Start your weekend off with a selection of music from artists featured this week on BestNewBands.com

“Heat Wave” – Princess Pangolin

In this week’s BackStory installment, Julie Carpenter of Princess Pangolin shares the story behind “Heat Wave.”

This song started with the pizzicato violin riff…I started playing that and humming the melody. It was one of those things that just falls complete out of the aether, without a lot of “What next?” Sometimes the chords tell you exactly what to do. I also knew immediately that it needed sparkly Omnichord strums.

At first the opening verses were surreal dream imagery, chosen for the sound of the words themselves. I had just been out to Joshua Tree, and the mountains and the July heat were very much on my mind. As it progressed, a more complex theme of survival under harsh conditions emerged. I tried to play with the ideas of failure and success, and what those categories mean to humans and to animals. Survival is of course everyone’s immediate goal, but we all need so much more than that. But when our survival is threatened, suddenly the values go all askew again. I think that’s interesting.

View the rest of Princess Pangolin’s BackStory here.

“Little Accountant” and “The Glaive” – Ball of Flame Shoot Fire

Jesse Diener-Bennett reviewed the latest release, Pots and Knives, from this Brooklyn band.

Jesse wrote, “Pots and Knives’s sound world is magical. It jumps, without warning, between the surreal and the usual. It’s never easy to tell which the next moment is going to be, and every song is a surprise. In this album, it seems as if literally anything is possible. Songs often swing between loud sections with thick textures and soft, thinner sections. This back-and-forth keeps each tune feeling fresh all the way through. It references a wide variety of genres, and these references are almost always authentic in a really appealing way.

“Highlights include ‘Little Accountant,’ a bluesy tune with slightly off-kilter chord changes. Here, the arc of the song follows Tambellini’s voice perfectly. It’s an example of his storytelling at its best. Another great track is ‘Bugs in a Bag,’ a 6 minute song that feels longer due to its epic texture changes, mood shifts, and attention to minute details. Its last soft section, an exhausted string of ambience behind Tambellini crooning dreamily ‘I’m so tired…’ is an unbelievably beautiful moment.”

Read the rest of Jesse’s review here. Pots and Knives is available for free download on BoFSF’s Bandcamp page.

“Royal Flush (Video Version)” – Joe Robinson

Daniel Kohn reviewed the Australian guitarist’s 2009 album, Time Jumpin’, presumably to highlight his stint of opening shows for Kaki King next week.

Daniel wrote, “Songs such as ‘Royal Flush’ and ‘Exit To Nashville’ show that the guitar player far advanced for his years. He channels many of his heroes, including B.B. King, John Schofield and Pat Martino throughout the record, which is his third overall. The guitar player’s mix of classical and jazz guitar combined with the flair of rock n roll (think Slash on the rock side) make this record a great listen. Songs like ‘Bergeson Fries’ are easy to listen to and show off Robinson’s ability to play without going overboard by being too riff heavy.  However, the standout track is easily ‘It’s Not Easy.’ This song is where Robinson shows a lot of flair, is upbeat and really lets loose, think Rodrigo y Gabriela, and demonstrates that his talent isn’t to be underestimated. The different styles that he is able to incorporate onto this track are awesome and show a tremendous understanding the guitar is meant to be played.”

Read the rest of Daniel’s review here.

“Slave Dancer” – Raccoon Fighter

“She’s So Mad” – The London Souls

Kelly Knapp reviewed the two bands’ show at the Brooklyn Bowl earlier this week.

Kelly wrote, “Raccoon Fighter is a band in the same vein of bluesy garage rock as Detroit bands like The Greenhorns. The guitarist has a gravelly growl that serves their raw sound well; at times very reminiscent of Tom Waits. All three members sing, and the bassist put down his bass on one song to jangle a beat with a tambourine in one hand and two shakers in the other, while singing melody. These boys have a groove, and they were probably the perfect opening band for a London Souls show, since they had the energy and hype most conducive to what was yet to come.

“The London Souls … hit the floor running with their energy, and were on point from beginning to end. … These guys have garnered attention for ‘reworking and reinventing classic rock n’ roll,’ according to several press outlets, and I agree that their throwback-sounding psychedelic blues gets into your soul and makes you move your bones. Their name fits the as far as the soul part, although they are from NYC. … The London Souls had this ease about them, as if they were born to do exactly what they are doing. When I went home, I immediately had to channel some Led Zeppelin on my iPod, but only because The London Souls haven’t released their album yet. As soon as I can get my hands on that, it’ll be on repeat for some time.”

Read the rest of Kelly’s review here.

“Who Am I To Feel So Free?” – MEN

Kristina Villarini sat down with JD Samson, MEN frontman, after the band’s show at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC last week. Here’s some of their conversation:

KV: Tell me about playing at home versus elsewhere. You guys are on tour now…

JDS: It’s the mixture of additives versus something else. Sometimes this band is weird for people. The energy exchange is weird. MEN can cause people to feel things and people don’t want to be vulnerable. So, it’s challenging to make that exchange. But hometown crowds are also really weird. Sometimes I try to look into the crowd when we’re in New York, and I see this mass of people who are a part of my family. ‘Hey, that’s my ex-girlfriend.’ (Chuckles) It’s cool, but it’s staggering. We love playing small towns, or playing in places where people don’t see bands at all or bands like us. It’s cool to bring our message and our community to people.

KV: Well, does it ever get old?

JDS: Some of it does. We drive all of our things around in a van and play in dark, smoky clubs. This is our job, and I think people forget that sometimes. We have a bad day at work like everyone else sometimes. It’s a universal thing and it’s a business that we take seriously. We manage our own tours, we do our own books, etc., so there’s all of those things that are involved.

KV: What’s the ideal in this band?

JDS: Some performances are the best thing ever. I love music and I love dancing. I love loving music and I love making love to music. But, making music is work. It’s my job. I don’t know. I’m lucky to have it be both.

Read the rest of Kristina’s interview here.

“Spit It Back In My Mouth” – Kaki King

Liz Livengood caught the “guitar legend” at her Portland show, and although Kaki was feeling under the weather she still sat down with Liz for an interview.

View the rest of Liz’s entry here.