Your Listening Pleasure
The Kills, Cat Power and Born Ruffians in this week's YLP.
Cat Power – Ramblin' (Wo)man - Chan Marshall's sultry take on Hank William's "Ramblin' Man" is more than just a simple reversal of pronouns. Her rendition evokes a soulful groove, thanks to lounge-style piano, delicate drums, atmospheric bottleneck guitar accents and her own powerful voice. It's not hard to imagine walking into a smoke-filled bar with the lights dimmed low only to see Marshall and her live band belting this out to a sparse crowd of vagabonds and regulars. If anything, "Ramblin' (Wo)man” demonstrates her versatility and musical range, especially when it comes to someone else's words and song.
Jukebox is out now on Matador Records.
The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful - London-based duo The Kills are going to make you dance whether you like it or not. "Cheap and Cheerful" serves as a postmodern anthem for desire led by drum-machine fueled beats, handclaps and a simple bassline. The song is fleshed out by vocalist Alison Mosshart's bluesy delivery and apathetic attitude with lyrics like, "I want you to be crazy/because you're stupid baby when you're straight." With a marching band-style snare drum interlude and an instantly memorable chorus, it’s clear that no one can make nihilism sound as good as The Kills can.
Midnight Boom will be out on March 18th on Domino Records.
Born Ruffians – Hummingbird - Toronto-based three-piece Born Ruffians have perfected their upbeat, playful sound, as evidenced by the song "Hummingbird." Vocalist Luke LaLonde's distinctive, yet melodic cooing and hollering drives the tune as the bass and guitar leap all across the fret board while the drums keep some semblance of structure in place. Like a cuter Animal Collective without all the weird effects, or a younger and more upbeat Built to Spill with a sense of humor, the band sounds like it's going everywhere at once while still remaining firmly rooted in a pop sensibility.
Red, Yellow, and Blue will be out on March 4th on Warp Records.
STREAM: Cat Power – Ramblin’ (Wo)Man
STREAM: The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful
STREAM: Born Ruffians - Hummingbird
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Feb 22, 2008 @ 12:00 am
