Atlanta's A-List

“Rough voices mutter in the darkness and seconds later, a body tumbles from an outcropping of rock.” So begins The Fall, the new mystery from Atlanta’s own master storyteller David Fulmer. When a vintage song and a random phone call draw Richard Zale back to his hometown, he encounters a puzzle that entwines threads of suspense, pangs of lost love, and deep bonds of friendship as it leads to a gut-wrenching climax of blood and betrayal.

David Fulmer is the author of six critically acclaimed and award-winning novels. He has been nominated for a LA Times Book Prize, a Barry Award, and a Falcon Award. Fulmer has won a Shamus Award, a Benjamin Franklin Award, an AudioFile Golden Earphones Award, and has been nominated to numerous “Best of” lists, including Borders Books “Best of 2003 List,” Atlanta Magazine’s “Best of the Shelf” and New York Magazine’s “Best Novels You’ve Never Read.” In 2009, The Blue Door was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best Novel.

Meet Mr. Fulmer at Bound to Be Read Books in East Atlanta Village at 7:30 on March 19.

Thanks to Kona at Bound to be Read Books for an assist with the copy.

By Rebekah Goode-Peoples & Ryan Peoples

The first track on Soulo’s third album, Sun Valley on Plug Research Records, starts out with intermittent studio chatter, the nuts, bolts and aggravations of recording music, the underbelly of the polished finished product. Gradually the melodic finished layer takes over, growing from chaos into song. And the song “Up Where the Clouds Come Down” is just as simple, ethereal and easy-going as the title suggests. This is the goal of the album: to let go and just float.

Question: But now that we’re up here, where will we go?
The answer: Straight to the sun.

The catchy “Who’s Gonna Warm the Sun” immediately brings to our minds the loveable “Jaykub” by Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse. Simple grooves with lots of layers draw us in with a driving string section and a Sigur Ros style falsetto that all the cool kids are using these days (see: The Besnard Lakes, Chad VanGaalen, The Shins). Later those easy vocal lines get caught in a storm of processed echoes and delays in “Yorktown For Nine Months” and get lost entirely on the instrumental “Tropical Malady,” a song that treads water in the same pool where Air swims.

We admire Soulo’s experimentation and clear understanding of pop, but sometimes we want a clear destination. The heavy dose of reverbs and delays is sometimes muddy and comes off as sonically immature. Clearly ambitious, Soulo have attempted to create something huge, epic and powerful, though these songs don’t quite have the same weight and power of a band that can hit you hard like Arcade Fire.

But they are trying.

Sun Valley is groovy, thoughtful and creative. We see what they are shooting for, and we can almost hear it. They’ve got the sonic glue, that elusive trait that connects an album’s tracks without being repetitive. They’ve got a joyful spirit that comes through in the album’s more playful moments. Listening to it is by turns like swimming and floating. Either way we’re not on the ground.

Listen to the entire album here.

As an extra bonus here are two covers that do not appear on Sun Valley.

Listen: Soulo – Dreaming (Poly Styrene cover)

Listen: Soulo – Pull Down The Blind (Terry Sylvester cover)

There once was a time when you didn’t have to describe an artist like Chuck Prophet as a singer-songwriter who delivers high energy songs influenced by rhythm and blues and american folk sounds. You would simply call it rock n’ roll.  

Chuck Prophet is a hidden treasure for those who are still wearing the grooves out of classic records like Nebraska and Harvest.  For the younger generation, he is the model of a singer-songwriter who can blend authenticity and originality in a sub-genre that too often recycles both to dismal effect. If you’re a fan of Alejandro Escovedo, you’re probably a fan of Chuck too.  If not, that may only be because you’ve never heard him before.  You can do that right here with a live rendition of the title track from his latest album, “Let Freedom Ring” recorded in Berkeley earlier this year.  Your next chance to hear him will March 11, at Star Bar.

Atlanta’s own Young Antiques will kick the evening off and that’s a good way to get it started.  For a preview of their sound, listen to “Winning Season” from Clockwork available on Two Sheds Music.

Listen: Chuck Prophet – Let Freedom Ring (Live 01-23-2010)

Listen: Young Antiques – Winning Season

By Alex Brenner

Just in time to coincide with the much anticipated Pavement reunion comes a greatest hits package from Matador Records. I don’t know if I’d call them “hits” but it’s definitely a decent best of compilation. For those of you unfamiliar with Pavement this is a great introduction to the band.

The tracks range from 1989-1999 and cover just enough – although I fear some fans may argue the selection. There is always that one song you wish was on a record like this. Where’s my “Zurich is Stained” from Slanted and Enchanted? Boo hoo fan boy, never look a gift horse in the mouth. There are no new songs on this compilation, but if you bought Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels edition or Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain LA’s Desert Origins or Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe you should pretty much have everything here.

Between 1993 and 1997, I must have seen this band live ten or so times and they were always great. Believe the hype of this reunion, Pavement have been an essential influence on just about every indie rock act you can think of.

“Go back to those gold soundz,” Stephen Malkmus pleads on the lead off track. Wow, this takes me back to 1994 when Crooked Rain Crooked Rain was just one of those albums that blew my mind. Luckily there are about five tracks from that album on here, including the band’s only sort of hit “Cut Your Hair” – a mock of alternative rock bands “where attention and fame is a career,” or is that North Korea?

Quarantine the Past will surely get you singing along with “Stereo”, “Shady Lane,” and “Summer Babe”. Pavement always had a knack for hooks and especially great lyrics. “What about the voice of Geddy Lee?”, a sweet name check to Rush on “Stereo”. “A redder shade of neck on a whiter shade of trash” from “Shady Lane” or “Run from the pigs the fuzz the cops” from the alt-country twang of “Range Life”. This is what Pavement fans go nuts over.

Sure, they had great albums but what really made Pavement special were their B-sides and EP’s. One of the best EP’s had to be Watery Domestic, song after song. Two of those four songs appear on Quarantine the Past, “Frontwards” and “Shoot the Singer.”

There is also “Unseen Power of the Picket Fence” from 1993’s No Alternative compilation with an R.E.M. name check where Malkmus screams “Time after time was my least favorite song” from the Reckoning album. As far as “best of” albums go this is quite comprehensive collection; they even included “Box Elder” from the Slay Tracks (1933-1969) EP (later covered by The Wedding Present) and “Mellow Jazz Docent” from the Perfect Sound Forever EP.

If I were to make a proverbial “mix tape” of Pavement it would probably look very similar to Quarantine the Past. If there is a problem with Pavement, it is that all their records are amazing; you can’t just narrow it down to twenty odd songs and please everyone.

This reunion is a very important moment for rock music. Especially for a band that has they have not played live since 1999. It’s not a “just for the money” scheme either. Bassist Mark Ibold has been a member for Sonic Youth since 2006; Stephen Malkmus has played on the last several Silver Jews records and recorded and toured with his own band The Jicks; Scott Kannberg, aka Spiral Stairs, played with his own band The Preston School of Industry.

Sure, most of the late 80s and 90s bands are reuniting and for good reason: because too much of today’s music sucks. It just does. The reason I can say this is because back in 1992 two guys from Stockton, CA put out a record that changed indie rock forever, Slanted and Enchanted. Bands just do not make records like this anymore; not only great records but consistent records.

Pavement was just one of those bands that set the bar so high without even trying. Their music sounds effortless yet their complex arrangements are astounding and lyrics about quasars in the mist and scenic quays just keep us wondering. What Quarantine the Past does best is remind us how timeless and how relevant Pavement still is. It also makes us remember a time when alternative was alternative and not just the new fad blaring on an Apple commercial.

Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement will be available on Tuesday, March 9, at Decatur CD and Criminal Records.

Pavement will play the Tabernacle on September 26.

Listen: Pavement – Gold Soundz

Track Listing:

1. Gold Soundz (CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN)
2. Frontwards (WATERY, DOMESTIC EP)
3. Mellow Jazz Docent (PERFECT SOUND FOREVER EP)
4. Stereo (BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS)
5. In The Mouth A Desert (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)
6. Two States (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)
7. Cut Your Hair (CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN)
8. Shady Lane / J Vs. S (BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS)
9. Here (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)
10. Unfair (CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN)
11. Grounded (WOWEE ZOWEE)
12. Summer Babe (Winter Version) (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)
13. Range Life (CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN)
14. Date w/ IKEA (BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS)
15. Debris Slide (PERFECT SOUND FOREVER EP)
16. Shoot The Singer (1 Sick Verse) (WATERY, DOMESTIC EP)
17. Spit On A Stranger (TERROR TWILIGHT)
18. Heaven Is a Truck (CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN)
19. Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17 (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)
20. Embassy Row (BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS)
21. Box Elder (SLAY TRACKS 1933-1969 EP)
22. Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence (NO ALTERNATIVE COMP)
23. Fight This Generation (WOWEE ZOWEE)

Corked is a book about a father, a daughter and wine.  Yes, it’s another memoir but we’re not going to hold that against it if only because it appears that Kathryn Borel’s book may contain some useful information like how to open a bottle of champagne with a sword.  See the video below.

She will be talking about the book tonight at 5PM at Savi Urban Market in Inman Park.  Thanks to Baby Got Books for the heads up.

Sabering in the Garden with Kathryn Borel Jr. from Kathryn Borel on Vimeo.

We are delighted to be able to share this fantastic video for the first single from the forthcoming debut LP from Luna Versus You. The song is called “Lights Out Lovers.” The video is the work of the über-talented Brad McGinty.

Some would say that us trying to review a children’s book is a stretch. They’re probably right. But we have (sorta) done it before and we’re gonna do it again.

It’s a lot easier this time because we know two discerning consumers who love it. At ages 3 and 6, our critical advisors, who have had a copy of the original self-published Pete the Cat for well over a year, know it by heart.

The simple but inspired story of Pete the Cat is a lesson in optimism and attitude. It’s also a lot of fun with James Dean’s wonderful drawings and the accompanying mp3 featuring local music teacher and author, “Mr. Eric” Litwin. Soon enough your kids will be singing along, waving their arms and saying “Goodness, no!” – it’s a great antidote for the tears, we promise.

The best way to experience Pete the Cat is live and in person. You can do that this Saturday, March 6, at the official Book Release Party at Little Shop of Stories. Mr. Eric will sing and James will draw Pete live as they lead everyone through this delightful story. Copies of the new HarperCollins addition will be available too. The fun begins at 7pm.

Should you skip it? Goodness, no!