Songs by Email, part 4: the parts of speech edition

Four bands named after nouns (or verbs, in one case: if it were a noun, it would be “The Oath.” Thank you, I’ll be here all week).

The Cape May

Reminds me very strongly of Sparklehorse; that same low-toned dreamy quality. Am I paraphrasing their presskit bio? It could be; they used a heck of a lot of adjectives. I could see the music from “Glass Mountain Roads” as the soundtrack for a Miyazaki-esque film full of strange animals and spirits and long vistas full of trees with maybe a town or two just out there in the distance.

The Cape May – Site

The Details

Winnipeg quartet describes themeselves thusly:

The Details is a band. The Details is a band made of people. The Details is a band made up of four people. Two of these people share a name, albeit a different spelling. One of these people has a name that rhymes with the pair of name-sharers. One of
these people has a name that rhymes with the word Jelly.

Mmmm… jelly. The music switches interestingly from wailing, breaking punk on “Reunion Souvenirs” to a slow, Lucksmiths-ish ballad (”Underground”). It sounds heavily like a band that oughtta be on Vagrant Records, and — in spite of their 10,000+ friends on Myspace, — this band ain’t my cup of tea. You might like it, though; give it a listen. The new album entitled “Draw a Distance. Draw a Border” comes out in September.

The Details – Myspace

The Saltshakers

I love their site; I’ll say that first. All sites should look so elegant. The music is peppy, even when the lyrics aren’t; isn’t that the paradox of music anyway? That we can dance to the things that break our hearts? I wouldn’t call it the most original thing ever, but the vocalist hits his marks beautifully; it is well-made pop rock and we always need more heartbreak to shimmy to (or, in the case of “Whiskeytown,” hold ourselves and sort of shuffle around in circles). New album is called “Up All Night.”

The Saltshakers – Site
The Saltshakers – Myspace

The Swear

Nice short email; thanks. The music speaks for itself — driving punk with, y’know, buckets of attitude. I love, love, love, that Elizabeth Elkins isn’t some sugar-coated soprano — she growls like a rock goddess. Sadly, not much to promote unless you want to pick up their 2005 album “Every Trick’s A Good One.” Tunes at the Myspace or downloads at their site.

The Swear – Site
The Swear – Myspace