Pomplamoose

They Make Me Like Lady GaGa

As I was driving around one evening, listening to All Things Considered on NPR, I unexpectedly heard the ubiquitous song, All the Single Ladies come pumping through my speakers. Except here, Feist was substituted for Beyonce… or so I thought. It was actually the infectious group Pomplamoose. This dating duo of Nataly Dawn (who has a voice, very reminiscent of Feist or Marketa Ireglova) and Jack Conte, has perfected the art of the video song, where and any sound you hear comes from them, and will appear at some point in the video. No overdubs.

Pomplamoose is interesting both in concept, and in vibe. They are fairly accomplished instrumentalists, and Nataly Dawn has a unique and soothing voice. However, it’s their DIY vibe that comes across as playful, and at times poignant, rather than any virtuoso playing ability, that makes their music so endearing.

U2 360 Pasadena Concert

Maganificent

I remember it like it was yesterday. “What music do you like?”, asked Mike Hahn, as he brushed his too long, skater hair from his face. in my mind, he was one of the coolest kids on the block, because he could do HoHos, and Judo Airs off the neighborhood launch ramp. I wanted to say something impressive, but I also didn’t really know what that was. At the time, my musical world consisted mostly of Petra, Steve Taylor, and Leon Patillo. But I had heard this really cool band recently, that I couldn’t stop listening too. It was like nothing else I had ever heard. They made me, at the ripe old age of 10, want to move to Ireland. “U2,” I replied, to which I received the cool kid stamp of approval. And thus began my life long musical love affair.

Many years later, they are still my favorite band. What I am constantly amazed at, is how good their earliest albums still sound. I listen to Boy and October, and can’t believe that they were able to produce such timeless music, at 18-19 years old. The production, from one perspective may sound dated, but from another, can sound like a lot of current music that eschews high-end studio polish, in favor of very raw, yet atmospheric qualities. They have grown, musically and lyrically, but what they did right from the start was to be as honest as possible about who they are, and what they can do. Later in their career, they have done that more tongue-in-cheek, at times, but they have always been true to themselves.

Rock and Roll is not Dead

MMJ in Concert, Berkley, CA

My Morning Jacket Concert – Berkley, CA 09/19/08

It was shaping up to be a wet, drizzly night, as people continued to pour into Berkely’s Greek Theatre open-air venue. Not even the wet weather seemed to deter this eclectic crowd of people, determined to have a good time, and see a great performance. The gentleman from Atlanta in front of me, with his teenage son, informed me that while he was in California for a bat mitzvah, he learned that MMJ was playing and left the temple early to catch the show. He had seen them in his home state and said that indeed they were one of the hottest live shows around. He was right.

As if rewarded for our faithfulness in waiting through the heavy mist, the sky opened up to a beautiful bay area night, moments before the first notes of “Evil Urges” rang out to an excited audience. No opening band was needed. Just MMJ doing a ton of music. 27 songs in all.

Evil Urges

So I have been listening to the latest album from My Morning Jacket (One of my favorite bands of late) on their My Space for a while now, and just downloaded the album from iTunes. It’s such a good album. It continues on with some of the directions that they started to follow on Z as well as adding to some of their previous sound.

When I first heard MMJ, I was a bit confused. I would hear a particular song on the local college radio station, such as Gideon, that lead me to believe that they were a jangly modern-rock outfit ala U2/Coldplay/etc. Then I would hear something from It Still Moves like Run Thru and think these guys are a total roots based guitar-band with heavy Allman Bros influence. Then I came to realize, they are all this and more. Now they have added some R&B infleunces as well.

After repeated listens and gravitating to certain standout tracks (Evil Urges, Remnants, I’m Amazed) I now keep going back to Smokin’ from Shootin. This track, like Steam Engine from It Still Moves, shows a depth that stays with you for a while. There are certain magical moments when you listen to a particular song or album, and come out just a little bit different from the experience. MMJ has the ability to create such moments.

Also, I am going to see them in concert in S.F. in September. Can’t wait!