Beams
Matthew Dear
$8
Dear Matthew Dear, your music rocks. Surely your rising fame and DJ past hinted that to you, but with the release of Beams, there's no doubt your fan base is expanding.
Matthew Dear's fourth full-length album combines his passion for techno and rock into an upbeat classic to pop in for your next dance party. The DJ-turned-recording artist drew from his own interpretation of Beams for inspiration on the album. It's concrete like a structure, light like sunbeams.
Matthew Dear's music appeals to a certain type of fan. It's not the kind of music to listen to in the car or at work, but it definitely fits in at a club or in a dance setting. One couldn't really identify his voice as singing. Instead, his deep and edited voice against an upbeat background sounds slightly like a growl.
The creative soul, previously known as stage names Audion, Jabberjaw and False finally struck gold going by Matthew Dear. The new name seemed to stick. It's simple, catchy and memorable, much like his music.
Beams was recorded entirely in Matthew Dear's home studio and then mixed at an outside studio, Rare Book Room Studio, in New York City.
A funky dance beat drives single Headcage, previously released on an EP but included in Beams. Matthew Dear's DJ mixing skills really come into play to keep his music dance party appropriate.
Her Fantasy, which downloads immediately with an album preorder, sounds slightly 90s with a soft dance background tumbled up with Dear's growl-like deep, altered voice.
"I'm about four to five people at any time," he told Ghostly International, the record label he co-founded. Let's see all of his personalities shine on Beams.
Algiers
Calexico
$11.99
Named after Calexico, the California town that straddles the United States and Mexico, the band straddles the Mexican-American gap as well. Calexico could just call itself alternative, but opts to exist as a "melting pot for country, indie rock, various Spanish-rooted sub-genres, jazz and many other musical styles."
Guitarist and vocalist Joey Burns and drummer John Convertino headline the eclectic ensemble, which includes Paul Niehaus, Jacob Valenzuela, Michael Carbajal, Sergio Mendoza and Chris Giambelluca. The band is based out of Tucson, Ariz., but named its seventh studio album after the neighborhood in New Orleans where it was recorded.
Calexico pulled off some real beauties in the past, especially in the EP release with Iron & Wine. The group performed with other greats in the alternative genre throughout the years, including Andrew Bird and Amos Lee. The 10-plus-year-old band has true staying power, however, and demonstrates just that with Algiers.
Para, the first release off Algiers, is nothing short of beautiful. Sweet and relaxed, it opens with a steady drum and Burns" haunting voice. As it turns darker, Burns" voice makes the transition seamlessly to hurt and bittersweet. The big band accompaniment supplies Para's dark climax, and the screeching ending takes the piece full circle. For a real tearjerker, watch the music video at casadecalexico.com.
Calexico will be finishing up in Europe at the end of September and then embarking on a North American tour with concerts nearly every night in October. For now, Arizona is the closest the band will come to Fort Worth.
Back in
the Saddle
Chris Cagle
$8.99
"Then the mountains rose up across the Great Plains / then the angels up in heaven starting singing all that's missin" is a pretty thing / let there be cowgirls / for every cowboy."
It's a simple premise to Chris Cagle's Let There be Cowgirls, a hit track off his newest album Back in the Saddle. The cowboy just wants a cowgirl. Aren't there enough to go around?
The country crooner released his first album in four years this June, proving that taking some time off works well for country stars, too. With hit after hit between 2000 and 2008, Chris Cagle needed a little recharging time before Back in the Saddle.
He calls himself redneck rock "n roll; we call him country with a pinch of rock. Even country haters can hum along to Cagle's lighter tracks.
This real cowboy practices what he preaches. Cagle trains and raises cutting horses when he isn't playing onstage. Cagle likes his laid-back lifestyle and redneck roots, so much so that he stays true to them despite his fame.
The Nashville-based artist actually has roots here in Texas, too. Cagle attended the University of Texas at Arlington before deciding to pursue music instead.
And he hasn't forgotten about DFW since his departure. Cagle performed at Billy Bob's in July for Fort Worth's two-steppers.
Like any country boy, Cagle draws his inspiration from his family and his ranch. Despite his travels, it's his family that keeps him going at the end of the day.
Visit chriscagle.com for tour dates, album information and Chris Cagle news.
