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MP3 Hitchcock Blonde - Soul Button
10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, ELECTRONIC: Pop Crossover
Details:
"Sit back. Relax. Close your eyes," advises the voice on the lead-off track of Hitchcock Blonde''s debut CD, Soul Button. The band''s invitation to contemplate its "glorious poetry of love" seems simple enough, but the path to enlightenment soon takes twists and turns which amuse and disturb like an electronic pop version of Alice in Wonderland.
Hitchcock Blondes''s cover of Blue Öyster Cult’s "E.T.I." continues the meditative spirit with soft ambient choruses featuring lead singer Janna Audey, but only after full-on, rocked-out verses have buzz-sawed under the whisper-singing of Audey''s male counterpart, Kevin Kerr, while the song’s lyrics suggest the three wise men were "men in black".
The beds of syncopated loops, synths, and samples made by band leader Scott Goodrick continue, with the rhythmic undercurrent cutting under the ambiguous angst of the next three songs: The understated funk of the fear-of-flying "Taking Flight" features Eamon Loftus'' slip-slidey electric and loose Bowie-esque acoustic guitars. Guest Mark Castaldo’s rolling piano weaves in and out of Loftus'' e-bow in a backhanded Floydian toast to faithlessness ("Oblivion"), while the techno-cadenced cosmic code of survival "Black Eye Galaxy" grooves under Kurdish samples, sci-fi whirs and Kerr''s pop vocals.
Then things start to get weird as "The Man With the Flower In His Mouth" attempts to flee the watchful eye of his wife amidst churning strings, maniacal laughs, trash can drums, and sinister guitar solos. It''s unclear whether he''s trying to step out on her, or simply trying to enjoy his last moments in the shadow of a terminal disease, but the band''s off-kilter path has a sense of direction, setting the stage for two tunes haunted by Sep. 11: the folk shuffle of "Amazing Tales," complete with a pool hall mouth trumpet break, in which fortune tellers complain of the uncertainty in the world; and the swirling, elegant pop anthem "Shangri-La," in which the individual citizen tries building hope on a world turned upside down.
In the band''s take on Lou Reed''s "Satellite of Love," that faith seems only possible in the far reaches of space, or at least in a parking lot on Mars. The mood moves from a sort of melancholy detachment to a festive dance-party as the muted vocals, eerie effects, and soft rhythms give way to an arena-rock guitar solo care of Rob Santos, before finally launching into a joyful finale of big guitars, percolating beats, and nods to Mystery Science Theater.
In a final twist, what seems like an appropriate ending leads to the album''s coda, Holly Beth Vincent''s "Rock Against Romance," a rocking, romance-scarred declaration of freedom, fittingly featuring Audey''s out-loud questioning of the existence of Wonderland. If it does, Hitchcock Blonde''s Soul Button provides the travelogue-soundtrack.
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"Electronic noir lightens up in the hands of Hitchcock Blonde. Their world music inspired sound is equally indebted to the sunshiny grooves of Jack Johnson. These mysterious strangers will have you singing in the shower." --Editor''s Review, https://www.tradebit.com
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"Faultless!!! Music for the 21st Century...this just groooooves man..." --sputnik2, https://www.tradebit.com
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"This record comes wrapped in an eye-catching sleeve a cover of a scantily clad blonde. Not so much a Hitchcock blonde (they had more clothes) as a pinup blonde. The music''s funky and catchy, the frontman Kerr comes across as Beck meets Jamiroquai. "ETI" (which is a cover of a Blue Öyster Cult song, written by Donald Roeser and Sandy Pearlman) has plenty of wah-wah guitars and a backing vocal by the sweet-voiced Janna Audey that appeals to me. "Taking Flight" is weirdly like Beloved, all blissed-out singing and happy vibes. "The Man With the Flower in His Mouth" is equally sweet, summer of love vibes being felt. The vocals are soulful and oddly plaintive.
The album ends with covers of Lou Reed''s "Satellite of Love" and Holly Vincent''s "Rock Against Romance". They both work fine, with Audey singing lead on the latter song. It''s an unusual, multi-faceted collection of music this one." --Anna Maria Stjärnell, https://www.tradebit.com
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"Electronic pop that boasts alternative rock guitars and lofty hooks, “Soul Button” by Washington DC area band Hitchcock Blonde is a thrifty listen rarely wasting a note or verse. Featuring Kowtow Popof, whom Smother has featured prior, the band eagerly delivers addictive riffs and fun upbeat tempos. The percussive elements are very earthy and feel close to world music. Good stuff." --Smother Magazine
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Hitchcock Blonde, the DC Metro area''s premier "Electronic Noir" outfit and 2002 Wammie nominee, has been practicing the dark art of digital audio data stream generation, capture and manipulation since October 2000.
Personnel:
Janna Audey: voice
Gordon S. Goodrick: loops, keyboards, rhythm, percussion, bass, programming
Kevin Kerr: words, voice, loops, keyboards, rhythm, acoustic guitar
Eamon Loftus: loops, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, processing
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