar and narcotic hooks to lay the sounds for this sophomore release from the Chicago native. Nothing Personal’s mixture of electronic and live instrumentation is truly organic in its sound and approach, built from the ground up, one instrument at a time, constantly reshaped and rewritten as each additional instrument was added. The combination of Wilco’s Glenn Kotche on drums and Him’s Griffin Rodriguez on bass produce some of the sleepiest grooves that you have heard in some time. Harkens back to Nick Drake, but much more urban sounding and not so dreary. Produced and Engineered by Joe Ferguson at Clava studios - home to Califone and Perishable Records.
RECENT RELEASES
SCOTT TUMA - THE RIVER 1 2 3 4
Scott Tuma, formerly of Souled American, and currently of The Boxhead
Ensemble, has now released his second solo record, The River 1 2 3 4,
on Truckstop Records. The recording, played entirely by Tuma, using
a bare setup of guitar, harmonica, harmonium and organ. This makes sense
for an artist like Tuma, who seems to economically play only the most
essential notes. Building on the foundation laid with his first release
(Hard Again), The River 1 2 3 4 has a very definite direction, as opposed
to the beautiful wandering which was the first release. The title is
very apt indeed, and after listening to the record, one wonders where
the hell this trail to this magnificent River might be. Most likely,
this River sits deep in an old wooded area with trees that have seen
the birth of time, their wizened branches stretching their arms to shade
the River’s secrets. That same River will wend it’s way
on an ever changing course, sometimes barely trickling, sometimes roaring
through the trees, always moving, always changing, always telling and
sometimes it will come to a clearing in the trees, where one might stand
in wonderment and stare into the sky, all knowing, it may seem, to the
solo traveler who has suddenly become aware of the world around him,
perhaps for the first time in a long time.
One cannot help but to be deeply affected by this recording.
CENTRAL FALLS - LOVE AND EASY LIVING
Central Falls plays music that reflects a love for the art and craft of songwriting but in the context of a cohesive rock band sound. While the songs exhibit influences from 70's classic rock such as George Harrison¹s All Things Must Pass, Neil Young, John Cale, and Richard Thompson, the Vida brothers¹ then filter the music through the sounds and experiences of their other more avant-garde and modern work. This allows the songs to unfold to the listener in ways that are both comforting and unexpected. It sounds like rock music with a well-crafted song at the center, but at the edges things can blur and break apart - pushing and pulling until it comes back into focus when needed. This tension is at the heart of what the band does and it most likely comes from having the two brothers as the core of the band. Adam brings in an arrangement of a well-written song and Ben (of minimalist group Town and Country) adds a treatment to twist and reshape it.
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