In the time that its been since Daughters released “Hell Songs”, I have become accustomed to Sonic Youth’s feedback drenched droning, which makes the newest Daughters self-titled album even more enriching. Nicholas Sadler (who has since left the band and is playing in the lame indie band Fang Island) really knows how to get his guitar to tremble violently and lurch forward in the most disgustingly awesome way possible. I wouldnt call it a solo, but the musical bridge in “The First Supper” is something straight out of Steve Albini’s playbook. It pulses and pummels as if KMFDM partied with the Meat Puppets and “Family Man” era Henry Rollins took LSD and married them over a human sacrifice. For the second album in a row, vocalist Alexis Marshall croons and slowly drawls over the face pummeling noise attack, as compared to the throat shredding screams of his contemporaries and his own work for this band earlier in their career. He sounds like Tom Waits if he took hallucinogens instead of spent all of his time at the bar.
To call this grind music would be a total lie, and to call it noise rock would be to sell it short. Its some sort of hybrid that makes you feel like you got punched in the stomach. Even (comparatively) slower tracks like “The Hit” and “The Dead Singer” twist higher and higher until they collapse into broken down noise freakouts that I cant really wrap my mind around yet. “The Theatre Goer” riffs like a Black Sabbath track, but the guitar effects make it sound like its trapped in a tornado, which leads perfectly into the absolutely ridiculous opening guitar part to “Our Queens”. Pardon my lack of journalistic integrity here: holy shit. Daughters have once again created a noise rock masterpiece. This is a must hear.
The generic label iTunes assigns to Eyelid Movies, the debut album from the duo Phantogram, is “alternative.” With so many indie bands sounding alike, the moniker “alternative” doesn’t really make sense, Eyelid Movies is the exception. This group sticks themselves out from the pack on their first album with a sound like Human League mixed with J. Dilla’s beats. Phantogram consists of childhood friends Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel who surfaced not from Brooklyn, Seattle or London but from the bustling Saratoga Springs scene. Hailing from a town not overrun by indie copy cats frees them from any mimicking that could spoil their originality.
The duo share turns on the vocals but the strongest songs are the ones that feature Carter and Barthel together, like “You Are the Ocean.” They take some big chances, and with the exception of “Running from the Cops” all their risks pay off. It’s the first single off the album but it doesn’t leave the listener with a fair representation of what to expect on Eyelid Movies. The album opener “Mouthful of Diamonds” or “As Far As I Can See” would have been a better choice to showcase this great new band.
The album is refreshingly rough around the edges and doesn’t feel over produced. Although a few too many of the beats sound the same the album is pretty unpredictable. Think of it like the bizarro version of last summer’s The xx album. Instead of the contained, smooth, atmospheric dream pop of xx, Eyelid Movies gives us a manic, often disjointed, noir-ish, shoegazey album. Phantogram sounds like trip-hop revisited, while Carter and Barthel refer to their sound as “street beat, psych pop”, whatever name you want to call it it’s refreshing.
Aloha’s latest album “Home Acres” is in stores today! We had three of our contributors all review it on their own and since they were all great reviews we had to post them all. So here our the thoughts of three seperate people that span 3 different locations including another continent. Don’t forget to check out our Aloha Contest to win the albm which ends soon. Click Here To Enter.
Review #1
Written By Barry Moore
Score 8.2/10
Aloha’s recent release “Home Acres” is upbeat to say the least. There are few moments of down time and although it doesn’t quite inspire me to jump up and down and dance, it does at least keep my head bobbing. It’s nonstop rock and roll in the most classic sense of the word. Not so much in the “classic rock” sense of the word, but in the sense of the word that the 90’s are beginning to be a part of what is considered “classic” these days and it’s making me feel old. There are moments when Aloha is reminiscent of R.E.M. or perhaps, Dinosaur Jr. but, really “Home Acres” just has a distinctively late 80’s/early 90’s “alternative” feel to it.
“Everything Comes My Way” and “White Wind” are the slowest tracks on the album and comprise a nice break in the middle of all the motion throughout the adventure of exploring “Home Acres”. It also allows the listener to focus on the lyricism a little more rather than just feel absolutely brainwashed by the driving drums and guitars. But it immediately picks back up again with “Cold Storage” in the kind of interesting dichotomy that makes up the album.
Lazy melodic vocals laid atop the fist pumping drums seem to be the most consistent aspect of the album. Each track differing with guitar tone and delivery and sometimes accompanied by piano, or organ, it has a very similar theme throughout the whole experience which ties each individual song in nicely to what makes Aloha so welcoming. It’s very lovely album construction.
On their first four records, indie rockers, Aloha have earned a reputation for their experimental style that references eighties luminaries like The Cure and Joy Division. On their fifth record, “Home Acres” other key influences have been added to the musical melting pot with the band producing glorious harmonies like The Beach Boys and going off on a few experimental tangents à la The Velvet Underground.
“Building A Fire” is a great song awash with keys, cymbals and the kind of dirty guitar riffs synonymous with a blistering Queens Of The Stone Age anthem. The result is one hell of a trip on the back of a pick-up truck through a bright cloud of purple haze.
“Moonless March” is yet another catchy indie pop song to add to an already burgeoning genre. Sure it’s a little interchangeable and plenty of bands spew out this kind of music with gusto, but few manage to elicit such a feel good sensation in the process.
“Microviolence” boasts some of the best xylophone heard since Radiohead’s “No Surprises.” But Aloha also keep things funky while also delivering a love letter of sorts. “Searchlight” meanwhile, is sunny indie pop reminiscent of The Drums’ music about surfing and the summertime. It’s clear that the latter haven’t got the market on contemporary musicians referencing The Cure in a light-hearted yet modern way.
“White Wind” contains harmonies that reach for the sky like The Shins, while the beat in “Cold Storage” instantly conjures up images of flamboyant eighties acts in fluoro spandex. And capping things off is “Ruins,” which boasts more keys than a locksmith. Okay perhaps not, but it does reference New Order’s “Love Vigilantes” while offering some organ that sounds like it has been derived from a hymn. Praise the Lord!
On “Home Acres” Aloha aimed to turn the energy up to eleven and equal the dizzying heights they had reached in their previous work. It’s fair to say they delivered, due to their excellent throwbacks to the best elements of the sixties and eighties, not to mention a modern twist of lime for added juicy goodness. Basically, Aloha will leave you wanting to dance around smiling in the sun and if you can’t enjoy participating in this silly kind of sport than you’re just a killjoy.
Review #3
Written By: Wells Sinclair Score: 8.6/10
We’re all assholes really. You me and everybody else who goes to web sites like IRR to find the lesser-known bits of delight in music. We don’t want our favorite musicians to have massive followings. We feel like the music is contaminated once some douche (I usually picture him running a finger over his cowry shell necklace and listening to a Dave Matthews mix on his iPod while having his teeth professionally whitened) also owns an album by a band that we personally cherish.
Aloha fans are likely to be in for that disappointment sometime relatively soon. The Prog-Rock/Post-Rock (fill in the the blank with your arbitrary genre label here ____ ) quartet can only put together so many quality albums before the fan base bulges and a few starry-eyed main streamers start calling their sound home. You don’t think so? Well nobody thought it would happen to Modest Mouse either but by the time Good News for People Who Love Bad News came out, the days of romantic obscurity were long past.
I’m not saying Aloha sounds anything like Modest Mouse or even appeals to the same set of cochlear implants, but it’s a quality album – a quality album coming on the heels of four other quality albums and two EPs.
I’d recommend you get the album now so you can at least have a tinge of superiority when, 3 years from now, your 13-year-old cousin from a farm in Eastern Washington tells you their favorite band is Aloha. “Yeah,” you can say with your manufactured nonchalance, “Their earlier stuff was cool, I guess.”
C’mon man, your cousin is only thirteen. You’re such an asshole.
Here’s how the record label accurately and fluffily describes it:
“Home Acres pushes tempos and dials up the guitars, with the band’s slow-burn intensity sometimes overflowing into huge moments. But even as the energy surges, Aloha casts an otherworldly glow, serving up ambiance and attack with equal measure.”
Icelandic indie rockers Seabear have delivered their newest full length listen, with “We Built a Fire.” Seabear started as the brainchild of Reykjavik song man Sindri Már Sigfússon until recruiting more members, transforming into a full unit. Gaining praise for their previous release, “The Ghost That Carried Us Away,” on label Morr Music, we were introduced to not another pseudo language-singing Icelandic noise rock outfit, but an indie songwriters feast.
Right away, I gravitated to the piano ballad “Cold Summer,” with its dreamy strings and simple piano progression. It spoke easily of Sufjan Stevens or The National, in its rich horn washes. The Sufjan Stevens comparison that Seabear so frequently gets, though, does them a disservice, as the music streams into commonly sailed waters. Soft whispering vocals, which could easily be found in something like Stevens himself or Doveman, are delivered without any originality or gusto. Taking lead vocalist Sigfússon seriously is quite a task, when he conjures up a mental image of falling asleep at the microphone.
Breaking away from the droning nature of the album is the upbeat folk jam, “Wooden Teeth.” Peppered with bluegrass fiddle and trickles of banjo, this song brings a rise in energy so deserved in the album. There are a handful of gems in this coal mine, those being “Cold Summer,” “Wooden Teeth,” and “Warm Blood.” Without those songs in the mix, coupled with no focus to the track listing on your iTunes display, one could easily confuse this album with a handful of 25 minute songs.
I realized that the strength of the album was really its lush and organic production, coating the album like a thick jam. Unfortunately, dreamy and layered production still doesn’t trump solid song craft. Again and again I found myself hearing the production of other bands on top of hollow husks, masquerading as songs. Overall this album left me wanting more, regardless of its sleek instrumentation and vague beauty.
I just don’t get what these guys are trying to do. Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato, members of the (now defunct) Blood Brothers, are releasing their sophomore album Hologram Jams but I wasn’t impressed with the first album so I hoped that this follow-up would be more structured and filled with better quality songs. Listen, simply put I don’t know what these guys are trying to make. Without trying to make too many comparisons to The Blood Brothers, these guys are both great musicians, and have written some amazing songs but I don’t know what this is.
What am I supposed to call this album? Electro? Electro-rock? I guess. The songs are structured like electro-pop songs, but give a listen to a track like, “Don’t die alone” and you begin to wonder what the hell they were trying to make. I’ll give them credit for making chord progressions I wouldn’t have thought could go together. But I think I’m right when I say their chord progressions shouldn’t go together.
Johnny Whitney’s voice has always been high and shrill, but the voice in this album makes me cringe. He is often times off key, and his attempt at singing Janice Joplin’s – Piece of my Heart makes me wish I had just listened to it at my local karaoke bar. The singing sucks.
The songs are not dance-able and that is a huge thing for electronic music. You need to be able to make people dance and I’m sure Jaguar Love delivers a very strong live performance, but I don’t know how people can really get into moving and dancing with the songs that this album bestows.
If they hadn’t been in one my favorite bands before, I would have passed by this album like it was nothing. From such great writers I expect better material. I’m happy that they’re making music that they love to write, and sharing that with fans, but old fans will dismiss this album, and I just don’t believe this album will bring any new ones.
The Courage of Others opens with “Acts of Man” which, in many ways, is representative of the album. The song is British folksy with intricate classical guitar arpeggios and steady drumming. Soft, monotone vocals serve to darken the landscape while the lyrics force the listener away to another sphere — one where the earth and all that grows and runs upon it have been forgotten. A flute appears as the work builds somewhat just before its completion. The influences of Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull are unmistakable here. But although the track is solid, it has a strange dullness and throughout it and others on the album, the intended intensity simply doesn’t come through. No significant depth, so important to a piece such as this, ever seems to emerge.
Another song, “Rulers, Ruling All Things” is a case in point. The quiet verse gives way to a thumping, epic chorus: “I only want to be left to my own ways, The rulers of one leaving all things undone, I stood in awe of the whole creations, Gathered among them was the morning, Giving all its rays.” The work is a technically sound bit of prog-rock but one has the sense that the reserved passion found in the vocals is not quite authentic. This makes the buzzing guitar seem more remote than piercing. Midlake frontman Tim Smith has claimed that “Small Mountain” is his favorite. And although its woodsy melody is intriguing, it also has an energy which is far too distant for the listener.
For me, the title track (originally to be a B-side for Van Occupanther) is probably the highlight. Here, the sentiment is haunting but close: “I was always taught to worry about things, All the many things you can’t control.” Intensity slowly assembles as the hypnotic melody transitions, as one of the many uncontrollable things mentioned, into thick layers of sound. It is a good piece. But like the record itself, it would be a stretch to call it first-rate. On the other hand, I will say that the collection of songs on The Courage of Others do seem to evolve somewhat with each listen. And for this this reason alone, I believe the album deserves some attention.
Tracklist:
Acts of Man
Winter Dies
Small Mountain
Core of Nature
Fortune
Rulers, Ruling All Things
Children of the Grounds
Bring Down
The Horn
The Courage of Others
In The Ground
Salt Lake City post rock outfit I Hear Sirens blew minds with their first S/T EP. After a three year hiatus they are back with Beyond the Sea, Beneath the Sky and have cultivated their music to the point of near perfection. Every guitar line, drum beat, key note, and bass run is masterfully constructed to form a story book of songs that is easy to get lost in and ripe for wild imaginations. What the band does best is layering instrument upon instrument, while building waves of emotion within the listener with well thought out song structures. Their sound isn’t entirely original, but what is nowadays? Continue Reading
Why wait for the end of the year to find out who has made the best albums anyway?
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Fredrik – Trilogi
I’m not saying this is best album of January…. never mind, it is. Fredrik’s Trilogi is elegant in composition, very rich in harmonies and thick with layers, both organic and electronic. Fans of stargazing, fairy tales, and Salad Fingers rejoice, for you have a new alternative to your Sigur Ros library. I can’t believe you haven’t heard them yet. What you have? Then buy Trilogi already. Listen to Fredrik – Locked In The Basement
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The Album Leaf – A Chorus Of Storytellers
Just when you thought The Album Leaf has mastered their sound they come out with a release as necessary as A Chorus Of Storytellers. The Album Leaf musically ventures along similar lines as Sweden’s Fredrik, but have been around for nearly a decade longer, hail from San Diego, and are led by the grand master of instrumental music Jimmy Lavalle. A Chorus Of Storytellers was fronted by Sub Pop and found Jimmy once again recording and mixing in Sigur Ros’ Iceland studio. He also plays la guitarra in Tristeza and The Locust – who would have ever thought? Have you heard The Locust? PS – this album came out January 2nd, but I already wrote this review for this post and didn’t want to wait until March to tell you about it. Listen to The Album Leaf – Falling From The Sun
This feels like a ska album, but it’s not. Perhaps a reggae surf-rock album ala Man Or Astro Man? Could be. Maybe Vampire Weekend is making songs for lullaby’s now? Perhaps. You especially hear this on “I Think UR A Contra”, a song that could have been written for Yo Gabba Gabba! it’s all shakers, hand drums, and tinny acoustic guitars. “California English” just about drives me nuts with its Weekend At Bernies vibe going on, but it’s lovable in the right mood. To keep this little review simple, you can’t pigeon-hole this little wonder of an album.Listen To Vampire Weekend – White Sky
Cabins, the woods, deer, guitars, are all favorites of Matt Pond PA. You can hear it in their glorious pop songs. The Starting EP is just the precursor from what sounds to be an album about “Starting” over and sweeping the cobwebs from our winter heads, a collection of songs that goes by the name of The Dark Leaves – my most anticipated album of 2010. The Starting EP is the 1st in a series of 3 EPs to be released by the band in the coming months.Listen to Matt Pond PA – Starting
So I’ve been writing this article non-stop to this point. Does it show yet? …….. on we go to Beach House, easily one of the most anticipated albums for IRR this year, as it should be for you. The recording production is impeccably in-tune with the band, from album opener “Zebra” to album ender “Take Care” the listener is taken away on clouds made of chords and harmonies. Wisely Sub Pop has filled in the gap between Band Of Horses releases with Teen Dream, which may not have as many “hits”, but it’s every bit as moving as anything the label has put out.Listen to Beach House – Norway
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Spoon – Transference
I’ve never liked the band Spoon, and the hype surrounding the band has always left somewhat of an acrid taste in my mouth. But finally, like the bittersweet satisfaction of swallowing down acid reflux, I am willing to admit that their new album “Transference” is genius. I feel like an American convert to Christianity after being an atheist for most of my adult life, I’ve finally seen the light, or given into social norms. Whatever. – Barry Moore (read full review)
July Flames sounds like the moment after you die and you realize you are in heaven. It also feels like longing. You know, that feeling of memories bubbling up in the pit of your stomach when you see a portrait of your family when you were only a kid? Laura Veirs makes me feel like that. From her organic musical compositions to Laura’s mesmerizing vocals July Flames abounds in earthly delights. Visit Raven Marching Band, her label, to buy the album, or if you go to her website you can download a couple of tracks for free. RIYL – music.
It’s easy to like an album when you sound like the singer of the band, or at least that’s what I imagine I sound like. That is Stephen Merritt. Realism is pure magic, that is if you believe in such a thing. These songs could not be any more different from the bands last release of Distortion, I image that’s why Stephen had this to say about the album, – ‘“I thought of the two records as a pair,” Merritt reveals, “and I kind of wanted them to be called True and False. But I couldn’t decide which I wanted to be called True and which I wanted to be called False. They both have to do with the notions of truth and falsehood in recording and music—not particularly with the lyrics but with the production style.” Go ahead, have a listen, then buy the album.
When an album is allowed space to breathe as does Postdata, that’s when magic happens. It’s the kind of magic you hear late at night walking through the big city all by your lonesome. Everything seems so otherworldly as if you are an alien on some foreign planet. Or it simply sounds like sitting on a mountain top, looking down at the world below and realizing what peace really is. This is an album that lives by it’s simple bravery, thank goodness Paul Murphy and his guitar had the fortitude for such an album.
The songwriting heart of The Soft Pack, Matt(s) Lamkin and McLoughlin, grew up in a turn-of-the-century San Diego ruled by Sublime cover bands and backward-hat surf punk. But this particular set of students was more in tune with local little guys Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu than hometown heroes Sprung Monkey and POD.
The Soft Pack proudly wear their influences, both in Lamkin’s smart, languid vocals and McLoughlin’s contrarily breakneck guitar work, without ever aligning themselves too closely with their predecessors and compatriots (whether it be The Modern Lovers, The Strokes, or The Fall). But, lazy comparisons aside, The Soft Pack truly have come to term with themselves and carved out their own sound through years of house shows, a couple of lineup changes, gigs as supporting act, and eventually international touring—all while being the subject of their fair share of hoopla and hype.
Most of the commotion surrounding The Soft Pack seems to center around the band’s recent change of name (from The Muslims to The Soft Pack). The fact that the quartet has had the rare privilege of releasing two self-titled debuts in their short existence is nothing short of irrelevant, besides that it allows this debut to be that much more polished and mature. Where The Muslims’ debut was a testament to the promise of a young band, The Soft Pack’s debut is the fulfillment of that promise and insurance that when they make headlines in the future it will surely be because of their music, not their name.
And, as the opener “C’mon” and the nine remaining tracks prove, any arbitrary controversy surrounding their name change has only strengthened the band and better solidified their sound. Within 20 seconds of The Soft Pack’s first track, Lamkin addresses the issue that seemed so central to the band’s makeup. “Don’t have the look/don’t have the name/don’t have the walk/don’t wanna talk/don’t act the same/now your town could be the next big thing.” Lamkin’s counter to the sensationalism that the blog-friendly band is all too familiar with is a mere 2-minutes long, but sets the blistering pace for the rest of the LP which continues with the upbeat despair of “Down on Loving” and the pragmatic self-help message of “Answer to Yourself.”
Lamkin and Co. goes on to tackle the issues of fire, drowning, materialism, love, and of course, California secession. All is done with the crispness and momentum that turned so many heads toward the band in their Muslim years. And fast it is… finished in just over 30 minutes, the album ends with a wink to Elvis on the leisurely “Mexico” and then leaves on a high note with fan favorite, and all around barnburner, “Parasites.”
Without ever seeming to break a sweat, but always able to crack a smile, Lamkin seems to cram more than his share of sincere lamentations and pithy wisdom into the classic 3-minute verse-chorus-verse format. And try as they may to fool us into thinking they are simply a by-the-book-guitar-driven rock band capable only of churning out foot-tapping jams bedroom anthems. The Soft Pack can’t hide the fact that the songwriting is smart and the band is talented throughout. The driving of the rhythm section provides more than just a platform for Lamkin and McLoughlin to shine. Brian Hill and David Lantzman, on drums (stand-up) and bass (sans pick), respectively, shine particularly bright on “Parasites”. There is talent throughout the band and an assured substance in their sound that justifies the hype, but also ensures that they will be churning out their 3-minute jams, no gems, even when they aren’t being touted as the next big thing.
Peasant’s recent release “Shady Retreat” is an album full of similar sounding songs. All of them, gentle, enjoyable, reminiscent of Elliot Smith, and comforting to the soul. Some of them feeling a little hokey and folky but all of them, easy to listen to and enjoyable. The lyricism is vague but heart-wrenching, hopeful but defeated, delicate but not whiny. The only shortcoming being that throughout the album, there doesn’t seem to be any rise and fall. Any narrative, any album structure. It just feels like lots of acoustic folky songs all stamped together.
Perhaps as a reviewer I am not picking up on the overtly obvious thematic elements that Peasant is conveying in his album, but I simply don’t see anything that would put this album above and beyond just a simple collection of songs. This isn’t to say it isn’t enjoyable or worth listening to, and who says any album needs to have a structure at all? But for me as a listener of an album, I tend to enjoy listening to songs that cohesively combine into something bigger than just their individual elements.
Once when I was a younger man than I am now, my local cd store had me on hands and knees a couple times a week, squinting at album titles while hoping for a special find. One of these times I happened upon One For The Ride by Rocky Votolato’s first band Waxwing. If I was an archaeologist it would be similar to discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun…. eh, maybe not. But it was exciting, and that release made a huge impression on me with it’s unique orchestrations and wonderful musicianship (Rudy Gadjadhar is one amazing drummer), but what took hold of me most were the vocals. Since that time Rocky’s music and I have had time to grow together. With each release I find myself eager to hear what he has created. Unfortunately Waxwing called it quits around 2002, but, and this is a big “but”, from what I hear the guys have gotten back together and are working on new songs -and so the rumors begin. Let’s return to the task at hand, and that is getting the point across to you, dear readers, that True Devotion finds Rocky Votolato in his finest form. Like a race horse trained solely for the purpose of winning the big prize, so does Rocky Votolato spend months and years, pouring his heart out into songs that once released will hopefully have a huge impact on his fans. Continue Reading
Written By Bear
Score: 9.2/10
Release Date: 6/23/2009
Label: Doghouse Records
David Moore’s My Lover, My Stranger came out last summer amid the humidity and heat of an Indianapolis summer. Unfortunately I never knew the release date (ahem….Doghouse) and once I did the album had already been out for quite some time. So why a review so long after the release? Because albums this inspired are a growing rarity.
I’ve come to realize any release by David Moore has more than earned the attention it has received. Starting with his genre-defining, quintessential 90’s midwestern-indie band Chamberlain (that’s a mouthful) and their album Fate’s Got A Driver, a release that found the band with one of the decades best albums and a seemingly never-ending horde of followers (you would have been amazed to see them play to a hometown crowd in their heyday), and then…. they disappeared for a few too many years. Finally, when they did resurface with their second proper LP, The Moon My Saddle, their sound had changed enough that many fans were left a little more than confused. But all one had to do was just have a little faith and listen to the album a time or two and they would be converted. David’s new album My Lover, My Stranger follows in the footsteps of The Moon My Saddle, I’m sure most of you will by now be thrilled by the news.
David’s vocals have always been full of passion and heartbreak. Listeners will pull from his music a sense of longing and wanderlust, that we are not all alone in this seemingly cold hard world. It took me a bit, but after listening to the album over and over and over again, I am convinced, David Moore can do no wrong. Album opener “After Everything I’ve Done” reaches out immediately and basically says “hey, I hope you are comfortable because you will be here from start to finish”. The song itself is built upon huge sounding string arrangements and his American sized vocals – as a side note, if you don’t like well produced music this may not be for you. “Beautiful Now” is a diverse rocker tucked within the lows and highs we come across every day, there is something in this song for everyone. His road worn vocals take us next to his first single on the album and my least favorite song “Breaking You Down”. I am so tired of the word “Breaking” and phrases like “Breaking you down” in songs. But nevertheless the song rocks harder than most of the others and fits perfectly within the albums framework.
After “Breaking You Down” the album is pure emotional bliss. “Corners” calls out to lovers everywhere, but if you are all alone you might be feeling like finding someone to hold on to after this love song has torn through your soul. Next is “Cry”, which is exactly what you will be doing when you hear it’s somber deliciousness. It’s nostalgic rhythms and beautiful orchestrations will move you. If they don’t you probably need to see a therapist. David vocally surprised me with his falsetto layered “Forgiven”, he doesn’t use the technique often but it’s works here…. like magic. My personal favorite is “When You Fall”, I like sappy, sad songs. I like emotion dripping from every word. Like it’s the last you might ever hear so you better listen up. I’ve listened to this song easily approaching on the 50 mark, and it doesn’t get old. It’s so beautiful I almost can’t describe.
Since the release of My Lover, My Stranger I have seen nary a mention, review, or publicity add for the album anywhere, which puzzles me to no end. What are you all listening to when you miss out on an album as great as this? I’ve come back to David’s records time and again. Sometimes I won’t think to listen to an album for a few months or more, but when I do it’s like coming home. My Lover, My Stranger is no different. The recording production is well appointed for the feel of the songs – that being beautifully huge sounding overlaid with a good measure of lush sounding landscapes painted for you by his profound lyrics. I do however feel as though David walks a fine line at times of cheesiness, but once you let the songs on in they are there for good. Like taking advice from a prophet David’s lyrics make me wish that I had the knowledge or even a measure of goodness that his words hold. Thank you David Moore.
Have you heard of Dan Black? If you’re reading this from the UK then your probably have an idea who this young artist is, and may know Dan Black was the leader of the UK alternative band The Servant (disbanded in 2007). Since then, Dan Black has gone solo and has released his new album ‘UN’ which is a solid album that takes different pages out of the indie/rock/hip-hop/electro playbook.
There are a lot of great things to be said about this album. The first thing to be said is, Catchy. Any good pop artist knows the importance of a great hook, and riff, and song after song Dan Black finds a way to help you remember each individual track. Dan uses a variety of different elements to bring out some great ambient sound affects like simple strings in the aptly named song “Symphonies” or “Wonder”-a song that it is grounded on the rhythm of an acoustic guitar.
The bomb explosions in, “Pump Your Pumps” help make this track stand out as my favorite across the whole album. The track is heavily grounded with a simple drum and snare track and a solid disco-esque bass track. The Chorus hooks like a fish, and the lyrics and melody flow solidly. I really loved the soft one-note lead that’s held under the song to help drive the emotion and energy all the way through.
The album is straightforward and energized and I think I will definitely put it in my rotation of albums. I find so many times that electronic/dance albums can be so hit or miss. Some albums just have a couple good tracks. Or all the tracks are good, but they all sound the same (house and trance are you listening?). Thankfully Dan Black has given a debut album with variety.
Dan Black needs to be careful with his tendency to whine though. Sometimes his voice seems a give a nod to Thom Yorke, like in “Cigarette Pack” which at times sounds really nice, but this same song has times (especially towards the end) where you kind of wish he had just stop singing.
If any of this sounds good to you, give this album a listen. The album is currently available on iTunes and it should be physically released in the US in the spring. I think we can expect to see great things from Dan Black in the future, and look for his music video for “Symphonies”. Cheers!
Taking on the task of reviewing Karnivool’s new album Sound Awake is not an easy one. On one hand, I run the risk of not being able to adequately give Karnivool the credit they deserve for producing such an amazing album. On the other hand, I run the risk of over-hyping the album to the point that causes people to set their expectations too high, potentially causing them to not be as impressed with such an amazing album. I think I am willing to run the risk of the latter. Boasting of chart topping debut status in Australia, the Australian progressive rock quintet has a full artillery ready to make some damage in the US and UK with its release this month. Continue Reading
To call this grind music would be a total lie, and to call it noise rock would be to sell it short. Its some sort of hybrid that makes you feel like you got punched in the stomach. Even (comparatively) slower tracks like “The Hit” and “The Dead Singer” twist higher and higher until they collapse into broken down noise freakouts that I cant really wrap my mind around yet. “The Theatre Goer” riffs like a Black Sabbath track, but the guitar effects make it sound like its trapped in a tornado, which leads perfectly into the absolutely ridiculous opening guitar part to “Our Queens”. Pardon my lack of journalistic integrity here: holy shit. Daughters have once again created a noise rock masterpiece. This is a must hear.
