02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Tiger Style
This reissue of Marc Bianchi's 1997 vinyl-only release documents avastly different Her Space Holiday from the warm, symphonic, electronicpop of last year's 'Manic Expressive'. The six tracks present thatappeared on the original (the reissue includes six unreleased bonustracks) evoke both the psychedelic, spacious atmospherics of FlyingSaucer Attack, the ethereal twang of Mojave 3, and the shy vocals andsimple, introspective guitar melodies of Trembling Blue Stars.Furthermore, "Gravity Fails Us" sounds downright Stereolab-esque in itsfirst 60 seconds. These songs have a relaxed expansiveness thatcontrasts with the tight, meticulously constructed material for whichHSH is presently known. The six bonus tracks, while in the same vein asthe aforementioned, are less noteworthy. Terse and underdeveloped, it'sclear why these songs, presumably recorded around the same time asthose which comprised the 'Audio Astronomy' in its LP version, wereinitially not included. In fact, for this reissue, they seem less likea "bonus" and more like tacked-on filler material. Nevertheless,Bianchi, who seems to hold the highest appreciation for his listeningaudience, no doubt added the previously unreleased songs for theirenjoyment rather than as a sales ploy.
Despite the drastic change in sound over the past 5 years, fans will nodoubt find 'Audio Astronomy' an interesting document in the evolutionof Her Spaace Holiday.

samples:

• Slow Down Smile
• Gravity Fails Us
• Dreaming

02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Tigerbeat6
Numbers might not be an electronic laptop band, but like nearlyeverything else on the TB6 label, it is fun, addictive, silly, andsickingly dancable. This trio of youngsters from the Bay Area consistof a Moog player, guitarist and a front-stage drummer who controls theworld. (All of which who sing.) While I'll be the first to admit Ididn't really get this band entirely on record, after seeing them liveI have been completely won over. Subsequently, the album sounds muchbetter now. Clocking in at just over 19 minutes, this ten-song recordhas got to be one of the most genuine releases of the year. The bandaddresses adult issues through the mind of a child, as the subjectmatter ranges from materialistic greed ("We Like Having Things") totechnology ("Intercom") and strained intrapersonal relations ("Too Coolto Say Hi"). The disjunct playing and off-tunings of the guitarseparate the group from the typical post-punk punks, almost as if threecomputer nerds were handed rock instruments and trained long and hardto play louder, faster, and more original than the bullies down thestreet. Training and practice payed off as the good kids did win thistime. Let's see how they do in the sequel.

samples:

• We Like Having Things
• I Transfer
• Prison Life

02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Hymen
Rumours that Aaron Funk has four albums coming out on the same day in2003 are no more than rumours, but the Canadian's work-rate is soimpressive that the claim is actually plausible. After two superbfull-lengths this year on Planet Mu, and a third, 'Winter In The BellyOf A Snake,' held back despite being pressed and available in October(as if to save others embarrassment) it seems natural that he wouldsneak out another release somehow, and this time it's an elaborate boxset on Hymen. The red box contains a 3" CD with a single track, as wellas a small TV-shaped slide viewer, with 8 slides inside. Each slide hasthe title of the box PhotoShopped onto some object. Fans will revel inthis entirely reasonable claim being splattered all over road signs,vending machines, and other items. As for the music, as usual Funkexplores the limits of his self-discovered blend of breakcore andcut-up drum'n'bass. Here, he takes the opportunity to create anextended piece rather than move chaotically between different musicalparts, and develops a harsh break and distorted bassline over 16minutes, leading inevitably to a mental, blurred climax. No-one istaking intensely programmed breaks further.

samples:

• (excerpt one)
• (excerpt two)

02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Many were devastated by the untimely loss of Jeff Buckley to a drowning accident in Memphis in May 1997. Not only had such an outstanding vocalist, musician and songwriter, who spoke to so many with his music, met a premature death, but he had made such an impact with only one studio album to his name.Knitting Factory

Several posthumous releases, including live recordings and a concert video, have made their way thanks in part to Buckley's estate and his major label, which were accused of being a cash grab in light of gaining popularity, though genuine nonetheless. "Songs To No One 1991-1992" covers what has been said to be an important time in Buckley's development as a singer through his collaboration with former Captain Beefheart guitar whiz and Gods and Monsters bandleader, Gary Lucas, whom he met while performing at a tribute to his late father, folksinger Tim Buckley. Compiled by producer Hal Willner, the disc's eleven tracks showcases band demos, duo soundboard and home four-track recordings, some of which introduce tunes that became Buckley standards such as "Mojo Pin," and "Grace," with the latter appearing in two versions. Cover tunes such as the dirge-like "Hymne À L'Amour," and the snappy "How Long Will It Take," not only highlight Buckley's ability as a vocalist, but also Lucas' exceptional musicianship and expertise in layering guitar loops. The country standard, "Satisfied Mind," is a live solo Buckley performance in which jazz guitarist Bill Frisell has added his signature sound to for this release. Downtown NYC jazzers Sex Mob augment the duo recording of "She Is Free" with solid rhythm, swelling organ and some great horn lines based on some licks that Lucas plays out. "Harem Man" is a southern bluesy duo track in which it is very apparent how much of an influence Robert Plant's vocal style was. With this release coming out around the same time as the 'Grace EPs' box set, it wouldn't be hard to understand why this disc would be lumped in with the aforementioned. This is a great chronicle of the Buckley timeline and an insight to his partnership with Lucas, which until now was the kind of stuff we'd only been able to read about.

02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Load
Pleasurehorse populates the songs on "Bareskinrug" with pummelingpolyrhythms which erupt arbitrarily all over the place. The sound isdense, heavy, and percussive. The pounding throughout "Bareskinrug" iscreated primarily by the bass beat, which provides the bed from whichthe other minor beats spring, sometimes blossoming, sometimeswithering. Amidst the percussion, you can pick out the synthesizedcomputer noises which fizzle, fizz and fiddle. Whereas I was astoundedby the violence of the sound, I also felt like I was being attacked bythe songs, which is just to say that at no point was "Bareskinrug"removed to the background of my mind. The music draws an adamant linein the mind's foreground, refusing to cross over into some lost ambientland. "Laitbait" felt like being cudgeled with a tomahawk repeatedlyand then the subsequent dizzied and blood-speckled daze whichaccompanies such a bludgeoning. The full range of this experience wascaptured within just the three minutes of this song. Most of the othersongs can be likened to some other violent or intense sensation. Theonly time at which the album threatened to be boring was "Re: Vip,"which maintains the same dull beat for three minutes, with nothinghovering around it to give it much life. When it finally promises tochange the beat, the song merely morphs into a duller beat perpetuatinguntil the end. The range of sound on the album as a whole is not thatwide, but the recombination of sounds is innovative. "Bareskinrug" isinteresting to listen to at first, but has a hard time sustainingmultiple exposures, unless, of course, you find a song on it whichchanges your life for a few weeks. Otherwise, the aural assaults becomeall too similar, like the daily beatings from a schoolyard bully. Isthe day you got your nose bloodied much different than the day you gotyour arm pinned behind your back? Nonetheless, Pleasurehorse does a lotwith a little, and heavy-handedly suggests he might have some promisingwork yet to perfect.

samples:

• Copleash
• Laitbait
• Laitfete

02 July 2012

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Albums and Singles

Textile
All functional humans have the capacity to make noise, whether it'swith what genetics gave them or the tools they make. However, very fewhave the capabilities of making noisy things sound amazing to the humanear. Some bands never achieve this. Thankfully, at least Jackie-OMotherfucker does a good job of achieving it about half the time oneach their albums. In all of my recordings of this Portland,Oregon-based collective, they have remained consistent between thenumber of songs that sound completely derivative and uninspiring tosongs that really sound like an impressively orchestrated group ofmusicians whose sounds amount to more than just chin-scratching mayhem.For the latest disc, the band opens with a track that doesn't move faroff the Molasses-like northern white guy hillbilly blues singing tipand follows it up with a track that kept me re-referring to the packageto make sure it wasn't an elaborate cover of Jandek's "Carnival Queen"with tape mutilations. It's at this point, however, that the ensembleis basically getting in gear. They pause for a 17-second instruction onplaying on "the seven" and by halftime through the immense (andperpetually changing) fourth track, "777 (Tombstone Massive)," I'mhappily lost in a daze. It opens with relentless drum and percussionpoundings then halts, restarting with a crackle, wind instruments,chimes and a low string drone. A quick rise reintroduces the forcefulpercussion from the first few moments but thankfully that dies down forthe mesmerising interplay between strings, winds, and chimes. Just wheneverything boils up to a clumsy, disorganized borderline masturbatoryjam with nobody paying attention to each other, (the end of "Feast ofthe Mau Ma") quietness befalls the record and all is good again. Thealbum ends with two more 10-minute pieces: a blissful quietinstrumental and a 'manual' loop of guitar and drums with distortedvocals which leaves me with an unsettling feeling despite theviolinists struggles to play something pleasant. One of these days thisband is either going to make a record that will be my favorite of theyear or send a pipe bomb to my P.O. box. I don't know which to fearmore.

samples:

• Sun Ray Harvester
• 777 (Tombstone Massive)
• Fantasy Hay Co-Op

02 July 2012

Administrator

Albums and Singles

This compilation of artists on SharkAttack! features some extremely talented bands playing some incredibly strong material. Charlene, whose members started SharkAttack!, contribute four tracks, HelloAttack give two, and Compass and Lockgroove three each.SharkAttack!Music

The music of Charlene has already been praised on the Brain recently, and the four tracks here run their gamut of sound. There's the drone of "Look for the Line," the pop of "Low Down" and "Radio Son," and the quiet beauty of the hidden "Slow Broadcast Dozer." All are fantastic. HelloAttack craft space rock instrumentals with solid bass grooves, chiming guitars, and keyboard drone. Their two tracks bode well for their full-length, due next year. "D" is an loud attack with a bounce rhythm, where "A" is slow to start but eventually makes it to a loud yet metered and aggressive tone at the end. Lockgroove includes David S. Goodman, who is also Compass. Both projects have released singles on SharkAttack!, and both demand strong notice in their offerings on this CD. Goodman plays with beeps and programmed beat pop with aplomb, and his three songs have a charming grace. Lockgroove burn out of the gate with "Nullify," then click it down a few notches for "All Caught Up" and "All My Friends," showing the ability to bruise as well as to soothe. Their debut EP and full-length, from 1998 and 2000, respectively, are also available directly through their website, with more to come on SharkAttack!, I'm sure. SharkAttack! is truly a home for great artists with common themes and has a lot to show on this compilation.

samples:

• Charlene - Low Down
• HelloAttack - D
• Compass - Beth
• Lockgroove - Nullify

02 July 2012

Steve Smith

Albums and Singles

23five
This compilation, released to accompany an SFMOMA exhibit, collectseleven tracks from Australian experimental musicians. There's anexcellent sense of unity, as most of the compositions are aestheticallysimilar, at least superficially, in their emphasis on sparse,laptop-driven presentations. Some rely on organic instruments andothers on homebuilt electronics, but all of them find creative soundsand work really well, making this album quite consistent.
Worth mentioning are the extremely lucid liner notes by PhilipSamartzis and Csaba Toth, which provide a reductionist breakdown ofimprovised and noise music; it sheds some light on the undercurrents,although nothing on the compilation fits clearly into their categories.
Jim Knox provides the most noise, in the form of three short pieceswhich range from an eerie metallic drone to a harsh, radio-influencednoise collage. Most tracks on this disc have some incredible sounds andtechniques. Delire's track is a flowing medley of intermittent sci-fisounds occasionally riding on an electro rhythm that keeps fallingapart; then things get a bit nostalgic as he incorporates someobfuscated videogame-type tones into the mix, along with some crunchyphased static.
My favorite piece is David Brown's "Were Holes Mended?", a duet ofprepared guitar and squeaking door. The guitar cliches are in effect:the high gain power chords, the pick slides, and the Derek Baileyimitations; but it flows seamlessly, as the creaking door morphs intostrange horn-like tones and the processed guitar provides a dazzlingarray of counterpoint sounds (in what could be all the Powerbookcliches). Robbie Avenaim's "Impulse Control Disorder" also takes theDSP improv route, mixing high tones, beeps and FM bells, and thewhistle of steam with the clatter of thin, trash-can percussion. It hasa great sense of progression. Philip Samartzis' piece, "Soft And Loud,"is an exercise in interruption; a train approaches and then somefractured music starts, only to suddenly disappear leaving only thewind. This general idea is repeated several times, using environmental,mechanical, and digital sounds to represent these two extremes. Ireally like the "soft" parts of the track; there are some beautifulfield recordings and gentle buzzing drones, but it's only fitting thatthese moments of peace are transitory. 'Variable Resistance' hasintroduced me to some innovative new artists, and like its relative'Ju-Jikan,' is definitely a worthwhile collection.

samples:

• Robbie Avenaim - Impulse Control Disorder
• David Brown - Were Holes Mended?
• Jim Knox - Fuck To Mandatory Detention

02 July 2012

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Mute
Add N to (X) have a fantastic formula. Catchy post-punk hooks played onprimal synths coupled with a powerful drummer works well in dirty andloud live settings. The band puts on some of the best shows I've hadthe privilige to see over the last couple years. Their biggestchallenge at this point is to take some of that raw live energy andchannel it into their recordings so there's less wishy-washy tunes thatsimply meander all over the place. Like all of their records, there aresome really awesome moments here. I'm partial to the Meat Beat-ishsampled drum shuffle on "Elecrtic Village," the new wave of snottypost-punk vocals of "Large Number," and the campiness of the album'sopener, "Total All Out Water." There are numerous low points, however.The "I Hate Her/She Hate Me" vocals on "Sheez Mine" and spoken word on"Invasion of the Polaroid People," sound completely convictionless andcould have easily been omitted from the album altogether. Theundeniable hit, "Quantum Loop," has a strong enough hook to carry thetune but the random scattering of samples seems like a poorly plannedafterthought. Even the album's single, "Take Me To Your Leader," kindof fizzles after only a minute or so. While I'm not looking for them torecreate some of my fave tunes from the last five years, ("MetalFingers in My Body," or "Plug Me In" still get me as excited as thefirst time I heard them) there is an increasing lack of strong tunesand completed thoughts this time around.

samples:

• Electric Village
• Take Me To Your Leader
• Large Number

02 July 2012

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Kranky
'Style Drift' couldn't be a more appropriate title for this,Fontanelle's long-awaited sophomore full-length, as the band don'tnecessarily shift their style but improve enough to make a noticeabledifference. Recorded again in their Magnetic Park studio, 'Drift' is areal step forward for the band, as their confidence improves and theirarrangements gain strength and weight. For improvisation-based music,it doesn't get any better than this, and Fontanelle are reaching anapex where their version will be instantly recognizable. As always, thedrumming is tight, the bass a propulsive mass, and the wah-wah guitartasty. The keys, different types, are more ingrained than before, andcreate a mood and feel all by themselves, often with layered effectsand computer gimmicry applied to them. The band has become tighter, asperfectly evidenced on the breaks in the title track. There's adefinite jazz vocabulary at work, too, that only serves to improve theproceedings. Overall, though, the spirit in Fontanelle is inmaniupulation. There are sounds on this record that are new for theband, as they reach out towards the outer limits. Imagine, if you will,that the Max Rebo Band fired Sy Snoodles and got a hold of a fewTortoise records and you wouldn't be far off. Fontanelle have alwaysbeen amazing musicians, but on this release they are in the pocketevery time, working together better than ever, and proving that thereis longevity and consistency in doing it all off the cuff.

samples:

• Just, Go, Crazy
• Scissure
• Style Drift