Review: The Sound Of Animals Fighting - Lover, The Lord Has Left Us
Posted on 2 April 2008 | 1 Comment
Have you ever heard The Sound Of Animals Fighting? Not wild animals, but (rather) the Southern California progressive rock collective formed by our old friend (and former RX Bandits trombonist) Rich Balling? They supposedly have a new album that is being currently being readied, but their last release, 2006’s Lover, The Lord Has Left Us can be a pretty crazy listen at times that incorporates everything from sheer noise to Eastern-influenced female vocals; from glitch-tronica to spiky emo riffs. There are parts of the album that are almost catchy and others that are almost unlistenable. It is (however) part of an overall whole that is really quite different than almost anything else out there.
Aside from Balling (aka The Nightingale) the band features (or has featured) current or former members of RX Bandits, Circa Survive, Finch, The Autumns, Never Heard Of It, The Hippos, Chiodos, Days Away, and others. The more I listen to Lover, The Lord Has Left Us, the more I like it (or at least have begun to appreciate it). That and the fact that The Nightingale is a really good guy have me intrigued and excited to hear what the group will come up with next.
MP3 | The Sound Of Animals Fighting – Skullflower Lover, The Lord Has Left Us
MP3 | The Sound Of Animals Fighting – My Horse Must Lose Lover, The Lord Has Left Us
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Noise, Post Rock
Review: Goes Cube - Not What We Thought EP
Posted on 25 March 2008 | 9 Comments
Goes Cube has always been awesome (that’s a given). But when the robot rhythm section was replaced by new drummer Kenny Appell, their sound became massive. Just imagine Frodus, Isis, Lightning Bolt, and Helmet all wrapped into a ticking package labeled Goes Cube and you’ve got the idea. Before I go into just how ridiculously great their new tour-only EP Not What We Thought is, I need to apologize to Goes Cube.
This review was supposed to be written before Goes Cube started their current tour. I wanted my brother to write this review because he was pretty good friends with Matt “Coach” & David at U of I. He may have actually lived with Matt at one point, but I’m not sure. Anyhow, my brother was supposed to write this because he is infinitely more qualified to (an MFA in creative writing as well) but due to some shit that’s been going on, that never happened. My apologies to the Goes Cube dudes indeed.
So the new Goes Cube EP is six songs of brilliance numbered 50, 53, 54, 56, 57, and 49. From the first note until the last, the songs on Not What We Thought hurl themselves at you like a grenade with the pin pulled; like a vicious attack dog clamped down around you arm that is never going to let go. The bass angrily throbs, the guitar rips and tears, and pummeling drums create a thunderous roar that cannot be escaped. The single most astonishing thing about Goes Cube is how heavy they’ve become. The music is, like, really fuckin’ metal, and stuff, now. And though Goes Cube can be brutally bombastic and thrown down a low snarling groove, they can (and often do) travel down a road that’s a little more atmospheric, moody, and controlled… but then dive headfirst back in the the thick, swirling, blisteringly hot, metallic soup that is the foundation of what Goes Cube does.
In summation, this EP is a electrifying and visceral mini-masterpiece that demands repeat listens. I’m sure all the Goes Cube fans out there (myself included) are just begging for a full-length sometime soon. If Not What We Thought is any indication of the direction Goes Cube is headed; beware. They might just conquer the world.
MP3 | Goes Cube – Goes Cube Song 57 Not What We Thought
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
Review: Dragons Of Zynth - Coronation Thieves
Posted on 3 March 2008 | No Comments
I’ll lay it all on the line here and just tell you flat-out that Coronation Thieves is a powerful, chaotic, and (ultimately) brilliant album that seemed to fly under just about everyone’s radar last year (including mine). This debut from the Brooklyn-based noisemakers Dragons Of Zynth is the musical equivalent of a kid in a candy store who grabs a little bit of everything as they pillage the little shop. It’s Prince vs. Black Dice vs. Husker Du, Hendrix vs. The Eternals, or even De La Soul vs. Gang Of Four. It is all that and more; It is incredible and overwhelming.
An obvious comparison to casual listeners would be TV On The Radio at their most disjointed and then some, partly due to TV’s own David Sitek’s production work on Coronation Thieves. The end result is neo-avant-disco-punk-soul that rips and tears at your speakers until they are just about disintegrated. A discernible streak of noisy free-jazz also runs through the music of Coronation Thieves as well; in large part (probably) because Aku and Akwetey O.T. (the twin brothers that front the band) both studied with jazz saxophonist Yusef Lateef.
But as visceral and incendiary as the album is, Dragons Of Zynth manage to somehow keep the melodies afloat amid the cacophony of raw angular guitars, walls of fuzzy distortion, and excessive new wavey synths. Everything on Coronation Thieves isn’t necessarily like a caged beast unleashed. The album’s closer “Closer” is a bit more subdued and works amazingly well as the final exclamation point at the end of a thrilling, exhausting, but truly excellent album.
MP3 | Dragons Of Zynth – Who Rize Above Coronation Thieves
MP3 | Dragons Of Zynth – Breaker Coronation Thieves
Filed Under: Album Reviews, New Wave, Noise, Post Rock
Review: Black Dice - Load Blown
Posted on 7 November 2007 | 1 Comment
After we humans have made Earth uninhabitable to our own species, all the insects, myriapods, and other creatures with exoskeletons will emerge from under the floorboards and loudly proclaim, “Hooray! Those fuckers are finally gone!” Then there will be a party. A huge and jubilant celebration. It will be a great party marking the end of humanity and the beginning of a new era. The music played at that party will be from Black Dice’s new album Load Blown.
It sounds like a digital swarm attacking your eardrums. It is the soundtrack to the post-apocalyptic dance party. It is practically seizure-inducing, but hypnotic in a way that I can’t begin to explain. Load Blown is off-putting, difficult, stunning, and downright awesome.
MP3 | Black Dice – Kokomo Load Blown
MP3 | Black Dice – Bananas Load Blown
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Noise
Review: Professor Murder - Rides The Subway EP
Posted on 10 October 2007 | 1 Comment
Another entry in the ever-expanding category of how-did-I-miss-that-the-first-time items, is last year’s insanely awesome Rides The Subway EP from NYC dance-punk fusionists Professor Murder. The band starts off strong even before the first note by taking their name from a fictitious character from the HBO sketch comedy series “Mr.. Show.” Professor Murder then one up themselves by dishing out five songs of scurrying dance-punk that is so so good but over way too soon.
I’ve probably listened to Rides The Subway at least a dozen times this week alone. There is just so many different ideas, tones, and musical textures packed into this brief EP it is astounding. Synths squelch, whirr, and blip into a symphony of digital cacophony while cowbells ring out in perfect dysfunctional unison and pulsating fuzzy disco-bass grooves lock horns with the click of the hi-hat. In other words, Professor Murder combines the best elements of The Rapture, Islands, and The Eternals and just runs with it. It is a recipe for fun that is so flawlessly executed I can’t imagine anything else this band does ever being better. We can hope though, right?
MP3 | Professor Murder – Champion Rides The Subway EP
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, New Wave, Noise
Review: Mass Shivers - Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy
Posted on 6 September 2007 | No Comments
Chicago’s Mass Shivers dish out some seriously spazzy and infectious indie rock on their latest album Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy. It merges the riffage and flaunting excesses of classic rock with the weirdo experimentalism of modern bands like Animal Collective to make something exciting and completely unpredictable. There is also a sort of organic tribal energy that just pours out from the songs on Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy. It makes me think of !!! without the drum machines or maybe The Eternals. You know, danceable in a freaky and funky kind of way.
Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy is an ambitious and demanding album but at under 29 minutes in length, easily digestible in a single setting even though you may find yourself dizzy and trying to regain equilibrium afterwards. This is recommended listening and is available now from our pals over at Sickroom Records.
MP3 | Mass Shivers – Womanizing Metal Studs Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy
MP3 | Mass Shivers – Mossy Nethers Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Just Plain Rock, Noise
Review: Travis Morrison Hellfighters - All Y'all
Posted on 27 August 2007 | No Comments
Former Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison’s new album All Y’all (with backing band The Hellfighters in tow) starts off sounding downright Plan-ish but then (as expected) changes course and explodes into a fragments of a hundred different genres. Even though they made a few valid points, I’m not about to blast this record like Pitchfork did and give it a 4.5 out of 10. It is way better than that.
I’m certainly not the only person that strongly disliked Travis Morrison’s first solo effort Travistan, but I can rationalize it. Coming out of The Dismemberment Plan, Travis wanted to incorporate all of his diverse influences and musical tastes to make something different. I (and everyone else) wanted a rehash of The Dismemberment Plan and would have been disappointed with 98% of anything Travis could have released. That’s what happens when one of your favorite bands raises the bar to an almost unattainable level and then breaks up.
Moving back to the topic of All Y’all, I think that it is a great album. It is disjointed, scattered, and more than a little cheesy. It is also hella fun, rhythmically solid, and more like The Dismemberment Plan than anything since The Dismemberment Plan. The reckless abandon and fearlessness that Travis shows on All Y’all is refreshing. It may not always work perfectly, but that is much of why I like it so much. There is a human element at work here that we can all relate to in some manner.
Imagine The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified with a few free-jazz horn blasts and a guest rapper. In other words, its pretty darn good.
MP3 | Travis Morrison Hellfighters – As We Proceed All Y’all
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, Noise
Review: St. Vincent - Marry Me
Posted on 7 August 2007 | No Comments
All you need to know about Marry Me is that it is a huge, diverse, beautiful, and amazing record. For those who don’t know, St. Vincent is essentially Annie Clark making just about every audible sound on the record. Where should I start…
This is not your typical singer songwriter fare. Not in the least. It is adventurous pop music that has much more in common with The Beatles or even Radiohead than just some girl with a guitar. Annie Clark’s gorgeous vocals drive her songs forward and are equal parts Beth Orton, Bjork, and Tori Amos and range from hushed and breathy to sweet and soulful. Her melodies often sound old and familiar. Not retro and recycled like the straight up doo-wop theft of Amy Winehouse; but (rather) something timeless.
Musically Marry Me full of inventive and darkly quirky arrangements that draw upon influences ranging from jazz standards, space rock, classical, Eastern music, and the skronk of the avant garde. All under the pretense of indie pop. It is not (however) full of happiness and kissyface, but it is playful. Maybe it is the combination of muted brass, strings, samples, programming, piano, etc… or maybe it is Annie Clark’s enchanting voice. Whatever it is, I really really like this album.
Marry Me is out now on Beggars Banquet.
MP3 | St. Vincent – Now, Now Marry Me
MP3 | St. Vincent – Marry Me Marry Me
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, Noise, Pop
Review: Matthew Dear - Asa Breed
Posted on 18 June 2007 | No Comments
As true in modern music as it is in nature, we must evolve to ensure survival. With his latest album Asa Breed, Detroit’s micro-house wunderkind Matthew Dear has just guaranteed his survival for now by crafting an album that (while a bit of a departure for him) is something that I just can’t get enough of.
Matthew Dear’s music has always had a little more pop structure than your typical dance fare and (for that reason) it has always resonated with me. I’ve been a fan since his 2003 debut Leave Luck to Heaven and 2004’s Backstroke. Asa Breed finds Dear pushing his aesthetic vision even further outside the micro-house template he stared working with. His incorporation of African-sounding rhythms, guitars, and droning buzzing synths spins this into something that sounds natural, organic, and (at times) almost tribal. Those elements along with the prominence of Dear’s low and multi-tracked vocals make many of the songs on Asa Breed more akin to something from TV On the Radio or Caribou rather than what might be universally perceived as“dance music.”
With his strictly techno records being released under his Audion moniker, Matthew Dear seems clearly focused on exploring a different path with the albums released under his own name. The dark and dimly-lit textures that illuminate Asa Breed are surprisingly melodic and listenable in a way that would appeal to fans of Junior Boys and other like-minded artists. Asa Breed is out now on the Ghostly International label.
MP3 | Matthew Dear – Deserter Asa Breed
MP3 | Matthew Dear – Neighborhoods Asa Breed
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Noise, Pop
Review: The Jai-Alai Savant - Fight Of The Bass Delegate (or) Scarlett Johansson why don't you love me
Posted on 2 May 2007 | No Comments
Ahh yes. Flight Of The Bass Delegate is the debut full-length from the Chicago-by-way-of-Philadelphia group called The Jai-Alai Savant. It is full of danceable dub and reggae-influenced proto post-punk that has taken my iPod by storm. The music on Bass Delegate (in some ways) is reminiscent of The Eternals’ latest album Heavy International, but is more straightforward and pop-oriented. Even so, there are some meandering dub jams that are simply otherworldly. I mean, who doesn’t love the horns? There are also moments that rock with the same punkish guitar punch and angular skronk that Fugazi made famous.
Is it a dance record? Is it a post-punk record? Is it a dub record? Yes. Bass Delegate is all of the above and more. It is an eclectic and adventurous album that refuses to adhere to conventions. The Jai-Alai Savant is unafraid of making challenging and scorching music that also has catchy hooks. Because of this the first album I instantly thought to compare it to was The Clash’s sprawling masterpiece Sandinista. You know I think highly of it.
Recently frontman Ralph Darden (formerly of Philly reggae hardcore band Franklin) seems to have found a steady group of band mates, but on Bass Delegate also gets contributions from members of The Eternals, Mars Volta, The Watchers, and more. I really really like this record a lot. It is really refreshing to hear a band that is confident enough to make music that is hard to define but easy to love. Flight Of The Bass Delegate is available now from the highly bitchin’ Gold Standard Labs.
MP3 | The Jai-Alai Savant – Scarlett Johansson, Why Don’t You Love Me? Flight Of The Bass Delegate
MP3 | The Jai-Alai Savant – Transmission From The Delegate Flight Of The Bass Delegate
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, Noise, World Music
Review: Battles - Mirrored (or) the tape remains very exciting
Posted on 22 April 2007 | 1 Comment
Battles is a supergroup (of sorts) made up of drummer John Stanier (ex-Helmet), guitarist Ian Williams (ex-Don Caballero), Dave Konopka, and Tyondai Braxton (the son of jazz musician Anthony Braxton). They have a new album that will be released on May 14th called Mirrored which is full of the same complex mathy and unconventional post-rock that appeared on their previous EP’s continues to surprise with the addition of vocals.
Most of the vocals on Mirrored are (however) manipulated beyond recognition and sound more like Alvin from The Chipmunks than an actual singing human and are simply another melody instrument in the context of Battles. Just for the sake of comparison, the band sounds something like a cross between the craziest moments that Blur has committed to tape and Black Dice. Experimental, glitched, and complicated but exhibiting a new “pop” side as well as a technical prowess that most bands can only dream of.
The band properly titled the songs this time around and the recently released single “Atlas” was even voted best single of the week by NME. I’d highly suggest checking Mirrored out when it is released May 14th on Warp Records.
MP3 | Battles – Atlas Mirrored
MP3 | Battles – Leyendecker Mirrored
You can find more music from Battles at The Hype Machine.
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Noise, Post Rock
Review: Parts And Labor - Stay Afraid (or) on the couch writhing in pain
Posted on 9 April 2007 | 1 Comment
Wow. Brooklyn’s Parts & Labor sure do make some glorious noize. And even though their 2006 album Stay Afraid was one of my faves from 2006, they are already back with another helping of frenzied indie-punk tunes wrapped up in waves of fuzzy distortion and screeching electronics. I love noise and experimental music, but never before has it been so catchy and melodic.
Parts & Labor’s newest album is called Mapmaker and will most certainly be at the top of my 2007 year end list. From the word go the band pounds ahead full-throttle. As with much of Stay Afraid the band oftentimes reminds me of a wilder and out-of-control Husker Du, but (as I’ve mentioned before) the lo-fi production and vocal melodies also remind me a little of Rogue Wave. Then there is the drumming. The rattle-your-brain drumming that could probably cause any volcano in the world to erupt within seconds.
“Malfunctioning electronics howl in agony, drums rupture like fireworks, battle cries are belted through a monolithic layer of distorted bass and guitar. P&L revel in day-glo noise, charred drones, punk velocity and phoenix-like hooks.”
Although I find Mapmaker to be a little less harsh than Stay Afraid it is by no means tame. In fact, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between distorted guitar harmonics and the shrieking feedback of broken electronics. Listening to anything from Parts & Labor is a mind-blowing experience that is as awesome as it is exhausting.
Mapmaker is due out on Jagjaguwar Records on May 22nd and P&L will be on tour this spring with their Chicago stop coming on May 4th at the Empty Bottle. Don’t forget your earplugs.
MP3 | Parts & Labor – Fractured Skies Mapmaker
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, Noise, Punk
Review: Shining - Grindstone (or) faraway lands and dangerous journeys
Posted on 6 April 2007 | No Comments
Way back in 2005, the Norwegian group Shining put out an incredible record called In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster that was (IMHO) among the best records released that year. The band’s fourth album Grindstone finds them sounding nothing like the post-bop jazz quartet they started out as. Instead, the band delivers a dizzying frenzy of genre-bending combinations of jazz breaks and metal riffage. It is a dense, relentless, and (seemingly) confrontational album that will have your head spinning (in a good way) before the end of the first song which is confusingly titled “In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster” just like their last album.
On Grindstone Shining sounds like they are intentionally messing with their listeners. An unholy amalgamation of fuzzed-out bass, horns, shredding metal guitar, glitchy electronics, flute, and cinematic synths spews forth. Two words: pretentious as shit. Its almost too bad that Shining is so good that they can get away with it. Its not just noise, but rather perfectly executed glorious noise. For comparison’s sake Grindstone is equal parts avant-bop jazz noise, Refused-eqse hardcore jams, and Cirque du Soleil’s cinematic swells.
All this from a group made up of two members of Jaga Jazzist and two guys that make film scores and movie music. Grindstone is an exciting and invigorating (even if an uneven and exhausting) listen. The fractured melodies and grooves that rear their nightmarishly ugly heads are here and gone so quickly that it can be hard to keep up. Only towards the album’s second half is the listener (thankfully) given a chance to catch their breath.
If you are willing to take a chance and brave the fantastical and horrific sonic landscape that Shining creates on Grindstone you will certainly be rewarded. But like Frodo’s journey to Mt. Doom, it won’t be easy. It is a (sometimes) challenging, jarring, and abrasive ride that may leave you spinning and sucking your thumb. Grindstone is out now on Rune Grammofon.
MP3 | Shining – In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster Grindstone
MP3 | Shining – The Red Room Grindstone
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Jazz, Noise, Post Rock
Review: !!! - Myth Takes (or) the smell of napalm in the morning
Posted on 24 March 2007 | 1 Comment
!!! (pronounced chk chk chk) is back. Their latest album Myth Takes is overflowing with slinky dance-punk that has (somehow) mysteriously writhed its way up from the subterranean depths. Guitars whirr and horns stab while the drums pump out dance floor banging beats like a candy factory gone awry.
The music makes you want to move. It is organic, glitchy, bouncy, and conjures images of darkly sweaty bodies that are moving hyper-motion. Myth Takes makes your heart pound. Like NYC in the middle of the jungle, this is the perfect soundtrack for a dance party into the heart of darkness. “Yadnus” is like a sacrificial (and almost Rammstein-esqe) death march. A perfect and funky urban jungle dub disco deconstruction.
Myth Takes combines bits and pieces of almost every genre imaginable and distills them into relentless visceral sexy disco-punk jams that (by comparison) make The Rapture seem safe. Fans of LCD Soundsystem, Black Dice, Orblivion, and Gang Gang Dance should take notice. !!! has hit their stride. Myth Takes is out now on Warp Records.
MP3 | !!! – Heart Of Hearts Myth Takes
MP3 | !!! – Must Be The Moon Myth Takes
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, New Wave, Noise
Review: Grabba Grabba Tape - Kurt Kobaya... (or) blank cassettes and old shoes
Posted on 2 January 2007 | No Comments
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday season and are ready for the year to come. 2007 is already shaping up to be the best year ever.
Have you ever heard of Grabba Grabba Tape? I hadn’t either until recently, but I am glad I did. This Madrid duo of Gros-OH!-Vot and Lol-OH!-Vot dish out noisy Daft Punkish electro pop that is is pop in the same way that Lightning Bolt is. Yeah.
In addition, they look strange (white fur and neon pink faces), they bang relentlessly on their keyboards and drums, and sing through vocoders. Almost surprisingly, this isn’t a recipe for musical disaster. Their latest album Kurt Kobaya… is brash, bold, and fun. It is out now on Simple Social Graces Discos.
MP3 | Grabba Grabba Tape – Jaaj Ajja: Juanlumigas en los Ojos Kurt Kobaya…
MP3 | Grabba Grabba Tape – Orangotango y Cha Cha Cha Kurt Kobaya…
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Noise, Punk
Review: The Mars Volta - Amputechture (or) hush the wind the music died
Posted on 11 September 2006 | 2 Comments
Amputechture. A combination of the words amputate and architecture, but (even so) what does it mean? Is it a reference to designing and engineering artificial limbs? Maybe constructing structures from leftover body parts? Perhaps we can all find out by listening the The Mars Volta’s adventurous third full-length album conveniently titled Amputechture.
The music of The Mars Volta is the creation of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (both ex-members of post-hardcore mega stars At The Drive-In). But it is (in most ways) almost completely dissimilar to the work of their former band. Both musics are intense and impassioned, but musically speaking (as most of you know), The Mars Volta has jumped headfirst off the ledge. Amputechture is even more far-out than their last studio album Frances The Mute (an impressive accomplishment indeed).
Amputechture is not an easy listen. The first time I put it on the stereo, I eagerly anticipated the end of the record for a little aural and mental relief. I couldn’t (and still really can’t) wrap my head around the album. Gone are the concise (relatively speaking) songs from De-loused. The interludes have gotten longer and the freakout jams have grown more intense. When you think a song should naturally end, it doesn’t. To even think in terms of songs will simply confuse you more. Blending elements of rock, dub, Latin music, free jazz, funk, flamenco, and more, the Mars Volta creates a complex, cacophonous, and oftentimes chaotic album, but is it necessary? Is it all gratuitous?
At first, I kept thinking that Amputechture had devolved into pretentious sonic noodling and guitar wankery. It seemed to me that Omar & Cedric had become a little too free-spirited without Jim Ward (former ATDI guitarist and current Sparta frontman) to impart a little structure on the songs. But I kept listening, and then listened some more. I heard horns blaring in a wash of squelching feedback. I heard the psychedelic dissonance of John Frusciante’s ever-present guitar riffage. I heard a lot that I had a hard time fully making sense of.
I like fee jazz as much as the next guy (OK, probably more than the next guy), and like so many great albums and great artists of that genre, The Mars Volta’s Amputechture can be a difficult and exhausting listen. The music takes time to seep into your mind and into your soul, but once you finally “get it” the music becomes magical, almost like an escape from reality. This is a rich, dark, and complex album that is like treasure chest filled with the world’s greatest riches. But it’s up to you to find the key.
The album is out September, 12th (tomorrow) and will feature the first single “Viscera Eyes,” which evolved from a song that was originally intended for At The Drive-In. The Mars Volta will also be on tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for most of the fall. Check their Myspace page for tour dates.
MP3 | The Mars Volta – Viscera Eyes Amputechture
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Noise, Post Rock, World Music
Review: The Velvet Teen - Cum Laude (or) two lazy cats on a hot tin couch
Posted on 2 August 2006 | 3 Comments
Although their latest album Cum Laude has only been out for a week, it is fast becoming one of my favorites of 2006. The aforementioned band is California’s The Velvet Teen. I blame (in part) my newfound infatuation with their album on Bethanne from CTASLS and her chatter about them.
Musically the band brings a lot to the table. Cum Laude is essentially a pop record that has been fucked with and twisted around. Howling guitars stand along side broken electronics. Keys and synths mingle with furious pounding drums and crackling distortion. And somewhere in there are singer Judah Nagler’s soaring vocals. I like them, my wife not so much.
I’m not terribly familiar with their earlier material, but very soon I will be. This record (however) is a mess of sound that is catchy and noisy, but downright beautiful. It is equal parts of The Smiths, Parts & Labor, Squarepusher, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Rogue Wave. The cacophony that is Cum Laude is out now on Slowdance Records.
MP3 | The Velvet Teen – In A Steadman Spray Cum Laude
MP3 | The Velvet Teen – Tokyoto Cum Laude
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Indie Rock, Noise
Review: Panda & Angel - EP (or) apples to echoes and more
Posted on 17 April 2006 | 3 Comments
Panda & Angel has a website that is under construction and reveals nothing about the band. I have also been able to gather very little information on the band elsewhere to accompany the amazing 13-track demo I have. All I know is that the band is creating some of the most hauntingly dense and (well) eclectic pop music I have heard in some time.
Featuring Josh Wackerly (of S), Carrie Murphy (of Touchdown Eagle), and Sera Cahoone (of Carissa’s Weird), their sound combines the sedated dissonance of early Low and Chan Marshall with the melancholy-filled distortion of My Bloody Valentine, but also brings to mind (perhaps) the free-form abstractness of Akron/Family. Husky, provocative female vocals (Julie Doiron-ish at times), lo-fi guitars, heaps of other assorted instrumentation, and a spacious pared-down rhythm section come together in great angst-filled indie pop songs.
Their self-titled EP is is scheduled for release by Jade Tree Records on July 25th, 2006.
MP3 | Panda & Angel – Dangerous EP
MP3 | Panda & Angel – Mexico EP
MP3 | Panda & Angel – Track 2 EP
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Indie Rock, Noise
Review: Gang Gang Dance - God's Money (or) little blue plastic elephants
Posted on 8 April 2006 | 1 Comment
I read that Alan Sparhawk from Low said (about God’s Money), “I keep playing that [Gang Gang Dance] record. It flies in the face of everything I know to be true in the world.” The music that NYC’s Gang Gang Dance creates is definitely something that you don’t hear everyday. It is experimental electronic music that somehow remains very organic in nature. They combine masses disparate sounds that come together effortlessly. Rhythmic and interesting and something my daughter would like as much as I do.
“While GGD certainly aren’t the only purveyors of new sounds operating nowadays, it occurs to me that with God’s Money, they are proving themselves to be among the most able. And listenable. Granted, as good musicians they integrate the tools of the popular music synthesizers, guitars, drum kits as well as folk instrumentation and singing (which might more appropriately be described as cooing) while simultaneously subverting any expectation of pop song structure. But rather than just subversion for the sake of disorientation, they are respectful of their audience and seek to create music that will be able to speak to them, albeit in a new language.” – Tiny Mix Tapes
They are certainly breaking new ground and making new sounds. Those new sounds can be heard on God’s Money which is out now on The Social Registry.
MP3 | Gang Gang Dance – Glory In Itself / Egyptian God’s Money
MP3 | Gang Gang Dance – Egowar God’s Money
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Electronic, Noise
Review: Davenport - Free Country (or) starry connection of dim returns
Posted on 7 April 2006 | 1 Comment
You have most certainly heard of free-jazz, but have you ever heard of free-country?
Neither had I, but that is exactly the kind of mangled earthy noise that Davenport is making. This prolific Madison, Wisconsin outfit (headed by one Clay Ruby) make difficult music. One interpretation of this is that its just a bunch of talentless hacks pounding and plinking aimlessly on their instruments. I’d like to think of it as more “improvisational” or “experimental” in nature.
A cacophony of acoustic guitars, violins, odd percussion, hand claps, keys, field recordings, organs, and occasionally vocals create some of the most richly textured sounds I’ve heard in awhile. The “songs” are loosely structured and meandering affairs that marry together the realms of psych folk and improvised noise into an all-out rural-psychedelic-commune-freak out. RIYL: Red Red Meat, Phosphorescent, etc…
The Free Country CD is available now from Last Visible Dog.
MP3 | Davenport – Free Country Free Country
MP3 | Davenport – Play It Once Sam Free Country
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Noise
Review: Parts And Labor - Stay Afraid (or) sleeping under the subway tracks
Posted on 22 March 2006 | 2 Comments
I got an email a week or two ago urging me to check out this Brooklyn trio called Parts & Labor. So I did and I’m now eagerly waiting for the release of their new album Stay Afraid which comes out April, 11th on Jagjaguwar.
P&L dish out great indie-punk tracks and smother them with copious amounts of distortion and shrieking feedback noise. The addition of vocal melodies to once-instrumental band has added a pop dimension to their gloriously dirty wall of noise.
“Malfunctioning electronics howl in agony, drums rupture like fireworks, battle cries are belted through a monolithic layer of distorted bass and guitar. P&L revel in day-glo noise, charred drones, punk velocity and phoenix-like hooks.”
While all the Husker Du/Bob Mould comparisons hold up and the band does indeed often make a Boredoms-like racket, I keep coming back to a reference point of Rogue Wave. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it is the vocal melodies or maybe the lo-fi production, but whatever. You make the call.
MP3 | Parts & Labor – New Buildings Stay Afraid
MP3 | Parts & Labor – Drastic Measures Stay Afraid
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Noise, Punk
Dogs at where my
Posted on 19 March 2006 | 7 Comments
So Friday night the wife and I went downtown (sans baby) to meet up with my sister, her boyfriend, and a few old friends. We ended up drinking the likes of Bell’s Amber, Three Floyd’s Pride & Joy, and even some Fat Tire at a pretty chill little spot called the Hungry Brain (near Belmont & Western).
Anyhow, one of those old friends (Andy) is currently playing drums for a band called Rager (that I have yet to hear but have heard great things about). He also used to be the drummer for the legendary xHIKEx.
xHIKEx was a genre-defying mess of a band that called themselves “Innovators of free-form progressive hardcore” and said that they were “whisky-drinking meat-eating vegan straightedge.” During their too-brief existence (roughly 1999-2001), they opened for bands who were fixtures on MTV and played in in front of a packed room while the headliners would play for 12 people and walk off stage utterly frustrated. xHIKEx is legendary. They were abusive and obnoxious but people loved them. Musically speaking, xHIKEx didn’t really have any songs, but rather concocted 35 second long improvised blasts of noise and screaming that was oftentimes closer to preformance-art than anything musical. They were destructive and chaotic and could (maybe) be compared to the likes of Assuck, Spazz, or maybe a garbage disposal. My brother played guitar for xHIKEx as well.
The songs below are from their one and only recording, Big Ups To Straight Edge which was a cassette-only release of which only 50-100 copies were ever made. They recorded approximately 20 songs while under the influence of one-and-a-half gallons of Old Crow Whiskey and too many Old Styles to count and. The end result can only be described as brilliant. Only two songs, “…Pinkeye” and “C. Everett Koop” were intentionally written (by the band) and performed more than once. I personally highly recommend their cover of Journey’s “Anyway You Want It.” If you can get past the 1st chorus you’ll be handsomely rewarded.
MP3 | xHIKEx – Bad Metal
MP3 | xHIKEx – Olympia Beer & Turkey Sammiches
MP3 | xHIKEx – Breakfast
MP3 | xHIKEx – Breakin’ Hearts & Breakin’ Necks
MP3 | xHIKEx – C. Everett Koop
MP3 | xHIKEx – Anyway You Want It
MP3 | xHIKEx – Forcefield
MP3 | xHIKEx – We Should Play Something Hardcore
MP3 | xHIKEx – I See Dead Peeps
MP3 | xHIKEx – The House Of The Rising Son
MP3 | xHIKEx – Hope I Don’t Get Kurt’s Pinkeye
MP3 | xHIKEx – Clown Jam
MP3 | xHIKEx – So Happy Together
MP3 | xHIKEx – Hut Hut xHIKEx
MP3 | xHIKEx – I Just Learned How To Tie A Tie And I’m 22
MP3 | xHIKEx – Adrian
MP3 | xHIKEx – A Messy Attempt At Making Sense Of Hippies
MP3 | xHIKEx – Jackalackin
MP3 | xHIKEx – Choose Your Future
MP3 | xHIKEx – Elian
Filed Under: Blog, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
Review: Man Man - Six Demon Bag (or) push the eagles fishstick goggles
Posted on 7 March 2006 | 4 Comments
I’ve been busy, so this post is coming a little late this evening. I (however) haven’t been too busy to become enthralled with the new Man Man album. The music of Man Man is both odd and awesome. It is absurd but also compelling. There are obvious musical nods to Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart but mainly it is frontman Honus Honus’s gravelly vocals backed by some of the most diverse instrumentation I’ve ever heard put together on one record. From freakish carnival tunes to something that resembles messy hardcore punk that somehow manages to reference traditional Russian music, Dixieland, surf music, and even zydeco, it is all over the map. Six Demon Bag is like acid for your ears. What might (as a concept) sound highly annoying ends up being something you are unable to turn off.
The latest album from Man Man, Six Demon Bag was just released on Ace Fu Records and is definitely worth checking out.
MP3 | Man Man – Engwish Bwudd Six Demon Bag
MP3 | Man Man – Van Helsing Boombox Six Demon Bag
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Indie Rock, Noise
Review: Voltage - Building The Bass Castle, Vol. 1 (or) not at all similar to back in black
Posted on 1 March 2006 | 2 Comments
Voltage is a noisemaking duo comprised of Chicagoans Erik Schwartz and Todd Bailey. Their particular brand of instrumental noise rock mayhem is often compared to that of Hella but I’d have a hard time putting exactly what they do into words. Avant-garde but structured.
“Bailey plays a vacuum-tube based synthesizer of his own design which is controlled by a modified guitar, and occasionally appears with a touch and breath sensitive analog synth, an interactive jewelry-controlled sequencer or a Commodore 64 computer. On the other end, you will find Schwartz playing a drum kit of his own concoction, consisting of a Frankenstein assortment of marching and rock drums, a glockenspiel, battery operated motors, microphones, and more recently, a laptop configured for live sampling.”
“Considering how difficult it can be to distinguish a good sounding noise band, it’s much easier to assess the coolness of their gear. While Voltage’s technocratic wizardry puts them at the head of the class, their spazz-jazz is sure to win the hearts of high school AV club dorks and Don Caballero freaks alike.” – CMJ
Their latest album Building The Bass Castle, Vol. 1 is out now on Flameshovel Records. Seriously, it seems like everything that label has released lately is great (Bound Stems, Voltage, Maritime, etc…)
MP3 | Voltage – Track 4 Building The Bass Castle Vol. 1
MP3 | Voltage – Track 2 Building The Bass Castle Vol. 1
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Noise, Post Rock
Review: Part Chimp - I Am Come (or) born in a witches cauldron
Posted on 24 January 2006 | 2 Comments
Part Chimp hails from the UK and plays noise rock that (even at moderate volumes) sounds deafeningly loud. They (for the most part) throw melody out the window and spew forth a sludgy and bombastic cloud of pummeling guitar feedback and crashing cymbals. Even when the music quiets and the guitars go clean, you know its only a matter of seconds until the onslaught of riffage begins again. I am sure that the amps used by the guys in Part Chimp go to eleven and possible higher. This is music that will make your ears bleed with pleasure. Their sophomore album I Am Come is out now on the UK label Rock Action Records. RIYL: Lightning Bolt, QOTSA, DFA 1979, Black Sabbath.
MP3 | Part Chimp – Bakahatsu I Am Come
MP3 | Part Chimp – War Machine I Am Come
MP3 | Part Chimp – Doctor Horse Peel Sessions
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Hardcore & Metal, Noise
