16th May2013

Live Roll: Man Or Astro Man? @ Bimbo’s 365 Club, 5/11

by Ethan Sawyer

_1030907
Fresh off the release of their new album, DEFCON 5..4..3..2..1, Man or Astro Man? brought the heaviness to Bimbo’s 365 club in San Francisco. Due to their van dying off the I-5, the band played a truncated set on borrowed equipment, but made up for it by playing with a mindset of wonton destruction. Frustration over the loss of their beloved van was taken out out on their equipment: a theremin was lit on fire (see below) and songs were bashed out back-to-back with punk rock aggression.

The new stuff, such as the bruising instrumental “Defcon 5,” sounded great in the context of science fiction soundbite interludes and a killer offering of their older material. New guitarist Avona Nova adds a great presence to the band’s live sound, allowing Coco to rock the theremin and Star Crunch to do more vocals.

M.O.A.M? did a great job of blazing through their songs to make up for their shorter set and lived up their high-energy reputation. Even without Steve Albini on the boards, their set was incredibly well mixed. Also of note: San Francisco punk band Terry Maltz were a great opener. Their 30-or-so minutes of chainsaw-pop wasn’t enough.
_1030936 _1030919 _1030909 _1030903 _1030905

13th May2013

Album Review: Pacific UV – After The Dream You Are Awake

by Jake Spurgeon

After the dream

Introduction

PacificUV is a indie rock band from Athen’s Georgia, the band’s sound ranges from electronic all the way to space rock. Formed in 1998, the band’s first album was met with critical acclaim, including Rolling Stone Magazine referring to it has a “Masterpiece”. Since then, the band has released two more albums along with two EP’s, thus making After The Dream You Are Awake the band’s forth studio album, set to release today… May 14th, 2013.

PacificUV

Pros

If the movie “Drive” had been set in outer-space, I have no doubt this would have been the soundtrack used. After The Dream You Are Awake is like a slow motion dance club dream sequence, with psychedelic space vibes that at times reach back into the 80’s Miami beach scene. With an eerie celestial opening, and percussion that is brash in all the right places, “24 Frames” is a strong album opener. A song filled with enough ambiguity to provoke the listener after the song is over. Male lead singer Clay Jordan’s voice is calm and dreary, sometimes singing at what only seems to be a whisper. The song “Christine” is sang like a secret or even an inner thought. Jordan moans about a love that might or might not be reciprocated and if is, then could it be a real or just a dream? Dreams and the complexity of consciousness are the themes that tie the album together. Not simply themes about what is real and what is not, but ideas about how dreams can show us the true majesty of things that we otherwise miss, thus referring to the title of the album. “Eyes without A Face” originally sang by the great Billy Idol manages to meld contemporary pop and 80’s pop together to form a cohesive updated cover, but it is “American Lovers” that is the true star of the album. Progressive and melancholy, the core of the song is that of longing lovers, torn apart. As the song nears the finish line, vocals echo and swoon to the growing tower of pop synths structures – truly excellent.

Cons

Jordan’s vocals don’t always work as well as they should. At times the roboticness of his voice can be distracting, I thought that Laura Solomon’s vocals were much more compelling. As said above, “Christine” and “24 Frames” are strong openers, but the album gets muddled in the middle with nothing standing out until “American Lovers” near the end. It takes a few listens for everything to stick, but fans of the band and genre will no doubtably be back for more. Lastly, I found the album’s pop moments much more interesting than when fully charged on the electronic side of things. “Russians” verses “Eyes Without a Face” is a perfect example of this, with the latter being more induced with pop.

Verdict

If you are a fan of the band, or you like your electronic pop music with a dash of space rock…. Then look no further. If not, then there might be little here for you. However, After The Dream You Are Awake is smart, thought provoking and electric as a neon sign. Definitely worth at least an experimental listen.

 

For more on Pacific UV, tour dates, interviews, and album samples, check out the band’s website at  www.pacificuv.com

good

13th May2013

Album Review: Eluvium – Nightmare Ending

by Matthew Smith

Eluvium-Nightmare-Ending

INTRODUCTION

Eluvium’s new album is a change from their previous album, Similes,  in that is almost entirely composed of instrumental songs. The mood of each piece seems to come together to weave a musical story that entails a journey of warmth as well as one of drifting from one place to another. Matthew Cooper had a great deal of trouble in making this album, so much so that he shelved it to pursue Similes before completing it. Matthew describes each piece within this  album as a “Dream” or “Imperfection”, two aspects of the mind that exist in each of us. Imperfection is not something we focus on as a society, but Eluvium does a fine job focusing this aspect of human existence into something we can experience through their music in “Nightmare Ending.”

PROS

My experience with this album has been immensely positive, I was completely surprised with the level of depth in music I experienced while listening to it. The first song entitled “Don’t Get Any Closer” sounds as though it has a negative connotation to it, but the music tells a different story. It uses a slow tempo to give the experience of starting a new day, but in a more worn out fashion. Like studying for finals until late in the evening and having to get up and go take the test at sunrise, something I’ve had to experience first-hand in the past few days. This might sound negative but this piece gives me a feeling of a job well done, like how Matthew Cooper’s  hard work on this piece paid off. The next piece entitled “Warm” is true to its title as it paints the picture of a transforming time in a person’s life, possibly a dream or an old memory a person is thinking about that brings them happiness. We all have someone like that in our lives such as parents, children, significant others, and they all instill a happiness within us that we keep inside for times of strife and loneliness. “By the rails” is the first transition piece within the album. In this piece they use a soft drum tone to represent a train traveling down the track. The soft drum to me sounds like a heartbeat, like your traveling closer to where you’re heart lies. It feels more like a spiritual journey into the unknown, only knowing that your true passion lies ahead.

Eluvium_Park

CONS

Finding flaws in “Nightmare Ending” was rather difficult, as this was an incredibly well thought out album.  The flaws themselves within the piece are purposeful and meaningful to the album as a whole.  I usually treat an album as an entire piece  and “Nightmare Ending” did break the flow a few times with songs that changed the tone and direction of what they are trying to convey to the listener.  The song “Caroling” can be accused of this as it feels it belongs more in a Christmas album with its light cheery piano notes.  I might be missing the point of its placement however as I can determine this was intentional.  I feel like the album goes back and forth between happiness and a sense of being lost, which presents the listener with some discordance between their emotions when the album changes its tone. No one likes to shift their emotions from one end of the spectrum to another in a rapid fashion, but good artistic music sometimes requires that.

VERDICT

Overall I was overwhelmed with how good Nightmare Ending was, I honestly did not expect to hear what I was experiencing. It was definitely one of the better music experiences I have had in quite some time, I would compare this to Naoshi Mizuta and his work with the Final Fantasy series of games.  Eluvium paints a picture of a world in great depth with emotions of great intensity attached to their pieces.  You can hear the dark but at the same time happy world that they painted with this album.  This was a great album to get me started in the Neoclassical genre as it really opened my eyes to what is out there. If you are interested in Nightmare ending, it comes out on May 14.

 

10th May2013

Album Review: Man Or Astro Man? – DEFCON 5..4..3..2..1

by Ethan Sawyer

1902

Introduction:

Southern science fiction surf-punks Man Or Astro Man? haven’t had a proper LP committed to wax in over ten years, despite maintaining their reputation as a ferociously entertaining live act after reforming in 2010. Recorded by Steve Albini and Daniel Ferris, the Alabama group’s new effort, DEFCON 5..4..3..2..1, sees them return from orbit in top form. Featuring founding members Coco, Birdstuff, and Star Crunch, along with new guitarist Avona Nova, mostly do away with Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie samples and experimental electronic soundscapes that pervaded their previous recorded output, DEFCON is a straight-ahead bruiser of an album.

Pros:

Defcon sounds positively mammoth and the album manages to do justice to their balls-out live shows. Tracks like the throbbing lead single “Disintegrate,” the gigantic “Arc,” and the slow-burn “Cocoon,” feature declarative Thurston Moore-like vocals, which is a departure for the mostly all-instrumental group. Of the 12 tracks on DEFCON, the instrumental “Codebreaker 78,” is truest to the surfing secret agent sound the band has cultivated since the early 90′s. The camp factor the the group’s science fiction obsession has been backgrounded a bit, yet “Cocoon” and “Antimatter Man” appropriate the aesthetic into lyrical form.

Man-or-Astroman-1

Cons:

The “DEFCON” instrumental interludes which stretch across the album, from five to one, give it an interesting structure and space-out the vocal tracks well, but they range in quality – “5″ and “1″ are both awesome while “2″ and “4″ are only ok in the context of the album. “All Systems To Go” feels like a leftover from a previous album. Other than that, not too much to complain about.

Verdict:

Not many reformations go so well as to actually expand on a prolific career’s worth of work, yet DEFCON 5..4..3..2..1 does just that. If the current incarnation of Man or Astro Man? sounds like an agile behemoth in the studio recordings, that just means their current live show is that much better as well. Seeing as MOAM?’s dedicated fanbase has most likely already copped this release, I’d urge the uninitiated to check it out as well. You might just kick yourself and curse your friends and legal guardians for not getting the good word out.

good

06th May2013

Album Review: Andrew McMahond – Pop Underground EP

by Adam Haynes

Andrew McMahon - Pop Underground

Introduction

Andrew McMahon is by no means new to music. Over the past 15 years he’s gone from performing as the lead singer of the iconic pop-piano-punk band, Something Corporate, to performing under the stage name Jack’s Mannequin. Recently Mchmahon announced he would be stepping out from behind the proverbial curtain and performing under his own identity. I’ve never considered myself more than fair weather fan of his work but tracks like Punk Rock Princess and Konstantine from his days in SoCo have always held a nostalgic place in my heart.

The Good

Admittedly, when I strapped on my headphones to give Pop Underground a solid listen my expectations were luke-warm at best. I was wrong. With this EP Andrew has managed to push his sound in new directions without losing his signature confessional style. By the end of the opener, Synesthesia, I had tossed aside my preconceived notions and found myself bouncing along with an emotionally charged pop masterpiece. The pleading delivery of undeniably honest lyrics reaches into your chest and gives your heart strings a proper tug. All of this emotional energy is conveyed without ever dropping the energy below a anthemic levels. It’s difficult to pick the stand out track on this 4-track ep but if you’re determined to only give one track a listen I’d start at the end with After the Fire.

TPU IMG_2260

The Bad

There simply isn’t enough of it. My past experience with McMahon’s releases makes me cautiously optimistic that this new chapter may be his most enjoyable yet. Then again this may be the best he has to offer. His inevitable full length release could be plagued with the filler-esque material I expected to hear on Pop Underground. But for now I will cross my fingers and hold my judgement for that day.

The Verdict

Pop Underground in an excellent demonstration of how pop music can still have a heart. The lyrics and music don’t have to feel manufactured to have a hook. If McMahon manages to release a full length that delivers at this caliber it will undoubtedly earn a album of the year nomination.

good

02nd May2013

Live Roll: Grizzly Bear @ The Henry Miller Memorial Library, 4/15

by tambo

double-bears

Our very own, very talented David Ciao trekked to the beautiful Henry Miller Memorial Library to catch sets by 402 favorite Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) and indie mega-uber giants Grizzly Bear for their layover set in between Coachella dates. If you’ve never been to the Henry Miller Public Library before, it is an ethereal, beautifully haunting place – perfect for this pairing.

29th Apr2013

Album Review: Their/They’re/There – Their/They’re/There

by Ethan Sawyer

prc261-JACKET

Introduction

Their/They’re/There is an indie supergroup consisting of Chicago underground veterans Evan Weiss (Into It. Over it.), Matthew Frank (Loose Lips Sink Ships) & Mike Kinsella (American Football, Owen, Cap’n Jazz). The resulting mutant band’s sound is an embodiment of the distinctly Midwest blend of cerebral punk, emo, hardcore, and math rock. This self-titled EP, pressed in clear seafoam-green vinyl and released on Record Store Day, is their debut as a trio.

Pros

The tightly wound, arpeggiated guitar dynamics of “Fit Your Life Into A Grid” & “End And End” contains the EP’s best moments. The fIREHOSE-like single, “Concession Speech Writer”, is a knotty, anthemic standout. T/T/T’s harmonic & propulsive musicianship sets them apart from a crowded field of math-y, post-punk peers.

Cons

Not too many cons in this lean 20-minute EP. The 6 songs most likely won’t be a revelatory experience but they are solid. Evan Weiss’s vocals veer toward the axis of emo, yet it’s emo in the Rites Of Spring sense not the eye-makeup-and-microphone-cord around-the-neck sense. The lyrical territory of drowning in one’s neurosis is well-worn but comes across with conviction, so it gets a pass as well.

Verdict

T/T/T’s chemistry suggests they’ve been playing together for years. Not merely third-gen spawn of the salad days of Dischord Records and D.C.’s The Dismemberment Plan, these guys were contemporaries of that movement in their previous bands. Now older and wiser, they’ve created a great coagulation of the sounds that fueled that Midwest scene and cut a good debut in the process.

good

24th Apr2013

Live Review: Sigur Ros @ The Fox Theater, 4/16

by nickwan

SigurRos_130416_32

Sigur Ros illuminated and mind-altered all who attended Oakland’s Fox Theater on April 16th. For those who have seen Sigur Ros before, this was another spectacular performance. For those who haven’t, this was a simply breathtaking showcase of music and visual arts.

SigurRos_130416_21

Touring with an 11-piece group, Sigur Ros, fresh from Coachella, showed all reason why they may be one of the few bands of my generation to transcend this era of music. Every song on the set list was brought to life with pin-point precision: from the stage lighting to the visuals on the screen.

SigurRos_130416_36

Sigur Ros played three new songs from their upcoming album, Kveikur, while also mixing in some of their most famous songs such as “Ný Batterí” and “Hoppípolla”. Almost half of the set list was taken from the albums Ágætis byrjun and Takk…, both arguably Sigur Ros’ most acclaimed albums.

Set list

Yfirborð [off of Kveikur]
Ný Batterí [Ágætis byrjun]
Untitled #1/Vaka [()]
Hrafntinna [Kveikur]
Saeglopur [Takk...]
Svefn-g-englar [Ágætis byrjun]
Varúð [Valitari]
Hoppípolla [Takk...]
Með Blóðnasir [Takk...]
Olsen Olsen [Ágætis byrjun]
Kveikur [Kveikur]
Festival [Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust]
Brennisteinn [Kveikur]

Glósóli [Takk...]
Untitled #8/Popplagið [()]

Check out the rest of the gallery below, shot by our most wonderful Adam Planas. Feel free to give him a follow over on Twitter. If you want the most up-to-date news from 402, give us a follow as well!

Note from Nick Wan: This is officially my final write up for 402 Productions. I have passed the torch over to the new editors, Adam Haynes (whom you can thank for the handful of redesigns this website has seen since 2009) and Ryan Tamborski (who has been a fairly silent owner of this place since its inception in 2005).

Those who’ve read this site for awhile know my other life outside of indie music is immersed in cognitive neuroscience. I’ll be pursuing this life further at my new home and program located at Utah State University. I wish I could split my time between 402 and USU but that just wouldn’t be possible or fair to either endeavor. I wish I could take you all with me and have you be as passionate about neuroscience as you are with indie music but I know that this is just not the case.

It’s business as usual for 402. A change of scenery for me. Thanks for coming on this ride with me. All the things I’ve done related to this website for the last three years have been some of the best experiences of my life. With tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, thank you for reading. 

22nd Apr2013

RSD Album Review: Manchester Orchestra / Frightened Rabbit / Grouplove Record Store Day Split

by Jake Spurgeon

artworks-000044686817-l59i1u-t500x500

Manchester Orchestra fans can rejoice! Last week, in honor of Record Store Day, the band released two new songs. The two deliciously different morsels should tide fans over while they wait for Andy Hull and company to complete their fourth studio album (currently recording). The first song “Architect” is a collaboration with the Scottish indie rock band, Frightened Rabbit (who by the way, are amazing live). The song is stripped down and the voices of Hull and Scott Hutchison complement each other in the best way, so much so that you wonder why the bands haven’t gotten together sooner, and if they will again in the future (fingers crossed for a tour together). The other song is much different than past music released by MO. “Make It To Me” made me wonder if Manchester Orchestra is going to tackle the dub step craze on their next album. Probably not, because this too is a collaboration, with none other than the dance indie group, Grouplove. The song is like listening to an alternate reality, where MO is much more club thumping. Thankfully, Hull’s voice is still as reassuring as ever, even though it’s still not as memorable as “Architect”. The song still achieves something grand, while showing fans that this is a band that isn’t afraid to jump outside of their comfort zone.

artworks-000044690635-nipcgz-t500x500

15th Apr2013

Album Review: Fossil Collective – Tell Where I LIe

by Jake Spurgeon

Tell Where I lie_hires

Introduction

Fossil Collective is an indie folk band originally from Leeds, England. The band consists of multi-instrumentalist David Fendick and Jonny Hooker. Fossil Collective released two EP’s in 2012, making Tell Where I Lie their first full length debut album.

Pros

“Let it go”- behold. Raw, beautifully and artfully written, this opening track was by far my favorite of the album. I Immediately played it over, giving it my undivided attention, soaking up each word. Lyrics like “We were an island, you were the one that broke away” and “you were the ocean, I was thrown into you… But you cant always get where you were going to” held me from the beginning. The vocals are haunting and dreamily produced.  If you decide to go take a walk in the woods one day, be sure to put this album on your playlist, because this is one of those records that is unplugged and soulful.  The vibes are mellow and you can tell that Fleetwood Mac has been a big part of the band’s influences, and considering that “Landslide” is one of my  favorite songs of all time… I was delighted to hear the similarities. “Brother” is another stand out song. The piano shines and the melody evokes as many emotions as the lyrics. The song swells and soars with sorrowful lyrics like “I couldn’t tell if the top was the bottom, or if heaven is hell”  and “Brother, won’t you let me in/ I was older, I was travelin’/ I wasn’t always a step behind the rest/ now it’s time to forget about time”.  It’s a tale of someone trying so hard to make up for the mistakes and the confusion in the past.

FossilCollectiveNew

Cons

The album never seems to peak, and there isn’t really a ton of variety, and for me nothing really ever beat the first song “Let It Go”, except the woeful “Brother”. I also don’t expect adrenaline junkies to flock to the album, especially to the song “Monument”, which I found to be too slow. However, these gripes are small and if you are a fan of the genre, or similar bands like Bon Iver, then they shouldn’t bother you at all.

Verdict

In a world that is always demanding to be plugged in, it’s nice to hear a new band have such a dreamy, classic sound. The Fossil Collective is a lovely little adventure that is as emotional as it is “the road less traveled”. Bravo, Tell Where I Lie.

good

Pages:1234567...62»