On their myspace page they describe their sound as Americana / Southern Rock / Surf. Just with that description alone I got giddy. I’ve been in a big surf / 60′s era rock mode recently. Southern rock is always at the top of my list and one of my favorite bands if not the favorite is the quintessential Americana band, Wilco.

However, Funky Nashville, a band I was introduced to by MuseBox, don’t quite live up to my expectations. They played during the SXSW MuseBox sponsored showcase, Nordic Nights, where bands from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland were giving it their all to the industry elite.

Do they achieve the sound they’re looking for, in all honesty, yes. There is the southern twang, short and quick guitar riffs remeniscent of the surf rock mantra’s. Their vocals, however, bring them down. They’re not strong and are a bit flaky. With this kind of music, the last thing I’m looking for is a Ricky Martin. What we want is something a bit more rough around the edges, like Neil Young. But the vocal melodies bleed over in to the song and in general develop this cheese factor that can’t be ignored. So the twang in the guitar and the surf rock beats are lost in the mix and instead of feeling like a “highway groove”, as they call it, it comes out more like “backroad pop”.

Links of Interest

“Gone Away”

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(download song at Brooklyn Vegan)

Myspace Page: www.myspace.com/funkynashvilleband

Offical website: www.funkynashville.dk

I’m saying good bye for the weekend by putting a little bounce in your step. It’s suppose to be a beautiful weekend here in Boston. I hope where ever you are, in a sunny or gloomy corner of this globe, I trust that this song will brighten your day.

Here’s to sticking out that hip, pulling it back in, taking that foot and giving it a spin;

We’ll take that hat, off the rack, roll it down our arms and over our backs, and with a hop skip and jump, we’re off to the club looking for some love now aint that a fact, but there’s nothing in the corner no nothing is a lurking except my “fancy footworking”

Chromeo “Fancy Footwork”

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They also have a ton of pop bands that are aiming their mics at the shores of the U S of A. The most recent Swedish implosion coming from Peter Bjorn and John. But there is another group, or rather, artist, that I’ve been listeing to. The band is called Loney, Dear and I give you a short song review from their album, Loney, Noir.

Loney, Dear – “I Am John”

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It amazes me to listen to music produced by one man when it sounds so much bigger. It’s not just a testament to the artist but to the evolution of music production and tools that we now have at our disposal. But lets be frank, without the artist the tools are just objects. Emil Svanangen has been praised by his home country of Sweden as “one of Swednes, if not the world’s, absolute best bands right now” (Dagens Nyheter, Swedens biggest daily newspaper). That might be a bit of an overstatement but there’s no question Emil has exceptional skills when it comes to writing a pure song. With “I Am John” the essense of purity is abound. He has chimes, a basoon, stomping, falseto pitches and it all comes together with one transition to the next. The song just builds and creates an epic sensation in your bones, the kind that shoots your hairs up from the roots. And yet, it is only one man at the knobs. Quite impressive. He is joined by friends during his live act to help keep the sound of the record, Loney, Noir, in tacked.

Buy the Album From Sub Pop (US Label)

Pre-order if you live in the U.K.

Loney, Dear is currently on tour, opening for U.S. Label mates, The Shins. Visit his website and myspace page to learn more about the tour and the music.

Starting from my number one pick for this week and working my way down…

1. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha (Buy) – “Heretics” -

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2. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (Buy) – Listen on Myspace

3. Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Buy) – Listen on Myspace

4. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Living with the Living (Buy) -
“Bomb.Repeat.Bomb.1954″

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5. Panda Bear – Person Pitch (Buy) – “Bros”

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6. Ponys – Turn the Lights Out (Buy) – “Double Vision”

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7. Low – Drums and Guns (Buy) – “Breaker”

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8. Depeche Mode – Black Celebration (CD / DVD) (Buy) – “A Question of Lust”

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9. Foreign Islands – Restart Now! (Buy) – “Fine Dining With the Future”

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10. I’m From Barcelona – Let Me Introduce My Friends (Buy) – Listen on Myspace