30th Jun2011

This has been my life for the past month

by nickwan

Fuck this desk.

Things that I haven’t been doing

1) Writing reviews (sorry)

2) Responding to emails fast

3) Studying (why I am writing this post right now)

4) Sleeping

5) Editing footage I shot with Kevin Hua weeks ago (sorry, Parlour Suite)

6) Going to shows (level 10 pissed about this)

Things I have been doing

1) Exams

2) Researching (I’m actually happy about this)

3) Waking up every morning to B.O.B. – Airplanes (my roommate’s alarm clock)

4) Eating breakfast (out of necessity, or I literally fall asleep at my desk)

5) Using Grooveshark almost exclusively for playlist making

6) Drinking a lot of soda

7) Trying to have Adam Finley micromanage the writers, even though he is equally as swamped with work.

Things I will do tomorrow

1) Pay rent

2) Empty my backpack out

3) Jam finally this summer

4) Begin packing

5) Begin looking for researchers who are doing research on alpha event-related desyncronization

6) Eat steaks

7) Drink beers

 

Sorry to all the regulars who have seen a lull in reviews this month, specifically from me. I will saddle back up post-July 4th. Expect an explosion of reviews.

Category : Complete Miscellany
Tags :
0 Comm
29th Jun2011

Album Reviews: Advents – Residence EP

by Adam Finley

According to their last.fm page with its 420 scrobbles (10% of which are me), Advents is a “self-described indie/French funk band from Chicago”. Now that that’s out of the way, we can focus on their very first EP, Residence.

The Pros

You can’t claim these guys aren’t adventurous. Residence features a myriad of styles and genres slammed together for better or worse. Unfortunately, most of it is for the worse.

The Cons

The levels are off on nearly every track. Take “Settling In” for example, which starts off well enough before an off-kilter cymbal hammering steps in to ruin the chorus. Lesson #1 of indie-rock mixing: if levels on ANY instrument are set so high that people instinctively turn down the volume out of self-preservation, you fail.

This whole EP actually SOUNDS like a bunch of dudes in a low-rent studio trying out different styles to see what works. “253 Avonelle” starts off like a generic indie rock track, and if it stayed there it would be alright. But it flies off the rails halfway through, flying into a triple time orgy of random instrumentation followed by an out of place acoustic strum and chorus reprise. And “Boblink” sounds like it was mixed by a kid whose day job includes wearing a helmet and drooling on himself. The random effects sprayed across that track like hippo shit on a zoo wall are misguided at best, horrendous at worst.

The Verdict

Residence isn’t rough around the edges, it’s just rough. This collection of songs should have served as fodder for the choosing of a direction, and a sound, and a series of more focused writing and recording sessions. But as a first impression, especially compared to the infinitely more polished and prepared Young Brother’s initial EP, these guys make Jordan Bolton look like Matt Pond PA.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
0 Comm
27th Jun2011

2011 Midterm Report: Potential Albums of the Year

by nickwan

Much like a school year, we’re seeing what bands have made the grade at the half way point… that is to say, we’re recapping what albums we’ve deemed to be worthy of nominees of album of the year. Click on an album cover to go to the full review!

Celebration – Hello Paradise (Pictured above)

Click here for the review

“Celebration’s Hello Paradise sets a bar for what albums of this type of genre should be directed towards”

Adebisi Shank – This is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank

“I would be astonished to see another album, instrumental or not, do more with their sound than these guys have done while only being a three-piece band.”

Mazes – A Thousand Heys

“Like a happier The Kooks. Or a more guitar-rock-driven Phoenix. Or maybe just a wonderful start for the band, Mazes.”

Early & Often – Present No Fiction, Fear No Tense

“It’s haunting. It’s Sacramento possessed.”

The Bony King Of Nowhere – Eleonore

“The fact that Bram Vanparys isn’t world famous blows my mind, but I have a feeling that will change soon”

Mighty Clouds – S/T

“The songs themselves flow seamlessly from track to track, giving that feeling… weirdly enough… of mighty clouds. It’s dreamy.”

Chase and Status – No More Idols

“There are no cons here. Every track is absolute club bliss.”

Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

“The album has this chase-like atmosphere to it, where at times parts of songs are like you’re in a triathlon and other times it’s like you’re floating down a slow river.”

The Speed of Sound in Seawater – Underwater Tell Each Other Secrets

“This is math-pop 101, for those unfamiliar. The prototypical math-pop band.”

And So I Watch You From Afar – Gangs

“There is more of a story to be told through this album than any other math-rock or instrumental album I’ve heard this year.”

Dynasty Electric – Golden Arrows

Golden Arrows

“That voice.”

The Weeknd – House of Balloons

“This isn’t just my favorite R&B release of the year. It’s my favorite R&B release of the past 5 years, easy.”

Tune back in December when we come out with our winners!

Every year, 402 will look for the best five albums that we can all sort-of agree upon. At this rate, we should have upwards about 20 albums out of the hundreds we’ll have reviewed this year.

Most importantly, 402 isn’t about finding the most hyped bands and artists, or trying to bad-mouth hyped bands and artists. We’re most interested in finding and reviewing albums that haven’t received much music press. That may be because the artist/band is 100% independent and doesn’t have thousands of contacts at huge music websites like some PR and management groups do… it may be that the artist/band has all of that but just isn’t getting press due to editors picking and choosing more well-known albums to review… or it could be that the artist/band isn’t getting a lot of press because the actual album isn’t that good. Whatever the reason is, we find it much more satisfying to find these gems than to have some big brother tell us about the next big thing.

Sometimes this site and other big sites like NME, Stereogum, or Pitchfork will agree. A good amount of the time, we will disagree. And a larger amount of the time, they will be reviewing much larger acts than the ones we are reviewing.

I believe these albums are a great place to start if you’re looking to find new music. If you’re feeling adventurous, open one up and listen up.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : ,
0 Comm
21st Jun2011

Album Reviews: The Island Of Misfit Toys – Bear Hair

by Blake

The Island of Misfit Toys is a folk band from Chicago with a knack for instrumentation and fun-loving medley. They have a lot of heart and clever instrumentation in their album which makes for an indie release that goes through the limbo without toppling over.

My favorite track from their album

 

Pros

With a band name like The Island of Misfit Toys you should be able to draw an accurate picture of what you’re getting yourself into. It is either a clever name for a gothic art-rock band or a nature walk full of flutes, trumpets, keys, and deep drum anthems. This album is definitely the latter. I’m 1 for 1.

Even after the first track I realized that this band was a lot like The Format with their energetic broadway orchestration that (at times) even mimics Neutral Milk Hotel, but with a much cleaner folky vibe. “Beginnings of a Beard” was a great first track. Chimes and trumpets fill the air as you skip through a nature anthem that ends with some Oberst style storytelling toward the end that adds a lot of meat to the track. “Taffy Apple Lifestyle People” is another medley that has a really rigid drum spine that whips you around before taking you into a trumpet-filled room. In other tracks like “Insulated Crane” you can hear some of that trademark The Format style when there is a lot of spoken-word sung over the energetic musicianship. His falsettos kick you up into heaven toward the end of that track.

BREAK FOR HIP-HOP

Here comes the hip-hop influence that can only be described as something you would hear from Why?/cLOUDDEAD. I really, really like both groups so “Work” was a track that I could bob my head to.

But then, the hip-hop disappears into “Hermit Crab” that continues with a pretty intense choral track that I really enjoyed. “Knife-Throwing Academy” is another solid tune.

But wait, the hip-hop is definitely back! “Bear Hair 2″ throws in some of those street grooves with some distorted guitars. This track kicks ass. It reminds me a lot of mewithoutYou‘s earlier material. Passionate and deliciously angry.

Cons

This album is pretty solid, but does seem like it happened before from different acts. Just to name a few, Nat Baldwin and The Format seem to both have that really over-dramatic broadway style down as their niche. So, where does that put The Island of Misfit Toys? Well, that is where they have to make their decision.

Verdict

I really enjoyed this album because there was passion in it. The majority of indie acts these days forget that the emotions that go into writing their songs should be expressed in studio along with live performances. Sometimes I can picture spit flying onto the studio mic or tears falling on an acoustic guitar. The album really crafts an exuberant melodic trip that takes you from the best material The Format ever did and nails the sounds of Why?. I really want to take this time to wish this band the best of luck because they have so much passion and talent. As much as I like to hear those two genres mix in an album, it is difficult to nail down a sound without falling on a pretentious LP. This one worked for me and I want to see what else they can do to evolve.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
0 Comm
20th Jun2011

Album Reviews: Hafdís Huld – Synchronised Swimmers

by Ryan

Look out, Iceland. You just bought yourself a new, successful female crooner, and she is significantly less weird than Björk. Hafdís Huld offers up thirteen songs on her latest record, Synchronised Swimmers. Do not jump to conclusions, Huld doesn’t categorize herself as the usual mix of euro-pop that her “contemporaries” would fall into. Instead, her music is more of a relaxed, subdued affair with a twinge of childlike fervor. So imagine if Colbie Caillat was icelandic, yet still struggled to sing in the english language, and she grew up as a huge fan of Raffi tapes.

Listen to “Köngulö”


Hafdis Huld – Kongulo

I couldn’t quite catch it when I listened to the song by itself, but this video opened my eyes to the big picture. Apparently this song is about Spider Man. At least, that’s what this video implies. That’s fine and all, I just wonder if Stan Lee is aware of this.

The Pros:

Other than The E Street Band or The Band before they broke off from Bob Dylan, it is hard to think of many backing bands that show a lot of character behind the main attraction. In Huld’s case, she has been gifted, at least for this album’s studio purposes, with a pitch perfect rhythm section for her sound. Pop singers all over the world, not just in Iceland, would kill to have the mysterious, coffee-shop acoustic guitar in “Boys & Perfume” or the playful fretless bass heard in “Daisy”.

The Cons:

Alas, Synchronised Swimmers has more follies than fortunes. I had to cut The Pros section short because I had one more thing to say about the backing band, which is the disadvantage that they outshine Huld herself on a regular basis. The dynamic going on behind the singer sounds as if it is a dynamic going on in front of the singer. Huld’s voice simply is not bold or commanding enough to direct the attention from her bandmates.

Apart from not standing out nearly as much as her structured, yet comfortable backing band, Huld’s vocals often become borderline unlistenable. I have never understood the fascination with musical artists foreign to english-speaking nations trying to sing in the very language that is not native to their tongue. This isn’t a problem most of the time. The system has worked for Björk since 1990, Phoenix are now reaping the benefits of the method, and Delorean are making short work of it as well.

Hafdís is an example of an artist who should stick to their native tongue. Awkward, forced pronunciations of words and phrases flood this album. Listening to the opening verse of “I Almost Know A Criminal” clues you in on the cringe-inducing, inelegant vocal melodies that are supposed to transpire as passable vernacular.

The Verdict:

Listening to this album made me a little angry. Not at Huld’s music, but at the potential that she has as a singer that is not shown on Synchronised Swimmers. It’s too grand of a complaint to wish that all of these songs were sung in icelandic, but had the change been made, I believe it would have resulted in a more natural sounding album as a whole. Sadly, the listener is subject to a sophomore effort founded upon a batch of songs that are instrumentally sound at the core with loose and unsure vocal deliveries.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
0 Comm
19th Jun2011

Weekly Digs #30 (6/19/11)

by Adam Finley

Time is even sneakier than the head-phoned leopard, and we’ve very nearly reached the halfway point of 2011. It’s almost time to do our January-June Album of the Year round up, but while we wait for Mr. Nick “The Man” Wan to put that together, let’s give props to our newest writer, Ryan, by letting him go first with the music recs this week.

Ryan’s Picks

The Who – Who’s Next [Bonus Tracks]

Yeah, bonus tracks.  I picked this up for budget price at a Best Buy not too long ago.  Apart from an obviously classic album, this includes a live version of “Water,” which kicks more ass than a steel-toed boot.

Guided By Voices – Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia

I bought this as part of Box, which is a compendium of the group’s first four releases, plus a rarities disc.  For me, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia is their first step towards perfection.  Listen to “An Earful O’ Wax”:

Nick’s Picks

Police Sirens

For some reason (I think I know the reason) there has been way more cops on this street this past week. I’m thinking it’s because people are graduating. However, looting is also a possibility.

Far – At Night We Live

Vastly overlooked, vastly underhyped. When they came back with this, I went to almost every live show they had around northern California. Far is up there on my “most-influential” list. Hmm… maybe I should ask everyone for their most influential lists… good idea, me. Watch “Deafening”:

 

Blake’s Picks

Nero – Guilt

Nero has been throwing out amazing singles for a while now. This specific song is about as sexy as a dub track can get without climbing the trip-hop tree. We all know strippers dig Massive Attack.

Grateful Dead – Casey Jones

This song is about as relaxed as you can get. I enjoy driving around and listening to it at least once a week: “And not a single fuck was given that day.”

Nate’s Picks

Bad Books – S/T

I’ve really gotten into this album more and more recently. The Kevin Devine and Andy Hull really compliment each other well. The songwriting on this album is pretty unreal.

Big K.R.I.T – K.R.I.T Wuz Here

This guy’s one of the best MCs in the game right now. He’s got loads of potential and I can really see him blowing up in the future. Check out “Hometown Hero”:

Finley’s Picks

Tyler, The Creator – Goblin

The deeper I get into this album, the more interesting I find it. I feel like I finally have a grasp on it after eight or nine listens, and if I can keep my head above water this week it’s finally getting the review it deserves.

Harvey Danger – EVERY HARVEY DANGER ALBUM EVER

How is it that Harvey Danger is only remembered  as the band that did that “Flagpole Sitta” song from that stupid movie with the chick from Dawson’s Creek? That’s fucking criminal. Harvey Danger released dozens of excellent, cheeky songs that bridged the gap between Seattle’s grunge and modern indie scenes. These guys are the shit, and always will be. Watch the video for “Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo”:

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , , , , , , , , , ,
0 Comm
15th Jun2011

Album Reviews: EDM – Night People

by Blake

Early Day Miners from Indiana, now going by the name EDM, have released a few LPs and have been around since 2000. They even did some work with Unwed Sailor on the soundtrack for “Stateside”. I’m a big Unwed Sailor fan so hearing some of that influence kept hitting me in the face with the post-rock riffs and eclectic instrumental harmonies.

This is where I apologize for not having a sound clip for you to listen to. Unfortunately, none of the tracks are available for streaming (that I can find).

Pros

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews for 402, you know I’m a fan of band comparisons because it seems to be the clearest way of communicating a band’s sound. This isn’t to say that they are copycats. Sometimes, it is a positive evolution from a sound a previous band had that was taken further. The first track “Hold Me Down” has a lot of raw bass lines that I remember hearing on Mew‘s “And The Glass Handed Kites”. Other tracks like “Stereo/Video” have that Arcade Fire indie-vocal seasoning with a really great harmonic bridge toward the end that I really enjoyed. “How to Fall” was a similar experience in its execution of creating that dreary M83 or even Tired Pony indie sound with a female vocalist hitting those really spacey, sharp, falsettos.

While jumping off of my previous statement, I will say that the female vocalist really adds a lot of mass to this project. The contrast works to the advantage of the band on tracks like “Temple Bar” where there is a back and forth vocal trade. What results is a really satisfying track. “Milking the Moon” is another few minutes where the band returns to those atmospheric Mew tendencies with an instrumental track that takes you deeper into the rabbit hole they are trying to create.

With all of that said, I’m going to explore the elements of this album that I’ve either heard before or didn’t enjoy. ¡Ven conmigo!

Cons

I said before I dove into the pros that a big difference between bands that sound like other bands is if they are able to evolve that sound to be their own. “Open Bar” was the first track that really bothered me. Not only does it sound like a sleepy-town Snow Patrol track, but it is an absolute bore. There are some raw vocals toward the end that made me question my feelings, but it didn’t change my mind about the tune. Also, “Terrestrial Rooms” plays out like a chanting mess that doesn’t seem to fit with the mood of the album. I will make the Mew comparison one last time. In “And The Glass Handed Kites”, the band crafted an atmosphere through each track and even the instrumental ones weren’t wasted. On this one, there is such a clear divide between the “gap-less” tracks that it doesn’t feel right as it transitions from track to track. The songs are very independent and don’t fit together as snugly as the band would have hoped.

Verdict

I’m up in the air on this album for a few reasons. EDM is a talented band, but their sound has been taken by the more prominent indie acts like Arcade Fire and even Tired Pony’s new material. I really like to be surprised when I listen to a new album, but wasn’t satisfied with this one at all. The songs didn’t leave a lasting impression on me and the LP’s flow didn’t resonate with anything grand or memorable. You might be able to pick out a song or two that you enjoy, but as far as listening to this one over and over, forget about it. Of course, you might be able to find something else buried in the bit-rate of the MP3. Maybe I should have played it backwards…

The best advice I can give you on this album is this (and sometimes this sort of advice does not work): iTunes now allows 90 second song previews, right? Yes, they do. I can tell you that 90 seconds of each song on this album is plenty to understand if it is something you can put your money behind. If it isn’t up to snuff, you will know really fast and won’t feel obliged to write a positive review about it in iTunes to convince yourself that it was a great purchase. We know your tricks.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
0 Comm
14th Jun2011

Album Reviews: The Weeknd – House of Balloons

by Adam Finley

I first heard rumblings toward the end of 2010 about Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, a Toronto-based R&B artist who writes, produces, and performs claustrophobic modern sex songs. A couple of months ago The Weeknd self-released House Of Balloons, the first in a trilogy of albums which I predict will be game changers for R&B as a genre.

Watch the video for “The Morning”

 

The Weeknd – The Morning (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

Fair warning: This isn’t your easy-listening, mom-friendly, fake ass Jason Derulo-Boyz II Men-Chris Brown mainstream R&B. This shit is dark– not designed for maximum radio airplay or guest spots on The Ellen Degeneres Show. There’s little love on House of Balloons, very little tenderness, and no breathy utterances of “girl, I need you” to set pre-pubescent female hearts aflutter. This is grimy fuck music, plain and simple. This is music to get nasty to. This is the soundtrack to drilling your coworker’s girlfriend behind his back while his dog watches with its head cocked, confused at the position you’re doing because his owner never does it.

The Pros

Not only is this the sexiest album you’ll hear all year, but there’s some serious depth to House of Balloons. The story arc is simple but effective– it starts with a night of drugs and strippers and sex, and is followed by regretful dawn-lit tracks like “Coming Down” and “The Morning” which provide a self-loathing counterpoint to the rabid debauchery of the night before. There’s an edge of self-awareness to House Of Balloons, and Tesfaye’s voice is confident, sad, and knowing throughout. It’s clear that the protagonist is headed toward self-destruction and he knows it but feels powerless to stop it. “The only girls that we fuck with seem to have 20 different pills in ‘em/and tell us that they love us even though they want a next man”, he laments on “Loft Music” before he gives in and fucks her on the living room floor anyway. You get the feeling that he knows he could get off this roller coaster if he wanted to, but rationalizes in “The Morning” that he has to go back out because, after all, it’s “the only place to find base heads and hot women.”

That’s really what sets House of Balloons apart from any other R&B album with its idealized views of romance and sexuality. House of Balloons is sex music for the emotionally broken– and who can’t related to being broken?

Watch the extremely NSFW video for “Wicked Games”

And lest we forget: this is not a collection of unrelated tracks with light keyboard and woozy effects put together by committee. This is Tesfaye’s singular, compelling vision of one man’s sexual odyssey through a haze of drugs, strippers, and “glass tables four feet wide”. The production is consistently solid, syrupy, engaging without being overpowering. House of Balloons feels like an album, yet every song can stand on its own.

The Cons

Another fair warning: it may take a couple of tries to get into this. The Weeknd is so different from what you would get by choosing the R&B station on Pandora that it’s tough to wrap the brain around at first. But once you’re on board, there’s no getting off this ride.

The Verdict

This isn’t just my favorite R&B release of the year. It’s my favorite R&B release of the past 5 years, easy. It’s about time someone made sex music that reflects the sex that so many people secretly crave– a mind-blowing, uninhibited, no holds barred fuck.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
4 Comm
13th Jun2011

Album Reviews: The Dardys – Perfume & Leather

by Ryan

In recent news, lower east-side’s The Dardys have proved that a band from New York City is not required to sound like or be compared to The Strokes. The difference between the two? The Dardys clearly like to have a lot more fun. The five members pumped out a five song EP called Perfume & Leather not too long ago. Ignore the title; you won’t be listening to a brief sendup of New York Dolls-style glam pieces. Instead, you get a taste of fun and restless jangle rock, produced by a band that is as young-in-its-years as it can get.

Listen to “It’s Rare”

The Pros:

Since this is an EP, I could do a track-by-track review, but it’s not needed. I’ll just give an overview. For starters, “Disposition” is the best song on this album. The chord changes, the slam and hush of selective instruments, and the passionately shouted lyrics all make for a great listen. “It’s Rare” does much of the same, while invading your head with its vocal hook all day long. “I’d Like To Know” harkens to the better memories of driving around at night with the windows down and feeling free.

The Dardys’ trumping feature is the unavoidable charm of the band shouting lyrics all at once during choruses and verses. Whether it is backing vocals that mimic the lead or a simple array of “woah-oh-woah-oh”s, this crew of New Yorkers will have you wishing you could sing along to these songs as loud as you can at a bar with friends. Looking past all of this, it is easy to hear that the band is all in on this feeling as well from the eagerness and excitement in their voices.

The Cons:

The sole problem with these guys (and girl) depends on the listener’s ability to separate one indie rock band from another. Yes, the trouble here lies within the band’s distinctive sound. Could one be able to decipher a Dardys song from another new indie rock group from the five boroughs? Or anywhere for that matter? It is quite possible. I can definitely see a superficial fan of The Dardys thoughtlessly throwing “Makeup” on a party playlist, for the solitary reason that it’s a good song.

So what can these up-and-comers do to divide themselves from being pigeonholed? I personally do not know, nor do I have much of a quandary with it as of now. Their sound may not be completely recognizable, but they do what they do so well, that it’s not too great of a bother.

The Verdict:

It is rare that a group finds a niche upon first release. For a debut, Perfume & Leather does not offer much of a new sound, but the band appears quite comfortable and suited to be playing these inclusive and anthemic tunes, all while maintaining a sense of brevity. The Dardys have done a fine job with this EP, and they’ve caught my attention to see what lies ahead.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , ,
0 Comm
11th Jun2011

Weekly Digs #29 (6/11/11)

by Adam Finley

It’s been a minute since we’ve had a proper Weekly Digs round up. But we had some important shit going on– a near-rapture for one, and then the announcement of the greatest album perhaps EVER. Also, 402 brought on a new writer, Ryan, and we’re busily preparing for Festival Season and putting together our mid-year Album of the Year nominees. So cut us some damn slack already!

Finley’s Picks

J. Cole – Friday Night Lights

I slept on this mixtape last year when it came out. Maybe I thought J. Cole was someone else? Or maybe I thought this was the soundtrack to that TV show? But it’s nice to hear someone spurn drug dealing and rap about the benefits of an education. Think of J. Cole as the anti-Wiz Kalifa.

The Weakerthans – Reconstruction Site

I’ve patiently waited for a new Weakerthans album for 4 years now, but every once in a while I have to break out this old gem and play it front to back eight or nine times. That week was this week. Check out the video for “Our Retired Explorer” below.

Nick’s Picks

Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

This sort of pumped me up at the end of the school year. Kind of like how Fang Island did last year.

Straylight Run – The Needles The Space

If you didn’t know the history of this site, many of the initial readers came from a Straylight Run forum we were all members of back in 2003. After many iterations of forums, 402 Productions became the go-to forum for all of those Straylight Run members from way back when (402productions.com/forums). That’s probably one of two memories I’ll have when I listen to any Straylight Run.

Category : Record Reviews
Tags : , , , , ,
0 Comm
Pages:12»