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December Reviews Artist of the Month: Rilo Kiley This latest record from this uber-hip Los Angeles trio has skyrocketed to attack and steal our attention even several months after its initial release. But we can’t and will not deny that this is one of the best records of the year. So if you are under a cloud about Rilo Kiley then let this be your warning shot. More Adventurous is the band’s third release and first on their own Brute/Beaute Records (with major label distribution). After an initial EP on Barsuk Records, Rilo Kiley became one of the few bands not from Omaha to land on Saddle Creek Records (home to Bright Eyes, the Faint, Cursive, etc.). Their fit with that lineup of artists was brilliant. Their previous record on Saddle Creek, The Execution of All Things, garnered such amazing praise and standing has allowed them to work on their own terms. So, who comprises this indie rock juggernaut? Heading up a majority of the vocals is the brilliant Jenny Lewis – who also adds piano and guitar to the mix. The other front member is guitarist and part time vocalist Blake Sennett. The interesting random tidbit on this dazzling duo is that they were both child actors in Hollywood. Lewis appeared in Troop Beverly Hills as well as The Wizard, while Sennett lent his talents as a cast member on Nickelodeon’s Salute Your Shorts. Though they have long cast off their acting careers, you must imagine it influences their show business panache nowadays. Joining Lewis and Sennett are drummer Jason Boesel and bassist Pierre de Reeder. Like most either former or present Saddle Creek artists, the members of Rilo Kiley have branched out to other endeavors. Lewis offered up vocals to the powerhouse Postal Service’s debut record and toured with them. Lewis is also expected to release a solo album during the next year. Sennett rocked his own gorgeous side project during the past year as the Elected (Sub Pop) which flows like jangly singer-songwriter bliss. However, it is not as if Sennett was locked in his own box for the Elected. The Elected’s core band includes Boesel, Mike Bloom and Daniel Brummel, and includes guest spots from Lewis, Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) and Jimmy Tamborello (Postal Service). Rounding out these adventures, Boesel has lent his beats to Bright Eyes’ recordings. For More Adventurous, Rilo Kiley enlisted an array of sizzling producers including Saddle Creek master Mike Mogis, Tamborello, Dave Sher (of Beachwood Sparks/All-Nite Radio) and Mark Trombino (producer of Jimmy Eat World, Drive Like Jehu, Blink 182). To bolster the depth of songs, Rilo Kiley had Bright Eyes’ Nate Walcott add strings, while the band itself broaden the studio instruments and production. And the implications are enormous. Amongst the eleven tracks, there is a breadth of radio singles and future hits. The record begins on “It’s A Hit” with Lewis’ vocals crooning over the deployment of troops as the song sweeps into a magical catchy chorus. Probably by design, “It’s A Hit” is Rilo Kiley’s first ‘single’ and is their first video off the album. All in all, it is a glorious way to begin their best record. “Does He Love You?” mellows out the tempo with simple picking and light background music with Lewis taking a more singer-songwriter tack to the vocals. This is followed by the best track on the record, “Portions for Foxes.” When I saw Rilo Kiley live before attaining this record, “Portions for Foxes” stuck in my head like white on rice. The reason? The incredibly catchy chorus of “and it’s bad news/baby I’m bad news/It’s just bad news.” But also lyrics like “the talking leads to touching, then the touching leads to sex and then there is no mystery left.” Couple this majesty with small additions like a swirling guitar towards the end and the ending lines of “you’re bad news/I don’t care I like you/I like you,” and you end up with one of the best songs of the year. As the most power pop bliss moment of the entire record, you might as well leave “Portions for Foxes” on repeat. The oddly low-fi “Ripchord” follows with Sennett taking the lead on vocals for the first and only time. Lewis channels Janis Joplin on “I Never” with soul-inducing vocals on top of a classic simple blues composition. The best part of the song is when Lewis holds the word “I” before going to the rest of the line. Live, this is brilliant and really gets the crowd. “The Absence of God” is an acoustic guitar assault and presents an introspective story. When the instruments and supporting vocals join in the chorus, it is light-FM perfect. “Accidntel Deth” relies on a wealth of electronics as drums and guitar accompany. The title track has the most western feel as Mike Mogis adds pedal steel and glockenspiel and Lewis provides a little harmonica action. As far as title tracks go, this is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. As a nice piece of album sequencing, “Love and War (11/11/46)” provides the most aggressive guitar riffs and striking song construction. The post-line riffs by Sennett, Lewis and Mogis are simply splendid. “A Man/Me/Then Jim” begins innocently and non-sexy with up-picking acoustic guitar and this sort of Hawaiian-feel. Yet by the time you get to the first line, there are congas, horns and pedal steel guitar and you enter another level. “A Man/Me/Then Jim” probably has the most complex minimally low construction of instruments on the record. The opening line of the chorus, “She said, the slow fade of love…,” coupled with gorgeous harmonies, tie you in and force you to listen with intensity. Truly hearing “A Man/Me/Then Jim” is similar to really ‘hearing’ an Iron and Wine song. More Adventurous ends on “It Just Is” like a hip metropolitan story with compelling guitar riffs, piano and a prosperity of strings. You really couldn’t ask for a better ending to the record. As the above words have described and illustrated, this is clearly one of the best records of year if not this century. Even with little previous exposure to Rilo Kiley, I was stunned by their live show and I implore anyone with the means to check them out and become enraptured. Though the members of Rilo Kiley will be working on separate projects and other endeavors over the course of the new year, look for their stock to be soaring. With enough press and exposure – like their spread in Rolling Stone – look for Rilo Kiley to become your next favorite band – if they aren’t already.
Antler There seems to be a strange trend of otherwise heavy and experimental-orientated labels releasing polar opposites with country-driven rock records – see, Halfacre Gunroom and Deathwish. And this is where the self-titled debut from Boston-area Antler comes in; that a band making this style of music and presenting such a country image comes from Boston is mildly baffling. The six-piece’s sonic constructions are solid and thick, but in terms of pure enjoyment, Antler is beyond me. While most of the songs are acceptable, some make me want to stab myself in the eye – for instance, “I Got Lost,” “Lovesick” and “My Life.” The moderate tempo, slow progressions and Sam Ash style vocals by Craig Riggs tend to drive you to boredom. I suppose Antler is best suited for those interested into this indie acceptance of country acts – though I’m not sure who these would be. It is not like Antler are coming to the excitement of other western-flavored acts like Lucero and they seem best enjoyed heavily inebriated on the hard stuff.
Aqui Aqui seems highly propagated by their live show and that the recorded material is a conduit for that. Aqui is composed at its core by Gustavo Andrade on guitars, Gbatokai Dakinah on bass, Bob Stein on drums and Stephonik belting out the lines. The compendium of spastic punk mixed with an off-bit of glam rock that echoes the Mars Volta and Iggy Pop makes for a nearly indescribable sound. This is sufficiently characterized by tracks such as “The Assignment,” “Action,” “There As It Bleeds” and “Roll.” In other respects, Aqui prefer a more dance-orientated love fest as demonstrated on songs like “Please Send Love,” the creeping “Dawn,” “Open” and “Where Is the Messenger.” For the more random shit angle, “Under the Wake” is a ballad of high fluttering vocals. The CD is enhanced in order to get a sense of Aqui’s real talent – the live show. Now go forth and do something.
The Big Screen Coming from South Florida, the Big Screen’s initial noteworthy fact is that vocalist Daniel Pudnik is the brother of New Found Glory’s Jordan Putnik. Leaving that aside, this debut five-song EP illustrates that the Big Screen have the potential for big things, but they are still treading water. The opener “California” has all the pop-punk sound that you are looking for: youthful and upbeat vocals, high tuned guitars, feedback and Fat Wreck beats. At the same time, you can tell the band is missing something in the song construction; and some may say ingenuity. Also, what is evident is that the sound is not stellar as the guitars are louder than the vocals and there are numerous other volume level problems. After the so-so “Cold Sweats, Dark Lights,” “Pictures of Hope” comes across as exactly what you would want from a dirty local pop punk band. “Pictures of Hope” reminds me of bands like Sleepasauras and Blankface, but with more pop. Again, it is difficult to listen to the song as the sound is off; almost as if the mics couldn’t handle all the instruments playing at once and created low-frequency distortion. The EP closes on the non-inspiring “Silly Me” and “7/23.” As a high school punk band, the Big Screen would be great, but beyond that they need some more work.
Call and Response This six song EP is sort of an inbetween period for Call and Response. After releasing their 2001’s self-titled debut on Emperor Norton, the group attained positive feedback and love instituting work on a follow up. During that time, Emperor Norton was acquired by Ryko and Call and Response were sort of left on an island. These songs served initially as demos for a new record. After signing to Badman and knocking out a new full-length Winds Take No Shape, the band was able to release these inbetween tracks for Badman (and off Emperor Norton’s contact). Though not familiar with their two full-lengths, these six songs illustrate a band that is at the cusp of something great but pursue really annoying paths. The sweet vocals and lush harmonies on songs such as “Tiger Teeth” and “Connection” are enticing, but their use of high-treble nearly-jamming guitar and bright popping bass drives one mad. I can’t tell if the guitars are looking to play at Wetlands or a wedding. It is my own biases, but if Call and Response dropped their ‘groove’ angle and relied more on indie pop they would destroy.
Catch 22 The obvious question that needs answering is, do we really need this live CD? Or, is there any real point to having a live recording? It is funny that ska bands seem to have proclivity to releasing live records at some point. If you are really into ska then you know that live shows allow to get your dance on and thus a good workout in the meantime. Maybe you can put this on, close your eyes and pretend you are there. Ok. So, New Jersey’s Catch 22 has been playing for nearly a decade, released five records on Victory (part of Victory’s early expansion away from solely hardcore bands) and have amazingly survived ska’s crush. This show was recorded at the ridiculously equipment outfitted the Downtown in Farmingdale on Long Island. The Downtown of today has mind-blowing sound and gear for a club in the hinterlands of LI, which makes recording this show here a wise decision; also, it probably helps that there are scores of ska fans in the area. I can guarantee that this bartender I know there was going crazy with the scores of high school kids fiending for soft pretzels. The show itself covers twenty-one tracks from across the six-piece’s records, not the least of which their latest Dinosaur Sounds. Given the above, it goes without saying that this is a fairly tight and solid recording and illustrates that Catch-22 is good at their craft. The DVD contains the show, several videos and a bunch of extras. I will say that the video recording of the concert looks unbelievable professional, with apparently seriously high end digital cameras. The quality may be the best I’ve seen for a non-major label band. There are videos for “Wine Stained Lips,” “Point the Blame” and “Hard to Impress.” There is also footage of the band on the road and a bunch of bits of live footage from various points in time and places. Amazingly funny are brief snippets of video and photos of the band when they were young and getting into music. The bottomline is if you are big fan of Catch 22 then this is a must own. Otherwise you should probably pass.
Catharsis and the Humdrum This is a post-band release featuring ten tracks that include Catharsis and the Humdrum’s Death of Komarov EP. Catharsis is comprised of Jonathan Newby, Kevin Thornton and Matt Miller – well at least before they each went their own way. Newby is much more well-known for his endeavors in Brazil (Fearless Records), while Thornton rocks Nashville under his last name and Miller is learning the production craft. Catharsis favors mellow modern rock that was all the rage two decades ago, but also such activities by groups like Radiohead. The record starts off in promising fashion on “Hit Parade” with quick high-hat tapping, reverberating guitar and Thornton’s placid vocals. “Hit Parade” also has a nice spacey feel to it particularly on the quasi-solo breakdown. If all of Catharsis’ songs had the same quality and exceptionalism, than this would and should have been a band to be reckoned with. Unfortunately there are bunch of drop offs along with peaks across the next nine songs. The first thing is to throw out the covers of “Every Breath You Take” and “Here Comes the Rain,” and start over. The next song of note is “Queer” which features a more storytelling feel to it and faux-English pop folk flavor. “Time Machine” and “New World Order” both provide highlights though they aren’t likely to become ingrained in your memory. This is a nice record for a band that once was and whose members are generally more well-known in other deeds.
Conelrad As Pittsburgh, PA’s Conelrad’s debut release, the duo demolishes your sense of musical safety across the record’s thirteen tracks. The duo consists of Jeff Gretz on drums/vocals and Adam MacGregor on guitar/vocals. Combining a spectrum of influences from random jazz to punk to noise to power violence, Conelrad go all out but with always a nod to actual structure and songwriting. This is all refreshing given this style’s – if there is one – preference for pure musical anarchy. Still, on songs like “Urge to Evacuate” it goes from A.C. drilling to haphazard falling kitchen sink clanging nonsense. The record’s inclusion of varying sounds and structure and song titles such as “Dudes Entering Bar in Fancy Clothes Should be Prepared to Defend Themselves,” makes one enamored to this duo. New Addition Media have taken a turn towards the good with Conelrad – the label’s third release.
Corrina Repp It’s Only the Future is Portland, OR-based Corrina Repp’s latest offering to the unknowing masses. Focusing her efforts in Portland, Repp is not very well known outside of the Northwest enclave but this record may change that. She has done a couple of regional tours with the always improving the Decemberists, but not much beyond that. Featuring the minimalist, ambient electronics of collaborator Keith Schreiner (of Dahlia), Repp provides breathy, smoky vocals to ten songs that bring the down the blood pressure and smoothes out your Cradle of Filth high. Though varying comparisons have been made to other indy female singer-songwriters, the unassuming compositions of Azure Ray probably provide the best reference point. Repp’s voice barely gets above a whisper, but that is enough to keep you transfixed on the next lyric. Some of the highlights here include the quiet ambient build up on “You Almost Made It Out, But You Turned Around” and the slight beat and vocal combination on “No One’s Telling.” Others of note include the surprisingly catchy “Finally,” the chorus on “Here’s Someone Else” and the most rock-orientated song “Lost At Sea.” This is a record I recommend to anyone with a fondness for either the ambient electronic bliss of Temporary Residence or the singer-songwriter flair of Saddle Creek. I do hope that Repp makes it over to this coast for a few dates. A partial tour with members of the Saddle Creek family, particularly Now It’s Overhead, would make for a dazzling evening.
The Curtains As the Curtains’ latest offering for the Frenetic world of musical oddity, the three-piece of Chris Cohen, Andrew Maxwell and Greg Saunier surpass their previous record Flybys by leaps and bounds. As the members may strike you, these guys also provide effort in various guises to the indie juggernaut Deerhoof and Natural Dreamers. Amongst the record’s twenty-three tracks, the Curtains actually provide vocals on a number of tracks. This is certainly appreciated as then it is not just simply random instrumental crap. Not that the Curtains’ quirkiness through Cohen’s guitars and Saunier’s keyboards are lost in all this new vocal ingenuity. It is just that Flybys didn’t offer much for those not interested in the pure art of doing an instrumental record. Now, the Curtains are closer to Deerhoof constructions, which is a good thing, though they are distinct in their mellow simplicity. Therefore, the Curtains have moved up from the b.s., “I finished this over the weekend” mainly instrumental band to a band that is a. more enjoyable and b. a sweeter live draw. They still are working within a tiny market, but that market is now more appealing. With the Curtains opening – maybe literally – for Deerhoof it should make for a killer show.
Dave Pittenger Band ‘Please allow me to you numb you to death with my hour long record that goes nowhere.’ That should be the motto of this debut record from Philadelphia’s Dave Pittenger and his band. The four-piece try to flesh things out with piano and a bit of jamming, but it simply illustrates how they are drilling the singer-songwriter into a death knell. They should take what they know as musicians and do something that the world hasn’t heard already. This music should only be heard during fraternity parties with lots of beer and at no other time. Please.
David-Ivar Herman Dune This collection of ten songs is on the cusp of being a great record, but some missteps keep it from attaining such fame. David-Ivar is part of the Herman Dune duo and this is his first solo record. With his brother, Herman Dune released Mash Concrete Metal Mushroom on Shimper and Mas Cambios on Track & Field over the past year or so. Now with Herman Dune’s drummer Neman, David-Ivar unleashes his own group of neo-folk songs dominated by acoustic strumming. Why this record is on the cusp of greatness is that David-Ivar sings in that achy-folk manner in near form to early Belle and Sebastian and it is catchy and hip as all get out. This is coupled with right on folk harmonies and nice layering of simple instruments including a preponderance of ukulele. Why it doesn’t achieve it is David-Ivar forgets about harmonies from time to time, goes off on tangents and spits nonsense. Ya Ya begins on the amazing “Time of Glory/NYC” about making it in NYC as an artist (and more specifically, Greenpoint) and it sounds quintessential B & S, and it is compelling. This is followed by the domineering use of the ukulele on “Song for the Family,” where David-Ivar makes sharp harmonies; though the recording goes a bit in and out. “Take Me to Your Country House” enters with simple plucking and vocals and is the first track to illustrate some lackluster. The first true rock song is “Do the Swimming Dragon” where David-Ivar’s achy vocals stand against heavily distorted bass and simple beats. David-Ivar goes back to the folk on “From the Richiest Planet” with recording that sounds like it took place in a closet. “Your Priorities” is non-exciting, while David-Ivar follows with the electric guitar riff-focused “Coming from the Attic Window.” You think you are going to be hit by pineapples on the ukulele-based “New Jersey Fake ID.” Moving back to a more standard song construction, David-Ivar slams together a bunch of words on “My Brand New Bike.” Closing out the record is a non-inspiring cover of Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine.” Again, this debut from David-Ivar Herman Dune closes in on something special, but just misses it.
Duvall For those who have followed the Caterer brothers move from the Smoking Popes to the creation of Duvall, that they would do a religious-focused cover record is not surprising. That is, and particularly with lead singer Josh, Duvall was created as an avenue for the Caterer brothers to express more of the role of Christianity in their lives. Think what you may of either, but you still can’t deny that Josh has one of the sweetest voices in independent music today. This collection of ten songs spans from “Angels We Have Heard on High” to “Do You Hear What I Hear?” to “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.” It may be my own predilections but Duvall excels on the tracks where they deviate from traditional renditions as much as possible; and that mostly occurs with rock flair. And yet, that slips from time to time and lessens as the record progresses. Stand out covers include “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Joy to the World.” If you are looking for Christian modern rock for the holidays, then this is it. If you want songs about Santa Claus, Frosty, Rudolph and the gang, then you have to look elsewhere.
Feverdream Feverdream seeks to flex its muscle on this five-song EP with downstroking guitars and stop-start style compositions. This EP was initially going to be done as several singles, but that plan went the way of the buffalo and now they are simply compiled here. While I’m generally in favor of the Feverdream’s stripped down, post-modern sound, I admittedly find these songs boring. I said it. Boring. There is very little to get you going and you keep dreaming that something hip and cool is right around the corner, but you are continually disappointed. Though “Adopt ‘till You Snap” is a change on the EP, it alone can’t save the day. Feverdream needs a shot of adrenaline.
The Fight As this British four-piece’s first full-length, and second release, the Fight knock out fourteen tracks of quasi-snotty pop punk that sounds more Left Coast than across the pond. The Fight’s signature sound comes from female lead singer K8’s brash, in your face style and the high strung punk guitars. That some have immediately championed this band likely comes from these two facts. That is, the novelty, but more importantly this style of punk that mostly resides in sunny Cali and not dreary England. At the same time, the Fight can come across as a bit juvenile and their success may rely a bit on how they are received. One of the things about K8’s vocals that may get on your nerves is her extra emphasis on the last word of each line – as particularly demonstrated on the opening number “Can’t Be Bothered.” Another drawback is that most of the songs seem to go on for an extra stanza and are generally too long. When you are playing solid pop punk, you want to keep it short and hard hitting; not drawn out and non-directional. The songs where the two above are limited tend to stand out. For example, “Karaoke Star” is an awesome track with a memory-stinging riff on the chorus that deserves to get some play. Other tracks to take note of include “Forgotten Generation,” “Mommy’s Little Soldier,” “Housewreck” and “Revolution Calling.” As they rock out more shows with the likes of New Found Glory and the Starting Line, the Fight will be able to raise their visibility. But, it is certainly difficult to hold down that line without spending vast quantities of time in the U.S.
Glory Of This Quickly ascending the melodic hardcore rungs, Jacksonville, FL-based Glory of This unleash their debut record for increasingly shining Indianola Records. The five-piece managed to secure a regional spot on last year’s Warped Tour leading up to this record, which was produced by Jeremy Staska (Poison the Well). And in that respect, the ten songs have much in common with bands such as Poison the Well and Thursday, though there are further traverses into harmonies and melodies. The defining characteristic of Glory of This is the key utilization of dual guitars that allow there to be an almost constant rhythmic solo. At other times in the course of songs, the guitars move together to provide a wall of machine gun sounds. This combination is illustrated on tracks such as “Senior Superlative,” “More Often Than Not,” “Flip For It” and “The Fear That Gave Me Wings.” As is common in this field, Glory of This move between melodic vocals and throaty screams, but they perform these moves in a well-managed manner and nothing is herky jerky. While Glory of This knock out a strong and solid debut record, it is hard to entirely get behind them. This is mostly a function of being too close to like-minded bands and not working enough to separate themselves. A hot live show may provide this separation, but we are waiting on that.
Gym Class Heroes Coming out of the hinterlands of New York, upstate, the four-piece Gym Class Heroes mix the often disparate worlds of indie rock and hip-hop. This quasi-EP or whatever you want to call it is a brief four song glimpse of their upcoming full-length The Papercut Chronicles. Having done much work on their own including opening for such acts as Jurassic 5 and Run-DMC, GCH were picked up by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy for his new imprint Decaydance (or Fueled By Ramen). All four songs here imbibe with mellow hip-hop with slight indie flair. The opening song “Taxi Driver” will definitely induce a visceral reaction from listeners. GCH move lightly along while vocalist Schelprock weaves an onslaught of indie and punk band names in a two minute rhyme. “Papercuts” is a more proper song and is better measure of GCH’s sound as they don’t exactly touch rap-rock but come close. “Boomerang Theory” is more stoned-out wah-wah pedal and sampling, while “Makeout Club” is what is sounds like it might be. If Gym Class Heroes play their cards right they may do some damage in a variety of musical circles.
Hoods/Freya It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything from either of these groups and so a split between the two takes care of that. Hoods play, well, hoodcore out of their base in Sacramento, CA, West Coast Worldwide under the leadership of Mike Hood. Freya is essentially the continuation of Earth Crisis featuring Karl Buechner, Bulldog and Erick Edwards from EC. While similarly constructed to EC, Freya lays off the grindcore for a more mainline heavy hardcore sound. Although Hoods have been throwing down for over a decade, they seem to have gotten lazy with the six songs on this split. The songs are exceptionally generic tough guy hardcore and don’t contain any of the punches that were thrown on their Hoods latest record; mostly hard hitting guitar work. Freya provide five songs, but they are heads above most of the stuff off their debut on Victory. By adding smidgens of metal to the heavy guitar sound and bits of innovation, Freya actually creates a respectable set of songs – particularly with “Immortal Beloved.” This is some of the best EC-related music since EC’s first two 7”s. With such a performance, a natural progression for Freya is fucking shit up at Ozzfest this next summer.
The Je Ne Sais Quoi Unfortunately, this is not nearly the comeback, debut full-length that would have pushed the Je Ne Sais Quoi over the top from their less-than-inspiring debut EP A Secret Language. Following the pathways of fellow Swedish stripped-down rock and elector-enhanced music, the Je Ne Sais Quoi always seem a few steps from being a truly dazzling band and instead fluctuate within the mediocre. The group is best when incorporating more of an electronic core and laying off absolute wrought placations of garage rock. A classic example of this pattern is that it takes a midway move toward female vocals and different song structure to save from “The Real Future Blues” from being entirely kicked to the curb. The endowing and lovely tracks are the electro-party of “We Make Beginnings,” the synth underlying of “Station to Station,” the sneaky good organ work on “Live Transmission,” though the build-up sucks “White Nights” it includes enough sounds to keep you happy and the ending of “We Need Disasters” shines. Although it is easy to ride the Swedish wave into the U.S., the Je Ne Sais Quoi should spend more time making their own mark than relying on others.
Last Perfection As this northeastern band’s second release on United Edge, Last Perfection unleash nine tracks of sludge hardcore with bits of high tempo metal. After getting note from their 2003 Violent Solutions for a Violent World and scores of touring, Last Perfection enlisted Kurt Ballou (of Converge) to serve as their record’s producer at Ballou’s God City Studios. In turn, the record blasts with double-bass to the brim, growly vocals and walls of guitars that swing to periodic metal riffs. So, exactly what you expect from a Ballou-produced metal/hardcore band. And in that respect, Last Perfection are quite good at what they do here. One problem is that they don’t provide enough variance on the standard composition to allow them to rise above the pack. They certainly add more metal to differentiate from similar-minded bands like Bury Your Dead (see, e.g., “What A Pity”), but they don’t do it enough to make them different from metal leaning bands. At the same time, there is a preponderance of bands that are dreadfully awful and Last Perfection is certainly not that. Ignore the last track “The Number 5 Looks Like 2,” as well as “Walking A Mile in Cement Shoes,” and you have a solid metalcore record. If Ballou could do another favor for the band and have them open for Converge, Last Perfection might explode.
Bill Madden The most remarkable thing about this record is the quasi-controversy the cover art has stirred up. It is an old photo of Madden as a three year-old pulling on a resistance band and his dick is sticking out of his shorts. As you might expect, people have been freaking out when seeing it. Regardless of all that nonsense, it is not clear why Madden chose the photo in the first place; is it just to cause controversy? Beyond that, Madden focuses on singer-songwriter generic blah that either puts you to sleep or makes you want to throw it out the window or both. Admittedly, Samsara’s Grip is well-produced, but Madden is the type of artist that you only go see because you know the band. One difference, at least, is that Madden seems quite earnest in what he is doing and has a bit more earthy, jamming feel which marginally differentiates. If contained with coffee shops then Madden may be okay.
Mastodon In an apparent quest to piss off radio music directors with several thirty second tracks compromising a song, Atlanta-based Mastodon unleash their second full-length for Relapse and humanity in general. After their quick 2001 EP Lifesblood, Mastodon offered up one of 2002’s top metal records Remission. That record plus an onslaught of touring has moved the four-piece quickly up the metal ranks in both recognition and influence. Yet, it is not entirely out of the blue as drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher demolished individuals in their previous Rochester, NY bands Today is the Day and Lethargy; how could anyone forget Lethargy’s record It’s Hard to Write with a Small Hand? With bassist Troy Sanders and vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds, Dailor and Kelliher are able to enjoy the warm climate and excel in their craft. Though mimicking Remission, Leviathan presents more of a storytelling atmosphere to the ten tracks. The deal here is that each song is actually ten tracks – coming in at around forty seven minutes. So, the opener “Blood and Thunder” begins on track 1 and the next song “I Am Ahab” starts at track 10 and so on. Mastodon merges their grinding days of yore with mainline metal and kisses of southern rock from time to time. While “Blood and Thunder” serves as a sufficient introduction to the record, it takes awhile for Mastodon to get warmed up, move beyond simple walls of sound and develop more complicated and fascinating guitar and song schemes. Echoes appear on “I Am Ahab” and with riffling at the end of “Seabeast,” but “Island” is the first track to truly bring the flair to the forefront. “Iron Tusk” is measured with ultra-heavy riffs that mirror Sabbath, while “Megalodon” follows and illustrates Mastodon breadth. It takes awhile for “Megalodon” to get moving, but with a sweet southern rock riff the song moves to militant Ministry-style guitars and speed interspersed with Mastodon’s own signature. “Naked Gun” displays some groove on the verse though carries the day with its dazzling guitars and story-like panache. Between “Megalodon” and “Naked Gun,” Mastodon makes the case for hottest metal band in the now. “Aqua Dementia” screams its way along, while “Hearts Alive” languishes with slight jazz-infused metal. “Hearts Alive” presents its best picture on its final track within (number 89) and an array of moments. Leviathan closes in a total crap way with the instrumental ballad “Joseph Merrick” that should have never been included. Save for “Joseph Merrick,” this is a great sophomore record from one the fastest raising metal groups in the world. If you have the opportunity, and there aren’t like fifty bands on the bill, certainly check out the juggernaut that is Mastodon.
The Mother’s Anger Initially forming in 1999, the two-piece the Mother’s Anger, David Stitch and Jimi Nostalgia, have only recently left their native Israel for the greener musical pastures of NYC. The duo released a previous record in Israel that was entirely sung in Hebrew – which clearly limits their international appeal. Landing in NYC and working with Mike Davis (of MC5) seems to have helped focus their songs to a dirty punk and 70s rock flavor that is a bit of the current fashion. The Mother’s Anger whiskey-drunk punk sound might come off as too much Davis and less the duo, but it is hard to measure. Either way, the thirteen songs here all have a similar theme throughout – that Stitch and Nostalgia are having a blast and probably smoke live. While you shouldn’t judge whether the Mother’s Anger are actually in tune, in general or with each other, you should consider whether they up your interest. In fact, one could easily see both Stitch and Nostalgia’s vocals getting on people’s nerves, in that sort of off way that David Thomas of Pere Ubu can. While there is a fairly constant level throughout, the tracks that excel include “So,” “Now You’re Gone,” “Memories” and the other-worldly quasi-ballad “Loser.” For those who are down on the rebirth dirty 70s punk sound, then the Mother’s Anger is for you. I envision a better time with the record after a live encounter.
Ninja Gun There is no way that a band named Ninja Gun is supposed to be this good. Seriously. Coming out of Valdosta, GA, and featuring members of Clydesdale and Caspian, the four-piece of Ninja Gun move on the fine line between alt-country, thoughtful punk and everything in-between. Featuring Johnathan Coody on guitar and vocals, Thad Megow on guitar, Jacob Sparks on bass and Jeffrey Haineault on drums, all twelve tracks have something special in them to bring a margin of endearment on each and every one. In many respects, Ninja Gun come across like a smart songwriting version of Sorry About Dresden – and that is absolutely awesome. Even still, Ninja Gun fall so succinctly into the southern college alt-rock world that they will soon be everyone’s favorite baby down here. The Gainesville, Fl label Barracuda Sound has already clearly signed on. Smooth Transitions begins on “The Cold War is Colder Than Ever” with the first twang of electric guitars and Coody’s compelling voice. Though lines such as “I swear you never did nothing for me and the vampires know it’s true” might sound a bit hokey, you got to hang past that for full effect. The one downside of “The Cold War is Colder Than Ever” is that the recording sounds a bit tinny in respect to the guitars, but it doesn’t entirely deteriorate the song nor the rest of the record. “Losers Talking” follows this up with a mellower simple lead riff waltz and comes across as the first standardized alt-country verse-chorus cadence. The title track provides the first wall of sound, while “The Smoking Gun” is sweetly twangy and western at its heart. In case you fell asleep on “The Smoking Gun,” Ninja Gun unleash the under two-minute punk number “Maybe You Should Explode” – which includes a few pick slides. The Johnny Cash-inspired “Purification Ritual” follows as Coody takes thirty-minute drives to clear his head, though he can’t rebuild Babylon – because it actually exists in Long Island. The ‘oh, we are also’ punk “Dead FM” follows and “Jessie (She’s Only Gonna Dance With Me)” takes the punk to the pop-most. Honestly, “Jessie” comes across like the best Queers song that the Queers never wrote – you have to love the diversity. “Picture of a Boy in his Prime” brings the listener back to Ninja Gun’s twangy ways with slides all over the place, but also a refreshing rock chorus. “Unpopular Mechanics” stands out as one of the best tracks by successfully mixing the two main worlds of Ninja Gun: alt-country and punk. Smooth Transitions ends on the “Reverb” and “This Must Be the Dream.” “Reverb” is a smartly composed and structure song with a chorus that hooks into your memory, while “This Must Be the Dream” is short acoustic number that finds Coody leading the charge with a wander-lust flavor and Jessie Rowntree layering organ underneath. As such, “This Must Be the Dream” is an apropos way to end the record. I’m really looking forward to check out Ninja Gun in one of their inevitable trips to Chapel Hill.
NOFX With the move from simply drunk punk rockers to drunk, moderately respectable punk rockers, comes NOFX’s greatest hits record to school people in what was. It’s nice to see this given Fat Mike’s appearances of various TV shows supporting the Rock Against Bush movement and the move to push the message beyond just songs. This record says ‘look, we are still wild and crazy and punk.’ The twenty-seven tracks included on this record span NOFX’s discography from “Shut Up Already” off of Liberal Animation to “Franco Un-American” off of last year’s War on Errorism and includes the new song “Wore Out the Soles of My Party Boots.” While everyone had their favorite tracks and albums, with many pushing for White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean and Punk in Drublic, highlights come flying from left and right on this best of. This includes “Linoleum” and “Don’t Call Me White” off of Punk in Drublic, “Bob” and “Stickin In My Eye” from White Trash, “Day to Daze” from S&M Airlines, “Philthy Phil Philanthropist” from Heavy Petting Zoo, “It’s My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite” from So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes, “Thank God Its Monday” off of Pump Up the Valium and “Franco Un-American.” It would have been nice for NOFX to have included some video and live material, but The Greatest Songs still serves as a nice refresher course to understand the onslaught that is Fat Mike’s Love Machine Punk Voter.
The Ocean Blue If I told you nothing about the first proper song on Waterworks, “Pedestrian,” you would swear that it sounded familiar; or at least the vocals have a familiar ring. And you would be right. Whether you had your ears open in the late 80s and early 90s or not, the Ocean Blue quickly ascended to notoriety with their mellow new wave attack during this time. This led to MTV coverage, records and songs charting and tours with groups like the Psychedelic Furs. After a space of three years, the Ocean Blue release this new six song EP to get back into the game. The opening track, the instrumental “Fast Forward Reverse,” moves on grandiose themes not unlike a top-notch number from the heights of instrumental rock today. As noted, “Pedestrian” will quickly draw you in and make you a believer or at least re-believer in the Ocean Blue. “Pedestrian” has all the electronic and rock elements that you are looking for from a stellar affair. “Golden Gate” is a bit more 60s and 70s Brit pop, while “Ticket to Wyoming” features lounging vocals and a mellow bouncing atmosphere. At a frantic pace, “Sunshower” speeds the dance part up with enhancement coming from a high pitched, well-placed guitar solo. Waterworks ends on the mostly instrumental “The Northern Jetstream,” where the Ocean Blue rock the acoustic guitar and fuzz bass with blips of vocals, not unlike Howard Hello’s recent endeavor. Given these six songs, it is clear that the Ocean Blue are once again players and I imagine certain clubs will love spinning these songs for their hip patrons.
Prism Theory Prism Theory is a better vocalist, or at least direction, away from being a successful band. Forming in 2001 in Ohio, the four-piece of Prism Theory tend to dribble on the new metal sounds of bands like Korn and the gang. Yet, vocalist Chris Imlay has the propensity of overdoing the lyrics like they are trying to be the next Windup Records’ band. Musically, Prism Theory comes across like talented studio musicians that favor the thumping of grind, but lay off entirely to satisfy a more pop edge. For instance, you walk into the first track “Something to Believe” with ultra-heavy guitars that set things up like the next hoodcore throwdown, but then Imlay comes in with some weak vocals. The track even includes double bass from Drew Pencook, but it is only added as an emphasis point. Besides from the opening of “Justified,” Prism Theory play down the heavy stuff in order to make a better audition for the folks at Windup. In that respect, Prism Theory is trying to copy the space of a bad Windup band, which is awful in the first place. So, drop the vocal direction, stay heavy and carve out your own niche if you desire to stay relevant.
Project Jones Coming from Nashville via Tupelo, the four-piece of Project Jones is trying to make a dent in a saturated market with a saturated sound. That sound is straight-ahead rock with a few twists lurking underneath but really nothing to sink your teeth into. Although the off-song like “Just Like Me” have a margin of uniqueness, they sandwich it between the boring “Unaffected” and “You Only Want Me.” “Falling Into You” and “Everything” both have some potential but go nowhere with it. As a bar band or the haunts of rock locales like Nashville, Project Jones is solid. Beyond that, there are some issues. Of final note, what is it with local bands not being able to correctly size pictures for CD art. The skewing here is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
The Reason As this Burlington, Ontario five piece’s first full-length, The Reason walk on the edge of lines between hardcore, punk and indie rock and in turn create a wide musical spectrum experience. The Reason has traveled along a familiar pattern to get to this point. After forming in 2003 and releasing an EP Problems Associated with Running, the band finally got Canadian indie-label powerhouse Smallman to check them out live leading to the signing. Now with a bit more resources, the Reason unleash these ten tracks and set out to rock you live. The band’s variance is easily demonstrated by contrasting the opening “Reclaiming the Throne” with the next song “The Joke & the Gentleman.” “Reclaiming the Throne” is balls out core with hints at punk, while “The Joke & the Gentleman” lays off the screaming and moves along like Braid’s latest. While “A Timeless Classic” goes back with background screaming, the music flows along more punk roots. “Papercuts & Exit Wounds” introduces more of the indie rock with the addition of piano and an array of sweet harmonies. To go along with the back-and-forth, “150” is uptempo punk, while “My Prescription” slows things down and utilizes the breakdown sections where the guitars momentarily stop and the drums keep going. After the non-exciting “Subways in Pittsburgh,” the Reason go 180 on “Red Sky at Dawn” and lay out drilling metalcore throaty screaming. While they mellow it out towards the end, it could have been more effectively achieved. Skip quickly past “Afterparty at the Actor’s Estate” to the closer “Tortoise.” “Tortoise” seemingly compiles the Reason’s various influences and wraps things up with a tight package. One of the most attractive elements of the record is the diversity of sounds and how it is difficult to peg the Reason to a certain sound. Though the Reason aren’t major leaguers at this yet, they have a strong footing.
Red Wanting Blue It is both fairly amazing and somewhat telling that we here have never heard of Red Wanting Blue even though this is their sixth record. Coming out of Columbus, Ohio, the four-piece move toward an indie rock/college radio environment but never quite achieve it. Hence, you have songs that are clicking, but are quietly out of sink in latent ways. For me the major drawback are the overdone vocals by Scott Terry. Terry pushes too much emphasis and emotion into the vocals that he trips up the solid music. This is illustrated all over the ten songs on this record, but probably no way more than on “Are You Listening?” This may not be the reason, but why are these guys not signed to a label? I assume it is because they want the independence. But there are more core reasons why this may be the situation.
Refrigerator This is a hard record to gauge. As Refrigerator’s seventh record in ten years, the eleven songs on Upstairs In Your Room move like low-end alt-country leaning more towards indie rock. Most of the songs travel with low velocity, non-distorted guitars and simple compositions; seemingly perfect as soundtrack material for indie films. That they toured with Sebadoh is non-surprising given their sound, but the slacker energy motif might be too much of a turnoff for some and boring for others. One thing that would enhance the record would be better recording production. It could be by design, but the sound quality is lacking particularly since this is their seventh record. A few highlights come from “Radio Barstow,” “Upstairs in your Room” and “Anyone Else Arms.” I won’t entirely rule judgment on Refrigerator until I see them live, but they seem geared towards better things than this.
Shalloboi As initially a demo jaunt, this is now a proper record – recorded over several years – for Portland, OR’s Shalloboi. Shalloboi consists largely in part of one Tyler Ritter with help from Billy Speer on periodic cello and digital help from Mike Tuley. As part of the amazing Portland music scene, particularly in reference to the relocated Temporary Residence Ltd. label, Shalloboi focus on ethereal, ambient soundscapes that dance on instrumentals with light vocals by Ritter. And when they are doing this is when they are at their best. When Shalloboi goes to acoustic guitar and out-front vocals as on the series of “Burning Star,” “The World Is Waiting” and “Colourblind,” they are at their worst. If you throw out those songs, leaving the ambient instrumentals, you are left with an impressive record. For fans of TRL, check out “Invisible Against the Sun,” “Because is the Reason” and “Blue-Eyed.” With a little more time, Ritter and co. will be on track for greater things.
Shindig This is one of the first records in a long time that made my want to throw the record from the window and smash it. Oh, I’ve heard much worse than this latest from the emo acoustic strokers Shindig, but I come to expect more from people entering into this touch-and-go sound. Shindig is essentially one Richie Ray who prefers to offer heart squelching vocals that for the most part are terrible. Given the cover and booklet art, you think you are going to get demolished by a wave of metalcore. Instead, you are assaulted – both mentally and psychically – by terrible acoustic emo. Emo, for all its bad mouthing as a genre, is a very tricky game between being genius (e.g., Dashboard Confessional) and dreadful (e.g., nearly everyone else). Shindig is near the bottom of the dreadful category. Please help us.
Stereotyperider Forming roughly five years ago in Phoenix, AZ from the ashes of Adam’s Alcoholics and Mandingo, this is Stereotyperider’s latest unleashing of post-hardcore songs for the unattending listener. Their recordings and performing is fairly vast, particularly given we here have never heard of them before. After a locally released EP Fair Weather Fan, Stereotyperider garnered the love of Suburban Home with their touring and released Same Chords, Same Songs, Same Six Strings in 2002. After a lineup change, Stereotyperider released Under the Influence Vol. 1 where the band covered songs by Fugazi, Pixies, the Cure, etc.; as the first in Suburban Home series of these things. This four piece’s latest batch of songs all extend the blurring worlds of punk, hardcore and indie rock with an emphasis on harmonies and rhythmic solos. While songs such as “Down As,” “Back to the Argument” and “You’re Not Safe with Us” and song sections like the end of “Unacceptable” and the spacey opening to “Worthless” (and rest of) stand out, the one seeming drawback on the record is that there aren’t enough memory singeing moments. As such, Stereotyperider are one of those bands that you listen to and really like, but you wouldn’t champion as the greatest thing since sliced bread. And that is fine. What would probably push me over the edge on Stereotyperider would be a rip-roaring live show. A dramatic and dazzling affair could move me from appreciating listener to record pusher. If you dig post-hardcore punk, similar in thought to Milemarker and Challenger, then Stereotyperider may be your new best friend.
Strung Out As this Southern California five-piece’s fifth record, Strung Out pushes even further to bringing in the metal with their own brand of Left Coast punk. This is certainly enhanced by employing Slayer producer Matt Hyde to lay the foundation for Exile in Oblivion. Though Strung Out has become world-renowned in the punk world and as part of Fat’s posse, this record may be the most explicit about trying to bridge the punk, hardcore and metal fan bases. And why not; given the success of upstart bands like Atreyu and My Chemical Romance. Admittedly not dramatically steeped in Strung Out’s discography, what is immediately striking about this latest record on the opener “Analog” is the overabundance of metal riffs. Much of this guitar work sounds straight out of 80s cock rock solos – which is both cool and not at the same time. Strung Out seems best when they are neither sticking too much metal in nor going about lazy day punk compositions. In that regard, highlights comes from “Blueprint of the Fall,” “Her Name in Blood,” “Luficermotorcade” for the toggling, “No Voice of Mine,” the metal star “Scarlet” and the classic Fat punk composition “Swan Dive.” Though “Swan Dive” is way different from the rest of the record, it has the innocent exuberance of life which makes melodic punk most enjoyable. For a band that has been rocking in an often stagnant genre, Strung Out has made a serious effort at differentiation on Exile on Oblivion.
V/A Unfortunately, the explicit goal of this and the previous comp and of the organization in general was not achieved this November, but you can still get a crap load of awesome songs and videos from Volume 2. So, Volume 2 is pretty much the same as Volume 1, but with a different group of bands, videos and writings. Standout new songs come from Green Day’s “Favorite Son,” “Necrotism: Decanting the Insalubrious (Cyborg Midnight) Part 7” by the Lawrence Arms, the Dropkick Murphy’s “We Got the Power,” the Unseen’s “Scream Out,” “Like Sprewells for a Wheelchair” by Dillinger Four, “Can’t Wait to Quit” by Sick of it All, Hot Water Music’s “Kill the Night” and “I’m Thinking” by Autopilot Off. On the second disc are videos for Alkaline Trio’s “We’ve Had Enough,” Bad Religion’s “Los Angeles Is Burning,” Flogging Molly’s “Drunken Lullabies,” NOFX’s “Idiot Son Of An Asshole” performed live and the Thought Riot’s “With Love, the Underground.” While the Alkaline Trio’s and Bad Religion’s videos rocks, the most fun is clearly Flogging Molly’s “Drunken Lullabies.” There are also comedy stints by Will Ferrell, Patton Oswalt and Greg Proops. Will Ferrell does his classic Bush impression while pretending to be filming a commercial on his ranch; though it could be funnier. There are all a wealth of political shorts included on the DVD. This includes “Independent Media in a Time of War” with Amy Goodman giving a talk about crap media coverage of Iraq, “Honor Betrayed” by Stuart Sugg about Bush’s relationship with the military, “Fixed in Florida” by Jonathan Levin, “Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War” by Robert Greenwald regarding the move to the Iraq war, “Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election” by Richard Ray Perez and Joan Sekler about the 2000 election and “Unconstitutional” by Nonny de la Pena. So, basically, a boatload of political shorts for your liberal mind. It will be interesting to see whether Fat Mike and friends can keep Punk Voter going for another four years or even another two years (for the midterm elections). Hopefully, they will for if nothing else to keep providing us listeners amazing collections of new tracks.
Von Iva This is exactly what I was looking for to warm up the coming winter months: hot groove dance-punk that is undeniably catchy and will get you moving no matter your location. Von Iva is populated by Jillian Iva on vocals, Lay Lay von Guthier (Clone) on drums, Elizabeth Davis (7 Year Bitch, Clone) on bass and Becky Kupersmith on keyboards. That experience coupled with being in the electro-hot San Francisco has been combined to produce one of the best EP’s of this year. I haven’t been this excited about a dance-orientated band since my first encounter with the Faint. Von Iva is fixated on getting people to dance and having a good time during their live shows and on this six song EP. They begin this task on the opener “Same Sad Song” with simple beats and Iva’s sexy gospel-like vocals. This is continued on “Feel It!” where the combo of thumping bass, drums and keys absolutely rocks you and makes you want to immediately dance with your dog in your living room; clearly the finest song on the EP. Stop-start guitar begins “Not Hot to Trot,” but pales in comparison to “Feel It!” Iva’s sweeping vocals help bring “Showboat” along as the rest keep up a high tempo. “Soulshaker” changes the ballgame entirely with a heavy distorted keys and bass and vocals by Iva that will blow your mind. The EP closes in a less inspiring manner with “Solid Gold;” a strong song but nowhere near “Soulshaker” or “Feel It!” If you have any chance to check out Von Iva live don’t miss it. And make sure to bring your dancing shoes.
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