A&R: The Music Submissions

Part of what we do here at SFCritic, for the music submissions at least, is to compare new and/or obscure artists to those you are more likely to have listened to once or twice. This time around, the comparisons were called out so prominently in their submissions that we felt compelled to let you know right off the bat. So, without further adieu, here are this weeks entries.


"The South African Bowie"

Ashton Nyte - The Valley
This could also be considered our World Cup-themed A&R submission. Nyte, an indie rocker with enough morose tracks to make an early 80s Morrisey fan draw their curtains and cry, hails from Johannesburg. Something of a sensation, apparently, on his home turf, The Valley formally debuts on our shores on June 15. The title track "Jennifer" has lovely, if not complex, instrumentals, but the vocals sound pretty much exactly like "China Girl" and boy is it distracting! On other tracks, such as the echo-filled "Window" or the slightly undone and sexy "Sick of This", the album appears a bit more original and less like a carbon copy from post-punk's golden years. Unfortunately, the overwhelmingly darkness, as well as it's lack of variety in style and rhythm, makes it hard for any one track to jump out as a particular, and to imagine anyone but the most ardent fan, making it through the whole thing. Does he sound like Bowie? Yes. Does he exhibit any other Bowie-like characteristics? Nope. Not a one.

Listen to: Jennifer, Murder Me



Sounds Like: "An Afro-Funk O.A.R"

Frank Viele and The Manhattan Project - Neon Lights
Now, my personal feelings regarding O.A.R. aside, I was highly skeptical when this came into my inbox. While young white men with a little jazz or soul influence have done exceedingly well in the music industry (John Mayer? Dave Matthews? Jason Mraz, anyone?), one has to wonder if ANYONE backed by an extremely talented, diverse band, could be a hit? Personally, I'm going with no. And Frank Viele seems to support my theory. Afro-Funk this is not. However, his husky voice and both the musical strength of the band and their skilled arrangement makes the album come alive, and makes it worth listening to. The title track "Neon Lights" is a sort of sweeping, Western-influenced epic. It draws you in, stops just short of taking itself too seriously, and doesn't draw on too long. The sax-heavy "Right in Front of Me" starts out syrupy, but opens up into a pleasant little light jazz love song. The band is currently touring extensively on the East Coast supporting the Wailers, but anyone who is a fan of the artists mentioned above would do themselves a favor to make a point to seek out Viele and crew. It's a fresh and frankly higher-quality take on the phenomenon.

Listen To: Neon Lights, Bein' Lonely Together

A&R: The Music Submissions

The Black Rabbits - The Black Rabbits EP

The Black Rabbits are a high-energy rock outfit from Ashville, North Carolina. Their debut EP is full of the type of catchy, pop-rock music that is so universal, it sounds familiar even the first go-round. While that might sound like a slight, it sure isn't! Making that type of thing sound fresh and likable, which The Black Rabbits manage to do on each of their five tracks, is no simple feat. There are a few reasons it works, one of which is simplicity. In the same way that The Beatle's early music is characterized by short, flawlessly produced catchy rock and roll beats, so too is The Black Rabbits. Now, they don't sound like The Beatles, but that's the idea. Nothing too grandiose, no conceptual checks written that this 4 piece can't cash. Vocalist Jetson Black has an appealing sound, unique but not polarizing, which is best characterized on the EP's only slow jam, "Painter, Poet, Prophet, Priest". Otherwise, it's the least memorable of the lot. Luckily, there are four other peppy pop-rock tracks to love.

Sounds Like: A cheerier Eve 6 or Harvey Danger dragged through the early '60s
Listen To: For Way Too Long Now, Emotion



Grand Canyon - The Hits

One theme of the many music submissions to SFCritic (yep, there are many! And yes, there are some themes!) is "non-traditional" releases. It seems popular in this day and age to not only forgo the more traditional record label route, but to do away with tradition all together. Grand Canyon, out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has done just that. Billing themselves as an "indie/alternative/punk/country/whatever band," they released their debut album "The Hits" (ironic?) on cassette tape (what ARE those, right?!). Well, they sold through all 50 of those right quick, but thankfully the album is also available for digital download, free, on their website. Now, creative marketing ways aside (or gimmick, for all the haters out there). On first listen, it's an interesting album! There are horns and harmonies. It has a solid Western feel, vaguely reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Songs like soaring, vaguely hobo-lament "Hole in My Shoe" beg to be heard in a smoky bar clutching a cold beer. However, there is nothing to be gained from the album's length. The sound is neither distinct, complex, nor broad enough to bother listening to more than a few tracks, enjoying them, and moving on.

Sounds Like: The Hold Steady's less lyrically-gifted cousin from the Southwest.
Listen To: From the Westside, Demons

The Black Keys' "Brothers" Album Review

By Rip Empson


From where I sit, The Black Keys long ago cemented their legacy as the Greatest Band to Come Out of Akron, Ohio Since Devo. Now, admittedly, the competition for this illustrious distinction isn’t exactly fierce, but following-up on the huge success of 2008’s Attack and Release, their hazy, psychedelic collaboration with Danger Mouse, on top of a critically acclaimed foray into hip hop last year with Blakrock, which attracted the likes of RZA, Mos Def, and Ludacris … ? Easier said than done.

This being the case, I was anxious to see (along with perhaps a few other Black Keys fans) if Brothers – which released May 18 – would be another step away from the gritty, blues-fried sound that made them my special band. Luckily, my concerns were unfounded. What’s so cool about Brothers is that, being the Keys’ sixth album, it demonstrates a maturity that should now come with being produced by The Best Thing From Akron Besides LeBron; the album manages to both pay tribute to the band’s Delta influences as well as build upon their experiments in other genres.

While a little errant pop does shine through, Brothers nevertheless confirms that The Black Keys will remain the torch-bearers of badass contemporary blues – always just a little weirder and muddier than their counterparts, The White Stripes. Fittingly, the album kicks off with the rolling, catchy “Everlasting Light,” which features guitarist Dan Auerbach singing in distortion-soaked falsetto, punctuated by doo-wop back-up singers and revolving glam guitar that would make Marc Bolan (of the great T Rex) proud as a weird, British peacock.

From there on out (with one or two exceptions), Brothers is permeated with the retro, swampy feel of 70’s-era Chess B-sides – or more accurately – the Muscle Shoal sound. To record their newest effort, Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney headed down to an obscure town in northwestern Alabama to record at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, once an underground mecca for R & B and rock artists, seeing the likes of Aretha, The Stones, Wilson Pickett, and Paul Simon, pass through its doors.

If Brothers is any indication -- Muscle Shoal has some good voodoo. Sure, the album sounds slick in places, and Danger Mouse returns for collaboration on the cinematic pop anthem “Tighten Up” and, yes, there’s some whistling. But, the hazy and heavy Black Keys are back. “Black Mud” and “The Go Getter” will have you thinking you’re doing heroin with Robert Plant and Albert King.



So, for any of you Black Keys blues purists out there, don’t worry – the chewy bump of “Howlin’ For You” (along with the album cover’s homage to Howlin’ Wolf’s 1969 “The Howlin’ Wolf Album”) and “Ten Cent Pistol” will leave plenty of grit in your teeth – and assure you that there’s enough blues to go around.

With Brothers, it’s clear that Auerbach and Carney have been soaking up plenty of Curtis Mayfield and classic soul – and that they’re trying to teach old sounds new tricks. With great singing by Auerbach and the best drumming by Carney yet, I think it’s working. But, then again, I’m just a janitor.

11.5 out of a 13 possible carrots … or a “B+” if you wanna be a dick about it.