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November Reviews Artist of the Month: Hot
Water Music After messing around with a couple of recent mediocre releases, No Division (2000) and A Flight and a Crash (2001), Hot Water Music's latest endeavor Caution reestablishes them as one of the greatest bands in the indie world. HWM may have been unduly influenced by the Alkaline Trio on their amazing split from last year on Jade Tree. Either way this sixth solo full-length will make old fans simmer with glee and convert new listeners to HWM's prowess. Using producer Brian McTernan (who also did A Flight and a Crash), HWM go back to the elements of their earlier material to rediscover their signature sound. As such all twelve songs on Caution as exceptional numbers in there own right. Hence, Caution is a sweet contrast to some of the genericism HWM were starting to slip into. Kicking off the record is "Remedy," a fast-paced number mixing dueling guitar solos, muting and solo bass and drums parts. "Remedy" sets the tone of the rest of the record. Without missing a beat "Trusty Chords" picks up the same intensity that "Remedy" left off. (Just listening now to the songs makes you smile real big, like a kid with a huge score of Halloween candy). Most telling about "Trusty Chords" is the first line of the chorus 'I hate this place, I love these chords.' Other tracks take on a more developed post-modern rock feel, even similar to U2 at times. This is seen most starkly on "One Step to Slip" and "It's All Related." Probably one of the best songs on Caution is "Not For Anyone." It has a feel to it like past great HWM songs. I'm talking about songs like "Minno" and "Alachua." While it is easily to argue nothing could achieve such divine intervention, "Not For Anyone" takes a decent shot at it. But the title for best song must battle with the exceptional "Wayfarer," a song, thanks to the chorus, that is destined to be screamed by the fan milieu at any good HWM show. Also, look out for the sneaker hit "The Sense." Again, Caution brings Hot Water Music back to the top of the indie-music pecking order. The boys really come through on this record and it should bring them a long way to some real recognition. Since Hot Water Music's debut full-length Finding the Rhythms you could make the argument that they are one of the most under-rated bands in America. Hopefully this won't be the case on Caution.
Beth
Orton The newest superstar rocks the musical spectrum on Daybreaker. Lauded by everyone from Moses to Ryan Adams, Beth Orton demonstrates here that she is a force to be reckoned in the near future. This is Orton's third full-length, the first two, both critical acclaimed, Trailer Park (1996) and Central Reservation (1999). This British subject took the musical world by storm on her first two albums and she looks to slay all naysayers on Daybreaker. Orton grabs the acoustic guitar and provides the vocals, while being supported by a full array of musicians (providing everything from the basics to strings and electronics). Taking a page or two from Sarah McClaughlin and Bjork, yet writing her own legend, Orton's songs are uniquely characterized by her warm yet aggressive vocals and vocal range. Besides a wide and exceptional array of musicians, Orton also recruits the Chemical Brothers, who she has a long history with, to engage in some producing.
Gabin This is the debut album for Italian super duo DJ Filippo Clary and jazz bassist Max Bottini. As such, Clary and Bottini take a starkly European take on music and what constitutes good music. Started as a collision of variously appealing sounds and noises, the two brought them together to make this twelve-song 70-minute album. Each song takes on a life of its own and many tend to be uniquely haunting. Starting the album off is light piano building to an accordion sound on "La Maison." This song would definitely be characterized as haunting. I am not sure whether I would put the tune into a horror movie or an abstract art-house film. Either way, after you listen to it you will be hooked. To fill out the album, Gabin recruit other musicians to provide original vocals and unique instruments. For instance, gypsy (!) vocalist Joseph Fargier adds vocals to what is probably the most mainstream pop song on the album on "Une Historie d'Amoure." As the third track, Gabin do a miraculous remixing job of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." In fact, the song has done exceptionally well on the Italian music charts and, if I didn't know better, I would think I've heard this remix previously somewhere. Finally, Ana Carril Obiols (from Mano Negra) lends her delightfully sensual vocals to the James Bond-molded "Delire et Passion," "Mille et Une Nuit des Desires" and "Azul Anil." Gabin have produced an album where there is something for everyone with the songs moving between jazz, coffee house rock, House, electronic and everything inbetween.
Liar's
Academy This four-song EP is Liar's Academy (from Baltimore) second release on Equal Vision Records; the first being the full-length No News Is Good News. This four piece consists of ex-members of Cross My Heart and a current member of Richmond, VA punk legends Strike Anywhere. Though Equal Vision was the home of Saves the Day, they are typically noted for heavy hardcore (e.g., Another Victim, Converge,…). This observation makes it more unthinkable that a band like Liar's Academy would be on this label. Yet acknowledging this anomaly, Liar's Academy blast through four songs that would make the Foo Fighters jealous. The songs beam with moderate tempo harmonies and memory-lasting guitar hooks. A quick comparison would be to a band like Urge Overkill, but Liar's Academy go noticeably further in indie-rock complexities and foundations. The standout gem on the CD is "Chainsmoke the Night Away," an exceptional number that should get excellent airplay. Liar's Academy have a full-length coming out in early 2003, and thus this EP serves, more or less, as a taste of the future. This is maybe one of the few albums on the self you can let your whole family listen to. Look for Lair's Academy to be on the road supporting this EP and their upcoming full-length.
The
Lyndsay Diaries This is the story of the accidental musician: 'One day on my way to class I became a rock sensation.' The Lyndsay Diaries is one Scott Windsor of St. Louis. Windsor fell into playing full time when friends and others convinced him that his music rocked and was truly exceptional. As with the wave of solo indie rock musicians (e.g., Onelinedrawing and Dashboard Confessional), Windsor plays acoustic guitars accompanied by slide guitar, harmonica, cello, drums, etc. Helping him with some of these instruments on this release is Sean O'Donnell. The Tops of the Trees are on Fire is the second album Windsor has released and he has molded his craft and bent the listener around soft vocals. At times, you could make the comparison to an acoustic Mineral with a bit more edge and less snowflakes. Although, one should note this is not 'go kill yourself' or 'I suffer from a lack of testosterone' music. Some of the standout tracks include the title track, "Mixtapes and Memories," "Paper Airplane Dream," and "Des Peres." At the end of the day, this is a very cool album that you should definitely get. And if nothing else, the artwork and design is enough for you to drool over on your shelf.
One
Man Army This is the third full-length, and first on BYO, for this trio of San Francisco punk rockers. Making strides in the punk rock haven of the Bay Area for the past seven years, One Man Army seeks to expand their influence across the spectrum. They are helped in this endeavor by the recent inclusion of Chip Hanna (from the memorable U.S. Bombs) on drums and having the exceptional Kevin Army (Mr. T Experience and basically all Lookout! Releases) produce the record. While OMA's foundation is dirty old-school punk, they speed up the tempo and add a number of quick and melodious guitar riffs, reminiscent of Fat Wreck-type bands. At times, they steal a few pages out of the Clash's songbook without committing adultery with genericism. Highly characteristic of OMA is the use of group chant choruses that add a well-endowed fullness to the songs. In addition, this approach must make live shows quite fun. While the opening track "Victoria" draws the listener in, it is not until "All Night Long" that the album takes on a life of its own. It seems as though Rumors and Headlines progressively gets better from track one to track twelve. By far the standout track on the record is "Have Nots & Heartbreak" (though the 't' is missing on the back cover sleeve). Launched with feedback and Bouncing Souls-esque distorted muting, the song builds to the undeniably amazing chorus. The music and vocal cadence essentially takes everything of quality ever done in punk rock, mixes it together and spits out this quintessential track. Other standout numbers include "Next Generation," "We Are" and "Rotting In the Doldrums." With this release, One Man Army is sure to surprise a lot of people.
River
City Rebels This six-member band from Vermont have traded in their poppy harmonies for a considerably more aggressive and hard-nosed punk sound on No Good, No Time, No Pride. No Good, No Time, No Pride has taken a few pages out of the Boston punk scene (e.g., Dropkick Murphys), mixed it with the Clash and sprinkled with some horns on top. All the songs have the horn bridges and sing-a-longs that have characterized their previous work. As a special feature, the CD also includes a special documentary of their tour from April of 2002. As their third release in as many years on Victory, the River City Rebels diverge here from the hit-laden Playing to Live, Living to Play. This may have come due to non-stop touring with bands spanning the punk spectrum. Hence, this is good and bad. On their previous releases, RCR sounded innocent and out to prove they could have fun. No Good…, in contrast, sounds as though they have been around the block a few times. I tend to think innocence on a record comes across well and draws in the listener. Also, I hope the RCR don't fall into generic punk writing and pointlessly crass lyrics. For example, some of the best music on the record is on "Aborted," but the lyrics are mildly dumb and boring, decreasing the song's attractiveness. There are so many bad punk bands in the world and RCR have worked hard to distinguish themselves as not one of them. Hopefully, this RCR will have stronger learning curve in the future.
Simian As Simian's second full-length, We Are Your Friends stakes a claim in the stripped-down 60s acoustic funk rock-pop and psychedelic rhythms spectrum. Simian are a four-piece from Manchester, England. Through various connections in college they build the band up to its current composition. Believing in combining unique sounds and rhythms, Simian have produced a serious record with a lot of fun in between the lines. Though English, the band would probably fit well squatting into the NYC indie rock-pop scene. At essence, Simian plays basic four-piece rock but add numerous DJ tricks and sequences and pops. As such, each song is unique and glamorous in its own dimension. The album kicks off with "La Breeze," with the chorus of 'here it comes' introducing the album to the listener. This chorus could be in reference to their inevitable popular explosion. A nice touch on most of the songs (e.g., "Never Be Along") is high-pitched Beach Boys-esque backing of background backing vocals. Even though there is variance between the songs, I would be hard-pressed to highlight a few standouts. And such, the album needs to be taken as a whole to be sufficiently appreciated. There is no doubt Simian will make strides with We Are Your Friends.
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