Howe Gelb - Spiral

"There's a lot of people out there having a hard time tonight," sings Howe Gelb, offering up a song of consolation in his own distinct way. And as 2011 opened with Tucson suffering through the city's worst ever tragedy, that sort of consolation is doing all it can, filling emptiness and soothing unspeakable pain.

The song "Spiral" is itself a gorgeous piano ballad, and the understated choir from Gelb's Sno Angel sessions elevates the song out of the realm of simply music. Just as a day itself can turn in an instant into history, a song like "Spiral" moves from vinyl 7-inch single to cultural touchstone. That transcendence into unforgettable is such a rare thing for a song. On a cultural level, it's "Blowing in the Wind," or "What's Going On," or The Rising, songs and records that simply moved obstacles right out of the way, that grabbed the collar of history and tugged. And things were never the same again.

On a personal level, this version of "Spiral" is exactly that for me. Just as Amos Lee's Mission Bell and Jackson Browne's "For a Dancer" gave me strength, "Spiral" creates a space for reflection that is priceless. It's a song that right away shoved itself into the inner circle of the songs that are most important in my life.

That refrain, "Reinvent some new form of decency," can be applied to so much of what's happened since the Jan. 8 shooting that its hard to believe the song wasn't actually written and recorded in response. From the Jackson Browne / Alice Cooper benefit concert (read my preview interview) to ongoing efforts at civility and specific responses in terms of advocating for more sensible gun laws, simple DECENCY has been a guiding force.

"Spiral" originally appeared on Giant Sand's proVISIONS, which I wrote a guest post about for the excellent So Much Silence blog (coincidentally, that was the only bit of music writing I did at all during the six months I worked on the Giffords campaign).

So thanks Howe, for this performance, and thanks Fort Lowell Records for picking the right song at the right time.

DOWNLOAD:
Howe Gelb - Spiral (Sno' Angel)

Death Kit - Devadasi

The booming drums that open "Devadasi" point to yet another direction for Fort Lowell Records, taking a turn toward the dance clubs with the label's fifth release.

"Devadasi" is dance rock, with an incessant beat, surging keyboards and a keen sense of melody, similar to the sounds of the Manchester scene captured in the film 24 Hour Party People.

Sharing members with FLR mates Wet & Reckless, Death Kit has both rock grit and dance sheen, while the "I don't know a thing about you" chorus takes a bit of a turn toward the spooky.

The B-side is a remix of Death Kit's "I Can Make You Love Me" by the electronic masterminds of ...music video?, who lend some ominous, sci-fi tones. Check out the eerie video for the original.

DOWNLOAD:
Death Kit - Devadasi

Dead Western Plains - Alta

"The house I’m in is surely moving" begins the remarkable first single from Tucson's Dead Western Plains. The ever-shifting collage that is “Alta” takes on so many different hues in its five and a half minutes that it's a challenge to follow at first, certainly a rewarding one. It's a heady bit of orchestration, but marvelously executed.

The song opens with a soft organ, some whistling and background harmonies, then springs up with bass and drums and the line "Spies! Spies! Watching me sleep, sharpening teeth when my head slips beneath the sheets." From there on, it's sort of a roller coaster, where instrumental shifts abound and the lyrics turn toward life's big mysteries with lines like "Jesus won’t answer your wicked souls" and "If the heavens won’t hold you tight, the ground surely will."

The most obvious comparisons for Dead Western Plains are like-minded indie experimentalists like Animal Collective and at times - like on B-side "Gift Horse in The Mouth - Arcade Fire. But, and maybe it takes a fellow Tucsonan to hear this, there's also a certain desert airiness even in the songs' denser moments.

The band also released several remixes of "Alta," offering a glimpse at how many different musical ideas went into the debut single.

Both Young Mothers and ...music video followed their Fort Lowell Records singles with full length albums about nine months later. Perhaps a Dead Western Plains album is just a few months away?

DOWNLOAD:
Dead Western Plains - Alta

Wet & Reckless- New Guy / Tracy Shedd - Tear It Up

I go back and forth about whether it’s that playful, catchy guitar hook or the “Oooh Yeah Yeah Yeah” chorus that really kills me about “New Guy.” It’s both elements in tandem that make the song so obviously a beach tune – an energetic ball of carefree pleasure that you might as well put on repeat for a little while.

But like great pop songs since the early days, that party vibe carrying the music is used for lyrics that point in a whole different direction – in this case the fits and starts of possible new romance, even though the old flames aren’t necessarily out: “I know it looks like I’ve moved on, but I’ve needed someone else since you’ve been gone”

Wet & Reckless is basically a Los Angeles band, but it’s the Tucson roots of bassist Jessica Gelt that allow Fort Lowell Records to stretch its definition of local music just a bit.

On the B-side is an entirely different vibe, on which Tracy Shedd manages to invert the inverse that “New Guy” uses so well. Here is an almost spooky sounding song about a night out dancing. Moody and slow, “Tear It Up” breaks the mind free from the body, bringing about a slow-mo, drugged-out cinematic feel. And that mandolin… ominous and chilling, like a beast circling, closing ever so slowly on its prey.

Stream:
Wet & Reckless - New Guy / Tracy Shedd - Tear It Up

Young Mothers - Come On The Cross

FLR's first single – released on my birthday, no less – is classic indie rock, opening with an easy mix of acoustic and electric guitars and then blossoming into its catchy chorus. Zach Toporek sings with conviction and a refreshing throwback sense of passion – far more Fogerty than his emo contemporaries.

The power-pop burst of "Come On The Cross" is tempered by the B-side "Our Swords," a soft tune, with multi-layered vocals and guitars. From the front to the back, the single has a spring-autumn feel, a nice sense of completeness that's hard to accomplish in just two songs.

Looking back, the 7 inch did exactly what it’s supposed to for a band – introduced a new creative path that culminated in the full length Have Some Fun record, released in December. While neither song from the single is on Have Some Fun, the tunes functioned as teasers for what was to come.

And though the Young Mothers have largely gone their separate ways in the last few months – Toporek moving to Phoenix to pursue other projects and Jasensky’s new group Faster Than Light creating quite a bit of buzz – the band is playing Saturday, April 16 at Sky Bar as part of Club Crawl, Friday, April 22 at the Fort Lowell Records Showcase at Club Congress.

DOWNLOAD:
Young Mothers - Come On The Cross