Guyana Punch Line - Direkt Aktion

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).

Young Widows - Old Wounds

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.

Simone White - I Am The Man

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.

Javelin - No Más

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.

Gillian Welch - Soul Journey

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.