Out of Louisville, KY originally, The Bright Side was Kilowatthours' second album. The band has since changed their name or at least evolved to Up The Empire. I believe what is left of the band is now in New York. In any case, this album was released by Temporary Residence in 2002, and at the time were a five piece. The sound is within the indie-pop genre with leanings toward heavy reliance on guitar hooks and in general is guitar driven. There's elements of shoegaze without the distortion and a touch more emotion in the vocals, but a numbing or transcendental feel to it all. The tempo is mid-paced predominantly, with a quietness at times but also some charging full-sounding parts as well. There is certainly musicianship in the writing and the recording is strong. The album is relatively concise, only nine songs and under 36 minutes long. This brevity works well in that there is little excess, little to become board with.
Kilowatthours - "Almost Airtight"
A repeating couple of guitar chords starts this one off, followed by quite vocals somewhere in the middle of the mix. The chorus section explodes out with keyboards/synth really accenting and heightening the moment. These two sections repeat themselves through the next portion of the song, right up to a keyboard (I think) solo, and then shifting the guitar riff and followed by a short drum interlude, and then combination of crashing percussion, raising keyboards, and driving guitar. A false ending is presented with subtle guitars then carrying out the rest of the song.
Kilowatthours - "Dancers and Acrobats"
Keyboards exclusively in the beginning, until a voice is heard uttering the title of the song that signals the perfectly recorded percussion to come in. The cymbals are crashing and cluttered, creating a reverberated effect. The remainder of the song is an assortment of percussion parts over the keyboards and finally a return to the "keyboards only" to wrap up the song.
Temporary Residence still has the cd of this album available at their website along with three other Kilowatthours releases, so be sure to check out the label website for more of the band. As mentioned above, Kilowatthours has morphed into Up The Empire and is still actively creating and playing music under the new moniker.
Abilene released two albums in their existence, the second Two Guns, Twin Arrows I had reviewed previously, and this self-titled album released in 2000. I'll refer to the previous review for more of the background on the band (which was in the Hoover, Regulator Watts, Radio Flyer lineage). When considering that this album's lineup did not feature Fred Erskine (June of '44) as the second album did, it would make sense to lower expectations. But, that shouldn't be the case here. There is such a difference between these two albums that it isn't really fair to compare them and forcibly choose a winner. Considering guitarist/vocalist Alex Dunham's general theme of starting up bands that end up producing only one release, it starts to come together why such a difference exists. This album is much darker and moodier than any of Dunham's other releases. The music is striped down, plenty of bass and drums/percussions that simply repeat a primary theme with brief offshoots (i.e. cymbal hits, drum fills, bass lines or breaks, etc.) while the guitar also maintains a less chaotic feel (compared to other Dunham bands such as Regulator Watts), and the vocals are often mumbled or expressed with little effort, kind of a cross between something you'd expect from a shoegazing sound and Quaalude ingesting Nick Cave. I'd lump it in the giant "post-punk" arena, but would limit any further reading into the sound from that. The songs are incredibly isolating, I really can't picture listening to this album with another person, maybe if hours or days into a cross-country drive where you've ran out of things to say to each other and the surroundings are pulling your attention into your recesses of your mind, but apart from that I'd this album is perfectly paired with times of isolation.
Abilene - "October"
"October" is the longest song on the six song album, coming at 8:33 minutes long. It's partly because of its length that it presents so well within this album. It completely sums up the strongest elements of the album, pretty much everything mentioned above describing the album on a whole appears in this song. It's a steady pace of guitar over the bass and drum lines. A break at the three minute mark enters in solo reverberated guitar, followed by bass, and percussive play on a clearly recorded ride cymbal, snare, and bass drum. There's a playful bit of interaction between these instruments from here forth, with the bass being the steadiest of the group, while both the guitar and drums balance each other's additions. Guitar building in loudness, is later followed by the percussion and finally vocals returning to provide singing (not all that common on this album) that after reaching it's pinnacle and plateauing out, finally all disappears except the bellowing guitar.
I recommend the following links (Hardcore for Nerds, Fake Jazz) for other reviews and particularly this site (Egg City Radio) for a free download of the album since it is out-of-print and not easily available. I think there is a link at the bottom of the Hardcore for Nerds review to the Egg City Radio zip file of the album as well, so it's there either way.
Somehow Disappearing (2010) was released on Shiny Shoes Records towards the end of last Summer and represents New Idea Society's third full length and fourth overall release (including one EP also released last year called Quiet Prism). I chose the debut release You Are Awake Or Asleep (2005) as one of my first albums to write about last year. New Idea Society is primarily Mike Law's creative avenue as he is responsible for vocals, guitar, and writing. Juxtaposing the debut release (or even the follow up album, The World Is Bright And Lonely) and this album really demonstrates the progress and growth Law and the group have taken, reaching their current state. The sound is indie rock, with an incorporation but not over-reliance on varying the instrumentation through keyboards/electronics. The core guitar, bass, drums, and vocals are still the bread 'n butter here, but finally here on this album the mix is just right. I find the songwriting more creative and willing to take more risks than on previous works. I think this has been made possible in part due to the excellent recording quality and production. There's a feel that things were just hitting right in the recording space, resulting in a tight and full sound.
New Idea Society - "Thorns"
What can you say about that low end, it makes its presence known at the onset in an almost thundering fashion and remains there throughout the duration of the song, providing a backbone. The keyboards, percussion, and vocals all kick in, for the first few versus, and the subsequent part features harmonized singing with guitar that sounds just perfect in relation to the keyboards within the song. This song is bass, bass, and more bass, freeing up the other instruments to pop in and out without disrupting the flow and progress of the song. The lyrics of the chorus are peculiarly powerful sounding to me, not sure why, but it is good.
New Idea Society - "Desolation Tongues"
I love how the song begins, a little more menacing than anything else on the album. The piano and percussion/drum combination keeping the breathtaking tempo is very well done. An almost suspense movie feel, while the chorus sections have a very serious and decisive tone. The percussive play on the ride cymbal is perhaps my favorite part, and in general I get the feeling that this was one of the "funner" songs to play as far as percussion goes. Echoing the vocals as opposed to layering was a nice touch, particularly with the word "echo" showing up in the lyrics. The closing is an instrumental part of the song, highlighted by the piano accenting. I felt a few songs didn't seem to end quite as well, but this one was right on the mark.
As I write this New Idea Society is touring Europe in support of this album. You can check out there tour progress at their facebook page. You can also find more information on the band at their webpage, newideasociety.com. The mp3 album is available through Amazon, and in cd format as well. Truly an album that is growing and growing on me, and I feel is likely the group's best produced when considering all aspects of the within.
Lungs was a 2008 release that in my little corner of the world I had not come into any contact with until very recently. I was surprised (but then not really) to find that this album has spurned seven singles of which multiple songs have blanketed American and British television and even a few movies. The group released a song not included in this album for the third Twilight movie (hey I just know this cause I read it on wikipedia) and judging by some of the television shows also fancying their work I can see the niche audience that the album's record company, Island Records, is marketing too. I am not in this audience, but here I am writing a little on this album because within this vocal-centric pop music, I find occasions of great writing and musical talent. It's not there everywhere, and there are certainly some "misses" within for me, but this is also because of one of the album's strengths, its variety. The songs span all sorts of genres, sometimes it clicks really well, sometimes it doesn't, but it keeps things lively and fresh to see lead singer Florence Welch tackle the different vocal fields. What makes it work so well is that she doesn't just dip her toe in, she goes all out, throwing herself at all the various vocal angles she could find. You get the sense that she is truly having fun singing these heartbroken (at times angry) songs. The music is a mix of instruments fashioned to meet the needs of each song, heavy on percussion, but also harp and piano playing a major role. The production is, as expected for a big market record company, extremely professional without any discernible detractions to the music. The following quote from the group's website describing the lyrics, "The songs are full of Gothic imagery, of fairytale flights of fantasy, and although much has been read into her lyrics, Florence says it’s usually simple. “Everything is about boys!” she laughs. “The whole album is about love – and pain."
Florence And The Machine - "Dog Days Are Over"
The opening track on the album was actually the second "single" release from the album. Infectiously catchy chorus with a bouncy beat. The percussion was what drew me to this song (I believe the first I had heard from Florence And The Machine), I like the way it builds up and uses a number of percussive instruments to essentially keep the same beat, just at different intervals through the song. Of course the hand claps were a great choice, as was the pause used just after three minutes in (the pseudo ending) prior to a return of the chorus with almost chanting vocals.
Florence And The Machine - "Between Two Lungs"
Not to be confused with Between Two Ferns, "Between Two Lungs" somehow stands out from the other songs on this album because of the vocal ground covered by Welch. Its here more than anywhere else that you hear get the feeling that she was giving all of herself to the music. Welch notes on their website that this song was where she had found her voice, “I’d found my voice, and I just felt euphoric,” she recalls. “It’s been a real process of me learning that the way I wanted to do it was actually the right way. This whole album has been about having faith in myself.” The song has an odd start/stop beginning. After the vocals move towards expansion the simple piano and percussion fills in nicely. The subtle backing vocal tracks are also tastefully placed. The chorus is full and strong and the long drawn out sung words towards the end of the song are real emotional triggers. A four minute song that seems shorter, perhaps because it avoids simple structure and doesn't uselessly repeat parts, succinct yet creative.
The band's website florenceandthemachine.net is very well done I have to say, not too overwhelming, provides a decent amount of information, and has assorted media. This album is available on the site, but it just links it to a number of outlets (HMV, Amazon, etc.). There are two CD releases, a "standard" and a "deluxe" release which includes a second CD that features a few more songs and a couple demo versions songs ("Dog Days Are Over" is one of these songs, with a little different take on the percussion). There's an element of masturbatory love of affluence and "how wonderful life is (when you get to trounce around L.A. and all sorts of destinations which most people will never experience or better put can afford to experience)" from this film short linked from the band's website, it sort of rubs me the wrong way honestly and I have a creeping suspicion that I would do better to simply enjoy the album release without prying too deep into the artist and/or record label background.
I found it surprisingly difficult to find much of any current information on White Williams as he hasn't done anything musically since the release of Smoke in 2007. White Williams is the creation of Cleveland born musician Joe Williams who, along with an assortment of instruments and a few fellow musicians, was able to create a fairly minimalistic yet intently groovy album. The group's sound is more indie electronic than noise or anything of that ilk. The songs are traditionally structured and essentially pop interlaced. I was lucky enough to see White Williams play in Cleveland a couple years ago, and was impressed by the energy (not in any sort of spastic sense) that the music carried despite being as minimal as noted. It appears that Joe Williams had done most of the writing for this album during the time while traveling and subsequently finishing college in Cincinnati, OH. Perhaps having finished college and moving on into his career path, White Williams may have been a brief sort of "one-and-done" sort of thing. It would be unfortunate if that was the case, as the music is quite enjoyable for me still to this day. Expect medium-short length songs leaning heavily on the percussion and bass to provide the aforementioned groove while electronics and keyboards have plenty of room to roam, and vocals are essentially regressed to neutral or controlled tone. Relaxing and moving at the same time (comfortably groovy?).
White Williams - "New Violence"
The thing that jumps out to me is how not overproduced the drum and bass lines are in this song (and in general). It's a subtle pressing beat holding serve through the song. While electronic keyboards are able to fill in and add unique runs up above. The vocals are sung in Williams' deadpan 80's electronica fashion, stretching the words through the chorus or hook. The sped up keyboard/electronic runs really stand out as my favorite part of the song apart from the solid riff that picks up intensity rhythmically introducing the chorus.
Smoke was released on Tigerbeat6 Records but I wasn't able to find this album listed. They however say that you can contact them directly and they will search within their vault of material and perhaps track it down. There are currently about 30 (new and used) copies through Amazon available from what I can tell. Smoke runs about 40 minutes long, split amongst eleven tracks (including a cover ofThe Strangeloves' "I Want Candy"). Move it or lose it sister.
Mostly for fun, I chose to listen to this album today randomly, and well write on it as well. Running by the moniker "Guerrilla Incendiary Sabotage Mutineer" for this album or perhaps "Gnostic Idiosyncracy Sonic Militant" which appears in the liner notes (though I think my favorite was the "God In the Schizoid Mind" which may have been around the M.A.N. album era, maybe earlier), G.I.S.M spewed out a collection of songs that fall somewhere between their earlier Detestation material and the Military Affairs Neurotic or M.A.N. stuff. The band is composed of Sakevi Yokoyama on vocals, Randy Uchida on guitar, Kiichi on bass, and Ironfist Tatsushima on drums. The songs on his album span a ten year period and sounds like the type of work that would have laid the bridgework between the aforementioned two albums. It's a much better produced than Detestation but keeps the same hardcore and violent sound of the band that had been somewhat abandoned for a pure metal sound on the M.A.N. album. If you are not familiar with the band or their cult-like rise since the years have passed, I will first refer you to the G.I.S.M. Punks is Hippies/Global Darkness site that does an excellent job of providing info while maintaining the proper mystique or feel for a concept that is always just out of reach.
G.I.S.M. was a Japanese hardcore-punk-metal band that existed as early as 1980, forming in Tokyo. The band broke up in 2001 following the death of guitarist Randy Uchida to cancer, not long after the release of SoniCRIME TheRapy. So this album represents the last works of the band. The music on this album as mentioned above, falls somewhere between their two earlier releases. There is definitely metal within the guitar writing, and the drumming carriers a heavy hardcore style with it. Lead singer, and possibly the most important member to the band in regard to creating their unique sound, Sakevi Yokoyama's vocals are at their best sounding, in part due to the better overall record production, but also in part to just shear intensity. The songs on this album mirror the M.A.N. album material in length and structure, not overly long, but four minutes is a minimum predominantly with a few songs going over five minutes in length. But apart from the length, it's also the repeated riffs, the variations, etc, that remind me of the M.A.N. album songwriting the most. I don't think this album is necessarily as solid from start to finish as either of the other two albums, but the "hits" are well worth the few "misses" that present themselves. And the Sakevi's collage artwork is perfect as usual.
G.I.S.M. - "KI-1"
With the exception of the first and last songs on the album, the remaining songs are named through a shorthand of who wrote the song (either guitarist RU for Randy Uchida, KI for bass player Kiichi, etc.). The guitars are loud, dry, and crunchy as hell. The vocals as always, are great, and sickly dark. The main riff in this song is repeated over and over, with Saveki's vocals moving within its own pace, slithering over the top and through the music. The guitar solo at 1:57 is reminiscent of the work on the M.A.N. album, but with the surrounding hardcore riffs, stands out in contrast and really adds variety. Upon first listen, it's kind of amazing how often Uchida runs away and then returns to that main riff, finally finishing up the song with a dart and some Saveki cackles. Above all, a good example of the violent sound that makes up G.I.S.M.
The album artwork as mentioned above is excellent. The cd comes with a fold-out booklet that opens up to a Sakevi collage work, while under the cd tray lies the picture that appears to the right here. The cd comes in a small box that also contains a band sticker (the anarchy "A" and machine gun picture) and is overall presented very well. Good luck finding this thing. I happened to catch it on ebay for a "decent" sum, and purchased it from one "dwid hellion" who happened to be selling it and I'm pretty sure is the dwid hellion of Integrity since he was selling it from Belgium at the time (where dwid was rumored to be living at the time). I haven't seen too many pop up on their since. Of course bootlegs are out there and many people would be lucky to have found any of those to grasp band's music (though I'm guessing nowadays you can probably find someone posting a torrent of this stuff). In any case, the search for any information on the band, the stories surrounding the violence that would happen at their shows, and god willing a piece of merchandise or original recording is part of the fun of appreciating this band.
Times New Viking's second official release, Present the Paisley Reich came out in 2007 on Siltbreeze Records before the band made the jump to Matador Records in the follow up release Rip It Off (2008). Times New Viking get's some attention form for the fact that they are from Columbus, Ohio, and happen to be pretty decent. The three piece band features dual male and female vocals and their recorded material is generally filled with hyper-fuzzed out and reverberated noise wrapped around exceptionally catchy (when they are at their best) and sometimes introspective (less often) songwriting that is driven by the guitar chords and vocal harmonies.
Times New Viking - "Devo & Wire"
The pace and tempo of this song gives a pretty accurate idea of what to expect from the majority of their material. Considering the brevity of their individual songs, which should be pointed out is a good thing, I've always had a negative reaction to bands who don't know how to be concise when it comes to writing a typical rock song, not everybody needs to be Deep Purple or Rush here...but, I digress back to my original point, it's as if the songs themselves evolve out of the catchy hook and simply run through a few versions of the riff or harmony and wrap itself up without becoming stale or dull.
CD, LP, mp3, and flac digital files can be purchased through the Matador Records Store if you are looking for their more recent material. This album is available through the Slitbreeze website. The band has their own website at Times New Viking, but the "store" section is still under construction as of now, you can always check their site out for touring details, as I actually prefer their live performance to their recorded material (the lo-fi is toned down when they are live, and honestly, they don't have to hide behind all that fuzz).
