Senate Committee Votes to Expand Low Power FM Radio
It feels weird and uncomfortable to be pleased with a Senate movement, but I suppose the times are a-changin'.
10.31.2007
Radio Show Playlist: 10/31/07
6a:
1. Dinosaur Jr. - Let It Ride - Bug (SST 1988)
2. Eleventh Dream Day - Interstate - Stalled Parade (Thrill Jockey 2000)
3. Ahleuchatistas - ...Of All This - In the Midst... (Cuneiform 2007)
4. Letters Letters - Dealer Dealer - Letters Letters (Type 2007)
5. Shooting Spires - Alive and Well - Shooting Spires (Cardboard 2007)
6. Dirty Projectors - Maarket Aair - Demons & Rare Meat (Mission 2004)
7. The Octopus Project - An Evening with Rthrtha - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-a-Boo 2007)
8. Testbild! - Inside Raindrops - Imagine a House (Friendly Noise 2006)
9. Efterklang - Horseback Tenors - Parades (Leaf 2007)
10. Scott Solter Plays Pattern is Movement - In Glasstone - Canonic (Hometapes 2006)
11. Saturday Looks Good to Me - When I Lose My Eyes - Fill Up the Room (K 2007)
12. The Cave Singers - Dancing on Our Graves - Invitation Songs (Matador 2007)
7a:
1. Six Organs of Admittance - Shelter from the Ash - Shelter from the Ash (Drag City 2007)
2. Morning Recordings - You've Been Letting Go - The Welcome Kinetic (Loose Thread 2007)
3. Bevel - Vice Versa (Protect What You Love) - Phoenician Terrane (Contraphonic 2007)
4. Pullman - To Hold Down a Shadow - Turnstyles & Junkpiles (Thrill Jockey 1998)
5. Grizzly Bear - He Hit Me - Friend EP (WARP 2007)
6. Benoit Pioulard - Palimend - Precis (Kranky 2006)
7. Alice Coltrane - Hare Krishna - Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana (Warner Bros. 1976)
8. Leaves - Ash Wednesday (Rumback) - Live at the Ice Factory (FP 2006)
9. Roy Montgomery - On the Road 2 - Inroads: New & Collected Works (Rebis 2006)
10. Paul Metzger - Orans - Deliverance (Locust 2007)
8a:
1. Gabor Szabo - Mizrab - The Sorcerer (Impulse! 1967)
2. His Name is Alive - Geechee Recollections (II) - Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown (High Two 2007)
3. Charles Mingus - II B.S. - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse! 1963)
4. Prefuse 73 - Spacious and Dissonant Pt. 2 - Interregnums (WARP 2007)
5. Isotope 217 - La Jetee - The Unstable Molecule (Thrill Jockey 1997)
6. Chicago Afrobeat Project - bscg2 - (A) Move to Silent Unrest (CAbP Music 2007)
7. Bubbha Thomas & the Lightmen - Country Fried Chicken (Lightin' 1975)
8. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Let Them Knock - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone 2007)
9. James Brown - I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me) - I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me (King 1968)
10.30.2007
Japancakes - "Loveless"
Japancakes - Soon (Darla 2007)
Japancakes - Loveless / Darla
"are you excited... really?"
This question was posed by an anonymous noter on Friday in response to Michael's Prefuse 73 review. Maybe it wasn't conscious, but they've allowed a can of worms to open itself in lieu of this month's feeling that the sky was falling in on the "indie" lover's world. It started with the suckerpunch of Radiohead's In Rainbows. Then came The Black Kids pre-CMJ when everyone was wondering, well, why them? Then came Sasha Frere-Jones and the race card. This came back to The Black Kids, who came back from CMJ with everyone still wondering, er, why them? Then came the Oink bombshell. Then came Idolator booting bloggers out of their ivory towers. Almost unnoticed, Stylus suddenly slipped out the back door. Happy Halloween.
If you've been left reeling from October, you're not the only one. Every amateur Jess Harvell (who's resigning from Pitchfork, incidentally) seems to be calling for the heads of... Well, who exactly? Is it the positive hype machine they've helped to contribute to? Is it anyone who's ever had a good word to say about an artist? Is it any kid who plays sheep to Pitchfork's shepherd? Is it the evil overlord Pitchfork itself? Who is at fault might be the question everybody's asking, but the better question might be Have we learned anything?
We here at Audiversity can't speak for the rest of the Internet, or the rest of the blogosphere, or even for each other at times. I can tell you that I've learned how dire the situation both is and is not. Because the Internet magnifies everything ten fold, the big issue with music "criticism" doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things... But it matters to someone, because every average music blog you visit has probably made some kind of commentary on it by now. Blogging is a delicate matter, a series of paradoxes and dead ends with no escape, a balance between hyping and critiquing, art and science, considered selections and impulse buys, writing and masturbating.
Therein lies the essence of what I've long suspected: We don't properly fit in with this discussion. The artists we like aren't getting paid much even when they do well. We're not ad-friendly. We don't want to get paid for two paragraphs of biographical information you could just as easily find on AllMusic. But we're also not going to write about artists we don't love because, why bother? Buddyhead flamed out because you can only be so angry for so long (and most of their "this sucks" mentality went to Vice, but that's another story). We don't hate not because it's no longer fashionable (though I suspect it'll be back soon) but because it's a waste of energy. My mother told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all.
At last, then, we come to Japancakes. I like them. I like what they do. What they do: Country-tinged drone-rock. Lap-steel guitars twang with the dusty autumn evenings of a Texan sunset. Beautifully melodic, patient, instrumental songs that sound like every good post-rock band if they'd accurately captured that side of the American South that Explosions in the Sky try to hide with their brand: Quaint, modest, earnest, and endearing. When the fireworks are over and the moonshine is gone, Japancakes emerge as the sentimental side of every redneck who's ever put a "3" sticker on their Silverado.
It's this base sound that makes their selection of a very un-Southern record so thrilling: Kevin Shields and his kingdom of effects pedals never could have dreamt something so utterly simple, even in the base repetition forming the core of arguably the finest record of the 1990s. Critics give him credit for being a "sonic genius" because he is a perfectionist and a slave to your headphones. But credit is also due for being a maximalist, because Shields wasn't ready to quit until every last hair on your eardrum had been raised.
This Athens, Georgia band takes the opposite approach: Spare as much space as possible with the same material. Heather McIntosh's cello adds that extra string element that gives this such an organic feel. The key to their success in this instrumental reworking of the Irish band's 1991 classic is the organic feel that they have been exploring since early jam sessions in '97 playing the D-chord over and over again. Removed of the sonic intensity of the original, the Japancakes version sounds sweeping and classically grand without sounding self-indulgent and aurally over-the-top.
Japancakes are also releasing another album of their own material. It's called Giving Machines, and it is as good as 2004's Waking Hours which I remember enjoying a lot more than some people. But we're not going to review that. While this is a good band with a different take on drone-rock that they've been working on for years to great effect, when they come home from the studio or they finish up their workday or whatever it takes to pay their bills, they're just music fans.
Being a music lover levels the great playing field of listening. That's all any of us are (except corporate-driven yes-men), and a review of Loveless seems more appropriate at the moment than Giving Machines because covering Loveless is a labor of love rather than obligation. Fans crave fresh material. They do not ask for cover albums. Am I equating what we do here with Japancakes in the studio? Not entirely. But the thought is there.
Pierre Bayard, author of "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read," in Sunday's New York Times Magazine:
You seem to believe that knowing a little bit about 100 literary classics is preferable to knowing one book intimately. I think a great reader is able to read from the first line to the last line; if you want to do that with some books, it’s necessary to skim other books. If you want to fall in love with someone, it’s necessary to meet many people. You see what I mean?
Bayard is of the same mentality as most bloggers, and it's this mentality that has had people giving up on the whole thing altogether to walk away and take a break, re-examine why they're spending countless hours blogging in the first place when other places are doing it faster and better. I know I've felt like that on a number of occasions this year. And everytime I've felt it, I've done it. I've just walked away and listened to John Cage's "4:33" and that's it. No strings attached.
This isn't a job. This isn't work. The day it becomes more than a hobby we have a great enthusiasm for is the day I start getting paid for something other than ad clicks. We want our enthusiasm to reflect in how we write and what we write about. We want you to understand that the reason we feature albums is either because we really love the artist, we really love the release, or we really love the label. We're going to stick by that, and if it means we have to endure a year with a rep for being "a Japancakes-loving blog," better that than "another blog that has no real long-term passion about anyone except the favorites you expect." Am I excited about Japancakes covering My Bloody Valentine... really?
Reading over this, I think I like Michael's response better: "yes i am." And it is fantastic.
Morning Recordings - "The Welcome Kinetic"
Morning Recordings - The Welcome Kinetic
Morning Recordings – The Welcome Kinetic / Loose Thread
I have had Morning Recording’s sophomore effort, The Welcome Kinetic, playing in the background all morning as I shuffle through my usual checklist of mundane get-the-day-started tasks. As the band name implies, their particular brand of lush, pleasant pop is perfect for this setting, and has made this Monday morning routine flow a bit smoother and proceed with a bit less urgency. It wasn’t until I got to the title track that my attention was immediately pulled away from everything else and wholly concentrated on the music grooving out of my speakers. Sounding like a long lost 45 b-side from an early 70 soul-jazz group influenced heavily by the Blaxploitation soundtracks and taking an interest in the burgeoning fusion scene, it all of sudden makes sense why this pastoral pop collective lists David Axelrod, Ennio Morricone, Mulatu Astatke, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Sven Libaek, King Tubby and even Madlib as their influences. All of a sudden, Morning Recordings seems a bit more hip than their initial vibe.
Oddly enough, the influence list doesn’t even begin to slow down there as Pramod Tummala and his cast of talented musicians pair Bobby Hutcherson with Burt Bacharach, Cal Tjader with The Sea & Cake, Luiz Bonfa with Popol Vuh, and so on and so on. It certainly sounds like a crowded cluster of particular styles, but Tummala keeps them all under wraps by infusing the pastoral post-rock with elegant melodies and accessible pop entries.
Morning Recordings was initially conceived as a solo outlet for the Chicago-based Tummala as he began to branch out from the late 90s dream-pop outfit, Melochrome. What started as a venture to record an EP’s worth of material with Barry Phipps of The Coctails blossomed into Morning Recordings debut full-length as friends all started to contribute their own talents. Featuring members of Lambchop, Zelienople, L’Altra, Poi Dog Pondering and The Lightbox Orchestra, 2005's Music for Places was a lush, intimate affair that matched breezy melodies with introspective instrumentals. The Welcome Kinetic builds off this foundation and progresses by not only matured songwriting on Tummala’s part, but sonic manipulation as he experiments more and more with recording techniques.
The album opens with “The One Hundred Hills,” which first gives light to the grooves the Morning Recordings band is capable of concocting. A vibraphone swirls in and out of a stand-up bass and jazzy drum kit before a late 60’s organ sound and acoustic guitar paves way for a brief almost-Latin trumpet outburst. The song is enveloped in it’s own popping low frequencies until it gives way to “Sugar Waltz,” the first pop tune of the record. With a teetering organ/drum foundation very reminiscent of Hymie’s Basement (a short-lived collaboration between Fog’s Andrew Broder and Why?’s Yoni Wolf), Tummala’s submerged vocals undercut Edith Frost’s elegant croon while eerie sound byproducts bubble just below the surface. “Join the Curtains” pushes the album in a faintly Latin-jazz direction with the instrumentation keenly sunken in reverb and other analog effects. All the while, elements of Morricone’s spaghetti Western soundtracks also frequently appear, as do Axelrod’s funky productions. “You’ve Been Letting Go” shimmers brilliantly amidst Tummala’s more straight-ahead singer/songwriter moments, and album closer, “I Wish I Met You Sooner”, brings everything full circle in a coda much akin to the opening track, but with more tape manipulation.
Tummala does an excellent job of redefining his initial dream-pop sound with The Welcome Kinetic. The singer/songwriter meets lush post-rock foundation is built off of with a knowledgeable list of intriguing influences from across the genre spectrum, while the production is very aware of not sounding over-digitized by incorporating analog tape effects throughout the album. It’s pastoral morning music that will certainly help ease you into the day, but there is enough exotic flair to keep more attuned listeners content. It very much is a welcomed, lulling flow that could keep you under the covers for a bit too long on those chilly winter days when the alarm clock is your worst enemy and your bed is your best friend.
10.29.2007
Animosity - "Animal"
Animosity - You Can't Win (Metal Blade/Blackmarket Activities 2007)
In my last review (Severe Torture's Sworn Vengeance), as well as my Death Breath review, I made mention of how recording technology has negatively affected metal's sound over the past 10 years or so. First, drum triggers (devices used to process the actual sound of a drum through a computer into whatever sound you want) made it easier for drummers to play fast and accurately without trying as hard. Speed was limited when drummers actually had to hit hard in order for a microphone to pick up their sound. Now, even the slightest tap can be a thundering boom. Channel that mechanized sound into Pro-Tools and everything else falls into line, digitally. When albums are recorded like this, the sweat that goes into playing a type of music as demanding as death metal is marginalized. While this overly sterile approach doesn't really work for a number of bands, there are a few groups with a mechanized, relentless style that work well within a precise, overly accurate recording. One of these bands is San Francisco's Animosity.
Devotion #11
Life is good – very good – but I’ll be damned if living it doesn’t sometimes feel like juggling a feral kitten, a soiled diaper (#2), and a skinned mango, all while riding uphill on a unicycle with a flat tire. I believe it was the sweet brother Kanye who implied, “Life is a bitch, dependin’ how you dress her,” so if this is indeed the case, I think I want life to be naked. That way, there are no surprises and I know exactly what I’m dealing with.
But if not naked, then I’d really like for life to be Shannyn Sossamon.
Babe Ruth – “Wells Fargo” – First Base (Harvest 1972)
Babe Ruth is responsible for “The Mexican,” a classic b-boy (i.e. “breakdancing”) track in the vein of the Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache,” Herman Kelly & Life’s “Dance to the Drummer's Beat,” and “It’s Just Begun” by The Jimmy Castor Bunch. “The Mexican” was originally released on First Base in 1972, but found new life when it was re-discovered by a burgeoning hip-hop culture and became an anthem for the dance floor expression of rampant gang violence in the Bronx and Brooklyn boroughs of
Jay-Z – “So Ghetto” – Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter (Roc-A-Fella 1999)
Jay-Z has a new album coming out (which I’ve heard), apparently inspired by a new Denzel Washington film (which I’ve seen), and I must say that I’m a lot more excited about the film. I’m not going to get all long-winded on Jay, though. I’m a big admirer of his talent and business acumen, but he’s really in no man’s land with the rapping. People didn’t seem to like 2006’s Kingdom Come because of his insistence on throwing the noveau riche-ness of his current lifestyle all up in our faces, so with American Gangster, Jay is supposedly getting back to the tales of drug dealing and street hustling that helped make him a hip-hop superstar. The problem with this is, when was the last time he actually sold drugs or hustled anywhere that wasn’t
Sure, you can always go home again, and I’m all for an artist getting back to basics, but here we are, over ten years since his Reasonable Doubt debut, and Jay-Z is singing the same old songs – probably because he has little else to talk about. He’s always been rather one-dimensional in that respect. People gave Common heat over a line on Finding Forever about how his “daughter found Nemo,” but Com’s in his mid-30s, so rapping about his daughter finding Nemo isn’t out of the ordinary. At least he’s found his niche. I’m not sure what Jay’s looking for, but at his age, unless 40 is the new 20 and not the new 30, he’s not going to find it in a recording booth.
M.I.A. – “The Turn” – Kala (XL 2007)
When M.I.A. broke a few years ago, I was skeptical of her musical authenticity, writing in a local publication about her overnight appeal and how there was an air of contrivance in which the Sri Lankan songstress seemed to have arrived on the scene. And I’m still not fully convinced, as the combination of her music, her politics, and her visual art makes for a pretty confusing affair. There’s such a mess of information on her Wikipedia page that reading it almost gave me the spins. But I do admire the growth she has shown as an artist since her 2005 debut, because her new album, Kala, is excellent.
So, props to you, M.I.A…whoever you are.
Kool & The Gang – “Ronnie's Groove” – Live at P.J.’s (De-Lite 1971)
The title of this song pretty much speaks for itself.
10.27.2007
Singleversity #33
Audiversity’s weekly column, slightly modified, on random music in a predetermined number of words between 1 & 150. This week's randomly generated number: 43.
MA:
Thank Atavistic for introducing the still-touring Ayler-devotee Peter Brötzmann to a new generation of open ears. "Responsible/For Jan Van de Ven", recorded in 1968, is just a sampling of the free jazz purity held within the recently released The Complete Machine Gun Sessions.
PM:
One English band that helped me through my London experience in ’05, Peace Burial at Sea are likely breaking up following a Newcastle gig with 65daysofstatic and Tired Irie. Brutal to the last, their small but tidy legacy lives on with "Eye-Heart Logic."
10.26.2007
Prefuse 73 - "Preparations"/"Interregnums"
Prefuse 73 - Pomade Suite Version One (WARP 2007)
Prefuse 73 - Spacious and Dissonant Part 2 (WARP 2007)
Prefuse 73 – Preparations/Interregnums / WARP
I haven’t been short on my unabashed love for Guillermo Scott Herren here on the site. He is up there on my all-time list of favorite contemporary artists with a discography that runs amuck through a number of different monikers and a style that is both instantly recognizable and fluidly morphing with each release. The biggest problem critics have with Herren, at least in his Prefuse 73 suit, is that his pioneering and perfecting glitch-hop approach to producing has a defined, predictable framework though the creative possibilities within the stylistic confines can go on for days.
Let’s face it, he peaked early, first with 2001’s genre changing Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives and then 2003’s career-defining One Word Extinguisher. It’s not that Herren has run out of creative ideas, just check one of his other monikers: Savath y Savalas, Delarosa & Asora, A Cloud Mireya, Piano Overlord or La Corrección. It’s that from the listeners’ point-of-view, improving upon those first two releases is near impossible. He has certainly tried though; first attempting to push his own creative boundaries by crafting an album of all collaborative efforts, 2005’s somewhat underappreciated Surrounded by Silence, and then heading in 180 degrees back to the Prefuse 73 roots for 2006’s mini-LP Security Screenings. Both were bashed or ho-hummed by the majority of the critics, first for not staying true to the instrumental glitch-hop he ushered in, and then for being too predictable with his beatwork by returning to just that. Goddamn we are hard to please.
So what the hell is Herren to do next? If he can honestly not improve upon his first few productions, what’s the point in going on as Prefuse 73? He certainly has enough other outlets to still be releasing quality music (for example, Savath y Savalas was signed by the venerable Anti- Records for their last album), but that pretty much would be conceding to an increasingly fickle society of music lovers/haters whose current pedestals are only raised for a manner of seconds before their champions come clamoring back down to earth with near-unachievable expectations (this includes us obviously). Personally, I wouldn’t give us the satisfaction of quitting, no matter what the unkind reactions may be. Herren doesn’t either, and Preparations finds his Prefuse 73 personality both remaining true to his game and then turning heads by displaying his compositional skills in their naked glory.
Setting aside the “bonus disc”, Interregnums, for now, Preparations itself is the album I believe most fans were looking for as One Word Extinguisher’s follow-up. The exact definition of glitch-hop, Herren does what he does best: splices rap beats within a skittering skeleton of IDM, downtempo, broken beat and of course glitch while filling that framework with masterfully sequenced melodic samples. In fact, this album may be the most organic and melodic disc of the Prefuse 73 discography as the sound is not quite as urgent or rap-based and heavy on the classical-leaning acoustic instrumentation like strings, piano and xylophone.
Ignoring the lead single featuring Brooklyn psyche-poppers School of Seven Bells, “The Class of 73 Bells”, which we covered extensively on the teaser EP review, the strongest tracks on Preparations are held in the last quarter of the album. “I Know You Were Gonna Go” is made up of a barrage of undeterminable vocal samples that Herren weaves into the song’s continuously morphing melody overtop of a snare-heavy broken beat and ping-ponging pulses of static. That is followed by maybe the album’s strongest track “Pomade Suite Version One.” The beat stays similar from the previous song, but is now laced nearly unrecognizable beat-boxing, a series of glitchy and vocal loops, wisps of strings and xylophone and a free-jazzy baseline. The track never sits still, dropping into a groove for a matter of seconds before Herren manipulates and skews it and then scrapping it all together for the next. Though verging on overindulgence, the six-minute song contains more interesting, disectable moments than most albums do in their entirety. “Spaced + Dissonant” features Herren’s more laidback style as he opts for a more sparse beat and a stronger string presence. Once again, he chops samples of a female coos into fragmented melodies that are near inimitable. And finally, “Preparation Outro Version” is made up of pulsing pings surrounded by a myriad of stuttering ambient noises and free percussion, both acoustic and electronic. It ends unassumingly, but perhaps because there is still more to come.
Sadly deemed only as a “bonus disc”, Interregnums is made up of the orchestral backdrops Herren would eventually chop to pieces for Preparations, but presented here in fleshed-out, fully realized pieces. It is certainly not the first time we have heard this sort of sound from Herren, see especially the Savath y Savalas EP, The Rolls and Waves, and to an extent, the ambient tour only compilation, Sleeping on Saturday and Sunday. For the most part, he had just buried these compositional talents beneath more popular beat-oriented tracks, but showcasing them in their fully bloomed form was an excellent move to reclaim some of the intrigue of his once highly heralded reputation. Interrgnums begins nearly all orchestral: swelling strings, sweeping clarinets, resonant piano melodies and pinging xylophones. But as the album advances, more and more ambient electronic elements begin to accentuate the tracks. The most impressive number, “Spacious and Dissonant Part 2”, utilizes choir-like chants with pulsing orchestral melodies before breaking down the song with almost free jazz like outbursts and staticy electronic flares. Harking back to his early Delarosa & Asora moments, it reminds us that Herren started his career as an avant-garde electronica producer before grasping a hold of glitch-hop. At 52 mintues in length, it’s hard to consider Interregnums as just a bonus disc. There are moments of pure emotion, such as the all string composition “Over Ensembles”, and then moments that are a bit more trying, like when the swelling strings meet microscopic glitch during “The Ground We Lift.”
While Preparations is the main product here, it was an excellent strategic move for Herren to package in Interregnums, though labeling it as a “bonus disc” is a bit baffling. Alone, Preparations is another strong Prefuse 73 outing, but unsurprising if you have been a long time fan. Herren has not lost a step by any means, and his glitch-hop endeavors are still the peak of the stylistic niche, but being somewhat pigeonholed by his sound-concentrated monikers, it makes it much easier for most people to just write it off as another Prefuse 73 album. Interregnums is a much more intriguing album though, but mostly because it catches you off guard. Herren’s compositional skills are much more developed then he may let on, and it is a gorgeous 52 minutes of introspective music. The question that remains is exactly what Herren is “preparing” for as the album title suggests. Could this be the beginning of the end for Prefuse 73? As a listener whose tastes were widely expanded by being exposed to Herren’s music some five years ago, I hope not. But if it is the only way for the talented composer to further mature his music, then let’s do it; I’m excited to see where he leads me next.
10.24.2007
Celebration - "The Modern Tribe"
Celebration - Pressure (4AD 2007)
Celebration - The Modern Tribe / 4AD
My girlfriend is a fickle character when it comes to music taste. She was cool in the contemporary sense a decade ago, and her tastes went from Belle & Sebastian and The Blood Brothers to The Rapture in the days when they worked with Kid606.
But much like dance music and people's ideas of it (and people, for that matter), my girlfriend has changed. While she's taken that with her, when we went to go see ...Trail of Dead and The Blood Brothers this time last year, she was probably the only person in the audience to have been disappointed that the latter "didn't play any of their This Adultery is Ripe stuff." Celebration was her favorite act of the night. She ran out and bought their self-titled album not long thereafter; I was subjected to it every time we took her car out.
Not that Celebration was bad, but Katrina Ford sounded better to me with TV on the Radio than with her own group. Even still, in anticipation of The Modern Tribe, I gave it a go on a slow day to see if all that time spent with such noisy acts affected their own output. It's subtle, ever so subtle, but The Modern Tribe sounds like a group that has coalesced and come into their own. Maybe that's David Sitek's production talking, but I like this album and I suspect that a lot of other people will too if they could only hear it for themselves.
I could never see my girlfriend going to a Celebration show and declaring that she was disappointed Ford and long-time collaborator Sean Antanaitis "didn't play any of their Jaks stuff," but what was once a cabaret-punk group has now evolved into a full-fledged female-led indie band that discovered the dramatic tension not just in the restrained austerity of their simple line-up but also in the maximal expressionism that guest players can provide. The barebones song structures and essential rhythms are still there, but Sitek touches them up with just enough panache to not spoil the show. Ironically, it's Sitek that's showing restraint this time around.
The NME and I will just have to differ when they say this is "challenging" stuff. In fact, the opposite is true: The Modern Tribe is probably more accessible now that it has recognizable flourishes such as a fuzzy guitar on "Tame the Savage." If they're talking about the tribal percussion or the whirring organs or another instrument Antanaitis is fond of - the guitorgan - then it's probably just that they've been listening to way too much Editors. Still, the NME is among the lesser offenders. I'd take "challenging" over "a female-fronted TV on the Radio" any day.
Everyone seems to be calling them that because Sitek introduced the group to 4AD and because a few members make stops on The Modern Tribe to bulk things up a little bit (including Kyp Malone here on "Pressure"). Unfortunately, that description is incredibly simplistic and insultingly reductive: Celebration are a band in their own right and though they use their Brooklyn contemporaries' talents for garnish, Ford's natural singing talent is just as good on its own as it is with accompaniment from Tunde Adebimpe or Kyp Malone or anyone else from any other band. Nick Zinner included.
It's not just the singing. Celebration thrive on simple melodies delivered with kraut-like repetition (if not the motorik accuracy of every bar). They live for an exploited payoff on repeat. It works because their conviction, their belief in all of the neo-romantic lyrics that Ford croons and roars and their belief in the tambourine and the mellotron and the guitorgan and their belief in themselves is absolute. There is no doubt on this album that Celebration are doing what they want to do and sounding how they want to sound. That makes for compelling listening.
The reactions have been interesting in that very few of the major outlets have harped upon this release. You would think that with all of the TV on the Radio love last year, 4AD would have a shoe-in on its hands. Not so. Instead, The Modern Tribe flies below the radar of oversaturated hype, content to let The Black Kids implode before they've even gotten anywhere. Maybe there's no justice in a world where an average four-song demo gets more attention than a decade-old musical collaboration and evolution, but there's no sense throwing stones at glass houses. While music criticism continues to collapse in a giant mess of direct democracy in action, Celebration ignore the bigger picture to soldier on. So Audiversity follows their lead, ignoring the bigger blogging picture to soldier on championing artists who may or may not benefit from our namedrop. We're honestly trying.
Meanwhile, my girlfriend sleeps in preparation for work, ignorant of the rat race that has claimed so many casualties. Which one is the real modern tribe? My search for answers goes on.
Radio Show Playlist: 10/24/07
6a:
1. Nico - These Days - Chelsea Girl (Polydor 1967)
2. Lightning Dust - Breathe - Lightning Dust (Jagjaguwar 2007)
3. Tunng - Arms - Good Arrows (Thrill Jockey 2007)
4. Bevel - Since the World - Phoenician Terrane (Contraphonic 2007)
5. Paul Duncan - Red Eagle - Above the Trees (Hometapes 2007)
6. Citay - First Fantasy - Little Kingdom (Dead Oceans 2007)
7. Sir Richard Bishop - Canned Goods and Firearms - Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City 2007)
8. Shuggie Otis - Oxford Gray - Here Comes Shuggie Otis (Epic 1970)
9. Mark Fry - The Witch - Dreaming with Alice (Sunbeam 2006, recorded 1972)
10. Brokeback - The Field Code - Field Recordings from Cook County Water Table (Thrill Jockey 1999)
7a:
1. Matthew Shipp - Vamp to Vibe - Equilibrium (Thirsty Ear 2003)
2. Jimmy Smith - The Sermon - The Sermon (Blue Note 1958)
3. The Octopus Project - I Saw the Bright Shinies - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-A-Boo 2007)
4. Lymbyc System - Astrology Days - Love Your Abuser (Mush 2007)
5. Shooting Spires - Right - Shooting Spires (Cardboard 2007)
6. Letters Letters - Want To - Letters Letters (Type 2007)
7. Owls - Anyone Can Have a Good Time - Owls (Jade Tree 2001)
8. Deerhunter - Fluorescent Grey - Fluorescent Grey EP (Kranky 2007)
8a:
1. Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey 2007)
2. Sir Patrick Idahosa - Eni - Lagos All Routes (Honest Jons 2005)
3. Birigwa - Okusosola Mukuleke - Birigwa (Porter 2007, originally Seeds 1972)
4. Group Inerane - Kuni Majagani - Guitars from Agadez: Music of Niger (Sublime Frequencies 2007)
5. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone 2007)
6. The Impressions - Gotta Get Away - Ridin' High (ABC 1966)
7. Weldon Irvine - Soul Sisters - Time Capsule (Nodlew 1973)
8. Prefuse 73 - Pomade Suite Version One - Perparations (WARP 2007)
9. Daedelus - My Beau - Fair Weather Friends EP (Ninja Tune 2007)
10. Flying Lotus - Spicy Sammich - Reset EP (WARP 2007)
10.23.2007
A Cleansed, Well-Lighted Place
Our oink who art in oink, oink be thy name thy kingdom oink thy will be oink as it is in oink. Give us this oink our daily oink and oink us our oink as we oink our oinks and oink us not into oink but deliver us from oink; pues oink. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee.
Dapayk & Padberg - "Black Beauty"
Dapayk & Padberg - As You Please (Mo's Ferry 2007)
Dapayk & Padberg - Black Beauty / Mo's Ferry
While hip-hop may have had a bit of a slump this year, one genre that has been firing on all cylinders all year long is electro. This Bliss and From Here We Go Sublime both hit early on like stealth fighters back when F-117s were something to be feared. There was subtractiveLAD. There was Chromophobia. Great plates by Robot Needs Oil and Samim and Matthew Dear. It's just been one after another... And adding to this giant heap of sweet beats is the Berlin team of Niklas Worgt and Eva Padberg, aka Dapayk & Padberg. 2007 has found its Silent Shout.
Er, sort of. Credit where credit's due, of course: Philip Sherburne, in his infinitely broke-ass, globetrotting wisdom gave the heads-up on Black Beauty earlier this month. He's right insofar as Padberg uses pitch-shifting vocals that have a distorted, alien feel similar in feeling to Karin Dreijer's work last year, but that singular element makes this the sine qua non of the comparison; what lies beyond Padberg's altered voice is a totally different album, grime and urban grit to the core vis-Ã -vis Silent Shout's rural forestechno.
Q: "Why don't we do it in bed, baby?"
A: "Because the living room's empty, bitch."
And it's off to the races! "Noerti" isn't exactly "Marble House," then, is it? The very first thing you hear on Black Beauty is a clear indication that, even if the music is reminiscent of The Knife, the ethos and the attitude behind it just... aren't. At all. "Just keep it dirty, dirty a bit," Padberg sarcastically intones in a half-singing, half-complaining voice that seems perfectly suited for a part-time supermodel.
Which seems like a good cue to give you a little more information about Worgt and Padberg. Worgt actually founded Mo's Ferry in 2000 in Erfurt, but moved to Berlin and has operated both on his own primarily as Dapayk Solo and Marek Bois but also as Dredl Kibosh and Frauds in White in his early days. For her part, Padberg is a bombshell supermodel with a hefty CV: FHM's "Sexiest Woman in the World" in 2005 (while acting as the face for Kia(?!)), ambassadress for UNICEF in 2006, actress in the film "Dungeon Siege" this year. Hey, we all make mistakes. While her modeling career is admirable and her movie career is, um, blossoming, it's the music career that concerns us here. After a decade of dating, Worgt and Padberg married in July of '06.
This matters because, unless you're some kind of creep who gets off on incestuous innuendo, Worgt and Padberg's sexual tension provides an interesting element that Olof and Karin lacked. The title-track is a good example, its clicking minimalism buoyed by deadpan refrains from both Niklas and Eva. It's a seductive song that cleverly incorporates handclaps for the human element that's sure to make it a hit in Die Stadt. But rare is the occasion that the two do not feel in competition for the spotlight of a song: If Padberg isn't whipping herself up into a warped frenzy on "Pantomine Horse," she's giving color to the indistinct monotone whispering that Worgt provides for tracks like "Sister" or "Theiss."
"Make it Up" is another strong song with an elastic moon bounce to it that feels like an Ibiza club trip wrapped up neatly into six minutes. "Island" is appropriately named for its Caribbean feel, and here again we're seeing the strength of Worgt's minimalist tendencies taken to different creative ends. If Jamaica ever discovers deep tech, it ought to sound something like this. All of the songs are distinguishable, and yet the grander "sound" of the album is coherent, not a bunch of tracks thrown together.
The proof is in the gorgeous closer presented here, an album that cleanses the palate of the dirty sex and black beauty-induced blur of the night before to bring sunlight and the promise of living to see another day and do it all again come nightfall. Hearing this at sunrise really is the best time, but it's a sweeping, emotional song of synths that bring warmth to the usually cold thuds dominating the Dapayk sound; meanwhile, Padberg's best vocal performance since the front of the album highlights the finality of the whole thing. The nail in the coffin: After an album full of dynamic tension where it feels like Worgt and Padberg are in constant creative competition, "As You Please" is a masterstroke concession (and recession) for both.
This is an exquisitely crafted album by two artists who have been on the rise since 2003's "Goddess" 12. Though I would also urge you to check up on 2005's debut fuller Close Up, it's Black Beauty that heralds the arrival of yet another Minimal Electro Album of the Year in a year full of Albums of the Year. Don't miss out on this just because the term gets bandied about too much from the likes of chumps like me. Black Beauty is pristine glass, is crystal, is crank, is ice, is guaranteed satisfaction waiting for you.
Daedelus - "Fair Weather Friends EP"
Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends (Ninja Tune 2007)
Daedelus – Fair Weather Friends EP / Ninja Tune
Like him or not, Santa Monica, CA soundscaper Alfred Weisberg-Robert aka Alfred Darlington aka Daedelus always brings interesting music to the table. Releasing an album per year since 2002 with a good number of EPs, 12 inches, remixes and singles sprinkled throughout the downtime, Daedelus's prolific recorded output is only outdone by his penchant to practically reinvent his sound with each release. With his one-of-a-kind sample-triggering box, coattails and mutton chops in tow, the Dublab DJ's career has warped and mutated from puzzling sample-based instrumentals concentrating on source material from the 30s and 40s to pleasantly quirky analog-based music concrete to the exuberant, more accessible synthcapades of his 2006 album, Denies the Day's Demise. His music doesn't simply please the ears, it gets them perked and questioning; exactly how did he program that stumbling rhythm into such a catchy beat, or how could he have matched such oddball samples to flow so seamlessly. And above all, his music excels with its underlying sense of humor and desire to be enjoyed. Yes, it is ambitiously creative music and challenging at times, but it is also impossible to ignore the freewheeling fun both Daedelus and the listener are having when the music begins to flow.
2007 has yet to see a new full-length album and by the looks of it, this may be Darlington's first off-year, but thankfully a five-song EP was released recently on Ninja Tune Records. And of course, with a new release comes a new sound for Daedelus. Egged on by European audiences to concoct more dance floor-friendly tunes, Darlington collects his most accessible, straight-forward tunes to date; but don't fret, that effervescing quirk is still riding shotgun.
The Fair Weather Friends EP opens with its title track: a synthy, handclap-driven jubilation of spring and sex held together by an excellent arrangement. Faintly reminiscent of Denies the Day's Demise's fuzzy synth cascades and Brazilian-derived rhythms, "Fair Weather Friends" could get a dance floor hopping, but I doubt it will reach outside the indie kid hooplas. The youthful female vocal sample stating "when the weather gets warm, we get the same things on our minds as boys do," as well as the group cheering and distant steel drum pings remind me mostly of the Go! Team, but thankfully a bit more restrained and structurally refined.
With "My Beau" though, Daedelus heads into territory you may have never predicted, sleek R&B. And not just any R&B, mid-90s urban radio R&B. In fact, he re-imagined the Ghost Town DJ's one-hit-wonder "My Boo" from 1996, which charted well on Billboard's Hot 100 and the Top 40 singles chart, and is surprisingly recognizable. Daedelus keeps the underlying Miami bass influence, but opts for fuzzier synth lines and a slower bpm than the deep thudding drum-and-bass that carried the original. The sultry R&B vocals do definitely hark back to the mid-90s urban stations though, and Daedelus appears to have fun with them, chopping and restructuring without losing the accessibility or the original sass.
"Hermitage" sounds much more like classic Daedelus with its rampant, reverberating drum surges and bass clarinet-sounding bass line. Once the four-on-the-floor beat drops though, you can easily hear the European night life seeping through. "El Subidon" attacks with a syrupy string arrangement completely saturated within barrages of late 90s trip-hop drum techniques and those omniscient synth melodies. And finally, "Bonour" echoes more of the current L.A. sound: slightly R&Bish space-synth funk with IDM and electronica elements.
Five songs, five completely different sounds on the Fair Weather Friends EP, or in other words, Daedelus doing what he does best: being unpredictable. The tools pretty much stay the same throughout the EP, but each song is very much singular in style. And what is most fascinating about the multi-talented producer is though I may not be particularly into the style he is currently purveying, he always seems to spin it in a way that sounds interesting, sometimes more so than the original derivative. That is what all sample-based artists should be striving for: a complete reinvention of the original sound, not simply a rearrangement. Weisburg-Roberts… I mean Darlington… I mean Daedelus knows this, and he has proven himself over his surprisingly long discography with a strong sense of humor and the most killer mutton chops this side of the 20th century.
10.22.2007
Devotion #10
Lucky Dube
August 3, 1964 – October 18, 2007
From Michael Wines of the New York Times:
“JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 19 — A team of gunmen shot and killed Lucky Dube, an international reggae star and one of the nation’s best-known musicians, apparently in a carjacking attempt late Thursday that underscored the continuing peril of violent crime here.”
Another week, another tragedy, and not just for
I first learned of Lucky Dube as a freshman at
Remy would always chide me for not listening to “real” reggae, instead of the Bob Marley and Peter Tosh that informed much of my knowledge of the genre at the time. He swore up and down by Lucky Dube, whose music I often heard drifting through the halls, along with the scent of “chronic” marijuana that Remy’s roommate Prince had somehow gotten his hands on and was selling at the ridiculously low price of $30 for an eighth of an ounce. But reggae to me, then, was nothing more than music to party to. After all, it was college, and I was susceptible to engaging in recreational college activities. I have since grown out of such things, and my appreciation of reggae music has widened considerably. My connection to Dube, however, wouldn’t come through Remy’s insistence on the late superstar’s brilliance, but by way of Shade, with whom I shared some mutual friends back in
We all ended up leaving Iowa State after that first year – I came back to home to attend Loyola University – but I would eventually see Shade two and a half years later at the funeral of a friend of mine from both high school and Loyola that he knew from elementary school, a young man who was murdered one night in the alley behind his home. As a gang member, Shade was no stranger to street violence, but this was my first experience dealing with the random loss of someone so close to me. I remember nearly breaking down into tears while watching a segment on the shooting during the WGN News and just asking myself, “Why?” But I wasn’t confused as to why he had to die. This was
The young man who pulled the trigger was eventually arrested, and according to court records, found guilty of first degree murder and attempted armed robbery, and sentenced to a term of 40 years on the murder conviction and a consecutive 10-year term on the attempted armed robbery conviction. There have been arrests made in the Dube case, but the details of the killing are still being sorted out. Initial reports stated that the beloved singer was shot in what was a botched carjacking, a story that authorities are holding to despite allegations from those close to Dube that his murder was some sort of planned killing. While an assassination plot isn’t beyond reason, based on Dube’s longtime stance against substandard living conditions and oppression at the hands of the government in his native
No matter the cause, there are millions of people mourning Dube’s death, just as I and many others did in mourning the lost of my friend. And in the case of robberies and carjackings and such that go awry, again, the common question is “Why?” Not so much why things happen – because crime is unfortunately a way of life in many, many places – but what happens at that instant that makes a person pull the trigger? It could be resistance, or panic, or the fear of a victim being able to positively identify their attacker. It is a decision that is often made in the span of a few seconds, yet carries with it a lifetime of consequences. Personally, I don’t fear death as much as I fear having my life taken away from me, and if it comes down to me, my money, my car, or my pride, it’s an easy choice to make. My friend was a fighter, just as Dube was a fighter, but I can’t help but wonder what could have happened differently so that they were able to live, love, and fight another day.
Music? Ok...
J Dilla – Track 18 – Beat Tape, Vol. 1 & 2 (self 2002)
Milk. – “Get Off My Log” jazzyfatwoody remix – Never Dated (American 1995)
The Phenoms – “Up and Die” – The Phenoms (self 2002)
Psalm One – “Things I Do” – EV Records Presents: Everything (EV 2006)
Soil & “Pimp” Sessions – “Dawn” – Pimpoint (Victor (Japan)/Brownswood 2007)
10.20.2007
Singleversity #32
Audiversity’s weekly column, slightly modified, on random music in a predetermined number of words between 1 & 150. This week's randomly generated number: 59
MA:
Waking up after drinking until three in the morning for a ten hour workday doesn’t feel good. I am not as much hung over as succumbing to stumbling brain waves. It feels mostly like "Before I Leave" from Fennesz’s Endless Summer, a melodic stuttering lull of a song. Maybe I can down another cup of copy before I leave.
PM:
If you’re interested in seeing more than jittery camera phone recordings of your favorite DJs at Kubik, Berlin-based Slices Magazine is your ticket. These informative, irregularly released DVDs reveal the methods of some of the best electro artists and labels by, you know, talking to them. A few examples are up on YouTube; this excerpt is for Rotterdam’s Clone.
10.19.2007
Y Society - "Travel At Your Own Pace"
Y Society - Dizzy (Tres 2007)
Y Society - Travel At Your Own Pace / Tres
What happened this year with hip-hop? Initially 2007 was hyped as "The Year of Detroit" and Phat Kat got the ball rolling for sure, but Guilty Simpson and the rest never really hit as hard as was initially anticipated. Then it seemed like the NoW Coast scene had picked up a sufficient amount of steam to gain serious exposure, but the problem was that those groups haven't yet found a way to beat the collective "It's positive!" rep. As the year begins to draw to a close (with plenty more on the way, but let's be real here: We're in the last quarter), I find myself looking for artists and beatsmiths who lie somewhere off our beaten path of Detroit, NoW and Anticon, even if the sounds are similar. What is everybody else doing? It can't all be Educated Consumers (incidentally given a shout-out here) or Shape of Broad Minds, after all.
Brooklyn's Junk Science are one recommended duo that I've been spinning a lot lately. This is the other: Transcoastal duo Y Society. Currently living in Boston, Insight is a respected MC, producer and DJ (though not necessarily in that order) who has heard compliments from Mr. Lif and Edan for starters during the course of working his musical magic for over a decade. Washington DC resident Damu the Fudgmunk (or Damu, or Fudgemunk, but I doubt his mother calls him either of those) first landed as the DJ for Panacea, a Dead City collective who released the The Scenic Route earlier this fall to critical acclaim.
For Y Society's debut here, the delineation between DJ and MC are, much like the music, uncomplicated and immediately accessible. Though both produce, Damu plays the role of DJ with occasional vocal accompaniment, but Insight does most of the business on the chrome. The art and science of crate-digging and the two men's sheer appreciation for Golden Era soul and funk are plainly evident on Travel At Your Own Pace, but instead of minute snippets that tease (I'm looking at you, Beat Konducta), full songs unfold with beautifully laid-back soul samples ("How Many of Us?") and empowering pop hooks ("This is an Introduction"). "Hole in Your Pocket" even has a sample clip of holes in your pocket and this serves as a song that grabs you from the get-go and gets you moving. It's just easy to like, that's all there is to it. Enjoy.
No largely positive-minded hip-hop album would be complete without a little vinyl hiss, and given that Damu is using samples it's not really a problem, but this goes back to the straightforward nature of the release. A little scratching here, a little anthemic chorusing there (and "In Command" has both), go home satisfied. I don't mean to say that this isn't a good album, because it is. It's satisfying because it pulls no punches, makes no mistakes, and has a strong foundation of competent rhymes and engaging beats. Comparing this to something like Abandoned Language is kind of missing the point. In fact, though both Insight and Damu are East Coasters, Travel At Your Own Pace sounds like it would fit in well with the NoW battalion. "Never Off (On & On)" is both an album highlight and a perfect example of what we're talking about here.
At its core, Y Society have what Drowned in Sound correctly described as flow. This album flows smooth as Jameson on the rocks and that's about as good a compliment as you can get when you're not going for either ear-twisting lyrical abstraction or genre-crushing Statement Records. This is neither of those things, but I don't mean to demean, if you see what I mean. Rather, this is the debut of two men who are simply looking to get their talents out there to a broader audience with an album that exploits their strong suit: Positive hip-hop with a healthy helping of the best samples vinyl archeology can buy. For listeners who want a strong album rather than just a decent collection of songs, Y Society deliver with the flexibility that their title delivers. Pick this up. Or, as Damu puts it, "you know, unfortunately, with the whole Internet thing, you can catch us all on MySpace." Few things are as pleasing as a little Internet cynicism. On that note: Touché.
10.18.2007
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia Lunch - "Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia Lunch"
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia Lunch - Welcome to My Church (Willie Anderson 2007)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia Lunch - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia Lunch / Willie Anderson
Feelings on fleetingly brilliant Omar Rodriguez-Lopez are conflicted here at Audiversity: My first listen to At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command remains one of the seminal moments in my listening history, but The Mars Volta's Frances the Mute is an album that I have ill sentiments toward like few others. How things changed so dramatically is a critical point of interest: At the Drive-In represents one of the most extreme revelations of where members of a single group were musically before a fissure. But what does The Mars Volta represent when Omar goes his own way from that?
The first glimpse was 2005's A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume One. At that point, all we'd had from The Mars Volta was Tremulant and De-Loused in the Comatorium, so A Manual Dexterity sounded not totally unlike these releases. When Frances came out, Rodriguez-Lopez's solo material looked like the bookending of The Mars Volta's roughened edges as they delved head-first into ambient wankery of the highest order. Amputechture was not the redemption some were looking for, and I'm still waiting for the moment when The Mars Volta finally realize that they have lost sight of their high-minded ambition and devolved into something way worse than a salsa-tinged Tool. It's not a pretty picture.
But seeing as how Rodriguez-Lopez is such an integral part of The Mars Volta, why is it that he's appearing for the third time on this website in less than a year if we hate what he does so much? The answer is that we don't. While his primary pursuit remains wrapped up in its own big-budget pursuit of "changing the way people think about music" (or another equally futile declaration that will no doubt change when they get dropped from a major), his solo and collaborative efforts are changing more perceptions about him and what he does directly than any 80-minute epic ever could. Though Rodriguez-Lopez hasn't been known for being succinct since he had one last name, an EP early this year with Can man Damo Suzuki and solo LP Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo have both proven that he can hold his own on a guitar without needing a semi full of effects pedals.
It's this anticlimactic revelation that has been at the crux of these releases this year. Give him a wah-wah pedal or a delay unit and that's all he needs to slay your headphones and your mind. In fact, Omar is at his best when he's being held back. Cornered and with only his improv instincts to go on, Rodriguez-Lopez is a veritable master of the six-string. For the latest proof, look no further than a self-titled collaboration with the infamous Lydia Lunch out on the quiet Dutch label Willie Anderson.
While this review has been all about Rodriguez-Lopez and his musical flair showing itself all over this five-song EP, Lydia deserves more than mere mention too; without her, this EP would be a one-man spectacle lacking in a healthy mixture of vulgar feminism and politically charged sarcasm. The spoken word verse present here comes from a woman who might best be known for her contribution to the Brian Eno-curated No New York compilation with Teenage Jesus & the Jerks. Lunch has done plenty since to stay active, including a dozen spoken word releases and a host of music releases most recently punctuated by 2004's Smoke in the Shadows.
She's got a bitter sense of humor and she doesn't hide it, but the themes that keep reappearing throughout these five songs are all in the titles: "Welcome to My Church," "Getting Rid of God," "Back to the Goddess," The End of the White Man's Revolution," and "Woman (In the Beginning)." These phrases keep getting delivered with a sardonic sneer that drills home the point that, yeah, white men are pretty much the source of all that's wrong with the world. I can't say I disagree all the time, except all the times that I don't believe in uniform cultural constructs. Which is all the time.
That would be straying into territory meant only for anthro majors, so here instead are some lyrics: "God was the first cop / God was the first cock." And he was also a low-life motherfucker who caused wars. He was, of course, also invented. This is only 24 minutes long all told, but it's amazing what you'll learn if you've been spending too much time at Young Life or tuning in to TBN. Flailing saxophone courtesy Adrián Terrazas-González flavors "Welcome to My Church," and despite lyrics that would make even the most relaxed believer squirm a little ("Annie, get your gun!" Lunch begs with vitriol), the reason it's all so convincing is because it's presented as such a unified statement.
I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a sucker for circularity, but the way in which Lunch weaves the same critical phrases in and out of her poetry had me at approximately "Fuck you, white guy." You may not actually believe we need to get rid of God, but it sounds like a legitimate proposition in Lydia's hands. And even if her words aren't for you, the thing is that the words weave with the music because the music weaves with itself, too. This is the great art of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. If nothing else, the man can textualize the fuck out of a song. The sax is great and Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez's drumming is nothing short of relentlessly strong, but Omar steals the show because he's exercising restraint. Even when he's playing, there are times when you don't notice it because he can turn his shredding into white noise and back again with the simple alteration of his tones.
I don't know if a whole album of Lydia Lunch hating on white men in power is for everyone, but I think the more important motive of calling women to arms, to get women to get up and do something and be active and not just marry straight out of college so they can have kids and talk about being comfortable, that's what's critical to this poetry and the presentation of this album as a genuine collaboration rather than merely another interesting bit of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez trivia for Mars Volta fans who dug deeper. If I say anymore I'll look like I'm either patronizing women or acting like Lydia Lunch is a unique case just because she speaks out about female empowerment, so let's all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" as I declare Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Lydia Lunch's self-titled EP a match made in heaven. Er, you know. If you believe in that sort of thing.
Flying Lotus - "Reset EP"
Flying Lotus - Massage Situation (WARP 2007)
Flying Lotus – Reset EP / WARP
One genre all of us Audiversitarians can get down with when it’s done right is left-field instrumental hip-hop. We are all pretty mellow dudes, and there is nothing quite like sitting back, dropping the needle and spacing out to a few laid-back head-nodding grooves to unwind after a chaotic day. With that in mind, it makes much more sense that Steven Ellison, aka L.A. based producer Flying Lotus, has already popped up here on the site at least three times in the last year despite having only one official release to his name. Pair that with the fact that we keep dropping descriptions like “visionary”, “quickly-rising” and “a galaxy full of potential”, and you better believe that when his first EP for electronica pioneers WARP arrived at our door, eyes were widened around the room.
After gaining recognition for crafting some of the dopest beats that have soundtracked those text-based interludes on Adult Swim, Ellison was introduced to the underground world as Flying Lotus with his strong Plug Research debut, 1983. Defining a synthy beat-driven sound existing somewhere between the realms of the late Jay Dee, the earthy and sparse jazz-hop of Ammon Contact, the quirky electronic experiments of Daedelus, and the spiraling space-funk of Sa Ra, it is no question that Ellison is whole-heartedly a producer in debt to his Los Angeles home scene. His nocturnal grooves swirl, shimmy and lull, maybe too laid back for most clubs, but just perfect for a late night chill-out session. It is a sexy sound that is the unlikely but still recognizable evolution of his great-aunt Alice Coltrane (who he actually bounced musical ideas off of before her untimely passing): forward-thinking, textural and transcendent.
Established now as an upcoming underground producer, Ellison drops his WARP debut for an international audience. Strategically called the Reset EP to symbolizes the fresh slate that comes with a new label, Lotus offers up six tracks in eighteen minutes not so much completely re-imagining his sound, but focusing it in. 1983 was distinctively Brazilian-derived, perhaps an influence produced by hanging with the Dublab crowd (Daedelus actually remixed a track at the tail-end of the album), but Reset keeps it more American urban. His tracks remain super saturated though with silky synths cooing softly and the fractured beats buried deep in the wet mix.
Brighton-based singer/songwriter Andreya Triana provides sultry soul vocals for the opening cut, “Tea Leaf Dancers”. Waves of synths cascade softly below the simply syncopated beat; it’s a slightly twitchy track that the Sa Ra Creative Partners would have sex-upped to death, but Ellison spins into a space-lounge groove thanks to Triana’s coffeehouse vocal chops. “Vegas Collie” heads in the opposite direction, reminding us with its playful blown-out snare beat why Lotus was initially signed to Plug Research, while “Massage Situation” teams both sides of the spectrum for a sound reminiscent of One Word Extinguisher-era Prefuse 73. “Spicy Sammich” brings it back to the 1983 style of faintly Brazilian-derived electro-hop, and the aptly titled “Dance Floor Stalker” slinks and haunts with micro-techno affinity.
I am glad WARP snatched up Ellison, especially with the barrage of non-electronica-based artists they have been releasing recently. It harks back to the early aughts when Aphex Twin, Plaid, Boards of Canada and Prefuse 73 were their moneymakers rather than Grizzly Bear and Maximo Park. While I have no evidence of it, I would imagine a proper Flying Lotus full-length released by WARP will be in the near future. When that inevitability drops, we’ll have to stop using terms like “potential” for phrases like “the next phase of instrumental hip-hop has arrived.”
10.17.2007
Black Dice - "Load Blown"
Black Dice - Kokomo (Paw Tracks 2007)
Black Dice - Load Blown / Paw Tracks
We sat there on the platform a long time waiting for the train. The sun hung in the sky, above the skyline of the assorted shops and modest treetops at our station, just hung there for what seemed like forever. It was a radiant glow, the kind you'd expect to see reflecting off Jim Carrey's face in a quieter scene for one of his movies. But Jim Carrey never talked about Black Dice.
"Load Blown is different," he was explaining to me, "because Black Dice are fundamentally different. There are others who have taken the same ideas and tried to make them into something - say a Throbbing Gristle or a Wolf Eyes or a host of other, smaller, inferior noise bands - that spoke to ex-nihilists and formerly self-destructive hardcore kids-turned-redemptive. The theme of redemption plays through Black Dice as much as any mindfuck experimental pretension. Which is the secret of the band in the first place."
Thrust headlong into a discussion on Load Blown was not what I had initially expected to do, you understand. I had been listening to this album for weeks and was trying to figure out the best way to present it for you. I wanted to talk about something involving Creature Comforts and the abysmal artwork of Broken Ear Record and how Eric Copeland's Hermaphrodite turned out to be disjointed shards, incomplete pieces, less focused fragments of a full-length that was still to come. I guess I could've brought up Soft Circle too, but that would've really been missing the point.
"At this stage, thinking of Black Dice as a bunch of Providence-gone-Brooklyn noiseniks is both semi-accurate and entirely relevant. Of course they could have been one of the greatest hardcore bands, spoken in the same breath as other weirdo hardcore outsiders, but when they took the step with Cone Toaster, it opened them up to all of these, well, beaches and canyons of sounds that could not have been possible before. What they're doing on Load Blown is returning to that density. Broken Ear Record was a halfhearted attempt, but this comes through as much more clear, more resolute."
Which is ironic, because Load Blown is a record all about muddling the most "accessible" bits of a song (its melody, its hook, its catch) and leaving only the thump of the kickdrum or the distorted thud of a synthesized buzz behind. In essence, they have turned a once vast sound into something tangible again. In a parallel of Radiohead (since everybody is referencing them now and I see no reason not to be caught up in the mayhem), they have finally quit racing themselves.
He put it a better way as the sun struggled to stay above the trees and the wind picked up a little. "Whereas once Black Dice were outdistancing their contemporaries in the rat race for new sounds, it seems now that they have broken through dimensions and are in fact racing backwards as the reflection in the puddle." Which is a pretentious comparison to make, but not inaccurate: Instead of running straight back to their artcore roots, Black Dice are running back to their -core roots through sparse, abstract rhythms to provide the same level of intensity in a completely different way.
Interesting are the reactions. There appears to be emerging a fair contingent who are disgruntled about this record being nothing more than a repeat of the same theme ten times over. Apparently, this is supposed to be a disappointment. But the fact that "Kokomo" does not sound all that different from "Scavenger" which does not sound all that different from "Bananas" obscures a much larger statement.
Another train clattered by. "It is extraordinarily ironic that James Murphy initially signed Black Dice to the DFA in 2002 because he felt the band was trying to make a unique kind of pop song, perhaps a little more difficult than The Neptunes, but no less passionate about the end result. Now, when their DFA contract has run its course and they're back to DIY efforts on the Paw Tracks label with their cohorts in the inexplicably more successful Animal Collective, they have finally made a record worthy of the pop moniker."
That is what lies at the heart of Load Blown. More than anything else, this is a fucked pop record. It's pop the way Black Dice would envision it in a parallel universe where Marcel Duchamp had the same ubiquity as Warhol and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was the resident poet of the 20th century: backward, twisted, run through a filter of fuzzy electronics and a wall of knobs and buttons and switches, generated by a computer and delivered with a straight face. The merry-go-round sounds like "Roll Up." Children wake up sounding like "Bottom Feeder." Nothing sounds oriented.
His train finally arrived as the sun went out of view. I was thinking aloud. "What I don't understand is why they decided to return to earth when their cosmic noise had no limits anyway. It would've been different if they had come from a freeform jazz background in the first place, but they came from hardcore. Why bother with constraints when you've already broken free of the most rigorous shackles in the underground? Wasn't that what their DFA releases were all about?"
"The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." He boarded the train. The doors were closing as I vaguely recalled... Was it Mencken? "Black Dice are not ordinary men, but that's the trick, isn't it?" The train clattered away. I went home little the wiser as the wind off the lake picked up.
At that same moment, somewhere, a kid discovered Black Dice and realized they didn't have to listen to Kodan Armada for hardcore. Somewhere else, a kid discovered Black Dice and realized they didn't have to listen to Radiohead for electronic rock. The slow revolution of redemption continues.
The Octopus Project - "Hello, Avalanche"
The Octopus Project - An Evening with Rthrtha (Peek-A-Boo 2007)
The Octopus Project – Hello, Avalanche / Peek-A-Boo
If there were ever an adjective to describe my particular style of writing, it would have to be, for better or worse, ‘hyperbolic’. It’s obviously not the best approach to critiquing, especially in today’s heavily over-saturated, nit-picking society of music reviewer readers, but honestly, I just can’t help it. Character flaws and personality trends typically drizzle down into creative endeavors, and for me, it’s getting immersed and over-excited especially when it comes to music.
I can still clearly remember listening to The Octopus Project for the first time, which in particular was their 2004 sophomore outing One Ten Hundred Thousand Million, and being completely awestruck. It was in early January, right after the musical void that is Christmas time, and perhaps my ears were just starved for something interesting, but the Austin, TX trio and their junkyard of exuberant instrumental pop completely bowled me over. The next few weeks included interviewing the up-swinging act awkwardly on my radio show (better believe the hyperbolic statements were flying during that airing), forcing anyone I could to listen to their album, and driving a couple hours to sad little hole of a venue in Spartanburg, SC to experience their sadly ill-attended live show (they opened for Peelander-Z if I remember correctly). Like their music, I was excitable, and The Octopus Project was a fun band to put on a pedestal.
Well it’s been three years, and we have both somewhat grown up; The Octopus Project obviously a little more than I have, especially career-wise. Their non-stop touring schedule, which has included opening for everyone from Trail of Dead to Aesop Rock and coveted festival gigs like Coachella, SXSW, Noise Pop and Wall of Sound, an animated and recommended collaboration with Pittsburgh psyche-poppers Black Moth Super Rainbow called The House of Apples and Eyeballs, and numerous accolades from the media have boosted the trio’s momentum exponentially just in time for their third official full-length, Hello, Avalanche. Now it’s all up to the eight-armed experiment to deliver the goods to substantiate the hype.
With their now respected reputation in hand, the husband-wife duo of Josh and Yvonne Lambert and percussionist Toto Miranda had the chance to record their new album with all the bells and whistles of a high-end studio, but decided to not completely abandon the self-producing approach that got them to this point (not to mention, if there was ever a sound that the noise-pop band was NOT lacking, it was that of bells and whistles). Teaming with producer Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip), the trio headed to Seattle with a suitcase full of analog-recorded demos to use as a foundation to further develop their blossoming sound.
Hello, Avalanche does not overtly differ than its 2004 predecessor: easily digestible hooks swing with caffeinated ferocity, Miranda’s arena-sized drum breaks do constant battle with a barrage of seemingly half-working drum machines, 8-bit synth lines provide opposition for Josh Lambert’s noisy electric guitar crunch, and Yvonne Lambert’s candy-coated Theremin remains as a pleasing visual and audible relief from the barrage of sound continuously cascading and colliding. It is experimental pop music that though challenging in theory, is as accessible and infectious as they come. For the most part, the trio attacks a song by establishing a groove and then layering, expanding and inflating until it bursts in a fanatical explosion of pop melodies. It is simply fun; a characteristic overlooked by a lot of bands these days.
One telling but maybe not as obvious comparison is how similar The Octopus Project’s grooves are to some of the more electronic Radiohead concoctions. The intro of “Mmaj” for example pairs a slightly off-beat and distorted drum machine with delicately atmospheric electronic wisps, which I could easily hear Thom Yorke cooing over, though the OP instead decides to layer with a four-four dancefloor-ready deep-bass stomp and fractured synth cries. “I Saw Bright Shinies” also opens with a melodic keyboard loop and MPC patter not at all far from Yorke’s The Eraser, but again, they skew it in a completely different direction; this time pairing ghostly Theremin overdubs with almost Arthur Russell-like electropop. And just for comparison sake, Josh Lambert’s stadium-sized guitar riff on “Exploding Snowhorse” could easily find its way into an OK Computer climax. Obviously, The Octopus Project and Radiohead are on two completely different planes of music, but they share a similar rhythmelodic aesthetic, and that makes for an interesting and unlikely comparison.
So am I going to use the same ecstatic hyperbole to describe Hello, Avalanche as I did when reviewing One Ten Hundred Thousand Million back in my college radio days? No. This is a completely different time and place, and The Octopus Project’s sound is not nearly as surprising as it was then. Does this make Hello, Avalanche any less of an enjoyable album though? Absolutely not. The Austin trio are as exuberant, entrancing and entertaining as they have ever been, but I do believe this album will be more revered by first-time listeners of the band than already devoted followers.
Radio Show Playlist: 10/17/07
6a:
1. The Feelies - The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness - Crazy Rhythms (Stiff 1980)
2. Letters Letters - Between the Seams - Letters Letters (Type 2007)
3. Matmos - Steam and Sequins for Larry Levan - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast (Matador 2006)
4. Unkle - Burn My Shoulders - War Stories (Surrender All 2007)
5. Tussle - Don't Stop - Don't Stop EP (Troubleman Unlimited 2004)
6. Pole - Pferd - Steingarten (~scape 2007)
7. Dosh - Um, Circles and Squares - The Lost Take (Anticon 2006)
8. Bevel - Since the World - Phoenician Terrane (Contraphonic 2007)
9. Charter Oak - Your Life That Won't End - Your Life That Won't End EP (self-released 2006)
10. Smog - I Was a Stranger - Red Apple Falls (Drag City 1997)
11. The Cave Singers - Helen - Invitation Songs (Matador 2007)
12. Fred Thomas - Holland Tunnel - Sink Like a Symphony (Corleone 2006)
7a:
1. The Anomoanon - Asleep Many Years in the Wood - Asleep Many Years in the Wood (Temporary Residence 2002)
2. The Mountain Goats - Flight 717: Going to Denmark - Ghana (3 Beads of Sweat 2002)
3. Mekons - Diamonds - Natural (Quarterstick 2007)
4. MV & EE with the Bummer Road - East Mountain Joint - Green Blues (Ecstatic Peace 2006)
5. David Grubbs - Don't Think - Rickets & Scurvy (Drag City 2002)
6. Nick Drake - Parasite - Pink Moon (Island 1972)
7. Flashpapr - Northern Sky - Sculpting from Nick Drake, Vol. 1 (Elsie & Jack 2000)
8. Jose Gonzalez - Down the Line - In Our Nature (Mute 2007)
9. Mick Turner/Tren Brothers - The Beach That Leads to Your Shore - Blue Trees (Drag City 2007)
10. Lee Baby Simms - Swimmer - Mystery Loves Company (Family Business 2006)
11. Triosk - Not to Hurt You - The Headlight Serenade (Leaf 2006)
12. Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchindananda - Journey in Satchindananda (Impulse! 1970)
8a:
1. Ornette Coleman - Turnaround - Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar 2006)
2. Sir Richard Bishop - Rub' Al Kahli - Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City 2007)
3. Otieno Jagwasi & Original Benga Sounds - Otieno Ajey Part II - Benga Hits (self-compiled by Ian Eagleson of Extra Golden)
4. Vieux Farka Toure - Ana - Vieux Farka Toure (World Village 2006)
5. Chicago Afrobeat Project - Chupacabra - (A) Move to Silent Unrest (CAbP Music 2007)
6. The Octopus Project - Bees Bein' Strugglin' - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-A-Boo 2007)
7. Black Moth Super Rainbow - One Day I Had an Extra Toe - Esopus Number 9: Dreams (Esopus 2007)
8. Bobby Conn - Never Get Ahead (All Ages Version) - Chic-A-Go-Go: The Soundtrack! (Beluga 2000)
9. The Fiery Furnaces - Ex-Guru - Widow City (Thrill Jockey 2007)
10. Mannequin Men - 22nd Century - Fresh Rot (Flameshovel 2007)
11. Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation - Blank Generation (Sire 1977)
12. Welcome - All Set - Sirs (FatCat 2007)
13. Dinosaur Jr. - In a Jar - You're Living All Over Me (SST 1987)
14. Miss Alex White & the Red Orchestra - Future Talk - Space & Time (In the Red 2007)
10.16.2007
Bevel - "Phoenician Terrane"
Bevel - Low Income Glade (Contraphonic 2007)
Bevel – Phoenician Terrane / Contraphonic
One question seems to be repeatedly raised while I am reviewing albums, a musical chicken-or-egg conundrum. Is the music affecting my mood, or is my mood affecting how I perceive the music? It is eerie how often the album I just happened to be reviewing that day seems to match my current state of mind. For example, this morning the grey clouds are looming just outside my window, a chill wind is tumbling through the trees with unwarranted disgust, and my mind is full of sober thoughts on what appears to be the beginning of the much delayed fall season here in Chicago. And it just so happens that next in my review queue fits the mood to a tee, the latest album from Via Nuon’s Bevel moniker. Phoenician Terrane, Nuon’s first for Chicago-based Contraphonic Music, is a lulling, eerily looming psych-folk album that is very much appropriate for soundtracking a chilly, grey-skied morning of wandering thoughts and solemn moods, but certainly not because it is a monochromatic sound.
Via Nuon, a Chicago-via-Richmond, VA musician and composer, has been pursuing the possibilities of ethereal folk music for the last eight years as a solo artist. Also a member of Drunk and Manishevitz as well as being an oft-contributor for Edith Frost and Simon Joyner, Nuon’s Bevel alias has been gaining momentum with three well-received albums for Bloomington, IN’s psychedelic-whatever label Jagjaguwar. Releasing an album every two years since 2000, Bevel became an outlet for Nuon’s explorations into lush, haunting folk music, a contrast created between his penchant for blossoming instrumentals centered around a twangy guitar strum or a delicate piano melody and his ghostly vocals.
Phoenician Terrane does nothing to break this established tradition; Nuon crafting aching, fragile compositions and layering them with near-cinematic displays of lush instrumentation. Enlisting a talented array of auxiliary musicians to further develop the sound, including members of similarly sounding acts like Califone, Boxhead Ensemble and Manishevitz, the album is innately nostalgic, but for exactly what is uncertain. This longing feeling looms throughout, dragging its feet in a psychedelic haze, briefly following a warm tone here or a delicate melody there, but rarely finding a complete oasis in the solemn fog. Most importantly though, it is never suffocated in its emotional weight; the songs only occassionaly reach past the three-minute mark, and Nuon never milks a heartstring-plucking melody into melodramatic territory. Phoenician Terrane is more a display in compositional dexterity and honest emotional resonance that treads water somewhere between the sound pools of Califone, The Dirty Three and Magnetic Fields.
Maybe Nuon and his ensemble’s greatest achievement of the album is their altruistic approach to composing with the great amount of lush instrumentation involved. No singular tone or instrument ever completely takes the spotlight; instead they always seem to be lightly accentuating the songwriting. During “Balustrada” for example, the core of the song is a very simple chord progression on guitar and Nuon’s aching baritone, but continuously swirling around it are Karate-like electric guitar noodles, swelling analog synthesizers, vibraphone embellishments and distant echoing vocals. Or with the early highlight “Low Income Glade,” the focus is a very simple folk song, but the pirouetting, gypsy-like violin and flute lines along with the subtle synthesizer and guitar feedback lift the track into psychedelic levels.
The painting on the back cover of Phoenician Terrane pretty much sums up the album. There is just a speckle of red paint surrounding an array heavy, textured brush strokes of somber olive green. Though it is just a minute fleck, the red is the focus of your attention thanks to its chromatically opposite surroundings, no matter how textured and detailed the green paint may be. Though Nuon’s songwriting is rather simple, the musical atmosphere he has composed around it amplifies its resonance tenfold. I am not exactly sure whether the solemn music of Phoenician Terrane or the looming weather outside is setting my melancholy mood, the album shines brightly amidst its current grey-skied surroundings.
10.15.2007
Severe Torture - "Sworn Vengeance"
Severe Torture - Serenity Torn Asunder
Severe Torture - Sworn Vengeance / Earache
One of the best things about death metal is that it's never going to go away. Never. There's always going to be people looking for the craziest, most over-the-top style of music (which seems to be why a lot of metal dudes end up really liking experimental music or free jazz). A lot of death metal fans are slaves to precision in the genre. This has led, over the years, to a very mechanical sound on a lot of death-metal albums. Striving to achieve sonic perfection in order to showcase how talented they are, the original idea of the music—to be as fucking brutal as possible—is lost in the ones and zeros, completely defeating the purpose of death metal. Other bands have no budget and sound really sloppy and shitty, which can work if your band is a little rough around the edges (see: grindcore bands). Holland's Severe Torture definitely fall into the former category of precise brutality, but their music has a very punk-rock feel to it . . . if you catch my vibes, maaaaaan.
The song immediately following "Repeat Offender," "Countless Villains," is an all-slow affair, a full-count setting you up for the high-heat fastball of "Dogmasomatic Nausea," one of the many fast songs on the album.
Devotion #9
Unofficial reports have Radiohead selling a little over a million copies of In Rainbows on the first day of the album’s release. Wow. Those are, like, ‘N Sync numbers. Does this mean Radiohead is as good as ‘N Sync?
Little Brother – Getback (ABB/HOJ Music Group 2007)
Not to be outdone, Little Brother preemptively released their third album, Getback, last week in the form of a free download that hit the Internet and spread like wildfire. Leaking your own product? Genius – especially since it keeps the fans happy. This increases the likelihood of them riding with you in the future, and also spending their hard-earned money when the time does come to hawk your album, DVD, sneakers, bobblehead dolls, foam cowboy hats, key chains, cologne, rubber chickens, chipper/shredders, or whatever.
Getback is in stores proper on October 23. Run, don’t walk. I know it seems a little odd to provide a link to an album, and then ask that you purchase the same album a week later, but that’s how things are nowadays (odd). To Little Brother’s credit and a consumer’s delight, they’re one of the best things going in hip-hop – independent, mainstream, or otherwise.
And since artists don’t make money off of album sales anyway, show some love in supporting the Fall 2007 Getback Tour.
Oct 17, 2007
Paradise Rock Club w/Evidence – Boston, Massachusetts
Oct 18, 2007
The Station w/Evidence – Portland, Maine
Oct 19, 2007
Pearl Street w/Evidence – North Hampton, Massachusetts
Oct 20, 2007
Highline Ballroom w/Brother Ali and Evidence – New York, New York
Oct 22, 2007
Babylon w/ Evidence – Ottawa, Ontario
Oct 23, 2007
The Mod Club w/Evidence – Toronto, Ontario
Oct 24, 2007
St. Andrew’s Hall w/Evidence – Detroit, Michigan
Oct 25, 2007
The Abbey w/Evidence – Chicago, Illinois
Oct 26, 2007
The High Noon Saloon w/Evidence – Madison, Wisconsin
Oct 27, 2007
The Waiting Room w/Evidence – Omaha, Nebraska
Oct 29, 2007
The Fox Theatre w/Evidence – Boulder, Colorado
Oct 30, 2007
Bluebird Theatre w/Evidence – Denver, Colorado
Oct 31, 2007
Hotel w/Evidence – Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov 3, 2007
Chop Suey – Seattle, Washington
Nov 4, 2007
Richards on Richards – Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
Nov 5, 2007
Nightlight Lounge w/Ghostface – Bellingham, Washington
Nov 6, 2007
Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, Oregon
Nov 8, 2007
Independent w/Evidence – San Francisco
Nov 9, 2007
Williams College – Williamstown, Massachusetts
Nov 10, 2007
Canes Bar and Grill w/Evidence – San Diego, California
Nov 12, 2007
El Rey Theatre w/Evidence – Los Angeles, California
Nov 14, 2007
Club Congress w/Evidence – Tucson, Arizona
Nov 15, 2007
The Brickhouse w/Evidence – Phoenix, Arizona
Nov 17, 2007
Stubb’s BBQ w/Evidence – Austin, Texas
Nov 20, 2007
The Parrish@HOB w/Evidence – New Orleans, Louisiana
Nov 24, 2007
The Social w/Evidence Orlando, Florida
Nov 28, 2007
Mercy Lounge w/Evidence Nashville
Nov 29, 2007
The Dame w/Evidence Lexington
Dec 1, 2007
The Black Cat w/Evidence Washington, Washington DC
Dec 6, 2007
The Soapbox w/Evidence Wilmington, North Carolina
Dec 7, 2007
Cats Cradle w/Evidence – Carrboro, North Carolina
Donald Byrd – "Child's Play" – Byrd in Flight (Blue Note 1960)
Back in 2005, I wrote what I like to think is the definitive history of the Mizell brothers for Wax Poetics magazine. So definitive, in fact, that the All Music Guide’s Jason Ankeny took it upon himself to lift material from that story for pretty much everything in the site’s biography on the duo. Flattering? Kind of. Ethical? Not so much. But I still support the AMG and you should, too.
The Mizells were Donald Byrd’s producers for most of his “fusion” period on Blue Note Records during the 1970s. Byrd, however, had a storied history as both a music scholar and accomplished hard bop pioneer long before his work with the brothers. “Child’s Play,” recorded relatively early in his career, is a Duke Pearson composition from 1960’s stellar Byrd in Flight. Throughout the album, you can hear the masterful tone that would become Byrd’s signature in the sixties, but also of note is the combined lead of the trumpeter and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley at the tune’s head, and the whimsical opening to Byrd’s solo. “It’s so choice.” © Ferris
Cannonball Jane – "Take it to Fantastic" – Knees Up! (Gaddycat 2007)
I get promotional music in the mail pretty regularly and I’m crazy backed up right now. Believe it or not, I don’t own an iPod, so much of my music listening is done at work, home, in the car, or on my phone. And that’s more than enough. It’s not that I’m anti-‘Pod, but I started listening to walkmen and whatnot in the 7th grade, and coupled with constant interview transcriptions, I’m really sick of wearing headphones on or in my ears. Plus, I just like to hear what’s going on around me – or nothing at all.
So, I’ve been trying to chop the promo tree down as of late, and thankfully, the homey Cannonball Jane served up something that didn’t suck or bore me to death. It’s kind of hard to put my finger on this, mostly because I don’t have enough fingers to touch on everything she has going on. Her one sheet makes a few attempts, but a good description comes from coolest girl ever, Kathleen Hanna, who writes, “This is what Carole King would sound like if she had a sampler and was really into Francoise Hardy.” The Carole King influence is obvious after hearing a sample of King’s “It’s Too Late” on “Slumber Party,” so I trust Hanna’s opinion over that of many others, including a publication which fancied Jane – born Sharon Hagopian – “a female Beck.” But Beck has undergone so many mutations (no pun intended) that it’s hard to compare anyone to him as an artist. The mainstream, breakthrough-era Beck aesthetic is here, but Jane may be more of an original simply because she’s a “Jane,” and a one-woman, queen-of-all-trades.
And if Cannonball Jane isn’t an original, then at least she’s paving the way for legions of girls cranking out vibrant sound collages and low-fi demos in their bedrooms every night. Because they’re out there – word to Helen Reddy.
10.13.2007
Singleversity #31
Audiversity’s weekly column, slightly modified, on random music in a predetermined number of words between 1 & 150. This week's randomly generated number: 101.
MA:
"So yeah, in classic Internet service provider fashion.. Comcast never showed up yesterday. Maybe we'll have it by Monday. Bitches."
That coupled with me seeing Tortoise score “Nosferatu” live last night meant Singleversity was doomed to be delayed. Hopefully you’ll find this week’s worth it: Smith & Mighty are the Bristol-based trio that produced Massive Attack’s first album and have been christened by some as “the original dubsteppers” (ahead even of the Wild Bunch). This video from 1986 by Vision Factory leader Steve Haley is for “Brain Scan,” a 7” single that predates their 1988 debut, Bass is Maternal.
PM:
Sex, drugs, politics. This is the essence of a lad named Jay aka Beans on Toast who is slowly gaining a reputation in England for his irreverent folk-punk. I first saw this guy two years ago when he was still refusing to record his songs, but "Acid Rain in Africa" is just one of a litany of tunes he's made available recently. This song was especially timely when I saw him, following not just the 7/7 bombings but a Hertfordshire oil explosion a few days before the gig, and it has stuck with me almost as much as "Coke." Highly recommended.
10.12.2007
William Fields - "The Ruby-Leif" EP
William Fields - Sunwire (Kikapu 2007)
William Fields - "The Ruby-Leif" EP / Kikapu
I sound like an old man when I say this considering it's only 1.19 in the morning, but I really should've been asleep already. I don't know what I'm doing up except hoping for something to come of this bloody Black Dice review for the past two hours. I've scrapped another version of it and once again am left with nothing. Whether or not Black Dice is even worth the effort is debatable, but for tonight at least the debate is over.
To move beyond the frustration and the inadequacy and the general stuntedness of my writing (and it's sad that blogging is about all these hands are good for anymore when you consider recent output), I decided to take a breather and head out into the vast oceans of the Internet for a little while to see what other, better writers are doing for other, different artists. At some point I stumbled across Wilmington, Delware's William Fields and found my soundtrack for the night. In a week when this website has been stuffed with noise- and rock-related posts (So much for Audiversity, then), Fields has a new album out that sounds more cosmic happening than colossal white noise. It's nice to take a break every now and then.
First, the caveat: You cannot buy this album. At the moment, you won't be able to for the foreseeable future either. This is not part of some grandiose marketing scheme because, in fact, there is no marketing scheme beyond good old fashioned word-of-mouth. Instead, Kikapu lives up to its billing as a net label, meaning everything they have out is licensed under Creative Commons. This is brilliant, because their roster hit the jackpot this past week with releases from both Fields and another prolific electronic artist for the label, Off Land (although the Circle series works a bit differently and is available from Kikapu's shop). Both offer their respective takes on ambient electronic work; while Off Land stuck to the light drones, Fields returns to a jazzy mid-70s space vibe that characterized much of Kikapu's early output.
The handful of songs present on this EP rely on a quiet storm of liquid bass grooves and synths with just a hint of reverb for maximum laid-back pleasure. At times it teeters on the brink of trip-hop (The extended outro that is the title-track, for example), which next to trance is right about the last thing you'd expect to see praised here at Audiversity. But it never distracts, because there just isn't enough time to. At 25 minutes, you only have on average about five minutes for each song, which considering the nature of the music is not so much thankfully economical as it is necessary.
Some songs need time to stretch their legs, or at least let you walk in and feel the aural space out; in these terms, Argentina's Languis and their album The Four Walls is a pretty good reference point. The song provided is better because it's the real thing, so there you have what "Sunwire" is doing here. The same goes for the second track on the album, "Hakea," which begins as the others do with a distant synth line before it's brought into full view with a mixture of dub and ambient elements. Fields puts on a really smooth show, and it's evident not one full listen through that he's done this before.
Fields is a veteran of sorts, in fact. Having been "experimenting with sound" since 1993 as his website puts it, but that's a vague term. It's likely Fields has been tooling around with sounds and how to construct and deconstruct them since he was a kid... But he also seems like a pretty modest guy judging by his website. There are no Flashy displays, no vibrant look-at-me colors, no outrage that you haven't heard about the next big thing. Like his music, Fields gives off the vibe that, even though he's had several releases out (including 2006's full-length Timbre on Gears of Sand), he'd rather be making it than hyping it up. Perhaps this was also behind his decision to release this particular EP on Kikapu.
Whatever the case, Fields has succeeded in releasing a free album that's worth more than that in both quality control and replay value. Though you can't purchase this album, Kikapu recommends you contact these artists and let them know you heard it, let them know what you thought about it all. After a full work week, trying to clear your desk of useless stationery and inessential clutter is the kind of thing that William Fields writes music for. Relax, it's going to be alright, just get some rest and stay safe. On Monday, it will all start again. Somewhere on a lost highway with nothing but headlights to guide them, Black Dice are smiling off. Yes. It will all start again... But for now, The Ruby-Leif has the power to convince me that the night doesn't have to end. That's the only price you pay for this particular illusion.
10.11.2007
Sightings - "Through the Panama"
Sightings - Through the Panama (Load 2007)
Sightings - Through the Panama / Load
What's interesting about music is how disorienting it can be to your senses. Some groups play music that sounds "happy" or upbeat or great to dance to or exuberant when the subject matter may be the complete opposite. It may be about death or loss or fear or impending doom. But sometimes musicians are disorienting for the exact opposite reason: They disorient your senses simply by loading them to the brim and letting you figure out the mess in their wake.
Sightings are emphatically in the latter. This is an album that has had a strange vibe surrounding it since its announcement that former indie punchline (ironic?) Andrew W.K. was going to produce it. For those who haven't been partying hearty from the beginning, or for those who just have short-term memories, Andrew was initially involved with Michigan's noise scene and hung down with the dudes in Wolf Eyes, for example. Load are a staple noise and loud rock label: Without the Providence-based label, we wouldn't have had such excellent releases from Noxagt or Arab on Radar or the (un)holy Lightning Bolt and all its affiliates.
So even without Sightings, the promise of a superbly produced, reliable record was there. Adding in the New York trio was just the icing on the cake. Guitarist Mark Morgan, bassist Richard Hoffman and drummer Jon Lockie are no newcomers to the art of noise, of course. Through the Panama represents their sixth full-length effort since 2002. The evolution has been a primordial burble, but this album is without a doubt their most harrowing.
One of the reasons it goes beyond mere noise-rock or obnoxious feedback with the knob on eleven is that the group is incorporating even more no-wave influences. Through the Panama is creepy, no two ways about it. But it's also got some of the most interesting, luminous, raw moments the band has ever had. "Certificate of No Effect" is a great example. Here is what They Were Wrong, So We Drowned-era Liars had, except with less reliance on their knowledge of the whole dance-punk thing. Sightings care nothing for the dancefloor. The beat that emerges here crawls out of the jungle and viciously attacks the boat as local tribes beat "Temple of Doom"-like drums. It's a furious pace and probably the most aggressive song on the record.
But as if to signify your mercy at the behest of the band, it stops without any warning. In its place, the title-track broods in the jungle, two shrieks unleashing the primal rage so abundant in Sightings' music. It's a veritable goldmine of terror, and I won't be the first to point out that its release so close to Halloween will make for some very terrified children. If you're looking to be your neighborhood's Boo Radley this year, Sightings is your soundtrack.
Fake Jazz's Adam Strohm mentioned in his 2002 review of the self-titled debut that the group was "two parts brawn and one part brain" (By the way, if you've never been there, Fake Jazz has some incredible reviews worth perusing from 2000-04). I think that's still true, but the production on this record has allowed the brain third of things to show itself more, rather than just hinting at what we assume as a listener is already there. Instead of a dense blast of cacophony, "A Rest" is a distorted cruise through the Canal that allows room for more than just a wall of sound; equally "Black Peter" could almost pass as a single. If you were on enough drugs (or hopped on enough Fun Sized Butterfingers), you could probably find a way to dance to it. That's not the standard for what makes for good music, of course, but it shows how much more thought the group put into this album than their earliest works.
Like Wolf Eyes three years ago and Sunburned Hand of the Man now, Sightings have the opportunity to exploit a unique gap in the typical indie consumers' tastes. Everything about this record is in place, and all kids have to do now is go out and buy it (or at least get out and go see them). Who knows what will become of it all, but Through the Panama has at least proven that Sightings aren't standing around waiting to see the result. Thankfully, they still have the drive to move forward. I haven't been this excited about Halloween in years.
10.10.2007
Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
Audiversity Presents: A Radiohead Review in 111 Words and Nothing More
Radiohead: Hahaha, Oink just got PWNED. Right then, let's get a drink.
Stanley Donwood: This just keeps getting easier and easier.
Oink: Well played.
Press to Industry: You're changing.
Industry to Press: We're changing.
Press back to Industry: Maybe a little.
Industry back to Press: ...Er, yeah.
Fans: Slaked. And speechless. Obviously.
Bloggers: Speechless, but not wordless. I'm so writing about this after I finish my homework.
Non-Rockists: It's cool being in denial about what a big deal this is.
Haters: Still a good argument for pouring mercury in your ear canal.
String Quartet Tributes: Jackpot.
Us: Better than Hail to the Thief, anyway.
You: I'll hear it for myself and decide, thanks.
Manpack Variant - "Sticky Wickets"
Manpack Variant - Flash Pumper (Digitalis 2007)
Manpack Variant - Sticky Wickets / Digitalis
Have you been missing the obnoxiousness of Wolf Eyes? Does the new direction Black Dice have taken boggle you because it's not, like, you know, noise? Are you afraid of songs that you can sing your grandmother? Then why are you listening to anything else but Manpack Variant?
Ordinarily intrigued by furious gusts of pure noise, Manpack Variant has been the only group to actually frighten me recently. I popped in Sticky Wickets like the idiot I am expecting to hear some low rumbles that would eventually morph into evil electronic flashes of aural fire. What I got instead was a sharp, grating sound as an introduction on "Flash Pumper." If only I'd known that was going to happen with "Matted Fur," I probably would've been a little more careful. My first reaction was that my computer had suddenly gone awry. It was a splendid introduction and me and Sticky Wickets have been friends ever since. What a wildly loud and harsh noise these two chaps have concocted.
Right, a little about them: Jaime Fennelly has also been involved in Peeesseye, Phantom Limb & Bison, and peeinmyfacewithsurgery (probably my favorite). Chris Peck is a little bit of an unknown, but both seem to have successfully captured the spirit of destroying eardrums on this five-tracker. With distorted bits of guitar, droning electronic sound bites and assorted other audio shrapnel, the globetrotters (who have played everywhere from Vienna to Vancouver and scared enough people to make a fansite) have pieced together their first album in four years. No worries, though. You won't confusing this MV for that other EE-associated entity.
Interestingly, "Flash Pumper" is a pretty accurate title for the effect it has on the album as a whole. Any kind of energy they might've jolted you awake with is dulled by the slow-burning (but ultimately more terrifying) "Matted Fur," obviously the album's highlight and centerpiece at a staggering 21 minutes, clocking in at nearly double the length of the next closest song, "AC Ferries." That track has kid-glove vocals and a woozy reverb reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, but you don't hear it until about six minutes in. Well worth the wait if you can stand to get there.
The manipulation of acoustic and electric guitar, harmonium, percussion, and vocals continues on through to the conclusion of the eight-minute high-pitched carnival nightmare that is "Heartstream." Though the tracks vary dramatically in length, the consistency of the noise terrorism presented makes Sticky Wickets a very cut-and-dry affair, indeed. This doesn't come recommended for everyone, but if you were brave enough to try Burned Mind in '04, there's no reason you shouldn't be vying for this immediately. Sit forward, do not relax, and enjoy the wreckage your speakers are about to suffer through. The laughing and clapping at the end of "Flash Pumper" sums this sadism up nicely.
Radio Show Playlist: 10/10/07
6a:
1. Sleater-Kinney - I Wanna Be Joey Ramone - Call the Doctor (Chainsaw 1996)
2. Magik Markers - Taste - BOSS (Ecstatic Peace 2007)
3. Sonic Youth - Pattern Recognition - Sonic Nurse (Geffen 2004)
4. Damon & Naomi - Lilac Land - Within These Walls (20/20/20 2007)
5. Low - Venus - Venus/Boyfriends & Girlfriends 7" (Sub Pop 1997)
6. Skallander - Flesh Born Constellation - Skallander (Type 2007)
7. Nick Drake - At the Chime of a City Clock - Bryter Layter (Hannibal 1970)
8. Gilberto Gil - Tempo Rei - GiL Luminoso (Biscoito Fino 2006, recorded 1999)
9. Van Morrison - Beside You - Astral Weeks (Warner Bros 1968)
10. Chris Connelly - Mirror Lips - The Episodes (Durto Jnana 2007)
7a:
1. The Cave Singers - Seeds of Night - Invatation Songs (Matador 2007)
2. Bevel - Low Income Glade - Phoenician Terrane (Contraphonic Music 2007)
3. Begushkin - Nightly Things - Nightly Things (Locust 2007)
4. Fred Lonberg-Holm - There Was Never a Reason - Terminal Valentine (Atavistic 2007)
5. Sir Richard Bishop - Ecstasies in the Open Air - Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City 2007)
6. Colleen - Blue Sands - Les Ondes Silencieuses (Leaf 2007)
7. Pharoah Sanders - Astral Travelling - Universal Sounds of America (Soul Jazz 1995, recorded 197?)
8. Dorothy Ashby - Soul Vibrations - Afro-Harping (Chess 1968)
9. Can - Half-Past One - Landed (Virgin 1975)
10. Tunng - Bullets - Good Arrows (Thrill Jockey 2007)
8a:
1. Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey 2007)
2. The first track from Benga Hits, a compilation culled by Extra Golden's Ian Eagleson
3. Occidental Brothers Dance Band International - Nyarai - Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (self-released 2006)
4. Chicago Afrobeat Project - Carcass - (A) Move to Silent Uprest (CAbP Music 2007)
5. Fela Kuti - Look & Laugh (section) - Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (Mercury 1987)
6. Rob Sonic - The Over and Under - Sabatoge Gigante (Definitive Jux 2007)
7. Diverse - Big Game feat. Vast Aire - One A.M. (Chocolate Industries 2003)
8. GZA - Knock, Knock - The Legend of the Liquid Sword (MCA 2002)
9. Rasputin's Stash - Mr. Cool - Rasputin's Stash (Cotillion 1971)
10. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Be Easy - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone 2007)
11. Nina Simone - Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter - It Is Finished (RCA 1974)
10.09.2007
Letters Letters - "Letters Letters"
Letters Letters - Wishing Well (Type 2007)
Letters Letters - Letters Letters / Type
Type Records have been on lately, let's just say it. With not only Helios but Skallander having tickled the ears of Audiversity recently, Letters Letters joins them to complete a summer triumverate (even though it's supposed to be fall; what happened to cold weather, Chicago? I thought I was supposed to be afraid of your fiercesome frost) you and yours will hopefully be able to enjoy long after the year ends.
Like those two groups, Letters Letters approaches pop music on the most basic of levels to produce a twist of their own. Unlike those two groups (or a lot of the rest of the Type roster), Letters Letters comes out sounding like a gritty, early-80s No Wave pop group. This is challenging music with hooks and the best part is that no matter how many times you go back to listen, there is always something new to be found in an eclectic mix of sounds.
Who they are: Mitchell Akiyama, Tony Boggs and Jenna Robertson. Akiyama is a solo avant-garde electronic artist working out of indie hotbed Montreal and has worked with Chicago-based Boggs, who also doubles as Joshua Treble. Robertson also works out of Montreal as Avia Gardner. Though they have all mostly worked solo or collaborated informally, Letters Letters represents the first time these three heads have been put together to create something solid. This self-titled debut is their result, and its pastiche of Arthur Russell and Bikini Kill has been accurately described in biographies.
Those aren't the only reference points, but as you delve into the feedback-draped "Favorite Hands," it's clear once the analog synths emerge and the song clears itself up to have the whispery Boggs singing sweetly over atonal wails that the spirit of Russell is there. The spirit of Sonic Youth is there, too. It's an awesome song, flatly. There's melody, there's no melody, there's a steady beat, there's broken beats. If you didn't know that Akiyama was also on Alien8 at one time and that Alien8 used to kill, you'd almost accuse this trio of being Brooklynites.
But that cutesy indie-pop heart that beats so loudly throughout Montreal isn't absent, either. It's no Sunset Rubdown or Arcade Fire by any means, but maybe the softer moments from Stars are there in the bayou ballad "We'll Make our Home." This is the first instance of an extra dimension that makes Letters Letters as a band and an album so appealing beyond a typical niche of No Wave revivalists and know-it-all hipsters: Robertson's female voice balances out well with Boggs and his earnest-but-fragile delivery. Robertson gives strength to the vocals when she thinks it necessary, but this should be expected. The woman is a self-professed riot grrrl and has more fire in her than she allows herself on this record, but the restraint is part of the fascinating cohesion of the album.
The first half of the lengthy "Everyone's Afraid of Fear" (It clocks in at just shy of six minutes) is totally instrumental. You keep expecting to hear something about unicorns or blowjobs in the park or some other fantastical topic, but nothing comes and the tension sits in the room like a loaded elephant. Then, just past halfway, the song transforms itself into a DFA-approved jungle track that remains based in the acoustic guitar and steady kickdrum that started the song to begin with. Only once Robertson and the kickdrum are left does it die a quiet death.
The percussion returns for "Between the Seams," but this isn't the only song to feature interesting elements à la Gang Gang Dance. I'm pretty sure I thought I heard Konono No. 1 in the primitive keyboard manifestations of "Iron Mountain." Then there was Telepathe on "Wishing Well," and on a related note First Nation somewhere around "Everything Always." What all of this means is, Letters Letters has something for everyone somewhere in its 42 minutes. That almost makes posting an mp3 pointless, because it's difficult to sum up this group's essence with just one song. To fully enjoy this band, play the whole thing through. It's so much better that way.
Its left-field pop won't always come immediately to the listener, but after a few listens you start to hear crazy things. High-pitched synths buzzing in the jungles; 8-bit Casio beats; art-damaged hooks in the quagmire of found-sound noise; catchy tunes you'll find yourself humming long after the album is over. As far as pop goes, if you're testing the limits of what people consider palatable and they can still remember how the twisted lounge of "In a Way" goes, you've got something special on your hands. This may be the only album Letters Letters ever make, deciding instead that they are better off collaborating on a small scale or working on their own. But if that's the case, at least we can say we had one extraordinary little album to enjoy. Thanks for the memories.
Chicago Afrobeat Project - "(A) Move to Silent Unrest"
Chicago Afrobeat Project - Carcass (CAbP Music 2007)
Chicago Afrobeat Project – (A) Move to Silent Unrest / CAbP Music
Which do you think is the harder path to take on your way to musical superstardom: diving into the oceanic genres such as pop or rock or rap and trying to distinguish yourself within seas of competitors and ambiguities or taking on a niche genre where there are not only a limited number of fans, but a singular name or personality who pretty much perfected the style at its creation? Well by just reading the name of the Chicago Afrobeat Project, there is no question to which road they decided to follow. And it’s a ballsy road at that; afrobeat is not only a niche genre that practically defines the term, a distinct style of music with clearly defined rules and structure, but is overshadowed by an epic, unmistakable personality, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Granted that over the forty years of the style’s existence, there have been a good number of quality imitators and descendents, it is and will always be completely and utterly impossible to out afrobeat the Nigerian superstar; his name is simply synonymous with it. The Chicago Afrobeat Project have quite the daunting task in front of them if they want to be recognized outside of just the typical confines of the niche genre, and with their sophomore outing, (A) Move to Silent Unrest, they are certainly making a case for attention.
As of late, and with the American indie scene in mind, two bands in particular immediately jump to mind having pieced together substantial careers thus far as purveyors and cultivators of the afrobeat genre: NYC’s Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and Ann Arbor, MI’s NOMO. Their paths to success and their stylistic choices of bending the confines of the very specific elements of the genre show exactly how other aspiring bands with the same frame of mind should proceed. It is not just about aping the structure carved out by Kuti, his drummer Tony Allen and his large ensembles of talented musicians; one that Kuti evolved out of the drum heavy Yoruba music, the bright dance music of West Africa’s highlife, James Brown’s burgeoning funk and the instrumental virtuosity inspired by jazz music. Allen defined the grounding, repetitive polyrhythm that would get the crowd swaying, which Kuti then masterfully layered with triumphant horn arrangements, often improvised and lengthy solos on sax, keyboard or vibes, and vocal rants that were almost exclusively politically rebellious. It is about seeing the tools at hand and strategically manipulating them to both pay homage and evolve the sound in worthwhile new directions. Antibalas has achieved this separation by teaming with artists outside the genre and infusing their styles within the afrobeat context. For example they hooked up with producer John McEntire of Tortoise fame for 2007’s Security, whose background in post-rock and other experimental genres opened up the band to whole new worlds of recording techniques. And where Antibalas leans more towards the funk side of the genre’s spectrum, NOMO nods towards the jazz style as arranger Elliot Bergman and producer Warn Defever infuse elements of spiritual, soul and free-jazz for more of a freewheeling sound.
Listening to (A) Move to Silent Unrest, it is easy to hear how the Chicago Afrobeat Project have been paying attention to these evolutions and attempting to establish their own sound. I want to say that they appear to be balancing both of the stylistic developments purveyed by Antibalas and Nomo, but that sounds circular and would bring you right back to Kuti’s original afrobeat. But the fact of the matter is that they very much are as Silent Unrest encompasses more funk undertones and more jazzy soloing than their eponymous 2005 debut. Of their own idiosyncrasies, the band sounds as if they are also trying to incorporate more hometown traditions into their music. Where Kuti would pay homage to his native country of Africa and his hometown of Lagos by singing in Nigerian pidgin or the Yoruba language, CAbP subtly nods towards some of the Windy City’s most revered styles like free jazz, post-rock and even house (the rhythms are occasionally much more rigid than that of Tony Allen’s, harking back to the raw, all night dance grooves of early Chicago house). All three bands seem to also take interest in at least setting aside one track for explorations in the similar Afro-Cuban style of music.
The Chicago Afrobeat Project opt to open their disc in more of a mellow groove with “bscg2.” Matching a drum kit with Latin hand percussion and the unique water jug sound of the udu creates an almost deep-space funk vibe where eventually Angelo Garcia rips through a squawking tenor sax solo that pays great homage to Kuti. “Superstar pt. 7” heads in a different direction letting the bass and organ define the groove with a four-on-the-floor rhythm and lyrical horn arrangements. Again, the organ solo two-thirds of the way through is absolutely Kuti-inspired as it patiently builds up urgency until erupting in an inevitable display of unleashed energy.
In my opinion, the middle of the album sags a little though guest vocalist Ugochi Nwaogwugwu and soul-jazz guitarist Bobby Broom contribute heartily to “Media Man” and “Cloister” respectively. It picks back up for the final two tracks. “Chupacabra” not only builds off a melody that wouldn't be uncomfortable in a Tortoise song, but pulls a great deal of influence from Havana with it’s hefty arrangement of timbales and congas rhythms. And finally, album closer “Carcass” infuses a squealing baritone sax solo with post-rock like production gimmicks; every few bars, the echoing instrumental resonance evaporates in a reverb like manner.
And just in case you didn’t quite get the fusion of the Nigerian and Chicagoan musical styles by just listening, the band superimposed a mural by the amazing illustrator and longtime Kuti associate Ghariokwu Lemi on a wall of the Greater Fulton Market here in Chicago. There are many different colliding cultures within the digital binary of this CD, but they groove along harmoniously trading ideas and inventing new unions in the process. (A) Move to Silent Unrest is everything you want an afrobeat album to be: energetic, colorful and resilient; but it also does a great job of not just settling with a paint-by-numbers approach. It is an exploration within the confines of a niche genre, paying its dues to the original innovators, then doing everything it can to not be completely pigeonholed. I think with this album, it may just be time to start grouping the Chicago Afrobeat Project with the other revered afrobeat evolutionists.
10.08.2007
Devotion #8
A word to the wise: If you ever decide to illegally download audio editing software from the Internet, be prepared for a life of online crime. From an update here to a plug-in or two there, it will never end.
I got up early last Saturday morning to get a start on some projects, which was good, but ended up watching The Weatherman over breakfast, which was also good, but completely defeated the purpose of an early rise. I’ve seen the film before, but a second viewing only reinforced my belief that Nicolas Cage is one of the best actors of this generation, and I would have no problem paying good money to watch Michael Caine read a phone book.
Time is still tight with stories and such, but I did want to call attention to some major industry news. Radiohead made headlines recently with plans to release their next album, In Rainbows, on Wednesday in a digital-only format with a price point set by fans. In talking with a colleague last week, we were discussing what such a move means to the business of music, which is struggling to come to terms with falling CD sales and consumers who are unwilling to pay for music they can easily get for free. Even the concept of the “album” is becoming a thing of the past in this new mp3- and ringtone-driven environment.
Two advantages that a now-independent Radiohead has, however, are a massive fan base and widespread respect, both of which were cultivated through their work on Capitol, a subsidiary of EMI, which is one of the “big four” music companies along with Universal, Sony BMG, and the Warner Music Group. While this is not a major label tactic, it is something of a major label reaction, which could become a tool used to benefit these companies in the long run.
But not every artist will prosper in the new model of music distribution, because, quite simply, singles are singles and stealing is stealing. Piracy and digital downloading does cut into revenue generated by the U2s and Kanye Wests of the world, but affects the bottom line for indies and MC No Names even more. Most popular music consumers don’t bootleg 50 Cent albums while going out and actually purchasing something released by their favorite underground rapper. It would be nice, but it just doesn’t happen. What Radiohead is doing is definitely groundbreaking – and brilliant marketing – but they’re just one of a handful of bands that can afford to take such a chance. And the majors, who back many Radiohead peers, are no different.
See, the fat cats are in the business of saving money and making money. They’re not really particular as to how they do it or where it comes from. It’s akin to a drug trade. The product has to remain on the street. Some customers are copping smaller packages for less, and some are even getting their fix for free, but if you have loyal addicts that you’ve strung along for a number of years, you can afford to give a little in order to get a little and maintain status. And if a maverick dealer branches out with some off-the-wall hustle, then it’s a matter of acknowledging that the game done changed and learning to adapt.
Radiohead may be changing the game.
And somewhere, Lars Ulrich just puked in his mouth – or on James Hetfield.
10.07.2007
Down - "Down III: Over the Under"
Down - I Scream (Down/Independent Label Group, 2007)
Down - Down III: Over the Under
Let's get this out of the way for those who don’t know: the lineup for this band contains members of Pantera, Crowbar, Corrosion of Conformity, and Eyehategod. There. It's been said. To not put that fact out in the open would just scream ignorance, but Down is basically synonymous with that referrals back to the members' previous (and in some cases, still current) bands. It also has to be said that when you have members of Pantera (who declared themselves "power groove") and Crowbar (listen to any of their albums for a smorgasbord of sludgy, hook-filled riffage), you're going to have a champion of a band.
In closing, buy this album, enjoy it sober or stoned (all three Down records are textbooks in grass-friendly music), and prepare to see your doctor about a bad case of neck-ache brought on by uncontrollable head-bobbing.
Used-Bin Bargains: Lula Côrtes and LaÃlson
Lula Côrtes and LaÃlson - Blue do Cachorro Muito Louco (Robertinho de Recife) (private press 1973, re-released Time-Lag 2005)
Lula Côrtes and LaÃlson - Satwa / private press, re-released Time-Lag
The lively acoustic strumming that opens up this lost 1973 classic marks a small historical milestone in Brazilian music. While all the rage these days focuses on the influences Bonde do Role have had and Vice goes trekking to find barbecue-abundant illegal baile-funk get-togethers, another, softer side of Brazil that reflects closer the work of Seu Jorge and the Portuguese influence generations deep is illuminated on this album. It doesn't sound like it has aged a day since it became the first private press full-length album in Brazil nearly 35 years ago.
Part of the reason it holds up so well is that the music seems so effortlessly played. Swaying between gentle tickling of the strings and vigorous strumming, Côrtes and LaÃlson created an album that's so easy to sit back and relax to. It's so easy to make up words in your head to these mostly instrumentals, but the music in itself is so gorgeous that doing so would blight the efficiency and the careful precision each note takes on this economical album.
The two artists emerged at a time when the harbor town of Recife was revealing a scene flourishing with psychedelic artists ready to demonstrate their abilities. Interestingly, these artists were returning to Brazil themselves from Africa and the United States. Though they were respected musicians in their own right, this January, 1973 collaboration brought out some of the best music in both of them for a little over a year.
While LaÃlson used his voice infrequently, his mastery of the guitar is all over this album on tracks like "Valsa Dos Cogumelos." What gives this album so much flavor is the sitar that Côrtes uses to back him up. This layering effect opens up the spaces and frees the sometimes austere moments that the guitar allows. It's understandable that they didn't use words and hardly any vocal texturing at all: At the time, Brazil's military government was in power (as it would remain until 1985) and if you've seen "City of God," you sort of have an idea as to how things were being run... if they were being run at all.
Even if there were overt protests being made with this album, it is hard to hear them. There is little anger present. Mostly it is an album of celebration, of relaxation, of "quiet triumph" as Bernardo Rondeau accurately put it. Thankfully, Mainer label Time-Lag was generous to re-release this in 2005. With the new package you get heavyweight sleeves, a double-sided color insert with pictures and a few notes, and all of it comes in a solid insert. I'm glad I rediscovered this through the Dusted review as I'd forgotten about it after the review was first put out in May of '05. Though baile may still reign supreme, Satwa lays in the hammock by the beach, slowly waiting for the morning hangovers and waiting to provide the gentle cure.
10.06.2007
Singleversity #30
Audiversity’s weekly column, slightly modified, on random music in a predetermined number of words between 1 & 150. This week's randomly generated number: 88.
MA:
Ordinarily, Michael would be writing here... But he's without Internet again (A running theme for Audiversity recently), so I'm taking his place with this bit from Chinese actress and singer Zhou Xuan. "The Winds of May" isn’t in FLAC here, but the
PM:
For whatever reason, Blogger was giving me fits these past two days. Here at last is something solid for you: Turing Machine's 2000 album A New Machine for Living was one of the band's finest; this video for "Swiss Grid" (filmed in Switzerland) is one of the few visual accompaniments they made aside from the live show. Frenchman Didier Feldmann lulls you into a trance, then accelerates the pace, then slows again as the song draws to a conclusion. Not unlike the band's excellently crafted music, then.
10.03.2007
This Flood Covers the Earth - "Barnburner"
This Flood Covers the Earth - The Tetris Chainsaw Massacre (unreleased, 2007)
This Flood Covers the Earth - Barnburner
I think there's a rule written etched into the DNA of members of the great punk bands that they have to break up just as you're getting to know them. Some kids were lucky enough to know Wire before they threw up Document & Eyewitness. Some kids knew At the Drive-In in the days when 'fros were a thing of the future. These Arms Are Snakes are an exception, yet they've played to thousands and it's Anti-Flag that fills arenas. Did you hear about Hot Snakes? How about Million Dead? Refused? JR Ewing? City of Caterpillar? Oh right, they're all broken up.
The fundamental problem with great punk bands is that they are only equipped to pack white heat for a limited amount of time. They can't last, it dulls and eventually decimates the initial effect (See also: Bad Brains). This Flood Covers the Earth are yet another sad tale of how about 30 people in the San Diego area knew them when, while the rest of us caught Barnburner either right as the band was breaking up in August or as they were being nominated for a San Diego Music Award by the San Diego Music Academy last month (where they'll posthumously be up against acts like Cattle Decapitation and Warface).
This post has gone in a ton of directions. Originally I was going to write about Clockcleaner when I realized I was late to that party (though they haven't broken up (yet)). Then it was going to be about Wooden Shjips, but we'll get to them eventually. Then it was going to be about fairly locals Bald Eagle. But I decided to feature This Flood Covers the Earth not because I couldn't focus on anything else to write about, but because this band wouldn't let me focus on anything else to write about. The music thrashes defiantly around in your headphones and demands attention. The irony in the title of this incredibly short LP is conclusively lacking.
In fact, how they get away with calling it an LP, I'm still not quite sure. This is five songs and none of them are anywhere near Pelican-length annoying. They're just straightforwardly fierce, the best of Drive Like Jehu (which everybody likes to throw in as a reference point, but few are as relevant as this) and someone pointed out Envy at one point; though that Japanese band has gone off the deep end recently, their earlier efforts are an excellent point of reference. Basically, anything really good from San Diego that isn't Pinback that you might've heard your scenester friends talking about is an excellent point of reference.
That doesn't mean this band is a replica of the old days. One of the magical things about San Diego's punk-and-all-things-related underground is exactly that: Each band out there drinks from a special potion where they take an element - be it math-rock or tech-metal or harDCore - and flex it to their own ends. This Flood Covers the Earth takes a punk base and knifes through it with noise of the harshest variety. There are songs to be sung along to somewhere in all this, but they're making it hard as hell to follow. Just pump your fist to a track like the masterful "I Used to Be a Genius But Now I'm Just a Werewolf" and pretend you're 15 again. The world is yours.
"The Tetris Chainsaw Massacre" is an arbitrary choice given that the band made the handful of songs that comprised Barnburner available right there for all to see on their MySpace page in a RAR file. So have your laugh at Radiohead fans before it sinks in that, oh right, This Flood Covers the Earth are broken up and Radiohead aren't.
Yet, this ephemeral quality is precisely what makes this group so awesome to hear. They have captured a singular moment in time that you can hear in the gritty realism of their recordings. It's splattered all over this album like the disgust of a suburban high schooler all over their geometry homework... Except much, much more interesting. And loud. Of course, everything sounds better loud (and the scant YouTube videos of the band's live performances are a testament to this), but the real greatness is that, even at low volume, This Flood Covers the Earth still resonates. Like a lot of other people, I'm sorry I didn't hear this band sooner and it's unfortunate that they took a "permanent hiatus" when they did. If they ever reform, there's a chance they'll be as good as they were before they called it quits a month ago. There are still a few songs apparently unrecorded that should be hitting their MySpace page before the end of the year. There is still a little something to look forward to. Will it feel the same as their singularly great, unreleased LP that floats around the Internet with the same ephemeral quality of the band that birthed it? Ultimately, it doesn't matter. We're all moving on and things, as Black Dice once put it, will never be the same.
Radio Show Playlist: 10/03/07
6a:
1. Husker Du - Chartered Trips - Zen Arcade (SST 1984)
2. Sun City Girls - Fly By Night - Midnight Cowboys from Ipanema (Breakfast Without Meat 1986)
3. Black Francis - Your Mouth into Mine - Bluefinger (Cooking Vinyl 2007)
4. Les Savy Fav - Brace Yourself - Let's Stay Friends (Frenchkiss 2007)
5. Trenchmouth - Hitmen Will Suffocate the City - More Motion: A Collection (Thick 2003)
6. The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket - The Raincoats (Geffen 1980)
7. Kill Me Tomorrow - Lawn - Chrome Yellow (Silver Girl 2001)
8. Magik Markers - Taste - Boss (Ecstatic Peace 2007)
9. Bikini Kill - Jigsaw Youth - CD Version of the First Two Records (Kill Rock Stars 1994)
10. Apocalypse Hoboken - Smoker's Cough - Easy Instructions for Complex Machinery (Johann's Face 1996)
11. Liars - Freak Out - Liars (Mute 2007)
12. Dance Disaster Movement - C'est La Vie - We Are From Nowhere (Dim Mak 2003)
13. No Knife - Swinging Lovers - Riot for Romance (Good Looking 2002)
7a:
1. Mannequin Men - 22nd Century - Fresh Rot (Flameshovel 2007)
2. The Red Krayola - The Story So Far - Singles 1968-2004 (Drag City 2004, recorded 1979)
3. Unrest - Christina - Malcolm X Park (No. 6 1988)
4. Thurston Moore - Frozen Gtr - Trees Outside of the Academy (Ecstatic Peace 2007)
5. Gravenhurst - She Dances - The Western Lands (WARP 2007)
6. Thee More Shallows - Ave Grave - More Deep Cuts (Turn 2005)
7. Zelienople - Ship That Goes Down - Sleeper Coach (Loose Thread 2004)
8. Mercury Rev - Syringe Mouth - Yerself is Steam (Columbia 1991)
9. Wooden Shjips - We Ask You to Ride - Wooden Shjips (Holy Mountain 2007)
10. Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti - Until the Night Dies - The Doldrums (Paw Tracks 2004)
11. Mice Parade - Phasen Weise - All Roads Lead to Salzburg (Bubblecore 2002)
8a:
1. The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City - Widow City (Thrill Jockey 2007)
2. Le Tigre - Get Off the Internet - From the Desk of Mr. Lady EP (Mr. Lady 2001)
3. Josephine Foster & the Supposed - Jailbird (Here of the Sorrow) - All the Leaves are Gone (Locust 2004)
4. Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey 2007)
5. Group Doueh - Cheyla Ya Haiunne - Guitar Music from the Western Sahara (Sublime Frequencies 2007)
6. Richard Leo Johnson & Gregg Bendian - Whitewash Worship Warehouse/Fine Washer and Dryer - Who Knew Charlie Shoe? (Cuneiform 2007)
7. Skallander - Dismemberment - Skallander (Type 2007)
8. Savath & Savalas - Folk Song for Cello - Rolls & Waves EP (Hefty 2002)
9. Collections of Colonies of Bees - Fun (#2) - Customer (Polyvinyl 2004)
10. Susanna - People Living - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos (Rune Grammofon 2007)
10.02.2007
Ahleuchatistas - "Even in the Midst..."
Ahleuchatistas - ...Of All This (Cuneiform 2007)
Ahleuchatistas - Even in the Midst... / Cuneiform
Another chance meeting at the legendary Immaginarium opened my eyes to Asheville, NC's Ahleuchatistas three years ago. The way you know a house show is going to be good is when several mattresses are necessary to cover the walls so the neighbors don't hear the racket going on inside. Such was the case with this three-piece, who have what must only be described as one of the best names in all of music (derived from the Charlie Parker song "Ah-Leu-Cha" and Mexico's infamous hillside guerrillas, the Zapatistas). I wasn't sure what to expect other than a lot of loudness, but my ears were given the special blessing of a particularly vicious show that evening; if I remember correctly, underground offspring Ampere were also in attendance.
The point of yet another memory-as-set-up is that Ahleuchatistas are a very special band in the sense that their music sticks with you. It is a sick combination of jazz, punk, maybe a little metal, and homegrown political protest folk in the best traditions of Asheville's hippie cauldron way up there in the Appalachians somewhere off I-40. Other artists may be taking the same spirit with them when they create their own music, but nobody sounds quite like Ahleuchatistas.
Here's how it works: They play. You shut up and listen. In the case of Even in the Midst..., this group is at its strongest. Of course, everybody likes to say that anytime something new comes out (except for In Rainbows, of course), it's their best yet. But I think that, having listened to them long enough and enjoyed them beyond a blistering SXSW set, this in fact is their smartest and most vindictive record yet. You don't come out of it feeling like you've accomplished something other than the fact that you survived. That's how hard they kick your ass.
It's not just the constant pulsing of the drums on tracks like "Cup of Substance" or the unhinged chaos of "Elegant Proof." We all know these guys are competent with their instruments. It's one of the reasons so many people have grouped them into that increasingly outmoded subgenre we hesitantly call "math-rock," after all. Just as Battles laughed in its face earlier this year with Mirrored, so too do Ahleuchatistas... Except this is a different kind of laugh. Battles laughed heartily and then smiled as they flipped the script; Ahleuchatistas have a vulpine menace that suggests they'll sink their teeth into you if you don't take them seriously.
And they don't always have to melt your mind with brain-bending time signature changes or hearty riffs for the headbangers among us, either. "The Bears of Cantabria Shall Sleep No More" is some of that Appalachian protest folk I mentioned earlier. You have to make the words fit the song yourself (The group has always been instrumental), but the ideas are all present.
One of the reasons this is such a complete album and better presented than past efforts is that the artwork accompanies the music perfectly. Local artist Courtney Chappell has painted a vivid but pessimistic picture in the eight-page booklet, and while these paintings are fantastic, their innate sense of dread really shows itself when you're listening to the conclusion of "Prosthetic Go."
That's a lot of words to say what I've already summed up: Ahleuchatistas play, and they play hard. You, you shut up and listen. The reward is that, through the jazz breakdowns and the careful plucking of every string and the ear-splitting skin-beating of the drums, you come to find that this very special band is doing something more than mere math-rock, or jazz-punk, or even politically charged music on a very broad level. They have made another subtle step forward that has produced their most carefully constructed and brilliantly executed album to date. If you turn out to enjoy this as much as I did, do yourself a favor and go make a memory of your own by seeing them live. Who knows, someday you may be bragging/blogging to all your friends about it. Stranger things have happened.
10.01.2007
Devotion #7
I’m under a bit of deadline duress this week. But in the meantime, the title of this medley should sum things up pretty well.
The Who
“A Quick One (While He’s Away)”
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
Where would we be without The Who?
For one thing, we might not have a lot of bands that came between them and The Donnas. I first learned of The Donnas while working at a now-defunct punk/ska/hardcore record distributor back in the late 90s, when they were just starting out on Lookout! Records (also home to a young Green Day). After catching them live at the Double Door last Saturday, I was impressed with how far the girls have come since their early days. They spent a bit of time on Atlantic before recently starting their own Purple Feather label, which was definitely a good move, considering how, at their core, they’re still representative of a movement that made “DIY” something of a household term. Plus, they probably saved themselves from being turned into a quartet of Avril Lavignes.
The horror.
The Donnas – "Give Me What I Want" – Bitchin’ (Purple Feather 2007)
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