Kopecky Family Band - "Kids Raising Kids" CD Review (ATO Records) // Show at Mercury Lounge on May 16th

Nashville buzz-band Kopecky Family Band (KFB) just re-released their playfully exuberant eleven-track debut disc, Kids Raising Kids, via ATO Records. The new disc mixes foot-stomping orchestral pop with vocal harmonies and ringing guitars that sound straight from the 60’s Laurel Canyon scene.

While the band’s music will strike a familiar chord with fans of music collectives like Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree, KFB seems more willing to reach beyond the boundaries of the genre than some of their contemporaries and frequently utilize the ‘exploding’ verse-chorus-verse alt-rock song structure that become popular in the 90’s. A prime example of KFB’s balance between multiple genres is found in the first two songs on the disc. “Wandering Eyes” starts out with a melancholy orchestral arrangement, which shortly gives way to an anthemic stomp-along. This is followed by the disc’s first single, “Heartbeat”, which is a slinky dance number that brings back fond memories of DC’s Quix*o*tic. In the second half of the disc, the band throws in elements of shimmery, echo-drenched dream-pop, which help ease the listener down from the colossal high of the disc’s earlier tracks.





The bright, irrepressible songs on Kids Raising Kids deal with navigating waters of change and facing challenges, and also see the band challenging themselves by creating a bigger sound than anything they've done before. In an interview with Pop ‘stache, Kelsey Kopecky said that the “title [of the disc] came from an idea Markus [Midkiff] had. He has a little girl named Ella who’s three and a half and it made us think, it was just that idea of young people having kids. After we started playing with the idea, we realized it was more than that. At heart, we’re all kids raising kids in this world. We’re all in this together with this sharing of experiences."


Kopecky Family Band Tour Dates:

APR. 3 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- BRICK AND MORTAR
APR. 4 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE SATELLITE
APR. 5 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- SODA BAR
APR. 6 -- PHOENIX, AZ -- PUB ROCK
APR. 8 -- ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- LOW SPIRITS
APR. 18 -- CLARKSVILLE, TN -- RIVERS AND SPIRES FESTIVAL
APR. 27 -- OXFORD, MS -- DOUBLE DECKER FESTIVAL
MAY 8 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- THE BLACK CAT*
MAY 9 -- PITTSBURGH, PA -- CLUB CAFÉ*
MAY 10 -- CHILLICOTHE, OH -- PAPER CITY MUSIC SERIES*
MAY 11 -- CINCINNATI, OH -- MOTR PUB*
MAY 14 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- THE SOUTHERN
MAY 15 -- NEW HAVEN, CT -- BAR

MAY 16 NEW YORK, NY  -- MERCURY LOUNGE
Note: Tickets are $10 and doors are at 9:30PM (late show). Charlotte, NC’s Matrimony is opening the show.

MAY 18 -- ANNAPOLIS, MD -- RAM'S HEAD ON STAGE
MAY 20 -- ASHEVILLE, NC -- ISIS MUSIC HALL
JUN. 21-3 -- DOVER, DE -- FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
* supporting He's My Brother She's My Sister

Links:
Kopecky Family Band

Jonquil - "One Hundred Suns" CD EP Review

Before sitting down to write a review of Jonquil’s new EP “One Hundred Suns”, I surfed Google to find some background on the band. Genre labels are apparently more fluid that I had thought as numerous sites reference Jonquil as part of the “math rock” scene but I hear none of the start/stop rhythms that I had (previously) associated with the genre. To my ears, the band’s new 8-track EP is closer in spirit to bands like The Annuals, Beach House and Vampire Weekend than Don Caballero and Jawbox. The band has described their music as “Paul Simon’s take on The Smiths” which seems to reinforce my point.

"One Hundred Suns" is Jonquil’s first domestic release (which is out on NYC-based Dovecote Records) and it follows two import-only releases. The new EP is currently available on iTunes and a vinyl release will follow early next year.

Jonquil captures the intricate sound of orchestral indie-pop bands like The Annuals and some members of the Elephant 6 collective but Hugo Manuel’s warm falsetto vocals helps Jonquil achieve some measure of differentiation. Another point of differentiation is that Jonquil doesn’t aim for the shambolic, lo-fi state of exuberance that some of their domestic contemporaries seem to thrive in. The overall disc bubbles with a mellow energy and uses some creative drumming and world-beat rhythms to reach beyond its folk-pop core.

The disc starts off strong with the fuzzed-out electro-pop of “Fighting Smiles” and the first single, “Get Up”, emphasizes poly-rhythmic drumming intertwined with some off-kilter guitar riffs. Beruit-style horns/brass is later added to the mix on the songs “Pillow Quest” and “I Know I Don't Know”. While this is the first studio recordings for seven of the disc’s eight songs, the band’s comfort with the material shows as many of these songs have been a regular part of the band’s live set. The last track, “Lions”, is a hold-over from the band’s prior LP.

Jonquil is already booked for SXSW next year and will probably end up “breaking out” next year. Below is a live video for "Fighting Smiles" so give a listen and see what you think.



Links:
Jonquil

Glint is Playing a Free Show at Brooklyn Bowl on Feb. 18th (Electro-Rock)

DOWNLOAD: Glint - "Freak" (Radio Edit)

Local electro-rock band Glint is playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, Feb. 18th as part of the Hank and Cupcakes Video Release Party. Glint got a lot of buzz with their 2009 release Sound in Sight which had songs featured on iTunes and Melrose Place and the band also made two live appearances on Fearless Music (video from the first appearance is below).

Glint's music has been described as "emulative of early David Bowie and Eno-esque atmosphere" and, last year, the UK Metro stated “Muse's Matt Bellamy is a clear influence on Glint singer Jase Blankfort, but the New York outfit are arguably even more epic than the British band, full of glistening synths, massive hooks and orchestral swatches [...] This may be your only chance to catch them in relatively intimate surrounds before the inevitable arenas".



Glint is currently in the studio working on a new disc so this show is essentially a warm-up show for the band's upcoming US tour in March.

Links:
Glint