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March Reviews Artist of the Month: Now
It's Overhead As one of the few bands outside of Omaha to grace Saddle Creek's lineup, Now It's Overhead are back with their second record and a phenomenal improvement over the 2001 self-titled debut. Though the self-titled record was a strong and well-done affair, it lacked the elements to grab your memory, thus limiting further interest in listening. Fall Back Open comes at you like a resurgence of 80s modern rock - typified by bands like U2 and the indie cousins - and it is awesome. Now It's Overhead come from Athens, GA - you know the ‘other' famous Southern college music scene (read: not Chapel Hill) - the home to R.E.M. and scores more. The band or collective as it may be is fronted by Andy LeMaster on vocals, varying instruments and song writing duties. LeMaster also is a player in Bright Eyes (on Saddle Creek) and co-runs the studio Chase Park Transduction in Athens. Rounding out the group are Orenda Fink (bass, keys and vocals), Maria Taylor (keys and vocals) and Clay Leverett (drums and vocals). Many people are surely familiar with Fink and Taylor as the core of Azure Ray - another one of the few bands on Saddle Creek outside of Omaha. Fink also can be found the Elected's new record and Leverett played previously in Athens' Lona. After touring with and combining tours with Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead and Azure Ray, LeMaster went back to the studio to work and hammer out tracks for the future record. I'm not sure exactly who came into the studio that caused LeMaster to compose this breakthrough - literally, but also meaning really good musicians pushing you to your limits or really bad musicians who make you appreciate the simply notions of rock more concretely. Regardless, though I liked the debut, Fall Back Open absolutely leaves it in the dust. Although there are only nine tracks, all are well measured and developed. The record opens on "Wait In A Line" with rolling drums as LeMaster builds and Fink and Taylor have some backing harmonies. But where the song kicks into the gear is on the guitar bridge - a sizzling sense of U2ness that many, many listeners will surely get into to. That small section clearly sets the song apart. "Surrender" is closer to what we found on the debut release as it's a straight-forward sweeping melody rock song. "Profile" has a more 80s rock feel with very slight vocal delay, while "Turn & Go" is slower and harmony-ridden with the help of the ladies. The build on "Turn & Go" is influential, helping it standout in its subtleness. "Fall Back Open" is another slow mover that parallels the feel of "Turn & Go" and has a nice closing with Conor Oberst, Fink and Taylor matching vocals with LeMaster. With convincing guitar twang and the folk-feel of a Bright Eyes track "The Decision Made Itself" is one of the stars amongst the nine. "Reverse" is lyrically dense but musically spins its wheels and "Antidote" slithers with a neat guitar riff coupled with sporadic drums and vocals as the intensity rises - and, noteworthy, Michael Stipe adds backing vocals. Closing out the record, "A Little Consolation" highlights more mid-tempo rock and a strong sense of emotion.
Look for Now It's Overhead to be touring the U.S. and Europe quite
soon and not unlikely with some combo of Azure Ray and Bright
Eyes, or other Saddle Creek bands. If you enjoyed their debut
then you will surely love this. If you didn't like the debut -
for whatever reason - the nine tracks here will likely make you
reconsider especially given their catchiness and impressionability.
Amps
For Christ
This is certainly one of the strangest albums that I've heard
in awhile. Whether that is a good thing or not is still yet to
be determined by the listener. Amps for Christ is headed by Barnes
who formed the collective after leaving Man is the Bastard in
the mid-90s. Since then and now on their seventh album, Barnes
has incorporated varying musicians of assorted ilks and design
in an amorphous group. The People At Large is no different as
musicians such as Tara Tiki Tavi (Aye Aye Captain) and Connell
(Man is the Bastard) lend their talents. AFC fill the air with
an amalgamation of noise and British Isles/Appalachian folk, as
well as some sitars for good measure. A strong majority of the
twenty-three tracks are instrumentals that utilize a slaughter
of instruments with particular favor towards the sitar. On the
relatively straight-forward folk songs, AFC is good (for instance,
"Prince Charlie Stuart," "The Morlough Shore"
"Branches," "Flowers and Leaves" and "AFC
Tower Song"). On the other tracks they go from average to
dreadful. Actually, I find the "poem" tracks to be worse
than suicide (e.g., "Bug"). As this album seems consistent
with previous endeavors, fans of AFC will likely find solace in
The People At Large.
Ben
Arthur This
is the now New York-based Ben Arthur's third record and first
on Bardic after two on his own Chicken Butter label. At heart,
Arthur is a singer-songwriter working in the world of folk-rock
and country - not that he tramps on with songs about dogs, guns,
beer and pickups. He is only country in the sense of adding tinges
here and there, but is mostly on the folk-rock plane. As a literate
being, Arthur tries to play the double-meaning game on some of
the lyrics here with varying degrees of success. Starting out
in Charlottesville, VA, home of UVA, Arthur got some help on his
early material/recordings by members of the Dave Matthews Band
- which is obviously a bonus. Though Arthur is a solo artist he
had a crap load of musicians record for the record. This includes
six different drummers and seven different guitarists - that's
a lot, really a lot - and a host of different studios. You may
think that with so many different guns there would be variance
and variation on the twelve tracks. Well, there isn't and that's
both a bad and good thing. A good thing in that there is great
consistency. A bad thing since the songs sound too ‘professional'
and display a plethora of standard and tired constructions. Though
this sound on a number of strong tracks will likely get Arthur
a good amount of airplay and score some notable sales. With that
in mind, tracks to check out include the first single "Mary
Ann," the sweet ballad of "Tonight," the alterna-folk
"Keep Me Around" and the mildly creep acoustic number
"Jesus." "Sight of Your Tears" has a problem
with the recording volume on the guitars in the beginning, but
is probably the most ‘rock' track here. Currently, Arthur
is touring with labelmate Jennifer Marks in probably the strangest
tour I've heard in a long time. The duo are playing a slaughter
of high schools and coffee shops in California - often several
shows a day. I guess it's a strong way of building a core market,
but it is quite odd. Also, it is very un-rock star to be playing
at 8.30 in the morning to high school kids. This tour could be
something to look back and laugh at or something to dread. We'll
see.
Bagheera As
their debut record, Heather Dallape and Theodore Moll lay down
thirteen tracks of melodious and harmonious vocal layering and
stripped guitars. Coming out of St. Louis, Moll and Dallape present
a product that is like the more indie rock Helicopter Helicopter
in terms of the male-female vocals (Park Avenueish). Jangly guitars
and either concurrent or back-and-forth singing between Moll and
Dallape characterize the layout of most tracks. The record starts
promisingly on "Long Division" as fuzz begets to the
jangle and singing swoops in on high. If all the songs on Twelves
were like "Long Division" we would be talking about
an all-star with no ballot fixing. However, as the record progresses
the quality tends to slip-and-slid though not dropping off a cliff.
"Isolation in an Accelerating Universe" is an odd story
of the future and leaving to go into outer space while a single
boy remains behind - sounds not unlike Coheed. "Bulbchanger"
is powered by Dallape on vocals and takes off after a bridge with
added and almost latent electronics to fulfill the package. The
instrumental "The Halloween Disguise" has probably the
best music than on any other track - and thus Bagheera may consider
making a formal song. "Not Chasing Ghosts" has a memorable
second half that is punctuated by speeding swirling guitars, while
"Idle" closes out the record in a solid way. This is
also an "enhanced cd" some bonus audio tracks and basically
a scavenger hunt through aptly titled folders where most were
empty and the others contained blah, blah, blahing. This is a
record that should get worn out on college radio stations. Bagheera
seems like the perfect band to complete a solid indie rock touring
package.
The
Calculators The
Calculators are a band of what was, what could have been and what
is. Existing for a brief time in 1997-1999 in the punk dominated
Bay-area, the Calculators struck on a path that is only now being
realized fully in independent music. Not that this is a path that
hasn't been beaten before, as with most things, but more like
its resurgence. The Calculators divulged and indulged in the electronic,
synth-driven, new wave reviving punk that is championed today
by bands such as the Faint, Interpol and the Rapture. That this
is the case is not surprising given that two of the members from
the Calculators, Luke Jenner and Vito Roccoforte, formed the Rapture
and another, Jeff Fare, went on to form electronic-beat masters
Paradise Boys (also on PrinceHouse). So just imagine taking the
best of those two groups and combining them into thirteen thrilling
and mesmerizing tracks - and that is what this reissue is. Though
maintaining the droning, monotone vocals of New Wave greats, the
pure instrumentation and construction is the big draw here. After
hearing the synth notes to the opening track "Worthless in
a World of Wires," it will stick in your head and you will
be drawn to listening on repeat like white on rice. Most of the
tracks operate at slightly above moderate tempo, but that doesn't
seem to degenerate the pure danceability. As expected, the basslines
and simple-note picking guitar add mightily to the draw of the
synths. I guess that I'm drawn to the tracks with the synths that
make your heart skip around. Hence, there are a few. "This
is Evolution" is slow with drums, bass and vocals trudging
along before the Calculators allow the synths to snap in and pick
up the tempo. "Inside" starts off vocally like an electronic
Clash as the chorus creeps on you in pure New Wave fashion. "Dead
Is Dead" is a dance party within itself with the synths and
the enhanced guitars making for a fun time. To round out the record
"The Agenda" and "Kill Me Radio" are exquisite.
Though I point out these few, there is not a bad song on this
reissue. If you have any love for the aforementioned bands then
you should definitely pick this up. Though the band itself doesn't
exist, be prepared to get hammered by clubs playing these numbers.
Cheval
de Frise Coming
from the land of hate, arrogance, strife and contemption, France,
the two-piece of Cheval de Frise propagate in baroque avant-garde
instrumentals consisting of drums and electrified acoustic guitar.
The duo, Vincent Beysselance and Thomas Bonvalet, try to steal
minutes of your life away on the whimsical ten tracks offered
here. Not to totally repeat myself but the music here is heavily
avant-garde and probably serves best as a soundtrack to a film
or music for people to read poems over - e.g., that Air record.
Thankfully, for all the experimentalism involved, Cheval de Frise
are not just mindless throwing crap together to annoy the listener
- and also they don't abuse and torture electronics. There is
serious thought going on here. If you are down on instrumentalists
then try this as you will likely not be disappointed.
Crime
In Choir Though with cool and ragged artwork, I walked into this release with very low expectations. But as recent Frenetic releases have demonstrated they pride themselves on instrumental quality. This is the second release for the eclectic five-piece Crime In Choir - Kenny Hopper on Bass, Jarrett Wren on Baritone and guitar, Jesse Reiner on sythns, Carson McWhirter on guitar and Jay Pellici on drums. Crime In Choir exist in a whimsical, dreamy world that is punctuated by electronics of various types. Not to overplay the point, but the ten tracks may fall into a creepy acid-jazz world of something evil and unknowable. Although I still believe there should be a ban on saxophones outside of the light FM world, they are kept in check on The Hoop - the realization about saxs came during a summer of watching too many 80s movies. Filling out the record are guest appearances from Zach Hill (Hella) and Tim Green (the Fucking Champs). The record starts on "Strong Beautiful Suspicious Horse" with swirling keys before synths take the music higher to a crescendo. The guitar of "Vene Qua" takes you to the acid world with a basic riff as the keys/synths trip along. "The Hoop" sounds like its trying to rip a hole in space and "Hot Slant" is a new wave dance hit - club worthy no doubt. There are a few sections of "Hot Slant" that are jaw-dropping and you say goddamn that's hot. "Didomonico" sounds epic as if it's the rocking scene of some hip film - probably the second best track after "Hot Slant." This is actually a good album to play at a planetarium. It would be cool to see Crime In Choir tour with Coheed or Mars Volta - the later maybe even better given there are members from old At the Drive In here.
Decahedron
Deerhoof This latest and sixth record from SF noise-rock divas kicks off on "Milk Man" with an arrangement that sounds like the latest coming of a rock-opera masterpiece. When the four-piece of Deerhoof - drummer Greg Saunier, guitarists John Dieterich and Chris Cohen and vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki - aren't rocking out the oddities in their host of other projects - including Nervous Cop, the Curtains - they find the time to lend their powers to one of the greatest and best indie bands going. Pushing the limits on just strangeness, Milk Man singes with a pop core that demonstrates that for all the projects the members of Deerhoof have their hands in, they save their best material for Deerhoof - and we are all thankful and grateful. If you thought that Apple O' was something to behold you better hold on tight. After initially being put off by Apple O', I found myself humming the pop sections in my head and then I was soon hooked. Milk Man is like that, but only better. Again, "Milk Man" kicks off like a rock opera with bass playing up the opening riff, then joined by guitar, then bolstered up before the whole kit-n-caboodle comes in. Slowing up to introduce Satomi's sweet, chirpy broken English lyrics, when the song builds into the chorus you are utterly blown away. This is a song that will surely dominant college radio this Spring. With creepy organs, "Giga Dance" ushers you into the world of Cradle of Filth before dissonant guitars give away to Satomi. "Desaparecere" starts on the electro-edge with ambience leading the charge into Spanish lyrics. The instrumental "Rainbow Silhouette of the Milky Rain" with its dueling noise guitars is closer to the music of several of the Deerhoof side projects. "Dog On the Sidewalk" is a short ditty with Satomi's off-English vocals joined by the first emergence of electro-blips. Vocals, guitars and handclapping start "C" as it careens through a bunch of stop-start sections, while "Milking" rips some cool riffs and rocks hard like a crazed stripped-down Japanese indie band. "Dream Wanderer's Tune" is ambient with Satomi's vocals and keys dominating this pop affair - very sweet indeed. With nothing going on for a bit, "Song of Sorn" busts out with pure craziness that is actually catchy. "That Big Orange Sun Run Over Speed Light" provides an instrumental strangeness to lead to the finale "New Sneakers." "New Sneakers" opens with organs and then Satomi singing "Strawberry fields, banana trees..." as the track runs on lo-fi electronics. I discuss Satomi like she is some vocal savior throughout the record - and when you hear the songs you will see why. With the release of Milk Man, Deerhoof is hitting the road hard with shows in Japan, Europe and the U.S. Though when we checked them out on their last tour they weren't slamming, guitarists Dieterich and Cohen were tight, Saunier was entertaining and when Satomi was doing the gestures it was awesome.
EE This is a reissue of EE's first full-length that was released in 2000 on Curry Records and was, up until now, shortly out-of-print. EE released a memorable disc last year on Asian Man called For 100 We Try Harder that imprinted their sound to a wave of listeners. This recording includes the work of five individuals: Tobin Mori (of Korea Girl) on guitar/vocals, Brian on bass, Esther on cello/keys/vocals and finally Muji and Dan sharing time on the drums. However, the line up today consists of Che Chou on bass, Peter Nguyen on drums and Sooyoung Park on guitar/keyboards. EE prosper on light and smooth instrumentals with soft vocals that look to accent the music but not steal the show. As such, EE would probably feel fine with one of the slew of instrumental artists on Temporary Residence Ltd. "Asian Gangsta Kidz" is an exceptional song with the right mix of low key vocals by Tobin and sweetly added back up by Esther. What makes the song great is that while the allegiance to instrumentalism is there, it has a strong rock element to push it over the top. "Ramadan" is piano-driven that wouldn't be out of place on a light FM station if not for slight noise in the background, while "Battery Davis" is punctuated by Esther's cello. "Retrace" starts out with layers of guitars and Tobin's vocals as it merges with some electronics. "Square Back" kicks off like an indie rock majesty that makes this record at least the price of admission. "One Less Year" is considerably mellower with echoing guitars and Tobin's vocals approaching the world of brooding rock. "Brace" closes out the deal with a poppy and heavy downstroke guitars - this is a great song. After hearing the ten tracks on EE's debut Ramadan, I had to go back to their latest record and taken a renewed listen. While strong, Ramadan smokes it and I'm very surprised we didn't hear more from this on its initial release.
The
Failure One the first real track of ...Of Reason, "Greymoment/Enjoy It While It's Over," you are thinking a more punk version of Coheed and Cambria (or AFI for that matter) as the vocals rumble a cadence similar to the prog-rock of Rush or Queen, the bass drum starts it off and the guitars mute away. Though as the rest of the sixteen tracks, in both good and bad ways, demonstrate, the Failure from Calgary have a varying menu to offer to the listener. This is the sophomore record for this four-piece after two of the members, Colin Hess and Casey Lewis spent a decade in the Everymen. Gaining notice in the area and touring with Canada's most recent favorite punk band Flashlight Brown, the Failure have made a name for themselves and are apt to do some serious damage from this record. Though the Failure lack a strongly coercive characterization, this seems to add significantly to their product as they are free to strum the spectrum of punk and indie. At times, the Failure present the element of indie-punk that was such uniquely demonstrated by Blankface of Chapel Hill - and that is a very, very good thing. To some extent, then, the opening track, as good as it is, really may mischaracterize the band to the quick, casual listener. Other tracks to enjoy include "Cumulo Nimbus" for the powerful and awesome guitars and the gut-wrenching vocals kin to Braid. With an extended quote from Pump Up the Volume and a very ‘high-school' opening "Pep Rally" is brilliant when it kicks in full throttle. Echoing guitars open up the standard but solid "Buttersidedown" and "Absolution" follows a similar path. One of the few downsides to the record is that it may be too many tracks as there seems to be some variance in quality of songs. That is, the Failure may have benefitted from slimming down the tracks to produce a tighter product. This is a CD that came out of nowhere for us, but it is something that we really enjoyed - very admittedly unexpectedly. Hopefully, the Failure will venture out of the heartland of Canada and come across the border to add their hat to the U.S. punk legions.
John
Frusciante WOW. Up-front, I'm a fan. I first bought Niadra LaDes & Usually Just a T-shirt, John's first album, in college on a whim. I had heard it was a must own album of epic proportions...It throughly blew my mind. It sounds like a heroin addict locked in a house recording this thoughts into freaky acoustic song form...and well...it pretty much was just that. Flash forward a few years and John re-joins the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They release an album of finely crafted tunes, devoid of most all of the aggro bad boy rapisms that most everyone had grown out of (you hear me Fred Durst!). It wasn't too hard to figure out that with John back in RHCP his song writing and vocal harmonies brought life back into his former band. After Smile From the Streets You Hold, John released To Record Water For Only Ten Days. One can safely assume that now having kicked the "horse" John was free to write more "song" oriented...songs. To Record Water... was an impressive piece of Depeche Mode tinged acoustic goodness. Next, another RHCP album that yet again made the Peppers an even MORE melodic band with John all over the album.... Which
brings us to Shadows Collide with People as damn near the best
album I've heard in years. 18 tracks of the best rock in ages.
Frusciante has really come into his own. The songs have layers
and layers of beautiful vocals and perfectly found keyboards.
This album is just amazingly good. Frusciante finds new ways to
sing notes in an order that you never thought of until that moment.
The album is peppered (ha!) with appearances from fellow band
mates and friends, but make no mistake this album is ALL John.
Not only does John play some of the meanest, most unique sounding
guitar riffs, he has crafted the most listenable yet original
album in recent memory. You can't call yourself a music fan and
not own this album. Nuff said - go get it!
The
Gay The Gay is a bright, crystalline indie pop group featuring the group female lead vocals from Coco Culbertson (bass, keyboards; The Tennessee Twin, Bif Naked), Tobey Black (guitar; Maow), Maija Martin (accordion, guitar) and Sara Lapsley (piano; Vancouver Nights, Kreviss). As can be seen, the instrumentation is rich in this sophisticated album of bright and shimmering surfaces that reveal glossy textures of a hip, pop band that has hooks and smarts. This is a strong, promising debut from the ambitious Vancouver quintet. The sunny and swinging vocal pop here will have you smiling and humming. (-Tom Schulte)
Barton
Gill This is a sweet eight-song demo from the solo artist Barton Gill out of LA. Growing up in SLC, Gill learned the rock ropes by ear and sat behind a guitar to expel such demons - I love self-taught guitar stories unless we are talking about metal. Playing bass for awhile for LA's Railed and helping on the recording/business end of music, Gill offers up this initial force against the industry. Thankfully, though Gill falls into a mainstream audience, his sound is unique as he draws on varying influences and thus it is impossible to peg him to a genre - on one of the sites the music is referred to "neo-emo hillbilly rasta rock"; yeah, something like that. Gill is at his best when he is being subtle in vocals and making the acoustic guitar central to the song. For instance, take off the wah on "Farther From" and the song is tremendous. Other times when he is pushing the "rock" it sounds too manufactured and generic (e.g., the chorus of "When You're Angry," "Funky Fresh," "Believe"). Besides from "Farther From," tracks to check out include "Tidal Wave," "See You Now" and the powerful "Lovely Armageddon." Though this is a demo, there are a few annoying volume drops that debilitate the track. As a means to get noticed, shows and signed, this demo does its job in a succinct and consistent manner. I'm not sure whether majors will love that it is just Gill so they can add the pieces or whether they would be worried about a strong core. For some tracks, go to http://www.garageband.com/artist/bartongill.
Icewater
Scandal After spending time tightening their portfolios at the notorious SVA, Sean Maffucci, Travis Redington and DW Burnam met up with Andrea Hansen on the oft-chance show. That meeting, and with the help of Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, spawned the current dazzling Icewater Scandal. They used to be called AM Radio until Rivers Cuomo said that he was going to sick his legions and minions of thick-rimmed scenesters at them unless they changed their name. Deciding that the only options were murder or relenting, they relented to become Icewater Scandal. By the liner notes, this record was recorded sometime in 2001 - so I'm not sure what happened in the meantime. The six songs here, clocking in at forty-seven minutes, excel in controlled indie-rock experimentalism. That is, they fancy the long extended compositions but are not just throwing shit together and always maintain a core of rock. Hansen's vocals, at times pseudo-anguished, also helps to maintain a common thread through the tangents and paths. The opener "Klat" finds Icewater Scandal maraudering forward with a creepy, slow progression - where about half-way through they bust out just good ‘ole rock. "Muddy Blue" is the star here as they trade the tangents and go right ahead with pop sensibilities. If there was one song here that I could see getting air play it would be "Muddy Blue." I don't mean to rewrite their direction, but if they contained themselves to simple songs like this, they would be a force to be reckoned with. "Shiny Gold" brings you back into the extensions, while "Banana Ssplat" is a through jam at nine minutes. The relatively short "Oh Shoot" leads to the eighteen minute epic closer "See Saw." Some of the stuff here reminds of when Cap'N Jazz used to space out. While not being initially excited by this release, it has grown on me and I could see Icewater Scandal knocking out some more cogent stuff in the near future.
Local
H I
think that I missed the memo about this record. Is this record
supposed to be thematic? I don't know what else would characterize
the utterly uninspiring and tirelessly redundant tracks. The last
I knew Local H, composed sharply of Brian St. Clair and Scott
Lucas, knocked out commercial yet solid rock. Maybe it is the
horrible and joking opener "Where Are They Now?," with
the worst drum machine loops in the history of time, that misframes
the record. But it is not like the other fourteen tracks do well
to correct the wrong. If I didn't miss the memo, then record should
blown up like the baseball from the Cubs game.
Bonnie
McKee I've know several women who have started as crap lives via drugs and shit to turn it around to be something. But none in a more visible and expressionable way as 19-year-old Bonnie McKee. McKee was a teenage runaway, crystal meth head who apparently woke up one day and went ‘What the fuck? I got this amazing voice and I use it by smoking on this pipe.' Well, it might not have gone down like that but it must have been something of that sort. So now we find McKee as a rock vixen channeling women stars like Joplin and McLaughlin while keeping herself more towards the pop world. Whether by her own doing or the power of market forces, she presents herself as a sensuous and seductive sultriest. However that may come off, given she is 19, is another matter. But what is not in doubt is McKee's voice - wistful, rangy and pure gold. I would love for her to do American Idol as a ringer just to fuck with everyone. Unfortunately, as you may expect, many of the tracks don't do her well given their genericity. They all let her push her vocals, but many sound like lame studio musicians producing the same garbage - feel-good rock/pop. The worst is when the sound parallels the pop stars like Christina (e.g., "January"). It is only in moments where McKee and music come together for real goodness that you understand her abilities. Probably the best track, and the most quirky and fun, is the last "Confessions of a Teenage Girl." It sounds like the Incredible Moses Leroy wrote the number for McKee and it rocks. If the whole album had this much flair, we would be having a totally different conversation. There are actually a couple of tracks worth hearing including "When It All Comes" a likely single, "Honey" and "Marble Steps" for the balladness of it and the stellar acoustic guitar driven "Sensitive Subject Matter." I would love to have a singer like McKee front an indie rock band or something of the sort. It would be such an awesome use of ability in an original manner that she would instantly become the darling of all. Call me! With that said, look for McKee to be blasting from your top 40 radio in the near future.
Misconduct After
a long and twisted history as European hardcore experts, the Swedish
four-piece Misconduct offer their most polished release to date.
Formed in 1995, Misconduct have a number of releases on Sweden's
Bad Taste Records and this is the first not on the label. Union
is handling the North American release, while Misconduct's Side
By Side Records is doing the European release. As with many European
hardcore bands, Misconduct has had the opportunity to tour Europe
with some the top U.S. acts including Hatebreed and Sick Of It
All. They have made it over to NA a couple of times with most
importantly playing the SnoJam5 tour with bands like the Bouncing
Souls and AFI. Though not privy to their previous recordings,
Misconduct seem to have done a tremendous job of channeling U.S.
old-school hardcore and punk. While this style of music doesn't
require phenomenal technical skill, Misconduct are probably the
tightest contemporary band playing this style. That is, there
are ample bands that play the fast-burst old-school hardcore,
but most of it is mind-numbing and moderately sloppy. In that
regard, there a quick comparisons to some of the older stuff on
Epitaph - for instance the balls-out Pennywise tracks. The fourteen
tracks, averaging slightly over two minutes, all pop and smoke
with speed, clarity and execution. Misconduct have been in this
game long enough for lead singer Fredrik and the group sing-a-longs
to have no accent - and thus unless you are told you would have
no idea they are from Europe. Though Misconduct are good, there
is still element of difficulty in separating tracks in your head.
Since all of the fourteen have such strictly consistent construction
it is hard to differentiate them. On the enhanced CD portion of
the disc there are two videos. The first for "New Beginning"
is quite boring with the band playing in a room and people rushing
in. But the second for "Iron Lion Zion" is awesome with
Misconduct filmed live and also just messing around at shows.
I'm sold on checking them out when they come over here this year.
Chris
Murray This is a reissue of the now king of LA ska, Chris Murray. After spending time with King Apparatus in Toronto during the late 80s and early 90s, Murray broke out on his own when the band dissolved. Moving to, well, Venice, CA he tightened the four-track tracks, mixed them well and then convinced Moon Records to release the nine songs in 1996. I remember seeing Murray at S.O.B.'s in and around this time and being amazed that a skinny white guy could sing like so and carry a show solo. With the dissolution of Moon in 2000, this record went out of print. Murray's newer label, Asian Man, has decided to re-release it for the masses. This probably is partially an outgrowth of Murray hosting a ska night ever week at LA's Knitting Factory called the Bluebeat Lounge. Murray generally opens each show with a few songs on his own to stir the crowd. The nine tracks themselves feature Murray with acoustic guitar with some help from keys and background vocals. Clearly, the most recognizable song is the opener "Rock Steady" - with the refrain "rock steady, steady with me...." "Bring Your Love to Me" is a track to check out as Murray minimizes the ‘rude-boyness.' "Cooper Station Blues" was written and dirty recorded after Murray was initially rejected by Moon and tells the story of his ‘4-track adventures' to release this record. Showing the tech of today, the CD includes a video for "Rock Steady" with Murray playing the song in an apartment. This is a fun reissue and is at least a good thing to hear if you haven't to see the state of things in the mid-90s ska.
Natural
Dreamers
Populated by the essence of Deerhoof - guitarists Chris Cohen
and John Dieterich - Natural Dreamers offer up fourteen tracks
of instrumental experimental pop. Joined on drums by Jay Pellicci
(Crime In Choir), this three piece dance with tightly matching
and complementary guitars that highlight pop happiness over random
nonsense. And that is why and how Natural Dreamers can differentiate
themselves in this small but flooded market. Clearly, Cohen and
Dieterich save their best stuff for Deerhoof and often the many
side projects they are associated with - e.g., the Curtains -
are just exercises in extension. But, Cohen and Dieterich seem
to take this group more seriously than just practicing strange
but pop numbers and putting it to tape. Often I find myself wondering
how much better or worse instrumental albums of this breed would
be if vocals were added. While Natural Dreamers succeed without
them, I could see the right vocalist pushing them over the top
and enhancing their popularity. I know that Cohen and Deiterich
rock out live with Deerhoof; if they do so with Natural Dreamers
than they would be worth checking out live. In fact, they would
seem to be the most natural and logical group to support Deerhoof
on their upcoming tour.
Paradise
Boys After a spat of 12"s for PrinceHouse in recent memory, the Paradise Boys knock out a hot new full-length for the SF label. Core members Jeff Fare and Bertie Pearson get some reinforcements on both the recording and live fronts. For the record, they enlisted Lewis Pesacov on guitar and vocals from Liz Handly. For touring purposes Fare and Pearson join powers with Pesacov, Andrew Burmester on bass and Sasha Hutchinson on percussion and keys. In a smart marketing move this record is being released right after the reissue special of Fare's previous group the Calculators - a tremendous and phenomenal group whose other members went to form the Rapture. Hence, this release reinforces Fare's move to dance beats and away from more of the new wave rock collective of the Rapture. But it is not a total separation as demonstrated on "The Young and the Guest List" and "There is a Riot Goin' Off." The first song "Even If It Takes All Night "was previously released on a 12" over the summer. Handly's vocals certainly accentuate and sweeten the electronics as seen on "I Burn For You," "Did It Again" and "Your Love." "Pale Yellow Sun" adds a little acoustic guitar and ambience to give it a feel of Air. This is a fairly solid and developed album from Fare and Pearson and they are certainly a band to check out live - especially depending on their playmates.
Pepper This is the second record for this San Diego-based, by way of Kona, Hawaii, three-piece. Channeling groups such as Sublime, Pepper is grounded in roots-reggae rock and traditional ska with a stronger reliance on pop elements. At times, their sound is, well, sublime and at other times it can be grueling. Receiving considerable popularity in the Southwest, there is clearly a strong market for good music in this style. That is, surfer and stoner types will be immediately attracted to this like crackheads to free rock. Those who enjoyed the sweet crooning of Sublime will likely be pleased by Pepper lighter parallels. Probably most astounding about the recording is that Ronnie King (2Pac, Snoop Dog, Distillers) adds keyboards and Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers) plays pedal steel guitar. Moreover, 311 has taken Pepper under their wing to some extent surely helping them enhance their appeal. This amalgamation of influences does create varying musical environments on the twelve tracks. Some of the highlights include the prophetic "Seven Weeks," the surprisingly attractive straight-up rock "Border Town" with Baxter's guitar and a chorus echoing the Allman Brothers, "Back Home" as the nice rock intro to the album and the finale "Look What I Found." Since I'm listening to this in the cold of NYC, I'm not feeling the roots and groove feel of the twelve tracks. Though those preferences are certainly malleable come summer evenings - and if I was in a paradise like Hawaii.
Toys
That Kill As their first release on Asian Man, Toys that Kill demonstrate the old school pop-punk sound on the four songs contained on the CDEP. Toys have released two full lengths on their own Recess Records and have had some success on the road opening for bands such as Dillinger Four. Their quick ascension can probably be traced to two of the members coming from the notorious punk band FYP. Though I prefer these four tracks over FYP material, they are similar. The EP starts dirty on "Brain Attracts Flies," before moving to the best track "Brave Kids Jump" - a considerably melody-ridden song with the right amount of punk. "I Am the Fly" starts out promisingly with an odd Brit feel before languishing on a refrain of the title. "Blake St. Valentine" brings back the straight-up dirty pop-punk. If you are fan of previous Toys' records or FYP than you will like this. Depending on the intensity of their live show, I could see having a good time watching them.
V/A
Vice
Dolls There is no way to deny that the main attraction of this five-piece hardcore outfit from Illinois are the vocal stylings of the heavily-tattooed Carrie Nance. On their debut full-length, Nance rattles off high-pitched hardcore/punk vocals that are unlike anything else going on. When the cadences don't make you want to punch her in the head (e.g., "Bigger They Are") - or the ballad-esque stuff (e.g., the intro to "American Dream") - it is quite hypnotic. The music itself is old-school distorted hardcore/punk that moves at neck-breaking speed. While the Vice Dolls will not win any awards for ingenuity, everything is done at a tight and competent manner. Actually, the guitars are so heavily distorted that it sets up a nice contrast with Nance's vocals. Save for the finale "Unveil the Truth. Burn the Lies," the tracks average just over two-minutes as they punch you in the nuts. Die Trying starts on "Clenched Fists" as a hardcore anthem with machine-gun guitar mutes on the chorus but with non-generic lyrics. "Clenched Fists" is relatively stereotypical of the rest of the songs on the record. Other songs worth checking out include the Avail-like "Modern Guns," "Poor Me Stories," "What Could've Been" and the closure "Unveil the Truth. Burn the Lies." This record is likely to have a quick visceral reaction for many people that hear it. That is, people will either be attracted to Nance's vocals or find it to be dribbeddy-drab. copyright exoduster.com 2004 |