31st May2010

NW Reviews: Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle

by nickwan

Mr. Bordello, aka Eugene Hutz, and crew have been writing music and playing this gypsy punk thing for over a decade now. It’s fun, carefree, sing-a-long-y type music that can seemingly be played by either Mr. Hutz himself or his band of nine or more members. The intensity in the vocals and music can only ultimately be summed up as a mating call of some sort for other insane, mostly drunk, people to get rowdy. Sounds fun to me. But tolerable?

The live show seems to be what is worth it. At first, nine people on stage playing some form of rock music reminds me too much of Slipknot or other copycat killers… but seemingly, the stage isn’t filled with random dudes who are just running around like gypsies. Turns out these guys can actually play their instruments live. The crowd, as you can see in the video, is a different story. I was literally expecting the exact opposite — a shit show on stage and arm crossers from the front to back. But I suppose if you’ve been playing the same exact music for over ten years, you’ll groom your live show fans accordingly.

If you can get pass the idea that this music is anywhere near serious, you’re left with nine people jamming careless gypsy-punk. And that is awesome. The album itself doesn’t sway from the standard Gogol Bordello style. Compared to anything else I’ve ever heard from these guys, this album is just another set of songs from an endless pool. To be frank, I was hoping for a little more kick from the legendary Rick Rubin on this album. Gogol Bordello has that chemistry and kick to it that only the sum of vocals and instruments can create, and Gogol Bordello does it to a T. Maybe it would be interesting to hear what the demos from this new album were like?

More of the same is just that. This album is long: 13 songs, 53-minutes long, and vocally an acquired taste. This would be something along the lines of a Stephen Hawking lecture. Somewhere close to an hour long, never strays from the topic at hand, and vocally… well, you know all about The Hawk’s voice. Think of this for an hour (or just watch the entire hour of it)

The knock is partially on the vocals for Gogol Bordello, but more in the planning of the album. The vocals are a love/hate relationship. At times, amazing. At other times, jarring. Overall, I’m happy that Eugene is the front man and voice of the band, but as far as an album is concerned… I would have much rather heard one of two things over this album: either multiple releases that were shorter, only lasting twenty minutes at most, or an actual concept behind these set of songs. The full length is great if you can captivate your audience for that long. I’m sure die hard fans would enjoy this album. People like me, passerbys in the musical universe, have trouble swallowing the lengthy process it seems to become when listening to this album. As an avid listener of music, full lengths should be saved for a bigger theme to explore. This Trans-Continental Hustle doesn’t explore that big picture. Rather, smaller and less emphasized pictures that become forgettable and small-framed. Exploration next time would help a lot.

Fun, but long. Entertaining, but exhausting. The good with the bad, I can honestly say I’d have an entertaining time at a show… but it’d be harder for me to stay entertained with this album on my play list. More of the same doesn’t explore the further elements of this ten-year long project from the gypsy-punkers. As far as new music is concerned, this nichey music pigeonholes itself — but for all to enjoy. Enjoy with caution.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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18th May2010

NW Reviews: The Black Keys – Brothers

by nickwan

What puts you in a good mood? Rainbows? The smell of rain? Sandwiches? For me, it’s good music. Who doesn’t get into a good mood from good music? If good music is what wins wars, then The Black Keys have a take-no-prisoners approach in victory. This new album Brothers twists that familiar blues and jam-rock vibe into an easy self-serving of music per song.

The Akron, OH product is not necessarily “new”, considering their high acclaim from not just Rolling Stone but Time magazine. In 2003, Time cited The Black Keys as one of the best acts of 2003. Quite an accomplishment. Astronauts, presidents, and worldly heroes make it into Time. Aside from high acclaim from press, the music world also sends their well wishing. Who, pray tell? Well, maybe if Robert Plant, Thom Yorke, Billy Gibbons, and Kirk Hammet all gave their blessings and praise to your band then you too would be featured in Time magazine. Akron, OH should be proud.

No frills rock. Well, there are frills, in the form of very tasteful solos, but other than that… it’s some raw stuff here, man. Brothers is some sort of mix between perfect driving music and perfect small-venue music. Both share a key word there. I imagine this band playing anywhere and everywhere and it being a perfect setting. Coffee shop to an arena. At a party or on the corner of some street. These guys can do it, and their music knows no bound, both physically and aurally.

There is no real con with this album. There are sad realizations. For one: this band will never revolutionize the world of dub-step. This band could probably play any kind of style, and song, anything, and it’d be amazing. But they will never do dub-step. They could single-handedly be the best dub-step group and also put to shame the entire genre of dub-step if they made a single dub-step song. To my fantasy, that’d be amazing. Another realization: will we ever hear something completely different from these guys? Their album, along with previous songs and albums, seem to be pigeonholed. We get it: the perfect mix of blues, rock, some punk, and tie it together with the quintessential vocalist. Could there be a stone unturned somewhere in their very amazingly blended repitoire? Hard to imagine them not doing something within their very defined sound already… but if they got it, I’m sure they’ll flaunt it before we can even name it.

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People who would like this: people into blues, rock, or jam-rock. Not necessarily “jam-rock” like Jamaica, but jam rock like Umphrey’s McGee. I feel like people who want the indie version of John Mayer and/or Lenny Kravitz would LOVE this album. Also, people who enjoy throwing on “change-up” music on their playlists… this is the best change-up music there is. Very solid songs, sounds nothing like what you normally listen to (unless you listen to only Jimi Hendrix… then… why are you on this blog?), and distinctively The Black Keys. Others who would like this: everyone.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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13th May2010

NW Reviews: The Speed of Sound in Seawater – Red Version EP

by nickwan

Sonoma County Month’s first “local” band isn’t really local. I’ll give it the “local” stamp though. Usually, when I get emails from local bands and local artists, they seem to either be stuck in a certain gear or reclaiming a past sound. There are very few bands I get a chance to listen to that really try to play outside the box. Luckily for The Speed of Sound in Seawater, their band name isn’t the only thing that doesn’t fit inside a particular box.

I usually have a gripe about bands who try to self-describe themselves. It’s like when that random guy at a party comes up to you and says he’s funny. Just about 100000% of the time, if someone says they are funny… they are completely not funny. This is fact. Test it. For TSoSiS (seriously?), they ended up describing themselves as “math rock and indie pop”. What am I supposed to think? Minus the Bear? You, Me & Iowa? I know I wasn’t thinking “hints of screamo”. Much less, I definitely wasn’t thinking “ambiguous vocalist tone”. But I was pleasantly surprised with much of this album. Have a gander:

Great musicianship. Good feel for each other’s skill set. Songwriting isn’t an issue for these guys. Piecing together the song-puzzle, as many song writers seem to encounter, tends to be a difficult task. These six songs from these guys seem to be a perfect taste of what this band is all about. Very intricate guitar work. Strong timing and syncopation. Vocals sprinkled throughout. Some things people might miss out from this album: no effects on anything. Guitars are basically completely clean sounding throughout the entire album. Bass isn’t modulated in any hip or overdriven fashion. The vocals are very clear with no signs of anything more than room reverb. Acrobatic Tenement from At the Drive-In had many of these characteristics. Well, they also had a lot more drugs. But this isn’t about legends, this is about potential legends. I’d say if this album had any more tracks or any less tracks, I’d be disappointed. The realm of shorter albums is coming back to fruition. Attention spans aren’t long enough and sustained quality over ten or more songs are mostly difficult. I’m very happy with six songs from these guys.

The studio is so funny some times… some bands can go in with a live sound and totally shred it and come out with a platinum album. Most other bands go in with a live sound in mind and come out with a very studio sound. Finding the medium between both can be difficult, but that’s usually why producers and other people who weren’t involved in the song-writing process come into play. This album’s major downfall would be the looming absence of a producer. The band’s live sound is very strong throughout the album. I feel as if I could be transported to one of their shows and know EXACTLY what is going to occur. But honing that into a more contemporary studio sound is something that is usually overlooked. I always harped on how bands should save the endless solo for the live show… well, there is much more that can be saved for the live show. Screaming in particular. Some bands adjust the screaming in their songs into layered vocals or something not even pronounced on their albums. Say Anything is a good example of vocal variation from studio to live performance. Some bands, like You, Me & Iowa, include the screaming in their indie-pop albums for effect but leave it out during the live set. For these guys, I probably would have left it out. Jarring and useless would be the two terms that come to mind. I was really taken away from those song intricacies when some dude comes in doing their best Sacto Hoods impression. Sorry guys. Another let down was vocal ambiguity. Maybe the singer is new to singing? Maybe it’s a new style for him? I don’t know, but it was varied throughout the album. At times, I felt like it was some sort of fake British vocals, along the lines of The Kooks or something. At other times, it seemed like a less-slurry version of The Fray. Both examples aren’t really the greatest, in my opinion. Although the vocals were nice, the oddities throughout seemed to throw me off. That, plus the random WCWW crew chiming in with screaming and shout outs definitely drew a shadow over the songs.

Impressive and impressing, but raw and subtly rough throughout an album that seems very prim and proper. It’d be interesting to see these guys live, as far as live-show-intangibles are concerned. The forward approach to reinventing that early-Minus the Bear and American Football sound is promising, so long as early-2000s vocal tracks don’t hold them back.

People who would like this: people who are into American Football, early-Minus the Bear, Karate, and You, Me & Iowa.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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10th May2010

An Interview: Fang Island II

by nickwan

Fang Island’s album was on a radar earlier this year, along with a “get to know you” interview. This is our first time in person with the Fang Island guys. See what they have to say below!

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Category : Interviews/Misc., Music
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10th May2010

An Interview: Red Sparowes II

by nickwan

After running an initial interview with Greg of Red Sparowes a few months ago, as well as reviewing their latest album some time before that, we encounter our second meeting with Red Sparowes. Check out the interview below!

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Category : Interviews/Misc., Music
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10th May2010

Pitted: Red Sparowes vs Fang Island

by nickwan

Label mates Red Sparowes and Fang Island have been touring together for the past month or so. After all that time together, who reigns supreme? Nick Wan asked those hard hitting questions that is sure to stir up a controversy. Check the video below to see what each band said about who has better taste in beer, food, and cover songs.

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10th May2010

NW Reviews: Foals – Total Life Forever

by nickwan

It’s so weird when bands sound so similar to other bands. It’s also really weird when album covers make you think of other albums. I couldn’t help but notice this album’s cover when I glanced at it for a second. The first thing I thought was, “Why is Nirvana’s Nevermind on my playlist?” but it turns out that this is very far from the grunge days of the 90s.

Foals, a UK product, genuinely sounds like the UK version of Minus the Bear. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful since both Foals and Minus the Bear are good bands, but there is a ring that seems to shimmer, musically, for each song that reminds me of the newer MtB tracks. From the outset, the album throws down some funky bass that MtB is not so familiar with as of late. Delving in a little further, the lead guitars seem reminiscent of later MtB (more scatter-brained, loop and pedal influence rather than Dave Knudson’s former tapping guitar style). The heavier dance feel roots this band as more of an indie-pop attempt rather than that of MtB’s experimental-heavy outing lately. I would go on to say that musically this band would be the spawn of Minus the Bear meets !!!. Lyrically, Minus the Bear would be a fit. Lots of girl references and partying involved. But vocally, these guys spin it differently. Something a little more garage and raw than that of the deep-toned Jake Snider of MtB.

Enough of the comparisons; what does this band bring to the table?? The label “math-rock” as this album is popularly described as is mostly incorrect in my opinion. The rhythms almost never leave the realm of 4/4 and the complexity of the music itself seems to be streamlined aside from maybe one guitar in the background or the bass at times. The slight progressive nature of the songs is something not to be confused with “math-rock”. So if it’s not math rock, and I wouldn’t strike this to say it’s prog rock, then what could it be? Well, whatever !!! and Minus the Bear share as a genre. Probably just indie-rock. Or indie-pop. At a show, there would be a lot of flannel, a lot of palmade, a lot of slim fit jeans, and a lot of crossed arms. However, there would probably be a select 12 or so people at their shows who just dance their faces off. I would probably be.

I’m happy that bands are still putting out dance albums. I was debating whether or not that was a con, but I think it’s a pro. A great dance album and dance-ish band at a show is always really fun, and also it’s musical gold at times so that’s even better. You can’t knock these guys on musicianship. I’m entertained from start to finish. There is versatility through the album, from leaning on a heavy dance vibe to shredding the guitar to some weird music I would expect from Interpol. The album has no skips as far as unfortunate tracks, as they all fit neatly into the puzzle they’ve created.

There is a sound they went for, and they totally nailed it. But I feel that they’ve nailed it down a little too hard. Unlike early Minus the Bear, it’s hard to envision the next step for this band. That’s not necessarily good. High ceilings for bands are usually good things because we aren’t completely sold on just one album. For Foals, I feel like they’ve sold their sound to me and I’d be weary as to what would be next from them. Many bands commit to a sound and fail to find their next stepping stone to impress. A recently classic example is She & Him. Their first album was very set in stone as to what their sound would ultimately be like. Their latest album seemed slightly different, but more of the same. And that was something to be predicted from the end of their last album. The question is what more can you possibly do with this? Minus the Bear found a way out of their past indie-pop ways into a more experimental type band with indie-pop flashes. Many old MtB fans have turned a cold shoulder to songs post-Menos el Oso, which is not to the benefit of the Seattle powerhouse. I can only predict similar outcomes for Foals if they can’t wow next album. Either play the predictable or potentially lose out on fans who love this sound already. Hard to slice, but unless they throw something down fierce then I think the future is murky.

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People who would like this: people who love venues with bars. People into dancing at indie shows. People who space out a lot when their in class or at work. Others who would like this: people who love ecstasy.

I’ll give these guys a thumbs up because this album is a good album… but there is a looming cloud hanging out over their next studio.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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01st May2010

Sonoma County Month!

by nickwan

A few weeks ago I started trying to gather a few artists from the area to interview and review their albums they are releasing this year. So far, not too many bands are trying to put themselves out there… but there are a few go-getters that may be worth our time. So, in the spirit of promoting local music and supporting independent music, I will be taking on the task to seek out some quality talent from my local area. So, amongst the mix of reviews and interviews from somewhat larger bands this month there should be a nice sprinkling of local music from around here. Hope you’re looking forward to it!

Category : Interviews/Misc., Music
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