I was recently turned on to Rubber Clown Car, a three-man band hailing from Illinois. Undeniably, one of the best band names ever! Making the music are Dirk Prysby (guitar, lead vocals), Fred Beasley (drums, backing vocals, guitar) and Tony Pantalones (bass, keyboards and everything else).
Their quirky sound is an entertaining mashup of punk, grunge and 60s pop/rock, sort of a Guided By Voices meets The Kinks meets Barenaked Ladies. But don’t let the fun, catchy melodies and deft guitar riffs fool you into thinking their music is as whimsical as their name. Many of their songs have deeper meanings, laying bare the sometimes harsh realities of life, love and relationships.
One of the first songs the band wrote was “Home in the Suburbs,” featured on their debut album Make the Noise. Band frontman Dirk Prysby stated the song was “about my parent’s dream of the suburbs and how it would solve all our problems (it didn’t).” The song’s powerful, thought-provoking lyrics are incredibly honest from beginning to end: “Darling, look at the flowers. Just 30 more years, and all of this will be ours. Worked so hard to build our future, you spend so much time all alone. But now we spend so much time together, when the kids put us away in a retirement home.”
Rubber Clown Car’s latest album Let’s Pretend is a collection of 14 songs that really showcase the band’s wide stylistic range, from the introspective acoustic track “Vampire Polo Hats,” the hard-hitting “Send the Kids to War,” to the funky, danceable “Go, Go Girl.” I love the lyrics “Daddy’s little princess never does nothing wrong. Behind the wheel she’s everything she’s not.”
You know those times when you first hear a song and are hit by a blast of adrenalin that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up? Well, that’s what I felt after clicking on a link to a Tweet by the Miami-based indie rock band SunGhosts, which led me to a video of them performing their song “Indecision Incision.” Immediately, I was blown away by their electrifying energy and lead singer Nik Balsiero’s fierce vocals. These guys rip their guitars to shreds, clearly having fun in the process.
The charismatic four-man band includes Nik Balsiero (lead guitar,vocals), Jared Steingold (bass), Arminio Rivero (guitar, backing vocals) and Luis Estopinan (drums, backing vocals). As the band states on their website http://sunghosts.com/, they play “the best surf rock sock hop punk rock your ears can taste! Serving up hot and fresh vibes of aggressive positivity. Listening to SunGhosts you have no choice but to be happy!” All true, and I couldn’t have stated it any better myself.
Take a listen to “Indecision Incision” and I promise you’ll be hitting the repeat button. Be sure to turn up the volume!
SunGhosts have a huge following in South Florida, but are gaining fans worldwide through their infectious and eclectic surf/punk/rock sound, not to mention artistic generosity. They recently made a highly entertaining video of their song “Til the City Goes Under” to help promote the Miami music scene and other area artists.
Support these guys and follow them on Twitter and facebook, and listen to their music on Spotify & YouTube, or purchase on iTunes.
1. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
2. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
3. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
4. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
5. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
6. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
7. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
8. UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Elle King
9. PRETTY PIMPIN – Kurt Vile
10. BAD REPUTATION – Adelitas Way
11. 10,000 EMERALD POOLS – BØRNS
12. COLOR – Finish Ticket
13. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
14. TRIP SWITCH – Nothing But Thieves
15. REAPERS – Muse
16. LOVE YOURSELF – Justin Bieber
17. ALONE – Sun Arcana
18. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG – Adele
19. MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES – FOALS
20. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company
Sometimes you come across a band whose sound is so unique that you just have to sit up and take notice. The Infinite Eights is such a band. Hailing from Tampa, Florida, the amazingly talented three-member alternative/indie rock band consists of lead vocalist Parker Wilkson (who also plays lead guitar and keyboards), bass guitarist Davin Norman, and drummer Tyler Hanks. What makes their gorgeous, richly textured music even more remarkable is their young ages; as of April 2016, Parker and Tyler are still high school seniors, while Davin is in college at the University of Tampa. The guys have a maturity well beyond their years, and their kindness and humility are very refreshing.
The Infinite Eights has been playing together for a while and, despite their youth, have already racked up quite a few accomplishments. According to their bio on Soundcloud, they won Crowbar’s annual Battle of the Bands in 2014. Shortly after, the band was the opening act for Aaron Carter, for the Tampa concert of his tour. In May 2015, they opened for Brian Bell’s (of Weezer) band The Relationship, as well as Gringo Star. Other recent engagements in the Tampa Bay area have included performances at Raymond James Stadium, WMNF Radio, Fox 13 News, ABC Action News, Tropical Heatwave Festival, Gasparilla Music Festival, The Orpheum, Orbit 19 and Market on 7th.
In December 2015, the band released their first EP Unfound, a collection of six beautiful tracks that deal with the eternal subjects of love, loss and troubled relationships. The lyrics were all written by Parker, with the music a more collaborative effort. In describing their songs, Tyler stated “I want to spread love with our music. Our music is very emotional and has a good message that I want a lot of people to hear.” Parker added “When people write us online and tell us our song moved something in them, I can’t even describe how much that means to me and the group. It’s the best feeling in the world to know that your music is moving people.”
I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly awesome The Infinite Eights’ music is, even better than that of many seasoned bands with years of experience. At their young age, these guys are already gifted musicians. Their majestic, sweeping sound at times reminds me of Coldplay (one of my all-time favorite bands, I might add), with delicate but formidable piano and keyboards, mesmerizing guitar and strong, though not overwhelming, percussion. Parker’s ethereal, heartfelt vocals perfectly complement the beauty of their music. In addition to Coldplay, the band says their sound is influenced by some of their favorite artists such as U2, New Order, The Smiths, Tears For Fears, The Cure, Muse and One Republic, among others, which explains why their music is so magnificent.
Here are three songs from Unfound that showcase the band’s exceptional talents:
1. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
2. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
3. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
4. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
5. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
6. PRETTY PIMPIN – Kurt Vile
7. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
8. UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Elle King
9. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
10. TRIP SWITCH – Nothing But Thieves
11. BAD REPUTATION – Adelita’s Way
12. 10,000 EMERALD POOLS – BØRNS
13. COLOR – Finish Ticket
14. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
15. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG – Adele
16. LOVE YOURSELF – Justin Bieber
17. REAPERS – Muse
18. ALONE – Sun Arcana
19. MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES – Foals (22nd wk on chart)
20. STRESSED OUT – twenty øne piløts (30th wk on chart)
twenty øne piløts are back in the #1 spot with “Ride.” There are so many great songs out now that I’m expanding my weekly list to 20 songs.
1. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
2. PRETTY PIMPIN – Kurt Vile
3. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
4. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
5. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
6. TRIP SWITCH – Nothing But Thieves
7. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
8. UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Elle King
9. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun
10. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG – Adele
11. OPHELIA – The Lumineers
12. MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES – Foals
13. BAD REPUTATION – Adelita’s Way
14. 10,000 EMERALD POOLS – B∅RNS
15. STRESSED OUT – twenty øne piløts
16. COLOR – Finish Ticket
17. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975
18. LOVE YOURSELF – Justin Bieber
19. REAPERS – Muse
20. ALONE – Sun Arcana
An article featured on the website Music Think Tank discusses how online music streaming is actually resulting in increased revenue to the recording industry in the U.S. in recent years. More consumers are now embracing online streaming, while physical sales of recorded music continue to sharply decline. Interestingly, sales of vinyl albums have increased significantly in recent years as vinyl has enjoyed a resurgence, however, it represents a tiny fraction of all music sales.
This live performance of “Where the Streets Have No Name” by Muse and The Edge from U2 at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010 is positively electrifying. Their combined energy and charisma is so palpable, and drives the audience to a near frenzy.
1. PRETTY PIMPIN – Kurt Vile
2. TRIP SWITCH – Nothing But Thieves
3. RIDE – twenty øne piløts
4. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas
5. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow
6. MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES – Foals
7. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham
8. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed
9. UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Elle King
10. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG – Adele
Let me say up front that I was not previously familiar with the St. Louis hip hop fusion band iLLPHONiCS, despite having lived in that city from 1995 to 2011. With that in mind, I was blown away the instant I listened to their new album “Gone With The Trends,” the fifth released by iLLPHONiCS in the past 10 years. This band is amazing! Their highly infectious music incorporates elements of hip hop, R&B, soul, pop, jazz and funk, with lush, stylish instrumentals and harmonic choruses that call to mind Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang. That explains why I like them so much.
Band members include lead singer/emcee Larry Morris, Keith Moore (keyboards), Kevin Koehler (lead guitar), Simon Chervitz (bass), Chaz Brew (drums) and Lena Charlie (vocals). In an interview with Tracy Heck for the website AXS, Morris explained that the album title was conceived in response to society’s preoccupation with today’s social media trends, “with everything trending and short attention spans and no longevity.” He added that what distinguishes iLLPHONiCS from other bands who have come and gone is their ability to stay true to themselves. “This album was us saying to the world that we’re going to continue to go against the trends” and “keep being consistent in the way we know how. We’re taking it back to a time where playing musical instruments was the thing. This is hip-hop before the sampler and the drum machine. It’s going back to when funk was really at its height and hip-hop was starting to come alive.”
“Gone With The Trends” skillfully employs transitional interludes to connect some of the songs in a manner similar to the groundbreaking album Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. The opening track is a recording of a man buying the album at Vintage Vinyl, the landmark record store in University City, a St. Louis suburb which happens to be the home town of iLLPHONiCS. (I personally spent many hours perusing the store’s extensive collection of vinyl and CD recordings of every conceivable genre of music.) When he unwraps the CD and places it into his car CD player, the first song “Everything (Jammin’ For You)” begins.
This awesome, upbeat jazzy track introduces the band as if performing at a sophisticated nightclub. It features Morris as emcee and Lena Charlie on vocals, with gorgeous, soaring horns played by DJ Nune aka Lamar Harris. The song’s arrangement is perfection, with beautiful, tinkling piano, gentle percussion and smooth guitar. It ends with a phone call interlude, then immediately segues into the funky, guitar-infused hip hop track “She,” which channels Kool & the Gang in style, arrangement and the harmonizing chorus. These two are my favorite songs on the album.
The first single released from the album is “What D’Ya Like,” an energetic, funked-up and incredibly catchy hip hop track that also features the smooth, sultry vocals of Lena Charlie.
The song “96 to 99” is an ode to the early days of hip hop and the strong influence it had on the band members. “Hip hop, man, just where do I start? At 11 years of age, you infiltrated my heart. I knew my career path, I had to be an emcee.” The song’s jazzy textures, funky basslines and rippling horns of DJ Nune aka Lamar Harris, not to mention the smooth vocals of Lena Charlie, make it one of the standouts on the album.
The R&B infused “Take You High” opens with smooth synthesized chords, and features the incredible harmonic vocals that are iLLPHONiCS’ hallmark. Lena Charlie vocalizes on the bluesy “Han Purple,” and the band amps up the beat on “Liquid Spaceships,” a great, lively track with delightfully funky guitar riffs and rapid-fire rapping.
“Sweet Missouri” – pronounced “misery” – is a dramatic, somewhat unsettling song about the struggles of being a middle child. It has a hard rock vibe with crushing hip hop beats, distorted guitar and a barrage of rapping and Kristeen Young’s eerie, high-pitched vocals.
The most provocative tracks on the album are “8/9/14” and “The Brown Frequency.” “8/9/14” is an audio compilation of news reports on the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, used with great dramatic effect to introduce “The Brown Frequency.” The song is a protest anthem that addresses the recent spate of police shootings of unarmed Black men, and the Black Lives Matter movement that grew from years of grievances. The song’s refrain “What do you do when you’re sick and tired of bein’ abused? Fight back!” is an emotionally charged call to action.
The album closes with the title song “Gone With The Trends,” a bluesy hip hop tune that addresses the subject of the album itself – “People going crazy trying to keep up with their friends, everybody, everybody goin’ with the trends.”
This is a great, solid album, especially for those who prefer their hip hop fused with R&B, funk, jazz and rock. Show The iLLPHONiCS some love by following them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe to their YouTube channel, and stream their music on Spotify and Soundcloud. Purchase it on Bandcamp, iTunes and other sites offering music for purchase.
