30th Jul2012

Album Reviews: ORCA TEAM – Restraint

by Finley

 

No better introduction to Seattle-based cold surf punk trio ORCA TEAM can be offered than this: they list Dusty Springfield and The Smiths as two of their biggest influences. Their debut album Restraint, out now on Happy Happy Birthday To Me, is a perfect example of their disparate influences. Restraint is what Del Shannon might have written if he’d been into Dead Kennedys.

Watch The Video For “Too Busy To Love Me”

The Pros

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of beach music, which makes my unabashed love of Restraint both surprising and gratifying. ORCA TEAM brings a whole new dimension to the genre, one that is not so self-satisfied or overly ironic (note the mounds of snow in the video). It’s beachy, but not sunny. It has a contemplative, mysterious edge; “Michael” reminds me of a casual version of “Secret Agent Man“. The woozy guitar, melodic bass, splashy cymbals, and sweet harmonies tell you it’s beach, but Best Coast this is not. This is more like if the Beach Boys had grown up in Seattle. It’s a perfectly paced 26 minutes, which is long enough to get to know ORCA TEAM but not long enough for the team to overstay its welcome.

The Cons

There’s not one song I could pick out as being a stand-out. The album hangs together as a whole, but if someone were to ask me which one song they should listen to, I wouldn’t know where to begin. This may be due to the fact that each song is very short, maxing out just under 3 minutes. The most memorable for me is “Michael”, but that might just be because it’s the longest.

The Verdict

I haven’t been on this whole surf-indie-rock train at all over the past few years. But ORCA TEAM brings a new energy and style to the beach, something a little less sun-soaked and a little more overcast-gloomy; that’s a version of summer a Seattleite can get behind.

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26th Jul2012

Album Reviews: The Small Cities – With Fire

by Finley

In the age of easily-created, quickly-distributed music, where bands can form, rise, and implode in a matter of months, what constitutes a “new” band is a little muddled. A group formed back in 2007, like Minnesota rockers The Small Cities, would be considered by many to be an “old” band though they’ve only put out about 15 tracks in their career. In that light they seem more like a still-new, energetic band, and that’s the overwhelming feeling I get from listening to their debut LP With Fire.

Enjoy an Early Live Version of “Wonder Years”

The Pros

With Fire is a nice, groovy rock album with dynamic lyrics and arrangements. No bells or whistles, just strong variations on standard ideas– there are touches of feedback-soaked fuzz, alt-country, and gently sweeping arrangements that have “indie” written all over them. The percussion and lyrics are definite bright spots. The rollicking drums of “The Laughter Song” shine while the slow, contemplative “Hospitals” has lyrics as personal and unflinching as any great song by The Weakerthans (obvious comparisons can be made between “Hospitals” and The Weakerthans’ “Hospital Vespers”).

The Cons

The harmonies are hit and miss, and while it’s interesting to hear band members switching off lead vocal duties, the record feels less cohesive coming from multiple voices. Adding to this disconnect is that, while the album works as a whole, you can listen to the tracks in basically any order and get the same effect. It feels like a good collection of songs rather than a great album.

The Verdict

Every classroom has a student who always gets a solid B, a quiet kid that you can find little fault with– she’s passes with flying colors so you can’t complain about her grasp of the material, but you can’t help wondering if she’s capable of more. With Fire is like that for me– solid and likeable, just not mind-blowing. But The Small Cities is still in many ways a new band. If they can build at all on the successes of With Fire, they’ll be a musical wrecking ball in the years to come.

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25th Jul2012

Live Review: Conveyor @ Bottom of the Hill 7/19

by nickwan

Conveyor has been on the road in support of their most recently released self-titled record, leading them from Brooklyn across the country to San Francisco. Their care-free rock attitude and juicy vocal harmonies made them a fairly welcomed sound to Bottom of the Hill. Maybe the thing that caught my eye was the (potentially on-purpose) matching seafoam-colored guitars.

The crowd that showed up was relatively larger than expected. Bottom of the Hill is not a venue that receives foot traffic since it’s located in an area of Potrero Hill that is surrounded with local mechanics and soon-to-be-occupied tech start up spaces. I’ve been to shows where relatively well-known bands only had a handful of people at their show (read: 10 to 20). However, this show sported a relatively nice crowd of around 40 people — for a venue where the floor space can hold upwards 100 or more people.

Conveyor’s fairly experimental art-pop had a very fun vibe about them, which had a group of about 5 or so people dancing all set long. The stops and starts of tracks were executed with pinpoint precision, whereas what would have been taken as post-production wizardry for vocals and synths were actually recreated on stage, with the vocals running through some sort of loop station. Between the talented string-mashing and surgical transitions exists a band who will very much go under appreciated and “under the radar” this year. You should be seeing these guys on up-and-coming-artist lists. You should be seeing them tour with bands like of Montreal and Built to Spill. Hopefully soon, you will.

If you catch Conveyor coming around your town soon, I would truly recommend spending the $10 or so to check them out.

Thanks to Lily at The Outlet for this! Pics by Nick Wan. Check out the MASSIVE gallery below! And when you’re done with that, check out Ryan Gabos’ review of their self-titled album here!

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25th Jul2012

Album Reviews: Conveyor – Conveyor

by Ryan

Are we at the point yet where having a home base in Brooklyn equals as a beneficial trait to enjoying a band? “Hey, that group has a pretty slick harpist. They’ve really got something going for them.” “Hey, that group’s from Brooklyn. They’ve really got something going for them.” This borough is to indie rock bands what Los Angeles is to the movie industry, and it’s a fresher scene, so all of its inhabitants are youngsters in the sense of their age or years spent together as a band. Seeming to fit both of those descriptions is the pop foursome Conveyor. Their debut self-titled LP dropped last week via Paper Garden Records.

Listen to Conveyor

The Pros:

Seconds after putting that needle to the groove, you’ll hear the faded footsteps of a wanderer in a woodsy area, complete with mossy crunches and all. If Conveyor are embarking on a journey into a forest with us, this forest plays out less like a national park and more like the colorful, spritely coppice that Jack Black enters when he eats a batch of funny mushrooms in Tenacious D And The Pick Of Destiny. While more grounded due to their folkish nature, these cats bring a very similar peppiness to the table as Stepdad‘s EP did last year. Of course, I could not stand that EP due to its bubblegum overkill and in-your-face, cutesy, grinning demeanor. Because of Conveyor’s connection to the folk genre what with their frequent use of acoustic instruments, that involvement acts as a balance. If this band traded in their guitars for synthesizers, I am fairly confident that they would end up sounding a lot like Stepdad. Luckily, we get something that is both tame and erratic; only so often does it step out of the boundaries of taste.

Synthesizers are not as integral to Conveyor as they are to ones such as Passion Pit, but this album is not without its spacey sounding effects and keyboard lines. Opener “Woolgatherer” features a few neat dribbling plinks resembling a slowed down and raised octave version of the synth line in Pink Floyd‘s “On The Run”. Employing such a diverse range of noises and instruments draws a lot of attention to Conveyor‘s production value, which is impeccable. Low, middle, and high ends are all balanced and appropriately represented to give undivided attention to each melody and its musical construction.

A band I never thought that I’d find myself comparing another to is They Might Be Giants. Mostly borrowing from the Flood era, Conveyor does a lot of vocal pitching and layering. For example, in the song “Mom Talk”, the repeated “Hey mom, hey mom…” refrains almost right off the bat sound like you’re hearing John Linnell. It’s that bellowing-working-its-way-up-to-treble ascension that we’re all familiar with from “Whistling In The Dark” and “Hot Cha”. The track “Reach” also utilizes the same off-kilter vocalizing, but takes a turn for the creepier by dual harmonizing an inhumanly bass-infused voice with the lead. There’s nothing uninteresting about Conveyor’s singing arrangements.

“Two Davids” is absolutely infectious. You’ll be sad that it’s over before reaching the two-minute mark. Another standout track is “Mukraker”. Ethereal harmonies are abound to begin with and eventually they lead into a beautiful horn section to carry out the tune’s remainder. “Right Sleep” transforms into an epic, space-prog sort of affair after three minutes. You could picture it having a spot on Built To Spill‘s definitive Keep It Like A Secret, it’s that good.

The Cons:

Rarely do Conveyor delve into an overabundance of words, a lack of purpose for so many words, or a treading on the line between goofiness and fun; but they of course tend to from time to time. “Short Hair” is the most typical example of this mistake, not just for this album, but for all indie rock groups who hone this tendency. Sure, the number is a catchy one, but with the right (or wrong, in this case) amount of repetitive wordplay, it can be mucked up. Listening to the constantly excited exclamations of “short hair” and the different ways in which said person fashions it is enough of a bother to get a skip. This trait is not specific to this one song; it can be noticed as it gets sprinkled in bits and pieces, showing up a few other times. “Short Hair” just doesn’t have much of a saving grace to distract you or put it back on track.

The Verdict:

This unnecessary verbosity akin to Stepdad mentioned in the section above is the only thing keeping me from declaring Conveyor to be FANTASTIC. Instead, it’s fantastic. The difference is in the letters being capital or not… a.k.a. the emphasis. A spoonful of maturity could do wonders for Conveyor, and by the time they roll back with a sophomore release, they may have gained such wisdom and restraint. Until then, get listening.

P.S. Check out Nick Wan’s show review and photo roll for Conveyor here!

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23rd Jul2012

An Interview/Live Reviews: And So I Watch You From Afar, Zechs Marquise @ The Smiling Moose 7/16

by Ryan

Pittsburgh’s The Smiling Moose is first and foremost a bar, but they fancy themselves to be a “rock and roll bar.” This means that their upstairs area doubles as a concert venue. My guess is that the maximum capacity evens out at about 150 people. No skin off my ass; that makes for an intimate, close-up night of music. Sargent House alumni And So I Watch You From Afar and Zechs Marquise, both contenders for 402′s AOTY for 2011, took the stage last week and put on an incredible show.

Zechs went up first, playing select tunes from Getting Paid for about 45 minutes. It must have been exhausting, as they appeared to be a ball of boundless energy the entire set. Their drummer Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez was not present for the set. He was supposed to be there on time, but his flight from Europe (playing keys for The Mars Volta) was delayed. Because of Marcel’s priorities, Zechs are equipped with a stand-in drummer while on tour. This guy really shined on the skins. There was no discrepancy between Marcel’s recorded playing on record and this guy’s learned drum parts. However, halfway through the set, a miracle happened; (I may be using that term a little loosely…). Marcel emerged from the crowd, fresh off the plane, and switched out to finish the tiring set. I would say that his arms must’ve been tired, but some guy thought it was necessary to shout out that lame pun DURING the concert. Zechs Marquise is most accurately described as “gettin’ shit DONE” music, and they could’ve rallied an army together with the powerful funk they were broadcasting that night.

And So I Watch You From Afar followed, playing for approximately an hour. My friend Will accompanied me to take photos, and let’s just say that after viewing the entire set from up front, the car ride home was filled with a lot of “Huh?”s in conversation. Our ears were wrecked, in the best way possible. They played significantly louder than Zechs, and it was completely appropriate. Funk doesn’t need to be blaring, but ASIWYFA’s brand of heavy instrumental rock is the right fit for that volume. I predicted that they would begin their set with “BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION”, and they did so. It’s the perfect introduction to their set; from the get-go, you’re pounded with dual guitar and bass combined drone with incessant cymbal smacks. The noise level never secedes, it’s just one monster ride on their intricately composed instrumental odyssey.

Both bands were kind enough to sit down for interviews. You can read them below. The bands are divided by their photos; Chris and Niall from ASIWYFA are first and Matthew and Marfred from Zechs come after. There was a lot of laughter during the Zechs interview, but it was laughter from all of us. I tried to indicate the most prominent ha-has that stood out when transcribing. It was a fun time.

So, to prevent confusion from saying the word “and” twice, have you guys always received top billing or anything weird like that for shows?

NIALL: There’s been a lot of misspellings.

CHRIS: Yeah, “And So I Watched”… yeah, there’s been some serious misspellings and grammatical errors on posters.

NIALL: And then they’ll shorten it to the “ASIWYFA”, and they’ll misspell that.

Like, And So I Afar Watch You From?

[laughter]

On a more serious note, you guys accordingly scrapped 22 songs before recording Gangs. Do you think any of those will see the light of day on record in the future?

CHRIS: Um, I hope so. We’re always writing new stuff and so we’re always building up a catalogue of ideas and things, and you know, sometimes we play through them for fun or whatever, but there’s no immediate plan to bring them back to life. But yeah, there’s some really good stuff that we set aside whenever we decided to do the Gangs thing.

For cohesion’s sake?

CHRIS: Exactly.

Coming from Sargent House with a large thicket of instrumental groups like Fang Island and Russian Circles; with the exception of Them Crooked Vultures, do you find it somewhat necessary or more comfortable to tour with other instrumental groups?

CHRIS: I think for our own satisfaction that we all prefer to play with bands that have vocals. We’ve done a lot of tours in the past where because we’re an instrumental band, we get put on a bill with all instrumental bands, you know? So, yeah, sometimes it’s quite refreshing to have a band with vocals, but there’s no rule to it.

If you had to give Zechs Marquise a song of yours to cover, what would you like it to be?

CHRIS AND NIALL: Ahh…

NIALL: That’s a good question… it would be fun to hear them do something like “7 Billion [People All Alive At Once]”… I think that’s like, kind of the last thing they’d pick.

CHRIS: Yeah, yeah.

NIALL: ‘Cause they don’t like to sing, so they might have to plug in a little vocoder or something. They’d probably do something amazing, I’m sure. They’re incredible.

Being from Belfast, would you say that your influences lie primarily at home or do they carry over to the states? I’m not particularly familiar with the music scene there.

NIALL: It’s a good mix of both, for all of us.  There’s a very healthy scene at home and a history of exceptional bands that are where we come from; we live in Belfast, but we come from the north coast of Ireland. It’s the closest city to where we live or whatever, but there are some amazing, amazing bands that I think we’re all heavily influenced by and I think in equal measures, we listen to a lot of American music as well.

Finally, if you had to come up with a mixed drink that really emanates ASIWYFA, what would it be?

NIALL: I think something hot would be in there. There are a lot of people who like hot sauce in this band. Something fiery.

CHRIS: Fiery?

NIALL: Chris used to make cocktails for a living, so he’s probably a better person to answer this than me.

[laughter]

CHRIS: Hmm. Something fiery… maybe a bloody mary.

NIALL: Yeah, pretty fresh.

CHRIS: Fresh.

NIALL: …and refreshing. Maybe some veggies in there.

CHRIS: Yeah, something good for a hangover.

I read an interview you gave where you said that hip-hop is a large component in the music you make. Was Getting Paid an attempt at trying to emulate specific artists of the genre or did it develop out of a culmination of what you guys grew up listening to?

MARFRED: I think it was a culmination of what we grew up listening to, because we had recorded Our Delicate [Stranded Nightmare] and then we talked about making the next record something more representative of what we do live, you know, something you can tap your toe to, nod your head to. You could listen to one song or the whole album. Each song tells its own type of story whereas the first record, you sort of have to listen to it from beginning to end.

Yeah, I can definitely see that. One example of a toe-tapper or something more soulful is “Everlasting Beacon Of Light”. Do you guys plug in the vocals for that somehow in the live performance?

MARFRED: No, actually. Primarily for the fact that since the record’s come out, it’s just been tour after tour after tour, so we haven’t had time to rehearse with the PA to see what it sounds like when we’re singing the part. I mean, we do play that section of the song, but we’ll chop it and extend other parts of the song to make up for it.

MATTHEW: There actually have been a few times where you’ve sung the part…

MARFRED: Not on “Beacon”, on “Static [Lovers]”.

MATTHEW: Oh, that’s right. Yeah, a couple of times when we were touring with Rx [Bandits], he sang vocals to it and we sort of… discovered that he had a really good voice.

[laughter]

MATTHEW: We had never put vocals in songs before other than some humming, you know? So, that was the first time we found out that he could also be a singer for the band as well. So, maybe in the future…

[laughter]

So, I take it “Getting Paid” is a nod to hip-hop and rap culture, as well as a facetious take on it as well…

MATTHEW: Definitely both of those.

[laughter]

Well, that being said, who in the band is getting most “paid” right now?

MARFRED and MATTHEW (semi-in unison): Probably Marcel.

[laughter]

MARFRED: Just because he actually makes a living off of it. He’s in these other bands and for that reason alone, you know, he doesn’t have a regular job like the rest of us do.

Who is least “getting paid?”

MARFRED: I would say either Marcos or Matt.

So as long as it’s not you [Marfred].

MARFRED: Right.

[laughter]

So, I asked ASIWYFA the same question: being a band on Sargent House with a bunch of instrumental bands such as yourselves, with the exception of The Mars Volta, do you find it somewhat necessary or more comfortable to tour with other instrumental groups?

MARFRED: Not really. Actually, instrumental bands now are who we tour with the least. I mean, back when we were starting out, we always got paired up with them for shows. We don’t view it as a necessity. It’s always a plus if we like the band, but really, as long as the music is good. And with these recent shows where that is the case, with Fang Island too, people are coming to the shows expecting to see a night of instrumental music.

Last year, a fellow writer and I got sent to see Good Old War, and during sound check, they played Getting Paid on their monitors. Have you ever played Come Back As Rain during your sound checks?

MARFRED: Umm…

Or any Good Old War, for that matter?

MARFRED: No, actually…

I’m telling.

[laughter]

MARFRED: That’s cool though.

MATTHEW: I don’t even think I grabbed an album from them the one time we played with them, and I regret that. Because we all have the Maps [And Atlases] CDs, we all have the Rx CDs, you know. So, Sargent House bands are always in constant rotation in our van and stuff like that. It’s good to be a part of a label with music that you really like. Good Old War is an example of that. Sargent House, I’d say, has a really nice roster.

Wholly agreed.

MATTHEW: Once we get that CD, we will definitely play it.

[laughter]

Who’s the mastermind behind what I consider to be the greatest album artwork of 2011?

[laughter]

MARFRED: Yeah, our one friend Zeque Penya really blew it out of the water. My brother Marcel and I have known him probably since we were eight. Marcus has probably known him the same amount of time, maybe a little longer. But he’s just a really gifted artist. We just gave him an idea and he ran with it, and it turned into this really amazing piece of art.

MATTHEW: Yeah, he just kept producing and producing and producing and it was just a great process to see come together.

What was the initial idea that you gave him to feed off of?

MARFRED: We told him the idea we had going into recording the album and how it was really influenced by hip-hop and soul, and stuff like that. Then we also gave him examples of covers like Outkast’s Aquemini, RZA’s Bobby Digital [In Stereo], and just a lot of Blaxploitation covers.

Yeah, I definitely got that. I picture it as Super Fly meets Dirty Harry meets… the animal kingdom.

MATTHEW: That’s kind of the theme we were going for, you know, we were going for something like The Delfonics… and one of our friends was doing tee shirt designs and he asked us what animals we thought best represented all of us… and at first, we were like, “Okay… ‘spirit animals’”.

[laughter]

MATTHEW: But it actually turned out really cool, and from there… I think it was you [Marfred] and Marcel who wanted to do the Delfonics cover.

MARFRED: Yeah.

MATTHEW: There’s this old Delfonics cover where they’re all wearing white tuxedos, you know, looking all dapper.

So, the animals are avatars for the band members. May I ask which animal represents each band member?

MARFRED: I’m the lion, he’s [Matthew] the elephant, Marcel’s the owl, and Marcos is the gorilla.

That’s pretty radical.

MARFRED: Yes. And we also told him to keep in mind that we wanted artwork that would really compliment a vinyl, and then worry about the CD later, and it actually translated really well.

Have either of you ever dealt out a “mega slap?”

MATTHEW: Every night that we play.

[laughter]

MARFRED: Physically though, I don’t think we ever have. Actually, Marcel and I in the past have had our slap battles where we will try to surprise the other by slapping as hard as we can. And we’re over that, but… it used to be funny.

[laughter]

I asked them this question in regards to you guys, but if you had to give ASIWYFA a song of yours to cover, what would you like it to be?

MARFRED: I think “Getting Paid” would be pretty cool.

MATTHEW: “Getting Paid” would be good… I think either “Getting Paid” or “Mega Slap”.

MARFRED: What did they say for us?

They said “7 Billion People Alive All At Once”.

[laughter from Marfred]

They said that they thought it would be your last pick of all their songs.

MARFRED: That’s funny, because that’s one of their songs that we like the most.

I think they meant as far as tackling the song as a band, rather than liking it.

MARFRED: Oh… we could do it.

[laughter]

And that’s it! Big thanks to Dave Clifford for setting this up and photo credits go to my good friend Will Carey. Catch these bands live, you won’t regret it.

Category : Interviews/Misc., Live Reviews
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19th Jul2012

Album Reviews: Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan

by Adrienne Yoseph

Following five studio albums and a little in between, Dirty Projectors release their sixth, Swing Lo Magellan, on Domino Records. They’ve seen many lineup changes around anchor, Dave Longstreth, and aim and aesthetic have likewise changed. Swing Lo sees a hiatus from DP-usual Angel Deradoorian (vocals/keys) and a switch up from Brian McOmber to Mike Johnson on drums, but maintains Amber Coffman (vocals/guitar), Nat Baldwin (bass), and Haley Dekle (vocals). The album marks DP’s second attempt to move further from self-admitted esoteric compositions, the first being 2009’s Bitte Orca. Arguably more accessible than its predecessor, Swing Lo has been readily acclaimed as an album of the summer, if not ‘The’.

After a horrifying experience with a solo in 3rd grade chorus, singing has been consistently left off of my to-do list. This includes even the lone car sing-along for fear of the return of that terrible we-caught-you-being-an-idiot-in-your-car show. If you’re listening to this album right now (and you should be), welcome to my recent exception. Longstreth has me belting the words with him, even when I have to make up my own. It hardly seems to matter. Though it’s undeniably more compositionally accessible, and attempts to write lyrics less abstractly and more coherently might have been successful, they remain nicely open to interpretation.

Listen to “About To Die” and “See What She Seeing”

The Pros

Longstreth, who also arranged/produced the album, places vocals in forefront more so on Swing Lo than others before it, and the frame of reference as stripped down instrumentation further highlights the attention given. While never unaware of Longstreth and fellow vocalists’ Coffman and Dekle’s ability, said attention facilitates a greater appreciation for both their ranges and strength.

One of the greatest praises I can give to Swing Lo is in its listening versatility. Beginning to end, or track-by-track obsessive replay, there’s no need to skip. Twelve tracks total- ten smushed between the two that outlie the others most. “Offspring Are Blank” starts the album with a tale of love between eagle and snake, an odd pair, as one is the natural predator of the other. (Do not Google Image.) First only claps and hums, enter Coffman and Dekle’s lovely oohs just before Longstreth clears his throat and emits paradoxically powerful and whiney croon then jettisoning into a wailing chorus with percussion and guitar exploding and back again. Lyrically its impressive that Longstreth can maintain that there is no definitive meaning without crafting something that feels meaningless. On the contrary, you get a sense that there is an overall message, but one that is personally tailored, a choose-your-own-adventure album. Such is a thin bright-line that is all too often tread unsuccessfully but seems to be effortlessly molded here.

This is an album that will have you replay select favorites and find your perception change as your favorites shift. “About To Die” will become a fast (and likely first) album favorite, triumphant in its irregular bouncy ball beat and catchy howling refrain. What follows is single “Gun Has No Trigger,” what I understood as an earnestly cryptic description of awkward sex, à la Jeff Mangum (though not so cryptic in  his semen-stained mountaintops), is actually said to be a song about political dissent.

The album’s title track brings to mind the shimmery guitar and cooing of early Velvet Underground. Even this man’s grunts are melodic (see “Just From Chevron”), but in “Dance For You” it isn’t the vocals that stand out most but the addition of strings, scarce in Swing Lo compared to prior albums, and the guitars. Especially worth noting is the interplay between Longstreth and Coffman’s note-for-note call-and-response near the end of the song that beautifully transitions back into the chorus and strings. Stylistically we see a different trajectory on final track “Irresponsible Tune,” with an acoustic guitar and mournful folky sound that feels like M. Ward on Monsters of Folk.

The Cons

Longstreth discussed wanting to make an album that could capture moments, hence the extemporaneous theme seen from throat clears in “Offspring Are Blank” to chatter of when to come in with harmony in “Unto Caesar”. As a project spawned from a year of constant work, whether it be writing or recording, the twelve tracks were picked from forty finished demos previously narrowed down from seventy written songs. That sort of narrative doesn’t strike me as very spontaneous, but even though it seems pieces of studio chatter might have been put here or there to give the impression of immediacy, I’m willing to buy it. At the very least, its cute.

DP fans that gravitate to albums that predate Bitte Orca and hold fast to their stranger musings might find issue with this more poppy release, like a Merriweather Post Pavilion to veteran Animal Collective fans. In interviews, Longstreth concedes that Swing Lo finds itself among simpler more accessible albums, but he says after a pattern of the weird and often highly orchestrated and embellished songwriting, writing something simple is the risk. Good for you, Longstreth.

Verdict

This album does not sound like the weird DP of The Getty Address or Rise Above, and for stubborn fans that will upset, but nevertheless it manages to construct something secretly personal and grand without being unnecessarily grandiose. Swing Lo Magellan is praiseworthy for its well-timed release (it hums and jangles summer) but primarily for its track-by-track variance and its umbrella coherence in spite of this, demonstrating both technical prowess and lovely vocalization through simplicity.

 

Category : Record Reviews
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5 Comm
17th Jul2012

Live Reviews: Dirty Projectors, Purity Ring @ Mr. Small’s 7/11

by Ryan

Mr. Small’s of Millvale, PA is without a doubt my favorite concert venue of all time, forever and ever, without a doubt, absolutely, positively, uh… yeah. Last week, I had the privilege of catching Dirty Projectors hot off the release of their newest album Swing Lo Magellan; (it had come out just the day before). The stage setup prior to Longstreth and company taking the spotlight resembled the Bitte Orca and Slaves’ Graves & Ballads cover artwork, as its red and blue bubbled design pulsated on the tarp behind everything until the band made their way onto the stage. Touring alongside these indie rock stalwarts were 4AD newbies Purity Ring; an electronic duo.

Purity Ring opened up with immediate interest. Taking a nice spot up front at the barrier from the moment the doors opened, member Corin Roddick could be seen assembling his “instrument” right away. He fancies himself as the inventor of this peculiar machine that consists of a table draped in cloth or carpet with what is likely a keyboard, some device similar to a beat producer, and about eight symmetrical lightbulb-looking units coated in plastic casing. These lights either shine when hit with a modified drum stick or are set to a mode of constant radiating glow, depending on the tempo/excitement level of the song. These lightbulbs are rigged so that when hit, they command a specific note that furthers the song’s course.

To the right of Corin stood Megan James, the vocal half of Purity Ring. I have to admit, their introductory song had me feeling a little wary at its impression. But, what began as a brooding, bass-heavy, and genuinely creepy first tune; quickly picked up after and the two churned out about an hour’s worth of pop gems. The very popular “Fineshrine” was played, raising a distinct amount of gusto in the crowd than any other moment in their show. Like them or not, their live act enhances the music tenfold. Between Corin’s florescent, fiber-optic, crazy-ass light mantle and Megan’s shyly sexual stage presence, complete with frequent, anxious tugs at her dress; seeing in this case adds so much more to the performance. It’s a legitimate art exposé.

Dirty Projectors ended up playing eleven of the twelve songs from their fresh-out-the-kitchen Swing Lo Magellan. I, as well as the rest of the audience, was nearly stark naked as far as familiarity with their choice of songs were concerned. However, this was not a problem with anyone. Standing so close to the stage itself, I could read Amber Coffman’s personal setlist as each song progressed. Other than being a fantastic display of musicianship and songwriting acumen, the concert acted as a gigantic advertisement that did nothing but scream at me for not owning the new album. Seriously, these new tunes are pure delights. “About To Die” was an obvious favorite, as it billowed wildly with sunshine grace and “96 Tears”-esque heartbreak. “Gun Has No Trigger” got the crowd head-bobbing due to its early appearances on the late night talk show circuit. My personal favorite was a song called “Maybe That Was It”. This was entirely different than anything Projectors have cranked out as of late. Dave Longstreth assumes sole vocal duties in unison with his lead guitar picking that mimics every note that his voice hits. Behind him, the rest of the Projectors drone on with a battle-wounded broken jazzy stanza that repeats itself again and again to compliment Dave’s melancholy crooning.

Classics, and by “classics,” I mean “songs from Bitte Orca“, were interspersed. After a handful of SLM tunes, the gang punched out “Cannibal Resource”, demonstrating the enormous guitar chemistry between Longstreth and Coffman. Watching Amber go at her six-string is mesmerizing. Those tiny hands going to work on such complicated, speedy riffs and then simultaneously harmonizing is unreal. The encore saw them playing both “No Intention” and “Stillness Is The Move”, which might as well be Coffman’s purpose in life. She nailed it, defying gifted vocal limitations. The Projectors’ female choral trio is a force to be reckoned with.

Amazing performances by all and a great time. “What could make it better?” you ask. Maybe a picture with Dave Longstreth…

I’ll leave you with that. The best part is, HE suggested that we make that pose.

Photo credits go to me.

Category : Live Reviews, Music
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16th Jul2012

Album Reviews: Tigers on Trains – Foundry

by Adam Haynes

Listen While You Read

The Band

Tigers on Trains is the project of Mason Maggio & Christian Van Deurs. This acoustically dynamic duo brings several of their friends along for the ride this time around. Most notably Gregg Andrew Dellarocca whose release Tall Tales, Vol. 1 received high marks on 402 earlier this year. Unlike Dellarocca’s release Tigers on Trains is something entirely different from the group they all have in common, The Republic of Wolves. Tigers on Trains seems to have taken a back seat to TROW in recent years but with release of Foundry they have an opportunity to introduce a whole new audience to what they are all about.

The Pros

With Tigers on Trains, Maggio and Van Deurs have fine tuned their ability to string together acoustic guitar work with stripped down accompaniments to create an enchanting consonance. Their breed of unapologetically honest folk is rare. From pleading vocals to expertly crafted instrumentation Foundry plays out like a true masterpiece. Unfortunately for their friend Dellarocca his release may have just lost its seat as my Album of the Year.

The whole album feels so intentional and well written that is difficult to choose individual tracks that stand out as “the best”. The album is soothing journey that is best experienced start to finish. The band seems to have chosen There Is No Prize as the first single so I’ll say the same. If your unsure about picking up a copy of Foundry give a listen to the track embedded above; you will not be disappointed.

The Cons

Normally I can pull out at least a small quirk or momentary lapse in quality on even my favorite albums. Sadly that doesn’t make for much of a cons section so I’ll just complain about nonsense. The soothing tones and subdued instrumentation definitely won’t be the soundtrack for the more hyperactive days in your life.

The Verdict

It may not be entirely necessary to say it again but I’ll do it anyways. This album is truly a work of art. There is not a single moment of filler on this twelve track release. It is unequivocally good and so far is the front runner for my best album of 2012.

The album is available July 17 on iTunes or on vinyl at The Simple Stereo Store

 

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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16th Jul2012

Album Reviews: June Divided – Backbone

by Adam Haynes

Listen While You Read

The Pros

June Divided is a four piece rock outfid led by songstress Melissa Menago. It’s impossible not to draw comparisons between the hugely successful Paramore. The vocal and style similarities are such that a casual listener would probably fail at identify them as different groups. That being said sounding like a wildly popular act is not all bad. The album is built almost entirely around anthemic pop-punk esque tracks. The only real exception to this is the stripped-down acoustic track, Reset, which functions a bit as an intermission for the album. It also provides a showcase of Menago’s vocal abilities. Lyrically the album is solid and diverse. The music is driving and catchy but ultimately overly predicated. Even with that said, for fans of this style this freshman effort is must listen.

The Cons

June Divided is relatively young as a group and it shows. They fall short of demonstrating any sort of uniqueness. There is nothing that sets them apart from the afore mention Paramore. I’m sure this can largely be attributed to this being a freshman release. If they can find a sound of their own, June Divided may have a bright future in front of them; if not, they may be written of as just another copy cat band.

The Verdict

June Divided has potential to create some great music if they break the mold they seem to have cast themselves into. If in the future they can bring a dose of diversity to their sound I’ll be sure to come back for a second helping. In the case of Backbone they manage to put up an album that is Okay enough for listen but falls short of being on the 402 good list.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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16th Jul2012

Album Reviews: Fang Island – Major

by nickwan

This album’s anticipation has been building for months and months. I mean, could you blame it though? Fang Island jumped into our ears two years ago with their self-titled album, to which many positive reviews cheered their fearless happy shredding. If you were lucky enough to catch this band with their first album, Day of Great Leap, you most likely have the best knowledge of the fearless happy shredding I am talking about. It’s guitar playing to play guitar — not for some overly complicated and extremely deep reason. It’s songs that Fang Island create that make someone want to pick up a guitar and play in a band. Maybe behind the wizard hood is a darker, sadder person, but Major doesn’t wear any of those kinds of hearts on the sleeve.

Check out (some) of the album below!

The Pros

Although most would praise the guitar work or instrumentation first, I’m going to start off with the vocals. The reason is this: decisive growth. If I’m not mistaken, the introduction of vocals was a crux for the band to be signed to Sargent House, as the House had already a handful of instrumental shredders on the roster. And lo, tracks like “Careful Crossers” and “Daisy” came to be. Major adds more vocals to the mix from Jason Bartell and Chris Georges — a good amount more. The design of mixing the older Fang Island style (“Chompers”) with newer, more vocal tracks (“Sisterly”, “Chime Out”) holds down that similar vibe we all had from the self-titled, except the difference is the presentation. Heavy vocal songs, with actual lyrics that are meant to be understood, mixed with purely instrumental songs. This step is a positive assertion that they aren’t just throwing in vocals just to be cute or to settle a deal but to really grow and really expand upon different ways to do what they do so well — which is obviously shred.

Guitar work on this album is bar none. It really spans the gamut of ability: from cocky sounding endless outros (“Regalia”) to chord pounding catchiness (“Seek It Out”). At points, the album tastes like pop punk. At other points, hair metal. The mixing and bending of all these variations is a feat in itself, but the creation of something vastly more complicated than any pop punk or hair metal song (let alone album) is something not just to be in awe of but to be completely mesmerized by. Seriously, what the hell is going on in those heads to create something like this? It’s as if Bartell and Georges got together and said to each other, “Hey, I made a pretty sweet riff today,” and proceeded to play to each other while realizing neither riff sounded like the other. Rather than creating two songs, they made a single song… and that’s how I feel almost every single song on this album has been pieced together. A cacaphony of styles buried within a symphony of guitar rock.

The other major aspect of this album, one which I never noticed until I saw Fang Island live, is the use of piano/keyboard. The most obvious tracks are “Kindergarten” and “Victorian”. The heavy piano-rock vibe that emits off of these songs are something much different than any other Fang Island song in prior engagements. Normally, piano or synth was hidden as more of a bed, or drone, to the track’s normal guitar mashing. However, with tracks like these and “Chime Out”, the synth vibe has moved from the back to the front in a fairly strong fashion. I’m really glad about the balance and introduction of how heavy the keys were used on the album, making it less in-your-face and more tasteful — classy, even.

Marc St. Sauveur is a man who will receive very little praise in articles to come about this album, as the drumming is overshadowed by the stringed assault from the guitar section of the group. However, it should be noted that St. Sauveur is the glue that holds this group together. Something that will separate this album from the likes of Delicate Steve is the band aspect and the band writing nature of each song. While Delicate Steve can easily showcase guitar prowess, the band vibe created from Delicate Steve is less about a group playing together and more about accenting the feature player. Drums for Fang Island is critical. It’s not just a thumping of a floor drum and calling whoever is onstage a drummer. It’s the driving force behind many of the tracks on the album.

Possibly the best parts of this album come from the slower jams. Now, I say “slower” in relation to the album. “Regalia” is no where near “slow” by any means, but somewhere between “Dooney Rock” and “Regalia” is a point where the album’s pace lets off the gas a bit, revealing some of the most endearing riffs and lyrics on the entire album. “Chime Out” may be my favorite track on the album, being heavily focused on vocals, synth, and pretty much every possible adjective that you couldn’t use to describe what Fang Island was doing on their self-titled album. “I belong to you and you alone/you’ve got it all wrong/”I’m never gonna stop”/you said it yourself” is maybe the closest this album gets to sad. The culmination of the entire album feeding into this track and then into “Victorian” just puts a huge smile on my face. Not too sure why… but then again, there isn’t really a reason to dwell on why. Just sit back and enjoy.

The Cons

I don’t see any backlash from the current fan base at all for this album. As a good friend of mine (and fellow Fang Island lover) put it, when the possibility of more vocals were announced he wasn’t expecting much… but then it blew him out of the fucking water. I believe every fan (the denizens of Fang Island, if you will) will embrace the lyrically driven songs as many (if not most) have been trying to mumble the words to the relatively mushy lyrics of the previously released songs. The event of having a show full of people chanting the lyrics to “Seek It Out” is something I am going to have to experience… dreaming about this will not do the live show justice.

It’s possible that listeners (both fans and newcomers) may find the album too streamlined in its happiness and uptempo tracks. It’s true that the slower tracks are stacked towards the end, giving six or seven songs of uptempo mind blasting their full effect. Throwing “Kindergarten” in the middle of the album somewhere may have helped, with “Sisterly” just starting the album off beast-mode style.

The hardest question to answer may be whether or not we will see even more vocals the next time around? A handful of these songs have been with Fang Island for years now (“Seek It Out” and “Chompers” are two that fans have sought after studio versions for) while a handful of newer songs are much more different as mentioned previously. I would personally like to see more “Seek It Out” and “Chime Out” songs, but there seems to be a lack of “Careful Crossers” and “The Illinois” type guitar finger mashing tracks that I was initially drawn to.

The Verdict

Let’s be honest. Fang Island is a viral video/song cover away from becoming the next huge guitar rock band. If that Mariah Carey cover showed up on a single? We’d be listening to “Sisterly” on Clear Channel alt stations the next day. This new album is guitar rock at its best. If you’re just tuning in, you’re in for a pretty amazing ride.

Category : Music, Record Reviews
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