Lunch of Champions

Kristi Michele’s “Bric-a-Brac”

I met Kristi Michele in person for the first time over the Christmas holiday.  I could tell by her handshake that there was something brewing beneath the surface of her skin.  A fire.

I had heard her music years ago when my sister introduced me to her mySpace page, and I was entranced.  But this was something different.  An electricity flowed from her fingernails that had nothing to do with me.  If I was Cookie Monster, my soft blue fur would have been scorched around the knuckles.  There is something brewing beneath the surface of Kristi Michele.

The planet Earth is little bit better with a Kristi Michele making music on it than it is without a Kristi Michele.  I believe that this girl is making some of the most sincere and original music in all of America right now.  I have listened to “Bric-a-Brac”, probably, 10 times so far, and each time I hear it I have one of those “ah ha” moments where my musical universe gains a little bit of clarity.

“Bric-a-Brac” is good.  It is soooo good.  It is mesmerizing and a little bit unkept – like a carefully-manicured lint roller.  It is fresh.  It is nice.  It is magic 1′s and 0′s flying out of my tiny Macbook’s computer speakers.   It is a bit lost like a fish seeking out a warm current in the Pacific Ocean.  That is, it is ambitious and directed, and when we finally get to our destination, it is every bit as magical as we had hoped it would be.

Midlake | “Courage of Others”

I just listened to the new Midlake album, “Courage of Others”, and I have to let y’all know that it is amazing.  From cover-to-cover, it is full of surprises, beautifully-haunting melodies, and spiritual dances.  Thankfully for us cheapskates, you can stream it for free on National Public Radio’s website.

Falcon Arrow | “Cryptoscience and Hard Times EP”

photo by Wade Ardery

Falcon Arrow might be your best intro to  epic instrumental music, if unfamiliar.  What two guys can produce with just a guitar and a drum set has really changed over the past ten years, and the advent of loop pedals has opened a whole new chest of drawers.  Some startlingly beautiful things have emerged.

A local duo, Falcon Arrow demonstrates precisely how well it’s done.  Dav Kemp’s drumming is the leading beat to an odyssey through landscapes laid down by Matt Reints’  bass guitar.  At times it’s minimalistic, at other times triumphant and mammoth in its sound.  Think time lapse footage of geologic shifts: mountain ranges rising up, continents drifting apart.   Yeah, it’s stuff that intoxicates, transcends, and leaves you feeling reborn when it’s over.

Falcon Arrow are playing next on January 15th at Big V’s in St. Paul, and then at the Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis on January 22nd.  If you like what you hear, tune in to Radio K’s “Now Like Photographs” every Wednesday night, 7 – 9pm, where all kinds of gems along this vein are showcased.

Adam Svec | “Rarefaction”

Adam Svec’s infectiously melodic voice might be the best thing you’ve never heard, and if you put it off much longer you could end up feeling like a chump next time someone drops his name.

Rarefaction,  Svec’s second solo release, comes timed perfectly as the bitter winter blows into Minneapolis.  If there was something with which to melt the snow drifts away, a thousand apartments singing along with him might just do the trick.

Svec himself is a kind of approachable anomaly whose intellect blends beautifully with his art.  He is currently pursuing his master’s in audiology, the study of hearing and hearing loss, while teaching biology on the side. Listening to his heart-wrought tales infused with a vocal range that very few men can pull off, I think it lucky to have a local artist with such a thorough  appreciation of sound.

In the past I have waxed rhapsodic about Svec’s talents, and if you haven’t already heard his first release Enemy Swimmer, you need to.  Immediately.  (Click the link!)   Then, go catch the CD release party for Rarefaction at the Kitty Kat Klub in Dinkytown, January 29th.      See you there.

Justin and Tomek | “I Need to EP”

"I Need to EP" cover

Sometimes there are beautiful things sitting right under my nose that I don’t notice right away.   Like butterflies and the smell of roses.

The piano-rock duo, Justin and Tomek, living just 5 hours from my apartment in Minneapolis, have succeeded in flying under my nose/radar since their first release in 2004.  No longer!

“I Need to EP” is a beautiful mix of musicianship and songwriting.  Featuring pianos, organs, guitars, basses, voices, drums, and who knows what else, the album takes a complex mixture of sounds and converts it into a heart-pleasing blend.

Only 5 songs long, the EP hangs on long enough to bring a tear to the eye before breaking into heartwrenching silence after the it’s fifth song, “World On My Shoulder”.

Listen to “I Need to EP”

Justin and Tomek on MySpace

Charlie Van Stee Trio | “Hemorrhaging Money”

The recently-released debut album by the Charlie Van Stee Trio, Hemorrhaging Money, is, quite simply, brilliant. The album has a White Stripes edge to it while also providing a subtle niceness that is reminiscent of Elliot Smith.

The album starts out with a beautiful pop song, “Only Here on the Outside”, which asks more questions than it answers, yet for some reason left me feeling like all the mysteries of the universe had been solved. Weird, I know. Just listen to it and you’ll know what I mean. Here is a snippet from the song:

Are you making this all up in your head?
Are you trapped down in the well of the end?
Are you sick? Are you tired? Are you swilled? Are you wired?
Get your head straight…

I’m only here on the outside.
I’m going to try my best to know.
You believe in something real, but I don’t really know what that means…

This band has been around for years, and the delay in releasing their first album is a testament to the busy gigging schedules of the members of the band, which consists of Living Spoon basist, Nathan Eliot, and Free Grandma drummer, Josh Kaplan.

While Hemorrhaging Money is a great listen from front to back, a couple of tracks stand out as something more-than-special. I already mentioned “Only Here on the Outside”, but my favorite track is “On the Rise Again”, a song that will speak to any musician who feels the pressures of having a girlfriend or family while trying to continue the dream of playing music. Mr. Van Stee sings:

When I’m at home I’m on the rise again.
Writing everything I see inside my head…

When I’m on the street on I’m the rise again.
Got some people to meet; got the flyers in my hand.
I think I love this band; It’s everything I have…

This will surely make me.
I want you to love this as much as I…

When I’m awake I’m on the rise again.
Don’t sleep too late; get up before ten.
Be like other men; raise a family then.

With beautiful melodies and mature lyrics, this record is definitely one of the stand-out albums of 2009.

Charlie Van Stee Trio on MySpace.