Occasionally Wright

L.A. Was Our Alamo

In the two years I've been writing here I've come to realize that I'm really not cut out for writing reviews. All I know is what I like, and once I've figured out if I like something I have a really tough figuring out what it is I like about it. That being said I want to tell you about a band called Pushstart Wagon. If their name sounds familiar it might be because I briefly talked about their album Squeaky Clean back in October of 2003.

If you go back and check that post you'll notice that Eric Shouse, the bassist from Pushstart Wagon left a few comments and let me know that they were putting out a new album. Well, I managed to get my hands on a copy through the band (thanks guys) and I've got to say, I really like it.

Paste has a great blurb on the band but it doesn't really say a whole lot about the music aside from saying that it's good, which it is. Squeaky Clean was pure un-adulterated power pop and I loved every second of it. their latest album, L.A. Was Our Alamo, is lot more... mature? That doesn't seem like the right word because it implies there was something immature or juvenile about Squeaky Clean, which there wasn't. L.A. Was Our Alamo is just a little bit slower (okay...occasionally a lot slower) and the guitars are dialed down a few notches, sometimes to the point of being acoustic. Trying to describe the sound of the album is a pretty big chore. The band probably says it best on their site:

"The Pushstart sound changed a bit since their first incarnation. Still evident, however, are the Corgan-esque vocal stylings. The kids call their new sound a mix of alt-country with roots-rock segments, and some pop thrown in for the fans. At its heart, it's just rock and roll."

L.A. Was Our Alamo is a nice blend of pop (still with some power behind it), a bit of blues, a smattering of country on a few songs and plenty of folk rock. I'm listening to it as I write this and every time a new song comes on I'm forced to change my description every so slightly. They didn't make this easy for me.

Lyrically Pushstart are storytellers. I get the distinct feeling that every song has an interesting narrative behind it but there's just enough missing that you don't know entirely what they're talking about. In a way it reminds me of Mike Knott's lyrics. They're coherent enough that you can get something out of them but cryptic enough to keep you guessing most of the time. That being said they're mostly about relationships, because when it comes down to it what else is there to sing about? 'Country Star' is a great song that tends to get mentioned a lot in reviews as does the closing ballad- 'Los Angeles'. Personally, I like 'Paul', 'Radiation', 'Breathing Room' and 'Would I Be So True'. 'Paul is just a great introduction to their new sound and reminds me a little bit of good Tom Petty (I might have stolen that line from a previous review- if so it's an accurate description). 'Radiation' is just nice and poppy and has an incredibly hooky bridge while 'Breathing Room' and 'Would I Be So True' would probably fit on Squeaky Clean better than any of the other tunes on the album.

If you're looking for bands to compare Pushstart Wagon to I really don't know what to say. A few songs have shades of Hocus Pick but that's not going to mean a whole lot to most people. 'Mary' reminds me of someone I can't quite put my finger on. Really helpful, huh? I was going to say Denison Whitmer but that's not right. the acoustic guitar on it sounds really familiar though. Maybe The Rude Mechanicals... yeah, that's it. It has the light, bouncy feel of 'Bill Lynch Girl'.

The best thing I can suggest of you want to know what the album sounds like is for you to go ahead and buy it. I can almost guarantee you won't regret it and that might be the biggest difference between Squeaky Clean and L.A. Was Our Alamo. I'm comfortable recommending Squeaky Clean to anyone that has a soft spot for good power-pop while I'll openly recommend L.A. Was Our Alamo to anyone that just likes good music. If you want to take the easy way out you can always listen to the album through the band's website. Just click on the music player for the streaming audio. Select songs are also available through Not Lame Recording Company. For an amusing review check out this critique of Pushstart's failings as a country band. There isn't anything in the article that's particularly wrong... it's just that Pushstart Wagon has never been, or tried to be, a country band. It's like criticizing U2 for being a bad metal band. Also feel free to check out the Pushstart Wagon blog which has been on my sidebar for a while. Too lazy to look over there? fine. Just click here.

Free Concerts

So, who wants to go see Matt Mays and El Torpedo for free at the Super Ex on August 24? The rest of the artists that will be playing (including Alannah Myles and David Wilcox) are listed here.

This and That

So much to write about and so little time. Who would have thought my day off would my busiest day of the week?

First, from CBC PEI:

British potato farmers are protesting the inclusion of the term 'couch potato' in the Oxford English Dictionary on the grounds that it's demeaning to the generally healthy tubers. Note that CBC PEI doesn't have a 'Weird News' section so is presumably to be taken seriously. 

Also from the CBC:

Halifax police busted a home delivery drug trafficing ring. Apparently the highly organized dealers were making hundreds of deliveries per week. 15 arrests were made and a variety of narcotics were seized as well as cash and cars. Just when you think small business is about to take off in the Maritimes the authorities step in and crush the entrepreneurial spirit. Actually, someone should check to see if these guys got an ACOA grant for small businesses. 2-1 odds they did.

Back in Ottawa:

Brad Sucks is launching a professionally pressed album tomorrow. It's been available for free on his site to download for ages and you've been able to get a homemade burned copy for just as long but the people have asked for the real deal and he's delivering. Nice of him to coordinate the launch with my birthday tomorrow.

More news later today hopefully...

Matt Slocum and Fleming & John Update

When they were still together Sixpence None the Richer was one of my favorite bands. While their later stuff was probably more critically acclaimed I still think their best album was This Beautiful Mess. One of the main reasons for that was the outstanding lyrics penned by Matt Slocum who was the real genius behind the band.

On a related note I've always like Fleming and John, an obscurish band/husband and wife duo from Chapel Hill, NC. You've probably never heard of them but they had a single that got some radio play once upon a time by the name of 'Ugly Girl.' Fleming provides all of the vocals while John plays just about every instrument known to man. His talents are often sought by other artists when they want to use strings on their album. Thanks to his penchant for doing string arrangements and his close friendship with Ben Folds John has been too busy to record anything of his own lately while Fleming often provides backup vocals for Ben Folds and/or William Shatner when he performs.

Well, last week I got an email from the aforementioned Matt Slocum letting people know what he's been up to. He has been collaborating on a solo debut for Sam Ashworth who helped him write a few songs for Sixpence back in the day. While I'd never heard of Ashworth he's managed to pull together some great guest performances for his debut- Slocum, formerly of Sixpence, Lindsay Jamieson from the Ben Folds band and both Fleming and John. The full email can be found here.

Yet another album to add to my growing list- Sam Ashworth, "Gonna Get It Wrong Before I Get It Right." 

Peer Pressures

I am now taking suggestions for a good, reliable peer-to-peer program that doesn't come bundled with stuff that's going to crash my computer. I used to use XoloX and Shareaza but both seem to have detiorated and have been uninstalled from my system. I have stuff I want to get my ears on.

Difference of Opinion

Rob Mitchum at Pitchfork hates the new Weezer album and gives it a 0.4 out of 10. Rob Mitchum has very, very different taste in music than I do. Apparently he's upset that the album isn't as neurotic as the Weezer of 10 years ago. Personally I really, really like Make Believe. At least now I know no to listen to anything Rob Mitchum ever has to say again. Ever.

Does anyone else have thoughts on the new disc? Rich? Dennis? Steve? Mark? I know you're out there somewhere...

Why are you asking me?

According to my weblog stats some from Elections Canada is trying to find information about The Tea Party at Tulip Fest. Either that or they want to know if there are going to be any tea parties at the festival. I suppose they don't really have that much to do at work until the government finally collapses (Hey Mr. Martin, if yesterday's vote wasn't a confidence vote and doesn't really matter why did you make sure every able bodied Liberal was there to vote on a minor procedural issue?). Anyway, if you're looking for information about the 2005 Tulip Festival why not just go to tulipfestival.ca? Is it really that hard?

No Tulips for Me

I was hoping to go to some (if not most) of the Tulip Festival concerts next week and provide reviews for some of the lesser known acts but alas, the powers that be have decided that I get to work night shifts for the next two weeks and there's nothing I can do about it. So for the first time in four years I won't be going to Tulip Fest which has been the highlight of my Ottawa springs since I moved. Such is the life of a guy doing shift work.

Speakergeek

Update your links accordingly- Dennis, aka Speakergeek, can now be found at www.speakergeek.com. It's all new and shiny lookin'. I'm looking forward to more frequent posts from the man that has introduced me to so much good music over the years. Come on Dennis, what do you have for me?

Tulip Festival Concerts

The Tulip Ferstival concert lineup has been announced and it's looking good. It's available here in a nice barely readable poster form or you can scroll down the page for the individual artist blurbs (did you know that Celtae is provocative? Me neither). Or you can just get the hightlights here. Please forgive me if I don't include good bands I've never heard of.

For just $25 you can see:

• The Tea Party

• The Amanda Rheaume Band (I've heard good things)

• David Wilcox (preceeded by a bunch of other blues artists I've never heard of)

• David Miller (Blues artist who sounds familiar)

• Sue Foley (supposedly the best of Ottawa's female singers which makes her really good if she tops Kathleen Edwards, and to a lesser extent Alanis Morisette and Avril Lavigne)

• The Joel Plaskett Emergency (an awesome band from Nova Scotia)

• Lowest of the Low (supposedly legendary- I've never heard of them, which means nothing)

• The Sadies (I've never heard them but have heard good things)

• Jimmy George, Glangarry Bhoys, Celtae and Sons of Scotland (worth going to just to see Sons of Scotland)

• Shawn Desman (not my style but good at what he does)

• Eric Eggleston (plays a lot of Ottawa pubs)

• Sarah Harmer

• Jeremy Fisher (sounds interesting)

• Nath Wiley and the Big Time Spenders (from PEI)

• Alpha Yaya Diallo, The Mighty Popo and various other world music artists (different and highly rated)

• Ron Sexsmith

• Hawksley Workman and the Wolves

Now all I need to do is a figure out how to have most of those evenings off.