Last Train To Cool

Swell Maps - ...In "Jane From Occupied Europe"

2010-11-11T01:21:00.000-08:00

Post-punk as a genre has generated so many great bands. I could easily name dozens of groups that managed to make masterpieces in the years between 1977 and 1981. Swell Maps were an extreme outlier when it came to post-punk. They were more calculated than Wire and lacked the emotion of groups like Joy Division. Swell Maps musically almost sound mechanical. As their music progressed it got distinctly stranger and on their second record, '…In "Jane From Occupied Europe"' they full embrace their more untraditional influences. The clear cut example is on the middle portion of the record which centers on punk driven krautrock jams. Drummer Epic Soundtracks is really the foundation for this sound and I remember reading an interview with Nikki Sudden that supported the fact that the group was listening to groups like Can and trying to recreate some of those sounds. Its kind of shocking to me to look back and see that punk rock hasn't necessarily ever not been this experimental. The genre simply has always had groups like Swell Maps on the fringe creating refreshingly timeless music. The fact that this record was released in 1980 is incredible, but I guess it sits easily next to some of the other records released that year. Young Marble Giants' 'Colossal Youth, The Sound's 'Jeopardy', and Killing Joke's 'Killing Joke' are just a few other examples of the sound that was being perpetuated in 1980.

swell maps' ...in "jane from occupied europe"

'…In "Jane From Occupied Europe"' is the perfect example of blue collar music. The band builds the tracks off of minimalist explosions of noise coupled with very subtle changes. They still are playing punk rock songs, but the distinct rhythmic nature of the music is constantly present. As said before the middle section of the record may drag for some as it is very repetitive, but I for one have always enjoyed it. The record to me seemed like one big epic noise track book-ended with two fantastic punk tracks. These types of post-punk records that so clearly borrow from other bands have always really interested me. It seems like the very first time people could record music easily by themselves they started expressing themselves as mixtures of their favorite artists. I guess that makes sense complete sense as most people do that, but it has left numerous records like Swell Maps' sophomore effort that are truly one of a kind. Certainly a record worth dog-earring when it comes to post- punk. Epic Soundtracks has a couple of excellent solo records that are completely different from the sound here. If you are a Swell Maps fan you should definitely check those out also.

Swell Maps - ...In "Jane From Occupied Europe" (1980)

Zelienople - Sleeper Coach

2010-11-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

Slowcore has become an obsession of mine over the past couple of years. My interest in groups like Codeine and Low has become immense. I've collected all I can from many of the "popular" slowcore candidates and I'm still not satisfied. I've found a few great records, but I feel like there has to be variations out there I'm not noticing. Whenever I come upon a record like Duster's 'Stratosphere' this feeling is intensified. Zelienople don't strictly meet the requirements in my head that define the genre of slowcore, but it is obvious they've taken some of that genres tendencies. The backdrop of folk that resides in their music is the clearest example I can find to satisfy that theory. Much like Codeine they rely on slowly building their songs through texture and the subtle blend of guitar interplay. Codeine preferred to go loud and distorted, Zelienople is much more laid back and quiet. They have a distinct jammy quality that anchors their music into the realms of noise and post-rock. They are a very tough band to classify as they can be very quiet and completely aggressive at the same time. When I say aggressive I don't really mean heavy though. They achieve loudness in a unique way that sees them almost going completely out of sync. Their songs seem to float through these hazes of textural noises. I guess their tendencies in terms of dynamics is what wants me to label them as slowcore.

zelienople's 'sleeper coach'

'Sleeper Coach' embodies their earlier work. More song based and much more ethereal. Their music over time has gotten much more complex than the simple spaced out songs we find here. This doesn't prevent the record from succeeding or in any way effect it at all. The cool thing is to see the band progress and 'Sleeper Coach' is the perfect place to start. Not as out there as their later work, helps you get used to their work. Much like 'Spirit of Eden' allows the further understand of 'Laughing Stock'. Neither record is better than the other they just represent different moments and ideas of the band. Highly suggest this record and in general the band's music. They are truly a different type of group that exists in their own realm.

Zelienople - Sleeper Coach (2004)

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle

2010-10-22T00:37:00.001-07:00

Is there anything much better than a good alternative rock song from the '90s? In my opinion, not really. Archers of Loaf play some bastardized version of Pavement and Leatherface. They wear their heart on their sleeve, but why is never really addressed. The lyrics on this record are nonsensical and in general lack substance. The guitar playing on this album is amazing and some of the best '90s indie rock songs are found on 'Icky Mettle'.

archers of loaf's 'icky mettle'

Archers of Loaf had a weird career. Their first couple albums seemed very punk based and extremely one track. As they grew older their music morphed into very polished, but still very different alternative rock. 'White Class Heroes' saw the band experimenting with almost Brian Enoesque synths. Their first two records really sound the best for me, but their entire discography is very underrated. Very few indie rock bands grasp the idea that while music can be hook oriented it should also retain a certain amount of "rock". Archers of Loaf's first two records seem to be released in the heyday of '90s indie rock and easily two of the best from that period as well. Grungey, but poppy the group made sonic experiments with clear cut anthems. Its rare you get an indie rock band that possesses the ability to capture both perfectly. Usually a band is either very tame or very aggressive, the key to creating memorable pop music is messing with dynamics. Many groups in the '90s as experimental as they got always retained the poppy hooks and general structure of pop tunes. This is why in my mind the music of this period is the best in terms of 'indie rock'.

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle (1993)

Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From The Estate

2010-09-30T02:07:00.000-07:00

oren ambarchi's 'grapes from the estate'

I'm going to see Pavement tomorrow evening and Guided by Voices on Monday. Not sure how I feel about Pavement, but I'm very excited to see GBV. Great band and I imagine their live show is much better than their recorded material. Expect a blog post concerning those bands at some point. The title of this blog is a little misleading. The post will be focused around two records. Oren Ambarchi is an artist I saw opening for Boris w/ Michio Kurihara. He played a set that in my mind was much louder than any of the recorded material I've acquired of his. His recorded material tends to be very subdued and beautifully sparse. His live material has very ominous and from my knowledge (the concert was nearly three years ago) extremely cavernous and huge. His recorded stuff sounds so condensed that it was cool to hear him be very sprawling live. "Grapes From The Estate" is my favorite Oren record and every track is a highlight. The trouble with ambient music is making it simple enough to be subtle, but complex enough to remain interesting. The four pieces on "Grapes From The Estate" encompass that idea completely.

fennesz and ryuichi sakamoto's 'cendre'

Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto are both ambient musicians. Their collaboration "Cendre" is very different from Fennesz's work. The familiar glitchy ambience and solemn soundscapes are there, but Sakamoto seems to make the work very dark. The subtle addition of live piano and field recordings really adds a level of texture to the album that makes it great. Both of these records are excellent companions especially in the early hours of the morning. I find myself slowly drifting off to both Fennesz and Oren constantly in a way that is almost hypnotic. They both know the perfect amount of repetition to instill in a song while still allowing it to be relevant. Fennesz' pieces here are much shorter and less developed than Oren's, but they bleed a atmosphere devoid of Oren's sound. Ripples of sound encapsulating emotion is the only way to describe both of these records.

Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From The Estate (2004)

Fennesz (feat. Ryuichi Sakamato) - Cendre (2007)

Dabrye - One/Three

2010-09-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

dabrye's 'one / three'

Michigan hip-hop production is the best. I'm not saying that other regional areas don't have their highlights. The south, east and west all maintain a level of consistency that allows for the yearly showcase of excellent beats. Detroit and on a large scale Michigan takes influences from all of those styles though. Rather than fall into a trap of defining itself regional, Detroit has managed to create a production style that dabbles in soul samples, hard hitting beats, and influences from the city's own techno scene. Dilla is the easy name, but when you begin examining Detroit and Michigan producers in general they tend to have a level of consistency not seen in other areas. Black Milk, Decompoze, Waajeed, Mr. Porter, etc. the state has a tendency for showing off beats in tracks.

Dabrye is sort of the more electronic version of the Michigan sound. Much like Flying Lotus or Daedalus in the LA area, Dabrye takes influence from the local hip-hop scene but his music can not necessarily be classified as hip-hop. He definitely creates hip-hop sounding beats and the follow up to 'One/Three' features numerous guest rap spots. This music is more akin to the Brainfeeder movement than the Detroit hip-hop sound. 'One/Three' sounds like a Warp Record version of one of Dilla's beat tapes. The album is very organic and passes you buy in a much shorter time than it actual plays for. If anyone has heard 'Vintage Vol.2' this album pretty much sounds like a more expanded, technical version of that idea. Simple beats with not so simple sounds.

Dabrye - One/Three (2001)

Bedhead - What Fun Life Was

2010-09-13T00:22:00.000-07:00

bedhead's 'what fun life was'

Who knows why I haven't been inspired to post anything lately. My girlfriend moved away for a couple of months. She moved back a couple months ago. I've been taking the final classes for my degree and spending a summer relaxing with friends. I guess that is why blogs tend to die is because people find things they find more important.

Bedhead is a mid '90s alternative group (surprise!). Most people who like the genre of slowcore probably know them. It is autumn in Southern California and I've been looking for records that revolve around the colder weather. Mainly focusing on post-hardcore and ambient music. Bedhead has some kind of combination of both of those types of sound. They play pop music much like the Duster record I posted a few months back. It is extremely melodic and extremely easy to listen to, but it also has these weird dissonant moments along with the more traditional ones. The textural aspects of this record are ones that are very subtle, but at the same time what makes the entire record. Good for cold nights, which I imagine I'll be having a lot more lately. Hopefully I can keep up with the posts.

Bedhead - What Fun Life Was (1994)

Ray Barretto - Acid

2010-05-09T00:53:00.000-07:00

Ray Barretto's 'Acid'

Almost could be described as salsa jazz. Definitive Latin influence on the music, but not in the usual way that you find with jazz records. Relation could be to groups like Sly Stone and Cymande who combine soul with jazz in a really nonchalant way. Great record, should be the source of numerous beats.

Ray Barretto - Acid (1968)

Idaho - Levitate

2010-04-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

idaho's 'levitate'

Idaho is a slowcore group from Los Angeles. In reality the group acts a vessel for Jeff Martin's compositions. Idaho originally started off in the early '90s mimicking groups like American Music Club and Red House Painters. Their earlier records are pretty good attempts at slowcore, but they seem to want to break into rock and roll moments far too much. As Idaho progressed they become noticeably more reserved. 'Levitate' is extremely distant from Idaho's early work and in general is a pretty overwrought record. My best friend moved 9 hours away and I'm not doing anything about it. Maybe that is why this one is particularly touching right now. Jeff Martin certainly has a swagger about him that all the great artists in this style of music carry and perhaps that is why I love most of this guys work. 'I wish you'd go away / I've gotta grow up someday'

Idaho - Levitate (2001)

3 - Dark Days Coming

2010-03-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

3's ' Dark Days Coming'

3's sound in retrospect comes off as a early example of the impact of 'revolution summer' in DC. The music here while similar to the previous Dischord "sound" is also drenched in acoustic guitars, more varied tempos, and singing rather than yelps. 3 features members from Minor Threat and Gray Matter. In general it seems like the band was very influenced by the song 'Salad Days', but that might just be the sound of the actual production of the record which has that really pristine and sharp tone. The group sounds pretty similar to Gray Matter which makes sense with two of their members (Geoff Turner the vocalist and Mark Haggerty the guitarist) making up the four piece. A lot of the songs here are really whimsical and impassioned and the timing of the record makes it come off almost as a period piece. The record rules in short.

3 - Dark Days Coming (1990)

Karate - Cancel / Sing

2010-03-04T02:39:00.000-08:00

karate's 'cancel / sing'

Maybe self indulgent, but everything comes together throughout this record. One of Karate's finer moments.

Karate - Cancel / Sing (2002)

Nat Baldwin - Most Valuable Player

2010-02-18T01:58:00.000-08:00

nat baldwin's 'most valuable player'

nat baldwin has some loose connection to The Dirty Projectors, i believe he was the bassist at some point. this record is pretty interesting somewhat evoking Grizzly Bear with just a stand-up bass. definitely poppy, but very beautiful and technical in the same glance. sort of missed when it came out as well.

Nat Baldwin - Most Valuable Player (2008)

Masta Ace - Disposable Arts

2010-02-12T03:16:00.000-08:00

masta ace's 'disposable arts'

Marley Marl's group or collective The Juice Crew was responsible for the emergence of numerous high profile rappers in the mid to late '80s. Perhaps most rememberable is the track 'The Symphony' a posse-cut featuring the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Craig G and Masta Ace. Masta Ace after that release continued to evolve into one of those most technically skilled rappers of all time. Throughout his career Masta Ace's own solo material has focused around concepts. 'A Long Hot Summer' revolved around a rapper and his trials through going on tour and dealing with his manager. 'Disposable Arts' revolves around Masta Ace going to a fictional hip-hop university to escape his former life. While the concept definitely helps propel the album it really doesn't effect the material of the tracks which deal with a variety of topics. Every track is nearly a highlight and the only thing I can see turning some people off is the abundance of skits. Luckily Ace has done a well enough job implementing the actual songs within the skits so the album has a very linear nature. The most interesting part of this record is that Ace is still as good as he was in the '90s and at the same time he has updated his songs and beats in a way that this album makes perfect sense alongside other '01 releases like 'The Blueprint' and 'Stillmatic'. More great New York hip-hop that has certainly gone unnoticed by many.

Masta Ace - Disposable Arts (2001)

Prince Lasha & Sonny Simmons

2010-01-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

Prince Lasha's and Sonny Simmons' 'The Cry!'

Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons first came to my attention because of Eric Dolphy's 'Iron Man'. Perpetuating the sound of Eric Dolphy and Andrew Hill, Simmons and Lasha certainly play avant-garde jazz. 'The Cry!' their first effort together follows a more linear path than 'Firebirds', but they both take great strides in terms of expanding the sounds they were working with on 'Iron Man'. The great part about these records are that they remain free while still retaining a bop backing. Much like Andrew Hill's work throughout the '60s there is an inherent groove throughout the music no matter how static or dissonant it may get. Anyone with any interest in jazz should check these two records out as they are insanely overlooked and truly special.

Prince Lasha's and Sonny Simmons' 'Firebirds'

Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons - The Cry (1962)

Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons - Firebirds (1967)

Gang Starr - Daily Operation

2009-12-09T02:37:00.000-08:00

gang starr's 'daily operation'

Holy shit, this is a great record. I don't really know how long I've had this record. I remember downloading bits of it back in 6th or 7th grade when I first got into A Tribe Called Quest. Just great beats and great lyrics. A lot of people dislike Guru since he has a monotone flow. I think it just increases the way he raps. Everything he says is said with such poise and relaxation that it makes the record truly introspective. Probably my personal highlight of early '90s New York hip-hop at least in terms of producer/rapper duos. 'Stay Tuned' is my favorite. Completely stoned and repetitive while easily being the catchiest cut on the record. Kind of like me with the hip-hop lately.

Gang Starr - Daily Operation (1992)

A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes, And Life

2009-11-24T02:53:00.000-08:00

A Tribe Called Quest's 'Beats, Rhymes, And Life'

'The Low-End Theory' was really the first hip-hop record I ever got into. I'm sure that is the case with many white hip-hop fans as that album just kind of oozes of reserved yet intelligent lyrics and imaginative yet restrained beats. I think it is an easy candidate for hip-hop record of the '90s and in general can still inspire the same feelings that it did when I was younger these days. My exposure to 'Beats, Rhymes, And Life' came much later in my life. I'm glad for that. When I was getting into 'The Low-End Theory' I grabbed 'Midnight Marauders' and was often disappointed with the lack of continuity throughout that record. While I've certainly warmed up to 'Midnight Marauders' over the years it still strikes me as a somewhat half baked affair. A Tribe Called Quest was attempting to create more sophisticated beats on that record, but their lyrical style had not changed very much at that point. 'Beats, Rhymes, And Life' is in my eyes a far more successful record. The lyrics have grown darker and more diverse whether it be due to the climate of hip-hop in '96 or due to the personal rifts throughout the group. J Dilla makes one of his first appearances here in the form of the Ummah who provide all the beats throughout the record. Q-Tip's cousin Consequence is featured on numerous tracks and in general this totally revitalizes the Tribe sound without coming off cheap or forced. The beats are as cleaned as Pete Rock's and the undeniable x-factor throughout the record is Dilla's passionate affair with bass lines which he clearly began here. Truly a underrated classic amongst hip-hop fans.

A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes, And Life (1996)

The Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity

2009-11-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

Albert Ayler's Spiritual Unity

Albert Ayler's 'Spiritual Unity' is a landmark free jazz record. The lack of updates on here have been due as expected to the hustle of every day. When it comes to my own personal relaxation from that type of stress it is nice to just sit down and hear a record with this level of involvement. I think this album really embraces exploring the subtle nuances of improvisation. It explores a realm of free jazz while at the same time still appealing to those who may not be fully devoted to the genre and looking to attempt to dive in feet first should definitely give this a spin.

The Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity (1964)

Have a Nice Life - Voids

2009-09-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Have a Nice Life's 'Voids'

As is the case with most recording sessions Have A Nice Life's 'Deathconsciousness' left a few b-sides that have been complied into this bootleg collection. Featuring an EP of 'Deathconsciousness' demos as well as an EP featuring tracks not included on 'Deathconsciousness' 'Voids' fills in the blanks as to where Have a Nice Life's sound came from. The songs here are more atmospheric, more indebted to post punk, and in general a little more easier to follow along. 'Sisyphus' is texturally the most impressive HANL song I've heard and 'Destinos' shows the bands knack for instrumental beauty. If you enjoyed their release last year I suggest giving this a look.

Have a Nice Life - Voids (2009)

Oren Ambarchi - Suspension

2009-08-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

oren ambarchi's 'suspension'

Oren Ambarchi is a Australian musician who creates minimalist/ambient music by way of solo guitar. I saw him open for Boris and his performance was much more aggressive then his recorded material is. 'Suspension' is a very quiet and soothing record. The sounds present here are almost meditative. Ambarchi has worked with musicians like SunnO))) and Christian Fennesz and his music shows influences from artists like those. This is a great record and also a little more varying then most minimalist work.

Oren Ambarchi - Suspension (2001)

Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans

2009-08-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Pissed Jeans established themselves as a great throwback to the late '80s and early '90s with their two previous releases. 'King of Jeans' continues this same trend while at the same time expanding the palette of a band clearly indebted to others. Part of this comes from the continual progression of guitarist Bradley Fry. The sound of Pissed Jeans is anchored by a very lively rhythm section and vocalist Matt Korvette's performance. Fry on the other hand seems to prefer to embellish the group's sound rather than drive it which really has come to fruition on 'King of Jeans'. Guitar solos echoing No Trend, the building of distortion throughout 'Spent' Pissed Jeans have seemingly embraced the aspects of traditional rock and roll into their immensely untraditional sound.

Pissed Jeans' 'King of Jeans'

'Hope For Men' was a very lyrical album for how volatile the sound was. 'King of Jeans' is still just as lyrical, but gone are songs concerning issues as mundane as ice cream and Whole Foods. The topics have dissolved into even starker reflections of everyday life. 'Dream Smotherer' concerns the lack of sleep of its narrator, 'Spent' a seemingly typical day in Korvette's life. The presence of vocals has also reached its pinnacle with a more diverse take. Korvette has imbued his yells with a somewhat more melodic tone as is evident throughout the record especially 'Goodbye (Hair)'. More over bassist Randy Huth and drummer Sean McGuinness have propelled Pissed Jeans' previously sprawling sound into a more apt attack. Few tracks on the album dip over the 3-minute mark and tracks like 'She is Science Fiction' and 'Half Idiot' are a flurry of drums aided by slow droning bass lines. Pissed Jeans have polished up their sound as much as is seemingly possible and because of that they've crafted their finest record yet.

Pissed Jeans - King of Jeans (2009)

Lowercase - Kill the Lights

2009-06-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

lowercase's kill the lights

I don't know much about Lowercase's history. This is noisy post-hardcore from the late '90s blending early Swans with the sounds Shellac or Unwound were playing with. Fantastic stuff. Vocals are really alt. rock inspired and the album definitely has a great sense of dynamics.

Lowercase - Kill the Lights (1997)

J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid

2009-06-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

To a casual fan of hip-hop the name J-Dilla may not mean a lot. If you’re more interested in Anticon or Wu-Tang than the genre as a whole 'Jay Stay Paid' may not be a big deal. Change that. Like every genre hip-hop's gems are found underneath the rough and Dilla’s work puts him in the position of being the most influential and progressive producer in the last twenty years. His story is just as long and detailed as his career but to address that is a discredit to what 'Jay Stay Paid' represents. Jay Dee may be gone but his music continues to impress and expand itself to new audiences. Most of the tracks on this record are seemingly works in progress. The guest list fits perfectly with artists like DOOM, Havoc (Mobb Depp), and Black Thought all stepping into help create a darker and more diverse record.

jdilla

Jay Dee’s strength has always been his ability to create musically complex beats that work on both a basic and layered level. For example electronic artists like Flying Lotus continually sing the praises of Dilla for his constant attention to detail and musicality. His work with fellow Detroit group Frank-N-Dank saw him exploring usage of minimal effects and layers to create more to the point material. Dilla pretty much finessed this sound with 'Donuts'. 'Jay Stay Paid' attempts to explore that evolution though it is posthumous material. 'King', 'Mythsysizer', and 'In The Night/While You Slept (I Crept)' all focus on creating lush soundscapes in a hip-hop setting. ‘9th Caller’ mixes vintage guitar strokes over a pulsing beat. Dilla’s penchant for self styled strip club jams comes out in ‘CaDILLAc. ‘Spacecowboy vs. Bobble Head’ transitions itself through various sounds and finally closes out with a soulful finale. Jay Dee adapts equal parts of the Wu-Tang and New York sound into the more bass heavy Detroit style on ‘24K Rap’. Raekwon and Havoc both also appear on '24K Rap' which even adds to the strength of it. Other key vocal additions on the record are Blu on 'Smoke' and Black Thought on 'Reality TV'. While the majority of ‘Jay Stay Paid’ is instrumental this is clearly a hip-hop record and the addition of such high quality lyricists is welcomed. Mixing everything from Asian sounding melodies with soundclips of waves 'Coming Back' acts as a true definition of why Dilla will always remain the greatest of all time.

Is 'Jay Stay Paid' the most alarmingly original record of 2009? No, this is a collection of recycled material and sounds as such. Though subtle factors like J Dilla’s hero Pete Rock cutting the album and Illa J's appearance help it retain the artist’s respect. Similar to UGK's '4 Life' earlier this year Dilla's friends, family, and admirers have created a(nother) great tribute to one of hip-hop's great.

Brainworms - Brainworms II: Swear to Me

2009-05-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

The sound that Virginia's Brainworms have become notorious for is definitely different. Early material was notable for short, explosive post-hardcore tracks that were marked by their extremely melodic guitars. 'Swear To Me' marks a distinct change for the band though, as the material here seems to be diving into much more eclectic territories. Brainworms have always embraced the style of hardcore that was made popular by groups like Split Lip and Grade. All of the group's discography bleeds of a melodic hardcore influence, but the fact is they hardly ever sound that clean or restrained. Whether it is punk, hardcore, or even indie rock, Brainworms are able to spew a dissonant yet catchy mix of numerous genres.

Brainworms' Brainworms II: Swear to Me

'Swear To Me' improves on Brainworms' former material by taking a more progressive approach. Blues style solos, group vocals, and various studio techniques are taken to make the sound more layered and diverse. For reference, think Bear vs. Shark's evolution from debut to sophomore release. The guitar attack of the group has been stepped up a notch and the addition of Josh Small layers the sound nicely. The odd fit in Brainworms has always been lead vocalist Greg Butler who physically resembles Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav fame. Butler's voice has a distinct distorted sound to it whether it is synthetic or natural. This really helps his voice contrast with very high frequency guitar and bass parts that the group likes to employ. Butler's lyrics also show themselves to be just as sophisticated as the song structures. His penchant for illustrating hardcore concepts in a personal way echoes other Virginia groups like Haram or Malady. His lyrics on 'Swear To Me' seem to be focusing on the various realities that accompany the term home, whether it is a person or place. Butler seems to be aching to find and define his own "home" and these thoughts seem to be a basis in the lyrical side of 'Swear To Me'. Of course the material strays into other realms whether it be the political 'Whatever, That's How You Get Famous' or the two instrumental tracks 'Vulgar Display of Flowers' and 'The Pinnacle of Story Telling.'

'Swear To Me' is a great record both because it is extremely enjoyable to listen to, while at the same time it helps carve out its own niche in post-hardcore. Fans of Bear vs. Shark, Hot Water Music, or a Dischord association would be wise to check out 'Swear To Me' - it really is a great and new sounding example of that sound.

Brainworms - Brainworms II: Swear to Me (2009)

Ron Carter - Empire Jazz

2009-04-28T01:59:00.001-07:00

Ron Carter's 'Empire Jazz'

here is a gem. Ron Carter and Billy Cobham arranging jazz music from Empire Strikes Back. what the fuck? i don't really know how this even came to exist but the staff on the record is great. flute solos are excellent. the dense guitars on 'The Imperial March' melody are amazing and all around if you grew up with Star Wars and dig jazz there is no way you can't dig this. plus awesomest cover of all time.

Ron Carter - Empire Jazz (1980)

Wipers - Youth of America

2009-04-19T23:01:00.002-07:00

100th post. Wipers' 'Youth of America'. Punk post '77 has involved numerous attempts to bridge the sound of punk with other genres. In 1980 many bands were beginning to experiment with techniques found in reggae and psychedelic rock musics. Pere Ubu, Gang of Four, most of these groups had a very sterile yet funky feel to them. Wipers I guess could be included with these bands, but the difference with them was they presented such a desolated sound that it wouldn't be until Husker Du released 'Zen Arcade' in 1984.

When mentioning 'Youth of America' the first thing that comes to mind is Greg Sage's guitar playing. In thinking about Sage's style it is kind of like an extension of the guitar playing on 'Marquee Moon'. Sage is far from a bad guitarist, but his technicality comes from simplistic choices and also how he textures many of these songs with distorted and overdubbed guitars. Sage also must be credited for his DIY approach before anyone was even conceptualizing industries in that light.

Wipers' 'Youth of America'

'When It's Over' features some great keyboard work and the tracks in general all have a pretty layered feel. The Wipers are still living in a '77 hangover, but a lot of the stuff they do on this record is pretty impressive considering it was released in only 1980. This is really one of the punk albums that helped carve out how dynamic the genre can be.

The order of the version of 'Youth of America' I uploaded is the one I've always known. Apparently the three disc set of Wipers' three earliest albums rearranges the original tracklisting to how it was suppose to be. However they are ordered the six tracks of 'Youth of America' fully predate the extreme pessimism that would overtake the genre in the Reagan years. 'No Fair' is the hit off of this one, it just perfectly captures the feel of everything they are trying to accomplish. Dark, pissed and great.

Wipers - Youth of America (1980)

Y Pants - Y Pants

2009-04-05T22:57:00.000-07:00

y pants' self-titled 7"

Y Pants is a all girl post-punk band that makes music from toy instruments. I don't really know what else there is to say about them.

Y-Pants - Y-Pants (1980)

Flying Lotus - July Heat

2009-04-03T02:56:00.000-07:00

flying lotus' 'july heat'

i don't really know where this record comes from. i'm assuming it is flying lotus' pre-'1983' work but that could be totally off. i'm posting this between odd work schedules, numerous birthdays, and spousal arguments. that is my lame sentence of this review. anyways, if you're into any of flylo's stuff this a must and if you want something really laidback and hip-hop inspired also give it a spin. 'Cry For Help' is the real hit here. expect something on post-punk being posted in the next week or so. Wipers, Y Pants, Young Marble Giants all kinds of shit.

Flying Lotus - July Heat (2005)

Gray Matter - Take it Back

2009-03-11T00:40:00.000-07:00

holy fuck, here is an old record. i remember blasting this when i got my first car some kinda subaru sedan from the early '90s. i guess the record was older than the car. anyways, this is one of the best examples of that Rites of Spring sound coming out of DC in the mid to late '80s. Gray Matter had a vocalist who could scream but still be melodic. Perhaps, think that Moss Icon record two posts down? The guitars are extremely schizo shuffling through a variety of chords in seconds and the rhythm section mirrors that of Rites of Spring or Fugazi during this time just subtly filling everything excellently. Gray Matter is a one of the legends of DC hardcore and 'Take it Back' is a fucking classic, like seriously one of the best Dischord releases ever.

gray matter's 'take it back'

Gray Matter - 'Take it Back' (1986)

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen

2009-03-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

cursive's 'mama, i'm swollen'

'Mama, I'm Swollen' is an anomaly, presenting Cursive simultaneously succeeding at their new sound while falling into pitfalls of being redundant. Most of the criticism is easily lodged at lyricist Tim Kasher. The head lyricist attempts for grandiose themes to go along with the grandiose instrumentals of 'Mama, I'm Swollen'. The problem with this approach is as witty and sarcastic as Kasher attempts to make himself his true attraction lyrically has always been his bare honesty. Oddly 'Mama's' strongest tracks in lyrical terms are ones that regurgitate the romantic narcissism that made the group rivals to their Saddle Creek peers. 'What Have I Done?' and 'I Couldn't Love You' are lyrical concepts that have been present throughout both Cursive and The Good Life's discographies. The truth is somewhere along the line Cursive musically matured and that maturity is what remains attractive about this record.

Praising Cursive for their innovation on this record is definitely easy. The mix of Cursive's post-hardcore heritage and influences from new wave groups like The Cure makes many of the tracks here succeed. 'Donkeys' is as ominous as it is catchy. The aforementioned 'I Couldn't Love You' seems like an easy follow up for 'From The Hips' for the group's next single. On that note the more accessible tracks on this album may spurn curiosity of Cursive's bid for mainstream attention. Not to say it is intentional at all, throughout the record Kasher remains even darker and unforgiving than fellow label mate Conor Oberst. Though through the new set of industry rules that groups like The Shins and even Bright Eyes have achieved for indie groups one wonders when Cursive will wedge itself in the public conscious. Perhaps the arrangements on this record are to out there for the average indie rock fan and the attention towards being orchestrated while accessible is what truly makes tracks like 'Mama, I'm Satan' and 'We're Going To Hell' succeed.

Where does 'Mama, I'm Swollen' not succeed? First off, the identity crisis that Cursive seems to be going through makes it seem like The Good Life should have no reason to exist. While 'The Ugly Organ' was bombastic to the point of annoyance Cursive's new record stutters due to its inability to settle on any likeness at all. 'Let Me Up' and 'Caveman' may not be bad tracks, but their quirkiness and stoic arrangements make them feel like complete mistakes in terms of the track listing. When Cursive first revealed many of these tracks signs pointed toward the group moving back into a more stripped down electric group. What has resulted is something much different instead 'Mama, I'm Swollen' seems to be Cursive's most studio produced record yet. Sadly, that isn't a positive as Cursive's main strength has always been the power behind Kasher's voice and this record seems to be doing everything it can to not rely on that.

cursive

'What Have I Done?' is different. 'What Have I Done?' gives Cursive fans what they want when they hear Cursive. Not to say that artists must satisfy their fans, but if Kasher wanted to fully make up for those that hated 'Happy Hollow' one would think 'What Have I Done?' would be the answer. Breaking the track down it simply relies on the overused soft to loud dynamic that Cursive has been implementing since their beginning. Kasher mumbles a tale of futile realization over the track and when the guitars finally crash at the end you feel like for once on this record you can fully relate to its composer. He's much older than he was on the embarrassingly public 'Domestica' and much more concise than on the sprawling 'Ugly Organ', but as he is attempting to say throughout 'Mama, I'm Swollen' he is still the same. Kasher still embraces his flaws and while that may not work to the record's advantage when it does Cursive hits hard as ever.

Cursive - 'Mama, I'm Swollen' (2009)

Moss Icon - Hate in Me

2009-02-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

moss icon's self titled 7"

you were visiting a house that's been sealed for a 1000 years.
little crayon scribbles, a white truck on a string.
you were standing there with your plaid and your favorite things.
but now your sleeping or fucking or something.
- moss icon - 'i'm back sleeping, or fucking, or something'

Oddly enough I wrote this first paragraph after the rest. Lyrically I just don't think I can think of a more appropriate example of the topics of early emo records then 'I'm Back Sleeping, or Fucking or Something' because in reality every person has been kept awake thinking about what happened to those that were lost due to whatever situations may arise throughout life. The romantic undertones that are embodied in the song title deal with the futility of things and the fact that the two things he mentions are sleeping and fucking have to resonate in everyone. I guess what I'm saying here is that Moss Icon lyrically have to be the most superior of those early emo bands because they are so easily relateable, but at the same time extremely deep. Perhaps this is just an attempt for me to relate to someone else who is constantly thinking about those people that have passed me by and what they are doing at the moment. Sleeping, or fucking or something .

Moss Icon is almost always associated with emo usually getting placed somewhere between Rites of Spring and The Hated. 'Hate in Me' as a 7" is a perfect slab of late '80s hardcore where you can feel the move of progressive mixed with a attachment to a long stagnant scene. Moss Icon certainly wasn't reaching the more lengthy heights that their later records would embrace on 'Hate in Me' and that more appropriately helps describe how this 7" really gives off that early DC hardcore sound. Oddly enough according to bidhardcore.com (great piece of this 7" here) the members of Moss Icon said that those bands (Embrace, Rites of Spring) had little impact on their sound. Further goes to show you that this sound was clearly the next progression of hardcore music and that it was popping up everywhere in the late '80s. Musically this record is mostly enjoyable because of the extremely melodic guitar and the vocalists great performance. Unlike The Hated or Rites of Spring John Vance wouldn't come off like he was wailing until his group's later records, here he sounds like the perfect vocalist for this music. His scream isn't restrained, but his knack for filling these otherwise simple tracks with impassioned lyrics that perfectly fit the feel of these tracks is one of a kind. 'I'm Back Sleeping, or Fucking, or Something' remains as one of my favorite songs of this genre and this record in general is probably the best example of the early Moss Icon and emo sound.

Moss Icon - Hate in Me (1988)

Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond

2009-02-13T02:01:00.000-08:00

Jackie McLean's 'One Step Beyond'

To parlay into my personal life I work in a restaurant. In my restaurant as any I have a steady group of customers I consider my regulars. One of these individuals happens to be Paul Carmen who played on a few Zappa records and is a pretty accomplished saxophonist. Anyways, tonight while we were talking at the bar we began to discuss some records by musicians such as Freddie Hubbard and Andrew Hill. After coming home and reflecting on the experience I thought of Jackie McLean's One Step Beyond which sort of hints at an avant garde sound while at the same time remaining a bop record. The two highlights in the group here are Grachan Moncur III and Bobby Hutcherson. Hutcherson on vibes and Moncur on trombone really help flavor the rest of the group as McLean isn't the most involved player. Tony Williams really fills this record out on the drums in a subtle yet intelligent way. Truly a lost jazz classic.

Jackie McLean - One Step Beyond (1963)

Hisato Higuchi - Dialogue

2009-02-03T02:08:00.000-08:00

hisato higuchi's dialogue

people that are somewhat familiar with this blog may remember a post a year or two ago on the album 'Holy Letters' by L. L got me first interested in Japanese music and Hisato Higuchi's 'Dialogue' was one of the first records after 'Holy Letters' that I found myself really attracted to. unlike L's meandering improvisation on 'Holy Letters' Hisato crafts a contained album with 'Dialogue'. songs exist basically of seemingly random chord patterns with soft singing accompanying. this is definitely the type of album reserved for when you wake up or are about to fall asleep, the minimalism is entrancing. yet another great release from the musical giant that is Japan.

Hisato Higuchi - 'Dialogue' (2006)

Faithealer - Bound and Chained

2009-01-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

Faithealer's Bound and Chained

in fitting in with themes, here's another great aggressive vocal performance from a girl. Faithealer come from Texas featuring a variety of members from groups such as Hatred Surge and Mammoth Grinder. their sound mixes a variety of influences to make a truly unique metalcore based sound. i guess if you wanted to you could maybe label this under that movement "deathcore", but i hate that term and the influence of death metal is extremely slight in this band, only translating itself in the form of the vocals which reach guttural levels at some points. the strength for this group though is obviously in their melodic portions which relieve the aggressive portions with an almost sludgy feel. all shitty genre puns aside, this is a record that definitely emblessishes on what hardcore in general can instrumentally procede. definitely indebted to '90s groups like Unruh and their release 'Setting Fire to Sinking Ships' which kinda mixed the aggressiveness of groups like Biohazard with the atmosphere of One Eyed God Prophecy. anyways, cop this from inkblot. it is going to be a classic someday.

Faithealer - Bound and Chained (2008)

Punch - Eyeless EP

2009-01-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

punch

i had heard about punch through a variety of facets. seeing Loma Prieta lots of the merch was present, Ghostlimb gave them a few shout outs when i saw them in Seattle, and when i went to see Portraits of Pasts in late December the group also got some mention. after hearing about them from so many great bands i figured that there must've been something legitimate about the group. after hearing this 7" i realized what a mistake it was to not check out the group earlier. a combination of thrash, '90s hardcore, and grind-like rhythms Punch is definitely one of the more aggressive and interesting throwback groups currently playing. of course, the main draw point for many is the female vocalist Meghan (what's up with Meghan's in hardcore?) who is certainly a great front(wo)man and brings the perfect compliment to the already fericous enough music. lyrics center around the dislike of California society or rather society in general, but the success with Punch mainly comes from their ability to as i constantly say about bands to draw on new and old trends in music. if you have interest in hardcore, this is definitely a recommendation.

Punch - Eyeless EP

Low - Christmas

2008-12-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

maybe a little late, but here is a christmas album. review is by nigh of rateyourmusic.com fame for more of his work click here.

low's 'christmas'

"I bought this on CD in Crash, one of my favourite record shops in the floating mothership with red and blue flashing lights of an habitual that I call home. It's only a small store, but they get lots of import and American-only release titles that you just can't get in the thoroughly pointless Virgin Megastore. As a result, they consciously cater to the town's more dedicated Maggots and Mansonites, emo kids, straight edgers and that very special brand of make-up abusing disaffected youth, the Brodie Dalle fan (Why? Just why?). Given Crash's effective city-wide monopoly, the guys there must make comedy oversize dessert spoonfuls of money from these poor waifs' demented desire to prove their individuality by buying records their friends approve of. That Crash doesn't confine itself to shooting fish in this particularly small peer pressure cash cow of a barrel, and also stocks stuff like Califone, Godspeed! and, of course, Low's Christmas, is one reason why I like the shop so much. Another is that the staff write kooky descriptions of nearly every CD they sell on tiny little labels no larger than a postage stamp and stick them on the cases. It's always in a rather nice, geometric hand. Always legible. I get terribly worried about the guy whose job this is -- like I say, they stock thousands of CDs...he must get terrible cramps. That he must listen to each CD too, in order to be able to write something at least vaguely relevant to the contents, and is then obliged to describe it in positive terms no matter his true opinion, can't be good for his psychological health either. For this, Low's yuletide hootenanny album, the little label read, "For those among you who will be spending Christmas alone." HOW CAN A TOTAL STRANGER KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT MY LIFE. So it transpired that Christmas was the first Low record I ever bought. It was February at the time. Which is all stupendously back to front, of course, as this album is no starting point for getting into the band and the holiest holy day of February is bloody Shrove Tuesday. Also known as "Quinquagesima". Being the 50th day before Easter. "Shrove" being the past tense of the verb "to shrive", which means "to hear the confession of and give absolution to (a penitent)". Which is_ obviously_ why English people eat pancakes to mark the occasion. "Crack open the Nesquick, my darling, I'm feeling_ absolved_!" In fact, I might never have persisted with Low if it hadn't have been for_ Christmas_'s spellbinding 'Long Way Around The Sea', a simple retelling of the three Jesus-curious Wise Guys' star-guided journeying awash in gorgeous musical illusion. The slightest of strummed guitar figures, Mimi's most captivating backing vocal, a keyboard part that barely quivers and vibrates gently through any loose objects in the vicinity of your speakers and I feel like I'm the one wandering the rolling Levant bearing garish trinkets and aromatic resinous exudations."

Low - Christmas (1999)

thoughts on 2008.

2008-12-15T02:35:00.001-08:00

The supposed purpose of the year end list is a hard definition to establish. Some might say that it leaves the person crafting the list with time to summarize their thoughts and reach some form of closure for that year. Others may view the series of lists we are confronted with in 2008 as simply a self induced fellatio designed for critics and users alike to simply show off their varying degree of musical intellect. In a recent post on his blog, 'Pretty Goes With Pretty,' Scott Tennent illustrated that the main issue with the year end list is the concept of trust. The users who are digesting these summaries are faced with the decision to either accept the fact that every critic is establishing a list simply based on quality rather than posture or hyped "outliers." As negative as that outlook is, to deny the fact that the internet and its inset music criticism scene does not fall back on cyclical hype records is simply foolish. For example Bon Iver's 'For Emma, Forever Ago' a pretty standard folk album that does little to diverge from the norms of that genre has been heralded by websites like Pitchforkmedia.com as one of the best records of the year. The impact websites like Pitchfork have then had on user based sites like sputnikmusic.com or rateyourmusic.com can be seen as it has been included amongst many people's year end lists as simply just an "easy listening" choice. Albums like Lil' Wanye's 'The Carter III' find themselves popping up on numerous lists, but users are left to decide by themselves if this is because Lil' Wayne has released a hip-hop opus or because sites like Pitchfork simply feel the need to express their rap knowledge with the most common denominator. If I'm sounding holier than thou I apologize, as I have found some of my favorite artists thanks to websites like Pitchfork or rateyourmusic.com, and I'm sure even my list suffers from the same issues that I am outlining. There is a point in all of this though. In crafting my list this year I found that I had little desire to actually rate anything, rather simply summarize the sounds and uniqueness of great albums I have encountered in 2008. While, I may be saying that Off Minor's latest record is clearly my favorite of the year I do want to stress that this list is just a reflection of this current moment in time. When I look back at my lists from the past four years I find myself struggling to understand how an album like Black Dice's 'Creature Comforts' found its way to be in my top ten release of 2004. It is obvious that in 2004 I was focused in completely different realms of music than I am now. In my eyes there may be very little real value in this kind of exercise except for myself. This is simply a reflection of what albums have impacted me the most over the course of 12 months. I guess as readers hear these kinds of statements they may be put off people from venturing into my list, and that's okay. I feel like this a selfish act and while I hope there is some value in it for readers, they aren't the reason this was written. As I look at my fellow staff reviewers' lists and the lists released by numerous other publications I find myself jaded and lacking belief in the intentions of this format of summary.

In a roundabout approach, I'm going to begin this '08 summary by reexamining my favorite releases earlier than 2008. 2006 was marked by stunningly unique releases like Kayo Dot's 'Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue' and surprising takes on old sounds like Comets on Fire's 'Avatar.' Some of my favorite records of the decade so far were released in '06 so 2007 in my eyes had very hefty expectations. While, I wouldn't say the year completely reached those expectations, I will say that my favorite artists in '07 tried their hardest. Pharoahe Monch's long awaited 'Desire' fully expanded the vocabulary of 21st century hip-hop records with tracks like the conceptual 'Trilogy' sitting next to verbal linguistic exercises like 'What It Is?' Tartar Lamb, a Toby Driver-associated project, released the minimal 'Sixty Metonymies,' which helped further establish the sound that was hinted at on Kayo Dot's 'Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue.' Finally, Time of Orchids released the insanely complex and accessible 'Namesake Caution,' an album that is clearly a milestone in the history of avant-garde rock music. Summarizing 2007's musical output as a unit revealed that current trends point towards bands mixing various genres in completely juxtaposing ways. The dynamic between light and dark or heavy and quiet has revealed itself to be the motif of the '00s and 2007 and my favorite releases of the year fully embraced these dualities. Other records on my list, like Oh No's 'Dr. No Experiment' and 108's 'A New Beat from a Dead Heart' proved interesting during that year, but as time has passed they seem to have lost their luster. My 2007 record collection seems transitional, with bands like Kidcrash still working in the grandiosity and "epicness" that '06 seemed to embrace, but adding slight changes. The sounds were being tweaked with, but a full evolution had yet to come. In 2008 I saw a shift away from this idea. The avant garde was still clearly embraced, but, using the aforementioned Lil' Wanye and Kayo Dot as two drastic but similar reference points, we would see artists striving to be more accessible and embracing the more approachable sides of their sounds.

As I illustrated earlier, the list that follows this summary is simply a reference point to ten records I most enjoyed records this year. I'd say in terms of quality the only record to outshine everything else would be Off Minor's 'Some Blood.' If I was to create an objective list of my favorite bands Off Minor would obviously be at the top and with 'Some Blood' they simply expanded on everything that makes them great. Lyrically Jamie Behar muted the self-deprecation and began to step into more philosophical realms. The band as a whole has amped up their performances to the highest point of technicality creating a dynamic and unparalleled hardcore record. 'Some Blood' ranks itself among my favorite records of all time and in terms of reference points; in my eyes a hardcore record hasn't reached the heights of 'Some Blood' since Gospel's 'The Moon is a Dead World'. Other hardcore related highlights included ex-Funeral Diner related ...Who Calls So Loud, who fully expanded on the post-rock idea of emo that have been worked in with emo in recent years. Louisville's Young Widows crafted the most impressive Jesus Lizard tribute since David Yow himself with their second LP 'Old Wounds.' 'Old Wounds' also helps explain the derivative nature of 2008. While, nothing new is essentially being done on 'Old Wounds,' the conglomeration of post-hardcore with the sound Jesus Lizard and Big Black established resulted in a record that had a really new feeling despite being made up of old ideas. Young Widows' 'Old Wounds' represents an album that is truly a product of the 21st century; it looks back and forward at the same time.

In terms of rap, the praise Detroit has received for years is finally matching the music of the region. Starting off with what is easily the best rap album of the year, Black Milk's 'Tronic' established the sound that the area has come to represent. To speak in rap stereotypes, the East has always represented the more serious side of the music with the West and South embracing the more accessible side of the music. It is telling then that the remaining compass direction of these regional areas, the North, creates lyrically impressive yet heavily beat-based records. In today's mismatching music environment the area has thrived with releases like Elzhi's 'The Preface' or Invincible's 'Shapeshifters'. Notable is that both of these albums were produced by Black Milk as Detroit has seemingly found their resident underground producer with the passing of Dilla. Other impressive rap-related releases came primarily from the hands of Madlib who has continually proved that he is the best producer in the genre. Remixing the classic Madvillainy resulted in one of the most creative and questionable records of the year and his work with Erykah Badu helped propel "New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)" to help revitalize the neo-soul genre.

Regarding the more avant garde elements of metal, 2008 saw lots of groups moving towards more accessible, or at least less metal sounds. Kayo Dot's 'Blue Lambency Downward' saw the band blending their previous sound with more traditional rock elements. The title track sees the Toby Driver-led group playing around with motifs that are clearly influenced by the '70s psych rock sound. Krallice, a black metal act formed between Mick Barr and Colin Marston, saw those two very abstract artists combining their talents to record what is probably their most accessible and melodic work. Mick Barr also released 'Annwn' under his Ocrilim moniker, an album built on the methods of minimalism mixed with the concepts of heavy metal shredding. Doom metal was punctuated by ASVA's 'What You Don't Know is Frontier' representing the full emotional power that can be put into a record of that genre. Out of Nadja's typical flurry of releases the rerecording of 'The Bungled & The Botched' revealed itself to be a impressive evolution of the band's sound with Aidan Baker no longer relying on enormous noisescapes for his catharsis, but rather taking a more varied route. In what was seemingly an overwhelming trend, all of my favorite metal musicians took a step towards the more accessible with their records this year and thankfully proved the metal doesn't always have to be regarded as a stagnant, one-dimensional genre.

Other notable releases include The Drones' 'Havilah.' 'Havilah,' like 'Gala Mill,' is an album concerned with atmosphere and subtle nuances. Lyrically, Gareth Liddiard has basically been unmatched for the last couple of years and tracks like 'The Minotaur' and 'Penumbra' continue to prove this. The band has harnessed some of their loudness and the album is certainly again much more accessible than the band's previous work. I am actually very surprised that the Pitchfork crowd didn't latch on to this record. Like Sun Kil Moon's 'April,' perhaps it is too serious or legitimate for the type of crowd who only rewards music that is for the moment. Flying Lotus, an artist whose debut '1983' I heavily praised in 2006, did catch on with Pitchfork audiences with his Warp Records-associated 'Los Angeles.' Flying Lotus streamlined the hip-hop out of his sound and while losing some of the power of '1983' his sound continues to prove one of the most refreshing in that gray area of electronic influenced hip-hop. Dual-minded Pygmy Lush played up their folk side on this year's 'Mount Hope' a fantastic lo-fi record full of endless anthems. Finally Fennesz's 'Black Sea' played up his traditional mix of noise and electronics to craft an ambient minimal masterpiece.

In conclusion, 2008 has come to be one of my favorite musical years of the decade. Of course with releases from nearly all my favorite artists that doesn't come as a surprise, but what has caught me unexpected is how drastically different many of my favorite band's sounds have become. Off Minor, Kayo Dot, The Drones all of these groups did giant adjustments to their sound and continued to prove why I hold them in such high regard. As in 2006, I find myself curious about 2009 as I have held this year in such high regard. Hopefully, next year will continue to show artists attempting to be more original rather than staying with the difference that made them established in 2008.

A special thanks to Nick Greer, Scott Tennent, gabbagabbahey, and bg5000 for help with the words.

for the full article go here

Nadja - Radiance of Shadows

2008-12-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

Nadja has been a group that over the past few years has impressed me time and time again. Residing in some realm of shoegaze, post-punk and doom metal the duo comes off insanely heavy, melodic and depressing. This is certainly not music to party to and as I lay awake now at 3 AM, stoned, drunk, and somewhat disgruntled it resides as an epic exploration of minimal feelings. The emotions associated with this kind of music only can rival those we associate with film and literature and that is certainly a telling part of Nadja's appeal. In more elegant terms I turn to Julian Cope:

nadja's 'radiance of shadows'

"When RADIANCE OF SHADOWS appeared late last year, its stupendous existence was in opposition and total defiance of a floundering Doom Metal scene that was barfing up endless Khanate and Burning Witch re-runs like a dying cat coughing up hairballs behind the sofa. Instead, the highly prolific Nadja duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff delivered, on this their umpteenth release, an even more spectacular and majestic and essential piece of work than any in their already packed five-year existence, shoe-horning into their noise three vast fall-of-empires soundscapes of eternal beauty, each close to a half-hour in length and each one sounding like a cross between the very end of every great Goth album (the dying embers of the Nefilim's ELYZIUM springs immediately to mind), the very end of every great post-punk album (Joy Division's CLOSER through an "Over the Wall" filter, anyone?), simultaneously summoning up spectral armies of long dead ancestors AND drawing down the still-to-be-born future generations, intrigued by all the commotion being kicked up down here by this North American husband-and-wife duo. Brothers and sisters, regarding this RADIANCE OF SHADOWS album, I could simply wax lyrical for a coupla thousand words until the purple prose light came on my laptop and/or my stock of hyperbolic mythological metaphors ran out and I'd been forced to create some kind of fake Indo-European patois or even resort to employing a different alphabet to allude to this band's otherness. I could even reach for the works of John Donne and Andrew Marvell and simply copy out a bunch of verses and say: "Here you go, it's like a sonic version of that little lot". However, this would be cheating. So I shall, instead, keep this review extremely short and state simply that RADIANCE OF SHADOWS contains some of the most shattering and emotionally exhausting music ever laid down, and that its incredible usefulness lies in the fact that however tiring your day was listening properly to music of such extraordinary intensity brings to their knees those listeners who are still standing upright, turns those who are seated into ritually slaughtered and slouching bogmen, and delivers those already recumbent straight to the Land of Nod. Employing this record as an early evening meditative device, I regularly wake around 3.30am totally disorientated and overwhelmed at the sheer volume of this music (however far down I turn the volume knob), by then probably on its seventh iTunes rotation. Whether or not Nadja can sustain this level of essential release is not my problem, because I've already got enough to last several lifetimes, thank you very much. However, as I was declaring the very same thing two or three releases ago, the appearance of RADIANCE OF SHADOWS is certainly evidence that Aidan and Leah's work will only get better, whatever "better" might mean in this marvellously uncontextualizable context. This music is so momentous that it could be the soundtrack to a movie about the whole Jewish nation fleeing Egypt, or the Turkish forced marches of their desperate victims during the Armenian Genocide of the early 20th century, or future Moon landings, or even describe the cries of the Atlanteans 9,700 years ago as the comet impacted and forced their culture under the waves for that final time. Such new peaks have been reached by the sonic and emotional excess contained within the three epic pieces presented in this new Nadja album that each track is in severe danger of becoming a 21st century equivalent of Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" or "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana"; ubiquitous presences across whole swathes of contemporary media. Moreover, lazy film makers of the future who instead of utilizing one of the three tracks from this new Nadja album thoughtlessly employ extracts of the aforementioned for old time's sake, will be severely rapped on the knuckles by the powers that be, thereafter to be sent off to isolation wards to meditate on their misdeeds." - Julian Cope of Head Heritage

Nadja - Radiance of Shadows (2007) Part 1
Nadja - Radiance of Shadows (2007) Part 2

Unwound - Corpse Pose / Everything is Weird

2008-12-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

The task of making one great record is not as difficult as it seems. While, I'm not trying to say that creating an expression of art is an easy task I believe if one is artistically inclined then they can easily craft something great throughout their career. What is hard in the realm of music is to remain a relevant and respected act. The band in my eyes that represents a continual sound of progression paralleled with a linear sense of quality is Unwound.

'Corpse Pose' in essence represents Unwound's complete sound pre-Leaves Turn Inside You. Combining angular guitar riffs that seem to illicit Gang of Four with the steady monotone of Justin Trosper the track comes off as the bridge between the aggressive Fugazi minded post-hardcore and the more laidback an artistic nature of post-punk groups like Sonic Youth. Unwound simply being described as the meeting point of Fugazi and Sonic Youth would probably be a better relation, but who really cares. 'Corpse Pose' is especially accented but some very heavy synth playing that helps draw out the melodic nature of the song's chorus in a very subtle yet intelligent way. B-side 'Everything is Weird' is far less structured than 'Corpse Pose' and as a fellow reviewer says "('Everything is Weird') is also awesome, with lots of stabs and a krautrocky ending drenched in xylophone & vibraphone; think Black Flag meets Philip Glass." If you are interested in more Unwound Time Isn't On My Side recently posted the band's supposed magnum opus 'Leaves Turn Inside You'.

Unwound - Corpse Pose / Everything is Weird (1991)

Black Milk - Tronic

2008-11-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Current trends in hip-hop supposedly point towards the South currently dominating the genre. Lil' Wayne replacing Eminem as the rapper most adored by white fans. T.I. releasing an album with six successful singles that hardly became redundant. Signs are certainly motioning towards the South being in some type of acclaimed "golden age" at the moment. While the assessment has grounds, the opposite opinion also has its validity. Able to be mentioned in the same breath as Eminem, Lil’ Wayne has gorged himself on success and will likely never see the same amount of popularity that he does today. T.I., while releasing a solid record this year, has at the same time given into his pop indulgencies and seems to be transforming into a legitimate Nelly. Pimp C's passing in late 2007 also puts a huge hole into the constantly consistent Southern rappers that have been performing since the early '90s (i.e. Devin the Dude, Scarface, etc.). One could paint the picture that Southern rap is in reality grasping at the straws of its former popularity and has fully lowered itself on the sword of marketability. What does this have to do with Black Milk's 'Tronic'? Direct relations aren't really what can be drawn from this assessment of the current rap game, but what we can understand is that Detroit, with the help of Black Milk and other individuals, has positioned itself to be the next huge rap scene. Black Milk's two most appreciated acts over the past two years has been his work on Phaorahe Monch's 'Desire' and Elzhi's 'The Preface,' both of which were bookmarked by a variety of other work as well as Milk's solo LP 'Popular Demand.' 'Tronic' certainly stacks up against those two releases and his first solo record as a fully realized version of Black Milk's vision. While 'Tronic' may not be the hip-hop classic that its early internet buzz has illustrated it to be, the album has revealed itself to be yet another great rap record featuring the association of one of the best producers currently in the genre.

black milk

Keeping with the theme of production, we should first bring up J. Dilla. Dilla is probably the most appreciated hip-hop artist from Detroit and Black Milk, being one of his students, wears the Detroit sound on his sleeve. While 'Popular Demand' and other Black Milk work certainly seemed to full embrace Dilla's sound, 'Tronic' is Milk attempting to reach out for something different. Heavy on the synthetics, 'Tronic' comes off as almost a sophisticated take on Kanye West. The album kicks off with the epic 'Long Story Short' which features Black Milk recounting his stance from unknown MC to the savior of Detroit hip-hop. After the more sentimental intro though, 'Tronic' becomes a very different album revolving on intensely dense beats that feel like a catchier version of Def Jux material. Tracks like 'Overdose' clearly show an electronica influence, relying on a crescendoing beat to build even more intensity into the producer's rhymes. 'Tronic' succeeds in offering a variety of different hip-hop environments, from the extremely poppy 'Without U' to the Phaorahe Monch, Sean Price, and DJ Premier assisted 'The Matrix.' While Black Milk certainly suffers from the same negatives most producers-turned-MCs do, he is able to keep the listener's attention and certainly give the impression that he can actually hold his own on a track with three of the most inventive artists in the hip-hop field.

black milk's 'tronic'

Perhaps I haven't fully explained the sophistication of 'Tronic.' The album is a cohesive connection between underground and mainstream rap, featuring guests from Royce Da 5'9 to Colin Munroe. Black Milk once again proves he is probably second only to Madlib in terms of producing beats that actually sound like hip-hop should in 2008. All in all, I would be very surprised if any hip-hop album reaches this level of precision this year. Black Milk has simply made a completely unique statement in what is typically a pretty stale genre, and with 'Tronic' he has confirmed his status as one of the best. As ‘Losing Out’ attests, Detroit is hungry, and perhaps the Midwest will finally break out with the success of artists as inventive and interesting as Black Milk.

Black Milk - 'Tronic' (2008)

The Drones - Havilah

2008-11-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

A constant comment on the Drones seems to concern how they will never achieve mainstream acceptance - that the group has carved out a niche in rock that is simply too abrasive for the average music listeners. While there is truth to that sentiment, the complete lack of awareness concerning the band is puzzling. The fact that websites like Pitchfork haven’t turned 'Havilah' or any of the band’s previous records into yet another one of their flavor of the week "classics" leaves the band's blend of blues and indie rock feeling authentic. 'Gala Mill,' the group's previous release, revealed itself to be a fantastic album over time. Cuts like 'Jezebel' came off as rubbish with lead vocalist Gareth Liddiard presiding over most of the tracks with his shoddy cockney accent. When confronted with the actual dense, dark tales, Liddiard bellows, though it is tough not to be fascinated with his picture of Aussieland. 'Gala Mill' seemed to echo the images of an artist like Bruce Springsteen in his attempt to embrace and reflect a cultural dialect through music. In turn, 'Havilah' has lightened up the gloom of The Drones, positioning itself as the band’s third great album in a row.

the drones' 'havilah'

To declare Gareth Liddiard the most imaginative lyricist currently performing may be somewhat of a frivolous statement, but is certainly valid when examining his discography. 'Jezebel,' his masterpiece, was applauded immensely after ‘Gala Mill’s’ release. For those unfamiliar with the opener of 'Gala Mill,' it is a vicious recollection of numerous battles all focused through the prism of a man simply wishing to see his lover again. Recalling everything from World War 1 to fallen Iraqi War victim Daniel Pearl, the track remains singular in its post 9-11 examination of world affairs. 'Havilah' attempts to take a less formidable approach on the world and Liddiard seems to have replaced his anger with longing. 'Oh My' spits lines like "People are a waste of food" over a gloriously bizarre instrumental that marks itself up as one of the poppiest moments in The Drones discography. ‘I Am The Supercargo' reflects the ideas of cargo cults in epic proportions. 'Cold and Sober' acts as the ballad of the album with Liddiard slowly wailing over beautifully distorted guitar. ‘The Minotaur,’ the first single, seems to be the only track in the more aggressive fashion of the band’s older recordings punctuated by the great verse:

‘i have the same old dream
about a tunnel by my bed
from where the stench of shit of minotaurs
yawns like lewd and evil breath
but instinct and a map
has set to work inside my head
instead of shedding tears
i've learned to drink and piss instead'
-the drones – ‘the minotaur’

The brilliance of the lyrics on 'Havilah' is so overwhelming that the record perceivably could’ve been just as touching had it been released as a novella. Luckily, instead we are giving an instrumental backing that features some of the best dual guitar interplaying in years. That Liddiard has seemingly defined his generation in lyrical modernism is impressive, but place upon that the fact that he and recently acquired guitarist Dan Luscombe are playing some of the most interesting and melodic guitar lines since the references points of 'Surfer Rosa' and 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' is just admirable. Fiona Kitschin and Michael Noga head an impressive rhythm section that helps propel 'The Minotaur' into serene post-punk. The band also uses a variety of extended percussion techniques on tracks like 'The Drifting Housewife' extending the vocabulary of 'Gala Mill' and 'Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By.'

'i try most nights to get you out of my mind
but you're still there silent by my side most the time
i can't help that i let you down
it's too long and too late
and i can't help if i broke your heart
it's too long and too late'
-the drones - 'your acting's like the end of the world'

'Havilah' ends with the haunting 'Your Acting's Like the End of the World.' The most upbeat track on the record, the lyrics tell a completely different story. Ending with the aforementioned verse, we get the feeling Liddiard is somewhat haunted by these hopeless characters he is constantly conjuring. The Drones revolve in a world that is both light and dark. The band’s music reflects the realistic nature of situations in the embellished tradition of the blues. Perceiving events as global and immense as the first lunar landing, the track ‘Penumbra’ recollects Buzz Aldrin in a stark acoustic number. Perhaps that is where the Drones have succeeded flawlessly over their last three records - conjuring up images that are both so seemingly personal yet widely accepted that the listener can do nothing but relate. Whether they have or not, ‘Havilah’ will remain as yet another great record from one of the most talented acts currently playing rock music.

the drones

The Drones - 'Havilah' (2008)

(sorry for the RapidShare link the file was too big for mediafire.)

Goodbye, Blue Monday - 7"

2008-10-26T22:38:00.001-07:00

goodbye, blue monday's self titled 7"

I am originally from Pennsylvania. During my search for various emo bands I've invested time in finding groups that originated there. Frail, The Spirit Assembly, Ethel Meserve all of these bands have been groups I've grown to love mainly because of their association with my home state. Goodbye, Blue Monday is an off shoot of Frail in some form. I originally got this record from a blog post on Used Bin Forever. The album represents that midwest emo sound that is so prevalent in many Pennsylvania bands like Frail and Ethel Meserve. The group isn't as spastic as Cap'n Jazz or Spy vs. Spy instead relying on building up more melodic portions in the style of more indie based groups like Mineral and The Get-Up Kids. Great pretty unknown record though. 'Chicago Coin' is clearly the highlight.

Goodbye, Blue Monday - Goodbye, Blue Monday (1996)

90 Day Men - 1975 - 1997 - 1978

2008-10-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

90 Day Men's '1975-1997-1978'

If 90 Day Men is a name unfamiliar to you I suggest that you immediately download 'To Everybody' and 'Panda Park'. Uniquely progressive 90 Day Men over their three album career produced a variety of sounds and coming off somewhat as a psychedelic post-hardcore band. '1975-1997-1978' is devoid of all those fancy genre names though acting somewhat as the strict derivative of Louisville and the respective Chicago math rock scenes. 'Sink Potemken' comes off much like a Slint b-side. Opener 'My Trip to Venus' foreshadows the band's pop sensibility anchoring everything dissonant and unpleasant out of the math rock genre and coming off as entirely beautiful. Reference points are made on 'Streamlines and Breadwinners' to the legendary Vidablue or Ten Grand how ever you wish to label them. Conclusion 'Hey, Citronella!' reveals the progressive tendencies that the band would fully build on with their first LP. Fantastic EP and definitely a great foreshadow for the rest of the band's career.

90 Day Men

'Sweater Queen' reminds me of a mid '90s emo song. The band comes off sounding like a more placcid Maximillian Colby and that is probably a good description for this entire album. Although I think it would certainly be a stretch to label the band as 'emo', they certainly ride that line between post-hardcore and emo very well.

90 Day Men - '1975-1997-1978' (1998)

a moment for..

2008-10-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

fugazi's 'long divsion'

"it's a long time coming,
it's a long way down,
it's long division,
crack and divide.
this is a parting,
some separation,
we lay in pieces,
cracked to survive.
i'm not your villain,
not your adversary,
i'm not your reason to crack and divide.
it's long division,
crack and divide."
-fugazi - 'long division'

Young Widows - Old Wounds

2008-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Louisville's music scene has always been seen as defining a more sophisticated version of aggression. Bands from the area tend to be associated with "math rock", a sound that groups like Rodan and Slint created in the early '90s. In the current music scene in Louisville applying this generic influence to a heavy base of post-hardcore seems to be the new style. Pusher, Breather Resist, these bands all represent an extremely noisy complex brand of hardcore that in today's climate is strikingly original. In turn the Louisville sound has provided the scene with a national following. Young Widows is perhaps the most esteemed collective in Louisville these days featuring the entire instrumental bulk of Breather Resist with guitarist Evan Patterson taking up vocal duties. Young Widows originally sounded like yet another Jesus Lizard clone on their debut 'Settle Down City', but with 'Old Wounds' they have crafted something between the stolid side of Fugazi and repetitive style of groups like the Melvins and Big Black.

young widows

'Old Wounds' begins with the pulsating bass tone of Nick Theineman. 'Took a Turn' is the opener and definitely one of the highlights with its perfectly composed dynamics. Patterson's guitar tone shows itself half way through the track in pure fabricated noise that shifts in and out of the music creating bursts of industrial sounding melody. 'Old Skin' follows showing the band hasn't lost any of their aggression from the Breather Resist days. Hammer ons and a relentlessly heavy beat from Jeremy McMonigle make the track an excellent transition from the more subdued intro. Speaking of the sound of this record Kurt Ballou and the band took a different approach to recording it as they recorded all of the songs both live and at Godcity Studios. I don't know how much this technique was used in terms of layering the record, but the production on this record is probably the best Ballou has done since 'The Moon is a Dead World'. Every tone on this record is absolutely pristine. 'The Guitar' which is built off simply chord strumming and Patterson's reminiscence on his instrument is accented by brilliant overlaying melodies that sound just as lush and distant as they would on a Ride album.

‘Old Wounds’ is strictly ‘90s influenced it seems. The ideas here are all from the last decade, but something feels different. Young Widows aren’t simply saying silence is a dangerous sound like those before them. ‘Old Wounds’ has crafted something desolate and fractured out of the past. The record sounds completely of this era and with its distant sound yet dark imagery crafts a perfect record for a nation and area that is suffering economic turmoil. In turn it should provide very little shock that the stories on this record seem like an update on Big Black’s ‘Songs About Fucking’ which came out during another Republican spawned economic crisis.

young widows' 'old wounds'

In terms of criticisms there are little. 'Old Wounds' represents a band feeling comfortable in their own skin and stretching out their ambitions. In return they've crafted an excellent sounding and composed post-hardcore record that has clearly been getting a deserved amount of acclaim. Perhaps 'Old Wounds' is not Young Widows' 'Liar', but as they continue to stretch their limbs into areas that aren't Jesus Lizard influenced their sound and persona swell. Suppose that should've been expected though since the band is from Louisville.

Young Widows - 'Old Wounds' (2008)

I Hate Myself - 2 Songs

2008-09-23T00:48:00.000-07:00

i hate myself's '2 songs'

I Hate Myself was a Gainesville emo band. their claim to fame seems to be the penchant the band had for satire and how they incorporated it into their image. I Hate Myself played subued hardcore that is reminiscint of Saetia in the angst department. this seven inch is less layered than their other releases and instead is very simple both in composition and production evoking a Mineral type feel. Two tracks are on this record. 'Drama in the Emergency Room' is a slow building track that jumps between loud and quiet dynamics before finally collapsing in the final repetition of "doctor". 'Darren's Roof' is a brooding counterpoint to the more strung out 'Drama in the Emergency Room'. distorted verses make up the majority of the track. the guitar playing on this record always seemed to remind me of Modest Mouse in some ways 'Darren's Roof' especially the track feeling like a more menacing 'Dramamine' both in sound and topic.

I Hate Myself - 2 Songs (2000)

The Drones - Custom Made

2008-09-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

seven inches represent an "extended play" for artists. in my opinion the seven inch is probably the hardest format to make a great record on because you don't have time to develop a running sound. where on a full album artists are able to throw in some filler between two great songs that isn't a possibility with seven inches. that is why i've decided to examine a seven inch weekly on here supposedly every sunday evening. i doubt this will actually occur as even the first post is being constructed past the "due date.", but who really cares. hopefully this will provide more great music for the few people that indulge my lengthy discussions.

the drones' 'custom made'

the first seven inch i'll be posting will be a recently materialized idea on ATP Records called Custom Made. it is basically a series of seven inches that will call for its roster of bands to put together a four song sampler with new and old material as well as covers. the first band to be involved with the series is a group that goes by the name The Drones. in my opinion, probably the best "rock" band currently active. The Drones hail from Australia where they've mashed a variety of sounds into some kind of cohesive devotion to American blues with a hefty amount of influence from groups like The Birthday Party. Neil Young styled guitar leads are all over their plethora of records, but the differences between 'Gala Mill' their latest and their debut are vast. 'Gala Mill' was a collection of expansive Australia folk lore while 'Here Comes the Lies' was essentially a blues cover album by a group that adores feedback. 'Custom Made' contains examples of all of these sounds opening up with a great remake of 'Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands'. Dissonant guitar lines abound the song introduces us to the aggressive side of The Drones with vocalist Gareth Liddiard howling his oddly cockney accent all over the track. Psychedelic guitar fills abound the song explodes into the next track 'I Don't Ever Want to Change' from 'Gala Mill. 'I Don't Ever Want to Change' is basically the hit of this record. It has a pop structure with a relaxed verse that explodes into a raging chorus. Commentary of the lyrics point to Liddiard commenting on a specific type of Australian who seeks peace in nature from their self destructive urban life. The track is a superb addition in terms of segue the noiser side of The Drones into the more composition based side of The Drones. 'I Drink' a cover of Charles Aznavour's 'Je Bois' is a track only The Drones could play. The track stutters in a variety of angular rhythms while Liddiard recounts his past indulgence in liquor. Finally we have the closer of this seven inch set, a ballad in only the way The Drones could do 'Shark Fin Blues'.

the drones' 'shark fin blues'

Every second of 'Shark Fin Blues' has purpose. From the cascading guitar intro to the bridge of las. This track is truly one of The Drones' finest moments and where it truly succeeds is in the lyrics. Liddiard sets the stage of some type of shipwreck with the narrator looking on,

'a harpoon's shaft is short and wide
a grappling hook's is cracked and dry
i said, why don't you get down in the sea
turn the water red like you want to be?

'cause if i cry another tear i'll be turned to dust
no the sharks won't get me they don't feel loss
just keep one eye on the horizon man,
you best not blink they're coming fin by fin
until the whole boat sinks.'
-the drones - 'shark fin blues'

The Drones - 'Custom Made' (2007)

...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud

2008-09-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

...who calls so loud's self titled

Funeral Diner encapsulated a dense and nostalgic view of hardcore. Their seminal release 'The Underdark' was anchored by its dynamic songwriting as well as a fantastic drum performance by Ex-Portraits of Past member Matt Bajda. When the group broke up guitarist Dave Mello and aforementioned Matt moved on to a new project under the name ...Who Calls So Loud. Their debut definitely makes the fact clear that members of the band were previously involved in Funeral Diner. The record is a combination of thoughtful longing and intense build ups. While there certainly are a lot of similar threads connecting Funeral Diner and ...Who Calls So Loud there are also numerous key differences. First off ...Who Calls So Loud isn't as dense as "The Underdark" the guitars act more as melodic anchors than heavy distorted sound scapes. 'Sleep-like' plays out this idea when it breaks into a serene bridge featuring lush guitar parts with drummer Matt releasing a flurry of impressive fills. The band also seems to take a more introspective look in terms of the lyrics. Funeral Diner's lyrics most of the time came across as very dark and preachy words on the current state of society where ...Who Calls So Loud's don't echo accusation. 'Any Color I Want' encapsulates this idea;

'it's been years since i've stood on your porch.
several memories flash all at once.
i don't even know if you still live here.
attached is everything you've written me.
i've highlighted all the lies.'
...who calls so loud - 'any color i want'

If 'The Underdark' represented what the Half Moon Bay breeds ...Who Calls So Loud is attempting to portray how the members of that community were actually bred. The record as a whole echoes lost sentiments and forgotten peers. The music is desolate and while it is not as basic as a standard hardcore affair it feels human in how it gradually builds itself up just to fall back into a more appropriate section. Highlights of the record include '4.4.4.4.' which speaks on feelings of life's futility. The cycling guitar portions in the introduction of the track help slowly cascade the song into the rolling repetition of 'there was a presence.' The song has probably the heaviest section of the record when it expands into its conclusion which almost echoes the feel of a breakdown. From that apex of heaviness the record drifts into the slide guitar of 'Assume the Power Focus' which is such a startling shift in feel that it works excellently.

...who calls so loud

Complaints on this record are easy to assume. The band isn't living up to the complexity of their former incarnation, the sound is too typical for a post rock influenced emo group, the lyrical content is trite, etc. While there is some validity in some of these statements listeners should examine ...Who Calls So Loud's debut album for simply what it is; a continued development of the sound Funeral Diner was striving to create and in that regard it succeeds.

...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud (2008)

Richmond is a Hole

2008-08-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

richmond, virginia

Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding areas have over the past twenty years been a great source of aggressive mostly hardcore based music. Groups like Gwar, Municipal Waste, and Undertow have all left their own mark on the scene. Perhaps the most universally acclaimed group from the area though is emo based pg.99 who personified an extremely aggressive and chaotic sound of hardcore that can even now be seldom mimicked. pg.99 and their sister project City of Caterpillar are two of the most important late '90s hardcore groups in terms of influence so of course when their specific members are release something new it causes some form of anticipation. Pygmy Lush's 'Mount Hope' and Verse En Coma's 'Rialto' are both records that encapsulate what their former bands were about in ideals, but in terms of sound these two records are far removed from their humble beginnings. Pygmy Lush has removed the heavier side of their sound and created a completely acoustic record. Verse En Coma on the other hand has crafted a record that seems like a lighter Malady.

pg.99

On the topic of Malady one must realize that the group was essentially the successors to City of Caterpillar. When Malady’s self titled came out there were definitely a lot of people disappointed with CoC’s sound not being kept in full. While Malady's self titled debut release does embrace the dynamics that were present in City of Caterpillar there is also a pronounced rock influence on the record. 'Yeah' the second track on the record starts off with an introductory guitar part that would not seem out of place on a Third Eye Blind album. If you're looking for sonic comparisons Malady is a tamer more controlled Gospel. If Gospel was Yes than Malady would be Zeppelin. The group can play their instruments, but they certainly aren't doing anything remarkable on the record in technical terms. That isn't the point with Malady though as the band has harnessed their influences of post rock and shoegaze using subtle tricks like layering their vocals to give stronger accents to the shifting nature of their songs. Where City of Caterpillar would extend a song for four extra moments to build to that final crescendo Malady inserts a repeating riff or a double vocal attack that quietly and more abruptly ends the developing guitars. Malady's attitude and song construction seems based in mid '90s hardcore, but their actual sound only flirts with the post-hardcore of Unwound and Fugazi instead the band is more set sounding like a really lo-fi Hot Snakes. The guitarists are playing as two separate people, but come together as one with their layered melodies. Drummer Johnny Ward does not play busy instead allowing the album to groove with the help of exceptional bassist Kevin Longendyke and finally there is vocalist Chris Taylor.

malady's self titled debut.

Chris Taylor has an extensive resume. pg.99, Pygmy Lush, Mannequin all feature his vocal meeting point between extremely aggressive screams and rather gruff singing. In Malady his vocal performance is crucial to the band's success. His vocals not representing the visceral nature of pg.99 here instead coming off much like Adam Drooling of Gospel in their background nature. Taylor is low in the mix, but his voice suits it. His spoken word build up in 'The World is a Tomb' helps the song reach new levels when the beat finally breaks. His repetition of the numbers '56, 17, 27, and 12' makes 'Bad Life' a strong contender for the best track on the record and this is all without mentioning the vivid detail of the lyrics he is actually yelling. Taylor clearly has a way of coming off like Tom Waits and in his lyrics you can see the imagery of Waits seen through the lens of Richmond and surrounding Virginia. Malady's self titled is a record with stories that echo drop outs, burn outs, and those left behind. Taylor's bridge in 'Bad Life' clearly representing the purpose behind his words,

'but from womb to grave
and everything in between
it gets real fucking mean,
and you wonder why i drink?
i wonder why we're not all drunks
sunk in our dumps where nothing changes.'
malady – ‘bad life’

Malady's debut record is a sharp commentary on the nature of towns like Richmond. The type of record that leaves the listener only hoping that the emotion the band is pouring into playing is what helps them deal with the issues on the record. In a long line of extremely fragmented views of today through the guise of post-hardcore Malady stands. Echoing the sentiments of 'The Underdark' and 'The Moon is a Dead World' Malady reflects the cold reality of our pain and desolation, but in doing that helps us examine ourselves. Certainly a record worthy of being the successor of City of Caterpillar and more importantly establishing the members of Malady as people to watch not only because of their past, but because of what their future might entail.

city of caterpillar

Verse En Coma represents Malady and City of Caterpillar's future. Featuring 3/4ths of the original City of Caterpillar line up as well as 3/5ths of Malady, 'Rialto' was a record most have been looking forward to for a very long time. In early 2006 with the release of the track 'Young Ones' (which has now been renamed as 'In a Factory) it was obvious that Verse En Coma was clearly tonally in line with Malady. What Verse En Coma does differently though is remove the post-hardcore sounds that are present in Malady and instead embraces the more alternative and grungy side of that band. Saying that Richmond and its surrounding areas are essentially playing grunge filtered post-rock is certainly not going to win them any new admirers, but I'm sure the bands could really care less. Verse En Coma is a lyrical reminiscent journey that is in sharp contrast to Malady's themes. Malady represented the desolation of the rural nature of areas like Richmond where Verse En Coma embraces that nature and happily plays in fond memories of growing up in those areas. 'In a Factory' perfectly accents this telling the story of two lovers who find love at a small workplace with the band seemingly celebrating their rebellious blue collar nature. Malady's other half went on to join the group Pygmy Lush who certainly sonically represent Neil Young and Bob Dylan much more than Verse En Coma, but the lyrical themes of Verse En Coma are so strongly reminiscent that the group seems to be clear fans of the heart on sleeve styles of Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

verse en coma's 'rialto'

In terms of Verse En Coma sonically, think Malady yet much softer. The strong shoegaze influence that Malady brought to the City of Caterpillar sound is present with Verse En Coma, but the places where the band should break heavy are replaced by even prettier sections like the conclusion of opener 'Through Ice Patches and Pine Trees'. 'Tiny Speakers' has a beautiful group vocal section that adds an even more intense layer to its conclusion. A key part that makes the sound of Verse En Coma a successful change is Ryan Parrish whose drum performance on 'Rialto' is absolutely amazing. The plodding post-punk of 'Disappearing Glaciers’ is cut extremely well with Parrish essentially playing fills over the entirety of the verse. His heavier more dynamic playing on 'In a Factory' makes that track such a successful anthem. Without the return of Parrish to this trio of players its doubtful Verse En Coma's new sound would sound as good as it does. On other important sound adjustments the guitar playing here is much more airy than Malady. Malady's debut had a strong devotion to riffs where as Verse En Coma sees the band instead playing hardcore tainted post-rock instead of the other way around. What is most surprising is that by switching to less hardcore oriented music that band has become even more unique with their only comparison in my mind being 2008's critical darlings Have a Nice Life. I guess the sound that Verse En Coma and Have a Nice Life both share comes from both bands having members that were previous involved with post-hardcore projects and are now attempting to do something that is more alternative and punk based. Whatever is the case 'Rialto' is a fine example of how to make an alternative rock record.

Pygmy Lush's 'Bitter River' was an interesting release in 2007. The most polarizing part of the record was how strange the material was. Where Chris Taylor would sometimes fully embrace his Tom Waits influence there were other times when the music of the group would sound even heavier than pg.99. Also, somehow on the record the group had somehow showed off how much they enjoy Elliott Smith and Birchville Cat Motel. Luckily 'Mount Hope' isn't that scatter brained. The group does delve into rockabilly and drones a few times, but overall this record seems to establish the softer folky sound that Pygmy Lush is going for. The sound is somewhere between the aforementioned Elliott Smith and Neil Young with the group taking strong melodic points from Smith and coming of as Young with their incorporation of lush electric guitar touches. Tracks like 'Frozen Man' and 'Tumor' clearly evoke a dedication to early Iron & Wine and other pitchforkmedia.com folk darlings, but Pygmy Lush manages to make 'Mount Hope' sound not like a hardcore band playing folk rather just a solid somewhat different folk record.

pygmy lush's 'mount hope'

'Mount Hope's' most successful track is opener 'Asphalt'. A calmly orchestrated acoustic guitar track with a nice snare backing that is accented by Chris Taylor's deeply effected vocals. The song basically features what sounds like two looped acoustic guitars for its entirety that almost echo Ben Chansy's finger picking style. Where 'Bitter River' had extremely mournful acoustic tracks, 'Asphalt' is bright sounding. Lyrically it still represents the darkness that has begun to become associated with the group, yet it isn't as ominous as 'Bitter River'. Tracks like 'Send Bombs' seemed to represent a disconnected sadness where 'Asphalt' is simply reminiscing about lost,

'i'm sleeping in a basement;
it's cold and undusted.
the pictures are hanging
all my walls like a guillotine.
i know you know there is nowhere.
laying down here trying to think of nothing, i know you know there is nowhere to go.'
pymgy lush - 'asphalt'

A strength of 'Mount Hope' is although its feeling is essentially the same through its entirety the way the band makes you feel that way is not always the same. 'Red Room Blues' is a mammoth of a track with its length being just over eight minutes. Beneath mumbles of 'the bottles collecting old dust like trophies.' and other such personal images Pygmy Lush slowly builds soft blissful drones that eventually overtake the entire track. It is a beautiful technique that Six Organs of Admittance somewhat explored, but Pygmy Lush is much more simple and blissful in their delivery of acoustics counter pointed with noise. 'Red Room Blues' is immediately followed by the Tom Waits devoted 'Mount Hope' and Pygmy Lush's more eccentric nature comes out. The rockabilly territory that 'Mount Hope' represents is also revisited later on the album with the track 'Butch's Dream'.

‘Mount Hope’ sees Pygmy Lush at their most peaceful. Gone are the outbursts of screams and palm muted power chords. As the band has essentially been touring as a loud and soft entity, one assumes their next record will be entirely loud. While, I am excited it is kind of disappointing to think that the group will not revisit the beautiful sounds they did in making ‘Mount Hope’. Perhaps that adds to the intimate impact of ‘Mount Hope’ as it does feel like something that could’ve just been cast into any of the member’s closets. If one thing can be said about ‘Mount Hope’ it is certainly the most sincere record made by the members involved and that is saying something considering the alumni.

Malady - Malady (2004)
Verse En Coma - Rialto (2008)
pygmy lush link removed; check out myspace.com/pygmylush for ways to purchase the record as well as hear 'Asphalt'

Flying Lotus - Los Angeles

2008-08-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

For those who are familiar with Flying Lotus’ specific style of electronica, 'Los Angeles' can be marked simply as Steve Ellison's Warp record. Ellison has slowly been moving himself among the L.A. hip hop scene attempting to craft something that sounds like the meeting point of Aphex Twin and Madlib. Daedalus and Gaslamp Killer can also be seen as clear relations to FlyLo as they should considering all three artists are common performers in the L.A. music scene. '1983' represented a more clearer view of Ellison's take on instrumental hip-hop, 'Reset' was marked by the decision to move Flying Lotus into a more beat heavy existence, and with 'Los Angeles' we begin to see the artist reveling in the perceived intelligence of his label peers like Prefuse 73 and Autechre.

flying lotus

Opener 'Brainfeeder' shows clearly that this is going to be a different type of Flying Lotus record. Absolutely no percussion is used through the songs entire minute and a half length which seems daring for a producer who is known for his superbly crafted rhythms. The track is highlighted by the swirl of dynamic synths that help the second track 'Breath.Something/Stellar Star' slowly and perfectly shift in as a follow up. Noticeable about the first two tracks also is how deeply FlyLo has seemed to delve into his atmosphere. He is pressing for a more psychedelic feel and 'Breath' demonstrates this with synths that sound like wandering Theremins. 'Melt!' mixes chants with a very tribal drum feel and encompasses the influence it seems Bollywood has had on Ellison and 'Golden Diva' leaves an unremarkable impression of Boards of Canada. As the record reaches the midpoint it starts reaching for more rhythm based pieces. 'Riot' is a heavy bass aided track that uses steel drums and hand claps to create a massive low end. The song slowly evolves until the bass bridges into a seemingly random pattern as the drums around it come to a steadier beat. The track then leaves the more upbeat rhythm and concludes with a drifting synth barrage. 'GNG BNG' comes off as mix between the pioneering sounds of early New York DJs and Beat Konducta's recent forays. 'Parisian Goldfish' finishes off the trio of dance heavy tracks as FlyLo's most club based composition yet. As a whole the variety of sounds found on the record are what 'Los Angeles' success stems from with tracks as relaxing as 'Sexslaveship' before what seems like improvised vocals on 'Testament'. . 'Los Angeles' finishes off with a variety of vocal performances included a meet up with one of Ellison's early collaborators. ‘Los Angeles’ ends on a positive note with the simply beautiful 'Auntie's Lock/Infinitum' which is made even more luscious with a vocal performance from Laura Darlington. The track drifts the otherwise cluttered sonic palate into a serene and simple finish and I could not see the record ending any other way.

flying lotus' 'los angeles'

Flying Lotus has once again proved that he is an artist that can consistently reinvent himself and make his new sound just as effective as it was before. While I wouldn't say this record succeeds in providing the same level of consistent quality I think '1983' did, it is pretty hard to criticize 'Los Angeles' as anything other than a great record. Ellison's developments as always have entertained me enough that I'm willing to remain excited for his next release. Until then ‘Los Angeles’ remains as one of the best examples of “instrumental hip-hop” in 2008.

Flying Lotus - 'Los Angeles' (2008)

Red Sparowes - Aphorisms

2008-08-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Red Sparowes has always come off as one of the more literate post rock bands. While their record concepts have ached of forced thoughtfulness the music the group produces has never felt the least bit cluttered. Most post rock groups simply attempt to bend the minor scale as far as it will go while Red Sparowes take a much more tonal approach to their sound. At times this works brilliantly creating beautiful soundscapes with unanticipated twists. Other times the band is left sounding extremely unmoving; example being their first LP which while interesting suffered due to its seemingly useless noise interludes. Luckily "Aphroisms" suffers none of the group’s flaws from their debut instead mimicking the more developed side of their second LP. As post rock bands have become a dime a dozen it is always great to hear a band be as good as Red Sparowes at their own little niche of the genre. Important to Red Sparowes is the sophistication of their songs not the textural beauty and this is why they come off as a more intelligent version of groups like Explosions in the Sky and Russian Circles.

red sparowes' 'aphorisms'

"Aphorisms" is an important record for Red Sparowes because of the loss of previous guitarist Josh Graham. Graham is known for his textural tone as well as his involvement in Neurosis and Battle of Mice. In my opinion he is one of the more successful post metal guitarists due to his ability to craft dynamically heavy yet melodic displays. This helped Red Sparowes in the past as the metal edge was beefed up in part because of Graham. On "Aphorisms" we can feel the change of sound yet it doesn't come off as a bad one. Red Sparowes have just grown a little lighter as well as a little more rhythm based. This change may have nothing to do with the departure of Graham but whatever the reason "Aphorisms" is a great EP showcasing Red Sparowes evolving sound. Drummer David Clifford provides a dynamically interesting performance that helps blend the soft and loud changes effortlessly. Guitarists Bryant Meyer and Andy Arahood create gorgeous melodies that echo traces of math rock complexities. “Error Has Turned Animals to Men, and to Each the Fold Repeats” is a perfect example with its hallowing guitar laden conclusion being both cathartic and compositionally developed. In all honesty this EP probably represents the group at their most efficient. The band has honed in the lengths of their songs and put a more prominent effort in being a little more emotionally and it pays off in heaps.

red sparowes performing 'a message of avarice rained down upon us and carried us away into false dreams of endless riches'

Fans of Red Sparowes that have yet to hear this record may be feeling a little anxious do to how radical I've kind of implied it sounds. To be honest this simply isn't as vastly different from their other material as I imply. The lengthy song titles are here with the opener being label as "We Left the Apes to Rot, But Find the Fang Grows Within" and the basic structure of the songs are the same as before. Said opener is a trip between a mathy introduction that forms its way into one of the band's most gorgeous sections through a transition of white noise. "Aphorisms" comes off as a record where the band is using the same pieces as always just sort of mixing up how those pieces are arranged. This philosophy reveals itself to be both the records strength and flaw. In terms of the Red Sparowes discography "Aphorisms" should probably be labeled as the most cohesive piece, but in terms of the entire genre of post rock the group is simply not doing anything original here. The band is simply a very good example of modern post rock and if you are approaching the record with anything but that in mind be prepared for a disappointment.

Red Sparowes - Aphorisms (2008)

Cold World - Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First

2008-07-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Cold World's previous effort 'Ice Grillz' was a novel, simplistic portrayal of rudimentary hardcore fused with a hip-hop presence. It included everything from Wu-Tang Clan samples to the drummer stepping up to DJ the group’s productions. The record was a solid if not gimmicky work and somewhere along the line the hype behind the group caught up to Deathwish. In turn we are presented with the well anticipated record 'Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First' which compared to the debut features a much more prominent metal influence as is usually for the bands on Deathwish. Going a little off subject, Paint it Black's 'New Lexicon' released earlier this year kind of gave me hope for the new Cold World. Dalek producer Oktopus was heavily involved in the production of that record and it feels so appropriately. Cold World as well is certainly not negatively affected by this idea of rap and hardcore fusing as one. 'Dedicated' presents an atmosphere that is simply nonexistent in any other hardcore group. Subtle lyrical references to rap classics, random incorporations of electronic drums, the excellent and raw sounding samples. Cold World is easily feeding their supposed image, but beyond that they also possess the ability to write some damn good songs.

cold world's 'dedicated to babies who came feet first'

In examining the sound presented on this record we only need to look at the title track. Starting off with a punk based riff that would sound more at place on their debut the track lyrically presents us with an image of the rural area of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Like most of Pennsylvania Wilkes Barre is a mix of city life with the enormous amount of rural areas that the state is known for. The issues that lead singer Dan Mills touches on seem to be a meeting point between these two environments. Musically the song brilliantly uses samples in its chorus with the calls of 'my life, my life, my life, my life'. Transitioning straight from the chorus into a bridge featuring Blacklisted vocalist George Hirsch provides a great counterpoint to Dan Mills somewhat redundant vocals. The song breaks into an excellent breakdown as it finishes off in an epic manner. While I love how sparingly the samples are used on this record it does seem like the best songs on the record succeed by implementing some form of hip-hop into otherwise by the book hardcore. 'Liars, Thieves' is another clear highlight with its drum machine transitions making the group come off as a legitimately interesting rap / hardcore hybrid and not the least bit nu-metally.

Negatives can be easily found on this record though. Singer Mills is an easy mark for the sometimes lacking heaviness of the group. The two backing vocalists do a good job of providing a heavier edge, but the lead of Cold World is certainly not the band's strong point. Other complaints can be filed towards the fact that Cold World isn't really presenting anything new besides the incorporation of some hip-hop gimmicks. The music here is basically derivative of mid-90s hardcore groups like Biohazard and Life of Agony and while those aren't bands that have seen a revival lately it is still not going to provide the group with as much respect as say a group like Paint it Black or Modern Life is War. The mid-tempo approach leaves some songs coming off as simply imitations of the actual classics on the album. Still, I don't think Cold World is going for something entirely new with this record and rather splicing together a supposed image of NYHC with the more urban side of that city's music and in that regard it works flawlessly.

cold world

All issues aside Cold World should be applauded with the rest of the Deathwish roster for releasing what has seemingly become a trend of consistent, interesting hardcore records. 'Dedicated to the Babies Who Came Feet First' isn't going to change anyone's mind about hardcore, but for those fans who have long worn out their copy of 'Urban Discipline' will find themselves right at home with tracks like 'Roaches and Rats'. Cold World's worldly perception obviously elicits their namesake and their entire sound is devoted to presenting that idea as a reality. If one thing can be said about 'Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First' it is that they have certainly done that.

Cold World - Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First (2008)

Andrew Hill - Black Fire

2008-07-20T02:37:00.000-07:00

Andrew Hill is my favorite jazz composer. His arrangements, his groups, everything about the man I throughly adore. When I heard about his death last year it saddened me a great deal because even in his old age he was still a marvel of a player and more importantly still releasing relevant jazz music. 'Black Fire' followed Hill's most celebrated achievement 'Point of Departure' and while that album is probably one of the best avant garde jazz records of all time the rest of Hill's discography is certainly not something to scoff at. Simply looking at the rhythm section of this record you know you are in for a treat. Two of the most inventive jazz musicians of the period Roy Haynes and Richard Davis bring a extremely tight performance to this record and in my opinion easily surpassing Davis' performance with Tony Williams on 'Point of Departure'. Where 'Point of Departure' comes off as a more compositional record, 'Black Fire' seems to showcase the more meandering improvisations of Hill's music and in that light it comes off as a fantastic journey.

Andrew Hill's 'Black Fire'

Describing the actual tone of the album; "It wasn't unusual in the mid-60s for Blue Note albums to include original compositions, but sometimes these compositions were pretty generic: a modal number, a "Sidewinder" clone, a blues number, etc. But not here -- each of Hill's tunes is distinct from those generic categories, and from the other tunes on the album. Hill's tunes include weird twists and turns, starts and stops, alternating sections with clashing ideas or moods, unpredictable rhythms, and of course a touch of Monk. "Subterfuge" is a percussive, claustrophobic piano trio performance. "McNeil Island" is another trio performance, but this time Roy Haynes sits out. Joe Henderson plays very lyrically on this one. "Black Fire" is a waltz, alternating an upbeat theme with a darker one. It's interesting to see how the soloists adjust to the frequently adjusting moods in their solos. "Pumpkin" (introduced by a striking Richard Davis bassline) and the sorta-Latin "Cantarnos" both feature intense, passionate melodies. " - GB (user on Amazon.com)

This is a fantastic record and a great exploration into the stranger areas of jazz for any fans of the genre. Perhaps not a great starting point for Jazz or even Hill, but a very solid record once you become accustomed to what exactly this man's philosophies on music are.

Andrew Hill - Black Fire (1964)

Off Minor - Some Blood

2008-07-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

In terms of concepts Off Minor's latest 'Some Blood' is not an album I'd label as comforting. Where there previous records tackled very specific areas of the band's social interactions 'Some Blood' is a more visceral, more encompassing, and in general more mature effort. This assertion puzzles me because it seems that as time passes hardcore bands tend to start off being a little more accusing and end being more introspective. Perhaps, the most impressive part of Off Minor is in fact the length of their existence and how focused and similar their message has been over all of that time. 'To An Ex' may seem to be walking along ground that was covered on the groups' first record 'The Heat Death of the Universe', but that album exposed the personal trials of the band in a very short direct way. The songs presented on 'Some Blood' are dealing with overarching concepts of social commonality. Off Minor is one of few bands that speak directly to the hearts of a community while at the same time applying moments that are so moving that it creates a certain brand of philosophy. 'Everything Explicit' examines the tragedy of words left unsaid not in a selfish way rather mournfully examining the issue. It is important to take note of the ages of this band and their contemporaries because most people playing this type of music simply aren't breaking thirty. In turn this leaves Off Minor with a little more to prove than your average hardcore band. Simply judging by the bands the members of Off Minor have been in the group is certainly going to have a certain amount of anticipation surrounding their releases. So, when the group stretches out and exposes itself with a track as bare and uncharacteristic as 'Practice Absence' it is both surprising and common place. Off Minor is a radical thinking version of a high school genre and on 'Some Blood' the groups' trademark blend of 'jazz like' phrasing with extreme aggression has reached a point of finality.

Jamie Behar

‘Some Blood’ is proof that the band has blended their previous sounds into one all encompassing effort. Opener 'Neologist' proves this perfectly in its short span of nearly three minutes jumping from traditional Off Minor heavy sections that are juxtaposed by a gorgeous interlude that succeeds at being both technical as well as transcendent. 'No Conversationalist I' cycles through more chord progressions than were found on the entirety of 'Group Sex'. The title track finds the visceral voices of Jamie Behar and Steve Roche taking a backseat to some more relaxed spoken vocals that help ease the listener through the rapid transitions found throughout the song. The key improvement on this record though seems to be the care taken in producing it. On Off Minor's last record 'Innominate' the drums seemed to appear simply as a toms and cymbal, while here we experience an extremely organic sounding set that helps emphasize the always moving bass lines of Kevin Roche. While previously the guitar and bass seemed to either tonally sound distorted or clean on 'Some Blood' the group seems to be stretching out their sonic palette. 'Practice Absence' represents this best with its multitude of layered guitar pieces that incorporate varieties of effects as well as singing portions that sound dissimilar to anything Off Minor has done to date. If this record is in fact Off Minor's final document let it be known that they have full evolved their sound into something completely unique from any current trend in hardcore.

Off Minor's 'Some Blood'

The final aspect I'd like to shed light on in regards to 'Some Blood' is the intelligence of its lyrics. Where most of their contemporaries are simply echoing usual white suburban male issues, Off Minor has crafted a literate assessment of hardcore values. As I said early 'Everything Explicit' is a muse on the deterioration of relationships but how the group actually visualizes this is what makes them such a special band.

'as we live these linear lives,
unidirectional, towards an inevitable end
we must make everything explicit.
that's how we left it: unsaid,
i'm at a loss for words.'

For simply the vocabulary alone Off Minor should be applauded. But, when you examine the actual things they are saying you being to understand why this group is held in such high regards. Few hardcore bands will ever have the honor of saying that every single one of their records is an essential buy and Off Minor is one of the few. In terms of quality in regards to quantity the last group to have such a solid discography in my opinion would either be Unwound and Fugazi and simply putting a band on that level is guarantying people to question my judgment. I don't mind though, I can unabashedly say Off Minor is my favorite band and that no contemporary group speaks as effectively as them. As the group themselves say

'this is not injustice.
this is poetic license
permitted by a nation's silence.'

Off Minor - Some Blood (2008)
(link takes you to digital ordering site for the record. Off Minor pulled a Radiohead so donate what you will.)

Tabula Rasa - The Role of Smith

2008-06-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure how I came across Tabula Rasa's 'The Role of Smith'. I know I purchased it at a Warped Tour in Pittsburgh at which I was because I was interested in seeing Glassjaw, Rise Against, and like minded groups live. I was in the various booths section and while looking for something to purchase I believe somebody from AF Records came up to me and talked me into buying this record. That is the vague remembrance I have, anyways this was kind of different from the stuff I was listening to at the time. I was versed in Fugazi which represents the post-hardcore this group is based in, but Tabula Rasa has a distinctive math rock core. This is most likely because of their birthplace which also happens to be Pittsburgh. Don Caballero may be that city’s most important export and the influence of them is felt on this record immensely. What is interesting is that members of Tabula Rasa would in the future meet up with Mike Banfield of Don Cab fame. Tabula Rasa seems distinctive of recent groups like Kidcrash and Off Minor in terms of instrumental prowess, but the vocals and song structures do evoke a more poppy background. 'More Words Than Not' is a clear example of how catchy the group can be with its distinctive switches between calm, melodic portions to stretched out mini-crescendos. I guess simply put Tabula Rasa kind of sounds like the meeting point between At the Drive-in and Three Penny Opera.

Tabula Rasa's 'The Role of Smith'

Dynamically 'The Role of Smith is excellent. This group of musicians were perfect at letting the songs boil down and up at the correct time and also with their version of repetition. Songs don't really follow verses and choruses rather verses and choruses follow the songs seemingly popping up in between various guitar intricacies and drum fills. This works beautifully making tracks like 'How Old Are You..?' and the instrumental 'The Eating Contest' seem fluid yet extensively composed. The fluid nature of the music drifts into the playing of each member of the band and everything from the rhythm section to the vocals all seems to have a placement in the construction of the songs. The main problem of the record seems to be because of its rather spotty production. The guitars seem a little weak, the bass a little out of place, and the drums not pristine enough. I often over look this fact by simply rationalizing that it was on a record label run by Anti-Flag so obviously they weren't that concerned with releasing a completely amazing package. 'The Role of Smith' is a fabulous example of post-hardcore and should definitely be investigated by anyone interested in the genre.

Ghostlimb's 'Bearing and Distance'

I've also included Ghostlimb's latest record 'Bearing and Distance' on this post. I have the vinyl release of this record, but the CD version apparently possesses more tracks so I figured I'd upload that one. This record is one of the best hardcore records I've heard in '08 yet. It features members of Graf Orlock who I'm not really a fan of but to think that group has helped this one come to be justifies its worth ten fold. There are numerous nautical references all over the record and stylistically it sounds wrapped in despair similar to its themes. Essentially a trio playing some of the most aggressive and interesting hardcore these days and live they are equally as entertaining. Certainly a group anyone interested in aggressive music should check out.

Tabula Rasa - 'The Role of Smith' (2003)
Ghostlimb - 'Bearing & Distance' (2008)

Capillary Action - So Embarrassing

2008-06-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Capillary Action's "So Embarrassing" should be regarded as incredible for one main reason; the horn sections. Examples of the brilliance of the horn sections can be found in "Elevator Fuck" and "Placebo or Panacea" where the horns simply don't just provide another blast of noise, but literally they act as the underlying developer of Jon Pfeffer's bizarrely catchy melodic changes. Another positive is how beautifully the string and horn sections are produced which can easily be explained due to the addition of Colin Marston in a production capacity. Most of what the band is doing on this record seems to be a meeting point between the break neck changes of Mr. Bungle with the melodic creativity of Time of Orchids. In many ways "So Embarrassing" parallels two of my most recent favorites "Blue Lambency Downward" and "Namesake Caution" in how it bridges the more sophisticated melodic ideas of jazz and classical composition with modern rock and pop. Every member of this group is playing at a peak of effortless rhythmic changes and carefully arranged harmonies. This attention to detail the members provide to each movement helps some of the more jilted sections like the end of "Bloody Nose" play a little smoother than they would otherwise. “So Embarrassing” is yet another example of how great mixing the avant garde and more simple genres works greatly.

capillary action's 'so embarrassing'

Though "So Embarrassing" deserves a large amount of praise the record does fall apart due to a few simple flaws. First, where bands like Time of Orchids and Kayo Dot are going through massive amounts of changes they seem to have a sense of when to let things develop. Capillary Action seems to fall into the Mr. Bungle comparison I drew earlier and be more about showing off their ability to shift between vastly different parts in short amounts of time. This is probably more of a personal preference but because of that a lot of the beauty in these songs seems to be lost. "Paperweights" is a notable exception with its drawn out acoustic portions being one of the most beautiful sections on the record. Still, the groups to which Pfeffer's indulgencies seem to relate are far more experienced and have had time to develop their ideas, Pfeffer is only 21 and already he has released an album that possesses a very original sound as well as an impressive amount of musicianship. Given the time to let his music mature I'm sure he will find himself in the company of his peers and inspirations, but for now his music will just have to settle for being very impressive instead of awe inspiring.

Capillary Action - So Embarrassing (2008)

Ampere / Funeral Diner - Split

2008-06-10T01:08:00.000-07:00

i'm going to be seeing Ampere tomorrow evening. i've been wanting to see Ampere since I heard their first LP way back in 2005. obviously as we can tell from the last post on here, 2005 was a great year for "emo" or whatever. 'All Our Tomorrows End Today' was an excellent combination of early '90s hardcore with Orchid's rigid sophistication. that record is such a perfect capsule of what Ampere is all about. anyways, from my first day hearing them i've been sure they must have been a killer live act.. but every time they came somewhere near Pennsylvania something came up. hopefully no foul play is involved tomorrow. in honor of seeing Ampere or whatever I'm putting up their split with Funeral Diner. The track by Funeral Diner is released somewhere else, i believe a tour EP.. but both Ampere tracks are just on this record. 'Sleepwalkers' is definitely the highlight on Ampere's side throwing together all sorts of odd guitar lyrics and even a part that sounds like it is about to break into something that isn't fast as shit which is certainly uncharacteristic for the band. the Funeral Diner features an excellent track that feels very similar to the new Funeral Diner member laced ...Who Calls So Loud. all in all this split 9" was a great purchase and the etchings that are on the actual vinyl are beautiful. wish i had pictures.

ampere / funeral diner - split

asleep or awake, eyes open or closed.
we'll see through boarded windows and cracked concrete.
you & me - all of us - we will be discord, volatile & explosive.
we will write our histories.
we'll not let on to faking and plant a thousand lies.
they won't know; no one will know our truth.
we see the logic in revision & practice what we hate
- so revel in your contradiction, a wrench in some machine.

- Sleepwalkers; Ampere

Ampere / Funeral Diner - Split 9"

Gospel - The Moon is a Dead World

2008-05-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

gospel at a firehall in altoona, pa

Gospel will always remain in my head as the best example of hardcore I've ever seen expressed live. When I walked into the firehall where they played in Altoona, Pennsylvania, the four members of the band looked like they belonged in an Andrew W.K. video. When they came through my town with Hot Cross, I immediately decided to go to the show after I heard a couple of things. One, that their debut record "The Moon is a Dead World" was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. Two, that said album was going to be released by Level Plane records who at the time had put out a fury of really, really great material. Gospel was certainly poised to be quite the enjoyable show from my viewpoint, but I didn't expect anything close to what I heard when I actually got to the venue. Comparatively there are two big things Gospel seem to have a love for; Yes and mid-90s screamo. Vocally clear indications that Gospel is following in the steps of Northeast bands like Shotmaker or Three Penny Opera. But, instrumentally the band produces a bizarre form of progressive rock with 12-string guitars, synths, and an extremely impressive drummer. Every member of the band is extremely skilled, but the drummer really is the force which helps blend songs like "Golden Dawn" into gigantic progressive anthems eased by the prowess involved in their numerous rhythm shifts. Gospel's music is heavy, dense, and technical but most of all it's emotionally aggressive, something that makes the band have a timeless appeal.

gospel's 'the moon is a dead world'

As I said before "The Moon is A Dead World" was produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. Ballou has a production sound which is known for giving a raw aggressive edge to already extremely aggressive music. Clearly the production is extremely important to an album that is as textural as this one and the way Ballou makes this band sound is nothing short of amazing. It is lo-fi prog. rock which sounds like it would never work, but ends up marvelously. Touching back on "Golden Dawn" most bands that have lengthy songs tend to using ambience or slower softer sections to help ease the listener through the song, "Golden Dawn" is heavy the entire way through. By heavy though I'm not implying the singer is screaming the entire time or that guitar solos are just extending to nowhere. "Golden Dawn" is heavy because of its sense of urgency, a constantly plodding track that seems like it is constantly building itself for a bigger and better moment. It's bittersweet with emotion and it seems at any moment it could just collapse into an incomprehensible mess of noise. Somehow the track never does though; right as you expect it to collapse, it just ascends back into the original riff that started the song off, aided by a subtle synth part. The track is desolate and seems to represent some kind of poetic description of the apocalypse both lyrically and musically.

"and its only just a matter of time
before we all gotta go underground.
and for whats its worth
they ain't got no drugs down there."

"Paper Tigon" and "And Redemption Fills the Emptiest of Hearts" follow with a less progressive tone, touching more in a post-hardcore realm. "Paper Tigon" is highlighted by a guitar solo that occurs around 2:23. It's further embellished when the synth line plays the exact same progression that the guitar was playing and it builds the album back to the tense nature that we felt during "Golden Dawn". "And Redemption Fills the Emptiest of Hearts" starts off very frantic, but during its bridge breaks into a very melodic and slow paced guitar solo that is a side of Gospel we have not seen up until this point on the record. It helps shift the mood into a more ethereal instrumentally soft atmosphere. Preparing us for the instrumental "Opium" which somewhat acts as a break in the madness that we've heard so far. "What Means of Witchery" starts off with one of the most stereotypical emo build-ups ever. Gospel is clearly wearing the influence of City of Caterpillar and Funeral Diner during the first few minutes of the track. I'm not saying that this makes the introduction to the track bad; it’s probably one of the most well composed portions of the record. What Gospel does with the build up is even more impressive though. While you would expect an explosion of aggression after the build-up it never comes, the drums are pounding, the guitars are drifting and when that point of urgency finally arrives everything goes silent except for a simple drum fill. The track then bursts into what can only be describe as psychedelic. It is probably one of the most interesting and original things I've ever heard on a hardcore record and definitely one of the key points on "The Moon is a Dead World". Screams fly everywhere and more metallic riffing emerges after the psychedelic guitar part helps remind the listener that this is one hell of a heavy band. The song consummates by returning to the original psychedelic line and slowly fading out. The final track "As Far As You Can Throw Me" seems to be the most personal track. It is a dizzying mostly synth based track that seems to work the drummer to his brink. The song certainly brings the record to a close with a very melancholy feel.

"so let's hold this close
and we'll fall back to whats ours
i've got enough pills
to last us both a couple of hours
and we'll count our stars it won't come to soon."

Around the time I picked this record up I made some claim about it being comparable to City of Caterpillar's debut. A record that wouldn't be realized as the classic it was until much later in the future. Well, one thing that certainly evokes City of Caterpillar did happen to Gospel, they broke up after only releasing one album. This has certainly impacted the legacy the group and this does seem like a little known classic. I consider it a perfect record and a bizarrely progressive sound that probably will never have any peers to it’s depressingly, intense sound.

"and so i push y'all away
and i wish you a fast recovery.
all the time wishing clots upon your heart."

gospel playing 'golden dawn'

i've included a live recording of the 24 minute instrumental track these guys were kicking around in late '06 and the cassette tape these guys released that is basically a live set. the gospel/kodan armada split is the only other thing i know that they recorded and if anyone is interested i can throw that up also.

Gospel - Lived (2004)
Gospel - The Moon is a Dead World (2005)
Gospel - The Magic Volume of Dark Matter (2006)

Off Minor / Killie - Split

2008-05-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

off minor australian tour flier.

Off Minor's latest 'world tour' should be seen as an impressive feat for such a relatively unknown band. prominently known as half of the former emo juggernaut Saetia, Off Minor are certainly more mature and sophisticated when compared to their deceased counterpart Hot Cross. noted descriptions of their sound usually fall in the "jazz influenced hardcore" side of things with the group's sound having a large portion of instrumental prettiness. enough about what the group sounds like though, back to Off Minor's self professed "last tour". when we consider that the average age of the group is somewhere in the late twenties or early thirties it is impressive that three individuals that have been involved in hardcore for so long have not become jaded or unrelevant. Off Minor has been making some of the most provoking hardcore since their inception and their most recent output released during the Japanese portion of their world tour is simply just more proof of their success.

off minor / killie split

the Off Minor / Killie split presents the listener with two excellent examples of how far the emo scene has come since just 2000. Off Minor places two previously released tracks with one new one from their "Some Blood" sessions. Killie keeps their side very compressed with one short track and one very lengthy one. "Some Clown" which previously was released on the Off Minor / My Disco split is probably the groups best song to date. definitive in its interplay between manic drumming, beautifully tempered guitar, and pulsing bass Off Minor is able to craft a gorgeous mixture of chaos and cool. where Off Minor's previous records seemed to deal with a good portion of self depreciation (especially 'The Heat Death of the Universe' which will be discussed later.) the songs present on this split seem to be a bit more politically conscious. 'Abbatoir' is a short explosion of vegan knowledge, a haiku on the criminality of how people are willing to treat other people, animals, etc. Jamie Behar guitarist and lead vocalist asks;

'when will the world see things this way?
perverse perspectives still pervade.
we're left cold by blood that's lost.
it cries out from the ground.'

falling back into their usual topics Off Minor ends their half of the record with 'Everything Explicit' which deals with the issue of how to resolve something with someone who you no long talk to. the track is notable for its sonic relation to the early post-hardcore scene evoking a Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, or Unwound comparison. although none of those bands could ever craft anything as melodically beautiful as the bridge in the track. to discuss Killie their half of the record seems to evoke a cross between Envy and Daitro. not something entirely original, but as a counterpoint to the Off Minor sound it works well to have such an aggressively sincere band bounce off the more artsy composed New York group.

killie

continuing with the over arching Off Minor theme of this post i must discuss 'The Heat Death of the Universe'. this record was probably my first exposure to the emo sound and i really haven't found anything i think really compares to it. the sonic and lyrical content is unrivaled in aggressive music and everything about it is just perfect. Off Minor's skill, originality, and vast appreciation of various genres help their expressions reflect technical prowess, as well as allow them to be an emotional outlet. the dynamic buildups and crescendos found on this album are prefect sonic reinterpretations of the bipolar nature of the overlying concept of the album. it is perhaps telling that Off Minor have never been as calm or as resolute in terms of their approach to creating music since the making of this album. songs like "Monday Morning Quarterback" toss and turn through beautiful near jazz style arrangements into some of the most aggressive and abrasive hardcore ever released. the untraditional approach taken to their respective instruments helps Off Minor output the same type of cathartic release normally found in only hardcore and transpose it into fully instrumental pieces that don't mock the current post-rock trend of build-up and release, but instead dredge into elastics and personal realms of musical exploration. Off Minor's music is not able to be expressed as "epic" at any point of "The Heat Death Of the Universe" because it is always collapsing in on itself to represent something much more selfish and single minded; its band members own experiences.

off minor's 'the heat death of the universe'

lyrically "The Heat Death of the Universe" speaks in a style of poignant haikus. 'Staring Down the Barrel of Limited Options' openly addresses the issue of suicide;

'facing this inevitably,
that i could never begin to understand.
what is it you see staring down the barrel of limited options?
what goes through your mind as you make the decision to end all decisions?
never say everything will be ok.'

the theme is prevalent all over the record with the second track 'This is a Hostage Situation" dealing with the neediness of people. the hatred of people that unconditionally attach themselves to things that are simply not everlasting.

'this hand on this gun to my head is my own and these are my demands:
if you leave me, take me with you, i am nothing without you.
people who need people are the wretchedest in the world.'

an ode to individuals who find themselves solely existing for the purpose of serving their spouse or whatever form their significant other should take. 'The Heat Death of the Universe' represents a philosophical journey that deals with a variety of the band's own views on everyday issues. the aggressiveness and calmness of daily life is reflected in this music and that is why it holds such an important spot in my heart. it should be considered one of the most ample examples of 21st century music. with a heart-on-the-sleeve attitude and obvious appreciation of numerous sub-genres, this album clearly represents how music has evolved, evoking the aggressive nature of '80s hardcore, the personal awareness of the '90s, and finally adopting the new method of beauty and chaos that is defining the '00s music scene. Off Minor is certainly a derivative of the things around them, but due to their members' appreciation and originality, they've been able to create a perfect emotional reflection of their feelings and that is all that this album needs to succeed.

off minor

Off Minor / Killie - Split (2008)
Off Minor - The Heat Death of the Universe (2002)

vacation: louisville

2008-04-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

i'm going to louisville to visit one of my friends. the trip is kind of dedicated to her so i don't know if i'll have a lot of time to explore the scene that shaped some of my favorite records, but i'll try my best. while i am gone if anyone sees any post they need reuploaded just drop a comment and i'll do my best to take care of the requests when i get back.

Cursive - 'Domestica'

2008-04-24T01:50:00.000-07:00

Cursive's 'Domestica'

A man and a woman embraced. A variety of scenes to the couple’s right. Two catalysts for one heart broken musician to use as his own representation of the despair he has found in relationships. “Domestica” is the essential break up album for me; a beautifully aggressive look at both the male and female pathos when it comes to the end of a relationship. It is a dark, seemingly depressing record that deals with the most embarrassing and painful parts of someone’s life and turns them into sort of jilted pop songs that seem almost dirty in their bareness. Maybe, it isn’t the most original sounding record or perhaps Kasher is being just a little desperate in his lyrics, but “Domestica” is clearly a unique experience and in my opinion one of the best when it comes to conceptual records.

Cursive circa 2000

Cursive formed in Omaha in 1995 releasing a variety of post-hardcore influenced material that was bottomed out by its incorporation of the intensely personal Saddle Creek sound. In 1998 Cursive lost a variety of members and as result declared the band over but only a year and half later they came back with a new guitarist and with what in my opinion is their best album, “Domestica". "Domestica's" overlying concept is the exploration of a couple’s relationship as it slowly dissolves. Perhaps what really strengthens the lyrical content is how Tim Kasher is perfectly able to represent his flaws and anger. The constant tussle between admittance and complete denial makes the record breathe real in its pure reflection of the dissolution of relationships. One could say this is because the story of "Domestica" carries an odd familiarity to the real life experiences of the lyricist. Whether Kasher is just a master of storytelling or baring his heart is regardless as he is convincing in his role of speaker for the two vicious characters he has created in "Domestica". Kasher can step into the shoes of a work drained passionless shell as he does on “The Martyr";

"He claims he's the victim
Strangled by the nine-to-five
And a pattern of stillness
That haunted this still life"

And then stream the same self lamenting into free conscious imagery that visually puts the listener into the variety of situations that are being presented in “Domestica”. '"There's still a hole where the phone was thrown" in "The Casualty" is a great image that Kasher half stutters his way through. "Shallow Means, Deep Ends" spits in metaphoric imagery with Kasher examining the impact of gossip on relationships while sounding is made more legitimate with the songs beautiful wording;

"But still I can hear those dirty birds chirp away
It's a song I know by heart
Sometimes I resent making friends and acquaintances
It's a thin veil between us"

'Domestica' musically is just as beautiful as it is lyrically. The rhythmic section has clearly taken a page from the book of Unwound and Fugazi creating a powerfully heavy bottom-end that allows Kasher and fellow guitarist Ted Stevens to craft beautifully atmospheric intertwining guitar lines that are far more beautiful than anything the band has done since. "The Lament of Pretty Baby" seems to be the climax of the guitars ability to perfectly fit together. The song is a dizzying combination of heavily palm muted sections with a variety of picked harmonics. The way Kasher and Stevens guitars tonally sound is fantastic and the way they both work off each other so simply yet so intelligently is extremely impressive. The most obvious strength on this record though is Kasher's vocals himself. His voice quivers and barrels into all out screams in a matter of moments but never does he lose the melody. Call it abrasive catchiness Kasher is clearly Cursive's secret component that lyrically and vocally takes the group a level above simply being another post-hardcore band.

"Dinner's getting cold
You haven't touched a thing
So what's it going to be?"

"The Radiator Hums" clearly hints that "Domestica" is moving into a different direction and the closure of the album is much less anthematic than the beginning and instead feels a little disillusioned. The sound is still heavy but instead of falling back on easily chantible choruses the three closing tracks of "Domestica" are very sullen and dynamic. It is a brilliant evolution from the more pop leaning introduction of the album. "The Radiator Hums" tosses its way between clean toned melodies and heavily distorted riffs with Kasher soulfully whispering in a way Greg Dulli only wishes he could. As some have suggested "Domestica" bares a clear relation to the Afghan Whigs' own self depreciating masterpiece "Gentlemen" but I've always heard ideas of that dealing more with Dulli's alcoholism than his actually lack of effectively communicating with the one he loves. Kasher while certainly well versed in his way with alcohol doesn't seem to travel down that road much on "Domestica". Here we find the songs focus solely on the action of the two lovers and their slow fall from grace.

tim kasher

Cursive released what will probably be their best album with "Domestica". Lyrically, musically, vocally, everything is on a point that hardly any post-hardcore band has ever reached. This is a masterpiece of a record and the praise written here is simply not even close to how much it deserves.

"One February night, we screamed our agonies
And I swear I tried to care
I tried, I tried"

Cursive - Domestica (2000)

on Cursive's latest tour they've been playing a variety of new songs. these new songs seem less complex in terms of amount of instruments in comparison to 'Happy Hollow' and 'The Ugly Organ' in other words.. it seems as if Cursive may be trying to make the successor to Domestica. here is a sample titled 'Race With'

Asva - What You Don't Know is Frontier

2008-04-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

asva

for those who have not heard yet, Kayo Dot's latest record 'Blue Lambency Downward' has leaked and is also available streaming from bluelambencydownward.com. Kayo Dot is probably my favorite band, if not them Off Minor and they really have progressed their sound into something familiar yet different with their new record. oddly enough the metal side of their sound has been stripped which may seem weird with their recent signing to Hydrahead Records. although there is a change Kayo Dot's new record is soon to be out and you can expect a more developed review from me on rateyourmusic.com in the future.

kayo dot's 'blue lambency downward'

in keeping themes, the reason i was originally interested in the album i've uploaded is because of Kayo Dot's head Toby Driver's supposed vocal appearance. well, almost two years after its initial announcement it appears although Toby's contribution has been removed the group known as Asva has created a marvelously melancholic experience. drone and doom metal alumni are over this album with it featuring members of Burning Witch, Earth, Sunn 0))), as well as contributors who were involved with Mr. Bungle. but, i really can't talk about this album as well as lefthandpass's Stewart Voegtlin does.

asva's stuart dahlquist

"As luck would have it, I’ve never met Stuart Dahlquist. In late spring of 2005, I patched an awkward bit of writing together hailing the operatic prog of Asva’s Futurists Against the Ocean. I e-mailed him the review and from then on, Stuart and I corresponded willy-nilly, mostly about books, ideas, places; his words always alarmingly honest and innocently unaware. A month after my Futurists review ran, Stuart’s brother, Michael, was killed. I woke up one morning, had coffee and checked some websites. There on Stephen O’Malley’s Ideologic page was the news. The one year anniversary of Michael’s death came around and Stuart wrestled with how he was going to spend that time. He was living in Long Beach, getting along well enough and doing his best to keep the demons at bay. He told me he was going to stay at a mountain cabin and think about Michael. When he came back down that mountain, he said he’d gotten deep down into a bottle of Wild Turkey, listened a lot to Michael’s band, Silkworm, and bawled his eyes out. He told me he missed Michael. He still tells me that a lot. I don’t blame him. Sometime after that I got a package in the mail; it was the What You Don’t Know Is Frontier demo. I put the disc on immediately. Given what I knew, the music was almost unbearably forlorn, a frigid gust of life rumbling the shelves in my living room. Outside the sun was bearing down – the first flex of a muscular summer heat. I have never heard anything like WYDKIF. It reminds me of the first time I heard Mozart’s Requiem, or Gould’s Goldberg Variations. The music has a punishing sort of beauty, an inflicted aesthetics that hands the hearer no choice. I wanted to share it; I pitched articles to some big glossies and never heard back. Undeterred, I tried to cook up a summit without border constraints. No e-mail, no phones. Stuart and I talked about getting together for a big, drunken interview: whisky and words, wishes and wants. I proposed that we do it down South. And then he told me about the family ranch in Livingston, Montana. Well – me being a fly-fisherman – we had our interview location. He told me little to nothing about the ranch proper. He did say that his grandfather’s marker was up there, high in the mountains. He told me what the marker said: That one day we might ride together in a different place. His Sons and Grandsons. And he told me that Michael’s marker will one day rest there as well. The Greek playwright Aeschylus said that there’s no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief. That quotation, at least for me, encapsulates WYDKIF. But I’m just a writer. I’m listening to the music and listening to what Stuart says about the music, and I’m trying to make a judgment. Sometimes, I can be right. Sometimes, I just cheat – and ask. “Everything I did [after Michael’s death] – and to a large extent still do – is directly affected by the sense of such an absolute loss,” Stuart wrote in an e-mail just before the New Year. “I wasn't sitting there writing music thinking of Michael, but his influence was inescapable.” The phrase, What You Don’t Know is Frontier, came from “Bring Me a Monkey,” a poem Michael wrote. The phrase reluctantly governs the music in the only way it can, acting simultaneously as some sort of wildly incongruous masthead and also as one’s only recourse against the unknown. Outside the slim boundaries of knowledge is – as always – the wilderness. Stuart confessed that the creative process wasn’t so much an emersion as it was avoidance; he poured as much of his emotion into that vessel as he could. One more stray drop would’ve split the hull. “The finished result was what I really wanted, needed actually, to hit an emotional chord,” he wrote. “WYDKIF – when taken as a whole – needed to have real impact to remind me: ‘this is where you were, Stuart, embrace it again.’ I think it succeeds in doing that.” It does. The music is a fabric, a structure that has always been here. Evocation is forever. Presence is tactile. Foundation rolls out to the horizon, what’s grown from its ground is as artificial as it is organic. Guitar and bass weep. Skins and brass are intermittent flares – hot crackling bursts of white and red in the midst of a bottomless black. Melodies ghost through ruin and the mind holds them fast and doesn’t let go. Analogues are plentiful. I thought of Grieg or Berlioz at their greatest bombast. I thought of peasant music; poor, tired and toothless folk gumming nursery rhymes. I thought of Morricone and Orff, Tampa Red, Charley Patton – even Wagner. As soon as I heard the final mix I e-mailed Stuart. “The feeling of vastness is unmatched,” I wrote. “Tons of imagery. It's hard to turn off the mind with these sounds. I just keep seeing the ocean. Lots of water. Lots of rock. Sky. Barren plains. Blood and filth and death. The melodies are touching; the bombast is cathartic. I'm happy as shit for you, bro. You've done it...” He really has. For three straight months, I listened to WYDKIF every day on the way to work. From the highway to the open fields and worn rural roads, my broken speakers rattled and vibrated, the bass thudded and hummed and roared through their scratched black grates. When the pipe organ comes in at the end, the rattling goes away. The organ has such presence, such heft, but it sounds like lightness, like the quality of having little to no physical weight. Stuart had originally performed the piece on a Hammond, but said the pipe organ was [Engineer] Randall [Dunn’s] suggestion; that he “wanted it to sound like air was moving, like the wind was coming back into your sails.” It does. It’s rejuvenating. It’s settling. It makes sense: “WYDKIF is about rebirth,” Stuart wrote, “about that light at the end of the tunnel. Amen.” It’s high past time for that interview, and I hear Livingston trout are just killing beadheads right about now." -lefthandpath.com

asva's 'what you don't know is frontier'

you should all really purchase this album, i know i can't wait to get my copy. sadly, it is not actually out until june.

Kayo Dot - 'Blue Lambency Downward' (2008)
Asva - 'What You Don't Know is Frontier' (2008)

singer - unhistories

2008-04-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

Singer essentially acts as a meeting place for two fairly well respected math rock groups. Singer is composed of U.S. Maple members and one of 90 Day Men's vocalists Rob Lowe meaning there was obviously a base of excellence already in place before 'Unhistories' was even recorded. In terms of actual sound 'Unhistories' comes off as 90 Day Men's eclectic side with the pop sensibility literally gutted and replaced with a large emphasis on composition. 'Divining' is a dizzying piece that begins with some very beautiful multiple voice harmonizing with underlying keys that rhythmically evokes the strong basic rhythms of Battles. The first section dissolves and in its place is an acoustic conclusion that is at the same time completely unexpected while also being perfectly incorporated. 'Unhistories' in general really is a sound that is very different but also very logical. The supposed drum solo in 'Oh Dusty', the foray of kraut rock that extends it self through closer 'Mauvais Sang', all of these moments add up to make a truly unique experience which in some ways reflects the fluidness of Time of Orchids' 'Namesake Caution'. One of the key successes of the group is Rob Lowe's vocals which are really in a class of their own. I guess if we examine Chicago as a scene Singer is basically the older brother of a group like Owls. All of the same ingredients are included in these two groups but the maturity that Singer brings to the sound makes them far more successful. When songs like 'Please, Tell the Justices We're Fine' musically reach into realms that sound like mindless noise Lowe and his backing band are all able to vocally keep a control over the sound which in turn extremely helps support sudden changes like the guitar solo that appears out of nowhere about four minutes into the track. Simply put 'Unhistories' is proof that unorthodox methods of playing, singing and composing can still be used just as effectively as the orthodox methods.

singer's 'unhistories'

If I were to guess I'd imagine 'Unhistories' will be a one off project but it is clearly much more than a release from a "super group" of sorts. Singer in the vein of 90 Day Men's 'Panda Park' has crafted a memorable experience due to its complete uniqueness. 'Unhistories' is a great release and is certainly something any fan of the avant garde should take a look at.

Singer - 'Unhistories' (2008)

Ocrilim - Annwn

2008-04-14T02:35:00.000-07:00

Ocrilim is Mick Barr’s solo moniker which has released two cds. What makes these two records different from Barr’s other recordings is how regimentally the composition on it seems to have been arranged. While Barr has always experimented within his own personal realm of minimalist shred ‘Annwn’ represents him at his most bare as well as his most successful. Where ‘OV’ was highly successful in its steady progressive shredding, ‘Annwn’ is simply Barr playing about seven guitars and two basses in a style that can only be described as orchestral. In a sense this record is very easily enjoyed once one gets past how unpleasant the tone is. Barr’s trebly guitar interspersed with some just a tiny bit less trebly bass evokes an 8-bit symphony. His tonal choices though are not that simple with a range of melodies being played from gloriously major to harrowingly minor. Although this record is extremely experimental and may sound very off putting I find that the actual melodic content is very easily accessible and in a sense provides the vast amount of odd choices with a little balance. Barr has really never exposed himself in this style of highly infectious yet still technical pieces and the results are excellent.

Ocrilim's 'Annwn'

Complaints can be directed towards the almost hour and a half play time of the record which while it isn’t a major issue will certainly effect the replay value of ‘Annwn’. Also, perhaps in future Ocrilim recordings maybe the featuring of other pronounced instruments would improve the sound since the arrangements here are so amazing yet are held back by the alienating guitar tones. Still, very few issues can be taken up with Mick Barr’s latest record and that is a pretty impressive feat for someone that is dredging through the same techniques as failed soloists Steve Vai and etc. Barr should be applauded for his nature of being more interested in the composition’s needs rather than his own when it comes to showing off and because of that ‘Annwn’ is clearly a success.

Ocrilim - Annwn (2008)

six organs of admittance - compathia

2008-04-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

i'm sure every person has artists that they adore but sometimes slightly ignore when talking about their tastes. i'm certainly guilty of that in regards to today's post, an artist who i think at one time i perceived as the best guitarist in current music. with his last two records under the Six Organs of Admittance guise that opinion has fallen out of place but with his excellent back catalogue and his work with Badgerlore and Comets on Fire, listening to Ben Chasny is always provoking and interesting. 'Compathia' in my mind is the best album put out under the Six Organs of Admittance name. while some may argue that 'Dark Noontide' is his most concise work, or that 'School of the Flower' represents his most eclectic voice i can not help but love the half stoned guitar exercises that make up most of 'Compathia' and Chasny's early Six Organs work.

six organs of admittance's 'comapthia'

where does the intelligence in this music really come from? in my mind, it is the brilliant way Chasny combines the aspects of an acoustic guitar and drones together to create something that is both unique and extremely attractive. 'Somewhere Between' is a great example of this with how sparse its middle is compared to the vocal parts of the song. 'Compathia' though is kind of a diversion from that process, the last remnants of his avant garde sounds being expunged before he turned into the Drag City indie icon he has sort of become. where his early records seemed to evoke some kind of unstructured noise 'Compathia' has a distinct structure to it, many of the songs feature vocals and choruses. even though Chasny seems to be moving in a more acceptable direction, there are certainly a few anomalies on this album. 'Only The Sun Knows' the closer is a sonic experiment featuring Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire and excellent track and one of Six Organs best. experimental folk balanced with a good backing of actual songs. think John Fahey meets Gary Higgins.

Six Organs of Admittance - Compathia (2003)

april 1st 2008

2008-03-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

mark kozelek

two excellent records are being released tomorrow. both are follow ups to some special records in my life. first off, we have Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon fame releasing his third LP under the Sun Kil Moon moniker. the record, entitled 'April' might just be my favorite record of '08 so far. Gregor Samsa is a post rock mainly known for having Kayo Dot and City of Caterpillar members appear in their line up. their latest 'Rest' is released digitally today, although it has been streaming on their myspace for the past couple of weeks.

gregor samsa

'55:12' was a very conflicting record for me. Essentially, Gregor Samsa is a heavily post-rock leaning Low tribute band and '55:12' perfectly encapsulated that. Although that record is certainly a great listen, the movement and song structure is painfully obvious. The pick-ups in tempo, the crescendos, every moment of '55:12' has an overwhelming simplicity to it. I'm not saying that is necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly does effect the replay value of that record. With 'Rest,' it seems as if the group is taking strides towards being an artistically legitimate entity. Early Gregor Samsa evoked a Sigur Ros sense of stagnancy that has almost been completely thrown away with the developments made on 'Rest'. Kayo Dot alumni and Ghastly City Sleep members make guest appearances, but little of this is obvious. 'Rest' is still the Gregor Samsa of '55:12', but they've grown up. 'Rendered Yards' pulls off a gorgeously effective inclusion of vocals in a seemingly operatic style. Even in the slow beginning of 'The Adolescent,' it is pretty obvious that this record isn't going to contain the same noise heavy moments of 'Makeshift Shelters,' and while that is a slight disappointment, Gregor Samsa's incorporation of a chamber music styled line-up is equally as exciting. 'Ain Leuh' demonstrates why that is about a minute in when it bursts into a dazzling mini-crescendo, which is really unexpected for a band that previously prided themselves on their unabashed slow dredges to glorious conclusions. Lead vocalist Champ Bennett evokes a Ben Gibbard with a soul (Although, Gibbard's inclusion on 'Lost Verses,' Mark Kozelek's opening track to 'April,' has me thinking maybe Ben can still accomplish something a little credible) and Mia Matsumiya proves once again that her flawless technique can easily make a good album great. In other words, the ambient soundscapes, the excellently contrasting vocals, and the pop sensibility from ’55:12’ is all here, the group has just really embellished on their old methods.

gregor samsa's 'rest'

'April' is a pretty easy record to sum up; eleven tracks of the most pure sincerity that deal with a variety of rekindled feelings. 'Tonight the Sky' perfectly encapsulates Neil Young in his Harvest era. 'Tonight in Bilbao' provides a touching update on the song structure of Sun Kil Moon's track 'Duk Koo Kim' but without all the extremities about South Korean boxers. The filler like 'The Light' and 'Heron Blue' which both seem like extremely safe Kozelek tracks are still excellently arranged and rival any of the highlights off of 'Tiny Cities'. Essentially, 'April' is an improvement and definition of what the Sun Kil Moon sound is really able to pull off. Lengthy, but for a reason. Intimate, but with enough courtesy to be vague enough to allow the listener to place themselves in the songs. Mark Kozelek defines the term “artist” and 'April' is yet another notch on his belt, an enveloping experience that calmly and quietly wins its way into your heart.

sun kil moon's 'april'

Sun Kil Moon - 'April' (2008)
Gregor Samsa - 'Rest' (2008)

The Hated - Every Song

2008-03-28T02:32:00.000-07:00

hated / moss icon show flyer. (amazing line-up for a show.)

in terms of 'emo' history, The Hated essentially bridge the gap between the Rites of Spring sound and the Jawbreaker / Sunny Day Real Estate sound. in my mind, that would technically make them not 'emo' as they represent the beginning of the scene that is often mislabeled in popular culture as 'emo'. The Hated are kind of a combination of Husker Du's more serious arty side and the brand of indie rock that was coming out of Minneapolis at the time (R.E.M., The Replacements, etc.). with a variety of acoustic instruments as well as some of the most raw sounding vocals put to tape The Hated brought a more pristine compressed version of post-hardcore. while Fugazi was tampering in very raw noise around the time The Hated was around, the Annapolis group was paving out the start of a extremely melodic and musically eclectic genre that would rule the charts in a few years time. the intro to this record is so powerful and youthful. 'promises' is a surprisingly poppy vocal piece. all of the tracks on here are just great, sincere lyrics, tearful yearning from teenagers and lastly The Hated really succeed at pulling off a very original sound that incorporates all of the great trends of the late '80s college rock scene.

the hated's 'every song'

'Every Song's'' reputation kind of precedes itself. Lets just say distribution wise The Hated really didn't have their ducks in a row. While the sound was certainly progressive it obviously would not catch on for a few more years, kind of like a Green River of the more emo shaded side of indie rock. Arguments of whether the material should be rereleased and other such issues have been seemingly going on for years, The Hated certainly have a fan base.. the main problem is that a percentage of those fans are just hopeful ones that haven't even heard or seen the record. hopefully this post helps a few people get into one of the most inventive, melodic, groups of the '80s as well as one of the most unknown.

the hated

The Hated - Every Song (1989)

Top Ten of 2007: Kidcrash - Jokes

2008-03-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

I don’t really know what there is to say about Kidcrash’s “Jokes” besides the fact that it is one of the finest emo albums of the past year. I guess I could start the review out with some kind of abstract relation like they’re a combination of Off Minor’s spazzed out math sound and the early Slint swiping groups like Maximillian Colby. But, Kidcrash really lacks the dynamic persuasion of those bands. It is obvious that the band was formally a big fan of the Kinsella projects and in more appropriate terms the entire mid-west emo sound, but they also seem to riff into heavy chord sections that are reminiscent of the current European emo sound that bands like Daitro and Sed Non Satiata are pushing. I suppose I’ll resort to describing Kidcrash as a band that seems to mesh all of the current trends in emo into one insanely well-made package.

kidcrash

The album opens up with the lengthy intro of “Turtlelephant” which almost makes the band seem like they’re going to be exchanging Don Caballero style swells but then the vocally dense screams push their way into the song and the mood is changed into some sort of late ‘90s hardcore song. It is a brilliant strategy that Kidcrash essentially works the entire album. Where a band like Off Minor uses its math rock or jazz influence to create huge increases of sound and large decreases into silent beauty, Kidcrash does not possess this dynamic persuasion in their music. Instead most of the time Kidcrash relies on exploiting the crazy technical side of their music which means they’re basically never playing the same note through out the entire album. The band certainly isn’t “Hot Crossing” all over the album but they are making extreme benefit of the idea that every note should trigger a specific harmony and in most cases it works fantastically. Highlights on the album include the completely instrumental “Kissed By A Roach From The Grave” and the supposed epic “Aconduit Rather Than A Vault”.

kidcrash's 'jokes'

After a very long time understanding and listening to this record it is obviously that it is a classic emo record. Unlike, 'As the Roots Undo' which I don't even listen to anymore 'Jokes' has a marvelous replay value and in general is just a fantastic record. Nearly seven months after I first heard it and 'Jokes' is still the amazing record I originally interpreted it to be. The best record of 2007.

Kidcrash - Jokes (2007)

Top Ten of 2007: Pharoahe Monch - Desire

2008-03-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

Music theory has provided a blanket code for mass orchestrations for hundreds of years. From Brahms to something as primitive as The Who theoretical composition is essentially a guide line to modern music. Except perhaps in one specific area, hip-hop. Dialect and lyrical intellect are the most basic backing of rap music and thus this difference creates a vast counterpoint between rap and other modern musics. To support this otherwise unbacked claim, one only need look toward acclaimed lyricist and rapper Pharoahe Monch. Through his own miraculously well respected and financially profitable career he has been involved in a plethora of various projects. From the vastly unknown Organized Konfusion to his own solo endeavors which include tracks with a variety of movies and two very well received albums. His second release 'Desire' takes cues from all of his previous releases making perhaps his greatest achievement yet.

pharoahe monch

Critics of hip-hop often draw on the genres stagnance as their main point of criticism. Typical verse/chorus structure that draws on numerous clichés of blunts, booze, and bitches. 'Desire' is covering more ground than any other 2007 release besides Time of Orchid's beautiful 'Namesake Caution'. Public Enemy covers, densely soulful vocal pieces featuring Monch himself singing and theatrical epics on par with R. Kelly's 'Trapped in the Closet'. All of these pieces come together to create one fluid movement of music that represents what a great rap album is suppose to do: reflect an individual's personal interests in a consciously aware manner. Highlights are essentially every track; "What It Is?" is a visceral 'fuck you' to Monch's critics and an amazing display of his bizarre vocal technique. "Hold On" is an excellent R&B inflected track featuring one of 2008's rising stars, Erykah Badu. All of the bases are covered on this record in regards to structure and sound. 'Desire' is all anyone could ask from a modern rap album.

pharoahe monch's 'desire'

Although, 'Desire' is an amazing record the story of Monch and his recording career is admirable in its own right. Organized Konfusion was a monster of a group that probably is in the top three rap groups of the early '90s. 'Internal Affairs' and the Godzilla sampling controversy were an interesting time and with 'Desire' it seems Monch has finally found a level of popularity that is large, but not consistent with people out of the know. Artistically, it seems as if he has finally reached a place where he belongs. An impressive feat for a rap artist that is basically known around the world for telling girls to 'rub on them titties'.

Pharoahe Monch - 'Desire' (2007)

Top Ten of 2007: Tartar Lamb - Sixty Metonymies

2008-02-28T02:18:00.000-08:00

Toby Driver in the past two years has been quite the prolific artist. Releasing his debut solo album, a collection of intensely precise and planned compositions, in late 2005 on Tzadik was his first attempt to distance himself from the extremely epic release "Choirs of the Eye" that had made his band Kayo Dot a critical and underground favorite. Kayo Dot also released their second LP in early 2006; "Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue" was an experiment in the subtle and drawn out. Sure, "Choir's " strong emotional crescendos were present in "Dowsing", but gone were their epic conclusions. These spots were instead replaced with explosions of noise or ten minutes of drifting guitar work. As Toby himself stated, he felt "Choirs of the Eye" was perfection in what it had attempted to do, so instead of following what most "metal" bands would've done and staying put in his popular musical formula, Toby tried to do something different.

tartar lamb

With the release of "Sixty Metonymies", Toby has finally reached the full sound he has been hinting at since his solo release almost two years ago. A sonically sparse and repetitive listen that is referred to by its own composer as a composition built "in such a way that each figure can be heard as metonymical to each other", "Sixty Metonymies" is a dizzying recording that cycles through such a vast cycle of arrangements in such a short time that it'll certainly leave the listener bewildered upon first listen. Certainly Toby's other projects have also had this stigmata attached to them, but moments like the intense full band explosion in "The Manifold Curiosity" left the listener some memorable or familiar portion of the song to latch on to on further listen. "Sixty Metonymies" is devoid of these trigger moments and almost completely removed from vocal performance. To describe it as "catchy" would be the overstatement of the decade.

tartar lamb's 'sixty metonymies'

On this recording Toby and Mia Matsumiya's excellent performance is accented by "extended percussionist" Andrew Greenwald and horn player Tim Byrnes of the group Friendly Bears. Greenwald's style of percussion is a fantastic addiction to the bizarre composition of "60 Metonymies". Rarely relying on the traditional, his implication of various objects such as stray metals flavors the more "compositional" parts of the piece with an urgency of modernism. While Greenwald's performance is one of a kind, trumpet player Byrnes is seemingly invoking the kind of playing that was a staple on Kayo Dot's "Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue" It gives the trumpet performance a sort of "we've already heard this" feel and while it isn't necessarily distracting it is somewhat disappointing. Toby's guitar playing is mostly focused on seemingly replicating a piano but his subtle implication of selected chord phrasing gives the piece a more varied feel. Toby is able to prolong an otherwise excessive repetitiveness by always casually advancing into more beautiful and interesting melodies. Mia finally seems to expose her prowess as the group's most experienced player. Her usage of various extended techniques is at the same time virtuous and restrained. Tartar Lamb once again shows her as a key player in any setting, not unlike say a musician like Eric Dolphy who even in his performances of other's works added so much to the playing that without him or her in Mia's case the piece would fall apart. Finally, while Toby's vocal performance is not featured very often when he does add slight breathing, whistling or the final monologue it is a breath of fresh almost childish air.

'sixty metonymies' beautiful handcrafted layout.

"60 Metonymies" is yet another emotionally and compositionally brilliant addition to Toby Driver's resume. It is obvious that Toby has mastered his own vision of minimalism with this record and it'll be interesting to see where he goes next. Conquering one's perception of the both the entirely bombastic and entirely reserved is not an easy task but one has to question where Toby will go from here. Kayo Pop? I'm sure like many of his gracious fan base, the next release associated with one of the most interesting composers of our time will not only challenge my sense of music but Toby's own. And that is where Tartar Lamb succeeds, they are not saturated in the idea of pleasing fans but instead just themselves. On the way to record this album Tartar Lamb performed a variety of shows across the north half of the U.S. I was lucky enough to persuade them to come to my home town of State College, Pennsylvania and after the performance Toby, Mia and I listened to an unmastered copy of "60 Metonymies". Where most artists would've grown bored or unimpressed with a piece they'd been working of for two years, Toby and Mia seemed just as fascinated with the recording as me. Pointing out subtle percussion parts, discussing each others' techniques, and even joking about the conclusion, it was obvious that the same devoted and massively appreciative fan base of Toby Driver is such because it reflects his same feelings towards his music. Few artists' work resonates in me the way Toby's does and Tartar Lamb is no different; emotional, interesting, and original.

Toby has expressed his distaste in the downloading of his music, you can purchase it here.

Top Ten of 2007: Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution

2008-02-20T03:08:00.000-08:00

'Namesake Caution' is one of kind. Time of Orchids has made an individual addition to music with this record and the level of technical excellence that is smeared all over this gloriously addictive avant-pop masterpiece is jaw dropping. Every song is a series of disjointed explorations of guitar melodies that go from influences of Don Caballero to Fantomas to Beach Boys in a matter of three minutes. While as strange as that sounds perhaps what sets the bar for Time of Orchids is the beautiful incorporation of lots of multi-layered vocals. One needs only to look at the flawless ending of 'Mean (Hush-Hush)' which can only be described as Mr. Bungle meets Kayo Dot. As, I don't feel like using that band's name very often in this review, lets just say this is like what Kayo Dot would be if they were really into pop music. The composition is just as intrinsic and can only be understood after numerous listens. 'Namesake Caution' obviously has changed the playing field of what avant-garde music can be.

Time of Orchid's 'Namesake Caution'

'Darling Abandon' is the most successful track on the album for really two reasons. One is the fact that song begins with a stuttered gasp. This subtle yet extremely pleasing attribute is probably one of the best decisions Time of Orchids has made since their inception and its usage is incredibly poignant. The other reason is because the bastardized guitar solo that is in that song is quite possibly one of the most epic moments that I've heard in music in a very long time. The video for 'Darling Abandon' is a bizarre conglomeration of '90s television effects mixed with post-modern paintings. Clearly, Time of Orchids is an intelligent group and the fact that they can release an album like 'Namesake Caution' that is just as challenging and completely different from their previous release is insane. 'Sarcast While' is literally one of the best Tzadik records and while it is a very flawlessly executed in its style, 'Namesake Caution' is a more precise record. 'Sarcast While' may hold more artistic weight in my heart, but 'Namesake Caution' is often the album I find myself reaching for when I'm in for a fix of the complex.

Time of Orchid's video for 'Darling Abandon'

Time of Orchids finally can be completely and utterly praised for the way they conclude this rollercoaster of an album. After dredging through the ten minute bong filled 'We Speak in Shards' which in itself is a task, we are greeted with possibly the softer side of Time of Orchids in the track, 'Entertainment Woes'. 'Entertainment Woes' ups the anti on 'Sarcast While's' epic conclusion by simply just creating a three minute long soundscape that is literally one of the most beautiful things I've heard in a long time. In short, 'Namesake Caution' is a record any music fan should own. If you do not enjoy this, you are obviously to shallow to appreciate true expressions of music. This is one of the most insanely layered records I've picked up in a long time and the way it has kind of been ignored is in my opinion almost criminal.

Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution (2007)

Top Ten of 2007: Richard Youngs - Autumn Response

2008-02-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

perhaps the greatest discovery of 2007 in my own life came with the recommendation of a record called 'Sapphie' by various users at rateyourmusic.com. Richard Youngs seems to be equally as inspired to create dissonant harsh music as he is to create beautiful sprawling epics. this paradox of musical light and dark is what originally drew me to him, as well as the glowing praise his discography seemed to receive by critics and fans alike. 'Autumn Response' was actually one of my recent blind buys, due to the relative obscurity of Youngs, I purchased a couple of his records on vinyl to further my collection of what was seemingly a new favorite artists. how little did i know what i was getting myself into.

richard youngs

combining together a strange take on british folk with a delay pedal may seem like a bad idea, but 'Autumn Response' easily proves that worry wrong. taking an approach in writing short simple songs that are simply folk tracks is something Youngs to my knowledge had not attempted. of course, this isn't a Phil Ochs record. there is a beautiful interplay with delayed vocals and guitars that sometimes match up and at others just seem entirely random. it is a minimal technique that makes an other wise very easy album much more complex. some may place it in the realm of novelty, but in my opinion Youngs is simply just using an effect as a compositional tool which is incredibly ingenious. in other words, 'Autumn Response' is one of the most interesting songwriter albums in a very very long time.

richard youngs' 'autumn response'

time lately has been very busy. class, work, trying to form some type of relationship with a girl i truly care about. it is an interesting and fast time, but i keep finding solace in beautiful records. the Have a Nice Life record in particular is a sprawling, emotional journey that i can't recommend enough. Takaru and a small group called Pumice have been keeping me centered. the zen of discovering new bands if you will is inspiring. that sounds idiotically pretentious, but i guess that is how it goes. i'm going to throw in the Pumice record on this post for the shit of it. fantastic album that is kind of what would happen if Tom Waits compositions were played in the style of noise rock, it is literally some fucking rocking shit exploding hearts tones meet wolf eyes synths. welp, until next time which will hopefully be sooner.

pumice

Richard Youngs - Autumn Response (2007)
Pumice - Pebbles (2007)

Have A Nice Life - Deathconsciousness

2008-01-30T13:22:00.000-08:00

Inherently in the realm of music criticism, two issues will always become extremely evident in most reviews. One, the writer will most likely alter his opinions based on other reviews: a record like My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" may have never gained as much press as it has recently if some reviewer hadn't commented on Kevin Shields' ridiculous spending budget, or the fact that the group supposedly perfectly defined and destroyed the "shoegaze" genre. In my opinion, vast generalizations that are linked through the mainstream and underground music communities towards records are usually just bullshit. In just examining 2008's releases so far, Protest the Hero's "Fortress" has been heralded a classic almost unanimously amongst seventeen year old boys who probably spend more time playing Call of Duty 4 than they do artistically appreciating records for doing nothing but creatively combining a bunch of other band's ideas into an hour long "epic". I am not going to say this is a negative thing, I believe everyone is allowed to gauge what is important to them. But, when someone whose tastes consist of solely groups representing what I believe to be the downfall of modern music starts referencing a band I fawn over, like say, Off Minor, it does make me question my own legitimacy. In turn this questioning leads me to be less forthcoming with the bands that I feel are amazing. I originally said there are two issues every music critic has to deal with and while vast generalizations based on other reviews is a large one, the other is related to the point I just made. Lots of critics will praise albums that very little of the public knows solely for that reason. It makes sense, critics are constantly reading reviews that spew praise all over records that have "changed lives" and "impacted people emotionally more than anything", so why would they not copy that attitude and apply it to what they have found? I guess at this time I'll get a little personal and say why I am discussing this.

As a "music critic" myself I often find myself attempting to publicize records that I feel are cutting edge, provoking, and most of all emotional expressions. In almost every one of my reviews, I reference these ideas. If anyone talks to me about music it is clear to them that I am not one for stoic records. So, when I see fans of a band like Protest the Hero latching on to records that I feel like I have helped bring to the masses it bothers me. In a sense, it makes me want to stop reviewing. Because, it cheapens these records I've pined for over for days, weeks, months, years to understand. I was literally counting down the hours today to get home and listen to the record that this review covers, because it is already that special to me. It hurts when people declare something like Kayo Dot unworthy or if someone with a negative persona latches on to a group like Converge, because then I challenge my own conception of those records. In summary of those feelings, I suppose it comes down to the fact that we all must live with our own opinions on things and therefore just be happy that we've created such beautiful relationships with the art in our lives. Music criticism then becomes utterly useless and most of what I talk about is inane, but maybe someone will feel these reactions and in turn, go out and find their own, "Deathconsciousness". Maybe then I can feel like this review proved a point, as music in my eyes isn't about mass consumption, but rather establishing special relationships with those things that reflect something new, something provoking, something emotional, and most of all something real. As an example, I present Have a Nice Life's "Deathconsciousness".

"Deathconsciousness" is probably a perfect record. At the time of this review, I haven't really had enough time to digest it to declare it that, but I can't really think of any way for it to be better. The production, the tones, the chord choices, the vocals, the lyrics, the concepts, everything is stunningly brilliant and just laughably remarkable. If needed to provide examples, I could do it for every track. The slow and steady build that is "Bloodhail" tossing its way between a propulsive Joy Division-esque rhythm section and beautiful dual vocals, the drums that kick in and take "The Big Gloom" to a whole different spectrum of gorgeousness than the tracks preceding it even hinted at; there are so many great moments on this record I could talk about them for days. Well, I'm obviously getting ahead of myself. Have a Nice Life "is, was, and always will be Dan and Tim" as their myspace states and "Deathconsciousness" is essentially their five year discography, a dual-disc debut album that deals with a variety of concepts relating to religion, death and theories attached to those two ideas. Intensely personal in delivery, this is a record that is basically a collaboration of ideas ranging from industrial to post-punk to post-rock. A common thread would be Canada's patron saints of avant-doom Nadja, but even that duo don't possess the massive love of the melodic that Have a Nice Life demonstrates all over their debut. Tracks like "Hunter" show the group's massive devotion to their specific style of eighties soundscapes, but also echo with an earnestness that can only be related to the group's supposed leader Dan Barrett's punk-laden past, as he formerly did time in the relatively obscure post-hardcore group In Pieces. If anything, Have a Nice Life can be described as the perfect example of the suffix "post" in regards to all of the music that has come out in the indie circuit since 1980. It is taking all of the concepts that have made underground music what it is and strangling them in such a way that it creates something of a reminder of what progression actually means.

Impact-wise, an album hasn't hit me this hard since I heard Kayo Dot's "Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue" in late 2005. Not to say that there is any common thread between the two bands; Kayo Dot's massive shifts of grandiose proportion do not inspire any of the moments on "Deathconsciousness" in the slightest. This is an album that deals in minimal composition, and the expression of moods. It shifts and moves in the way one would expect someone's life to, and while the acoustic, solemn tracks like "Who Would Leave Their Son Out in the Sun?" are not extremely provoking conceptually, they just feel so natural that they can't be faulted. Continuing with the description of this being life-like, there are clear attempts at creating extremely energetic yet mood-based music on disc two of the record entitled "The Future". The track of the same name and "Waiting for Black Metal Records to Come in the Mail" are prime examples of songs that shift between guitar parts that resemble Fugazi and Ride and melodies that wouldn't sound out of place on the next Killers record. Obviously, those namedrops make the second disc sound like shit, but it is the perfect counterpoint to the obviously atmospheric first disc which is heavily drawn-out compositions that rely on slow blossoming into beautiful climaxes, "A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticutt" being a key example.

To dive further into the relations between both discs, there is a steady sense of progression that follows its way through the entire record, beginning with the acoustic-laden intro of disc one and ending with the epic closure of disc two. The album in its entirety only clocks in at an easy hour and twenty five minutes, but in reality feels like it could go on for eternity. The songs never feel long and when one does continue for more than five minutes it is usually for good reason, which is more to say than a lot of bands that are playing this particular facet of "drone" music. Have a Nice Life know their limits, and they know what works and that is why "Deathconsciousness" succeeds.

So, what does or did "Deathconsciousness" teach me? Is it that records simply can surprise me or that when critical acclaim isn't applied that I have to clearly generate some to overstuff an average album? Is it that Have a Nice Life is a complete emotional replica of my current situation and that the overwhelming melancholy and despair of the album is part of my inner being? No, I don't really think there is anything that can be said about this record besides the fact that it is stunningly personal. In turn, it made me want to make this review stunningly personal, and that is what "Deathconsciousness" essentially did: inspire me. This record is draining, it is intelligent, it is an amazing composition, but most of all it is an inspiring, subdued lo-fi masterpiece that almost perfects the idea of home recording. The group of people involved with the production and creation of this record have shown through their music that they have no pretensions and are just trying to share what they've done with people that they think will appreciate it. Maybe in a sense, that is what my goal in music criticism is all about: to help similar-minded people find similarly enjoyable things. A simple concept brought to mind by a simple record.

Have a Nice Life - 'Deathconsciousness' Disc 1 (2008)
Have a Nice Life - 'Deathconsciousness' Disc 2 (2008)

Top Ten of 2007: 108 - A New Beat from a Dead Heart

2008-01-25T01:33:00.000-08:00

the hardcore reunion seems to have become in vogue as of late. i'm not going to back up that claim with anything other than the recent Suicide File reunion that took place in Chicago. from the slew of youtube footage it does seem like a rather sincere event, but one has to question how effective or ethical a reunion for a hardcore band is. i mean, in its premature stages wasn't hardcore all about constantly pushing ahead? i'm not saying i wouldn't have loved to seen The Suicide File play some of their hits from the classic 'Twilight', but that reach for nostalgia in my opinion is sort of elevating the band to a status of being above their fans in some way which kind of attacks the one sacred thing i ask for in all of music, emotional expression. oh well, at least we know a band like 108 isn't pretending in the slight as we can tell by their first reunited release 'A New Beat from a Dead Heart'.

108

i'm guessing if you've ever read a review of 108 it mentions their religion, how they were an anomaly (i keep using that fucking word) in hardcore because of their eastern religious beliefs, something to that effect. i guess that is important, i mean when i saw them late last year they were burning incense and playing the typical drone chants that have come to define 'indian' music. in all honesty thought, i don't really give a shit about this groups religious beliefs. they could be declaring for the prosecution of all jews and if they played as intense and well composed music as they do on 'A New Beat from a Dead Heart', i'd still be down with the record. obviously, the time and signing to Deathwish has provoked a more modern take on their sound. tracks like 'Three Hundred Liars' and 'Martyr Complex' evoke a sound that is based in old 108, but with an obvious Converge/Ballou influence behind the guitars. mark that to the fact that Kurt produced the album, and while it is apparent upon first listen it isn't really distracting. basically this is a hardcore group that originally flirted with metal and now has seemingly fallen in love with that genre of music. a welcome change and a passionate record that i wasn't exactly expecting from a group that had been gone from the scene for so long.

108's 'A New Beat from a Dead Heart'

while in the view of last year, 'A New Beat from a Dead Heart' is clearly a top ten record, in 108's own discography it certainly is not the highlight. a New York band that was obviously one of the strongest impacts on the mid-90s hardcore sound 108 has a fabulous string of albums from 'Songs of Separation' to 'Threefold Misery' all under produced gems of religious exploration in the field of aggressive music. an extremely unique take on an otherwise agnostic sound.

108 - 'a new beat from a dead heart'

Top Ten of 2007: Oh No - Dr No's Oxperiment

2008-01-16T01:17:00.000-08:00

J Dilla's somewhat posthumous release 'Donuts' was basically a critically adored record. to be completely honest, i wasn't very much of a fan. sure, i do enjoy my share of instrumental hip hop, Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow, and the record this post concerns are all in heavy rotation in my playlists, but 'Donuts' seemed lacking. J Dilla is also probably mostly known for his work with Madlib and associations with the artists on Stones Throw and in those avenues i really enjoy alot of his work, but 'Donuts' seemed like a bunch of half finished ideas thrown together to form some kind of 'beats no one wanted' collection. i guess it is strange that i appreciate 'Dr. No's Oxperiment' so much since essentially it just follows in the same structural footsteps as 'Donuts'. or maybe it isn't strange, since Oh No draws on a vast collection of european rock music, instead of twiddling away with hip hop cliches that have been around since 1991.

oh no

the album can basically be summed up in the first cut, 'Heavy' a swirling combination of a steady riff on a guitar and some middle eastern vocals. at first this will make any seasoned hip-hop head call bullshit since in fact Madlib (Oh No's brother) released his Bollywood devotion Beat Konducta Vol. 3 and 4 this year. call it brotherly rivalry or whatever, but Oh No is clearly a step ahead when it comes to dealing with this type of mixing of contemporary hip-hop with middle eastern influences and rock music. to build upon that, in my opinion Oh No is probably the most successful hip-hop producer to mix the two medium of rock and hip-hop in such a seamless way. every track on 'Dr. No's Oxperiment' is a combination of a few basic things like most sample based music, but Oh No makes you believe that it isn't, and there in fact lies the success.

oh no's 'dr no's oxperiment'

while this album doesn't get alot of play when i'm not inebriated or around other people, sometimes albums are simple good for those types of circumstances. this certainly is no 'Sixty Metonymies', it isn't sparse or complex in that type of sense. this is feel good music and music to move to, there are no lyrics so obviously the enlightenment of a record like 'Desire' isn't here. but, this is difficult music to compose and how Oh No has managed to do it impresses me the most. a great record and probably one of those records in my collection that will get endless play when i'm creating playlists for when i'm around other people.

(removed due to artist's wishes)

graf orlock show, i'm the douche in the v-neck

seattle was quite the experience. i attended a Graf Orlock show who i don't really enjoy, but i'd heard things about openers Ghostlimb and Dangers. lets just say those two groups didn't disappoint one bit and deserve much much much more respect and awareness than they seem to be given. Ghostlimb is sort of a cross between Ampere and His Hero is Gone if that even makes any sense, Nick uploaded one of their records a couple days back so check that out. Dangers was lyrically intelligent hardcore in the vein of a group like say Modern Life is War. as for records i picked up and was into i got the first Richard Youngs record and found a more developed love for the Sole and the Skyrider Band release. a fun trip which involved alot more than what is listed here.

vacation:

2008-01-06T02:53:00.000-08:00

i'll be in seattle for the next ten days or so. hopefully be picking up some interesting records while i'm up there and also having some interesting times. when i return i will finish the rest of the write ups for my ten favorite releases of 2007 and perhaps throw in a couple of extra records. until then.

Top Ten of 2007: Meet Me in St. Louis - Variations on Swing

2008-01-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

obviously, i dwell in music that takes itself to seriously. Meet Me in St. Louis, while serious do seem to have their own share of fun while playing their music. this in other words makes 'Variations on Swing' an anomaly in my favorite releases of this year solely based on how abstractly enjoyable it is. to me, this is how all pop music should sound. a series of microcosms inside a larger piece that is constantly progressing into something more and more. the range of influences that seem to become apparent on the first listen of this record range from pop-punk to glitchy electronica, not bad for a now instrumental quintet that seemingly popped up from nowhere. if you want similar artists, these guys sound like someone accidentally played the 33rpm 'Menos El Oso' at 45. they have their moments of lucidity, but mostly this is kind of embracing that whole idea of louder is better that currently is plaguing the recording industry. think of it as an underground Say Anything without the irony. there's humor here, but its not self realization in the form Max Bemis seems to embrace.

meet me in st. louis

in basic terms, 'Variations on Swing' instrumentally is the record At the Drive-in's 'Relationship of Command' should have been. highly technical, obtuse arrangements that easily transpose themselves into gloriously anthematic sections. heavy on riffing, but also heavy on a variety of other guitar techniques the two guitarists in this group aren't necessarily evoking Omar of ATDI but rather weaving their way through a quilt of Tera Melos, Million Dead, and Maps and Atlases. rhythm section of course effortlessly accents all of the gorgeous tones that the other two players are cascading over the forty five minutes of this record. Toby, the vocalist (now former) is the obvious anomaly (sorry for using that word again) in that his technique is kind of flawed, and his ability pales in comparison to the rest of his band mates. sort of a Tim Kasher of math rock, his lyrics echo that early Kinsella feel of nonsensical personal allusions. simply to declare this band as a derivative of their influence though would be a complete case of discredit.

meet me in st. louis's 'variations on swing'

what terms does this record hold in my year? car drives, easy listening, wanting something simple. certainly, some people won't find this record as easy to listen to as i do. in a sense it represents everything poppy about post-hardcore pushed to the very brink. of course, Hawthorne Heights already did that, so why even bring up 'Variations on Swing'? i guess just so i can act like i know a bunch of really unknown artists.

meet me in st. louis - variations on swing (2007)

Top Ten of 2007: Tusk - The Resisting Dreamer

2007-12-28T00:51:00.000-08:00

Julie Christmas's side project Battle of Mice released one of my favorite records last year in the form of 'A Day of Nights'. blending the harsh, dissonant metal of bands like Isis and Neurosis with a one of a kind female vocal performance, it was a side of metal that i had really never heard before. basically most post-metal is distinctly monotone in the vocals. Isis' Aaron Turner may sound tortured, but he is basically like a guitar without any effects; he can be distorted or clean. Julie Christmas essentially put that idea to rest and let out one of the most terrifyingly, volatile vocal performances ever. imagine the squeaky voices of Bjork and Joanna Newsom thrown through the vocal linguistics of Diamanda Galas. Christmas lets you feel her pain on 'A Day of Nights' through her unabashed, charismatic, story telling and cries for plea. the guitar playing behind her on 'A Day of Nights' is unsurpassed in its simplicity. the rhythm section, a slow plodding monster that beautiful accents, Christmas' variety of howls. anyways, the point is nothing ever really sounds like 'A Day of Nights' and i wasn't expecting anything else to. it was one of a kind its pure emotion involved with a very metal performance. of course, this was all before i had heard Tusk's 'The Resisting Dreamer'.

battle of mice's 'a day of nights'

'The Resisting Dreamer' is a collaboration between former Breather Resist vocalist Evan Patterson and Kayo Dot front man Toby Driver with the back up of 3/4ths of Pelican playing behind them. where A Battle of Mice was very devoted in making a certain kind of atmosphere with 'A Day of Nights', Tusk seems holy been on forming a trinity between The Jesus Lizard, Pelican and Kayo Dot. i only say Kayo Dot, because of Toby's tortured vocals on track 2 which are interestingly enough very similar to Christmas' on 'A Day of Nights'. Tusk is totally noisy and epic all over 'The Resisting Dreamer' and the even manage to pull off a sixteen minute noise track without making it seem boring. these two bands are obviously pushing for a more interesting take on the long overdone post-metal. Battle of Mice with their strangely anthematic atmospheric metal, and Tusk with their forways into making post-metal less sterile and over produced and turning it into something raw, almost reverting back to a simpler more 'hardcore' time.

tusk's 'the resisting dreamer'

both of these records have had tremendous replays in my collection. excellent with any form of psycho-active and just all around heavy, stoned reflections on various perspectives of life. they both share a common line in their mix of very serious music with almost childish perspectives in terms of their vocals. Tusk is clearly one of the best records of the year with it's obtuse take on post-metal and if you have any interest in the versatility of metal, i suggest you take a look at both of these albums.

tusk's 'the resisting dream' (2007)
battle of mice's 'a day of nights' (2006)

Top Ten of 2007: Charles Mingus - Cornell 1964

2007-12-22T00:33:00.000-08:00

the most beautiful thing to me about audio production is the broad varieties of rawness that appear on various records. if Spot of SST fame was involved in your debut 12" you'll know it simply because of how Spot used his complete lack of knowledge in the field to create some of the most simple and emotional releases ever. 'Cornell 1964' has some of the best produced jazz sounds i've ever heard. although that should come to no surprise what with the line up of Mingus, Dolphy and Byard. all brilliant performers in their respective ways and all in a variety of ways. while Mingus mostly dealt in realms of composed beauty (see his masterpieces: 'Blues and Roots' and 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'), Dolphy was known for his intense devotion to the free form avant garde sound that he'd help basically patent (see Andrew Hill's 'Point of Departure' and Dolphy's own 'Out to Lunch'), Byard was sort of a meeting point between the two who turned in great work with Sam Rivers and Mingus himself.

charles mingus

perhaps, the most important factor of 'Cornell 1964' is the way it treads the line between the new and old of jazz at the time. surely Mingus and Dolphy's incredible interpretation of the song "Meditations" isn't something you'd hear any of Mingus' teachers play, but his devotion to honoring his elders is clearly seen in Fats Wellar's "Jitterbug Waltz". where Mingus embraces the more playful side of jazz with his takes on folk songs and old classics, in his own band's compositions there is an intense feeling of seriousness. "So Long, Eric" and the previously mentioned "Meditations" are all intensely intrinsic performances that define the players skills and also their ability to present emotion.

charles mingus sextet with eric dolphy - 'cornell 1964'

'Cornell 1964' is such a great release and to think that it has only been heard by the masses this year is mind blowing. clearly a definitive mark in Mingus and Dolphy's careers and in terms of jazz in my life it is just a great record that embraces the various kinds of jazz i love. very few times do i connect to a jazz album as personally as this one and the slight irish undertones in honor of St. Patrick's Day that are present give me even more of an interest in this record. one of my top ten releases of the year and for good reason.

charles mingus sextet - cornell 1964 (disc 1)
charles mingus sextet - cornell 1964 (disc 2)

ghostface killah - ironman

2007-12-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

i guess you could say that i enjoy a decent amount of bleakness in my music. from John Frusciante to Andrew Hill all of my favorite composers have been involved music that even at its most accessible still was stuck in a realm of darkness. i guess the definition of hip-hop completely goes against that whole mindset since hip-hop and rap are essentially an updated version of funk. still, i find myself relating to records across the board and dwelling in their menacing and almost sinister quality. El-P's "Fantastic Damage" comes to mind and interestingly enough the artist this post is based on collaborated with El-P on a track for a Prefuse 73. Ghostface Killah is certainly known for wearing a variety of masks, but as with all of his other clan members his best involves a certain producer and seven MCs. The Wu-Tang Clan is in my opinion the most flawless rap group to release a record and in many ways there members do little to disprove that fact with their classic solo records. perhaps the most ambiguous of these solo releases is Ghostface's own "Ironman". basically, the record is a mash up of the synth heavy choruses found on GZA's "Liquid Swords" and the mafia infused darkness of Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx".

dennis coles aka tony starks aka ghostface killah

"Wildflower" is obviously the moment of mastery on this record. a verbal slap to a past flame of Ghostface Killah's the song reminisces about previous encounters ranging from sipping yoo-hoo to breaking furniture while fucking. basically, this is emotional distraught Ghostface which is completely odd considering the years before this release all you had heard from the members of the Wu was essentially about how strong and bad ass they were. "Wildflower" is certainly not sensitive but in a way it is, at least on Ghostface's part. that some girl could effect the same person that has dropped lines like " don't laugh / bag the cash / grab the hash / don't forget his stash / grab the tear gas /and place it in his face fast " in the same way that every man has by a girl, made Ghostface human. is this the reason for Ghost's looming success as a solo artist and his solid credibility since the release of "Ironman"? i can't really say. what i do know is that a man that can express his sadness over losing a girl who he was "the first nigga that had you watchin flicks by DeNiro" in the same way as Ghost does on "Wildflower" must be sincere in a way few are.

ghostface killah's "ironman"

"Ironman" is in a sense Ghostface's coming out party. his love of soul, his intense metaphorical lyrical content, and his personal stories are all shown on this album as they would be on every one that flows it. but something is different on "Ironman". sure, you could blame it on RZA's traditional technique being basically all over it, but i think it is something more. after "Cuban Linx" Ghostface's conceptual edge seemed to be full exposed and so he may have unintentionally made the most "human" Wu-Tang album in attempt to have his debut be different from Raekwon's. where RZA and GZA are obviously poets in their delivery of their stories and beliefs, Ghostface is an every man talking about what every man wants. guns, pussy, and drugs. how can you not dig that?

ghostface killah - ironman (1996)