For decades, the follow up to The Beach Boys brilliant Pet Sounds was one of rock and roll’s best urban legends. Sure they eventually threw up their hands and released the so-so album Smiley Smile in 1967, but there was always talk of what was almost released. A sonically-layered masterpiece, bootlegs dripped out in the years that followed and in 1993, Brian Wilson finally released, a newly recorded version of…
The remix of September Sun by Lumia is a perfect introduction to Kodomo, as it will immediately showcase the emotive force that are typically present in his recordings. I personally like the seemingly conflicting electronic feel and heaviness that is established here; Kodomo is incredibly talented at what he does. While listeners may be afraid of the track’s nearly six-minute run time, Lumia is arranged in such a way that…
Coming bursting out of the gates with a fire that rivals that of Fifteen or Brand New, Selfmademan inflicts their brutal, political vision of screamo on their audience. “Who Will Sing To This” spirals more and more out of control, with a barrage of different instruments coming into play. Slipping a little bit, Jay’s vocals and corresponding guitar work is needlessly plastic during “Listen Closely This Time”, with a breakdown…
Sedalia play the same style of very calm, acoustic-led rock that has dominated the styles of acts like Devendra Banhart and Vetiver. This is essentially the lowest of the lo-fi, where it sounds as if a microphone was placed into the recording room and the band huddled around it. This does not mean that the band is lacking in any meaningful way with talent, but just that there is not…
The opening of “Ten Silver Drops” coalesces the last forty years in rock music to create something that authoritatively speaks to all who listen to music. This is not just rock music, but taps on a number of different styles while doing so. This means, during a song like “Alone, Jealous, and Stoned”, segments of the track come forth in a very indie rock style, but the vocals soon after…
There is a timeless quality to Devil’s Walk that will make it particularly germane to any fan of electronic music, whether it be the early work of Kraftwerk, the New Wave era, or something newer. This is because each of the 10 tracks that are on Devil’s Walk are able to speak singularly and as a larger effort. The title begins with Sweet Unrest, a track that touches upon the…
I had heard The Secret Machines have their name dropped a number of time in the indielitist circles of acquaintances I’ve met, but hadn’t gotten a chance to listen to them until I put on this disc. Very open, spacey guitars open the first track, “First Wave Intact”, and while the track nearly ends at the nine-minute mark, The Secret Machines are no more the worse for wear. The drums…
Considering that the title of this album has “dance” in it, I was expecting something completely different than the emo-rock that was provided by Secret Lives of the Freemasons. This is not to say that I was disappointed; rather, it was doubly shocking (first, that it wasn’t a dance-punk type of band and second, that “Make Like A Door and Shut Up” was so damn good.) Even if some of…
The disc’s first track is odd to say the least. The first half of this seventy second track starts off with a very “Children of the Corn” type of chanting, before Secret Apollo moves into a seventies rock type of sound. “Daydreamers Anonymous” brings a few different styles to the repertoire of Secret Apollo. In fact, the only thing that seems to be a constant with Secret Apollo has to…
The music that one encounters on Secret Agent Bill’s disc is hard-hitting, to say the least. The swirling guitars may not be the most exciting, but the political message that winds its way throughout the track is something to behold. The harmony that the band creates during “Gentrify or Die” just through the vocals present is topped off by the ever-changing time signatures on the track. “Thought I Knew” mixes…
Screwjack, formerly The Freedumb Fries, formerly The Freedom Fries, and even before that S.B.C., have been at the top of their game since their first EP, Dicktad, came out in 2001. While I can go back and listen to it now and see the solid songwriting for what it is on these early tracks, there is no denying that the members of Screwjack have came a long way in originality,…
Jack Yarber has pretty much done it all. Ey has spent tours in The Compulsive Gamblers, Jack O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers and The Oblivians. Rat City drops all the extra musicians and hangers-on and showcases Oblivian at eir most honest. What results with Rat City is a tremendously touching and emotionally intense album, with tracks that run the range of styles and feelings that listeners have came to expect…
The multiple styles in which Maynard James Keenan can successfully work in is astonishing; eir latest work as Puscifer, Conditions of My Parole, should show that. Green Valley is one early-disc track that will immediately impact listeners – the dual-part harmony achieved with Carina Round rivals the traditional instrumentation for dominance. Man Overboard is the closest thing to a single that Conditions of My Parole has, but this is for…
Økland and Apeland attempt to faithfully recreate the mystique behind Ole Bull’s compositions. Bull, an 19th century composer, has largely been forgotten by the current generation of musicians and listeners alike. This CD, released earlier this year by ECM Records, looks to restore Bull’s good name as well as showcase the technical virtuosity of Økland and Apeland. I believe that the duo is able to succeed in these listed goals;…
For those that may be younger and do not know Steve Hackett’s pedigree, ey was a major part of Genesis. After recording nearly ten albums for the outfit, Hackett decided to forge off on eir own and create music that represented eir. Beyond the Shrouded Horizon is two CDs dedicated to the furtherance of that goal. This 2-CD set begins with Loch Lomond, which situates listeners in a familiar position…
Tributary is a two-disc effort; the band is given ample opportunity to stretch their wings and experiment with time signatures, influences, and the band’s overall sound. Tributary marks their 15th full album as a band, but do not let that scare you – what listeners will experience when they put in either disc of the effort is as fresh and as compelling as the most fresh-faced bands. The album begins…
At this point in their career, it is incredibly easy for Cradle of Filth to release albums that play on where they had been musically in their glory days. On Evermore Darkly, Cradle of Filth look both to invigorate their sound as well as to recall all sides of their multi-faceted approach. This EP represents a bold step forward for the band – they are still kicking and would love…
The Dreaming has some big shoes to fill with their Puppet. The band features members of Murderdolls and Stabbing Westward, and decides not to take more than a second to introduce themselves. Puppet, the eponymous opener, immediately kicks listeners in the face. Despite coming from some of the biggest alternative rock bands of the last twenty years, The Dreaming comes to Puppet hungry. The resulting 12 tracks are full of…
I must admit, I was not too familiar with Scott H. Biram before picking up Bad Ingredients. Just Another River is the first track on the album, and it immediately shows the personality and catchiness that so many other listeners have already heard. The gritty, home-spun style of Biram is showcased at all points during this album, and Victory Song may just be the most iconic of the cuts found…
Song For Kiara is the first track on Relaxing Melodies of Nature, and the resulting effort immediately tattoos Fuke’s inimitable style onto the minds and hearts of anyone fortunate enough to listen in. Summer’s Love takes a slower pace, adding a deeper, more deliberate sound to what listeners expect from Fuke. It is during Infinite Love where the disc moves to the next plateau; the track gains a little speed…