Perpetual Riffs

Matt And Kim - Grand

2009-08-31T22:56:00.001-07:00

WHAT: Brooklyn drum/keyboard/bf/gf duo's second album. You've probably heard songs from it in promos for that new show "Community," or in a Bacardi ad. Oddly enough, as a fan of their first album, I never got around to hearing this until just recently. Seeing them at the Pitchfork festival this past July re-sparked my interest in them, and yeah, here we are.

WHEN: 2009

1) Daylight (2:51)

The most ridiculously mind-lodging hook kicks the song off before that high synth and Kim's drums kick in. I find it a bit funny that the chorus of the song is actually less catchy than the verses. Kim's drums are either accentuated by a backing beat, or her bass drum is like 100 fucking inches wide. This shit is kind of irresistible. RIFF

2) Cutdown (2:52)

Way more reminiscent of their first album, mainly the song "Lightspeed," if it was a bit faster and more orchestrated. A pretty standard M&K song, but with a few extra bells and whistles, like the gang vocal-ed "Yeah!"s, and the big buildup/countdown at the end. It shows growth within their potentially limiting formula, so I'll give it a RIFF.

3) Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare (3:30)

I kind of see this song as the sister to "Daylight," with its oddly produced drums and its strict adherence to a relatively simple melody. It kind of makes sense that both this and "Daylight" are the songs that have been used on TV so much these days, because they're both extremely hummable, and thus, perhaps sadly, marketable. Still, dubious usage aside, it's another irresistible track. RIFF.

4) Spare Change (1:14)

File this, the shortest song on the album, into M&K's "experimental" file. I feel like I've walked into a choral-accompanied performance of STOMP. Despite some good ideas, they don't really give it enough time to develop. FLUB

5) I Wanna (1:38)

For the second time on this album, Matt and Kim follow a song that diverts from their original formula with a song that sticks right to it. It's a gloriously sloppy little song, with Kim offering a energy packed yet completely off drum roll about halfway through. A throwaway? Maybe, but a damn fine one. RIFF

6) Lessons Learned (3:36)

This song will probably always be overshadowed by its video, where M&K cavort nude around Times Square. It's a shame, because it's one of their most elaborate endeavors yet (well, relatively speaking). Kim is a fucking machine for playing the beat that acts as this song's backbone for so long. One of the more melancholy songs they've put to tape, but once again, a nice extension of their sound. RIFF.

7) Don't Slow Down (3:08)

In which the duo takes the riff from "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode and stretches it into a full song, complete with octave jumps in the chorus, and an odd left turn near the end of the song. While charming at first, it kind of gets old about halfway through, when the Morse code-like keyboard part begins to get a little grating. FLUB.

8) Turn This Boat Around (2:10)

This album's slow jam. The keyboards offer a powerful low end, and the background vocals offer an additional heft. Points for using the melodica keyboard tone as well. A little confused as to why it's not at the end of the album, but I'm still giving it a RIFF.

9) Cinders (1:47)

The slow jam is immediately followed by the obligatory M&K instrumental, which follows the twists and turns their other instrumentals take. It's not that it's a bad song- there just isn't that much of a reason to really be impressed by it, considering they've done other songs very similar to it. FLUB.

10) I'll Take Us Home (3:27)

When I see that Matt and Kim have a song that's as long as this one, I really want them to prove that the running time is really needed. Luckily, they pull through on this one, offering a whole bunch of different keyboard tones and at least two or three different vocal hooks that are all pretty sweet. Plus, it's kind of funny how sappy/soulful Matt gets just over halfway in. The track length gives their ideas time to actually stick, instead of the "cram everything we possibly can into two minutes" strategy they rely on from time to time. RIFF.

11) Daylight (Outro Mix) (3:11)

Yep, a reprise of the opening track. However, this time, they make things downright epic- making good use of whatever string settings Matt has on his keyboard. The high-pitched synth part from the original makes a return, and aside from the same bass part and vocal/lyrical similarities, it's a way different beast than the original. This one relies more on buildup and tension, where the original thrives on being a fucking great pop song. Both are worthy on inclusion. RIFF.

TOTAL:

8 RIFFS vs. 3 FLUBS

SCORE:

(8 RIFFS/11 TRACKS) x 100% = 72%

So yeah, just under 3/4ths of this album completely rules, and then the remaining fourth is just kind of alright. It's one of the most fun, non-grim/serious albums I've heard so far this year, making it kind of hard to hate without coming off as a serious asshole. Their live show is still definitely worth seeing, and yeah- it'll be interesting to see where they go after this one. Bigger and more elaborate, or even further back to basics? Chamber pop or the happiest drone record ever recorded?

-Erik

Modest Mouse - No One's First And You're Next

2009-08-27T22:39:00.001-07:00

WHAT: You know who these dudes are, come on. Indie vets return with a new EP composed of songs that didn't make it on to their last two full lengths, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.

WHEN: 2009

1) Satelite Skin (3:59)

It's a jangly little number with slightly off kilter guitar parts and an impassioned vocal from Issac Brock- who dials back the carnival barker mode I think he got a little too fond of on the last Modest Mouse full length. It's one of the more straightforward Modest Mouse songs I've heard, but after We Were Dead, I'm fine with a palette cleanser like this. RIFF.

2) Guilty Cocker Spaniels (4:02)

OK, now this really sounds like it's from the sessions that produced the past two full-lengths, except for some reason, Brock kind of sounds like a toothless elderly man during the verses. Here, I'm a fan of the words, but not so much the delivery. The song changes direction nicely about halfway in, though. There are some parts here that I wish were just louder though. It's something about the band that I've missed in recent years. I haven't felt much of the intimacy of Moon And Antarctica or even parts of Good News. It just kind of seems like they're treading an eternal middle ground these days- sound-wise. Makes sense that this was a B-side. FLUB.

3) Autumn Beds (3:41)

Consider my words eaten once they busted out the banjo. Brock goes through a few of his voices- the quiet speaking one, the restrained yelp, before settling into a nice repeated phrase of "we won't be sleeping" for a little bit. Intimacy restored, stupidity setting in a bit for my previous statements. This song stands as a winning instance of grabbing whatever instruments are in the room and writing a song- as I'd like to believe they did. Should've been on one of the albums. RIFF.

4) The Whale Song (6:05)

It may be called "The Whale Song," but i'll be damned if there aren't some guitar parts on this song that sound like seals. The song is instrumental for almost all of the first three minutes, so I hope you like a bufett of guitar parts/tones. Then, almost as if he remembered he was writing an actual song, Brock multi-tracks his voice a bunch and crams two songs worth of hooks into a part that builds and builds. It doesn't explode as much as it just returns to the earlier section with the volume turned up. However, during the last minute, I'm forced to eat my words from earlier once again, as the guitar gets downright titanic for a bit. The main riff may get stuck in your head in a bad way, but the rest of the trip more than makes up for it. RIFF.

5) Perpetual Motion Machine (3:11)

Nice! The return of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who I never thought were used to their full potential by Modest Mouse. Brock seems to be resisting the temptation to slip into his Tom Waits swamp-romp voice, and instead offers a pretty standard vocal part by Brock-ian standards. A wise move, as it lets the unorthodox instrumentation shine. RIFF.

6) History Sticks To Your Feet (3:55)

A guitar plays the same part for the entirety of this song. I'm sure there's some great metaphorical reason for that, but that doesn't equal a good song to me. The rest of the band doesn't do all that much to pull their weight either. It stomps a little bit, but never really gets revved. FLUB.

7) King Rat (5:30)

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band fucking EARN the word "Dirty" in their name with the hellspawn trumpet blast that signals this track's opening. The trumpet doesn't return until nearly midway through the song, where it's used to playfully melodic effect. The banjo makes a return as well in this song, mixed nicely among the other instruments. It seems to be a running trend on this EP that the songs with the most bizarre instrumentation seem to turn out the best, and this song is no exception. RIFF.

8) I've Got It All (Most) (3:10)

This song gets points for actually getting loud about halfway through. The rest of it is pleasantly jangly. Sounds like it may have been one of the songs recorded with ex-Smith Johnny Marr on guitar, so even more points for that. RIFF.

TOTAL: 6 RIFFS v 2 FLUBS

SCORE: (6 RIFFS/8 TRACKS) x 100% = 75%

Yep. It's another mostly good release from Issac Brock and company. The songs that fail here fail simply because they are boring, or seem a little phoned in. But then again, the eternal excuse is there: "That's why they're B-sides." Worth checking out though.

-Erik

Punch - Punch

2009-08-27T21:16:00.001-07:00

WHO: San Francisco, CA female-fronted hardcore. Recently had a great article/interview with them printed in Maximum Rock 'N Roll, which I recommend reading. This is their debut album, following an excellent 7" EP entitled Eyeless. They've been touring like mad, and have been receiving a great deal of attention for both their recorded output and their live shows. I have high hopes going into this one.

WHEN: 2009

1) Don't Start (0:57)

First off, I think it's hilarious that the song that starts this album is called "Don't Start." They kind of contradict themselves a bit here though, because what we have here is a damn fine opener. The production is leaps and bounds above that on Eyeless- everything sounds clear without being too polished, and Meaghan's vocals now cut through loud and clear. It's what you would expect from this band- pummeling, fast hardcore, except now it's more or less in HD. RIFF.

2) Fuming (0:58)

The first quarter of this song is spent flying through a catalog of hardcore song-beginnings: the blastbeat, the 1-2 beat followed by the guitar break, etc. But then the blastbeat comes back for the verse, if you will, before managing to flip on a dime to some slower parts. Then- fuck- it all drops out to bass and drums and I get so excited that I want to jump out of my second story window. The song is about riding bikes and having to deal with petulant car-drivers- never before have you ever heard anyone scream the word "muffler" with such anger. RIFF.

3) Get Back (1:01)

Out of nowhere, Punch reveal an intensely melodic side of themselves that I had no idea existed. Still, it's no less vicious. Their ability to completely stop on a dime to switch sections is extremely impressive, and I'm all about songs that feature some sort of bass break (although I believe Paint It Black are the current kings of this art.). Chalk up another RIFF.

4) Ol'factory (0:50)

If anybody else can point out another song that has been written about deoderant, that explodes into a blast-beat section that rattles off marketing data, I'll buy you lunch. RIFF.

5) Right Of Way (0:50)

Another song about bikes! This time taking on a far more sarcastic tone. I'm really starting to appreciate Punch's sense of humor, as it is. 5 songs in, I'm also really into their song structures. They manage to take several basic elements of hardcore and put them next to each other while still leaving things completely unpredictable. RIFF.

6) If Not Me (0:59)

Well, it had to happen sometime, and it happened here: the first song on this album that did not completely blow me away. I don't know how the band regards this song, but its two lines of lyrics and way more standard arrangement make me think this song may have been written either really early on or late in the writing process for this album. Basically, it just lacks the pizzazz of the first five songs, which set the bar VERY high. FLUB.

7) Been Here Before (1:03)

I avoided making this comparison as long as I possibly could, but this song really does sound kind of like a Ceremony song in terms of dynamics. It follows the Bay Area band's early formula of blasting intro-huge slowdown-pounding final riffs almost to a tee. Luckily, I do like Ceremony quite a bit. Plus, the total ambiguity in Meaghan's final lyric makes the ending that much more appropriate- the song just freezes, suspending itself until it's final crash. RIFF.

8) We're Not In This Together (1:47)

It's the longest song on the album so far, and it's the first that seems to explicitly deal with relationships. Much like a relationship dissolving, several emotions seem to be present here. The faster part is pure anger, while the slowdown that leads to the end of the song just seems like a huge mix of sadness/desperation/disappointment. It's a little painful to listen to, honestly, but in that grit-your-teeth good sort of painful. RIFF.

9) The Bad Times (1:47)

Well, this is kind of an odd choice. Punch goes the instrumental route, speeding up a breakdown-ish riff until it spirals out into noise and a fadeout. Fun, but ultimately inessential. FLUB.

10) Make The Good Times That Much Better (1:36)

Oh OK, now it makes sense. It's like the fadeout on Dillinger Four's Vs. God, where you flip the record and it all fades back in. This song is fucking anthemic, by the way. That's the only way I can even describe it. It falls in the more melodic camp of their songs, and basically incapsulates everything that was great about the first half of the album into one song. RIFF.

11) If You Can't Now, You Never Could (0:58)

11 songs in, I'm beginning to run out of ways to describe Punch's music. Props to them for cramming a breakdown and a blastbeat into about a 5 second period though. Another testament to their songwriting skills, but you could probably take this song off of the tracklist and still have an amazing album. Punch has proved to me that their FLUBS aren't because a song is bad- it's because they don't reach the dizzying heights of the songs surrounding them.

12) Break A Leg (1:36)

Another run-through through a bunch of hardcore stylistic stand-bys ends in the most pulverizing breakdown on the album so far. Ultimately, that's what saves this song from blending in with the rest of the album. RIFF.

13) Rewrite (1:12)

The second half of this album has ended up being a LOT heavier than the first, with more detours into slower tempos. Although, there are times where I wish they would just commit to a part and ride it out a bit more until the song's end. Ultimately though, RIFF.

14) Mending Is Better Than Ending (1:24)

The intro to this one had me thinking I would have to bust out the time-honored My War comparison that gets thrown around whenever a hardcore band slows down, but it quickly begins flying. The guitar parts get a little insane near the end, placing this one solidly in the RIFF column.

15) Not So Posi After All (1:07)

Oh fuck, huge singalong part near the end of this one- maybe a sly nod to posi-hardcore style in a song titled "Not So Posi After All"? You sly devils. RIFF.

16) Feminists, Don't Have A Cow (2:20)

On the longest song the album sports, it's more about the slow sections that bookend the absolutely furious middle. I could be completely off base here, but the lyrics seem to be about encouraging vegan action among the feminist community, specifically regarding cows. The sentiment is nice, but the dork in me can only think about how this song should probably have been in the middle of the album or something like that. It's an album where the personal is laid so bare, so it just seems a little odd to close on this note. Oh well, that doesn't take away from the quality of the song. RIFF.

TOTAL: 13 RIFFS vs. 3 FLUBS

SCORE: (13/16) x 100% = 81.25%

Seriously, one of the best hardcore albums I've heard this year. I'd be surprised if this didn't end up in my top albums of the year list at this point, after I've listened to it a bunch more times.

-Erik

Slices - Self-Titled 7"

2009-08-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

WHO: Pittsburgh, PA Noisy Hardcore. According to their label: "Crossed Out playing My War side B."

WHEN: 2009

1) Nub City (1:00)

The most unenthusiastic intro in the history of hardcore (I'm willing to bet) explodes into a simple descending riff and completely maniacal vocals. The production is rough, and a little fuzzy. Just as it should be. Nothing new brought to the table of hardcore, but still accomplishing just what good hardcore should. RIFF.

2) Desert March (1:05)

The more jangly guitar allows this song to basically ooze slime everywhere. It almost makes me want to clean my speakers off. Slices' vocalist displays that he has quite a bit of attitude on this one. He sounds like the kind of guy who will spit in your face as well as yell in it, which I like. The bass tone is revealed to sound like your stomach digesting food aka ROUGH. A blast beat closes things. RIFF.

3) Coping Mechanism (1:30)

Between this and the new Pissed Jeans album, I'm really starting to think that Pennsylvania must be a really shitty place, if it continues to produce such willfully ugly music as this. This song just stomps everywhere like it's throwing a tantrum. This band's heavy bass tone really makes it seem like you're walking up a hill in the middle of a landslide as you listen to it. Completely oppressive, but in the best way possible. RIFF.

4) Cave Crawl/Bad Mask (3:57)

The final track on this release is longer than the first three songs put together, which I guess may account for the slightly confounding My War comparison that the label provides for this band. In the end, the comparison makes sense. Over a straight up dirgy instrumental background, the vocals rant and rave in a far more emotional style than the first three tracks. A complete instrument basher, and a worthy entry in hardcore/noise's apparent recent fascination with more crushingly slow tempos. RIFF.

Total:

4 Riffs v. 0 Flubs.

Score:

100%

I don't even need the formula to let it be known that this release completely slays. Not a bad song on it, and now I really want to try and track down whatever else they've released. A promising new band, definitely.

-Erik

Nøught - Nøught

2009-08-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Who?: Oxford, England instru-prog trio.

When?: 2000

1) The Fans (8:10)

-There's been nothing but guitar feedback, and I'm already thinking- "Shit, they're only a three piece?" It's huge, tuneful feedback, and then some jazzy drums come in.

-Only three minutes in, it's apparent that these guys are pretty good at the ol' bait-n-switch. After a melodic buildup, shit gets really dissonant for a second, with a guitar part that actually sounds like vocals being sung through a megaphone, and then-JAZZ GUITAR. Kind of reminds me of Karate a bit.

-After a big buildup where the guitar actually plays a riff a few times, there's a release. Sounds like there's a string quartet in the background. We've gone spy-rock. Opening credits music.

-Back to another buildup, where the strings get a bit sassy. Guitarist starts soloing a bit in the back, and it shreds.

-Oh shit, tempo change. FRANTIC.

-I could honestly do without the strings in the background.

After 8 minutes, I'm going to have to give this one a RIFF. It's an extremely multi-faceted piece, that although relies a bit on the buildup/release trick, throws enough curveballs in there to keep me surprised. Except the strings.

2) Nought I (1:53)

-YES. Fuzz-soaked guitar.

-FUCK. 30 seconds in, the rest of the band kicks in, and they kick in hard. Like, kick to your chest that sends you flying across the room hard. This riff is evil.

Consider this one another RIFF. The song serves the purpose a great instrumental on an album with vocals would. The closest comparison I can think of being "Electric" off of Boris' Pink album. It gets in, punches you in the face, then gets out before it's just bragging about it.

3) Cough Cap Kitty (3:13)

-Well, the strings are back. I'm beginning to wonder how frequently they'll be around.

-Reversing the previous dynamics, things start loud then get quiet, and then borderline Reniassance Fair-y

-Eesh, letting the strings take the melody entirely makes things sound a bit goofy.

- The guitar takes things back for a tantalizing second, before relenquishing things back to the strings again.

Cough up their first FLUB. This song treads a bit too close to "Hey, classical music can ROCK too!" territory for me. That, and I'm picturing it being too appropriate for some sort of "rock opera" that you may see on Broadway. All I'm seeing is jazz hands during this one.

4) Red Rag (7:04)

-First song with a bass intro. Nice.

-Around the bass intro, the rest of the band drops in. The strings return, except seem to be used for more chaotic purposes than before. I approve.

-Also, the first song that seems to revolve around some sort of set structure. There's something that I guess could be considered a chorus, or would refrain be the more appropriate term?

-Nearly three minutes in, shit gets inhumanely loud. Fuck yeah.

-Scratch my previous note, the second half of this song gets way different, offering a gradual buildup that ends with a great, wiry guitar part.

-But then, it just kind of repeats for the rest of the song. The outro more or less takes up nearly a third of the song's running time.

RIFF. Kept me guessing the entire time.

5) Goddess Awakes: I. The Tricks Of Strangers, II. Locker, III. Widow's Lament (10:47)

-Bracing for the multi-part suite.

-Starts off sounding like video game boss music. With horns. At least it's not the strings again.

Feel like I should be dodging fireballs or some other projectile weapon.

-I fucking love this band's drummer. Busts some total Max Weinberg 7 shit whenever he has room.

-Things got quiet. I think I've moved on to the second movement.

-Yep. A slightly ambient section? Sounds like a movement transition part to me.

-Second section was definitely a lot more low key. But, here comes some noise again, so I think I've made it to the final section.

-I never thought I'd ever have to say anything about "math-rock guitars with a string overlay," but I just did.

First two movements were pretty sweet, but the third didn't really go anywhere. Two out of three isn't bad though, so RIFF.

6) Stain Stones (7:33)

- Woah. Jazz. We have horns.

- AND WOODWINDS. Clarinet solo! This kind of reminds me of the first time I listened to the new Kayo Dot album, except I'm not bored.

- The band takes things back over, as if telling the horns to calm down a bit. Then the guitar kicks everyone's ass with a solo that crams as much rad into it as it can.

- Things actually get pretty, five minutes in. It's a rare moment on this album so far, where everyone just seems content to lay back a bit.

- Things speed up a bunch near the end, kind of like in the first track.

RIFF. I actually enjoyed the more jazz inflected part that served as the first third of the song, and the rest of the song proved that Nought don't force themselves to overstuff everything they do.

7) All The Time Ha-Ha (3:55)

- Uh-oh. I'm sensing a bit of a repeat of the third track. JAZZ HANDS STRIKE BACK.

Yeah, I'm going to have to call FLUB on this one. It doesn't really go anywhere, and seems perpetually stuck in frantic showtune mode.

8) Heart Stops Twice (5:44)

- There was a sense of foreboding to this song at first, before it exploded into a "LET'S GO ON AN ADVENTURE" soundtrack a minute in.

- Do I hear ghostly female vocals? Operatic?

- Someone had to break out the sitar/koto, didn't they? For a hilariously brief cameo.

- OH FUCK ADVENTURE TIME AGAIN.

- A slight storm of feedback concludes with a brief return to order in the last 30 seconds.

FLUB. I don't know. I'm starting to feel like this band would be a lot better if they ditched their more orchestral leanings. I'm all about ambition, but it's starting to feel a bit like overkill.

9) Nought II (1:41)

-Hoping for more titanic shreddage that the first "Nought" track offered.

-Holy shit. It's the same riff. Minus the snare hits before the huge crash that goes into the rest of the song.

-No really, this is the EXACT same song as track 2. I can't be convinced otherwise.

FLUB. Couldn't they have at least titled it "Nought (Reprise)" or something like that?

10) Ignatius (6:53)

- This song has potential already, because the guitar is just howling like an injured wolf.

- And continuing to do so, again.

- And again.

- OK, sweet. Now it sounds like a power drill.

- Fuck. The strings just had to show up again, didn't they?

They know how to end an album on a good note, I'll give them that. Plus, this song contained some of the most interesting guitar work of the album, despite it's occasional repetitious nature. I'll give it a RIFF.

Total:

6 RIFFS vs. 4 FLUBS.

Score:

(6 RIFFS/10 TRACKS) x 100% = 60%

So yeah, there were some really good moments on this album, and then there were some really goofy ones that prevented me from being able to handle certain songs on this album. Still, over half of the album was good!

-Erik

New Format

2009-08-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

It's going on two months since I updated this thing, which kind of bums me out. So, in an attempt to kickstart this mule once again, I'm instituting a format change.

Instead of big, multi-paragraph reviews of albums, I'm going to get a bit scientific. Well, mathematical. Have you noticed how some albums start off really well, and then the back end sags a bunch? You sit there wondering to yourself, "Man, I only really like half of this album." No amount of flowery prose can really convey how much of an album is truly worthwhile. Therefore, I'm going to do the dirty work and break down each album I write about, track by track.

Each track will be evaluated on a pass or fail system- to be known as "Riff" for winning tracks, and "Flub" for those that aren't up to snuff. Riffs and Flubs will then be added up at the end, and then plugged into this totally unoriginal formula:

(RIFFS/TOTAL NUMBER OF TRACKS) x 100

Offering you, the reader/listener, an approximation of how much of an album is worthwhile listening. Keep in mind, this is still only my opinion, so who really cares? I'm still going to be covering things I've never heard before, so take my reviews as someone who is just getting into things for the first time- as some of you might be.

Anyway, I'm going to do the first album in this new format right now. Woo!

-Erik

Propagandhi - Supporting Caste

2009-07-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

While I guess I would say I like Propagandhi as a band, I can’t really say they’ve released an album I like from beginning to end. I’ve found most of their past few releases to be way too front-loaded, and Chris Hannah’s vocal style begins to wear on me as the album progresses (especially on Potemkin City Limits)- most lines are delivered in the (caps denote a higher pitch) “duh nuh NUH NUH nuh NUH NUHHH!!!” style, and honestly, it would just get a little old for me after a while. Plus, I saw their transformation from skate-punk champs to a more thrash/metal inspired approach as a little dubious (and honestly, my eyebrows were a bit raised when the press release for this album cited Voivod and Rush of all bands as primary influences). Yet, the punk rock community at large continued to shit their pants over the foursome from Canada, so I figured I was just missing something.

That being said, Supporting Caste is the closest Propagandhi have come in recent years to crafting an entire album that I like. Sure, it may be a little front loaded. I would say the same thing about any band that decided to put a song as ferocious as “Night Letters” at the beginning of their album. Plus, there’s one song that just kind of bothers me, in the form of “Dear Coach’s Corner,” only because I wish they didn’t pull the old bait-n-switch and just let the entire song shred like its intro. That aside, it seems like Propagandhi’s metal-evolution has come to its full fruition- they’re comfortable in their new skin. Every song sung by bassist Todd Kowalski is an exercise in "how quickly can we shred ourselves to death," and they couldn't be better for it. It's no wonder dude's voice has been gone for the past few months apparently.

Lyrically, they’re still pissed as ever- but honestly, I’ve only been able to buy into their brand of sloganeering so much. This crosses over into my own personal beliefs: I believe what I do, and I keep it mostly to myself. I think that Propagandhi advocates a great deal of good causes, but should it be to the point where guilt may become present in the listener for thinking differently? There never seems to be any room for dialogue- all I ever detect is a message delivered so strong that it’s a little intimidating instead of inclusive. I don't know. It's something that will probably vary from listener to listener. At the very least, I'm thankful that they're a band that actually makes me think about what they're saying instead of just letting the lyrics fly on by while the music dominates everything.

My slight concerns aside, Supporting Caste is an album that I can comfortably file in my “Woah, I didn’t see this one coming” file. It took them five full lengths, but they’ve finally delivered something I now count among the better albums released in 2009.

-Erik

Black Mountain - In The Future

2009-07-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

I first heard about Black Mountain back when they were opening for Coldplay in 2005. Maybe a bit unfairly, I immediately dismissed them as something I probably wouldn’t like due to their tour partners. It wasn’t until last month that I finally heard In The Future (an album that originally appeared on this blog in my “Albums of 2008 That I Wanted To Hear But Didn’t” list), and I was a little shocked as to how wrong I was four years ago.

On paper, nothing Black Mountain does here should work. They somehow manage to use some of the most hokey sounding keyboard tones I’ve ever heard and fuse it with titanic-sized riffs that touch on a great deal of classic rock giants, ie: the Zeppelins, the Floyds, etc. Keep in mind that I really don’t care for either of those two bands, at all. I don’t know. I can’t really put a finger on why this album is so good. It just works. Some of the shit on here wouldn’t sound terribly out of place at a Lord Of The Rings convention, yet I can’t detect a smack of irony or pretension throughout this album’s 57 minutes.

Stephen McBean isn’t the flashiest singer, but that’s probably for the better- if he pushed it too hard, I don’t know if I’d be able to handle this album. OK, just to mention Coldplay again, I guess he sounds like a boozier, Canadian Chris Martin, but just barely. Even in constant-falsetto mode, as exhibited on “Stay Free,” things just click. Even when the 80's-science-TV-show synth comes in about halfway through the song, I just nod my head. I don’t care for Amber Webber’s vocal contributions as much, but I understand their place in the album. “Wucan” has the type of riffs that force you to constantly hit your rewind button- not advisable if one is driving. Throughout it all, Black Mountain displays a knack for the ebb-and-flow, letting parts gradually build to a roar before demurring to quieter sections.

Let me re-iterate how much of a shock it is to me how into this album I am. I usually can’t stand classic rock, or most of the bands that were involved in making it. Black Mountain have somehow made the genre palatable to someone like me. How, I’m not exactly sure. All I know is that this is the type of music that makes me wish I was in Dazed And Confused, driving around while everyone else in the car smokes weed in extremely comical and exaggerated ways.

-Erik

Telepathe - Dance Mother

2009-06-12T11:01:00.001-07:00

I'd say I get the most fickle when it comes to electronic music. There are groups such as Ladytron that I really like, but I really can't stand a lot of the vapid, soulless shit that people with easy access to laptops have been cranking out for the better part of this decade. I don't know, I guess I just don't really feel much connection to the "New York lifestyle" so many people at my college have come to idealize- the non-stop party life, the deep immersion in the world of fashion, irony, etc. Summed up in a word, but explained by others way better than myself = hipsterism.

So that's one reason why Telepathe's debut album does not connect with me on any level. It's just some cold shit. I mean, it'll probably get them a few features written about them here and there, but I really can't see anybody being WAY into this album a year from now, or it even popping up on any year end lists. It's completely disposable. At best, there are two or three good songs on this album, and wouldn't you know it, they're right next to each other in the tracklist ("Can't Stand It" and "Michael"). The rest of the album I truly have trouble remembering.

Despite being produced by TV On The Radio studio wizard/guitarist David Sitek, Dance Mother is a tinny sounding affair, far from the lush production Sitek has lavished upon his own band. Pitchfork pointed it out in their review of this album, and I actually agree with them, that Sitek kind of deserves a lot of the credit for this album, more so than the duo that make up Telepathe. Melissa Livaudais and Busy Ganges just sort of chirp their way throughout the album, quite amatuerishly at best. Sometimes being way out of tune can be endearing (see: Los Campesinos), but in this case it's just obnoxious. And don't get me started on the song "Devil's Trident," which almost dips into Mars Volta levels of WTF-ness with the lyrics.

Oddly enough, for a group that is being marketed as electronic, the songs where they sound like a full band come off the best- the two that I mentioned above. "Can't Stand It" sounds like it could have been a B-side from either Ladytron's Witching Hour or Asobi Seksu's Citrus, with its swirling synths and surprisingly nimble vocal hooks.

In the end though, those two songs aren't enough to save this album from being just...blah. Another entry into an increasingly oversaturated scene. Being friends with TV On The Radio can only get you so far, I guess.

-Erik

The Big Sleep - Sleep Forever

2009-05-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

I missed seeing The Big Sleep when they were opening for Minus The Bear in early 2008, but for some reason I'm not really regretting it, because I feel like their live show would probably play out very similarly to how their second album, Sleep Forever does. A few opening tracks of shreddage, followed by quiter stuff, and ending not with a bang as much as an "eh."

I don't really know what it is about this album, but it just doesn't even seem like the band is totally interested in what they're doing. Most of the songs here are instrumental, which means it might fall under the blanket term of "post-rock." At the same time though, some of these instrumentals probably would have benefited from vocals. My other main gripe is kind of weird, and it's the lugubrious tempo that every song seems to follow. The band obviously has some great guitar tones, so why do they find it necessary to just plod through every song? I could see them sounding a bit more Fucking Am-ish if they sped things up a little bit, but dirty enough to retain their own sound.

The two previously mentioned problems I have with this album make it a pretty fucking frustrating listen, and at times, the band's name and album title almost come too close for comfort when it comes to stuff I'm listening to.

For a band that makes most of their songs instrumental, it's almost funny that the most memorable moments of this album come from the songs that feature vocals. It's not even that the vocals are that spectacular, it's just that the band actually seems like they give a shit at these moments. Take "Bad Blood." There are riffs for days in this song, and although the vocals make it a little hard to focus on the guitars, it's good to at least see The Big Sleep a little more invigorated.

But for every good song like that, there's one like "Organs," which seems like nothing more that studio tomfoolery gone wild. Like, "oh hey, here's this organ..woah that sounds kind of cool. Let's record an entire track based around like one or two riffs on this thing. Shit!" It's just filler, that's all.

Usually I can forgive a band if they at least seem like they're giving it their all (see my Sinaloa review), but I just can't get behind a group who seems almost, well, asleep during their album.

-Erik

The Anniversary - Devil On Our Side: B-Sides And Rarities

2009-05-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

School is out for summer, my internship is over, and I'm unemployed until I get back to Ohio, and even then, probably until June. What better thing to do than review stuff then?

This right here is a two disc compilation of B-sides and rarities from The Anniversary (obviously, if you read the title). For those who never listened, the closest comparison I can think of when thinking about this band's first album would be Motion City Soundtrack, except a few years older. However, while The Anniversary's first album was a complete sugar rush of keyboard infused pop-punk awesomeness, they made a complete left turn on their second album, the classic rock indebted Your Majesty. It was a turn I didn't get when it first came out, and it's one I still do not get to this day. In the end, I think Motion City Soundtrack has had a better overall track record than The Anniversary.

However, this does not diminish how important of an album Designing A Nervous Breakdown was to me. I picked it up when I was in 9th grade, and became immediately attached to it. I first heard the band through one of those Vagrant Records Another Year On The Streets compilations (incidentally, the first place I ever heard Rocket From The Crypt!), and man, I thought I was on to some really underground shit once I tracked down their album. I kept that album like a secret, only showing it to a few people. Which is why Your Majesty was such a slap in the face to me- as it showcased a band abandoning everything they were really haphazardly.

As for this collection, it's a bit like a see-saw in terms of my relationship with The Anniversary. The songs that sound more like Designing are fucking great, and it's interesting to hear some of those songs in rougher, demo form. However, some of the other stuff on here is just head-scratchingly bad. I remember right before they broke up, in a couple issues of Alternative Press, that they had been working on some new EPs, one of which was supposed to contain "campfire songs" and the other would contain more reggae oriented tracks. Well, some of those songs are on this collection, and the idea of The Anniversary playing reggae is JUST as bad as you think it is. Please, skip the song "Che" every time you listen to this. I think I found myself actually shaking my head a few times during the duration of Disc 2, which compiles most of the Your Majesty era rarities.

Oh, and who thought it would be a good idea to put those two live tracks on there of Josh Berwanger talking between songs? Especially when they aren't the most endearing ones, it really just kind of makes him come off as as huge of a prick people were perceiving him as during the Your Majesty days.

Anyway, this was good for the sake of digging up some Designing-era B-sides, but at the same time a little disheartening to basically chronicle the way I feel this band managed to shoot itself in both feet stylistically.

They still have a MySpace, by the way: http://www.myspace.com/theanniversary69

-Erik

Rival Schools - United By Fate

2009-04-11T23:58:00.001-07:00

I don't understand this album. I don't understand this band, or the people in it. Rival Schools is composed of a veritable who's-who of the late 80's New York hardcore scene, and the post-hardcore scene that sprung from it. Members include Walter Schreifels, from the legendary Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand, and Sammy Siegler, also an ex-Biscuit. I don't understand how people from so many good bands could make such a completely underwhelming album.

First off, what the fuck is post-hardcore? Does it even mean anything? If you look at it literally, it means "after hardcore." Well, this is a band that was started AFTER a bunch of these dudes were in hardcore bands, so I guess that qualifies. Apparently "post-hardcore" also means you write borderline radio rock songs that make fans of your earlier work scratch their heads and just sit there and wonder, "Why?"

Mainly, I could just see people buying this album based on the members' pedigree, and being extremely confused. They might check the liner notes, just to make sure they bought the correct album. First off, this album is produced as FUCK. I can almost anticipate a rock radio DJ beginning to talk at the ends of some songs. It's so slick, you could possibly go ice skating on it. That's not even mentioning Schreifels's vocals on this album, which inch closer and closer to aspiring-Cobain territory.

Ugh, I can't even focus on this. I'm just so baffled that people who actually contributed to an album as good as Start Today could be the same people responsible for such safe nuggets as "Good Things" or "Undercovers On," in my opinion two of the worst songs on this album, the latter of which throws in the "acoustic guitar over all the rest of the noise" trick that just pisses me off. I'm baffled at the apparently sampled drum parts on "Holding Sand" that sit right next to some near-nu-metal guitar riffs. I just can't wrap my head around this. If this is what post-hardcore really means, count me out.

It's official. Each project Walter Schreifels does, I like less and less. I really really like Gorilla Biscuits, I only like Quicksand's first album, and this, well this just doesn't do a thing for me. If anything, it just kind of makes my head hurt and confuses me. But, in the end, this album came out eight years ago, and I'm just another asshole with a blog and an opinion.

-Erik

Rocket From The Crypt - The State Of Art Is On Fire

2009-04-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Let me start this post by saying I think Rocket From The Crypt may be one of the most consistent acts to have ever existed. No matter the release, you knew what you were getting yourself into: absolutely searing rock 'n' roll with blaring horns, and John Reis' perpetually sleazy vocal style leading the entire charge. As much as I liked a couple of the bands that came out of the whole "Return Of Rock" revival at the beginning of this decade (ie: The Hives, The Strokes), they were hardly needed to play the role of saviors, since RFTC was still trucking along just fine during that time period.

Reis also may be one of the craftiest businessmen to play the major label machine. In addition to getting RFTC on Interscope, he also convinced them to sign his other band at the time: the even weirder/more abrasive Drive Like Jehu, who put out their final album Yank Crime in 1994 before disbanding. Despite putting out most of RFTC's main LPs on major labels, Reis was also offered the freedom to put out smaller releases on labels such as Sympathy For The Record Industry. The State Of Art Is On Fire is a prime example of this.

1995 was probably the most busy year for RFTC- recording and releasing three different things by the end of the year. Kicking things off with this, then the quirky Hot Charity, and ending the year with the fucking cannonball of an album that is Scream, Dracula, Scream. A banner year, for sure.

The State Of Art Is On Fire is unique in its approach, as it was pressed on a 10" record where one side is played at 33rpm and the other at 45. As a result, the A side is a ton gritter than the B side, which actually goes as far to showcase a kinder, gentler RFTC, with some of Reis' most tuneful singing coming in the form of the song "Ratsize." As I just stated, the A side of this record absolutely slays, and it sounds like the band themselves might actually have been on fire while recording it. 3/4ths of the songs on the A-side even have some sort of reference to fire in the title. An aborted concept album, perhaps? And how about the part at the end of the A-side where everyone locks into the same riff? Chills.

Had the production been cleaned up a little more, there would be no reason any of these songs could not have appeared on Scream, Dracula, Scream. They're dually some of the harshest yet melodic things the band ever put to tape, and it's a shame that this release doesn't get more attention, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of it from Looney Tunes Records off the Hynes Convention Center T stop, and was thus pretty excited to write about it!

-Erik

Cloak/Dagger - We Are

2009-04-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'm really supposed to be writing a paper right now, but this album has made that basically impossible. I know I've been slacking on this blog for the past half-month, etc. Let's get into it.

I first saw and heard Cloak/Dagger when they were opening for Lifetime right after that band put out their phenomenal self-titled album (quick note, an album that stands just as high as Hello Bastards and Jersey's Best Dancers, making for one of the best 3-for-3 runs any band has had in my mind). They played to a slightly confused crowd, most of whom were actually there for The World/Inferno Friendship Society (another quick note: while I like the band, their shows are obnoxious experiences only because you're constantly getting slammed into by very nicely dressed ladies and gents who have no other desire beyond shoving you the fuck out of their way. Like, even before the band started playing). However, they had me sold.

Perplexingly, Cloak/Dagger contains one member of the underrated and defunct Renee Heartfelt, but they couldn't be any further from that band's effective Quicksand-aping. It's been stated a bunch of other times, but Cloak/Dagger somehow manages to slip into that comfortable slot between Hot Snakes and 80's hardcore. A couple of years after seeing them, I finally picked up their debut full length, We Are, at some used CD store that is currently slipping my mind. It would be months before it came up on my iTunes on my list of stuff to listen to.

Honestly, this is not the band I remembered seeing opening for Lifetime. It's a band that's like ten times better. A great deal of this credit goes to producer Chris Owens (who also handles guitar/vocal duties in the completely batshit insane Lords), a guy whose production work I have always admired. Owens really knows how to take a band and make them sound as raw as humanly possible without it devolving into a 2-track tape hiss/fuzz mess. The drums hit like punches to the stomach, and constantly seem to be on the verge of peaking, resulting in album that completely tramples the listener. Oddly enough, I see a lot of Owens in this band's vocal style, in which phrases are stretched out and given a little upwards inflection at the end of each line.

The first song on here had me a bit worried, as it initially seems like the biggest Hot Snakes rip of the bunch, namely the song "Braintrust" off of Audit In Progress. However, the aping quickly stops once "Sunburnt Mess" kicks in, which I swear could have been an unrecorded Minor Threat song. While there isn't really anything on We Are that sticks out head and shoulders above the rest, it's of little consequence. It's an album that doesn't give you time to breathe or think about things, where total destruction seems like its ultimate goal. There's hardly any room left between songs, and just when things seem like they're going to slow down a bit, after the mostly instrumental "JC Pays The Bills," "Hollywood Hills," immediately dispels that notion.

Basically, if I had to classify any album I've listened to in the past couple of weeks as a "complete and utter shredder," it would be this one. Hats off.

-Erik

Sinaloa - Footprints On Floorboards

2009-03-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, there are bands that I hear a lot of great things about, bands that get compared to other bands that I like a lot, and bands that because of this reason, I think I would really like. Which is why Sinaloa frustrates me. All of the above scenarios have happened with them, but for some reason, I haven't heard anything by them that really sinks its claws into me and won't let go.

I think the biggest issue I run into when thinking about Sinaloa is the scene in which they are from. Massachusetts has a bunch of fantastic screamo/emo acts playing around the area, including Ampere and Daniel Striped Tiger, two bands that I am big fans of. Coincidentally, I have seen both of those bands live before. Maybe if I saw Sinaloa I would finally get what they're trying to accomplish a bit clearer. Right now, all I hear is that Sinaloa is a band that traffics in the sort of early/mid-90s emo that bands like Moss Icon or Indian Summer became known for.

Meanwhile, Footprints On Floorboards, while being far from offensive, falls into pits of redundancy with me. It becomes hard for me to distinguish songs from one another, and the vocals are pretty uniform throughout the entire album, in that each line usually starts at a pretty high pitch, and works it way down. With the lack of a bass player (except on two tracks, and it's an acoustic double bass!), their guitar work becomes harder to distinguish from song to song. Basically, it all just kind of runs together. They lack the immediate, huge riffs of Daniel Striped Tiger, or the balls out chaos of Ampere.

Yet, part of me feels bad for being so harsh towards Sinaloa. The reason they don't have a bass player is because either their old or prospective bass player ended up dying. They kept the space vacant as a memorial. I also feel bad because there is a ton of emotion being released in every song. Not in a whiny/self-indulgent way, but in huge cathartic bursts. There's just some sort of indistinguishable wall holding them back from me really getting into them.

There are two minutes where Sinaloa hit true pay dirt on this album, and they're the songs "Green Street" and the absolutely staggering closer "With Our Ears To The Soil." The latter has to be one of the more powerful songs I've heard recently, no doubt.

I'll be taking a look at their 2008 album Oceans Of Islands somewhat soon. Maybe that will be the one to finally convert me.

-Erik

Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster

2009-03-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Los Campesinos have all of the energy of an entire kindergarten class hooked up to caffeine IV drips, which is to say, a LOT. Oddly enough, the first band that came to mind upon starting this album was The Anniversary circa Desigining A Nervous Breakdown- if The Anniversary were British and WAY more hyped about everything.

The vocals are split pretty evenly between Gareth and Aleksandra Campesinos (who are also responsible for glockenspiel and keyboard, respectively). I'd have to say I favor Gareth over Aleksandra though. While she's a competent enough singer, she's just kind of, I don't know, there. Meanwhile, her male counterpart, who at times seems like Art Brut singer Eddie Argos' little brother, is wailing his way through every song, sounding exactly like the unhinged, manic adolescent their music seems to represent. He's wildly out of key, he causes the mix to clip at times, but at the same time, he's what pushes the band beyond the lazy comparisons one could make (like the one I did earlier!).

The band's debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster manages to pack in a ton of references (to things like the ATP music festival, K Records), barrels of seemingly teenage angst, and other timeworn lyrical focuses into extremely high strung indie punk. Guitar leads are high on the neck of the guitar and all over the place. Synths buzz in every direction, everyone is shouting, and the whole thing constantly seems like it's on the verge of falling apart. Which is exactly where this album manages to derive a great deal of its charm. If this album was completely smoothed over, or run through a ProTools autotune rig, I doubt I'd be that interested in listening, as it would probably sound just like every other indie band that has managed to score big in Europe. When the songs hit their slower sections, I'm guessing it's because they all just need to take a breather. That's how frantic things get at times.

Surprisingly, the song everybody seemed to dry hump when it came out, "You! Me! Dancing!" was probably my least favorite of the set. It's almost like it made it big because it was the closest thing to safe indie rock that the band had released.

I haven't heard Los Campesinos' 2nd 2008 release, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed yet, but if it manages to come anywhere close to the manic highs this album achieves, I'll look forward to checking it out.

-Erik

Darker My Love - S/T

2009-03-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

It's midterm week here in Boston, which means I have plenty of time to listen to tons of albums while I do work and whatnot. The only downside, is that I don't have the time to WRITE about them, so I am majorly backed up on content! I'll work through it.

Anyway, Darker My Love is a band that on paper, really shouldn't work. Here we have two ex-members of The Nerve Agents, who were in my opinion, one of the most hype punk/hardcore acts to come out of California, starting a psych-rock/shoegazeish type group. Honestly, my expectations weren't that high. It's just such a complete 180 from everything that made The Nerve Agents so great- their speed, how loose and spastic they seemed at all times, threatening to burst at any moment. My friend Patrick here in Boston, who is from Santa Cruz, CA, has told me several stories of seeing The Nerve Agents and describing it as one of the most dangerous experiences he's ever had in his life.

So yeah, complete stylistic left turn, blah blah blah. To be blunt, this album completely failed to engage me upon first listen. Five tracks in, I was ready to dismiss this album as nothing more than Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's first album worship (which was in itself total Jesus And Mary Chain worship). Two degrees away from the original source material.

But then, all of a sudden, this became the little album that could, as quickly as my second spin through it. I realized my initial comparisons were a bit off. I actually started noticing the organ parts scattered throughout, or the harmonies in the vocals, or just how damn well this album is produced. If I had to be lazy, I would go as far as to describe this band as a more laid back Swervedriver, if Swervedriver wasn't so obsessed with, well, driving, or writing albums as awesome as Mezcal Head.

Sometimes it's as simple as a band just putting together a really well crafted album, that pays respects to their influences without being a total rip. This album is nothing explosive, relevatory, or new for that matter, but it's just good, and it seems to get better each time I come back to it.

I've gotten to the point where I'm taking so much music in that I'm finding it harder to look forward to hearing new things. I mean, I'm always open to it, but actively pursuing specific things happens less and less. I'm a complete mess when I go into a record store, because I have no fucking clue what I'm looking for. That being said, since this album has grown on me, I really want to track down a copy of Darker My Love's second album, the aptly titled 2. It feels good to look forward to stuff again.

-Erik

Mi Ami - Ark Of The Covenant

2009-02-22T19:30:00.000-08:00

Mi Ami is a new band, containing two members of departed Dischord records noiseniks Black Eyes. That band blew my fucking mind just thinking about them. I picked up their last album, Cough shortly after it came out, and I didn't know if I liked it, was disgusted by it, or just plain confused. I mean, shit, they had two drummers AND two bass players. It was almost more than I could handle.

Anyway, one of the Dans from Black Eyes is in this band (the one with the high voice), and if you couldn't stand his voice before, then Mi Ami will not be of interest to you. He's still high pitched as all hell, and somehow even more yappy, much like a small dog. So far, Mi Ami's output has been restricted to a series of 12" singles, of which Ark Of The Covenant is one.

In 6:09, Mi Ami manage to capitalize on all of the dub directions Black Eyes were hinting at on Cough, like they're making up for lost time since that band broke up. The first half of this song is completely frantic, sounding a bit like The Rapture's "House Of Jealous Lovers" with way more spastic guitar. Things calm down a bit in the second half, in which an actually pretty melodic part rears its head. It's like the soundtrack to one night of incredibly heavy partying on a faraway beach, the second half being the point where the sun rises and you just start yelling shit because you haven't slept all night and can't believe it's actually morning. Rough.

Anyway, the first half of this single is kind of unimpressive, because people who listened to Black Eyes already knew these dudes could make a bunch of noise. It's just nothing new coming from this crew. If Mi Ami decides to pursue things more like the second half of Ark Of The Covenant, but still manages to retain some of the quirk of the first half, it'll be more than worth listening to.

-Erik

Down In The Dumps - Dumps Luck

2009-02-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Yet another member of the highly incestuous Long Island punk scene, Down In The Dumps managed to kick around for a good four years, contributing tracks to split 7"'s with bands like Tiltwheel, and as a member of a four band split, Red & Blue, Potboiler, and Fellow Project. Dumps Luck is the band's sole full length, coming out in 2007 on the incredibly solid Kiss Of Death Records. (Seriously, find me something that label put out that sucks, because I haven't found it yet)

They're far from re-inventing the wheel here, but you'd be a liar to say they weren't completely engrossed with what they did before they broke up in 2008 (forming Get Bent and Jonesin'). All of the usual chords are around, you know, like three or four per song at times. However, I feel that Down In The Dumps stood out from the rest of their Long Island peers in that their sound was decidedly more West Coast influenced. Pinhead Gunpowder and early American Steel seemed to be logical touchstones for these dudes, and hey, if you're going to sound like any bands, those aren't bad ones to start with.

DITD weren't mere ripoff artists though, as there is plenty of creative lead guitar work going on here. Check the stabbing, spiraling riffs that inhabit "Ex-Brothers And Ex-Lovers," or the entire outro of "Raggedy Anne," which could only accurately be described as a riff-fest.

Basically, if you're a fan of punk rock, and you're ever starting to get burnt out on the whole thing, it's good that albums like this exist to remind you why you got into the stuff in the first place. You couldn't scrape an ounce of pretension from this album if you tried. It's nothing that spectacular, but it's more than proficient at what it accomplished.

Oh yeah, this album can be downloaded completely legally from the fine folks over at IfYouMakeIt, who have become somewhat of a clearing house lately for short-lived New York/New Jersey bands. Check out the Pink Couch series while you're there, because it rules.

Down In The Dumps - "Dumps Luck" @ IfYouMakeIt

-Erik

Shorebirds - It's Gonna Get Ugly

2009-02-14T14:53:00.000-08:00

As his post-Latterman career continues, it's becoming increasingly apparent that Matt Canino will never be able to shake that band off of his back. Everything he puts out will inevitably be compared to Latterman. Even more odd about this is the fact that Latterman really wasn't doing anything terribly groundbreaking (I say this even as a gigantic fan of the band). I would like to think that beating the shit out of your instruments, making a huge melodic racket, and singing so hard your voice goes out, your head throbs, and your face turns red, hell, the entire concept of actually giving a fuck, was something that never went out of style to begin with.

So let's back up a second, and disregard band names, how big those bands were, and who happens to be in the band, and make a general declaration: No matter what band he is currently in, Matt Canino might be one of the most consistent songwriters out there today when it comes to melodic, heartfelt punk rock. In his songs, there will be singalong parts, there will be gruff shouting, and there will be chord progressions that are incredibly simple, yet undeniably effective. The dude does a lot with a little.

Drummer Keith Henderson, Canino, and bassist Chris Bauermeister (who played in some California band called Jawbreaker. Hm...sounds familiar.) only put out one seven inch and one full length under the Shorebirds name. While their breaking up kind of sucks, at least they went out like sattelite debris crashing to earth over Siberia (heads up, everyone).

Fuck, I can't avoid it any longer. I have to drop one Latterman comparison. It's Gonna Get Ugly, the sole Shorebirds full length, takes the time tested L-man formula and injects about 50% more upbeat energy into it. Yes, that is possible. Frantic is a word I would definitely use to describe this album. It's almost as if they only had a few hours in the studio, so they played everything faster than usual. I mean, just listen to "Circles." The song absolutely rips past you in 1:17 and still manages to contain some of the best hooks on the album. Henderson rocks the 1-2 punk beat to death, and the switch to half time near the end is just clutch.

Lyrically, it's interesting to see Canino move further away from the posi-cheerleading he admitted to getting tired of in Latterman. Some of the songs could even be described as bleak, such as late album highlight "Run Away." However, the dude still loves the recurring theme trick that Latterman used a few times, this time in the form of the line "The city's exploding," which is not only the first line of the entire album, but arguably the centerpiece of the closing track. As if this wasn't obvious enough, the songs are titled "Highways" and "Byeways." GET IT? IT'S ALL LIKE, CONNECTED, MAN.

When Shorebirds was formed, Canino had just moved from New York to the West Coast (Washington state, I do believe). It's Gonna Get Ugly only goes to show that you can change everything else around you, be it where you live, your friends, your dietary habits, but some things will always stay the same, even if they appear a little different at first.

So yeah, check this album out if you can get your hands on it. It's more than worth the 27 minutes it takes to fly by you.

-Erik

Various Artists - An England Story

2009-02-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

A quick disclaimer before I go any further: I don't claim to know a damn thing about reggae/dancehall/etc. But then again, that makes SoulJazz Records' An England Story a perfect release for me to write about on this blog. Once or twice a year, my roommate Nate and I trade a shit ton of music with each other, basically catching up on what each of us managed to pick up over the past year. Anyway, I got this from him, and I'm definitely glad I did.

The story told by this compilation is one of mutual influence- Jamaican on English, English on Jamaican. It's one of respecting the elders of the genre while showcasing some rising stars. It's one of teenage artists performing to huge crowds at ages when most of us were in high school. Above all though, it's a story of a bunch of artists fighting for individuality in a widely typecast genre and succeeding.

The two disc compilation kicks off with the title track, performed by who I believe to be the only white artist involved, the aptly named YT. In exactly four minutes, YT basically tells the entire history of the British MC, namedropping fast chat icons like Papa Levi or Tippa Irie alongside crossover artists like Top Cat. For a beginner like myself, it's the equivalent of CliffNotes, and a great primer for the other artists still to come.

Once again, only having cursory knowledge of the genre, I knew that re-using beats (or "riddims") was a well known practice. However, when co-ed duo Suncycle's "Somebody" drops in, I was a little taken aback. The majority of American listeners will probably immediately recognize the beat from rapper Pitbull's 2004 hit "Culo," which was produced by Lil' Jon. This, however, begs the question: how exactly did Lil' Jon "produce" this song? I mean, obviously, he may have been behind the boards when Pitbull put his lyric down, and he DID shout a bunch on that track, but it really just shows how different the definition of "producing" is when considering reggae/dancehall and American hip-hop. In the English tradition, it seems to tilt a little more towards the workman angle. In the American sense, it implies more creation on the part of the producer. Once again, I could be completely wrong with all of this. Be patient with me.

This leads me to one of my main frustrations with this compilation. There aren't any credits for any of the artists anywhere to be found. Therefore, the only way I can judge if a song is one of the ones culled from the 1980's is by the production style. Does it sound a little older? It might be from the 80s. However, all I can go by is speculation. The non-chronological track order only adds to the confusion.

If anything, this compilation serves well in pointing people towards specific subsets of the genre they might be interested in. It's in no way perfect. Some songs are repetative to the point of annoyance, while others straight up crackle with energy and vitality (Skibadee's "Tika Toc" being a prime example of this).

Things about dancehall/reggae/grime culture I have come to really admire due to this compilation that I was not aware of before:
- The sports-team like interplay between different soundsystems (ie: Tippa Irie almost being "traded" between different crews early on in his career)
- The lovingly paternal attitude a lot of the dancehall old guard hold towards the grime artists.
- The willing and encouraged cannibalization of the genre for future songs. The best example being the jungle/drum and bass reimagining of Top Cat's laid back, acoustic led "Love Mi Ses."

Whew. I didn't mean to talk (or write) your ears off, but this was a two disc affair!

-Erik

Project 27 - Smarten Up

2009-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

There was a point in my life where I (unwisely) turned my back on almost all things "punk." I think it was during 10th or 11th grade. At this point, I'm not entirely sure. Either way, I don't know if it was a completely misguided attempt to look "sophisticated" or some bullshit like that, but it's a time period in my life that I can only shake my head at now. If it had continued, I probably would have missed out on a ton of albums that are just as fun as Project 27's Smarten Up.

On this album, the production is uber-slick, the chord progressions are at times incredibly elementary, and the lyrics are questionable at times. However, all of this is just fine. In my Top 20 of 2008 list, I talked about Teenage Bottlerocket's complete lack of bullshit when it comes to songwriting, how awesome I find their 1-2-3-4, three chords, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, out format. The same formula basically applies here, except Project 27 are a lot more prone to tinkering around in the studio. On top of straightforward pop-punk, vocal harmonies are slathered like a thick layer of butter on toast. It's all instantly sing-a-long-able and pretension free. Drummer Joey Mac penned most of the lyrics here, and although they aren't about any topics not already tread in this genre, they're still personal enough to not be considered anywhere close to generic.

Till Plains played with these guys this past summer, and I have to say, they're a band where you have to take their live experience and combine it with the album to truly appreciate them. All of bassist Richie Roast's parts are clear on the album, and are surprisingly intricate, considering the genre. Live, I never really noticed this.

There is probably only one truly cringe-worthy moment on this album, and that's on the song "My Future," with its totally wanky guitar parts. It's really hard to hold this against them, though.

At the same time, the album doesn't last long enough for you to get tired of it, which is an admirable aspect.

So, here are two things I can say to sum up this album:

1) This is the kind of pop-punk I wish people were making when I was in high school. I will never, ever, understand the appeal of all that nu-emo garbage that magazines like Alternative Press try to shove down the throats of people everywhere. All it is is boy-bands with guitars. But, then again, if you bother to even read this blog, I doubt you're even into that kind of music, so I'm probably preaching to the choir.

2) I'd like to thank Project 27 for making this album, as it brightened up this dismally cold Boston evening considerably.

Side note: I haven't dug that far into Rally Records' catalog, but this is the second Rally album I've bought that features very cursory organ work, along with The Leftovers' On The Move. Is there an in-house organ player that has to make appearances on every Rally release?

-Erik

7" Roundup - Volume 1

2009-01-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

In addition to whatever albums I'm listening to, I thought it'd be fun to talk about the shorter, smaller records I've been checking out as well. Here it goes! These will be posted in 3 record chunks.

Fucked Up - Crooked Head

I picked this one up at the Newbury Comics on Newbury St. the other day. For those who don't know, Fucked Up likes to release extremely limited editions of basically everything they put out. Case in point: a single copy of The Chemistry Of Common Life on reel-to-reel tape I saw lead singer Damian Abraham carrying around when I saw them play at Great Scott this past October (I later found out 30 of these were made. HUGE difference, right?). Anyway, when it comes to buying records, I'm not really that concerned about getting limited edition stuff, first pressings, or every color of a single album. I just want the songs!

Anyway, the version of "Crooked Head" that appears on this single is markedly different from the version on Chemistry. The bridge section sounds a lot more like My Bloody Valentine, of all bands. It's billed as a "single mix," which means a lot of the noise in the middle of the LP version has been cut out. Either way, it's still a great song that manages to get itself lodged in my head from time to time.

The cost of the record is really justified by the B-side, "I Hate Summer." Call this blasphemous, but the closest cousin I can find to this song is that song the Hives wrote for Cartoon Network last year, except the Fucked Up song is a lot more pissed off and relateable. It's nice to see Fucked Up stepping away from their metaphor packed, esoteric, but still totally awesome hardcore in order to write a song like "I Hate Summer," and it makes the Crooked Head 7" one of the more interesting releases Fucked Up put out in 2008.

The Serious Geniuses/Jean Claude Jam Band - Split

The last time I wrote about The Serious Geniuses, I talked about how I was starting to get tired of people constantly comparing them to Archers Of Loaf, since I think they're strong enough to stand as their own, unique act. This 7" only furthers my idea. It marks the initial recording of "Marc Attack," one of the standout tracks from their 2008 album You Can Steal The Riffs, But You Can't Steal The Talent, and comes off a whole lot rawer, especially in the vocals. I thought the song ripped before, but it straight up burns this time around. It's a downright power-pop/indie riot. The second SG song, "Hoffstra," doesn't appear on the full length, which kind of makes sense, since it sounds extremely different from everything on that album, but still SG-ish.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Jean Claude Jam Band side of the split, since at first I almost wasn't willing to give them the benefit of the doubt beyond their (admittedly hilarious) name. Barker from Witches With Dicks/Ringers wrote all of the songs here, and what he presents are two punky/poppy gems with extremely well thought out lyrics. Definitely recommended.

Lemuria - Self Titled

I'm extremely vocal about how highly I hold Lemuria, and I don't care who I annoy in the process. I had all of the songs here already on my computer, but when I found this at Shake-It Records in Cincinnati, I couldn't resist picking it up. This release falls squarely into the time period where Lemuria was still writing faster, more upbeat indie-punk songs, and represents some of the best output of that time.

Since I'm still relatively new to vinyl, I never really bought into the whole "vinyl sounds better than everything else" argument that a lot of people like to throw around a lot, but this record stands as a case for that point. For some bizarre reason that I can not pinpoint, the vinyl version of this sounds a lot louder, a lot rawer, and a lot more intimate. At this point in their career, Lemuria were already writing extremely personal songs, but these versions sound intimate to the point that you feel like you shouldn't even be listening to them, like you're invading someone's privacy. Let me clarify that these are all awesome characteristics.

Unrelated, but I'm also amused at how TUFF all three members look on the cover for this, considering they're all some of the nicest, most sincere people I've ever had the pleasure of talking to.

-Erik

Fugazi - Red Medicine

2009-01-25T21:22:00.000-08:00

So yeah, as stated in this blog's first entry, I'm really just going to write about new stuff I'm listening to. Plus, thinking of more lists would probably get really old after a while! The first album I'll be talking about is:

It took me almost six years, but as soon as I bought Red Medicine, I completed my collection of Fugazi's full length albums (I'm counting 13 Songs as a full length, rather than a compilation album of sorts). It all started around Christmas time of ninth grade. My friends and I bought each other whatever used CDs we could find at the CD/Game Exchange in Norwood, OH. Along with 13 Songs, my friend Aaron bought me a used copy of The Ataris' Anywhere But Here. Strange bedfellows, indeed.

Needless to say, although I harbor no ill will towards Kris Roe and company, Fugazi was the band that stuck around in my mind and playlists. Joe Lally's reggae/dub inspired bass lines continually blew my mind, and the vocal interplay between Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto was always perfect in my mind. There was MacKaye, the angry one, and Picciotto, the wispy, flamboyant, desperate one. A band breakdown can not be complete without mentioning Brendan Canty, one of the most versatile drummers I've heard.

Red Medicine, Fugazi's fifth album, really represents a huge turning point for the band. Things get a bit looser, and a bit stranger. Check the insane cackling at the beginning of "Birthday Pony," or Ian Mackaye really letting loose vocally on "Bed For The Scraping." Also, while Fugazi always did a great job of writing tense, quieter songs (such as "Suggestion" on 13 Songs, whose ending scared the living shit out of me the first time I heard it), the songs of that variety on this album truly forshadow the peak they would reach writing similar songs on their final album, The Argument.

Now that I think of it, I really think The Argument is the most similar to Red Medicine. The only difference is age. It's very apparent that it's a much younger band that wrote and performed Red Medicine, due to the looseness and eager experimentation.

Coming off of In On The Kill Taker, the album that preceeded this one, saw Fugazi dulling the sharp edges that made that album so caustic. If Kill Taker was a punch directly in the face, Red Medicine is the album that slowly stabs you while you're sleeping. It's raw, refined, dirty, angry, quiet, and manic all at once somehow. After only a few listens, it's already become one of my favorite albums by this sadly "on hiatus" band. I refuse to believe they'll stay quiet forever.

-Erik

The Top 20 Albums of 2008

2009-01-21T12:58:00.000-08:00

It's a little belated, I know, but here are my top 20 albums of 2008. Things got really busy around Ohio during January, what with me going on tour with the band I'm in (Till Plains), and still maintaining a job. Anyway, without further ado:

20. Bridge And Tunnel - East/West

These Latterman-descended guys and gals put out a firecracker of a debut album with East/West. There really isn't a more accurate way of describing it. These are songs that explode in every way possible. Completely vital.

19. The Serious Geniuses - You Can Steal The Riffs, But You Can't Steal The Talent

Put aside all of the "Archers Of Loaf worship" talk that a lot of people like to throw at this band, and you have an album of delightfully sloppy, ridiculously catchy indie rock from one of Boston's best bands currently making music. Constantly comparing every band you listen to to something else is fucking stupid. End of story.

18. Teenage Bottlerocket - Warning Device

No. Bullshit. What. So. Ever. The Bottlerocket dudes come out with another album of their no-frills, "1-2-3-4!" pop-punk, and they sound better than ever. Kody Templeman (nee Lillington?) continues his streak as one of the best vocalists in pop-punk, while Ray Carlisle steps way into his own, instead of sounding like Joey Ramone's bratty younger brother. This album burns. Several nights were spent on tour shouting along to every song on here.

17. Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams

Dan Bejar reels in a bit of the weirdness that made Rubies such a great album, but still delivers here, on his ninth album. Maybe doing that Hello, Blue Roses album dilluted his quirk a bit, but hey, there's a new Swan Lake album coming out this year to look forward to.

16. Lords - Fuck All Y'all Motherfuckers

The artwork. The tracklisting. The album title. There has already been a ton of coverage on those subjects. What everyone seems to be ignoring is how much more lethal a weapon Chris Owens has turned Lords into. While Swords seemed content to thrash about for it's own sake, it's all laser-focus this time around. Easily the most pissed-off album of the year, from a band who actually isn't afraid to let people know about it.

15. Off With Their Heads - From The Bottom

Songs so catchy, you often forget you're singing along about killing yourself. On days when you feel like complete scum, it's comforting to know Ryan Young is right there with you, saying the things you would only think about. Skeptics may say Young is overly negative/self-obsessed, but I seriously doubt he cares what anyone has to say. Sometimes, things are better that way.

14. Why? - Alopecia

There is no genre name that truly captures this album. Completely all over the place, both emotionally and stylistically. The best rap-indie-folk-noise-midwest-candid-core album of the year. That description might turn you WAY off to it, but trust me here.

13. The Night Marchers - See You In Magic

The Night Marchers (aka Hot Snakes minus Rick Froberg, plus one other guy) give you exactly what you would expect from a band that counts ex-Rocket From The Crypt kingpin John Reis among its members. Another album of scuzzy, sexed-up rock 'n roll from the guy who has been doing it right all along.

12. The Dopamines - S/T

Despite the fact that my band, Till Plains, released a split 7" with this band in November of this year, this album was on my "top of the year" list way before. Like the Off With Their Heads album, the Dopamines album thrives on its unflinching honesty, capturing early 20s life in Cincinnati better than anything else right now (well, then again, how many other people are really trying?). Jon Lewis rolls his anxieties off of his head, song after song: school, jobs, car wrecks. Jon Weiner gets drunk, falls in love, and ends up on a rooftop. Bonus points for the most secretively depressing song ever ("Molly"), which deals with the death of a dog with a heavy mix of grief, denial, and fond memories.

11. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

While not pressing forward or regressing stylistically this time around, The Hold Steady instead crafted what may be the most consistent album of their career. "Constructive Summer" and the title track are anthems, plain and simple.

10. Team Stray - Gender Studies

Ah yes, the "mature" album. There are less songs about making out, drunk driving, and the movie Sixteen Candles, but none of Team Stray's dorky charm is lost. Tom Schmidlin wows with his lyrics, while Mike Saylor thrusts himself into the foreground, writing the most complex and intense bass parts of Team Stray's career. "Small Talk" was easily one of the greatest songs of 2008 of any band, Cincinnati-based or otherwise. It's a shame that they just broke up.

9. Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us

Truth in advertising right here. The Broken Social Scene co-founder's first solo album runs the gamut of indie rock in the course of 48 minutes, and features some of the best bass lines he's written to this point. There are several moments on this album that make you slap your head and ask yourself "Why didn't I think of this first?" Highlight: the downright ecstatic "Churches Under The Stairs."

8. Boris - Smile

One of the more confusing releases of 2008. Should it be judged by it's more abstract Japanese version, or its more streamlined American release? Either way, the workaholic metal trio can safely place another notch on its belt with Smile, as it finds them making huge strides in melodicism while still retaining the bizarre elements that made people like them in the first place.

7. Paint It Black - New Lexicon

Dan Yemin has often talked about his love of hip-hop lyricists in interviews, but it wasn't until New Lexicon that this influence became very apparent. Yemin provides some of his most tongue twisting lyrics to date, while the rest of the band creates one of the the most brutal hardcore backdrops ever. A note to Refused: The shape of punk to come? It came.

6. The Copyrights - Learn The Hard Way

After four full lengths, I'm beginning to believe that The Copyrights are completely incapable of not writing anthems that need to be shouted at the top of lungs worldwide. They take a few stylistic detours here, and strip away some of the gloss that basically made Make Sound a perfect pop album, but in the end, Learn The Hard Way is a much more rewarding experience.

5. Torche - Meanderthal

Waaaaaaahhhhh, they aren't Floor! Waaaahhhhhh, they aren't brutal anymore! Waaaaahhhhh!!! Any bitching about Torche and their pop-tinged metal is completely invalid to me. Few bands created songs as memorable as "Healer" or took as many risks as this four-piece. Torche proved that you can be crushingly loud while not forgetting to write songs. As a result, they put out one of the most solid song-for-song albums of the year.

4. Dillinger Four - CIVILWAR

Well, it finally came out, and it ruled. Incredibly. A little poppier than past efforts, but still containing everything that made you love D4 in the first place.

3. Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common Life

The most entertaining coverage Fucked Up received in 2008 was from The Onion AV Club. I loved the fact that the AV Club was all about them, and was incredibly amused at the amount of hate they received from the comment section. It's impossible to talk about this album in any sort of consice manner, due to the sheer amount of things that are happening at once the entire time. 72 guitar tracks at once! A flute! A french horn! Two instrumental interludes! The Chemistry Of Common Life sees an already uncompromising band shedding its skin once again, honing it's melodic skills, and maintaining the hardcore bite that keeps all of the fickle punk types from hating them. No band gives less of a fuck what people think than Fucked Up. If they keep on churning out albums of this caliber, I'm calling it, they will easily go down as one of the greatest punk acts of our generation.

2. Lemuria - Get Better

After a plethora of singles, splits, and EPs, Lemuria finally dropped their first full length in 2008. With it, they dropped a whole lot of their guard. Alex Kerns managed to simplify his lyrics a great deal. Before, it was apparent he was singing/writing about personal issues, but they were at times obscured by dense metaphors or odd references. Here, Kerns and Sheena Ozzella spew all of their baggage across 12 tracks of Superchunk/90's influenced indie rock. There is a whole lot of retsraint at work this time around, so when Ozzella starts shouting "Shut up!" in album closer "Mechanical," it acts as a great release. No album was more emotional or technically surprising in 2008 than Get Better. Already one of my favorite bands, Lemuria really took it to the next level this time around.

1. Young Widows - Old Wounds

But then, there was this album. From the ashes of hardcore powerhouse Breather Resist, Young Widows plowed everyone's eardrums over on 2006's Settle Down City, and on their subsequent split with Coliseum. Comparisons were thrown around. Jesus Lizard this, Jesus Lizard that. Whatever. The most initially astonishing thing about Old Wounds is how much quieter it is than its predecessor, but none of the power is lost. Evan Patterson gets a lot more personal with his lyrics, and the result is astonishing. No loud album has been so intimate. No intimate album has been so noisy. Most importantly, no other album topped this one in 2008.

The Best EPs/Non-Albums of 2008

2009-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

The title of this entry really says it all, so I'll spare you any sort of introduction! After this, it's just the Top 20 albums of 2008, and then the real purpose of this blog will kick into effect.

Cheeky - Choke On A Cheeseburger

Despite being released digitally in December of 2007, Cheeky's debut EP makes it on to this list due to it being released on vinyl some time during 2008. Technicalities like that rule. Anyway, vocalist/guitarist Kate Eldridge is pissed about a bunch of things on this little release. So, logically, she and the rest of Cheeky construct insanely catchy, slightly quirky punk rock around her lyrics. The lyrics may be a point of contention for some, due to their simplicity and bluntness, but like the band they cite as a major influence, were the lyrics on the first Replacements releases all that great? While I can't really see Cheeky getting to the mature points the Replacements eventually did, I also don't really care. I'll keep on singing along to this just to use the term "namby pamby" a bunch.

Get Bent - Demo

Get Bent isn't really doing anything new, but they're doing what they do incredibly well. Their five-song demo consists entirely of hits, leaving no time for filler. Vocally, they recall later-day Hot Water Music if Chuck Ragan wasn't drowning in a sea of gruffness. It may not be the OMG musical moment of 2008 that some people make it out to be, but it is still one of the better debuts of the year.

Dead To Me - Little Brother

I personally love how no-frills of a band Dead To Me is. Like their full length, Cuban Ballerina, this EP is jam-packed with singable choruses, simple yet effective instrumental parts, and Jack Dalrymple's still amazing vocals. Chicken really steps up his game on this release as well. Despite having much more personal lyrics on Cuban, his vocal delievery always seemed to be overshadowed by Dalrymple. Thus, it's a little surprising that my favorite track on here is the Chicken-led "Arrhythmic Palpatations," which straight up burns with energy. Aside from the bizzare ska interlude in the title track, this is everything an EP should be.

Iron Chic - Demo

Another free offering from the great people over at ifyoumakeit.com, Iron Chic is another group that spawned from the posi-wreckage of Latterman. What makes Iron Chic appealing, however, is how they manage to acknowledge their past while taking elements from it that may have taken a backseat previously, and brought them to the forefront. Check the fuzz bass on "Timecop," or the odd production on opener "In One Year." Both feel like they could have fit in well on Latterman's swan song, ...We Are Still Alive, without feeling like retreads. Here's hoping their pedigree doesn't overwhelm what's going on here. They aren't Latterman, and that's just fine.

The Ergs - Hindsight Is 20/20, My Friend

Let's make one thing very clear. BIAS BIAS BIAS BIAS BIAS. The Ergs are one of my favorite bands of all time, so it's kind of a shoe-in that they're making an appearance on this list. They just broke up this past November, but not before leaving behind this massive retrospective that compiles just about all of their vinyl/compilation/floppy disc appearances on to one CD. I can't say enough about why The Ergs rule. They represent the best combination of musical aptitude, dork humor, sensitivity, and songwriting that has managed to rear its head this decade, bar none. Happy trails, Ergs.

The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah EP

On the cheekily named Satanic Messiah EP, John Darnielle basically takes Heretic Pride and strips it of all of its bells and whistles. This is old-school MGs at work here, just Darnielle, a guitar, and a piano. Not surprisingly, it rules. Listen to the title track over and over until you can't stand it any longer.

-Erik

Top Albums of 2008 (Honorable Mentions)

2009-01-01T16:20:00.001-08:00

Near the top, but just out of reach. Nonetheless, all of these albums rule, and are highly recommended.

Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game In Town

It's been a big year for Harvey Milk, both the tragically slain politician and the crushingly heavy band that shares his name. Life... manages to combine the sheer mass of past albums like Courtesy And Good Will Towards Men with a twisted sense of catchiness that bands like Torche have taken to as of late. When people like to talk about "epic songs," they should be forced to listen to this album's title track, a nearly 8 minute suite of alternating angelic and punishing vocals that eventually decay into sheer madness and guitar squalls. I find myself gritting my teeth a lot while listening to this album- a sign of a visceral and uncompromising album.

Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull

Is Dylan Carlson writing film scores? If not, he really should be. This album sounds like it could have easily been the alternate soundtrack to Kill Bill Vol. 2 if the movie's first half was about 2 hours longer and focused on every last detail of Beatrix Kiddo's day-to-day activities. In all seriousness, the sheer vastness of this album, coupled with its slow-burning repetitiveness result in one of the more hypnotizing albums of the year.

Kanye West - 808s And Heartbreak

Did the self-described "voice of the generation of the decade" have me sold when I first heard about the concepts behind this album? No. Did I think he was batshit crazy for attempting an entire album's worth of singing in AutoTune? Yes (I don't think we can really count the live freestyle tacked on at the end as being part of the album). But dammit, did Kanye West have the audacity to basically spit in the face of everything that has made him famous to this point and somehow make it work? Yes.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

The album that has now topped multiple "Best of 2008" lists and caused critics nation-wide to simultaneously shit themselves kind of lost some steam with me during the second half of the year, but it's still a damn solid recording, at times seeming like some lost Alan Lomax field recording remastered for the '00 decade. The only thing that kept this out of the Top 20 is how much their live experience overshadows their recorded output. Find me another band that could cause everyone at the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival to stop talking and stare at the stage while flawless harmonies came flying out. I dare you.

The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride

Maybe it's because I was introduced to The Mountain Goats through The Sunset Tree and Get Lonely, John Darnielle's two albums of extreme personal purging, but for some reason, I thought Heretic Pride was a bit of a retreat into safety. It's almost as if he opened up too much and felt as if he may have said something he regretted. Either way, it doesn't take away from how solid of an album Heretic Pride is. It contains some of Darnielle's biggest sing-a-long moments, and his always amazing lyrics (I mean, honestly, it's kind of a moot point to keep on pointing out how awesome of a lyricist he is at this point). A solid album in a career chock full of them.

M83 - Saturdays = Youth

Anthony Gonzalez has said many times in interviews how this album is his tribute to his teenage years. While I wouldn't say it wallows in nostalgia, there is still a feeling of it permeating this album that distracts it enough to keep it out of the top 20. That being said, there are some downright tremendous songs on this album that keep it in the honorable mentions category. "Teen Angst" may have been a song off of the last M83 album, but this album captures it so much better.

Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Chad VanGaalen took the concept of an album and went completely apeshit with it on this release. I haven't heard an album since The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me that tries to cram so much into one CD. It's almost as if CDs are a totally new format again! Look at all this space we have for tunes! Despite its at times unfocused nature, VanGaalen's disturbing voice (which always sounds like it's on the verge of collapsing) and bizzare choices in instrumentation keep this album in high regard around these parts.

Constantines - Kensington Heights

Much like The Mountain Goats album mentioned earlier, Kensington Heights is another entry in an already great catalog by the Constantines. The only drawback is that some of the tightly wound energy and tension from Tournement Of Hearts is lost this time around, replaced by restraint and nuance. Call it their "growing up" album if you must. The more fitting description is "another album of way above average indie rock in a musical landscape increasingly populated by filler and bands that are 'just ok'". Whew.

-Erik

Pleasant Surprises Of 2008

2009-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I haven't posted in a couple of weeks mainly due to the fact that I flew back to Ohio for the holidays, and I've been tied down with family/friend type stuff. But, here I am, back in the new year.

The albums listed here came from a few sources. Some were new acts, others were vets returning to the scene, and others were things I resisted listening to due to the relentless grinding of the hype machine. Either way, here are:

SIX ALBUMS I REALLY DIDN'T SET OUT TO LISTEN TO BUT ENDED UP LIKING ANYWAY:

Verse en Coma - Rialto

Not quite an EP, but not quite a full length, Verse En Coma's Rialto could probably have succeeded based purely on its pedigree. The band contains almost all of City of Caterpillar's original lineup, in addition to a large chunk of the members who made up Malady, the sadly underrated project that followed CoC. Where this album sets itself apart from its members' past is in how ridiculously melodic it is, while still maintaining a great deal of heft that these musicians have made their trademark over the years. Tracks like "Disappearing Glaciers" almost flaunt how poppy they are, while still refusing to take the easy way out in terms of production or guitar tone. Vocalist Brian Markham resembles a more subdued Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav at times, which contrasts interestingly with Verse En Coma's more post-rock influenced instrumentals. It's refreshing to see a band working like this, with two full time guitarists, neither of whom are clamoring for backup vocals or huge spotlight sections. The hard work put into this project really shows, and it'll be great to see what this band can come up with in 2009.

Tombs - Tombs

Where Verse En Coma's album succeeds in establishing rock-solid melodicism, the debut from Brooklyn, NY's Tombs succeeds in pummeling the living shit out the listener's ears. This is far from being a tedious process, however. The sheer amount of riffs hidden in the band's wall-of-sound style of metal makes for great repeat listening. Easily one of the most immersive listening experiences of 2008. It's staggering that this much sound can be produced by only three people. They have a new album coming out on Relapse in February, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

I seriously put off listening to this album for the longest time. Part of it was my aversion to solo acoustic projects, the other part was the refuckingdiculous amount of hype behind this album. That all melted away once I started listening to the first song because....his goddamn voice. Hearing the backstory behind the making of this album a million times only ended up enhancing it in the end. Then there are the little details, such as the inexplicable, yet tasteful use of AutoTune on “The Wolves (Act I and II)” (seriously, I fast forward to the AutoTune part of this song all the time. The whole song rules, though) or the unavoidable fact that this dude recorded the entire album by himself in a cabin is Wisconsin. The sheer amount of things going on here lends it to being a long, arduous process, and one can only imagine what was going through his mind the entire time. Yikes.

RZA - Digi Snacks

Sometimes I think some critics are just out to hate certain albums, and I feel that this was the case with this album. RZA changed hip-hop entirely when he crafted 36 Chambers and a great deal of those older Wu-Tang solo albums. Cut the dude a break. It’s better than Birth Of A Prince, and it’s great to see that RZA isn’t content to just rest on his laurels and the sound he helped birth. Sure this results in amusing dalliances in pitch-shifting on songs like “Straight Up The Block,” but it’s still more daring than a lot of hip-hop/rap coming out these days.

Portishead - Third

Honestly, anyone who wasn’t surprised by this one is lying to themselves. Over a decade since their last album, the 1990's face of mopey Britain returned and turned their entire sound on their head. “Silence” sounds like Slayer compared to the stuff on Dummy in terms of tempo, and the drum machines in “Machine Gun” are determined to punch your face in. Meanwhile, Beth Gibbons voice has retained all of it’s haunting charm, and drifts around the musical storms that make up this album.

City And Colour - Bring Me Your Love

I really wasn’t expecting too much from this. Whenever anybody drops the whole “acoustic solo project” thing, I usually turn tail and run the other way. Something about most stuff that comes out of the genre just immediately turns me off. Instead, Alexisonfire member (and singer of the downright flawless hook on Fucked Up's "Black Albino Bones") Dallas Green turns in a nice, 12 track collection of unassuming folk type songs. Completely non-offensive, but in the best way possible.

-Erik

The Disappointing Albums Of 2008

2008-12-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

The albums I liked this year, I liked a lot. I listened to each of them a ton, and a lot of them became solid parts of my daily life. Then, I would hear about albums that other people liked a lot, and decided to check them out. Needless to say, not all of them stuck. At times, I even felt like I had just wasted my time by listening to some of these albums. Some are by artists who have been around for a while, who I have followed for years, but are continually nosediving in quality, others are by artists slathered in hype who I don't think are all that good in the end.

USUALLY A LIST LIKE THIS MIGHT MAKE A PUBLIC ENEMY REFERENCE AND BE TITLED "DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT THIS ONE IS JUST CALLED "UGGGGHHHHHH."

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Let's get this one out of the way real quick. This album has two really good songs on it, tops. The rest I find to be nothing more than jangly glam-pop that is very self-involved and preoccupied with its posturing. Hearing horror stories about this band's live act hasn't helped my view of them either. At least they recognized how stupid their association with Gucci is (see the issue of SPIN with them on the cover for this little tidbit).

CSS - Donkey
Once again, an album that has two very good songs on it ("Rat Is Dead (Rage) and "Move"). However, my negative feelings towards this aren't half as vehement as they are towards the MGMT album. The rest of Donkey is really just kind of "eh." I understand that most of this album was written and recorded on the road, and it kind of shows. Several songs fall into retread dance-punk territory that the band would have been just as happy to smash on their first full length. On Donkey, one can truly see a band that's just out of their element. I don't listen to CSS to hear cute love songs, or anything of any real substance, really. The band is at their best when they display the fuck-all attitude that made their first album a sleeper hit in my book.

Beach House - Devotion

Beach House, Beach House, Beach House. I've given you an honest shot, but you've let me down two times now. I can't really wrap my head around why so many people like this band so much, but at least I can say I gave them a try. I just ended up listening to what could be one of the most boring albums I heard this year.

The Black Keys - Attack And Release

These Akron bluesheads lost me with everything released after Rubber Factory, an album that I still find incredibly rewarding in terms of songwriting and recording (it was knocked out over a five month period in 2004, inside of an abandoned warehouse in their hometown of Akron, OH). Attack And Release finds the Keys in an actual studio, with Danger Mouse behind the boards. What came out was their cleanest, weirdest release yet. In other words, everything I don't want from this band.

Alkaline Trio - Agony And Irony

Just a complete mess of an album. The Trio's last release, Crimson, was kind of iffy, but I was still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Then they came out with this, 11 tracks of hardly memorable rock music. There were times when I would look at my CD player while listening to this and be shocked that five tracks had gone by without me even realizing.

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Where was the noise? Where was the discord promised in this album? Did Ben Gibbard mistake "discord" to mean "eight minute long lead single whose first half isn't really necessary?" I see this album as marking the beginning of the real downward spiral for Death Cab.

Weezer - Weezer

Weezer's Red album is the equivalent of somebody you meet at a party. You think they're pretty cool, so you exchange contact information. The next day, you meet up, and all of a sudden, this person is REALLY obnoxious, and not the alright person you had met the night before. The first half of the album starts off inoffensively enough (in that it doesn't start with "Beverly Hills") with "Troublemaker," which follows into "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived," which, although containing some questionable lyrics, isn't that bad of a song. "Pork And Beans" even manages to recapture some of the band's Blue Album crunch.

And then the second half of the album dashes away any goodwill the first half established like a rock to the skull. WHY, RIVERS, WHY did you let the rest of the band take lead vocals on ANYTHING? Did you actually read bassist Scott Shriner's lyrics to "Cold Dark World?" I don't want to ever hear that dude say he's going to sex anything up in a strained near-rap-rock style. While it's good to see Rivers Cuomo coming out of his Make Believe era shell a little bit, it shouldn't be at the cost of an entire Weezer album.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Evil Urges wastes almost no time destroying its chances of being a great album. Article A: "Highly Suspicious," the most confounding thing this band has ever done. Over a bass guitar draped in effects that dude with long hair that you always see at Guitar Center is constantly tooling around with, Jim James shrieks and squeals about "peanut butter pudding surprises" and whatnot. Then there's the goofy ass chorus. It makes you completely forget about the epic title track and "Touch Me, I'm Going To Scream Pt. 1," which are two very worthy additions to the MMJ canon. I'm not even kidding when I say "Highly Suspicious" ruined this entire album for me.

Ratatat - LP3

I'm just going to call this one a swing and a miss. The first two Ratatat albums are still great. The guys just decided to try a bunch of new stuff, and it just so happened to result in a not-that-coherent album that lacks the non-stop hook assault that defined their earlier work. It happens.

Jaguar Love - Take Me To The Sea

I'm always a little suspicious when the first single from an album is also the first track. Is a single supposed to serve as the strongest representation of the album, or just the most accessible? Either way, "Highways Of Gold" is still a good song. Unfortunately, placing it at the beginning of the album set the bar a little too high for the rest of the album from these Pretty Girls Make Graves/Blood Brothers alums to reach.

Guns 'N Roses - Chinese Democracy

Well no shit. Any album that has been built up since I was seven years old is almost inevitably going to disappoint when it is finally released. I even think Chuck Klosterman was straining when he awarded this album an A- over at the Onion AV Club. I'm only writing about this because I like Appetite For Destruction, and there was part of me that thought Axl was saving something special inside of himself for this, but no. He apparently stopped thinking of ideas after 1996, which is when it sounds like this album should have come out. But who cares, really? Who cares what Pitchfork, or Klosterman, or any outlet that focuses mainly on indie/punk/hardcore/whatever thinks? There will still be people that buy this album and love it unconditionally.

The Cure - 4:13 Dream

The first three songs from this almost had all of my faith in The Cure restored after 2004's spotty self-titled album. I was then completely unexpected for what happened next. "Freakshow" is just not good. I can't put it any other way, really. The rest of the album finds The Cure flailing through a few of their more poppy styles, but never really managing to make anything stick. It's almost like when a person trips on something and they fling their arms around trying to find something to grab on to before they hit the ground. 4:13 Dream finds the veteran band trying to grab on to a fully realized concept and failing.

-Erik

Albums of 2008 That Were Just OK.

2008-12-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

The title kind of says it all this time. These were the albums of 2008 that, while not bad by any means, somehow failed to really get me hooked. In some of these cases, there was a great deal of critical/blog pants-shitting done, and I imagine some of these will turn up on several "Best of 2008" lists, and that's fine. Just, for whatever reason, I wasn't completely convinced. Whoops.

So without further ado...

THE 2008 "YEAH, IT'S OK" AWARDS:

TV On The Radio - Dear Science,

Aside from having one of the most obnoxiously punctuated album titles of the year (which, by the way, I've noticed a lot of publications omitting the comma at the end), my main gripe with this album is simply that it wasn't on par with Return To Cookie Mountain. I really thought the huge, expansive sound of that album fit this band extremely well, and to see them kind of rein things in a bit this time around was a little off-putting. That being said, there are still some really strong tunes to be found here. Not many albums this year had as strong of an opening 1-2 punch as "Halfway Home" immediately followed by "Crying" (especially with the latter's ridiculously great synth lines), but then "Dancing Choose" happens. Honestly, I think it's the most obnoxious track this band has written, with the exception of the Antibalas horns. I don't think I've heard a song they've been featured on that I haven't liked. I think this album might be a grower.

Girl Talk - Feed The Animals

The inclusion of Girl Talk's latest album on this part of the list has nothing to do with my personal refusal to ever go to any of his shows anymore (past incidents include a subzero evening spent outside of the Middle East Upstairs, and my aborted attempt to see him at 2007's Pitchfork Music Festival, where I could only get about 100 yards away, jerks were still running into me non-stop, and all I could hear was THUMP THUMP THUMP-pop music sample-THUMP THUMP THUMP). It's just the simple fact that a lot of the fun Gregg Gillis was able to capture on Night Ripper just didn't seem as much the second time around. However, I am still endlessly amused by the Metallica/Lil' Mama collision.

No Age - Nouns

I'm a big fan of any band who can take very little and turn into a whole lot of noise, and No Age is definitely scraping the bare minimum of resources with their guitar/drum attack. "Teen Creeps" is still by far my favorite track from this album, as it it hits all of the crunchy, clashy notes I hoped this band could bring. On the other side, I did have to hear "Eraser" every day for a month at my place of employment this past summer, and it honestly got a little old. To the point that I never really had any desire to listen to this album once I got home. Besides those two songs, I couldn't tell you how any of the rest of this album goes, despite having listened to it in its entirety quite a few times this year. I still think these dudes have a much better album still in them. This one just wasn't it.

Russian Circles - Station

This album almost made its way into my "disappointments" list (which is still to come), which bummed me out a bunch, because this band is one of the most solid live acts I've had the chance to see over the past couple years, and their debut full length, Enter, is easily one of my favorite instrumental metal/post-rock/whatever albums of all time. Purists be damned. I guess with my expectations set so high, it was only natural that I would feel a little let down by Station, which lacks some of the bombast and volume that always drew me back to Enter. There are some fantastic riffs on this album, but it's a far more subtle affair. Like the TV On The Radio album, this will probably grow on me over time.

Murder By Death - Red Of Tooth And Claw

I orginally got hooked on Murder By Death around the time of the release of their second full length, 2003's Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?. This led to me backtracking to their first full length, Like The Exorcist, But More Breakdancing, and their fantastic split with Volta Do Mar. Actually visiting their hometown of Bloomington, IN for a college visit only enhanced my liking of them, because I felt like the music truly reflected their surroundings. Then, In Bocca al Lupo came out, and out came Adam Turla's Johnny Cash impression. I don't care what anyone else says, from that point on, I feel like Murder By Death lost a little of what made them who they were. Red Of Tooth And Claw only continued down that road for me. This and In Bocca... are both really good albums, but not the kind of albums I personally wish Murder By Death was making. Word is that on their current tour, they're playing this and Who Will Survive back to back in their entirety, so maybe I'll have to check out that tour to understand the context they wanted this album to be held.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
I wish I could have listened to this band without knowing what they looked like, what school they went to, what clothes or boat shoes they wear, or anything regarding their musical influences/reference points. But, every article that dealt with these guys harped on those facts endlessly, tainting this album for me before I had even popped it in. There is definitely some catchy stuff going on here, and I'm definitely interested in what these dudes are capable of in the future, as long as it veers away from aural turds such as "One (Blake's Got A New Face)," which easily stands in my mind as one of the most annoying songs I heard this year. Most of this album makes me just want to hang out, wear sweaters, and sail boats in a harbor, though, which provides for a nice escape when the weather bites it here in Massachusetts.

Oh, and I know it wasn't on the official release of the album, but that song "Boston" that they have just reeks of freshman year open mics I went to, where kids with acoustic guitars played songs they had just written about "being in the big city" and shit like that. No thanks.

-Erik

Albums of 2008 That I Did Not Hear, But Want To

2008-12-15T22:41:00.000-08:00

Now that I've gotten the introduction to this thing out of the way, let's knock out one of the more boring lists I managed to come up with for 2008!

STUFF I DID NOT LISTEN TO FOR UNKNOWN REASONS, EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THESE ALBUMS ARE BY ARTISTS I WOULD USUALLY CHECK OUT, I MEAN, WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Black Mountain - In The Future
Keep on hearing a lot about these folks. I’ll have to check it soon.

Bob Mould - District Line
Along with his work with Sugar, delving into Bob Mould’s post Husker Du work is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. There’s always 2009!

Los Campesinos! - Both releases
I figure if enough people I know who like good things like this band, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll like it too. Just saying.

Millencolin - Machine 15
You can’t hate Millencolin. If you do, you’re heartless. I just missed this one, plain and simple.

Sun Kil Moon - April
2008 slowly brought me into the world of the Red House Painters, but not in time for me to check this album by Mark Kozelek’s post RHP project.

Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
This album is probably good. I just didn’t hear it.

GZA - Pro Tools
Once again, it’s probably good. I’m a bit hesitant to check it out given the quality of his last couple of solo albums, but Liquid Swords holds such a high place in my mind that I’m always willing to give The Genius the benefit of the doubt.

Islands - Arm's Way
While in some instances on this list, I at least heard one or two songs, I somehow did not manage to hear a single note from this album.

Wolf Parade - At Mt. Zoomer
Exact same case as the Islands album mentioned above.

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
2008 was a big year for Deerhoof in my book, but it was mainly me playing catch-up, and not checking this album out.

Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
I’m hearing conflicting things about it. Some say it’s good, others say it’s the most boring Of Montreal album they’ve ever heard.

Ryan Adams And the Cardinals - Cardinology
I own almost everything this dude has put out since Heartbreaker, but still haven’t managed to pick this one up.

Q-Tip - The Renaissance
One of my favorite rappers puts out an album, and yet I’m hesitant to listen. Could still be the aftershocks from seeing him in a music video with the Black Eyed Peas when I was in the mall once.

Obligatory First Entry!

2008-12-15T22:28:00.001-08:00

I'm getting a jump start on my New Year's Resolution by doing this.

My name is Erik. 20/m/split my time between Cincinnati, OH and Boston, MA.

This is me eating at the fine Cincinnati establishment Skyline Chili:

I like to talk about music, a lot. To a stupid degree, really. So that's why I'm starting this blog. I'm going to write about stuff I'm listening to, and that's really about it. There are already enough sites out there that tell you what's happening up to the minute in the world of music, or sites that sort of tell you what artists to dry hump. This isn't going to be any of that. I'm just hoping to write about music as I discover it, and talk to other people who might be into the same stuff.

The first few posts here will by my wrap-ups of 2008 music. I'm super dorky about making lists. Expect a bunch of them!

-Erik