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For a music lover, the perks of running a record label are plentiful. Discovering new artists, making a variety of connections in the industry, and – most rewardingly – the feeling of breaking out something new and worthwhile are all present if one can get a label successfully underway. In a sense, I suppose one could compare the benefits to those of forming a music publication, though it is arguable that running a label consists of a more hands-on approach. One similar aspect of both professions, though, is that is hard to succeed in either if one does not have a genuine love for music. A genuine love for an art can also result in several attempts to produce something within the field, as prolonged admiration often transforms into a stronger form of expression where the devotee seeks to try their hand at manufacturing quality within the respective artistic niche. After all, it is difficult to truly appreciate an art until discovering the obstacles involved in creating something respectable within it. That being said, it should not be at all surprising when hearing that a founder of a record label, music publication, or even a music blog has a musical background of some sort. Many of them have shifted into covering music after finding the creation of music not to their natural ability, but others may appear just as talented enough to be on the roster of a record label or featured in a music publication regardless of their affiliation.

The Chicago-based label Graveface Records is perhaps most well known for casting a variety of notable experimental rock artists like Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Appleseed Cast, and Monster Movie, though the label’s owner and sole employee, Ryan Graveface, has proven to be an inventive proprietor in his own right by adding his personal project to the mix. Since the formation of Graveface Records in 2002, he has produced and released music under the alias of Dreamend. Not surprisingly, all of Dreamend’s releases have been put out by Graveface Records. While Ryan Graveface’s intentions were always rooted in forming a successful record label that exposed inventively captivating artists, it was by no coincidence that the sound of Dreamend tends to coincide well with an emphasis on experimental-rock, shoegaze, and dream-pop that consists of the bulk of Graveface Records’ catalog. The label was clearly designed to feature this approach from the moment it was created, with Graveface’s own music providing for an enjoyable indication of the label’s stylistic direction ever since the 2002 release of a split EP consisting of tracks by Dreamend and Monster Movie, which featured Christian Savill (former guitarist of Slowdive); the split was entitled Preface. After forming relationships with many surveyors of the genre, artists like Black Moth Super Rainbow (Ryan Graveface serves as their occasional guitarist) and The Appleseed Cast began to join the team and Graveface Records was well underway.

After releasing two albums, As If by Ghosts… and Maybe We’re Making God Sad and Lonely, in 2004 and 2005, respectively, Ryan Graveface began work on his third full-length under the name of Dreamend. Like Dreamend’s previous two releases, it features a cast of well-rehearsed musicians who are specialized in the craft of experimental-rock. This time around, it includes multi-instrumentalist Toto Miranda of experimental electronica group The Octopus Project and Darren Jackson, the guitarist and vocalist for Graveface Records labelmate Kid Dakota. While Dreamend’s previous two releases focused highly on an atmospherically sprawling form of post-rock that brought forth comparisons to Explosions in the Sky, Ryan Graveface’s newest effort, The Long Forgotten Friend, proves to be Dreamend’s most stylistically eclectic yet. Each successive album by Dreamend has been seemingly more ambitious, but The Long Forgotten Friend maintains a lucid focus while still delivering experimentally unpredictable performances, melodies, and structures that captivate the listener from start to finish. One of the standouts, “If Only for a Day”, is a beautiful mixture of dream-pop, shoegaze, and post-rock that serves as my favorite on the album for its pure atmospheric bliss. Audible atmosphere is an skill that Dreamend have always proved capable of, but never before have they truly maximized their potential to fully satisfy fans. However, on “If Only for a Day” and throughout the bulk of The Long Forgotten Friend, they appear to have practically mastered this delicate art within an art.

While “If Only for a Day” stands at over six minutes with plenty of repetition, but it is so expertly crafted that not one moment represents even a slight indication of structural compromise. With a slight touch of psyche-rock minimalism due to the gradual expansion of the melodic content, the track features a repeating progression of keys and guitars that are gradually complemented by Graveface’s soothing, reverb-soaked vocals. A backing acoustical guitar plays a very hypnotic arpeggio, while an electric guitar employs a series of masterful slides at the end of each measure to signify a chordal transition in the piano’s melody. The constantly energetic spur of the percussion causes the track to feel ceaselessly active, an atypical feature of psychedelic-rock’s infusion that Dreamend pulls off exceptionally. The Grammy-nominated John Congleton, who has produced efforts by practically everyone from Modest Mouse to U2, contributes to the atmospheric brilliance of “If Only for a Day” with his production in addition to his exceptional work on “Are You Waking” and “Your Kiss”.

“Your Kiss” is an extremely fascinating example of electro-acoustic leanings, with an incorporation of crackling distortion and eerie synths over the evolving accompaniment of a folky acoustic guitar, while the persistently evolving “Are You Waking” sees Graveface’s nasally vocals appear reminiscent of Billy Corgan over an instrumental display that goes from lushly captivating to aggressively infectious. Upon first listen, it may appear as one of the simpler and instrumentally barren tracks on the album, but repeated listens will reveal intricacies in the backing instrumentation that prove wildly successful. The eruptive use of brass and the uplifting emotion in Graveface’s voice during the track’s final few minutes establishes a stellar hook, one that concludes the song with a passion and fury that could very well serve as a summation for entire album’s impressive ability to be emotionally expressive through collaborative vocal and instrumental accompaniments that boast surprises around nearly every corner. With a handful of dazzlingly executed tracks like “If Only for a Day”, “Your Kiss”, and “Are You Waking”, The Long Forgotten Friend is undoubtedly Dreamend’s best effort yet and serves as another fine addition to the frontman’s record label.

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Dreamend - If Only for a Day

Download audio file (dend-ifo.mp3)

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Dreamend - Your Kiss

Download audio file (dend-you.mp3)

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Dreamend - Are You Waking

Download audio file (dend-are.mp3)

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As I indicated less than two weeks when featuring Benji Hughes’ excellent A Love Extreme, releasing a double-disc album as a debut can be a risky venture for numerous reasons. Inaccessibility is the primary one for sure, along with a widespread assumption that the release may play by the “quantity over quality” ideology. There is no simple way to avoid these initial beliefs, apart from releasing consistent quality of course. Taking this methodical approach of releasing a debut album with over an hours’ worth of material can also prove to be a showcase of an artist’s confidence in regard to their songwriting. After all, the production cost for producing a double-album is considerably more, packaging and distribution included. If they truly intend to take this route, they must have material that they are fully committed to and feel that audiences will feel the same way. No one knows where Benji Hughes will go from here, but another example of contemporary independent songwriters who were adventurous enough to take the double-album route upon releasing their debut was Future Clouds and Radar. The Austin-based five-piece put out a self-titled debut in 2007, featuring 27 tracks of a very diverse nature. Some listeners noted the album for its successful use of stylistic variation, but the most outstanding feature that most listeners found was related to the consistency in quality that stretched over the vast selection of material.

As a veteran songwriter who had already seen a respectable share of success with Austin favorites Cotton Mather during the mid ’90s (their 1997 album, Kontiki, is highly recommended), Robert Harrison already had the credentials to attempt such a grandiose feat. Thanks mainly in part to Oasis’ Noel Gallagher’s very convincing promotion of to the adored Kontiki, the album had become very successful in the UK when it was reissued in 1998. NME basically went on to call them the next Supergrass and Cotton Mather had a few years of ample overseas recognition before the group was abolished in 2003 after releasing The Big Picture in 2001. What occurred next consisted of a series of tragic circumstances, as Harrison’s intent to continue immediately with his songwriting was put on hold after he suffered a critical spinal injury shortly after Cotton Mather’s break-up. Restrained to his bedroom, he continued writing songs as recovery loomed in the future. Always noted as a rather prolific songwriter with three albums and two EPs in the span of seven years with Cotton Mather, it was also a tendency of his to put out at least something every year whether it was a full-length or a single. To spend such a long period of time in recovery must have been devastating, but he obviously used the time wisely to release the debut for his new project, entitled Future Clouds and Radar.

Upon the release of Future Clouds and Radar’s debut, their style tended to be consistently within the realm of psychedelic-rock. While other elements in the vein of electronica, pop, and blues were also sporadically present, psychedelia was a driving force that ultimately resulted in a cross between ‘60s pop and psych-rock experimentation. Still though, whether one was a fan of the bluesy “Devil No More”, the power-pop flair of “Let Me Get Your Coat”, or the brass-led funk cover of Bob Marley’s “Wake Up and Live”, the album offered some of the most successful interpretations of stylistic variation that I had heard all year in 2007. Harrison’s full recovery is a blessing for both him and listeners alike, as he has now reverted back to his expectedly ambitious scope. Just slightly over a year after the debut’s release, he is back again with Future Clouds and Radar’s second album, Peoria. However, this time it not “he” alone who writes and stars on the tracks. Peoria happens to be a more cumulative effort, featuring four other members who provide just the right dose of contrasting perspectives to complement Harrison’s songwriting beautifully. Peoria proves to only be about half the length of its predecessor, but Harrison’s knack for stylistic variation remains undoubtedly prevalent.

As both Future Clouds and Radar’s debut and the recently released Peoria suggest, Harrison’s excellent songwriting was not effected one bit by his five years away from the music industry. If anything, he has returned with more successful ideas than ever. However, unlike the expansive array of styles presented on a track-to-track basis on their debut, Peoria offers an overall more consistent sound that is a result of several blended musical genres and techniques. There is a decreasing emphasis on psychedelia and more on power-pop, as is presented on an infectiously concise track like “Feet on Grass” where a jazzy key progression underlies a series of sweeping strings, alternating percussion, and guitar progressions that sound like they are straight out of a ‘70s spy flick. When the next track, “Mummified”, arrives, the departure is able to illustrate a stark melodic contrast within a comparable instrumental arsenal. Over a series of familiarized strings and guitar progressions, the primary addition here is in the brass that flows seamlessly over Harrison’s excellent vocals (which sound like a cross between John Lennon and Jellyfish’s Andy Sturmer). The first four minutes prove for an illustriously brilliant pop soundscape; it is easily one of the best things Harrison has ever written. The final three minutes of the track are quite fascinating as well, equating to a mixture of avant-garde jazz, psychedelia, and sample-led electronica as this epic of a track comes to a masterful conclusion.

“Feet on Grass” and “Mummified” are just two instances of the stark contrasts on Peoria, this time more melodically and structurally than stylistically. “Eighteen Months” serves as the most linear track on the album in rather enjoyable fashion, employing a series of repetitive guitar riffs over Harrison’s vocals as it sits perfectly between the epic “Mummified” and the electro-acoustic experimentations of “The Mortal”. A few other highlights include “Mortal 296”, which sounds like some Gypsy death march with its smatterings of discordant brass, and “The Epcot View”, a catchy opener in a power-pop vein that sounds strikingly similar to Lawrence Heyward and Felt with its jangly guitar progressions and quickly adjusted keyboard enhancements. Even more so than their debut, Peoria is a remarkable stylistic achievement for Future Clouds and Radar. While the few critics of their excellent debut complained about occasional periods of stylistic indecisiveness, Peoria offers up a consistent sound while still remaining to tread in different stylistic territory throughout the entirety of the release. From avant-garde jazz to cleanly infectious power-pop, it is remarkable how Harrison and co. are able to conjure up such a fascinating sound so consistently.

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Future Clouds and Radar - Feet on Grass

Download audio file (fcloud-fee.mp3)

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Future Clouds and Radar - Mummified

Download audio file (fcloud-mum.mp3)

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Future Clouds and Radar - The Epcot View

Download audio file (fcloud-epc.mp3)

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Ever since the emergence of California-based surf-rock instrumentalists like The Surfaris and Dick Dale & the Del-tones in the early ‘60s, it has become an overused practice to describe pop music originating from California by using adjectives like “summery” and “breezy”. When The Beach Boys popularized the format by adding some of the best vocal harmonies in the history of modern music, the stylistically evolving use of surf-rock had reached its pinnacle and evolved into something that was more characteristic of the era’s irresistible display of pop music. Later proving to be a trademark of popular music in America, the legacy of surf-rock continues to thrive to this day, even if such aforementioned adjectives make the genre appear much more linear than it truly is. Such lazily worded assumptions attribute to a challenge that many California-based pop songwriters face. In separating themselves from the stereotypes of surf-rock and ‘60s pop in general, stylistic desperation often becomes prevalent in attempts to diversify themselves on a critical stage. Many artists succumb to how easy it is to be too generic within a very receptive style, but others choose to capitalize on the fundamentals of traditional Californian pop music while simultaneously involving other styles that derive far from the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

At their heart, Carl Jordan’s songs recall a form of infectious simplicity that would have most fans of ‘60s pop quite enamored. His works are instantly memorable and highly melodic, two components that contemporary pop music often shuns for rampant displays of creativity that often turn out to be overwhelming and detrimental to the accessibility of a given song or album. Jordan’s California origins aside, his songs are essentially what many would envision when told of a contemporary indie-pop act from California. His vocals are smooth and tranquil, backed by a revolving array of acoustic guitars, bass, and twinkling synths. While his playing style is too lively and his instrumental arsenal is too focused on real-time rhythm sections and guitar progressions to be grouped within a vein of electronic-pop, his fusion of technology into his sounds allows his songs to flourish even more vividly. This brightly effused interpretation of electronic and acoustic pop is not the most stylistically startling or innovative in the world of contemporary pop music, but Jordan’s project, The Western States Motel, reaps most greatly from one very important aspect: the songwriting. Though his new EP, Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun, contains a mere five songs, there are enough hooks and flawlessly executed moments to compensate for a full-length album.

Not very surprisingly, Jordan apparently wrote most of his lyrics to his self-titled debut album while he overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Alternating between San Francisco, Monterey, and Santa Cruz, his musical career at that point proved to be as reliable as his residence at the tie. Passing freely between friends’ apartments, he took any sort of hospitality to heart as he continued to pursue his musical intents of releasing something under his name. This opportunity came in January of 2007, when he released The Western States Motel under Firebird Field Records. Recorded in a spare bedroom with a few cheap but sentimental items (a $15 acoustic guitar was one), Jordan used his experience from a few recording classes he took at UC Santa Cruz to construct a debut album that proved to be surprisingly memorable for someone with such low financial means. Quality music has a funny way of getting out though, regardless of how much extra cash the artist has in their back pocket. In fact, it can occasionally prove even more respectable if an artist is able to produce exposure without any extraneous expenses at all. For someone with such a DIY mentality close to their heart, Jordan’s songs contain a plethora of both melodic and instrumental alterations. Any questions regarding his skills as either a songwriter or multi-instrumentalist should immediately be put to rest upon hearing either his debut, new EP, or by attending one of his shows (which are backed by a full band, staying true to his expansive repertoire as a tactful multi-instrumentalist).

After Jordan’s original intent to make The Western States Hotel a project designed specifically for scoring local films was relinquished upon the release of his self-titled debut in 2007, he began to recognize that writing pop music was an arguably more accurate embodiment of his influences and aspirations. After all, the album proved so enjoyable that praise among peers and several publications (Spin, LA Times) prompted Jordan to begin working on a continuation to the debut. Like his debut, the process for creating Painted Birds Flying in the Orange Mirror Sun was long and required quite a bit of patience. 18 months resulted in five songs, but these five songs are definitively the best material that Jordan has put out. The excellent “Oh World” is led by an acoustical arpeggio during the verses, complemented by a sprinkling of high-pitched synths at the end of each measure. With its slick incorporation of both electroncia and acoustical pop, the chorus sits somewhere between the indie-pop flair of The Shins and the melodic amiability of Coconut Records. “So many days that just got lost in a haze,” he sings wistfully. “I should be changing my mind. I should be changing my ways.” The track treads no experimental territory, but there is no need for it either way with such brilliant usage of synthesizers and acoustic guitars.

The utterly infectious nature of “Oh World” remains synonymous with Jordan’s pop-oriented DIY intentions, as is also seen on a track like “A Moment in the Sun” where he employs a ‘60s vibe on his keyboards over automated, electro-like percussion. The chorus sees him transition to power-pop territory as a distorted guitar and synthesized strings establish yet another stellar hook on a release full of them. A fascinating instrumental snippet occurs around 01:50 for about 15 seconds, seeing two very snappy synths collide over a bustling rhythm section. This moment in particular reminded me of electronic experimentalism in the vein of Matmos’ recent Supreme Balloon, though the rest of the track and album consists of amiable pop that should be extremely likable upon first listen for many of those exposed to Jordan for the first time. Additionally, the opening “Stampede” deserves a mention for an excellent utilization of those aforementioned synthesized strings during the chorus. The track is also an excellent display of Jordan’s structural tendencies, with “Stampede” being the most varied he has released. As it transitions from a solely acoustic melody to a grandiose string-aided chorus and then back again into a series of dramatically differing melodies that consist of alternating instrumentation, I could not help but get excited about the potential of this young songwriter. Before one of his tracks appears on some esteemed teenage drama and pushes him into some well-deserved exposure, get a grasp of Carl Jordan’s songwriting prowess. You certainly will not regret it.

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The Western States Motel - Oh World

Download audio file (wstates-ohw.mp3)

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The Western States Motel - A Moment in the Sun

Download audio file (wstates-amo.mp3)

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The Western States Motel - Stampede

Download audio file (wstates-sta.mp3)

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As I currently sit on this return bus to DC within a horde of traffic, I cannot help but turn my focus toward the end of the year. This Thanksgiving weekend proved to be quite a reliever for me after a rather grueling few months, preparing me for my insanely anticipated winter break in two weeks. This year, my break coincides with the time in which I usually roll out my top 50 albums of the year. I am currently in the process of compiling the releases, re-listening to old favorites, and giving many albums that I feel deserve another listen or two a few more chances. As usual, this will be released the week prior to Christmas, with numbers 50 to 41 beginning on 12/15. I will unveil 40 more albums over the next four days and Friday will introduce the top ten albums of the year. For new readers, you can get a glimpse at this annual feature’s format by clicking to the links on the right sidebar; 2006 and 2007 were both great years in music, so you may even find something new and worthwhile in those older features. As for now, this will be the last best-of compilation of 2008. These have always provided ample indication of the best material featured on this site, so anyone looking for a potential peek into this year’s list should check out the compilation archives. The next two weeks leading up to the “Top 50 Albums of 2008” will look at several great artists that deserve some recognition before the year concludes. As usual, I hope you enjoy what this month has to offer.

01. Benji Hughes - You Stood Me Up (post)
02. Mason Proper - Point A to Point B (post)
03. The Harpeth Trace - Dead Eyes (post)
04. Piano Magic - Vacancies (post)
05. Jonquil - Whistle Low (post)
06. The British Columbians - Ain’t No Direction (post)
07. The Olympic Symphonium - Oh Dear (post)
08. Populous - Royal Gold (post)
09. Dark Dark Dark - Junk Bones (post)
10. Braids - Liver and Tan (post)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE COMPILATION>>> (45.7 MB, .RAR)