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By Rudy Klapper, February 16, 2010 12:00 pm

The Watson Twins – Talking To You, Talking To Me

Vanguard 2010

Rating: 5/10

Identical sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson have always been more noteworthy for the things they’ve done behind the spotlight rather in front of it. Members of the Silver Lake, CA scene that has spawned such acts as Rilo Kiley, Sea Wolf, and Eels, the Watson Twins’ biggest impact in the music world was as the backing vocalists to Jenny Lewis’ superb solo record, Rabbit Fur Coat. Their solo work, particularly 2008’s Fire Songs, has been marked mainly by a disturbing lack of any definable identity. Enlisting fellow Silver Lake artists Russell Pollard and J. Soda of Everest to help produce their latest might not have been the most refreshing idea in retrospect, as Talking to You, Talking To Me is essentially what the Twins have been doing for over a decade, but for some at first indiscernible reasons it’s a much more fully-realized, capable record than its predecessors.

The most readily apparent cause is the Twins’ themselves; whereas earlier efforts found each sister sharing the mic on each song, Talking To You, Talking To Me mainly focuses one song on one sister at a time, with the other primarily handling backup duties for the duration of the track. It’s a smart move that pays off by not confusing the listener and by allowing each tune to have its own focus, a linear narrative thread not broken up by call-and-response verses. More importantly, however, and something that becomes increasingly obvious as the record continues, is the improved instrumentation and backing music. Too often before in the Twins’ discography the vocals were an album’s highlights, adorned with only the barest piano and guitar or the occasional woodwind. Chandra and Leigh have smoky, sensual voices to be sure, voices that can more than easily hold and direct a song, but they have always worked best in a supportive framework, like on the multiple textures of Rabbit Fur Coat. The lesson has evidently been learned; the best part about the record is its sonic depth, from the soft, breezy torch ballad “Snow Canyons” to the rippling guitar and organ solos on “Midnight” to the faux trip-hop of the bubbling, syncopated “Harpeth River.”

Unfortunately, there’s only so many ways one can make a mid-tempo indie folk tune or ‘60s girl-group ballad sound, and Chandra and Leigh’s insistence on maintaining practically the same tone and mood whether they’re lamenting a lost lover or proclaiming their undying affection is the album’s biggest downfall. To be brutally honest, they have always lacked the charisma (not to mention a particularly arresting voice) of a Jenny Lewis or a Zooey Deschanel, and Pollard and Soda are certainly not the muse that M. Ward or Blake Sennett have been. For all the surprises that a track like “Harpeth River” brings or for all the many ear-pleasing harmonies and foot-stomping melodies that vintage anthems like “Devil In You” and “Savin’ You” deliver, there’s boring, by-the-numbers alt-country like “Calling Out” or “Give Me A Chance.” One can only listen to so many slow, jazz-inflected rhythms and passionless lyrics before getting frustrated with the overall sameness of too many of the performances here.

Then again, the Watson Twins will never have the vocal firepower of a Jenny Lewis or a Beth Hart, but they use what they were born with to often haunting, always charming effect, even when things may drag. Talking To You, Talking To Me is an entirely predictable indie folk record, one that has just as many flaws as it has ethereally precious moments, but it does show a progression for the Twins and an improving knowledge on how to translate their talents onto a whole LP. Now if they could only get back with my girl Jenny . . . after all, who wants twins when you can have a threesome?

The Watson Twins – “Harpeth River”

See larger image Talking to You, Talking to Me (Audio CD) List Price: $17.98 USD New From: $2.40 In Stock Used from: $1.45 In Stock Release date February 9, 2010.

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By Rudy Klapper, October 28, 2008 12:30 pm

Veteran L.A. musicians blaze their own proudly old-fashioned musical path, tour with Neil Young

“This whole thing has been really fun,” said singer-guitarist Russell Pollard of L.A.-based folk-rock band Everest while at a pit stop just outside Portland, OR. “Just being able to play for our fans and be on the road with some really great guys, it’s just the kind of experience we were hoping for.”

“Fun” is quite the understatement to describe the recent run of success Everest has encountered since releasing their debut album Ghost Notes on Vapor Records back in May. An amalgam of musical creativity and instrumental talent from a number of SoCal bands, such as Sebadoh, Earlimart, the Folk Implosion, and the Watson Twins, Everest got together as most bands do; a group of friends just trying to make music that appealed to them.

“We all knew each from the touring scene in L.A. and along the west coast,” Pollard explains. “I had played drums in Sebadoh and I had talked with some of the other guys [guitarists Jason Soda and Joel Graves] on tour and jammed with them at some point or another, and we kept in touch. And when it felt like the bands we were in wanted to go in a different direction or didn’t work out for whatever reason, it just felt right to go out and try our own thing.”

Everest certainly had no preconceptions of what they were trying to do when it came to figuring out their new sound. “The recording process was really a blank canvas,” Pollard said. “We came in there with some material that I had been working on and other songs we just kind of bounced off each other. We all played different roles in our previous bands so it was cool to branch out.”

While Pollard professes a love for ‘60s psychedelia and groovy kraut-rock, Ghost Notes calls to mind more of one of Pollard’s favorite contemporary bands, My Morning Jacket. From the Southern-rock tinge of the haunting opener “Rebels in the Roses” to the rollicking drive of “Trees” to the almost hymn-like qualities of “The Future,” Ghost Notes’s blend of Americana-roots rock, soul, and simple burning guitar rock is the kind of record that only comes out once in a while, and the band knew it.

“There was a really good vibe during recording, and the studio [the late Elliott Smith’s personal New Monkey Studio] was just the perfect atmosphere,” Pollard said. Plenty of Ghost Notes’ vintage guitar-rock feel can be attributed to Everest’s proclivity towards more old-fashioned recording methods.

“Nothing digital,” Pollard swore. “It wasn’t really a conscious choice, but analog, tape machines, etc. is just what we’ve grown up using. I wouldn’t know how to even use Pro Tools,” Pollard laughed. “But we think it really helped let the personality of the band come through. Instead of working everything out a million times and making sure every drum hit was just on or whatever, we just captured the essence of a band playing live.”

Everest’s big break came, however, when Neil Young’s manager caught a listen to one of their demos, visited at recording, and decided to take the record within only a few days. “It was surreal,” Pollard said. “He [Young] invited us to come on his European tour, and from there the whole process was just very organic, very natural. But at the beginning it was pretty crazy, because I think I speak for the whole band when I say Young was such a hero to us.”

 All veterans of the music business, they’re not letting their run of good luck interfere with what they set out to do: play for themselves and for their fans. “I think the heart of what we are is when we play live,” Pollard said. “So just the chance of being able to play in front of some major audiences music that really shines live, it’s awesome. We’re a live band first.” Everest should have no trouble getting in front of people anytime soon; they are currently again on the western leg of a U.S. tour that started September 14th with Young and Death Cab for Cutie.

“Honestly, I feel like we’ve been blessed,” Pollard said. “This has just been everything we could ask for and more, and we’re just excited to be playing.” For a band with as much musical savvy, creative chemistry, and such determination as Everest, it looks as if they’re not going to need much else anytime soon. 

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By Rudy Klapper, October 13, 2008 12:00 pm

Everest – Ghost Notes

Vapor Records 2008

Rating: 10/10

Original Release Date: 5/6/08

Ghost Notes is the kind of record that most bands long ago forsook in favor of a quick, platinum single and a whole lot of filler. Musically and lyrically talented, with a meticulous attention to detail and craftsmanship, Everest’s debut is one that requires multiple listens to uncover each subtle layer. The fact that they have been signed by Neil Young’s Vapor Records should tell you a whole lot about the band’s style; they are interested in telling a story, not to mention making some of the best country-tinged rock ‘n roll this side of My Morning Jacket.

Easily the most musically affecting song, “Rebels In The Roses” opens the album with a gentle acoustic strum accompanied by a forlorn electric guitar lick before singer Russell Pollard’s roughened voice pleads “if you find me / I’ll be yours in a heartbeat.” The song rumbles along on a slow-burning guitar melody that supports Pollard’s versatile voice instead of overwhelming it. A mix of modern and past, the song evokes a sense of nostalgia and sounds like a classic rock masterpiece while at the same time feeling like a breath of fresh air. And the guitar solo is epic, crunching, and perfectly placed.

The starting four songs is one of the best opening sequences of any record I’ve heard in recent memory, with “Rebels in the Roses” leading into the galloping “Trees” and following with the catchy, Elliott-Smith-via-Nashville “Into Your Soft Heart.” And the clear single material “Reloader” that ends the streak is the most accessible tune, a fast-paced distorted guitar anthem that will leave its chorus stuck in your head for days.

“Only In Your Mind” slows back the tempo a bit, but its stately beat and tasteful guitar keep the song from dragging. Everest’s influences are obvious, but their distinctions are what make Ghost Notes a strong, viable album in its own right. The guitars recall the American countryside and the epic rock tradition associated with southern rock without degenerating into the mindless solos and jams associated with that genre while Pollard’s lyrics reflect the music appropriately without becoming too obtuse or archaic like similar bands (*Midlake cough*). And his singing is the kind that doesn’t oppress or disappear under waves of sound, instead directing the ebb and flow of each song with sureness.

Much like the individual songs, Ghost Notes rolls along like an album should, through dips and crests that prevent the album from running together and giving each part a distinct identity. While slightly top-heavy, the record’s second half can still stand on its own, particularly the lilting piano ballad “Angry Storm” and their one indulgent seven-minute piece, “I See It In Your Eyes,” a song that could teach My Morning Jacket a thing or two about development and restraint.

A spectacular debut album, to say the least, Ghost Notes is a record that immediately positions itself in the forefront of the Americana-rock tradition that has become a major part of the indie-rock scene over the years. Innovative, expertly crafted and produced, and mindful of its influences without becoming a clone, Everest’s style should take them a long way if they get the attention they deserve.