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Bright Eyes
Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005)
What is a “noise floor?” Doug Van Sloun, mastering engineer for all of Bright Eyes albums since 2000’s beauty, “Fevers and Mirrors” says, “The noise floor is usually considered the highest level of unwanted signal in any given sound.” Noise floor is the static or hiss of the tape or the hum of the guitar when plugged in. Noise floor however doesn’t take away from the track, if anything, it adds to the quality of the track as an heirloom to a certain time and place, a moment created. Bright Eyes, coming off 2005’s successful double albums, “Digital Ash in the Digital Urn” and “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning,” returns, sort of, with “Noise Floor: Rarities from 1998-2005.”
“Noise Floor” is made up of rarities, singles, songs from EP’s, unreleased tracks, and covers spanning 1998 to 2005 (although all the tracks chosen on the album are cut between 1999 and 2004). Some of these songs you’ve heard if you’re really into Bright Eyes but for the casual fan of Mr. Oberst, these songs are fresh, as if this were a new album from the king of sadness himself. The unreleased cuts are the true concept of “noise floor.” Two the tracks recorded with Matt Ward, “Weather Reports” and “Seashell Tale” are as if one pulled up their acoustic guitar and plugged in a cassette recorder and pushed record. The feel is raw; the hum of the tape is admirable. The songs are jewels that are buried beneath the fuzz, but without the fuzz, they would lose all their shine. “The Vanishing Act,” recorded in 1999, the most dated track on the release is a gorgeous example of Van Sloun’s “bad signal to noise ratio,” except that these signals are desired, and welcomed.
From Conor’s 7-inch collections, the songs play out like a time-line of release between “Fevers and Mirrors” and 2002’s breakthrough “Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground.” “Soon You Will Be Leaving Your Man,” which missed “Fevers and Mirrors” is reminiscent of the shaky vocals and roaming guitar that was his style six years ago. That and “I Will Be Grateful for This Day” are experimentations with voice and some of that good old “noise floor.” “I Will Be Grateful…” is Conor in 2001 playing with electronics over a huge chorus that feels good to get off your chest. “Blue Angel Air Floor” is the most riddled with “noise floor,” as if Conor used the changing of television channels on an old Zenith as tempo. A lo-fi fans wet dream. “I’ve got no health insurance; I got no cellular service, no disease they can cure.” 2003’s “Trees Get Wheeled Away” recites, although I’m sure that isn’t the case anymore. “Devil Town,” which would have fit onto “I’m Wide Awake” and the quick vengeful “Spent on Rainy Days” (with a really angry Conor at the end) represent the Bright Eyes that those unfamiliar to them would first hear on compilations and singles. Bright Eyes EP’s are best familiarized with methodically sexual, in a bad way, “Amy in the White Coat” and from 2001’s “3 New Hit Songs from Bright Eyes EP,” “I’ve Been Eating (For You)” brings familiarly sick and shaky Bright Eyes to finish the album where we began years ago. Bright Eyes is releasing a new album this spring, but Conor didn’t want us to forget him. “Noise Floor” is a great rarities collection for diehard fans and newbie’s. The music is familiar and smooth; the “noise floor” aspect provides an interesting listen if one keeps that theory in context with the production and tools used in his songwriting. Conor is a great writer, no need to focus on his lyrics because we all know just how good this man really is with words. “Noise Floor” will hold off hungry Bright Eyes fans for a few months while Mr. Oberst and company record what will be their next masterpiece.-CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Saddle Creek
Genre/Style: Pop / Emo
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Converge
No Heroes
Damn Converge. Damn them for signing to Epitaph. Damn them for getting so big and popular that they've moved beyond the need to play Norfolk anymore. It used to be you could count on them to come at least once a year to leave you with a ringing in your ears and a smile on your face. They're one of those bands that never lets you down live; they give it their all every time.
For their entire career Converge have been releasing records just as intense as their live shows. Their brand of envelope-pushing, metallic hardcore fueled by singer Jacob Bannon's venomous screams and guitarist/producer Kurt Ballou's marvelously heavy guitar riffs has carved the band a place in hardcore history and influenced countless young shredders. Despite the fact Converge continue to push the boundaries of hardcore and metal with each record, fans can always count on Jacob's incredible vocals, innovative and brutal riffs, a tight rhythm section, and lyrics that read like a suicide note. Sure, they've changed a bit since Petitioning the Empty Sky, but most fans have welcomed the heavier sound and experimentation.
With the first five songs averaging under a minute and a half, one would think Converge has abandoned the epic, slow-paced and more emotional sound of their last album, You Fail Me . Like a accidental kick in the face at a hardcore show, the songs hit surprisingly hard and pummel you in a way that many had thought Converge left behind. There's definitely more of a nod to Jane Doe or Forever Comes Crashing than You Fail Me and it's an excellent and exciting jump start into the band's latest record. However, the band hasn't completely lost their love for slow-tempo, churning songs. Starting with "Plagues," a track that could have been pulled from You Fail Me's outtakes, the boys trade their speed, and off-the-wall guitars for more a more concentrated heaviness that only crushingly slow riffs can create. The record takes an interesting turn with the 9 and a half minute "Grim Heart/Black Rose," where the guitar turns somber, poignant, and almost post-rock-esque while Jacob actually sings(!) intelligible lyrics in a way that might surprise some longtime fans. I know that last sentence might freak some people out, but if I had to compare it to something I'd say the chorus of the song actually comes out sounding more influenced by Maynard James Keenan's vocals than that guy from Staind, so don't feel scared. Converge are not selling out. Though, I think most people saw this coming anyway and it's only for one song.
After feeling confused, but intrigued by "Grim Heart/Black Rose," the record picks up again with more classic and chaotic Converge. Before I heard this record I tried to imagine where the band would go next, this last third of No Heroes is almost exactly what I had in mind: a combination of intensity, riffs that beat you down, and a little bit of the poignancy displayed on You Fail Me or the slower songs of Jane Doe. This is a funny record in that it almost seems to have three different parts to it: the lighting fast ragers in the beginning, the introduction of some very uncharacteristic vocal work, and finishing off with the songs you'd expected all along. I have to wonder if the songs were arranged in the order the band wrote them or if they felt they had to sandwich "Grim Heart/Black Rose" in between more typical Converge in order to make it more palatable for their more staunch fans.
Maybe you're confused by the terrible sentence structures and questionable grammar in this review and you just want to know, "Should I buy No Heroes?" Yes. Yes you should. In fact, you should buy it the day it's released. Even if you've just discovered Converge, this is a great introduction to one of the greatest hardcore bands around right now. With seven full-lengths and a slew of eps and other stuff floating around it's amazing that this band continues to release records that aren't stale and perhaps most importantly, don't suck..
Do not take my word for it though, come on into the store and take a
listen, and if you dont like it, come to the back office and let me slap
you. -KM
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Epitaph
Genre/Style: Metal / Hardcore
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Curtains
Calamity
A spaghetti western mixed with a dollhouse chamber pop vibe, and a prolific spattering of tongue-in-cheek sonic weirdness, the Curtains album Calamity conjures up a charmingly retro peek into the sitting room of some very talented musicians joking around and winking at one another. Curtains is a band with the ex-bass player for Deerhoof, a band I’ve never listened to, but intend to as soon as possible
Produced in an intimate subtlety that demands active listening, this is a collection of deliberate songwriting in an orchestrated ensemble style that somehow comes across as totally effortless. The variety of sonic texture is astounding, and reveals a band approaching their music with the so-called “Brian Wilson” perspective on instrumentation and arrangement – creating unique moods and textures from the combination of subtle instrumental tones and rhythms in set-in-stone arrangements, and then dancing them around like a game of musical chairs.
(personal aside - Any band or songwriter with access to a good studio, producer, and studio players for rent can spruce up an otherwise bland song with a richer sonic palette. Phil Spector, used his “Wall of Sound” production techniques to great popular acclaim, and horribly influential legacy. But string sections and generic boy’s choirs are like mayonnaise and mustard on a bologna sandwich – it makes it more palatable, and sometimes downright delicious, but it’s still a bologna sandwich.)
Damn fine ensemble quality like this is relatively rare in today’s marketplace, which tends to demand an overt, in-you-face emotionality, delivered by hooks that are nothing more than grand vocal inspiration over a (way, way in the) background of standard distorted rock&roll/punk one-and-two-and. The songs on Calamity are built from the ground up on jig-saw puzzle parts, fitted together carefully, delicately; and on occasion, just for the hell of it, crashed into with towering squalls of melodic destruction. Puzzle pieces that demand attention, as they build the verses, choruses, and bridges of pieces of music that offer the often over-looked touch of that special moment in a song that changes the entire thing, and doesn’t get repeated.
“play at high volume, and pay attention” -PM
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
MP3 Go Lucky
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Damsel
Distressed
One thought in all of this: man, that drummer is fast. I know nothing about Damsel but upon hearing the first track, the 11 minute “Enduring Freedom,” I had to get my friends in on this band. We bend and weave through riffing and soloing guitars, insane drum beats and off key synths that thrash their way to our ears. There are no vocals on this disc so the four tracks start to sound the same over time. Regardless, it’s still fun, us all being musicians to some degree, to try to rip apart this album and all the instruments used and try to make sense of the record. Four tracks, about thirty minutes later, we were exhausted and left with an empty feeling. Not surprising.
Since that night, I’ve listened to album a few more times and just can’t get a grip on it. Too be honest, I’m not too knowledgeable about instrumental music like Damsel plays; if the name isn’t Pelican or Explosions in the Sky, instrumental music ain’t really my thing. I gave this an open mind, rest assured but for me, the layman, I don’t really get too much out of it. Ripping apart the sounds was fun for the time being, but listening to it in your car or iPod, it doesn’t really lend to the ears well. I usually can take comfort in the unknown and take it for what it is, but I don’t people to think this is the best thing since sliced bread.
The problem is timing. Many times, to Damsel’s credit, I latched on and began to feel the music and flow with it. But too many times I was thrown off my groove prematurely. No vocals isn’t why this doesn’t work, structure is why this doesn’t work. As ambient music, it may work but to rock out in your car or listen to on a break, it just doesn’t make you want to do anything but hit next and move on. This is a great album for guys going into the studio and laying down their talents, regardless of how it sounds to other people. This is for them and that’s why it’s cool, but it’s not for me. The talent is there but it was poorly implemented. -DS
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Temporary Residence
Genre/Style: Experimental / Noise Jazz
MP3 Death Watch on the American Empire
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The Drones
Gala Mill
The Drones mark their return in 2006 with the release of their much-anticipated third album, Gala Mill. Recorded in a mill on an isolated 10,000 acre farm on Tasmania's east coast, Gala Mill is an album full of extremes -- moments of stark, ghostly beauty set against outbursts of the dark, intense noise for which the band is renowned. The album's sense of place is palpable -- barking dogs and birdsong are heard between tracks, and the island's history and atmosphere resonate through the songs. This is as diverse and eclectic a collection of songs as The Drones have recorded to date. It opens with "Jezebel," nearly eight minutes of sound and fury wound tightly around a complex lyric that encompasses subjects as diverse as nuclear testing in Australia, the Beslan school massacre, a cow that glows in the dark and the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl. "Dog-Eared" is a quietly introspective ballad, while "I'm Here Now" chronicles watching friends slide into heroin addiction. "Words From the Executioner to Alexander Pearce" tells the story of the notorious convict Pearce who escaped twice from Macquarie Harbour, both times cannibalizing his fellow escapees, and was eventually executed for his crimes. "I Don't Ever Want to Change" is about depression and denial, and "Work for Me" sees Kitschin's debut on lead vocals. "I Looked Down the Line and I Wondered" takes its title from a song by the 1930s gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, while "Are You Leaving For The Country" is a breezy cover of a song made famous by Karen Dalton. Finally, "16 Straws" is a lyric ballad without precedent in The Drones' previous work, a song that draws on a rich tradition of Australian storytelling. Infused with a rich sense of history and yet utterly modern, both thought-provoking and viscerally compelling, Gala Mill marks the welcome return of one of Australia's most intelligent, innovative and important bands. -CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: ATP Recordings
Genre/Style: Rock / Blues / Punk
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Ben Folds
Supersunnyspeedgraphic: The LP
Ben Folds is set to release supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp, a comprehensive collection of original songs culled from his successful series of EP releases, b-sides, covers and film soundtrack appearances. The album is due in stores October 24th. Boasting remastering and tweaking that was completed at Ben's own studio in Nashville, TN, the 12 tracks on supersunnyspeedgraphic, the lp include covers of "In Between Days" (The Cure), "Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman" (The Darkness) featuring Corn Mo's guest vox, & Ben's own version of the Dr. Dre hit "Bitches Ain't Shit," plus a song from The Bens, and another from Over the Hedge. -CP
Brandon Franze, will be posting his thoughts on Ben's newest effort, on our website within the next few days.
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Epic
Genre/Style:Pop / Singer Songwriter / Nerd-core
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Frida Hyvonen
Until Death Comes
Carving a path through the fertile land of Sweden, Frida Hyvönen is a talented piano-based songwriter in the vein of Laura Nyro with a passionate bite and a voice like an icicle that cuts deep. Recorded in the legendary Atlantis studio in Stockholm and co-produced with Jari Haapalainen, Frida's debut record, Until Death Comes features a raw home-recording feel not dissimilar to The Stones' Beggars Banquet, Joni Mitchell's Blue or Carole King's Tapestry.
Loved in her home country, she's just beginning to peek out into the rest of the world by touring in support of country-mates Jens Lekman, Jose Gonzalaz and The Concretes (who originally released Until Death Comes in Scandinavia on their own Licking Fingers imprint). --Cut and Paste
We will have a review posted on Frida's new album in the next few days, And you should also know that Frida will be performing at Relative Theory Nov. 9th with Trespassers Williams! Excited? You should be! -CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Secretly Canadian
Genre/Style: Pop / Folk / Singer-Songwriter
MP3 You Never Got Me Right
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Johann Johannsson
IDM 1401- A Users Manual
For those who aren’t in the know, Jóhann Jóhannsson is a composer from Iceland, but it’s much deeper than just that. His newest album is much like the inside of a computer, I know that it works but I have no idea how to explain it. Johann Johannsson’s newest “masterpiece,” “IBM 1401 – A User’s Manuel,” is a rich, textured look – at the inside of a computer?
Well, Jóhannsson originally scored this work while working with dancer and choreographer Erma Omarsdottir. “IBM 1401” is an expanded version of his original score and now features a 60 piece string orchestra and a new final track, the brilliant “The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black.” I cannot pretend that I understand scores of music with orchestras or pretend I know in what term of classical music this will be classified under, but I do know that for someone who is interested in broadening their horizons into another style of music, this is a good place to start. The ambience is rich, the synthesizers and electronica elements bring into, what some people would view as archaic music and places Jóhann Jóhannsson’s work into the twenty-first century. “Part 2 – IBM 1403 Printer” begins with painfully spaced chimes leading to an instructional message on the mechanization of an IBM machine with a voice straight out of old Cold War duck and cover propaganda. The music cascading over the voice and chimes is absorbing; you have to listen because you want to know how to finish this machine and because you need to know what the hell is going on.
From hard to soft, “Part 3 – IBM 1402 Card Read Punch” is that epic you will want to compose in your bedroom mirror. “Part 5 – The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black” is the only track with vocals, which are heavily distorted with angels harmonizing in the background over Jóhannsson’s tight orchestra. I may not know much about composing or anything, but this was a great listen. Now if only I could figure out what it all means...-DS
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: 4AD
Genre/Style: Neo Classical
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Khlyst
Chaos Is My Name
Invoking an aesthetic amalgam of black echoes, night sweats, and necromancy, Khanate bassist James Plotkin Phantomsmasher, ex-O.L.D. and vocalist Runhild Gammelsaeter ex-Sunn O, Thorrs Hammer set forth on a bleak journey beset with incubi, death convulsions, and abject hopelessness. The eight chapters that comprise Khlysts oeuvre basically sound like youre being beat with a wet mattress while someone screams in your ear. Paradoxically, its also completely musical and wholly enjoyable. Brutal, jarring, unique. -CP
HSD will be lending his two cents on the new Khlyst album in the next few days on our website.
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Hydra Head
Genre/Style: Doom Metal
MP3 Kaos Er Mitt Navin
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Sven Libaek
Inner Space: The Lost Film Music of...
Trunk is thrilled to present a compilation of the great lost film music from Norwegian composer Sven Libaek, on CD for the very first time. An Australian resident for many years, Libaek is considered one of the most important little-mentioned film composers of all time. These are some of the most desirable recordings out there for film music collectors, jazz heads and beat diggers. Produced between 1965 and 1974, these recordings include sounds from four desirable and exceptionally rare Australian-only scores. The music is modal, beautiful, hypnotic, warm, welcoming and sounds like nothing else on earth. It's where jazz meets the shark, where waltzes meet wildfowl and longboard surfers meet a lively sea of cool flutes and groovy, spacey, moody vibes. Trunk contacted Libaek to see if he had any old vinyl or other recordings kicking about, and he sent a tape of "To Ride A White Horse," a rare recording of his surfing movie soundtrack from 1966 -- one of the earliest and rarest examples of this film music sub-genre. Over the years, the prices of Libaek originals have shot through the roof as interest in his recordings slowly and steadily increase. As soon as you begin listening you'll quickly notice why -- the bright, warm sound that is classic Libaek is irresistible. His melodies are hooky and unusual, and the perfect accompaniment for films about the sea, wildlife and nature. And now you can swim about in it, too. -CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Trunk
Genre/Style: Jazz / Funk
MP3 Fate of Life
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Moby
Go: The Very Best of...
The only definitive greatest hits collection chronicling Moby's entire career. It also features new and previously unreleased material - (1) new single "New York, New York" with Blondie's Debbie Harry (2) two new mixes - including one of "GO," his debut commercial smash (3) a live version of "Feeling So Real." The DELUXE EDITION features an 11-track BONUS remix CD personally compiled by Moby and includes the legendary "Bodyrock" Olav Basoski remix. The deluxe edition tracks are NOT available on ANY Moby full-length CD.. -CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: VS
Genre/Style: Electronic
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+/-
Let's Build A Fire
After a three-year hiatus following their promising second release, +/-'s third full-length, Let's Build a Fire, doesn't disappoint. The synthesizers, sampling, and reverb have been pared down to a bare minimum, and what's left is an aerodynamic set of indie rock songs that capture and enlarge on all the best elements of You Are Here. Chris Deaner, for instance, no longer plays second fiddle to a drum machine; he's been given free reign to romp all over these tracks, and it's a welcome change. James Baluyut's vocals, which at times sound practically Thom Yorke-ian, are no longer obscured behind layers and layers of dense reverb, and Patrick Ramos' guitar and backing vocals come prickling to the forefront in a satisfying way. Which isn't to say that there aren't drum machines or samples on the album -- there are, but they don't overpower the band as they did on You Are Here. The hookiest track on the album is "Steal the Blueprints" -- it's a great blend of Baluyut's clean vocals and Ramos' jumpy drums. The band doesn't stick to this, ahem, blueprint for the remainder of the album, though; as on the previous release, there's a good deal of experimentation with time signatures and negative space. "One Day You'll Be There" is shot through with riveting stops and starts, and "Leap Year," one of four songs on the album penned by Ramos, has some refreshingly jarring percussion for a love song. Alternately hormonal and studied, plaintive and aggressive, this is by far +/-'s most consistent, mature work to date.(allmusic) -CP
We will be adding our two cents on the new +/- within the next few days on out website.
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Absolutely Kosher
Genre/Style: Pop / Electro / Rock
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Skygreen Leopards
Disciples of California
The Skygreen Leopards started in 2001 as a duo, just Glenn Donaldson and Donovan Quinn. Working out of the Hobo Victoria district of San Francisco, they've since recorded five full-length albums and one EP in their five year history. Over these recordings the band has been given to metamorphosis but has always managed to sound distinctly "Skygreen". Their newest album, Disciples of California, continues in the alchemical tradition of change and inward-revolt. On it, the Skygreen Leopards mix pop melodies, minimal country truisms, jingle-jangling Californianism and angular folk with something the band refers to as "our horse called Dire Arrow," which roughly translates into family friendly (sans the "American Censorship" connotations).
Indeed Disciples of California is a "friends & family" record. The theme of fraternity is not only represented lyrically but was also part of the recording process. It's the first album recorded outside the band's own studio (note: they NEVER recorded outdoors as some have reported) and it's also the debut of the SGL's rhythm section, the Skyband (featuring Jasmyn Wong on drums and Shayde Sartin on bass). Working in a studio with additional musicians allowed the band to record the basic tracks live, giving the music a ragged, stumbling, and honest life in contrast to the cut-up and cleansing methods much employed in previous days. Recorded in just a few sessions at Jason Quever's (Papercuts) San Francisco studio, the Leopards took full advantage of his arsenal of soft machines to create a batch of spacious three minute pop tunes.
For the first time on record you'll hear the Skygreen Leopards "Skyband Sound". A pleasure formerly reserved for denizens of San Francisco's haunted honky tonks where the Leopards developed much of Disciples songs. The swing and sway of this album is something totally unique to the SGL's discipline and owes a great deal to the work of Vaslav Treacy (Lindner School of Ballet), who instructed the band in modern dance for three months in order to perfect the pulse of the songs on the record. Grace & Beauty tumbling down Mt. Zion became the band's solemn motto.
Lyrically and conceptually, Glenn and Donovan continue down their twisted path. The ghosts of girl-beauties, whispering trees, swimming-hole cousins, crippled horses and human-faced animal-saints all join the dizzying parade.
Maybe the man from Hobo Splendor said it best when he called Disciples of California the Leopards' "biggest riverboat yet". And to be sure, there's room for us all on the Riverboat called Disciple!
The Skygreen Leopards - California's Family Band!!! -CP
Nate Hollingsworth is writing his thoughts on The New Skygreen Leopards and we will have it posted on our site soon.
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Pop / Folk / Lo-Fi
Genre/Style: Folk
MP3 Disciples of California
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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Broom
After Of Montreal's show at the Norva this summer, I realized how out of touch I am with indie pop. I had only gone because friend had gotten free tickets to the show and invited me to tag along. I walked in having never actually seen or heard the band, but after learning the band was on Elephant 6's roster I expected it to be a boring night of low-key twee pop with lyrics about puppies running a lemonade stand atop Chocolate Frosting Mountain. About two songs into the show I was hooked and could hardly believe a pop show could be this fun. It was then I discovered that not all pop had to be cutesy with sickeningly sweet vocals and overloads of "oooooohs" and "la la las."
Like Of Montreal, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin don't write lyrics about teddy bears and rainbow smiles, but they're still about as threatening as an animated Disney movie. There are "ba da bop bas" (a popular variant of "la la las") and "do do dos" aplenty on Broom, but the music sounds less like twee pop and more like a wussier Pavement. This last aspect keeps the band in my favor throughout this record since the songs generally alternate between really poppy indie rock numbers and more subdued, Beach Boys-esque, poppy tunes.
Brooms is a bare bones record. There's the guitar, the bass, some vocals, and drums. Nothing more, nothing less. The songs are low-key rock tunes and they're pleasant in a way that even my grandma would appreciate. They might also make great background music for a day at the beach or a BBQ with woodland critters. The songs stay in the mid-tempo range for most of the record - keeping the tone of the record in the positive direction - save for 2 or 3 slower songs, which are probably about some type of lost love.
There are some really interesting and engaging songs on this record and then there are the mediocre ones that, while excellently played and written, aren't blow-you-away exciting. Some people like this in their music though, and if you're into classic indie rock with lots of vocal harmonies and extreme poppiness, I would imagine this would be right up your alley.-KM
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Polyvinyl
Genre/Style: Pop / Rock
MP3 Oregon Girl
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Sparta
Threes
A new label (Hollywood Records) and a new guitar player (Keeley Davis) seem to have invigorated the mighty Sparta, resulting in an exchange of shadows with the often mightier At the Drive-In. While Sparta's previous releases have shown a knack for the brooding, bloody-fingered antics championed by bands like "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" and British Sea Power, the memorable moments have been few and far between, something that has changed considerably with Threes. It only take 30 seconds into "Untreatable Disease" to see the spark returned to the once meaningful term emo, as vocalist/guitarist Jim Ward finds the middle ground between Jeremy Enigk's "Jack-in-the-box" howl and Brandon Flowers cocky but ruined self-assurance. "Taking Back Control" may pilfer liberally from U2's "New Years Day," "Atlas" may steal a page or two from Coldplay, and "False Start" could launch a thousand stadium lighters, but Sparta, especially on this record, sounds like a beast that's broken its chains and is fighting between the road ahead and going back from whence it came, and it's that indecision that makes Threes so electrifying, even when it's not sure of what it wants to be.(allmusic) -CP
Brandon Franze will be reviewing the new Sparta and we shall have it posted on our site within the next few days.
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Hollywood
Genre/Style: Rock / Post Hardcore
MP3 purevolume
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The Walkmen
Pussycats
If you’re not feelin’, “Pussy Cats” Starring the Walkmen, the group’s latest offering off the aptly named label, Record Collection, chances are, your mental faculties have just been denied tenure.
With Pussy Cats, the Walkmen: Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar), Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ), Peter Bauer (bass) and Matt Barrick (drums) redeem themselves after the disappointing release of A Hundred Miles Off.
And their reputation isn’t the only thing they have resurrected. Harry Nilsson’s Pussy Cats was nothing more than a disappointing commercial failure when it was released in 1974. Produced by the John Lennon during his infamous “Lost Weekend” in Los Angeles, the fifty-fifty mix of originals and random covers was perceived by most as nothing more than an incoherent inside joke between drinking buddies, a by-product of Nilsson and Lennon’s self-indulgence. Until now.
On “Many Rivers to Cross,” the Walkmen blend the best of both worlds as Lennon’s signature guitar twang and orchestral backdrop merge seamlessly with the rawness of Leithauser’s vocals. By downplaying the drum track, a distraction on the original, and playing-up the strings, the Walkmen heighten the song’s emotive factor without adding extraneous sounds.
They also breathe new life into Dylan’s talk-sing rant, “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” the rock ‘n roll classic, “Rock Around the Clock” and the children’s song, “Loop de Loop,” attacking the songs with a saxophone, kazoos, maracas, tambourines and a mutha-fuckin’ table saw (!).
On “Don’t Forget Me,” the subtraction of the strings eliminates the show-tune reprise feel of the original and Leithauser’s voice alone with the piano creates an intimacy that wasn’t there before. But no matter what, Nilsson’s wit will always shine with lines like, “I’ll miss you when I’m lonely/I’ll miss the alimony too.” The man wrote “Coconut” for cryin’ out loud.
Some may say that it’s not hard to pull off a tall album when you’re standing on John Lennon’s shoulders, but the Walkmen were able to accomplish something the original did not. They captured the unbridled energy of the collaborative process and made it accessible to listeners. More importantly, they called attention to the hidden genius of an older generation and proved that great music is, above all, timeless.-MC
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Record Collection
Genre/Style: Rock / Tribute
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CD: $18.98
LP: $23.98
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Various Artists
New York Noise Vol. 3
Latest installment in Soul Jazz Records’ journey into the underground music of New York City in the 1980s, this time focussing on the electronic dance/post-punk mutations and proto-electro music that originally came out on mainly small D-I-Y labels.
Today the new wave of New York art/rock groups such as DFA, The Strokes, the Rapture, Juan McLean, James Murphy, The Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs all have their roots in this early 1980s New York Noise music scene. This album features text, original photos and interviews documenting this amazing period.
New York Noise 3 is compiled and annotated by Stuart Argabright, an important participant in the New York music scene during this period and features music from Implog, Suicide, Snatch, James Blood Ulmer, Dominatrix and many more.
Beginning in the mid-1970s, the East Village of New York City, A/K/A Downtown, became a hot-bed of musical and artistic ideas. In this small ten-block area practically every musician was also an artist, every artist a film-maker and every film-maker was in a band. Experimental music clashed with the aftermath of Punk and groups such as Snatch, Dominatrix and Implog blurred the boundaries of art, punk and dance music.
New York City at this time featured a bewildering array of musical communities: the birth of Hip-Hop in the Bronx: the punk scene of CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City (Ramones, Talking Heads, Television): the emerging art music scene of Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson: the underground disco scene of David Mancuso’s Loft, Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage; The Free Jazz loft scene (James Blood Ulmer, Rashied Ali) and the No Wave art/rock scene of James Chance, Lydia Lunch et al. The artists featured here created new music influenced by all these scenes -CP
Release Date: 10/24/06
Label: Soul Jazz
Genre/Style: Compilation / No Wave / Post Punk
MP3 Martin Rev-Temptation
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CD: $8.98
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Eluvium
When I Live By the Garden and the Sea
Only Matthew Cooper could take a sample from Tom Hanks’ 1989 vehicle The ‘Burbs and paste it into a song in a convincing manner. Cooper does just this on “As I Drift Off,” the second song on the new Eluvium EP, When I Live By The Garden And The Sea. After Hanks delivers a intense monologue on suburban paranoia, the song falls into Cooper’s patented wave of feedback and shimmering keys. In this context, the sample speaks volumes. On this companion EP to last year’s Talk Amongst The Trees, all the trademarks of Cooper’s best work are present. While naming that album one of my favorite records of 2005, I referred to Cooper as the new king of ambient. Far from a filler release, When I Live.. backs up my claim. “I Will Not Forget That I Have Forgotten” echoes the styling of 2004’s piano-only release, An Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death. All the sounds that have been explored on the previous Eluvium releases seem to be highlighted here. On the aforementioned “As I Drift Off” and the beautiful “All The Sails,” Cooper is at the top of his game. No one in music right now is crafting walls of sound so moving, so graceful. All of these songs would have fit perfectly on Talk Amongst The Trees. It has been a treat watching Cooper’s music progress and I look forward to his next step. -HM
Release Date: 08/22/06
Label: Temporary Residence
Genre/Style: Experimental / Post Rock
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CD: $13.98
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Genghis Tron
Dead Mountain South
After listening to this record a couple of times I’m really surprisedthese guys aren’t more of a big deal in the metal and hardcore scenes right now. They’re heavy as hell, original, and a lot of the songs here are chuck full of amazing riffs - and no metal fan can deny the power of a sweet, sweet riff. In five seconds the songs can go from
brutally chaotic, grinding metal to quiet introspective synths with guitar lines reminiscent of something off a Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky record; it then it goes right back to the rapid fire grind. Somehow, Genghis Tron have managed to combine metal, grind, Depeche Mode-style electronics, and a pinch (maybe less) of post-rock to create an interesting and unique, but still thrashing record. Stylistically, many of the heavier parts on this record remind me of Converge’s “Jane Doe” record, which isn’t that surprising seeing as Kurt Ballou of Converge produced them both. In addition to the vocals sounding eerily similar to Jacob Bannon’s distorted screams, both bands also experiment with heavy music in a way that most metal and hardcore bands seem afraid/unable to do. This is the record that I could imagine Converge doing years from now if they got more into electronics, which I’ve always kind of expected to happen since they’ve become more experimental in their last couple of albums.
Having been a Depeche Mode fan since I was 10, I can honestly say the somber electronics/synths are compareable to something “the Mode” might have done. I wanted to roll my eyes when I read about a grind band with electronics, but in the end it works because the guys can actually play them. I would even go as far as to say they’ve written
a few hooks.
The best part of this record is the balance between total chaos and poignancy and how the band segues one into the other. Both styles are done so well, if the dudes from Genghis broke up and went on to do instrumental, synth-based music or full on grind instead I’d be equally interested in either direction, but like I said, it’s the balance between the two that makes this such an excellent record. Listening to “Dead Mountain Mouth” not only made me excited about future Genghis records, but also the future of heavy music. It’s exciting to know people are out there taking music to a whole new place and (best of all) making it an excellent listening experience.
I know it isn’t 2007 yet, but this one’s easily in my top ten of the year.-KM
Release Date:06/06/06
Label: Crucial Blast
Genre/Style: Metal / Grind / Electro
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CD: $15.98
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Kaada
Music For Moviebikers
Minimalism is described as “art that is stripped down to its most fundamental features and core self expression,” in reference to music this term is normally applied to categories such as Drone, where the main focus of a song can many times be the repetition of a few measures of music.
Sophistication is a word that means complex, refined, held to a higher standard than others. In the medium of music one would be referred to the classical music produced by orchestra’s and symphony’s.
A Paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. Which is where we find the music of Kaada.
Norwegian conductor/solo artist Kaada has made music for many films and Music for MovieBikers marks his third solo release. In researching the artist, I found that Kaada has been requested many times to release the music that he composes for films in album form, to which he replies: “I feel that my film music belongs with the pictures that they are composed to. Even though people try to convince me otherwise, I don’t feel that it can stand on its own feet,” so instead he decides to put out albums with anonymous inspirations. Music for MovieBikers is indeed inspired by films, will we ever know which song matches what film? No. You do not need to. Every song on this album produces imagery in ones mind, and I can not imagine ruining the beauty of that imagery by knowing the influence for each song.
About the music (and the justification for my opening paragraph). This album is not stripped down by any means, in fact Kaada recruited 22 musicians to help play instruments (that range from your traditional acoustic guitars to the obscure glass harmonica) but it does indeed bloom in its simplicity. For starters there are hardly any lyrics on the record, due to vocals being used as an instrument providing lush harmonies and melodic soundscapes. The album is sophisticated in this same sense, 22 musicians coming together to produce simple, gorgeous music. Symphony style strings, obscure instruments, guitars, keyboards, grand pianos, all come together to form a mix of classical music and modern day ambient. This paradox is where Kaada thrives.
It would be impossible for me to describe to you what to expect from this album, but what I can do is very simply explain what not to expect. This album is not Explosions in the Sky, Saxon Shore, Russian Circles, or Pelican. In fact the only comparison I would feel comfortable making would be to Danny Elfman (see the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s films) at parts, but even that is not only a stretch but also does not do justice. Do not expect this album to pick up speed and turn epic on you, nor will it be the experimental breakthrough of the year. What it is, in its most broken down form, is the soundtrack to every daydream you wish would come true, or every fantasy dream you never wanted to wake up from. To make a long story short, the music is gorgeous. The entire album is very well put together, and is able to serve as a companion to the listener in every situation.
Do yourself a favor and take a listen. Even if instrumental/classical/ambient music is not your cup of tea, you might just find yourself falling in love. -BF
Release Date: 06/11/06
Label: Ipecac
Genre/Style: Neo Classical
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CD: $9.98
Sale $6.98
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Mar
The Silence
The album opens with a title track full of humming reverb, echoing sounds of tires rolling in the rain and Kyle Reidy’s soothing voice rocking with the light guitar strums in the background. “The Silence,” Mar’s debut album, is full of strange background sounds such as old, crackling VHS tapes and thistles breaking underfoot. The album is quite deliberate, with band members taking slow and full breaths in and out. If you aren’t a fan of the relaxing, bedtime-worthy tunes, this isn’t for you. The album’s title should give you a heads up that it’s more a meditation than a form of entertainment.
The band is serious. It’s name, Mar, is the name of Mar founder Reidy’s mother that died of cancer a few years back. This homage gives some depth and seriousness to the band and backs up their dark tracks. This album was recorded in Rekyivik, Iceland and produced by Gunnar Tynes of Müm. Possibly the relocation for recording gave members a chance to reflect and push out some seriously measured, unhurried and distinct tracks.
The most intense track is toward the end. “Red Rum” is a culmination of the slow build up we feel in the first two-thirds of the album. The track ends with slicing laser sounds and the band orchestrating each other perfectly. “An Empty Room” is a nice break from the other tracks, highlighting Mark Kuykendall on the keyboard. The rest of the album is more of the even-handed, yet honest, vocal-heavy sounds. A surprisingly enjoyable, however slow, album.-MW
Release Date: 06/20/06
Label: Self-Released
Genre/Style: Post Rock / Ambient
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CD: $18.98
LP: $11.98
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Various Artists
Kings of Diggin'
I’m a hater, straight up. And right now #1, #2, and #3 on my hate list (in no particular order) are Kon, Amir, and DJ Muro because by way of The Kings of Diggin’ they just reminded me of what a lil’ guppy I really am in the sea of record diggin’. That being said, The Kings of Diggin’ also just made my day because the content of its 140+ minutes meets the two requirements of a good “digging” mix: 1) rarity and 2) good music. For diggers and DJs, rarity adds to the listening experience; there’s a kind of intellectual and emotional engagement with the music when one can only guess how rare that record really is and knows the feeling of coming up on such a record. In fact, sometimes this alone can make the music “good” regardless of what it sounds like. For listeners who don’t spend their spare time with fingers in dusty record bins, or, ripping out the “R” section of phone books, the music simply has to be good. Both are true on this double disk; everyone’s happy.
Disc 1 by Kon & Amir is a mix of rarities that progress from soulful and funky that, in essence, are necessary preparation for DJ Muro’s breakbeat bonanza that is to follow (more on that in a minute). The more soulful cuts such as Tyrone & Carr’s “Take Me With You” with warm bass and honest vocals could fit within a downtempo or rare groove set. Spinna at APT comes to mind. The tracks on the second half of the cd are more uptempo with horn blasts and congas that make the dance floor quite attractive. Since it is a mix by DJs (not just a compilation of tracks), there are some slick and minimal cuts to transition between tracks. This really is a beautiful presentation of powerful music unknown and unavailable to many.
Disc 2 mixed by Japan’s self-proclaimed King of Records, DJ Muro, is an onslaught of breakbeats from heavy funk, latin, and disco cuts that make cats like be burn with envy and dance with delight. Like most diggers, he’s concerned with only the heaviest hitting snippets of the tracks, which is why he seamlessly mixes only about a minute or a minute and a half of each (44 tracks total) before hitting you over the head with another break sledgehammer. Doubles rocked when necessary. It’s really more of a straight through mixtape for a bboy session than a cd for skipping to particular tracks. To those who don’t feel heavy breaks in the gut, the sound and fury could become overwhelming half way through. For diggers or bboys, it’s straight destruction.
Hating aside, thanks fellas for funking up my life. -EP (AKA Ill-Lit)
Release Date: 05/30/06
Label: BBE
Genre/Style: Funk / Soul / Hip Hop
MP3 album sampler
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