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September Reviews Artist of the Month: Halfwayhome There is no way that Halfwayhome are supposed to be this awesome. Where did they come from? What is this label that they are on? Why had we never heard of them before? Seriously, we were absolutely blown away by this record. Dribbling and glistening with gorgeousness, this is a must have for, well, anyone. Halfwayhome formed in Orange County, CA a couple of years ago and quickly became a local hot number. After releasing their debut record Let’s Start This on OC’s Criterion Records, the band sneaked onto the 2003 Warped Tour for a bit and scored other tours with Story of the Year and Thursday. In fact, Halfwayhome are good friends of Story of the Year and in part have similar sounds. However, Halfwayhome are way more diverse and are willing to attach fuller arrangements and sounds to their songs; and that significantly adds to their brilliance. Now, why haven’t heard of this Brooklyn-based label? The most likely reason is that this is their first release. I honestly can’t think of a label whose first record rocked this hard. There are labels where the first release made music history as being the first, etc., but nothing ever this good. A Brand New Subdivision begins on “For Tomorrow We Die” with a couple seconds of piano before guitars and full band come in full. Yet, it is not until vocals come in and the guitars go to quick mutings when you swear to shit this is heavenly. Though not sounding like them, Halfwayhome are instantly able to adore the listener with the chills that early Hot Water Music was able to instill. Clearly, “For Tomorrow We Die” is a standout track and should be pushed as a ‘single.’ “Four Months Until the Swarm” follows in a more traditional line, but elicits significant catchiness. Entering with some electronic ambience, “Contract with a Ghost” begins as a diversion before the rest of the band catches up. “Architect of My Demise” tries to push itself ahead by great guitar work, but can’t muster full devotion until the catchy chorus. “Ascension to Clarity” is only ho-hum, but “A Pilot and A Bleeding Heart” catches the listener back up to speed with quick guitars and tight harmonies. Playing on classic emo-core constructions “Open the Sky” is likely to get heads nodding along, but it is the breakdown that helps push the song over the edge. I really wish that bands would stop doing the dirty introduction to songs with no production, before getting into the real song. Halfwayhome does this on “The Truth Can Be A Brutal Business” and it takes away from the song, even if they offer some Coheed piano later on. “On the Passing of Fairy Tale Heroes” finds Halfwayhome illustrating their sound with muting, vocal harmonizing as emphasis and sugary breakdowns. Besides from the intermittent metal-core guitars, “Ignited Eyes and Cyanide” is a bit lazy. Yet, Halfwayhome finish on a strong note with the dazzling “And the Moment Passes By.” “And the Moment Passes By” is probably the catchiest and certainly echoes Taking Back Sunday and even Blankface. But you can’t deny that it is just splendid. This should be the second ‘single.’ Now that we all know a bit more about these boys from Orange County, they should quickly rise to day-dreaming proportions. If they don’t, then it is crime. If people had a notion of how good Halfwayhome was, their record would be flying off the shelves. Hopefully, this review can help a bit. Rock on.
A Small Victory Coming off their successful EP The Pieces We Keep on Lobster last year, Georgia-based A Small Victory seek to wreak havoc on the rock world with their debut full-length. The five-piece A Small Victory seems to be trying to follow a similar trajectory as now-former labelmates Yellowcard – though, perhaps, with the reverse direction in sound. Their six-song EP followed more common notions of emo-punk and had little to distinguish it from the masses of other bands. Yet, both in look and sound, present-day A Small Victory have dirtied things up a bit and seek to rock harder. Moreover, A Small Victory seems extraordinarily adept at constructing catchy choruses even the heart of rather dull songs. The record starts with “Limousines and Cheap Cigars” with guitars blasting and then lead singer Reppard Mark Walker quietly coming and the guitars resorting to muting. While you can still feel their former selves lurking in the background, you can’t deny that the guitars are always searching for the middle ground between punk and garage – which, subsequently, allows them to define their own hum. After the assimilating “Hell-Bent On Heaven’s Smile,” check out the heavy riff-driven “Blindman’s Holiday.” Save for a few hokey lines here and there, “Blindman’s Holiday” is certainly a highlight on the record. This designation is also enhanced the quasi-prog (a la Darkness) guitar chords that help close out the song. The chorus on the following track “Otis” is solid, while “Stabbing Tree” tries to slur things with echoes of blues. “Sirens over Sinclaire” moves by unspectacularly, while only the guitars save “Amy Never Misses” from total bombing. In a common pattern, the chorus on “Random Collection” puts the song over the edge. Save yourself serious agony and skip the acoustic “Farewell Capeside.” “James Dean B-Side” closes out the record with, again, a stronger chorus laced on otherwise uninspiring verses. A Small Victory spent all of the summer of 2004 working the crowds on the Warped Tour. Although they probably would have preferred to have this disc out earlier, I’m sure they’ve generated enough interest for this record to do well. This may even be even more true if they are able to get picked up on a tour with a band like Yellowcard.
Action Action I never thought I would ever see a pink album released by Victory; and never by a new wave band. Yet, today’s Victory is different from old Victory and, after several missteps in releases several years ago, they have become exceptionally good at expanding their roster. Action Action, from Long Island, is comprised of members from the Reunion Show and Count the Stars and seek to bring back the new wave genre in a more pure form than bands like the Faint. At the head of Action Action is Mark Thomas Kluepfel, who initially wrote these songs for the Reunion Show. Because they were so different, Kluepfel decided a better move would be to just start a new group. Recorded at various studios around New York, the thirteen songs on this debut mix between the stunning and the depressing, between the exceptional and the marginal. Part of the odd amalgam comes from an apparent identity crisis for the band. So, the record starts on “The Year’s Fashion” and “Drug Like” with such an ode to classic new wave and bows to bands like New Order that you are instantly transported back in time. Some may poo poo how close Action Action sound to the originals, but you can’t deny that these songs are hot and will get you moving. For instance, the chorus on “Drug Like” will get you spinning and spinning like you wouldn’t believe. “Photograph” is more guitar-rock driven and still has elements on hotness, though you can criticize them for hokieness. “Basic Tiny Fragments” has a slow, epic feel not unlike “Forever Young” and you start reliving your prom. But then Action Action comes at you with “Bleed,” which is just a terrible dribble of excessive rock. After trying unsuccessfully to bring you back into the fold with the pop rock “Instructions on Building A Model Airplane,” Action Action return to strong electronics-worshipping on the slow “A Simple Question.” Skip past the next two songs to “Broken” where you are met with catchy synths and a great group chorus. I prefer to stick my self with hot pokers than listen to the acoustic “Four Piece Jigsaw Puzzle.” Action Action offer up a faster version of the opener on “Don’t Cut You Fabric,” before closing the dazzling “The Short Weekend Begins With A Longing.” Clearly, the amount of talent sporadically displayed on this debut illustrates that Action Action can produce spectacular music. If they move more towards the electronic, new wave sound and away from their lives in the Reunion Show and Count the Stars, they will become a hyper-blistering group.
Anadivine I’ve heard a lot about this Kingston, NY four-piece due their EP, but had never actually heard a song. When the record arrived from Militia, I was pleasantly reassured that Anadivine live up to their hype. Riding with similar-minded bands like Midtown and Matchbook Romance, Anadivine has succinctly captured the flavor of sounds in contemporary indie punk music and made it their own on Zoo. So, at several turns Anadivine sound like one group or another, but then actually not like any at the same time. This, coupled with their pleasing composition and sugary lead vocals from Sean-Paul Pillsworth, make the record all the better. Produced by Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner, who correctly impregnated Coheed’s last record, and the mixed by the master Ed Rose, the ten tracks on Zoo are all blessed. Seriously, with these guys producing and mixing and Anadivine’s own talents, the quality of this record sounds like a major label release with a several million dollar budget. The dual guitars of Mike Saracino and Bill Manley are perfect and the drumming of Justin Meyer never deviates or resonates vibrations. The record begins on “Adding Insult to Industry” with Anadivine going with one of their more punk songs. This is followed by the odd-section-timing and stranger-lined “Dangerous Mixed With” that is held together with guitar work and melodic vocals. “The Timid Gentleman” is a ballad, while “Alcohol and Oxygen” moves between the slow and aggressive and whose chorus nominates it as a possible single. The U2-influenced guitars hold together “Yes Sir, Mr. Machine” and another well-thought out catchy line on “Love, Lust, and Fake Integrity” keeps the song fresh in your memory. Following the ho-hum “Capitol Arrangement,” Anadivine comes back with a quasi-metal riff segmented with catchiness on “This Accident Worked Too Well.” “This Accident Worked Too Well” certainly is one of the standout tracks. The record closes on “Fountain Imperfection” and “Duet From the Dead.” The former is a bit dry, while the latter does its best to finish spectacularly with guest vocals from Heather Kluepfel. Given the quality of this debut full-length from Anadivine, it quite likely this will be the best selling record in Militia Group history.
Athletic Automaton/Made In Mexico When the Chinese Stars record came out a couple of months ago, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed a band with members of one of my most hated bands – Arab on Radar. This split CD between Jeff Schneider’s Made in Mexico and Stephen Mattos’ Athletic Automaton reaffirms why I despised AOR so much. Athletic Automaton offers two songs of rhythmic noise with J.Ryan of Six Finger Satellite offering services. While Made In Mexico is noticeably more talented on their tracks, I still want to cut my eyelids off when listening to them. There should be some law that only allows noise bands to exist that offer something beyond what most people can do in an afternoon in their bedroom. I wish this was a better experience for everyone, but unfortunately not.
Badly Drawn Boy Perhaps persuaded by a desire to relive past memories of Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough), I wasn’t initially particularly taken with this latest. Perhaps it was a hiccup with the British songwriters that I felt like strangling for a time. Whatever the reason, I have only recently come around to fully enjoying the love from Gough on this sixteen track eclectic epic. As one of my friends said, you can’t deny that Gough’s voice is amazing and compelling even if at times the songs don’t live up to what you expect. Call me critically uncultured if I loved to death his About A Boy soundtrack, but shit if that doesn’t make that movie jump. Recorded in England, as opposed to the LA recording of Have You Fed the Fish?, Gough goes for easier and more organic expressions of the singer-songwriter, though deviating from the obvious acoustic guitar and voice. At the same time, the record is eccentric but not to the point of annoyingly so. What sells you is that the good songs are really good, with bumps from time to time. The record starts on, conveniently, the title track with Gough rocking slowly on acoustic guitar before a full band comes in roughly half-way through. “Easy Love” is a weak ballad that merely sets up the excellent “Summertime in Wintertime.” “Summertime in Wintertime” is rock-driven with an appropriate use of wind and cow bell. “This Is That New Song” is distinctive for the heavy use of strings, while “Another Devil Dies” begins with dark piano before suddenly picking up with Gough’s vocals. When Gough gets moving on “Another Devil Dies,” he is able to pull great imagery and a similar feeling that Conor Oberst achieves. Skipping past “The Blossoms,” “Year of the Rat” is another highlight on the record. Gough utilizes a choir of kids to punctuate the chorus, providing an uplifting movement and what may be termed as epic. “Four Leaf Clover” hints a bit more “at the bar” song that truly gathers when the piano comes in. “Fewer Words” is a brief moment and it takes thirty seconds for “Logic of a Friend” to slip into gear. The dance of the piano with the drums is perfect, replicating the About a Boy feeling and showing common connections with the Saddle Creek crowd. Low points are hit on the next three tracks – “Stockport,” “Life Turned Upside Down” and “Take the Glory.” The original record closes on the eight minute “Holy Grail” that is another feature on the record and clearly can be deemed an elegant song. That designation is certainly enhanced by Gough reuse of the children’s choir to push emphasis on verses. The American version of One Plus One Is One contains two bonus tracks, “Don’t Ask Me I’m Only the President” and “Plan B.” The former is a short acoustic number, while the latter begins with this great 60s pop feel that will get you moving before Gough takes you along through a voyage of sounds. Though it is nice to get more music than less, in terms of considering an entire album listening experience, it is much better to end on “Holy Grail.” Again, I can see people not giving this record a full chance and easily and quickly writing it off. But give it a bit of time to evolve and grow on you.
Call Me Lightning Although Call Me Lightning has some of the coolest, storybook artwork for this release, the music inside doesn’t entirely deliver on the outside imaginary. As a steep departure from Revelation’s roster, Call Me Lightning travels in the underground stripped-down rock fashion that is highlighted by bands coming out of Brooklyn. Though I applaud Revelation for changing up their sound a bit, I just hope that it was done with the right intentions and not for non-honorable reasons. Actually, I suppose that Christiansen’s latest record on Rev was fairly different from the norm and along these lines. Call Me Lightning starts off with the phenomenal “We Be Dragons” that echoes the Constantines with a bit more flair. After this opener I was set to be drawn in. Yet, the three-piece follow it up with the less than fantastic “Ghosts in the Mirror.” Though “Ghosts in the Mirror” contains a cool Mr. Bungle-feel, in other respects it is quite annoying. Unfortunately, the rest of the record falls out like the latter than the former. I tried to listen to the record while doing work and had to pause it when I had to really concentrate because I wanted to strangle them. The guitar work across the ten songs is hot (e.g., “Pizza Party”), but the combo of all instruments and Nathan Lilley’s vocals can be a turn off. Actually, Lilley’s vocals are probably what put me over the edge in terms of non-attraction. Though he is honest and earnest, he also overdoes it at times (e.g., “Asses to Ashes”). I wouldn’t be surprised if Call Me Lightning do well off of this record and this is probably more likely because they travel in hip circles with bands like the Paper Chase. In addition, I could find myself gaining a whole new appreciation for the band after a live experience.
Constantines This is a reissue of the phenomenal Constantines’ first record that was originally released in 2001 on Canada’s Three Gut Records. The Toronto-based four-piece first stunned the international music world with last year’s Shine A Light, a record that smoked and singed your indie rocking eyebrows right off. It is clear on this thirteen track debut why the increasingly awesome Sub Pop signed these guys. While most of the American music press slept on this record when it was released, it was thoroughly embraced by Canadian college radio and got them nominated for a Juno Award for best alternative album. For those who have missed on Constantines, the band excels in a traditional rock-based indie moments with their defining sound coming from vocals that echo a possessed Bruce Springsteen. Most tracks move at a moderate pace with bluesy elements floating in from time to time and with vocal stresses coming in the choruses. Some highlights from this record include “Arizona,” “The Long Distance Four,” “No Ecstasy,” “Steal This Sound” and “Little Instruments.” Even after the Constantines’ great Shine A Light, we haven’t heard much about them; and that is embarrassing for all that is right and good in the world. Hopefully with the added push for this re-issue, the Constantines will get their due notice.
Cory Ryan Cory Ryan looks like he should be hosting a Nickelodeon show or doing something with Disney. Maybe it is just his radiant, oddly Irish, face on the back cover against a white background. Either way, this is Ryan’s debut record and is complemented by a backing band composed of Daniel Yusi, Steve King, Jerry Navarro, Marshall Richardson, Josh Wolter and Matt Heinecke. Ryan’s story is common; coming from Cleveland, he went to Belmont University and worked within the music industry and now is trying to do his own thing. And naturally, I was suspicious of this entire affair. Yet, on the opening track “Far From Good,” I was swayed to acknowledge that Ryan is able to produce some rock catchiness. Could this be a swift departure from what I expected? Well, no, because the rest of the record falls apart into standard mainstream singer-songwriter blasé offerings. For whatever reason, Ryan includes lyrics only to “Too Far Gone” (twice) and for “Lauren,” though no other songs. Could these songs be the stars of Blank State? No, as Ryan uses very weak rhymes with “Lauren” and over-the-top country rock electric guitars on “Too Far Gone.” Ryan seems to be another case where his talents are probably best behind the board than in front of it.
Endicott As the debut release for this Albany, NY five-piece, Endicott works to find their own niche in the hardcore/rock feel world. After releasing two EPs on their own and doing some tours, they got picked up by nearby EVR – a classic signing story for the label. Though Endicott aren’t necessarily so different from other cadres of bands, what is different is that they mix swanky stripped down rocked with hardcore in such a way not to really sound like any other band. For instance, most recent bands who attempt this merge fall into the unforgiving screamo characterization and often find themselves second-string to the leaders. Though Endicott may lazily be characterized as such, that would be a disservice to the band. On The Word…Endicott have written a bit of story into their songs as the tracks revolve around three different perspectives of a kidnapping – the victim, the abductor and the victim’s family. Though this may be the influence of such story-board artists as Coheed, it is much cooler than songs about random shit. And generally, people care less about what the songs are about than if they sound good. Whether that is good or not is debatable. Though the twelve tracks have this underlying story, a casual listener isn’t likely to pick on up it; which is nice that it’s not jammed down your thought. One of the drawbacks on the record is that it is somewhat difficult to differentiate the songs from one another. Not that they are all the same, but you’d think with this underlying story current you would have some substantial variation. If Endicott is able to continue to craft their sound in their own way, they are likely to distinguish themselves for some time and not fall victim to “another band” syndrome.
Escape Grace Coming out of the consistently fertile music landscape of Gainesville, Fl, this EP is Escape Grace’s first release. Released, somewhat oddly, on City of Hell out of Providence, the four-piece of Escape Grace merge the lines between punk and metalcore in the vein of a light FM Botch. On these five tracks, the band is fairly successful at sounding unique while at the same time sounding familiar. Meaning, there are obvious comparison points and influences, but Escape Grace is able to make them their own. While songs like “In Rides the White Knight” are more classic balls-out hardcore, the other four emphasize the metal in the core. Highlights come from the opening track “Day of the Triffids” and the more grinding “Your Yellow Hammer.” One of the upsides of Escape Grace is that, though they are rough around the edges, you can easily see them becoming a very polished act – particularly if given a grand studio – in the near future.
Fairfax Coming out of the thick indie rock tradition of Texas – well, at least, around Austin – is the young four-piece Fairfax. Like Chapel Hill, Austin seems flush with excellent undiscovered indie bands that are always simmering underneath the consciousness. Composed of Dave Kiesel on vocals/guitar, bassist Sam Painter, drummer Brandon Johnson and Josh Cochran on guitar, Fairfax offer up ten tracks of raw but smoothed-over love. Only playing out for six months, Fairfax are a fairly polished affair. Light These Dreams starts out on “A Night Like This” with slow distorted drums before the crux of their sound comes in. That is, mild distorted guitars with margins of muting couple with minimal lead rhythmic solos to echo parts. Kiesel vocals are solid and earnest, though not rangy and tight, which may actually be better for their sound. Their bio notes how their songwriting is influenced by Hopeless Records’ bands, and I would assume specifically Digger, and this is clear on the opening. Though a closer comparison comes from taking a punk Digger and ironing it out with indie rock and the Cars. “Fallback Plans” follows with a less striking composition and “Don’t Count Me Out” is slightly more appealing. “The Day We Lit the Fuse” adds a bit of histrionics, while “Oxygen” comes into to flat-out rock you. “Oxygen” is a slow starter, but picks up and proceeds to take the song of the album award. “Hail of Shrapnel” mimics contemporary super pop-punk too much, but “Counting Down to Midnight” slides the tempo back with their standard solo guitar picking lead. “Undertow” has some good foot tapping moments and “Spent Shells and Shallow Graves” treads on familiar ground from the previous songs. Fairfax winds things down with the finale “Losing Control.” “Losing Control” again features a light picking single guitar that parallels Dashboard, before they include some nice changes with piano and strings. If Fairfax are able to keep it together, I expect them to do some sweet damage this next year.
Good For Cows As their third release, the duo of Good For Cows, Devin Hoff and Ches Smith, smack together ten tracks of percussion and strings and then stand back to see what happens. Coming from the world of the visceral instrumental music community in northern California spearheaded by groups such as Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, Good For Cows follows those lines yet more to the esoteric. Hoff and Smith also lay/laid down instruments for Nels Cline Singers, Trevor Dunn’s Trio Convulsant and Mr. Bungle. Their combination of thick orchestration with strings and percussion is exceedingly more listenable on Bebob Fantasy than many of the side projects that float around in the subgenre. While on a number of tracks you still want to kill someone, you partially get excited by dancing strings on songs like “Fuma (w/PG),” “Le Tigre” and “Walkie Talkie.” It is an easy call to say that this is probably Asian Man’s oddest release to date – though makes sense with Miya’s hand in Xiu Xiu.
The Good Life You know that character in A Mighty Wind who keeps saying “hey, what happen’;” yeah, that guy, the one that was the announcer for Best in Show. Well, I say “what the fuck happened here muthafucka?” How could it be that one of my favorite bands on one of my favorite labels could unload such a pile and have the audacity to call it Album of the Year? The Good Life, fronted by Cursive’s Tim Kasher and joined by three other master musicians (Stefanie Drootin, Ryan Fox and Roger Lewis), unleash twelve tracks for the unwary listener. Given their amazing recent EP, Lovers Need Lawyers, you would think the Good Life would follow some marginal resemblance to those songs; all of which absolutely smoke. Yet, they trade in that magic for songs that crest on five minutes of moody dark poppy rock that could be Mazzy Starr reincarnate (e.g., “Under a Honeymoon”). Sure, some songs are dazzling and solid (e.g., “Notes in His Pockets” and the Belle and Sebastian-feeling nine-minute epic “Inmates”) and some songs have compelling parts (e.g., “Album of the Year”), but otherwise it is a waste of an hour. It seems like a move to a singer-songwriter core, but they forgot the songwriting part. Maybe it is expectations of what was not matching with what is, but I have a pain in my heart. I mean, I get very little time to spin records that I like multiple times because of doing all these reviews, but the Lovers Need Lawyers EP was one I played over and over. They put the track “Lovers Need Lawyers” from the EP on this record and it stands out both as a change in sound and a change in quality. I haven’t been this disappointed since the new Frenetics’ album came out. Oh, pray tell, let this be an illusion of wayward minds and not a forecast of what is to come.
Grant Olney As a very large deviation from the standard Asian release, Austin, Texas-based Grant Olney unleashes ten tracks of singer-songwriter bliss on his debut record. Olney utilizes a gang of six musicians to fill in the bits and pieces his songs require. At first blush on “What A Sad & Beautiful World” you try to figure out how Olney didn’t get hooked up with the folks at Saddle Creek. His simple, meandering sound coupled with his light vocals that sometimes don’t even reach the level of audible, echoes other artists such as Son, Ambulance. One negative is that Olney employs a trumpet to begin the opening track that sounds more like a whining sax that could be from a bad movie. If he dropped that badness, which is only at the beginning, the song would truly be lovely. The trumpet is used wisely on other songs like “Good Morning Lolly,” but then is brutalized on some like the title track and “Lover’s Weep.” I guess that I’m just not down on long, extended notes held by the trumpet. If Olney could molest them closer to a Burt Bacharach rendition then he would be scoring love. On “Bright Heights City,” Olney is pushing the sort of 80s modern rock affection and picking up converts along the way. The compelling “Smile Big” includes an organ and when the chorus drops in Olney is merging on the sweetness of the Constantines. “Poplar Street” is more poppy with stop-start guitars and whistles. There is great stuff on this debut by Olney that is spoiled at times, but nevertheless illustrates his tremendous ability.
Melissa Rapp Admittedly, I was fully expecting not to be too enamored with this record; particularly with the overly professional and forthright bass on the opener “The Way We Lived.” Yet, you can’t deny that Melissa Rapp has a compelling voice and a keen sense of songwriting, principally with respect to choruses. Backed by an array of musicians on this recording, Rapp offers eleven songs that revolve romance and the like and audibly follow other women singer-songwriters. In regard to comparisons, why Rapp hasn’t been signed to a hot deal is clearly a function of thick-minded execs; though it may be Rapp’s own desire to keep an earthy feel to things and not dribble nonsense over it. Following the opener, “Let’s Run Away,” sans the heavy acoustic plucking, is sweet magic. By bringing more of the amazing chorus into the rest of the song, thus limiting the stop-starting guitar, “Let’s Run Away” would absolutely sizzle. Sweep past “Waimanale Night” for the electro-highlighted “Fighter.” The song’s chorus is both epic and strong, though could easily be characterized as hokey in certain contexts. Why Rapp goes for Dave Matthews’ acoustic guitar sound, and similar artists, is beyond me. She rocks much better with straight-forward acoustic strumming and such a picking style just exacerbates the problem of trying to distinguish one’s self. This is clear when you compare “Fighter” with the title track; which is otherwise great. After “The One You Remembered,” Rapp comes with sweeping piano on ballad “Fragile.” With mildly tacky lyrics and a truly frustrating “funky” second electric guitar coming in part of the way, “Don’t Ask Me To Be Yours” should be sacrificed. Thankfully, Rapp understands to mix things up a bit on the sequencing of the tracks. “Turn To” comes back with piano and features more of a vocally sensuous flair to Rapp. “Pledge” merely sets the stage for the strong, multi-instrumented “Come Dream With Me.” With strings filling out the song and slightly twangy guitars echoing from time to time, “Come Dream With Me” is easily the best song on the record. One of the general downsides to Sweet Revenge is that the songs all seem to revolve around relationships and lyrically it is painfully clear. While that is certainly cool as a moose, Rapp might get more of a lasting listen by casual observers by mixing things up a bit. Sweet Revenge is one of the few records that you can leave on in the background and be able to concentrate on work and actually feel calmed. Rapp is already working on her next album, though she may want to make her stamp fully on the music scene through more excessive touring to develop a wider fan base outside of the Bay Area.
Michael Tolcher After not making the Olympics as a runner awhile back, Michael Tolcher started to concentrate on the music that he had made been making for sometime. His early fascination with music focused to some extent on the church due to his father being a chaplain. Naturally, taking his skinny singer-songwriting butt to NYC’s traps and tribulations, Tolcher is finally trying to take the music world by storm on BMG-distributed Octone. That “music world” is the top forty pop rock world; a world that often produces projectile vomiting. Admittedly, Tolcher has a compelling voice and clear songwriting abilities. Yet, the overly studio professional feel to the material is a turn off. At times, Tolcher echoes bands like Maroon 5 and a Dave Matthews without the quirkiness. Amazingly, Tolcher has guest contributions from such luminaries as ?uestlove, Warren Haynes and Gavin DeGraw, but their impact appears minimal. Most of the tracks are breezy listening bliss with only minimal misses. Though a big time error is “Taxi Ride Kinda Night,” which is one of those few songs where I wish I was deaf. Given his easily attachable sound, with enough exposure I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michael Tolcher doing very well from himself in the near future.
Microwaves Featuring Dave Kuzy on guitar and vocals, Steve Moore (of Zombi) on bass/vocals/synth/samples and J. Michael Roman on drums, Pittsburgh-based Microwaves throw down eleven new tracks of jibbery-jamming on Attack Decay Sustain Release. Following the electro-noise underground syndicate fronted by the heavy-hitters at 3.1.G. and Gold Standard, Microwaves offers a strong measure of substance in their songs. The actual point of having moderate structure and purpose to their songs places them in higher regard than the folks that just lay random shit down. As the first song “House of Re-Animation” moves on, you realize that the Microwaves have a creepy underlying brutality that shimmers from time to time. After a couple of long-timed instrumental tracks, the Microwaves move to a series of shorter tracks that seem to fit their style succinctly. Moreover, they seem at their best with slight vocals laced on top of the electro-noise. In that regard, one should peruse “Virus,” “Good Samaritan” and “I.T.T.” With a sweet live show, such as a faux-Devo, I would be down to check them out.
Moments in Grace Though this is the debut record by north Florida-based Moments in Grace, it seems like this band has been lurking for a number of years; which is moderately true. Started a couple years back when vocalist and guitarist Jeremy Griffith and bassist Jake Brown mingled thoughts, the band took sometime to actually get up to speed. Their next step was courtesy to the well-known indie producer Brian McTernan and the addition of Tim Kirkpatrick on drums (formerly of As Friends Rust). With Justin Etheridge on guitar and keyboards rounding out the group, McTernan thought it was time and signed Moments in Grace as the first band on his Atlantic-imprint Salad Days. McTernan was initially captured by Griffith’s wide-ranging voice, but let them mature a bit before the inking. While the twelve thick tracks have stunning moments of memory-scorching harmonies, overall the record suffers from periodic lapses of focus and sweeping dullness. This is particularly prevalent in the middle of the record with “We Feel the Songs,” “My Stunning Bride,” “Monologue” and “Distant and Longing Light.” However, the record starts on a high note with Moments in Grace’s first single “Stratus,” a high-arching song that features Griffith’s vocal range and is boosted by the addition of strings. This is followed by “The Patient” with some of the hottest guitar work meshing with vocal cadences. Actually, I would have placed “The Patient” above “Stratus” in the race to the first single. “Broken Promises” maintains the rhythm with a strong chorus, but it merely sets up the up-tempo “My Dying Day.” Though fairly straight forward in song construction, “My Dying Day” is definitely a highlight on Moonlight Survived. After the swath of filler, Moments in Grace come back with great guitar work on “The Blurring Lines of Loss.” Consistent with much of the standouts, “The Blurring Lines of Loss” has an epic feel, almost as if U2 had been reborn within the emo-punk world. Skip past the boring “No Angels” for a moment to just experience the mild oddness of “Don’t Leave.” “Don’t Leave” sounds almost like it was specifically written to become a top forty hit; it is very strange. If I didn’t know better, I would say this song was included to appease the execs at Atlantic. The record ends on “The Past” with mellow tones that allow Griffith’s vocals to command the path. Again, there are some really sweet songs on this debut from Moments in Grace. If not for the four song burnout in the middle, this could be one of the hottest releases of the year. Coupled with the right band, Moments in Grace could tribute to an amazing tour.
Ofer Short Story Long is a record that continually grows on you. When I first heard it, I was pleased by the melody and harmonies, but certainly wasn’t stung with admiration. Yet, after more and more spins, I began to love it more and more. Ofer consists of one Ofer Moses, with the help of various backing musicians. Some might recognize Ofer from his days skating for World Industries, but that love has been traded in for the love of music. Now Ofer has channeled the gap that Elliott Smith has left, but with a bit more poppiness and upbeatness on his debut. Short Story Long begins in non-dramatic form on “Submission,” one of the more full-band tracks on the record. While the chorus of “Submission” introduces you to the melodic package that Ofer is about to beat you with over the next nine tracks, it is not a standout. “Your Reality” follows in similar form but with more drum roll buildups. “Bothered” is the first track where the true singer-songwriter in Ofer begins to take over. Ofer tramps with acoustic guitar and bass for a bit before a full-instrumental chorus again demonstrates his penchant for big harmonies. But probably the first of song that Ofer places his own power-stamp, signature sound on is “On the Other Hand.” “On the Other Hand” polishes along in a quasi-trippy atmosphere that exceptionally echoes Smith’s best work and is a star here. For some unfortunate reason Ofer covers “Time in a Bottle,” a cover that you really need to skip. “Sunshine” starts out like a classic Smith track with a smidgen of Brit pop laden in places. The following “Bittersweet Fat” carries on in parallel fashion, though utilizing a bit more grand production. Besides from the instinctual use of harmonies, “Devil’s Winning Hand” is a bit ho-hum. “Recipes” and “Avenue of Mystery” close out the album. “Recipes” has a creepy, western dark theme that could have been penned by Johnny Cash’s shadowy mind. “Avenue of Mystery” brings the listener back to more sunshine and butterflies with an introduction of acoustic guitar, harmonic and soft vocals and then moves on to add strings. Once again, Short Story Long is an album that might not grab you immediately, but will if you keep it spinning. You can’t deny Ofer’s glow and attraction and you have to eventually succumb. A perfect tour for Ofer would be with Sondre Lerche that would provide exposure he deserves.
The Paper Champions As their first full-length, The Paper Champions unleash eleven tracks of indie-punk paradise with thick song constructions, layered vocals and just the right amount of varying guitars. TPC first came to notice on one of Deep Elm’s Emo Diaries series and then followed that up with a short EP. The group is led at the hull by Jason Neubert on vocals/guitar, Jason Morrow on vocals/bass, Chris Cudzilo on guitar and Brad Neuber on drums. TPC has the innocence of early Hot Water Music, though with splashes of contemporary ‘emo’ that combines to produce a succession of breathy and whirling songs. Though they do make missteps of parallels at times (like the Taking Back Sunday-esque lined “Words and Inaction”), TPC does well by making a signature sound. Weekend of Compromise opens with an otherwise straight-forward non-surprising “The Selfish Kind.” Yet, at roughly a minute-and-a-quarter in, TPC comes forth with an amazing chorus and catchy high lead guitar that you savor until the next refrain. This is followed by “Downtown and Out” where Morrow’s bass characterizes the moderate tempo song. “Downtown and Out” is the first time that their relevance for HWM fans is evident. “St. Lucie Sound” is simply mainline contemporary pop-punk, while TPC try to mix things up on the title track that finally breaks through a bit in with a great muting section. “The Wait” is another slowed down number that meanders like some Midwestern love-loss, before it picks up and finally leads to a remarkably catchy section towards the end. This final section is like a reward for listening through the whole song. After the uninspiring acoustic “Remember This,” TPC a bit drop the ball lyric-wise on “Words and Inaction,” as aforementioned. TPC follows this deviation with a heavily segmented “Burning Quiet” which, when they are blistering rocking, is striking. Skip past “Broken Mirrors” and “Believe,” for the finale “Sleep.” “Sleep,” perhaps unsurprisingly given the name, is mellow with a lot of high-hat taps and drowsy guitar strokes. The band offers some Dashboard-like love at the end of the record, but little need to peruse. With this record and some strong touring, the Paper Champions will build a solid fan base. Given this entry into the arena, I fully expect that their next record to be something to behold.
Potshot Tokyo, Japan’s Potshot has always excelled with high-speed, high-tempo punk fueled ska that would blow your mind with awe-inspiring reckless abandon. It was always sort of like an adrenaline fest with pure craziness. Yet, on Dance to the Potshot Record, the six-piece slows things way too much and it has a devastating effect. Mind you that Potshot is still one of the fastest punk-ska bands around, but for them these songs are like ballads. This record actually was released in Japan in 2002, but due to the normal strangeness of releases this is only now being put out by Asian Man. In the meantime, Potshot may have moved back to the balls-out style or gone further the way of buffalo. Hopefully they had just caught a bug or were on ‘ludes when the writing for the record was on going. Certainly one of the negatives that gets picked up with the slow tempo stuff is the bad English. Before it was a badge of honor for Potshot to just slur English around, but now at times it can be painful to hear. However, the record isn’t a total bust, as “In Time Now” is an awesome song that will get you moving and nodding along. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Tracks such as “Victory or Lost” and “Don’t Fall to Ride” pique your interest but don’t entirely deliver. I think we may need to ship a gross of Red Bulls or something to the guys in Potshot to get the speed back up. Please God, because amazing Japanese bands need more love in the U.S.
The Prodigy I really have never liked any of the Prodigy’s material. Call it a visceral reaction. Call it what you will. Though I didn’t like the song, I loved the inane controversy around “Smack My Bitch Up” as it illustrated people’s stupid sensitivities. Yet, as I have become more open to music from the electro world, I was excited by the arrival of Prodigy’s latest and fourth record Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned – even though the promo came with a tremendous number of scare tactics concerning illegal use including having my name printed on the disc. For this record, Liam Howlett focused on going back to the basics and making shit that bounced. After the first two songs, “Spitfire” and “Girls,” I was convinced this may be the second coming of Christ. “Spitfire” starts off with a pounding of electronics, female expressions and quasi-sirens, before getting into the beat. This song is classic soundtrack material for a movie with Vin Diesel – and it is awesome. “Girls,” which is the first single, comes off like a new track from the Beastie Boys. The song starts with early 80s rap beats and two guys rapping with robot vocals coming and continues as a fuller sound is enveloped. Sounds come and merge and make this an amazing track. The sexiness of “Girls” is hard to describe, but it will surely get people moving. And yet, as the record progresses, the quality drops off like a dead body weighted down in a bay. None of the next twelve tracks are nearly as inspiring and mind-blowing as the first two and that is a shame. Howlett seemingly ventures out to illustrate his electronic production skills and forgets to write songs that people will actually like. Though Howlett employs a sweet cadre of guests including Twista, Kool Keith, Shahin Bada and Liam Gallagher, they are used in such a shoddy manner. Many songs have hot parts that you wish will come around, but never do (e.g., “The Way It Is”). Admittedly, “Hot Ride” with a cool James Bond-esque intro and foundation and female leading vocals by Juliet Lewis, is something to behold. It is likely that the Prodigy will get some initial love for the above mentioned songs. Again, this record is most adept at producing a few hot singles.
Say Anything Say Anything is a band that I wished I liked. From a distance, it seems like something that should be good and enjoyable. But the fact of the matter is I really don’t enjoy them. It is something about the combination of a very annoying singer, who can’t sing, coupled with songs that non-dynamic and stretch out for four or five minutes with a consistent meandering. Say Anything don’t take themselves to seriously which is fine, except this seems to have translated into their music too much with some marginal songwriting. While there are hints where you think they are going to come over a hurdle with bits of magic and often on the cusp of goodness, they fall off of it. For instance, for a majority of “Woe” you want to kill the band straight up, but then towards the end they have this great synth work and group vocals with a little glam guitar. If they could harness this sound and make it the core of the song then things would be very different. I think that with some songwriting maturation and with new ideas – for instance, the recent addition of Casper Adams from National Acrobat – Say Anything will figure stuff out in the near future. If Say Anything are still together for another record, I’d expect it to sound very different.
The Snake The Cross The Crown After striking the indie music world with their EP, Like A Moth Before A Flame, these Santa Barbara transplants are back with their first full-length and first release on EVR. The EP illustrated how the Snake could take simple indie rock and beef it up with a reliance on piano and synths though in a minimalist manner. Since then, the five-piece has taken a trip to outer space or found an inner peace or a little of both, as these ten tracks fall into the world of epic, moving post modern rock. Perhaps it was the influence of epic bands like Coheed and the Mars Volta that forced the Snake out of a rut. A lazy comparison can be made to essence of Radiohead – as many are likely to peg them as. However, the Snake’s roots are such that they don’t bounce on the knee of Brit rock. As with their EP, this full-length spans a distance as ten tracks cover nearly fifty minutes. Mander Salis begins on “An Honest Misappropriation of Funds” with swirling electronics before bassist and lead vocalist Carl Marshall comes flying in with sweet singing. Backed by fellow comrades on vocals to bring harmony, “An Honest Misappropriation of Funds” sets the tone for the rest record and makes you realize that you are dealing with something different. “Empires” begins with REM-style guitars and proceeds with troubadour resilience. “Gates of Dis” and “A Gathering of Shades” are a bit mainstream and lack the flair of the first two tracks. Taking a more singer-songwriter approach, “On the Threshold of Eternity” is sweeter with strong up-picking acoustic guitars and very light synths in the background. “The Sun Tells the Moon” simply treads water, while the Snake returns with the acoustic-driven “A Brief Intermission.” “A Brief Intermission” has the feel of Badly Drawn Boy or, in that respect, the Beatles circa Sgt. Pepper’s. “The Laughing Man” is very odd and I would advise skipping. “Echolalia” rumbles like Explosions in the Sky for the first three minutes, before the boys come in with standard verses. Yet, the nine-minute “Echolalia” slides off and ends with as it began with rhythmic electronics and light instrumentals. Mander Salis closes on “The Fields of Ius,” where Mashall croons and the music tramples like they are in a vampire movie. Though this latest from the Snake the Cross the Crown isn’t going to totally blow your mind, its novelty along with sweet packaging should allow them to do quite well over the course of the next year. Moreover, it will be interesting to see whether the Snake’s relatively eclectic nature to this album is a bonus in the end. I can see a lot people appreciating the diversity as well as a number of people being turned off.
Strata As their debut, the California-based Strata have already garnered success by landing on Billboard’s Heatseeker chart. With the help of touring with label mates Finger Eleven and the early release of the single “The Panic,” Strata have placed themselves squarely into the Windup roster. I previously found “The Panic,” their first single, a compelling number that utilized enough guitar muting to give it a nod, even if the composition was a bit generic. However, the opening “Piece by Piece” is terrible, ordinary junk and really produces disappointment. The following “I Will Breathe Fire” holds up more respect by echoing post-hardcore wizards Quicksand. This track is the one that should have been the first single, and should be now the second. “When It’s All Burning” is more melodic and catchy without borrowing too much from any one source. But then you are exposed to a series of weak tracks from “Just Like Silk” and “We’ve Changed,” before the heroic chorus on “Never There” (though the rest of the song is frail). Finally of note, the closer “In A Sweet Dream” begins with strong guitars and slightly different vocals, but doesn’t entirely deliver, though it contains a great breakdown. “In A Sweet Dream” is the kind of song that I can see bands like Letter Kills and My Chemical Romance taking and making it an earth-shattering affair. Given Windup’s uncanny ability to get strong sales from all of their artists, Strata is likely to succeed in that department, even if not on the innovation angle. Hopefully, Strata goes after more of the post-hardcore sound than the standard rock malaise.
This Is Exploding Though riffing on the Get Up Kids’ artwork for Something to Write Home About, Cleveland-based This is Exploding delivers ten tracks of indie-punk bliss on their debut record. Straight up, though the album art and packaging insinuated something cool, I wasn’t expecting the band to deliver to such a degree. While, the four-piece This is Exploding is not going to define a sound or score points for ingenuity, they are able to rock that classic Midwestern indie rock foundation with hints of contemporary spin. In that regard, I expected them to be from a hip college town, like Chapel Hill, and not a dingy city. What characterize these ten tracks are the vocals and the guitar work, both of which make them very distinctive. It is almost like they are generic but with an indie rock twist. Of course, the songs can be a bit hit or miss as you would expect from a developing group, but they are strong enough to hold the record together. For instance, “Drive,” “Without a Fight” and “Mourning” are hot, but “Fiction” and “Break” are mildly off pace. This is a group that I would certainly be down to check out live. If they are able to get on a tour with more well-known and similar-minded bands, they could breakthrough. A word of advice, though, about Cleveland; leave while you got something going. You need to be in a location that fully embraces and loves the indie sound and fosters bands to the other side popularity.
Wet Confetti When this record arrived here, I was hoping and dreaming of more fantastic hipness that I’ve been treated to from similarly positioned and minded groups. Though it wasn’t the breakthrough performance I was envisioning, it isn’t half-bad either. Coming out of Portland, OR, the three-piece of Wet Confetti (Alberta Poon, Daniel Grazzini and Mike McKinnon) have released two previous EPs and grinded their teeth on some tours. With a cool tree branch and owl cover, Wet Confetti focuses on a poppy no-wave indie sound. This is made abundantly clear on the opening “Saves X-Mas” where Poon sings in a non-accented style. But they follow up with the more poppy “Goes to Jail,” with Grazzini leading the charge. By this time you fully appreciate the minimal electronics that the band uses to dress up the songs but not to lead them. “Apple Disaster” is their quasi-single as it is appearing on the PDX-POP compilation that also has bands like the Shins and the Decemberists. Though “Apple Disaster” is enjoyably chaotic, it is not nearly the standout compared to the rest of the tracks. For instance, the follow up “Goes to Camp” is considerably catchier and features Poon vocalizing with more tone. In some moments, particularly “Mescalero,” Wet Confetti echoes slower Sonic Youth sans pure aggressive noise. Worth noting is the dirty guitar driven “Capt. Magnusson” with a dazzling chorus. Though Wet Confetti is likely not to knock your block off, they do provide some refreshing moments. With a bit more time and funds, they could do some really hot things. Oh, and by the way, I’m number 102 of 500 – rad. copyright exoduster.com 2004 |