Dirty Glitter 2013 In Review #8: The Last Internationale, X Ambassadors & Daley

Radio check 1, 2, 3! What we have here is a Spring of 2013 segment for your recollection. This collaboration between High Voltage and Dirty Glitter with Brody Ramone on WGBU-FM every Thursday night at 8pm PST/11pm EST has yielded some pretty sweet musical fruit not the least of which comes from the three talents in this 8th edition of Dirty Glitter 2013 In Review.

Dirty Glitter 5/8/2013:

The Last Internationale- "Cod'ine"
The merger of folk, rock, punk and blues with an air of protestation for righteous reasons brings us to the Last Internationale, a New York City trio formed of Delila Paz (vox, bass), Edgey (guitar) and now Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk (drums). With a sound that's raw and strong, smacks of being socially awake and challenging the status quo by way of rock and roll (and isn't that what rock and roll is supposed to do?), the Last International are refreshingly irony-free and substantive: probably because they don't miss the musical plot that. Now what we have here is TLI shining on a cover song: the Buffy Saint-Marie classic "Cod'ine" which Saint-Marie wrote about her experience recovering from her addiction to codeine. Even though this is a cover, it's the Last Internationale flexing some of their strongest muscles in the translation of emotion. From their current EP New York, I Do Mind Dying this is "Cod'ine."

X Ambassadors- "Unconsolable"
Brothers Sam and Casey Harris along with friends Noah Feldshuh and Adam Levin source everything from the Staples Singers to the Stooges to Ginuwine to hip hop to fashion their seriously groove-based music. If you could actually taste music, which I totally believe is possible, you could file Brooklyn-based X Ambassadors under "thick and delicious"; it's full of texture and feeling, often swells into bombastic territory with lyrics that speak from many places of the heart. On Tuesday May 7th they released their 6-song EP, Love Songs Drug Songs, which had some serious production assistance from Alex da Kid and some guy named Dan Reynolds (yes that Dan from Imagine Dragons). Back to considering the music to be delicious, in this song "Unconsolable" Sam does reference bread and butter. See? It all comes full circle.

Daley- "Game Over"
His proper name is Gareth Daley but this British soul singer of the blue-eyed variety simply goes by Daley. Embracing all that is romantic, sexy, laid back and groovalicious about r&b and neo-soul and lacing it with a little pop, Daley's music breakthrough came in 2010 when he provided guest vocals on the Gorillaz song "Doncamatic." Since then he's produced and released the EP Those Who Wait in 2012, toured with and supported the likes of Emeli Sande and Jessie J and been one of the UK's rising stars in a new wave of neo soul. He's currently working on a full album but for now from the Those Who Wait EP here's "Game Over."

Signed,
Diary of a Concert Whore  aka @dharma69

US10 On Spitfire Radio: 4th Of July Edition

Independent radio is a good thing for obvious reasons, but no reason so obvious as loosening music fans from the narrow lanes of restricted listening and limited music discovery. Major radio stations have their painfully structured playlists of songs that you'll hear repeated every hour on the hour with little room for deviation. And then there are free spirits like Spitfire Radio across the pond in  Birmingham, England who are all about being a quality alternative and a source for amazing music that you may not otherwise find. That's where Barry Tomes (a Brit) and Brooke Henderson (a Yankee) come in as hosts of the program, US10 which showcases 10 of the BEST new and emerging bands/artists from the US. Isn't it lovely how we Americans and the English have been able to get along despite that nasty American Revolution-thing?

Now being given the opportunity to select 10 of my favorite artists for this week's edition of US10 was a pretty honor, yet a really difficult one. Why difficult? Because although 10 may sound like a lot of artists to choose, it's barely scratches the surface due to the abundance of good shit out there just waiting to be discovered by ears like yours.

My US10 turned out to very LA-centric and, if you know me, there will be a few familiar names: it wasn't intentional, I'm just very fond of much of the music growing in my own backyard. So check out the show (with adorable and witty banter courtesy of Brooke and Barry whom I thank for indulging my selections), dig into the music and perhaps turn yourself on to a new band.


Bands featured:
The Last Internationale
X Ambassadors
Big Black Delta
Finish Ticket
Terraplane Sun
Irontom
Dead Sara
American Royalty
The Features
Sabrosa Purr

VIDEO: The Last Internationale Call For "Workers of the World Unite!"

Even though 'folk rock' has been around for years, as genres go, it's a conflicted one as 'rock' and 'folk' have such dissimilar energies and origins. But the merger of the two has gone on to be the impetus of great and highly conscious musical things: see Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan for further.

Today is International Workers' Day and that certain soul of protest, rebellion, social change- as well as good, old-fashioned blues-rooted rock and roll- can be found in the Last Internationale: a three-piece outfit from New York who embrace rawness in sound as well as a spirited esthetic of punk keeping it as real as it is reactive where you wouldn't be far off-base if you drew likenesses to Band of Skulls or the Dead Weather  (with a lot less annoying attitude). Politically minded (they're not above thinking President Obama should be tried for war crimes), wanting to spark a revolution and a primal sound and live show, all things considered, the Last Internationale are already rockers to reckon with.

In their latest video, "Workers of the World Unite!," Delila (vox, bass), Edgey (guitar) and Fernando Silva (drums) tame their usual high energy to shine a light on the plight of farmers and the American dream that doesn't always come to fruition as the images of farming life flicker by while Delila's clarion voice shifts from delicate inflections to powerful surges of demand. Check it out and I dare you to remain unmoved. There's much to like about the Last Internationale and this is merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.