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February 2004 Reviews Artist of the Month: Air Coming off of 2003's conception album City Reading (Tre Storie Western) with writer Alessandro Baricco, Air (composed of Nicolas Godin and JB Dunkel) is back with a new and breathtaking studio album Talkie Walkie. When the second the first song "Venus" starts, you know that Air have lost nothing and, in fact, gained since their previous forays into genius. Many people in the U.S. are familiar with Air's soundtrack for the amazing Virgin Suicides (2000), though less are aware of this French dynamic duo's previous work - Air's "Alone in Kyoto" appears in Sophia Coppola's second movie Lost in Translation. The record that placed Air on the map was Moon Safari in 1998. Back then I wasn't entirely listening to Air, I was only hearing them - a lot. They were on heavy rotation at the station I was at for like the whole year and so I heard tons from that record. Yet, probably like many others, I became intrigued with Air following the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. After diversifying their range through material like City Reading, two world tours with assorted members, a ballet and movie scores, Air seeks to correct for misperceptions from their previous studio album 10,000 Hz. Legend. Not that the album was wrong or ill-conceived, but many perceived it as too esoteric and lacking the drifting pop of before. Though true artists, Godin and Dunkel reach back to what made them them in the first place - or at least what everyone loves - on Talkie Walkie. Now we have ten tracks of electro-pop goodness as well as a bonus DVD entitled Electronic Performers composed of Air on tour. The DVD cuts five live performances with backstage footage during the summer of 2002 for a fan's delight.
As mentioned above, Talkie Walkie starts off on "Venus"
with a slow acoustic and drums while heavenly vocals are laced
on top. Midway through there is a electronic wave with accents
and the basic beat underlying. "Cherry Blossom Girl"
begins with male and female vocals accompanied by some woodwinds.
"Run" is more robotic and electronic as it coasts along
at a moderate tempo. More heaven comes from "Universal Traveler"
- a song that parallels an electronic Belle and Sebastian. "Mike
Mills" - entirely instrumental - sounds like some classical
score that could be the soundtrack to a film like the Royal Tenebaums
or anything by director Wes Anderson - maybe it will be. Although
I hate the title to the song, "Surfing on a Rocket"
is so incredibly catchy that you can't deny its power over you
and is easily in the running for the best track. The vocals are
at the boundary point of male ability before you reach the screaching
phase - and yet are so warm and refreshing. "Another Day"
falls off a bit from the first six and unfortunately sounds too
close to filler for Air. Yet Air picks up the magic with acoustic
guitars picking like mad and nearly annoying whistling on the
instrumental "Alpha Beta Gaga." "Biological"
begins with warm and watery electronics matched by similar vocals
in Beatles-esque form - though a sinister element lies underneath.
The record closes on the aforementioned "Alone in Kyoto."
If you didn't see the film or if you missed the song - a barely-there
sound penetrates for a minute before piano and beeping-type vocals
come at you. This repeats before the finale where all we hear
is waves.
40
Watt Domain This is the debut for SoCal's 40 Watt Domain on LA's Gaki Records and seemingly their first record of any sort. This is odd given that they have been a band for awhile now - appearing on the 1997 and 1999 Warped Tours as well as other activities during this time. The four-piece 40 Watt Domain play a mix of dirty party SoCal punk that you find from bands like Guttermouth and some Sugar Ray, and then mixed by more mainstream rock and a bit of hip-hop at times. Recently they have been able to license some of their songs on this record for TV, film and video games - though that may be more of a function of their location in LA. Though 40 Watt Domain has received some good buzz, the twelve tracks on Short Wave really lack any real element of ingenuity. They may be a good live band to get hammered to at the beach, but besides from that I'd pass.
All
Night Radio This is the debut record for All Night Radio - composed of Dave Scher and Jimi Hey on an onslaught of instruments that all point in the direction of pop bliss. However, Scher and Hey have been tag-teaming the molestation of music for some time in their psychedelic country band Beachwood Sparks - as well as some love for the Lilys. Hey has also spent time offering his talents to bands as sweeping as Tristeza, The Rapture and Strictly Ballroom. Together they are a dynamic duo that is sure to bust your electro-pop mind by the third song "Fall Down 7" - an absolute gem. I keep listening to it over and over again, mainly because I can't get the melody out of my head in the first place so might as well pound it in - not unlike the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights." Other tracks that elicit similar interest include "Daylight Till Dawn," the acid-tripping "Sky Bicycle (You've Been Ringing)," the pleasantly poppy "Sad K." and the finale opus "All Night Radio" that utilizes all of their influences and instruments into one psychedelic orgy. Though I'm less familiar with Beachwood Sparks, this is a record that is sure to get some notice at least among certain subgroups in society.
Assjack Ok
folks get your detective kits out. You need to track this shit
down. It's officially required listening. Assjack is the heavy
as fuck side project of Hank Willians III. If you've heard his
equally awesome country tunes you know this guy has talent. III
will go play a shows with a set of country tunes then unleash
a set of the most heavy punked-out speed metal the same night.
If your lucky enough to see him and Assjack play them by God get
the CDR they are selling that night. There's been some sorta snafu
between III and his record label. I think it's about his country
label has issues with releasing the best heavy music on earth.
The 2 previous bootlegs that were let out were live Dat recordings
of Assjack's demented doubled bassed riff-tacular glory. III's
deliver can range from Jello like warbling to death metal growls.
I fucking LOVE this stuff. Bootleg III is 7 songs and 22 minutes
long and it's the best heavy stuff I've heard in a LONG time.
Bottom line TRACK THIS DOWN. Check the p2p networks or head over
to III's website (www.hankthree.com),
he sometimes has copies for sale, and while you are there get
to know him and all his country punk deathness.
Bayside After releasing an EP on Dying Wish Records, the four-piece of Bayside have ridden the Long Island emo-punk wave to a full-length on Victory. Produced by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Promise Ring, etc.), Bayside have bottled the past work of bands like the Smoking Popes and Jawbreaker and molested it with a bit of Alkaline Trio and Glasseater. Generally, I'm not fond of making such sweeping comparisons, but you really can't avoid them here - particularly given lead singer Anthony Rineri's crooning which is clearly a reflection of Josh Caterer. By trying to limit contemporary/collegial comparisons with Long Island bands, Bayside have become too close to the past's emo sound. Lyrically, Bayside take a very downtrodden and masochistic approach that parallels the Alkaline Trio. For instance, on "How To Fix Everything," the opening line goes "The sharper the edge, the cleaner the wound/So I'll keep it dull tonight for I deserve to hurt." You can't get around how stereotypical that line is. Other songs that follow suit, include "Poison in My Veins," "Talking of Michelangelo," "Alcohol and Altar Boys" and "Guardrail." So there is this element of familiarity and pleasing sounds across the eleven songs, but the annoyance level rises when I step back from the tracks. There is a bit of love on an enhanced CD portion of the disc with Bayside in the studio and messing around at the University of Maryland. At the end of the day, as much as I want to get behind these guys, I really can't. I'm interested to see whether Bayside can stay together long enough to develop their own signature sound out a good and obviously strong foundation. A couple of albums from now and we may be uttering their name as commensurate with bands like Jawbox and Jawbreaker. But for now we just have sit and hope.
The
Black Keys The
Black keys has so incorporated the Delta juke joint hard-liquor
blues sound that the duo of Patrick Carney (percussion) and Dan
Auerbach (guitar/vocals) sounds out with deep-rooted authenticity
on each track of this 4-song CDEP. The primitive instrumentation
and raw blues sound is gritty and substantial. Auerbach does not
feel it necessary to growl aloud like Jon Spencer, but instead
lets flow melodically, if disjointedly, and the vocals are soulful,
if rugged, as in "Heavy Soul". Another standout track
on the album is when the pair takes Iggy Pop's "No Fun"
for a Mississippi drift down to where the kudzu grows. (- Tom
Schulte)
Borialis Taking pages from Urban Dance Squad and Linkin Park, the six-piece from New Jersey offer up their own version of rap-rock on a stunning debut record for Capitol. Frontman Rick Dahrouge met up with bassist Eddie Acevedo as deviants in the school system of Neptune, NJ. After school they started up a band and enlisted various sorts to complement and diverse their sound. This included hip-hop thinking drummer Jay Kulikowski, guitarist Justin Rubinstein (not of the game theory fame family), guitarist/keyboardist Jimmy Farkas and, a now crucial member, turntablist Doc-Nu. It took them awhile to arrive at their current incarnation, but apparently it was well worth it. Honestly, I'm not that down on rap-rock combinations, since most of them are either awful or lame or both, but I actually found myself enjoying What You Thought You Heard. Generally, I find the whole genre to be one of the worst rock fusion subgenres - but I have to reconsider that classification given this record. Though at times the lyrics do merge near lame and dumb compositions, it is minimalized on the twelve tracks. What is not minimalized is the allegiance to rock riffs and the much-appreciated full band choruses. As a mark of being on a major, all the tracks are tightly and well-produced, which sometimes is a negative for taking away rawness, but here I think it is crucial to the product. While some of the songs are pure filler (e.g., the reggae-influenced "Can't Break the Man"), others exemplify what Borialis is trying to do. The first real track "Inherited" sets up the record nicely, but may be criticized for sounding too much like Linkin Park. "Don't Mean A Thing" should be one of the first singles as it kicks off with great rock before moving to samples and Dahrouge's vocals. "White Trash (Hip Rock)" has a similar feel and stands out thanks to the group vocal chorus. "Toughen the Bones" starts with a creepy keyboard that could come from the bowels of Cradle of Filth before the music slowly builds and Dahrouge takes over the vocals. With opening guitars reminiscent of Black Sabbath, "Holocaust" closes the album in a solid manner. Given this release and the exposure they already have had from such tours as Warped and Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, you are definitely going to hear a lot about these guys this year. I wouldn't be surprised to hear a song or two getting worn out on the radio over the summer.
BoySkout This
all-girl band from San Francisco provides an interesting blend
of modern indie pop with a tasty blend of early goth pop, ala
The Cure and Joy Division as if Sleater Kinney or PJ Harvey were
more influenced by Siouxsie & The Banshees. This approach
relies on simple keyboard riffs and high, fading vocals best exemplified
in "Identity". The influence of The Cure is best heard
on "Back to Bed". This is the song for which a QuickTime
video is included on the CD. While the group itself calls its
own arrangements "dungeony", there is such dance pop
as "Imaginary" on the album which still evidences the
underlying theme of a distinct beat and early '80s influence.
(- Tom Schulte)
Break
The Silence This is the debut record for this five-piece out of Chicago. Though that is the case, most of the members of Break the Silence have spent time in other notable punk bands - most particularly guitarist Dan Precision (88 Finger Louie, Rise Against,...). You definitely hear the influence of those bands on Precision's guitar work, but more on that later. Unlike many, probably most, punk bands, BTS engaged in a long and tedious process of deciding on a singer - going with youngster Dan Wintercorn. Along with Precision, Brian Phee, Jay Gronwick and Mike Ford were in All Else Fails when singer Andy Lareau left. The core remained the same and they decided to search out a new singer for a new sound and thus Wintercorn. After a smattering of shows in Chicago, they got the off-chance to play on the Hopeless card at SXSW and smoked - thus leading to signing Hopeless. Musically, BTS follow the path laid by recent Hopeless artists Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold, but definitely lean more to the punk side of affairs. As noted, on certain songs you can hear the Fat Wreck-beat and guitar work of Precision (e.g., "Oceans Away," "Six Foot Revolver" and "Close My Eyes"). On other tracks they come back to throwdown with metal riffs and speed (e.g., "Slaughter of the Soul"). Though, regardless of the leaning, Wintercorn offers up the screaming to melodic singing contrasts throughout the album. Tracks worth spending time on include the aforementioned and "Loud and Clear" for its opusness, "Moving Day" and "At War with Instinct." Given both their punk and hardcore influences, Break the Silence is perfectly suited for Hopeless Records and vice versa. Given the tremendous success of Thrice, and that BTS follow a more appealing punk line, I can totally see BTS getting bigger than their wildest imagination (maybe not Slash-passed-out-on-the-floor-from-Jack-and-pills-big, but close) - if they stay together.
CafFiends As the third full-length from this San Gabriel Valley foursome, CafFiends knock out sixteen tracks of hard hitting metal-core - though leaning towards the hardcore over the metal. In some respects that places them as the crazy underground cousin of bands like Thrice. At other times they are reproducing sounds akin to Snapcase where meta-guitar work takes over (e.g., "Giving Up" and "Beauty Queen"). Thanks to vocalist Jon Gullihug's home studio, the band has been able to molest their sound to precision. Though CafFiends have been awhile, they're fairly foreign to the East Coast scene as they have stayed relatively close to home on tours - which, given their sound, seems to need to change for the band to get their due. What is nice about the CafFiends is that each track is distinct from one another, thus assuring an element of surprise. It also helps that the tracks range from one minute (e.g., "Velocitation" which is an instrumental - they have two other instrumentals as well) to five minutes (e.g., "Proximity Effect") - reducing any potential monotony. For instance, following "Giving Up," "Twenty-Three" is a ballad that wouldn't be out of step with a dark Guided By Cocaine song and thus is stripped of metal hijinks. Though as with any good hardcore record, CafFiends come back to kick you nuts like SOIA on "Beauty Queen." Songs that are worthy of your time include "Capistrano," "Adjust Your Halo While Looking into a Two Way Mirror" solely for the guitars, the hard-hitting "Magic Johnson's Urban Renewal" and the early Cave In guitar parallel in "CRM-114" If nothing else you get your money's worth on this fourteen track, fifty-one minute extravangza. Since it is on the small indie Indianola Records it is not a ‘big' release, but it should help get the CafFiends noticed and allow them more space in touring the East.
The
Elected On
the first track "7 September 2003," the Elected instantly
has a recognizable, warm and soothing sound - one that you could
swear you have heard before - somewhere on the same plane as Saddle
Creek tremendous offerings and in particular the work of uber-songwriter
Conor Oberst. There is a good reason for this. The Elected is
the brainchild of Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett and features an all-star
Saddle Creek cast to fill out the instruments, melodies and harmonies.
This includes Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley),
and Jimmy Tamborello (The Postal Service(Subpop)) among others.
Me First was also recorded by Saddle Creek's Mike Mogis (producer
of Bright Eyes and the Faint). Besides from Sennett, the core
of the Elected is Mike Bloom, Daniel Brummel and Jason Boesel
(Rilo Kiley). So if you become distraught over the parallels to
the product of Oberst then you can rest easy as it is all in the
family. I was at first a bit distraught because of similar song
constructions and cadences to Bright Eyes (and some to Elliott
Smith) - thankfully Sennett stays away from matching Oberst's
trembling vocals - but you have to recognize the quality and songwriting
ability of the twelve tracks on Me First.
The
End I
went into the End ears open and not sure what to expect. 8 Tracks,
30 minutes. First off you get scene points for making a concise
battery of guitar driven often unsettling math metal-cum hardcore.
Hailing from that mystery called "Canada," the End has
a distinct early Dillinger Escape Plan feel. There are jarring
guitars that seem to exist in an another world wedged up between
drums that have that yummy start start feel we all love to feel.
I really do like this stuff and it's great to riot to. Vocally
it's in the "screamy" vain. Not the fake tough guy annoyance
that can plague this genre. When its all said and done, the End
are a great addiction to the ever growing field of overly complicated
and borderline unlistenable goodness that we all love and that
the Abercrombie and Finch girl would freak out about.
The
Everyothers On the opening song "Can't Get Around It" to this debut from this New York City foursome, all I could think is another band riding the Strokes' wave. The second track "Surprise, Surprise" did little to change that evaluation and I was about to toss it off completely. It was only until "Make Up Something" do the Everyothers demonstrate their own uniqueness through an allegiance to 60s and 70s glam rock. That cross-molesting, enhanced by lead singer Owen McCarthy's crooning, is where the Everyothers really demonstrate their goldenness. They capture the elements glam rock such as past Bowie work and the stuff you saw on Hedwig and strip it down to a more garage-rock style. Now I'm a bit partial to glam rock done well and you have to have a place in your heart for such rock. Other tracks to check out include "Whatever You Want," the oddly attractive lounge crooning on "Break That Bottle" and the acoustic "Dead Star." I would advise the Everyothers to limit the parallels to bands like the Strokes and play themselves up as the new wave of glam. Unfortunately, since the record starts off like an homage to the Strokes it is likely to turn off quick listeners. I'd say to you all to at least give these guys a chance.
Full
Surrender This is a little three song demo from this four-piece from New Jersey. Recorded on your basic home equipment, Full Surrender indulge the listener in acoustic-driven emo with a bit of screaming for emphasis. While the screaming adds some diversity, I think the songs would resonate better without, and thus diminish the in-the-now feel to parts of the songs. That is, at heart Full Surrender are reminiscent of the good slow Cap'N Jazz songs and even Dashboard Confessional, but the screaming seems like they are trying to piggy back too much on bands like Thursday. Besides from that the three tracks ("A Long Goodbye," "On Soldiers and Enemies" and "Monochrome") are well-crafted, constructed and performed and I see no reason why these guys wouldn't get signed by a cool label (e.g., Jade Tree). I'm actually quite surprised how good the songs are and that they don't seem to annoy even though they're coming from the saturated emo scene. Hopefully, if Full Surrender gets signed, they are aren't forced into sounding any different than now.
Kids
of Widney High There
was a time when singing songs in a group setting was as natural
an entertainment as watching the game or going to the movies.
This was also a more active way of entertaining than the passive
entertainments that prevail today. The natural enthusiasm and
infectious joy of these Los Angeles high school special education
students will summon in the listener this innate desire to sing
and be happy as a result of it. It is probably this fact that
has resulted in the therapeutic success of involvement in this
project for Michael Monagan's class as well as the commercial
success of the recording and performing project. The Kids also
have really interesting perspectives in their schools, including
the thoughtful analysis of Fidel Castro in the Latin-flavored
"Two Faces on Fidel" and the celebratory non-vegan "Life
Without The Cow". Shantel Brown stands out on this album
for singing "Miss Understood" and "Valentine's
Day". Here love song is warm and natural, more authentic
than many examples of the genre that one could find on radio and
in films. The spirited title track, like the rest, features the
Kids in chorus to a rock band of studio musicians, some of whom
are also teachers. The songs are an anthemic ode to the type of
self-respect and Golden Rule lifestyle we need more of out there.
(- Tom Schulte)
The
Kite-Eating Tree
Madcap After establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the SoCal punk scene, through a couple of records on LA's Side One Dummy Records, this latest - and apparently concrete - lineup of Madcap looked for bigger things with Victory. Madcap are four ordinary looking guys who get dressed up in close-to-matching outfits when under the power of rock for shows - a fact that comes out well in the enhanced portion of the disc. Madcap's influences are wide and scattered, but you definitely hear a traditional grounding in the Clash and the Jam as well as contemporary influences from Rancid, the Bouncing Souls and even the Dropkick Murphys. Thankfully, though, they have a sound that is all their own. In some respects, then, Madcap is like a better, cleaner and more thoughtful River City Rebels. For whatever reason, I had this notion of disliking Madcap greatly but after hearing the record I realized I was thinking of a different band (with a similar name). While not all of the thirteen tracks are stunners here, there are several that will rock your socks off. Madcap receives the help of Catch 22 on "Searching For Ground" and Rami Jaffee of the Wallflowers who offers up organ on a couple of tracks including the stellar opener "Keep Dancin'." Other tracks that will get you moving include "Lovesick," "Youth Explosion," "Turnaround" and "It Won't Die." On the enhanced cd there is a very short documentary of the band at the studio, some pictures and a bonus track of "Jimmy the Saint." Though the documentary is short you really get a sense of how normal these guys are and that is heart-warming. Based on these recordings, I could see having a good time seeing these guys live.
The
Magic Carpathians/Cerberus Shoal As
more and more of their brain cells freeze in the Maine winter,
the collection of Cerberus Shoal knock out more strangeness on
this latest with the Magic Carpathians from Poland. This is the
fourth in a series of splits by Cerberus Shoal - the one I'm most
familiar with is the second with Alvarius B. Starting off with
a spoken word introduction to the split by the members of Cerberus
Shoal, they pick it up on the next track "Respoonced."
You quickly realize the cerebralness of the recording and the
multi-instrumental nightmare of Bjork. Though odd, it is nothing
like deciphering the information on CS's website - like their
names, Colleen Kinsella, Chriss Sutherland, Caleb Mulkerin, Erin
Davidson, Karl Greenwald and Tom Rogers. Probably the best part
of the fourteen-minute track is the use of strings during the
middle third. CS also offer the short (seven-minute) and more
theme-related "J.B.E.G.S" as the split's closer. The
Magic Carpathians like to rock, um, the mic through the ethno-folk
minds of Anna Nacher and Marek Styczynski with assorted help.
The number of instruments this lot plays is baffling and it would
be a stretch just to know what the hell they are anyway. The track
"Continuumed" is similar in style and plan as CS's first
track but utilizes more electronic features. The most appealing
part of "Continuumed" is the crescendo to the voice
several minutes in. The bottom line with this split and most of
Cerberus Shoal related material is if you like the music of Temporary
Residence Limited then you like this.
Premonitions
of War As
their first full-length for Victory, Premonitions of War offer
up twelve tracks of sludgy, grindy metallic hardcore that fits
into the genre's heavyweights on Relapse. After several lineup
changes - and a seemingly continuous influx around a core - PW
have set out a path to take on all comers. Besides from the speed
metal-type bands like Darkest Hour, this is some of the heaviest
and best shit to come out of Chicago's favorite label since the
heyday of Earth Crisis. Most of the tracks are short blast of
sludge with two five-minute screaming love affairs ("Black
Den" and "Cables Hum Overhead") to expel the pains
of regurgitation. The album really comes around towards with end.
"The Octopus" hums with grind before some ultra-hot
Southern rock guitar riffs to make you want to drink vats of whiskey.
"Covered in Lights" and "Capsule Hotel" beat
you over the head with a dead deer, while "Dim Light District"
closes out the minimalist opus with a little of everything including
more awesome Southern rock. Also check out the opener "Mother
Night Revisited" and "One Constant Volume." The
one downside to this record is that it is too short - twelve tracks
at twenty-six minutes. Especially if you take out the too long
ones mentioned above, you are left with essentially an EP. The
latest word is that Premonitions of War are doing a Spring 2004
tour with Morbid Angel and knocking out some small stuff out for
Relapse.
Rocket
From the Tombs Existing
for less than year circa 1974-1975, Rocket From the Tombs and
its members have had wide ranging effects on the underground music
world. This is mostly due to members David Thomas and Peter Laughner
forming Pere Ubu and Cheetah Chrome (Gene O'Connor) and Johnny
Blitz (John Madansky) forming seminal early punk outfit the Dead
Boys. A number of RFTT songs were taking to these new bands and
gained amazing reception - most notably the Dead Boys' "Sonic
Reducer." RFTT, due to Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys, gained
interest but the world only had a few live tapes of the band.
After other types of recognition, including ‘academic' references,
RFTT reformed in 2003 to play a slot at a UCLA music festival.
From this initial start - and a release by Smog Veil of demos
and live recordings - Redux is studio recorded versions of RFTT's
songs with Richard Lloyd of Television filling in the second guitar
slot for the deceased Laugher and Steve Mehlman of Pere Ubu filling
for Madansky on drums. The twelve track, fifty-one minute record
moves along in a slow, methodical manner with few swings in momentum.
When you start listening to these tracks you have to keep in mind
the time when they were written - nearly thirty years ago. Otherwise,
the songs don't come across as very inspiring. Without that you
may surmise RFTT as a punk influenced bar band that is technically
skilled (e.g., "Muckraker"). This may partially be an
effect of the mid-tempo guitar driven songs that average five
minutes and in some respects contain a jam element. Other tracks
like "30 Seconds From Tokyo" are very strange and clearly
demonstrates RFTT don't follow one tact. Naturally, "Sonic
Reducer RFTT" smokes and kicks ass up and down the street.
Other tracks to check out include "Never Gonna Kill Myself
Again," "Down In Flames," the self-explanatory
"Life Stinks," "Frustration" and "What
Love Is." So, I'm somewhat biased to the up tempo material.
Though you are probably not going to be stunned by the musicianship
here, Redux is a nice record to hear at least once to understand
what was going in the 70s and for the direct foundation of bands
such as Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys as well as punk in general.
Scars
of Tomorrow Coming
out of SoCal and taking up the mantle with other regional bands
such as Atreyu, this fearsome fivesome look to knock some shit
out of you with their metalcore prowess. This is Scars of Tomorrow's
debut record on Victory after offering up two on Thorp Records.
To add more intensity and legitimacy to the record, they holed
up at God City Studios with Kurt Ballou of Converge to record
the album. The end product is not unlike a more metal version
of Hatebreed while minimizing the hoodieness and maximizing the
metal. Though not demonstrating more technical prowess than bands
such as Atreyu and Darkest Hour, SOT are able to get the job done
on the eleven tracks. But they definitely lean more to the hardcore
side of things than metal and complement matters by exorcizing
some melodic demons from within - or more likely a function of
the SoCal heavy music scene (check out the guitars on "As
We Choke"). The problem I'm running into with SOT is I would
have serious trouble differentiating them from similar-mannered
bands on a playlist. They are a good amalgamation of sounds but
I don't know how they standout from their peers. I think that
separation will have to come out in their live show. That is,
if they can take things to the next level live then a buzz will
be generated allowing them to push to the forefront - the Ozzfest
worked for Hatebreed. They have already done several big time
tours and I'm sure they will be hitting this summer's fests. Recorded,
things are a different story, but it is still a constantly malleable
process.
Since
The Flood HARDCORE!
This is tough shit. I'd love to map a timeline from metal to present
day hardcore. Since The Flood is definitely the bastard child
of these two genres. I don't think the double bass ever really
stops and the shouts just keep going. It's a solid 28 minutes
of straight up metal core that has all the right breaks and thuds.
Its amazing to see how many bands these days have the hardcore
thing down. Did I miss the text book? Regardless, Since The Flood
does the job it sets out to do. The hardcore equivalent to the
reliable booty call. Dial it up and it does the job. Lots of pissed
off sproutings that gets your blood pumping. Two points for good
use of harmonics and ride cymbal bell hits.
Some
Girls Whoooooa!
What the hell! This is one of the punkest albums I've heard in
a while! But don't let that fool you....This stuff is screamy
to the max. Your lucky if a song goes longer then a minute, and
in that time you're greeted with more then your fair share of
riffs and screams. I think I even heard a pick slide of two!?
So who the hell is in Some Girls?...we'll its some guys (ha!)
Including someone from The Locust and a few other dudes from some
other equally not really famous yet really popular noise bands.
Extra points for doing a practically straight version of The Stooges
classic "No Fun"! EXTRA EXTRA points for not having
really bad artwork. I dug the red and white poster feel that had
what looks like a really scarey party happening. This is a fun
ass record. (Let the record keep playing past track 14...you get
a surprise).
Xiu
Xiu After the first track "Crank Heart" on Fabulous Muscles, Xiu Xiu's (pronounced Shoe Shoe) third record, I thought this was an amazing record. Though there is some fall off after the initial spat of tracks, the ten songs excel at electro-noise pop. Led by the odd bird of James Stewart on vocals and guitars, Xiu Xiu present a downtrodden image on serious issues that span a wide range of influences. Stewart powers the album by Ian Curtis-style crooning and intensity, thus giving Xiu Xiu an aura of rebirth of new wave goth. This image is shown on the opening track "Crank Heart" as you can only sit there and be mesmerized. "I Luv the Valley" follows traveling a parallel set of song construction and sounds. The song starts out with a compelling bass line going to sporadic sledgehammer percussion and electronic bips over sprawling Stewart's vocals. "Bunny Gamer (b)" changes some on the tack but still contains the core. "Little Panda McElroy (b)" is more esoteric and slowed, while "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)" is a spoken word affair blasting soldiers for killing innocents before a noise freakout. The title track finds Stewart on acoustic guitar with very light vocals with a sexually negative theme. "Brian the Vampire" is a distortion electronic number discussing a young boy getting molested by this older brother. "Nice Pieces (Boat Knife Version)" is another happy tale of a family and not being able to break away from it. Xiu Xiu heavily utilize strings to start off "Clowne Towne" before Stewart takes over with acoustic guitar and vocals with the periodic electronics as emphasis. The record closes on "Mike" about a father's suicide in a very minimalist construction. Clearly, thematically, this latest Xiu Xiu is as intense as the recent Jeff Ott record. If intense, dark music that lives on the edge of electronic is what you seek then you should go no further than Xiu Xiu and Fabulous Muscles.
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