Damien Jurado w/ Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Milo, 10-4

Damien Jurado is a singer/songwriter whom I’d always resisted over the years until recently, because really, does the world need one more sensitive folkie with an acoustic guitar? And this is coming from someone who’s often a sucker for sensitive folkies with acoustic guitars.

But I’ve discovered that Jurado sets himself apart with his words, which was evident Saturday night at the Milo Arts show. While his guitar playing and voice aren’t poor by any means--he sounds a little like a mash-up of Josh Ritter and Mark Kozelek--they’re fairly unremarkable without those profound, literate lyrics that often turn the lens outward instead of inward.

For a guy whose biggest strength is stories, the songs usually work best when pared down, so as not to distract from the words coming through. A few of the tracks on Jurado’s new album, Caught in the Trees, suffer from overdone production and a lack of intimacy (unlike 2006’s spare And Now That I’m in Your Shadow), but Milo’s spartan stage setup served the songs well, as did the respectful crowd. Jurado stayed mostly seated with his guitar while his two bandmates added percussion, keys and guitar flourishes. Jenna Conrad’s vocal harmonies were a highlight throughout the night.

Jurado is a somber-looking fellow and a little schlubby (losing the crustache would do wonders), but he’s got a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor that I appreciated. He apologized for not coming to Ohio in a while and appealed to the crowd by playing “Ohio,” a song he said he wrote on a codeine high from a toe operation. Jurado asked the crowd to lobby their politicians to make it the state song, “So I can be really rich.”

Not likely. “Ohio” is about a girl who’s taken away from her mother by bounty hunters. That’s his specialty, really. Jurado writes consistently depressing songs. You’d probably get into quite a funk if you listened to Jurado all day, but not many songwriters can do depressing better than he, so stick with what works, right?

Jurado seems to be very aware of this. “This is an upbeat number,” he announced before playing the sprightly “Gillian was a Horse,” but quickly added, “Not lyrically. Just the music.” And “Coats of Ice,” which reminded me a lot of an Aimee Mann song, showed that all the sullenness is starting to catch up with him. “How does it feel to be what you sing about?” he sang, adding in the chorus, “You look like you could use a rest/ You look like you’d be better dead.”

But on one of the night’s final songs, “Best Dress,” he offered a possible remedy for the malaise. “Hey now, put your best dress on. . . We should just have a good time.” A good time, indeed.

I was sorely disappointed by Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson’s opening set, especially because I’ve been enjoying his self-titled debut, an album of bedraggled, folk-inspired songs that come across as both dark and rambunctious. But I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard an artist sound so utterly different, and worse, than on record.

For one, the mix was bad, but I don’t think a better one would have saved him. Robinson attempted a vocal tremolo that vacillated between loud, thin yelps and almost inaudible marbles-in-the-mouth mumbling. All the songs’ hooks and clever turns of phrase were lost, and his bandmates looked alternately embarrassed and confused as to what the four-named man was up to.

I think Robinson was going for a Pavement feel, or something like that. Whatever the reason, the young man needs some more touring underneath his belt.

mp3: Damien Jurado - Ohio

(Also at The Other Paper)

Year Long Disaster, The Suede Brothers, Sounds Under Radio - Ravari Room

Few things get under my skin more than aging music fans who claim that rock music hit its peak in the ’60s and ’70s and has been going downhill ever since. I certainly don’t deny the influence classic rock has had on music today, but when someone maintains that Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc. are the last rock bands worth listening to, I think of this as more of a character flaw than a difference of opinion. Chances are, we just won’t get along.

But Monday night’s show at the Ravari Room just might have been the perfect sanctuary for this hypothetical person and I to coexist peacefully, and maybe, just maybe, throw up a rawk fist together.

Headliner Year Long Disaster is the type of band that has appeal for bitter baby boomers, ironic collegiates and impressionable high schoolers alike. First off, the three-piece is led by singer/guitarist Daniel Davies, the son of the Kinks’ Dave Davies. Plus, bassist Rich Mullins founded Karma to Burn and drummer Brad Hargreaves comes from Third Eye Blind. The band released its debut on Volcom last fall, but the recording didn’t quite capture Year Long Disaster’s big sound. Live, however, these guys are a testament to the fact that sometimes all you need is a distortion-drenched guitar, bass and a steady beat to put on a good rock show.

It’s impossible not to mention Led Zeppelin and Wolfmother when describing YLD’s sound, but keep in mind they’re just guidelines. There will never be another Zeppelin. (I know, I’m sounding like my aforementioned nemesis, but it’s true.) Zeppelin’s tunes were built around big blues riffs, but Page and Plant also knew a thing or two about spicing up tunes with enough dynamic ranges that the songs weren’t (usually) nonstop guitar onslaughts. Year Long Disaster only played one tune that mixed it up stylistically, or at least had a quieter interlude.

As for Wolfmother, the fellow stoner metal band’s singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale doesn’t have half the chops that Davies has, though Stockdale probably does have the better voice. Davies mixes just a bit too much phlegm into his glammy howl. But YLD showed a sense of authenticity that Wolfmother has yet to capture. I like this band; I don't like Wolfmother.

Davies also could use a few lessons on pop hooks from his dad, but Year Long Disaster was that rare combination of seasoned, ultra-skilled musicians who could still communicate something raw and powerful. Davies coaxed just the right gorgeously overdrived notes and squeaks and squeals out of his guitar, and his solos were impressively restrained. Oh yeah, and it was really, really loud.


Cleveland’s The Suede Brothers could be Year Long Disaster’s kid brothers--stylistically and literally. Singer/guitarist Dylan Francis is 20, bassist Kevin Naughton is 19 and drummer Mick Varga is 16. The band includes former members of the Black Diamonds, but in its current form, the Suede Brothers have been playing together for less than a year. So imagine my surprise when they opened the show with a terrific set. In fact, I think I enjoyed The Suede Brothers more than Year Long Disaster.

Francis is a downright nasty guitarist. He’s obviously taken lessons from the Jimmy Page handbook, but he dredges it with a little Soundgarden sludge, resulting in seismic riffage tailor-made for Guitar Hero. Plus, the kid has some vocal chords. He can hit those high notes, and he doesn’t shy away from them, either.

Like YLD, the tradeoff for these monster tunes was little diversity, but they’ll have plenty of time to develop that. I’m just a sucker for youthful rock-and-roll exuberance, and I expect to hear much, much more from this band in the coming year.

Sandwiched between these two trios was Austin’s Sounds Under Radio, who recently landed a song on the Spiderman 3 soundtrack and subsequently signed to Epic. Apparently this has made them take themselves quite seriously, because they had tons of gear (including lights), were endlessly unsatisfied with the monitor volume and obsessively re-tuned their guitars between every song. They also enjoy dramatically raising their arms at the beginning of songs.

This band was the odd man out on the bill. Alongside the other two ballsy performances, Sounds Under Radio felt like wuss-rock. Pointless samples, singer Lang Freeman’s excessive falsetto and an overenthusiastic but unimpressive bassist all made for an utterly forgettable performance. Not surprisingly, the band played to mostly an empty room. It wasn’t for a lack of effort, but as is the case with so many newly signed major-label bands, Sounds Under Radio tried so hard to be loved they forgot to be compelling.

More photos.

mp3: The Suede Brothers - Shotgun Philly
mp3: Year Long Disaster - Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu

Amazon MP3

I'm a pretty loyal eMusic downloader, but the new music-download service from Amazon is good news because, like eMusic, it's DRM-free. No limits on how many times you can burn a song onto a mix, no restrictions on mp3 players, etc. I imagine I'll use it mostly for major-label releases that eMusic doesn't carry (right now the only two participating are EMI and Universal). And yeah, I do miss having the actually CD and artwork in my hand, but downloading is just too darn easy, and it saves me a trip to the record store, which is an even better perk when trips involve lugging a 3-month-old and a carrier.

An interesting tidbit on pricing from a New York Times blog:
Apple is generally charging $1.29 for its MP3 unprotected files in the AAC format, in an attempt to differentiate them from its 99-cent restricted files. Amazon, however, will charge 89 cents and 99 cents for most songs, and it will offer albums at significant discounts. Indeed, to test this out, I purchased an MP3 download of a Philip Glass album for $6.93 from Amazon. It would have cost $11.99 to download from iTunes in Apple’s DRM format and $18.99 to buy as a CD from Amazon. Moreover, Amazon’s software put the music right in my iTunes folder, so there was almost no convenience sacrifice.