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November 2003 Reviews Artist of the Month: The
Lawrence Arms As the latest and probably best salvo in the Lawrence Arms' brief but extremely productive time, The Greatest Story Ever Told can do no wrong. Well, that might not be the case, but it still rocks. Twelve tracks of blistering punk harmonies (plus an intro and outro) puts the Lawrence Arms in line for love from all sides of the aisle. Formed in 1999 in Chicago as a spawn of the hotastic The Broadways, the three-piece of Brendan Kelly, Chris McCaughan and Neil Hennessy formed essentially to have fun, drink and play punk rock. However, they maintained and still maintain themes of leftist comments on political, social and moral matters that strongly characterized the essence of the Broadways. They quickly busted out two splits and two full-lengths for the ever-glorious Asian Man Records. This included the amazing splits with Shady View Terrace (s/t) and the Chinkees (Present Day Memories). The split with the Chinkees contains one of the best Lawrence Arms' songs amongst their releases in "Quincentuple Your Money." While worth the price of admission, their two full-lengths A Guided Tour of Chicago and Ghost Stories lacked the ingenuity and memorability that characterize their present material. Shortly there after they ended their recording affair with Asian Man - an affair that included releases by the members' previous bands including Slapstick and the Broadways - and signed on with the consistently improving Fat Wreck Chords. In 2002, LA released the breathtaking Apathy and Exhaustion as their first on Fat. This record brought the power of kick-ass back to the three-piece and reinvigorated their creativity. Now this, the latest and best offering: The Greatest Story Ever Told. Instead of just flat-out copying what Brendan said about the album in our interview with him last month (www.exoduster.com/lawrencearmsinterview.html) and pretending its what I say, below is an excerpt of his comments on The Greatest Story: How does the latest record "The Greatest Story Ever Told" differ with previous releases (e.g., in content)? Firstly, we're total dorks, and as such we've made a kind of a "concept album" this time. It just sounds like a regular record, but we snuck in a lot of nerdy, conceptual shit. For example, it's metaphorically consistent throughout, in that it uses the same poetic devices and metaphors in every single song. It also repeats musical themes in every song. Lyrically, the songs refer to one another; the intro and the outro are parts of a song in the middle, the last line is the same on both sides of the vinyl, the last line is also predicted in the middle of the record. All this and it's also a chapter by chapter allegory for "the Master and Margarita" by Mikail Bulgakov, with my songs functioning as the Moscow chapters and Chris's songs as the Jerusalem chapters. I told you, very nerdy. Did you get that? Quickly, during the first track "The Raw and Searing Flesh" you realize that like a good piece of literature or philosophy or basically anything, its going to take some serious work to unpack all the pieces to the album. Besides from the rich and thick-textured lyrics that are ever-present in the songs by Brendan and Chris, they include footnotes to lyrics in the liner notes. I don't know if I have ever seen that before. It's like the book The Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace where amongst the 1100-page work of fiction, he includes a hundred pages of footnotes. The good thing, though, is they are not trying to be the Dennis Miller of music (read: obscure and esoteric facts). Mostly the footnotes are very helpful. For instance, in one of the funniest notes on the song "On With the Show," they discuss the term ‘Juggalo.' For your enjoyment: "Juggalo - A fan of the (ahem) band, Insane Clown Posse often refers to his/her (almost always him) self as a ‘Juggalo.' They paint their faces, spray soda on each other, and respect the music of ICP and consequently get very little respect themselves." Other times the footnotes pertain to information about the band - like that Chris plays on stage left. The footnotes, then, do provide a tremendous amount of context for the lyrics. Musically, The Greatest Story travels in familiar circles of previous Lawrence Arms records. Chris and Brendan switch off lead singing roles with each other while Neil provides strong backup. As noted above, the album launches on "The Raw and Searing Flesh" with a slow and deceptively mellow procession - and it builds until a bridge brings us back to blistering punk. The next track "On With the Show" finds the Lawrence Arms firing up the tempo and Brendan grabbing the lead and throttling the lyrics. "Drunk Mouth Kitchen Smile" starts with familiar multi-layered guitars and sufficient bass and drum breakdowns on its way to being the best song on the record. Lawrence Arms follow it up with the catchy "Alert the Audience" complete with dual hushed vocals over muting guitars. Much of the album contains the sort of back-and-forth between the layered and weaving guitar song and the balls-to-the-walls punk numbers. While this at times can drive a divide in the consistency of an album, if you know anything of the Lawrence Arms or their lineage this is the essence of their existence. Other tracks that will force jaw-dropping include "Chapter 13: The Hero Appears," "The Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure," "A Wishful Puppeteer" and the finale "The Disaster March." Consistent with previous releases the finale serves as one of the album's best and a great match of the last song. It is interesting the Lawrence Arms seem to sequence their albums like they may play the songs live. Now you have the latest information on one of the best independent album's of the year. Will you use this information wisely? Clearly, if you have been entranced by the Lawrence Arms or any of their bloodline in the past, then The Greatest Story Ever Told will renew your faith in this Chicago threesome. The Lawrence Arms are continuing on their quest of drinking and playing shows this winter with such bands as Against Me!, Hot Water Music and These Arms are Snakes. Join them in their debauchery.
All
Out War From the word go on "Straight Towards Extinction," All Out War demonstrate they can match pure skill with anyone in the metal-core crossover. This is particularly demonstrated with some bad ass Slayer-like guitar soloing on the opener that can fulfill you metal fixings. Unfortunately, this generally good introduction doesn't carry through in other affairs on Condemned to Suffer. More on that in a second. AOW formed about a decade ago and quickly notched a spot with the heavy weights of the New York hardcore scene with their own brand of metal-core. This is their first full-length in five years - the last, the noted For Those Who Where Crucified, was loved by many. The point of contention with most of the twelve tracks on Condemned to Suffer is the at times paltry lyrics and off-vocals. When the lead vocalist Mike Score is throwing down lines it is awesome (see, e.g., "Bleeding the Weak" and most of "Straight Towards Extinction"). However, when the other members of the five-piece are offering their own two cents on vocals it can be painful - and not in a good way. While many of the lyrics have to be taken with a straight face, when they are sung in just weak growls it makes them sound hokey. For instance, on the breakdown on "Rise of the Antichrist," the line "The beast has been allowed to make war on the saints, and has been given the power over all nations/All who dwell on Earth will worship the beast" in a weak growl. If nothing else, it makes AOW sound too amateurish. While the musicianship is tight and exemplary, the vocal downfalls bring the total package down.
The
Allman Brothers Band
This is a hot new DVD of the quintessential blues jam band rocking
out during one of their annual Beacon Theatre shows in NYC in
March 2003. Since the latest incarnation of the Allman Brothers
recently released their first record in sometime Hittin' the Note
(Peach/Sanctuary), this DVD fits nicely into their new rebirth.
Probably the most striking thing about the current lineup of ABB
is the fresh face of Derek Trucks sharing lead guitar time with
Warren Haynes. In his mid-twenties, Trucks is a guitar wiz and
sweetly adds to the band's composition - and it doesn't hurt that
he is the nephew of founding drummer Butch Trucks. Yet the guitars
can't overshadow the fact that ABB also employs three percussionists
- so redundancy abounds. The second disc includes the encore of show, the hotastic "One Way Out," a dressing room acoustic rehearsal of "Old Friend," a couple of interviews and some behind the scenes footage. I think mostly this is driven by the interviews which are done exceptionally well. The interviews start out with Butch Trucks stating that this is probably the best lineup and most concentrated group since the start with Duane Allman. The interviews then go through all the members talking about the group and how great it is now. But the interviews also include basically everything about the band from the current and past sounds, the roots of the band, the new album, etc.... This is the best part here and this second disc makes the DVD worth purchasing.
Antioch
Arrow Holy Molar, Tarot Bolero, Get Hustle, Glass Candy, & Chromatics. Those are the bands that were formed after Antioch Arrow split. Three One G re-issues the long out of print third album by Antioch Arrow for the black lipstick Uncle Fester mutherfuckers out there ( as well as music fans too ). Its part horror soundtrack, part late 70s/early 80s goth punk and then there's a good helping of weirdness thrown in. The creepy pianos and organs fit nicely scraped inbetween the breathey vocals and almost blastbeat breakdowns. Makes me wanna strike a sad pose and put on black lipstick....ALMOST. Bonus points for having Myra Powers of Slant 6 lay down some vocals on this as well.
Arab
on Radar This is a re-release of Arab on Radar's (AOR) first two full length records. 18 tracks in all. AOR are in some respects the penultimate band for those looking to listen to fractured "what the hell is going on here" songs. Queen Hygiene II is dare I say it more pop, and when I say pop I mean its more traditional song structured. Rough Day at the Orifice is peppered with more staccato tempos and brittle almost recorded sounding guitars. If you are a fan of AOR this is a great release to have ( if you don't already have it ). If your looking to expand your cd collection and have heard about AOR for years...this is a good sampler of what your in for.
Azure
Ray The latest time we heard from this two-piece from Georgia, on the November EP, the songs were slow acoustic-driven affairs with singing that was barely above a whisper. Ultra-cool stuff, but not as cool as the twelve tracks on their latest Hold On Love. Seemingly Azure Ray has found the genius of electronics - not the Miami-beach techno crap, but well-thought out additions to give the songs girth and breadth. Quite possibly, their tour with Moby helped this transformation or the consistent work with their other group Now It's Overhead, but regardless it's awesome. Moreover, it is not that they are suddenly the Faint. The sweet and sultry voices of Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor meet the listener smack-dab on the first track "The Devil's Feet." A slow building piano accompanied with vocals and building electronics sets up the rest of the album nicely. The next track "New Resolution" is more of an electro-dancey track that includes, at least, pseudo use of strings on the chorus. On other tracks, Azure Ray sound as if they are picking up the mantel of the late-Elliott Smith (e.g., "We Are Mice" and "Nothing Like a Song"). "Look to Me" sounds like an Irish folk-ballad and "Across the Ocean" and "Sea of Doubts" are inspiring piano numbers. For fun upbeatness check out "If You Fall," a classic number that makes you think of Fall at some college in an 80s movie (if that makes sense). Azure Ray close out the album with the exceptional "Hold On Love." Except for the odd "Dragonfly," all the tracks are very good and there is little drop off in composition. If Azure Ray's past material got them on tours with artists like Moby, I can't imagine how far Hold On Love will get them.
Ben
Davis The ever present enigma of Ben Davis knocks out his second solo album from the international headquarters of indie rock - Chapel Hill, NC. You all may be more familiar with his work with such bands as Milemarker, Sleepytime Trio and Bats & Mice. The short of a really long story is that I used to see Davis in the gym at UNC like everyday for several years before realizing who this non-buffed Anglo with some tats and dark clothes was. For this latest project, Davis recruited almost everyone who he has worked with in the past including the Lovitt Records' family and members of such bands as Denali, Engine Down, Milemarker and Rah Bras to name a few. On the cd-rom part of the cd he has a list of all the musicians and producers who so diligently lent their time and brilliance to this record. The record was recorded off-and-on for several months last year in Chapel Hill. Davis held the mic in all the songs while others aided him at times. Also he plays numerous instruments including guitar, bass, piano and rhodes in the production. The record kicks off on "Departure Warning" with some light piano before Davis comes in on vocals with full instrumentation. Instantly you hear how sweet and refreshing Davis' vocals are - reflecting as a modern day Beatles' sound with an Elliott Smith edge. Musically, the track is thickly layered with guitars and piano. The reason I go into such detail is that "Departure Warning" sets up the rest of the tracks quite succinctly. The next track "Time A Bind" is led on vocals by Aimee Argote (of Des Ark) and contains a hypnotic and consistent guitar riff. This is followed by probably the hottest song on the record "Old and Played" - which Davis uses as the background music for the cd-rom. "Old and Played" is a slow piano driven number featuring Davis' heavenly vocals. As on the first track, Davis has several vocal tracks laid out - mostly minutely off - to add thickness. "Blue-Hearted Sleeve," "Double Daring" and "Green Forestry Ranger" fall out in a similar manner. Tracks that come with a more rock edge include "Underdawg," "In Either Words" and "A Forced Escape Canoe." The latter is a hot poppy number complete with hand clapping and good times. On songs such as "Underdawg," Davis utilizes light distortion on vocals to give a sort of DC indie feel. While Aided & Abetted is not one's first choice for a driving album when you are tired, it is perfect for coming off a black metal high of Dimmu Borgir. As such, this is nice record to have playing when trying to get work done. Seemingly squeezing everything out from himself and others, Davis truly outdoes himself on these twelve tracks. If you are down on Lovitt Records bands and - not entirely mutually exclusively - the bands Davis and his cohorts have been working in then you will love this.
Between
the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me is all about contrasts. Contrasts, that is, in sound. Moving between grind-core metal and broken down emo sweet nothingness, sometimes you forget that you are listening to the same band. The latter and less frequent sonic musings may be partially due to their history with mellow crooner Will Goodyear of William. Be that as it may, this five-piece from Raleigh, NC are not going let you forget what their true calling is on the opening track "Lost Perfection" to their second full-length and first for Victory - which contains a building intro before the growling and screaming committed separately by two individuals. At the same time, "Lost Perfection" introduces you to a bit of their variance with heavy rock riff breakdowns and some hand clapping. Track one merges seamlessly into the second track, which makes sense since it supposed to be part two of the first track. "Camilla Rhodes" starts out more on the metal method with quick start and stops and flailing guitars. These opening tracks allow you to understand why they released their debut with German-label Lifeforce Records - a country, Germany, that loves black metal and pronounce Napalm Death as "Nippon Deeth." "Mordecai" comes back with another round of brutal beatings, extolling some of the benefits from Converge - yet midway through the song the stepchild comes in with the sweetness and sootheness. Though the merge isn't as hot as early Cave In, parts are quite attractive. To make you realize that they are legit with this, BTBM come next with the slow and hypnotic "Reaction" - utilizing synths and background samples. Yet this song serves as simply an intro to the acoustic "(Shevanel Take 2)." While you are scratching your head, BTBM kicks you in the nuts again with "Ad a Dglgmut," where there is an emphasis on growls and screaming with total distortion. Though in cool form during the seven-minute song they come back with the mellow to reinforce you weren't dreaming. To close out the record, BTBM throwdown hard on "Destructo Spin," "Aesthetic" and "The Need for Repetition." Between the Buried and Me have already played hardcore/metal fests around the country and made a name for themselves in the heavy music world. Let's see whether The Silent Circus can allow them to yield a larger hammer onto the music world.
Big
Collapse Visually this foursome from LA (part NYC transplants) look like a grizzled bunch. Scraggly and tough, they could be spawns from some type of tough guy throwdown hardcore (and as I found out bassist Gavin Van Vlack was in Burn). Yet, Big Collapse knock out ten tracks of testosterone-driven guitar rock on their first release for the Militia Group. At first I was a bit taken back by the music - sounding as though it could be the latest on a label like Windup (which does have some good stuff like BSF), another clone in a sea of clones. When I actually found out the band's story, the sound made perfect sense. Lead singer and guitarist Josh Loucka was the driving force in the post-hardcore NYC band Shift during the 90s. With that connection, it is clear where Big Collapse is coming from and much more comforting. Yet it is interesting to think about how they fit into the music world now. Meaning not many bands sounded like Shift back when, but a number have taken up similar gauntlets since then. And, thus, it is worrying that Big Collapse may be discredited as clones. Again, musically, Big Collapse take a very rock-orientated approach to song writing though clearly within the punk span. They are definitely driven by Loucka's vocals and thick double guitars by Loucka and Matt Kane, while Van Vlack and drummer Kyle Stevenson (previously of Flashpoint) provide the rhythm. All ten tracks are essentially the same length, creating great consistency though perhaps not enough divergence to singe the memory. Of note, the final section on each verse of "We All End Up Dead" sounds like part of a verse from Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." I swear to you on this and it would be great if it was done on purpose. Given their pedigree and their comfortable sound, I wouldn't be surprised if Big Collapse gets noticed soon by the mainstream rock audience.
Burnt
By The Sun OK
kids strap on your helmets its gonna get CRAZY! Beginning with
a quasi-political noisecape Burnt by the Sun offer up an album
that begs to be listened to. Burnt by the Sun was formed out of
the screamy maddess that Dave Whitte used to play in ( Discordance,
Axis, & ex Human ). This is their first full length release...and
your gonna want more. Riffs collide into one another while the
rhythm section practically lives in its own universe. Let talk
about song structure a minute. Burnt by the Sun doesn't seem happy
unless they are playing songs that are as difficult to play as
they are good to listen to. I was consistently impressed with
how often I found myself loving this album. Need a soundtrack
to riot to? Buy this album. Need an album to crank after a shit
day of work. This is it. Extra points for having not 1 but 3!
tracks named a symbol I can't even type!!
Cex Only a few months after totally blitzkrieging the music world with his fifth release Being Ridden (on Temporary Residence), Cex (Rjyan Kidwell) unleashes another gem for his new label Jade Tree. Now on his sixth release (that is six in four years for those counting), Kidwell finds himself at the forefront of indie rap - or something that is just hard to characterize. Essentially, Kidwell knocks out rhymes like a geeky white boy but with a great sense of song composition and construction and delves into elements of hip-hop, folk rock and indie rock. Part of Kidwell's prolificness is that he records all of the songs on his own with simple equipment and laptops. Part of his ingenuity in doubt spawns from his early relationship with electro-wizard Kid606 and his label Tigerbeat6. Unlike Being Ridden, Maryland Mansions has less variance between tracks and is much more consistent overall. At the same time, Kidwell seems to have given up on some high-flying comedy on this latest. This may be aided, in either respects, by Mansions only having nine tracks - and thus a borderline full-length. The record starts off on "Drive Off a Mountain" with plunging and disheveled beats and Kidwell providing multiple tracks, before moving to an acoustic guitar breakdown. This is followed with the interesting "Stop Eating" - with a chorus concerning keeping your insides clean and 80s beats. "Take Pills" shows off Kidwell's indie abilities with mellow acoustic strummings. "Kill Me" comes at you with a fast-paced catchy chorus, while "New Maps" provides ambient vocals after a noisy first half. The album closes on "The Strong Suit," one of the best, about entering the capitalist world - among other things. As a follow-up to the well and widely-received Being Ridden, Kidwell excels at besting himself on pure musicianship. As one of the most innovative musicians out there right now, you could do much worse than exposing yourself to the Cex collection.
Duvall In
1999, Josh Caterer, lead singer and guitarist, quit the Smoking
Popes. The Smoking
In.Spite.Of This is an EP/demo(of sorts) from an up and coming band from New Jersey. With the help of superstar producer Sal Villanueva (e.g., Thursday and Taking Back Sunday), this foursome knock out three songs of rock with an indie edge. In.Spite.Of's sound is like a melding of the first wave of alternative rock with a contemporary molesting. The first track "A Metaphor for the Innocent" runs along with pedal effect guitars and trading vocals between Joe Maranzani and Davin Alson. Amongst the three this is probably the catchiest track. The second track "Replaced by Rain" is similar in structure and content, while "Reflection" contains a groove rock flair that parallel's tracks by such bands as Incubus. Given this strong EP, you should be ready to hear a lot more from these boys from NJ.
Just
A Fire Just A Fire formed as a nice concept with members from Hoover, June of 44, Sweep the Leg Johnny and Abilene to write mild-mannered punk music with friends concerning current day political matters. Specifically, taking an anti-Bush administration standpoint, Just A Fire lay out nine tracks of dissent. Yet, musically, Light Up completely miss fires (pun intended). The music is straight forward, boring and generic and doesn't leave you with much to remember. Possibly more frustrating, the vocals from bassist Fred Erskine are purely grating and annoying. While it may be an acquired taste - like Ink & Dagger - I'm still waiting to be entranced. At the end of the day, I don't know if the members view this as simply a side project or what. If this is going to be their focus they need to do some serious rethinking about what they want to accomplish musically - not lyrically.
Kraftwerk As the first album from these German electro-rock pioneers in twelve years, one only hopes it is as exciting and ground-breaking as the early material. Amazingly enough, Kraftwerk are in roughly their thirty-third year of existence, causing many youngings to utter "they still exist." Moreover, it was twenty years ago that Kraftwerk released the single "Tour De France," and now, as somewhat in parallel of the Tour De France's centenary year, they release the unofficial soundtrack to the race. While none of the dozen tracks will redefine or necessarily surpass Kraftwerk's past catalog, the album as a whole is quite tight and solid. After a brief "Prologue," Kraftwerk come back to knock you over the head with the electro-pulsing three consecutive tracks of "Tour De France Etape." Since they are a continuation of the same song, you can barely tell the separation between them (so why are they separate?). But they set up the album sweetly and re-establish Kraftwerk with new material for the club scene. The first track to imprint your memory is the chorus on "Vitamin," which is then immediately followed by the great "Aero-Dynamik." "Vitamin" has a mellow tinny drum set followed longely by spoken vocals but containing the impressionable chorus. "Aero-Dynamik" has a bit more up-tempo techno feel and minimalist robot vocals. "Electro Kardiogramm" also excels on the album and has a haunting track but with a sticking beat. These three songs help to define the record and will likely propel Kraftwerk back to the top of the game. Kraftwerk knock out probably the hottest track to close out the record with a new version of their 1983 single "Tour De France." The elegance of the song is phenomenal and it truly allows you to take something substantial away from your listening experience. In terms of comeback albums, Kraftwerk have hit a homer, demonstrating that they are still a force to be reckoned with the electro-amalgam musical world.
The
Lazy Cowgirls The first piece of advice for this veteran rock group from the West Coast is don't put yourselves on the cover. Whatever you want to say about how they look, in a standard press-type photo it never looks good. I have visions of the all the cock-rock bands from the late-70s and 80s putting themselves on the cover in similar manners - oh, how scary. The Lazy Cowgirls originally formed in the early 80s and have released scores of records on labels such as Restless, Bomp and Sympathy of the Record Industry. They have also had a bunch of lineups as one may expect if you have been rocking for twenty years. The Cowgirls play very guitar driven bluesy rock with hints of country western at higher speeds. The plethora of guitar solos - which often are not just solos but constitute the main riffs - illustrate the Cowgirls immense musical talent. Yet, while they can rock out with the best bar band, they don't offer anything to really get excited about. They are one of those bands that would be great to have at bar that you happened to wonder in at somewhere like Austin, but I have trouble imagining conscious efforts of checking them out at straight-up clubs. For those familiar with Cowgirls' past offerings, this latest will not let you down but will not kick you in the nuts either.
Mastadon Wow. I really love this album. I love metal. Mastadon was born out of the band members' experiences in Today is the Day and Lethargy. This is a really brutal album. Mastadon craft songs that breathe while at the same time beat the living shit out of you. The drums sound completely unhinged at times and the riffs are like the bastard child of Pantera and Sabbath and Slayer. The vocals sound like a caged grizzly bear being poked...yeah its that good. We won't be as cliched as to say that Mastadon is the most fitting name EVER, so lets just say if your into something being as good as it gets pick this up.
The
Mavericks This is the first album for this country four-piece in the five years and the sixth overall. Although the Mavericks rock the mic as Nashville sweethearts, they also buck the country trend by laying down more mainstream rock affairs for their new label Sanctuary. All eleven tracks have crisp and tight production that is punctuated by thick orchestration. While several tracks your parents would rather get down others can capture a mainstream rock audience. The opening track "I Want to Know" finds frontman Raul Malo rocking out with repetitive lines. "Shine Your Light" sounds as if Jimmy Buffett gave it a kiss and "By the Time" is actually a sweet ballad. "Would You Believe" has a hypnotic riff that I couldn't imagine not being radio hit - even if the lyrics are hokey. Willie Nelson adds some vocal love to the Nashville-thick "Time Goes By." Though I wouldn't recommend this for my musical family, there is no way to deny that the Mavericks are exceptional musicians at what they do.
Mico Forming out of the band Red Fisher in 1998, this five-piece from Winnipeg, Canada carry on the flag of their beloved breathen Propagandhi and the Weakerthans. While they have a political grounding to their music and existence, it is not loudly overt and you will probably not notice on a first, second or even third listen. Yet song titles such as "Revolution of Human Awakening" and "Cheers for Subversion" and lyrics that are on the same path find Mico sweetly among the right crowd on the G7 label. "Mirage" starts off the record with an immediacy in vocals from John Stewart (not the John Stewart - but that would be awesome) before moving to some memorable guitars on the breakdown. This is followed by the aforementioned "Revolution of Human Awarkening" with a very poppy verse construction and chorus - this poppiness is one of the reasons why you may miss the exact nature of the songs. Mico slow things up on the title track and add some harmonics while guitars swirl and vocals break in periodically - certainly a spacey affair and one of the few where you find the three guitars put to real use. "Road Traveled By Everyone" is another rock track with a strong element of pop. This sort of back-and-forth between uptempo punk contrasted with mellow and harmonic affairs characterizes the record. A couple of other tracks of note include "The Other World is Possible" which seems to condense what Mico is about into a single track, the riff-rock-laden "Cheers for Subversion" probably contains the best chorus arrangement amongst the ten tracks and the spooky intro to and the great guitar work on the finale "Retransmission." Not that Mico are new to the scene, but with this record and a current tour with the amazing Weakerthans you can expect to hear a lot from these boys in the near future.
Nervous
Cop Since Greg Saunier didn't have enough on his table with the Curtains and the ultra-sweet Deerhoof, he teamed up with Zach Hill, the drummer from Hella, and Joanna Newsom, the harpist for the Please, to knock out ten tracks of avant-garde drumming mixed with cascading harps and electronics. At times the tracks sound as though Kid606 was at the helm of this nightmare. However, most of the tracks aren't hot enough to reach such a plateau. The nice way to couch this release is avant-garde genius musicianship, but others may characterize it as crap that you can't listen to. While it is probably fun for this threesome to knock around and increase the amount of recorded sound in the world, it really is not that enjoyable for the listener.
Saosin This is the debut EP for this five-piece from southern California. Given that they produced and recorded it themselves, you may suspect the five tracks to be suspect themselves. Yet the five tracks hum and smoke with an amazing tightness and skill. In short, Saosin play an amalgamation of punk, hardcore and indie rock - not unlike other bands today, but much better. The two guitars (from Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski) weave and layer each other while maintaining an undying love for harmonics - something that has been sorely missing since Snapcase's Progression Through Unlearning. The EP launches off with "Seven Years" and Anthony Green's sweet melodic vocals and a free-flowing intro. Yet, less than a minute into the song, Saosin start throwing down with screaming and riffling guitars with harmonics. To some extent, the structure of this section is like what early Cave In would have done if they were writing more punk numbers. This is a tremendous opening track that bates and then snags the listener. The next track "Translating the Name" contains a similar opening section but with a more standard structure and backing vocals. "3rd Measurement in C" slows in a linear manner until the very end when it excels. While "Lost Symphonies" could benefit from an extension of the seemingly aborted guitar fills, it fits in quality with the other tracks. The finale "They Perched On Their Stilts, Pointing and Daring Me to Break Custom" begins with grinding guitars that could be found on the latest Darkest Hour album before breaking down into mellow verse and back up with chugging chorus. As mentioned in the beginning this is a stunning EP from an open and coming band from the burgeoning southern California scene (read: not the simple SoCal punk scene). The only thing that could possibly stop this band from becoming huge is they cease from existing.
Selfmademan Selfmademan, the four-piece from Montreal, are true to their name given they self-released three EP's before one split on Dare to Care Records. Now The Daylight Robbery is their first full-length on the Canadian-label Smallman Records (yes, it is funny that Selfmademan is on Smallman - destiny?). For this release, Selfmademan unleash ten tracks of abrasive and yet harmonic punk that doesn't sound out of step with the likes of Avail. Part of the inevitable comparisons made to them is spawned out of the strong political and social contexts on the tracks. Though not as aggressive as some other Canadian political punk bands (most e.g., Propagandhi), Selfmademan do issue a plethora of messages. Though unlike many street punk bands that try political offings and sound like crap and lyrics that sound hokey, Selfmademan are very natural in their sound and nothing seems forced. This is hard to accomplish when you are actually tackling real issues, so it is nice to hear. Moreover, there is a remarkable amount of consistency between the songs. This is mostly a good thing. The only downside is that makes it hard to distinguish between the songs. Tracks of note include "Who Will Sing To This?," "Steel Toed Amputee," "Our Great Redistribution" and "Quid Pro Quo." Though it seems like Selfmademan are still trying to get their footing in being a full-time band, if they keep up the quality that is on The Daylight Robbery their hazing period should be real short.
The
Snake The Cross The Crown With one of the coolest names I've heard since hearing These Arms Are Snakes, I was interested to pop this one in and somewhat expected to hear screamo type sonics. But what you get from these Santa Barbara, CA residents (originally from Alabama and initially composed as the band Curbside Service) is heavenly indie rock. The five-piece utilizes well-orchestrated compositions complete with piano and synth entries - though mostly only in the background - to knock out six new tracks on this EP. Though there is only six tracks, the EP clocks in at thirty-minutes - the length of many punk albums - and gives you much bang for the buck without unnecessarily expanding song lengths. Most of the tracks are driven by the compelling and powerful vocals of bassist Carl Marshall, which is accompanied by tight backing vocals and musicianship. All of the six tracks are really sweet with very little variance in terms of quality. The only variance you do find is simply with construction and most obviously the level of backing vocals and prominence of the piano/synths. If the Snake...can bring this amount of consistency to a full-length release then you better look out. Likewise, and I don't know much about Waste of Time Records, I would expect a number of labels - from big indies to majors - to be searching out the Snake out for their full-length.
Stereo
Total This is another one of KRS' reissues of German Stereo Total's previous releases. Like Oh Ah, Monokini is chock full of an amalgam of lo-fi indie punk and electronica. The two-piece Stereo Total knocked this twenty-track (sixteen with four bonus) number out in 1997 - showing they were quite busy in their time. Unlike Oh Ah, this record is more consistent and has a sharper production value - specifically there is less variance in quality between tracks. Also, they confine themselves to German and French and no English tracks here. While the consistency is better, the hyper-hot tracks like "C'est La Mort" from Oh Ah are sorely missing and that's the devil in the details of getting a better overall effort. Several tracks start off with promising indie electronics but don't deliver on a dance party environment. This is the case on tracks like "Cosmonaute," "Und Wer Wird..." and "Schon Von Hinten" - and in some respects this brings them closer to Kraftwerk-esque product. But a track like "L'Appareil A Sous" is a rip-roaring good time. At the same time, Stereo Total rock out a lot more in a garage-rock style on tracks such as "LA, CA, USA" and "Aua." As with the reissue of Oh Ah, if you enjoyed last year's Musique Automatique then you will be down on this.
Stereo
Total When I first read that this was one of the reissues of the German band Stereo Total on KRS I was not expecting much. In fact, I was not expect much at all - since most of the "hip" rock I've ever heard out of continental Europe pretty much sucked. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised by Oh Ah (originally released in 1996) and the two-piece Stereo Total. This twenty-track release spans a number of rock genres and includes an exuberant amount of covers. As a service to the listener, they include a sentence about what the song is about, etc. in English in the liner. About half the songs are in French and the other are in German with a couple of English songs (those being covers) "Push It" (as in Salt n Pepper), "Get Down Tonight" and "Moviestar." But those are not the tracks that get you moving in seats from this lo-fi indie electro-punk extravangza. "C'est La Mort," "Comme Un Garcon," "Johnny" and "Souvenir Souvenir," rock your socks off. I guess that I'm more down on the French songs headed up by Francoise Cactus and her fun and sultry voice. "Comme Un Garcon" is a tripping indie-pop number while "C'est La Mort" rocks your house with electronic pop and gets ingrained in your memory. "Johnny," sung by the other half of ST Brezel Goring, is haunting with an element of Tom Waits lurking in the background. Other tracks worth checking out are "Auf Dem Blauen Meer" and "Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais" which features the notable Alex Chilton. If you were down on Stereo Total's Musique Automatique last year on KRS than you will love this back catalogue release.
Superjoint
Ritual "
I, 2,3,4 ! " Almost every song on this thing starts of like
that. I love it. Alas It looks like our beloved Pantera is no
more, and if Down was too slow or soft ( if that's possible )
and your looking for an really great musical beating pick this
up. Phil and Co. are pissed. The riffs are plentiful and Phil
is just screaming his fuckin' head off, its screechy and tough
as shit. Superjoint Ritual just wants to beat your ass. The songs
are all over the place equal parts metal, old school hardcore/punk
and Sabbathy dark riffs bent to perfection. These songs own. I
really love this album. Its what heavy music should be tough,
mean, scared and scary.
V/A This twenty-track release comes from the vaults of the premier ska producer King Django in his NJ studio Version City Studios. The original Version City Studios was located in the lovely vermin-friendly area of the East Village in Manhattan in the mid-90s. Conveniently, the ska scene was exploding at just the same time with the rise and subsequent fall of Moon Ska. Besides from being uber-producer, King Django rocks out in several groups including King Django's Roots & Culture (which has a track here), Crazy Baldhead Sound System and Jah Culture Sound System. Having produced tracks and records for groups like Rancid, Skinnerbox and the Slackers, these tracks come from less well-known groups - at least to the punk/ska community. The tracks hum between old school ska, reggae, bluebeat, rocksteady; and, thus, tons of cross-pollination. While the entire album is a competent affair, several tracks excel. These include Tile Renters "For Real," The Inducers "Never Heard," The Speakeasies "Top Ranking," Ronnie Davis & the Stubborn All-Stars "You're the One to Be Sorry," Steady Ras "All I Could Do" and Conscious Youth "Take It Back." On top of all this, it only costs four bones.
The
Wednesdays Hidden in the mist of the indie punk scene are the Wednesdays. This band from the good ole' South have a crap load of releases before this latest on Reservation Records, which makes it odder that I've never heard of them. Or have I? Somewhere in the back of memory I might have heard of them, but it is hard to keep track when you have the Sundays, Tuesday, Thursday.... The members of the Wednesdays have been/are in Quadrajets, the Pine Hill Haints and Natchez Shakers as well. The three-piece Wednesdays blast you with dirty bluesy punk that wouldn't be out of place rocking the stage with a band like Tora Tora Torrance. Sometimes the blues connection is clear as on "Sixteen Eighteen" and other times its pure punk as on the opener "Mystery." Given these ten high-speed tracks I could imagine a fun rocking time with these guys live. At the end of the day, this record fits nicely into the stripped-down garage punk sound that is permeating the airwaves.
Your
Black Star With a name and album art portraying some type of space rock, you become pleasantly surprised when you open up and take a listen to this latest from Louisville, KY-based Your Black Star. The essence of YBS is like Radiohead kicking emo right in the ass. With guitar effects a swirl and Jeremy Johnson's sweet vocals leading the charge, the nine songs on this record flat-out rock. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. Most of the nine tracks come at you at slow-tempo, but that is the beauty to them. They build piece-by-piece and bring you in slow and then totally. It is like how you can't just jump into a serious drama, but have to experience it from the beginning to fully understand and enjoy what's going on. As such, if I played a bit of a song from Grateful Nation, you may not be enamored by it. But if I gave you the album and told you to listen to it through headphones while relaxing in a lazy boy, you would quickly become a fan. Hence, mellowing music with strong currents of directed rock for coming off a Cradle of Filth high. While I'm may not be down to stand through a live show of such mild-mannered songs (though they are touring with Elliott), the recorded element of YBS is heavenly.
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