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JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound - Howl
Label.........................: Bloodshot
Genre.........................: Soul
StoreDate.....................: May-21-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 71.08 MB
Total Playing Time............: 43:16
Release Notes:
The back cover of Howl pictures a young black man propped against the
railing of a bridge. HeÆs clad in geek-chic Buddy Holly glasses and
ôvintageö French t-shirt for the ôThere Is a Light That Never Goes Outö
single. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets and his face is
tinged with the overly-telegraphed melancholy of someone yearning for a
level ennui that theyÆve not yet actually earned. Behind him sits a
bricked-up old factory whose graffiti proclaims loudly that
ôMEMORIES-ARE-SACREDö. The mishmash of elements are ideal iconographic
frames for JC Brooks & the Uptown SoundÆs third album. The mixture of
old and new, black and white, hip and anachronistic have all been
tensions long embedded in the bandÆs music. Having the whole thing
framed by the idea of memory, loss and sadness captures the new albumÆs
concerns with neatness thatÆs almost too perfect.
Since they first started making a name for themselves with 2009Æs Beat
of Our Own Drum, the Uptown Sound have proudly proclaimed themselves a
ôpost-punk soulö band, which is obviously a difficult line to tread.
Their second record, 2011Æs Want More saw them underplaying their indie
rock inclinations and instead paying homage to the early days of R&B by
channeling everything from Ray Charles to Motown to æ70s soul. Howl
expands their sonic palette even farther while imposing a tighter
lyrical focus, with songs mostly centered on the need for love despite
the inevitable heartbreak it invites.
The title track effectively frames the recordÆs emotional thrust. ôHowlö
is a song about, in BrooksÆ words, ôgiving love without reservation and
having it be callously discarded by a capricious recipientö. That
destruction of innocence is then explored throughout the rest of the
record, as Brooks walks us through an album-long romantic coming-of-age
story. The next song, ôMarried for a Weekö, is the tale of a spurned
lover being transformed from a doting husband to a man who ôfools around
with every stranger you knowö. Elsewhere Brooks examines the calculus
behind adult relationships noting bitterly, ôyou need security, I need
assurancesö. Howl is haunted by the tension between the undeniable power
of love and the often selfish failings that drive people in
relationships. ItÆs a truth Brooks knows all too well, declaring later
in the record that, ôIÆm controlled by your loveö before being forced to
admit that, ôyour love is never enoughö before driving the point home
by repeating ôitÆs never, never, never, never, never, never, never gonna
be enoughö. Even the longtime live favorite, ôRiverö (presented here in
a far more ornate version than the one released as the b-side on the ôI
Got Highö single) sees Brooks channeling Sam Cooke to convey the torment
of unrequited love.
Sonically, Howl is clearly an attempt to underline the fact that, though
they have the soul chops, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound is far more than
a straightforward revival act. Although thereÆs still enough their
stock-in-trade scratchy R&B sound to go around, the band, comprised of
guitarist Billy Bungeroth, drummer Kevin Marks, keyboardist Andy
Rosenstein, and bassist Ben Taylor is clearly eager to try their hand at
(slightly) more contemporary sounds as well. ThereÆs a heavy dose of new
wavy æ80s pop injected in the songs on this album, which allows TaylorÆs
bass parts in particular to shine as the group proves that its sound is
rooted far more in rhythm and groove than in any particular era of
music.
For example, the sizzling stoned guitar haze that surrounds ôControlö is
paired with an insistently danceable bassline that mark it as
unmistakably soulful despite the many layers of Pavement and Fugazi also
embedded in its DNA. The band even journeys into indie pop territory
with ôNot Aloneö, a slice of anthemic Americana that would have fit in
neatly on the last Decemberists record.
Howl closes with ôThese Thingsö, a fitting counterpoint its opening
track. An ode to hard-earned wisdom, ôThese Thingsö depicts the wounded
resilience of a man whoÆs suffered through the heartbreak and
mistreatment of the preceding ten songs and still managed to retain
enough wizened hopefulness to keep going. After enduring over five
hard-earned years as a touring band, itÆs easy to read some commentary
on the band itself into this message. Now three albums into their
career, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound have taken their lumps, paid their
dues and emerged as a band rooted equally in the wisdom of the past and
the optimism of the present.
Tracklisting
01. Howl 4:12
02. Married For A Week 3:45
03. Rouse Yourself 4:08
04. Security 4:18
05. Ordinary 3:22
06. Before You Die 3:51
07. Not Alone 3:27
08. River 3:55
09. Cold 3:00
10. Control 4:02
11. These Things 5:16
Support The Artists, Buy Their Music....
This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound - Howl
Label.........................: Bloodshot
Genre.........................: Soul
StoreDate.....................: May-21-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 71.08 MB
Total Playing Time............: 43:16
Release Notes:
The back cover of Howl pictures a young black man propped against the
railing of a bridge. Hes clad in geek-chic Buddy Holly glasses and
vintage French t-shirt for the There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
single. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets and his face is
tinged with the overly-telegraphed melancholy of someone yearning for a
level ennui that theyve not yet actually earned. Behind him sits a
bricked-up old factory whose graffiti proclaims loudly that
MEMORIES-ARE-SACRED. The mishmash of elements are ideal iconographic
frames for JC Brooks & the Uptown Sounds third album. The mixture of
old and new, black and white, hip and anachronistic have all been
tensions long embedded in the bands music. Having the whole thing
framed by the idea of memory, loss and sadness captures the new albums
concerns with neatness thats almost too perfect.
Since they first started making a name for themselves with 2009s Beat
of Our Own Drum, the Uptown Sound have proudly proclaimed themselves a
post-punk soul band, which is obviously a difficult line to tread.
Their second record, 2011s Want More saw them underplaying their indie
rock inclinations and instead paying homage to the early days of R&B by
channeling everything from Ray Charles to Motown to 70s soul. Howl
expands their sonic palette even farther while imposing a tighter
lyrical focus, with songs mostly centered on the need for love despite
the inevitable heartbreak it invites.
The title track effectively frames the records emotional thrust. Howl
is a song about, in Brooks words, giving love without reservation and
having it be callously discarded by a capricious recipient. That
destruction of innocence is then explored throughout the rest of the
record, as Brooks walks us through an album-long romantic coming-of-age
story. The next song, Married for a Week, is the tale of a spurned
lover being transformed from a doting husband to a man who fools around
with every stranger you know. Elsewhere Brooks examines the calculus
behind adult relationships noting bitterly, you need security, I need
assurances. Howl is haunted by the tension between the undeniable power
of love and the often selfish failings that drive people in
relationships. Its a truth Brooks knows all too well, declaring later
in the record that, Im controlled by your love before being forced to
admit that, your love is never enough before driving the point home
by repeating its never, never, never, never, never, never, never gonna
be enough. Even the longtime live favorite, River (presented here in
a far more ornate version than the one released as the b-side on the I
Got High single) sees Brooks channeling Sam Cooke to convey the torment
of unrequited love.
Sonically, Howl is clearly an attempt to underline the fact that, though
they have the soul chops, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound is far more than
a straightforward revival act. Although theres still enough their
stock-in-trade scratchy R&B sound to go around, the band, comprised of
guitarist Billy Bungeroth, drummer Kevin Marks, keyboardist Andy
Rosenstein, and bassist Ben Taylor is clearly eager to try their hand at
(slightly) more contemporary sounds as well. Theres a heavy dose of new
wavy 80s pop injected in the songs on this album, which allows Taylors
bass parts in particular to shine as the group proves that its sound is
rooted far more in rhythm and groove than in any particular era of
music.
For example, the sizzling stoned guitar haze that surrounds Control is
paired with an insistently danceable bassline that mark it as
unmistakably soulful despite the many layers of Pavement and Fugazi also
embedded in its DNA. The band even journeys into indie pop territory
with Not Alone, a slice of anthemic Americana that would have fit in
neatly on the last Decemberists record.
Howl closes with These Things, a fitting counterpoint its opening
track. An ode to hard-earned wisdom, These Things depicts the wounded
resilience of a man whos suffered through the heartbreak and
mistreatment of the preceding ten songs and still managed to retain
enough wizened hopefulness to keep going. After enduring over five
hard-earned years as a touring band, its easy to read some commentary
on the band itself into this message. Now three albums into their
career, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound have taken their lumps, paid their
dues and emerged as a band rooted equally in the wisdom of the past and
the optimism of the present.
Tracklisting
01. Howl 4:12
02. Married For A Week 3:45
03. Rouse Yourself 4:08
04. Security 4:18
05. Ordinary 3:22
06. Before You Die 3:51
07. Not Alone 3:27
08. River 3:55
09. Cold 3:00
10. Control 4:02
11. These Things 5:16
Support The Artists, Buy Their Music....
This NFO File was rendered by NFOmation.net
