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Whiskeytown is dead. Long live Whiskeytown! After the demise of North Carolina's infamous entry into the alt-country sound before their final album was released in 2001, the members went their separate ways, though at that point they really numbered only three: Mike Daly, Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary.The band was infamous for line-up changes, conceivably because Adams was so hard to get along with and was doing his absolute best to burn the band before they got too big. In press releases for his debut solo release, he commented that he felt too much like just the rhythm guitar player in Whiskeytown, one of the reasons he lost interest in the project. In truth, he wrote most of the songs, was the lead singer, and was really the only part people mentioned in reviews. It was Cary who was virtually ignored and deserving of more attention. And finally, with this debut LP on Yep Roc, following an EP last year, she gets it. Cary has a lovely, simple voice, with no histrionics or grasping at straws involved. She knows her range and she soars in it. Here, she records her songs written with Daly and others, on her terms. And what good terms they are. The album features an impressive cast of rotating players and alt-country favorites, including former Whiskeytown member Skillet Gilmore, former Jayhawk Jen Gunderman, and former Squirrel Nut Zipper Ken Mosher. All over the release, Cary shows herself as competent a songwriter and performer as Adams, though she chose to stick with the alt-country sound rather than cloud the water with multiple influences and genres as Adams did on "Gold." Song after song posesses what you want in a great country record: strong players, hummable melodies, memborable lyrics, and a confidence that you can taste. It's great to hear Cary get her due on this release, and to hear a closure to Whiskeytown. A bonus disc, included with the first pressing, includes a duet with Adams on a song they wrote together, a Whiskeytown live favorite. Here's hoping this release finally lets Cary be judged on her own strengths.
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It's difficult to tell if Che-Shizu's leader, vocalist and kokyu (aChinese violin-like string instrument) player Chie Mukai, had everpicked up her instrument before the tape for this album startedrolling. Her solo kokyo improvisations (with which I am most familiar)do not rely on such conventions as tune or melody, so her atonal sawingnever sounded out of place to me before. On this, a CD reissue of herband's debut album from 1984, it appears that she either never tunedher kokyu, or else has no idea where the correct notes are, or else hadnever even seen or even considered the existance of stringedinstruments before deciding to play these songs. The tunes themselvesare downbeat Velvet Underground-like droning things with ocasional odd,sour attempts at klezmer and waltz. But Mukai's bowed monstrositysteals the show, always a bit flat or else way too sharp, and damned ifI didn't wince a dozen times within the first several minutes oflistening0. Sure, it's awful, but it's also really interesting. It's soconsistently bad that it's great. Know what I mean? I find myselflistening first in horror, then a second time to make sure I'm reallyhearing what I think I'm hearing (christ, she really IS off for theentire damn album!), then again because I like the songs and thebizarreness has worn off. Speaking of the Velvets, Mukai's voice has adeadpan quality that brings Nico (especially "The Marble Index") tomind. Her band's accompaniment is appropriately spare and mournful,serving mostly as a frame for the kokyu and voice; a determinedly na?vequality reigns, shocking in its spare directness. For more information,check www.alchemy.cc.samples:
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For those who missed the limited release of Death Cab For Cutie's lastrelease "The Photo Album," DCFC have released the EP that came withthat release separately, calling it "The Stability EP." It's ultimatelyheavier material than that on the last LP, as these songs could almostcrush the listener with their subject matter and slow, driven music.The center piece is "Stability," a near 13-minute DCFC epic that couldalmost be described as "Death Cab For Post-Rock." Languid, lush,slowcore galore, the track is easily the closest the band will everapproach that genre. The track finishes with over 6 minutes of greatguitar melodies, a steady drumbeat, and keyboard swells and pulses withno clear vocals to speak of. Of course, there are vocals by BenjaminGibbard at the top of the track, as well as piano, and a fewMogwai-like edits. The second track is a Bjork cover, and a greateffort by DCFC, especially the hyper drumwork. DCFC are known for theirodd cover choices live, as an MP3 search even turns up a cover of theEurythmics classic "Here Comes the Rain Again." They pull off thisBjork classic with gusto and all sincerity, making it the highpoint ofthe release. "20th Century Towers" is classic DCFC, just a lot slower:meek vocals by Gibbard, intertwined guitar and bass, and just went youthink it will give up the ghost and rock out, Gibbard holds it all in.The only complaint is the crowd vocal towards the track's final third.I would have preferred to hear Gibbard solo or double-tracked, not whatyou expect in a drunken English pub crowd. All in all, not a bad threetracks if you got it with the record, but I don't know if I'd spend $10on it in the stores. samples:
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I'm rarely disappointed by Novamute releases. Usually, they have enough intelligent and interesting tracks to keep me interested and sometimes produce modern classics (Speedy J's 'A Shocking Hobby' being the perfect example of the latter). 'The Mission Statement', S.I. Futures' debut album for the label, is no exception to the rule, but also no significant landmark in the Novamute catalog.
NovaMute
Modeling the booklet as a business convention guide the prolific SiBegg of Buckfunk 3000 fame drops science with a variety of electronic sounds including some abstract hip-hop ("All Terrain Aspects", "Assault On Precinct 14"). While the some of more electro-tinged tracks failed to keep my interest, the breakbeat vocoder funk on "Eurostar" is impossible to dislike if Rephlex artists like DMX Krew and Cylob give you a big chubby. However, the true highlight here is the second single "Freestyle Disco", a slice of bass-heavy 4/4 beats which heavily samples a dance instructional recording. French house fanatics and disco fetishists will eat this one up. Ultimately, 'The Mission Statement' yields multiple rewinds and will satisfy like a bag full of bite-size Snickers.
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The band with the least pronoucable name since a:GRUMH... is actuallyone Douglas Benford (the ".db" is his initials), who has left drum n'bass behind to explore sunny dub rhythms on his latest CD for the fineDIY-techno Bip-Hop label. The tunes do not attempt perfect replicationof the Jamaican style, as does Twight Circus Dub Sound System or TinoCorp. Instead, Benford merely references the missing pieces andecho-laden beats of dub to turn in a pleasant, if light and airy, setof predominantly instrumental (save a sample here and there) tunes. Thefirst few songs are as enjoyable as this sort of thing can be, but theend of the set turns a bit sweet for my tastes. The best work of KingTubby and Lee Perry had an underlying heaviness and darkness thatBenford does not appear particularly interested in. The beginning of"Enthusiaist" contains some wonderful sections (particularly in theopening cut "Contaminile 2") which really stretch out and dig into thewarm expansiveness that dub techniques can produce. The album getspoppier as it goes on, though, and becomes progressively lessinteresting.samples:
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Add another awkward band name to your collection. After receiving newsof the forthcoming release of "Inception and Silence Undivided" onSteven Stapleton's United Dairies label, I was curious to find outabout the project. Matt Waldron has been recording and releasing musicas irr.app(ext.) since 1998. The first release, "an uncertin animal,ruptured; tissue expanding in conversation" has a matchinglysurrealistic sound and equally disturbing accompanying artwork (lots ofasparagus-esque vegetation and mutated muscle tissue). It was aco-release between Waldron's own Errata In Excelsus label and theIcelandic label, Fire Inc. I contacted Matt and subsequently receivedfive of his CDs, discs of which I was looking forward to digesting,dissecting and reporting about, but in the time I've had them, themusic just becomes more unraveling with every listen. It's no surprisethat Stapleton was interested in his work, which is essentially areinterpretation of the never before released on CD, long out of printand masters destroyed LP, "Insect and Individual Silenced" by Nursewith Wound. I haven't heard it yet, but after hearing hours of workwhich never wears thin, I'm highly anticipating it. Waldron's work isvery atypical of the volumes of CD-Rs that float around. It's advanced,sonically challenging, created from a collage of musically imitatingsounds both found and created, seamlessly constructed. Matt seems tohave an unchallengable ear for when to introduce pianos, clanging,backwards bits, cut-up sounds, digital demons, resurrective rumblings,and only an occasional pulse. Yeah, it's pretty dark. I find myselfgoing through evenings where I feel I want to just throw the discs allon, one after another, kill the lights and get a complete sensoryoverload. Maybe it's time to try some new drugs. Either way, theofficial irr.app(ext.) web site is still being constructed, but there'san email address on the bottom. http://www.misanthrope.com/irr/Perhaps he'll give you a good deal if you want to buy some of thesegems before he's scoring insane horror films, producing your favoriteelectronic bands or becomes too busy to be bothered with the generalpublic!samples:
- Antedelirational Music Box (from Dust Pincher Appliances)
- Nascere e Crescere e Ardere D'inconsapevolezza (from Radiand Black Future)
- (internal dialogue) (from An Uncertain Animal)
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With the reissues of these two classic LPD albums, Soleilmoon has finally finished the project of bringing the old PIAS titles back into print. Both albums feature the album cover artwork of Babs Santini yet only the second part, 'Malachai' was actually produced by Steven Stapleton. Originally released in 1992, 'Shadow Weaver' was the first album to be recorded since the untimely death of guitarist Bob Pistoor.
Unsurprisingly, the mood is very calm, still, and reserved on the opening of each. A new lineup was created, which pretty much lasted for the next ten years with only minor alterations. Dutch guitarist/bassist Martjin de Kleer joined along with Canadian multi-instrumentalist Ryan Moore to take over drumming, bass and guitar duties. (Violinist Patrick Wright gave up his full-time duties but did make appearances on both records.) The group both explored more experimental territories, playing with different arrangements, moving in new directions for both production and technology, perfecting a balance between pop, post-prog, and psychedelia. I still remember a sizable number of old-school fans seemed to be lost on these albums when they were released, yet they remain two of my favorite LPD records. It was almost as if they had been consciously making an effort to shed the sound that lumped them in with the Wax Trax, Skinny Puppy and post-industrial goth crowds. Heck, Edward even sings "I'm sick of the same scene, I'm tired of this road" during "Twilight Hour." No longer was this band the outlet of Phil and Ed, in addition to the two new members, Niels was taking a more active role in the band than ever before, with a noticably stronger presence of saxophone, flute and other wind instruments. The lyrical basslines and tinkling piano melodies were fresh to the LPD sound and within the mix it was rather unworldly. There were fewer songs but the albums were the same length... LPD had finally agreed to be more patient with their songs, letting them grow and develop. They were unafraid to have heavy electronic beats on songs like "Needles" and "Laughing Guest," a saxophone duet on "The Key to Heaven", or sound effects like bathwater or birds, ripping guitars, acoustic guitars, and organic percussion.
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'Malachai' opens with the stunning, yet surprisingly proto-rock-standard mimicing "Joey the Canary" with lush acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, and subtle, pulsing percussion. On Malachai, they pushed the envelope even further, creating with Steven Stapleton an album with loads of cut up tapes and a number of effects and lengthy drones, making tunes almost completely impossible to recreate live. At this time, the group seemed to be touring more than ever, but playing a lot of old favorites with the occasional current song or two. Highlights for me include the sparse, chilling instrumental arrangement of "Pavane," the serene closer, "Paris 4 A.M." and the 19 minute-long epic, "We Bring the Day," equipped with a scattering of signature Nurse with Wound sounds and sampled farm animals. (yum) Since both of these albums came out towards the end of their career with PIAS, they have been in circulation far less, and newer fans would typically have to spend loads of money to hear the albums. Thankfully the music is finally available again, "so cease your lonely mourning."
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The electropop revival has seen it's first casualty. With 'Alright OnTop' Luke Slater, revered for his techno-electro work under numerousmonikers, makes a significant step away from the dancefloor and towardsthe bargain bin. Not nearly as kitschy as Miss Kittin or Felix ThaHousecat, the tracks on here have none of the trashy hip glamour thathas been slapped to the backside of this new new wave. Rather thancopying what seems to be working for everyone else (or sticking to whathe does best and progressing a bit), Slater presents some bizarrehybrid of a mediocre New Order cover band and a 90's "electronica"one-hit wonder. In fairness, you do have to give the man some creditfor doing what he wants to do (and hopefully bracing for criticism fromhis fanbase) and paying tribute to music he truly loves. However, weaksongwriting (dubbed in true press release style as 'songtronica')accompanies uninventive and boring lyrics, making for an overallembarassment when compared to his strong backcatalog. To be honest, I'mhoping this electropop fad (or whatever you want to call it) pisses offand dies quickly like Detroit ghetto-booty music did. I'm not feelin'it... and it's already produced at least one awful album from aonce-solid producer. samples:
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Okay, I know this dude's friends with the Fridge guys but the kickofftrack on this EP+video sounds too strikingly similar to "Kinoshita"from Fridge's 1999 single. Dan Snaith is a Canadian who's studies havelanded him in London, where he now makes his home and his muisc. Thisfour-tracker contains the aforementioned ripoff, "Dundas, Ontarioremix" two new tracks, the album version and a video of "Dundas". Whilehis skills as a player and technologist are more than evident in all ofhis recordings, I always feel there's something conceptually missing.The beats he drops on the opening of track two, "Tits and Ass" arebombastic at first, then the track drifts into some pretty melodickeyboard loops which sort of linger in the air like a fart in a roomthat won't dissipate soon enough. The other new track, "Webers" is alsopretty, with a xylo-phoney melody which reminds me of being stuck in aJapanese restaurant in a cheap Kung-fu film waiting for my take-outnoodles minutes before the ninjas burst in. It's accented by tiredrhythmic clicking and an artificial bass drum kick, but once again Ifeel about as statiated after I've eaten only one gyoza. Themade-for-chic coffee shop ambiance LP version of "Dundas" closes theaudio portion and the video of the remix version rounds out the set. Tome, the video seems like it's trying to parodize Beach Party MTV-stylevideos whilst making fun of the place where young Dan grew up, takingthe form of a home video of a bunch of drunk Canadian kids. Even theplushies couldn't help this one in the end.
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If you're Icelandic, you're probably already aware of OlafurJosephsson's project, as his career got a large boost by opening forgodspeed you black emperor! last month in Reykjavik. His "band" nametranslates as Digital Hakon (Hakon the Good was the king of Norway inthe 10th century and has a long legacy of being name checked innumerous songs) and the music is probably the most amazingly producedCD-Rs I have ever received. A heaping serving of patience is needed asthe disc opens with a gentle 8 1/2 minute piece of soft drones andsparse guitar. Over the course of nearly an hour, the music crescendosslowly, slowly, slowly. Various other instruments are added, numerousdifferently treated guitar sounds, un-dominating beats and rhythms,bass, long-stretched keyboard synth string sounds, pianos, andbell-like chiming things (xylophones, wind chimes or keyboard sounds,it's hard to tell what's real these days). Unfortunately, as is theseeming downfall of everything I'm writing about this week, there are anumber of derivative elements. Sampled tirades of Jesus freaks hasalmost been done to death by godspeed, swirling guitar melodies echothose from the Aerial M record and chord progressions I'm hearing arestrikingly similar to those overused by Mogwai and their imitators.These aren't bad things to emulate by a long shot. If anything, moremusic needs to be this patient and delicate. Josephsson, however, seemslike a very intuitive man, tactfully issuing this disc only as a CD-R,giving out a number of songs for free on his website, www.islandia.is/hauskupa.In essence, he's made a silent statement that he's here, he's busy, butthings are not quite ready just yet for a mega-super world dominatingrelease. Pay attention to him, however, as things will happen. You canquote me on that. In the meantime, lend him an ear and I'm sure hewon't let you down. -
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David Edwards deserves an "A" for effort on his debut full-lengthrelease as Minotaur Shock. The interplay of organic piano and guitarwith electronic instruments and sampled beats blends nicely in thisshimmery recordng of tinkling melodies and sharp rhythms. When I sawthe names Fridge and Four Tet dropped in writeups on this album,naturally my interest was piqued, but seeing those names made me expectsomething somewhat derivative of the two. What Edwards is doing iscompletely different from the Fridge boys. It derives, however, morefrom the repetitive, glistening days of Aphex and Autechre mixed with alittle cheesiness of Isan and only a slight nod to Four Tet. While it'snot a bad thing, it is somewhat predictable, in the way that you knowthe first 40-second track is an intro, the second track will probablybe one of the strongest, and the ending will have that proverbialessence of finality to it. The production is great, the melodies arecatchy, yet I'm finding myself more interested in hearing how Edwardsdevelops as a musician. After a year of stunning electronic releases bygroups like Múm, Dntel, Ulrich Schnauss, Four Tet, and Telefon TelAviv, I'm honestly seeking out something more challenging and far moreoriginal. Keep us posted, Dave. -
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