MySpace Playlist: 9/6/09

1. "The Fall Fashions", The Deathray Davies
   Easily my favorite of all the songs in the DRD catalog, and now that the band has an actual trombone player, the live version comes closer to sounding like the version on The Kick and the Snare. I suspect this is one of the songs the band will be playing tonight at The Old Monk. I was disappointed that the turnout to their last show was not as overwhelming as I would have expected. After over a year sans Deathray Davies shows, you'd think Sons of Hermann Hall would have been packed. Hopefully there'll be a good crowd at tonight's show. Did I mention there's no cover, and $2 PBR's?


2. "Same Old, Same Old", Hello Lover
   If you didn't go to Lakewood Bar & Grill Friday night, you missed a wonderful performance by this band. It was actually a wonderful lineup overall, and I plan on discussing the performance by opening act Luna Matto in greater detail later this week. In the meantime, let me focus on Hello Lover. The band takes elements of early new wave material (the band even covers New Order's "Ceremony") but infuses the style with a hard rocking style that reminds me of early Iggy Pop. Also, the band's drummer, Joe Hardy, is one of my current favorite drummers in Dallas. And the song "Same Old, Same Old" is anything but what the title suggests: it is a fresh and energetic take on the new wave sound that begs for repeated listens.


3. "Luckier Man", John Lefler
   Mr. Lefler seems to be poised to be one of the reigning kings of pop music in the metroplex. This particular track in slower and less over the top in its pop nature, but the arrangements in the song are nothing less than gorgeous. My friend Amy ranks this as her favorite song, and while "Lucy" is still my number one, this track is growing on me quickly.


4. "Tell Me", Young Indian Outlaw
   This is a fairly young band, and the majority of their material lies within a White Stripes/Jet/Hives vein. This particular track, however, comes off more like a slower, more alt-country version of early Kings of Leon. Frankly, I think this is their most interesting track, and although I like all of the material I've heard by Young Indian Outlaw, I'd love to see the band further mine this particular musical vein.


5. "Horses", Somebody's Darling
   This Saturday night marks the CD release of the band's first full-length effort, released on Shiner Records. The CD release show will be held at the Granada Theater, and everyone who attends the event shall receive a copy of the new CD. "Horses" is the first single off the album, and it is classic Somebody's Darling, complete with their trademark southern sound and Amber Farris' passionate vocals.


6. "Crazy Bullshit Detector", Bad Sports
   It's harder for me to find punk bands that I like. For a long time, the list consisted solely of Spector 45. After seeing Bad Sports perform at the Dallas Observer Awards ceremony, I instantly became a fan of this band. I was hoping that "All The Time" would be available on their MySpace page, but this song works well too. Plus, it has a far more memorable title.


7. "In This Life", Rahim Quazi
   For as much as I love the music of Rahim Quazi, I seem to have this incredible knack for missing his shows lately. If I didn't book him for one of my Lakewood Bar & Grill shows this summer, I would have missed out on seeing him play this year altogether. He's written some new material which shows great promise, and he'll probably be playing it this Saturday night at Veritas Wine Bar, off of Henderson Avenue. I'm going to try and break my unlucky streak here and see my second Rahim show of the year.


8. "Pushing Strings", Macon Greyson
   Macon Greyson is a band that understands the rough economic times we are in. At their shows, the band takes the "pay what you can afford" approach when selling their most recent full length CD, 20th Century Accidents. Now the guys in Macon Greyson have posted their new EP, This Machine Kills Hypocrisy, as a free download on their website. Frankly, I'd be willing to pay the standard $5 for an EP of this quality, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Macon Greyson lowered the price of their music to nothing, all the while maintaining the same level of strong alt-country tunes as they've always created. We may be in a financial recession, but at least their songs help avoid sinking into a musical depression.


9. "You Every Time", Emmeline
   Sometimes less is more. This track consists only of Emmeline's beautiful voice, great piano playing, and a story of a woman with a broken heart. If any more was added to the track, it would only take away from the simple beauty of this song. You can hear her play this and other songs each Wednesay for the rest of this month at Lakewood Bar & Grill.


10. "Whiskey Talkin'", Boys Named Sue
    There will be plenty of whiskey talking, shiner bocking, and other forms of drinking this Friday night at Sons of Hermann Hall, as the Boys Named Sue celebrate the release of their follow up to The Hits: Volume One. The new CD is called The Hits: Volume Sue. Original, huh? Musically, however, the band is branching out, experimenting with elements of hip-hop and electronica in their sound, while lyrically the band ponders the deeper meaning of life as well as their own mortality. NOT!!! Boys Named Sue obviously subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, and as a result, the album is filled with their trademark country party music filled with plenty of alcohol references. While BNS aren't breaking new musical territory, they're having a whole lot of fun doing what they've always done.