|
June Reviews Artist of the Month: Son Volt Besides from the Cardinals and Budweiser, Jay Farrar is one of the best things about St. Louis. Though only one band in a crowd, Son Volt stands out like a beacon of light for wayward rockers in Middle America. And in that mindset and after the somewhat turbulent times surrounding Son Volt and headman Jay Farrar’s history comes one of the band and Farrar’s best with the fourteen song The Search. Featuring intricate song textures, vast instrumentation, and an uncanny level of catchiness, The Search is an album that’s hard to put down. Farrar is an artist that you know even if you don’t think that you do. First and previously best known for his work in the legendary alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, Farrar formed Son Volt after his previous band’s demise. Dropped by Warner Bros. in 1999 after the critically acclaimed albums, though not exactly commercial smashes, Trace (1995), Straightaways (1997), and Wide Swing Tremolo (1998), Farrar ventured out as a purely solo artist for the next few years. With essentially an entirely new band, Farrar led Son Volt back with 2005’s Okemah and the Melody of Riot. On now Son Volt’s fifth album, Farrar is joined by Dave Bryson (drums), Derry deBorja (keys), Andrew Duplantis (bass), and Brad Rice (guitars). Recorded in St. Louis (they actually record stuff here?) with John Agnello, The Search bridges the alt-country/Americana gap with Uncle Tupelo while simultaneously making its own mark. The Search begins on the cautious mover “Slow Hearse” to piano and Farrar’s vocals. This austere opener is soon greeted by the most uptempo rocker on The Search – “The Picture.” Featuring Chris Deusinger and Keith Moyer on horns, “The Picture” hides its social and political lyrics inside the rather upbeat feel. This is clear with a glance at the opening lines of “Hurricanes in December – earthquakes in the heartland/Bad air index on a flashing warning sign/Bound for trouble – the picture is dirty” all phrased in Farrar’s most Americana singer-songwriter cadence. “Action” opens like you are taking acid in a lost psychedelic desert until the main guitars kick in and unleashes a heavy riff matched by Farrar’s vocals. “Underground Dream” and “Circadian Rhythm” both slow the tempo, allowing lines such as “There is a wiretapping stealing a nightmare” to seep out. Bringing back Americana cadences “Beacon Soul” again hides serious lyrics in a good-feeling musical atmosphere. The title track is solid though not entirely memorable, while “Adrenaline and Heresy” resorts to haunting piano and some of Farrar’s most pained vocals before an upturn ending. “Satellite” and “Automatic Society” both are short rockers that echo mid-career REM with heavier doses of alt-country. Playing a hard-luck, working hard narrative, Farrar rambles through “Methamphetamine” with the mind-sticking chorus of “Would you take me back North Carolina/Would you take me back Arkansas….” “L Train” to Williamsburg is about the borough of Brooklyn and its flocking power, and hits strong melodies on “Everyone speaks their own movie/Making dialogue in designer finds.” The Search closes out on “Highways and Cigarettes” and “Phosphate Skin.” The former features Shannon McNally on backing vocals and Eric Heywood on pedal steel as Son Volt moves slowly through the country on touring roads. “Phosphate Skin” is an acoustic-centered ballad with a set of dismal lines – and maybe not the best manner in which to end a significant album. With The Search, Jay Farrar and Son Volt reestablish themselves in the hearts, minds, and ears of indie rock, alt-country, and Americana fans and devotees. An extended cohesive lineup such as this will generate great material for years to come.
1990s Rustic rhythms, retro guitar licks and pulsing drum beats merge into the sound of this biting, garage rock kicking Glaswegian trio. Previous single ‘See You At The Lights’, litters “ba ba baaas’ around like cigarette ends to smoothen over the clanging percussion and tugging bass lines, to revive the rock n’ roll spirit in anyone who’ll listen. Carefree and dingy is a combination that has served rock purveyors well over time and ‘Cult Status’, has that Jet, The Rolling Stones and Thin Lizzy conjoining roll that could render the song title autobiographic, if they keep producing numbers of this ilk. A funky vibe is always needed to shake things up on albums of this style, ‘Aracade Precinct’ serves this purpose admirably. A range of background atmospheric jolts in the form of jeering, cheering, handclapping and random shouts gives the album a friendly party feel. Something that the oft jamming-fuelled guitar hurled music also promotes, with ‘Enjoying Myself’ exemplifying this to a tee. A blues/funk rub attaches to ‘You’re Supposed To Be My Friend’, lending a serious tilt to matters. Desperation and depravity are themes that are never far away from the tight trio’s material. The labouring echo of ‘Pollockshields’, brings dinginess to the fore and the song-crafting starts to get drawn-out. A stop and start nature is imparted into the song structure, keeping things fresh and intriguing. The tempo doesn’t build up continuously like many rock albums of bygone days, as each song takes on its own life and it is an approach that makes it easier to judge each song on its own merits. Atmospheric interludes of the Sonic Youth stylee show an attention to mood crafting. It is shown up best in the nostalgia fest of ‘Weed’. This Bernard Butler produced debut album, achieves the aim of showing the range and rugged nature of this backward gazing trio. It is an album that will serve several playbacks. (- David Adair)
Ahab Rex On this ten-song, two remix full-length, Ahab Rex (the name of the band and the lead guy) channel an odd sort of industrial pop. The industrial aspect comes courtesy of heavy drums and Rex’s gravelly voice, while an array of musicians fills in the pieces particularly Brooke Cassell’s nice juxtaposition of vocals. While a couple of songs are manageable (e.g., the opener “Ordinary Things”), there are several here where you want to kill yourself – specifically “Thank You Mister Russia,” “To Whom It May Concern,” “The Surgeon’s Photo,” “Dope Sick” (all of which feature slow paces and clearly terrible lyrics), and the exceptionally retarded “Undertow No. 5.” Blood on Blonde may play well in goth clubs but that’s about it.
Ahimsa Theory Following up their full-length record release a bit back comes Ahimsa Theory’s three-song EP We Screen for Thieves. Continuing on the theme of melodic heavy music and post-grunge rock, AT clearly have improved over their full-length with smoother transitions, a cleaner and more polished sound, and a simple feeling that you are listening to something good. Even though “Silence of the Sirens” pushes repetition and “The Hunter” drops in an overly distorted bass, the title track makes this EP worth a listen.
And This Army Working angles in Brooklyn, this trio excel at dissonant, heavy, ethereal instrumental rock but begin to fumble when merging with generic ‘heavy rock’ and the actual inclusion of vocals. As first demonstrated on opener “Jezebel,” And This Army can produce massively appealing instrumental soundscapes, and such is further established throughout the rest of the six-song full-length. Yet, and literally at the moment of inception of any traditional rock structures and vocals the whole affair falls into the ordinary and generic. And this mishmash of styles, ups-and-downs, positives and negatives are in every one of the six tracks. As much ‘advice’ as one can reasonable provide in a review, And This Army should simply drop the vocals and concentrate on the sprawling instrumentals that they’ve mastered so effectively.
Barr On the opening to tracks of Summary – “First” and “The Song is the Single” – all I could think was this spoken word crap would be really bad if the music behind wasn’t so darn good. Well, starting on the third song – the title track – the music takes a noise dive and Brendan Fowler’s project takes a massive dump. Fowler enjoys rambling non-sense quasi-poet b.s. over simple backing music. This may work in some art house love fest, but recorded it’s terrible.
Big Sir This collaborative effort of Juan Alderete de la Pena (Mars Volta) and Lisa Papineau (Air, M83, herself) sounds better in theory than in practice. The duo in the downtime from their main gigs come together to offer moderate tempo, electronics filled soulful numbers with Papineau’s breathy vocals leading the charge. At the best of times this makes for some outstanding chill-out music – the background filling wall of sound to relax to. Yet, if you spend time trying to depthly listen to the songs, they seem to languish on forever; almost like wayward lost souls. If the purpose is to relax your mind and your being, this monotony makes perfect sense – though in most other venues you may simply turn away from the beat.
Brand New After these boys from LI sold millions of copies of their debut, headlined large-scale tours, and became the poster boys of the emo-punk wave, they and many thought the band could do anything and the sky was the limit. Unfortunately, Brand New seem to have taken that speculation to heart on the twelve-song The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Apparently dropping acid and thinking they were Trail of the Dead, Brand New meander through a set of non-inspiring, lengthy, multi-sectioned bores. To say The Devil is a disappointment is an understatement.
Brookside Indeed coming from Long Island, the four-piece Brookside rock the melodic punk put forth by such brethren as Movielife, Brand New, and such-and-such cadre. Together since 2001, it would have been absurdly easy for Brookside to latch onto the fuck-bored, mindless melodic punk that now is standard radio fodder. Not lacking catchiness, Brookside come off more like your favorite local punk band than the next big sell out. Some of the melodies could be tighter, as well as the guitar transitions, but the eleven songs on Tonight, Long Island are all solid numbers that will bring a smile to your face – though not chills. If I were still on LI and about 10 years younger, I’m sure that Brookside would be spinning in my radio constantly.
Dead Voices on Air Cusping moments of atmospheric sounds fill the expanse of Dead Voices on Air nine-track From Labrador to Madagascar. Headed by Spybey, who has played with thirty million different acts including Download, the mood here is one of slightly dark monastic undertones mixed with jungle bugs haunting and evil hunting. If you want to scare small children in a horror house you would play From Labrador. Softer moments do exist, such as the eleven-minute “Labrador” where quick-hitting beats and blips provide the most ambient song here.
Eluvium Putting together a string of yearly releases, Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium) is back with another set of ambient, sound washes that propel all sets of emotions and thoughts from the listener. Following up on 2006’s When I Live by the Garden and the Sea (TRL), Cooper drops guitars from his sound and concentrates on a wealth of strings, brass, and pianos to create the moods he is becoming increasingly famous for. Clocking in at near an hour, Copia’s twelve tracks vary between the short noise ramblers (“(Intermission),” “Hymn #1”) and pained segways (“After Nature”) to the epic ten-minute “Indoor Swimming at the Space Station.” Of note is the intensely emotional “Prelude For Time Feelers” – a song both familiar and personal. If you need ethereal, ambient music to fill in the silence while you work on the next great American novel, Eluvium’s Copia is your solution.
Faulter Faulter’s Darling Buds of May would probably be enjoyable if it hadn’t been done a million times before in every way, shape, and form. The California five-piece relies on melodic emo punk to convey their messages of pain, suffering, and triumph. The boys can carry a tune and can play but the songs sound like they were manufactured along an emo assembly-line. Those looking for more bands of this ilk to fill their shelves may find solace in Darling Buds of May. Others should run. And I have no idea how or why someone would choose such awful cover art.
Form of Rocket With artwork resembling a sixth grader/Napoleon Dynamite, Form of Rocket unleash dirty angry post-punk on their third record Men. The upside of Form of Rocket is their resemblance to your favorite local indie rock band that prefers the noisy, drunken side of things. From highlights like “Teapot Dome, Bitch,” “Keep Smilin’ Ed Smart,” and “You’d Look Cute in the Trunk of My Car,” it seems clear that Form of Rocket could probably rock your socks off live. Possessing that sort unhinged, ready to explode and passing out, and the band can likely cement themselves in your memory that way. Otherwise, it’s somewhat difficult to get a handle on Men – don’t you know it girl.
Jeremy Enigk For such a world-class musician, World Waits is a massively subpar performance by Jeremy Enigk. By now most people have caught on that Enigk was the engine of the songwriting prowess of indie legends Sunny Day Real Estate. Particularly with the stellar soundtrack Enigk provided for the 2003 film The United States of Leland, expectations ran high for the nine-song World Waits. And so they should be as Enigk exceptionally knows what constitutes a great song. Mind you that the mostly slow, acoustic ramblers on World Waits aren’t bad, but there is little here to sink your teeth into and reengage your fixation with SDRE. Those that do peep their head through the smog include “Been Here Before” which hints at Irish countryside traditional, “Cannons,” “City Tonight,” and the ambient “Dare a Smile.” Is it unfair to hold Enigk to a higher standard? Quite possibly, but so if life.
Kim Taylor Channeling the best of female singer-songwriters Kim Taylor offers a solid set of acoustic numbers that sail above the ordinary fold; and in this world that means a whole lot. Although the PR and whatever may push a handful of songs as emphasis songs, the one that MUST be checked out is “My Dress Is Hung.” Like an uptempo Sam Beam, Taylor is accompanied by harmonica in such an awe-inspiring Americana way that it is clearer obvious she should put all of their efforts into that sound. Unfortunately it isn’t the case on most of the record – for instance following “My Dress Is Hung” with the 80s pop rock “Ninety-five Things.” Other songs that near the summit include opener self-titled track, the mostly instrumental “Baby I Need You,” and the closer “You Can Rely on Me.” If I were directing Taylor, here I’m just proselytizing, I would push her to the acoustic Americana songs that are obviously her strong suit.
Lalaland On this EP, this lovely little three-piece from Austin, TX offer five songs of indie rock that varies between the compelling and the ordinary. After the stripped down rocker “Monkey See Monkey Do” and its repetitive title, comes the highlight of the EP “Over Again.” Adding keys to the sound, “Over Again” has a timeless Americana feel to it and gets you to take notice of Lalaland (maybe they should have put it first). “Phase Out” sacrifices quality for a change of tempo and ambience, while “Waiting On Us” highlights smiley keys to help pick up the EP. Mumbo Jumbo closes on the slow whimsical, acoustic “Ripple to Wave,” which along with “Once Again,” serves as the best here and the sound that Lalaland should be aiming for.
Left Is West Every once in a blue moon you get a record that soars above expectations; Des Moines, IA-based Left Is West’s eleven-track Alive Between the Record Sleeves is one of them. Featuring a collection of Americana indie rock that varies influences, Left Is West is able to dazzle at times and hold the fort at others; enough to keep you intrigued and coming back for more. Alive Between the Record Sleeves opens on the slow acoustic “Ride,” which could have easily turned out bad but instead sounds like a gorgeous toss off of Sam Beam. The band follows this up with the stronger rocker “A Sad Situation” where a piano and soloing breakdown draws you in. Some slippage occurs on “Thug Appeal” before being saved by the poppy “California Split.” Other tracks to speak of include “Unloved,” the acoustic “Get Out of My Sandbox,” and “A World Without Money.” There are tons of bands that do exactly what Left Is West does but somehow this band is able to pull it off.
Light Yourself on Fire With average cookie monster vocals, this hardcore metal four-piece from Tampa pounds through seven songs of average fair. Though the band may have high ideals of the sound they’re tackling – ‘power death’ – the fact of the matter is that they aren’t that good and their sound doesn’t distinguish itself in any manner. There are numerous bands from the power violence world that don’t plug the death metal connection who could all rip an enormous whole in Light Yourself on Fire. Their live show may be redeemable, but it is not heard on this EP.
Marnie Stern As the one sheet points out – Marnie Stern is one of the few artists signed to KRS due to a demo tape. That says a lot on its own. Following the acrobatic noise art rock demonstrated by Deerhoof, Hella, etc., Stern twiddles her guitar to match her rising and falling vocals (probably best displayed on the second song “Grapefruit”); mostly done through excessive use of fret tapping. And you know that Zach Hill provided drums and assorted instrumentation – once again proving that all releases in this sound variance must include Hill. Also, helping Stern in her Upper East Side bedroom recordings is John-Reed Thompson. Unlike a group such as Hella, Stern generally provides clear rock structures and movements to the thirteen songs on her debut full-length; though she does still go off the path on such tracks as “Healer,” “Patterns of a Diamond Ceiling,” and “Logical Volume.” As an entry into the indie noise world, Marnie Stern is someone to welcome with arms wide open.
Martha Berner Following on the heels of Martha Berner’s solid and well-received full-length …This Side of Yesterday comes the four-song EP Ten Tiny Little Pieces. Recorded in a single day in her hometown of Lake Geneva, WI (though Chicago is now home) the EP simply picks up on This Side and slams down another strong set of soulful singer-songwriter songs. The title track opens the EP with slow piano and Berner’s vocals working the grind into a lather of songwriter prowess. This is followed by a cover of Lou Reed and John Cale’s more countrified “Sunday Morning” and a lushly catchy chorus. Marginal slipness occurs on “Down and Out in San Francisco” before the solid “Wait For Me” closes out the EP. More and more this kind of music causes me great illness, so the fact that Berner can draw me into the sound is enough for me to believe she’s something special.
Mice Parade One certainly hopes that Mice Parade will not cross paths with Wolf Parade (should it then be Wolves Parade?) because it may be a bloodbath. On Mice Parade’s roughly seventh album, frontman Adam Pierce pushes the acoustic ramblings matched with yeoman-like drumming, electric emphasizes, and floating keys. Pierce also includes a set of high-minded collaborators and guests including Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab) on the atmospheric “Tales of Las Negras” and Kristin Anna Valtysdottir’s (Mum) child-like utterances in Icelandic on “Double Dolphins on the Nickel.” Mice Parade’s mid-tempo folksy indie is endearing in spots and boring in others with highlights from the superb “The Last Ten Homes,” the intertwining “Satchelaise,” the aforementioned “Tales of Las Negras,” and the closer “The Nights After Fiction.” Though Pierce and Mice Parade are eclectic in nature, if you’ve heard Mice Parade before you likely have a good idea of whether this self-titled affair is your cup of tea.
Monikers Underneath the relatively lo-fi recording the punk outfit Monikers have something good stirring on their five song Eat Your Young EP. Featuring former members of Discount and other Florida punk bands, Monikers go after the Dillinger Four, Leatherface, and the like sound with varying levels of success. Take the opener “Information” – basic guitars, sloppy transitions, and too lo-fi (a common theme on sound quality) – and you will get turned off immediately. You begin head-nodding, though, on the follower “Two Stories” as Ryan Seagrist matches his guitar stop-start riffs with his uber-close D4 vocals. But, the shiners come thanks to Seagrist rhythmic solo cruising the path toward Leatherface rock heaven on “Mirror Images”. Monikers deserve better recording quality and hopefully that will result in stellar future offerings.
MSTRKRFT Are you an indie rocker/scenester/hipster/etc. that wants to dance but is afraid of some of the stigma of getting down to dance music? Well, your cure is here with MSTRKRFT’s hot mover The Looks. The group features the collaborative powers of Jesse F. Keeler (Death From Above 1979) and producer Al-P. Friends for sometime, the duo began in earnest in recent years when Al-P helped produce Death’s You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, and then Death’s subsequent demise left a gap of time and space. MSTRKRFT pushes the electro-dance of punk angles making you move with reckless abandon even while keeping your edge. This is evident, apparent, and clear within ten seconds of opener “Work on You” and continues through such glorious tracks as “Easy Love,” “She’s Good For Business,” “Street Justice,” and the funk-soul-brother “Bodywork.” Having The Looks around in your home puts you at a whole new level of cool and can provide background music for a variety of activities in such exotic locales as your bedroom.
Myotonia Flying unfortunately under the radar, this Oakland, CA seek to totally demolish your brain and, more importantly, standard conceptions of heavy music; and for the most part are successful in their efforts. Using a slash-and-burn technique of including a billion different sounds and bits scattered throughout the eight songs on the record, Myotonia beat you down in parallel fashion to Taken or The Fall of Troy. Still, though, Myotonia are not copying anyone and instead are fashioning their own heavy sound. From the opening number “Total Protonic Reversal” to closer “Reverse Birth Tactics” the band has you glued to your seat and eager for shape-shifting. How these guys are not signed to a sweet deal is a mystery.
New Young Pony Club The lightly scattered, soul-pushing vocal command of Tahita possesses such a life-bearing, buy soothingly provocative profile. The rest of the band seems to spend the early part of this debut album, trying to find the right groove, mood and pitch to complement the nimble vocals. Therefore, the No Doubt spiked opener ‘Get Lucky’, with its cosmopolitan kick, still has a lingering, lost vibe that will have you willing New Young Pony Club to shake it off like it’s a dog try to molest their leg. The snappy lyrics concealing ‘Hiding On The Staircase’, whilst being delivered with a rumbling jungle backing punch and R N’ B based strut by Tahita, still lacks any significant drive or cohesion. The slotting of this band into the NU-Rave pigeon hole in order to broaden this new craze out, leads to some confusion given the fact this product packs more of a relaxed lounge/dance slap. This, of course, is a good thing, as when the craze starts to fizzle out this quaint quintet will have their own direction and identity to help keep them afloat. Shades of the provocation and cockiness of Salt N’ Peppa, spices up matters in the digitally intoned four minute foray ‘The Bomb’. This let’s the bass of Igor ride free and it is the perfect bedfellow for the deeper female vocal range, providing ample opportunity for gyration and reflection. Leading neatly into a thudding and sparse funk out, ‘Jerk Me’ where the flitting range of Tahita lends a surprise and slightly lurid element. The glow sticks will be well and truly kept down for this one, in a live environment. Intervals of Robots In Disguise vibes, through the likes of ‘Talking, Talking’ gives this full length focus and instils some bracing, slow building ambience. Provocative phonetic foolery is oozed out with stammering effect in ‘Fan’. Whilst the lyrics contain poignant life nut-shelling to make you stop what you’re doing and nod relentlessly in approval; “Life’s a see-saw; you’ve forgotten how the top becomes the bottom. In time, you’ll find out." If only the first part of the album could have used such range, mood, provocation and poignancy. Then the debut album of the year tag would have to have been tattooed onto each member of this band. (- DA)
Peter Bjorn and John The whispering campaign that helped start these Swedes off in the U.S. and crest to screaming wave of praise is totally deserved. The trio of Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling, and John Eriksson offer superbly crafted indie pop songs that could have originated in any of the past four decades – and they do a bunch of whistling! With an excellent skill set that is used to master simple pop songs instantly grab your attention with the busily working guitars on “Objects of My Affection,” the simple drum beat and whistling to “Young Folks” where Moren trades vocals with Victoria Bergsman (the Concretes), the hypnotic, repetitive feel of “Amsterdam,” the pop of “Paris 2004,” and the bass-driven, island-flavored “Let’s Call It Off.” The American version of Writer’s Block also includes a six-song bonus disc with new material from “Ancient Curse,” the acoustic rambler “Self-Pity,” and the self-explanatory “Sitar Folks.” You don’t need me to tell you Peter Bjorn and John are awesome – just know it.
Pinebender You may be better off calling these guys Nervebender. Out of Chicago with a gaggle of lineup changes, Pinebender are officiandos of dirgey, drudgey rock all existing within an indie rock lineup instead of the often placed stoner metal rock. After you step past the fourteen minute opener “Parade of Horribles,” which nearly is, you find more ordinary solace in numbers such as “She Destroy the Light,” “Polly Gray,” and “Decide on the Double Cross.” For those down on slow, downer rock but prefer it indiefied than Pinebender is perfect for you.
PJ Harvey Oh, Polly Jean, you’re so hip and cool, and the world loves that you have offered new material. This is true, but the twelve songs on The Peel Sessions don’t persuade you as much as you’d hope. But this release is more about the legacy of John Peel and his effect on many artists including Harvey. PJ chose this set of songs as a tribute to the deceased Peel and span material from the early 90s “Oh My Lover” and “Victory” to mid-90s “Losing Ground” to the more recent “Beautiful Feeling.” In many ways Peel Sessions is for big fans of PJ Harvey and possibly those interested in the influence and legacy of John Peel.
Red Orchestra Radio As said numerous times before, there is little reason a punk band needs six members – seriously, c’mon. That is what you get from Winston-Salem, NC’s Red Orchestra Radio. There is some need for the members, though, as ROR plod through a mixture of rock, punk, and hardcore highlighted by psychedelic metal guitar floaters (think Mars Volta) – though such entrancement doesn’t last too long. Instead, the five songs on the Electric Sleep EP are too muddled by guitars and too derivative of heavy rock vocals. It is almost as if ROR are a bunch of ex-hardcore members trying to find a sound to appeal to more of the masses; and in some respects that’s true. These guys try to enliven their sound with thick song structures, but in the end wind up putting you to sleep.
Robbers on High Street This is a nice little promo EP that came out in late fall to drum up support for Robbers on High Street’s Grand Animals full-length (their second). Two songs here – “The Fatalist” and “Married Young” – are included on the full-length; both of which feature the New York outfit blitzing through well-crafted stripped down revivalist rock. Besides from ordinary “Major Minor,” this release also includes a raucous cover of Paul McCartney’s fun time “Monkberry Moon Delight” – a song title that might be better than the song itself.
Ronnie Day With a like-minded approach to indie pop as labelmate The Rocket Summer, Ronnie Day offers a sixteen-track, forty minute exercise in contemporary pop melodies. Finding Myspace stardom, Ronnie Day is among the early artists turning such exposure into something tangible; something that couldn’t be accomplished before the Internet. While Ronnie Day provides enough pop to appease parents when they’re dragged to concerts by fourteen year-olds, he does little to distinguish himself from numerous other like-minded folks. He can certainly write a pop song (e.g., “Half Moon Bay”), but simply deviations away from the formulaic results in difficult listens (e.g., “Written At a Rest Stop”).
Signal Home Pennsylvania’s Signal Home pick up where Hot Water Music and Avail left off; there isn’t really much more you need to know to love them. Featuring raspy vocals matched with smart guitars, powerful vocals and enough harmonies, this is hardcore punk that sticks with you long after the record stops spinning. Signal Home grab you immediately with the opener title track – a two-minute all-star number that gets you psyched beyond belief. Consistent with more of the contemporary fair, and the fact that Carbon Copy is owned by Hawthorne Heights’ JT Woodruff, Signal Home also provide the screamy, melodic punk that has been beaten to death. Yet, even the inclusion of such numbers as “Two to Romance (A Story to Guide You Home),” “Rings and Fields,” and “Nail Your Colors to the Mast,” Signal Home push the boundaries beyond the ordinary. Highlights along the HWM vein include the brilliant “A History of Choices | What We’ve Become” with a superb breakdown, “The Churches,” the terrific rhythmic solos on “It’s Time to Let…,” and the extended “Seaside.” Two words: fan favorites.
Sonic Youth You are taking your life in your hands walking into a Sonic Youth b-sides album. The band’s recent pop-friendly albums are a complete aberration of their lifetime’s work; a façade to hide the inherent noise blowback underneath. Remember how Sonic Youth followed up Dirty with Experimental Jet Set…, not to mention their early material like the one song that was 10 minutes of plugging and unplugging a guitar chord. Well, the Destroyed Room isn’t that bad, but if you are looking for hidden material from Rather Ripped you’re not going to find it. Nearly all of the eleven songs on Destroyed Room are post-millennium and consist of a series of warm up tracks and just straight up mediation noise jams. To set the mood Sonic Youth kick off the album with the ten-minute “Fire Engine Dream” before the slightly more structured “Fauxhemians.” There are only two songs with any vocals – courtesy of Kim Gordon on “Razor Blade” and “Blink.” The rest are mid-range instrumentals that don’t exact inspire – though “Kim’s Chords,” “Beautiful Plateau,” and “Queen Anne Chair” do entice. Without loss of generality, you can say this isn’t Sonic Youth’s best work. The Destroyed Room is likely reserved for hardcore Sonic Youth fans.
Sparrows Swarm and Sing The sophomore release from this New England collective is mostly filled with junk save for the inspiring second song. PPM is actually simply re-releasing Untitled II on CD – as it has never been before – and it seems a manner to drum up support for Sparrows newer record O’ Shenandoah, Mighty Death Will Find Me on Magic Bullet. Again, the second song here is five minutes of heavy string epic instrumental with perfecting arches and valleys. The opening number has recorded speech over the top and the finale has its moments but fails to register in a consistent manner. Clearly, Sparrow Swarm and Sing are an incredible outfit when channeling their talents, but it is missing here.
In order to lay the foundations for his follow up to the masterful ‘Magpie’ album, the Scunthorpe born and now Manchester homed, Stephen Fretwell not so long ago, musically bared all in a stripped down acoustic tour. This provided a refreshing perspective into his song building process, reminding those of us in attendance that the longing power of his commanding voice runs best off a basic and slow moving accompaniment. It is an approach that is the base for this EP, as ‘The Scheme’ scatters a bluesy touch over ambient finger clicking sounds and leisurely, hollow guitars. The slow and haunting ‘Sleep’, draws out Fretwell’s slightly desperate, but lingeringly commanding cries of earthy poetry perfectly. This four track EP represents a move away from the flighty nature of Magpie, preferring to amble and take in life’s scenery like Philip Larkin on a train. ‘Can This Be?’ picks up the pace in a romance foraging ode and shows up the contemplative nature of Mr Fretwell. Bracing, yet strangely uplifting is the conclusion about this tempting release. (- DA)
Stylex Ohio’s Stylex does the nerdy, new wave punk resurrection that’s been cresting over the past few years in both the indie and slightly mainstreams domains. After a myriad of releases, Stylex opens Tight Scrapes with the uptempo punk “Moves” that only marginally hints at the band’s true sound of electronic dancey punk. This is soon remedied with the follower “Escaper,” and notables “Alright,” “The Business,” “Thanks to Meet You,” and “Hide and Sneak.” What becomes clear as you walk through this gauntlet of campy new wave is that Stylex grew up on a steady diet of Revenge of the Nerds and Thomas Dolby – if not a gaggle of Japanese pop. Right now, Stylex sounds too art school but with more polish they could really shine.
Takota On the debut release from this California five-piece, The Ivory Tower illustrates a set of post-emo melodic punk from the deft hands of those that have come before and played themselves through and through. Consisting of former members of Spindle, Reel Big Fish, and Longfellow, Takota are quite good at channeling the head-nodding mainstream appeal while not entirely sounding like past shtick. You aren’t going to find definitive and exciting new pathways of rock on the ten song album, but you will find such single/radio material as “The Ivory Tower,” “Satellite,” “Diary,” and closer “Carpark Conversation.” Lead singer Grant Arrow has a powerful and commanding vocal style that sometimes wavers into the over-the-top lame, but when kept within bounds you’ll love it. All Takota needs to do is couple their foundation with a signature sound on a signature song.
The Cribs One of the most intriguing artist/producer collaborations of this millennium so far, has to be the three Jarman brothers of Wakefield who form The Cribs, teaming up with Mr Franz Ferdinand himself, Alex Kopranos. Immediately, through our ‘Our Bovine Public’ the impact of the latter personality sticks out, as the coarse, almost shouting style of Ryan Jarman is coated by a slick and funky sound that builds up the atmosphere in between the terse cries. The streetwise nature of the band of old is still as prevalent, but there is more searching done through this third album, something that is drawn out early on in ‘Girls Like Mystery’. The pronounced, twining bass lines of Gary Jarman lend a bluesy feel to ‘Moving Pictures’. This vibe is also given off through the slower, creaking vocals and the impression is given that the brothers Jarman, wish to highlight what they have to say a bit more. Indeed, their social commentary is as succinct and blunt as ever. ‘I’m A Realist’ is a case in point; “I’m a realist, I’m a romantic, I’m an indecisive, I’m an indecisive: piece of shit.” Greater attention has been paid to mood setting in this full length foray. More vocal variety and slow building percussion is a particular feature, lifting ‘Major’s Tilting Victory’ up a notch. Trundling guitars nudge the slow building, desperate cry of ‘I’ve Tried Everything’ along, it is an approach that builds neatly into their customary bemused and rising chorus. A laboured jangle still forms the fulcrum of the bulk of the songs, but it has been spiced up through the production and some neat percussion jangles provide a neat contrast. ‘My Life Before My Eyes’ coasts proudly as the flagship for this newer approach. A Baz Luhrman and Lazy B style takes over for ‘Be Safe’, as spoken word verses dissect humanity with precision before the punk fuelled chorus kicks in. With potential revellers the country over compiling their must-see bands at festivals lists. The Cribs serve a reminder of their potency, force and a more attentive approach to song structure that will see them happily added to many lists. (- DA)
The Dark Romantics Fixated on the love for new new wave and stripped down rock, The Dark Romantics unleash a surprisingly strong record for indie label Lujo Records. Produced by Starflyer 59’s Jason Martin, DR rock to the beat of a pair of musical friends married to two sisters who are in the band plus someone named Fifi. Though there is little sound and style separation between the ten songs, there is enough mojo to keep you moving to the stepped backed guitars, handclaps, and uptempo rock. Highlights include the opener “So Confused (And We Like It)” with its album title chorus, “Another Song For Another Night,” “Baby Boy…Baby Girl,” and the rocker “This is the Sound.” With some more time The Dark Romantics should truly come into their own.
The Finches The Finches play the kind of folk pop – acoustic twee – that either you love and are infatuated with or the kind of music that makes you want to kill yourself (and possibly kill everyone in earshot). At least I can recognize the dichotomous nature of the Finches since others may simply fall into one of the two camps. Featuring the soft vocals of Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs and backing help from Aaron Morgan, the Finches waltz through twelve songs of that folk pop on their debut full-length. For the most part the Finches make me want to kill myself, but as soundtrack music or room filling music for a bunch of baked folks you can see the Finches’ appeal.
The Pipettes As is becoming more and more common these days for majors, this is a teaser EP for the all-female (with assorted help) pop group the Pipettes. The title track and “I Love You” are both included on the band’s full-length We Are the Pipettes. Both songs are short, reinterpretation of 50s girl groups pop with sprinkles of punk tempo. The two other tracks are “Really That Bad” and “Guess Who Ran Off With the Milkman?” – both consistent with the first two songs. The EP also includes a video for the title track – yeah!
The Rocket Summer As you might suspect from this EP’s title, The Early Years is a reissue of The Rocket Summer’s (aka, Bryce Avary) first self-release. The six songs here served a means of drumming up interest in TRS, allowing Avary to develop, tour, and excel in his indie pop love fest that would produce such strong albums of Hello, Good Friend and Calendar Days (also both on TMG). The EP cuts are certainly rough and Avary’s voice is quite young (16 at the time), but you nonetheless hear the pop magic bubbling underneath. Still, The Early Years EP is best for motivated Rocket Summer fans.
The Slip After numerous sound directions and existences, The Slip have settled into, hopefully for a long time, a super talented indie pop outfit – with enough chops to have their song “Even Rats” included in Guitar Hero. The eleven-track Eisenhower folds the band’s decade long life and all their various musical avenues into a stellar shape shifting album. Thickly structured and richly melodized, The Slip continually surprise you with songs such as the quirky opener “Children of December,” the aforementioned “Even Rats,” the acoustic floater “Suffocation Keep,” the harmony-filled chorus on “If One of Us Should Fall,” “Mothwing Bite,” and the epic eight-minute closer “Paper Birds.” The Slip is one band that is worthwhile to get behind – and make sure they continue to hone their indie rock skills.
Triclops! Featuring the power of Bay Area side projects, Triclops! do their best to destroy your mind and ears with a punishing attack of acid punk taken to extreme degrees of segmentation. One could think an uber-drunk, less solo Mars Volta as the four-piece pound through four songs of molestation on this quasi-EP for Sick Room. While “Jewel of Oakland” is ordinary punk, check out the fantastic opener “Mi Plisboy,” the extended “Bug Bomb,” and the riff-centric closer “Salton.” With a brilliant show to accompany this raucous record Triclops! could be something to behold.
V/A Saying this soundtrack to the film Once is various artist is somewhat of a misnomer. In fact, this thirteen-track album is a collection of songs written by the two main characters in the film – Glen Hansard (of Ireland’s The Frames) and Marketa Irglova. In the film, Hansard plays a busker who is inspired to take his music to record by single mother Irglova. A basic love story in an indie film that draws in viewers. The music on the soundtrack is all simple acoustic, heart-felt songs highlighted by “Falling Slowly.” As has been demonstrated enumerable times before, all these songs probably come off much better set to film and being played out by Hansard and Irglova. Thus, check out the film and if you love it then get the soundtrack as it’s the real deal.
Why Make Clocks Channeling folksy Americana, Why Make Clocks meanders over ten songs of unfortunately non-inspiring anthems on Midwestern Films for Iowa indie Barely Bias. One of the true faults here is that Why Make Clocks seem like they can’t decide whether they want to follow singer-songwriter schmaltz or hip folk. Songs like “Who’s Laughing Now” and “All Your Smiles” hint at the latter, and that’s where Why Make Clocks can really leave a mark. The rest of the record falls into generic singer-songwriter affairs. Clearly, the outfit has the talent to do something amazing; it’s just not here yet.
copyright exoduster.com 2007 |