The early March edition of Local Spins reviews probes albums with a pop sheen along with a few that boast inventive folk textures.
Another Big Step: Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers will be touring behind their first album on a Universal Music Group label. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Local Spins reviews include links to artist pages and websites where you can listen to tracks from these albums.
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JOE HERTLER & THE RAINBOW SEEKERS
“Terra Incognita”
When an album has been under wraps as long as this one has, there’s bound to be an anxiety-inducing element to its eventual release, not to mention a canyon-sized range of fan expectations. Well, mid-Michigan’s Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers can not only breathe a sigh of relief now that their long-awaited sophomore recording has finally been unleashed by Universal Music Group’s Bad Mascot Records but take pride in knowing that this pop-driven collection will surely push them even further into the national spotlight and make them a staple at summer festivals. With a gorgeously catchy opening track, “The Garden,” the band’s “post-Motown folk rock” starts with a lilting pop sensibility and adds harmony-rich vocals, soul-infused passion and propulsive rock climaxes that weave their way throughout this upbeat affair. It’s an approach that turns the tracks “King is Dead” and “River Runs Dry” into true anthems, making this the sort of collection that could find a home on mainstream radio or as part of a movie soundtrack without losing its psychedelic/folk/hippie/jam band fan base. Indeed, “Terra Incognita” gets a festival groove on and keeps it grooving. – John Sinkevics
Website: http://joehertler.com/
Upcoming Michigan shows:
April 3 – The Loving Touch, Ferndale
April 11 – The Loft, Lansing (Capital City Film Fest)
Audio: http://joehertler.bandcamp.com/album/terra-incognita
JADE TV
“Parallel Moments”
“Parallel Moments” is the first tidy, album-like collection of songs from Jade TV, the recording project of Grand Rapids dream-pop savant James Allen. As part of a music community lush with shoegazey artists, Jade TV stands ahead of the bunch with a cool grip on melodies that stick – take the guitar lines on “View” or “Forget,” which perhaps retread on the some of the sound forged by artists like DIIV, but boast hooks that remain distinctly Allen and catchy as hell. The album’s second half is particularly strong – toting the record’s highlight, “Everything and Nothing” which builds a silky, sweeping wave of melancholia and rides into “Essence,” another tune that builds into a powerful swirl over the course of about seven minutes. While the album itself plays nice and smooth, the songs performed in a live setting take on a pretty visceral, punk-like aesthetic, which is cause for a great show. – Nolan Krebs
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jade-TV/858749254143390
Upcoming shows:
March 12 – The Powder Room, Grand Rapids
April 12 – The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Audio: http://jurassicpop.bandcamp.com/album/parallel-moments
THE LIPPIES
“The Lippies EP”
The Lippies’ self-titled EP is the first offering from the foursome, delivering six songs of spirited pop-punk. Frontwoman Tonia Broucek channels all the excellent riot-grrl energy of bands like Bikini Kill, while the band cruises along with a pretty classic, distorted sense of pop. Recorded with Rick Johnson at Cold War Studios in Grand Rapids, it’s a different look for Broucek, who has performed with more folk-oriented groups in the area. Still, the four-piece pulls it off exceedingly well for a group that’s been together for less than six months. The mantra-like chant of “They Beat It Into Me” is particularly infectious, while “Sidewalk Talk” stands as the EP’s high-point, with the tune throwing in some slightly spacey, bass-driven interludes. The band has a good number of spring shows lined up, so there should be plenty of chances to catch the group live in the near future. – Nolan Krebs
Website: https://www.facebook.com/thelippies
Upcoming shows:
Saturday – Camp H Skate Park, Grand Rapids
April 5 – Mulligan’s Pub, Grand Rapids
Audio: https://thelippies.bandcamp.com/releases
BEN SCOTT-BRANDT
“Vallidiane”
“Vallidiane” is the first solo record by Ben Scott-Brandt, a Grand Rapids songwriter perhaps best known for his work with Ribbons of Song. Lofty in its ambition and largely successful, the record blends acoustic/electro-pop, hip-hop and off-kilter, almost house-style beats. In the album’s description on Bandcamp, Brandt gives us a look into the album’s subject matter – most of which relates to the loss of his mother. The songs provide a view into Brandt’s struggle to overcome the confusion and pain rooted in his grief, which proves to be cathartic for both artist and listener. Album opener “Follow Close” brings to mind the compositions of another genre-blending songwriter, James Blake, who also finds great success in fusing soulful vocals with buzzing electronic elements. – Nolan Krebs
Website/Audio: http://benscottbrandt.bandcamp.com/
BACKYARD SONGBOOK
“Backyard Songbook”
“Backyard Songbook” is the exciting debut of a music collective by the same name, featuring some of West Michigan’s most talented young songwriters. The record seems to be Grand Rapids through and through: recorded at a Lamplight Music Festival venue in Eastown, the Birdhouse, the album features compositions from Jacob Bullard (Antrim Dells), John Hanson (Strawberry Heritage), Alex McGrath (the Soil & the Sun) and Josh Mogck. These are high-caliber tunes. The album’s description notes that each musician brought his own songs to the sessions and the others contributed where they could to fill things out. Most of the songs are stylistically akin to what you might hear in each artist’s respective band, i.e. acoustic folk, but songs like “Jericho,” which kind of grooves along like a downtempo R&B track, demonstrate the room for variation. Start to finish, the album is friendly and warm, with songs like “It’s Not Easy” and “In Your Temple” providing moments of pretty remarkable beauty along the way. – Nolan Krebs
Website: https://www.facebook.com/backyardsongbook
Audio: http://backyardsongbook.bandcamp.com/releases
THE OUTER VIBE
“Pass It On”
In many ways, this four-song EP is like the perfect micro-cosm of what The Outer Vibe is all about and how far the Grand Rapids band come over the past several years. From the party-starting opener, “Big Bad Machine,” through to the catchy, peppy “Glass,” singer Sean Zee, lead guitarist Nick Hosford, trumpet and keyboard player Lisa Kacos, bassist Andrew Dornoff and new drummer Noah Snyder display their uber-energetic chutzpah, clever hooks, eclectic instrumentation and genre-melding creativity – all of it cloaked in pop and all masterfully produced by Brad Dollar (who’s worked with The Grateful Dead, Keb’ Mo’ and others). The album’s best track, “Mystery,” manages to seamlessly mesh everything from twangy surf guitar to dance-fueled pop to a psychedelic organ. The EP also demonstrates the band’s sharp-as-a-tack marketing: The title tells the story, with The Outer Vibe distributing 1,000 of the CDs free to fans and encouraging them to download the music, sign the liner notes and pass them on to friends – thus combining viral growth with old-fashioned word-of-mouth endorsements. And they’re liable to get plenty of those. – John Sinkevics
Website: http://theoutervibe.com/
Upcoming Michigan shows:
March 20 – The Livery Microbrewery, Benton Harbor
June 27 – Gran Fondo After-Party, Grand Rapids
Audio: https://soundcloud.com/theoutervibe/big-bad-machine-1?in=theoutervibe/sets/pass-it-on-ep
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
