The rock keeps coming.

I’ve been rocking these songs on my name brand choice of mp3 player (NBCoMP3P for those playing at home) for a few months now and I feel like I’m hiding them from important peoples like yourselves. No longer! The music must be spread to the peoples. This album came to me care of a cousin of mine. I tried to figure out our exact relation, I even looked at this chart, and then my head started to hurt. He previously played for Drivers Side Impact and then moved onto this project.

I picked this up because I wanted to support some family and hear what it sounded like. Drivers Side Impact never really made a dent in me (GET IT?), so I took a, “Let’s see what gives,” stance on Speak Easy.

This self-titled EP kicks off with “The Grey Matters” and this song has me hooked in the first 30 seconds with the waves of guitars as the two vocalists dole out some great back and forth; I’m digging this.

Except now I HAVE EXPECTATIONS. Damn it.

The good news is the rock keeps coming. “The Doctor Is In” picks up the pace and hits a little heavier before falling into a half-time chorus. Once again, some nice vocal play.

Now we move to the slow jam, “You Can’t Turn A Ho Into A Housewife.” While the title sounds facetious (like most of the other song titles) it digs in and takes a few tugs at your heart as they, “Send the boys of Brunswick a toast to better days.”

We pick the pace up with “We Beat The Bald Headed Champ” and Speak Easy keeps delivering. One thing I notice as I’m rocking along is that the production on these tracks is really nice. The vocals and instruments stand out where their supposed to and there’s a warmth to all the recordings.

We rock on through to the finish with “The Count Is Full (Strike 3)” and they finish off this EP washing out guitars with “You’ll never know, you’ll never know,” fading off into airwaves.

I’m delighted I picked this up, and you can too EP for everyone’s favorite price of free. It’s one of my favorite rock efforts that I’ve listened to for the last several months. Get yourself some here: speakeasynj.bandcamp.com and while you’re enjoying some free music, reward the artists and become a fan on the Facebooks.

I’m repping these guys hard because I really want to see them live and I’m having a hard time getting myself to New Jersey to accomplish this task. Let’s show them some regional love so they can make their way into tri-state southern New England. They deserve it.

This is the soundtrack to: kicking off your day, giving the day’s shenanigans the Heisman, and some head rocking to denote that your day is going better than the spectators around you.

Tis the season to remember, always love.

How’s everyone doing?

It’s tough to follow up on a post that snags almost 2,000 views so I might as well post something that I’ve been enjoying lately. Revis released Places For Breathing in 2003 and it was one of those CDs that just stuck with me getting plays on and off over the years. I bumped into this live clip and I get sucked into the whole thing every time. I was bummed that sound and the lead singer’s voice never made it out of the gate for a sophomore effort, but lo and behold, they are working on some new material.

In the meantime, enjoy the feel good vibes.

Buckle in: you’re about to get beaten about the ears with excellence.

Monday, April 25: Emily Elbert, Basia Bulat, Metric
Rethink Music was a conference held in Boston, MA, from April 25 - 27. I learned about it the day before from a friend whose friend was helping to organize it. She said, “Hey, you like Metric; they’re playing acoustic at Harvard, want to see them live for free?” Metric’s a favorite (I’ve since grown to love a lot of “Fantasies"), so I said “Yeah, I guess,” and dragged the girlfriend along, wondering what “openers” I’d have to endure before the “headliner” took the stage.

Here’s the incredibly awesome thing: the “openers” who played at Rethink Music’s shows didn’t just “warm up the crowd” or give the “headliners” something to shoot for – they practically salted the goddamned earth. Things started Monday with Emily Elbert playing an original called “In the Summertime” that really evokes the warmth of the season with the warmth of her voice while showcasing her range, as well as a kick-ass acoustic version of “Thriller". If you’re in the Greater Boston Area, keep an eye out for her.

After Emily, Livingston Taylor – our emcee for the evening – played a few songs and introduced Basia Bulat. Basia took my breath away. Quite simply, she’s cooler than you. She plays uke, piano, auto harp and hammered dulcimer. Her voice swings gracefully from defiance to despair to resolve, and she can do this with it:

… and this, about the Yukon Gold Rush:

… and this video doesn’t do justice to what she was capable of live, but it showcases her range and the strength of her voice:

Jesus. She even does a scintillating cover of one of my favorite songs, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You.” … OK, one more:

Anyway, if you haven’t seen Metric’s acoustic duo, Emily Haines and James Shaw, and if you like Metric, see them. I enjoyed the acoustic renditions of their singles from “Fantasies” and the handful of covers they played. Unplugged and without a rhythm section, Metric was all ethereality, and it was good. But if I hadn’t been familiar with them before the show, I wouldn’t have remembered them after.

Tuesday, April 26: Julia Easterlin, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, and 8in8 (Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, Damian Kulash, Neil Gaiman)
After Monday’s amazing show, I really wanted to see what was going on Tuesday night, regardless of the fact that I had no clue who was performing. Alas, my friend was keeping her two comp tickets to herself, because Neil Gaiman was one of the people performing. But thanks to @beccajane, I was able to get a ticket to one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to. After Monday night, I had to resist the temptation to turn to my friend and say, “Buckle in: you’re about to get beaten about the ears with excellence.”

Julia Easterlin only performed two songs – “Go Straightaway” and a cover of the Pixies “Break My Body” – but she … well, it’s probably best if I let her explain and you watch:

She has an incredible voice, and she’s found a medium that allows her to really test the limits of what she can do with it.

Joe Lewis has a great set of pipes, too, and he and the Honeybears deserved a Standing O just like the one Julia Easterlin got. Maybe the predominantly-Berklee crowd didn’t give it up because they’re not as technologically innovative as Julia, what with their three-piece, tie-wearing, synchronized-dancing brass section and Lewis’ James-Brown growl. Simultaneously playful and fierce, they’re clearly calling back to the Golden Age of Motown – and they blew the door off.

Then it was time for Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, Damian Kulash (of OK Go), and Neil Gaiman to take the stage. After all the excellent performances I’d seen in the last 48 hours, I really didn’t know how this group of artists could blow my hair back. They’d also spent the previous evening locked in a room together, on display via live internet feed, while they wrote songs (something like 6 in 12 hours). They got about five hours’ sleep, gave a presentation based on their experience, continued to not sleep, and now, at 10 pm, they’d be performing. … sounds like a great idea.

When the musicians each took the stage in turns to perform one song, it looked like my worst fears would be confirmed. Then, they did this:

That basically set the tone for the rest of the evening: unrehearsed fun from sleep-deprived professionals. The five new songs they played ranged from okay to pretty interesting, but here’s your big take-away: even half-sane, good artists can save what ought to sound terrible.

It was a great two days of music, but I really wish it’d been the weekend – I’m thoroughly happy about the experience, but I’m exhausted. If you want to read more about the event, you can read WBUR’s write-up – HOW ‘BOUT THAT PUBLIC RADIO, HUH?

And, before I forget: Amanda Palmer also played piano with this amazing pianist she discovered named Tristan Allen. Don’t let his looks fool you: he’s 17.

Is it six songs on one album, or is it one song with six parts?

Release Date: January 11, 2011

While I was busy squeezing the life out of Our Color Green (Singles), Glassjaw decided they weren’t done. First they prepared a comprehensive tour package where a GJ fan could get a ticket to one of the venues they were playing along with an accompanying poster. I wanted to go, but had something important enough in my calendar that saying, “I can’t make it, I want to see one of the most riveting rock acts of my time in Boston,” wouldn’t cut it.

Then Glass jaw dropped a note on the front of their website (which was immediately broadcasted on glassjaw.net) that they would be dropping a new EP of music that could only be had at the venues they would be playing. Franklin Delano Roosevelt! I had to get my hands on that new deal!

Once the tour started I let a few weeks elapse before I hopped on eBay to see how badly I would be gouged for the disc. I dropped a few bids around $22 and $26 (USD) and that didn’t get me anywhere, so I decided to put on my big bidder belt buckle and dropped $39 for the win after shipping.

This was moderately justified by doing some guess-o-nomics on how much I would have spent on gas, tickets, and driving to the closest show (Boston). Whatever, I had just doubled the number of new Glassjaw songs I had.

I jumped to track one once I had ripped Coloring Book into my library. The opening to “Black Nurse” gave immediate notice on a different sound and vibe compared to Our Color Green. Paced and tense, it never lets up on its structure and rolls right into “Gold". This track continues in the same vibe and song structure: one riff with a slight variation, drums maintaining a constant pressure. It’s darkly meditative and I felt like I was on a music-induced trip, anxious to see what the next track held.

“Vanilla Poltergeist Snake” continued the musical trend where no instrument or voice really led; they all came together at this intersection to create another song. Repetition of the phrase “No one gets out of here alive,” continues the dark vibe that emanates from Coloring Book.

“Miracle In Inches” shifts speed ever so slightly as Daryl pushes his vocals and sets up the super smooth (also my favorite track) “Stations Of The New Cross". It’s reminiscent of “Two Tabs Of Mescaline” but remains grounded where “Two Tabs” had more contrast.

This track would be a good time to take a moment and talk about the drumming. Glassjaw has always had some good beats behind their music, but Coloring Book takes it to a whole new level. Drums often end up the necessary back bone of a band, but Glassjaw gives it more breathing room for instrumentation; they inject a lot of the color on these tracks. Words have been popping around some forums that the drums were programmed or already settled before drummer Durajih Lang sat down on a kit. Regardless of the author, the drums are brilliantly conceived and appear to be gracefully executed live:

(Also need a quick mention for the big bass lines from Manny Carrero as well.)

The EP closes with the soft brush drum, bass, and keyboard of “Daytona White", bringing an end to a phenomenally focused effort from Glassjaw. While listening to this album over and over again, I kept coming back to the question, “Is it six songs on one album, or is it one song with six parts?” Either way, “THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT!”

Coloring Book is a incredible effort by Glassjaw, in effort and execution. It is a concentrated blast of their best material yet. I still find myself wondering if there’s a full-length record still hiding out, maybe for 2012, but I’m willing to compromise 2-3 years between small releases if they continue to produce this exceptional kind of music.

This is the soundtrack to: digging deep to finish a big project, late night thinking, and a little bit of super-fan hyperbole.

Click here to take a shot at the Coloring Book Bidding Carousel. (eBay link to search for Coloring Book)