Damon
& Naomi The Earth is Blue ( 20|20|20 ) 2005 So, LOW released a new album this year - and there are many a writer / critic / fan who are either praising or sobbing over the "newer sound" (harder slowcore?) they have unveiled. LOW are now on SubPop (where Damon & Naomi once were - for 3 amazing albums!), and there is a point to that little bit of nonsense in a journal... somewhere. Onward.. . Naomi Yang and Damon Krukowski, better known as the two-thirds of Galaxie 500 (!!) to some - Damon & Naomi to others, have not only settled into the glorious, crawling pace they founded in 1992 (though an EP was the precursor) on the perfectly titled LP More Sad Hits - they now own the bragging rights. Did you know? Damon & Naomi almost called it a day in 1992 post-Galaxie 500. Had this happened, I cannot imagine where my influences would lie musically - and that scares me a little too much to continue the thought. To backtrack for only a moment, 2000's Damon & Naomi with Ghost is a top ten album of all time - an album of elegance, sadness and some of the finest songs put to tape in the 20th century. Here we are, five years later, and Damon & Naomi have released The Earth is Blue and prepare to set off on a tour to accompany the offering. Prayers to an unseen force have been answered - give thanks. Upon first glance at the tracklisting for The Earth is Blue, one of the ten offerings is "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - little did I know D&N had chosen to cover this George Harrison classic (best Beatles song of all time?), and within seconds The Earth is Blue was on track six before the plastic surrounding the album had reached the floor. A swirling, brass added adaptation of the song, Naomi Wang's luscious dream-state of a voice gives "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" one of its finest remakes I could ever have imagined. Damon lands himself behind the kit for a distant cymbal and floor tom session, and the mesmerizing result is as solid as your D&N album collection. "A Second Life" revisits a similar tone found on "Judah and the Maccabees" (from 2000's Ghost) with that saw-like backing electric filling in the few spaces where the band hasn't already touched and made pure gold. Michio Kurihara (of Ghost) and his electric guitar are all over The Earth is Blue, and they both bring selections such as "A Second Life" (a Jimmy Page reference wouldn't be far out of place) & "House of Glass" into a fully realized wealth of sacred greatness. Mid-album composition "Sometimes" sounds remotely similar to a gift that could have spawned from the ...with Ghost sessions, as the duo share the entirety of the songs harmony over a delicate blend of percussion, bass and piano. Uncommon are complete albums like The Earth is Blue that don't require more than one listen to lose yourself in them. You'll hear the horns on opener "Beautiful Close Double" and swear the sky has opened up inviting you in.. . " let's make the same mistake again ". Released on the bands very own 20|20|20 imprint, the labels may have (again) changed - but this signature sound that we have all come to adore, admire and rely on for survival is very much intact. When you hear a Damon & Naomi song - liner notes in hand or not - you know who owns it. Thanks. Extra Credit :: To early searchers only (numbered in a batch of 100) is / was a Live cd-r of 5 songs, 2 being takes on The Earth is Blue pieces "A Second Life" and "Araçá Azul [Blue Guava] / The Earth is Blue" (in which Damon gives insight to the songs Brazilian composer and Portugese origin). Also here is "Song to the Siren", the prized Tim Buckley cover and the title of their 2002 Live CD/DVD set. All five tracks recorded live in Tokyo at the beginning of 2004 with Michio (plus Taishi Takizawa on flute) - the clarity and vision are unblemished. k
02.09.05
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DAUGHTERS 
Bart DavenportMaroon Cocoon ( antenna farm ) 2005 "Give me a moment to say how I feel.. ." Really - what's not to like about Bart Davenport? From the classic CSNY-like opener of "Welcome To The Show" straight down the Maroon line - this seems like a cat who treats his incredible album collection like the treasure it is (from his James Taylor to his Steely Dan). Just look at that cover picture, slim mic in hand with the unibomber shades posing in front of a moving blanket - if it's unique style you're seeking, Bart D has enough to share. Not afraid to cut loose while the tape's running, "Clara" is just this moment. A serenade to his unknowing lover, this tropical sonnet is complete with improvisational "la la"'s and humming. Hey - when you feel it, get it out. Maroon Cocoon is the creation of a guy who has his kind heart in the right place and his vintage headphones tuned to the right influences. Groovy. "I've got no money but the jukebox in my head". McCreely
05.05.05 |
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As for the contents of the ep - there is a handsome amount of talent in DATF, with the drumming being one of the standout qualities they possess, courtesy of Steve Weir of past Right Turn Eddie kit control. 5 songs all exploring seperate territories from semi-stiff cock-out rock (The Blame Anxiety) to the acoustic male/female builder of "Homesick Angels". In
keeping track of the limited packaging scheme, I got pink & blue - it's quite
pretty. |
Day
at the Fair|
Most hepcats are aware of the "brother tradition" in country music: the Louvins, Lillys, Delmores, not to mention Bill & Charlie Monroe - the tradition of close harmonies that laid the groundwork for rock & roll harmony singing: the Everly Brothers who begat the Beatles, Hollies, Teenage Fanclub, and so on down the table. But aside from the Carter Family, Dixie Chicks, Freakwater, and the Coon Creek Girls, there's not a surfeit of data of sister / female harmony duos. Well, the harmony legacy just got considerably richer with the debut release of the Angel Dean / Sue Garner duo. Dean is known for being in the neo-trad-alt-country combos Last Roundup (with Amy Rigby) and her own band the Zephyrs; Garner, for avant-pop-noisy-rockin' Fish & Roses, Run On, her solo career, and the Roches-meet-the Shangri-Las trio the Shams. Together, they have incredibly striking, yearning, unforced harmonies right out of the Ozarks, as sharp and real and deliciously pungent as a shot of good whiskey on a clammy winter evening. What separates Dean / Garner from the pack of neotrads is most of their songs are originals sung & played in the manner of the Carters and Delmores, distilling their essence and making that classic sound their own, as opposed to the purist, we-have-to-sound-like-they-must've-way-back-when, hothouse orchid approach or the ironic, yee-haw hick-sploitation of smarty-pants college students killing time before grad school. On this disc's tray-card, there's a pic of the gals with Porter Waggoner...and they've clearly earned that honor. Pot Liquor is one of the very best "roots" albums of the year. Mark
Keresman ::(08.06.04)
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Angel
Dean & Sue Garner
Death Cab for CutieTransatlanticism (barsuk); 2003 "this is fact not fiction
/ for the first time in years". kaleb.
11.01.03 |
dealership action / adventure ( TURN ) 2004 I'll
be honest: I'm a sucker for nostalgia. The 80's retro styles? I was
there. The repeats of the Brady Bunch? I watched them. "Godzilla"?
I loved it. More recently, though, I've been getting nostalgic for
the 90's "alternative explosion". You know, the Smashing
Pumpkins, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam. It seemed every band had
taken bits and pieces from the entire spectrum of music and were creating
loud, interesting, and above all, tuneful, rock and roll. However,
it seems the only bands who cherish this part of rock history, to
be blunt, totally suck ( However,
for Berkeley, California's Dealership, it seems that the lessons
of independent rock's forefathers have not been forgotten: the powerful
FM radio hooks and soft-loud song structures that characterized bands
like the Pixies and Nirvana are all over Dealership's
new album, "Action/Adventure". Combined with the
new millennium's indie electronic fascinations, Dealership sound like
the Mates of State playing the best of My Bloody Valentine,
seemingly pointing a new path for the indie of tomorrow, incorporating
90's rock sounds without the blatant douchebaggery of bands like Like
all great records, "Action/Adventure" constantly
smacks of other greats without sounding contrived. There are echoes
of the Cure ("World"), Smashing Pumpkins ("Then"),
and My Bloody Valentine ("Spies"). But Dealership aren't
a cover band: the melodies are fresh, the arrangements are unusual
and original, and good lord, the hooks! Billy Corgan
would kill for a hook like the chorus of "Then", which is
one of the best I've heard all year. Dealership, however, also sidesteps
many ptifals of their forefathers (as well as their contemporaries,)
by not overproducing the brilliant songs on this record. The "garage-y"
sound of the record, while not reducing the sonic impact at all, makes
this record sound like a secret gem that makes its discovery even
more precious. In today's independent music climate, it's refreshing
to hear a new, original band that isn't riding the same dance-punk
80's wave that seemingly all other bands are riding. Not to say that
it's the different blend of styles that makes this an excellent record:
this would be a great record, no matter what year it was released
in. But in today's crop of hip, new bands reaching for their keytars
and running for the dancefloor, it's nice to know some bands remember
how much fun it is to just play rock music.
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 The Decemberists Picaresque ( Kill Rock Stars ) 2005 The Decemberists' last albums always seemed to teeter between multi-part epics filled with Colin Meloy's deliciously twisted characters and historical dramatics, and serene portraits of private rainy-day melancholy. For every "Odalisque" and "Bachelor and the Bride," there was a "Red Right Ankle" and "Grace Cathedral Hill", giving the Decemberists' albums a wonderful sense of balance. However, as 2004 rolled around, the Decemberists unleashed the mighty "Tain" EP, a 20-minute epic about the Hound of Cullan, and the balance had indeed shifted. It is that beast of an EP, and not the last two charming full-lengths, that sets the tone for Picaresque, the Decemberists' latest album from Kill Rock Stars. Recorded in a cathedral in Portland, Oregon, with Chris Walla, the album is full of larger-than-life portrayals of soldiers, sailors, and male prostitutes. Even the sparser songs, such as "Eli the Barrow Boy", are story-songs that allow Colin Meloy to delve the listener in his 19th century canvas that reads like a paperback Dickens. "The Sporting Life's" socialities and familial expectations depict a game of croquet, and again recall Monets and Van Goghs as opposed to the napkin sketches of "Cocoon" or "Clementine". Colin Meloy, with the successes of Castaways and Cutouts and Her Majesty, The Decemberists, now seems to be confident in playing to his eccentricities. Even on the more personal songs, such as "Bus Mall", where scenes of lovers huddled at a bus stop are placed alongside descriptions of "kings among runaways": someone gave Meloy license to run wild with his paperback characters and dramatics. The band, as well, indulge their "theremin and accordion" side, with haunting vaudeville arrangements for "Lost at Sea," and the opening track "The Infanta" plays in galloping widescreen, with thunderous drums and Arabic piano. The album feels like a series of vignettes that desperately want to make sense together. The Tain's quasi-linear story played the Decemberists' flair for drama as a strength: here, however, the story-songs can often add up to less than a whole. On the other hand, a concept might have weakened the individual songs, as Meloy's characters are so eccentric and unique that stretching them out over a whole album might weaken their individual strength. While the album does have its share of grandeur, it is interesting that the Decemberists seem to be shrugging off their Neutral Milk Hotel influences, exchanging it for the shimmering acoustic guitars and mandolins of Document-era REM. "We Both Go Down Together" sounds like classic Stipe & Co., with string sections both beautiful and paranoid and understated drumming with an immaculate bridge section. Picaresque, for better or worse, is a defining statement for the Decemberists, a wholly individual record that finally has the band standing on their own two legs (or a leg and a pegleg?). Castaways and Cutouts and Her Majesty... feel like introductory acts, the introduction and rising action, with Picaresque serving as the traditional climax, the third act. Hopefully the next few acts will be as worthwhile, and perhaps serving up a healthy dose of modesty following this bombastic peak of dramatism. Tyler 07.03.05 |
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Polyvinyl must have been trying to beat us to the punch - William Seidel is equipped with a similar etheral voice Jeff Buckley possesed that many have attempted to duplicate for nearly a decade. I can't think of a better track off of City of Festivals that shows this spectacular comparison than the three minute composition "Small Circles", with it's graceful xylophones and sweeping slide-style guitars. The debate that now comes into question is whether the legions of Buckley fans are willing to accept another angel-voiced individual into their lives. We've seen how harsh the critics have been with singers such as Jimmy Gnecco of 'Ours' and Rufus Wainwright. The graciousness that makes up most of "Spiderbites", another of the albums strongest tracks, wouldn't be off-balanced between the music of Scotland's 'Travis' and Englishman 'Tom McRae' on a really good mix tape. These guys posess a thankfully non-american sound. The 30 second 'Polyphonic Spree'-style choir opener of "Uncle Tom's Yard" leads into some of the most impressive musicianship "City of Festivals" showcases, with it's light banjo and organ backing with sweet dual harmonies all around it. The banjo is just one of many traditional intruments that Decibully add to their unique indie style - the final CD track, "Beyond Hope", incorporates graceful horns & multi-percussion to the mix for yet another superb track on a magnificent debut ( 2002's "You May Be a Winner..." was self-released ) album. Fans of Polyvinyl currents 'Owen' and "Matt Pond PA' will surely find something they'll appreciate in "City of Festivals". With members of the late 'Promise Ring' and current 'Camden', these guys have influences from all directions - and that may be why 'Decibully' is so difficult to pin down with impractical comparisons. This is worth finding. [ limited 3-song ep has the non-album track "some need change" that is also worth the search ]. kaleb. 11.22.03 L i n k s : d e c i b u l l y |
De La Soul3 Feet High And Rising Tommy Boy, 1989 "Hello - Meany meany meany meany (Say What?) - Meany meany meany meany (Say What?)". Jesus, you get the opportunity to put thoughts on paper about what many consider one of the most influential compilations of music ever produced, and words fail you. 3 Feet High And Rising must be heard to fully accept it's effect on the music we hear today, but in the meantime, this is one white kid's view: It's 1989. Stamps are a quarter. The Pistons could beat the Lakers. The first of the "Bush" fuck-ups are in the White House. The Exxon Valdez cashed 11 million gallons of oil in the sea. Dali died. In the music front, N.W.A., Public Enemy & the Geto Boys are all making a name for not only themselves but for a genre that would simply be labeled as "Gangta Rap". Los Angeles is on fire, the scripts for Juice & Boyz N the Hood are in the making. Then the nubian heroes step in: 3 young men from an age called D.A.I.S.Y. who weren't afraid to preach their own brand of "Strong Island-bred Peace." Clad with "black medallions, no gold", De La Soul were at the ridiculous production hand of then-Stetsasonic DJ Paul Huston, a.k.a. Prince Paul who's current projects include Handsome Boy Modeling School. What you receive on this album are 24 tracks (some skits, an orgy, a lesson in French) at a total of over an hour. The original copy I had was on cassette (keep in mind, it was 1989 in my neck of the hood), and that has now been replaced by a media known as compact disc. As we approach the 15 year anniversary of 3 Feet High And Rising, it still amazes me how the face(s) of music has changed. But enough 'de la' history, if you have never heard 3 Feet.. , or were just scared off by the single and video "Me, Myself & I" (that strays way off the path this album blazes), get out of that hole and rock what still remains the most diverse hip-hop cd from the 20th century! Who else was gonna twist 'Schoolhouse Rock's' "Magic Number" (besides Blind Melon in 1996) in such a classic way but De La Soul & dandruff-riden Prince paul? This album is "Rapper's Delight" classic. It's the way-paver for phenomenal early 90's acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers & Del. Give credit where credit has long been due: 3 Feet High And Rising is a perfect hip-hop album. kaleb ::(1/28/03). |
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"ollyollyoxinfree,
sally still don't believe in me i know" From the opening lines of "fell pell-mell from a predicate suitcase" on 'allowed loud' to the simplest lines on 'hot air balloon', including: "if I was a CEO, there'd be cream cheese with my roe" - you kinda get the honest feeling that this lost Shel Silverstein book-gone-bad is for the select few who still long for giggles to accompany their contact high(s). I fully understand that had I simply put this album on and continued to have a jolly old time with my daily chores - and was at most 8 years young, I may have found the choice tales Desoto Reds are singing to me quite enchanting. The bands
talent is undeniable, but the overall formula (think the Starlight
Mints trying way too hard to be of Montreal) is nearly
overdone. Should you, my loving friend, be on the search for that one
more disc to accompany your dusty Elephant 6 collection, 'hanglide
thru yer window' may be it.. . and "you're more mature than me". +
polly . 07.16.04 |
Desoto
Reds 
Diamond CavernsLittle Song ( Celebrate Magic Hands ) 2005 "you can see right through my heart" There is a fella amongst us pressing record on fine, home-recorded sessions calling himself Diamond Caverns. Currently in Texas, and looking to recamp in New York very soon, this gentle man approaches his open microphone with an acoustic in hand and a kind nod to the Yardbirds / Dylan (see: "Most likely you'll go your way and I'll go mine"). The eight tracks that make up Little Song (the companion mailer to Orange, which is also in rotation - both limited [for now] to 100 copies each) will grasp your heart, rekindle image-heavy (torn relationship) memories and likely go well with your Michael Hurley collection (a noted inspiration to DC) or the stripped-down Devendra you care for so well. "1000 Years", a tale about eternal hell and life within it (or love gone to shit), is as heartbroken a tale as I've heard this year. Sir Diamond Caverns does present what looks like a political stand on "End that War", but this 4 minute anthem turns out to, again, be directed towards a war of the shattered heart. Pleasant, engaging tunes are that contained within Little Song - those camping on the boulevard of broken dreams should investigate and take shelter.. . with your brethren. "Love is Free". It's not folk, its blues - played in the key of folk. Austin will surely miss you - but New York is about to get some much needed magic. kaleb
08.16.05
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"I don't know who I am, when did this all happen?" That's right Virginia, I am not afraid to admit it when I am wrong. As matter of the fact in question - I enjoy the wrongfulness and the admittance - it completes me.. . fulfills me even. My asking for forgiveness in that I have only now begun to allow dios to dampen my skin, as they are morphing into the new dios as 'dios malos'. dios [the album] begins with "nobody's perfect", a (burp) tranquilizer of a track that you can crawl right up into and stay for months without needing a window to remind you of the planet hell you left behind. The children that open the sunnier "starting five" will keep you company and in close relation to the whole need for a nice trip into the dios orb - life is fairly decent and you deserve to hear songs this sweet. Like the 'Surf's Up'-era Wilson's snuck into the 'Dark Side of The Moon'-era Floyd record and made a wonderful new color called dios (malos). The liner notes that accompany the album (soulseek pirates take note, you missed the best parts called "words") are the best thing since the album started - and sharing them together is so beautiful it should be a sin. "the uncertainty of how things are" and her gentle piano-meets-vocals under the 3 am surf vibe will undoubtedly bring to mind the magic you felt the first time you heard The Sophtware Slump, and damn is that a great feeling to rekindle. You may fool your father into thinking they wrestled Neil Young into their home / rehearsal space when you hear the dios take on "Birds" - it's perfect and it will likely make you (and dad) cry. You may even convince that same father that Neil stuck around for a new track entitled "you make me feel uncomfortable", but it's really just dios doing what the do best: making the best set of songs you are likely to hear this year. When did this all happen? "You got me all wrong" is what 'the optimsit'-era turin brakes acoustic gently weeping over one of AIR's better instrumentals might sound like if they met in a dream. Go to sleep and pray. There are rarely albums that need no introduction, no representation and no warning - and dios is just that chillbumped freakish occasion. All this album requires is your mind, your headphones and 49 minutes plus 49 seconds - for months at a time. Brilliant. This album is a golden 10, sixth star out of a possible five wonder. Quiz: Yes - they are from the Beach Boys hometown in California. Yes - they even sneak the harmony from a Beach Boys classic into this album (hear: Fifty Cents). Yes dios have no tattoos. Yes, what matters is whether or not you have heard this album yet or not: Yes or No - circle one. If you chose "no" then you need to start at the beginning up there and repeat until you circle "yes". +
k . 08.27.04 |
dios
malos |
What seems to have been an eternity has in reality been about 5 years since the last opus of math-core machine's The Dillinger Escape Plan. The five years between "Calculating Infinity" and "Miss Machine" saw the departure of long time vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, a collaboration E.P. with former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton entitled "Irony is a Dead Scene", and a long search to find current vocalist Greg Puciato. "Miss Machine" doesn't exactly start where Calculating Infinity left off. The band has had enough time to grow up and some maturity was shown in "Irony is a Dead Scene." The addition of Greg has also helped the band go some places that they couldn't with Minakakis. The far more versatile Puciato has helped the band break away from being slumped into the hardcore genre. As far as the difference musically between "Calculating Infinity" and "Miss Machine," the latter full-length ups the previous with combining solid songwriting with what everything the band was previously hailed for. Tracks like Panasonic Youth show the edge that the D.E.P. have retained over the years while tracks like "Phone Home" are reminiscent of dare I say.. . Nine Inch Nails? Definitely not a bad thing either. Come on you know you are tired of all the D.E.P. clones and it was evident that the band themselves are as well so they upped the ante and created a masterpiece. scott
09.22.04 |
the
Dillinger Escape Plan
Dirty on PurposeSleep Late for a Better Tomorrow ( North Street Records ) 2005 Let me tell you from the start that this band's name is pretty misleading, because Dirty on Purpose is far from being "dirty" with their blend of candy and scene rock. With that out of the way, their EP Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow is good, on purpose. The five tracks on the release all touch on different bases of new popular rock. The five-piece Brooklyn natives include nasal male and thin-pitched female vocals on the EP that are reminiscent of LA-based Autolux, but the band is far from a big city-scene band. Each song on the release is different, but they fall together rather nicely. Sometimes the EP seems like it would fit perfectly alongside the Baby Sitter's Club movie soundtrack, and, interestingly enough, "Cheat Death" is impossible to not compare to Gwen Stefani's "Cool" because it definitely carries the same melody of "even though we're through, I think we're through,". But, alas, no worries my lovely readers, it is nothing like the new Gwen Stefani album. "Cheat Death" is actually an airy, breathy, pretty Minipop-ish song - it'll tempt you into a lull sleep if it does its job right. "Girls and Sunsine" (even the title is bubbly) achieves similar effects as Beulah's "Matter vs. Space." Dirty on Purpose is incredibly nineties-rock at times, but it's thoroughly enjoyable. The four males and single female will be performing at this year's CMJ; so far as the EP can foretell, they are excellent opening-band material, yet not too far from headlining themselves. Carol
09.14.05
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"And
you might be surprised by how much I love you" Al James is a phenomenal storyteller, and at times - almost too good. Take the up-to-date Romeo & Juliet storyline of 'Hannibal, MO', a poetic telling of 2 lovers torn who decide to drown together in a town lake only to find their plan foiled by nature. Wherever those sensitive nerves are in your body - this song will find them and send chills each one. I honestly feel as though I have given away the plot to a theatrical thriller - but you truly must hear James tell it with such conviction. Amazing. Not Exotic requires your immediate, undisturbed attention - but what better should you be doing than hearing one of the best releases of the past years - many years. Songs like the opening 'Morningwatch' aren't rushing to the finish line - they creep along like pond ripples just above freezing, and the same hairs that raise on the back of your neck can likely be felt growing. It's just this good. My close
friends, and both of you know who you are, please call me. Not Exotic yearns to be heard. +
k . 06.02.04 |
Dolorean
David DonderoThe Pity Party Ghostmeat, 1999 "'this town is full of
evil people - from the churches to the steeples." Call if folk, call it Americana.
Hell, you can even call it spontaneous country and he probably wouldn't mind.
David Dondero replays the life he sees & hears, singing each and every detail
as if you had seen it for yourself. 'The Pity Party' was the first solo release
by David after his departure from the band Sunbrain [whom I have yet to hear,
most of their original releases were on the now defunct Grass Records in the early
90's], and it is a damn fine album. Produced as well as instrumentally assisted
by Andy LeMaster of past Bright Eyes - current Now It's Overhead status, 'The
Pity Party' falls somewhere between the lyrical wit of Beck's "Mellow Gold", one
of John Vanderslice's prized four-track machines & Gordon Gano's spastic acoustic
guitar. The raw, intimate sound that comes from this 11 song, 27+ minute release
makes one think each song was recorded on individual occasions, each at the right
time & place (which the liner notes reveal was simply a friend's kitchen). Fans
of Conor Oberst may find an extreme similarity in his & Dondero's trembling vocal
styles, as I was later to find they have toured together, and David even executively
produced Conor's 2002 side project 'Desaparecidos'. An amazing solo album from
another one of America's finest 'under the radar and possibly better that way'
artists, there is no better time to catch up than now. So when you ask your local
record shop for him, remember "It's don-dair-o, not don-duro - if you can't get
it right you can call him D." |
David
DonderoThe Transient Future Farmer, 2003 If
Jack Kerouac made indie rock, his name would be David Dondero. I know that's
a bold statement to make, but lend an ear to "The Transient," and you'll
see what I mean. It kicks off with the quick and peppy "Living and the Dead,"
in which Dondero is so scatterbrained and shaky that it's hard to make sense of
it all. But that's the joy of it. All of the oddities most people take for granted
are on display for our scrutiny. Coughing noises add percussion to the mix. |
 DonnybrookLions In This Game (Hand of Hope ) 2005 Nowadays, hardcore is defined by searing guitar melodies, brutal breakdowns, and singing about heartache. You know that trend, metalcore I think it is? It's all fine for a while, but there comes a time where a line is crossed and the amount of bands with names with seasons and words like dying, death, dead is just too much. Fortunately there are still people who still hold hardcore close to them and make it point to keep it sincere and powerful - Donnybrook is made up of these kind of people. Featuring former members of Hurricanrana, Donnybrook plays no frills, straight in your face hardcore. Nothing stands in the way of the messages of insincerity plaguing the hardcore scene, people who use their computer to do their fighting (messageboards), and people they hate. Lions In This Game s tand out track "Techno-Logic Kill", which features guest vocals from hardcore hero and Terror frontman, Scott Vogel, belittles the insincere who hide behind their computers by screaming "it's time to grow, up or get the fuck out" right in their faces. Gripes? Nope, but then again Lions In This Game is a hardcore album that has everything that I love and got me into this music: sincerty, breakneck speeds, and enough anger to make anyone cower. If straight up hardcore isn't your thing, then you might have a problem with the album at hand. |
DovemanThe Acrobat ( Swim Slowly ) Doveman is a collaboration made up of members that you have certainly heard of in other bands, but have only now made their collective entrance into recorded sound, putting out the wonderfully cationic The Acrobat - on Swim Slowly Records. Thomas Bartlett directs the chaos of whispers and reverbs from the microphone and various key-based instruments. His voice rides just above the music, cutting through with a loungy quality not normally associated with this genre. I love how the vocals can stay in half-brilliance for numbers like "Cities" but prove far more powerful on tunes like "Chasing Clouds." The band dips only their toes into the cold water of dynamic for most of the songs, but it is this that makes the music so perfect and effective Like a late night watching too many old Twin Peaks episodes, Doveman make music that bewilders as it longs, provokes as it pauses. I like "lamp music" (a descriptor they provide on their site); the music is not dark - only poorly lit. The band has found elements of music that they enjoy, and have succeeded in capturing them on this, their first release. I think what they have is a great album, a thought piece, without grandeur or dynamic, but - a success just the same. Goe
11.09.05
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DowntownDowntown ( Coup De Grace ) 2004 "Fatal, fanatical mate of a poisoned body and brain!" This contagiousness tries to push sludge through your veins like top-notch heroin (specifically "Thunderstorm"), yet it's the punches of adrenaline on a track like "Long Winter Gone" that get it into your system at a steadier rate. Just who is this Downtown and where did they come from? Mind you, you should certainly let them in. Downtown are - in fact - Robert Kaeding and Eric Brendo, a uniquely mellow duo that have set up shop in "Amerika's safest neighborhoods" of New York City - and they have hooked up with royalty to track this chunk of heaven that is now known as downtown. Co-produced with Flood (who also participates on the album) & Alan Moulder (see: All Music Guide), downtown have tightly woven an album that pays as much respect to the "Long, Long, Long"-era Beatles (see: "Colorful Little Boxes") as it does to the 21st century work of New Order - and that there is a blend that will waken the senses. Delicate hints of mellotron (see: "Long Winter Gone"), gentle synth and - as credited - "whispers", Downtown only lets up after the final delicate note of "Stay Too Long" has fallen. Encased
by a design that eases the eyes with original Gustav Klimt artwork
and accompanied by a booklet of lyrics - someone's favorite band has
just begun.. . and, shhhh.. . . they're from America!?
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the Dreadful YawnsThe Dreadful Yawns ( BOMP ) More or less legit country-rock, The Dreadful Yawns are a brave, honest new band unafraid to let their love for legit-country rock bands show (see: the Byrds, the Band, the Flying Burrito Bros, Poco, etc). Weeping pedals and strings backed by a tepid piano line introduce the first track, "You Sold the Farm". A Neil Young-like voice croons softly, "You know the holes and sunlight poured off the lake, and we were blind. It was mine for a while and, you sold the farm and, it was hard letting go.". Gorgeous, sentimental and sad. The next couple songs pick things up a notch or two and highlight the Yawns' ability to wield their instruments. They're far from your average, sloppy indie-rock band. There's nothing wrong with sloppiness but, this is just pretty music. The Dreadful Yawns formed in Cleveland in 1999, but they definitely don't sound very "Cleveland". If I hadn't read otherwise, you could have convinced me that the Dreadful Yawns grew up next to My Morning Jacket in Kentucky. Their songs are based on common themes: drinking, love, leaving and staying put. There's not much else to say. Vocal duties are split up and shared throughout the album. The multiple voices create a varied song-palate that meshes together well without out-stepping their abilities. These songs were well nurtured and nicely recorded plus, they're label mates with Dead Meadow, which, is pretty awesome. Start getting your best-of lists ready, this one might be a late contender. Check it out. -ss
11.14.05
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dreamend as if by ghosts... ( graveface ) 2004 I'm a sucker for good packaging & design. As a cardholding member of PRINT, CMYK and the like - I envy those who can get the job done. On the do-it-yrself front, a handsome front to a delightful album is the key to becoming one a few top-shelf albums I own - and everything about as if by ghosts... by dreamend is top-shelf (but certainly not to be stored way up there). On to the m music in a moment (promise), but first the showcase that is the album's visual presentation. A kraft cardboard fold-pack, fronted by a vintage black & white print (and I believe most if not all of the albums differ), that contains random pages from vintage books (this one had 2) - this is the stuff that grabs your attention quick and says "you have to hear me". Yes I do, I did and will - often. Note to listener: don't let the subtle and hushed openings of "of ravens & winds*" [* fireworks] cause you to nudge the volume up higher that your standard album - the wave is approaching, and it breaks.. hard. Not much is written about the band in their parchment paper printed bio (nor album credits) - but names should be revealed. There is a band of fellows making this incredible music and each should come forward to collect their prizes - I feel like I owe you something in the least for this gift. To say this album reminds me both audibly and visually of the kind of grandeur Perishable was releasing at it's peak is both a favorable compliment and a ray of light as to what you can expect to hear on as if by ghosts... . A 'touch above a whisper' vocals are used sparingly - as percussion, xylophone (see: "ellipsis") and a fervor of guitarwork (see: "the almighty") take on the leading role. For every unruffled moment these ten tracks reveal, it seems as though there may be twice as many to charge your senses with. Comparison to any individual band or artist would possibly taint dreamend's near-perfect formula, so a hypothesis that 'this album will win you over' may be the best prediction for the inexperienced listener. It only took me, a chemist by trade, one trial to see justice fit. I really feel like a book somewhere may be missing a page (or two), and I may be missing the true mystery that this album reveals, but until the time I have sorted all the hidden details, as if by ghosts... will be either in or close to my player. Front to back, track one to track ten - as if by ghosts... may make believers of you all. +
k 11.30.04
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Drive
By Truckers Dirty South ( New West ) 2004 Trying to convince my roommate that I'm not a hick just gets harder and harder when I come back from the record store not with, say, the new Ted Leo album, but rather with a Drive-by Truckers disc. Of course if all those hip kids gave the Truckers half a chance they may just realize that they're missing out on one of the best, most consistent rock groups of the decade. With their newest, The Dirty South, the Truckers bring their record to three for three this side of the millennium line. The Dirty South takes the mythology of the South down a notch by ripping into the folklore of the region. Buford Pusser, NASCAR, Graceland, John Henry, and NASA's history in Alabama all are thrown into focus by Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood, and the phenomenal Jason Isbell, the singer-songwriter triumvirate at the heart of the Truckers. Cooley's "Carl Perkin's Cadillac," Hood's "The Sands of Iwo Jima," both rival their previous bests, but it's Isbell who seals the deal. Each of his four songs here are near-genius, and the album closer "Goddamn Lonely Love" may be the saddest song you'll hear all year, though his elegy for the Band, "Danko/Manuel," comes in at a close second. The
Dirty South may not be as catchy as Decoration Day, but
then again there are few things as rip-roaringly fun as "Hell No,
I Ain't Happy" or "Marry Me." What The Dirty South does have
is that same depth and emotional resonance that made Decoration
Day and Southern Rock Opera such solid records. The Truckers
haven't mellowed out, and they sure haven't gotten quieter, and I
wouldn't have it any other way. The boys from Alabama still got it
goin'.
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 The Dudley Corporation In Love With ( Absolutely Kosher ) 2005 There are some artists that just know how to sabotage a good thing. The talent is obviously there, the potential is endless, some of the songs are even promising, but the constant obsession with providing a critical distance between themselves and the rest of their "genre" prevents the artist from growing. The result is an annoying, disappointing, and severe effort that leaves the listener cold, confused, and discontented. The Dudley Corporation fits these frightful characteristics on their recent release In Love With. It's hard to put into words my frustration with this record. I want to like The Dudley Corporation, as I do many of the bands on Absolutely Kosher. I want to respect them for their musicianship, innovation, or originality but I end up spiting them for their ego, banality, and frivolity. The album careens, like a drunk driver, into every curb, tree and parked car; leaving only its ugly, oily, obtrusive residue behind. The community is traumatized. The local news is notified. We've got reckless behavior on our hands! In Love With starts serenely enough. Delicate vocals coalesce with a charming guitar melody leading us to believe that a creative, beautiful recording is about to come upon us. The vocals are subtle, meandering at times, but innocent enough to assume foreshadowing. The album succinctly changes, however, once the teenage angst arrives like a ton of whiny bricks about two minutes through the song. The song adds in aggression, but loses in originality. However it is not the style that first offends, it is the utter lack of regard for any semblance of structure of melody or form that ends up ruining a possibly decent record. The songs are half hearted and the arrangements, haphazard. As the album continues there are inconsequential silver linings to each piece of the puzzle. Points to each song deceive with their cleverness and lie with their beauty. They guide us to a different place entirely, tempting us with their sirens, but ultimately lead us to the river Styx; And not the "Come Sail Away" kind. Alas, the frustration comes when you realize that each bright point represents a good idea squandered. Perhaps I am missing the big picture. It's possible I missed the blessed irony in the music of In Love With. It's even possible that I am just in a bad mood and am taking it out on this poor band. You can dismiss my opinion, like all critics, as mindless snobbery with no understanding of the "true" meaning of music. But the truth remains at this; try to listen to In Love With all the way through twice. I dare you. It's harder than you think. JH 06.25.05 |
Dungen
Ta det Lungt ( Subliminal Sounds ) 2004 Every once and a very, very rare while I throw on an album and just fall totally in love. Broken Social Scene's You Forgot it in People, The Wren's The Meadowlands, Sigur Ros's Ágœtis Byrjun, Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk at Cubist Castle, or the Silver Jews' American Water fall into this category. Dungen's jaw-dropping, fist-pumping, life-affirming Ta det Lungt is the newest album to join the list, not to mention my top ten of 2004. I immediately draw parallels to Olivia Tremor Control and Sigur Ros. Dungen manages to combine the brilliant psychedelia of the former with the orchestral grandeur of the latter, yet the end result is something entirely different. The album feels old, yet there's something revolutionarily new to it. All that and I can't understand a fucking word of it. Opener "Panda" is one of those pieces of propulsive, expansive rock glory that a demented Thom Yorke/Tom Verlaine love child could only dream of. The drum kit has clearly been blessed, likely by whatever deity is playing that fuzzed out guitar. I just cannot for the life of me stop myself from jumping up and down to this one. It only gets better. "Gjort bort Sig" and "Festival" are both triumphant, but nothing could prepare you for the power of the eight and a half minute epic "Du E För Fin För Mig," which is nothing short of a mix of Sigur Ros' "Svefn-G-Englar" and Radiohead's The Bends (all of it), except you have Keith Richards and Pete Townsend playing guitar. Nothing on the rest of the album matches this high. Then again, neither does anything else this year. Or really anything I can think of in recent memory. I know practically nothing of the band itself, and really I'd be perfectly happy not to, just as I can't understand any of the lyrics. There is something so clear, so joyfully happy that you don't really need to know anything "about" the music to get it. I don't have enough adjectives to describe this album - maybe I'd be better served with Swedish - but it really has to be heard to be believed. If you can track down a copy, buy it, and if not, send me a few bucks and I'll burn it for you. I'm serious. This album needs to be heard. peter
12.25.04
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