TRI-STATE
- “Tri-State” EP (tristatetheband.bandcamp.com)
Tri-State hails from various parts of Essex County and fits
into what my pal Dave Urbano calls “dad-rock,”
which is to say older guys who still like to get together
and rock but have put the careerist fast-track behind them.
That said, this is a terrific record, a six-song EP that neatly
draws inspiration from Nineties alterna-rock without sounding
dated or derivative. There are elements of R.E.M. jangle-pop
(especially on “All Different,” the catchiest
song here,) Dinosaur Jr., Neil Young (with Crazy Horse) and
– especiallly to me – the muscular, intelligent
midwestern garage-pop and alt-country twang of Eleventh Dream
Day. The guitars rumble and roar, the drumming always keeps
things moving forward, and the vocals and lyrics bring a perspective
you just don’t find in younger bands. Well worth checking
out.
EZRA
FURMAN – The Year Of No Returning (Bar/None)
Chicago folk-rocker Ezra Furman (late of Ezra Furman &
The Harpoons) released this solo debut on vinyl in 2012;
Bar/None, in anticipation of Furman’s next and highly-anticipated
album (coming in October,) helped The Year Of No Return
reach a wider audience by releasing on CD and digitally
last Spring. Breaking up with a band is no less traumatic
than breaking up with a girlfriend, and Furman finds himself
in magnum mope mode on several tracks here; but when he
picks up the tempo and applies his keen wit and quirky vocals
(somewhere between Harry Nilsson and the Violent Femmes’
Gordan Gano,) he delivers on the protest-rock that the album’s
liner-notes manifesto promises. “American Soil”
is the real keeper here, but “That’s When It
Hit Me” and the anti-folkish “Cruel Cruel World”
deserve your attention too. I’ve heard the next album
and it’s ouder/faster/quirkier/more fun so expect
Furman to be Pitchfork-bait before the end of the year;
check this out now so you can scoff at all of your hipster
friends in November when they ask if you’ve ever heard
of this guy.
EDELWEISS
– “Honduras” EP (edelweissofficial.bandcamp.com)
The precocious Pennsylvania group Edelweiss started impressing
21+ crowds at bars and clubs before they were old enough
to get drivers licenses, but somehow, the only label deal
they’ve landed is in Japan and this amazingly good
EP has gone virtually unnoticed since its release in early
August. Let’s correct that right now: Edelweiss takes
challenging math-rock time signatures and overlays them
with gorgeous melodies, jaw-dropping technique (on guitars,
keyboards, bass, and drums,)delicately delivered choir-boy
vocals, and washes of mind-expanding white-noise. There’s
a hazy shoegazey vibe to it all, yet delivered with danceable
propulsive rhythm. The four and a half minute “Withering
Heights” is guaranteed to blow your mind, with several
different tempos, melody lines, and some awesome rock breakdowns
that somehow still sound like a cohesive whole. Kids this
young should not know every trick in the book. Then again,
maybe they’re just writing a new one. (Jim Testa)
DEAD
MECHANICAL - OK Night (Firestarter Records/ Toxic Pop Records)
Although they have been around since 2006, Baltimore's
Dead Mechanical are a brand new act to my ears. Ok Night
is a solid collection of incessantly catchy and crunchy
guitar rock with just enough punk attitude to tip it in
the favor of those who enjoy rough edges to their harmonious
hooks. Cases in point include "Scoop Me Up" and
"My Young Family"; both efforts are high energy
blasts of passionate vocals and soaring choruses delivered
in a style that is sure to make Bob Mould smile. "Bad
Math" and "Vagrants" rattle with with nervous
energy and lyrics that grab the listener. When vocalist/guitarist
Lucas yelps "now you want those feelings back"
on "Into a Wall", there is an unashamed sense
of vulnerability and intensity reminiscent of Mission of
Burma, a band who is again clearly channeled on "Last
Summer". A multitude of legendary indie and post-punk
acts can be cited here as influences, ranging from Sebadoh
to Seaweed, but Dead Mechanical is not attempting to raise
the ghosts of the past; instead, they are crafting their
own unique path on Ok Night. The noisiest track of the bunch
is also my favorite, the blaring, jarring "Off a Bridge",
proving that these guys can brush aside precisely crafted
melodies and throw old fashioned punk in the face of the
listener. This is a record one will undoubtedly listen to
on repeat in a single sitting. The songs are well designed,
played with honesty, and reflect a band that will hopefully
move beyond local bars and east coast only tours. (Rich
Quinlan)
THE
BROOKLYN WHAT – Hot Wine (thebrooklynwhat.bandcamp.com)
With the Brooklyn What off on their first national tour,
this seems as good a time as any to catch up with their
excellent (but sadly overlooked) 2013 release, Hot Wine.
This is a live band, to be sure, bubbling over with sweaty
party fever, but this album proves that the songs are solid
as well. I don’t like to thrown around comparisons
to the Replacements but it works here because from song
to song, the BW will suggest the ‘Mats from any point
in their career, from basement show hardcore (“Wildman,”
“Too Loose”) to hooky pop tunes with inspired
lyrics (“Catastrophe Kids,” the brilliant “Punk
Rock Loneliness,” “Saturday Night”) to
Kiss-inspired cock-rock playfulness (pretty much everything
else that isn’t a ballad, like the surprisingly touching
title track.) Garrulous frontman Jamie Frey gets all the
attention, but kudos to guitarists John Severin and Evan
O’Donnell for a panoply of Stinson-worthy riffs, and
a rhythm section that never quite falls apart no matter
how crazy things get. These guys have become one of my favorite
live bands in NYC so if you’re in the area, check
‘em out, but download this mother anyway the next
time you want to break a lease or just throw one helluva
party.
BRIGHT
PRIMATE – Night Animals (II Pause, www.iimusic.net)
I think this actually came out about a year ago, but apparently
Jersey Beat just received a copy, so here I am reviewing it.
Let me ask you this question. Do you love video games? Do
you love classic Nintendo 8-bit video game music? You know,
all full of buzzy square waves? And white noise percussion?
If you answered yes, you’ll probably love this album.
It’s chock full of not-quite-thumpa-thumpa dance-like
music made from the very same sort of synth sounds that populated
the video games of yore. Some of the tracks also include vocals,
but most all of them are just instrumentals. In some cases,
where vocals are present, they’re synthesized sort of
vocals, sounding very robotic. This sort of thing has been
done before, but not often. And I think there’s a reason
for that.
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