The Recital

ALTERNATIVE/ROCK
Artist: The Recital
Album: The Succulent Leftovers EP
Tracks: “Drop Those Legs” & “Does Your Music Listen to You”
Street Date: February 2, 2010
Label: Suburban Sprawl Music

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The Recital, a four-piece indie rock band based in Ann-Arbor, Michigan, played in and around the Detroit area for roughly ten years before calling it quits late last year. The Succulent Leftovers is their final EP, which is released to coincide with their final show.

The EP was recorded in bassist Adam Kempa’s basement and consists of all of the left over songs that The Recital accumulated over the years (as the release title suggests), as well as a few new songs.

“Drop Those Legs,” a relatively new track, was written toward the end of their most active days (2005-2006), and was recorded and released as a demo. Later on, the band wanted to go back and make changes to the mix, however the original session files turned out to be corrupt (I guess we’ll never know how it would have sounded with the different mix).

“Does Your Music Listen to You” was written and recorded specifically for The Succulent Lovers and has never been performed live.

Though it may be sad that The Recital will be ending its decade-long life, the local indie band will always be remembered.

To listen to some tracks, visit The Recital’s MySpace.

Zoey Van Goey

ALTERNATIVE/FOLK/ROCK
Artist: Zoey Van Goey
Album: The Cage Was Unlocked All Along
Tracks: “Cotton Covering,” “The Best Treasure Stays Buried” & “We All Hid in Basements”
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Label: Chemikal Underground

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As mentioned in the previous post, the Stage 4 Alternative podcast is featuring Chemikal Underground artists for two weeks. This week’s featured artist is Scottish trio Zoey Van Goey!

After releasing a number of singles and EPs in the past few years, Zoey Van Goey, consisting of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, and Kim Moore, self-released their debut album The Cage Was Unlocked All Along (produced by Paul Savage) last year, but re-released it on Chemikal Underground on Tuesday.

The album blends catchy pop with folk-rock – somewhat like a combination of the Decemberists and Camera Obscura with a touch of Princeton. The three artfully create an endearing album that intertwines light-hearted themes throughout. Moore’s soft voice pairs nicely with the carefree undertones and melodies of The Cage Was Unlocked All Along.

For more information about Zoey Van Goey, visit their MySpace!

Adrian Crowley

ALTERNATIVE/FOLK/ROCK
Artist: Adrian Crowley
Album: Season of the Spark
Tracks: “The Wishing Seat” & “Liberty Stream”
Street Date: January 19, 2010
Label: Chemikal Underground

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Currently Stage 4 Alternative is featuring Chemikal Underground artists for two weeks. This week we present Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley.

Dublin-based musician Adrian Crowley released his fourth album Season of the Spark on Tuesday. Crowley, who released his first record A Strange Kind in 1999, has been critically known for writing contemplative and reflective lyrics in past albums. Season of the Spark is a new collection of just that.

Crowley’s smooth, deep voice hovers over clusters of simple melodies and rhythms. The less emphasized music allows listeners to focus on the dense lyrics while drawing their own conclusions. The album also interweaves electronic elements into the folk-rock sound and essentially produces a “folktronic” vibe of its own.

The artist shows his ability to continue along the same route of music production despite new and upcoming trends and styles, which in fact highlights Crowley’s originality and creativity.

To read more about Crowley's musical history, visit his MySpace.

Eaglekin

ECCLECTIC/FOLK/ROCK
Artist: Eaglekin
Album: Eaglekin
Tracks: “G-Paw 1” & “In the Plebelands”
Street Date: January 5, 2010
Label: Unsound Records


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Based in Portland, Oregon, the three-piece indie rock band Eaglekin released their debut album earlier this week. The band members, Gabe Blair, Joe Ryckebosche, and Eric Vivian, have previously been in other bands such as The Rum Diary and The Pages.

Eaglekin band members clearly write strange material for their songs, though it’s hard to focus on through the musical layers. According to the label’s website, the album consists of 2 songs about a dead cat, a song about a colony of humans living on the moon, a song about explosions, a song about the lives of trees, a song about the reincarnation of human beings, and the shadowy confines of the soul.

Although the band literally released the record three days ago, they are already in the process of writing a new album-worth of songs for their next album, which is anticipated for release in the summer or fall of this year. Eaglekin is also planning to go on a West Coast tour and perhaps in other regions as well later this year.

Clearly Eaglekin is working hard to save the Plebelands. To read up on the Plebelands and what that’s all about, visit their website.