studionumbernine.com – steve benoit, experience architecture

ok so here’s the second and a half installment of music ramblings. i started it a looooooong time ago (about a month an a half ago) but things have gotten rather busy ’round these parts.

hey better late than never, right? in this edition: those darlins, hacienda and dan auerbach

those darlins:
in other words: ” The best pop groups create their own universe, and make up their own ways of playing music and dealing with the big, bad world outside. Those Darlins are a pop group, if they are any one thing, which doesn’t mean anybody with ears can’t hear the country and rock ‘n’ roll in their sound and stance. Or maybe this trio of young women (early twenties, although no one’s telling exactly), who live a long stone’s throw from Nashville, Tennessee in the college town of Murfreesboro, are punks straight out of London or Cleveland, 1977.”

my take: country-pop punks… best way to describe this band. the girls and they dapper drummer put on fun, blistering set and it was just what i needed to hear after tussling with security over getting my camera in.

check out: drivin’ nails in my coffin, snaggle tooth mama

hacienda:
in other words: “There is something to get excited about in south-central Texas. In fact the buzz surrounding San Antonio‘s Hacienda may signal a rebirth of young rock n’ roll -with emphasis on the “roll”- to the country’s landscape. Formed by cousins Abraham Villanueva (piano/vocals) and Dante Schwebel (guitar/vocals), together with Abraham’s brothers Jaime (drums/vocals) and Rene Villanueva (bass/vocals), this Mexican-American quartet blends a raw yet sophisticated style of pop music with harmonies reminiscent of the Beatles and Beach Boys.”

my take: there’s no doubt these guys are talented musicians (and visually entertaining too) but none of their stuff really stuck out to me. they were a fantastic backing band for dan auerbach though.

check out: she’s got a hold on me, shake ya

dan auerbach:
in other words: The Black Keys’ singer-guitarist releases his self-produced solo debut, mixing, he says, “psychedelia, soul music, loud and soft guitars.” Backed by a full band, he prowls the dark end of the street, with gritty, impassioned vocals lending drama to tales of romantic betrayal and suspicious minds.

my take: if you’re a fan of music with grit and soul (think A3 from the sopranos soundtrack) then click as quickly as you can and download this album (keep it hid). it was on steady rotation for good few weeks (that’s a feat, trust me) and i still find myself using it as a motivational tool to get things done. throw in as stirring a tune as i’ve heard in a long time (trouble weighs a ton) and i’m buying this album twice.

check out: trouble weighs a ton, i want some more, the prowl, my last mistake, mean monsoon

again, just buy the album and get it over with…