PJH Studios

Category: Music

Pop, rock, alternative, classical, indie, folk, lo-fi, any thing with a tempo and a beat and some rhythm

  • Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

    Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron & Wine combines Sam Beam’s southern gothic imagery with a more lush pop rock sound. His previous album, The Shepherd’s Dog, showed hints of this change, going from a soft spoken singer song writer to genteel rock ‘n’ roll front man. Tree By the River, Walking Far from Home and Rabbit Will Run are stand outs. Big Burned Hand is driven by a deep, funky bass line with some angry lyrics. The album fades out with a shimmering jam on Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me. Themes of scorn, forgiveness, sin, nature and catharsis run throughout. He’s still a folk singer telling stories in his songs.

    The sound and production have matured, and it seems curious as to what he’ll do next.

    Note, the Deluxe version comes with two extra songs, Black Candle and Lean Into the Light. The former feels like it could have fit into the album with similar bass lines and progressions, but Lean Into the Light feels soulful, as if it was something to make the indie rock kids sway to the backing harmonies.

  • Rock Gods – Forty Years of Rock Photography

    Rock Gods: Forty Years of Rock Photography by Robert M. Knight is a diverse collection of photos that span his entire career. He’s taken pictures of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck and many more.

    He focuses on lead guitarists, and his body of work shows that, especially with his live concert shots. Knight excels at the live concert photography. He says his approach is like a journalist or someone doing a documentary, where looking at the photos afterward they come to life in a more visceral way.

    In Rock Gods, he tells stories about some of his memorable shoots. Greeting Led Zeppelin in Hawaii as they walk off they plane carrying the master reels to Led Zeppelin II. Meeting Jeff Beck for the first time, after years of trying. And as he’s known for, being the last photographer to shoot Stevie Ray Vaughn.

    After paging through the book, I wanted more. More of his old concert shots, more of his more recent work. For photographers, viewing Knight’s work can tell a lot about composition and lighting–what worked, what moment created that visceral feeling you get from a concert photo.

  • Favorite 2010 albums

    2010 was a great year for music with great releases from many artists and bands and across genres. I didn’t get to listen to everything that the kids at Stereogum, Pitchfork or your local newspaper get to sample, but I managed to pick 6 albums as my favorites. Not necessarily the best, but albums that I’ll most likely keep queuing up on my iPhone. Without further ado.

    1. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More: The whole album is a revival of the soul.  From beginning to end, the raucous and swirling combination of bluegrass, folk and rock cover the entire spectrum of emotion.  The album is immediately accessible to the casual listener.  As for individual songs, Little Lion Man was the radio hit, but Awake My Soul, The Cave and Timshel highlight the band’s range.  Seeing Mumford live is a must with the songs possessing more intensity as a crowd of 3,000 sings along.
    2. The National – High Violet:  Dark, brooding and complex, The National created a challenging listen.  Modern themes of anxiety, paranoia and alienation aren’t easy sells.  It may take several spins to fully appreciate Terrible Love, Anyone’s Ghost or Runaway.  Lemonworld is the most upbeat track while Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks serves as the album’s cathartic closer.
    3. The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart:  They possess a unique blend of folk and full band singer songwriter acoustics.  Ghosts, Lost in My Mind, Sounds Like Hallelujah and Heaven Go Easy on Me stand out in their debut.
    4. Sleigh Bells – Treats: Noise pop, fuzz-distortion rock, whatever you want to call it, Treats is a loud, thumping amalgam of noise and dreamy, sugary vocals.  At 32 minutes, it’s the proper length to get your blood going without causing aural exhaustion.  Tell ‘Em begins the assault, Infinity Guitars throttles and the one, two, three of Rachel, Rill Rill and Crown on the Ground provide the hooks.
    5. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record: Broken Social Scene continue to do what they do best, create instrumental driven songs that you can tap your toes, bob your head or sway side to side to. Texico Bitches, Meet Me In the Basement and Water in Hell are standouts.
    6. Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans:  The best pop album of the year features a ukulele prominently.  From the thrashing Grenade, soon-to-be-played-at-every-wedding Just the Way You Are, Marry You, Count on Me… it’s an enjoyable confection without any filler or hollow tracks.  (I’m looking at you, Black Eyed Peas.)

    Some other thoughts:

    Arcade Fire deserve a mention as The Suburbs was a good album, but I think it felt too long.  They deserve props for what they were trying to do.  Kanye and his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy proves he’s a premiere artist with a vision and ego.  Taylor Swift’s Speak Now blended growing introspection, song craft and tabloid media into pop culture.  Titus Andronicus’ The Monitor made a punk rock concept album using the Civil War as an allegory to modern life.

  • My songs of 2010

    Below is the track listing for my 2010 songs. By no means is it exhaustive, but I focused on the songs and albums I listened to. I also left out quite a bit of music I did listen to, notably Arcade Fire, Band of Horses and Sufjan. The ordering is only a track listing and not a ranking. Also, each track is linked to an accompanying video, preferably a live version. Without further ado:

    1. King Charles – The Brightest Lights: This guy hails from England, and phenomenal only begins to describe how cool he is. He performs this live, acapella but repeats the verse, changing certain lines as he goes.
    2. The National – Terrible Love: The National write songs that you may not like on the first listen. They start slow, contain cryptic lyrics and musically, a lot goes on. After the third listen, you’re singing along. Give this song a minute to build, and then wait as it soars.
    3. Broken Social Scene – Meet Me In the Basement: A bouncy, jangly instrumental, perhaps the perfect waltz for an indie rock ice cream man (or woman).
    4. OK Go – This Too Shall Pass: They’ve come far. Far from dancing on treadmills. I’m sure they’re wiser, too. A fun song about letting go–not too many of those.
    5. Doug Burr – I Got This Fever / O Ye Devastator: Doug Burr’s a local guy from Denton. This is a more upbeat track, folky, catchy answering some grand questions.
    6. The Morning Benders – Excuses: It sounds a bit like late-era Beach Boys with the symphonic arrangement, melody swirling and progressing beat.
    7. Beach House – Norway: This song pulses, warming a cold, winter night.
    8. Girl Talk – Triple Double: Sure, that’s some Phoenix you hear at the start, but by the end, listen for Willow Smith. Girl Talk makes songs from other songs for an instant summer party mix.
    9. Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill: Treats (Sleigh Bells’ debut) was my summer album, and in defiant protest to Katy Perry, this was my summer song. The sugary vocals and thumping percussion make for a good drive on a summer night with the windows down.
    10. Yeasayer – I Remember: In love, it’s the beginning and end you remember the most. Vividly.
    11. Vampire Weekend – Horchata: Horchata is made differently, depending on where you are.
    12. The Head and the Heart – Sounds Like Hallelujah: This Pacific Northwest band deserves to be heard with their blend of folk, rock and pop.
    13. Bruno Mars – Count On Me: The Glee kids did this as a sugary confection, but the original keeps the punch.
    14. Mumford & Sons – The Cave: Knowing Mumford & Sons is like knowing a revival, a celebration of the soul with banjos and rockin’ sing alongs. See them live if you can.
    15. Janelle Monáe – Cold War: R&B, jazz and rock get fused together into a space opera.
    16. King Charles – We didn’t start the fire: Sorry for the crappy quality, but it’s the best I could find. Now, imagine if Billy Joel did update his 80s anthem.
    17. The National – Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks: This song, performed unplugged at the Dallas show in October, had a sold out crowd standing, singing and crying.
    18. Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union: It begins with a passage from an Abe Lincoln speech and turns into something else entirely. The vocals are raw and defiant, but I think the song’s guitar noodling is epic as it climaxes to a bar room sing along.

  • My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West

    Kanye’s got the beats, the rhymes the ego and the vision to pull off an album like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy full of so many themes. From the self introspection (Monster, Lost in the World), to class (Power, Runaway), to misogyny (So Appalled, Hell of a Life) to politics (Who Will Survive in America).

    Musically, there’s an ebb and flow. Dark Fantasy, led by Nicki Minaj in a British accent, starts the album off gently. Power, throttles forcefully, followed by the spacey All of the Lights. Runaway serves as an epic track, nine minutes long, and Lost in the World combines the indie sensibilities of Bon Iver. Who Will Survive in America closes the album in a scathing indictment of political doubt.

  • Those Were the Days – Dolly Parton

    Those Were the Days by Dolly Parton is a trubute/cover album of Dolly performing other artists’ songs. At 12 tracks, all have countrified, Dolly arrangements that play well with her style toe tapping music. Me and Bobby McGee (with Kris Kristofferson), Crimson and Clover (with Tommy Jones) and Turn, Turn, Turn are stand outs.

  • Marroon 5 – Hands All Over

    Hands All Over by Maroon 5 continues the jazzy, funk, keyboard and drums driven pop about love, longing for love, hurt by love, sorry for for hurting for love and redeeming oneself for love that they do well.

    Of the stand out tracks: Misery kicks off and sets the tone–upbeat and thumping. Stutter is a doo-wop, sway your hips kind of song. Never Gonna Leave This Bed is carried by a soaring chorus. Out of Goodbyes, their collaboration with Lady Antebellum, works well as the albums tender, ballad closer.

  • Keane – Night Train

    Keane’s 31 minute EP, Night Train, is a bland assortment of mash up pop. K’naan and Tigarah guest spot (rap?) to a confusing effect. Sure, artists experiment with sounds, but you kinda have to wonder what direction, a band that built its following on piano driven anthems, the rap collaborations bring.

  • Civil Twilight – Civil Twilight

    You’ll like Civil Twilight‘s self-titled if you’re into electronic rock in the vein of Muse. It’s not as orchestral or jarring, but Civil Twilight brings the wailing, synth and driving melodies.

  • Telegraph Canyon at the Levitt – 9/17/2010

    Fort Worth’s Telegraph Canyon played Arlington for the first time at the outdoor amphitheater, Levitt Pavilion. The band played an energetic, swirling and full set with songs off their 2009 The Tide and the Current. This is a band that sounds better live with performances to match. Rich textures and instrumentation ebb, flow and build in songs like Into the Woods and Reels and Wires. Welcome to the Night becomes raw and tender and pulsating.

    This is the second time I’ve seen them and they’re there to play and rock out in their own way. Lead singer Chris Johnson interacted with the crowd a few times, but all six band members where there to play. No theatrics or showmanship. I would like to see them throw in a cover just to see what they could do with someone else’s material. By then end of the show a line had formed at their merchandise table and I could overhear conversations about how impressed they were with the band.

    Telegraph Canyon at the Levitt