The Power & The Glory by Bill Mallonee
I have always made a point to cover every Bill Mallonee release that I can. Bill is without a doubt one of the most prolific artists around. His music is a rarity – not only in the sense of how much better it gets through the years, but also how frequent and consistent his output is. Bill has honed his craft as one of the real voices for the ‘everyman’ in this day and age. There is a weighty and meaningful quality to Mallonee’s work; these aren’t just songs to tap your foot to. These are songs that are sung with the conviction of salvation and a visceral quality that speaks from a penetrating perspective. I am always surprised at how consistently good Bill’s songwriting is… he puts out such a large body of songs that I keep thinking ‘the next one’ won’t be as good, but I am wrong every time. That brings us here to his latest, The Power & the Glory.
With over 40 albums to his credit, to say that Power & the Glory is Mallonee’s best would be a bold statement. Having said that, now hear this: this is definitely Mallonee’s best to date! It is all here on this album; the quality, the depth, the imagery and lyrical illustration. The track placement is spot on, from the opening licks of “Carolina, Carolina,” down to the howling “Ghosts That I Run With,” and then straight on through to the brilliantly and lyrically imaginative track “Wide Awake with Orphan Eyes (Mirror Ball Moon).”
This release runs deep with the impressive guitar work, and while I would say this is jangly and noisy in all the right places, it is a guitar heavy album that is fluid and not disjointed at all. The guitar takes center stage but never feels burdensome or overpowering. To take a page from Mallonee’s book, the guitar is like the conductor that steers this 12 car train into the station with grace and grand intent. The harmonizing between Bill and Muriah hits the mark. On tracks like “Just to Feel the Heat (You Never Told Me Your House Was Haunted)” the harmony is pristine, pure and absolutely accomplished.
These tracks were picked from the various WPA Volumes that Bill has been releasing every few months for the last 3 years or so. To hear these songs first in a setting that was more raw and undeveloped was a plus, because hearing them in this fully evolved environment makes the listener really appreciate the hard work that has been put into polishing these diamonds up. After years of slugging it out in the trenches, Bill has dialed in a process that is yielding his best work, and we are the better for it. Whether he’s singing/playing to bring attention to social issues like in “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” or scratching at the scab of our humanity in “Ever Born into This World,” Bill keeps getting better and better with each release.
The travesty here is that too few folks know about Bill and his work. That is where you, the readers, come in. If everyone reading this told just two friends about Bill’s work, that could make a dramatic difference with his career and touring schedule and the best part is that it would get this fantastic music out into the public. Stop by the download store where you can get free music, inexpensive music and hard copy disc; but regardless of the format, Power & the Glory is a career defining album!
billmallonee.net
myspace.com/billmallonee
facebook.com/pages/Bill-Mallonee-Music/184717971538363
Locust by Leslie DuPre Grimaud
I’m sitting at work while I am listening to this song, plugged into my headphones and on the verge of tears. Seriously, this song really has me on the verge of tears. There are few artists that can convey the depth and emotion with just their voice in the way that Leslie DuPre Grimaud can. This is a stunningly powerful track that almost leaves me speechless. This is the third track that Leslie has released through the Subdivision Theory label as she continues to build her Sinking Ships project. Locust begins with the most beautiful and haunting ambience that reminds me of the settling of fog somewhere in the back recesses of a black and white dream. The bass line here is thick and solid, and once Leslie begins to sing her voice fills the track and absolutely brings the music to an altogether different level. Rounding out the cast on this track is Herb Grimaud, [r}topia and Andy Prickett. The lyrics are poetry, the music is strong and the bar is set high for the next track. This is good music, this is music that moves and separates. Please visit the bandcamp site where you can download this track (and her other 2) in any audio file format you could want. This is the music that we should be supporting – there is nothing else out there that is this good… really.
Mandala EP by Jim Wiita
Another Basement Tapes alumnus, Wiita was actually the first person to take the trip to the basement. His music is minimalistic in a sense… mostly just guitars and few other sounds on each track. Mandala is different and accessible at the same time. Comparisons to other bands are hard to make, but many of his influences are also familiar. You can find out more info, including where to get copies of the music, by listening to the podcast.
Toothy Like a Saw by And How
And How might sound familiar to you if you listen to the Basement Tapes podcast. And How’s first album, Endless Winter, was featured in the basement in July. The dreamy alternative songs featured on the podcast can now be downloaded for free at the And How Bandcamp page. Fans of the bands we cover in DTL will love the music of And How.
Of course, you probably heard Endless Winter on the podcast. What is the deal with this other album? Toothy Like a Saw is a new recording from And How. To my ears, the same swirling, dreamy alternative rock is turned up a few notches. The guitars seem a bit more out front, but that is a good thing. Toothy just takes the sound from Endless Winter to the next level. Also available for free, make sure you don’t miss it.
[2011 Independent | Download: andhow1.bandcamp.com]The Threshingfloor by Wovenhand
This is probably one of my favorite releases this year. Wovenhand masterfully combines a dark, gothic Americana sound with a whole host of world music influences. I love world music, but I tend to hate the half-baked attempts most American rock musicians make. Wovenhand fully embraces the diverse cultures that they weave into each song. The Middle Eastern elements are especially haunting… a perfect mix for this kind of music. For the two people that don’t know this, the driving force behind Wovenhand is David Eugene Edwards, formerly of 16 Horsepower fame. Edwards has a talent for writing incredibly dark but spiritual lyrics. As a fan of vinyl, I had to get the record version. It is beautiful to see the artwork this size (and it comes with a high quality digital download).
Personal favorite songs are hard to name. “The Threshingfloor” is frantic and mesmerizing at the same time. “His Rest” is encouraging and soothing. “Terre Haute” is complex and engaging. “Wheatstraw” is creepy and minimalistic. The album closer, “Denver City”, is a foot stomping romp that makes you want to clap along even if you are listening in a room by yourself.
Wovenhand is differently unique and, quite frankly, a breath of fresh air in a music scene that is too stale with reality show drop-outs.
[2010 Sounds Familyre | Purchase: soundsfamilyre.com]Stab At Love EP by The Shiny Darks
I first decided to check out this ep when I read Doug Van Pelt of HM magazine raving about it. At the time it was offered as a free download. One really catchy, well-written download at that. The sound is kind of a gritty garage rock vibe with punk influences throughout (especially The Ramones in places). “Photographs” slows things down just a bit with a melodic turn, while still fitting in with the overall sound and adding some texture that you don’t find on the average punk album.
Electromeo EP (re-issue) by Bill Mallonee
Electromeo was originally released in 2000 with 2 songs being recorded in Athens in the fall of that year, and the other 2 songs being recorded in England in the spring of 2000. This EP has always been one of my favorites that the band did together. Originally there were only 1000 copies of this gem made, but fortunately for the fans Bill has re-released this one as a download with a new track that finds itself saddled well amongst the other songs. The four songs that were already here are ‘Your Bright Future,” “Hat in Hand,” “Weight of Glory” and “Half Mast.” These are all favorite tracks of mine for different reasons. “Your Bright Future” is reminiscent to me of the Locket Full of Moonlight/ Summershine/ Perfumed Letter sounds of brit-pop psychedelic swirl and is one of the most underrated Vigilante’s tracks that I can think of. The new track that is available is worth the purchase on this alone, “Life I Never Lived,” is a retrospective song full of the melancholic and introspective lyrics that I love from Mallonee, and the music bids well in this setting and tips its hat to the sounds of earlier recordings – like the ringing guitar work that reminds me of “Double Cure,” and the layering that reminds me of tracks from Dear Life. This is a must have for any fan, this is Mallonee at his finest and is somewhat of a capsule that finds him really showing the broad range that he owns musically and lyrically.
“Your bright future stares me down
you’ll bury all you lose
your winter sun she breaks upon
those skies of cobalt blue”
[2011 Independent | Purchase: billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com]
Branded (re-issue) by Undercover
When you speak of classic Christian albums that inspired countless other albums that followed, Branded is usually at the top of the list. The honesty and emotion on display in this album was pretty rare for this era of Christian music. I actually didn’t first hear this album until 1994, 8 years after it was first released. The sound was definitely dated, new wave pogo punk, but it was still catchy enough that I loved it despite not really being into that style of music anymore. Over the years Branded has been re-issued on CD as part of various box sets and collections, but never as a stand-alone album. Now it has with a few bonus tracks and updated cover art. Personally, I would have liked to have seen the complete You and I demos as bonus tracks, but maybe that will still happen someday.
Overall this is a great re-issue. The only real complaint I have is with the cheap-looking “25th Anniversary Edition” banner plastered awkwardly on the front cover. Otherwise, a solid addition to the collection of any fan of this era of music.
[2011 Intense Millennium Records | Purchase: intensemillennium.com]Kid Heart by Bill Mallonee
Picking a favorite Bill Mallonee album is like trying to pick which kid you like better. Actually it might be even harder than that. Mallonee’s staggering output is equaled only by the quality of what he releases. Kid Heart is the 11th WPA Volume that Bill has finished and released. The WPA’s are an ongoing series that Bill releases in a download only format and are basically EP’s of 4 to 6 songs that the listener can download and see what Bill is up to at that point in time. He also culls the tracks that are his favorite to give them the full studio treatment at a later date. These are full band releases with Bill and Muriah playing all the instruments, guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, harmonica and the accordion at times. This latest installment, Kid Heart, is in my opinion the best to date. I probably say that every time another one comes out, but this one struck me musically and lyrically in a different way. The first song Grind rolls out with the lyric, “paint me a picture…one with blood and steel”…that hooked me right in to one of Bill’s lyrical stories that cover the everyday man, the middleclass blue collar worker that struggles in the factories, the fields and inside of themselves as they fight for their dreams in a world that set the rules around us.
Every track on here is a stand up and stand out song lyrically, and it is great to hear that harmonica whistling and winding its way through the songs as soon as they start playing. Bill’s music paints a picture that I think the ‘everyday man (and woman)’ can relate to…the struggle to maintain, the integrity to stay honest above the fray and the hope that always lies on the horizon; that promise that there is always a miracle waiting behind that next page, that next ring of the phone, the next chord of a new song and the promise and prospect of that new album. Bill is one of a kind, his music is a friend and companion, and it consistently reminds me of the best in this life and the promise of a new one.
[2011 Independent | Purchase: billmalloneemusic.bandcamp.com]The Only Living Dead by Mind Of The Sick
Ever wonder what Rob Zombie would sound like if he got saved? Well, other than probably ripping a hole in the space-time continuum, he would probably sound almost just like Mind Of The Sick. While I am not a huge Rob Zombie fan, I do like to occasionally dive into the heavy industrial goth horror metal genre. MotS has that look and sound down. Songs about zombies, monsters, and freaks are filled with direct spiritual lessons and testimonies. There is nothing questionable about the lyrics here – this is straight-out evangelism. Nothing too cheesy, but those that don’t like preaching set to music might not be able to connect with this. I enjoy it myself, especially since the music is catchy and makes me want to move. Occasionally the lyrics feel a bit forced to make a point and still fit in the musical structure of the song, but no where near as bad as some CCM from the 80s. There are some interesting analogies and points to be found in there. Plus, the hooks are meaty and the song structures never drag. This album is also being offered as a free download (or you can stream it online).