New Song by Cullen Omori, "Cinnamon" (New Album Out)

Cullen Omori (photo via Sub Pop Records)

My new favorite song "Cinnamon" has a familiar sound - shiny pop melodies, a peppy beat and just enough of a laid back sensibility to call it indie. The tune is off the solo debut New Misery by Cullen Omori of Smith Westerns, a band formed with his brother Cameron back in their Chicago high school.  I eagerly picked Smith Westerns for my Spring 2011 New Music Playlist and Early Summer 2013 New Music Playlist before catching them at the 2013 ACL Music Festival.

Without the groupthink of being a band member, Cullen Omori wrote, played and oversaw all the parts played by Ryan Mattos (additional bass and keyboards), Loren Humphrey (drums) and James Richardson (guitar). It is the result of his musical growing pains of going at it alone (see the poignant moment where he takes a match to some old concert posters in the video.) Omori says the album's title reflects "not so much the distress that comes with failure, but the troubles and complexities that come with any type of success. No matter what you get you’re going to want more, you’re going to want something different. That’s the catch.”

Top 20 Songs of 2013 with YouTube Playlist

Here's my picks for the best songs of 2013 -- tunes that thrilled at first listen and continued to be faves to revist throughout the year.  It's not a ranked listing but curated as a playlist, as always kicking off fast and fun then meandering through other musical approaches from there.  I chose official videos for this post, all except Okkervil River's "Down Down the Deep River," which is also the name of an upcoming film Will Sheff is creating about his childhood hometown through a kickstarter campaign. So I inserted the trailer for that since there's no official video for the song itself.  This movie is definitely on my list for in 2014...

Find a straight up listening session here or click on the videos and let 'er rip!

1. "If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On the Dance Floor)"– Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
2. "Dumb Disco Ideas"– Holy Ghost!
3. "Song for Zula" – Phosphorescent
4. "It All Feels Right" – Washed Out
5. "Right Action" – Franz Ferdinand
6. "Sharpteeth" – The Octopus Project
7. "Come Save Me" – Jagwar Ma
8. "High School Lover" – Cayucas
9. "Ohm" – Yo La Tengo
10. "The Perfect Life (featuring Wayne Coyne)" – Moby 
11. "Don't Swallow the Cap" – The National
12. "Shuggie" – Foxygen
13. "In the City" – Caveman
14. "Your Life Is a Lie" – MGMT
15. "Varsity" – Smith Westerns
16. "Reflektor" – Arcade Fire
17. "Down Down the Deep River" – Okkervil River
18. "The Truth" – Dr. Dog
19. "Rose Quartz" – Toro Y Moi
20. "Sun Blows Up Today" – The Flaming Lips

ACL Music Festival 2013 Day One Highlights - October 4

In front of Smith Westerns

Austin knows what it's getting into with this music festival associated with the long-running TV show Austin City Limits - from the Disney like lines for free shuttle buses, to providing racks for thousands of bikes at Zilker Park and special lanes for taxis and those buses to get the thousands of people to and fro downtown.  Everything sounded great if you positioned yourself in front of each stage, which is of course the most important thing and reason number one people were even there - whether as a dedicated fan smack in front of the stage or further back relaxing on a blanket or camping chair. It was good to get there somewhat early on the afternoon of day one, before the throngs arrived by night fall.  We were able to get the lay of the land and enjoy a full set or two before riding that merry-so-round of musical fare at festivals.

Smith Westerns

Brothers Cullen & Cameron Omori

Singer Cullen Omori

On the sidelines of Fun.

Smith Westerns had started their set and were moving confidently through their songs.  This young band from Chicago just released a sophomore album, Soft Will, a solid follow up to their critically acclaimed debut a few years ago.  Next, we wandered over to check out a few power pop hits with the huge audience by Fun. before checking out Okkervil River. This band with Austin roots that has a new concept album about frontman's Will Sheff's childhood in rural New Hampshire.  I had heard a few songs from this seventh album,  The Silver Gynasium, along with an NPR interview with Sheff which piqued my interest.  The newer material is less sleepy and esoteric, so translated live it turned into one potent performance. 

Okervill River

Friday crowd

From there on we hopped from stage to stage.  There was a huge audience in place for Vampire Weekend's set which opened with "Cousins" and a few older hits before launching into the new album, Modern Vampires of the City.  The band rocked out with "Diane Young" and  "Unbelievers" as veteran road warriors that they are now, taking their fans right along for the ride.  One stage over, the Chicago-based brother/sister team of Wild Belle (Natalie and Elliot Bergman) presented a breezy cocktail hour set. They transformed their Texas stage with a islands vacation vibe, wearing their white suits and presenting a mix of reggae inspired tunes.  

Vampire Weekend 

Wild Belle

Arctic Monkeys

And it was great to see Arctic Monkeys are embracing rock again, after an album of vintage crooning. Though still dressed in classic style with hair slicked back, their songs from the new album, AM, blasted with the best of their hits.  As we found a place to sit and enjoy some local fare (that would be our first ever "Frito Pie" and Tito's), we could still hear the band rocking it from a far.  It was like being back on our front porch at home, only with a famous band playing one of my favorite songs in the background.  After dark we stopped by the neo-synth sounds of Canadian band Purity Ring and 80s pioneers Depeche Mode, see video highlights below.

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2013 - Must See Bands

I'm finally going to Austin -- the line up for this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival was too tempting!  They've expanded it to two weekends just like Coachella, which may not be the best way to create a unique sense of excitement around an event. But at least it's not in the desert (or on a sprawling farm like Bonnaroo), but in a contained city park as depicted in the video at the end of this post. The festival website has the official schedule up with a handy "My ACL" customization to share your picks and get updates.  I've also shared my to-do list below with my thoughts behind each choice (most have appeared on my new music playlists), however I'm going to have some tough decisions come Sunday's line up.

I've reconnected with a friend from my hometown who lives within "biking distance" from the park and I'm also armed with a nice list of recommendations from a local (that would be Josh Lambert of The Octopus Project and to use his favorite word during concerts, a very enthusiastic thanks!) I even have a tab opened to the Weather.com's 10-day forecast for the city, to see if I'll need to sport that lovely poncho look. It all looks great weather wise but what to pack? After checking out last year's fashions online, it looks like starting with messy hair is a must. At least that should be easy to keep going hours from gig to gig!

MUST SEE:

Friday: 
Smith Westerns (Playlist Pick a few times, never seen them)
Saturday: 

Dan Croll (Playlist Pick with a favorite song, never seen them)

Sunday: 

Franz Ferdinand, (Playlist Pick & HUGE FAN through all four albums)

Toro Y Moi (Playlist Pick & solid fan since day one, have a link on the band's Wikipedia page)

Atoms for Peace (Playlist Pick & big fan of Thom Yorke/Radiohead)

CATCH SOME:
Friday: 
Wild Nothing (Playlist Pick, never seen but getting into town around then)
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Local Natives (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Okkervil River (Interesting new concept album about growing up, The Silver Gymnasium)
Fun. (Huge pop band with singer that looks like my brother, why not see what the fuss is about)
Vampire Weekend (Playlist Pick, seen but it's been a while)
Wild Belle (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Purity Ring (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Depeche Mode (band you could not escape from back in the 80s, will check out a few songs)
Muse (Another huge band, interested to see why people seem to think they really rock live)
Saturday:
Parquet Courts (Playlist Pick, just saw them and have a conflict but wanted to put them on list anyway)
Junip (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Portugal.The Man. (Seen as CMJ 2011 headliner, been awhile)
Wild Cub (Not a huge fan of their music but a favorite of KEXP so thought I should check them out)
The Joy Formidable (Favorites of the hipster scene, might bypass this one)
Passion Pit (Playlist Pick & solid fan, have a link on this band's Wikipedia page too)
Wilco (Playlist Pick though not a huge fan of everything they've done)
The Cure (Another 80s band you could not escape from at the time, actually saw them back then)
Sunday: 
Bear Mountain (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Foxygen (Playlist Pick, never seen although I hear they are falling apart at the seams)
Ms Mr (Playlist Pick, never seen)
Divine Fits (Playlist Pick & seen lots but local guy Britt Daniels is such a rock star)
White Denim (Good solid band from Austin, never seen)
The National (Playlist Pick, seen but it's been a while)
Tame Impala (Playlist Pick, was supposed to see the band but then Hurricane Sandy hit so still need to)
Phosphorescent (Playlist Pick, seen a few months ago but love love love Matthew Houck's voice)
Phoenix (Playlist Pick and would love to see Sophia Coppola's adorable hubby Thomas Mars)

Youtube Playlist of Early Summer 2013 New Music Songs

With the redo (or upgrade if it's fine by you) of YouTube channels, I had a bit of a learning curve putting together another playlist for my latest collection of new music.  Again, I never know what I'll find online there to check off the list of sixteen songs.  There are some live, some officially live and some videos with the recorded music showing live concert video.  All of my fave online radio stations are represented this go around, from KCRW and WFUV to KEXP.  Plus there are a few other outlets that were new to me and a fan's entry in this visual representation of my Early Summer 2013 New Music Playlist. Link here to the YouTube page or watch below.

Early Summer 2013 New Music Playlist

With Memorial Day the official start of summer, it’s time for another playlist to indulge in over the long weekend (along with the long awaited, new episodes of Arrested Development).  Highly anticipated albums by Vampire Weekend and The National, were released this month, along with new music by Deerhunter and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.  Newcomers such as CHVRCHES and Hands fill out the list with new tunes from Yo La Tengo, Foals and Telekinisis and more.  Time to fire up the grill and crank the tunes.  Link to listen here, enjoy!

1.  “Varsity” – Smith Westerns

Chicago-based band Smith Westerns returns with their sophomore album in June, called Soft Will.  This teaser single “Varsity” shows the songwriting chops of brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori, as they embrace a classic pop ethic with their indie rock quartet.

2.  “Argonauts” – The Little Ones

The Little Ones is a six-piece indie pop band based in L.A. “Argonauts” provides a quirky, memorable tune for their sophomore album, The Dawn Sang Along.

3. “Ghosts and Creatures” – Telekinesis

Telekinesis is the musical project of Seattle native Michael Benjamin Lerner.  For his third album of indie rock, Dormarion, he traveled to Austin, Texas to record with Spoon drummer Jim Eno. (Eno’s studio is on Dormarion Lane.)

4. “My Number” – Foals

English indie rock band Foals recently released a third album, Holy Fire.  Singer Yannis Philippakis leads the charge over tightly wound layers of percussive instruments in “My Number.”

5. “Penny” – Hanni El Khatib

Hanni El Khatib grew up skateboarding in San Francisco and wrote music on the side while working at the skateboard fashion label HUF. Now a singer-songwriter based in L.A., he continues a cool skater vibe for his second album, Head in the Dirt (produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys).

6. “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On the Dance Floor)” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Detroit’s indie pop songwriting duo, Daniel Zott and Daniel Epstein, expand their band to a four piece for their Patterns EP.  This single showcases their vocal harmonies and electronic embellishments plus a welcome sense of fun.

7. “Diane Young” – Vampire Weekend

NYC’s alt rockers Vampire Weekend released their third studio album this month, Modern Vampires of the City.  The four-piece made a deliberate decision to expand into other genres for drawing influences, evidenced in the rockabilly attitude of “Diane Young.”

8. “Never Seen Such Good Things” – Devendra Banhart

Prolific singer-songwriter and visual artist Devendra Banhart has released his eighth album of folk-inspired rock, Mala.  His minimalist approach showcases the vocals and carefully edited instrumentation.

9. “Trouble” – Hands

Hands is an indie rock band from L.A. formed by Geoff Halliday and Ryan Sweeney in Philadelphia, before switching coasts.  “Trouble” is the catchy single for their debut full-length, Synesthesia, full of swirling synths and intertwining melodies.

10. “Demons” – The National

Indie rock royalty The National just released its sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, with “Demons” showcasing Matt Berninger’s melancholy baritone.  Backed by two sets of brothers, Berninger and band are now based in Brooklyn after finding each other in Cincinnati in 1999.

11. “Holy Roller” – Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

“Holy Roller” is the stand out single from San Francisco-based Thao & The Get Down Stay Down’s fifth album, We the Common. Thao Nguyen’s eccentric vocals playfully provoke within the alt folk/rock continuum. 

12. “The Missing” – Deerhunter

Deerhunter’s sixth album, Monomania, contains a collection of ambient noise rock along with shoegazing tunes such as “The Missing.”  The indie band was founded in 2001 by drummer/keyboardist Moses Archuleta and singer Bradford Cox (who also has a solo project, Atlas Sound).

13. “Recover” – CHVRCHES

Scottish electro pop trio CHVRCHES (pronounced Churches) has already made an impact with their debut EP, Recover.  The song "Recover" charges along with breathy vocals by Lauren Mayberry, with bandmates Iain Cook and Martin Doherty to complete the sound, recorded in a Glasgow basement.

14. “Before We Run” – Yo La Tengo

Indie rock stalwarts Yo La Tengo released its thirteenth album since forming back in 1984, called Fade.  “Before We Run” provides closure as the last track, a floating meditation sung by Georgia Hubley, sweetly building with percussion, horns and strings.

15. “Here I Am” – Adam Green & Binki Shapiro

“Here I Am” is the first track from the duet album by Adam Green (of the Moldy Peaches) and Binki Shapiro (of Little Joy), appropriately titled Adam Green & Binki Shapiro.  Their minimalist approach recalls a 1960s baroque pop, their voices melting together effortlessly.

16. “Plastic Cup” – Low

Indie rock band Low formed in 1993 with a “slowcore” mantra of slowed down tempos and minimal instrumentation, manifest here in “Plastic Cup.”  Based in Duluth, Minnesota, the group has released their tenth album, The Invisible Way (produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco).

Top 20 Songs of 2011

Just one more list for 2011 -- in no particular order here are twenty songs that filled my year with the sheer joy of discovery in a new tune, something to happily play again and again.  With such a diverse group of songs, there's something here for everyone to enjoy.  So there's no more excuses to be listening to the same old stuff, even if it's only a year old! Link to playlist on Spotify here. 

1.   Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"
2.   Peter Bjorn and John, "Second Chance"
3.   Radiohead, "Lotus Flower"
4.   Cake, "Sick of You"
5.   Wilco, "I Might"
6.   Smith Westerns, "Weekend"
7.   Givers, "Up Up Up"
8.   Cults, "Abducted"
9.   M83, "Midnight City"
10. Mates of State, "Palomino"
11.  Portugal. The Man., "So American"
12.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., "Simple Girl"
13.  Toro Y Moi, "Still Sound"
14.  YACHT, "Shangri-La"
15.  Moby, "The Day"
16.  AM & Shawn Lee, "Dark Into Light"
17.  Art Brut, "Lost Weekend"
18.  Girls, "Honey Bunny"
19.  Washed Out, "Eyes Be Closed"
20.  My Morning Jacket, "Holding on to Black Metal"

Spring 2011 New Music Playlist

This playlist sat empty before hearing the buzz bands of SXSW and a few key releases of fave groups (Moby, The Strokes, Radiohead). It began filling up so fast, I've already started another. This is a good omen for another great year of new music. The list includes many band members who have grown up together, either in the same family or as childhood friends, which can only reinforce the notion that it's a good thing not to burn any bridges in your teens or otherwise. After the miserable winter in many parts of the country and heavy snows still pounding some areas, it's time to celebrate spring with a bevy of new bands and new tunes of some veterans. Link here to listen, enjoy!

1. Smith Westerns/Weekend

I heard plenty about this young trio from Chicago before this song got stuck in my head. The band was formed by brothers Cullen Omori and Cameron Omori with Max Kakacek when they were still in high school. Now just a few years later, this single off their second release provides incredibly catchy psychedelic pop to the indie rock scene.

2. Lykke Li/Get Some

3. Lykke Li/I Follow Rivers

This Swedish indie artist was born to punk rocker parents who moved the family around Europe many times. That international upbringing has created a mix of styles to accompany Lykke Li's powerhouse vocals. "Get Some" has received more airplay with its full throttle come on lyrics, but "I Follow Rivers" creates a more interesting soundscape for the listener.

4. Cage the Elephant/Aberdeen

This is another band that had hype to spare before a particular song warranted a serious consideration for my playlist. Kentucky's Cage the Elephant was also created by two brothers and a friend playing in a high school band which grew into a quintet with a big, busy sound. "Aberdeen" is off their second release from earlier this year called Thank You, Happy Birthday. The raw musical style is not over produced and can seem a bit messy at times. This song leaves all that for the ending which creates a nice payoff instead.

5. Chasing Kings/Empathy

This indie pop band has playing together for years but in 2009 they released an EP as Chasing Kings that is now receiving airplay. Three of the four members were in Boston attending Berkeley while their bass player was finishing up high school on the west coast, so they used iChat to complete the collection of songs. "Empathy" shows a strong sense of musical composition -- the introduction teases with a chord then sets in motion bouncy synths before the band kicks in and the melody churns until the singalong chorus.

6. Warpaint/Undertow

Warpaint is a female quartet out of L.A. that calls their music experimental art rock. The group includes childhood friends Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal with a revised line up to complete last fall's full release The Fool. "Undertow" is a lush song of confessional lyrics and the wash of chill wave approached from a girl group sensibility.

7. Moby/Be the One

8. Moby/Sevastopol

Moby recently offered three new songs from his next release on his website for free. No longer the struggling artist for years now, he can indulge in the argument that art should exist for art's sake. During my PopMatters interview with him, he explained that the songs were "melodic atmospheric electronic music written in empty cities at 2 o'clock in the morning." The two songs here are instantly recognizable as classic Moby: heartfelt melodies over various dance beats that puts his insomnia to good use.

9. Jessica Lea Mayfield/Our Hearts Are Wrong

This 21-year-old from Ohio has already been writing songs for a decade. Her moody songs pull from both country and folk rock, with a minimalist approach to production that allows her warm alto voice and personal P.O.V. to shine.

10. Polock/Nice to Meet You

Polock has been called the Spanish Phoenix but it could just allude to a category that has plenty of room for more European indie pop bands singing in English. Led by singer/songwriter Papu Sebastián, the quartet deliver tight arrangements that only come from tons of practice. Simple keyboard chords meander along until the group jumps in and allows an instrumental jam to continue until the vocals are ready to introduce the melody. A rollicking drum solo proceeds each chorus, happily expanding the notions of songwriting conventions.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr./Simple Girl

This band from Detroit has its gimmick just like the burlesque gals of Gypsy -- named after the race car driver, they even wear NASCAR jumpsuits to gigs and industry parties. But beyond the attention getting antics, there's a new approach to pop songs with sunny harmonies over layers of sampled vocals and a variety of hand percussion. "Simple Girl" sounds like a simple, fun song at first however there's a lot more going on in production.

12. The Strokes/Machu Picchu

13. The Strokes/Under Cover of Darkness

These two songs from Angles, the first album in five years, were also years in the making. After solo projects and a self-described "much needed hibernation period" the band reconvened with a more democratic approach to songwriting. "Machu Picchu" leads off the release and promises of an expansion of sound is thwarted by the next track, "Under Cover of Darkness." Here the group returns to their roots: a driving beat, buried vocals and wall of sound production -- not necessarily a bad thing.

14. Radiohead/Lotus Flower

The new release from Radiohead, King of Limbs, was announced on a Monday and released a day early before the weekend even started. It all sounds a little premature, a bit unfinished at times but diehard fans seem content with any offering. As the single off the album, "Lotus Flower" is the strongest track with Thom Yorke's vision fully realized from handclaps to echoing, etheral vocals.

15. The Dodos/Black Night

"Black Night" leads off the No Color, the fourth album just released from San Francisco's indie rock band, The Dodos. The drumbeat introduction is fitting for this percussion centric group that even uses fingerpick style acoustic guitars to achieve its mission. Meric Long's warm vocals float above the mayhem, keeping things human and in control.

16. PJ Harvey/On Battleship Hill

PJ Harvey's poetic eighth studio album, Let England Shake, deals with the history of war. She prides herself in expeimenting in styles and this time around much of the album was recorded live in an English church. The expansive sound was more of a collaboration with John Parish and Mick Harvey, who filled in sketches of songs written by Harvey.