|
May Reviews Artist of the Month: Iron
& Wine Our Endless Numbered Days has been one of the most secretively anticipated records this spring. It has been more of an expectation of great things to come from this singer-songwriter Sam Beam. In all avenues of music outlets, Beam has been getting tremendous praise for this record and previous work. In fact, in a recent interview conducted by this site with Cam DiNunzio of Denali, he cited Beam as the person/group that he is most interested in touring with. So who are Iron & Wine and Sam Beam? Beam lives in Miami where he is a father and teaches cinematography at a local college. In September 2002 he released his debut record The Creek Drank the Cradle and followed it up with his Sub Pop debut The Sea and The Rhythm EP in September 2003. These two releases brought Beam acclaim across the board for his simple songs with hushed vocals over acoustic instruments. Beam has spent much of his time this past year touring with the likes of the Shins, the Decemberists and Fruit Bats. Though the enterprise is very solo-minded, Beam is joined on this recording and often as a touring band by his sister Sarah Beam, Patrick McKinney, Jeff McGriff, EJ Holowicki and Jonathan Bradley. Consistent with previous recordings, Our Endless Numbered Days was recorded at Beam's home, but also in Chicago with like-minded Brian Deck. The end product is a stunning masterpiece. Iron & Wine tie Beam's rich, calm and compelling vocals with a strong element of Southern folk-country ballads that hints of just a touch of indie rock. Though one could make the argument that the essence of blues exists throughout the twelve tracks, certain tracks are more exemplar than others (e.g., "Teeth in the Grass"). The tracks are so mellow and calm that it took me a bit to get hooked - moreover it is not necessarily the best music to tune out people on the train. While I could see some not giving Iron & Wine enough of a listen to become addict, since the ballads are not everyone's bag, I simply ask for you to give it an honest listening in a relaxed state. My initial pause may have been due to my least favorite song being the first, "On Your Wings." It probably contains the least melody, harmony and bright spots amongst the twelve. Listening to it, I get a sense of a murky swamp with bugs and snakes all over the place - not pleasant. I usually skip this song when I put on the record and go directly to "Naked As We Came." "Naked As We Came" gives you the first taste of how Beam can match his vocals with acoustic guitar to produce a magical moment. "Cinder and Smoke" is a less-pleasant tale of a house burning down with music coming parallel to "On Your Wings." "Sunset Soon Forgotten" starts with acoustic guitar swirling quickly reminding you of some amazing solo ballads of yesteryear. The sound is so familiar, but at the same time new. "Sunset Soon Forgotten" is clearly one of the standout tracks. As mentioned before "Teeth in the Grass" contains strong blues elements, while "Love and Some Verses" has some hypnotic guitar playing. "Love and Some Verses" along with many of the songs here have that late-afternoon, dusk feel of summer while sitting on the porch enjoying a breeze. There is something magical here. "Radio War" is a short song where Beam sings over a one-strum-at-a-time ukulele. This is followed by another standout in "Each Coming Night," about times past and what memories will hold laid on top of acoustic guitar and a little banjo for good measure. "Free Until They Cut Me Down" is bluesy Southern ballad with some creepy sounds and "Fever Dream" sounds closer to what many British indie band consider ballads. All the discussion up to this point was just to get out of the way for the absolute star track here, "Sodom, South Georgia." I have listened to this song more times then I can count and still haven't gotten tired of it - a true classic. With standard Iron & Wine acoustic fare, the lyrical prowess coupled with Beam pushing his vocals to their most earnest makes this an exceptional song. Beam tells the tale of his father dying at the same day his baby Edith was born and how it all seemed to make sense. This could be one of the best songs written all year - stunning. While "Sodom, South Georgia" might not get as much play as it deserves given its slow ballad nature, if you want someone to like Iron & Wine play them this song. Beam closes out the record in strong lyrical fashion on "Passing Afternoon" - a song that echoes great singer songwriters of the past. Typically it takes a lot to get me to be this down on acoustic material. Iron & Wine on Our Endless Days Are Numbered deliver twelve tracks of unparalleled brilliance. Though I haven't heard how good Beam is live, if he can come close to bringing this record to life then he can expect scores of attention.
A
Faith Called Chaos On
the final track "I Hate this City" with a refrain of
the same, I sparked out to their information to see what city
this six-piece was from. Coming from the big D in manrock-flushed
Texas, A Faith Called Chaos was initially propped up by their
first recording on Counterintelligence Recordings and then some
love from Alternative Press. AP said to them 'mad yo, yo, why
don't we sponsor you for the Warped Tour' - and boom, so it happened.
The consistently growing Volcom label picked up on AFCC's metal-core
amalgam and quickly signed them. Though the six-piece rides the
hardcore mainline, they offer up enough rock hooks, riffs, melodic
singing and a bit of keys to enliven the product. Giving into
the rock of Texas, AFCC allow themselves to verge on the big time
solos and slight cock-rockness (for instance, the latter of "We
Woke Up a Fire"). What is nice about the band is that with
close differentiation, they don't sound like any one group. Other
tracks to take note of include "Forgive Nothing" and
"The Pugilist." This release along with other recent
records assures Volcom a position of one of the strangest collections
in awhile. Look for AFCC on this summer's Warped and take part
in some Texas.
The
Academy
Though sounding like straight from the LI emo punk nest, this
five piece from Illinois seem content with being non-impressionable.
On this really five-track EP, the Academy knock out prototypical
emo-punk that is highlighted by a second guitar that plays high
note riffs somewhat like Coheed. This is demonstrated in full
glory on the opener "The Author," followed the harder
rocking "Judas Kiss" and the straight up Taking Back
Sunday clone "In Our Defense." The EP closes on the
slower and richer "Dear Interceptor" and similar-minded
"Absolution." The CD is enhanced with a video montage
and then some random bits with the band. But you can learn some
things about the band from this. For one, lead signer William
Beckett dances around on stage like a lead man of a garage band
or even the singer from the Darkness. Another thing is that the
bassist Adam Siska is straight nuts and seems to have too much
anger that winds up being expressed in various guises. Although
the Academy has talent, they are too pegged into a particular
sound and need to differentiate themselves in future endeavors.
The
Advantage
Like the Minibosses before them, the four-piece the Advantage
out of Nevada City, CA, take on the monolithic old-school Nintendo
with an onslaught of game cover songs. Featuring members of Hella
and Generic, the Advantage (as in the Player's Advantage?) have
been banging on away on this project since 1998 on their quest
to cover all the old-school Nintendo songs. I'm not sure what
the mechanism in choosing the songs was, as some seem on point
and others seem random. Selections come from Super Mario Bros.
2 & 3, Castlevania, Contra (left, left, right, right, up up…),
Goonies 2, Ghosts 'n' Goblins, Zelda, Batman 2…encompassing
twenty-six tracks. What is immediately striking is how the Advantage's
renditions really show how many Nintendo songs could easily be
prog-rock numbers, often with a hint of prideful accomplishment.
Though I'm moderately biased given my familiarity with certain
games over others, highlights include the Goonies 2 song with
the Cindy Lauper track from the film taking center stage (actually
this riff easily makes it the best cover here); Zelda's "Fortress;"
Super Mario Bros. 2's "Overworld;" Contra's "Snowfields;"
Batman 2's cover; Megaman 3's "Dr. Wiley Stage;" the
pure disco beat of Ninja Garden's "Mine Shaft;" Castlevania's
"Stage 3" and Castlevania 3's "Evergreen."
Given what I've heard of the Minibosses, I have a much stronger
preference for the Advantage.
Bedouin
Soundclash Self-describing
this as their first 'real' release, the Canadian three-piece Bedouin
Soundclash knock out fifteen tracks of reggae-roots-rock delight
on Sounding A Mosaic. The trio of Jay Malinowski (guitar/vocals),
Pat Pengelly (drums) and Eon Sinclair (bass) formed the group
several years ago in college to expel musical demons within. That
led to their first record Root Fire released on Stomp a couple
of years ago and scores of Canadian shows. Scoring big time, Bedouin
was able to snare Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains to produce the
record. What you are immediately struck with on the first song
"When the Night Feels My Song" are the stunning vocals
of Malinowski - crisp, with a little-rasp and thankfully moderately
veering away from pseudo-reggae. Yet, the second track "Shelter"
demonstrates the songwriting ability of the group and how they
are able to incorporate some seriously catchy harmonies - easily
allowing for repeat listening. Bedouin covers "Money Worries"
by the Maytones with Vernon 'Maytone' Buckley leading the vocals
- which they also have a remix version by E-Clair at the end of
the record. Since I tend to favor the tracks that limit the mimicking
of overt reggae parallels, some of the standouts include "Gysai
Went Home," "Immigrant Workforce" and "Living
in Jungles" (which does parallel and mimic). Though this
will likely not gain much recognition outside its immediate market,
some of the tracks mentioned are worth checking out and will likely
find their way onto college radio.
Black
Cat Music Only
cognizant of the fact of their previous release on Lookout Hands
in the Estuary, Torso in the Lake, I assumed that this band was
at least partially formed by women. I figured Black Cat Music
from the Bay Area together with Lookout would be some sort of
quirky pop-punk endeavor. Yet, I forgot how Lookout has been trending
away from that sound and then the fact that these are guys playing
dirty, bluesy rock all made sense. In addition, the four lead
on to a slight Misfits and early AFI sound, mostly through Brady
Baltezore's vocals coupled with darker riffs. Now we have BCM's
latest and fourth full-length entitled October November though
coming out in May - ok. Is it a play on how Halloween bridges
the two months, don't know. As is often the case, BCM is composed
of members from various previous bands. Yet, probably the most
'whata happen'' moment is that one of those bands was Hatebreed.
If this was Christian gospel then you may be able to get further
away, but not much. Probably scoring much better than most of
the Lookout roster, BCM have been honored and molested from left
to right, including getting a track on the show 24. While all
eleven songs are consistent and tight, you are not left with much
to hang on to after the record ends. The two 'highlight' songs
"The Jet Trash" and "The Cloud of Glam" only
marginally raises above the fray. The more 80s-influenced "Thirteen
Foot Waves" is probably the best track and the one that should
be getting pushed. While I would rather listen to this then a
swath of other music, October November is certainly not on my
hit list.
The
Blam Shaking off the more direct references to stripped-down rock a la the Strokes, the four boys from Brooklyn are back with their second full-length in less than a year. Their previous self-titled record drew too quick comparisons to the garage rock wave and they had a relatively hard time differentiating themselves. On Caveat Emptor, the Blam slow the tempo up and add a bit more glam to create a more Bowie 70s rock product, thus resulting in differentiation. Composed of Jerry Adler (vocals/guitar), Reuben Maher (guitar), Itamar Ziegler (bass/vocals) and Yuval Lion (drums), the ten track affair outpaces their self-titled record by more focus on the songwriting and incorporating further use of rangy sounds. Adler's voice is distinct in his concentration of emphasis on certain words which I could see getting on some people's nerves. Though the record begins close to standard on the introduction to "Death or Glory," it soon diverges to a slow breakdown. The Blam follow it up with the ballad-driven "Calm Down" and the fast straight-up rock title track. The four-piece has added slight hints of electronics throughout the record to develop their sound and it has paid off in droves. Other tracks to check out include "It's Not Personal" and "I'm in a Panic." This is a strong follow-up to the Blam's first record and should go far in pushing them to the next level.
Blood
on the Wall This
NYC threesome excels in dirty, at times bluesy, rock that is championed
by such artists as Jon Spencer and at times more of the straight-up
stuff that Sonic Youth lays down - this is thanks to the songs
where bassist Courtney Shanks sings and sounds just like Kim Gordon
(e.g., "When You Go Out Walking"). Carrying around the
grimy feel of what rock once was, Blood on the Wall seems to translate
that too much into their sound. When this self-described outgrowth
of friendship is at their best, you can really get down to them;
but when they aren't I definitely want to spray their blood around.
For instance, the opener "Security in Neighborhoods,"
"Pretty, Pretty" and "It Is So Strange" makes
me want to murder them all. Songs that increase appreciation include
the truly rocking "Mae Abiline," "Black Rats and
Top Hats" and "Let's Heal Properly." As a bonus
they include a video for "Baby Likes To Holler" that
can only really be appreciated if you are on drugs. If BOIW focus
on their singing and on song construction they have potential
and if not I feel pain.
The
Book of Knots As
the debut record from this uber-collective centrally located in
Brooklyn, the Book of Knots have done a masterful job of developing
and providing the product of a true concept album. The core members
Joel Hamilton, Matthias Bossi and Tony Maimone, and later Carla
Kihlstedt, developed the idea for a purely nautical concept album
that explores varying avenues under the guise of a point of view
from a rundown New England fishing village. Joining the core are
a truckload of friends and acquaintances from other groups and
endeavors, encompassing over forty instruments being utilized.
Hamilton and Maimone help run notable studio G in Brooklyn besides
from playing in various projects. The combination of band credits
on this project is stunning including Pere Ubu, Sleepytime Gorilla
Museum, Tom Waits, They Might Be Giants, Skeleton Key…. Given
the enormity of the project and the various commitments of the
members, the record took nearly a year to actually finish. But
this time allowed the group to attain the additions and contributions
that they were seeking and helped further develop the narrative.
As you might suspect, then, the record is fairly eclectic though
moderately tempoed. Yet, it generally doesn't fall into the trap
of being overly esoteric and strange - just to be so. For instance,
songs like "Tugboat," "Back on Dry Land" and
"Hook" are legitimate rock songs with a bit of flair,
as "Tugboat" echoes a bit of Pixies and "Back on
Dry Land" comes near a Clash revival. Naturally, most will
likely find the record beyond the ability of pure enjoyment, but
not beyond the pale of listenability. If you like the eclectic
nature of the bands mentioned above then you should find something
of interest here.
Brazil Significantly
expanding on the sound from their 2002 EP Dasein (Fearless), the
six-piece Brazil are back after a couple of years on tour with
a twelve song drilling. While Dasein lays the groundwork for this
record, A Hostage is well beyond. I'm not sure what precipitated
the sound enhancement - is it due purely to the influence of bands
such as Coheed, Mars Volta - but Brazil come out swinging on the
first track "A Hostage" with power prog echoing from
the pipes of Jonathon Newby. It may have partially grown out of
using Alex Newport as producer (whose exploits include Coheed,
Mars Volta and the Locust) and manager Blaze James (with nearly
identical credentials). Besides from the thick orchestration,
which already includes keys and electronics, the band tracked
strings, piano and some horns to complement their sound. The product
at the end of the day is something that I bet Brazil and Fearless
never expected several years ago. However you may cut it, the
songs take a long time to digest as they are multi-sectioned with
disparate but flowing melodies. Spacey orchestrations by said
strings and guitars effects also enhance their sound (see, e.g.,
"The Iconoclast"). Unlike the above mentioned bands,
though, Brazil minimalizes the out-of-control guitars which may
or not may be a good thing. The over-the-top guitars in Coheed
and Mars Volta give them that 'wow' factor, but Brazil's sound
is easily more digestible for the average person. This will likely
get them on the radio with ease and not necessarily just college.
This is one of those few records where it is hard to peg certain
songs as exemplar or special - there is no drop off in consistency
or sharpness across the twelve. They have been touring with Coheed
allowing them to sharpen their craft before taking on the world
themselves. If you like the prog-punk regeneration of the past
few years, then you will surely be a fan of A Hostage and the
Meaning of Life.
Broken
Spindles At first glance, I was moderately numb of the fact that this was another Saddle Creek within-the-family production. Probably more telling was the immediate resemblance to a mellow Faint - something that I was less than thrilled about. Of course this is all before I actually took a look at the information on Fulfilled/Complete. Indeed, it is within the family and indeed it sounds reminiscent of the Faint, but for good reason. Broken Spindles is the brainchild of Faint bass player Joel Petersen. After the Faint's worldwide conquest of the past couple of years, playing non-stop in their mission to draw converts, Petersen was able to develop this project. Initially, Broken Spindles was just a formal name for Petersen when he did the soundtrack to a friend's film. In 2002, he released a full-length under the flag of Tiger Style Records. Up until now, previous pieces have been simply instrumental affairs. Now, Petersen lays down some vocals and enhances the recording with a string quartet. Petersen employs the omnipresent Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) to record Fulfilled/Complete, thus completing the circle of Omaha. Though there is still an instrumental core, the ten tracks trip along danceable yet non-conjoining beats that belie years in the Faint. Sometimes the songs tilter near soundtrack-like status ("Practice, Pratice, Preach" and "Harm") and other times it is a pure dark dance party ("The Dream," "Fall In and Down On" and "Move Away"). This is a strong like-minded side project that should help keep demons at bay while we await the latest from the Faint. Petersen is taking his show on the road for some US dates and it will be interesting to see who joins him to fill out the band.
Despistado When
I was a kid I always had this desire to live in some really cold
place. It might have been from my fondness for hockey or because
Santa lived in the snow, but I longed for winter. While that is
hardly the case anymore, as I'd rather be sweating balls than
freezing balls, I seem to have a place in my heart for bands from
such environments. And such is the case with the Regina, Saskatchewan
four-piece Despistado - featuring Dargan Harding on guitar/vocals,
Leif Thorseth on guitar, Joel Passmore on bass/backing vocals
and Brenan Schwartz on drums. Moreover, their name has such a
familiar feel to it. Seeing it on email or something, I totally
thought the person talking about some other band that I couldn't
precisely member the name of. As with many bands out of the region,
Despistado bumped around from club-to-club for a few years before
getting bites. A big bite came from powerhouse Jade Tree. With
harmonies akin to Cap'N Jazz and flow like Fugazi, Despistado
begin the rock out adventure immediately on the first track of
this EP "A Stirstick's Prediction." The song is pure
energy and varies with a chorus from vocalist Harding of "that's
very anti-patriarchal of you." The other five songs follow
in strong suite with highlights coming from "Can I Please
Have An Order of Girl With A Side of Confused?" and "Lipstick."
Despistado are in the midst of recording their first full-length
and then will follow the release of this EP in June with some
touring.
Eluvium In
2003, Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium) knocked out the inspirational
ambient rock album Lambent Material, a record lauded by many critics.
Cooper now focuses his skills on this seven-song neoclassical
piano offering. Recorded live in less than two hours without any
overdubs or studio magic, Cooper bangs and drills his way along
in chilling atmospheres and soundscapes. Though the tracks could
work well as a soundtrack and the like, as it is it is missing
something. It is almost as if Cooper meant for this to be the
baseline and sent it to someone to layer strings or electronics
or something on top, and by accident it wound up at TRL's office.
If I had the ability to redo the recording then I would add ambient
instruments to at least segments to make it a richer landscape
- of course, I can't and it is a faux pas to say I could. So if
you are looking for a score to put to a film project, then this
may be your baby. (As a side note, the album artwork by Jeannie
Lynn Paske is fantastic).
EMOK Though
this Brooklyn-via-Israel three-piece are one flipped letter away
from being furry midgets on a George Lucas set, this no munchkin
music. EMOK released a five-song EP last year entitled Crumbs
that gained decent notice in the UK press, but less so in the
U.S. Given that this is a sampling of tracks, they seem to provide
a wide variety of sounds. Previous reviews cite sounds such as
Rage and Soundgarden as well as more math-based post-punk along
with a sliver of Middle Eastern sounds. The first track "Field
of Thorns" definitely picks up on the Rage sound, but the
second song "Turn off the Lights" easily slides into
the territory of "man riffs" of Windup. The final song
"Trust" offers up the taste of Israel within a rock
context. The full-length is coming out this summer though it is
hard for me to characterize how it might sound based on this sampling.
Feeling
Left Out Feeling
Left Out from northern Jersey consists simply of the acoustic
guitar wielding duo Joe Wilson and Bill Putrino. Starting off
on their second release for LLR with a noisy, random introduction
track, Feeling Left Out come out in all their emo acoustic slaying
power on "Goodnite." Yes, you read that correct. Feeling
Left Out come close to paralleling Dashboard except without all
the parts that make Dashboard exceptional (e.g., strong songs,
melodies and lyrics). That they don't sound like a clone of the
emo punk that is being continuously repeated makes me happy. Yet,
I still have trouble with these guys. One of my tests for flowing
rock is if I can concentrate on something else while it is playing
- which typically means I able to stand it as background music.
With Once Upon a Time I wasn't able to deal with the six-minute
acoustic ballads of gut-wrenching vocals and dirty recording as
background music. I tried several times and had to always shut
it off because it annoyed me too much. Maybe it is because seem
like they should have ended at some period previously but keep
going. Possibly shorter tracks could have made me view them favorably,
don't know.
Folly Playing
off their own name, this five-piece from New Jersey seek to merge
the disparate worlds of metal-core and ska. Produced by the bountiful
Sal Villanueva, the twelve thick and long tracks briefly incorporate
elements of ska into a Converge/Dillinger-driven onslaught. So,
is it like getting two bands for the price of one? Sort of. The
problem is their allegiance to ska elements is so limited that
it is often a distraction once you pass the point of novelty.
I suppose it is nice to throw the game off a bit and it is surely
a surprise to unwitting concert goers. "Please Don't Shoot
the Piano Player, He's Doing the Best He Can" and "Repeat,
I Repeat, Repeat" seem like the type of song that everyone
here should sound like - multi-segmented tracks with a decent
ska section and numerous disjoint metal parts. But that composition
is minimalized across the rest of tracks. Other tracks are entirely
absent of any straight-up ska elements (e.g., "I've Been
Running for Miles, Davis" and "Pterodactyls in America").
Folly works sufficiently well as just a metal-core band with bits
of punk influence that utilizing ska seems to be mute. For instance,
I can't see ska kids getting into any of this and many of the
metal/hardcore kids despise ska, but will appreciate the other
95% of the music. Moreover, Folly is able to distinguish themselves
enough in the saturated market with just how their disjoint elements
vary between melodic and evil. I'd expect to here much about them
in the near future given their inherent novelty, but wish they
would keep on keeping with the metal.
Jennifer
Marks This
is the debut record by singer songwriter Jennifer Marks on upstart
Bardic Records. Marks started her own label Red Kurl and released
a full-length called My Name's Not Red - and yes, she is a redhead
- several years ago after being knocked around by some major label
action on the song publishing end. In August 2002, she put out
another self-released full-length entitled It Turned Me On. Through
licensing songs to film and shows and selling her merch, Marks
wasn't doing too bad. Sooner or later, Bardic came calling and
she decided to give it a go. Now Marks finds herself on a label
and touring with like-minded singer songwriter Ben Arthur - including
a tour of CA high schools. From the first song "Live"
with clear and heavily introspective lyrics coupled with poppy
rock you have essentially blueprinted the rest of the record.
The twelve songs vary in tempo but all contain the same core values.
Marks' vocals are full-breadth and in the fore-front with a standard
professional band backing her. I think that most of her songs
work best as acoustic numbers in coffee shops or as a brief set
a fluid rock club. Probably the one song that grabs you is the
most edgiest, "Avalanche." Although Marks' style is
pure radio friendly, besides from the "Avalanche," none
of the songs may be considered radio hits. That may cause Marks
to fail to reach her core audience. CMJ once compared her to Aimee
Mann though with more rock components - thus let that be your
guide to Marks.
Never
Heard of It Honestly,
I have never actually heard these guys before, so I do fall prey
to the name. Yet, given the past few years it seems to be crime
if you haven't. Having done the last two full Warped Tours, several
US tours, several UK tours, Never Heard of It (NHOI) are noted
as one of the hardest working bands out there - particularly given
that they are unsigned. Unmotivated Records is their own label
where they put out a couple of items as well as this full-length.
The number of records they have sold has been baffling for an
independent band - roughly 60,000 and had stretch in the UK where
they sold 3,000 in 11 shows. I will let you do the numbers on
those profits. They band also has various endorsement deals to
help fund tours and rocking. So I have told you all this without
divulging the band's sound. If you can put 2 and 2 together, you
will quickly realize NHOI play pop-punk that is pushed in the
mainstream by the plethora of Drive Thru bands, Simple Plan, Good
Charlotte, etc. - all immediate derivatives of Blink to say nothing
of before then. Although the tracks beat you over the head with
a very formulaic approach, NHOI are exceedingly tight and lead
singer DJ Dell'Osa's vocals are quite exceptional. The harmonies
matching the high-tuned guitars are remarkably consistent and
strong. When they actually take the second guitar and have it
play a rhythmic solo or something then they can flat-out rock.
If these guys had come out several years earlier and able to corner
some innovation points, they would probably be the biggest pop-punk
band around. Yet, they still should be able to shift some attention
away from the current heavyweights into their camp. Songs to become
engrossed with include "Hard Headed," "Situations,"
"Dead Awake" and "Let's Go All the Way." The
CD is enhanced with two uninspiring videos for "Hard Headed"
and "Dead Awake," and a rad small bit with the band
on tour with the song "Last Letter Read" laid underneath.
As you may assume, NHOI will be on tour forever, so you will definitely
get your chance to check them out. At the end of the day this
is fun time pop punk that can only remind you of school-free summer
days.
Onelinedrawing Starting off like the latest from Mr. Bungle, as vocals reminisce of strange 50s sci-fi, Jonah Matranga's Onelinedrawing unleashes his second full-length for Jade Tree. Many people are probably more familiar with Matranga's previous endeavor in the mid to late-90s band Far - though those numbers may be dwindling given the newer generation. After the band's dissolution following two major label releases, Matranga began twiddling his fingers on his own. Self-releasing four EPs of quiet home recordings, Matranga toured like a mutha-fo in a similar manner to the voyage of Atom and His Package. After Far, Matranga formed the New End Original which released a strong Jade Tree record, but as he puts it the group was essentially a full band version of Onelinedrawing. So New End broke up, but Jade Tree was like you da bomb and agreed to release Onelinedrawing's first full-length. That full-length was last year's Visitor which was still very home done and straight-up challenged your manhood with songs whispered like sweet nothings. The follow up, The Volunteers, is head-and-shoulders better than Visitor. For starters the recording is top-notch and presents much fuller musical soundscapes across the tracks. As Matranga has mixed up the style, tempo and core of different songs, there is strong diversification and allows people with strongly-held different beliefs on sounds to find something to like. With the help of Ian Love (Rival Schools), Matranga fills rock into songs like "Stay," "Over It" and "We Had a Deal." In fact, on some the more straight up rock songs, the sound is very akin to New End Original material. But Matranga still pledges allegiance to whispers and sweetness on tracks like "Superhero," "As Much To Myself As to You" and "Believer." One of the few faults with the record is that it is front-loaded. "Over It" and "A Ghost" are both phenomenal tracks and will dominant college radio stations for sure. For "Over It," Matranga had the crowd at shows in Connecticut, NYC and New Jersey sing the final chorus and then melded them together with his family doing the same. This makes for a cool folk-explosion party. I can't get the chorus of "A Ghost" out of my head, which is: "of course, a ghost cannot affect this world." (As I'm apt to do I like to substitute my dog's name for "a ghost" and sing it to her.) Besides from the rock tracks mentioned above, these two songs smoke and there is slippage otherwise. If you put the CD in your computer there are demos and alternate takes of the some of the best tracks on the record including "Over It" and "A Ghost." Onelinedrawing
has been on the road this past year with such all-stars as Thursday,
Coheed and the Weakerthans. Though I would go check him out solo,
any combination with those types of bands is a hot package. For
those not familiar with Onelinedrawing if you enjoy "groups"
like Dashboard, the Rocket Summer and Bright Eyes, you will surely
find solace on this record.
The
Prisoners Dilemma Whether
this five-piece from Long Beach, CA, are aware of the implications
of the prisoner dilemma's results or not - they may have been
drawn out in previous efforts - The Prisoners Dilemma knock out
ten tracks of straight-up emocore that has been propagated by
groups such as Thrice and Hopesfall. After getting regional notice
on the West Coast, Georgia's Indianola Record - which I honestly
have always thought is in Indiana - signed them, thus leading
to their sophomore record Handshakes, Hello and Goodbye. I'm not
sure why this is so, but although PD traipse on similar and trodden
sounds, it doesn't seem to bother too much or push the envelope
of nerves. I've reviewed similar minded material recently and
was disappointed by the too close parallels. I think this is mostly
a function of the guitar work on songs like "A Three Second
Exerpt" or, more specifically, the higher tuned sound that
attempts to ratchet up the harmony - possibly hinting at a little
Coheed (see the breakdown on "Word Of Less"). The singing
moderately slips on "Tears Came Falling" though the
composition is still thick. The distortion on the short "Craig's
Favorite Song" really messes up the recording as the vibrations
are too much for the mic. After an initial scream, "For Safety
Reasons" is very Taking Back Sunday (and like- minded minions),
but serves as one of the best tracks. The instrumental finale
"The Surrender" trips with orchestral synths, building
piano and then some demonic whispers at the end.
Private
Lessons After
starting with a non-descript instrumental intro track, the two-piece
attack on "False Alarms" with robot voices and electro-clash
indie rock. As the first release on upstart No No Records, False
Alarms is sizzling. Private Lessons consists of Jesse Atchison
and Darren Tablan, who were both previously in the new-wave Floraline,
along with a drizzle of instruments. In some respects Private
Lessons is like the stepchild of electro-kings Postal Service,
but less polished and more eccentric. With electric drum beats,
keys, blip-blips, guitars and random ambient sounds, the sixteen
tracks bring you a little bit of everything from this world. Hence,
there is a new wave element but less brazenly obvious. I guess
having previous experience in this sound has helped Private Lessons
to push the structure and not just rely on the formulaic. I'm
somewhat surprised how well Atchison and Tablan's vocals sync
together in melody so effectively. "Beach Blankets"
is a long drawn out whimsical affair, while "Vacationers"
is a hip dance punk number that is pure club material. In fact,
"Vacationers" may be the best song on the record with
a compelling underlying keyboard riff. "Good Life" has
a more of a compelling rock feel with sweet harmonies. With a
tremendous opening riff, "White Lines" only builds and
builds the greatness. The record closes out with guest vocals
on the exceptional "Untitled 1" by Robbin Wright and
the pure new wave instrumental "Untitled 2." If nothing
else I could see this record getting some seriously play on college
radio, if not some love in the clubs.
Riff
Random This
four-piece from Melbourne, Australia excel in gathering energy
and intensity and bursting it out through a guitar-driven musical
onslaught. In that respect, Riff Random drive like Iggy and the
Stooges but with a contemporary kick. They characterize their
sound as 'noisydelic' and that is probably pretty close given
the dirty Lower East Side abandon they contain. Since they come
out of Australia, there will likely be quick comparisons to the
Vines and Jet but thankfully they are not nearly as annoying as
the former. Whether those comparisons are justified, only time
will tell. However, by all accounts Riff Random may be able to
distinguish themselves with a balls-out live show. They just played
a score of dates in NYC which lead up to the SXSW showcase. Naturally,
to break into the American market they may have to start spending
much more time in the U.S. in order to make a name for themselves
in the flooded market. Probably the breakout track is the opener
"There Is No Love" that is already getting air love
at stations in Australia and the UK, and in short order the US.
It may be some time before we see a full-length from these boys,
so check out this EP in the meantime.
Sleep
Station
What pushes this New Jersey foursome over the top is that this
is a concept album revolving around individuals in World War II.
Actually all of the group's recordings have been concept albums.
This includes last year's Hang in There Charlie about astronauts
in the 1970s going up to fix a space station but then getting
abandoned due to protesting the project. Also, the group has an
EP Von Cosel which revolves around a real-life story of a doctor/TB
patient love triangle in the 1930s. If well-done concept albums
are what you enjoy, then you should get a kick out of this. A
majority of the music and lyrics are penned by front-man Dave
Debiak and are realized by his cast of musicians including drummer/assorted
instruments Daniel Goodwin, bassist Ryan Ball, Vahak Janbazian
on percussion, Sarah Sheppard on various roles, Jason Debiak on
synth and guitarist/arranger Brad Paxton. Another neat fact about
this record is that it was partially recorded with vintage equipment
from the 1940s. Musically, After the War follows a path of mild-mannered,
aurally pleasing rock - which is at times enhanced by slow tempo
and piano. Sleep Station may fall prey to the characterization
of easy listening rock - given that your parents will likely get
down to it. When they are at their best, they may be compared
to indie British groups (see, "Caroline, London 1940").
I suppose to fill out the story, Sleep Station includes all these
short samples/spoken word segments that are on the whole quite
annoying. Tracks for your consideration include "After the
War," "Caroline, London 1940," "Burden To
You," "Silver in the Sun" and "A Soldiers
Dream." Although I'm a much bigger fan of the music of the
Coheed and Cambria concept, I do enjoy a well-done concept recording.
The
Tuesday Suits The
Tuesday Suits hail from the rebirthed NYC music scene, carving
out their own niche with a merger of indie rock and 80s British
modern rock. Coming together in September of 2001 from various
parts of the country, The Tuesday Suits launched a self-titled
EP a year later in October 2002. The EP, along with pushing themselves
into filling out the NYC nightlife lineup, have put the Suits
on the verge of a great position. Their talent and adeptness at
bringing new touches to the forgotten though influential 80s Brit-pop
will likely propel to a sweet deal in the near future. All the
tracks here, "Alone, Naturally," "Sounds Like Summer"
and "Locked Out," smoke and any could find their way
on to college and alternative radio. Now that people are tired
of the drawn out garage rock comeback, they may be more open to
a comeback of a different sort. If you live in the NYC-area be
on the lookout for these guys in the near future.
V/A With
singles from several Windup artists coming out in the past couple
of months, Windup has been prepping us for this release for sometime.
Strictly following the path laid out by the Daredevil soundtrack,
this soundtrack offers up nineteen tracks from a consortium of
mostly like-minded mainstream heavy music groups. If nothing else
there are some notable songs and bands on this record. To start
we see the return of Drowning Pool with "Step Up," a
song that picks up where they left off a couple of years ago.
Seether has a track called "Broken" featuring everyone's
favorite visceral singer Amy Lee of Evanescence. The ever-changing
Queens of the Stone Age do a cover of 80's hit "Never Say
Never;" though I think it works better live than recorded
as it is rather uninspiring. Heavy rock studs Chevelle offer up
"Still Running," Puddle of Mudd perform "Bleed"
and Damageplan does "Ashes to Ashes" with Jerry Cantrell.
The always multi-tasking Jamey Jasta and Hatebreed bring "Bound
to Violence" to give a little more legitimacy to the soundtrack.
Although I prefer the song Hatebreed provided for the XXX soundtrack,
they are still one of, if not the, best hardcore bands on the
market. Completely out of left field comes Mark Collie's western
acoustic ballad "In Time." The rest of the soundtrack
is propagated by tracks from Windup's varying quality lineup,
including Sevenwiser, Finger Eleven and Edgewater. If you are
big fan of more than one of the bands mentioned above then this
is likely worth picking up straight up. Otherwise, you may want
to wait until you can find a used copy.
V/A Besides from NOFX's recent full-length Franco Un-American, this is Fat Mike's and punkvoter.com's first musical onslaught against Bush. While punkvoter.com started out as a semi-serious site with good intentions, the revised version is straight up professional and the mockery comes mostly second-handed through posted cartoons and the punkvoter merch (e.g, "Not my president" shirts). Along with the twenty-six tracks from some of the best punk bands, and actually an eclectic group, the booklet has some rants. This includes an encompassing forty reasons to hate Bush where they annoyingly keep referring to W as Bush Jr. which isn't correct. While it is true that W was able to fool people with the name to win his first governorship of Texas - that is some people thought they were voting for the elder Bush - the present president is George Walker Bush and the father is George Herbert Walker Bush. It might not matter much to you, but to a political scientist that distinction is important - that is why everyone calls him Dubya and not Junior. While there are no bad songs here, it is probably just worth mentioning the previously unreleased material. This includes Sum 41's "Moron" that sounds suspiciously like Fat Mike on the mic; Alkaline Trio's "Warbrain;" Anti-Flag's "School of Assassins" about the School of the Americas; "Lion and Lamb" by the Get Up Kids; Ministry's "No W" which uses quotes from Bush, not unlike the quotes from their "New World Order;" a reinvigorated The World/Inferno Friendship Society on "The Expatriate Act;" a better than expected New Found Glory song "No News Is Good News;" NOFX's "Jaw, Knee, Music" and Less than Jake featuring Billy Bragg on "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out." There is a DVD second disc with all sorts of stuff including a documentary previews, videos and anti-bush ads. The videos come from a stunning Anti-Flag, Bad Religion, Strike Anywhere and still amazing "Franco Un-American" by NOFX. The Anti-Flag video for "Turncoat" has hooked me completely and I have watched it like a million times. The smattering of ads are good on the whole with the first two on the deficit and kids running for president as highlights. David Cross provides a comedy stint down in Bush's heartland of Texas in 2002. As you might suspect the documentaries are some fairly serious shit done in strong and professional manner. In regards to whether you should buy this, if you don't then you are a Toby Keith fan - enough said.
copyright exoduster.com 2004 |