30 October 2006
Doleful Lions
Parasol artist Jonathan Scott (Doleful Lions) is happy to see reviews of the new DL collection Song Cyclops Volume Two popping up here and there, but his life was made much more complete by this mention on Pro-Wrestling Insider: "Tech[n]o-pop band The Doleful Lions's latest CD "Song Cyclops Volume 2" features a tribute song to the late Fabulous Freebird Terry Gordy, appropriately titled "Oriental Spike"." And gets mentioned again at Wrestling Epicenter site.
Dude's life is now complete, his dream's come true!
Quotes from non-wrestling venues...
The Tripwire: "Song Cyclops, Volume 2 is one of the best albums of this year so far. No questions asked. It's songwriting at it's best. It's singing at it's best. It's f***ing different. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!"
Aversion: "No matter which section of his record collection (which, if Song Cyclops, Volume Two is any measure, is pretty sweet) provides grist for the Doleful Lions mill, Scott runs everything through a maze of cross-influences and bizarre pop-cultural references that make this album more than the mere sum of a voracious listener: It's another gem from the amazingly consistent Doleful Lions."
Check out this Aversion interview with Jonathan.
High Bias: "Scott also indulges in revealing covers of some of his influences, including the Beach Boys (“She’s Got Rhythm”), the Close Lobsters (“From This Day On”), the Descendants (“Silly Girl”), the Misfits (“Astro Zombies”) and the Crystals (“There’s No One”). All of them are consumed by Scott’s four-track psychedelic sound, as if he’s not aware he didn’t write them himself."
All Music Guide: "A proudly lo-fi, intensely melodic album recorded at home in 1999 by main Lion Jonathan Scott... Every song sounds AM radio ready with instantly hummable melodies, sharp and insistent hooks and Scott's angelic vocal delivery."
With some digging you'll find mention here at MTV.com
PARCD104
Dude's life is now complete, his dream's come true!
Quotes from non-wrestling venues...
The Tripwire: "Song Cyclops, Volume 2 is one of the best albums of this year so far. No questions asked. It's songwriting at it's best. It's singing at it's best. It's f***ing different. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!"
Aversion: "No matter which section of his record collection (which, if Song Cyclops, Volume Two is any measure, is pretty sweet) provides grist for the Doleful Lions mill, Scott runs everything through a maze of cross-influences and bizarre pop-cultural references that make this album more than the mere sum of a voracious listener: It's another gem from the amazingly consistent Doleful Lions."
Check out this Aversion interview with Jonathan.
High Bias: "Scott also indulges in revealing covers of some of his influences, including the Beach Boys (“She’s Got Rhythm”), the Close Lobsters (“From This Day On”), the Descendants (“Silly Girl”), the Misfits (“Astro Zombies”) and the Crystals (“There’s No One”). All of them are consumed by Scott’s four-track psychedelic sound, as if he’s not aware he didn’t write them himself."
All Music Guide: "A proudly lo-fi, intensely melodic album recorded at home in 1999 by main Lion Jonathan Scott... Every song sounds AM radio ready with instantly hummable melodies, sharp and insistent hooks and Scott's angelic vocal delivery."
With some digging you'll find mention here at MTV.com
PARCD104
27 October 2006
Steve Almaas & Ali Smith
Reviews are starting to roll in for the latest album by NYC duo Steve Almaas & Ali Smith, their second release for Parasol (in addition to Steve's solo album), entitled You Showed Me... Steve was a founding member of Minneapolis punk-Godfathers The Suicide Commandos and 8os NYC roots-rockers Beat Rodeo. Ali is a world renown photographer and vocalist for garage-rockers Speedball Baby. Interesting pedigrees make for compelling offspring, as witnessed here!
All Music Guide: "This is timeless pop music that could have emanated from 1966 or 2006, and it will most likely sound just as good a decade from now. It makes you wonder what Almaas is going to do in his fifties."
High Bias: "The duo and their backing musos sound great on Almaas’ “Thy Will Be Done,” “I Don’t Like to Be Alone” and “#7,” as well as the Byrds’ opening title track. Smith steals the show, however, on an absolutely gorgeous take on Brian Wilson’s “The Lonely Sea”—her vocal performance transforms the melancholy beauty from an obscure Beach Boys track to a future torch standard. You Showed Me is as clean and sweet as it comes."
More reviews soon...
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All Music Guide: "This is timeless pop music that could have emanated from 1966 or 2006, and it will most likely sound just as good a decade from now. It makes you wonder what Almaas is going to do in his fifties."
High Bias: "The duo and their backing musos sound great on Almaas’ “Thy Will Be Done,” “I Don’t Like to Be Alone” and “#7,” as well as the Byrds’ opening title track. Smith steals the show, however, on an absolutely gorgeous take on Brian Wilson’s “The Lonely Sea”—her vocal performance transforms the melancholy beauty from an obscure Beach Boys track to a future torch standard. You Showed Me is as clean and sweet as it comes."
More reviews soon...
PARCD102
26 October 2006
The Green Pajamas
The Green Pajamas' new release, The Night Races Into Anna, is a collection of unreleased and rarities going back 10 years, 10 albums, and a handful of EPs. It is the band's 6th release for Hidden Agenda Records. I've sent out a modest stack of free CDs to press and radio folks, but we'll be concentrating our efforts and resources on the upcoming full-on new studio album, to be named later, due in early 2007.
A while back the New York Times posed this question: “When are the highly literate and melody-savvy Mr. Kelly and the retro psychedelic pop band he leads, The Green Pajamas, going to get, at the very least, a decent cult following?”
I'm looking for an answer.
Check out the austere but informative new Green PJs/Jeff Kelly/Goblin Market website, loads slowly but worth the wait.
AHA!085
A while back the New York Times posed this question: “When are the highly literate and melody-savvy Mr. Kelly and the retro psychedelic pop band he leads, The Green Pajamas, going to get, at the very least, a decent cult following?”
I'm looking for an answer.
Check out the austere but informative new Green PJs/Jeff Kelly/Goblin Market website, loads slowly but worth the wait.
AHA!085
25 October 2006
Elanors
Chicago quartet Elanors has a handful of live dates coming up in early November, coinciding with the release of their new album Movements on Parasol Records.
Nov 9th @ The House Cafe / Dekalb, IL
Nov 10th @ The Note / Chicago
Nov 11th @ Café Montmarte / Madison, WI
Nov 12th @ The Busted Lift / Dubuque, IA
ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The eight electronic nocturnes here are soothing, soaring, and ultimately unsettling; mood music for the paranoid and disaffected."
Elanors' latest has also been the recent recipient of column inches at MTV.com, Treblezine, and Chill Mag, plus piquing the interest of bloggers all over the blog-o-sphere.
PARCD101
Nov 9th @ The House Cafe / Dekalb, IL
Nov 10th @ The Note / Chicago
Nov 11th @ Café Montmarte / Madison, WI
Nov 12th @ The Busted Lift / Dubuque, IA
ALL MUSIC GUIDE: "The eight electronic nocturnes here are soothing, soaring, and ultimately unsettling; mood music for the paranoid and disaffected."
Elanors' latest has also been the recent recipient of column inches at MTV.com, Treblezine, and Chill Mag, plus piquing the interest of bloggers all over the blog-o-sphere.
PARCD101
18 October 2006
Coming soon...
Let's start this off by mentioning what's on the horizon at PLG...
Today we received the first batch of demo recordings from Sweden's David Fridlund, frontman for David & The Citizens, as he prepares his second solo album (the follow-up to Amaterasu), which Hidden Agenda will release whenever it's ready, likely early 2007-ish.
We're waiting on artwork and master from Thirdimension, who have recorded a luminous live acoustic album in an old church in their hometown of Malmo, Sweden. They've reworked tracks from their two albums, Protect Us From What We Want and Permanent Holiday, while adding a few beautiful covers. Let's just say their music translates well in this setting! We're hoping to have these heavenly harmonies and heady hymns ready by Xmas for our loyal mailorder customers and early next year for the rest of the planet.
Chicago "genius/recluse" Kevin Tihista will begin recording his next album for Parasol this Fall, looking at a release by Summer 2007. It will be his fifth album for Parasol.
Other upcomings include a new Moonbabies album, a full-on new studio album from The Green Pajamas, the second album from The Chrysler, the debut album from local heroes The New Ruins, and a collection of desirable debris from Unbunny.
Today we received the first batch of demo recordings from Sweden's David Fridlund, frontman for David & The Citizens, as he prepares his second solo album (the follow-up to Amaterasu), which Hidden Agenda will release whenever it's ready, likely early 2007-ish.
We're waiting on artwork and master from Thirdimension, who have recorded a luminous live acoustic album in an old church in their hometown of Malmo, Sweden. They've reworked tracks from their two albums, Protect Us From What We Want and Permanent Holiday, while adding a few beautiful covers. Let's just say their music translates well in this setting! We're hoping to have these heavenly harmonies and heady hymns ready by Xmas for our loyal mailorder customers and early next year for the rest of the planet.
Chicago "genius/recluse" Kevin Tihista will begin recording his next album for Parasol this Fall, looking at a release by Summer 2007. It will be his fifth album for Parasol.
Other upcomings include a new Moonbabies album, a full-on new studio album from The Green Pajamas, the second album from The Chrysler, the debut album from local heroes The New Ruins, and a collection of desirable debris from Unbunny.
