I wrote a review on this band's first album, This Wreck is Goin' Down (1996) about a year ago. Blue Funnel World (1998) was the band's only other full length release. The release came out on Rhubarb Records, which was the band's founder, Greg Jacobs' own start-up record label in classic DIY fashion. The music again centers around Jacobs' vocals, guitar, and songwriting, but the writing is more diverse and the production is better than on the first album. I find more indie pop going on here, particularly in the album's best song "You Do Everything But Heal Me", even a label such as "shoegazing" wouldn't be far off the mark at times, but the acoustic guitar still makes its presence felt predominantly within the music. About half the album is instrumentals and I would say that in general the album's better songs reside in this half, but no exclusively. The general feeling tends to be up-beat although the lyrics run counter to this in general. The result is beautiful melancholy that benefits from the solid recording production.
Weeping in Fits and Starts - "You Do Everything But Heal Me"
My Bloody Valentine pops in my head as I listen to the reverbed and heavily distorted guitar running underneath the vocals on this song. Percussion is almost unchanged throughout the song and the guitar doesn't do too much, but when it does it is done well. The layered guitar that appears briefly around the 2:21 mark is a nice piece of production and a nice tweak to the song. The vocals feature male and female voices appearing together and perhaps the best vocals sung on the whole album. It's a very simple song with just a few added quirks, overall very well produced, and still emotionally evocative.
Weeping in Fits and Starts - "Rhedd"
Weeping in Fits and Starts - "Liliacs"
One of the many instrumentals on Blue Funnel World, "Rhedd" totals 3:25 in length and is heavily guitar driven with minor percussion in the background. The song builds up with added percussion and stronger guitar play until about the 2:14 mark when cymbals kick for a part and are carried off and into the next song, "Lilacs" a more somber keyboard (organ sounding to be exact) instrumental song.
After searching around online for a while, I could not find a copy available used or otherwise of Blue Funnel World, though I did find Weeping in Fits and Starts Facebook page that has some more information about a few shows they may be playing as a reformed group. Since the album is out of print, you can find and download the whole album freely available by clicking on this link: Weeping in Fits and Starts - Blue Funnel World.
Two Guns, Twin Arrows came out in 2002 on a small label 54º 40' or Fight! based out of Michigan. There is a great in-depth review of this album over at Hardcore for Nerds, which I highly recommend. I'll go ahead and throw my two pennies in here anyways, mostly because I find myself listening to Two Guns, Twin Arrows tonight and really digging it. Abilene was one of guitarist/vocalist Alex Dunham's many bands (Hoover, Regulator Watts, Radio Flyer). Like most (well probably all) of his bands, Abilene's sound is distinctly driven by his guitar sound and play. What set's Abilene's sound on this album apart from Dunham's other bands is Frederick Erskine's presence. Erskine played in other post-hardcore bands such as the mighty June of '44 and Crownhate Ruin. Erskine did not appear on Abilene's first album (s/t) and his role in this album, though not changing the underlying mood of Abilene songs, added a new wrinkle that must have been surprising even to the band themselves. Erskine's influence on the band's music, on the whole, resulted in one of Dunham's most experimental sounding (not unlike some of the June of '44 material Erskine was a part of) creations. So it is with these two creative figureheads in one band, coexisting and allowing each other's creativity and improvisation to flourish, at times complementing, at other times simply getting out of the way of each other, we all end up benefiting. Even if only for this one album's worth of material. I've only hinted at Abilene's sound on this album thus far, as there isn't really any need to try and compartmentalize their sound with any other label than say post-hardcore, which in itself gives little of what to expect.
Abilene - "Twisting the Trinity"
All of the songs on this album, there are eight in total, sit around the five minute mark in length. "Twisting the Trinity" was a solid choice for the first song on the album because it allows for the introduction of each instrument distinctly. Additionally it presents a seperation between the instruments and vocals, as if you can picture each piece sitting in different corners of your bedroom, living room, car, wherever the hell you are listening to this song at the moment. After the initial loud entrance into the song, things are calmed down and the mood takes a darker, cooler feel to it. The song features trumpet and guitar parts that alternate leads. Here we see, maybe more than anywhere else on the album, how these two instruments (and to an almost equal degree the drums) support each other. The secondary instrument, whether guitar or trumpet at the moment, progresses in a way to provide a steady rhythm and basis pulling or grounding the listener. It's not jazz, but you get a similar feeling, just rolled into a rock song.
Abilene - "Fellini"
The trumpet here is used to accent more than anything else in the beginning of this song. When things breakdown a bit about a minute into the song, I find the simple open chord guitar strums as perfectly placed amid Dunham's calls out. About two and quarter through the song, the chords change and a steady pounding pace takes over, which once the vocals subside, the trumpet runs away with the rest of the song. Controlled while still unique.
This album looks to be out of print. You can find a few hard copies of the cd at Amazon. I also came across the whole album available for digital download through a media fire account if you feel so inclined.
Last Great Sea (2002) is a three song release of previously recorded (well shottily that is) demo material from circa 1992. Burn formed in NY in 1988 and held together through '94. They have since come together in various forms and on occasion to re-record this material and release it through Revelation Records, and in 2001 recording and releasing the EP album Cleanse on Equal Vision Records. Burn is one of those special bands from my late adolescent and young adulthood days of gobbling up any sort of hardcore music I could find that has transcended my obsession at the time and remains equally rewarding to listen to today. My only contention with the band is that they released far to little material. Three EPs over the span of their existence. I believe I just tracked down their original EP formatted as an MP3 (the album was only released in vinyl) so that I can write about it in the future and put the material out there as well since it is long out of print. For the meantime I'll turn our attention to Last Great Sea, which is substantive record on its own, though not quite to the level of self-titled original EP. Chaka Malik's unique vocals are well recorded and his voice remains as strong as ever, carrying well over the music, but without being overbearing. The band stood apart from the typical NY hardcore band of the late 80s early 90s era in that it incorporated vast creativity within its songwriting. I've always thought of their sound to be of a heavier version of Quicksand. Of course drummer Alan Cage went on to play in Quicksand after Burn, so it's certainly not that far of a stretch.
Burn - Tales of Shatou
"Tales of Shatou" runs at a quicker pace than the other two songs on this EP. Probably the most similar to the typical chord progressions seen within the greater genre, particularly if you consider the year the song was written, of any of the Burn songs on this or the earlier album. Each Burn song stands out on its own, whether through some distinct set of lyrics delivered by Malik's powerful voice or some guitar hook. The tempo changes are all Burn. The break at about 1:40 is my favorite part with drum rolls and some sort of almost inverse guitar chord (whatever that means) progression, that then leads into a short guitar soloing and finally a breakdown and away of everything but minor percussion and bass. The end of the song builds back up to and closes strong.
It looks like Revelation has this album out of print as well as the first EP. So I'm going to post all three songs here for download if you want the whole thing. Amazon has a few copies for sale as well.
My Room is a Mess arrived in 2003. Crow had a few previous releases, but this one stands out the most to me and I have been giving it continuous play of late. Crow is one part of the duo that is known as Pinback. I reviewed one of their EPs a few months ago, Arrive Having Eaten. In comparing Crow's solo work to that of his partner in Pinback, Armistead Burwell Smith IV whose own solo project, System's Officer, is worth a good listen, Crow's work stands out as being more varied, looser, and less formulaic. Crow's voice and strong song writing carriers this album to much more than what would normally be expected from a solo release. There is a lightheartedness in the lyrics and even within the songs themselves (sound effects from this old Casio Rap Master keyboard that I remember having when I was a kid show up out of nowhere during "Iocane"). Pay specific attention to the layering of vocals and guitar, as the mixing is another strong suit of the album. Songs are fairly short and straightforward, with wonderfully written guitar parts and progressions.
Rob Crow - "Beyond Him"
Crow's smooth vocals blanket this song from beginning to end. The cleanness of the guitar is the other thing that stands out. Initial lyrics are drawn out over clean picking on guitar. Then the next shift is keyed by a little guitar hook that is used often in the song when shifting parts and used excellently towards the end of the song, appearing in layers and sharp quick changes. The vocals change briefly in the middle of the song, and layered as well. The guitar hook mentioned just before appears here, and is followed by a return to the chorus part from the beginning of the song that closes it out.
Rob Crow - "Over the Summer"
The longest song on the album at 3:39. Possibly the catchiest songwriting on the album as well. The guitar progressions on each section are attention grabbers. The vocals, as usual, are sung beautifully over the music. The basic drum track in the background is steady and fits in simple support. There is a break near the middle of the song, where guitar is slowly built while vocals become a little harsher and direct. This changes back into the chorus, which washes over in warm smooth waves.
This album is fairly easy to find online for purchase at Amazon.com in CD form or mp3. He has also released another solo album since this release. Living Well came out 2007 and is available on Temporary Resistance Records on CD and LP. It is also chock full of Rob's eccentric yet endearingly warm songwriting style.
I stumbled upon this late '60s band through the FHF Internet Music Show that was mentioned over at Aversionline (hat tip). The guy at FHF has an amazing knowledge of music and each individual past show is available for download streaming, so I recommend checking it out. From the little information available online about this band, I have gathered that Heron had come into existence in Maidenhead, England in 1967. These recordings represent everything that they had recorded between 1970-72 on the record label. There are 43 songs included on the 2 cd set, and rounds out at about 2 1/2 hours of listening in total. There is certainly a development in songwriting from the first cd (earlier material) to the second. It seems that after going into the studio to record an initial single, the band was unhappy with the whole studio experience. The band got a decent mobile recording set-up and went out into a field away from society to record in a setting fitting their music, complete with the sounds of birds chirping away in the distance. As you may have guessed, their sound is definitely folk, progressive at times, but influences from Bob Dylan to the Incredible String Band have been noted. I can picture some Bert Janech at time's as well. It's really an incredible experience when taking in the setting of the recording and considering the time period and cohesion of the band-mates. The band's obscurity adds to the mystique and sense of detachment from society when listening, with much of the popularity of folk in the last ten years, and particularly folk-ish musicians from this era (Nick Drake, Dylan, Janech, etc.) it is surprising to find this band buried away as they have been.
Heron - "Car Crash"
Even on cd you immediatly here the soft hum of the outdoor recording, the mics taking in everything of the surrounding. Softly strummed guitar, and dual vocals, panned one the right one to the left. The dual guitars split off at times. The vocals are seperated just barely at times and this creates a wonderful echo-like effect. The lyrics paint a wonderful picture matching the natural setting, particularly I love the following passage:
the running damp of raindrops is as water
paint to wash away
thoughts of you
Toward's the end of the song, one of the guitars frees itself and wonders off on its own momentarily. There is about twenty seconds at the end of the song where one of the band-members can be heard remarking about the "little black insects crawling all over" in the field.
Heron - "Madman"
"Madman" is the first track from the second cd, and was originally part of the band's final release Twice As Nice & Half The Price. The album was also recorded outdoors, but with a few more instruments including a cleanly played electric guitar. "Madman" carriers an infectious bouncy rhythm, a Sunday afternoon feel to it. Also the percussion is simple but much more pronounced than anything from their earlier outputs. The wonderfully done dual vocals remain a staple, but we see even more guitar lines flowing here and there. Nothing overly original per se, but layered very well and creating quite a bit of warmth. The fact you can hear laughter at times and discourse between the band-mates towards the end of the song only adds to the fun and looseness of the album. Hell, its not rocket science if you think about, having a relaxed recording environment helps to translate to the creation of a very relaxing sound.
These recordings as mentioned above were released on Dawn Records, which existed from 1970-75 and was notable for releasing a couple Donovan albums amongst a few other releases. I've seen a couple Upon Reflection... cd's over at amazon.com. I found a link to a rapidshare posting of both album's for download. Currently, I'm enjoying the earlier works (the first cd) a bit more, its simple and really relays the tone of the music and feel of the band a little better. But, there are some strong songs on the second cd as well ("John Brown" and "Winter Harlequin" as examples) and the songs are more diverse here. Heron has done a great job of creating a truly varied and honest set of recordings combined here on this double cd release.
This one definitely stands the test of time for me. Direkt Aktion was released through the very solid Prank Records in 2003 and I'll continue to go back to it again and again and find it sounds just as good as the first time. Guyana Punch Line were a hardcore-punk band formed from members of In/Humanity, Antischism, and .fuckingcom, and were based out of South Carolina. Part of what keeps this album so well is its brevity (13 songs in about 20 minutes) and its diversity around the fast-paced music. The vocals settle in the screamed/yelled department, chords are progressed through fairly quickly, but the rhythm is tight and well developed. Drums are tight with the rest of the music as well and sound pretty decent in regards to the recording. Vocals are biting and witty political criticisms, a large part of the feel of this band comes from it. The band didn't last all that long after this release, calling it quits before the year was out.
Guyana Punch Line - "Direkt Aktionists Daily Affirmination"
This song follows a short (30 second) noise track entitled "The Electric Cha Cha Macarena Boogie Slide", so the return to the open guitar chords and subsequent bass line is more pronounced when the songs are listened to in succession (as on the album). I like that they allowed the bass to have the lead here in the beginning, it changes things up a bit. When the vocals kick in, we get the more typical Guyana Punch Line sound. Terrorizing up and down the spectrum as the simple chords are ran for longer stretches before both vocals and music intensifies, the chord changes sticking with each word screamed. They bring back the bass leadwork towards the end of the song, before returning to the main part of the song again to close things out.
Guyana Punch Line - "Security"
I think my favorite song on the album. "Security" starts out with an eerie guitar riff that builds when the band comes in and then changes and speeds up, getting a head start on the vocals. The music and vocals are as tightly played here as anywhere else on the album. The drumming stands out on the song as well. The pounding beats of the snare accelerates the pace near the midpoint of the song and variety is seen in rolls and cymbal play.
This is truly an album where if I go to it, I listen to the whole thing. The songs flow into each other with little to no breaking, and the whole thing is right to the point. The closing song, "Terror in Toyland" carriers some of the better vocal moments on the album and I would say is the band catching a "second wind" if they ever showed signs of slowing down in the first place. After the band split up, the non-vocals portion of the group went on to form Thank God, while the band's singer, Chris Bickel went on to focus on his noise project Anakrid. You can find Direkt Aktion through the Prank Mailorder page for about $10 with shipping included (Media Mail).
I have been an Evan Patterson fan for some years now, going back to his work in The National Acrobat and Black Cross (originally called Black Widows), and more recently Coliseum, (though for some reason I haven’t given Breather Resist all that much of a try). I was interested to hear that he was involved in a new band that, though likely carried some similarity with his other works (they all have his distinct imprint even though the bands span across different genres), was another avenue for his creative guitar sound and songwriting. Young Widows, like the previously mentioned bands, are based out of Louisville, KY. The three piece group featuring Jeremy McMonigle, Evan Patterson, Nick Thieneman, released Old Wounds a couple years ago (2008). You can expect a heavy dose of discordant guitar and math-rock like song structures (though not too overwhelming) mixed with equal parts melody and a rough Midwestern feel to the whole package. Vocals are sung, but are bit rough. The recording is done very well, with attention to the sounds produced from the low end and guitars. The whole album runs through 11 songs in just over 32 minutes, never getting overly burdened with repetitiveness. I would say the song writing is better here than on some previous works (Black Cross for example) resulting in more memorable songs, which aren’t overly complicated for the sake of complexity.
Young Widows - "Took A Turn"
Opening things up on the album is "Took A Turn". We are treated to grinding bass panned hard right while spoken/sung vocals begin hard left in the mix. This groove sums up the feel of the whole album pretty well. Dark, dusty country road, middle of nowhere and not exactly innocent. When the drums kick in alongside the bass, still panned hard right, we get a buildup to what was surprising a slower beat than I had expected and really worked well to keep the mood created by the bass going instead of copping out into something quicker. Then the guitar enters and everything pans out equally from the middle and a few seconds later the song starts to drive foward, drums and bass throbbing, guitar edgy and disjointed at times. The song shoots straight into the next song "Old Skin", which serves as an fine transition to a more traditional strong structure, but not losing the mood built up by "Took A Turn".
Young Widows - "Let Him Be"
Nearing the end of the album, "Let Him Be", a short (2:22 minute) song is composed of and features straightforward vocals over pounding guitar and drums, and a bass line that noodles its way around within the mix. The instruments are played together tightly and the pace is faster than what you normally find within the the album. This pace only lasts for about half the song, as after a short break where only the background sound of a crowd is heard, vocals usher back a percussive driven ending portion of the song that is accompanied by more of that grinding bass.
Young Widows are aided by being on a strong indie label in Temporary Residence (Coliseum, Pinback, Three Mile Pilot, The Books) and you can find this release there in both CD and LP versions for $10.
I Am The Man (2007) and Simone White's more recent release, Yakiimo (2009) kind of came out of nowhere for me. I only came upon White through seeing Hideyuki Katsumata's interesting music video for the title track from Yakiimo. White was actually born in Hawaii, but has resided in London and New York before reaching the heights of these two releases. I really enjoy the layout and packaging for both albums, both including lyric books on matte paper. White plays guitar and sings throughout I Am The Man, and mostly solo.
Simone White - "I Am The Man"
White's vocals set her apart. Her guitar play comes secondary for her. Here we have a simply open strumming opening things off with vocals quickly appearing as well. White works in a fair amount of politics into some of her songs, but with her soft and clean vocals, it comes across as gripping as opposed to divisive. The lyrics also point toward a progression of personal/political views and self-understanding. The recording is very clear and soft sounds that do appear (pronunciation of words, etc.) bring warmth to the song.
Simone White - "I Didn't Have Any Summer Romance"
The first song on the album. Lyrics song from a personal perspective and more along the line of a traditional pop lovelorn song. We hear a subtle use of trumpet in the background and minor percussion, enough to promote a slight toe tapping as I sit here listening. The song is fuller and one of the more musically strong songs on the album. Even a nice little guitar interlude presents itself within the second minute. White's vocals match the tone of the lyrics extremely well and once again are the driving force behind the song.
Simone White's website carries a few more songs that you can listen to and check out, and both this album and Yakiimo can be purchased in cd, lp, and mp3 forms through the record label, Honest Jon's Records.
This is Javelin's (Brooklyn, NY) first official release, though their demo Jamz n Jemz (2009) had already gained notoriety. George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk the two principal members used and reworked about a third or so of the material from Jamz n Jemz here on No Más (2010). They chose to do so through the creation of more traditional song structures versus the chopped up free flowing pattern of the demo. The songs are generally short, anywhere from just over a minute to just over three minutes in length, so things avoid getting too stale. Generally there is enough going on in the songs to keep things fresh, the changes are smooth and the samples used nostalgic. The vocals work within the music and are also varied to such a degree as to avoid detracting. The editing of parts and pieces is the real gold here, creating a fully groovy and enjoyable album's worth of music.
Javelin - "On It On It"
I like how this songs lives in the high end of the spectrum, including the samples used, keyboards, and vocals. A very dance-able beat, but with the vocals as high as they are, we get more of a groovier sound out of. The percussion creates many electronic open high-hat and taps that help to keep an up-tempo going. Reverbing things helps to separate the percussion from the vocals and keyboard/synth blips, also forming chorus sections. The song closes following a repeated vocal part, possibly could have shaved a bit off of this but not necessarily a big deal.
Javelin - "Shadow Heart"
A change of pace within the album starts things off here. The hand claps, used so well on the opening track "Vibrationz", return here and when the drums kick in we get the calling out of the title of this song that quickly gives way to a robust horn section with a waltz like feel to it. Keyboards are spot on throughout the song, running over a variety of sounds and forms. Things are taken up to the higher end here as well, particularly towards the end of the song as the percussion lives on the high-hat and steady snare/bass drum beats.
I have read some criticism that the attempts at song structures and reworking older material signify a lack of creativity on the duo's part. I really don't see it. I can to a degree understand those that prefer the style of Jamz n Jems, and in some situations I would prefer it as well (say while driving around town), but I don't dock Javelin for going the formal song structure route for their first release. I think there is room for growth in song writing, but their talent at selecting nostalgically driven samples and sounds along with editing them within the songs is undeniable. Oh, and "Goal/Wide" is an excellent last song for an album.
The album is available in mp3, cd, and lp forms through the label's site, Luaka Bop.
Had a tough time choosing this Gillian Welch album to write about because its not exactly my favorite of hers, that being Time (The Revelator), but this one has been slowly growing on me this past year. Soul Journey was released in 2003, and its a shame that she has not released anything since then, though she remains active touring. Welch is joined by guitarist Dave Rawlings who also produced the album, which features a few added instruments not present on Welch's previous releases (drums, electric guitar, etc.). Gillian Welch and Rawlings musically sprawl out from bluegrass, but the added instrumentation on a few songs brings with it a bit more variety. Soul Journey at times, lacks momentum, and instead chooses the laid back route. Its an album that is more likely to be enjoyed on a hot summer porch or perhaps driving cross state or country, than her previous albums.
Gillian Welch - "Look At Miss Ohio"
"Look At Miss Ohio" is the first song on the album. The instrumentation sits softly in the back while Welch's vocals are strongly sung, forming the driving force within the song. She is a beautiful painter, not so much with the words she chooses, but the tone and overall delivery. When the drums start in we still have the rest of the instruments plucking in and out from the background. The vocal break is allowed to exist for just the right length. When Welch's voice returns we really feel settled into the song, this lasts for another few verses, before she slips away again and the song plays out.
Gillian Welch - "No One Knows My Name"
Banjo and violin introduce this catchy song and sets up the melody. The lyrics speak from a more personal take, touching on family and the self. The banjo plucking and violin really stand out here (there's guitar in there as well), and fill in the gaps between the vocal parts masterfully. For an album entitled Soul Journey, this is a perfect song, with its introspective tone and mournful sound, all the way to its classic melody and structure.
Rawlings and Welch have collaborated again recently, but this time it is in support of Rawlings first solo release. The Dave Rawlings Machine is touring currently and worth looking into if they happen to be touring where you live (I'm not so lucky). It is becoming increasingly concerning that there has not been another Gillian Welch release following this album, we can only hope that this will come to pass and there will be a fifth album released in the near future. In the mean time I certainly recommend checking out her previous releases along with Soul Journey. You can find them all through her website, gillianwelch.com. This link is directly to her online store.
Regulator Watts existed as a band for roughly two years, '96-'98, and called Washington D.C. their home. The Aesthetics of No-Drag (1997) was their first release by the three-piece group. Alex Dunham providing vocals and his unique guitar sound. Cret Wilson also provided vocals and handled the bass duties, while Areif Dasha Sless-Kitain was on drums. Dunham had appeared previously in Hoover, and later appeared in Abilene and Radio Flyer. Hoover has bared the brunt of comparisons with fellow D.C. band Fugazi, while Regulator Watts is decidedly the most stripped down straight up post-hardcore/post-punk sounding of the bands Dunham had fronted. I only came upon knowledge of this band in the past year or so through this solid post over at Hardcore for Nerds,
which i recommend for even more indepth review of the band's work.
Regulator Watts' sound has its share of discordant moments, but also enjoys heavy doses of steady riffs and repeated parts that allow the songs to develop enough character to individuate. You can still find places where things are broken down and the guitar is allowed to explore and dance between different volume levels and different riffs. The vocals are mixed a bit too far into the rest of the music, but this may have been purposely to attend more to the guitar and instrumentation itself. The drums sound good, the bass can get lost in the mix at times though.
Regulator Watts - "Mercurochrome"
Soaring feedback gives way to soaring guitar chords, creating Dunham's unique sound on guitar, there may be no better song he has written that exemplifies this. The vocals are called out under the soaring guitar, lyrics are audible but the vocals act as a director for the guitar, often initiating chord changes and overall direction. The bass stands out early on as well providing the steady undertones when the guitar runs up the ladder. The drums are consistent yet choppy, but roll into a more straightforward play at times along with the guitar and bass. You can feel the guitar ratcheting up and down at times. About two thirds through the song Dunham scales up to even higher levels, which is even more rewarding when he returns to the main guitar part. Things pick up towards the end of the song with a greater rush to the finish, particularly from the drums.
Regulator Watts - "The Ballad of St. Tinnitus"
Tinnitus being that ringing in your ear after seeing Motorhead without ear plugs in. You can see where this song goes after a few seconds of quite play from the guitar and drums. I love the way the guitar returns following a moment of silence. More forceful and louder. The vocals enter in as calls out in the distance. Here the guitar leads the changes and is followed by the bass and vocals. Chords are held on for what seems like forever and provide a warm and beautiful sound. Half-way through the drums move to muted high-hat hits and the guitar explores things at a more moderate level. A couple double snare hits signal a return to the predominant guitar parts. With forty odd seconds left things get forceful and turns to crashing play right up to the end note that is held and carried.
This album is unfortunately out of print and though you can occasionally find a few copies available through Amazon, they tend to be on the expensive side (think $35). Fortunately kissmysoundsystem has the whole album available for free mp3 download through mediafire.
The second Crystal Castles formal release, both releases simply going the self-titled route, so I'll make sure to denote that this is a review of the most recent version released this year (2010). The duo that forms Crystal Castles are founder Ethan Kahn (all instrumentation and production) and Alice Glass (vocals). Both from Ontario, Canada. They've toured quite extensively since there inception, and have quite a following growing. A polarizing band to say the least, but I think it has been played up a bit too much (but everything gets played up too much).They play a sort of caustic dance music roughened up by both Alice Glass' vocals and Kahns choice of sounds/samples. Though this album sees them exploring Glass' vocals quite a bit more and to the point softening it up at times giving it an almost Euro-dance quality. I'm still getting a good feel for this album but I definitely like a few standout songs alot and see some of the other songs growing on me.
Crystal Castles - "Celestica"
"Celestica" is a good example of the changes appearing on this album compared to the previous. I really liked the little blips appearing early on panned hard left in the mix. Next we are greeted by softer sung vocals from Glass, while the music builds toward an expansive dance beat and aural experience. Thankfully the beat is broken up a bit and allowing for a chorus that brings this back to being more song like in structure as opposed to dance anthem (which isn't my sort of thing per se and really good for dance clubs but not so much for live shows and regular listening). The song length (3:47) is another key to making it work within the album, nice and short without being too full of itself. The abrupt transition by the next song on the album which happens to be my second choice of songs presented here is spot on as well.
Crystal Castles - "Doe Deer"
The almost "horn section" sound that is chopped up to fit the drum beat blasts right off the top of this song. This is the stuff that really catches me. Its a short song (1:38) that revs things up. Glass' screeching vocals run through the post-production gambit and come out in position to powerfully carry the high-end over Kahn's ultra-fuzzed out low-end creations. Nuanced sounds creep in and out as the song progresses, both in regards to the instrumentation/sounds and in the vocals.
Crystal Castles II contains 14 songs within with only one reaching beyond the five minute mark so it avoids becoming too bogged down. Addmittingly my least favorite song is "Year of Silence" which samples a Sigur Rós song and I just find annoying (to be clear I generally like Sigur Rós). I think the fact that I can find songs like Doe Deer so enjoyable on the same album plays to band's polarization at times, but I think the ultimate end result is better for it even though it means a few clunkers.
Here's a link to their website, Crystal Castles Official Site. You can find a link to purchase the album in both cd and mp3 formats. The 'ole myspace page has a few more songs for listening pleasure as well.
I've written about Kaki's previous album Dreaming of Revenge not that long ago. Junior was just released last month and Kaki has been on a supporting tour that I was lucky enough to catch at her stop here in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom last week. This was my first time seeing her live, and I came away impressed. After giving Junior a few listens through and considering its role in her live show I had just witnessed I have come to think of it as a nice complimentary piece in her portfolio of music, something that was definitely a pleasant part of her overall performance. She continues to move towards more of the pop-indie genre, adding more songs with vocal parts as opposed to her earlier works witch focused almost solely on guitar. Her live shows, I can imagine, have improved because of this. The ability to mix in a few of her newer and catchier songs with some of the those demonstrating her dazzling guitar mastery from her earlier albums (and still occasionally appear on the newer ones), have gone a long ways to broaden the experience of those in attendance at one of her shows. Having Jordan Perlson (drums) and Dan Brantigan (multiple instruments) on stage helped as well as their play was solid in support of her lead.
So now on to Junior, it follows the direction set by Dreaming of Revenge towards increasing the number of indie songs with vocals and reducing the number of guitar focused instrumentals. In the live format, this is a welcome exchange as I mention above it allows her to draw from a wider variety in picking songs to tour on. On this album it works well, but I have to say, you begin to miss the instrumentals to a degree. Now don't be mistaken in thinking that she went off writing stripped down simple songs, that is not the case, and even within the catchier of songs there are still elements of guitar play that peak into the immense-level of talent within her hands. What I see from this album is a potentially the stepping stone towards a break-out successful combination of her talent at playing the guitar and a developing songwriting skill that may espouse itself in her next album.
Kaki King - "Spit It Back in My Mouth"
I chose this song because the beautiful guitar in the beginning coupled with Kaki's soft voice is an example of what I hope to see develop as she continues her writing development in future albums. I encourage extra attention to these struck notes as the dexterity involved is quite impressive when seen in person, and can sometimes be taken for granted when only listening to a cd or LP. I also enjoyed the simplicity of the song structure, its parts aren't overly complicated, and allows the play to enrich the sound. The drumming here is basic, but does a wonderful job working mostly off of the high-hat, snare, and kick drum, with a focus on the high-hat playing speeding the beat up. Dan Brantigan's contributions on whatever that weird instrument he plays help to form the chorus parts and bring a dance element (along with some of the lyrics) to the song as well.
Junior is available through the record label Rounder Records for about $12 in cd form and $10 for the MP3s. She is also still currently touring in support of this album and those dates can be found here at her website's tour page.
San Diego, California's Pinback have been known to offer special tour released EPs over their career. Arrive Having Eaten was one of these EPs and it happened to be released during a 2003 tour. Pinback started out back in 1998 as a collaborative effort Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. I've mentioned Smith before in a previous post on another of his bands, Three Mile Pilot. Pinback had released their second full length album, Blue Screen Life in 2001 and one of the songs, "Seville", appears on this album in a slightly different version. "Anti-Hu" (a fan favorite over the years) appears here as well in a variation from the original which appeared as a B-side on the 2001 CD single, Penelope. There are only four songs on Arrive Having Eaten, but I would support all four being good and certainly something Pinback fans should check out. Those not familiar can expect indie rock with a unique bass sound and very smooth vocals, the duo simply play well off of each both instrumentally and vocally.
Pinback - "Hohum"
Sometimes it can be a little difficult picking out the guitar from bass on certain songs as Smith's playing although unique in regards to the sound he pulls from his bass guitar, is all over the fret board map at times. "Hohum" starts out with what sounds like both guitar and bass playing through each other as both Crow and Smith do wonderfully, and some simple drums setting a moderate beat. High-hat is opened during the vocal parts adding emphasis initially. Catch that little piano/keyboard break at about 0:43 in the song? Its a nice little preview for a return around the 1:37 mark were it acts to bring some charisma on top of a rolling guitar and drum part. The song is increasingly catchy at this point as the following lyrics are sung:
you forget I'm awake
I forget I'm awake
you forget I'm awake
I forget I'm awake
There is a break away from the drums that occurs before the final portion of the song. My favorite moment on the whole EP (though the intro to "Seville" is close second) is this little ending piece, both for the lyrics, "I want to breathe in blue", and the songwriting. It emotes elements of a rough seriousness yet also a softened exasperation.
You can find all of Pinback's available releases at their website and website store. I was lucky enough to catch them playing here in Cleveland about a year and half ago and I have to say their shows do not disappoint. They have a west coast tour planned for July, you can see the dates listed here at their myspace page.
No Man's Slave's recording spanned roughly five years before completion in 2000. This was because the instrument parts (drums and guitar) were completed in the Summer of '95, while the lead and back-up vocals weren't done until 2000 as the band had disbanded in '96. So this release was done posthumousness (like Tu-Pac!) and actually not fully available until 2002. Infest is, or at least should be, one of the most well known American hardcore bands. Their sound fits into the power-violence grand scheme of things (faster than fast music and hoarse vocals). Their lyrics are fairly straight forward, socio-politcal though often through a personal viewpoint. The recording on this album can be perceived as their cleanest though it is rough enough and fitting of the band's sound. Song lengths average under one minute per song, so you can get an idea of the pure thrash fury in short bursts. One of my favorite hardcore bands.
Infest - "Behind This Tongue"
Hey a Infest song that starts out relatively slow!. "Push me, test me, Bring out the best in me". These lyrics still have meaning to me to this day, even in their simplicity. Reframing opposition as simply a building block for the self through converting it into motivation.
Infest - "Terminal Nation"
And here's a relatively long Infest song (1:31). The principal thrash onslaught gives way to a rare instance of a slower, groovier riff, and of course the song swings back and closes at full speed.
Infest - "Contact"
I love the drum roll - vocal paring here, which flies in between open guitar chords and lots of high-hat and crash playing on the percussive end.
This 19 song album is only released on vinyl (12") as far as I know. You can purchase it over at Deep Six Records, for $10 in the U.S., a bit more for outside of the U.S. The "link within" widget down below should have a fun time pairing this up. I'd say check out my posts on Born Against, Man Afraid,, and to a lesser extent Assault, if you are into this stuff.
I was in Bela Dubby, which is a coffee shop type place here in Lakewood, the other day and this album was playing on their small stereo and found myself really honing in on each song. Between this album and their second album Loveless (1991), I had always leaned toward Loveless as my favorite. It took the shoegazing super distorted guitar sound up ten notches and really just stood out in my music collection because of it. But something really kicked in that day in Bela Dubby, as I heard these songs again for the first time in a long time. I'm finally giving this album a second thorough exploration these past few days.
My Bloody Valentine formed in Dublin, Ireland in the early 1980s, but during their long career only released two full length studio albums, amongst a number of EPs and singles. The band was composed of founding members Kevin Shields (guitar/vocals) and Colin Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums), along with Bilinda Butcher (guitar/vocals) and Debbie Googe (bass). Their sound on Isn't Anything (1988) was, as I mentioned above, less about distorted guitar and more traditional alternative/indie in sound, though a fair level of distortion and sound experimentation existed. The song structures tend to be simple, though variety exists thanks in part to the experimentation in sounds and occasional lead vocal switches between songs.
My Bloody Valentine - "Lose My Breath"
"Lose My Breath" gives example of a Bilinda Butcher led song. The pace is a wonderfully methodically slow plod during the sung lyrics. The breaks formed during the softly sung chorus part act as beautiful clearings amongst the darker portions surrounding. The percussion moves to a tom roll that though lost somewhat in the mix is really the difference maker in the pacing/tempo of the song. This is also an example of the simplicity of song structures that fit into the more introverted dazed feel of the shoegazing genre.
My Bloody Valentine - "[When You Wake] You're Still in A Dream"
Kevin Shields takes the lead on this catchy guitar and vocal driven song. The backing vocals soothe as they are sung behind Shields' smooth lead vocal delivery. They act similarly to the softly sung breaks in "Lose My Breath" as a juxtapose to the rough guitar driven instrumental parts of the song. Once again song structure is simple yet effective as the song length is relatively short.
The fifth song on the album, "No More Sorry", is a departure in structure and make-up from the remainder of the album's songs and appears to omit any percussive beat choosing to be more string instrument based. "All I Need" provides a peak into the type of guitar distortion and sound that would evolve into Loveless. "Sueisfine" is one of the more straight up catchier songs within, while "Nothing Much To Lose" stands out with it's extended drum rolls appearing around the song's mainline parts and could be judged as good as anything else on the album.
Friends Dave Brylawski (vocalist/guitarist) and Steve Popson (bassist) worked during the late 1980s in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to form what would later become of the more important 90's indie rock band's, Polvo. The band released four full length albums between '92 and '97 along with numerous singles and EPs, before disbanding in '98. It was a pleasant surprise that they reformed in the past year and released this album, In Prism, along with an upcoming European tour, which you can read more about at their myspace page.The music is influenced with Eastern and Middle-Eastern musical tints which appear at times in the percussion and guitar. The vocals are sung, while lyrically it can be out there at times. The recording is clean yet the low end packs a punch (see the third song, Beggar's Bowl, for an example). Musically, they fall into the post-punk/progressive rock arena, with a stronger leaning toward the prog-rock end of things on this album, but mostly avoiding the self-indulgence that sometimes plagues the genre. Though the song lengths aren't overly too long, they typically rest around the five and half mark with a couple songs reaching into the eight minute territory.
Polvo - "Right The Relation"
Single guitar layer is followed by second guitar, drums, and bass. Math-rock elements are evident in the writing here, but not overly disjointed or harsh. In fact the guitar parts, broken when they are, work extremely well to accent and add perfect little hooks over the rhythm. The vocals took me a little time to warm up to, but now I think they fit extremely well with the music, sung toward the higher end of things, clear yet powerful. There's a guitar led solo about half-way through the song that doesn't last all that long, before the main instrumental line returns with vocals. The second half of the song mirrors the first mostly, though it ends in a bit of a big finish fashion.
Polvo - "Lucia"
"Lucia" starts off softly, with reverbed guitars, light cymbal taps, and calming vocals. This lasts almost two minutes, before snare hits signal a crashing of drums and guitar, which briefly recedes only to return with the main line and chorus and wonderfully catchy guitar parts that play off of each other and end in cymbal accented crashing closure each time. The Eastern sounding hand played drums lead into an interesting middle portion of the song, that includes multiple instruments (sounds like violin/viola, maybe a sitar as well). Because of this interlude, the return of the chorus is even stronger, and those catchy guitar parts pack even more of a punch this time. The last forty seconds of the song returns to the softness of the beginning, trading in reverb for a clean guitar sound.
When Polvo decided to reunite for this album they also decided to do it on their first label (well in regards to LP releases), Merge Records. They are selling the cd and the flac and mp3 files for download through the Polvo site there. Its always interesting to see how well a band does after years of being apart, and away from each other. Its good to see that Polvo still has a knack for songwriting and avoiding staleness in their sound.
Just heard of this band through Aversionline. You can click on the link to read the review that sparked my interest in the band. The band is a three piece from Allston, Massachusetts. They are currently unsigned per their myspace page, but I'm not sure how long that will last. The recording is what you would expect from a demo, but there are elements of this sound that works well with the music. The instruments tend to blend, and reverb flows throughout, but particularly with the guitar the sound is just right. The drums are flat, as you can imagine, but other bands have been driven to maintain this type of lo-fi sound (hello Times New Viking), so it works in that regard. I would imagine they bring more depth to the drums on future recordings once the money starts flowing in. I like the vocals, distant as they sound, almost as a separate instrument complimenting the groovy guitar and solid writing. Reminds me of an old H2O 7" I had back in the day for some reason.
Young Adults - "Annulation"
A few open notes leads into the core rhythm of the song. Catchy right off the bat. The guitar takes the lead on this song, partly a result of the recording, but (hopefully) partly by design, as it creates the aural experience that is immediately satisfying. This is not to discount the vocals, but they rather serve the purpose of supporting and filling in well juxtapose to the guitar.
Young Adults - "Impression"
The oddest guitar intro on the demo, but when the next guitar part takes it up a notch (on the scale that is) it works. The pace is slower than on any other song, allowing for a more "rocked out" feel and clearer vocals due to less reverbed sound created by open guitar play. This also allows the drums to make their way into the feel a bit, as the beat is more pronounced, whereas the previous song was built more on the rhythm of the guitar.
You can check out more of their songs on their myspace page linked above, and they are also posting all of their demo songs for free download as well. If you want a cd I believe you can contact them through their myspace page and they will send you a copy for $4. The demo is 5 songs in total.
I somehow missed that the third Kings of Convenience album (excluding the remix album Versus) had been released last October (2009). I am a very big fan of their first two albums, Quite Is the New Loud (2001) and Riot on an Empty Street (2004). As you can see, its been quite some time for this third album to be released. The Bergen, Norwegian group is made up of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe. Øye, has been quite active in a number of other projects (a solo album entitled Unrest, part of The Whitest Boy Alive). Eirik Glambek Bøe, I believe, had been focusing on school at one time which also accounted for some of time off. In any case it has been long overdue, so I was quite elated when I discovered this release.
Both Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe sing and play guitar in the group. At times they have included other musicians often bringing in other stringed instruments, rarely any percussive instruments, though it is noted on this album that Eirik will often tap at his guitar creating a percussive beat in certain songs. After my initial listening, I came away thinking that they had moved their focus toward the vocal end of things. I still think this as I have re-listened to the cd, though some of the guitar and viola nuances have shown through. I think this album will serve to compliment their previous two quite well. My personal bias is towards the more instrumental end of things. The part of their music that really captured me was their interwoven guitar playing that had been a hallmark of their first two albums (particularly the first). But, to ignore the beautiful harmonization of their voices would be criminal as well. While I sit here listening to the music on this album and writing this review, I hesitate to draw further conclusions about this album. I can tell it is already revealing much more than I first grasped. What can be taken away from this, is perhaps this album in its ever so Kings of Convenience softness and subtlety, is layered and holds its greatest offering underneath its surface.
Kings of Convenience - "Mrs. Cold"
Erland on nylon strings and Eirik on steel strings. Eirik's picking style provides a percussive feel that helps build a beat for the song. While Erland is free to come in and out with some very beautiful playing that brings alot of character to the song. This song also features Davide Bertolini on upright bass and Tobias Helt on viola. The vocals are often composed of Eirik singing lead and Erland joining in on chorus and occasional trade offs. There is a little bit more liveliness at times in the vocals in this song than is typical for duo, which fits in well with the lyrical concept of the song.
Kings of Convenience - "Riot On An Empty Street"
Here we see a change in the vocal pattern. Eirik, often the lower sounding of the two, switches with Erland and takes the high end. This is simply a beautifully written song, I think my favorite on the album because of the emotion evoked by the mainline guitar hook. It feels like a sad song, but of a kinetic sort, without conclusion, which can be a bit haunting if not for the fact that it is so warming at the same time. The lyrics do a wonderful job of painting imagery, and are sung in doses, two lines at a time, broken by guitar interludes. The piano and vocalized humming accompanying the closing portion of the song is wonderfully done and the seconds of silence that separate this song and next (whether intentional or not) are perfectly placed.
You can find this album available for mp3 download through iTunes and on cd at Amazon.com for relatively good prices (~$11.00). The group is venturing out on a tour of Eastern North America beginning in June, 2010. Details and cities that they will hit on this tour can be found at their website.
I recently read about Weeping in Fits and Starts for the first time at Tiny Idols, a very well written and interesting blog about obscure and out of print material from roughly the past fifteen years. This has really been growing on me after a few listens. I wasn't able to find an image of the cover of this album, so this fuzzy band photo to the left will have to do. The band is a little difficult to pigeon hole in regards to their sound. Certainly within the broad label of indie rock, but to their credit it gets more difficult beyond that. Built on rich vocals, acoustic guitar, clean electric guitar and bass, varied percussion, banjo, and more. The band leader was Greg Jacobs, who wrote all of the music expect for "Riding Green Riding Bike". The songs were written in the early 90s and the recorded around '93-'94 in Boston, MA. The songs on this album, the band's first (they released a second before calling it quits), benefit from good writing, an inherent skill at harmonizing voice and guitar, and a good use of backing/layering of vocals. There's an "Irish folk" element that can be found here and there, as well as general swaying and warm fullness felt, particularly towards the end of the album.
Weeping In Fits And Starts - "How Can I Get Half"
Following the title track instrumental "This Wreck Is Goin' Down", "How Can I Get Half" starts out with two sets of vocals, one up front in the mix, the other set in the back. The songs demonstrates some of the better use of layering the vocals to emphasize the chorus at times, and separating them to provide background and foreground. The drumming also plays strongly in this song, changing up the beat and tempo often. Added guitar about half-way through helps to build and accent the acoustic guitar. The tempo is slowed at times, led by the vocals, which really drive the song.
Weeping In Starts And Fits - "Greater Sorrows Will Prevail"
The recording on this song is mixed a little more evenly, the guitar stands more prominently here than in "How Can I Get Half", a fuller warmer sound. A mid-paced beginning turns it up a tick briefly before layers of guitar and other instruments fill the middle portion of the song thickly and almost evoking sadness. The real winning part of the song is the final chorus "I got my feet wet and it's something I can't control..." sung over up-tempo drumming and great feeling and emotion created by the open play on guitar and later the vocals as it trails off.
I found a few copies of this album (and where I purchased it) at Amazon, reasonably priced (~$3.00). As I mentioned above, at first listen, I wasn't really caught all that much by the songs. It took a couple listens and now I'm listening it consistently, and am going to look to pick up their other album Blue Funnel World (1998). The music can be sad, introspective, upbeat, and especially warm.
