Album Review

Two Gallants
What the Toll Tells
B-

Lying on a southern back porch somewhere between Johnny Cash and Social Distortion (or Rancid and Bob Dylan, I can't decide which is more fitting) are the Two Gallants. Combining the urgent and visceral energy of Punk with the vivid storytelling of Country-Blues, Two Gallants create a hybrid of sounds as refreshing as moonshine at sunset. Folksy guitar finger picking and harmonica saddle up with Adam Stephens coarse and dusty vocals, while the other Gallant, Timothy Vogel, provides back up vocals and bare-bones percussion.
The lyrical themes remain rooted in Western Americana mythology. Familiar tales of murderous gunslingers, guilt-ridden wanderers, imprisonment, widows, and death, unwind throughout this rowdy sophomore album from the San Francisco natives.
Nostalgic and well crafted lyrics such as, “My lovin' lady she's a ball and chain. I still can travel but my speed has changed,” fill the album, but contemporary issues are also evident in lines like, “Cops and junkies hurl their sophistries. A.D.H.D. hail cacophony.”
With one foot in a saloon and another in a dingy basement club, Two Gallants either saunter along to slower Country-soaked ballads, or quickly gallop with Punk-inspired ho-downs.
Some of the songs drag along and test my patience; with most tracks running well over five minutes. But the raucous singles break over my head with the force of a beer bottle in a pool hall brawl.

I was saddened to see the "drama" surrounding their show in Houston, I hope it all works out as painless as possible for these two fantastic musicians.

Listen to:
"Las Cruces Jail" (Mandatory listening!)
"Steady Rollin'"
"Prodigal Son"

Myspace is here, website is here.

EP Review

Voxtrot
Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, & Wives
B+

Hipsters, it's OK to dance to this, I promise. I know you would prefer to simply nod along, but don't these pitch-perfect pop jams deserve more? Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, & Wives (I love that title) find Voxtrot doing essentially more of the same, with a bit more gumption.
Everything from the guitar strumming to the lyrics carry an extra air of confidence from the previous EP. Confident, but not cocky; the affable and modest aura surrounding the band helps to amplify the impact of the common human experiences explored on this album.
Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, & Wives narratives center around: escapism, getting older, and coping with a sometimes cruel and uncertain world, and of course, trouble and infatuation with women.
For some reason, I think these guys would be really cool and down to earth people one could easily converse with and share a beer. Who knows, maybe not?
Like Raised by Wolves, this infinitely catchy album gets me bouncing about and nodding my head to and fro like a ping pong ball. But the danceable nature is just a testament to the genius of the songwriting. Unlike The Rapture or The Faint, Voxtrot's M.O. isn't to forcefully command you to dance, just an impulsive reaction to the great tunes. This is anything but dance punk.
On "Rise Up In the Dirt" the keys are incessantly punished in such a way that would surely make Jerry Lee Lewis smile. "Soft and Warm" slowly builds up from a humble and simple skipping-down-the-street sound to a foot stomping, arena filling climax. They could have gone bigger, but much of their charm lies in the band's tasteful restraint. Voxtrot achieves the tricky task of sticking to what works and unabashedly baring their retro influences, without sounding boring or run-of-the-mill.
Abandoning wild experimentation in favor of irresistible melodies and time-tested arrangements, Voxtrot has created another instantly enjoyable and memorable EP. No pretentious arching themes or artsy cacophonic meanderings or profound exisistential statements; just quality, old-is-new-again Rock. If you start with one Voxtrot release, make it this one.
They have a three (wtf?) song EP entitled, Your Biggest Fan, coming out on November 2nd. Give me more Voxtrot, your crumbs can only satisfy for so long.

Listen to:
"Soft and Warm"

Myspace here, and site here.

EP Review

Voxtrot
Raised By Wolves EP
B

College rock is an overused and vague label, but it aptly describes Voxtrot's bouncy, unpretentious, and charming sound. You know that 80's dance where you wildly swing your arms and snap your fingers at the height of each swing, while kicking your legs and jerkily turning your head? Yeah, the one Claire and Andy do in The Breakfast Club. Many of Voxtrot's tracks compel me to do that dance.
Nostalgic and effortless melodies hop along with catchy mid-tempo beats. No gimmicks or strings attached, this is unapologetic and unassuming rock accentuated with gliding vocal harmonies, but heavily reliant on confident, jumpy keyboard riffs, reverberating and fuzzy- but occasionally crisp and ethereal- guitar.
Ramesh Srivastava's lyrics are insightful and poetic, but casual and understated; centering on the theme of unrequited love and the resulting frustration and bitterness of coming to terms with heartbreak, all sung in a soothing and inoffensive manner.
I read this EP was recorded over a five-year span, and it shows, although a lot less than one would expect. The energy ebbs and flows and some variations present themselves in the recordings, but the spirit remains surprisingly consistent, entirely enjoyable and accessible. Bartender, I need some Indie rock, straight up, on the rocks. Make that a double.


Listen to:
"The Start of Something"

Voxtrot's myspace is here. (profile includes a generous and well picked selection of tunes)
Their site is here.

Film Review

Little Miss Sunshine
Director: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
A-

The quirky characters would feel right at home in a Wes Anderson picture. And the dark but comical tone is reminiscent of a Todd Solondz film such as, Welcome to the Dollhouse (one of my all time personal favorites), albeit, Solondz on Prozac. This is dark comedy at its finest, delving into uncomfortable and disconcerting scenarios that resonate with truth and pain. But where Directors Solondz or Steven Soderberg insist on pushing the uneasiness with unflinching scrutiny, Dayton instead alleviates the awkward tension with deft humor just before it reaches intolerable levels.
Overall, the fractured, flawed family at the center of the story is caring, likeable and striving for goodness; which lends an innocent and good-natured charm to the optimistic but often unsettling story. The strong bond of family is a central theme to the movie and I quickly became invested in these characters whole-heartedly, rooting for them to overcome their obstacles, enjoying each triumph, and agonizing over every bump in the road.
The casting and acting is spot on: Steve Carell’s performance as Frank is nuanced and understated, taking a less-is-more approach when he could have easily gone over the top and detracted from the movie. Honestly I don’t think Carell could be unfunny if he tried. Greg Kinnear plays Richard Hoover; the earnest, naively optimistic father whose misplaced faith provokes both nervous laughter and tempered sympathy. There isn’t a weak link in the cast, each playing their quirky roles with respect and dignity, refraining from any demeaning cheap shots.
Once or twice I found the situations slightly forced and the comedy a little obvious or safe. Nevertheless, I have a hard time seeing anybody not falling in love with this film. It's an Indie flick, but watered down and sweetened up just enough to appeal to wider audiences.
DeVotchka provides the majority of the soundtrack, often collaborating with Mychael Danna. Sufjan Stevens also contributes a couple tracks, all of which work beautifully to accentuate and capture the mood of the film.
A tertiary benefit to viewing the film was it introduced me to the excellent band DeVotchka, whose 2004 release, How It Ends, is a wonderful and dramatic album, which reminds me of Sigur Rós, albeit Sigur Rós on Zoloft. (Who says I can’t use the same simile twice in one review?)

Koufax and My Lack of Integrity

The first band that made me decide I was more or less "over" Hip-Hop monopolizing my musical selection was Koufax. Back in 2002, I saw their fantastic CD, Social Life, sitting on a shelf at the local independent music store. Although I had no idea what they sounded like, I was inexplicably drawn to it, desperate for something new and purchased the CD. This then-refreshing take on Rock offered a fantastic reprieve from my beat and rhyme weary ears; and thus began my progression from interested to obsessed music aficionado. Although Social Life rarely left my CD player (remember those? ahhh, the memories) over the next couple months, I had completely forgotten about this hipster-before-hipsters band until a couple weeks ago when I heard, "Let us Know" quietly playing at a cafe in San Francisco. Then again I recognized them providing tunes on a trailer for the upcoming Sofia Coppola film, "Marie Antoinette." After scanning my rack of CD's, I was disgruntled to find Social Life AWOL and begrudgingly downloaded it from emusic. Although it sounds a bit dated and stereotypical in today's saturated market of synthesized key-laden 80's rock with a fuzzy guitar twist; the majority of its original appeal, freshness and catchiness remain intact. I give my seal of approval to Social Life, and, to a lesser extent, the 2000 release, It Had to Do With Love. At the time of release, The Strokes or The Hives may have overshadowed Koufax, but these guys hold it down and deserve a belated download or two.

Wow, I just discovered they have a 2005 release, Hard Times Are in Fashion. I have yet to hear it, but promise to remedy that soon. I know, I'm a terrible excuse for a blogger, but I don't think the five people who read this thing will look too harshly on the amateur nature of things here at Woke up Thirsty.

Unrelated Disclaimer:

After further listening and witnessing an astounding show in San Francisco (I have pictures, review, and terribly-low quality video coming soon), I'm changing The Dust of Retreat's grade to an A-: an unforgivable and taboo action in blogger land. But, I don't care I do what I want. The album gets better and better with each listen, and currently occupies the wrinkle in my brain dedicated to playing the same songs over and over again, but in a good way. See “My Humps,” (my stomach just turned sour) for an example of a bad way.

Koufax myspace is here, official band site here.

Album Review

Cold War Kids
Robbers and Cowards
B+

The first time I heard Cold War Kids was live, and they left me covered with goose bumps. During the show vocalist Matt Aveiro unleashed his soaring pipes with his face red, eyes shut tight, and his Carotid artery bulging. It almost looked painful, like he was singing for his soul. The modest crowd stood frozen with awe at this musical ambush, or maybe it was just me.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy this album. Throughout Robbers and Cowards, Bluesy rock rhythms strut, lazy bass lines coast, guitars twitch, cymbals crash, and egg shakers, well.... shake. At first I didn't take to the slower, folksy songs like "Pregnant" or "God Make Up Your Mind," but after a few spins, I was converted.
"We Used to Vacation" is flawless, I dare you to listen to this track more than three times and not sing along, although I'm still debating if I prefer the earlier, rougher-edged version. "Hang Me Up To Dry" and "Hospital Beds" are phenomenal, radio ready, soul-soaked Rock anthems. His lyrics sometimes stumble into cliché territory, but the music itself stumbles along like a drunken uncle: either bursting with energy and reckless enthusiasm or awkwardly slouched over in the corner of the sofa.
At times the melodies stutter and instruments diverge along their own tangents, only to be pulled together by Aveiro's voice that boils over with honesty, soul, and pain. I could see why many find his high-pitched wail unnerving, (it dips and rises more often than Nasdaq) but I like it, so there.
When I listen to CWK, (as the cool kids call them) I think of dingy urban sidewalks, road trips, and sticky bar floors. I think of bitterly cold breezes, overcast skies, and pawnshops. I think of Blues, beer bottles, and park benches. I think of winter skylines, overflowing ashtrays, and long walks home. I think of unrealized love, imperfect relationships, and determined wanderers. I think, damn, this is good music.

Listen to:
"We Used to Vacation"
"Hang Me Up to Dry"


Check their myspace here.
Website is here, no wait, I mean here.