failing the rorschach test

Murder By Death/O'Death Split 7"

2009-08-17T16:02:00.006-06:00

"Murder By Death are releasing the first of 7 records in a 7" series where they trade covering songs with other bands they know. The second 7" will feature MBD performing O'Death's "Home" and O'Death performing MBD's "Brother"."
- via Murder By Death's official website

The split opens with Murder By Death's cover of "Home", a string-driven southern gothic carousel that would sound just at home on Who Will Survive... as it does on Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin.

O'Death's version of "Brother" follows, initially starting slower and more measured than the original, only to pick up to a frenzied, squealing pace come the chorus, sounding very much like the musical output of the barnyard band at a meth addict's country jamboree in the process.

Murder By Death/O'Death split

Air Raid Barcelona - Air Raid Barcelona

2009-08-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

These guys put their demo up for free, and it's really good, and you should listen.

C'monnnnnnnnnnn. Do itttttttt.

*ahem*

Summary: Thick, jangly, Latterman-influenced pop-punk with hooks that sound pried from the cold, dead hands of Shorebirds (or perhaps some other band with a little more name recognition), with a little West Coast flare thrown in for good measure.

If that sounds at all up your alley, check it out.

Air Raid Barcelona

Agnostic Front - Victim in Pain

2009-08-09T19:16:00.005-06:00

she says she likes the agnostic front/they've got crazy fast guitars

A definitive attribute of early hardcore was its ability to push boundaries, be they political or musical. Hardcore advocated a different message and a different style with which to promote it, eschewing the almost glam sensitivities of late 70's punk rock for a more stripped down, back-to-basics approach. Shaved heads eclipsed the mohawk, and the ideals of punk shifted from pseudo-counter-culturalism to the notion of a scene based on acceptance (even if it didn't always abide by those ideals).

But as the 80's progressed, it became clear that the new flag-bearers of the hardcore landscape would not be the ones who played it safe and stuck only to the formulas established by the early luminaries of the genre; you can only re-hash Minor Threat so many times before people stop listening. And so hardcore pushed out of its box. Some bands experimented, infusing shots of country and Americana into their approach, crossing boundaries and gaining the closest thing hardcore had had to a major audience yet. Others slowed down the tempo and became more introspective, focusing their songwriting abilities rather than submitting to the 'harder, faster louder' approach borne by earlier bands. And others still went in the exact opposite direction, pushing the envelope in the only way they could, by taking hardcore and making it heavier, faster, louder and more aggressive than ever before. Agnostic Front belonged to this last group.

Unsurprisingly given their playing style, Agnostic Front hailed from New York City, a place whose hardcore scene they eventually helped define (alongside many other local bands) with their blending of grimy, down-turned punk and fast-paced thrash metal heaviness. In 1984, the band broke out with their seminal hardcore album Victim in Pain, which, for better or for worse, was hugely influential in the NYHC scene. This lead to further crossovers between hardcore and thrash metal, not the least of which by Agnostic Front themselves, that, depending on your point of view, either showcase hardcore at its most aggressive and fully realized or at its most mindlessly macho and insular. None of which takes away the fact that, as Victim in Pain shows us, Agnostic Front were a force to be reckoned with.

Listening to the album, the guitars are no doubt the first thing to be noticed. They have a very dark quality to them that seems universal in 80's punk, be it American or British, and the rate at which they're played borders on suffocation. Combined with the forceful and often relentless drumming, the whole package blares about like a sonic buzzsaw. While the song structures are fairly typical for hardcore, there's still something notable in the ferocity with which they're played. And yet, in spite of this when the band relaxes and takes their fingers off the button just a little bit, this results in Agnostic Front's best material. The typical Agnostic Front song volleys back and forth between the aforementioned buzzsaw-style passages and a selection of more measured parts that help to reel in the aggression, and thereby put a manner of emphasis on it. This isn't to say that the occasional straight-up barn-burner isn't there, nor to say that it doesn't absolutely kill - "Hiding Inside" is as strong a song as you'll find from the Agnostic Front. Just to say that when it comes to tracks like "Blind Justice" and "Last Warning", it's the comparably slower sections that make these songs notable, while the blast beat-style drum sections work only to de-sensitize the listener to the song's better sections.

Blink and you'll miss it - eleven songs, fifteen minutes are all that comprise Victim in Pain, but that doesn't make it any less of a hardcore classic. While their songwriting often suffered from immaturity, and while they may not hold up as well to modern ears as some of their more experimental and more influential peers, Agnostic Front still feel like the masters of their own niche: heavier than hardcore, more down-to-earth than metal, and as driven as anyone or anything else out there.

victim in pain

Union Young America - Kill the Man in Everything 7"

2009-07-16T12:09:00.005-06:00

This is an absolutely fantastic 7" from mid-90's Ontario hardcore band Union Young America. Originally made in 1995, this three song EP is the group's only known release to date, and it features a sound similar to Admiral, or Three Penny Opera, or maybe a gruffer Native Nod. Complex, powerful jams that mix beautiful instrumental sparsity with an ear for melody and a predisposition for intense, excitable crescendos. The guitars in "Dem's Be Fighting Words" make this worth a listen on their own, but each song has at least one part that makes you think "wow", including the gentle, sinewy breaks during "Kevorkian" and the soaring choruses of "What You Know".

If the name alone doesn't intrigue you into giving this a listen, then I don't know what else I can say.

you bet i fucking tried

One Year of failing [the rorschach test]

2009-07-15T12:34:00.002-06:00

that's right everybody! it's been exactly one full year since i had anything better to do with my time.

fuck yeah

and to celebrate, i'm having cake.

i do not know how to draw cake.

Modern Life is War - Modern Life is War 7"

2009-07-10T13:20:00.001-06:00

Early Modern Life is War release, a three song 7" of noisy, aggressive, and above all else, passionate hardcore punk. From the throwback hooks and infectious chorus of "Destination Death or Better Days", to the fist-pumping chants of "Fakes Like You (Make Me Sick)", this EP shows off Modern Life is War at their most anthemic. And while their sound isn't as ground-breakingly fresh or well-developed as it would become, there is plenty of intersting work on display, with the dense riffs and seething desperation of "The Farmer's Holiday Association" sounding a lot like the band circa Witness. This is a great, blood-pumping release from one of the best hardcore bands of the decade. Raise your voice (and your fist) and sing along.

Modern Life is War 7"

Admiral - Admiral 7"

2009-07-03T15:57:00.005-06:00

Admiral was a short-lived emo/hardcore band from the early 90's, the members of which would on to play in Navio Forge and Hoover as the decade wore on.

The group maintains the atmosphere and wall-of-sound guitarwork that would be prevalent on Navio Forge, but here it is imbued with a sense of melody and songwriting mechanics that make the final product as catchy as it is moody. Sounding at times equal parts Naked Raygun and The Hated, the band merges post-punk despondence ("Brother Can You Spare a Dime") and D.C.-influenced hardcore nostalgia ("Horns Lay Silent") into a dynamic and interesting listen.

This is really great stuff for anyone who likes Rites of Spring, Gray Matter, or any of the aforementioned bands.

Admiral 7"

Killing Joke - Killing Joke

2009-06-23T09:37:00.007-06:00

Killing Joke is one of those bands that are made an enigma by their own inconsistency. At times, they are electrifying, a post-punk/proto-industrial hybrid that feels a full decade ahead of their time, playing moody, driven music loaded with political and existential angst. The band’s combination of ‘doom-and-gloom’ metal heaviness with the faster tempos of the burgeoning punk rock scene was notably different from the parallel direction hardcore bands were taking in order to further push the envelope in its stress of mood and atmosphere, as opposed to the catch-all hardcore solution of ‘just play a little faster’. Not only was this combination unique for post-punk, a movement splintering more and more into arty, futurist-aping synth bands, but it was a direct precursor, both spiritually and sonically, for the industrial metal movement of the late 80’s and 90’s. Listening to their self-titled album now with the benefit of almost 30 years of hindsight, Killing Joke practically define industrial as we now recognize it, even though they pre-date our current understanding of it, existing in a time when industrial was an often radically experimental genre lead by the Throbbing Gristles of the world.

And yet, for a band so well ahead of their time, Killing Joke is as much an object of frustration as they are an object of adulation. The group seems to exist so much better in singles and playlist snippets than they do on a full album listen. Sure, a track like “The Wait” is the kind of thing that will force you to take notice, comprising of an infectiously brooding buzz saw guitar line and a rapacious tempo that once again heralds industrial comparisons. The song is noisy like a steel mill and excessively bleak, yet there is no denying its inherent catchiness. And it’s not the only highlight: Opener “Requiem” is EBM at its most anthemic, a dance-y affair where the appeal transcends the no doubt gothic core of Killing Joke’s audience, and “Wardance” is an echoic, strongly-paced synth-metal track where the vocals are spitted out in a guttural, Germanic rasp.

Ultimately, what makes these songs great is their sense of urgency. Not only are they the fastest-paced songs on Killing Joke, but they just carry with them a feeling of intensity. Elsewhere, however, the band lulls about far too much to keep up this feeling. “SO36” is a plodding gothic waltz that never goes anywhere interesting, content just to linger awkwardly and take up space. This is symptomatic of a greater problem at work in Killing Joke. Too often the focus on atmosphere comes at the expense of listenability, and while it is this unique dynamic that makes Killing Joke so fresh and different, you get the sense that they don’t really know what they’re doing with it yet. Which is a shame, considering that just a few years later they’d be moving in the opposite direction, with their sound coming off as overdramatic and cheesy as opposed to overly insular.

So while it is flawed, Killing Joke remains a landmark, both for its influence and its ingenuity. Great at times yet occasionally middling in quality, as an album, it still manages to hit more than it misses. With their debut album, Killing Joke escaped the routine experimentation post-punk was mired in, and instead created something new, something rough, yet something genuine enough to be the launching pad for an entire generation of artists. And while it’s easy to get frustrated by what could have been, it’s just as easy to think of what couldn’t and wouldn’t have been without a jumping off point to begin with.

Killing Joke

Homoeroticism in Hardcore: An Essay

2009-06-21T00:56:00.004-06:00

*ahem*

you can cut that shit with a knife.

The Ergs!/Lemuria Split EP

2009-06-19T11:31:00.000-06:00

The Ergs! are a bouncy, hook-laden, Ramones-style pop-punk trio from New Jersey who show little to no shame in reproducing their influences. They also play a stellar version of "Hey Jealousy", which you may remember as that song from the trailer to every other mid-90's romantic comedy. Except now it's okay to like it, cuz it has mad punk cred to it.

Lemuria is a power pop trio from Buffalo, who play slower, but similarly catchy pop-oriented songs as The Ergs. Strong melodies and excellent use of dual male/female vocalists typify their sound, comparable here to early Thermals. Also typifying their sound: being really super good. I should mention that too.

Spoiler Alert: The Ergs! eventually defeat Lemuria through the use of the hereto unmentioned Ultimate Nullifier. The Earth is saved... but at what cost

the ergs! vs. lemuria

Banner Pilot/Monikers Split EP

2009-06-16T23:20:00.003-06:00

Banner Pilot are aggressively peppy pop-punk with a burning drive, a heart of gold and access to at least three Dillinger Four records. Monikers are a rough-and-tumble gang of misfits from the wrong side of the tracks, their unmitigated insistence on booze, debauchery and loose morals being the direct cause of many a sheriff to throw his hat in the air in an act of frustration.

One doesn't play by the rules. The other regularly converses with an eight foot tall bunny named Harvey that only Fred and Barney can see. Together, they must find the jade monkey before celebrity cameo Peter Lorre and his band of murderous fiends take Ohio... by force! Will they ever learn how to work together without hilariously offbeat shenanigans ensuing?

find out upon listening to...

another great pop-punk split release!

get it here, dum-dums

Next time: Unwitting superhero faction "The Ergs" face off against Lemuria, a being of pure energy that eats entire galaxies for sport! Don't miss it!

Andrew Jackson Jihad/French Quarter Split

2009-06-13T17:33:00.006-06:00

Or: Fresh Quarter/French Jihad: Mix Tape Volume One: "Valley of the Slum"

This is a split release by Arizona folk-punk group Andrew Jackson Jihad and French Quarter, the ambient/lo-fi folk project of singer/songwriter Stephen Steinbrink. The entire thing is performed live, with both acts not only playing their own material but covering each other as well (French Quarter covers the darkly funny "Another Beer"; AJJ cover "Bold With Fire", possibly French Quarter's best song).

On their side, French Quarter play a relaxing brand of dreamy, atmospheric folk. Soothing and almost ethereal in sound, it comes off very well as a part of the live atmosphere, with both guitar and bass gently plodding along, the latter echoing beautifully among the lighter sounds of the acoustic guitar.

The Andrew Jackson Jihad songs don't translate quite as well here, but while their side comes off as almost (but not quite) hit or miss, it also contains the two most notable stand-outs from this split: the frantic "Sheriff Ochs" and the Dead Prez cover "DPS". The former is everything you expect from Andrew Jackson Jihad at their best and most up-tempo, while the latter is everything you would never think to expect; namely, a rap, performed with stellar instrumental backup. It's as white as you'd expect, but it's also very well done, making it a joy to listen to for more than just the initial novelty. "DPS" isn't the only bit of hip-hop flavour though, as "Fucking Science" also features a spoken word rant on the state of hip-hop, although it feels like more of an extended interlude than anything else. The two songs act as a kind of ode to the genre in question, allowing Bonette and Gallaty to give credit to some of the more non-apparent influences in their music (influences which would surface again with the more recent Operation Stackola EP).

All in all, this is a good full-length split by two strong, proven acoustic acts, catchy where it needs be, and enjoyable the whole way through.

Fresh Quarter/French Jihad

RVIVR - Life Moves 7"

2009-06-10T13:27:00.001-06:00

RVIVR is a four-piece punk band that features members from Latterman and Shorebirds, sounding fairly similar to the rough, early sounds of the latter. Life Moves marks the band's first release, and it is a stellar example of gritty, emotional pop-punk that abounds both in hooks and intensity.

The band's formula could probably be written down as shouted vocals surrounded by whirring guitars and a humming, measured bass, but this would be to ignore the variety and intelligibility of each individual track. Every song stands out on its own as catchy, energetic and passionate, and this is why Life Moves is such a great EP, comparable even to Lifetime's Tinnitus in its ability to blend aggression and pop melody.

Title track "Life Moves" opens the EP, a wistful song which soars with hope and vitality almost in spite of itself, as upbeat for the future as it is nostalgic for the past. The theme is simple: life moves, regardless of whether you want it to or not. This is followed by the fun, frenetic whir of "Plenty of Time", a song which seems to reply to the previously addressed problem with a resounding "Who cares?".

At this point, RVIVR show off the poppier side of their attack; the third song, "Can't Stand It", follows a guitar riff that could be attached to the catchiest of 80s fluff, yet it still feels grounded in RVIVR's rough, basement punk appeal.

However, the stand-out track, if one had to be picked, would have to be the closer, "Scrooged". The song begins in a furious and lively fashion, building and maintaining tension beautifully throughout its three minute run-time as the singers wax poetic about government corruption. The lyrics are powerful, although less of their own accord than through the forcefulness with which they're delivered. "Scrooged" provides an impassioned and rather pessimistic finish to a fantastic and otherwise fairly upbeat EP.

and they'll take what they want

Download it here or buy it here.

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Holey Man, Holey War

2009-06-05T13:20:00.004-06:00

Andrew Jackson Jihad are a prolific Americana-tinged folk-punk group from Arizona, consisting on this release of acoustic guitar, upright bass and drums (although the musical lineup has been subject to change between each release, generally revolving around main members Sean Bonette (singer, guitar) and Ben Gallaty (bass) along with occasional outside elements). Holey Man, Holey War was a demo release, one which would later be compiled along with a number of other tracks from the group's early days on Candy Cigarettes and Cap Guns.

However, from the rollicking anti-country of "Ladykiller", to the more desperate, although still tongue-in-cheek sounds of "Who Would Jesus Fuck Up?", it becomes clear that Holey Man, Holey War is more about taking the piss out of things than anything else. Perhaps the standout track in this regard is "My Father Didn't Love Me", a decidedly depressing singalong song that remains catchy in spite of itself, with the narration focusing on cartoonishly over-the-top depictions of child abuse that directly belie the innocent tone Bonette uses in singing it.

So no, for anyone still wondering, Holey Man, Holey War doesn't have the maturity, nor the depth of the band's superlative 2007 release People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World, but then again, it's not trying to be either - hell, it's a direct step in the opposite direction. What it is is a collection of catchy, offbeat and rather original sounding folk songs that shouldn't be taken with the utmost of seriousness.

You can find it here.

Rival Schools - United by Fate

2009-06-01T12:25:00.004-06:00

There are at least two things I know about Walter Schreifels: 1) He’s the virtuoso guitarist and sometimes singer/songwriter/lyricist behind several of the biggest bands to come out of the New York hardcore scene in the past 20 years, including Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand, and, alongside former bandmate Sammy Siegler (drummed for Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits), the founder of Rival Schools and 2) He really likes using pedals.

I mean, if United by Fate is any indication. There are plenty of aspects of note that occur within this album: the supergroup-style collaboration of NYHC mainstays, the cultivation of a more varied and musically eclectic sound for long-time hardcore kids, as opposed to the raw, straight-forward outrage of the Youth Crew days, as well as just a general sense of established maturity that runs throughout United by Fate. But what always jumps out at me each and every time I listen is the guitars: the variety, the experimentation, the way they manage to emphasize both melody and heaviness in their own respective turns. Not only is the guitar work fantastic, but it sets the tone, taking an ambitious hardcore effort and turning it into a concoction that is as much owing to grunge and alternative as it is punk rock. Such a crossover could easily end up going sour in any number of ways, but surprisingly, it works.

Played differently, United by Fate could come off as just another melodic punk album, but then the very sense of maturity that sets it apart would be lost. The song writing would still allow it to stand out, but it wouldn’t sound as new, as fresh. Instead, the guitars are crushing when they have to be, and catchy, even elegant, when they don’t. Bits and pieces of Gorilla Biscuits come through in the underlying song structure, and one can sense a definite melodic hardcore influence on United by Fate, but it isn’t the prevailing influence. Rival Schools’ sound is more reminiscent of mid-90’s post-grunge, except instead of sounding watered down and depleted, like the pop radio hits of that era, they sound a novel combination, both vibrant and aggressive. A good comparison might be to the Matthew Good Band, circa Underdogs, another example of a band that manages to be listener-friendly without giving up its claws.

Guitar isn’t Schreifels’ only contribution to United by Fate though. As vocalist, he performs ably. Schreifels sings with a world-weary rasp, plodding through the slower sections with a sense of beaten down fatigue. This aspect perfectly serves to accentuate the urgency in his voice when the music picks up, as he powers through the heavier, more energetic sections with all the force he can muster. The result adds a human core to the otherwise interesting instrumental arrangements, one especially present on the excellent “Undercovers On”, a somewhat cryptic song about a meeting between two people whose relationship has lapsed. The song is driven by a slow-moving bass line and Schreifels voice matches with all the enthusiasm of grim death, but as the guitars pick up and the song crescendos, the simple tale of two people drifting apart becomes epic in scope, teeming with passion and relatable in sentiment.

Rival Schools’ debut album is a blistering tribute to what grunge should have begat: music which is heavy without being mindless and emotional without feeling feigned. If this is what happens when hardcore kids grow up, then sign me up.

United by Fate

Snowing - Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit (Demo)

2009-05-27T13:15:00.001-06:00

Snowing are a Pennsylvania-area band that play math-tinged emo in the vein of Cap'n Jazz, placing emphasis on smooth melodies and whirling, instrumental chaos, replete with light, winding guitar riffs and pained, throat-scraping vocals. Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit is a 5-song demo which was released by the band earlier this year, and although a demo, it has an orchestrated passion to it that far more experienced outfits would be hard-pressed to match. From the impassioned euphony of opener "Sam Rudich", to the fiercely energetic "Important Thngs (Specter Magic)", to math-influenced closer "Methuselah Rookie Card" , the group showcases an intriguing collusion of technicality, melody and emotion, a blend that is as much already realized as it is brimming with potential.

This is a must-listen for anyone who's a fan of Tim Kinsella, or even just 90's indie/emo in general.

Fuck Your Emotional Bullshit

Shorebirds - Shorebirds 7"

2009-05-22T13:11:00.004-06:00

Pop-punk project featuring Matt Canino of Latterman on guitar and lead vocals and Chris Bauermeister of Jawbreaker on bass. Owing obvious sonic influences to both of the aforementioned groups, Shorebirds combine melody and passion into a powerful and occasionally uplifting package. This 7" is a lot rougher than their eventual full-length, It's Gonna Get Ugly, which was released last year, but it crackles with DIY enthusiasm and a vinyl hiss that adds to the roughness of the sound. Music for a restless night when you're trapped in the city with nothing to do.

Shorebirds 7"

Latterman - Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing

2009-05-17T13:36:00.003-06:00

“what we need round here is positive people”

Latterman is one of those bands that’s just a joy to listen to. The Long Island foursome play with an intense energy and passion for their music, their lyrics are unapologetically upbeat, and their music radiates with an undaunted positivity, as if to re-assure the listener that everything’s going to be alright. To use an analogy taken from Allmusic, Latterman “is like the musical equivalent of a friend patting you on the back and dragging you out for a cold beer after spending the day feeling a bit down”.

Turn Up the Punk, We’ll Be Singing is Latterman’s first full-length album. Originally released on Traffic Violation Records in 2002, it got a re-release on Deep Elm in 2005 thanks to the greater popularity that came with the release of their second album, No Matter Where We Go…! The album is rawer than much of what would come after it, yet still imbued with much better production values than anything the band had released previously. Turn Up the Punk is then something of a middle ground in the evolution of Latterman’s sound, caught between the rougher, basement band punk of their demo and early seven inches, and the cleaner, more varied and melodic band they would grow into on subsequent full-lengths. And yet, it is undeniably memorable because of those clashing directions.

Musically, the group creates what sounds like a combination of pop-punk and post-hardcore, mixing the airy, upbeat tones of the former with the heaviness and instrumental complexity of the latter. Whether strummed or picked, the guitars emit a melodic and joyous pitch that wonderfully emphasizes the optimism and positivity that reigns throughout not just Turn Up the Punk, but Latterman’s entire discography. The music crackles with a youthful vigour, one that signifies the passion of the people playing it.

And while there isn’t too much variety to speak of, the songs never sound recycled from one another, with distinctions coming both in the form of well-placed hooks and well-defined lyrical subject matter. The typical punk subjects of mid-20 something apathy are touched on (“My Dreams About Not Sleeping Until 3 p.m.”, “Too Many Emo Days”), but always in the sense of “Well, what can we do about this?” Latterman doesn’t just examine the problems surrounding their lives, but actively (and optimistically) looks at what they, and you, as individuals can do about it. Rather than wallow in self-pity, each song is its own anthem of empowerment, garnished with equally anthemic chants and rallying cries.

If you let your heart tell you who you need to be
You'll find a beautiful person in the mirror everyday

Even when Latterman engages in social criticism (“The Biggest Sausage Party Ever”), they still address it from a perspective of what can be done about it, as opposed to one of abject despondence. Consumer culture and gender inequalities are chief topics of criticism, with awareness, honesty and DIY being promoted as ways of combating these social ills from the standpoint of the individual.

On Turn Up the Punk, We’ll Be Singing, Latterman conceive their inimitable and passionate brand of punk rock with a bang, creating a style just as individual as the message they preach. This is not just energetic and anthemic pop-punk, delivered with an upbeat attitude and a strong sense of social morality, but a shining example of the level of originality still achievable in punk. Pick yourself up a cold beer and give it a listen.

remind ourselves ten years from now
just what we need

Nothington - One for the Road

2009-05-05T14:09:00.001-06:00

Today's post continues this blog's current streak of me posting nothing but gruff, semi-melodic and all-too unheralded punk rock in bite-sized doses. May the streak never die.

Hailing from San Francisco comes Nothington, a punk band made of ex-Tsunami Bomb and Enemy You members that blends HWM-style punk with traditional Southern musical leanings. Nothington takes a bit of a detour from previous bands looked at, in that they noticeably veer off from conventional punk rock to the point where it sounds more like electrically charged, up-tempo country than anything else. The vocals conjure up images of a pissed-off Tom Waits, the singer's strained growl sounding like it was influenced by equal parts whiskey and cigarettes. Twangy guitars and low lying bass lines support, with the end result sounding as much bar band as it does punk rock.

This 7" was the group's debut, released a month before their 2007 full-length All In, and it features tracks from that album as well as some B-sides.

Recommended for Leatherface and American Steel fans.

One for the Road

Chinese Telephones/Dear Landlord Split 7"

2009-04-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

Recorded and released in 2007, this split is a dual effort from two talented Mid-western punk groups, Dear Landlord and Chinese Telephones. The first group, Dear Landlord, definitely has the better side of the split, as they play with the kind of relentlessness and energy usually reserved to basement shows and community centers, only with the skill to back it. They manage to successfully supplement their aggressive approach with a number of memorable hooks and melodies, sounding more than a little bit like early-00's Dillinger Four in the process. The guitars are pummeling in their assault, and the production works to emphasize their strength excellently. The vocals are spectacular as well, delivered with the kind of energy and urgency that, combined with the similarly desperate spirit of the lyrics, practically demand to be sung along with (if you can figure them out anyway).

we're not that hopeless
we're not as fucked as you think
in certain moments
we can do anything

we're winning when you bleed

Chinese Telephones, on the other hand, play a brand of punk that, while less refined in sound quality and production, emphasizes a more upbeat approach, namely in the guitarwork; if Dear Landlord can be compared to Dillinger Four, then a suitable comparison for Chinese Telephones could be a rougher-sounding Latterman. The result of both the production and the band's chaotic style of playing is a much messier and more organic feel to their songs. Unfortunately, the vocals tend to get drowned out much more easily this way, rendering much of the lyrics undecipherable. Regardless, this is a very strong split from two bands that deserve more attention than they're getting, and an excellent way to spend your next eight minutes.

i'm not saying get'er done, but don't just stand there

Banner Pilot - Pass the Poison EP

2009-04-24T14:08:00.001-06:00

I've been on something of a pop-punk fix of late, most of it being your traditional post-00's Midwestern punk concoctions of smooth, hook-laden melodies, angrily shouted raspy vocals and drunken, self-effacing lyrics (e.g. The Lawrence Arms, Dear Landlord, Dillinger Four, Off With Their Heads, Chinese Telephones). All very good stuff if you don't mind the occasional redundancies in sound. But what prompts this post is one of the newer bands to surface from that area, Banner Pilot, who made waves last year with their full-length debut Resignation Day, and whose first EP Pass the Poison is now available for free download here. It's great sloppy and aggressive pop-punk from what has to be the world capital of such things by now, Minneapolis. Teeming with passion and energy, Pass the Poison is a very strong showing by an undoubtedly talented and promising punk outfit.

And if you like this, don't forget to look for their Fat Wreck debut, scheduled for release this fall.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O.

2009-04-14T16:00:00.001-06:00

There's a scene in Mulholland Drive. Two guys are in a diner, and they're talking about a dream that the one guy had, a dream which is eliciting a certain deja vu response for the one guy. He talks about a man that he saw in his dream, outside that very diner, and how the man's face hasn't left his mind since. So they pay their bill, they head outside, and they set off to investigate whether he is really there.

It's the middle of the day, the sun is out, and while everything about the scene looks normal in the sense that any scene can look normal, there's still something about it that just feels off, and it is from this that what should be an everyday occurrence is given this unbelievable wave of tension. The scene is paced at a furious crawl as the two men head towards the alley, their view of which is blocked off by a white, graffiti-tagged wall, and everything about the scene gives the viewer that horror movie feeling that something bad is about to happen.

When the two men reach a certain point, they witness nothing more than a dishevelled homeless man, but it is the way that this reveal happens, as if he glides in to the camera's eyeline like some sort of ghastly apparition, that makes it such a startling and memorable scene. Whether or not this was the dream itself or whether the homeless man was the same man from the dream and the entire scene was a sort of pre-meditated deja vu is left purposefully unclear. Nothing bad happens in the slasher flick way we are lead to expect will happen, but the overall result is more terrifying and unsettling because of it. What could just have been a trivial scare is lent a surreal, nightmarish quality, where the build-up takes prominence over the conclusion.

The reason I make this comparison is Yanqui U.X.O. holds within it the same dream-weary feeling of something that's just not quite right, from the eerie hum that guides along "09-15-00 (Part 1)", to the idling corkscrew guitar line of "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls", to the shrill, frantic, yet oddly peaceful ending notes of "Motherfucker - Redeemer (Part 2)", which comes off almost like a rendition of "We'll Meet Again" amongst the proverbial calamity and destruction that just transpired. Godspeed You! Black Emperor have always been considered one of the most influential bands in the development of post-rock, and this is an entirely deserved title once one sees the incredible control of mood and atmosphere within their pieces; they are like an auteur honing his craft, managing his audience's expectations masterfully by making thorough use of every scene, every shot. And while Yanqui U.X.O. isn't usually considered to be Godspeed's best work, I think it shows a great band at their artistic peak, as it shows them craft some of the most beautiful and unsettling songs of their career.

Where this shows off is in the variety and experimentation shown on Yanqui U.X.O. A lot of the instrumental work feels completely dissociated from the expected sounds of the respective instruments. Drums carry with them the memory of the slow, steady march into war. The wail of a violin is turned into the tuneful drone of a flickering fluorescent light, or maybe the whistling of the wind as it flies by Major Kong's face. Guitars echo all sorts of elaborate pitches, warbling along amongst the expansive atmosphere of noise and reverb. That the instruments come across so detached, so fragmented in their composition works to give the feel that something here is not right.

And no doubt that's the point. GY!BE have always been a heavily political band; the picture below (which comes within the liner notes for Yanqui U.X.O.) shows the link between each major record label, the subsidiary that owns them, and factories that manufacture weapons and missiles for the American military.

Taking this as well as a number of other re-occurring motifs from this album into account, we can see Yanqui U.X.O. (with U.X.O. standing for "unexploded ordnance", weapons that were fired but didn't explode) as something of an attempt to capture the pervasive mood of its time. In America, the late 90's to very early 00's (the time in which this album was written and recorded) are always referred to as a 'boom' time, be it due to the explosion of internet business, the economic policies of the Clinton administration, or just the natural ebb and flow of the market system. The economy was good and as such, the generalization goes that people were living well. And yet at this very time, numerous bombing campaigns were being run overseas, in Serbia, in the Middle-East, where far poorer people in far poorer nations were feeling the brunt of political decisions they had no hand in making. Whether these political decisions were justified isn't relevant; what is relevant is that there's something that just doesn't feel right to such a massive discrepancy in the value of life that occurs when one draws a line between us and them, when dividing between which people deserve to live at the expense of their fellow human beings. The sad, echoic drums that pace "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls" almost seem to recognize the fate of those below, but they can provide little but solemnity for the loss.

Of course, that doesn't really tell you what the album is like at all, only the perceived meanings behind it. So what then is Yanqui U.X.O.? Yanqui U.X.O. is that feeling of something not quite right, of that pang of guilt that comes with success at the undeserved folly of another. It's that feeling of sinister lurking behind a bright, sunny day - or perhaps, behind a white, graffiti-tagged wall. It's the sense you get out of a dissociative high that renders everything around you remains recognizable, but leaves the meaning behind them blurred and detached. It is sorrow and it is confusion, and it occurs within a state of affairs wherein the line between the two becomes so blurred as to be entirely inseparable. Yet it is also an utterly transcendent album, beautifully strange and delightfully eerie, moving and tragic, an album that is poignant and unique without saying a single word.

Yanqui U.X.O.

Lifter Puller - Bay City Rolling 7"

2009-04-08T14:34:00.002-06:00

Lifter Puller is what Craig Finn was up to prior to fronting The Hold Steady and personally, I've always seen them as the superior band regardless of the mainstream popularity of the latter. Their material was not only much more consistent, but featured the type of gripping tales of drugs, drunkenness and debauchery usually reserved for pulp fiction. Bay City Rolling was one of the group's last releases (post-Fiestas and Fiascos), and it features two songs, the raucous "Secret Santa Cruz" and the more restrained "Yo Quereria", both strong efforts which make good use of the band's established sound from F&F. For fans of the band, or for anyone interested in the whereabouts of post-punk before its mid-00's revival, this is a must.

Bay City Rolling

Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains - All Power to the Wingnuts! EP

2009-03-30T15:30:00.002-06:00

This is an early release by one of my favourite folk-punk acts, Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains. Two out of the three songs here would be re-recorded and re-released on the Chaos Infiltration Squad! EP, but All Power to the Wingnuts!, while immature in sound and demeanor, has a much better recording going for it.

While this certainly isn't the best Johnny Hobo release (that would be Love Songs for the Apocalypse), and while Pat's vocals come off even more abrasive than usual, All Power to the Wingnuts! is still a good example of the same anarchistic passion and teenage discontent that re-appear throughout the band's work. Apathy has never sounded so good.

All Power to the Wingnuts!

we draped ourselves in noise

2009-03-28T23:27:00.014-06:00

just got back from a show (see above). to recap the night: I got drunk in advance for the sake of practicality, got headbutted during a circle pit, bled profusely for about five minutes afterwards, and spent the rest of the time just generally jumping around like a fucking spastic while people in pull-over hoodies stood around motionless staring at their cell phones, thinking about which friend they should text next. hard-fucking-core, guys

there's not really a point to this post, I guess, considering I don't remember which band was which, and can't really analyze the show in any depth aside from "it was awesome". if anyone checked out that Black Ships link I posted here a while back (as an aside there was a guy wearing a Black Ships shirt there, which was cool to see amidst the almost comical number of people clad in Have Heart apparel - which isn't to say they aren't good either), the bands were mostly in that vein (i.e. fucking loud, fairly abrasive, and in some cases, surprisingly technical), blending hardcore with sludge with post-metal with crust with feedback and distortion and VOLUME. my opinion is likely biased by the amount of alcohol I consumed (I am the kind of guy who brings his own spiked water bottle; I am also the kind of guy who uses too many parentheses), but still

woooooooooo

also, I picked up a pretty cool split of some bands I saw a while back that I'll probably post here once I figure out how to rip vinyls onto a computer (my current hypothesis is I just don't have the necessary technology, but if anyone wants to educate me on the manner, that would be swell). usually I just download anything I buy on vinyl so I can listen to it on my computer as well, but this one may be hard to find considering both bands are locally based.

Corpse Paint Not Included

2009-03-24T16:29:00.013-06:00

Okay, so recently I made a black metal mix for a messageboard I frequent, and I figured that as long as I was writing (however sloppy) I might as well post it here as well. I haven`t really talked about metal much here as I haven`t been listening to it as much as I used to, but in case you`re unfamiliar with black metal, this is a fairly good mix for beginners to get into. Since I was making it while under the assumption that most of the people who would listen to it would not have had a lot of experience with black metal previously, I tried to make it as accessible as I could by focusing on the diversity of the genre, as well as the experimentation with different styles that occurred following the rather homogenous second wave (not a knock, just an observation). It also has a fairly low number of songs (nine total, as any more would have kept me from being able to use Mediafire as a host), so there's not much in the way of filler.

As such, there are no Darkthrone, Mayhem, or Immortal songs included, although these bands were all crucially important to the explosion of the genre in the early to mid 90’s. Still, a few of the important second wave bands are included at the beginning of the mix as a way of defining the genre and forming a template for what black metal is. From then on, the mix veers off in a number of somewhat radical approaches that, while often different in tone and sound from traditional black metal, are still firmly rooted and influenced by it. As a result, I think this mix should be a lot more accessible for listeners unfamiliar to the genre, which makes it a good introduction to an often suffocatingly insular brand of music.

1. Ulver - Capitel V: Bergtatt - Ind I Fjeldkamrene
Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr I 5 Capitler (1994)

Now then, let’s get right into the thick of it. This song begins with a blaring metal riff, and it continues in that same unwaveringly strong, insistent fashion for most of its duration. While Ulver may be most known for their experimentations blending metal and folk (they would eventually detach themselves from the genre, moving on to more experimental pursuits), this song is pure black metal in all its glory. Powerful, intense, atmospheric and lighting fast, this is a great song from one of the most heralded bands (and deservedly so) in black metal.

2. Burzum – Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Hvis Lyset Tar Oss (1994)

Nearly every negative pre-conception held against black metal can be traced back to this guy right here: Varg Vikernes, the sole artist behind Burzum, and a fairly prominent part of the Norwegian black metal scene back in its heyday. Incidentally, he just got out of jail, where he spent the last sixteen years (and from where he released this album) for murder.

Regardless of his actions, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss is considered by many to be one of the classic albums of early black metal, a landmark of the genre alongside the works of other luminary artists as Ulver (above) and Emperor (below). Thick, unyielding guitars and a strong understanding and control of ambience make this one of the darkest and most atmospheric albums you’ll ever hear. And yet, it’s also one of the most inaccessible albums you’ll hear, if only because of the unique vocal approach, which are divided among listeners on a love/hate basis, where some feel it gives the album a tortured, almost evil feel to it, and others feel that it’s just fucking abrasive. The reason for this is that Varg doesn’t so much ‘sing’, as he does ‘scream like someone is tearing apart his genitals with a rusty penknife’ (sorry for the mental image). Either way, it’s a must-listen for its influence.

3. Emperor – Ye Entrancemperium
Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1996)

No other black metal band has quite the resume of the pull of Emperor. While other bands were adopting a rougher approach, attempting to make their sound even more distorted and poor than it already was in order to appeal to some misnomer about what ‘true’ black metal was, Emperor added keyboards and symphonic elements to their attack. Judging by their current influence and status as one of the defining bands of black metal, they made the right call.

Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk was the band’s second album, and while many would agree they created a classic with their debut, In the Nightside Eclipse, they still managed to not only live up to that standard, but in fact exceed it with their follow-up. “Ye Entrancemperium” is a fast-paced song that shows their innovative and influential blending of keyboards and dark metal, an idea which would be expanded upon by other bands on this list.

4. Summoning – Elfstone
Dol Guldur (1996)

Called ‘atmospheric black metal’ due to their tendency to slow down the pace and to introduce elements alien to traditional black metal into their approach, Summoning are possibly most well known for the fact that almost all of their lyrics are based on the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien (except on Stronghold, which finds itself drawing from the unfamiliar well of the poems of J.R.R. Tolkien). That may sound exceptionally nerdy, but come on; can you honestly say you never thought about forming a band (possibly in high school) for the sole intention of singing about Lord of the Rings? Think of all the chicks you would get, and then get back to me.

(They would be numerous, is what I am saying)

5. Windir – 1184
1184 (2001)

Windir was fucking amazing. They played vicious, relentless black metal, and they did it with a speed and precision that was unsurpassed by any of their contemporaries. What this band utilized that perhaps made them better than any other black metal outfit however, was the way keyboards were blended so seamlessly into their approach (much better than with Emperor), taking the dense and menacing ‘wall of sound’ technique used by so many black metal bands and soaring above it with expertly constructed melodic sections befitting of an electronica artist. Never does the amalgamation sound overdramatic or cheesy like with so many sub-par ‘melo-death’ bands; instead, it adds a power to their music, an emotional resonance that appears so rarely in black metal.

Unfortunately, the band ended prematurely in 2004 after singer and group mastermind Valfar died of hypothermia at only 25 years old (considering that he had been releasing music under the name for ten years prior to his death makes his accomplishments while alive all the more impressive). Still, we have four albums he wrote as Windir that stand as a testament to his strength as a songwriter and performer (there was no full band line-up until Windir's third album, the aforementioned 1184).

6. Arcturus – Collapse Generation
The Sham Mirrors (2001)

And now we are all but entirely distanced from traditional black metal. Arcturus was a collaboration between a number of influential metal musicians, including Garm, the singer for Ulver, and Hellhammer, the guitarist for Mayhem. Often called ‘avant-garde metal’ for the unique and frankly bizarre approach of their last couple of releases (including this one, The Sham Mirrors), they still retain some of the black metal qualities inherent to their earlier works.

For example, listen to the drums on this song. Holy. Sh*t.

7. Woods of Ypres – The Sun Was in My Eyes: Part 1
Pursuit of the Sun and Allure of the Earth (2004)

Woods of Ypres are a melodic black metal outfit from Toronto that combine folk, doom (much like the next band on the list) and black metal into a heavily atmospheric package. They are one of many modern black metal-leaning bands today that are looking to nature as a form of musical inspiration, rather than the somewhat questionable influences that guided the second wave of black metal. They are also exceptionally good, and are one of the most easily accessible bands on this mix.

8. Agalloch – Falling Snow
Ashes Against the Grain (2006)

Possibly the most well-recognized band on this list, and also one of the furthest to depart from traditional black metal, Agalloch take a similar approach to Woods of Ypres (which is more likely due to their influence on WoY, rather than vice versa). On their earlier releases (especially The Mantle), Agalloch take on an Ulver-inspired folk metal approach, wherein a natural atmosphere is emphasized and electric guitars are often eschewed in favour of acoustics. On Ashes Against the Grain, they rely on that sparse folk aesthetic a lot less, instead creating a thick, commanding, almost ethereal sound. “Falling Snow” is one highlight of many on this album, and the opening guitar riff is among the greatest I have ever heard. This song is a lot slower than most of the other stuff on this mix, and the atmospheric stance taken is one heavily dissociated from the common idea of black metal (you can occasionally even hear the bass). Yet the influences are apparent as well, especially in the vocals, and Agalloch serves as a strong example of what can be produced when creativity and artistic inspiration are stressed over following the norms of already well-defined genres.

9. Wolves in the Throne Room – Cleansing
Two Hunters (2007)

Dark. Overpowering. Suffocating.

All of these are accurate descriptors of the last ten minutes of this mix, courtesy of one of the most important bands in black metal today (and one of the only USBM bands to get it right). Though their personal beliefs often overshadow their music (think Thoreau), there can be no doubt as to the strength of that music, which takes ambient cues from Burzum while still retaining a forceful and progressive musical complexity (Varg was never quite lauded for his musicianship).

click here for EVIL

Mischief Brew - Jobs in Steel Town 7"

2009-03-19T15:09:00.003-06:00

Since I haven't really had the time to do any full posts of late, I'm going to continue to half-ass it (well, sort of) while posting various 7" recordings until my schedule becomes less unrelenting.

Mischief Brew is the undertaking of singer-songwriter Erik Peterson, a project which combines elements of the protest singers of the 60's with a highly varied assortment of musical influences, including Celtic, swing, and early jazz. The Jobs in Steel Town 7" was released just last year, and thematically, it focuses on the effects of business on working-class towns; namely, the reliance of the latter on the former and the almost indifferent relationship that exists on the other end of the scale. Peterson's lyrics on the title track paint a somber picture of what happens when the fruits of industry dry out - a picture which becomes especially resonant when looking at the current status of the American auto industry, which has shed workers by the tens of thousands just to stay afloat - as he traces the downfall and failed revitalization of a former industrial center. On the B-side, however, Peterson's tone is more hopeful, as he chooses to revel in the "beautiful decay" he sees rather than lament it. "The Barrel" focuses on the idea of finding yourself in a bad situation and seeing in it an opportunity for solidarity, growth and self-fulfillment, like when a flower peeks through a crack in the pavement. Jobs in Steel Town doesn't contain the strongest songs ever penned under the Mischief Brew name, but it does contain some of the most resonant, and it stands as a sympathetic ode to the trials of the working-class as the importance of labour continues to diminish in the face of a globalized world.

Jobs in Steel Town

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead 12" Single

2009-03-16T16:25:00.002-06:00

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was Bauhaus' first single, originally released in 1979, and it stands as their most prominent and well-regarded song to date, as well as a landmark in the evolution of post-punk. Lasting over nine minutes, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" takes on a starkly minimalist approach, experimenting with a purposely sparse sound and accentuating atmosphere over musical complexity. The grinding, reverb-drenched guitars, the fidgety, echoic drums, the hypnotic, throbbing bass, all of it combines to create the overwhelming sense of foreboding gloom that teems throughout this track. Singer Peter Murphy's vocals have all the solemnity of a funeral dirge, as his trance-like drone carries along the drifting desolation of the instruments.

Morbid, eerie, and ominous, this single is a classic in every sense of the word. If you haven't heard it before, consider this an absolute must-listen. (The B-side isn't bad either.)

Bela Lugosi is dead

Thursday Afternoon Music Videos: Matthew Good - Weapon

2009-03-12T14:10:00.003-06:00

I haven’t been posting much recently – part of this is due to an increased workload, part of it is just general apathy – but in the interest of maintaining some semblance of activity, here is one of my favourite music videos by my favourite artist, Matthew Good. "Weapon" was the first single off of Good's first solo album, the brilliant Avalanche, and it marks a noticeable shift in his style of song-writing, moving from the aggressive, angst-ridden post-grunge of the Matthew Good Band to a slower, more ethereal sound. Orchestral flourishes give an almost heavenly air to a song that already feels deeply immersed in inner struggle, with the blaring din of the guitars representing the conflict that surrounds the speaker. Like a lot of Good's songs, lyrically, "Weapon" doesn't so much as follow a strict narrative or have a clear meaning to it as it does present a kind of poetic imagery, relying on the strength of its singer to convey the emotions of the words as they relate to the mood.

It is perhaps because of this that Good's music videos are often as beguiling as they are. Without having to push a particular story as it exists within the song, he (as well as whoever happens to be helping direct the video) is allowed to instead go the direct route of appealing to the mood of the song, rather than follow some pre-conditioned meaning that may not fit as well. Indeed, this is both an artfully and satirically adept music video that follows an entirely different path than the song, and yet, manages to enhance it beautifully. Through a bleak yet enrapturing collage of images and colours, the video provides a cynical and subversive backdrop that impresses upon its viewer the same feelings of desperate, mocking dissonance that resonate throughout Good’s material (albeit much moreso in his pre-solo career). At first, the video may appear to go the traditional route of "band pretends to play song while you listen to song", but that standard is immediately subverted through sarcastic and self-depricating editing, quick cuts filled with pseudo-subliminal messages, and a potent yet subtle sense of irony that takes nothing sacred.

But enough of my rambling:

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead

2009-02-26T16:45:00.002-07:00

In a way, El-P could be considered a modern renaissance man (at least as far as hip-hop is concerned). In addition to being a skilled rapper and producer (formerly of Company Flow), as well as one of the most prolific and widely skilled voices of underground rap today, he is also the co-founder and owner of Def Jux, a highly influential label that makes up one of the largest pillars of modern independent hip-hop. So it should be no surprise that his solo career has come to combine the numerous facets of his repertoire, showcasing both his intelligent and forceful lyrical ability as well as his excellent ability for composition. On his second full-length solo album, I'll Sleep When You're Dead, El-P brings these elements together to create a dark, paranoid and fully realized world, pessimistic in its viewpoints, honest in its confessions, and ultimately dissociated from reality.

Do you think that if you were falling in space
that you would slow down after a while, or go faster and faster?
faster and faster
for a long time you wouldn't feel anything...

From the hushed whispers and ominous ringing that opens "Tasmanian Pain Coaster" (including the above sample from Twin Peaks), we are immediately introduced to El-P's unique and dissociative style. His beats sound alien even after repeated listens, with the constant implementation of estranged synths giving off the intimate detachment of a drug-induced fervour. Indeed, drugs play a large role in this album; not only are they referenced liberally (the aforementioned "Tasmanian Pain Coaster" is about PCP), but the production takes on a very psychedelic tone, overloading the senses with disparate elements as if the stated goal is to divorce the listener from corporeality. Crowd samples and foreign-sounding noises are channelled continually, fleeting yet disconcerting in their appearances, as they work to bring the listener further into the insular and suffocating world I'll Sleep When You're Dead exists in. For what it is, the production is often infectious, creating a diverse and imaginative landscape for El-P to preach over. Occasionally, the beats are too dense and too discordant for their own good, but overall, they show one of the most innovative and atypical producers in hip-hop at his best.

El-P's voice slices through the disorientation of the production with an unwavering strength, able to convey both confidence and compassion with the same preternatural gift for gab. Indeed, this is possibly the strongest lyrical work I have ever seen in regards to hip-hop, with El-P moving back and forth between surrealist stream of consciousness, foreboding narration, and effacing self-examination with ultimate poise. El-P's range includes tracks as varied as the sneering defiance of "Dear Sirs" (replete with apocalyptic imagery), the Brazil-meets-Blade Runner dystopian fantasy of "Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)", and the tender balance between love and guilt as examined on "The Overly Dramatic Truth". While these songs all take on different subjects and in different ways, they are brought together by their starkly bleak worldview. "Dear Sirs" can be read as a long, bitter critique of modern society, "The Overly Dramatic Truth" deals with one man's attempt to come to terms with his reciprocated love for a younger woman (the overriding suggestion being that he cannot), and while "Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)" starts out with a promise of redemption, it destroys all semblance of it by the end.

There are a number of standout tracks here that deserve mentioning for one reason or another, but a personal favourite is "The League of Extraordinary Nobodies", a seemingly simple song about getting high at a party that follows a deeply cynical and anti-social narrator as he describes the scene around him. The paranoid and remarkably self-aware style of rambling El-P utilizes here is a treat for anyone who's ever been in the same situation, "surrounded by the friendliest of strangers who would sooner kill themselves than give a fuck if [they] were dead".

I just counted in my head how many people in this room I'm talking to that I would never give the time
And here we are, all being vain and looking at ourselves in mirrors very closely nodding straight up in a line
All the funny little stories that are told are being fueled by what amounts to nothing more than minor crime
But I'm a whore, and I'm exploring territory where the party and the pussy both are numbered by the dime

The song is clever and endlessly quotable, and as the narrator's chagrin at the senseless repetition of his and everyone else's actions grows, a laugh track is introduced to the mix to poke fun at the predictability of the party-goers from a figurative perspective.

I've been noticing the fact that nothing glorious can happen anymore, we've run the gamut of our filth
But here I am again, pretending spontaneity exists with idiots all lifted out their little gills
Aren't you disturbed that everything you did tonight is something else you did already and its meaning is still nill
And all the people in your presence are just weapons, it's as simple as the theory that the dying love to kill

I could go on gushing, but the point would be better summed up in short: with I'll Sleep When You're Dead, El-P created a modern hip-hop masterpiece. The dark and disorienting production works perfectly with the world-weary cynicism of the lyrics. The songs are extremely well-written and composed, and El-P's stoic, often surreal manner of rapping only adds to the emotional resonance of his statements. But while I'll Sleep When You're Dead may be bleak - and it most certainly is bleak - it is also vigilant in spite of it all, unwilling to look away from the darker side of life for even a moment. But this album is not merely a celebration of desolation. Rather, it is a recognition of the necessity of being aware and the consequences of what it means to be aware - even if that means a few sleepless nights.

this is the sound of what you don't know killing you

Financial Panther - Financial Panther EP

2009-02-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

1. Quick! Create a Diversion
2. Three Cheers for the Pantsuit Brigade
3. I Can't Be Sexist, I Read Heartattack
4. I Cannot Tell a Lie... You Chopped Down My Self-Esteem Tree

It's a band named Financial Panther. If that doesn't pique your interest, then nothing I could ever say would change your mind.

Get him, Sheba!

Best of 2008: Final Thoughts (/w Links)

2009-02-10T16:24:00.003-07:00

Figured it would be a good idea to have one place for all this stuff, kind of like a handy reference guide in case you wanted to look up a post or find a link (more likely a link).

1. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold -> Download
2. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound -> Download
3. Verse En Coma - Rialto -> Download
4. Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start - Embers -> Download
5. Verse - Aggression -> Download
6. Transistor Transistor - Ruined Lives -> Download
7. Pygmy Lush - Mount Hope -> Download
8. Fight Like Apes - And the Mystery of the Golden Medallion -> Download
9. Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness -> Download 1 2
10. Aussitot Mort - Montuenga -> Download
11. The Max Levine Ensemble - OK Smartypants -> Download
12. Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun -> Download
13. Adebisi Shank - This is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank -> Download
14. Off Minor - Some Blood -> Download
15. Daitro/Sed Non Satiata Split -> Download
16. God is an Astronaut - God is an Astronaut -> Download
17. Metaform - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants -> Download
18. The Mars Volta - Bedlam in Goliath -> Download
19. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride -> Download
20. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip -> Download
21. Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner -> Download
22. Baader Brains - The Complete Unfinished Works of the Young Tigers -> Download
23. ...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud -> Download
24. Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling -> Download
25. Killing the Dream - Fractures -> Download
26. Mesa Verde - The Old Road -> Download
27. pg.lost - It's Not Me, It's You -> Download 1 2
28. The Riot Before - Fists Buried in Pockets -> Download
29. Black Ships - Omens -> Download
30. United Nations - United Nations -> Download

Also, there's some other albums that would have made this list had I gotten into them sooner that I'd like to use this space to give a shout-out to, half-assed though it may be.

Dillinger Four - CIVIL WAR

Attention, Dillinger(s): Kindly never go six years without making a record again. I know you have jobs and real responsibilities that your time would be better spent on and whatnot, but the teasing was just cruel. This album isn't quite on the level of Situationist Comedy, and it lacks the energy of earlier Dillinger Four, but it's still fiercely intelligent punk music that you can hum along to, and dammit, that has to mean something.

Star Fucking Hipsters - Until We're Dead

Longtime Choking Victim followers may not like the move to an often slower, more expansive sound, but I do. There's a weariness to this album, both in the band's propensity to slow things down, and in the vocals of Stza, which have lost a lot of power to them in the past five years (much less the past ten). I'd call it maturity, but anyone who's actually listened to the Hipsters know that's not the case. Either way, Until We're Dead is either a nice reprise or a mild disappointment for anyone who's been jonesing for some crack rock steady (I fall into the former group).

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns

Delightful Toronto-based, synth-infused indie rock from displaced Albertans remembering with fondness a simpler time in their lives. One that involved prairies. It has been said that the singer sounds like Jeff Mangum, and I agree with that assessment. Fun Fact: I have been to every single city/town they sing about on this album. Yes. That's right. I can feel your jealousy pouring through the computer screen. Anyhoo, this is probably the best example of Canadian music that 2008 has to offer. So if you wanna infuse yourself with a culture far superior to yours in everyway (not that we like to brag), look into this album.

Best of 2008: #1. Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

2009-02-10T15:04:00.003-07:00

Atmosphere is a funny combination; rare is it that underground hip-hop gains such a massive following. And yet, given the growing alternative, it's really no surprise to see the Minnesota group gain greater and greater prominence over the more mainstream-oriented fare. But I'm not here to rant about the state of modern hip-hop; especially given that I don't care. What I am here to say is that the sixth album from producer/rapper duo Ant and Slug, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, is their best yet, combining the polish of You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having with the emotional depth of Godlovesugly into a remarkably deep and resonant package.

As far as vocals go, When Life Gives You Lemonsrepresents something of a shift in approach for Slug. His rich, descriptive style is no longer focused inward; the same introspective qualities that have always abounded in Slug's lyrics still apply, but now more than ever they take on a narrative perspective, serving to illuminate the lives and mindsets of any number of eloquently explored characters. Through his empathetic and nimble direction, Slug weaves his way through the adversities and struggles of the people we see in our day-to-day lives, from the waitress serving taking your orders to pay her way through school ("You") to the homeless man on the street corner just trying to get out of the cold ("The Waitress"). One of the strongest is the tale of a blue-collar father trying to provide for his family in the face of near-destitution ("Guarantees"). Accompanied by a simple, bluesy guitar lick, Slug's first-person narrative exquisitely describes the plight of the working poor, pitting the abject hopelessness of trying to become something - anything - versus the necessity to keep on going anyway.

well maybe we can speed up the process
kill me in my thirties in the name of progress
put me in the dirt and then change the topic
some times it seems like the only way to stop it
contemplating my departure date
doesn't take a lot to get a lot of us to talk this way

It would take too long to explore all the great lines Slug peppers in throughout this album, but suffice to say they are bountiful, and they exude a cautious understanding of even the most flawed of individuals being explored.

wanna make her smile? want to make her laugh?
want to make up for the mistakes in the past?
want to act like he doesn't know better
if payback's a bitch, he'll be in debt forever
insecure, impatient
temporary gratification, self validation
that's what it's made of, it's all true
and it's the only reason that he's even talking to you

On the production side of things, Ant does some of his best work yet, staying away from the stark minimalism of early Atmosphere with lush recordings of pianos, woodwinds and synthesizers. Early on in his career, Ant was mostly just a backdrop for Slug's lyrical prowess, with his beats consisting of simple rhythms and usually an instrument layered over top, making sure never to detract unduly attention from Slug. And while this did well to showcase one of the best underground rappers around, it sometimes made for an overly basic affair. But with the duo's last album, You Can't Believe How Much Fun We're Having, this changed, as Ant's beats became thicker, and began to gain equal footing with Slug's vocals. On When Life Gives You Lemons, the production is remarkably crisp, with a variety of instruments popping up all over the place to enhance the aura, and it shows even as Ant moves further and further away from typical hip-hop production. (The flute makes not one, but two appearance here - giving it perhaps the most street cred of all the reedless wind instruments.)

Ant's production has an engrossing warmth to it, giving it a sympathetic edge that compliments Slug beautifully. This can be seen in how the lyre-like strings of "Like the Rest of Us" pace Slug's gentle crooning, or in how the desperation of the titular "Dreamer" is enhanced by Ant's orchestral flourishes. Or how the wonderfully nostalgic feel of "In Her Music Box" helps to give a sense of innocence to the song, making us feel like the child in the story, blissfully unaware of both her mom's distress and her dad's immaturity.

Yet Ant doesn't just compliment Slug; on several occasions, the instruments are the main focus of the listener's attention, driving the song along and giving it its identity. For example, the dark, dense synth-lead production of "Your Glasshouse" and "Can't Break" fantastically influence the feel of their respective songs. In the former, it serves to enhance the disorientation the lead character feels upon waking up to a hangover, and in the latter, it makes up for a rare disjointed narrative by giving it a menacing feel that helps piece the parts together.

Atmosphere's sixth album is a triumph of modern hip-hop that eschews the shallow themes and masturbatory self-aggrandization that makes the genre impenetrable to those who demand actual depth in their music. Both Slug and Ant are at the very top of their already, proving why each has the level of influence that they do in their respective fields. This is an extremely personable album that the listener can identify and empathize with immediately due to the beautifully deep characterizations and the intricate and original production. The next time you're ever feeling down or depressed, crestfallen over the latest of many things to go wrong, just put on some Atmosphere and paint that shit gold.

Best of 2008: #2. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

2009-02-02T18:44:00.001-07:00

Following the unexpected success of their debut album Sink or Swim (no Kerrang, they're not fucking new), along with their tour as support for Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem became a band just on the verge of breaking out. They were one of those groups that had mainstream appeal written all over them, thanks to their strong, accessible, yet distinctive formula that combines the vivid blue-collar rock of yesteryear with a youthful, defiant punk flare. So the fact that their latest release, The '59 Sound has gained them so much in the way of critical and commercial success is really no surprise; what is surprising is how well these guys deserve it. What you can expect from this album is kind of summed up right there, in the album title. This is the ’59 Sound: an elegy for the days of fast cars, small town living, rock n’ roll and a starry-eyed idealism that now typifies the era, all as imagined by people who never lived through it.

The Gaslight Anthem hail from New Jersey, and this geographic influence is utmostly clear in their music, which, like many other bands occupying the region, smacks of the kind of Springsteen hero worship you would expect coming out of a staunchly blue-collar state. They have been described as The Bouncing Souls covering Bruce Springsteen, a comparison which I think does a good job of accurately representing their unique-yet-familiar blend of pop-punk and old fashioned rock n’ roll. While on Sink or Swim, the Gaslight Anthem bordered more on the former than the latter, on The ’59 Sound, this dichotomy is switched. At times, the band moves into full-on homage mode here, dedicating the entire record to the glory of an era past.

But to view The ’59 Sound as merely reverence for a simpler time would be to misconstrue it entirely. As opposed to the reactionary forces that actively long for the ostensibly idyllic days of the 50’s, before the great cultural divide of the United States set in, what the Gaslight Anthem appear to be aiming for thematically in their music is a desire for the innocent hope and naive aspirations that are seen to have encompassed the times following World War II - a romantic appeal for a halcyon time that never truly existed. Maybe that's why the songs here resonate so much with the listener's imagination, even though none of them bear any particular connection to the present. The stories told hold a timeless allure to them, focusing on quixotic notions of hope, love, and everything that can go wrong in between. That the album opens with a song called "Great Expectations" - and that it ends up being much more dour in focus than would be expected - is demonstrative of this balance between the dreams we cling to, and the reality that keeps us from living them.

Where The Gaslight Anthem ultimately succeed with The '59 Sound is in the openly heartfelt way they go about making it, from the enchanting, bluesy riffs, to the emotional, soul-baring pleas of singer Brian Fallon. There's an endearing warmth to music like this; it calms you even as it enlivens you, blanketing its listener in an inspirational and cathartic mix of hope and distress that could serve as a soundtrack for all the unfulfilled dreamers out there who insist on keeping on. The '59 Sound is neither the sound of maturity nor is it the sound of youthful indignation - it is too boisterous to be the former, too meloncholy to be the latter - but whatever it is is imbued with a quiet wisdom and a stirring passion that must surely be beyond the years of the four twenty-somethings that wrote it.

Best of 2008: #3. Verse En Coma - Rialto

2009-01-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

I first found out about this album as part of a superb mega-post/analysis over at Last Train for Cool, and decided to check it out due to it being mentioned alongside two other post-Pg.99 bands I was rather big on, Malady and the already-covered Pygmy Lush. Anyway, I strongly recommend you check that out (Extra encouragement: it has a link).

Now then, Verse En Coma are kind of a hard band to nail down. They don't conform to any genre norms, despite their hardcore pedigree, and while this may make it hard for overly obsessive outsiders to properly categorize them, it also allows the band to run free with their ideas, unhindered by any bullshit expectations of what they should sound like. As a result, Rialto ends up with greater musical similarities to The Holy Bible-era Manic Street Preachers or Wire than it does to Pg.99, and frankly, it's far better for it.

Really, describing their sound relative to anything almost requires a certain contextual knowledge of the band members' past, as it could be surmised that everything on this album is an evolution of what Malady did (Verse En Coma being formed by two former members of Malady, Jonathon and Kevin). In this case, I would describe what Verse En Coma does as a more tempered, weary substitute for the dark, abyssal and endlessly pessimistic punk of Malady. The same expansive, dream-like atmosphere is in full effect here, but it comes off more like a hallucination than a nightmare, the bitterness of Malady eschewed in favour of a numbing feeling of dissociation. The instruments crackle with the same fuzz-laden cacophony seen on Malady, with the canned ferocity of the drums being especially notable (and fantastic). Guitar lines constantly move in and out of the translucent, reverb-drenched fog surrounding them, barely sounding recognizable amongst the midst of their own distortion. Even the vocals are blurred beyond being immediately identifiable; the singer's more desperate cries come off as even more restless as a result of the hedging waves of distortion, while the mellower vocals sound like little more than a gentle hum, clouded to the point where they sound almost indivisible from the bass.

Thematically, Rialto sees Verse En Coma look at the ennui of modern life through a number of narratives, executing this concept excellently both in its effusion of mood and in its lyrical content. "Through Ice Patches and Pine Trees" is a fast-paced musical whirl through continually unfamiliar territory, with the lyrics taking on an introspective, stream of consciousness style that emits the kind of honesty and self-discovery that comes only with a double dose of insomnia and alcohol. "In a Factory" teems with repression and angst as it tells a story of disenfranchised lovers amongst the backdrop of their mutual working-place. The music is bleak, but the vocals exude an entrancing warmth, suggesting the speaker's relationship is a lone yet utterly redeeming bright spot in the vast array of lifelessness and subordination he finds around him.

we were the young ones
we were the artistic ones
we were the "they don't know what life is really about" ones

Verse En Coma's Rialto is the best debut album of the year, an effort that takes the most distinct and intriguing parts of Malady and infuses them with a stellar song-writing skill and an even more ambitious musical approach. The album progresses like a long, bewildering dream, as it constantly changes narrative focus, but never seems to break the singular progression of mood. Unfortunately, clocking in at under a half-hour, Rialto isn't quite as epic in length as it feels in scope. But it is an enrapturing journey through the highs and lows of Richmond, delivered through such a dissociative state of ennui that it isn't sure if it still feels either.

but i'm still here

Best of 2008: #4. Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start - Embers

2009-01-22T15:29:00.005-07:00

Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start are an instrumental post-rock four-piece from Kent, in south-eastern England. Embers is the group's second full-length release, a magnificently emotional album that conjures up all kinds of disparate scenes - of reconciliation, of escape, of mourning - as if they were happening right in front of your eyes. Every song here seems to tell a tale of its own, with ten tales of life, love, and loss being revealed with each sweeping guitar lick, each gentle yet forceful pluck of a string.

It begins with the short and cacophonous "Embers and Ashes", which acts as a sort of overture for Embers, jetting around through violins, bells, drums and the like, all of which are sampled from the rest of the album. This leads into the ethereal progression seen at the beginning of "Get to the Chopper", which is slow, yet decidedly desperate, as if it is the invisible hand that guides along some climactic action scene filmed almost entirely in slow motion. The guitars move from being plucked gently to being enforced with powerful electric feedback as the proposed movie climaxes, then denoues as the drums move back from the precipice of immediate peril. John Woo would be proud.

"Our Flowers" is like a wordless love story, starting off gentle yet distant, but eventually becoming more furious, more blissful, as if simultaneously calling to mind all the powerful memories that such passion can evoke. There are some fantastic riffs on display here as well, as the band show off their talent for writing memorable and catchy hooks by clearly emphasizing the tone of the guitar during breaks.

Beginning with a jubilant violin, "Murmurs Pt. 2" is the evidential second part to a story we haven't yet received the beginning of. Eventually the song enters into a loop worthy of the very best of Explosions in the Sky, evoking feelings of love and passion lost long ago, bittersweet memories that feel better for having existed, and a perplexing mixture of joyousness and sorrow. But ultimately, joy wins out, and the song is given a reconciliatory tone, the kind reserved for former best friends or lovers, people that you haven't seen in years.

"New Chapters" is a minute-long piano-lead interlude, its tone and title both suggesting different things ahead. Indeed, the next track, "McDoomish" brushes off the romantic connotations of its predecessors for an angier, more embittered tone. Rising to metallic levels of heaviness at points, "McDoomish" plays like a discordant counter-part to the valiant action of "Get to the Chopper", except instead of suggesting the kind of victory befitting of heroism, it suggests failure instead. It suggests that if any victory were to be found, it would be Pyrrhic in nature, marred by the ultimate consequences. As the intensity rises, the electric guitars pick up strength, and the song becomes flooded with industrial-strength distortion, remaining pretty only in the sense that tragedy can be considered entertainment.

"Murmurs Pt. 1", like its counter-part, begins with a violin, its crooning reminiscent of a wedding song, with the tender and mesmerizing touch of the guitars following supporting this idea of love at the center of it. This builds, and the song erupts with explosive fury, peaking with unmitigated levels of aggression. Yet what follows comes off as almost sad, a mixture of the bittersweet that enveloped the second part, only faster, louder, and angrier; if "Murmurs Pt. 2" is The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, this can be likened to Those Who Tell the Truth.... This is the break-up or falling out that leads to the reconciliation.

"Cascades" is a more delicate slice of harmony, the song taking on that treble-heavy pitch that should be well-known by now. The beginning lull however gives rise to a menacing crescendo, and the full ferocity of the guitars is unleashed, with the drums playing an adamant ode to the drummer boy who stands among the soldiers, a willing target in a war he can't fight.

"Fireflies" takes the ominous, doom-ish style of "McDoomish" and builds on it, taking on a more up-tempo/grandiose style. The climaxes sound like something created by Red Sparowes; if "Cascades" is a march to war, then this is the battlefield. Blisteringly fast and destructively loud, the song surrounds and suffocates the listener, the smothering intensity of the noise acting like a python's coils around its prey.

The last song on Embers is "The Creeping Fear", a long, epic, cello-lead dirge. The percussion sounds like the crashing rip of thunder through a night's sky, raining down amongst the slow, crushing weight of the guitars. New sounds tumble tumultuously from every remaining crevice that isn't already covered in noise, the deafening din only relenting for the haunting veraciousness of the cello. This is the funeral; the end of all things. And while it mournfully fades out of the picture, it never leaves our memory.

What is amazing about this album isn't just that it manages to conjure so many emotions, but rather that it conjures them with such intensity. Love is possibly the most powerful emotion known to us, and yet it is displayed so vividly as to be unmistakable for what it is. So too, are the feelings of loss, of sadness, of bittersweet recollections and pining for better times. In this sense, Embers is a triumph: a reminder that there is still music out there with the kind of emotional resonance that can encourage us to seek out the beauty in our lives, however fleeting.

Best of 2008: #5. Verse - Aggression

2009-01-20T20:34:00.001-07:00

Aggression is the third album by Rhode Island hardcore group Verse, and really, it couldn't be any more aptly titled. Throughout the album, the five-piece harness their thickly layered sound into a dense and furious concoction that sparkles with righteous and pointed acrimony. What occurs is the development of a hardcore dynamic that places dual emphasis on heaviness and speed, with the songs being lead by the fast and forceful rhythms of the drums and the inspired, ear-shattering strength of the guitars, taking Aggression well beyond realm of the average hardcore album and into that of the exceptional.

What stands out most about Aggression is the absolute forcefulness of it all, both musically and lyrically. Verse are a fiercely political group, and it is shown through their choice of subject matter. In fact, most every song on this album takes on a political bent to some extent, with the over-arcing theme being the feelings of frustration and bitterness that result from the tremendous audacity of modern inequality. "Old Guards, New Methods" portrays our current political leaders as the modern kings, "wealthy wolves" who jail and murder the innocent in the name of self-interest. "Blind Salvation" is an attack on the "dark history" of religious practices and the oppression and war that ostensibly holy doctrines have often ended up supporting. On "The New Fury", singer Sean Murphy's screams ring with a virulent honesty to them, as if to register his disgust with the dispicable gap in power between the rich and the poor.

But the major highlight of Aggression, and one that displays the pattern of emotional subject matter that Verse deal with, is the three-part "Story of a Free Man", which follows the life, development and emancipation of the titular 'free man'. The first part ("The End of Innocence") tells of a boy whose father has gone off to war and the anger and depression he sinks into as a result. The second ("The Cold Return") jumps forward to what appears to be the boy's adult years, depicting a homeless man whose sense of frustration and depression has never ceased, and who needs to turn to drugs in order to numb the overwhelming isolation felt in his life. The third and final part ("Serenity") consists solely of a building guitar line and drums as Murphy, switching to the first person, mutters to himself "I'm walking away from this", the grandiosity of the moment eventually culminating with the full force of the guitars as his voice rises to a breathless, jagged scream:

this is the story of a free man

It is an overwhelmingly powerful tale, one that feels just as epic in practice as the idea of a three-part song does in theory, thanks to the vivid and touching way in which it is presented. Not only that, but it takes on the anti-war focus that comes through on many of the songs on this album from an entirely new vantage point, switching from the incensed conjecture of songs like "The New Fury" to a directly narrative scope, allowing the listener to empathize with a specific subject and therefore adopt a more personal connection to the message on display.

What Verse have done with their third album is create just under thirty minutes of beautifully passionate and frantic music that emits a feeling of defiance in the face of hopelessness. This is easily the best straight-up hardcore album of the year, and possibly the best since the similarly grandiose Witness. Fiery, political, and, well, aggressive, Aggression packs into it a sense of fury and vitriol that will not soon be forgotten.

Best of 2008: #6. Transistor Transistor - Ruined Lives

2009-01-18T17:04:00.002-07:00

I've spoken at length about Transistor Transistor before, so I'll try and keep this relatively short and frame my opinion of this album in regards to the former. Ruined Lives is the second album by the east-coast hardcore stalwarts, and it continues the pattern of abrasively destructive rock music as set out by their phenomenal debut, Erase All Names and Likenesses. In fact, there isn't a lot of change on display here, and this can be taken a number of ways. On the one hand, when your formula already makes you stand out as a relatively unique band in an oft-stagnant genre, then change really isn't necessary, especially when the results are as good as this. Indeed, by my count, Erase All Names and Likenesses is a modern hardcore classic, an album which was beautifully captivating in its depiction of cynicism, anger and the apathy that follows.

Unfortunately, yet also rather expectedly, Ruined Lives doesn't quite live up to the quality of the group's debut; it feels less coordinated, more like a collection of songs than a fully-realized album. Gone is the overwhelming and all-encompassing sense of pessimism as seen in the suffocating misanthropy of tracks like "Power Chord Academy", and in its place is a kind of nihilistic party metal sheen that comes through on a few of the earlier songs. Now this isn't a full abandonment of the vivid frustration of Erase All Names and Likenesses - "Celluloid Rats", for one, is a delightfully angsty and vicious attack on social stasis - just the inclusion of a few songs that don't quite fit the mold, which as a result make the album feel a bit more uneven.

But please don't take any of this as indication of a sophomore slump. There are plenty of highlights here: "Diet of Worms" is a fantastic song that brings with it all the caged frustration that has come to be expected of Transistor Transistor. "Pillar of Salt" is a plodding, noisy behemoth, its rallying cry a distinctly jagged and relentless bark of "I hope I'll rot". "Irreversible" breaks to a sprint with reckless speed, the guitars dancing and swerving to form an all-out blitzkrieg on the senses as the song, against all odds, gets louder and more desperate as it moves to a devastating climax. No, this is nothing close to a sophomore slump; Ruined Lives sparkles with all the exasperated fury of a desperate youth parade, letting up only momentarily for periods of quiet reflection. If you've never heard Transistor Transistor before, then this is a great, if not quite spectacular place to start.

my apathy and I get along just fine

Best of 2008: #7. Pygmy Lush - Mount Hope

2009-01-16T19:02:00.004-07:00

It is interesting to note the musical careers of the members of any successful, genre-defining band after they split up, especially for any former fans hoping for another taste of brilliance. In this case, we have Pg. 99, an extremely influential hardcore/screamo band from Virginia that lasted from 1998 to 2003, who played passionate and dissonant punk for the disillusioned and disaffected. Upon breaking up, its members went on to a number of different and increasingly diverse projects: from the progressive and elaborate hardcore of City of Caterpillar, to the eclectic punk dynamics of Malady, to the desolate instrumentalism of Ghastly City Sleep, each new project embarked upon added another layer of musical depth that was rarely if ever hinted at in the works of Pg. 99. Featuring three ex-members of Pg. 99, Pygmy Lush came in shortly after the break-up of Malady (of which singer Chris Taylor also performed in), born out of a desire to experiment with more lo-fi, organic compositions. And so the members of Pygmy Lush went about writing and recording a collection of songs that experimented with the limits of acoustic music as well as the misanthropic punk of their previous bands.

On their first album, Bitter River, Pygmy Lush took the harsh, unrelenting screamo of the group's pedigree (given the production quality, I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism... is a good comparison here) and imbued it with flashes of lo-fi folk, creating an overall package that was as disparate as it was jarring to the senses. Which isn't to say that it was bad - it had some surprisingly strong individual tracks - just that some combinations are probably best left entirely separate from one another (I remain just as confident that mayonnaise and chocolate would not have lit the world aflame with quite the same level of passion as Reese's later, more heralded candy creation).

However, on Mount Hope an entirely different approach is taken, with the harsh screamo bits dropped entirely in favour of folk, and the record is much better for it. No longer will the listener be greeted with a startlingly aggressive transition following a dream-like passage of ambient musical minimalism; instead, Pygmy Lush develops a clear focus, emphasizing the band's expansive blend of melancholic folk.

Yet despite the traditional sameness of folk music, this is also a surprisingly varied album, likely due to the number of collaborators. While one of the strength's of Mount Hope is its consistent mood, Pygmy Lush still finds ways to experiment within the realm of their chosen genre. Offbeat instruments like the harmonica and accordion are given occasions to shine. Rhythm is kept in a number of ways, from the wood block chopping of "God Condition" to the flat foreboding echoes of "Dead Don't Pass", to the tin pitter-pattering of "Concrete Mountain". The depressive country-western feel that the band manages throughout the first-half is offset by the occasional blip of indie accessibility, such as in the title track or the eerie "Butches Dream", with the rest of the album being a more minimal, rustic affair, akin to what was seen on Pygmy Lush's first album (but with superior production).

But for all the successes of Mount Hope, the eight-minute closing track, "Tumor", is easily the highlight of this album. It sums up the group at their best: warm, emotional, and vivid. It consists of a simple acoustic guitar lick and its accompanying chimes repeated, the atmospheric hum in the background making the song feel like a waking dream, haunting in its austerity. The overwhelming sparsity of it all feels like an examination of the warmth in desolation, with the compassion of the vocals feeling distant, as if to have faded away in the face of overwhelming apathy. All this makes for a mesmerizing finish to what is possibly the best folk album in years. Mount Hope is an emotional and deeply personal recording that is both simple and beautiful, with a strong sense of craftsmanship guiding it along its way.

Best of 2008: #8. Fight Like Apes - Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion

2009-01-13T15:18:00.005-07:00

Another discovery by way of Hardcore for Nerds. Fight Like Apes took the independent Irish music scene by storm last year through their dual EP releases David Carradine is a Bounty Hunter… and How Am I Supposed to Kill You If You Have All the Guns? On their first full-length album, they don’t cover a whole lot of new ground - only half of the recorded songs are new, and their best songs are available on previous releases - but for anyone who missed the hype the first time around (like me), this album should prove to be an enjoyable introduction to the synth-pop madness of this Dublin foursome.

What Fight Like Apes manufacture on Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion is a refreshing bit of pop nihilism, filled to the brim with stream of consciousness-style lyrics, catchy melodies, and a healthy use of electronics. The songs most well-accounted for here are the kind of fun, fast-paced manic absurdity that the group has made their calling-card. This is seen on tracks like "Jake Summers" and "Do You Karate?", which come off like the musical equivalent of the non-sequitur, a destructive kind of anti-pop that will stay in your head for days. Other tracks, like "Lumpy Dough", take on a slower, more atmospheric tone, almost coming off as a kind of delicate synth balladry, while still being imbued with the same sarcastically naive charm that is present throughout this album.

By combining pop accessibility with punk attitude, Fight Like Apes have made an album that appeals to more than just a dedicated local cadre of indie buffs, but to any number of potential fans that await their offbeat approach across a wider UK audience; which is practically a shame, considering the bented satire of the collaboration between music and marketing that appears on this very album ("Something Global"). Make no mistake about it - this is pop music, but with a loutish noisiness to it that seems to be rebelling against its own accessbility. But it IS accessible, it IS catchy, and really, it's all the better for it.

What I just can't figure out is how such ostensibly throwaway music could be so good - more than just enjoyable, but actually resonant for months afterwards. For anyone looking for a hook: here it is.

Best of 2008: #9. Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness

2009-01-12T21:29:00.001-07:00

When I first heard this album, it was something of a revelation; I had downloaded “Waiting for Black Metal Records in the Mail” based on internet word of mouth, and there was something about it that gripped me entirely. It was slow, plodding, and ominous, with a leading guitar line like a strobe light at a rave, flickering madly amongst the translucent haze of distortion. It was also very, very good.

Have a Nice Life is the musical project of two men based in Conneticut who make experimental and expansive shoegaze/post-punk music that could be considered dance music for the clinically depressed. Deathconsciousness is the group's first album, a two-disc, 80+ minute trip through the recesses and crevices of the sub-conscious, and all the hope and regret that lies within. From the dive lounge aesthetic of "Bloodhail", to the quiet desperation of the aforementioned "Waiting for Black Metal Records in the Mail", to the wary elation of album closer "Earthmover", there are a number of different moods and feelings brought to mind here, which is just as representative of the album's ambition as of the passion put into it. Some songs show off the plaintive and gloomy side of the band ("The Big Gloom"), with slow, droning, almost abyssal shoegaze mixtures taking presence here, while others opt for a quicker pace, drawing comparisons to the gothic side of 80's post-punk ("Telephony"). At times, Have a Nice Life even wander into industrial territory, as seen in "Deep, Deep", which comes off as Throbbing Gristle as imagined by Joy Division (were that only possible).

At any rate, there's an almost ethereal quality to the layered mixture of guitar and synthetics that feels as if it transcends the immediacy of stimulus/response and burrows its way into your brain with ingenious hooks and a haunting atmosphere. A lot of the songs off Deathconsciousness manage to be emotionally resonant despite their prima facie impenetrability, so that even though the vocals are often blurred beyond recognition, buried under layers of distraction, they still come off as mournful, or confused, or bittersweet. Taking the whole of the many different moods developed throughout the entire album gives you a sort of manic depressive handbook, a portrait of bipolarity in the face of tragedy.

So while I’m not as big on Deathconsciousness as I was when I first heard it - it's overlong (although that could be considered part of its charm), it isn't an album you can just listen to at any time, and some of the songs (off the first disc especially) just lack any sufficient intrigue to them - it’s still an impressive album that’s full of dark, brooding, and occasionally beautiful shoegaze music, accentuated by a lo-fi production quality that conjures up images of spending late nights walking home and the lonely faded incandescent glow that guides each step. This is music that feels like it was made for 3 a.m. introspection, that washes over you and shelters itself within your thoughts. And for that, it's damn well near-perfect.

Best of 2008: #10. Aussitot Mort - Montuenga

2009-01-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Aussitot Mort are a French screamo band who sound something like a cross between Daitro and Isis, taking a very dense and heavy approach to their music that differentiates them from their more balleyhooed countrymen. Montuenga is Aussitot Mort's first full-length album, following up on the critical success of the group's demo and 6 Songs EP.

The album opens with the sludgy and forceful "Mort Mort Mort", which plods along at metallic levels of heaviness, introducing the listener to the Aussitot Mort philosophy that it's better to be loud than fast. The guitars trudge along with high authority, dominating the pace as the drummer wails away in the background. Also intriguing is the incorporation of a violin among the mass of the guitars, adding to the desolate feel of the song. "Une Heure Plus Tard" shakes off some of the heaviness of the former song, with the bass driving much of the action as the guitars smoothly and sharply dance in and out of the mix. This song shows a more accessible Aussitot Mort, and while the song still remains blindingly heavy at points, it also exhibits and emphasizes some stellar guitarwork that can be easily enjoyed. The next track, "..." serves mostly as a break in the album, not even being afforded the importance of a name. It is a minimalist song that features little more than a reverb-drenched guitar riff surrounded by ominous white noise. "Huit" follows, and it is a song very much reminiscent of "Une Heure Plus Tard". The song features some fantastically catchy guitar work, with the contrast between the spiraling, dissociative guitar licks and the more basal sounds that follow giving the feel of a drug-induced fervor and the eventual comedown.

"Le Kid de la Plage" starts with a delicate acoustic guitar and a high-pitched bell sound that occurs throughout most of the song, before rising in tone and intensity to more familiar levels. It then breaks, with the song being lead forward by the same forceful drumming patterns that occur throughout and some memorable group chanting. This is possibly the most experimental song on the album, especially during the outro, showing Aussitot Mort's progressive attitude through numerous guitar effects and the addition of new instruments into the mix. "On a qu'a se dire qu'on s'en" closes the album, showing the same metal-inspired heaviness and auspicious tinkering that is displayed throughout.

(An aside: I haven't talked much about the vocals on this album, and that is because Montuenga has much less emphasis on vocals than on the group's demo, occasionally resorting to straight-up instrumentals, which is apparently due to the fact that the band parted ways with their original vocalist some time after recording their demo. So, yeah. Just something I learned today.)

On their first album, Aussitot Mort take the lumbering density of post-metal, add in some spectacularly catchy and inventive guitar riffs with some powerfully frantic drumwork, and string it all together in impressive fashion. Montuenga is a fantastic and extremely promising album, managing to be heavy yet delicate at times, dense yet sparse, experimental yet accessible. If nothing else, this should place Aussitot Mort next to Daitro and Sed Non Satiata as one of the best and most progressive progenitors of European screamo. But hopefully, their eclectically heavy sound will help them find favour outside of that traditionally narrow niche, as an album like this deserves all the praise it can get.

Dear Diary: Today I successfully used the phrase "balleyhooed" in a sentence. I don't think I've ever been happier.

Best of 2008: #11. The Max Levine Ensemble - OK Smartypants

2009-01-07T19:20:00.003-07:00

my mom asked me "where's the voice in this country",
i said everybody's got one, they're just garbled and clumsy,
reared up to spit back referential newspeak...
in a postmodern fucking paradise

From the fertile grounds of Washington D.C. come The Max Levine Ensemble, an exceptional punk trio that makes peppy, energetic and literate pop-punk music reminiscent of The Ergs. Known for their strict DIY ethics and their experimentation with a wide array of instruments, OK Smartypants is the ensemble's 4th full-length album and their first as a trio, showing off a tighter, more well-honed set of song-writing dynamics and a cleaner sound to go along with it. As a result, the music has a spark to it that makes the many eccentricities in the group's sound stand out, giving it an offbeat feeling that's hard not to enjoy.

Where The Max Levine Ensemble reach their greatest appeal is in their idiosyncratic and infectious arsenal of pop hooks and occasionally frenzied pace. From the increasingly frenetic "One Click", to the stop-and-start "Love, Capital L", to the melodious hums of "Complex Machines", their plentiful reserves of energy never seem to run out. The hooks presented on a song like "I Loved to Watch Them..." almost demand a response from the listener; and seeing how the song acts as an ode to the pure connection between people and music that seems to make all the petty problems of regular life seem to go away, to not dance along would practically be heresy.

Another distinctive feature of the band is their lead singer/guitarist, David Combs, also known as Spoonboy (a name under which he also has an acoustic act), whose high-pitched cries reach an almost cartoonish level at times, a stellar compliment to the upbeat blur around him. There's something intoxicating about the enthusiasm that Spoonboy sings with that makes every song sound optimistic, in an innocent sort of way, regardless of whether or not he's singing about the purposeful ignorance of the mainstream media channels ("Nuclearadio"), or the blinding cynicism of his peers ("You're Bitter"). The topics confronted on OK Smartypants generally revolve around the personal issues in our lives, with many of the songs dealing with the running theme of failed expectations and bittersweet relationships. That these topics are dealt with in such a naive tone seems to be intentional, as if each song is channeled through that one sympathetic friend who helps you through a hard time by saying that everything will get better, whether it will or not.

The Max Levine Ensemble are that friend. Get to know them better.

(And like any good friend, they also offer the album for download here! It's also available for physical release via the same link if you wanna go analog.)

Best of 2008: #12. Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun

2009-01-06T19:23:00.001-07:00

Old man, I heard some things about the boy you used to be.
No father, no king, just a broken old man broken by the whiskey.
Too afraid to stay, too smart to not leave,
too young to be a bird who forgot to sing,
and a ground that never knew the knees
of a boy and his own tale of two cities.

"Sometimes a man breaks, sometimes he can't bend
when his youth is a wound time won't mend.
(never the best of times)
Sometimes a man breaks, sometimes he can't bend
at the thought of peace as something only lent.
(only the worst of mine)
Sometimes a man breaks, sometimes he can't bend
when his son is another one who won't understand"

The irish temper, it's history's chains,
and the bottle's stain that just won't wash away.
But a seed was planted in the sod of nothingness from which you came,
and flowers grew and roses bloomed
to form this garden of a life you've made.

And in this city you once knew as hell
is a garden where I enjoy myself.
And in this father I hardly know
was a son who took back what the bottle stole

so I could be the boy you couldn't be
have the father you didn't get to see
have the youth you did not get to live
or feel the love this world forgot to give.

And for this gift I don't deserve to get
I'll make damn sure I earn this.

O' your friends say boston's beautiful,
but they didn't live here, they didn't die here
in the Hyde Park years.
O' your friends say boston's beautiful,
but they didn't live hard, they didn't die hard
when sons dragged out their fathers from bars.
O' your friends say boston's beautiful,
but they didn't dream here, they didn't scream here
when no one hears.
O' your friends say boston's beautiful,
but they didn't hide here, they didn't cry here
when little boys weren't allowed to shed their tears.

Best of 2008: #13. Adebisi Shank - This is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank

2009-01-05T19:44:00.006-07:00

Foreword: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

(Note to self: insert clever quip relating to how Adebisi Shank refer to themselves in the third person in their album title. You find this original and highly entertaining, and wish greatly to exploit this original sentiment to keep you from having to think of an introduction that isn’t gently laid on a platter for you.)

I first found out about Adebisi Shank from an excellent mixtape posted down at Hardcore for Nerds, chronicling the strongest alternative acts in Ireland. The song “Horse”, off the band's debut EP This is the EP of a Band Called Adebisi Shank, was one of the most noticeable songs off the playlist, and I was instantly hooked. Their debut album was released a couple of months later, and while it only clocked in at a meagre twenty-four minutes (for a full-length anyway), making it only seven minutes longer than their first EP, it still managed to be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Adebisi Shank is either a punk band playing with complex time signatures and a strong sense of technicality, or a math rock band with a vigorous punk flare, depending on how you look at it. But however you choose to look at it, what Adebisi Shank deliver here are eight songs of pure adrenaline rush. An overwhelming energy radiates from this album, with the band playing with such speed and prowess that you’d be hard-pressed not to enjoy it. The song-writing is just as consistent in this sense; there’s not a song in sight that you wouldn’t be commanded to tap your foot to, if not outright make you get out of your seat and dance along with. The band utilizes quick, darting guitar riffs, intertwined with equally complex bass lines, to weave a musical tapestry that is both memorable and captivating, a rare feat for a math rock band. This is all backed up by strong rhythmic drum work that grounds the guitars, allowing them to roam free without turning the final product into a barely coherent mess. All in all, this is one of the most excitingly fresh releases of 2008. Don’t let it pass you by.

this has been the capsulated review of a band called Adebisi Shank. hah… get it? ‘cause that’s a play on the album title… yeah.

Best of 2008: #14. Off Minor - Some Blood

2009-01-04T20:05:00.002-07:00

The band is offering the album for as much as you're willing to pay here.

I’ve never been a big Off Minor fan. I’ve seen people rave over the raw intensity of The Heat Death of the Universe, and while I can agree that both of those descriptors are accurate, it just doesn’t do anything for me. My complaints for Off Minor go along the same line as my objections to Ampere: the band is too chaotic, too unwieldy, and while I can objectively say that what they’re doing instrumentally is highly impressive, it rarely comes together in a way that manages to be accessible and interesting (“Staring Down the Barrel of Limited Options” being a noticeable exception). Trying to latch onto a melody in the cacophonous, almost jazz-like progression Off Minor plays in can be difficult, so as to render any attempt to do so ultimately obscured by the band’s own free-flowing nature. On Some Blood, Off Minor doesn’t exactly change this style, but they do manage to succeed regardless with what has to be their most approachable release yet, which is a major plus for anyone (i.e. me) who had trouble getting into them before.

Some Blood opens with the chaotic and noisy "Neologist", an intriguing track that features some interesting guitar effects and fantastic drumming (as does the entire album). The album continues much through the same pattern that Off Minor has made their trademark, with blusterous instrumental explosions followed by minimalist breaks, all of it delivered with passion and a willful sense of discordance. "Everything Explicit" takes the traditionally short song-lengths of Off Minor's canon and spreads the group's free form style over six minutes of blistering furor, even including the occasional harmonic reprieve. But this is nothing compared to the progressiveness of the album's final song, "Practice Absence". Running nearly eight minutes in length, this song takes the form of something of a monotone duet between a male and female vocalist, both drolly chanting their lines as the guitar and drums slowly increase in pace, eventually leading to a fiery and cathartic finish. The female vocals are especially beautiful, painting the image of a muted tragedy as the cry of "at the end of all things" echoes throughout the blank canvas. At the song's climactic finish, as the guitars rupture and a thunderous din envelops the former quiet, an intensity is created that is rarely matched. That something so fierce could also be so beautiful...

what's best left unsaid?

Best of 2008: #15. Daitro/Sed Non Satiata Split

2009-01-03T21:21:00.004-07:00

Note: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

While this was originally released in France late last year, it got a US release earlier in 2008, so we'll count it as such. This split sees a collaboration between two of the biggest (and therefore best) hardcore bands not only in France but throughout Europe, and the result more than lives up to the expectations created.

On their side of the split, Sed Non Satiata brings to the forefront four exquisitely crafted songs of desolation and dismay. The group eschews traditional punk speed for a more measured, brooding approach, carefully constructing their songs without losing sight of the underlying melodies that guide them. In this sense, they can be compared to a post-rock band in the way they utilize the quiet/loud spectrum, carefully changing and adding harmonies as they progress. While both Sed Non Satiata and Daitro blend elements of post-rock into their attack, Sed Non Satiata do it more often and more successfully, building delicate instrumental pieces around the emotional and forceful singing of their vocalist, a near-perfect blend of aggression and harmony.

Sed Non Satiata also develop mood throughout their songs in a very effective manner befitting of post-rock. "Des Masques" for example opens with a slow, coarsing wave of feedback as the guitars lag in, each individual element slowly added to the song as an ominous precursor of whats to come. There are also many instrumental breaks on display, such as in the middle of "Des Ruines", wherein guitar lines are strewn along in a noisy and almost artless fashion so as to suggest the isolation of the song's title.

On Daitro's side of the split, similar tendencies are shown in regards to their instrumentalism. On "De L'Eau Coule Sous Les Ponts", the guitar is relegated to the background for most of the song, content to strum along an array of high pitches and melodies with the bass and drums leading the song's progression. "Un Fleau Pour Un Autre" also follows the same pattern as mitigated by Sed Non Satiata, building up in intensity over four minutes before the vocals kick in, sounding far wilder than the occasionally soothing effort offered on the other side of the split. But while Daitro and Sed Non Satiata are oft-compared bands and rightfully so, due to their geographic location, style of music, and tendency to tour together, they do differentiate from one another at times. Daitro, unlike Sed Non Satiata, tend to revert to more traditional punk forms of progression at times, without the focus on intricacy and melody. "Nous Ne Participons Pas Tous A La Meme Utopie" is an example of this, and it shows a stark contrast to the rest of the songs on the split, developing as an up-tempo track, the kind of which is more often associated with screamo.

This is not only the best split effort of the year, but one of the rare instances in which a full-length split reaches a level of quality at which it can be regarded as a wholly congruent album. And yet, coming from Sed Non Satiata and Daitro, two supremely talented bands with track records of doing just that, it's really no surprise. Both sides are impressively strong, with the Sed Non Satiata side being a notch or so better. There is no wide barrier between either side of the split, with only incidental details and inclinations separating the songs as delivered by each band. As such, this feels like a concentrated effort, an intense and deeply intricate work of hardcore that resonates throughout.

Best of 2008: #16. God is an Astronaut - God is an Astronaut

2009-01-02T12:12:00.003-07:00

Note: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

For a band that has carved out such an impressive niche for themselves, God is an Astronaut have included a lot more variety in their works than would be expected of them. Generally, if a band can be considered among the best at what they do in a genre with little competition (in this case, electronically-based post-rock), then there is little need for them to change their sound over time, as they are different just by virtue of releasing the same thing, over and over.

And though this statement may be contested, God is an Astronaut have done a great job of evolving their sound over successive releases, pruning it to the point where each album has a sense of individuality to it. All is Violent, All is Bright was a realization of the sound hinted at in their debut, The Beginning of the End, with a bleaker, more hopeless tone to it. On Far From Refuge, they moved away from an emphasis on synthetic sounds, and instead focused on the guitar to drive their songs forward. The result was vastly different than their previous efforts (or as vastly different as it could have been expected to be), while still keeping the same familiar feel to it that all of God is an Astronaut’s albums have had to date.

On their self-titled album, God is an Astronaut move back to the more direct amalgamation of synthetic sounds and guitar-driven post-rock that resonates in their earlier works. The whole of the instrumentation feels more in tune with the use of electronics, without the noticeable differentiation between the two as seen in Far From Refuge. As far as variety goes, as a self-contained album, God is an Astronaut does quite well for itself. Rarely does a song ever feel like a repeat of another one, and while a few do go overlong (as does the entire album, actually), generally the overall quality of the song makes up for it. However, there isn't much innovation to speak of to the group's classic sound; songs like "Zodiac" and "Shores of Orion" come off as new thanks to their emphasis on different drum and guitar effects, but they are more of an exception to the norm. The changes shown here are much more subtle, like the band is just developing naturally, building off the strengths and weaknesses of prior releases and recording the end result as it comes to them.

So is this a great leap forward, or a step or two back for the band? Ultimately, it’s neither. While God is an Astronaut doesn’t feature much in the way of innovation, it’s still an excellent example of a great band doing what they do best. And when the final result is this exceedingly listenable, the question of whether or not anything new is being accomplished ceases to be important.

Best of 2008: #17. Metaform - Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

2009-01-01T13:41:00.004-07:00

Metaform is a one-man instrumental hip-hop project. Armed with little more than samples, Metaform (or Justice Aaron) takes beats from a wide and disparate number of genres - hip-hop, jazz, soul, electronica - to create the soulful and catchy Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.

For me, this album can be summed up by the first song, “Rock it Number Nine”. It begins with a soulful and measured singing sample, before quickly picking up pace with the drums then dropping into a short break that introduces a xylophone, and then picking up again with each and every individually introduced element in the song's culmination, a beautiful combination that manages to feel both passionate and emotionally resonant.

All of that, executed brilliantly, comes in a span barely passing a minute. Rather than languishing on a single idea for awkwardly long periods of time, Metaform instead keeps moving on to different ideas, continually touching on new ground throughout Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ forty-five minute run time. The result is nineteen songs filled to the brim with any number of memorable and captivating musical ideas that are never given the time to wear out their welcome. In fact, only six songs make it past the three minute mark, making sure both that the listener never gets worn out on one idea, but also that some of the best executed concepts are kept criminally short (as in “Rock it Number Nine”). Not every song works - - but they succeed far more often than they fail.

A download link is available here.

Best of 2008: #18. The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath

2008-12-31T13:08:00.006-07:00

Note: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

For the past five years, the group started by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala has come to dominate progressive rock, breaking into the mainstream consciousness despite their experimental nature and lack of traditional song lengths and structures. But it is this desire to experiment beyond the traditional limits of commercial music, and more importantly, the band’s success in doing so that has come to define them; their ability to remain offbeat yet accessible has given the Mars Volta a surprising mass appeal, one that would threaten to belie their technical disposition were it not an already accepted fact.

However, the release of Amputechture in 2006 revealed a downside to this experimental approach, as the album often forwent listenability for jam band-style arrangements that rarely showed the Mars Volta at their energetic best. On The Bedlam in Goliath, the group goes in the exact opposite direction, trying their hand at a more straight-forward rock album, without all the clumsy peripheral dickering that held Amputechture back. The result is an improvement over their previous album, as Omar and Cedric provide a heavier focus on creating the lively funk-inspired tunes that got them noticed in the first place, but ultimately it fails to match up to the grandiosity of De-Loused in the Comatorium, or the epic ambitiousness of Frances the Mute. There is plenty of excellent material here, no doubt - the ardent and spastic "Aberinkula", the horn-laced crescendo of "Wax Simulacra", the catchy and expansive "Cavalettas" - all of which can live up to the Mars Volta's best work. But in the end, simply not enough of the material presented lives up to the band's high water mark, and The Bedlam in Goliath appears simply content to be a pretty good release by a band which has done better.

Best of 2008: #19. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

2008-12-30T12:49:00.008-07:00

Note: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

John Darnielle is a busy man.

Ignoring for a second the bevy of albums he’s released in his seventeen years as the singer/songwriter behind The Mountain Goats, and the hundreds of songs he’s written during that time, 2008 saw Darnielle release his fifteenth (really?) full-length album, Heretic Pride, as well as a free EP release, Satanic Messiah, which you can download here. How the man can find time for all of this is beyond me; I struggle finishing even the basest of tasks (like, say, this Best of 2008 list) even with no other responsibilities to tend to.

On Heretic Pride, Darnielle takes yet another step away from the lo-fi folk sounds of his earlier records, furnishing his songs with lush pianos, horns and string arrangements. All of this works in creating a very warm and comfortable atmosphere that’s perfect for immersion. Darnielle’s song-writing skills are also again up to task, as his erudite lyrics reveal the story of each individual song through layers of allusions and metaphors. This can all be quite daunting, and rightfully so, but the fact that such craft is put into the lyrics trumps any immediate sense of deterrence, allowing you to slowly delve into the rich tapestry of the song-writer’s vision.

I guess the only criticism I can levy here is that it’s been done before and better at that. Darnielle doesn’t really cover any new ground here or bring any new elements to the table that weren’t already apparent in the brilliant The Sunset Tree. Instead, his songs carry with them the sense of familiarity; which isn’t bad in of itself, only in that it reminds you of a superior work. But arguing that the artist set the bar too high is one of the more positive criticisms one can impose. Indeed, for what it is, Heretic Pride is still a great album in its own right. Warm, intelligent and emotional, this is yet another strong release from one of the best song-writers around.

Best of 2008: #20. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

2008-12-29T16:05:00.007-07:00

Note: Due to the density of albums being presented over the upcoming weeks, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums shown, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

This pick is due almost solely to my latent NIN-fanboyism. Trent Reznor's 7th studio album, and his second of the year after the entirely instrumental Ghosts I-IV, was released for free on his website to no warning or antecedent fanfare, a refreshing gesture, if not quite as an anomalous one as it was presented by the media. On The Slip, Reznor continues his long-standing fascination with electronics, incorporating both the disparate soundscapes of Ghosts and the dance-laden industrial pop of Year Zero into the album, with the result being a fun, if not necessarily ground-breaking release.

Yet despite the fact that most everything Reznor has done here has been done before by him (and better), The Slip still manages to feel like a comprehensive and self-contained album. The dark, eerie electronic vibes that open "999,999" still feel at home next to the jumpy, discordant "Discipline", even though the two songs could easily be placed into separate NIN albums without any trouble (Ghosts and With Teeth, respectively). Never does this feel like an assorted collection of B-sides, despite the fact that it very well could be, considering that Reznor only planned on releasing it as an EP, and that it was written and recorded in a span of two months. As a result, the average song quality isn't quite up to the par for NIN; "Letting You" sounds noisy for the sake of noisiness, and "Corona Radiata" is a seven plus minute instrumental track that never goes anywhere at all. But despite these faults, The Slip still manages to be enjoyable of its own regard. No, it's not the temperamental masterpiece that was The Fragile, but then again, it never tries to be. This is just Reznor having fun recording and giving back to his fans in the process. That the result is even more fun for the listener should be considered a bonus, a symbol that the relationship between artist and fan can still thrive in spite of a recording industry that seems intent on waging war between the two.

The Best Albums of 2008: From #30 to #21 (and then eventually to #1)

2008-12-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Now that Christmas is over, and now that no one still cares, I figured it was as good a time as any to post my obligatory Best Albums of 2008 list. Over the next few days/weeks/however long I choose to draw this out for, I'll be counting down the 20 best albums released in the past year with an individual post containing a mini-review pertaining to each. But first, and in the interest of covering as much ground as possible, I'll first count down the top ten albums that didn't make the cut, as well as the most disappointing albums of the year and the best non-full length releases.

Note: Due to the density of albums here, I won't be posting links with them. If you want a link for any of the albums seen here, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Biggest Disappointments:

It's worth noting that I don't consider any of the following albums bad, merely disappointing for one reason or another, be it due to hype or my own personal expectations.

Cynic - Traced in Air

I'm probably alone in this one, but I don't really care. After the paradigm-shifting record that was Focus, this just feels empty by comparison.

Foxy Shazam - Introducing...

After the madcap zaniness of The Flamingo Trigger, it was disappointing to see the Cincinnati natives move away from their earlier hardcore-leaning sounds to more keyboard-focused music. And yet, on songs like "Ghost Animals" and "Introducing Foxy", the focus works incredibly well, coming off like piano rock on acid. So what's the problem? While half of this album sounds like the ravings of a demented Billy Joel (I mean this as a compliment), the other half falters, coming off as anywhere from contrived to just plain irritating.

Fucked Up - The Chemistry of Common Life

There was a lot of good hardcore music released this year. This wasn't even in my top ten.

Murder By Death - Red of Tooth and Claw

With their fourth album, Murder By Death stick with the Old West stylings and story-telling motifs that have made past releases so strong, but forget to include enough musical variety to keep it interesting. The album peaks after the first song ("Coming Home"), and the song quality, not to mention the quality of singer Adam Turla's incessant Johnny Cash impersonation/homage, goes downhill from there.

Subtle - ExitingARM

Pitchfork called this "Subtle's pop album", and as far as I'm concerned, that's a pretty accurate descriptor. Unlike Pitchfork however, I'm not sure I can consider this a positive development. ExitingARM sees Subtle move away from the already estranged hip-hop they originated with, further showcasing the side of the group that likes swirling melodies and electronic sounds. The idea is sound, considering this was never a group to confine themselves within conventions anyway, but there are a few problems in the execution. For one, there is an unnecessary level of polish on display in places, occasionally obscuring the voice of its most distinctive vocalist, Dose One (it almost feels like he's on auto-tune). Subtle still manages to pull off a strong pop song on occasion, but they do so with a lower rate of success than before, making long-time fans more likely to just listen to A New White for their fix.

Best Extended Plays (EP's, Splits, etc.)

65daysofstatic - The Distant And Mechanised Glow Of Eastern European Dance Parties

65daysofstatic are post-rock band from the United Kingdom, known primarily for their blending of electronic influences with guitar-heavy build-ups and crescendos. But on The Distant and Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties, the group shows off their electronica influences, creating a collection of songs that sounds like a house mix at a high-scale rave. The result is a swirling, infectious concoction that stands up to, and possibly surpasses anything else 65daysofstatic has done. Here's hoping that the dance influences remain apparent on their next release.

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Only God Can Judge Me

This will get its own post soon. These guys were one of my favourite discoveries from this year.

BATS - Cruel Sea Scientist

See Here.

Envy/Jesu Split

This is actually more than long enough to qualify as a full-length, but I'm putting it here so that I can give it its proper due. With Envy, by now you know what you're getting, so you either like it or don't, but Jesu's side features some of Justin Broadrick's best work this side of Godflesh. Broadrick's dense, lengthy, metal-tinged shoegaze is at its strongest here, making this the best of Envy's many EP releases from the past year.

Fire Team Charlie - ...And Everything Will Be Undone 10"

Solid band reminiscent of Daniel Striped Tiger makes intricate and noisy emotive post-hardcore.

The Gaslight Anthem - Senor and the Queen

In the aftermath of The '59 Sound, I had almost forgot about this. These four songs, totaling just over eleven minutes in all, act as the stopgap between the band's first and second albums, with songs like "Say I Won't (Recognize)" showing where they've been and "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?" signifying where they were going.

The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah

Fantastic free release courtesy of John Darnielle. More on him later.

Red Sparowes - Aphorisms

On this EP, the Red Sparowes create guitar-driven post-rock that burn with intensity. The climaxes are booming, the build-ups are superb, and the song titles are never longer than twelve words, all of which suggests that the band is headed in the right direction. Here's hoping that their next album is the one to finally capture this group's massive potential.

Wingnut Dishwashers Union/James K. Polk and the Family of Friends Split 7"

James K. Polk’s side is delicate folk music which ends up marred by lyrics that make the Andrew Jackson Jihad look like Paul Baribeau, a juxtaposition which makes their two songs very hard to get into. But they're ultimately irrelevant to my enjoyment of this split, because the other side of the split features some of Pat the Bunny’s best work yet. “Free and Alone” is a song about the loneliness and weariness that results from the singer’s state of constant travel, and “Fuck Shit Up (Wha-Na-Na)” is a song that almost manages to be beautiful in spite of its self, showcasing the introspective punk ethos that Wingnut Dishwashers Union exemplifies so perfectly.

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And now, the best albums of the year, starting with #30.

30. United Nations - United Nations

I am not a fan of Glassjaw or Converge. Glassjaw either bores me or does nothing for me and Converge is just too much for me. As for Thursday... well, that's better left unsaid. Suffice then to say that I was not one of the many fanboys heavily anticipating the so-called grindcore/power-violence (really, that's exaggerating it) release from this super-group, featuring Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw, Geoff Rickley of Thursday, and Ben Koller of Converge. But I ended up checking it out regardless, and I'm glad that I did, because once you get past the deliberate attempt at inaccessibility made by the band, you find an uproarious hardcore release that's far more progressive than it lets on. Is it worth the hype, well, no, not entirely, but it's still a strong album with some vicious commentary that more than matches the belligerent tone of the music. "Say Goodbye to the General Figment of the USS Imagination" deserves special mention for its fantastic use of a saxophone solo drenched in feedback and distortion, the ultimate fall-out after such a relentless onslaught.

29. Black Ships - Omens

Have you ever wondered what sludge metal would sound like if it was sped up to 80 mph? Wonder no more. Straight out of Montreal comes some of the dirtiest hardcore you will ever hear, featuring densely layered guitars tuned all the way down and an angry, throaty roar that perfectly matches the din of noise surrounding it. Or, to put it in layman's terms: This. Fucking. Rips.

28. The Riot Before - Fists Buried in Pockets

Folk-punk generally takes one of two directions (an over-simplification, but bear with me): there is the more folk-sounding, but punk-inspired bands that you'll see on the Plan-It-X roster, and then there's the more true-to-the-name amalgamation of punk and folk, which generally utilizes both acoustic and electric guitars in their application of punk. This is of the latter. On their debut album, Fists Buried in Pockets, The Riot Before create an angry, literate punk album for every Orgcore kid looking for something new. "5 to 9" is a highlight here, telling the tale of a Mexican man who crosses the borders looking for work to support his family. The message isn't subtle in the least, but the song kicks too much ass to fault it for its overtness. The Riot Before balance these political songs with more introspective turns, such as "Words Written Over Coffee" wherein the singer presents an analysis of himself and his choices in life, eventually concluding that the path he has embarked on was the necessary one. Recommended for anyone who liked The Falcon or Chuck Ragan's solo turn.

27. pg.lost - It's Not Me, It's You

2008 was a very strong year for post-rock, and few albums were better than pg.lost's debut album, It's Not Me, It's You. Featuring soaring peaks and searing crescendos, this is the kind of aggressive, treble-heavy post-rock not seen since How Lonely Sits the City!, albeit not quite up to the level of that album. When the band climaxes, the results are often spectacular; the rest of the time, however, their music often reaches a lull, unsure of what to do when not building to a finish. Regardless, pg.lost are better more often than not, and the impression they leave is one of a delicate balance between intensity and nothingness, a prime example of crescendo-core done right (ew, now I feel all dirty).

26. Mesa Verde - The Old Road

What is most impressive about Mesa Verde is their ability utilize a number of techniques of band's that came before them and apply those influences into their music while still sounding like a breath of fresh air in an over-exposed genre. Mesa Verde manages to encompass both extremes of what you would expect from European screamo at the same time, switching back and forth between glistening post-rock build-ups (“A Deep Sleep Without Dreams”), and unkempt bursts of raw energy (“Return to Victories”), never content to rely solely on one or the other. At their most progressive, they sound like an even more post-rock leaning version of Sed Non Satiata, and at their most violent, they border on a more abrasive La Quiete.

25. Killing the Dream - Fractures

Killing the Dream are a hardcore band from Sacramento that utilizes the heaviness of metal with the musical harmonies of melodic hardcore. Fractures is the band's third full-length album, taking the formula from their past outings and refining it through the course of twelve superb bursts of forceful, energetic hardcore. The result is one of the year's best hardcore releases, one that manages to be both progressive in focus and aggressive in practice (Fucked Up, take notes).

24. Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling

Mogwai, though long considered a benchmark for post-rock, have never been a band that has thrilled me. Their so-called opus, Young Team, feels terribly overrated to me, albeit definitely different when presented with the stereotypical example of post-rock, and my other experiences with the band have left me even more apathetic. But The Hawk is Howling changed that for me. While it was met with lukewarm hype by most, to me it showcases a band that never tries to do too much, and as a result never manages to completely blow the listener away, but instead focuses on churning out interesting melodies and captivating riffs. Unlike on Young Team, where Mogwai's emphasis is on volume, The Hawk is Howling shows a lot more variety to the band; the trippy synesthesia of "The Sun Smells Too Loud", the haunting piano of "I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead", the gentle yet ominous progression of "I Love You, I'm Going to Blow Up Your School"... all great songs, all of which show different musical emphases by the band. The Hawk is Howling may not have much in peaks, but it more than makes up for that in its absorbing and refreshing manners of progression.

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

Taking their name from Dickens and their pedigree from Funeral Diner, ...Who Calls So Loud have created some of the best and most varied emotive hardcore of 2008 with their self-titled debut. Through the course of this album, the California four-piece works its way through some of the most intensely passionate epics since, well... Funeral Diner.

Hey, did I say they were ex-Funeral Diner? I did? Alright, just making sure. I wouldn't want to violate a statute of limitations or anything.

However, while the comparisons to their former group are inevitable, it's not like ...Who Calls So Loud don't deviate from their parent group, as the band makes a point of showing more variety to their assault than Funeral Diner ever did. For example, "Assume the Power Focus" begins with a delicate country lick that comes off as beautifully emotional without a word being uttered, a far cry from the dark, dense, and viciously aggressive approach of The Underdark. The result of this more varied approach is that ...Who Calls So Loud ends up feeling more refreshing than redone, making it one of the year's strongest releases.

22. Baader Brains - The Complete Unfinished Works of the Young Tigers

Mike Kirsch is back, and with yet another band. The former member of Please Inform the Captain... and Bread and Circuits has returned with The Complete Unfinished Works of the Young Tigers, the first full-length album by Baader Brains. Baader Brains was formed back in 2005 by Kirsch and former Swing Kids/Bread and Circuits member Jose Palafox, with their name acting both as a play on Bad Brains, as well as a tribute to the Red Army Faction and the Baader-Meinhof group. They play a relentless, heavy and revolutionary brand of hardcore that could be very aptly compared to the members' former band, Bread and Circuits. Like in previous Kirsch bands, sampling is used prominently, breaking up the fiercely defiant anthems with sarcastic educational film clips and the like. Angry, pointed, and resistant to the end, The Complete Unfinished Works of the Young Tigers is another chapter in the life of a musical revolutionary.

21. Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner

Noisy, tumultuous, and occasionally terrifying, The Ruiner is the third album of New York noise metal band, Made Out of Babies. Featuring members of Red Sparowes and Battle of Mice, Made Out of Babies take the deafening guitars of the former and the ominous post-metal temperament of the latter, combine them, and then add a lot of noise for good measure. Where it works is in the incredible atmosphere created, much in part due to the vocals of singer Julie Christmas, who may or may not be a banshee (I haven't confirmed it). Christmas sings much like the secretly evil child in a horror movie talks - you know, the one who insists upon saying everything in a really unsettling voice as the music around him suddenly builds to an operatic tension, just so you know that he's fucking evil. When surrounded with the kind of unholy racket the rest of the band puts up here - as emphasized by some stellar guitar work courtesy of Brendan Tobin and Eric Cooper - Christmas sounds like she might just be the anti-christ.

Additional entries will be posted in the days to come.

Lifetime - Tinnitus EP

2008-12-16T20:21:00.006-07:00

Lifetime - Tinnitus

This EP was part of a supremely awesome Zen post, so you can check that out and/or download it here.

Lifetime was a melodic hardcore/pop-punk band from New Jersey, formed by Ari Katz and Dan Yemin (who would later go on to play in Kid Dynamite and Paint It Black) in 1991. Before breaking up (for the first time) in 1997, the group was heralded as one of the strongest acts to come out of the New Jersey punk scene, a pop-punk band that was just underground enough to be cool to like. The Tinnitus 7” was released in 1994, and features a brasher, more aggressive sound than the poppy, streamlined approach shown in their later, more famous works. It would eventually be collected in The Seven Inches collection a couple of years later, along with other early EP’s released by the band.

“Isae Aldy Beausoleil” begins the record with a screeching riff, and immediately transitions into an aggressively fast-paced track, showing the band’s superb ability to seamlessly change pace. Much of the credit belongs to Yemin, who weaves an endless loop of riffs in stream-like fashion, only breaking to build tension. The next song, “Ferret”, shows more of the same, with the highlight coming just over two minutes in when the band completely tears it up coming out of a solitary bass line. “Starsixtynine” brings with it a heaving instrumental combination right off the bat, reaching calamitous levels of energy as the throaty yelp of the title track brings the end to another break. This capability for building momentum out of nothing is a huge strength of the band, and it’s exhibited to perfection throughout Tinnitus. The last song, “Ampersand”, is possibly the most cathartic of all, starting off slowly as the guitar and bass intertwine, working together to some leisurely yet interesting melodies. Eventually, the band breaks yet again (Are you noticing a pattern yet?), with the drums and guitars eventually bringing the pace to a frantic rate as Katz screams his heart out in confronting yet another faceless oppressor. The emotion and sentiment come off as even more real thanks to the production, which has a rawness to it that really makes these songs unique in the spectrum of pop-punk, showing that layers of polish are anything but necessary in crafting intricate punk gems.

This is angry, passionate punk music full of throaty, cathartic gasps and some great fucking melodies. In other words, it’s what I’ve been told every other Lifetime release is. Except Tinnitus actually lives up to the reputation.

now that's reporting!

2008-12-14T18:37:00.005-07:00

Too apathetic/busy to post anything of substance, so here:

from the 'great moments in journalism' file

In Circles - Demo (2008); Plus Contempt! Derision! Scorn!

2008-12-10T12:30:00.009-07:00

As the year comes to a close, tradition has it that you will find egregious list after list ranking the best albums of the past year, churned out in a fashion befitting the craftsmanship of an assembly line, by blogs and magazines everywhere; all of them joyfully eager to get their opinions out before people stop caring about where exactly each individual journalist gave placement to one 'Lil Wayne' and move on to more interesting list-related activities, like People's upcoming countdown of the "10 Funniest Drug-Related Addictions Celebrities Faced This Year". And so too, as tradition has mandated it, will I indulge in an eventual year-end list, regardless of whether or not I (unlike the magazines I have so callously derided) have an audience that readily gives a fuck.

But I will not do that yet. (Why?) BECAUSE THERE'S STILL ALMOST A MONTH TO GO. GAWD. WHAT ABOUT THE ARTISTS RELEASING THEIR ALBUMS LATE IN THE YEAR WITH THE SPECIFIC INTENTION OF MAKING BIG MONEY ON CHRISTMAS SALES? DO NOT THEY DESERVE CRITICAL ACCLAIM AS WELL? CAPITAL LETTERS

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Anyhoo, I figured in keeping up with the theme of 2008, I have decided to share with you one of my favourite finds from the past year, a 4-song demo released this year by In Circles. I couldn't tell you anything about them, or even where I found this (I forgot). Checking out their Lastfm page reveals nothing about the band, except that they have a grand total of 27 listeners (and a healthy portion of free downloads that don't appear on this demo). So in lieu of any real background information, I will just assume that they took their name from the Sunny Day Real Estate song of the same name. There. I said it on the internet, so now it's true.

In Circles play a jumpy kind of post-hardcore, merging the raw explosiveness of hardcore with a gentler, SDRE-tinged sense of melody. On this demo, they focus mainly on the former, to surprisingly stellar results. Opener "Echo" begins with a furious energy reminiscent of a less progressive City of Caterpillar, as the singer screams out-of-breathedly how he was "gasping for air" over the frenzied burst of the guitars. It is this continued energy, shown both in the voiced frustrations of the vocals as well as the constantly changing and progressing guitar lines, that makes this demo exceptional. The band has all the rawness and enthusiasm of a garage band, with an instrumental prowess and sense for composition far beyond what would be expected of them. What you have on this demo is just over 10 minutes of dynamic and intense post-hardcore that takes an established structure and plays the hell out of it.

Here's hoping that now, with my substantial endorsement, we can get that total up to 30 listeners.

In Circles - Demo

Pat The Bunny at the Brooklyn Tea Party

2008-12-06T14:43:00.008-07:00

I was going through youtube and found this show, done about a year ago, and thought I'd post it, as it's an excellent performance by one of my favourite current artists. Pat The Bunny, for those who don't know, is an acoustic punk artist, formerly of Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains (a post on which is almost certainly to come), and currently putting out music under the name of the Wingnut Dishwashers Union through his own Spare Change label. The songs below are all from the Wingnut Dishwashers Union side of his discography. If you like what you hear, you can find his website here, where all his songs are free to download on a by-donation basis.

Naked Raygun - All Rise

2008-11-28T14:52:00.010-07:00

So I was sitting in a psychology lecture today, and, as psychological discussions are wont to do, the topic inevitably turned to Naked Raygun (my psychology professor is awesome). Specifically, the instructor used his desire to listen to Naked Raygun vinyls in order to explain the concept of drive in relation to Drive Reduction Theory. The analogy was a mess, but it accomplished two things: one, it made me envious (I want All Rise and Throb Throb on vinyl), and two, it transferred onto me the desire of listening to Naked Raygun. It was a situation which could have been considered ironic, but only by someone who does not fully understand the definition of irony.

Released in 1986, All Rise, Naked Raygun's third album, marked the in-between phase of a transition in which the band would evolve from the brasher punk of their debut into the noisy-but-melodic post-punk outfit seen on Jettison (see my post here). It moves away from their previous album, Throb Throb, with an increased emphasis on atmosphere and a change in production style; the sound here sounds more like their later albums than anything they had done previously. There are still some examples of blaring, balls to the wall punk, specifically on "New Dreams", which almost feels like a Throb Throb b-side, but for the most part, the album is more mature than anything the band did before it. Still, this is vintage Naked Raygun, featuring some classic riffs, and the same overriding theme of pessimism found throughout their discography.

In some ways, All Rise could be considered the younger brother to Jettison (unless you have a better metaphor, in which case I suggest you use that instead). The two albums share a great amount of similarities, but the ideas presented on All Rise are accomplished to a greater degree of success on Jettison. All Rise contains the same strongly pop-oriented song structures of Jettison, but feels more like the Buzzcocks than Big Black in doing so, with some of the hooks veering closely into pop-punk territory (see: "Mr. Gridlock"). Combining this development with the darker, more cathartic songs like "Backiash Jack" leaves this album feeling disoriented, caught between the contrasting ideas of melodic punk and noisy art-rock dissonance. The main strength of Jettison was in combining these ideas, but here, the result isn't as cohesive. While some songs pull off the feat perfectly, others just feel awkward, as if they'd rather belong on a Stiff Little Fingers album; which is likely intentional, given the degree to which the former influenced Naked Raygun (see their "Suspect Device" cover for more). It's not that these songs are bad; it's just that they don't exemplify the reasons why I listen to Naked Raygun. Their ability to integrate haunting pop hooks into a blistering punk attack is unparalleled, and it comes off a tad disappointing when they take their foot off the gas just to ape another band's approach. Not bad, just... disappointing.

But slight blemishes aside (and they are only slight), this is still a fantastic album created at a time of transition in the band's career. All Rise generally gets ignored in Naked Raygun's discography, sandwiched in between the band's two more accomplished efforts, but just because it hasn't the intensity or creativity of their other efforts doesn't mean it should be looked over in the least. Lack of cohesion aside, some of the band's best songs are on this album, and it can stand up to, if not surpass, most any punk album of its time. No, it's not Jettison, but what is?

All Rise

Ampere/Funeral Diner Split EP

2008-11-24T15:08:00.008-07:00

1. Ampere - Secret Hallways
2. Ampere - Sleepwalkers
3. Funeral Diner - I Was the Sword

I will not pretend to be overly fond of Ampere. Their spastic, chaotic style, while brimming with energy and a strong sense of technicality, never stays with any one idea long enough for me to grasp on to it. In fact, I have a fun and easy-to-use formula on the subject:

Orchid - enjoyability = Ampere

And while their side of this split is surprisingly listenable given their track record, that's not why I'm posting it. The reason why is because the other side of the record is possibly the best thing Funeral Diner has ever done, which is too bad, considering this was also their last release before breaking up.

"I Was the Sword" is quite frankly a brilliant song, somewhat reminiscent of On the Might of Princes at their best. It builds through some sharply darting guitar lines and chaotically rhythmic drumming to a blisteringly emotional and intense climax, breaks it down, and then finds a new and effective way to do it all over again. This is 'epic' in every sense of the word, and should be considered a must-have by any fans of the band.

Ampere/Funeral Diner

I Wrote Haikus About Cannibalism in Your Yearbook - 8 Song Demo

2008-11-18T20:21:00.007-07:00

Q: I actually wrote a haiku about cannibalism in someone's yearbook once.

A: He didn't get it.

There's an unstated point to this.

i wrote haikus about cannibalism in your yearbook

2008-11-06T16:29:00.003-07:00

I have way too much free time.

New God is an Astronaut! Plus Additional Hyping

2008-11-05T18:55:00.004-07:00

I've spoken before in this space about the awesomeness that is God is an Astronaut. They're a fantastic group that has carved out a niche for themselves, moulding layers of obfuscating electronic haze into breath-taking post-rock brilliance.

Anyway, they have a new album coming out on the 7th, the self-titled God is an Astronaut, which is currently streaming about half of its tracks on their myspace page (it has also apparently leaked, so you can probably find it if you're intrepid enough). You'll also be able to purchase it from their website once it officially releases. I encourage you to check it out.

And while I'm at it, I may as well throw out a recommendation for what is currently my favourite post-rock outing of the year, Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start's Embers. Simply put, it's one of the best albums of the year, and an excellent example of taking a tried-and-true formula (in this case, the type of 'crescendo-core' [I feel dirty just writing that] derivative from Explosions in the Sky) and making it your own. If you want, you can order it from their website, or you can just wait until the end of the year, at which point I will likely pimp it into oblivion.

Eric's Trip - Love Tara

2008-11-01T19:03:00.008-06:00

Eric's Trip - Love Tara

I had a chance earlier this year to see Eric’s Trip in concert. I didn’t, because it was at some club that requires membership to get in and it seemed like a pain in the ass to go through and they wanted five bucks or so for membership, but if I had, you can sure bet it would have made an interesting story to recount here.

Oh well. (True story too!)

Eric’s Trip was a Canadian indie rock band hailing from the listless shores of New Brunswick. They formed in 1990, and, after a number of demo tapes, were signed to Sub Pop records at the peak of their post-Nirvana influence. In 1993, they set out to record their first album for Sub Pop, ending up with Love Tara, a collection of garage-rock influenced, lo-fi love songs. They broke up in 1996, but have reformed multiple times throughout this decade to tour and play particular events.

I first found out about these guys a few years back while doing random searches as inspired by awesome songs (As you may as well have gleamed, I have no good stories about finding out about bands. Just random shit I found online while I was bored. Stay tuned for a future post in which I tell you about that one time, at the bank, when I deposited a check and the teller gave me a dirty look and I’m like what? and yeah pretty cool right). I figured hey, anyone who would name themselves after a Sonic Youth song with some of my all-time favourite lyrics probably has good enough taste in music to make some good stuff themselves. And lo, I was right. I just didn’t expect them to be this good.

Eric’s Trip’s sound is not the hardest to describe. Think of stereotypical folk-inspired indie rock, from the time before it became popular to emulate crappy post-punk from the 80’s and call it indie regardless of what label they’re on (no disrespect to all the good bands who were emulated as well). Add in conditional use of the electric guitar, and fill the recoding with all the crackling distortion of an overplayed vinyl record, and voila: pure, heartfelt lo-fi indie glory. This is music that you could imagine listening to before a roaring fire on an Autumn day; delicate enough to set the mood, but not content just to linger aimlessly in the background as first-date muzak. Singer/guitarist Rick White described their sound as "sappy melodic pop music on top of thick distortion”, and that’s probably a good way of summing it up. It’s a very simple formula the band uses, combining the softness of folk and the noisiness and anguish of grunge, but they utilize it to perfection. In fact, I’d go as far as to call Love Tara one of the best indie records of the 90’s, an all-too unknown masterpiece, and put Eric’s Trip well ahead of their more well-known contemporaries such as Pavement and Built to Spill.

Much of what makes this album great comes in the vocals, which are shared between Rick White and Julie Doiron with White taking the brunt of the duties on this album (also, both share guitar/bass duties alongside fellow guitarist/bassist Chris Thompson). Both White and Doiron display a great amount of tenderness and care in their deliveries, which does well to enhance the sincerity in lines like “looking around for an extra person in my life to call my friend” and “how come it upsets you so/shouldn't it be me who feels uneased”. The lyrics tend to fit into a very conversational style, with the songs mostly being person-to-person tales of love or regret, communicated with a muted sadness by the band’s vocalists. That they come off as so genuine can be put on White and Doiron themselves (especially White), who sing in very soft and melancholic tones, almost to the point of whispering at points (“Behind the Garage” being an excellent example). The way this album is produced is notable too in this sense, as the sound fashioned here takes on a very warm and personable style. The background noise on “May 11” for example, suggests a real-world atmosphere, as if the singing is just one half of a conversation we’re not getting all of. When White or Doiron sing, the clearness of their vocals in the otherwise often distortion-fueled mix helps communicate the band’s message as heartfelt and honest. Another example of a strong effect utilized by the band is showcased in the song “Frame”, which pits White’s soft croons against a very jagged riff, placing the delicacy of his delivery against the overlying sharpness of the guitar. The ensuing contrast is quite powerful, as White’s fragile voice is swallowed up by the strident waves of distortions, overcome by the power of the amplifier.

With Love Tara, Eric’s Trip not only put out an outstanding debut, but a lo-fi indie classic. The distortion, the folksy warmth, the emotional, utterly personal song-writing, all standards Eric’s Trip would uphold throughout their career, but possibly none used to the same success as on the band’s debut album. What we have here is marvellously minimal indie rock, adorned with lyrically relatable feelings regarding love, alienation and friendship. Put it on, sit by the fire, and watch the leaves envelop the ground outside your window, as they desert the now barren trees from which they fell.

Love Tara

Decahedron - Disconnection Imminent

2008-10-26T14:27:00.006-06:00

Decahedron - Disconnection Imminent

In the aftermath of Frodus, its members went on to a number of other projects. Nathan Burke, Frodus’ latest in a long line of bassists, went on to form The Out Circuit, where he still resides today. Shelby Cinca formed steampunk band The Cassettes, moving in a number of more experimental directions past even what was hinted with And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea, as well as playing briefly in the band Mancake, alongside Frodus drummer Jason Hamacher. But eventually, Cinca went back to his post-hardcore roots, again enlisting Hamacher on drums as well as former Fugazi bassist Joe Lally, and together they created Decahedron, a socially conscious outfit that lived by the mantra of “Delete False Culture”. Decahedron only released one album, Disconnection Imminent, but it signalled a spiritual return to the protest-punk of Frodus, as well as a musical progression that combined the angry, dissonant hardcore they were known for, with Cinca’s growing experimentation with ambience and electronics (a couple years afterward, Cinca would put out a solo album based entirely around this concept). The result was an original and unsettling album, which contrasted sci-fi bleakness with a very real and disconcerting look at modern society.

As mentioned above, the music feels like a noticeable progression from And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea-era Frodus; by which I mean you can make comparisons between Decahedron and Frodus easily (and I have), as the underlying form seems obviously influenced by Cinca and Hamacher’s former project, but there is also a natural evolution on display here. As such, Decahedron feels like a spiritual successor to Frodus, and not just in the phylogeny of the band itself. The angular raspiness of the guitar is more than familiar to the listener, and the way in which the smoothness of the bass plays off the guitar in intertwining fashions is again exhibited, but the way electronics have been integrated keeps any sense of derivativeness at bay. Interludes such as “Dislocation” showcase the way in which the band manages to insert abject dissonance into their tracks, and while this may become grating within the parameters of an instrumental song, it works well in giving an even greater sense of desolation to calm, brooding epics like “Every City is a Prison”. Indeed, feedback is used constantly throughout this album, as the ominous cries of what sounds like industrial machinery audibly rusting on the spot are injected and pumped into the backgrounds for mood. This works to varying degrees in terms of listenability, but what can’t be denied is how it communicates the isolation of the music in a very direct way.

As far as the vocals go, Cinca remains more austere than usual here, generally finding himself content to passively croon along to the despondent flow of the music, but he still has his moments to shine. The chorus of “Burning Lights” is a definite highlight here; after a very menacing passage leads to quiet, Cinca’s obstructed screams of “Drowning into yourself/turning against your will to live” manage to come off as fierce as ever. “Lt. Col. Questions Himself” provides another prominent example of Cinca’s ragged intensity, shouting his lines just as loudly as the music can drown them out. The way Cinca screams so wholeheartedly and forcefully has always been a highlight of Frodus for me, as he always conveys an emotional passion and intensity that can rarely be matched, making it something of a shame that he doesn’t do it more often here. The result is an album that is less focused on anger (despite the virulence of the lyrics), and more focused on detachment. A great example of this is in “No Carrier”; when Cinca screams about disconnection during the chorus, the message is transmitted with all the accuracy of a drive-thru order, cutting out and obscuring the words from full recognition.

All in all, Disconnection Imminent is a strongly atmospheric post-hardcore album that, while not quite matching the greatness of Frodus’ work before it, manages to impress. Experimental without being impenetrable, smooth while still keeping an edge to it, Disconnection Imminent remains a gem in the catalogue of three men with much bigger claims to fame.

DELETE: False_Culture

The Conglomerate's Tendrils Are Spread Throughout Many Sinister Soups

2008-10-24T15:02:00.008-06:00

Also: they know you. And they think that you and they should meet.

This is either delightfully absurd, or decidedly retarded, depending on how you look at it. I fall into the former group.

Frodus - And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea

2008-10-17T16:54:00.010-06:00

Frodus - And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea

Frodus was formed in 1993 and dissembled in 1999, issuing two full-length albums and a number of other releases while together and recording a third just before breaking up. Their exceptional blend of mathy, D.C.-style post-hardcore has earned them praise from, and given inspiration to countless followers. The band reached their pinnacle on what was regrettably their third and last album, the post-humous And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea, experimenting with a number of different esthetics to add to the noisy, jumpy punk (affectionately deemed “spazzcore”) they originated with.

Like nearly all D.C. post-hardcore bands that came about in the 90’s, Frodus takes a number of cues from the godfathers of post-hardcore themselves, Fugazi. Fugazi helped shape the landscape for post-hardcore with their aggressive, discordant sound, as well as their desire to experiment beyond the traditional means and limits set out for them, two things Frodus had going for them as well. An analogy between the two wouldn’t be hard to follow; both D.C. bands, both playing styles of angular, occasionally abrasive post-hardcore, and both considered to be among the best at what they do.

As the 90’s went on, Fugazi became more and more experimental, and while this lead to them gaining a reputation as some of the premier pioneers in underground music, it also involved them losing much of the aggressiveness that made them great in the first place. Whether or not this was positive is irrelevant; the point is this pattern of development was not theirs alone. Near the end of their days, Frodus was going down a similar path, wherein they wanted to experiment with the boundaries of their already developed sound. The result is less chaotic and far more polished than, say, F-Letter, and has a feeling of maturation when compared to their previous releases, not unlike comparing The Argument to 13 Songs.

And this is where the analogy ends. Because unlike Fugazi, Frodus do not seem even the slightest bit tamed on And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea, remaining just as angry and as vigilant against the mainstream culture that spawned them as ever. Sure, there’s the occasional ambient interlude, suggesting that the band just didn’t have anything left after writing this, but don’t let that fool you; cries like “Stupid human scum!” are only the most literal examples on an album full of cynicism and frustration. The aggression is most palpable on tracks like “The Awesome Machine” and “There Will Be No More Scum”, wherein the coarse power of the guitar and the screams of singer Shelby Cinca lend an incredible amount of intensity to the proceedings.

Yet there is a certain wistfulness to a lot of the songs as well; while the lyrics are as angry as ever, managing to be both veiled and direct in their vitriol, they also convey a very defeatist approach toward the topics taken on. For example, in “The Earth Isn’t Humming”, as the minimalism of the bass combines with Shelby’s resigned cries of “another one must fall down”, the listener is greeted with an overwhelming sense of despondence. This feeling of hopelessness engulfs much of the album, whether Frodus is working toward a frenzied, noisily cathartic climax, or constructing a slow, melodic instrumental piece. The contrast between the angrier and more aggressive songs, and that of the more despairing and gloomy songs do a great deal to suggest a level of exhaustion in the band, as if they just couldn’t keep up the same level of defiance anymore. This weariness also finds itself coming into play in the rest of their music too; the angular, mathiness of the band which could have previously been likened to a San Diego-style band like Drive Like Jehu, now sounds more relaxed, almost to the point of post-rock territory.

With their last album, Frodus created the monument for which, for better or for worse, they will be remembered for. And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea is a triumph of subversive, experimental music which manages to combine the sensibilities of math rock with the volatility of hardcore and come away a rousing success. Gloomy and ominous, it takes the bands’ pessimistic, wearied take on the modern world and translates it seamlessly into audio format. There may be more famous bands to come out of D.C. in the past 15 years, but there are few better.

Frodus Conglomerate Intl. thanks you for listening

conservatives win minority government!

2008-10-14T22:23:00.002-06:00

$300 million spent, and no one got what they wanted.

ohhhh canadaaaa

Just figured I'd update the situation for all those people just dying out there for word of what happened in that all-important Canadian federal election.

...I'll get back to music stuff as soon as I can muster the composure to overcome this shocking development.

The Joys of Voter Apathy

2008-10-12T12:46:00.004-06:00

This is sort of a follow-up to my previous post. It's just a video I really liked featuring one of my favourite artists (probably my all-time favourite, but I'll play it safe), Matthew Good, discussing the perils of [cue 50's horror film voice] Western Voter Apathy.

Some background first: back in the day, Muchmusic (kind of the Canadian counterpart to MTV, only they sometimes played music videos - they don't anymore) would occasionally do these shorts in which they'd profess an interest in some kind of issue, and bring in someone to talk about it. For example, in the following video, the keyword was politics and finding some way to get young people to vote; in others, they would play to teaching media-consciousness, a vicious irony once you consider the source. Enter Matt Good, with his edgy brand of gen-X cynicism that was just bound to get the young peoples attentions. Or something. I remember seeing these videos at the time, and in the past couple years, upon discovering Youtube, managed to find a couple of them on there much to my delight.

I figure this is from the early 00's, during that brief period after Stockwell Day (see video) became relevant, but before he became a complete joke.

A Frighteningly Glib Look at the Modern Canadian Political Atmosphere

2008-10-11T18:48:00.023-06:00

Or: Everything You Wanted to Know About Canadian Politics but Were Too Apathetic to Ask

Oh, hello there. If I know you, right now you’re probably thinking about the upcoming American elections and how they will shape the coming national, as well as global landscape over the next four years. However, did you know that that’s not the only election occurring over the next month?

That’s right!

Consider, if you will, your friendly neighbours to the North, the ones who control all the lumber and fresh drinking water. On Tuesday, October 14, they too will be having their own election to decide the leader of their free world.

“Well, golly!” I hear you saying to yourself now, “I had no idea! If only there was some handy guide wherein I could be told which Canadian political party is right for me!”

I had suspected you would say that. And now there is.

First, let us start with the basics. In Canadian government, unlike American government, there are no set designated periods for elections, so long as one is called within five years of the previous election. An election is instead called either whenever the ruling party wants there to be one (pretty much the only way during a Majority government), or on the account of a non-confidence vote in Parliament, in which the members of the opposition outvote the ruling party on any old issue (they don’t necessarily have to disagree, they just have to feel apathetic enough on the issue to throw it to the wolves). For example, for this election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolved Parliament on Sep. 7, and the election is being held only a month later. This is in stark contrast to the American elections, wherein the long, laborious process has been going on for the better part of two years now. Since the run-up to the Canadian election is much shorter, this puts significantly less pressure on the media to waste the considerable time given with sensationalist news stories that have nothing to do with the political values of the candidates in question, and instead focus on the issues that matter.

Like which candidate cares more about their family: the upstanding, well-dressed, well-groomed, and quite frankly gorgeous incumbent (I get lost sometimes in his deep blue eyes), or the French guy who no one can understand and is probably a polygamist? Or whether the current Canadian Agriculture Minister should be fired for making what amounts to a bad pun? (There really should be laws against that kind of stuff)

So now that you know how Parliament is dismissed, why are they being dismissed? Namely, why is Canada having an election now? That’s a good question. There’s really no great political motivation for it; in all likeliness, the Conservatives will win another Minority government, and gain/lose very little power by doing so. My guess is they view it as “better sooner than later” proposition, wherein the Conservative government can only fuck up the situation from here on out. But that could just be me.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that Canada runs on a Parliamentary system. Essentially, instead of directly voting for the Prime Minister, each voter votes for a local representative for their community who belongs to the same party as the candidate they want to choose (or vice versa). The idea being that each riding has an individual MP to report back to, rather than just a national party. There’s some other relevant stuff here too, but I won’t go into it, as the specifics bore me tremendously. Oh yeah, we also run a multi-party system. Which is exactly how it sounds.

So, dear reader, now that you have been acclimated to the basics of the Canadian political process, I hear you wondering now: what of the parties? When I hear that my leader is engaging in diplomacy with the Canadian Prime Minister, who do I want that Prime Minister to be?

What an excellent inquiry on your part! Luckily, I had prepared for such a circumstance.

The Conservative Party:

The current party in charge, lead by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who claimed power two years ago by capitalizing on a Liberal sponsorship scandal. For the past 15-20 years or so, in the aftermath of the horrific Mulroney (and even more horrific Campbell) government, the Conservatives have gone through a very tumultuous time. Much of this was because of a split in the party-base; during the 80’s, in which Alberta was practically bankrupted due to Liberal policies, Western (and by Western, I almost always mean Albertan) conservatives began to view the current system as not only non-representative of their goals, but as one which simply didn’t care about them. This begat the Reform Party in 1987, a religiously right-wing populist party which seeked to fix the inequalities in the system that favoured the Eastern provinces (i.e. Ontario and Quebec) and that thusly caused the main parties to do the same. This, in turn, decimated the vote totals for the Progressive Conservative Party, a far more centre-leaning party which had traditionally catered to its Eastern base. The Reform Party would eventually try to expand its base eastwards, in the hope of drawing away power from the PC’s, with varied amounts of success. This continued on throughout the 90’s, with the Liberal Party easily winning majority after majority government at the expense of the feuding conservatives. At the turn of the century, the Reform Party decided their problem wasn’t one of differentiating values, but one of image, and changed their name to the Canadian Alliance. With this, they overtook the PC’s, but still fell short to the Liberals in the 2000 Federal Election.

By 2003, the two parties put aside their differences and joined to form the Conservative Party of Canada, in hopes of finally gaining enough momentum to oust the Liberals. The current incarnation of the Conservatives is very Western-centric, as their strongest base resides in Alberta. They’re essentially the more moderate version of the American Republican Party in ideology, only with the intelligence and pragmatism to only stray as close to the Republicans as they think the voters will let them (For example, Stephen Harper is an evangelical Christian, the first evangelical Christian, in fact, in over 40 years to lead the country, and as such, has been quoted as being against same-sex marriage. Yet, despite leading a campaign against it early on as leader of the Conservatives, has ceased much of his efforts to do as Prime Minister, well aware that any effort would likely prove fruitless anyway, and would only kill his political career.) The greatest question surrounding the Conservatives at this point would likely revolve around whether they can keep power, or whether this was just a brief flirtation on the part of the Canadian populace, akin to being drunkenly exploited by a smooth-talking lothario who convinces you that the best way to get back at your cheating boyfriend is to have sex with someone else. And just who are they competing against?

The Liberal Party:

I don’t have the facts to back me up on this, but I’m pretty sure party leader Stephane Dion has it in his platform to end charisma once and for all. Jesus, why do the Liberals keep picking French people with only the most basic command of the English language? At least Chretien was entertaining. You know what? It’s fucking arrogant is what it is. Like they know the general population has no other choice of who to vote for if they don’t want Conservative, so they can throw the least electable candidate out there and you’ll have no fucking choice.

Liberal ’08: Nyah nah nyah nah nah nah.

Okay, to be fair to Dion and the Liberals, it’s not like there were great candidates just leaping onto the boat to get whacked by the oar. Being a Liberal Party candidate post-sponsorship scandal is like being lost in one big fucking desert. The party has been directionless, aimless, and completely resting on its laurels in the post-Chretien years. Their big idea to get back to the top? A carbon tax. In addition to practically spitting in Alberta’s face (“You’re not going to vote for us? No? WELL, FUCK YOU! Let’s see how you like living in Alberta once your economy collapses, fuckwads!”), it doesn’t exactly scream ‘out of the desert and back on course’. In fact, it’s more of a “These are my principles. And if you don’t like them, I have others” kind of deal.

Fun Fact: The Liberal catch phrase for many of the MP’s in this election has been “It’s time for a change.” And if I need to point out the irony in a party who has been in control of the government for 13 of the past 15 years pulling the “change” card, well…

The Libertarian Party:

Ha ha, just kidding. Nobody gives a fuck about them here either. I'm surprised I even found a logo.

The New Democratic Party:

I’ll keep this history lesson shorter than the Conservative one: Tommy Douglas was the Premier of Saskatchewan for 17 years. Tommy thought socialized medicine might improve things. The people agreed. When he left office in 1961, the NDP was born, eventually rallying enough support for the Liberal minority government to create Medicare in 1966. Ever since, the NDP has kind of been the designated third party, the socialist little brother who goes off to college and comes back with all kinds of ideas and dreams that no one else in the family ever pays attention to.

In this election, the NDP’s role has been that of an attack dog. Their ads actually seem more prominent than the Liberals (seriously, it’s almost as if the Liberals aren’t even trying), despite the much smaller stature of the party, and have focused almost entirely on attacking Harper and the Conservatives (“We need a new kind of strong.” Catchy shit). Of course, considering that the Conservatives and the NDP often aligned with one another in order to pass bills through a minority Conservative government, chances are that they aren’t too steadfast in their attacks. I wonder if Jack Layton will change his tune if (and likely when) we see yet another minority Conservative government emerge victorious?

The Bloc Quebecois:

Their power has waned since the go-go seperatist days of the 70's-90's, but they still exist to play their unique part in Canadian politics: that is, the role of the complete dicks whom everyone hates, but is afraid to say anything about for fear of offending Quebec's delicate cultural sensibilities. Ah, Jacques. If only you had done a better job of fixing the ballots, maybe you'd have your own country to hold hostage. Dare to dream.

Fun fact: In the 2006 election, the Bloc Quebecois received 10.5% of the popular vote. The NDP received 17.5%, and the Green Party received 4.5%. Both the NDP and Green Party are national parties, whereas the Bloc Quebecois runs only in Quebec. The Bloc ended up with 51 seats, compared to the NDP’s 29 and the Green Party’s ever-majestic zero. Furthermore, the Bloc was invited to the Federal debates, despite having no Federal policy and no desire to ever run the country. The Green Party was not.

Viva la democracie!

The Green Party:

Is probably pretty pissed off right now.
____________________________________________

So those are your Canadian parties. Feeling confident and excited about which one you want to have a faint say in the governing of the free world? I hope so. Because nothing fights off political apathy like the facts of the matter. Like how, if you live in a district that votes overwhelmingly to one party, your vote doesn’t count in electing your chosen candidate. Or how, if you live in a Western province or, god forbid, one of the territories, your vote ultimately matters less than someone in Ontario or Quebec. That kind of stuff.

And if you still don’t see the reason to care about the upcoming Canadian election, and you’d rather spend your time on “Barack v. McCain: The Bloodening”, we won’t blame you. As a matter of fact, we feel the exact same way.

On The Multifarious Enigma That Is Dick Cheney

2008-10-05T20:55:00.005-06:00

I'd like to think that the following comparison speaks for itself.

We Can't Stop Here; This is BATS Country!

2008-10-03T15:20:00.015-06:00

BATS - Cruel Sea Scientist

DANGER! DANGER! MANKIND!

Fuck you Kent
You’re fucking dangerous
And bats will destroy you
And bats will destroy you
AND BATS WILL DESTROY YOU

Hey, quick question. Does Kent Hovind think Bats are birds or mammals?

(/yes, that’s kind of relevant.)

To answer Question #1 on your mind: Bats are a heavily progressive five-piece post-hardcore group from Ireland that blends all kinds of influences into their approach, from post-punk to metal. Offbeat and somewhat insane, the end result is a catchy and anthemic collection of songs that are both crushingly heavy and highly accessible. In late 2007, and again in early 2008 through the Richter Collective, they released their debut EP Cruel Sea Scientist.

Creationist Fun Fact: Did you know that Kent Hovind is currently serving a ten year prison sentence for tax-related crimes? He wasn't just convicted of one offense, mind you - he was convicted of 58!

The EP begins with a bang; the chants and screams of "Death to Kent Hovind" provide the listener with an infectious kind of revulsion, and introduces the listener to a main theme of the album: that is, that the group is heavily interested in biology and as such, have developed a very noticeable anti-Creationist agenda. From their myspace:

Formed in the early part of the Pliocene age by complex molecules, BATS (featuring ex-members of Martha Washington) have spent millions of years developing their sound from a series of intermittent bleeps to the sexy sonic bullets they create today. 4 out of 5 BATS hail from Ireland's alpha-smoke- Dublin, while the other crawled his way on bloody knuckles out of the haunted town of Carbury, Kildare in the mid 1600's. In early 2007 BATS began peddling their love around the island and have since played support to such acts as Gang Gang Dance, Down I Go, Horse the Band, Sebadoh, The Locust and Liars. December 2007 sees the release on independent label Armed Ambitions of their debut EP entitled 'Cruel Sea Scientist' and the frightening of some smaller children. Strong supporters of the Earth to space elevator and strong opposers of the plan to strip-mine the moon for Helium 3, BATS strive to disperse their audio seed into the ears and minds of as many receptive humans as possible. They do so with valiant gusto and in the face of a limited gene pool. A product of Natural Selection, a constant source of erection. BATS.

So, um, yeah. They're kind of dorks. But that's not important. What's important is the skill and precision with which these guys play, as well as their talent for creating versatile and highly enjoyable hardcore songs. The guitar work is varied tremendously between creating intricately catchy, jazzy rhythms, as seen in the opening of "These Ones Lay Eggs", and dense, metal-influenced audio suffocation that combines the strength of all four guitars into one throttling package. Equally impressive is the way they change back and forth between the two extremes; the transitions are both seamless and numerous. Using the previous example from "These Ones Lay Eggs", the song shows the band adding new chords and guitars as its original catchy riff chugs along, only to swerve into heavier territory and back again as singer Rupert Morris sings along in a falsetto as a collective arpeggio swirls around him. The song structures the band employs are often just as complex, never resting on a simple display of verse-chorus-repeat. It's rare that this kind of imagination and desire to experiment beyond the traditional hardcore landscape can be used so thrillingly, and with so little caution thrown to the wind.

Creationist Fun Fact: Fossil evidence? Not as empirical as you think!

Another enjoyable part of the band is the way vocals are used. Morris' vocals in many ways reflect the duality of the music that surrounds him, going from an almost sarcastic speaking voice delivery to ear-deafening screams that conjure up a surprising amount of intensity given the playful nature of the band. With lyrics like "I USED MY LASER VISION; I USED MY MICROSCOPE" you wouldn't expect a very serious tone, but Morris carries himself in a way where he communicates the message while still retaining a sense of gravity, wry though it may be.

BTW, does Kent Hovind have laser vision? Advantage: BATS

Creationist Fun Fact: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are Satanists. No, really.

With their debut EP, BATS create a surprisingly original and gripping collection of songs. Taking influence from hardcore, post-punk and metal alike, and infusing them with a jazzy and spastic style of song-writing. The band never takes itself too seriously, without suggesting that we shouldn't either; indeed, it's hard not to be drawn in by this debut, with all the promise it suggests. The only disappointment is that at only 16 minutes long, it's bound to leave the listener hungry for more.

(thanks to Gabba at Hardcore for Nerds for originally linking me to this)

the facts will destroy you
and BATS will destroy you

Yndi Halda Live in a Church

2008-09-28T12:34:00.006-06:00

Keeping on the topic of Yndi Halda, they have been playing new material at their live shows for the last little while now. The song below was originally recorded last Christmas (seems fitting), and I can happily tell you that it is on par with the majesty of their earlier songs. Just as well, it also marks a departure from their older material with a heavier emphasis on acoustics, as well as its (albeit still sparse) use of vocals. Which isn't to say they can't still fashion an absolutely devastating climax; see Part 2 for details on that.

I guess what I'm getting at is that the song's awesome. Really awesome. And I can't wait to see more of what these guys can do.

Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss

2008-09-27T20:10:00.012-06:00

Yndi Halda - Enjoy Eternal Bliss

No, seriously. Enjoy it. Not only is this album full of it, but its all around you, so long as you know how to look. For whatever reason, I'm reminded of an essay by Mark Kingwell, in which he writes:

The main point of all this is to see that wonder does not inhere in objects themselves, is not an internal property of them like an emanating aura. It arises, instead, from a complex relationship between us and objects. That's why issues of authenticity and originality are ultimately less important than the richness, the texture, of one's personal confrontation with a certain thing. The wondrous object might be a Picasso, with all its heavy cultural sanction and monetary approval; but it can, equally, be a salt shaker, crumpled napkin, or unlaced workboot. The crucial thing is that we recognize the power of objects, at rare but accessible moments, to rise above their cheap utility - and the manipulating energy of packagers and brand-masters - to assume a wondrous new status, a glow of beauty. Wonder is personal it is also cultural and political, and so our experience of objects is ultimately fragile: it can be conditioned in countless ways, somestimes impaired or even stolen from us.

In his essay Wonder Around, he argues for the very concept of wonder as something liberating from the commercial world, and as something which must come willingly from within, rather than forced on from abroad. As he writes in the above paragraph, "It arises... from a complex relationship between us and objects". This concept of his can just as easily translate to music; we are not affected by music merely as listeners, as vessels to accept it and enjoy it, but much of our enjoyment comes from within, as a result of our personal ability to relate to the experiences that are translated through the art of another human being. While the band can create whatever it likes as it appeals to them, it is up to the listener to forge that personal and emotional connection to the music, that sense of wonder, if you will, that transcends the very medium of music.

Which brings us back to the title of this album, Enjoy Eternal Bliss.

With post-rock bands, the lack of words or vocals for explaining a song's meaning is often off-set by the little things that many bands take for granted; be it something as simple as the album cover, or the titles of such songs or albums, these hints, if you will, operate as an introduction to, and in many cases a personification of the themes and motives behind what is often an intricate and complex piece of music. When Godspeed You! Black Emperor, for example, gives names to each movement in a song, you know that this isn't random, but a direct act of associating the music with a specific feeling or emotion that is conjured up within the vast frame of what they intend to create.

So too, with Yndi Halda, a five-piece group of musicians from England who employ tremendous instrumental range and emotional versatility in creating their first album, Enjoy Eternal Bliss. Their music takes much the shape that their album title and moniker (Yndi Halda meaning "enjoy eternal bliss" in Old Norse), as well as their ages (they were still in high school upon the writing of this album) would suggest, as they present an optimistic and exuberant journey through the glory and naivety of youth. The song titles support this claim, with such buddingly hopeful titles as "A Song for Starlit Beaches" and "We Flood Empty Lakes". Indeed, when Yndi Halda tell you to enjoy eternal bliss, this is a message to you, the listener, requesting a mere hour of your time to remember what it is like to be innocent and free, unshackled by the chains of reality and the responsibilities of life. In this respect, the band leads by example; what they create is beautifully grandiloquent and unendingly epic, a near-perfect slice of instrumental heaven.

A gentle flowing guitar lick, accompanied by a sweetly remorseful violin and equally lamenting piano keys, as the pattering of the drum moves ever quietly forwards. The song builds, adding more and more pieces as it goes. The percussion quickens. An electric haze of guitar-fueled distortion signals the crescendo among a cacophony of clattering symbols, undercut by the now-trembling violin. The din's pace eventually slows. Quiets. Stops. The only two remaining sounds now are the demure wails of the violin and the tender loop of the guitar, conjoined in the lone fight against absolute silence. The symbols increase again, and suddenly the violin picks up to a murderous shriek, and with it, everything else seems frail by comparison. The clamor emitted seems like the elegaic undulation of an entire orchestra, with each instrument working towards a single end in an unremitting burst of power.

This is Yndi Halda. Wondrous, high-pitched, treble-heavy post-rock who's every note elicits a feeling of sweet serenity.

Enjoy it.

Giraffes? Giraffes! - More Skin With Milk-Mouth

2008-09-21T10:51:00.007-06:00

Giraffes? Giraffes! - More Skin With Milk-Mouth

Been in a math rock mood over the past few days, and from the bands I've listened to so far, this has been my favourite from the bunch. From their myspace page:

Ken and Joe grew up in Massachusetts.

Even though they had never met, they both enjoyed the same amusement park. They both liked a ride called the Rotor. You would stand inside the Rotor and it would spin and you would stick to the wall and the floor would drop.

Joe once saw someone puke on the Rotor and it stuck to their face until the ride slowed down. Other names for the Rotor are the Gravitron, the Twister, the Vortex, the Turkish Twist and the Starship 2000. Have you ever seen The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups)?

Ken has never seen anyone puke on the Rotor.

Joe and Ken first met while going to college in New Hampshire. Ken studied music, while Joe studied literature.

They drank coffee and talked about the theory that whales were once sea creatures and they evolved into wolf-like creatures that ran on land, but they didn’t like it so they evolved back into sea creatures and eventually became huge fucking whales.

They formed a band.

They can both play guitar and drums, but in Giraffes? Giraffes! Joe taps and plucks while Ken taps and hits.

Ken and Joe and their very nice and very attractive girlfriends moved to Santa Cruz, California. They like it there. It’s nice outside.

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their debut album “SUPERBASS!!!! (black death greatest hits vol. 1)” in December 2005.

They’ve played some fun shows with Hella, Erase Errata, Make Believe, The Advantage, Ecstatic Sunshine, Growing, Shoplifting and billions of other really great bands.

Loves in Heat records released the new Giraffes? Giraffes! album “More Skin With Milk-Mouth” on December 8th, 2007.

That explains their background better than I could, and in the process, introduces you to the insane, rambling style of which the band is accustomed too. And really, Giraffes? Giraffes! is a hard band to categorize, and math rock is a hard genre to adequately describe, so let’s cut this short. There’s incredible instrumental proficiency on display here, and a surprising amount of melody underlying the technical assault. The guitars function almost as keyboards at times, incredibly smooth in sound, utilizing a number of effects while refusing to waste a moment in between chord transitions. The drums are just as effective, providing a frantic disposition on which the melodic foundation of the guitar is laid.

And… huh.

With “More Skin With Milk-Mouth”, Giraffes? Giraffes! create a fun, explicitly technical album that reads like a string of musical non-sequiturs rather than anything willing to take itself seriously. It’s weird, exciting, and provides almost 30 minutes of quirky, frenzied math rock brilliance. To give it any more thought than that would almost be to do a disservice to the playful nature of the band and album in question.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i do not exist, only you exist

2008-09-20T20:19:00.010-06:00

I threw a small stone down at the reflection of my image in the water
and it altogether disappeared.

I burst as it shattered through me like a bullet through a bottle...

and I'm expected to believe that any of this is real

Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance

2008-09-19T17:16:00.011-06:00

Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance

Named after a French proto-surrealist play, and coming off about as artsy and pretentious as that would imply, Pere Ubu was first formed in 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio. Combining art-punk sensibilities with a delightfully absurdist take on song-writing, the band created a dense and murky form of post-punk that took cues from the garage rock of the 60’s and bordered heavily on avant-garde. On the subject of Ubu, it was once written:

“Pere Ubu will be looked back on as the most important group to have come out of America in the last decade and a half. Either that or they will be entirely forgotten”

And whether you’ve heard of them or not, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise how that one turned out. But it’s a shame really, because this attitude was very much indicative of how the band was viewed. Either you love them or disregard them as too weird, too out there, or too subversive to remain consistently listenable. While these are legitimate complaints, it rarely overshadows the insane greatness that the band was often capable of conjuring. Between David Thomas’ warbled cries, the off-key dancing of the guitar and bass, and synth-wizard Allen Ravenstine’s incredible infusion of any number of background noises, Pere Ubu channeled the bizarre to create the phenomenal. On their first album, The Modern Dance, they fully showcased this peculiar concoction, creating an influential and seminal work in the process.

Although they would eventually move into more New Wave territory, eventually landing on the other side of the pop music spectrum, make no mistake about it – The Modern Dance is very much a rock record, albeit a very arty one. The garage rock influence shines through even the densest of distortion, as the opening guitar line on “Street Waves” would certainly attest to. But it is where Pere Ubu departs from their predecessors that they become interesting. A variety of multicultural influences abound, as the band veers between any number of styles, from areas as diverse and musically different as Middle-Eastern and rockabilly. Part of this is in the tuning of the guitar; it holds very little strength here, even being overshadowed by the bass at times, much less the calamity of noise contributed by Ravenstine. As such, it sounds less like the usual Western styles of the electric or acoustic guitar, and sort of like a more twang-y version of the sitar at times (emphasis on “at times”).

Atmosphere is a big part of the Pere Ubu sound, and The Modern Dance exemplifies this through the synthetic arrangements of Allen Ravenstine. Ravenstine’s part comes in through his creation of setting that underlies the rest of the music, be it through the occasional waves of triumphant applause in “Chinese Radiation”, the industrial rhythmic clanging of “Real World”, or the ominous, air raid siren-lite sounds of “Over My Head”. His influence on this record isn’t as great as it would come to be on future releases, but it is still a big part in formulating Pere Ubu’s unique musical direction. The synths on this album work to create a very distinct atmosphere in a very different way than they would later be used, mainly through the channeling of background noises and atmospheric musical cues, rather than the dance-y synth arrangements that would later come to personify New Wave.

However, this is in many ways David Thomas’ band, as the founder and only constant member throughout Pere Ubu’s career, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t spend some time focusing on his odd, almost surreal caterwauling. Imagine an especially noisy hawk. Now, imagine that that hawk is dying, possibly due to internal bleeding, and just won’t shut up (god, this is a really bad metaphor). That’s kind of what David Thomas sounds like, a dying hawk, squealing and squawking incessantly in a high yet somber pitch as it slowly dies. Or maybe a drunken homeless man on the street, muttering to himself about whatever he pleases, and occasionally raising his voice in delightful inebriated glory. Whatever he sounds like, Thomas’ vocals are easily the most noticeable and recognizable thing about Pere Ubu, and they work to fit the eccentricities of the music seamlessly.

With The Modern Dance, Pere Ubu created an underground classic, an experimental slice of ‘avant-garage’ (Thomas’ term to placate music critics looking for a trendy expression to use in their reviews) that doesn’t disappoint. Few bands can create the same blend of abstract weirdness, much less pair it with any number of interesting musical ideas. Absurd, surreal, and only a tad disjointed, The Modern Dance stands as another important step in the ultimate merger of music and art. To this date, it remains important in its influence, even if not nearly as many people remember it as they should.

The Modern Dance

Modern Life is War - Witness

2008-09-14T12:42:00.012-06:00

Modern Life is War - Witness

Say hello to the best thing to ever come out of Iowa.

(I’m pretty confident about that statement)

Formed by five friends growing up in tiny Marshaltown, Iowa, Modern Life is War is a hardcore band that utilizes a keen understanding of mood and strong, layered guitars to create a diverse and exceptional blend of hardcore that is entirely their own. In 2005, they released their second album, Witness, reaching a pinnacle in their songwriting career in the process. The album focused on the trials and tribulations of the modern generation, based on the lives of the band members and the people they grew up with.

What makes this album so different, and so exceptional when placed against the backdrop of today’s more generic hardcore, is the pronounced effort and energy flowing through the music, as well as the band’s ability to develop mood. We’ll start by focusing on the former. In many ways, Witness feels like a labour of love, and songs like “D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” exemplify this feeling impeccably. In the song, the band describes their humble beginnings and their lifelong desire to play music and escape the day-in, day-out boredom of small town living. With lines like “Save me from ordinary, save me from myself” and “I just wanna go back home and turn my stereo until the rhythm melts my bones”, Modern Life is War perfectly outlines their intense passion for the music they play, showing that its not just a way of life, but a reason to live. Much of this emotion is conveyed through the singing of vocalist Jeffrey Eaton. His voice is coarse and unrelenting, yet still melodic enough to flow with the music, as his breathless shrieks aim to deafen alongside the frenzy of the guitars. It’s almost as if a battle of volume ensues between Eaton and the rest of the band each time the music picks up, with both sides trying to outdo the other in a feverous display of enthusiasm. In short, when Eaton screams “we’re playing as hard as we can”, you damn well better believe it.

As far as mood goes, Modern Life is War commands and controls a distinct atmosphere throughout Witness. The music evokes feelings of an after-dusk stroll through an industrial wasteland, barren and desolate as far as the eye can see. The soundscapes conjured up are bleak and unfeeling, directly representing the band’s take on modern life, portraying the world around them not as ruthlessly antagonizing, but as generally apathetic and uncaring. The twin guitars strike a delicate balance between melody and the dense layers of distortion they carve that melody into. In tone and feel, the guitars sound like a better produced version of those on Naked Raygun’s Jettison, churning out a very comparable mood, only coming off darker, denser and more paranoid in the process.

“Are you a messenger boy?"
"No, I'm the judge and jury. If you're gonna call the cops...you better fucking hurry. There's no use begging for your life. You made your choice and now you pay the price...you fucking bastards! Bastards! Bastard!"

Place defines much of who we are as people, and the influence of Anytown, U.S.A. shines through in the uneasy urgency that peppers the band’s blaring approach to hardcore. As such, much of the thematic subject matter seems inspired by the band’s shared coming of age in sleepy Marshaltown, IA. Restlessness abounds in both lyrical content and musical background, like the band is pissed as hell at anything and everything and needs desperately to let it out. The caged frustration is palpable, as the band recklessly unleashes their bottled anger on every track, taking only the briefest of pauses for rest. ‘The race we are running is a joke’, Eaton screams in the tense and agitated “Young Man Blues”, ‘and I’m a drop-out”.

A lot of the album’s content revolves around the idea of what to do when there’s no longer a clear path to follow. The song “John and Jimmy”, for example is, in Eaton’s own words, “about how [John and Jimmy] were over seas fighting not necessarily to defend the ideals that we were over there supposedly trying to defend, but because they didn't know what to do with their lives and they felt like they were going nowhere”. The sombre, two-part “Hell is for Heroes” follows this idea of what happens to the rebels when they just can’t keep it up anymore, but don’t know what else to do. These songs paint a picture of a generation of youth who don’t know how to enter society, but see no alternative and feel like they have to start settling down and living ‘normal lives’. In context, this presents a very powerful problem to the listener, of whether one should abandon their ideals for the easier life of which they’re told they should lead, or continue on the more gruelling path of a life opposed. There’s no easy answer, and Modern Life is War agonizes over the fork in the road, making Witness not only something of a concept album, but a very personal creation at that.

With Witness, Modern Life is War created nothing less than a hardcore masterpiece, an album obsessed with internal conflict and external hell. The songs crafted are thunderously dense pieces of hardcore goodness, chalked full of emotion and ferocity. Never has any piece of music so aptly summed up the restless desperation of growing up in a small town, that aimless desire of wanting frantically to leave but having nowhere to go. Modern Life is War has since broken up, but their legacy will live on through the impassionate, frustrated brilliance of this album.

and i say to all the young wild ones...for you...yeah on your way up..the world isnt against you, my dear, it just doesn't care

'cuz we're all D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

2008-09-13T22:09:00.009-06:00

Making come true our modest impossible dreams.
Stuck in public school classrooms at age 15.
Those long hot days just before the summer...
Knowing that we're stuck here...
And there's something happening somewhere.
Knowing we know we gotta get there.
It's true what they say...
Death is more perfect than life...
That's why we already died.
What could have been?
We don't wanna know.
Tonight we'll get our kicks.
Tonight we're all letting go!
'Cause we're all Dead Ramones!

Sore back!
Sore feet!
A ragtag army and we're sick in the heat.
We're not pretty and we're not rich.
We're gonna hafta fucking work for it.
It's our life!
We do what we choose!
Black Jeans.
Black Shirt.
Black Shoes.
Mom and Dad still don't approve.
Twenty eight shows.
28 days.
Pulling up new rogues all along the way.
I'm just another face in this desperate youth parade.
And all the bunk beds locked doors, hardwood, sweat,
Guts, skateboards, cold war bomb shelter basement screams, no sleep, good dreams.
We're playing hard as we can and a whole lotta time stuck in the van.
Reading the graffiti on every bathroom wall in truck stop fast food hell.
Save me from ordinary.
Save me from myself.
Another punk rock summer came and went
Now I just wanna go back home and turn up my stereo
Until the rhythm melts my bones 'cause I'm a Dead Ramone.
D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

A fantastic song, and one that exemplifies the reasons why we love the music we do as much as we do. It's about passion, it's about emotion, it's about catharsis, and it's about the raw, heartfelt ideals that guide it all. It's about the meanings greater than the music itself, and the freedom that the music represents. A harmless pop diddy that enters your ears with a mildly catchy bassline that you tap your foot to means little if it's devoid of meaning or substance for the listener to lock onto. Sure, it has an appeal, but its appeal is purely cosmetic, like putting lip-gloss on a mannequin. Ultimately, the great music has appeal that transcends the basic equation of guitar + bass + drum = musics. Great music has a soul, something intangible brought on by an emotional core that makes the listener feel something, good or bad. And not just "lightly-bob-your-head-and-tap-your-foot" good, good as in reaching an emotional connection, a direct sense of relatability with whatever it is you're listening to. 'Without that, it's just masturbation.'

Anyway, this rambling was brought to you by another listen to Modern Life is War's Witness, of which a more substantive review with link will be up tomorrow.

2008-09-11T15:22:00.011-06:00

there's holes up in the sky
the devil punched down to the monkeys
and now they've got drive thru
and a video store where there used to be real live actors
used to ride around here
up on my high horse
with all the other good little butcher boys
a plagiarist of course
so roll over sweet thing
like a nuclear reprisal inbound from outer space
there's a comparison here that i'm trying to swing

but god damn it's deafening
wish you'd shut up about everything
the future is x-rated

there's holes up in the sky
and no one's seen your son in days
and things just keep getting weirder and weirder
and now christmas is for shopping
and the shopping god is everything
so roll over and lose it
cuz power is just another one of those things baby
it's pointless if you ain't gonna use it

god damn it's deafening
wish you'd shut up about everything
the future is x-rated

used to ride around here on my high-high horse

Ignite - Our Darkest Days [Ltd. Tour Edition]

2008-09-07T18:36:00.006-06:00

Ignite - Our Darkest Days

Storming out of one of the wealthiest and most populous suburbs in California, the infamous Orange County, come Ignite. Formed in 1993, the band first gained recognition for their politically charged brand of punk with a series of EP’s, a full length and an almost inhuman touring schedule.

Following a lengthy tour across Europe, the band returned with their second album, 2000’s A Place Called Home, a commercial breakthrough after which the band took some time off to work on side-projects (Lead-singer Zoli Teglas briefly became the Danzig replacement du jour for the Misfits reunion band, before joining bassist Brett Rasmussen in California United). In 2004, Ignite came back from their hiatus, playing shows together in the U.S. for the first time in two years. Shortly afterwards, the band began recording their third album, Our Darkest Days. Released in 2006, the album represents another strong effort from one of the few true ideologues left in mainstream punk.

The first thing any listener will likely notice will be the unique, almost operatic singing style of vocalist Zoli Teglas. Teglas’s unusually high cries can be either an intriguing addition that boosts the levels of melodic harmony the band works with so well, or it can be off-putting, detracting from the excellence of the music. However, beyond the gimmicky appeal of such vocals is the way Teglas complements the music perfectly, melding with the higher chords to further accentuate the passion and excitement of each musical crescendo. Teglas belts his lines with conviction and urgency, railing against the short-sighted cultural dogma he sees around him. Topics include the realm of global politics, with songs concerning the tumultuous Iraq War (“Bleeding”), and the American political climate of fear (“Fear is Our Tradition”), as well as more personal songs dealing with the trials of the individual in such a climate (“Strength”). The band seems truly troubled by many of the directions they see their country taking, and this is capped off in style with a cover of the U2 classic (U2’s only classic, as far as I’m concerned) “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”. Originally about the ongoing 'sectarian violence' in Northern Ireland, when placed in the context of the rest of the album, the song turns into a more general condemnation of the results of war and the ultimate destruction it causes.

Is this the death of liberty?
Is this the price that life has come to mean?

While the topics presented are neither terribly original nor profound, they don’t have to be. The strengths of Our Darkest Days lie in the execution of these ideas, as the band works well within the concept suggested by their album title to create an atmosphere of hopelessness and embittered defeat. What surprises is how they manage to both envelop the listener with their disillusioned take on modern society, as well as create a phenomenally catchy punk album, akin to something you might hear from Rise Against, Bad Religion or any number of melodic radio stalwarts. The music is relentlessly appealing, contrasting with and overshadowing the bleakness of the subject matter in the process. But should it be any surprise that the music takes center stage here? Few straight-up punk outfits can pull off the technicality and ingenuity of Ignite, especially when working within such a traditionally restrictive genre.

Successfully utilizing a number of creative riffs and song structures, the band often tiptoes between their faster, hardcore roots, and the slower, more melody-obsessed leanings of their later works. And, with the possible exception of the acoustic final track, “Live for Better Days”, not a minute of filler is to be found here. The songs are well-written, well-executed, and hold within them just enough originality and variety to appeal to even the most jaded of punk fans. Never do the guitar riffs seem recycled, but they manage to blend together well enough to make this a completely cohesive and enjoyable listen. With Our Darkest Days, Ignite have managed to string together 36 minutes of unbridled punk passion, mixing musical harmony with lyrical fury to make an album that appeals to fans of both hardcore and mainstream punk alike.

(This version of the album was originally released while the band was touring Europe, and contains two bonus songs: the bonus track "Last Time", and a demo version of "Bleeding")

we built this all
our darkest days

God is an Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright

2008-08-29T01:35:00.006-06:00

God is an Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright

God is an Astronaut is an Irish post-rock trio that began in 2002 with their debut album, The End of the Beginning. What sets the band apart from many of their post-rock predecessors and contemporaries is that they find a way to fuse electronica with post-rock, to create an intriguing and innovative blend of music that re-defines in many ways the boundaries of post-rock. The three members of the band play a surprising amount of instruments between them; Torsten Kinsella plays both guitar and keyboard in addition to occasional (and very sparse) vocal duties; brother Niels plays bass and lead guitar interchangeably, as well as handling the visual displays at live shows; and drummer Lloyd Hanney also handles synthesizer duty. Telling you this serves little purpose other than to point out that only three people contribute to this incredible abridgement of melody and noise, a feat impressive in of itself and even more impressive when you see that each musician is pulling double-duty here. On their second album, All is Violent, All is Bright, they perfect their unique approach to post-rock, creating a beautiful and substantial album that stands alone in a sea of imitators.

Alone in a sea of blinding snow-white fog, a man searches for something. The background is obscured and undeveloped, and what is visible is entirely unrecognizable. The colours everywhere melt into an uneasy balance between black and white, an all-encompassing array of monochrome lifelessness. This is the album cover for All is Violent, All is Bright, but it could just as well describe the landscape that God is an Astronaut is working upon. Grounded by strong rhythmic drumming, the band hurls wave after wave of obfuscating electronic haze at the listener, both serene and majestic in its composition, relenting only for obligatory periods of rest. And with this strategy at heart, the band successfully creates a tender and desolate atmosphere, one that fully enraptures its audience and leaves them pleading for more.

God is an Astronaut show an impressive set of dynamics on this album, towing a thin line between the intense lows, reeking of insularity and isolation, and soaring highs. The music can drift from endless waves of cold, unyielding distortion, to forceful, blindingly bittersweet climaxes and back again within an instant. As an added bonus they waste no time in doing so, never pausing for a moment, always finding a way to keep their music interesting and exciting. Unlike many other bands of the sort, there are no overly drawn-out silences used to build up the music, no endless arrangements of noise that only serve to bore the listener. With All is Violent, All is Bright, God is an Astronaut perfect the art of grabbing the listener’s attention, be it through beguiling piano chords or haunting synth melodies. Even when they’re not going for the big climax, they remain remarkable in their catchiness and captivating in their brilliance.

But not only do they captivate; they also manage to move as well. The music has a dour sweetness to it in places, one that makes listening to it a highly emotional experience. Where their debut was catchy and consistently entertaining, the band ups the ante here, adding an emotive sensibility that often underlies the cold, bleak landscape which they paint upon. It sounds weird to say this about a post-rock band, since no words or vocals are used as a manner of expression, but what sets All is Violent, All is Bright apart from the band’s previous release is the aforementioned emotional depth. Among the cloud of synthesized haze the group utilizes so well, they manage to convey a very real, and very relatable feeling of isolation. It is that this sense of isolation is so well conveyed and that the band takes such care in translating it, that the album ultimately succeeds.

All is Violent, All is Bright reflects the best effort to date of one of post-rock’s freshest and most interesting acts. That the band can express intense desolation in their sound, as well as utilize catchy and memorable rhythms like no other, puts them on a higher plane when speaking about the best post-rock acts today. And on a personal note, this is possibly my all-time favourite post-rock album, one that always remains vibrant and brilliant upon each successive listen.

All is Violent, All is Bright

Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - A Call to Arms EP

2008-08-24T16:14:00.018-06:00

Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution - A Call to Arms

Following his departure from Catch 22, citing a desire to further his education rather than tour, Tomas Kalnoky began to embark upon writing more ambitious and expansive songs. This included adding classical and folk elements to songs already written, as well as entirely new material that transcended the boundaries of ska as it was hereto known. Utilizing an astonishing variety of instruments and styles, this project of his would eventually be known as the Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. A total of fifteen people would contribute to the eventual A Call to Arms EP, released in 2001, playing instruments as diverse as the familiar ska sounds of the trombone, trumpet, and saxophone, to the classical string sounds of the viola, cello, and double bass.

The EP begins with a simple introduction, titled "This is a Call to Arms", the name of which, just like the EP itself, is derived from the Ernest Hemingway novel A Farewell to Arms. It comprises of a simple, yet infectious swelling of the horns, interspersed with an acoustic section of harmonic vocal intonations, before both parts speed up in leading into the first full song of the album.

"Here's to Life" was originally written whilst Kalnoky was a member of Catch 22, and would later appear on Streetlight Manifesto's debut album, Everything Goes Numb, two years later. It chronicles the lives and depressions of many of Kalnoky's literary and artistic heroes (as seen in the footnotes in the CD jacket), including J.D. Salinger, Albert Camus, Vincent Van Gogh, as well as the aforementioned Hemingway. Continuing musically much in the same way as laid out in the previous song, with the same song structure and swelling of the horns, it remains denser and more meaningful in it's arrangement, thanks to Kalnoky's wistful lyrics. He delivers his lines with an intense devotion to the subject at hand, mourning the losses of these artistically tortured and withdrawn men.

The next song is a remake of a song not just written, but performed and recorded while in Catch 22, "Dear Sergio". It plays out like a more traditional example of third-wave ska, bursting from the seams with energy while retaining the appeal of a pop song at its core. Where it improves upon the original is in it's acoustic guitar work, which compliments the brass of the horns far better than in the original, as well as an additional verse that further flushes out the theme of the song, railing against the cause-and-effect of obligations in modern society.

The first song performed exclusively to the EP is the fourth track, "It's a Wonderful Life". The song is a laid-back and somewhat jaunty tune, almost oblivious to the underlying threat it faces. The story told is of a man going to war, likely either the first or second world war or the Spanish Civil War (just judging by Kalnoky's usual subject matters), who is fondly reminiscing over the times he spent with his wife. The final cry "Oh to die for such a wonderful life" belies the tragedies of war, and instead draws attention on the what the main character is willing to give up to protect what he holds dear. The focus seems to be on the sacrifice itself, made great by the larger picture it represents, shown by the flashbacks to his wife and to all his treasured memories. Just the fact that he could feel so strongly about someone makes the sacrifice worthwhile, and makes life worth living, no matter what perils may await on the battlefield.

The final song, and in many ways the best song, is the rather verbosely-titled "They Provide the Paint for the Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint on the Inside of Your Eyelids". It begins with an ominous acoustic guitar part, highlighted by Kalnoky's equally quiet and understated singing. This part follows a second-hand account of an old man, paranoid and detached from society, warning the speaker never to become too trustful of the powers that be. Eventually, the music picks up in pace dramatically, horns flowing and swelling with passion, lending a sense of the epic to the whole affair. The lyrics are top notch, spewed so fast the listener can barely keep up. They reference a number of anecdotes as related by the speaker, that are similar in tone to the tale of the old man. One is about a boy who "wanted to be a soldier in the next great war, he wanted to kill and fight and maim but not be told what he was fighting for", and the other verses are just as dour in tone. The speaker is greatly concerned about what he sees around him, and goes back to the memory of the old man as a sort of prelude to his own cynical beliefs about the people and world around him. What comes out of it is an anthemic tale of paranoia and pessimism in relation to society.

A Call to Arms is to date, BOTAR's only release, but its innovation lives on. This EP pushes the boundaries of what ska is, and by doing so, creates a unique and enjoyable collection of songs. Kalnoky's ambition and drive for perfection is both what fuels these songs, as well as what has kept the band from as of yet releasing any further material. As is, we'll just have to make do with this for the time being.

This is a call to arms

This Post Has Been Brought to You in Glorious Extra Colour

2008-08-22T15:03:00.019-06:00

For the uninitiated, today marks the release of the final episode (via Adult Swim's website) of the third season of the Venture Bros. Which makes it at least another year before anything new will be released, likely sending me into a cycle of depression that only handful after handful of Xanax can overcome. So to recognize this, I figured a Venture Bros. related post was in order.

The show is in essence a satire of the old Saturday morning cartoons of the 60's and 70's (Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo, among many, many others), as well as being a thematic extension of the space-age values of the 50's, where children were taught to believe they could grow up to do anything, and oh so many cheesy educational shorts concluded that colonies on the moon were just decades away. Naturally, every character is a failure in this world, a victim of failed potential and crushed ambitions. From the creators:

Publick: "This show... If you'll permit me to get 'big picture,' This show is actually all about failure. Even in the design, everything is supposed to be kinda the death of the space-age dream world. The death of the jet-age promises."

Hammer: "It's about the beauty of failure. It's about that failure happens to all of us..." "Every character is not only flawed, but sucks at what they do, and is beautiful at it and Jackson and I suck at what we do, and we try to be beautiful at it, and failure is how you get by." "It shows that failure's funny, and it's beautiful and it's life, and it's okay, and it's all we can write because we are big fucking failures. (laughter)"

Sprinkle in a frighteningly large amount of pop culture references, and you got the basic gist of it. Of course, that doesn't actually tell you what the show is about, but I'm not looking to go into a lot of detail here. Just that it's hilarious. Look into it.

Now, I figure there are two ways I can make this music-related (not that it really has to be, but w/e). One, I can point out that the oft-brilliant composer of the show is J.G. Thirlwell, better known for his long career as industrial music pioneer Foetus (among numerous other aliases and side-projects), and that a Venture Bros. Original Soundtrack is apparently on the way; or two, I can post the best cover of "Mars, Bringer of War" ever recorded. Being as prolific as I am (cough), I decided to do both.

That's right. Shit's a capella.

Transistor Transistor - Erase All Names and Likeness

2008-08-18T16:00:00.010-06:00

Transistor Transistor - Erase All Names and Likeness

We draped ourselves in noise...

This is the sole line during the break of “Power Chord Academy”, and it sums up this album and this band’s approach to music perfectly. The riffs run together like something written by Sleep, but while still keeping the fire and speed of a hardcore band. Guitar lines dance in and out of this wall of noise, constantly changing in tone and spectrum. Screams reverberate throughout the background, adding to the caustic, droning melody. And all of it is fucking fantastic.

Hailing from New Hampshire, Transistor Transistor plays a heaving mix of hardcore that amalgamates a number of heavier influences while still retaining the speed and power of their namesake. In their early years, tours with bands such as Hot Cross and Wolves made them well known by regional fans for their energetic and lively performances. In 2005, they released their first full-length album, Erase All Names and Likeness, which infused the heavy rock stylings of earlier releases with a more dynamic and offbeat take on songwriting.

Musically, the band is top notch, relying on the steady melodies of the guitars and the forceful, pace-setting dynamism of the drums to guide each song forwards. The guitars on this album act like stoner metal on speed; slow, drudging repetitive riffs turned into fast, drudging repetitive riffs. On many of the tracks, you can almost see a comparison to Queens of the Stone Age, or to a lesser extent, Kyuss, only with less emphasis on the bass and a much murkier feel. Also worth noting are the hints of drone that pop up here and there when the music escalates. And yet, you can often see a number of swelling guitar lines that run away from the stoner metal aesthetic, flying upwards to create a number of crescendos that still manage to retain the cacophony of the music. It works, thanks to the bass guitar’s work in grounding these soaring melodies, allowing the lead guitar to cut right through the rolling electric noise of the bass in order to enhance and focus the peaks of the song.

Thanks to the density of the guitars and the “wall of sound” esthetic they create, the band unleashes a very dark atmosphere throughout, which is likely where most of the ‘screamo’ comparisons come from. There is something very mysterious and ominous about Erase All Names and Likeness, and it serves to create a very tense listening experience. It is this atmospheric tension which steers many of the longer songs, specifically the last song, the thirteen minute “A Sinking Ship Full of Optimists”. The band utilizes the aforementioned tension much in the way a Funeral Diner or Envy might, building through a quiet/loud structure in order to create a harrowing and foreboding environment.

But while the heaviness remains apparent through Erase All Names and Likeness, it is the vibrant energy that flows throughout that gives this album life. The band does an excellent job of bottling the energy of their live shows into this studio recording, and the passion with which they play is apparent. Much of this comes from the vocals, which slash through the noise with a number of ear-splitting screams and powerful shouts. The music is layered just so that the singer’s voice can barely overcome the droning excursions of the guitar. The two forces end up fighting with one another for supremacy, saturating one another through their tonal similarities. This disharmony enforces the underlying austerity of the content, adding further dissonance to an already disharmonic record.

On Erase All Names and Likeness, Transistor Transistor creates one of the best hardcore albums of the decade, coupling the sounds of their heavier predecessors with their own particular mixture of menace and balls-to-the-wall velocity. It’s fast, noisy, and decisively relentless in its approach to hardcore. However you look at it, this is a must-have for fans of heavy, throttling rock music.

we'll sink until we float

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And as a related aside, Transistor Transistor recently (a few months back) released their second album, Ruined Lives. To anyone interested, you can order it from any number of places linked here.

Bad Brains - Bad Brains

2008-08-15T13:42:00.009-06:00

Bad Brains - Bad Brains

What else is there to say about Bad Brains? Originally a jazz fusion band named Mind Power, these early hardcore luminaries would eventually adopt a grinding rebellious attitude to their music, turning into one of the bands who would shape 80’s punk rock at its core. Formed by four black Rastafarians, the band was an oddity in the D.C. scene, espousing peace and love one second, and furious anger the next. Known early on for their energetic and chaotic live shows, as well as their technical superiority when matched against their peers, Bad Brains would reach much notoriety within the D.C. hardcore scene, eventually being banned from a number of clubs and being forced to re-locate to New York (which would become the subject of the song “Banned in D.C.”). They released their first album in 1982, the self-titled Bad Brains, an album heralded to this day for its influence, as well as its innovative blending of numerous disparate genres.

One of the most interesting things about this album is the unique way the band incorporated a wide number of influences into a fast-paced and dynamic form of hardcore. Guitarist Dr. Know could shift from searing punk rapidity (“Attitude”) to lumbering metal heaviness (“Supertouch/Shitfit”), to gentle reggae beats (“Leaving Babylon”) with skill and proficiency in each area. This new and novel take on punk music was almost unheard of, as the band could jump back and forth between slow, lulling reggae tunes about inner peace, to short, frenzied bursts of anger taking umbrage at anything and everything.

But it wasn’t this duality that made the band great; it was their frantic, psychotic take on hardcore, brimming with energy and ethos from start to finish. It was singer H.R.’s notable wails, screaming each note with passion and fury. It was the way the bass played with the guitar to create an ominous heaviness not unlike Black Sabbath in songs like “Fearless Vampire Killers” and "Big Take Over". It was the way the band created intensity out of nothing, almost bridging over into the sort of horror punk bands like the Misfits were playing at the time. It was the combination of these and many other things which made them unique, and which made this album unique.

With their self-titled debut, Bad Brains created a classic, a punk masterpiece that refuses to play by anyone else’s rules. By summoning a number of contrasting influences into one package, and playing it with energy and conviction, they ended up influencing a generation of future artists.

What else is there to say?