May’s batch of Local Spins album reviews covers the gamut from soul to folk, a round-up that also includes new releases from Plain Jane Glory, Watching for Foxes and Complicated Animals.
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COMPLICATED ANIMALS
“In This Game”
A recording studio situated in an isolated, Midwestern cabin tends to produce the kind of introspective, melancholy sound one might associate with a bearded singer-songwriter (think: Bon Iver). Not the case with the debut EP for the duo of Brazilian/American/Grand Rapids-born singer Monica da Silva and multi-instrumentalist Chad Alger. The pair may have retreated into the Michigan woods to create this six-song release, but the sound is more “sipping a caipirinha poolside” than it is “curled under a blanket beside the wood stove.” A self-styled “indie nova” band, da Silva and Alger marry twee, indie pop sensibilities (sugary-sweet vocals and upbeat lyrics) with bossa nova rhythm and bounce. It’s a playful formula that’s most successful on the first single and standout track, “Phoenix.” Other highlights include two tracks sung in Portuguese, “O Que Passou” and “Sempre Aqui.” A perfect warm-up after a winter of discontent. – Tricia Woolfenden
Website: complicatedanimals.com
Listen:
WATCHING FOR FOXES
“Until the Winter Comes”
In a January appearance on Local Spins on WYCE, Fremont-based five-piece Watching For Foxes noted that it was hitting its stride. This, the alt/folk/indie band’s second release, is just the evidence needed to add weight to that sentiment. The six-song EP is crisply produced, but warm to the ear, with lyricist/singer Joey Frendo’s voice gently rolling atop fiddle, guitar and percussion. The band may fetch comparisons to that other “fox-y” folk band (Fleet Foxes), but their song structure and tone is more reminiscent of Damien Rice. Or perhaps Colin Meloy were he a bit less enamored of petticoats and roustabouts. The lyrics to “Young Blood, Old Bones” are as smart and well thought out as its beautiful melody. “No One Should Know” has “encore material” written all over it. Theirs is a commercially viable sound with heart. If they continue in this direction, they may just surpass any previous notions of where that aforementioned “stride” actually is. – Tricia Woolfenden
Website: facebook.com/watchingforfoxes
Listen:
Upcoming shows:
May 15 – University Lutheran Chapel, Ann Arbor
May 29 – The Intersection, Grand Rapids (with The Outer Vibe, Desmond Jones, American WiFi)
FRONTIER RUCKUS
“Sitcom Afterlife”
Detroit-bred alt/folk/rockers Frontier Ruckus have been making noise well outside state lines for more than five years. But for all its national and international rumblings and recognition, Frontier Ruckus’s fourth studio release still seems to whisper (or even, shout) of the band’s deeply planted Michigan roots (listen for both blatant and subtle references to the Mitten State). The now-familiar comparisons to vocalists like Bright Eyes-era Conor Oberst and Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum remain intact, particularly as frontman Matthew Milia turns over bitter/sweet memories with unabashed honesty and crystal clarity. Making a playlist for that special person you’re looking to dump and/or form a reconciliation? Plenty of appropriate material to choose from in these ten nostalgic, yet unsaccharine, tracks. Standouts include “Sad Modernity” and “Crabapples in the Century’s Storm.” – Tricia Woolfenden
Website: frontierruckus.com
Listen:
Upcoming Michigan Shows:
May 21 – Living room show (venue revealed upon purchase), Ann Arbor
May 22 – Living room show (venue revealed upon purchase), Lansing
May 23 – Living room show (venue revealed upon purchase), Grand Rapids
HEY MARCO!
“Give Love”
Grand Rapids six-piece Hey Marco! is generous with its affections in its recent release, “Give Love.” There’s a nod to the brassy funk/rock of Steely Dan, a shout to the groovy harmonies of Motown and more than a passing embrace of classic American R&B. It makes for a fun — and often funky — mix of dance-floor anthems, ranging from the mood-setting slower tempos of “Coke and Lime Back” and “Magic Wand,” to the faster beats of “Crazy World” and album opener “Glory.” The genre-spanning collection moves seamlessly from retro/AM-radio-ready (“Your Smile’) to summer party soundtrack (the reggae-influenced “Love Joy”). The production on this 11-track debut is crisp and clean, yet soulful and with a B-I-G sound. If the songwriting and execution are any indication, the enthusiasm they pack into a live performance should be equally outsized. – Tricia Woolfenden
Website: heymarcomusic.com
Video:
Upcoming Michigan Shows:
Saturday – 9 p.m. at SpeakEZ Lounge (CD-release show with Full Catastrophe), Grand Rapids
May 14 – Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill, Grand Rapids
May 16 – River City Saloon, Grand Rapids
May 28 – Elk Brewing, Grand Rapids
FULL CATASTROPHE
“Century”
From the get-go – building to a driving crescendo on the blistering opening track, “Holowreck” – Grand Rapids’ Full Catastrophe qualifies as a head-bobbing, pop- and electronica-fueled powerhouse. With Marc Kelley’s songs, production, guitars and all sorts of electronic toys laying the under-pinnings for these catchy, driving, dusky tracks, singer Evelyine pumps out siren-like lead and harmony vocals suitable for everything from a club dance party to a full-bore arena rock show. Infectious stuff all around. And speaking of which, the duo trots out a full-bore full-band show for the first time ever on Saturday night for its double CD-release show at SpeakEZ Lounge with Hey Marco! – John Sinkevics
Website: facebook.com/fullcatastrophe
Listen:
Upcoming shows:
Saturday – 9 p.m. at SpeakEZ Lounge (CD-release party with Hey Marco!), Grand Rapids
PLAIN JANE GLORY
“Someday When Things are Good”
When the best folk/Americana duos – The Civil Wars, First Aid Kit, The Milk Carton Kids – open their mouths to sing, audiences can’t help but sit up and take notice with the hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. Michael Boxer and Laura Crosswait of Muskegon’s Plain Jane Glory are just such a duo. This pair (formerly known as Fiddleface) not only harmonizes in rapturous fashion but creates instantly engaging music through songwriting that’s at once authentically retro in feeling yet fresh in approach, straddling bluegrass, folk, country and Americana on this project recorded at Bonus Room Studio in North Muskegon and produced by Robert Reid. – John Sinkevics
Website: plainjaneglory.com
Listen:
Upcoming shows:
11:05 a.m. Wednesday – News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) for Local Spins Live
May 15 – Brew House, Muskegon
May 16 – Pope’s Pub, Fruitport
May 22 – Dockers, Muskegon
May 23 – Pub 111, Whitehall
May 29 – Odd Side Ales, Grand Haven
May 30 – Grand Haven Brew House, Grand Haven
June 13 – Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids
VOX VIDORRA
“Promise Land”
There’s so much soul, passion, sensuality and sheer spine-tingling power in the music of this star-bound Grand Rapids band that it’s easy to look the past the virtuosity of its players, who’ve come to this milestone project from very different bands and musical places. Fronted by electric singer and multi-instrumentalist Molly Bouwsma-Schultz, Vox Vidorra unfurls equal helpings of soul, rock, jazz, pop and even classical music with a vibe that sometimes recalls the sultry strains of Sade and at others, the fire of an Aretha Franklin or Ray Charles. But this is no smooth, slick affair brewed up Bouwsma-Schult, Scott Schultz, Theodore Ndawillie II and Ryan K. Wilson. At its core, “Promise Land,” oozes a raw, sexy and edgy, vintage vibe captured in the low-tech confines of Grand Rapids’ all-analog Goon Lagoon (spearheaded by “fifth” band member/producer Tommy Schichtel), thus retaining the ferocity and crowd-appealing vigor of the band’s live shows. Add in the band’s collaborative and masterful song crafting, and Vox Vidorra stands ready to conquer massive chunks of musical territory in Michigan and beyond. – John Sinkevics
Website: voxvidorra.com
Listen:
Upcoming shows:
May 22 – The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids (with Grand Rapids Soul Club)
July 3 – Nauti-Cat Cruises, Traverse City
July 9 – GRAM on the Green, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
July 17 – New Holland Brewing Co., Holland
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
Thank you so much to Local Spins and John Sinkevics for the great review! XO