Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Our Talented Readers (An Occasional Series)

Jeebus, this is good.

From England -- and please don't hold that against him -- please enjoy Ballard and his stunningly low-fi "Pretty Colours."




This crossed my desk (my e-mail, actually) last week and it kinda got lost in the New Years shuffle until I read this self-description...

I'm a one-man lo-fi bedroom outfit and am inspired by the British Mod sound of the Sixties - The Who, The Kinks, The Move (probably my favourites).
...which obviously piqued my interest. Especially after it turned out the music actually lived up to the billing.

If you'd like to hear more -- and you definitely should -- head over to his official website here.

Have I mentioned that Jeebus, this is good?

5 comments:

steve simels said...

The auteur has provided some further information which seems relevant.


Darren Riley aka Ballard, has been a musician for around 25 years. In that time he has been in countless bands, from playing bass for one of the Drifters to fronting his own Mexican band, Pancho Ballard and the Banditos. He has also worked with American artist, Tokyo Rosenthal, writing and recording brass tracks for his fourth album, Who Was That Man? This resulted in an email exchange with the album’s producer, Chris Stamey of the db’s. This is the closest he has ever got to working with power-pop royalty. Throughout that time the recording project of Ballard has always been lurking in the background but it’s taken years for him to finally get a sound he can call his own and put an album out.

A bass player by trade, he plays all of the instruments on his recordings, writes all of the songs and produces them. Your usual one-man bedroom pop group with an ego problem.

His music is heavily influenced by British music of the Sixties – aside from his obvious love of The Beatles he is mildly obsessed with The Kinks and even more obsessed with The Move and The Small Faces. If you can’t hear at least one of those bands in his music he’s doing something wrong. He also loves the more obscure British Mod sounds of the Sixties and is delighted whenever he hears a Four Tops song on the radio.

He hopes you like his music enough to give him some money in return for the pleasure of owning it. But it’s all streaming for free just in case you don’t.

FD13NYC said...

It is actually pretty good. (for free)

buzzbabyjesus said...

Reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel more than the influences mentioned. Kinda like it though.

steve simels said...

I'm hearing The Creation, myself.

Hannes A. Jónsson said...

A nice tune. I, too, hear The Move, The Who and the criminally overlooked Creation. But the lo-fi production makes it sound kinda demo-y. The drums, especially, are workman-like and basic. However, would love to hear this guy with a proper producer and with a proper backing. Shel Talmy, Keith Moon... Where ever you are.