Photo: Eamonn McCabe

Ray Davies has a way of turning simple storylines and concepts into these intricate and moving little ballads that feel simeltaneously high and low concept. However, his upcoming project, The Kinks Choral Colelction, is definitely high concept. On the album, Davies collaborates with a 65-person chorus known as the Crouch End Festival Chorus to reenvision several of The Kinks’ classics in a production much more grandiose than a simple remastering could ever provide. The project, produced by Davies’ himself, also includes a six-song suite from the classic The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, and comes out November 10 on Decca. To support the album, Davies will be touringto support the album. Dates are listed below.

11.12 San Fran, CA@ Warfield Theatre with The Vox Society Choir
11.14 Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum Theatre with The Vox Society Choir
11.17  Boston, MA @ The Berklee Theatre
11.19  New York, NY @ Town Hall with The Dessoff Chamber Choir
11.20 New York, NY @ Town Hall with The Dessoff Chamber Choir
11.21 Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
11.23 Albany, NY @ The Egg
11.24  Montclair , NJ @ The Wellmont Theatre

It’s Easter week and we’re back to business as usual ’round here at The Singles Collection. Hopefully you enjoyed last week’s video sojourn into the realm of Sacred Bones, one of our favorite labels, but it’s back to doing what we love around here, mainly, giving you the scoop on 45’s that are currently rocking our world (and that we think will rock yours). So without further adieu — and so we can all get to our Cadbury Creme Eggs as quickly as possible — let’s get to it.

Starting us off this week we’ve got the debut single from Max of the Smith Westerns‘ side-project, Teenage Lovers, “Number One” b/w “I Wanna Be Your Boy” on Randy Records. Operating in a similar style to his main gig, here he unleashes a pair of three-minute pop firebombs about being a 19-year old virgin, which, cringe-worthy as that sounds, are actually both ace tunes that crackle with the energy of someone that’s bedded as many women as, say, Gene Simmons. Much as its title implies, A-Side “Number One” finds him pining for the girl who will be his very first, but rather than wallow in mawkish pity, the song seethes infectious energy from every pore, riding an absolute gnarled monster of a riff and jabbing with enough sucker punch hooks to put anyone that dare mention his virginity flat on their ass. On the flip, “I Wanna Be Your Boy” utilizes some absolutely blistering, frothing guitar work to counterbalances its saccharine sentiments to keep it from becoming another woe-is-me tale of unrequited teen lust, instead channeling that teen vitriol into a stomping, power-pop romp that will have them lined up around the corner to get them a piece. These should still we widely available both directly from the label and at the usual distros and record emporiums.

Next up is City Center’s “Because” b/w “Water Message” & “White Shoes” on Party Nogg!. For those who might be unfamiliar, City Center is Fred Thomas’ (of Saturday Looks Good to Me & Lovesick fame) new outfit, and while it might get us lynched, we dare say it’s the best thing he’s ever done/been a part of. The duo’s sound is a difficult thing to put into words, but imagine if you will an echo-laden psych-jam between Gary Numan and Kevin Shields taking place underwater and on arcane analog equipment and you are starting to get an idea of the headspace they occupy. This 3-song 7″ is filled with epic, sky-scraping songwriting that gets filtered and FX’d into a gorgeous, blissed-out oblivion that, truly, sounds like nothing else on the planet. At times the sheer sonic euphoria can be disorientating, and “Water Message” is headphone music of the highest order, but so long as you’ve got a comfy chair, you can ride with them into the candy-coated abyss. Their singles don’t stick around for long, but if you email the label, they should still have a few left for immediate consumption.

Last but certainly not least this week we’ve got the first 7″ from Cheap Time frontman Jeffrey Novak, “Three Sisters” b/w “Home Sweet Home” on Jay Reatard’s recently resurrected Shattered Records imprint. This little platter follows hot on the heels of his well-received debut LP After the Ball, and damned if this pair of psych-pop gems aren’t every bit as good as the material on the full-length, maybe even edging out a few tracks that were included amongst the running order. The real shining star here though is the A-Side, a whirligig psych-romp that reminds of the Kinks‘ Village Green, albeit with a frazzled southern flair and knotty 8-Track charisma that makes it absolutely irresistible. The flip is a slow waltzing charmer that, while not as immediate as its counterpart, nevertheless, it remains a more than worthy addition to Novak’s ever-growing canon. These are pretty much gone, but if you act quick, Goner Records should have the last few copies of this for sale now

That’s all for this week, kiddies, but not to fret, because after we’ve gotten all gussied up in our best pastels and eaten our weight in jellybeans and peanut butter eggs we’ll be back with more mind-melting tunes for your ‘tables.

With the time change and sunshine fast approaching and the prospect of long afternoons on the lawn running into late nights at the local dive becoming more feasible, The Strange Boys arrive just in time to offer up a nice little soundtrack to your inevitably hazy Spring. And Girls Club, the first full-length offering from the Dallas-born, Austin-honed foursome, is equal parts The Kinks, Dylan, The Yardbirds and a little flare of those bluesy 50s Sun Records.

It’s kind of funny how often you might find yourself speaking of the 50s or 60s in relation to a new group and their affectations toward the heyday of pop arrangements, but with The Strange Boys the sense is this is a genuine collection of old souls growing up in the heart of Texas. Muddy Waters shows up on “To Turn A Tune Or Two” while Dave Davies shows up to give you an updated take on Kink Kontroversy’s “I Am Free” on the Boys’ “Then” Or so you might think by the sound of it. These guys have an amazing knack for writing simple rhythm and blues tunes that seem ripped right from your old record compilations. While tearing into “Probation Blues” the group channels the five live Yardbirds, and on “They’re Building The Death Camps” it’s Bringing It All Back Home-era Dylan (Ryan Sambol’s vocals in any other act would probably grate 4 minutes in, but here they ramble poetically Dylan-esque).

It’s hard to sound like you’re giving credit when consistently referencing older acts, so it must be said that And Girls Club, is undoubtedly original material with that tip of the hat to the inspiring 50s and 60s. The highlights are numerous, as with each listen another track has shimmied its way into your heart. “This Girl Taught Me A Dance” is probably the first track that will be at the forefront of your consciousness, with blistering high-end and a moment for each of the four instruments to absolutely shine. Next on your hit list is surely “Heard You Want To Beat Me Up,” a cut that is a modern tale of frightened passive-aggressiveness disguised as a golden oldie. Melody takes its turn at the forefront during “No Way For A Slave To Behave” while “Death And All The Rest” is a front seat to the whiskey soaked and smoky honkytonks of the South. Again, it’s an album of 16 hits, and at a run time of a mere 36 minutes it’s easy to just hit repeat and find a new way to love each track. Two personal favorites are “A Man You’ve Never Known” for its subtle catchiness and lazy hook, and “Poem Party” for the driving interplay between drums (provided by the aptly named Matt Hammer) and bass (easily overlooked low end, Philip Sambol).

The somewhat lo-fi production of And Girls Club gives you that nostalgia-laden warmth of an old vinyl without the frustration of non-automatic repeat, which is a great thing for The Strange Boys. Given the quick run time and the ease of beginning again this new LP will undoubtedly be found spinning through most of the days in your near future.

In The Red Records

Man, I hate to say it, but I think I love this record. You’re undoubtedly asking yourself one of two questions right now: Why do I hate to say it? Or why do I love it? The answer to both is the same: Because the Black Lips come pre-hyped and exposed for all the world to see and hear, yet they have defied the odds and put out a record unlike anything they have done to date. Still, 200 Million Thousand is a record that is undeniably all the Black Lips.

As the number of imitators grow, and In The Red starts to become relevant on a level beyond the Goner record shop, the Black Lips still stay ahead of the pack just enough to wave a collective finger at those trying to catch up. It’s as if they’re saying to the music world, “yeah, you’re doing what we did on our last record, here’s what you’ll be doing on your next one.”

Anyone who’s seen the Black Lips live will know they are as much a spectacle as they are a band, and they’re a garage punk outfit who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. Which makes it that much more interesting — and unexpected — that they would come armed with a mid-tempo, near-distortion-less, almost psychedelic collection of songs. This is less Reigning Sound or LiveFastDie, and more 13th Floor Elevators, maybe even a little Kinks or Monks for good measure. The result is a dizzying display of inconsistencies that keep you guessing from track to track, but makes you wanting to hear where the next turn will take you.

In fact, the most traditional and boring song on the track is probably the lead single, “Short Fuse”. It’s not bad by any means, it’s just the expected, more traditional garage leaning number — and one of the few on 200 Million Thousand. Conversely, the lazy drawl of “Old Man” has me entrenched in the slow burn of the South that they have always lived in, but haven’t displayed on record until now. Same could be said about “Elijah” or the “The Drop I Hold” — which sees Cole Alexander essentially talking over a haze-filled backdrop — it could easily be dismissed as a lackadaisical approach to songwriting, but there are few bands who could pull this off so earnestly and carefree that the result can only be reviewed with the utmost respect. I know that there is a cynicism in everything they do, and I can almost see them winking to each other as they read a review like this, but it is within that “we don’t give a fuck” attitude that the greatest musicians live.

Like a modern day troubadour of Johnny Cash’s, for every bit of lucid endeavor they describe on “Drugs”, there is an honest feeling of remorse and pain that strains through the otherwise upbeat and jangly number. Then maybe even justified or further explained in “Starting Over”, which sounds like a happy, San Fran 60s pop band giving us the pledge of new beginnings, but almost ironically, it’s more of a dismissal of the current. In order to start over, you need to discard the past, and maybe this signifies a new start for the Lips. Or maybe they’re just doing whatever the fuck they want.

Some will dismiss this album as an uncohesive mess of Southern fried scum rock, and for that, I applaud the Black Lips. 200 Million Thousand might not be the album you grab to hear your favorite hits, but from the title down to the application, it will live in infamy as the pinnacle of a band and their craft and how little regard they have for what you and I think.

Think your favorite artist is “selling out” when he sells his or her song for an ad spot on TV? Well, that’s Ad Age’s bread and butter your messin’ with, so sit back, take the chip off your shoulder and watch what they consider the top 10 song-meets-product commercials of 2008. (Note: They also list their 10 most questionable song uses in the run-down as well).

1. Saul Williams: “List Of Demands”
Nike Sparq Training

2. Santogold: “Creator”
Bud Light Lime

3. Yael Naim: “New Soul”
Apple Macbook Air

4. Ennio Morricone (Bandini Remix): “L’estasi Dell’Oro (The Ecstasy Of Gold)”
Nike

5. Liars: “Clear Island”
Timex Ironman

6. The Kinks: “Everyone’s A Star”
Target/Converse

7. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: “Killing The Blues”
JC Penney’s American Life
Watch here

8. Ruby Suns: “Oh Mojave”
Microsoft

9. Vashti Bunyan: “Train Song”
Reebok Migration

10. Cloud Cult: “Lucky Today”
Esurance