Scattered amongst the St. Lawrence River, there exists an archipelago known as the 1000 Islands. The islands (numbering 1,793, to be precise) straddle the border between Canada and the U.S. They’re dotted with castles and picturesque houses; some sit on chunks of land rising only far enough out of the water to accommodate the structure itself. Images from the area are oddly poetic: foliage and mist obscuring stone chateaus topped by colorful roofs. There is a sense of haunting, of living among mysteries.
Canada’s Great Lake Swimmers not only used the imagery of the 1000 Islands as inspiration for their fifth album, Lost Channels — the band’s liner notes direct listeners to www.1000islandsphotoart.com — but also recorded parts of the album in those stone castles. The result is an affecting collection of songs, straddling the line between Canadian and American folk sounds.
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There’s something about LadyLuck, Maria Taylor’s third solo album, that makes you think she’s trying to go more mainstream. Maybe it’s the cover art: scrubbed up and featuring a close shot of Taylor’s face, the title written in a girly cursive and adorned with flowers. It looks like it’d be right at home on the rack at Starbucks. Compared to Taylor as beautiful hippie recording artist on the cover of Lynn Teeter Flower, or 11:11’s cover, which didn’t even feature her likeness, the difference is noticeable. Ten years ago, this could have been Jewel’s new album cover.
On first listen, the songs don’t seem to have changed any, so maybe we should just blame the art director.
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The last time the Morning Benders came through town, it was a balmy October and they were the first band of the night, playing in support of Ra Ra Riot. Since then, the four-piece from Berkeley, Calif. has toured the country, had 2008’s Talking Through Tin Cans featured on iTunes’ Indie Spotlight, and recorded a follow-up album. Friday night saw them return to the Drunken Unicorn — only this time, they headlined the bill.
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Funeral Party, a four-piece from working class East LA, have released a promising three-song EP that showcases their considerable popularity as a backyard-party band. The Bootleg EP may not reinvent the genre, but it definitely proves they have an aptitude for post-punk dance music.
“NYC Moves to the Sound of LA” serves as part thesis statement, part challenge to the New York scene. The song opens with a combination of beats, one set played on cymbals, the other sounding like someone beating on all the pots and pans in their kitchen. It builds until the beats seem to come from everywhere at once, then adds driving guitars and rough vocals into the mix. Lead singer Chad Elliott sounds a bit like he’s got a permanent sore throat, and as the song continues, the voice gets rougher with each line. It’s a nice touch to an otherwise well-executed but fairly standard indie rock dance number — as though this wasn’t recorded in the studio, but rather towards the end of a long live set in a smoky bar.
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Atlanta isn’t usually known around the country for its art galleries. Theater and fine dining we’ve got covered, but art tends to get left out of the talk about us in other towns. But ATLart[09], this year’s citywide annual event presented by the Atlanta Gallery Association, is working to change that.
The centerpiece of the three-week celebration is ARThouse[09], a museum-style exhibition showcasing many of Atlanta’s art galleries. The house where it’s being held is a work of art itself: 541 West Paces Ferry, otherwise known as the Pink Palace, an Italian Baroque-style home not far from the Governor’s mansion, is 16,000 square feet of luxury. From the 18th century English tapestry to the exposed brick work and original incinerator fixtures of the expansive basement, just touring the house would be worth the admission price.
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