a short review of a lo-fi indie guy's singles

The single, "Homesick," is the latest in a string of low-key charmers

Lo-fi bedroom indie rock project Parent Teacher released the bruised single "Homesick" last month. Its melancholy opening—fresh strings chiming through the song's chords on an acoustic—is followed by tinny drums and a bass that's a little louder and grittier than you'd expect. With the school bell having rung, out comes the resigned but pure and melodically simple vocal: "I lied instead of being direct, my feels protected the disconnect."

The sound mix is a tad off, and I resisted at first. But after listening again and trying the two other songs released this year, the music grew on me.

Parent Teacher reminds me of Grandaddy, Ben Gibbard, and 22º Halo. This artist has a knack for melody and songwriting. Sound engineering and all that stuff can be fixed, but without the melody and songwriting, you have nothing.

"Homesick" is posted below, but I recommend trying "Capital Artist" and "Fire Door," too. They aren't all sad-guy songs. And—confession time—I like the raw, stripped-down clips of these songs ("Fire Door," especially) posted on his Instagram more than the released versions.

a review of Aerosmith's debut

Be a blues-rock band first, and get that right

 
Aerosmith peaked commercially from the late 1980s through the 90s. "Get a Grip," released March 1993, is the band's best-selling album. Joe Perry’s thresher of a guitar and Steven Tyler's highly animated vocals mix with huge pop hits like "Cryin'" and "Crazy." It was Aerosmith's eleventh studio album.

My favorite Aerosmith record, the 1973 self-titled debut, sounds nothing like it.

The music's punch comes not from showmanship—Tyler's yawps and Perry's lavish guitar—but from the sound of good bluesmen vibing.

Compared to other early 70s hard rock bands, the album's dusty production—especially the low gain on Joe Perry's guitar—softens the blow a bit. In his memoir, Perry says, "… because I lacked the studio chops to prescribe a remedy, I kept quiet. It pained me, though, that my guitar was not cutting through."

But compared to Aerosmith's later work, the album sounds raw, and I like it.

Maybe what I like most is Tyler's straight-ahead vocals. They shine more for his timing than his affectations.

I grew up with classic rock radio and heard Aerosmith's hits and how the band's sound changed over the decades. You have the raw, early classics like "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion," and "Walk This Way." Then comes bigger production on hits like "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Angel," "Rag Doll," "Love in an Elevator," and "Janie's Got a Gun." And, finally, the full-on pop hits like "Amazing," "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," and "Crazy."

I always liked the early songs best, so to get past the hits, I went back and listened to Aerosmith's first four albums. The debut is easily my favorite.

Here's "Make It," the first song on the first album.