Jersey Beat Music Fanzine
 

ABSTRACT ARTIMUS – Rite of Passage (Dire Life Records, direlife.bandcamp.com)

Abstract Artimus plays an eclectic mix of 70s funk, R&B, psych, acid rock, punk, glam, etc. Reportedly this album was recorded in Artimus Alexander’s Manhattan apartment, with Alexander himself performing all duties, playing all instruments, etc. That’s dedication and talent! But does it translate to the music? If you’re into the whole boogie-rock sound, tinged with 90s grunge, then yes – the album comes off clean, tightly arranged, but loose and soulful in feel. On occasion, the tracks veer into 80s post-punk sounds, such as portions of “At Large,” the second track on the disc. It’s got cool angular lines with a bit of drone, but it also has a loose, soulful sound endemic to the entire album. And an interesting album, it is. At times brilliant, but at other times, banal. Mixed reaction here.

DOMINANT LEGS – Invitation (Lefse Records, www.lefserecords.com)

Hmmm…”Take a Bow” sounds like a 70s disco funk track. Other tracks are overly heavy on the synth and sound like 80s top 40 pop. Some tracks even try to blend the disco funk and 80s synth pop, and it’s even more disastrous. Skip this.

EMPEROR X – Western Transport (Bar None Records, www.bar-none.com)

This reminds me quite a lot of a much more sedate They Might Be Giants. This is probably due to the vocal qualities exhibited by Chad Metheny, who is Emperor X. The arrangements are lush and creative, and not quite as smarmy as TMBG. Instead of smarmy, you get intelligent, pleasant pop music. A real highlight is the fourth track, “A Violent Translation of the Concordia Headscarp.” The rapidly plucked acoustic guitar, the pounding drums, and the semi-lo-fi recording make for a really cool sound. I really love this track! The equally oddly named track that follows, “The Magnetic Media Storage Practices of Rural Pakistan,” has a beautiful, meandering melody and very odd lyrics. “Compressor repair is not in my skill set / And that’s why the floor’s wet,” are the opening lines to “Compressor Repair,” a track with overdubbed vocals and piano. Funny, yet pretty. This is a cool disc.

GRINGO STAR – Count Yer Lucky Stars (www.giganticmusic.com)

Yet another band providing an update of the 60s pop sound. I guess it’s OK, but there’s been better examples of this kind of music. Most of them were active back in the 1960s. If you really like the 60s sound, particularly a bit more of the garage sound, you may enjoy this, however, I prefer bands to create their own unique sound.

NOISE BY NUMBERS – Over Leavitt (www.jumpstartrecords.com)

Noise By Numbers features Dan Schafer, AKA Danny Vapid, formerly of Screeching Weasel. But this ain’t SW style pop-punk. Instead, you get a more mature, Midwestern style post-punk album here. Think moiré along the lines of Husker Du’s mid to late period albums, blended with just a touch of punk. Plenty of crunch, lots of thick guitar. Other reviewers have cited Naked Raygun influence noticed, but I don’t hear it. There’ not enough “Whoa, whoas!” Seriously, this album exhibits a real maturity of sound, and one that I wouldn’t have expected from a former member of SW. No, I am NOT dissing SW, it’s just a totally different mindset with them. Standout tracks include “Lost My Way,” which manages to blend super crunch and pop jangle together and makes it work, and “Yeah Whatever,” another track blending crunch and jangle. Good stuff.

PATCHES AND GRETCHEN – I Steal Carrots (Sandpaper Tongue Records, www.patchesandgretchen.com)

Gretchen Seichrist is Patches and Gretchen, and she offers up some really cool, laid back indie music. We get a mix of acoustic and electric, with all the tracks having a rootsy feel, with the common denominator being a sense that Gretchen is just kind of singing to herself and her friends, just for the love of it. There’s nothing forced or artificial here at all, which is a refreshing change of pace these days. A couple of the tracks seem to be mislabeled, but I am guessing the third track is “Oh Jenny,” and is a really nice easy, loping track. I also really like the funky minimalism of “No Proof of Life (on Mars),” and the whole feel of “What Mama’s Got,” with its sad, down home fiddle playing, just floored me. A few of the tracks make interesting use of tongue clicking, as well, adding to the uniqueness. The album closes with “Worst Loss Blues,” which at times meanders in an angular way, in its quietness, offering a final bit of weirdness. This is a real winner, here, folks!

TAGGART – For What It’s Worse (www.taggartrocks.com)

This sounds like it’s trying to sound indie, but it comes across as pretty generic modern rock music. There’s really not much else to say, other than the fact that this is my last album reviewed in 2011 is kind of disappointing. I had hoped to end the year on a higher note. Oh well, I get to go through all the best stuff now and put together my 10 best list! That should make up for this.


A LULL – Confetti / Confetti Reprise (Mush Records, www.mushrecords.com)

The new album is Confetti, and "Confetti Reprise" is an EP of unreleased tracks from the Confetti sessions. OK, wow. This is different. Who remembers Crash Worship? They were a group that performed amazing percussion-trance music in the 80s and 90s. Now. What if Crash Worship had added a distinct pop music sensibility to their pagan percussion act? What if they added smooth boy-band vocal harmonies? What if they added tUnE-yArDs-like backing effects and vocals? And then they added loads of loops and electronics? Well, then they would be A LULL. On first listen to the first songs, this sounds fresh and creative. And so they are. But there really isn’t a whole lot of variety, and the songs start to all sound very similar to one another. “Weapons for War” starts things out really well, with vocal percussion effects and an explosion of noise. The vocal effects and percussion are very martial, which is appropriate for this tune. Each of the other tracks, taken on its own, is pretty damn good stuff, with the same combination of intense percussion, smooth vocals, and pop sensibility. But taken together, as an album, the songs do tend to run together and sound a lot alike. “Confetti Reprise” is a separately released EP of out-takes from the recording sessions not included on the album. But I’m not so sure why – “Pot Luck,” the first track is pretty awesome in its own right, with loads of crunch. As a matter of fact, the EP may be better than the album, with a bit more variety.

GREENLAND IS MELTING – Where Were We (Paper+Plastick, www.paperandplastick.com)

Bluegrass music with an attitude! I first heard of these guys at this year’s Awesomefest 5 in San Diego, an annual pop-punk music festival. What the hell were these guys doing on the bill? Well, I didn’t care why, I dug them, and picked up a copy of their brand new album. This is mostly acoustic, with guitars, banjo, and standup bass, and nicely harmonized vocals – harmonized with a snarl, that is. “Always” is a favorite, with its quick tempo, great energy, and changes in character. I also really like “Hogtown Greek” – hell, I like the whole thing. Good stuff!


LIPSTICK HOMICIDE / BILLY RAYGUN – Split CD (John Wilkes Booth Records, www.johnswilkesboothrecords.com, Bloated Kat Records, http://servofromtheinternet.com)

I fell in love with Lipstick Homicide at Awesomefest 5! And lucky for me and you, they happened to have a new CD recently rreleased, a split with Billy Raygun! So I get to review it for you! Lipstick Homicide is a three-piece from the heartland of Iowa, though they played with a fourth member at Awesomefest. The vocals are performed by an extremely talented pair of women who also sport the coolest matching cat tattoos I’ve ever seen. It’s Rachel Feldmann, who also plays bass, and Kate Kane, also the guitarist. Rounding out the regular trio is Luke Ferguson on drums. The music is very tight power-pop-punk, and is performed with loads of enthusiasm. There’s seven tracks here, every one a pop-punk gem. I especially like “Moody’s Point,” with its great hooks and cool harmonized vocals. Billy Raygun is really good punk, but I think they kind of pale in comparison to Lipstick Homicide – they didn’t do themselves any favors in this match-up. They’re just a little rougher than Lipstick Homicide, not quite as tight, snappy and poppy. But they do have a little more “serious” sound, and maybe a bit more complex, with key changes switching between major, minor, and modal, so maybe this makes up for it. “Ashhea,” the closer, is a particularly strong track. This is a pretty awesome disc, highly recommended!

STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS – Mirror Traffic (Matador Records, www.matadorrecords.com)

Another new album from former Pavement member, Stephen Malkmus, his fifth since the Pavement days. This is interesting pop music that meanders across musical borders into lands of country, commercial pop, folk, 60s pop, rock, and so on. I particularly enjoyed “No One Is (As I Are Be),” the second track on the disc, with its quiet acoustic guitar, laid-back feeling, and the addition of a trombone, glockenspiel, piano and harmonica. The next song, “Senator,” is probably the most raucous on the album, but with some pretty silly, crass lyrics. Some tracks meander too far into territory that I don’t enjoy, such as “Brain Gallop,” which has too many elements of white-boy funk and 70s arena rock for my taste. On the other hand, “Jumblegloss” is a really cool, albeit way too short track, that is very aptly named. “Spazz” is kind of cool, changing meter and tempo pretty rapidly. And then we get “Long Hard Book,” with tons of slide guitar that annoys the heck out of me. Overall, this is a mixed bag – but an interesting one, at that.

MATES OF STATE – Mountaintops (Barsuk Records, www.barsuk.com)

Bouncy, happy, grin! That’s the immediate reaction I get listening to this album of sugary pop. It’s heavy on synth, with happy male-female vocal harmonizing. And that’s about all you get. There’s nothing striking or original about it, but you may need insulin injections after listening. “Total Serendipity” is one possible exception, though – it’s still happy bouncy grin music, but it has a white-person 60s style R&B feel, and includes brass instruments and organ with less synth. Different, but not necessarily better.

PALADINO (www.paladinomusic.com)

Nice, mellow alt-country music here. The opener, “Lonely Mountain,” is a strong, up-tempo track. Jonathan Harkham’s deep, relaxed lead vocals are a great counterpoint to the frenetic pace of the instrumentals. If there was a pop-punk version of alt-country, this track would define it. The tracks on the disc definitely have plenty of twang, and lean heavily toward the country side of things, but there’s plenty of energy in the music, too. “In Exile” is a good example, with almost punk-like guitar with a distinct twang. Tracks like “Green Grass of Home” and “Have You Ever Been Lonely” are pretty much full-on country, and less to my liking. I really like the faster tracks, though, with “Here I Lie” being another good one. If you enjoy both indie music and alt-country, try this out.z

 


THE PACK A. D. – Unpersons (Mint Records, www.mintrecs.com)

This album features music hat sort of blends the best aspects of northwest grunge, punk rock, and garage, sort of in a White Stripes or Teengenerate sort of way. Even cooler are the slower tracks, like “Cardinal Rule,” which just rocks. This is apparently just a guitar/drums duo, which is awesome for the huge sound they get. I also really like “Pieces,” probably the closest thing to a ballad The Pack A.D. has. It has such a cool, easy, loping feel to it. Cool stuff!

 

PUJOL – Nasty, Brutish, and Short (Saddle Creek Records, wqww.saddle-creek.com)

This is garage-punk, no doubt about it. Cool, 60s retro garage rock with an attitude, good up-tempo stuff. An interesting Star Trek The Next Generation reference is in he song “Emotion Chip (No Feeling).” The song is about not having feelings for someone, but the title refers to Commander Data, who received an emotion chip to allow him to have feelings and emotions. Nerds! Most of the tracks are pretty quick paced, cool garage, but a few slow things down a bit and don’t work quite as well, sounding more like old classic rock, like “Battles,” the third track. Overall, though, pretty worthy.

COLIN STETSON – Those Who Didn’t Run EP (www.cstrecords.com)

Uh, jaw drops. This shows the amazing things that can be done with a saxophone in the hands of a talented artist. Colin Stetson makes some amazing sounds on this 2-track EP, with each track coming at just over 10 minutes. The music is minimalist, in a sense, in that it just features Stetson’s sax plus bass. But the sound is thick and intriguing. The title track sounds heavily processed, though there is no looping or overdubbing at all. The effects are apparently created by recording with several mics in various positions. Whatever technizue is used, it’s pretty mind blowing that these sounds come from a baritone sax. It’s free jazz mixed with heavy industrial and trance sounds, and it makes my spine shiver. The other track, “The End of Your Suffering,” has a somewhat “cleaner” sound, and is performed with alto sax and what sounds like it could be a synth adding nothing more than a percussive, but non-intrusive, beat. This is minimalism in its purist form, with repeating lines, but in manic fashion. Amazing stuff!


THEE OH SEES – Carrion Crawler / The Dream (In the Red Records, www.intheredrecords.com)

This is classic 60s psychedelic-garage kind of stuff. It’s dynamic and exciting, and if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll surely enjoy this. To me, though, it’s too much of the same sound over too long a period.

VARIOUS – Awesomefest 5 Compilation

This is the official compilation CD from Awesomefest 4, held in San Diego over Labor Day weekend. No, this isn’t live recordings of the proceedings, but it is a comp featuring 40 of the 60 plus bands that played over the course of the completely DIY/volunteer run punk festival. It’s chock full of punk, pop-punk and post-hardcore music, at about an hour and twenty minutes. It’s uniformly good stuff, but there are, of course, some stand-outs that need to be mentioned. CITY MOUSE, a band that was scheduled but didn’t make the festival, offers up “Bird Song,” and it makes me really sad that they didn’t make it, because this is cool stuff! THE COPYRIGHTS’ “The New Ground Floor” is an energetic wall of pop-punk sound. I really like the super melodic sound of “Cold Feet” from the CREEPS. It’s great power-pop, with awesome vocals. “Macy,” from GATEWAY DISTRICT is cool, and indicates that they may have had a bit of an off night when I saw them, because the track is better than the live show was. LIPSTICK HOMICIDE, one of the best bands of the entire weekend, offers up one of their best tracks, “Moody’s Point,” full of incredible hooks and harmonies. NEW CREASES’ self titled track is great, as is “Straigh to the Office,” from the legendary SCARED OF SHAKA. This disc is crammed with great punk, and I don’t think there’s a bad one I the bunch. Unfortunately, this may have been a release only for festival attendees, so keep an eye out on e-bay, I guess.


1,2,3 – New Heaven (French Kiss Records, www.frenchkissrecords.com)

1,2,3 produce some interesting music. It’s heavy on the synth, and has strong overtones of 60s girl-band rock music. But it’s different in that it’s less “snappy,” and more dripping with soul. “Lonesome Boring Summer” is a great example of this, as is “Wave Pool.” The opener, “Work,” is a different flavor, with it’s pretty upbeat modern sound, with crunchy guitar chorus and pounding drums. The high-pitched vocals of lead singer Nic Snyder are alternately smooth and shining, sort of like wha you would hear on an Antlers album, and down and gritty, with loads of expression. “Scared but Not That Scared” has more of an 80s post-new-wave feel, mixed with indie folk. “Sorry, Soldier” is a full-on country ballad. Other tracks have different sounds, too. But, lest you think this is some Ween-like satire, it really isn’t. It sounds like this is a band that just enjoys playing different genres and not being pigeon-holed. There’s no sense of sarcasm or smarminess in any of the tracks; rather, they seem honest. This is decent stuff.z

 

BEL AIR – Spring
(www.belairtheband.com)

Spring is the first in a series of four seasonal EPs from this New York City band, which plays nice, mellow, Americana infused indie rock. The music is simple, the vocals are harmonious, and the country twang is just enough to provide the desired effect without becoming overbearing. The four-song disc starts out with “Cowboy,” a track on which the reverb laden guitar has an almost surf-like sound, and the vocal harmonies are spot on. Other tracks have a similar blend that makes for a decent listen.zz

 

BLACK WINE – Summer of Indifference (www.dongiovannirecords.com)

Welcome to the second album from this NJ group, featuring a trio of singer-songwriters. They each get their own spotlights on this album, which is one reason to like this – variety in sounds and styles keeps the listener from getting bored. The styles range from 80s post-punk crunch to psychedelic garage rock to great indie-rock. “Through the Foam,” the second track on the disc, seems to encapsulate a lot of these qualities. “Then comes “End of Days,” a super crunchy track with cool, angular lines and a smoother contrasting chorus. “Ocean’s Skin” mixes things up considerably, with a more indie jangle track, with hints of Americana (otherwise known as alt-country). The closer, “Maycrowning,” is a cool track with awesome deadpan vocals from drummer Miranda Taylor.” Damn, this is good stuff.


CABIN DOGS – Midnight Trail ( www.cabindogs.com)

This is mild, moderate to slow paced country-folk music. I find nothing interesting, exciting, or original here. They even try to get “funky” on some tracks. And they fail.

CLOUD CONTROL – Bliss Release (Infectious Music, www.infectiousmusicuk.com)

Entertaining pop-folk music coming out of Australia. It’s kind of light and breezy, with hooks galore. The album opens with “Meditation Song #2 (Why Oh Why),” which starts with simple acoustic guitar and vocals, but soon enough the electric guitar comes in with loads of psychedelic fuzz. The keyboards add to that 60s psychedelic hippie feel, too. Stand-out tracks include the dark “Ghost Story,” “This is What I Said,” with its South African vibe, and the simple, haunting “Hollow Drums.” Nice.

DISAPPEARS – Guider (Kranky, www.kranky.net)

This is cool stuff that reminds me, in some ways, of the Fall. In other ways, I hear heavy shades of Krautrock, with plenty of repetitive lines. There’s loads of reverb, and densely packed guitars, bass and drums. The end result is a sonic wall that throbs and pulsates. “Revisiting” is one of the sparest tracks on the 6-song album, sounding almost like a modern version of Neu! It’s got a repetitive, pulsing line, minimalist vocals, and “solos” that just kind of evolve out of single notes and chords. Wait – these guys are from Chicago?! Sounds more like they’re from 1980s Europe and fell through a time warp to the present day. This track also clocks in at nearly 16 minutes long, and may be just a tad excessive. But, yeah, it’s on my iPod now.

HIMALAYAN BEAR – Hard Times (www.absolutelykosher.com)

This is an album full of contrasts. Some of the tracks are boring as shit - cross country ballads with 50s early rock ballads and you get…boring shit. But other tracks are much more interesting. The last track, in particular, “Man of Fire,” is sort of Antlers-like in its dreaminess, ambience, and falsetto vocals. And “Half Wit Son” isn’t bad, either, sounding like a less noisy, less intense Swans track. “Peace River” is a microcosm of this disc, starting out interesting for the first half, and then getting pretty dull. Mixed bag here.

KAY KAY AND HIS WEATHERED UNDERGROUND – Introducing (www.suburbanhomerecords.com)

Now this is different! Take Leon Redbone and an indie band, put them into the superconducting supercollider at Fermi Labs, let them spin around and smash into each other, and you get Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground! The curtain rises (yes, it’s like seeing a show) and the scene seems to be a garden. Birds are singing, and the violins and harmonized vocals swell sweetly, the flutes fluttering away. I am in love with “Oh Lord, I Hate You California.” It starts out with an island feel, and then the violins come in. It then turns into a folksy, boppin’ tune, that has an old-timey feel, with its tuba, muted trumpet. Steel drums and violins on the instrumental sections between verses are just beautiful. The ending features a guitar with reverb and the sounds of the ocean and sea gulls. Nice. Songs range from a rag-time feel to a country feel, all with a modern pop sound. Unique and entertaining!

THE LIONS – Iconclastic Motion Picture Soundtrack and Pub Songs & Sing-A-Longs (www.thelionsrockandroll.com)

The press materials that came with this disc say that the title reflects the band’s diverse approach to music. That’s funny, because all the songs seemed to sound a lot alike. It’s kind of working class rock with a touch of country, sort of like John Cougar Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen, only not as good or powerful. Zzzzzzzz

JUNE AND JEAN MILLINGTON –Play Like a Girl (www.JuneMillington.com)

June and Jean Millington formed the first all-girl rock band to sign to a major label, Fanny, in the 1960s. And they’re still playing. Today they run workshops and programs to encourage girls to play rock music. It’s a worthy cause. But, unfortunately, the music they serve up is pretty dull, ordinary rock music, such as you might hear in any local dive bar on live music night. Granted, they’re more talented musicians than your local cover band, but the songs just don’t seem to have much spark or soul.


CHRIS CUBETA AND THE LIARS CLUB (www.chriscubeta.com)

This is old-fashioned commercial rock’n’roll, but it ain’t all that commercial. The band describes themselves as playing the kind of music Neil Young or Pearl Jam would be playing if they were in 2011 Brooklyn. Not exactly an attention grabbing PR statement for the Jersey Beat audience, is it? It’s somewhat apt, too. The performance is solid, don’t get me wrong. But it bored me to tears. If you like an update to 70s and 90s commercial rock, fine. But that ain’t my thing.

DELLA VALLE – Terminology (www.dellavallemusic.com)

This is all over the place, as far as genres. The opening track, “Bitches Be Crazy,” is a whimsical track that blends white boy NJ hip-hop with ordinary rock music. “Something Just Ain’t Right” is a bluesy track that sounds a bit forced. Then comes “Put Your Slippers On,” a white boy reggae track. The rest of the tracks on this mercifully short EP are standard commercial rock music, nothing special. Skip it.

OAX – This Distance (Bladen County Records, www.bladencountyrecords.com)

Kind of “Americana,” indie rock blended with a bit of country. I’ve heard better. This kind of drags, to my senses. It doesn’t sound like the band is really excited about what they’re doing. This 5-song EP tends to lean heavier on the rock side of the equation, so it ends up sounding neither like full-on Americana or full-on indie rock. The first track, “Pretty Good Start,” is probably the most countrified of the disc. Another “meh” disc his time.

ARRICA ROSE AND THE …’S – Let Alone Sea (pOprOck records, www.myspace.com/poprockrecords) z

This is quiet music, part dream pop, part country-folk. It features multi-tracked harmonized vocals. And most of it is nice, but sorta dull. A few tracks do stand out, though. “Summer’s Gonna Burn Me (and So Are You)” is a good one, sounding kind of like an old jazz tune, complete with trumpets and trombones with wah wah mutes. I also like “Nothing Nada Nothing,” which blends the twang of country with a heavy dose of R&B, with the aforementioned horns making a reappearance. But, the phrase, “saving the best for last” really applies here. The final track is an incredible “mash-up” of “Video Killed the Radio Star” and “What a Wonderful World.” It’s so quiet and sad and beautiful. Overall, just OK, but that last track is a heartbreaker.

 

JOSH OTTUM – Watch TV (Tapete Records, www.tapeterecords.de)

Yet another mixed bag, this is mostly folksy Americana-pop-rock, complete with acoustic guitars and harmonized vocals. But then there’s “Storms in the Summertime,” which is similar in instrumentation, but comes off as just cheesy. The latter part of the disc has tracks that borderline on sounding like 70s top-40 pop, like “Feel Real Brite.” There is one interesting track. “Secret Age” is a pretty awesome cheesy lounge number, complete with synth and rock steady tick-a-tick-a drumbeat. But overall, not terribly interesting.

 

SEVERE SEVERE – Break Up the Dance (Bad Archer Records, badarcher.bandcamp.com)

Severe Severe, formed in LA in 2002 and now hailing from Buffalo, NY, sound more like they came out of 1980s UK. They would have been right at home on Factory Records and in the Manchester scene, sounding somewhat like Joy Division, though a bit more up-tempo and energetic, and a bit less dark. In some ways, this band also reminds me of the dark post-punk sounds of Boston’s Proletariat. The music certainly evokes feelings of nostalgia for the 80s, but I like my bands to do new stuff that I haven’t really heard before. So this is OK stuff, especially if you like that sound. But if you’re looking for something different, this won’t give it to you.
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ART BRUT – Brilliant! Tragic! (Cooking Vinyl, www.cookingvinyl.com)

Good old-fashioned power-pop with a punk edge, sort of like some of the great music that was coming out in the late 70s and early 80s. “Bad Comedian” has a distinct 80s post-punk sound. “Brut” means “dry,” in French. Dry Art, it’s apt, as the music has an ironic sound to it. “Clever Clever Jazz” almost sounds like I’m listening to the Sex Pistols, for cryin’ out loud. Lyrics match the attitude, like on “Axel Rose,” with lines like, “I wanna give the world the finger, with the exception of my favorite lead singer.” Hahaha, a song all about how no one understands him like the aforementioned Guns’N’Roses performer. This is fun stuff that will make you feel like you’ve almost fallen into a time warp, if it weren’t for some more modern pop culture references here and there. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s a lot of fun. I’ll be these guys are a blast live.

DELICATE CUTTERS – Some Creatures (Skybucket Records, www.skybucket.com)

Hailing from the American Southeast, Delicate Cutters plays a unique blend of indie rock, folk, and country music. It’s not your typical Alt-country “Americana” that’s been so popular lately, as it’s not twangy. Instead, it goes for solid indie songs and adds acoustic guitar and fiddle (performed Kevin Nicholson, renowned in the Irish music scene in the region) to give it that folksy sound. On some tracks, such as “”Me and the Birds,” piano is added to give it an “old timey” feel, as well. “Los Angeles” is a really sad sounding ballad. Nice, pleasant stuff.

EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints
(www.souterraintransmissions.com)

Achingly beautiful. This is gorgeous music that imparts a sense of emotional pain and emptiness. It’s full of guitar noise and loads of musical tension. There’s almost a traditional folk sense to this album, if not for all of the fuzz of the electric guitars. The sound of desperation would fit well, there. “Grey Ship” is literally a dirge that starts out with lo-fi sounds and acoustic guitar, but then subtly shifts to gliding electric guitars and a higher fidelity sound. Buzzy electronics are then layered underneath, along with primal percussion and multi-tracked vocals. “California” blends the sad musical sounds of The Antlers with the poetic ranting of the likes of Jim Carroll or Patti Smith. “Milkman” is a fantastic onslaught of noise, with electric organ underneath, droning away, and pounding drums. It reminds me a little bit of a very dark, lo-fi Stereolab blended with Love & Rockets. “Coda” is an a cappella track, right out of the Appalachian Mountains, with the lower voice cracking with obvious stress and pain. “Marked” follows, and is one of the darkest tracks on the album, with distorted, rumbling guitars, extremely breathy, pained vocals, and lyrics like “I wish that every time he touched me left a mark.” “Butterfly Knife” starts out with guitar and wailing multi-tracked vocals, sounding a bit like 80s Lydia Lunch. “Red Star” is the closer, and it starts out so very slowly and quietly, with guitar meanderings and hushed vocals. It slowly builds in intensity, and is a song of unrequited love. Most of the lyrics are simple, about a beautiful boy with green eyes and a mouth like the sun, like a red star. But eventually, Erika M. Anderson (EMA) gets tired of waiting, and declares, “If you want love me, someone will.” Kind of a hopeful note to end this album? It ends with “Like a red star, like a blue scar.” Maybe not so hopeful, after all. Highly recommended!

HERE WE GO MAGIC – The January EP (Secretly Canadian Records, www.secretlycanadian.com)

This band from upstate New York is aptly named – it’s magical. The music soars and sparkles, with beautiful harmonized vocal backgrounds and electronics with a subtle psychedelic edge. The six song EP starts out with “Tulips,” a track that seems to blend a garage-like sound with electronic pop. “Hands in the Sky” is, at the same time, a driving tune, with a steady sense of motion in the background, but also a relaxing track in its flowing lines, as does “Song in Three.” “Hollywood,” the fourth track, is a stunning beauty. Slow and haunting, with the ever present falsetto vocals of front-man Luke Temple, it reminds me just a little bit of the Antlers, another favorite. “Backwards Time” is a more up-tempo track that sounds a bit like the Police, from their heyday in the 80s. Overall, the 20 minutes are very well spent, and leave me wanting more.

JUNIOR BATTLES – Idle Ages (Paper+Plastick, www.paperandplastick.com)

Junior Battles plays energetic pop-punk that borders on an “alternative” rock sound. The songs seem to focus on aging, or being different ages. The opener is “Seventeen,” which is followed by “Twenty Five” and “Nostalgic at 23.” Overall, it seems to be pretty generic alternative pop-punk. One possible exception is “Ever Get the Feeling You’ve Been Cheated,” the fourth track on the disc – or at least parts of it. It sometimes has a cool, edgy, harder sound than the rest of the disc. But other parts of the track are just the same as the rest. “Alternative 1985” almost sounds like they’re trying to sound like Bad Religion. Sorry, this album just doesn’t do it for me – it sounds too much like lots of music getting airplay on commercial radio.



PAT JORDACHE – Future Songs (Constellation Records, www.cstrecords.com)

So it seems that Pat Jordache had his laptop computer stolen, which contained all of the master tracks for this album. Thankfully, there were backups stored in the cloud, and also thankfully, Constellation Records liked what they heard and has remastered and reissued this originally self-released album. Canadian musician Jordache was a former band-mate of Merril Garbus, in Sister Suvi, and both share a penchant for somewhat lo-fi recording, simple instrumentation, and meaningful, quirky music. There’s atmospheric electronics, simple guitar lines, and vocals that sound like a cross between Leon Redbone and Wesley Willis – and I don’t mean that as a slam. Jordache’s relaxed, deep baritone comes across perfectly matched to the music. The disc starts out with “Radio Generation,” which comes across as sort of a fanfare. There’s kind of a majesty to it. “Get It (I Know You’re Going To)” is really cool, with it’s lo-fi background atmospherics, sounding very breezy, and a little dark and futuristic, sort of like the soundtrack from some post-apocalyptic film, but with a hint of bright hopefulness. This album has a really great chill feeling to it, but still maintains a drive and energy. This one gets a big recommendation from me.

LITURGY – Aesthethica (Thrill Jockey, www.thrilljockey.com)

Oh my. This is quite the study in contradictions, now, isn’t it? Thrill Jockey, the label that pioneered things such as the jazz-influenced “post rock” movement, releasing a black metal album? But, I guess this is no ordinary black metal group. Liturgy has the shrieked vocals, the rapid fire drumming, the screaming guitars, and all. But there seems to be a more experimental edge to this album, and even some harmonious sounds. There are no discernable lyrics here, just lots of shrieking sounds made by voice. There are lots of powerful chords, lots of virtuoso performances on guitars. There’s little in the way of song structure, though. There seems to be more focus on riffs, sometimes repeated endlessly, and sometimes seemingly randomly put together. “Glass Earth” is really the only track on the disc I could almost enjoy, but it’s not a black metal track! It’s harmonized vocals that reminded me somewhat of Cordelia’s Dad, that group that did Appalachian folk music several years ago. Maybe someone who’s into the whole black metal thing might enjoy this, but I just couldn’t get into it.

 

MAN MAN – Life Fantastic (Anti- Records, www.anti.com)

Well, it seems the circus is back in town! Man Man, those certifiable freak show escapees, are back with a new full-length album (and a tour, which I caught not too long ago and reported on here in Jersey Beat). Man Man play an interesting blend of rock, jazz, circus music, gypsy melodies, and dance around the lunatic fringe. There’s an interesting dichotomy, though, between their live shows and studio recordings. The live shows are wild, crazy, energetic, manic, and downright exhausting, but such a blast to experience. The studio recordings, on the other hand, are more controlled and professional, though they do retain a sense of the innovation with the instrumentation ranging from standard guitar/bass/drums to various keyboards to marimba to saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, and a wide range of percussion instruments. And “Life Fantastic” is probably the most professionally sounding, restrained of the studio albums – perhaps because they recruited Mike Mogis (Saddle Creek producer and Monsters of Folk member) to produce instead of doing that themselves. But fear not, Man Man fans, this is a tremendously enjoyable disc. The music is what you would expect, ethnic edged rock music, bouncy and fun, but the lyrics are very dark, covering topics such as unhealthy relationships, low self esteem, drugs abuse, and you get the idea. It’s an interesting dichotomy, especially on tracks such as “Piranha’s Club,” which is a very upbeat sounding track with a 50s rock’n’roll feel, but with lyrics about how shitty life is (“The world is a shitshow / You can barely handle) and gives advice (very bad advice) about how to deal with it (smash some plates, crash your car into a lake, scream, punch your dad in the face). Sometimes the tracks get almost as wild as the live shows, such as on “Dark Arts,” a song that seems to be about self-loathing and self-destruction, with an intense energy. The album closer, “Oh, La Brea,” is an outstanding track, so very different from everything else Man Man has ever done. It’s a “love song” to the famed tar pits in LA. It’s so different because it’s got strings, and it just sounds so beautiful. This is a great album, recommended. But even more highly recommended is going to see them live, something we all must do.

PHOENIX FOUNDATION – Buffalo (memphis-industries.com)

Phoenix Foundation are apparently minor indie celebrities in their native New Zealand, but they’re still trying to make a splash over here. This is their fourth album to date, and it features slightly psychedelic, light, airy, semi-acoustic pop music. It’s got some ambient electronics, standard guitar/bass/drums, occasional glockenspiel, and harmonized vocals. It’s light and airy, ya know, like a Twinkie, and has no real substance, and breaks no new ground at all. It’s pleasant enough background music, but it doesn’t really grab me or get me going – it’s just there. Just pop music, you know?

SMALL BROWN BIKE – Fell & Found (No Idea, www.noidearecords.com)

Talk about a throwback. This album sounds like it could have come out 10 or 15 years ago. Not surprising, given that this is a reunion album, of sorts, from a band that was active through most of the 1990s and broke up in 2004. They play that sort of post-hardcore, Midwest emo sort of sound, but smoother. Produced by the legendary J. Robbins, the album has a big, clean, clear, crunchy sound. If you’re familiar with the Midwest emo sound of the era, you’ll know what to expect. Think Braid, Gauge, or Cap’n Jazz, but a little smoother. It’s decent stuff, but it does sound frozen in time. When Gauge did their recent reunion, they updated their sound somewhat, and still sounded fresh. This is decent, but sounds a little stale.

SOEMA MONTENEGRO – Pasionaria (Acqua Records. www.acqua-records.com)

Hailing from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Soema Montenegro performs Latin folk inspired music, but with a bit of an edge. Montenegro is an incredibly talented vocalist, with operatic quality in her voice. She is also quite theatrical, and it comes through clearly in her singing, even just hearing and not seeing her perform. There’s intense passion in her voice, and drama in the interesting instrumentation. The melodies are simply beautiful. I can’t imagine most of the readers of this august web-zine running out to buy this, but I certainly enjoyed this quite a bit. I especially loved “Milonga de la Ensonada,” sounding like it could have come out of some Argentinian equivalent of a Broadway show.

THURSTON MOORE – Demolished Thoughts (Matador Records, www.matadorrecords.com)

The Sonic Youth co-founder releases a solo effort, and it doesn’t sound too much like any Sonic Youth album you’ve ever heard, almost. First of all, it’s very acoustic. Second of all, it has violins and harps on most of the tracks. It does have some of the signature dissonant tuning that we’ve all come to know and love, though, so maybe it does sound a little bit like Sonic Youth, though “unplugged.” But it’s more like 101 Strings plays Sonic Youth than anything else. There are some decent tracks, such as “Circulation,” the third song on the album. It has a little more attitude to it, with plenty of dissonance and a bit of experimental strings. A few of the later tracks seem to have dulcimer or something that sounds like a hammered dulcimer in the arrangement, which is kind of interesting. But overall, this album just seems to be a real snooze. I think the headline here is “Thurston Moore Finds the New Age and Pisses Off Fans.” A lot of the long, flowing, string heavy tracks sound like they would more at home in some nature landscape film, or something about whales in the ocean, than in an indie-rock album. I know I probably should write some long track-by-track review of this, because of who it is, but after three listens through the whole thing, trying to find more positive things to say, I just couldn’t do it anymore.


 

LLOYD COLE – Broken Record (Tapete Records, www.tapeterecords.com)

I guess we’re not supposed to call it alt-country anymore. It’s “Americana” now. And that’s what you get here, simple country music. Nothing fancy or flashy, just simple melodies. The former Commotions front-man has been living in the US, and he apparently has been listening to a lot of folk and country. The tracks are gentle and jangly, simple and spare. Guitars, bass, drums, slide guitar, and mandolin are used, along with Cole’s baritone vocals. Ain’t nothin’ special, but decent enough if you’re into this sort of thing.

DAMION SUOMI & THE MINOR PROPHETS – Go, And Sell All Of Your Things (Hopeless Records, hopelessrecords.com)

This album is kind of hard to pin down. Sometimes it sounds very country/Americana, sometimes it’s folksier, and sometimes it’s more indie folk-rock. The lyrics are full of religious metaphors and Biblical references, but it doesn’t sound like any Christian music I’ve ever heard before. From a purely musical point of view, this is pretty good stuff, if you’re into the folk-rock sort of stuff, and if you can ignore the lyrics (or, I guess, if you’re into that sort of thing, too). Me? I can overlook it. The music is cool. “The Teacher” is a favorite; it’s a slower, quieter track, featuring banjo and Suomi’s plaintive vocals. “I Hope You Die Sad and Alone” is a drastic shift from the other tracks, sounding more like an old-time drinking song about lost love, with just piano, vocals, and crowd noise in the background. “Pearls (Before the Swine) is another interesting one, full of admonitions on how to live, with instrumentation full of horns, clapping, and shouting chorus.

FROSTING – Fresh Frosting (Kentland Records, www.kentlandrecords.com)

This slickly produced country-rock. To me, it’s pretty boring stuff. The songs are all mid-tempo, and really don’t interest me in the least. It sounds like the kind of music you would hear on an adult contemporary country radio station. Zzzzzz.

RUTH GERSON – Deceived
(www.ruthgerson.com)

Americana, country, call it what you want. It’s country music. There’s been an explosion of it lately. Some of it is different and interesting, some is just plain country music. This is the latter. There ain’t nothin’ special here. If you got a hankerin’ for some geetar strummin’ and down home singin’ this might be for you. But it bored me to tears. There’s even a countrified cover of Tom Jones’ “Delilah.” Ugh. The songs just drag and don’t offer anything to keep my interest.

tune-yArDs – w h o k i l l (Matador Records, www.matadorrecords.com)

This is wild music for people who can’t sit still and are a little crazy! I love this stuff; it’s so off the wall, featuring minimalist melodies, loads of percussion, and manic vocals. Merril Garbus, simply put, is a musical genius. The songs on this disc are amazing, and the arrangements are inspired. The musicianship is top-notch. Everything about this screams “This album will be on the top ten list this year!” This seems to blend jazz, pop, hip-hop, and even an 80s atonal post-punk aesthetic to create something completely unique. And Garbus’ vocals are so strong and confident that you just have to take notice. The album starts with “My Country,” with pounding drums and vocalized melodies. I’ll call this jazz-pop, because it has a jazzy feel to it. The melodies are primarily from the vocals, as even the electronics and horns seem to be there more as percussion, to punctuate the lines. There’s some pretty inspired lyrics here, as on most of the tracks, with sentiments such as “The worst thing about living a lie / Is just wondering when they’ll find out.” “Es-so” pushes the envelope further toward jazz, and a really interesting melodic line that features odd intervals to keep you off kilter. “Gangsta” is a real stand-out (hell, every track is a stand-out), with vocalized police sirens, percussion and vocal gunshots, and lyrics warning the listener, “never move to my hood,” with a reggae beat. Interesting lyrics, here too: “Anger in his heart but he’ll never be a gangster,” and “Singing from his heart, but he’ll never be a rock star.” “There is a freedom in violence that I don’t understand / and like I’ve never felt before,” is another interesting lyric from “Riotriot.” “Wooly Wolly Gong” is very different from the rest of the tracks, and it’s just plain beautiful in its simplicity. Hell, I can go on and on about how great each song is, and how varied this is, how different and, well, plain awesome. But words can’t do it justice. You are hereby ordered to get this and listen! You can thank me later.

THE TUNNEL – Fathoms Deep (www.thetunnelsf.com)

I guess one way to think of this is Swans-light. It tries to be gritty. It really does. It tries to sound dark. It comes off more smarmy and oily, though, like they’re trying too hard. “Wraithes” is a very short introductory track full of nothing but guitar strumming in a minor key. Ooh, spooky. “Strange Haven” just drags too much. “King of the Impossible” picks up the tempo, and sounds a little more garage-punk-like, but it still sounds like they’re trying hard to have that sound, rather than just having it, if you know what I mean. “Fathomless Deep” is dreamier and more ambient sounding, but that’s all it is, instrumentals with female vocals singing “Ahhhh ahhh” in the background. “Scurvye Dreames” is one of the most affected tracks on the disc – it’s slow and draggy, and it the vocals sound like a desperate attempt to sound like a drunken pirate. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I really couldn’t get into this. It just sounds too fake to me.



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