Cougar Microbes

 The musical superduo Ashtar Command, composed of Chris Holmes (Sir Paul McCartney‘s go to DJ) and Brian Liesegang (Founding member of Filter) first showed up on our radar with a track on the PS3 game ‘Red Dead Redemption‘. Their debut album ‘American Sunshine‘ was an unexpected and delightful revelation.

Chief Cougar Microbes collaborator Kyle hailed it as an “incredible masterpiece that should be known collectively throughout the web as the most underrated album of 2011 .

 The album is slightly conceptual, non-surprisingly themed around an “American Sunshine” indie-super-collabo-album idea.  Which basically means they have everyone from Har Mar Superstar, Rachel Yamagata and Alex Ebert, to Joshua Radin and Z. Berg doing their thing.

However it never feels that these artists were just added in ‘just because’.  There is no gimmick here, its pure music.  The tracks combine a range of haunting algorithmic synth-outs to indie progressive rockfests that leave your ears and soul wanting more.

 Hopefully Holmes and Liesegang feel that yearning and continue to release incredibly original and unique musical experiences long into the future. If 2012 isn’t the end of the world that is“.

TRACKS:

“Blister of The Spotlight (ft. Rachael Yamagata)” – Ashtar Command

“Mark IV (ft. Joshua Radin)” – Ashtar Command

A quick hunt for information on Scottish band The Son(s) makes it hard not to wonder if they are deliberately elusive–the only band bio to be found is the rather terse “The Sons were three. Two are gone. Now there is only one.” Happily this is one of those rare situations in which the music speaks volumes for itself.

The first single, ‘Radar‘, from their self-titled debut album, was released in January. It stands well as a representative of the album’s sound as a whole; a melodic journey in and out of slow acoustic burners and upbeat jams. Since I must rely on that crutch of all reviewers, and draw comparisons, the vocals are a pleasing combination of Grizzly Bear and Iron & Wine, supported with finger-picking that would make Paul McCartney sigh and hang up ‘Blackbird’ forever.

My first listen of ‘Radar‘ instantly brought to mind Rubyhorse (anyone remember them?); their 2003 album had a hidden gem called ‘Never Grow Old‘ that captures the same light, layered vocals. But where Rubyhorse tended to overproduce the album and lean a little heavily on the reverb, The Son(s) seem to have that rare ability to produce the beautiful, simple song that doesn’t need much help from the studio.

‘Dogs, Boys & Men‘ is the band’s second single, and is probably the stand-out track on the album. At first listen it seems a little incongruous, with a foreign sounding, almost mexican flavour that doesn’t match the rest of the album. But a tendency to stand out is not exactly a bad thing for a single–it is certainly more powerful, and more energetic, than the milder acoustic tracks that make up the album’s core.

The track itself is an effective mix of lighter, acoustic verses with heavier, more jammy choruses. It is probably the injection of percussion that makes the chorus so bold and fresh in comparison, but the addition of a heavy, blazing electric guitar certainly adds some power as well. More than anything else, I think the song showcases The Son(s) ability to layer vocal tracks, while avoiding that gooey pop production quality that layered vocals can often create.

For this band, the key seems to be a varied and imperfect approach to the layers– the vocals don’t sound perfectly matched or very rehearsed, and this works perfectly for the rough, raw energy of the song.

Whilst the origins of The Son(s) remains a bit of a mystery the music is coming through loud and clear.

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This is the first post by new Cougar scribe by Emily

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TRACKS: