A&R: The Music Submissions

Conil - Strange Part of the Country

In the 1990s, there was grunge. Seattle bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden dominated the music (and fashion, but that's for a different blog) of decade. They emerged as soulful, grating, and immediately identifiable "voices of a generation". This year the nostalgia for grunge is rapidly taking over pop culture. After a listen to the debut album from London-based singer/songwriter Conil, one can't help but recall the music styling of twenty years-ago Seattle. Called the "anti-James Blunt", it is clear that Conil is establishing himself as a gritty and emotional artist. He has a great voice, at times clear and exhibiting impressive range, still with plenty of cigarettes and coffee gruffness. The single "Stoned" has a harder, mainstream rock sound than some of his others, and also feels a little more flat all around. "Years Between" is the most melancholy of the bunch, but better exhibits the vocal skill that is really the best part of the album.

Sounds Like: The Verve Pipe
Listen To: "Years Between", "Grapevine"


Clare and The Reasons - Arrow

It is rare that something as cute as Clare and The Reasons contains as much depth and appeal. Brooklyn-based collaborators Clare and Olivier Manchon released their sophomore album, Arrow, in October. It is full of unapologetic-ally pretty songs that sound like the soundtrack to the movie of a downtown New York romance. With a sound that specifically executed it would be easy to write Arrow off as a bit of a gimmick, but that is just the very basis of its appeal. "You've Got Time" is a bit spare on the surface, a combination of Clare's hypnotic vocals, few lyrics, and an undulating synth line, but gradually opens into a deep arrangement of strings and backing vocals. "Alphabet City" is a slow reminiscence with smart lyrics and an infectious chorus. There is a cleanness to the music, a deliberateness to its execution, that makes this album feel at once personal and appealingly commercial. There is also enough interest added throughout, from surprisingly powerful bass lines to actual whistling (!) to bear repeat listens.

Sounds Like: The Cardigans in France.
Listen To: Skip nothing. Devour it all.

A&R: The Music Submissions

Here at SFCritic we have been unusually fortunate to receive some truly excellent music submissions. For most people it is not everyday that your inbox fills up with not one, but dozens of moving/fun/jaw-dropping/truly confusing albums, singles, and videos, but for us it is. And it's awesome. We know that for any musician it is both necessary and difficult to put yourself out there, to be critiqued, and it is not a job we take lightly. We would like to give as many artists the opportunity to have their work reviewed as possible, but since this is basically a one-person job, we've decided to set a few ground rules to make it easy for you to get heard, and for us to keep our limited sanity.

So it is with great excitement that we present the SFCritic Music Submission Guidelines:

• Please submit only full albums or EPs. We prefer zip files or streaming links. The better to hear you with, my dear.
• Include a large, high-quality image of your album art. At least 500 x 500 pixels please.
  
• Make sure to include a short biography of yourself/your band. Things to include: 1) Members' names and instruments, 2) geographical location, and 3) any description you can provide about your "sound."
  
• If you would like us to include download links in the article please say so and make sure to include them in your message.
  
• Just because we WANT to post about everything we receive does not mean that we WILL. Please don't cry if we skip yours.
  

A&R: The Music Submissions

Man/Miracle - The Shape of Things

There is something terribly invigorating about finding out there is an awesome band in your backyard. Man/Miracle, based in Oakland, CA, will give any Bay Area resident (present company included) that lovin' feeling. Their debut album, The Shape of Things, is a high-energy romp through familiar sounds. Remember the irreverent lyrics and global influences that blew you away the first time you listened to The Talking Heads? How about the forceful guitar, high hats, and thick-as-pudding bass that made all the guys jump into one another at your first basement punk show? Ever listen to The Cure so much, you convinced yourself only their New Wave angst could express how you truly felt inside? Those elements are all present and accounted for on the album. It has its indie rock moments that recall Vampire Weekend, but with a heavy dose of punk noise and a harder edge. What it lacks in complexity in parts, it more than makes up for in fun and weird wonderfulness.

Man/Miracle opens for Rogue Wave at Bottom of the Hill February 24, 2010 as part of the Noise Pop festival. (21+, 8pm.)

Sounds Like: The now tragically defunct Plastic Constellations out of MPLS, MN
Listen To: Hot Sprawl, Above the Salon


The Novel Ideas - The Sky is a Field!

The Novel Ideas are a band out of Newton, Mass. The Sky is a Field! is their first full-length, and is self-released (download or stream from their website). Its main focus is on vocals, a pleasant harmony of earnest, if slightly male crooning with delicate female support. They label themselves as a rock-folk outfit, which is, perhaps apt if not entirely helpful given the current slew of new releases claiming such a title. The horns, slide guitars, and violins are used sparingly, providing either drama or lightness at times which is lacking for most of the album. The lyrics clearly center around the feelings that only love (or lack thereof) can conjure, and often make the album feel more than a little emo. On "Julian Carax" the pleading vocals call to mind the misery of Dashboard Confessional. The following track "A Breath of Fresh Air," is a more energetic, hopeful track with a rhythm you might even want to dance to. The album is good enough, and certainly without a clear misstep, but for the most part the problem with The Novel Ideas is that they just aren't that novel.

Sounds Like: Dashboard meets Headlights
Listen To: Adrian Blues, A Breath of Fresh Air