In the mood to hear some new music? Then read on to get the lowdown on some new releases by some fine local musicians who happen to have shows coming up this weekend. If you are interested in hearing some of these new tunes, head to online music sites like Bandcamp or Spotify. If you like what you hear and want to purchase some of this music, go to the artists’ websites or online stores like iTunes — or better yet, pick up their CDs at one of their shows.
“Love Songs” (Signature Sounds)
With a title like “Love Songs,” you might expect this to be a collection of saccharine-filled, “can’t live without you numbers.” But in the world of the indie folk-rock band Winterpills, things aren’t always as they appear on the surface. On the band’s seventh release, Philip Price, the songwriter of this Northampton quintet, puts his own spin on love songs by looking at all types of love from various angles. As stated in the band’s press release, this disc explores “love of the idea of love, love of unrealized love, love of the dead, love of family secrets, love of the concept of eternal return, love of ideas, and love of celebrity.” Tracks like “Freeze your Light,” which is marked by the vocal interplay of Price and Flora Reed repeatedly singing, “ I will keep the camera on you,” emphasize freezing the ones we love in photographs, while “Celia Johnson” was inspired by Price’s interest in the late British film star.
While much of the band’s earlier work had a quiet, delicate quality to it, on “Love Songs,” the band works with co-producer Justin Pizzoferrato of Sonelab Studios, who seems to have encouraged them to experiment a bit — be it the splash of distorted electric guitar that jumps in and out of the acoustic-driven tune, “The Swimmers and the Drowned,” or trumpet, piano and gritty electric guitar that run through “Bringing Down the Body Count.”
Of course, the beautiful harmonies and melodic hooks we have come to expect from Winterpills are firmly intact here, but overall this is a fuller, more textured sound from the band that only enhances Price’s always literate lyrics. “Love Songs” also marks the band’s 10th anniversary, and it is great to hear them sounding so fresh and exciting after all this time. To further mark this milestone, the band will release its debut album on vinyl in the near future.
Winterpills will hold a CD-release show tonight at 7 at the Parlor Room, 32 Masonic St. in Northampton. This will be a seated show. Authors Kelly Link and Jedediah Berry, reading from “The Family Arcana,” will open. The band will also hold another release show on Friday, March 25 at 8 p.m., and this will be a dance floor show. Mark Mulcahy will open this show. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door on both nights. Tickets are available at: www.signaturesoundspresents.com
Visit: www.winterpills.com
“Change Yer Life”
The Amherst band Bella’s Bartok earned its reputation based on the strength of its wild, exuberant, live shows. And as we know, it can be a challenge for a band to capture that kind of energy in the studio, but the six members of Bella’s Bartok have managed to pull it off on “Change Yer Life,” their new CD. The disc gets off to a strong start with “The Strigoi Waltz,” an energetic song that has lead singer Asher Putnam practically shouting over all the blaring horns. Then, there is “So Calm, Relaxed,” with its sing-a-long “la la la la” chorus and infectious melody, a song that is anything but calm and relaxing.
If you aren’t familiar with the klezmer-punk style of Bella’s Bartok, then “Change Yer Life” will provide you with a good sense of what the band’s sound is all about. And if you are already a fan, you will love this disc because it is full of songs like “The Fiddler & the Devil” and “The Walking Dead,” which you have likely heard at the band’s live shows. While listeners become totally caught up in the frenzy of the band’s concerts, when you hear them on disc, you are more apt to fully appreciate the band’s musicianship, songwriting skills and the very many styles of music — gypsy jazz, rock, pop and more — that they draw from. The group has an especially strong pop sensibility, and you hear it on the one new track, “Ramona,” an ode to a departed kitten. And then there is the seven-minute-plus opus, “Mother,” which approaches being a quiet song in the wild world of Bella’s Bartok. The band insists that nobody can sit still during one of its live shows, and I would offer up the same challenge when listening to “Change Yer Life.” And while this disc might not actually change your life, it will definitely make your day.
Bella’s Bartok will hold a CD-release show at Pearl St. in Northampton on Saturday, March 26, at 9 p.m. Rough Francis will open. This show coincides with the Jewish holiday of Purim, which traditionally involves masquerading, so this show will have a masquerade theme and fans are encouraged to wear masks of all kinds. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door. Advance tickets are available at: www.iheg.com and the Northampton box office at 76 Main St., as well as by calling 413-586-8686.
Visit: www.bellasbartok.com
“Cradle and Crow”
Austin and Elliott are Lisa Austin and Chris Elliot of Montague, and the duo’s music is rooted in folk and marked by the distinct harmonies of their two voices. Elliott is the songwriter of the group and also plays guitar, while Austin accompanies him on drums and bass. Their latest album, “Cradle and Crow,” is a collection of 13 tracks the duo describes as “songs of love gone wrong and death done right.” How can you resist a description like that?
Unlike their last release, “Truth That Hurts” from 2007, where they enlisted an outside producer and backing musicians on “Cradle and Crow,” the pair kept it simple by recording at home, utilizing spare arrangements that keeps the focus on their voices.
The disc opens with “Rocking the Cradle,” a slow burning folk song, in which the couple slowly sing in plaintive voices lines like “Mama is gone to work in the stable. Whose hand is rocking the cradle? Who’s there singing a lullaby.”
Set against a quiet guitar and simple drum beat, the song has a dark, foreboding quality to it that brings to mind the work of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. It’s a strong start to a disc that is full of dark moments. Elliott has put together an interesting collection of story songs that feature characters who have made some questionable decisions in their lives.
“Victor Kill” is a jaunty sounding folk tune that will have you singing along until you listen to the lyrics and realize that the song is about the character Victor becoming a killer. Then there is “Justice Song of the Birds,” which is about an Indian woman who embraces Christianity only to find that after she dies her spirit is not accepted in heaven.
Even with these sparse arrangements, there is a variety of moods and emotions captured in this disc, from the frantic guitar work that gives an added sense of anger to “If It Ain’t Broke, Break It” to the sense of resignation conveyed in their voices on “We Had Our Run.”
Austin also steps out on her own with the lovely “Drowning Song,” the one composition she wrote and performs solo. It’s been a while since Austin and Elliott have released a recording, and with this collection of edgy folk music, the couple is clearly back and in fine form.
Austin and Elliott will be part of the All COOPed up concert taking place at the Great Falls Discovery Center at 2 Avenue A in Turners Falls on Saturday, March 26 at 7 p.m. The show will feature performances by musicians from the Franklin County COOP concerts including Katie Clarke, Sheryl Stanton, Bruce Colegrove, Sue Kranz, Pat and Tex LaMountain, Daniel Hales and The Frost Heaves, Roland Lapierre, Russ Thomas, Small Change, Charlie Conant, Jim Egan, Sue Kranz and Ben Tousley, Joe Graveline and Michael Nix. There is a suggested donation of $5-$10 to benefit the the Franklin County Musicians Co-op and COOP Concerts.
www.austinandelliott.com