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May Reviews Artist of the Month: Hot Hot Heat Not being entirely tuned into Hot Hot Heat for the past few years has produced a pleasant surprise on their latest Elevator. Previous run-ins during the past have mostly been of the form of ‘ah, they’re okay’ or ‘not bad, but too much to grab you by.’ Yet, the fourteen songs on Elevator provide enough memorable moments to fill a Christmas stocking. And in doing so, Hot Hot Heat unleash one of the hottest records of 2005. Initially formed in Vancouver in 1999 by Steven Bays on keyboards/vocals, drummer Paul Hawley and bassist Dustin Hawthorne as an outfit focusing on synth-pop majesties, they changed directions towards a swifter rock focus with the 2001 addition of guitarist Dante DeCaro. Previously having self-released their debut Scenes One Through Thirteen, the first rock-orientated record came via Knock, Knock, Knock EP on Sub Pop in 2002, shortly followed by the full-length Make Up the Breakup. While the EP got people’s notice, the full-length bitch-slapped the music community to relaying high praise and sweet nothingness for Hot Hot Heat. Following the release, Hot Hot Heat set out like any other band for a swath of record-supporting live dates. One difference is that they were out for roughly two years and managed to play huge dates to small shows and everything in between, further cementing their fan base. Writing Elevator during and in between the course of their travels, Hot Hot Heat solidified a group of songs and headed down to LA to record with Dave Sardy for their first record for the Warner Music Group. Soon after finishing the recording, DeCaro left the band and was quickly replaced by guitarist Luke Paquin. Admitting Elevator as a modest shift from previous material, Hot Hot Heat focused on differentiating and maturing their sound to reflect the experienced artists they had become. And the outcome is sheer brilliance. The sound continues to be catchy, poppy and danceable, but the rock foundations are harder, sharper and at times shadowy. Only a crackhead could honestly call Hot Hot Heat ‘too dancey’ or ‘too much New Wave’ for their tastes; though much of the recent grouping of some rock bands as New Wave is quietly disturbing and only hints at real commonalities. Hot Hot Heat do get you moving off your ass, but it is all for the right rock moments. The meat of Hot Hot Heats’ songs are uptempo beats and bass, matching guitar riffs, fluttering keyboards and Bays’ intense garage-glam vocals. Elevator begins on “Running Out of Time” that certainly sounds like a song that the Strokes’ should be making as nearly all the moments are parallel to such compositions. A striking opening to be sure, “Goodnight Goodnight” sends “Running Out of Time” packing. With drums and guitar opening, Bays lays down the innocuous vocals until the fantastic chorus comes in full thirty seconds in. After the chorus, the following verses sound completely different as if the anchoring of the chorus totally changes your perception. ‘La, la, las’ weakly open “Ladies and Gentleman,” which only becomes interesting on the solidly catchy chorus. Though “You Owe Me An IOU” is more sprawled, jokey and glam than the rest, it is hard not to be captivated by the chorus of “you owe me an IOU/…,” once again illustrating that Hot Hot Heat have completely mastered the concept of a chorus. After the bridge track “No Jokes – Fact” comes the slower, Bays’ vocal pushing intro to “Jingle Jangle” that is certainly less happy sunshine than other numbers. “Jingle Jangle” comes across like the type of song that could only be written by one of the garage rock bands inhabiting Brooklyn; and that Hot Hot Heat aren’t makes it even better. The moment that Bays’ keys (under organ) strike you on “Pickin’ It Up,” you know that this song is going to fucking smoke – and it absolutely does. Though “Pickin’ It Up” is lyrically simple, it has this Springsteen/Mellencamp feel that is even sweeter with Hot Hot Heat’s higher tempo love. Things keep on pace with the fast wording on “Island of the Honest Man,” where Paquin’s angular guitars punctuate the beats and then everything swoons on the chorus of the title. “Middle of Nowhere” is another top choice where Hot Hot Heat keep things simple with sparse drumming, single-strike chords and lighter vocals – and, of course, is accompanied by a sweet chorus. “Dirty Mouth” is a noticeable misstep given the sweep of tremendous songs going in. “Soldier in a Box” is marginally better, though things are rescued by the admittedly dance-driven “Shame On You” and yet is still not on the same level of the previous highlights. The album closes in strong form on the directed title track, where Hot Hot Heat utilize some 70s pop love to accentuate another breathtaking chorus. Given the swell of gorgeous songs on Elevator, it wouldn’t be surprising to see just single after single coming out over the course of the next year. Now with higher levels of exposure from being on a major, you might as well pencil in Hot Hot Heat for Grammy nominations now. Though Hot Hot Heat do quite well for themselves touring, one should see them as soon as possible before their shows become a scalper’s wet dream and you become a broke-ass fool.
A Frames The Seattle three-piece A Frames consciously work to make the listener uncomfortable with their low end art noise on their third full-length Black Forest. Formed in the late 90s from known acts, Erin Sullivan (guitars), Lars Finberg (drums) and Min Yee (bass) focus on highly angular movements and hard beats across the record’s fourteen tracks. This can concurrently be both rewarding as well as disappointing. At times, the A Frames can be gushed with similar-minded Quintron and other pop noise experimenters – as on “Flies.” Other times, songs come off as exercises in random crap – as on “Black Forest II” and “My Teacher.” Still, the A Frames unleash a few bombs of incredibility with rumbling bass and pointing guitars on “Death Train” and the Pixies-esque “U Boat.” If most of the tracks came near the display of these two numbers then this would be phenomenal record. As it is, there is a specific and small group of people who will lose their marbles over this third from the A Frames.
Ahimsa Theory As their debut record, this Eugene, OR three-piece pierces the night with melodic heavy rock that can be both sweetly unique as well as generically boring. Ahimsa Theory have some strong segments and ideas, but many of the tracks like the opener “I Can’t Stand Still” get muddled in sorting out various sounds. Appreciably, Ahimsa Theory don’t try to sit within one sound, but their bordering on the edge somewhere between melodic hardcore and post-grunge produces strange dynamics. Some of this is evident by guitar parts that don’t transition as smooth as you would hope or as cleanly. When they are hitting on all cylinders, the eight songs on the record can be quite good. Props go out to numbers such as “I Can’t Stand Still,” “Synaesthesia” and “Pilgrimage.” Ahimsa Theory has the core to be special and it may simply be the case of having an exceptional producer who is hands-on with writing that can take them over the top.
Apes As their latest full-length, this Washington, DC, four-piece (Erick Jackson, Amanda Kleinman, Jeff Schmid and Paul Weil) provide thirteen tracks of hallucinatory, slow heavy rock enunciated with organs and enough oddity to satisfy your esoteric tastes. I’ve been told, but I have little basis to comment, that Baba’s Mountain is one of their most accessible for the average listen as there is more song structure and melodies than previous records; ok. But seriously, the Apes’ sound does parallel the general impression I was previously under as well as from the record’s art and title. Yet, what was does surprise me is how Sabbath the Apes can be, particularly in their progressions. They then seemingly are able to pull off being both crunchy and heavy in the same breath – which is pretty cool. I can’t believe that this band would be based in DC, as they come off like a band that should be from Portland or something. High points on Baba’s Mountain come from the first real rock introduction of “Baba’s Mountain,” the quirky, heavenly organs and Kleinman vocals on “Ornaments and Windchimes,” the classic rock opening and creepy follow through of “Can U Handle This,” the beat heavy “Organ Syrup” and the closer “Who’s Left Alive.” I can imagine that within the die-hards of this general sound, the Apes are master crafters.
Ash This brilliant Belfast four-piece starts off their latest onslaught with a bit of generality on “Meltdown,” but quickly make the point that they aren’t another spoke in the wheel of garage rock pop. Having recorded now for over a decade, Ash’s sound is nearly a perfected amalgamation of garage rock and Brit pop – and it tightly produced on Meltdown by Nick Raskulinecz. And thus, they are able to propel themselves above all the British Isles’ upstarts that America has been blasted with over the past couple of years. Meltdown was released a few months ago in the Europe, but only now is it being provided for the American audience. For our patience, Ash has included three bonus tracks – “Shockwave,” “Solace” and “Cool It Down” – and a DVD featuring music videos and documentary stuff. The videos are for “Girl From Mars,” “Clones” (which will be on the Star Wars’ game Republic Commando), “Renegade Cavalcade,” “Orpheus” and “Starcrossed.” Following the aforementioned “Meltdown” on the record comes “Orpheus,” where Tim Wheeler is smartly backed by Charlotte Hatherley on vocals – while Rick McMurray and Mark Hamilton provide the rhythm. “Evil Eye” is solid though the high repetition of the title can quickly get on your nerves. The entire set up to “Clones” sounds like a quasi-metal/grunge act that could come from Windup and seems a bit too manly for Ash’s otherwise smart melodies. Ash redeem themselves on the following stunner “Starcrossed,” where the tempo is dropped considerably, melodies abound and Hatherley echoes in from the piano bench. By the pop-resonating “Out of the Blue” you are obviously smacked with the fact that Ash really don’t have a pegged ‘sound’ as much as a cadre of influences they draw into a mostly gorgeous package. “Renegade Cavalcade” has a strong chorus, while “Detonator” parallels “Clones” with a tougher image. Skipping past “On a Wave,” “Won’t Be Saved” is solid pop number that mirrors some classic Petty progressions. The European release ends on “Vampire Love” – a rather ill-named affair – where Ash generally fail on harmonies and pushes fast strumming guitars. The first bonus number “Shockwave” makes slick use of electronics as Ash pick up a dance hit number. Ash add a western flair to the slow meandering “Solace” and achieves one of the best tracks of the American release – where Wheeler and Hatherley’s chorus vocals nearly gives the impression of a poppy Mazzy Starr. The American Meltdown ends on “Cool It Down” where Ash include a bit of dirtiness to the verse before the punk-tempo chorus comes in. While a good ending, it would have probably been wiser to have “Solace” close out the record with soothing feeling. Ash may be the most pleasant sounding rock band ever from hard-living Belfast – and we are grateful for that.
Blessed By A Broken Heart Quebec, Canada’s Blessed By A Broken Heart start their debut record in promising fashion with electronics, chorals and guitars churning on the album lead-in intro track “Action,” but then kick things to the curb with annoying growling vocals on the first true track “Another Day/Another Day.” I was going to give these guys a break about having such a dumb title if they demolished my ears during the nine tracks, but they don’t. So, why couldn’t they have picked a different title? Maybe one less echoed and used? One that conveys the same meaning? Further, it is not clear why the band needs to have six members; at most five sounds to be the correct number. Trying to imagine the songs with a different singer helps some but the band may even just be ordinary with a great one. The bottom line on Blessed’s debut is that if you are down on sludge and grind moments taken to a higher tempo with deep growls then this is your new anthem.
Bottom Line It is almost beyond comprehension that Ohio could produce a pop-punk like Bottom Line – I thought bands like this only exist along the California beachfront. Though now just out of high school, the four-piece of Bottom Line played the Warped Tour and toured the U.S. and Japan before finishing high school – not bad. Several years out from that, the band continues to work the Warped Tour angles and received some good nods from their 2002 debut record In and Out of Luck. The twelve songs on Eloquence come across as a melody-laden pop punk paradise with enough soothing that it can appeal to a vast audience. The downside to this is that Bottom Line aren’t really pushing any boundaries and are simply mimicking the wealth of commercially-known and not known pop-punk bands. I think the point of pop-punk is to just be appealing, which Bottom Line are, but it can be frustrating that you would be frustrated to pick them out of a line up. Still, it is worth your time to check out “Nothing Is Real (As If It Ever Was),” “Rest of Your Life” and “Autograph.” As is the tradition, Bottom Line will be on the road supporting Eloquence and I wouldn’t be surprised if they breeze into Orange County and just never leave.
The Capitol Years First introduced to the world by Shai Halperin in the summer of 2001 via the full-length Meet Yr Acres (Full Frame Records/Poor Poor Records), the Capitol Years have built up considerable steam over the past few years and are set to light the world on fire with Let Them Drink. Naturally, Halperin is now not the only member of the Capitol Years as he was soon joined by Dave Devesa on bass and Kyle Lloyd on drums – and later rounded out with the addition of guitarist Jeff Van Newkirk. Trying to put the Philadelphia rock scene on the map and to rival the NYC scene, the Capitol Years engage in well-constructed stripped-down rock with a score of odes to the Beatles. Not that most bands today don’t owe something to the Beatles, but the Capitol Years are dribbling with the stuff – while at the same time packing in uptempo rock. Besides from Meet Yr Acres, the Capitol Years released Jewelry Store EP and Pussyfootin’ as well as hit the stage with the Mooney Suzuki and the Pixies. Obviously they are doing something right. This rightness is clearly evident from the twelve songs on Let Them Drink that makes you nostalgic for smart 60s rock drenched with melody. After the rather uninspiring opener “Juicers” comes a cascade of dreamy songs such as “Mounds of Money,” “Solid Gold,” “Ramona,” “Lucky” and “Stones (Watch it Not End).” While the Capitol Years can be easily criticized for taking too much from the Beatles on Let Them Drink, their building of the current and rather boring garage rock sound is quite impressive. The guitars and harmonies carry the day on Let Them Drink and the Capitol Years will undoubtedly do some damage in the upcoming year. For those searching for a similar-minded, but more indie rock style of band, be sure to check out Brooklyn’s Hockey Island.
The Casting Couch This is easily the best local release of the year! This debut recording – actually is five songs – from Austin-based Wendy Mitchell and Lynn Boland is about as brilliant as bunch of folks just kicking it in the South could do. Merging wise, catchy indie rock with smits of alt-country, the Casting Couch have that something special that is nearly impossible to capture. In the meantime, the duo added John Hooker, Matt Strmiska and Julie Wood to round out a proper band. Led by Mitchell’s lazy day and at times creeky vocals and a simple, moderate tempo, the Casting Couch captures your imagination immediately on the opener “The Roof.” Surely, for me, the sweet combination of Mitchell’s vocals and imminent piano made me pay serious attention on “The Roof.” This is followed by the more country “Flying Machine,” where the duo takes their time getting the high point and title line. While things slip slightly on “Copper Girl,” the Couch follows it up with the simple and plaintive “Easy to Fall” with only piano and Mitchell’s vocals slightly reverbed. Things wrap up on “Whiskey Skiffle” with a tuba punctuated, thumping path in a cup of back porch country. Within such southern university haunts, like Chapel Hill, Athens and Austin, the Casting Couch are likely to become celebs. Mitchell and Boland are planning on a fall full-length release also on upstart Austin-based I Eat Records.
Copper This is certainly one of the best local-release records I’ve heard within the post-grunge sound in a very long time. Copper, out of Tennessee, focuses on catchy, melodic rock that has the ability to move a frat party, a venue and top 40 radio all at once. Led by Keith Wallen on vocals and guitar, Copper is rounded out by Brad Reynolds on bass, Brack Owens on drums and bkvocals and Shawn Lickliter on guitar and bkvocals. Generally, I’m turned off by bands playing Copper’s style of music – for instance, much of the lineup of Windup. But, the difference with Copper is Wallen’s great vocals, a larger nod at 90s alternative rock and no overly flashy production (just a solid sound). Of course, a number of tracks on The Fragil Fall do irk my distaste (particularly, the low end breakdowns), but they are supported by several strong numbers. These include the considerably better than expected “By Now” (which has already been successful), “Turn,” “Tomorrow” and “Tear Inside.” For Copper to become successful with their style of music they will necessarily need to end up on Windup or a major. Let’s just hope that this won’t create another clone and that they will maintain their own identity.
JP Corwyn Washington, DC-based JP Corwyn hopes to take things to the next level on this four-song EP. For Corwyn, the next level consists of some type of record deal with a label favorable to a singer-songwriter with a passion for grunge vocals. Though Corwyn plays acoustic guitar a bit, his intense vocals are better suited towards an all electric affair. In that respect, Corwyn seems destined towards Windup Records-light or something of the sort. Like many writers Corwyn bases his lyrics on personal experiences, but given this EP he could use some help in limiting the inherent awkwardness on these numbers.
The Deadly Featuring former members of Turmoil, Conviction and Sound of Failure, Philadelphia’s the Deadly unleash thirteen tracks of maniacal hardcore on their debut full-length. Initially forming in 2001 and releasing an EP entitled Phantoms in the Frequencies soon after, the Deadly temporarily grinded to a halt with a fluctuation in members. Now with Rich Lippold on vocals, Matt Hanemann on guitar, Jon Hodges on guitar/bass and Jon Pushnik on drums, the Deadly craft deftly measured hardcore numbers that echo a more rock and standard formation of Converge. Though they lack the sheer innovativeness of a Converge, their more traditional approach to songwriting makes The Wolves Are Here Again considerably more accessible to the average listener. While Hanemann and Hodges’ guitars intermittently provide punctuated moments, it is difficult to separate what tracks are what across the record. Still as an overall package, The Wolves Are Here Again is seriously strong and will certainly appeal to hardcore punk fans. A blistering live show could go a long ways toward endearing the Deadly to me.
Despistado After finally crushing the American market with the reissue on Jade Tree of their EP The Emergency Response and commercials using their music (e.g., “A Stirsticks Prediction”), the Regina, Saskatchewan four-piece called it quits this past winter to take up positions as lumberjacks (just kidding aboot that last part). Seriously, though, the six songs on The Emergency Response pushed Despistado into the fore-front of many people’s musical interests and Americans awaited with baited breath for the band to cross the border, get them dancing out of their completive lives and ride to rock again. Unfortunately, that only happened in small doses, but the lovely four-piece leaves its fans a parting twelve-song gift. Despistado comes across with Dagan Harding and Leif Thorseth angular guitars, an uptempo dancey rhythm by Brenan Schwartz’s drums and Joel Passmore’s bass and punctuated by Harding’s shouting singing style (as in the vein of Fugazi). Comedic comments abound that Despistado’s sound is generated by the desire to stay warm in one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth. As a general picture, The People and Their Verses is a strong, solid record, but it partially misses some of the memory-burning sensations that The Emergency Response immediately imbedded in your head. This isn’t instantly apparent as Despistado unleash angular punk fury on the hot opener “Burning House,” bringing you out of your seat and rekindling the ambition of The Emergency Response. “The Memory of this History” slows things down a tad, but follows a similar theme, while “Victim” comes back with dance histrionics. I personally enjoy the continuous simple guitar riff that echoes the Promise Ring or Cap N’Jazz on “If Relationships a Construct, then I’m a Construction Worker.” After this point, the numbers are somewhat hit or miss. Highlights sprout up from the Jazz Juney “Plants,” “Test Tube” and the solid closer “My Definition of a Tragedy.” It is unfortunate that Despistado couldn’t continue their musical crusade, but hopefully they are at least warm and comfortable.
Divide By Zero With a longer than expected time between the release of Chicago’s Divide By Zero awesome EP Timber and this debut full-length and a mailing mishap, I was unpleasantly surprised that I wasn’t knocked on my ass by the opener “Grave.” Yet, the simple straight ahead, melodic punk that characterizes the first number “Grave” – though it has a great line of “And your words roll off your tongue/like a bullet from a gun” – soon gave way for the what is one of the best melodic punk bands since Hot Water Music. The four-piece formed in 2002 after the breakdown of Logan’s Loss and slowly set out to define their own sound, in a smart contrast to the punk movement of the time. Besides from this record and Timber, the band also released a five-song EP Mirrors on Chicago’s Sinister Label. For me, as mentioned, what sets Divide By Zero apart from like-minded bands is the fabulous use of intricate and progressive sections that marry intertwining and battling guitars, a modified walking bass and soaring vocals. As such, Divide By Zero echoes the groundbreaking HWM releases like Finding the Rhythms and Forever and Counting. If you are furious as I that HWM doesn’t rip out number like “Minno” anymore than Divide By Zero is the answer to your disease. This is no better illustrated than by the breathtaking seven-minute “Bleeds and Bleeds,” where the band cruises through a near-infinite number of sections that meld and weave seamlessly together. Other choice cuts from this eleven-song, fifty minute record include “Timber” (from the EP), the straight-up punk number “Scars,” “Hold On,” “Northern Lights” and “The Year that Trembled.” Surely, I’m enthralled by the longer, multi-segmented numbers, but it is something that can’t be denied to like-minded individuals. Divide By Zero are not the type of band that is going to immediately capture your imagination and shake you unconscious, but by the second listen you are beginning to become an addict. I provide this review now, but Answer To No One seems like the type of record that is going to take several months for periodic listening to fully ingest – and if time allows an updated review may follow. Though I don’t know the entire scoop and whether inquires/offers have been made, it is baffling that Divide By Zero hasn’t been captured by some heavyweight labels – like hometown Victory. Regardless, look for Chicago finest to rip through your town and blow off your roof.
The Drift Attention all Tarentel lovers! You have another bit of lovely esotericism to whet your appetite. Actually, I’m serious kidding because this two-song 12”-only release is a compelling piece of smart, drawn out jazz. Highlighted by Safa Shokrai’s constant upright bass, well-fitting drums by Rich Douthit (Halifax Pier) and the additions of varying horns, guitars, etc. by Danny Grody (Tarentel) and Trevor Montgomery (Lazarus), the Drift provide a closely perfect background music while-trying-to-concentrate record. The printing on this record is limited, so if you have an interest in any of those groups you should grab this quick. The Drift plan to release a full-length in the spring that should be hot given these two numbers.
El Toro This latest full-length from Pennsylvania four-piece El Toro begins on the cusp of greatness only to fall down over dull and monotonous non-dynamic songs. Written by the potentially/waiting-to-be shining songwriter Matthew Ludwikowski, El Toro start the record on the quiet, whispering acoustic “Paperdolls” as Ludwikowski echoes in like the next Sam Beam. The following number “Georgia Peach” picks up the rest of the instrumentation with Eric Kuntz on guitar, Laolu Olubodun on drums and Marcus Price on bass, as Ludwikowski moves with deliberate, melodic speed with heavy reverb across the guitars. Unfortunately, the solid “Georgia Peach” only temporarily holds off the fall from grace as we are next met by the missteps of “Bouncing Ball,” “The Sirens,” “You Will Write (For Sara)” and “My Sweet Love.” “Beauty and Romance,” with its electronic introduction, hints at good times only to be squashed by more monotony. The first single comes from “Far Away,” which is a bright moment here, but can be knocked for being overly repetitive. The stronger “Carousels” and “Figure It Out” warm up the awesome closer “May and Marielle.” Echoing “Paperdolls,” “May and Marielle,” with Ludwikowski’s vocals and acoustic guitar in the front, again illustrate what type of songs El Toro are capable of. I’m certainly a proponent of more that in the future.
Fischerspooner After a thrashing success with their debut record #1, the New York-based duo Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner have refocused the mission of the music and have unleashed one of the hippest records of the year. Unlike their long-winding electronic movement towards #1, Fischerspooner went quickly after rock moments to give their electronic breathing a solid foundation on Odyssey; and so named record. This included working with producers and songwriters such as Mirwais, Tony Hoffer, Linda Perry and Susan Sontag. The final outcome is just brilliant. And if nothing else the added rock parts will certainly expand the appeal of Fischerspooner. After the warm opener “Just Let Go,” comes the striking high point of the record “Cloud.” “Cloud” comes in with electronics and bass builds towards just breathtaking vocals, particularly on the chorus. These first two numbers introduce you to the ‘rock’ concept that Fischerspooner is exploring. It is not electro-punk jammed your throat. But rather a melodic and radiant FM radio sound that is smoothed out by their traditional dose of keyboard electronics. After the appealing “Never Win,” “A Kick in the Teeth” offers up the next dazzling array of melodic and catchy choruses. “Everything to Gain” and “Ritz 107” are unabashedly in the vein of Air, while “We Need a War” is the piece drawn out by Sontag. The repetitive vocals are compelling, but, again, “We Need a War” soars when backed by female vocals on the chorus. “Wednesday,” “Happy” and “All We Are” are mildly weak, while Odyssey finishes on the odd early-80s electronics of “Circle.” Look for “Cloud,” “A Kick in the Teeth” and “We Need a War” to be ripping off your pants in the near future. At the rate of offending some, for those who are fascinated by Postal Service but are looking for more consistency track-to-track pick up this latest from Fischerspooner.
Foreknown Although this five-piece trample well-worn metalcore ground on their debut full-length, the sheer sweetness of the guitar work by Seth Stepec and Alan Isaacson take Foreknown over the edge of goodness. Previously releasing two split EPs and doing the usual touring routine, it is highly likely that Foreknown can take things to the next level with Calm Seas. Besides from fairly predictable song progressions and the metalcore-favorite song fadeouts, the most damaging part of Foreknown come from the vocals from Sam Dean. Dean’s vocals are not bad or the sort, it is that they are standard tough guy screaming that you could never pick out of a lineup. While there is some minimal movement between spoken lyrics and screams (as on “Through Thick and Thin,” “No Guns, No Roses, Just Axl” and “The Barrel of a Gun”), more variety could have really benefited the ten tracks. Thankfully, there are enough brilliant soaring guitars, a wicked solo hiding on almost every song and double-bass to fulfill your metal and hardcore needs. Songs to focus in on for such love include “Through Thick and Thin,” “Weapon of Choice,” “Tonight the Ghosts They Dance” and “Lessons in Manhood.” Foreknown will be taking to the road again this spring to support the record and with any luck win friends and influence people.
Forever Changed As this Tallahassee, FL four-piece’s debut full-length, Forever Changed unleash eleven songs of melodic punk that will get all the kids jumping up and down and whatnot. While Forever Changed are relative upstarts, they’ve been working the live show circuit and cultivated an appreciation by like-minded bands. Their connection with current bands like Spitalfield, Copeland and Moments in Grace – though more on the punk side – is clearly evident on The Need to Feel Alive. They have all the right moves with catchy lyrics and well-positioned rhythmic solos, but they also suffer from beating-a-dead-horse syndrome. That is, most of the tracks are so formulaic that there is little here that hasn’t been released by the Militia Group. At the same time, does that matter all so much? For cranky old guys, it does. For the youngsters who are rocking out at the Warped Tour and flaunting iPods filled with hot new bands, it doesn’t. In that respect, you are unlikely to find a better collection mild-mannered melodic punk than this debut from Forever Changed. There are plethora of friendly college radio – or even mainstream – songs here including the first four “The Last Time,” “Encounter,” “The Need to Feel Alive” and “Something More,” as well as “Identical” and the completely different “Romance in Denial.” It would be surprising if we don’t here more from Forever Changed in the future.
Goodbye Blue Monday This is a sneakily good record by Goodbye Blue Monday. Coming out of the oddly exceptional music basin of San Diego, Goodbye Blue Monday smoke out some of the best instrumental-inspired rock that I’ve heard in a long ass time. After releasing their debut full-length Next Time We Stop Breathing in 2003, GBM replaced guitarist Andrew Trecha with former Dropscience Demetrius Antuna. Antuna joined the already solid Matt Mournian on guitar and vocals, Jason Hooper on drums and later Dario Izarraras on bass. What makes the band particularly special across the seven tracks on Help Is On the Way is an amazing gift to push out expansive instrumental guitar rock, but with a near perfect mix of Mournian’s vocals to take them over the edge. Typically, when majority instrumental bands add vocals a small minority of the time, it sounds forced and ill-conceived. Mournian’s pitched, Bono-like vocals sound perfectly situated to fulfill the promise of ethereal bliss the layered guitars provide. A characteristic instance of this comes from the title track where the guitars are intertwining and echoing, while Mournian belts the line “Help is on the way.” Such revelations though are not confined to this single track and are equally spread across the other six – particularly “This is Your Four Leaf Clover” and “The Last of the Golden Palominos.” Indeed latched into San Diego bricklayers the Album Leaf, Pinback and the Black Heart Procession, GBM is probably the least-known brilliant act out of the area. Yet, that is unlikely to last very long given Help Is On the Way.
Guapo As their sixth release, this London-based three-piece move five tracks of music with the eerie pace of a stalled oil tanker in an industrial city port. Guapo has been working the British Isles and mainland Europe for the better part of a decade and now appear to have their sights on the American market. Besides from this debut for Mike Patton’s Ipecac, Guapo released a split with American folk-noise saboteurs Cerberus Shoal on North East Indie in 2003. Though general knowledge on Ipecac would pre-peg Guapo as containing some spazz, the three-piece stretch musical influences and then press them into their own dark, haunting instrumental rock. With Matt Thompson on guitar, Dave Smith on drums and the latest addition of Daniel O’Sullivan on keyboards, Guapo are in one section are ambient, psychedelic, jazz, folk, etc. – but thankfully there are no awkward shifts for pure randomness. For sure in the minority, I have an affinity for the building opening track and, more impressively, the gorgeous ambient minimalism on the fourth number (the tracks are just numbers). Be sure to check them out whenever they make it across the pond.
Hanin Elias Best known as the ex-Atari Teenage Riot chanteuse, Hanin Elias offers up a swath of dark industrial material on her latest Future Noir. As Elias’ third solo release, she moves further away from ATR and is unique enough to vary with the previous two solo records. TweakerRay provides the production work on Future Noir - with moments from Thurston Moore and Bertil Mark. Clearly, Elias is best when utilizing breathy, sensuous vocals on top of dark, haunting industrial electronics as on the opener “Untouchable” and the piano-only version of “Untouchable,” as well as “In My Room,” where Moore assists, and “After All (Original).” While this style dominates the thirteen tracks here, Elias also provides more uptempo and ‘brighter’ instrumental moments as on “Future Noir,” “The Rats” and “Fight Together” (where she sounds very Euro pop star). Several moments echo ATR influences such as the deeply distorted beats on “War Extreme (V4).” Though America will not be seeing Hanin Elias in her full glory this spring, we can check her out as part of the ultra-star industrial group Pigface; where she will be performing some of her own material. For those interested in smart, sumptuous industrial music, you could hardly do better than Future Noir.
The Know How The Know How are one dead horn player and murdered backup singer from being a substantially hot band. Couple that with some lyric changes and we are talking about an entirely level. On this Gainesville, FL six-piece’s third album and first for Stomp/Union, the Know How seem stuck in an identity crisis of what exactly fits the band best. They open the record on “Fell For You” with a phenomenal thirty-second build a la the Frenetics before moving to ordinary ska and vastly disappointing backup vocals that sound perfectly robotic. You are also met by the Know How’s alter ego on this song – the smart Moog playing of Alex Lee. Dropping much of the ska, putting and expanding the opening, matching it with Moog and “Fell For You” would be an awesome song. Still, hope is preserved on the following number “Better Way.” “Better Way” comes off like a lighter Slapstick – which is always appreciated – with the band focusing on aggressive punk in instruments and vocals. Yet, after “Better Way” the whole project falls to shit. Most of the following eleven songs are uptempo, generic ska compositions – precisely the style of ska that people have being writing off since the mid-90s ska explosion. There are echoes of intermittent goodness on numbers where they lay off common ska up-tics and concentrate on punk, such as the catchy “Chemistry” and “The One.” It is clear that these guys can play. Since they excel on the punk numbers that highlight Lee’s Moog play and fall at general ska endeavors, the former seems like the glory road for sustainability.
Jerra Jerra is about two steps away from being a tremendous talent, and the same goes for the band. Jerra is the lead vocalist (and guitarist) for this Southern Cal punk five-piece and Play Like a Girl is released on her own Sugar Hooker Entertainment (SHE). Completed by Doug Granville on guitar, Tiff Jimber on keys, Dustin Robles on bass and Ward Robinson, Jerra tackles familiar themes of girl power and feminist activism, though she isn’t as intense as the riot grrrl cadre. The thirteen tracks here have tremendous low end and feature a strong, powerful and heavy punk attack that comes across like an uptempo L7, a more punk Veruca Salt or a more rock Bikini Kill. Jerra is best when she is not over-emphasizing her vocals, degrading them to just post-grunge dribble with a shot of testosterone; she can get the point across without such movement. At other times, Jerra’s vocals can be phenomenally catchy and endearing, drawing you in and making you hit repeat – a potentially brilliant frontwoman. One example of the range of Jerra’s vocal characteristics comes on “Doris Day.” Ignoring the awkward lyrical opening, Jerra moves from light post-grunge to higher vocals to indie rock plainness. If she relied more on the inherent catchiness that is aching to launch out of her songs and left the heavy rock stuff, then Jerra (and the band) would quickly move to the next level of awesomeness. Besides from “Doris Day,” tracks worth your time include “Don’t Trust,” “Not There” (pay attention to Jimber’s keys) and “Game Boy.” It will be interesting to see if Jerra can blow up in the upcoming year.
LCD Soundsystem The buzz around LCD Soundsystem/James Murphy’s debut full-length over the past few months has been on the order of the Special Olympics – retarded (in a good way). Nearly ever PR email I got from people not associated with LCD/Murphy/DFA/… leading into SXSW had a nod to this record. While this double-disc release – one record of new material and one of past single – is as hot as the sun, it’s not as if the wheel was just reinvented. If you don’t know who Murphy is it is just that no one has told you the links that you actually already know. Murphy used to molest drums in the bands Pony and Speedking before turning towards the producing and recording end of the profession. Along the way Murphy worked studios across the NYC-area and formed DFA Records with Tim Goldsworthy – along with Jonathan Galkin. The label is noted for the Rapture’s Echoes as well as remixes of Le Tigre, Radio 4 and N.E.R.D. After a number of singles over the course of time, this, again, is LCD’s first proper full-length. Part of the previously mentioned dolled out love for LCD came from the first track on the new material record, “Daft Punk Is Playing In My House.” “Daft Punk” is precisely about its title and moves with direct purpose that you find on previous LCD singles. The thick bass line and drums along with Murphy’s vocals are perfectly situated. This is followed by the lazy, whispering vocal and drums of “Too Much Love” and the laptop distortion-style of “Tribulations.” “Movement” flows like art-blip-rap to rock blasts, while Murphy comes out of an opium den to provide the Beatles-dripping pop number “Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up” – seriously, there are the same progressions. The eight-minute “On Repeat” sounds exactly like that as it slowly builds drums. “Thrills” is a bit of filler, before the awesome number “Disco Infiltrator.” Again, we find Murphy playing the role of a white art-rapper – where with a cold – accompanying Nintendo blips and varying beats. The new material record ends on “The Great Release” that features a continuous beat with limited piano chords that builds into a glorious, uplifting movement before dropping off to nothingness. Again, the second CD consists of the singles that LCD has released over the past few bits. The record includes six tracks including one song “Yeah” with two versions and is highlighted by the excellent “Losing My Edge.” “Losing My Edge” is like perfect well-tempered post-art school schbaz where Murphy references being at every hip electronic/beat music moments over the past few decades – against the backdrop of getting swallowed by newer fair. I like the section about people having collections of the music that are impossible to have: “I hear that you have a compilation of every good song ever done by everybody.” “Beat Connection” follows suit, while you get smacked by the punk “Give It Up.” Spastic psychedelic guitars greet you on “Tired” as Murphy goes off on an acid trip of squealing moments. The two versions of “Yeah” – the “Crass Version” and the “Pretentious Version” – combine for twenty minutes of gloriousness, though the “Crass Version” is preferred as Murphy comes off like a Duke fan in the other. If you have ever had a notion of LCD Soundsystem, now is your chance to own everything.
The Letters Organize As their debut, this Atlanta-based five-piece blast thirteen tracks of hardcore punk into a space of a half-hour. In a usual band building pace, the Letters Organize initially formed in 2002 but took a spell to get things congealed. Thanks to a 2004 AP Magazine showcase at SXSW, LO were signed by like-minded label Nitro Records; a quite apropos fit as LO parallels the mindset of other Nitro bands though in a contemporary form. Although, LO don’t break any musical ground on Dead Rhythm Machine, the velocity and fury that they attack songs is a defining characteristic. Their intensity mirrors hardcore bands, but they are more at the fore of punk with vocals moving between dirty and screaming – but never any of inkling of emo-core nonsense. In that respect, LO come close on some tracks to dirty, bluesy hard rock that swirl in the grime and are always a step away from a biker gang. None of the thirteen tracks here will strike you as a ‘single’ material, but neither are any significant dead weights. As such, you can just slide the bad-boy in and let it fly. Look for the Letters Organize hitting the road in 2005 to inform the masses.
Lingua Franca When I received this EP from Lingua Franca, I was convinced that they would be some type of murdercore or the like. The reason is that there were all these creepy black ink fingerprints all over the package and the enclosure had a photo of the band and another with ink on one of the guy’s hands. Yet, this Flint, MI three-piece play dark theatrical rock that isn’t to the extreme of the Decemberists and is more closely aligned with Tom Waits and a light Morphine. Thankfully, Lingua Franca don’t really try to resurrect the next Waits or something, and the five songs here simply hint at parallels. The songs are roughly four minute affairs with the inclusion of a group of instruments stretching from church bells to gongs to strings to the normal set. They are not as peppy quirky as some might hope, but their darker, mild tempo paths illustrate that is not their goal. After a two-song demo and a split 7”, this is Lingua Franca’s first ‘proper’ release. They evidently have the skills and hopefully a full-length will allow them to deliver something truly awesome.
Carter Little When Carter Little is on, he is fucking good. When he slips, the tumble can be dramatic. On his debut full-length, now Nashville-based Little tackles standard singer-songwriter fair, except Little’s voice can be gorgeous, his melodies sweet and a slight country-feel creates something nearly exceptional. Little spent previous days in this century with his brother in the Nashville band Saddlesong. With that experience and the Nashville singer-songwriter tradition, Little is well on his way to being something special. I particularly like that Little sounds fairly unlike a considerable amount of the singer-songwriter junk constantly coming out of Nashville; it is as if Nashville has the power to suck the creative differentiating juices out of artists. Dare to be Small opens on the acoustic-centered “Break My Heart” and “Fall,” both of which employing numerous instruments and quaint mellowness. What really stands out on “Break My Heart” is the inclusion of female harmonies – done throughout the record by Clare Burson and Melissa Mathis – and is something that Little should do much more of in the future. On the following “Kill My Darling,” Little picks up the tempo, plugs in the guitars and knocks out a compelling rock number – with actually just a touch of Pixies’ guitars. Other appreciable songs of note include “Goodbye Baby,” “Outside Looking In” and “Beauty.” “Delicate,” “Two Tons,” the religious-like “Long Way Down” and “Slipping” are among the fallen numbers that make the listener considerably less pumped on Little. If Carter Little can concentrate on solid songs, moving away from the Nashville musical doldrums and adding a smidgen of indie finesse, then he will likely become an important artist.
The Locust As mentioned in our recent live review of the Locust, this ferocious foursome from San Diego are an acquired taste; the type best gorged on after a live show experience. This is no different on their latest EP for Ipecac. Like Plague Soundscapes, Safety Second, Body Last features the Locust utilizing further and better electronics into their spazz insanity. Although the EP is delineated between four ‘songs’ and seven ‘sections,’ there are only two tracks burned onto the CD. The first track encompasses the first number “Armless and Overactive: Who’s Handling the Population Paste” and “Invented Organs: New Tongue Sweepstakes” and “: Consenting Abscess.” The second track picks up with “: Consenting Abscess” and continues with “One Decent Leg: Movement Across Membrane” & “: Oscillating Eyes” and “Immune System Overtime: Hairy Mouth” – all in four minutes. The ten minutes compile the Locust beating the crap out of their instruments and the three vocalists screaming at different points. Yet, the best moments come from the electronic breakdowns, particularly the haunting simulated electronic one-stroke church bell on “Armless and Overactive…” – that could be from a crazy video game or your worst nightmare. If you have enjoyed the Locust’s past endeavors then this will make you salivate.
Love As Laughter As conveniently enough their actual fifth-release, the Sam Jayne-fronted Love As Laughter unleash a new set of well-conceived 60s and 70s-infused rock numbers for the blissfully unaware listener. After a four-year hiatus that included Jayne playing with Modest Mouse and other endeavors, Jayne assembles Brandon Angle, Zeke Howard and Miguel Mendez in Ben Veshon’s Delaware basement recording space for eleven uncompromising numbers. Tripping with rock foundations, Love As Laughter feature messy, jangley indie that manages to echo a different theme on every song without ever sounding like one artist or another. Although songs like “Survivors” and “Dirty Lives” might upset rock purists, they are unarguably catchy and immediately endearing. That is part of what’s special about Jayne and Love As Laughter; Jayne doesn’t do anything new or bold on the record, it is just his incredible reading of rock’s history, picking out the good and tossing the bad. Seemingly, if Jayne wants to push it he could make Love As Laughter the next big thing. Songs such as “Dirty Lives,” “Idol Worship! Idol Worship!” and “I’m A Ghost” matches anything else being put out by limelight resurgent rock bands. The album spaces out a bit towards the end, but is saved by the long-winded Beatles-infused closer “Makeshift Heart.” I could imagine Love As Laughter becoming huge or still a sleepy, favorite-know-else-has-heard-of all in the same breath. An opening spot for a big name, say Modest Mouse, may propel Love As Laughter to the next echelon.
Lux Courageous Lux Courageous are playing a very dangerous game on their debut full-length Reasons that Keep the Ground Near. The danger this five-piece faces is being lumped within the emo world and, more specifically, playing minor roles to Dashboard Confessional and, even, Copeland. Lux Courageous push strong melodies and harmonies into the thirteen tracks here and it is well-appreciated by the non-judgmental listener; if you can push parallel comparisons completely out of your mind then should really enjoy Reasons. Yet, the vocals, coupled with keyboards, intermittently push the envelope very close to a highly overwrought sound. This is such the case on such stranglers as “Irresistible,” “Ambulance,” “Seatbelts are Saviors” and “This Town.” Now, again, it is not as if these songs are bad – as God knows there is enough of that in the world. It is that you want Lux Courageous to crumple the generic sound and iron out and nail their own defining characteristic. They have the ability and talent to create something completely different from the rest of the run-of-the-mill artists. Simply finding a brilliant producer might create the magic or pushing themselves to expand there assumptions about what songs ‘should’ sound like.
Mashlin Out of the hotter than thou Orlando, FL, the four-piece Mashlin offer up melody-soaked dreams of indie rock that are precariously close to generified emo if not for the expansive, sweeping soundscapes. Featuring Aaron Harvey (vocals, guitar), Joe Knipp (guitar), Glen Wilson (bass) and Jason Burrows (drums), Mashlin’s rich and appealing sound suggests they could, if desired, supply songs for animated films by Orlando-brethren Disney. Yet, there is something about Mashlin that seems off or not quite right. It could be that everything sounds so perfectly produced that the band somehow loses their identity in the process. All eleven tracks on Pushing Through the Seasons, their first for One Eleven, are sweet on face-value, but in the course of listening to the record a score of times Mashlin never endear themselves to an observer. Admittedly, adding numbers like the piano-driven “66 Books of Cleansing” do change up a staid sound. Other notable moments of interest come from “Arrive Like a Thief,” “Return” and “Cold Kiss of a Liar.” As such, one can put on Pushing Through the Seasons and relax through the melodic sounds and feel at ease. If that sounds good to you, then this latest from Mashlin is ideal for you.
Mob Stereo As the debut full-length from this NYC four-piece, Mob Stereo go after a dirty punk pop sound that tries to navigate its way through the perils of NYC’s hot sound of the moment. Really the only thing that holds an inkling of one’s attention throughout this thirteen song debut is the gorgeous vocals of Noor Jahan. Even still, Jahan’s vocals are mixed way too low and the guitar is mixed super loud across the record. That might not be such a big deal, except guitarist O.J. San Felipe isn’t necessarily the most blistering axeman you’ve ever heard. Typical three-chord progressions through a massively crunchy, distorted sound with some gruff transitions characterize a majority of the guitar work. Someone might want to tell him that playing noisy, dirty guitars doesn’t give you a right to sound bad. Songs worth a listen include the obviously best track “Bubblegum and Binders,” “Outside the Hotel” and “Other Stepped In.” I have the feeling that Mob Stereo is best experienced in person and relived after – than just an audio lovefest. Yet, Mob Stereo have the goods for positive growth and with a few more handclaps, harmonies and tighter play they can do some future damage.
Anna Nalick Columbia has seemingly waited forever to finally unleash California singer-songwriter Anna Nalick to the masses. Before receiving her debut full-length, I had received three several-song promotional CDs over the course of this past year, so finally receiving the full-length was like a minor miracle. Only in her early twenties, Nalick had a struck of luck to have a demo passed through acquaintances, allowing her team up with former Blind Melon members and now producers Christopher Thorn and Brad Smith, as well as Tori Amos producer Eric Rosse. With a new demo in hand, Nalick got picked up by Columbia in 2003 and headed back in with her production team and slew of top studio musicians. The final production, finally, is this eleven song record featuring Nalick’s gorgeous vocals, melodic light rock songs tinged with piano and strings. It is most obvious to point out that her first single “Breathe (2 AM),” which I now have four copies of, is the most brilliant number by her and has already helped slay the radio and charts. While the rest of the songs are similarly constructed, highlights are provided by “Citadel,” “Paper Bag,” “Satellite” and “In My Head.” Any one of these songs is likely to be the next single as the record is brimming with them. Anna Nalick is certainly not my ordinary fair, but you can’t deny her songwriting and singing prowess.
The Old Haunts Out of Olympia, WA and conveniently enough on the grandmasters label of Olympia, KRS, the Old Haunts ramble through up-tempo country and blues-infused indie rock on the twelve tracks of Fallowed Field. The trio, Craig Extine on guitar/vocals, Scott Seckington on bass/keys and now Danny Sasaki on drums, shimmy that stripped-down sound obviously led by the visceral White Stripes. While the White Stripes owe everything to everyone who came before, so do the Old Haunts in the same way; surely, a wiser bird of country rock could provide better comparisons. In that way, each instrument on Fallow Field is uniquely clear and directed, where the bass is in constant motion, the drums follow a simple consistent beat and the guitar picks its way towards banjo paradise. Extine also places a dark tinge on the vocal cadence to relay a sense of despair, pain and agony in life, not unlike Cash. As such, calling the band the Old Haunts and the record Fallow Field is nearly a perfect match for their sound. Fallow Field is actually an assembly of three recording sessions over three years with three different drums; I do hope there is no weird trinity thing going on here. This likely signals that some of the tracks were released already or were initially throw offs; the Old Haunts do have two previous EPs. The first six tracks were done with Sasaki in 2004 and are clearly the best, the next four in 2002 with drummer Natalie Cox and the final two with Chris Sutton in 2003. The older recordings are similar spirit, but more lo-fi then the first six. The band is clearly going for a dirty sound, so how much of it is choice versus production is an open question. Either way there is enough magic here to fulfill any fan of mountain picking indie rock.
Parlour Relative to Parlour’s previous record Googler, this four-song EP is like instrumental butter – absolutely awesome. Unlike Googler and Octopus Off-Broadway, headman Tim Furnish employed a sweeping cadre of music talent for this new Parlour effort. Much of this comes by the way of displacing computers for the exploits of live musicians – here, working as a seven-piece. It is not that Parlour has entirely said peace out to electronics – as Ben Vandermeer and Furnish provide synths – it is just that some of it is replaced by Steve Good’s bass clarinet and Craig McClurkin’s tenor sax; easily the best piece of music with a sax that I’ve heard in awhile. The most disappointing aspect of the EP is that it is only an EP – we want a full-length. After the stunning and soothing opener “Such (A One Year Stem),” comes the oddly A-Team familiar riff on “Hives Fives.” “Timorme” and “Bringseeds” close the EP with a slightly more angular attack; though, “Timorme” moves towards a jam band feel towards the end. It is clear from this EP that Parlour have improved enormously and now we wait with baited breath for future endeavors.
Please Mr Gravedigger Please Mr Gravedigger first hit the national conscious with last year’s debut full-length Here’s To the Life of the Party, where the California six-piece merged punk and hardcore with punctuated beats and angular guitars. That record was good, this EP is not so. Admittedly recorded as something to hold fans over ‘till their next full-length, Throw a Beat is five songs parallel to the full-length, though not astonishing. What is borderline frustrating is that if you cut off the ‘hidden’ random studio crap from the last track “Wales,” this EP is really short; five tracks at only eleven minutes. I know I thought this previously as well, but why a band needs six members to make this style of music is beyond comprehension. The obvious standout in the maelstrom is “17 Year Old Piece of Gold,” where PMG employ Kelly Kotner to enhance the vocals. The story then is if you are fan of Please Mr Gravedigger you will dig this; if you are on the fence wait until the next full-length.
Red Sparowes This is the start of something possibly epic and beautiful. Red Sparowes are comprised of members of Isis, Neurosis, Halifax Pier and Cignal and this, At the Soundless Dawn, is their debut for all those with a piercing fascination of stunning instrumentals. The seven tracks here comprise over an hour and are drenched with blissful moments that are as soothing and compelling as anything the all-stars Explosions in the Sky offer, but Red Sparowes provide darker and heavier imagery to their compositions. This is done not with chugging distorted guitars or double bass, but with darker tones on guitar effects and very little sunshine moments. Their vast texturing comes easily from the intertwining of four guitar/bass players – all of which have experience creating rich soundscapes. With hardly a drop off across the seven long-winded-titled songs – that compile to form a paragraph – this is clearly the best instrumental record released this year. If you are a fan of Temporary Residence and, specifically, bands like Explosions, then you will drool over At the Soundless Dawn.
Reel Big Fish It is difficult to measure this fifth record from Orange County-based veteran ska outfit Reel Big Fish. The periodic theme across the record’s fourteen songs is that the music industry sucks, we were such a one-hit wonder and now we are sort of burnouts; of course, tongue firmly planted in cheek. When Reel Big Fish are leaving that shit- throwing alone, they still are able to knock out solid, ska numbers. It would be impossible not to have heard of Reel Big Fish, but just in case all you have to know is that Reel Big Fish were at the upper echelon of punk ska bands in the wave’s height during the mid to late-90s. Their incredibly catchy songs accompanied by lead singer Aaron Barrett’s amazingly captivating vocals carried Reel Big Fish to heights that are hardly imaginable for such an initially tiny outfit. This is the band’s first record since 2002’s Cheer Up; though Barrett has been engaged with his all-star ska outfit the Forces of Evil. One likely needs a road map to navigate through the peaks and valleys on We’re Not Happy ‘Til You’re Not Happy. The self-deprecating/industry-hating songs include “Don’t Start a Band,” “One Hit Wonderful,” “Last Show” and “Turn the Radio Off.” An interest discussion can come from the otherwise sophomoric advice song “Don’t Start a Band.” The song dictates that everything good you wish would happen from playing a band is not going to happen and you are going to hate everything, including yourself. Yet, Reel Big Fish has incentive for new bands not to come along and take the precious space. Not that anyone would say ‘peace out’ to starting a band given the song, it is interesting to consider. Back to the map, Reel Big Fish provide three covers, “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” by Morrissey, a low-fi reggae version of Tracey Chapman’s “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” and a similar-styled cover of Social Distortion’s “Story Of My Life.” For me, I could throw the record against the wall for trying a half-wit cover of Morrissey; it pisses me off to no end (and I didn’t even mind TATU’s cover of the Smiths). Numbers outside of this frameset of note include “Drinkin’,” “The Joke’s On Me” and the solid “Say Goodbye.” In the right dose, this latest from Reel Big Fish is appealing. As an overall product, it has some serious pitfalls.
Roger Miret and the Disasters After a mildly tame opening on “Loud and Proud,” this NYC four-piece rip through twelve tracks highlighted by street punk laced with early Rancid, Bouncing Souls and Dropkick Murphy themes. Although this is only Roger Miret and the Disaster’s second record, these guys are grizzled vets fronted most obviously by Miret who was vocalist for Agnostic Front. Miret along with guitarist Rhys Kill, bassist Brian Darwas and drummer Mike Mulieri focus on gang vocal punk anthems in the street/oi punk traditions, yet their musical talents push them past the ordinary dribble-drabble. When the band lessens the overemphatic vocals and focus on catchy guitar rhythms, they are nearly unstoppable. Evidence to support this conclusion comes from the phenomenal “Riot, Riot, Riot,” “1984,” “Lower East Side,” “I Don’t Like You” and the oddly long “Janie Hawk.” To say that this record from Miret and the Disasters is surprisingly good is an understatement. Though the Disasters aren’t completely different in the grand scheme of things from Agnostic Front, Miret illustrates he can successful demolish two genres in one night.
RPG This Richmond, VA four-piece channel the 70s heavy metal gods’ riffs and then smack them with classic southern dirty, sludgy rock. That description should get you into the door of what they sound like and whether you want to know about them. So, yes, they fit a precise sound that some people turn towards, while many turn away from. RPG formed in 1999 in Richmond out of the remnants of local bands – including an early incarnation of what is now Lamb of God – with an expressed intent to play loud, fast and wild. The buildup to this record took awhile as the guys had to work full time – hence the title – and only recently teamed up with Austin-based Arclight to re-release this initially self-released record. Thanks to their friends in Lamb of God and smoking live shows, RPG have been able to finally put themselves in a place to take off on their heavy rock mission. Some of the tracks to check out on Full Time include “Stand Still Blues,” “Untuck It,” “Ghetto Rose,” “Song of Evil” and “20 Year Old Idiot.” The good folks at Arclight got together with RPG to also include a DVD – entitled High Performance – of live shows and other pursuits. The DVD isn’t a shit-in-a-bucket experience as RPG rock together digital video documentary mildly based on Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same – a comparison that is both good and bad for RPG. Moreover, this isn’t the fifteen minutes of junk that many bands do these days. With little doubt, you appreciate RPG considerably more after you watch the long ass DVD.
Screeching Weasel This is the first reissue of six that Asian Man is planning over the course of the year of one of punk’s seminal 80s & 90s bands. If you haven’t heard of Screeching Weasel at this point in your life then you have serious issues that are going to take years of counseling to deal with. All you really need to know is that Chicago’s Screeching Weasel led the way for Lookout Records 1980s pop punk bands gathering the storm clouds around fun, silly, stupid, idiotic punk lyrics pushed into Ramones’ progressions. This record was originally released in 1988 – SW’s second – and features twenty-six songs coming in at forty-one minutes. Listening to this record today, it really is amazing how it could have appealed to enough people to sell over 125,000 copies. But, you have to place it within the time and during that time this was one of the few records within punk to break from the fold and it teamed up nicely with releases from bands like the Mr. T Experience. As such, reasons for buying this record include getting a remastered version of one of your favorite earliest records or to get your punk history correct. A cool bonus is Ben Weasel and Jughead writing up comments about the album recording and all the shit going on at the time. Look for more of the Screeching Weasel reissues in the near future from Asian Man.
Sinai Beach After the intro track “Apocalypse,” you are preparing for one of the best metal/hardcore records of the year, only to get slapped by a promise unfulfilled. As the latest for this Southern Cal five-piece and first on Victory, Sinai Beach launch into ultra-heavy guitars, double-bass, a bit of screaming and haunting synths on the short “Apocalypse.” The following “Obedience Through Desecration” opens as intensely with demolishing double-bass by Mike Dunlap and blistering guitars by Logan Lambert and Mike Risinger with vocalist CJ Anderson destroying his voice for us. Then in an obvious nod to Danzig, Anderson switches to exactly Danzig’s vocal style and moves Sinai Beach away from awesome to a state of rip-off or compromised heavy post-grunge crap. Obviously this vocal switch will bother some people more than others – and I happen to be one of those seriously bothered. Sinai Beach is supremely musically talented enough to be heavy hitters in the heavy music world without the weak vocal switching. For instance, the brilliant musicianship on otherwise phenomenal “Necessary Bloodshed” is completely watered-down by lame vocal breakdowns. It is all a subjective choice – often made for differentiation, which I can appreciate – but it is obvious how much better Immersed would be without copying Danzig. Sinai Beach hint at other manners of differentiation like the minimal electronics on “Apocalypse,” the short “Distressor” and the beginning of “To the Church.” Here’s to hoping for better things to come from Sinai Beach.
SuperHeavyGoatAss Having been aware of this four-piece from Austin, TX for sometime, I had little concept that they could be as good as the nine tracks on 60,000 Years. Though I correctly pinned this band as being part of the heavy low end stoner rock collective that propagates sections of the South – there was little way to know how amazing guitarists Russell Abbott and Derrick Halfmann are. Abbott and Halfmann deftly move between heavy Sabbath and up tempo solos of classic southern rock and it is awesome. While Abbott provides intermittent vocals, and bassist Brent Boepple and drummer Tim Hurt provide the rhythm, SuperHeavyGoatAss supremely achieves its magic when focusing in on blistering instrumentals. Abbott’s vocals, I suppose, complete the role of SuperHeavyGoatAss as a rock band, but it is just so much better without them. It is clear that you wouldn’t be rocking out to the vocals and would simply be awe-struck by the guitars on songs like the brilliant “SSOB,” “Backside” and “Built to Last” if you caught them live. Other numbers reflect more of the low end Sabbath attacks, such as “Best Friend” and “Ms. Underhill.” It is refreshing to be able to say that you enjoy a band named SuperHeavyGoatAss.
Triple Threat As their debut CDEP/7”, the five-piece Triple Threat smoke through six tracks of positive, old school hardcore in the vein of the slaughter of 80s hardcore and punk outfits like Black Flag and Judge. While Triple Threat don’t innovative a staid sound, they are extremely tight and proficient. This mastery comes from playing in previous like-minded hardcore bands like Moutpiece, Hands Tied, The Killing Flame and The First Step. The CDEP version includes a parallel version of “Fix Me” by Black Flag, as well as a decent selection of enhanced material including photos and live video. As such, if you are a fan 80s hardcore then Triple Threat may be your new favorite and they have a debut full-length coming this fall on Livewire.
V/A Given the marginal CD art production quality, the expectation level on this eighteen artist, eighteen song compilation from local Pennsylvania was low. And while there are valleys across the eighteen songs, a few bands provide enough ups not to throw the record across the room. Most of the eighteen bands here follow a local rock sound that often moves toward wise indie rock murmurings. The most obvious of these, and a smart sequencing job, was to put the Mullets’ “Unleaded Premium” – a bad band name, but a good indie rock song – first to open up the comp. Besides from the Mullets, highlights come from Poleline’s “Oleos” (even if poorly recorded), Gleason’s Drift’s “20,000 Leagues Below Dayton” and the Woodsmen’s “Copper Kettles.”
V/A Save for a great Grand Prix record art theme, I knew I was in some trouble when I only recognized three of the twenty-five bands on this compilation. The idea of the comp is really cool – no doubt. Columbus, OH’s Workbook Studio – run by Jonathan Chinn and Neal Schmitt – would record one-song by twenty-five bands in twenty-five hours between October 15th & 16th, 2004. Although a marathon, this is the sort of the thing that makes grown men giddy – like planning for chaos. While I assume these bands are all local and that is why for the song quality lapses, the comp serves more as a promotional idea for the Studio – and that’s cool. Still, highlights come from Pretty Mighty Mighty’s “Casting Call” (which both Chinn and Schmitt are in), House of Heroes’ “You are the Judas of the Cheerleading Squad,” Miranda Sound’s “Lines Were Drawn,” “Last of the Summer Wine” by Greenlawn Abbey, the high-tempo punk of Rookie’s “Here I Am,” A Planet for Texas’ “Return to Akron” and Red Dahlia’s “High School.” As a wise financial move, the full-length will only be available regionally and online, while individual songs will be up for download at iTunes and such.
Weerd Science A hip-hop project by Josh Eppard, the drummer of one of the best bands in the world, Coheed and Cambria, what could be better? As it turns out, penile cancer might better warm you over. Seriously, though, I have listened to this fifteen-track, hour long record a copious number of times trying to gain an appreciation for Weerd Science, and have failed at every turn. Supported by Danny Illchuck, Kwame Wiafe Akenten Jr. and Dave Parker, Eppard lays down rhymes that span the spectrum of themes – partially a product of taking a decade to actually recording the tracks. While Weerd Science wouldn’t qualify as terrible, they just don’t have ‘it.’ Most of the tracks sound at the cusp between serious rap and joking, indie rap (like Cex), which combine for just awkwardness and levels of awful. Admittedly, Weerd Science has sounds and themes that you don’t find on the cadre of same-minded hip-hop, but everything just sounds off. Music being as subjective as it is, you may find a special place in your heart for Weerd Science – I just can’t see it.
Wow, Owls! As the first full-length from this Virginia five-piece, Wow, Owls! take up the mantle that their regional predecessors such as Sleepytime Trio and Engine Down initially laid down. Formed from the ashes of Light the Fuse and Run, WO offer up highly angular, distorted indie rock to the tune of Jeffrey Byers and Brandon Peck’s screaming and speaking vocals. Although the screaming can be a bit much at times – e.g., the beginning of “Five Sexy Alligators, Please” – the alternating and dominate use of a distant speaking style really brings you back to the days of when local indie hardcore was the coolest shit around. An extremely lazy listener might turn away from WO based on the back-and-forth singing style – and make an unfortunate emo-core comparison – but WO are so much more and better. The sweep of nine tracks on Pick Your Patterns brings back memories of late night summer drives in route between NY and North Carolina listening to the best in local hardcore and indie. For those who also desire such memories pick up Pick Your Patterns and focus in on numbers such as “Destination: Pizza,” “Chris, Did You Ruin the Dance Party,” “Saccharine for my Sweetie” and opener “1989: The Best Four Years of My Life.” Don’t miss out on your new favorite local band.
Yellow Second Featuring former members of Five Iron Frenzy and the Rocket Summer, this Denver four-piece rock close to the heart with thirteen songs of melody-drenched indie pop. As their third full-length, Yellow Second – still deciding whether that is solid name or not – seem to have the toughest time differentiating themselves from the pack of like-minded bands such as Copeland, as well as more uptempo outfits. That is, when you listen to the thirteen numbers there is hardly an offending piece around. Yet, you seemingly have the damnest time trying to recall songs when away from the listen. Wall of distorted guitars on songs such as “Chance of Sunbreaks” and “Mulberry” are uninspiring, and parallel Promise Ring riffs as on “Material” can be frustrating. When they mess things up a bit, such as the terrific opener “Silhouette,” the acoustic-based “Some Other Way” and the inclusion of that electronic doohickey on “Plume,” they achieve their goal of differentiating and are better for it. If you looking for solid, well-constructed guitar indie pop, then you can do much worse than Yellow Second’s Altitude.
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