The amount of indie rock groups in the Bay Area music scene can be overwhelming at times. For some reason there is an unbelievable amount of 20- and 30-somethings who somehow find their way to starting an indie rock band. With this in mind, I swallowed my prejudices towards the genre and gave Geographer an honest chance. Fortunately for me, Geographer is great.

Geographer delivers two wonderfully indie songs with a level of musicianship that is scarcely found in the Bay Area indie rock scene. The first track, “Can’t You Wait,” begins with a four-on-the-floor kick pattern and an unbelievably catchy guitar melody. Shortly into the song come the lyrics. A sweet, full voice begins to tell a story with an engaging personal tone. The track builds, adding cello, keys, and layers of vocals which lead up to an incredibly catchy synth line/disco beat chorus. In indie fashion the song builds up and down on this same theme returning at the end for one last disco beat chorus. “Rushing In, Rushing Out”, the second track on the single, slows down the tempo slightly but continues on the same general path laid out by the first song. A sweet synth melody leads you through another personal and powerful vocal, filled out nicely by a steady and lush cello performance.

Geographer reminds me why I, and a whole lot of other people, fell in love with bands like Broken Social Scene. Geographer celebrates the release of their full length album at Cafe Du Nord on August 17 with Cotillion and Judgement Day.

By Stamati Horiates

Born and raised in the South Bay, Montage is a rising young artist you’d better get to know soon. Currently in the midst of recording his second album, The O Album, Montage has performed in clubs throughout the Bay Area as well as at the ESPN Summer X-Games, and has made an appearance on The World Famous Wake up Show with Sway and Tech. He’s also in the process of shooting a music video for the song “Get at Me.” There’s no question this rapper’s journey has taken flight. But how has he come this far? If you ask him, he will tell you straight up: “Persistence.”

Montage, aka Phil Corbin, first developed as an artist by drawing and painting. The walls of his house are decorated with intricate portraits of revolutionary hip-hop stars like Biggie Smalls and Tupac. Although he has enjoyed producing visual art, Corbin soon turned his interests towards other avenues of expression.

Enrolling in a graphic arts college and spending many late nights spinning as a DJ was just the beginning. Before long, Montage found himself flying back and forth to LA at the drop of a hat, recording in studios and working with top professionals in the business. In one year’s time, Montage went from relative obscurity to dropping his first CD, The M Album. “We recorded something like 50 or 60 songs and narrowed it down to just ten,” said Montage. The album was released in January and has since been gaining momentum in the industry.

“It takes me outta the underground and puts me in the forefront. I have a lot of respect for underground hip-hop ‘cause that’s where we all have to start, but I wanna take this to the next level. I wanna win them [Cali Heights Records] an award,” Montage says.

From drawing to graphic arts to spinning to rapping, it appears that the sky is the limit for Montage. The O Album is set to drop in November of 2008 and promises appearances from some familiar voices including those of Linkin Park and D-12.

When asked for the most important piece of advice he can give to others pursuing their dreams, Montage answered, “Make friends and take every opportunity. I don’t care if you’re sick or tired or you have to drive six hours to record in a studio. The first time someone offers to help you and you say no, that door could be closed forever.”

GET AT IT:
-The M Album is available in record stores, on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, MySpace, and at MontageWorld.com.
-Montage formed his own independent label, Cali Heights Records, also featuring artists Punky and Alterego.
-Montage is hosting a remix competition for his upcoming record. More information is available here.

Frank Zappa once derided the American consumer by quipping that Americans experience music as an accoutrement to their lifestyles. That may be true, but –- to sidestep the obvious question of how the denizens of other nations experience their music -– thinking of music in terms of its utility and function can be a useful exercise. Some records are perfect to study to. Others provide the perfect soundtrack for a long drive, or a vigorous and sweat drenched work out, or the faux-cosmopolitanism of a dinner party with your now-balding college drinking buddies as guests, etc.

Songs from the City on the Sun by Oakland’s Boy in the Bubble seems to defy function. It is hard to imagine a situation that the record would suit perfectly. Musically interesting without fumbling too far toward the follies of overeager experimentalism, this is a solid pop record seemingly content with its lack of a place in the world. Find the perfect time and place to listen to this record, one that can be repeated by anybody, and I’ll buy you a milkshake.

While not precisely a genre-hopper, the record ricochets between the caterwauling 1950s-influenced guitar swells of “Danger,” the bratty sneering, foot stomping, and accordion whine of “When You Walk Around This City,” and the pedal-steel drenched dirge of “I Can’t Remember.” Boy in the Bubble takes a risk in appropriating such a wide range of sounds and influences, but Songs from the City on the Sun remains surprisingly consistent. The record has something pleasantly reminiscent of 1990s Brit-pop acts like Kula Shakur (though I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to the finer acts of the era such as Pulp, Stone Roses, and Blur).

Songs from the City on the Sun is at its worse when its empty-headed songwriting is privileged over its hooky musicality, and lead singer Josh Seidenfeld’s voice seems stretched beyond its limits at times. But, on the whole, it’s a pretty good pop record and worth a listen.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/20/08.

The Federalists, The Federalists. Professional-quality album art suggests this East Bay rock group means business. Indeed, after spending all of 2007 on the record, the four members look forward to extensive touring. The kicker: their grasp on classic pop is strong enough to get them noticed here and everywhere else. (self-released)

Rennick, 611-07-0681. Rennick’s sophomore record features gothic electro-pop done about as well as you’re likely to find. That’s good, because he’s going for broke: the title is his Social Security number. “The most trusting … act that any one person can ever do,” reads a note in the inside sleeve, “is to provide full exposure to all without fear.” (Rennick Music Group)

Spandex Tiger, Dumpster Love. Anyone expecting trash will get it. Late at night, looking for some pussy is the first line singer Rich Filthy growls. Really dumb, mostly fun rock is what you find in songs like “Tijuana Hand Job,” “Hemorrhoid,” and “Cock Vein,” though you’d better be drunk in a dive bar to actually appreciate them. (Hunkerdown Productions)

Xiu Xiu, Women as Lovers. Jamie Stewart’s most accessible batch of songs yet is still pretty freaky. His voice is a whisper, his melodies are ghostly, and his songs are populated with unidentifiable sounds. But by reducing his emotional distance and allowing his songcraft to mature, Stewart found what he probably always wanted: art for all of us. (Kill Rock Stars)

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/16/08.

Wayward Sway, On a Broken Machine (self-released). Sufjan Stevens, eat your heart out: These folks know how to rock a banjo the way it was meant to be rocked. Mandolin and violin, too. Wayward Sway’s bluegrass rock is refreshingly authentic, original, and full of life.

The May Fire, La Victoria EP (Rock Whores Recordings). This San Francisco group’s second EP of ‘07 — part of a plan to keep fresh product in the marketplace — is a mixed bag of six punky alt-rock tunes. Opener “Make It Right” takes the cake with a fuzzed-out pop jam straight from Weezer’s early days.

Tracy Johnson, Dreams in Cold Weather (Snowfire Records). Mega-polished pop-rock from an ex-Minnesotan. That said, it’s an impressive debut. Johnson wrote or co-wrote every song, sings like a mainstream Natalie Merchant, and actually has something to say. Single “The Good Life” is a huge hit in Turkey.

Nedelle, The Locksmith Cometh (Tangram 7s). Folk music this quiet should be extraordinarily pretty or powerful, and The Locksmith Cometh is neither. It’s just there: Nedelle’s preciously thin voice; scant guitar, violin, and keyboard accompaniments; and short, nevertheless meandering songs.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 10/31/07.

Minipop A New Hope (Take Root Records). Don’t let the name fool you: Minipop’s music can be vast. The quartet is at its best on songs like “Ask Me a Question,” where conventional pop spills over its walls like a river cresting a levee.

Elliot Randall Take the Fall (self released). Close your eyes and forget you’re near the coast — Randall’s roots, rock, and country numbers come straight from the heartland. Keep ‘em shut and never realize he’s only 25 years old.

Emily Jane White Dark Undercoat (Double Negative Records). Folk music can be haunting in the hands of White, whose sparse songs — featuring only her balanced voice over guitar or piano — are as beautiful as they are troubled, especially the reverb-drenched “Dagger.”

Pinched Nerve Mission and Highland (self released). Pinched Nerve, under house arrest for crimes related to his painkiller addiction, sing-raps over demented lo-fi beats about the ills of apartment life in the ghetto: pigeons, trash, and “Scabs and Mice.”

Project Greenfield The Spiral Path (Greenfield Records). On this sophomore disc, five guys who’ve known each other since the ’70s careen between prog-rock, world, funk, and jazz like they can’t pick a favorite. And against all odds, they totally nail it.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 10/3/07.

Unified School District, Brokedown Palace (self-released). Emcee Super Ugly’s deep, sharp voice may hit some folks too hard, but at least they can’t say he’s biting someone else’s style. Ecto One’s proficient beats are unusual, too — part retro, part progressive, all choppy — making USD an alluring anomaly on the Oakland scene.

Nyles Lannon, Pressure (Badman Recording Co.). The former Film School guitarist sticks to striking out on his own: With few exceptions, Lannon wrote, performed, and recorded all of his sophomore effort, which nonetheless maintains a full, if overstuffed, plate of experimental folk-rock.

Paper Tiger, Bright Dreams of Cold Revenge EP (self-released). This four-song debut from the fledgling SF group offers a nostalgic take on lightweight alt-rock, with straightforward melodies that linger.

Willow Willow, Willow Willow (Mod Lang). Few will deny the merits of sunny, sweet British folk — but it’s a far cry from being in vogue. As Willow Willow, childhood friends Miranda Zeiger and Jessica Vohs don’t much care, and even wrote what’s likely the world’s first weed ode containing prominent use of the harpsichord.

Desoto Reds, Bernadette and the Hundred Devils (self-released). In a region so blessed with gifted groups maintaining absurdly low profiles, it can be risky to sort the winners from the losers. Still, we’ll place our bets on Oakland’s little-known Desoto Reds, who show heaps of promise through a rare blend of cerebral pop and garage rock.

San Francisco quartet the Dont’s are on the verge of releasing the biggest album of their young career. Must be an exciting feeling. The band is barely four years old, and Inner El Camino, due January 30, is a big step forward from its 2005 debut Misc Radio Leakage. Both have been self-released, but this one streamlines and elaborates upon the experimentalism of the first while proving that the Dont’s ability to distill quirky, old-school indie rock was no fluke.

Inner El Camino is indeed an indie rock fun house. Taking stalwarts like Modest Mouse, the Fall, Can, Tortoise, and Sonic Youth, and boiling them down to their most quintissential and palatable elements, the record is simultaneously off-kilter and embracing — a weird record that’s not hard to listen to. That alone is an accomplishment, but a few moments across the album elevate it to a higher level: wild vocal melodies, sublime guitar parts, jagged rhythms, and unique bass lines that bounce through uneasy indie rock tunes like tumbleweed of pure gold.

A few tracks can be overly derivative, especially the way-too-Fall-to-be-an-accident kick-off number “Blah Blah Blah.” That doesn’t stop it from being one of the record’s high points. And lead singer Jonny Dont’s voice, whether by accident or not, sounds at time a LOT like that of Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine (what a name!). The key to this record is appreciating it for what it is and shutting down the indier-than-thou part of your brain, if you have it. If you don’t, you’re in the clear, for the Dont’s execution is flawless. Songs like “AKA Sob” and sax-laced closer “Motherfather” are all Dont’s, assuring the skeptical listener that this is not a gang of ripoff artists, but four musicians with eight great ears. They know quality music when they hear it, and they sure know how to make some of their own.

THE PLEASE DO’S
-In addition to singer Jonny Don’t, the group includes Joey Don’t on guitars, JJ Don’t on bass, and Ken Don’t on drums. Something tells us they’re not actually brothers.
-Inner El Camino was recorded on analog tape at the Tiny Telephone and SF Soundworks studios in San Francisco.
-The band has retained hundreds of hours of experimental recordings since forming in 2003. This does a lot to explain the band’s more precarious moments — they probably come from improv rather than deliberate songwriting sessions.

Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: 2/18, The Makeout Room
Recent release: Time Wrinkle, 2006

Who said young white dudes and dudettes from San Francisco can’t play real reggae? It was you, wasn’t it? Still Flyin’ aren’t rastas (nor do they pose to be), and their style is more indie-rock-meets-rocksteady-and-dub than straight-up roots, but it’s reggae nonetheless. And boy do they jam it out. So shut it!

Still Flyin’ want you to reach the same hodgepodge nirvana — that freaky-deaky higher consciousness — sought by groups like Architecture in Helsinki (buddies of the band) and Polyphonic Spree. Reggae influences come from the likes of Toots and the Maytals and U-Roy, and the rest is noise plucked from the indie rock atmosphere. Lead singer and songwriter SA Rawls‘ voice is nasal and uneven — a sometimes welcome, sometimes jarring departure from the warm, steady tones of more traditional reggae singers. A chorus of backup singers occasionally evens him out and adds some punch to the vocals.

Time Wrinkle’s sleeve names no less than 18 people who “made it to the jam” (i.e. appear on the record) and 17 “spiritual members who sadly could not join us” (ghosts, dealers, and influences?). The recording (released this past July on Oakland’s Antenna Farm Records), is Still Flyin’s debut and includes only six songs. Thus far they’ve been primarily a live entity, all about messy reggae energy and unfettered fun. But the beautiful chaos of their live show doesn’t translate to the CD as well as one might hope. Maybe before the next recording, they can take more time to work on songwriting. After all, the record’s strongest hook (the horn riff in “Coupla Smokies”) was lifted from OutKast’s reggae-liscous “Spottieottiedopaliscious” — a killer song in its own right — then slowed down and lo-fi’d just a bit.

TOTAL HAMMJAMM!
-In April, the group heads off to Europe for another tour including shows in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
-Time Wrinkle was recorded by Jason Quever of SF indie pop group Papercuts. He has also worked with Portland’s uber-sensitive Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.
-The record was also released on vinyl. Its B-side contains six dub versions of Still Flyin’ songs.
-Click here to see a cool homemade music video for “Rope Burn” at YouTube.

Let it be known: classic hip-hop is back in the Bay Area. San Francisco crew Bored Stiff has quietly resurfaced after six years on hiatus, and brought with it the aesthetics of old-school underground rap: DJs, MCs, ample scratching, salient lyrics, and chill beats. It’s all there in the group’s first three new tracks since 2001’s Ghetto Research — “Spirit of Lee,” “In the House,” and “Maturity” — released on a limited edition sampler that foretells the group’s official return in 2007.

Bored Stiff formed in 1992 or 1994, depending on who you ask, and released two EPs — Explainin’ and Timeless — in addition to the full-length Ghetto Research before disbanding. Its 12 members all became involved in other projects, many releasing albums on their own, before deciding in 2006 to give it another go. The new record is due later this year (July 10) on Oakland hip-hop label Hella Records (not to be confused with Sacramento noise-rock duo Hella), the same label that released all of the group’s earlier work.

Lately the hyphy movement has prevented most other forms of hip-hop from getting a decent foothold in the Bay Area, but Bored Stiff could be the band to take advantage of hyphy’s decline and swing the scales in the other direction. In Seattle over the past few years, the classic hip-hop sound has enjoyed a strong resurgence through the voices and beats of groups like Blue Scholars and Common Market. Could Bored Stiff help that happen here? With Del the Funky Homosapien promising a new solo record — also his first in seven years — called 11th Hour later this summer, maybe 2007 will be the year hyphy gets shut out for good.

THE 12 HIP-HOPOSTLES
-That’s right, Bored Stiff comprises 12 members. Behold the list: Equipto (Queezy), TD Camp, Big Shawn (B.I.), Dubstar (K-Dub), P-Way, Mint Rocky, White Mic, Jules, Liel, Priz, Ike, and Jo Jo (Jo Jigidy).