There’s a tangible ghostly quality to this first EP by The Revival Hour, the latest musical project of Asthmatic Kitty artist DM Stith and The Earlies’ samples man JM Lapham.

In borrowing heavily from the 1950s and early 1960s the pair have created music the  battered spectre of James Dean would have listened to on the radio of his mashed up Porsche 550 Syder in 1955, as he fatally collided with a 1950 Ford Tutor and began his Powell and Pressburger-esque ascent to heaven.

The Revival Hour’s DM Stith (l) and JM Lapham (r)

We had an inclining  the pair would produce something remarkable with the release last year of their first single Hold Back, but this EP is a far darker beast, taking the listener right into their vintage world through Stith’s haunting voice and Lapham’s soundscapes. Opener Hypergiant has no lyrics just Stith’s voice oozing through the mire before the thudding deep bass and reverb heavy guitar of second track Pyre appears as Dean, Buddy Holly and other tragic ’50s icons ascend the heavenly stairway.

Third track Beehive sounds like an absurdly beautiful blend of Roy Orbison and The Cocteau Twins and provides the most relaxing moment on the EP before the downright frightening guitar chaos of Fire Season. Final track Altercall focuses back on Stith’s voice, this time soaring above the 1950s “shoowooodooup” backing vocals as the bloody but peaceful Dean finally reaches the pearly gates.

An uneasy listen in places, joyously uplifting in others, this EP is like nothing you will hear all year. Wholly original, it serves as a powerful teaser for their debut album, which is being released next year and is set to feature contributions from Sufjan Stevens and My Brightest Diamond among others. We made this act one of our bands to watch in 2012 for good reason and this EP has more than delivered.

9/10

by Joe Lepper

I’m going to confess that despite his fifteen year career in music,  I only discovered Asthmatic Kitty artist Denison Witmer last month when his ninth and latest CD The Ones Who Wait landed on my doormat.

Listening to the album I can see why he has been the anonymous bridesmaid but never the bride for so long. He can clearly sing well, has a keen sense of melody, just the right blend of instruments and mixing and writes considered lyrics. The problem is there are a hundred thousand  quite good versions of Witmer out there. On this evidence he will continue to struggle to  walk down the aisle of fame.

Part of the problem is that he is far too similar to Josh Rouse. I like Josh Rouse, but I’m not sure I want to listen to another one, I’m quite happy with the original.

His lack of originality does not however make this a bad album. On the contrary it’s a pleasing listen. It’s just none of the tracks or lyrics have stayed with me after several listens, which for me is a key requirement of any singer songwriters’ output.

There’s a nice west coast 70s feel in places, some nice banjo (Influence) and trumpet arrangements (Every Passing Day), but with each track I’ve thought, ‘ooh, I really fancy listening to a bit of Josh Rouse now’.

I feel a  little bad for penning this review especially as Denison is clearly highly accomplished and the subject matter of much of the album, about the death of his father from cancer and his own  fatherhood are weighty and worthy subjects.

As a reviewer though I accept that I may over time change my mind about this album. I did with Asthmatic Kitty’s Sufjan Steven’s most recent album Age of Adz, which grew on me over time. I will keep coming back to this as it is by no means a bad album, it just doesn’t have that same sparkle as many other singer songwriters CDs that drop on my doormat.

6/10

by Joe Lepper

Following on from his 2010 album Animal Feelings Rafter Roberts has  created an album formed largely from his transatlantic posting of music files  to Simon Lord (ex Simian).

Although the production is less glitzy than Animal Feelings, as his files go back and forth for Lord to add to, Roberts has once again crafted something that is fun and gives dance music an alternative edge. Or should that be gives alternative music a dance edge.

Among our highlights is ‘Wild berries’, with its hints of soul and opener ‘Mosquito’, a quirky and surprisingly downbeat party track. Another highpoint is ‘Bottom of the bottle’, especially the vocals which make this our standout track.

But there’s a little too much filler for a whole album, showing the need for Roberts to get a good editor. ‘Knots’ is pretty bland and ‘Menuhin’ goes nowhere across its one minute 30 seconds. The R n B ‘Interior Design’ just doesn’t quite work either.

Even with Lords input Eponymous still lacks that killer track that Roberts, who is signed to the Asthmatic Kitty label,  is almost capable of. Also the album gets a bit flabby in places, even if it’s good natured and a cut above the vanity project it could so easily have become.

6.5/10

by Joe Lepper

Sufjan Stevens’ latest album The Age of Adz is a radical departure from his usual softly spoken, banjo plucked albums as he takes in a range of electronics and experimental sounds.

To the pluses first and there are many. This is a major change from the likes of Illinoise and Greetings From Michigan. Both were ambitious in their structure and use of instruments, but still keenly focused on melody and with a homespun, earthy feel. Here the banjo is replaced by beeps, the guitar by clicks and whirs and the whisper by a vocoder (but that is thankfully only at the end). Change is good, artists should evolve and Stevens should be applauded for that.

Age of Adz

So many great Bob Dylan albums would never have been made if he had listened to that lad shouting “Judas” and said, “hey, man you’re right, I’m sticking to harmonicas and blowing in the wind.” Flaming Lips did the same last year with Embryonic. After three or four albums of catchy pop their experimental side, their love of prog rock was getting lost. Then came along Embryonic, a rollercoaster of rock oddity and they were a better band for it.

Another plus is that there are actually some really good songs on here. Standouts include opener ‘Futile Devices’. It’s the nearest to classic Stevens track, he whispers, the guitar plucks, but it is as if he is saying ‘this is what I used to do…now listen to this’ as the rest of the album barges its way in like Judas with a synth.

Other standouts include ‘Vesuvius’. It’s among the slower ones, piano is there but the vocals are swathed in echo and backed by drum machine. The choral element is reminiscent of the best on Michigan. It’s already one of my favourite Stevens tracks and despite the modern sound is full of old-fashioned soul.

But to to the downpoints. Too many of the other tracks lack the soul shown on ‘Vesuvius’. The experimental production, hip hop rhythms and bleeps has come at a cost to the melody in places.

Sufjan Stevens

There’s a minus in this change of direction as well. At times, like on ‘All For Myself’, the production sounds a little too much like Animal Collective, but not as good. ‘I want to be well’ is great, but not if you’ve heard Owen Pallett’s Heartland. It sounds like a straight rip off of Pallett’s use of electronica, classical music and looping.

Stevens has morphed into something that may be new for him (although my colleague reminds me that Stevens has dabbled with electronica before  on 2001′s Enjoy Your Rabbit) but not in music over the last few years. Animal Collective and Pallett have already been doing this for a while and now it is Stevens turn to be the follower rather than the leader. This leaves him vulnerable to criticism for his music for perhaps the first time.

Final negative mention goes to last track ‘Impossible Soul’. Starts off great, even though I had to double take at the 25 minute length. But by the 11^th minute as the vocoder/auto tune device came in, Stevens lost me. I had to turn it off. I’ll revisit it later, when I can get the image of Cher out of my head.

Overall Age of Adz is a mixed bag with some stunning tracks, some weaker ones and a change of direction that is welcome but not quite there yet. Age of Adz feels like the middle ground between two parts of his career, testing out new ways of making music and new influences. Knowing his previous work and sense of adventure in making music I can (almost) confidently predict that if he can stick to this evolving route the next album will be his masterpiece. For now though we will have to wait.

Review update: Despite still having reservations about much of the album, I’ve really warmed to some other tracks, especially  ‘I Walked’. Listened to it this morning (7 Oct) walking the dog at dawn across the Somerset levels and watching some swans on the river….great music meets reality moment.

‘Vesuvius’ is still my favourite and still can’t get into ‘Impossible soul’ and the title track. A bleep too far for me. I must add though that  I’m mighty impressed by the backlash this review has received from the Sufjanette army, proving that something we can all agree on is that he makes music that provokes a response and is anything but bland….I’m sticking to my guns for most of my initial thoughts but have taken  on board our readers comments and decided to up its score from a 6 to  7. Now, how often does that happen in a review?

7/10

by Joe Lepper

Like Beck on Viagra California’s Rafter Roberts, who is known simply as Rafter, is back with another slice of the sexiest blend of indie-music and R’n'B you will hear all year.

Animal Feelings, his latest album on Asthmatic Kitty, which is home to the far more serious Sufjan Stevens and Fiery Furnaces, finds Rafter with his tongue firmly in not only his cheek but in the cheeks of others as well.

Let’s not mince our words this is an album about sex.  Funny in places and blush making in others its 11 tracks are an odd mix of indie, funk and R’n'B that bizarrely works.

Opener “No fucking around” sets the saucy scene well with profanity that is just about audible within vocoder-enhanced vocals.
‘A frame’ and ‘Timeless form, formless time’, which according to Asthmatic Kitty, “is an ode to taking your best girl out on the dance floor” follow and are pretty fine R’n'B tracks that retain a sense of indie-cool.

‘Fruit’, is the first single and where the album really comes alive. While still maintaining the sexiness it sounds like the decidedly unsexy new wave legends XTC with its quirky guitar riff. It’s also, we are told by Asthmatic Kitty, about his wife Lizeth Santos (who took the above photo) and  “their courtship,” which gives it a genuine sense of being personal rather than glib.

‘Paper’ and ‘Animal Feelings’ are other standouts, but the album peters out a little towards the end and by the final track I found my mind wandering to thoughts of Prince and the lead singer in Cameo’s giant red jock strap.

While not all good, Animal Feelings is still a joyous ode to sauciness from a true musical oddity in the alternative music world.  As Nigel Tufnall says in This Is Spinal Tap, “what’s wrong with being sexy, anyway?” Indeed. Long may Rafter continue his saucy musical mission.

6.5/10

by Joe Lepper, Apr 2010

Heavy Ghost, the debut album from David Michael Stith, who releases under the name DM Stith, was one of the highlights of last year.

It showcased Stith’s sumptuous singing and musical arrangements that mark him out as one of the most innovative singer songwriters currently releasing in the US. Like an unusual cross between Sufjan Stevens, whose Asthmatic Kitty album he is signed to, and Nina Simone, he sings with real emotion and grace.

To follow up the critical success of Heavy Ghost Athmatic Kitty have released a companion piece Heavy Ghost:Appendices, featuring some demos, alternative versions, remixes and cover versions.

As a companion piece it provides plenty to delight both those that bought Heavy Ghost and those new to his work.

There’s some good alternative versions, such as the demo of ‘BMG’ and the brass version of ‘Braid of Voices’. The covers also provide an insight into how Stith develops songs, such as his take on The Ronettes’ Be My Baby, which was a strong influence on BMB.

Among the strongest tracks are the covers on Disc 1, such as his stunning take on Diane Cluck’s ‘Easy To Be Around,’ and excellent versions of David Byrne’s ‘A Soft Seduction’ and Randy Newman’s ‘Suzanne.’

The weakest moments are the remixes on Disc 2 by the likes of Rafter. These offer little new to Heavy Ghost’s tracks, but this barely matters though considering the delights across Disc 1.

7.5/10

by Joe Lepper, July 2010

The release, or rather lack of release, of Shannon Stephens self-titled debut album in 1999, shows how little music matters sometimes.

The former singer with Sufjan Stevens long defunct folk rock band Marzuki recorded the album more than a decade ago but declined to put it out. This was no artistic fit of pique though, just life getting in the way. She quite simply had better things to do than trawl around TV and radio studios to promote the darn thing.

According to her recent publicity blurb, she realised “that all this music stuff was a lot of work”.  Since then she got married, had a daughter “and did lots of hippy stuff like growing potatoes.”

The music took hold of her again in 2008 after Bonnie Prince Billy covered  ‘I’ll Be Glad’ one of the tracks from her never properly released debut.

She released her second, or is that first, album, The Breadwinner shortly after the Bonnie Prince Billy tribute and now after a decade of collecting dust in her garage her label Asthmatic Kitty has decided to finally give her debut the release it always deserved.

In many respects those buying the album will be treated to something of a lost classic. Her voice is beautiful and heartwarming, although not powerful or distinctive in a Joni Mitchell or Leslie Feist way. Perhaps the nearest comparison is with Suzanne Vega or Beth Orton in the subtlety in which emotion is conveyed.

But unlike Vega, who during her 80s heyday suffered from over production and dated keyboard and guitar sounds, the production here matches Stephens’s voice. Produced by Stephens, along with Sufjan Stevens and Matthew Heseltine (also ex Marzuki), it is largely acoustic guitar strumming and her voice. But when necessary, for a change of pace or feeling, cellos, banjos, even drums are occasionally added.

On ‘I’ll Be Glad’ and ‘Panic’ the fuller sound of added instruments works particularly well and it is no wonder that Bonnie Prince Billy adopted the former as a song to cover. It is a very Bonnie Prince Billy song.

The cello on opener ‘So Gentle Your Arms’ add real depth to the track and mirrors the sad tone in her voice. Nick Drake set the bar on such a track with ‘Cello Song,’ but this comes pretty close. ‘Panic’ with banjo and slide guitar is probably the standout track on a remarkably consistent album that sounds as fresh as it does today as it did 11 years ago.

Given the lack of an original release it is unsurprising just how few people have discovered Stephens.  But listening to this makes you wonder just how long that will continue. This re-release will undoubtedly bring her to a wider audience, if this time round she is prepared to put the work in or at least find a suitable balance between home life and work.

This is a fine album, but at the end of the day it is just a disc in a box that perhaps quite rightly comes second to being able to see the smile on her child’s face each day or doing hippy things in her garden.

8.5/10

by Joe Lepper, July 2010

Candle To Your Eyes, the third album by Canadian band Shapes and Sizes, has some great moments but is essentially a bit of a mess, mish-mashing indie-rock, Janis Joplin blues, Bristol trip-hop and early 1980s new wave with uneven results.

The album, which is released on Asthmatic Kitty, starts off excellently with ‘Tell Your Mum’. It is such a shame that the next track is so weak and the rest of the album fails to live up to this start.

Like Morcheeba or Portishead at their peak ‘Tell Your Mum’ is a striking and original mix of dub bass and radar bleeping delayed guitar. Lead vocalist Caila Thompson-Hannant’s Skye Edwards from Morcheeba-esque vocals excel here.

I’d like to have heard more of the same but instead on second track ‘Sing Them Songs’ Thomson-Hannant hands lead vocals duty to co-vocalist and guitarist Rory Seydel. While not a bad singer Seydel is far too much like many other male indie vocalists. The track is just another non descript indie number, really unimaginative.

by Joe Lepper, July 2010