19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

LTM
If Belgian group Bernthøler are remembered at all, they are rememberedfor their classic 1984 single "My Suitor," a cello-driven slice ofsweetly downbeat chamber pop. It was a favorite of legendary BBC radioDJ John Peel, and became a cult underground hit for the Brusselsquartet. They released a couple subsequent singles that failed to makewaves, committed some demo tracks to tape and disbanded in 1985. Lapdissolve two decades later, and LTM has put together a definitivecollection of this all-but-forgotten band. Comprising the completestudio recordings of the band, released and unreleased, Merry Lines in the Skyalso includes three Quicktime videos, including one for "My Suitor."I've listened to the disc a couple of times through now, and havestruggled for something positive to say about the rest of Bernthøler 'smaterial. Unfortunately, it seems that success and longevity eludedBernthøler as a direct consequence of the quality of their music, andnot by some cruel accident of fate. Where "My Suitor" succeeds becauseof its minimal arrangements and Albanian-born singer Drita Kotaji'ssoftly expressive couplets, the rest of the tracks collected here failto distinguish themselves at all. This is not to say that Bernthølerare utterly devoid of talent; merely that they rather unremarkablyapproximate the "coldwave" sound of their contemporaries, echoed byother bands like The Cure and Antena. Kotaji's tuneless vocals franklybecome a little grating over the course of the disc, and theoversimplified arrangements often work to the detriment of the songs.Many of these tracks seem underwritten and stunted, suffering from apaucity of ideas, interesting as fragments but ultimately notcompelling. For those who remember "My Suitor" fondly and haven't beenable to find any of the compilations on which it has appeared over theyears, you could probably do worse than dropping a ten-pound note topurchase Merry Lines, and it's possible you might find the other 14 tracks pleasant. Just don't expect to uncover some unjustly obscure gem.

samples:

• My Suitor
• Pardon Up Here
• Lunacies

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

LTM
The songs on Night Air 2evoke the experience of walking across wet cobblestones slick withrain, ducking under awnings of sidewalk cafes and antiquarianbookstores, aimless and anonymous in an unfamiliar city at night.Blaine L. Reininger, a native of Colorado who has lived in Europe sincethe early 1980s, draws heavily upon his expatriate sense ofisolation—geographic, linguistic and emotional—to create an articulatesuite of mature pop songs. Most will know Reininger from his more than20-year stint as frontman for the intermittently brilliant groupTuxedomoon, creators of Half-Mute, Desire and handful ofessential art-punk classics. In the long gaps between the group'speriods of activity, Reininger has pursued a fruitful solo career,releasing a string of baroque pop albums highlighting his talent as amulti-instrumentalist and witty lyricist. This album is billed as asequel to 1984's Night Air, but that's a bit misleading, as itwould be more aptly described as a best-of, consisting of 15hand-picked tracks from albums and soundtracks recorded between 1989and 1999. All of this material has been available previously, but invery rare pressings on Belgium's Crepuscule and other small Europeanlabels. As he has done on so many Tuxedomoon releases, Reininger playsviolin and viola throughout Night Air 2, building each songfrom multi-tracked layers of dark, swooning strings. The rest of thesound is filled out with an assortment of synthesizers, keyboards andrhythm boxes, adding up to an urbane, metropolitan sound that matchesthe sophistication of a Stan Ridgeway or Gavin Friday, with its ownunique Kafka-esque atmospheres. Reininger is fascinated by the noirexpressionism of Fritz Lang films and Fritz Bleyl woodcuts, and hisparanoid, cinematic atmospheres perfectly capture this zeitgeist. Attimes, the swirl of overlapping strings resembles the sound of aone-man chamber quartet covering Anton Karas' soundtrack to The Third Man.I've heard other modern versions of this noir sound—I'm thinking of themusic of Barry Adamson and Goldfrapp—but Reininger's approach has theworldly appeal and poise of a veteran. The thick, textural glissandi of"Night Ride" careen down dimly lit nocturnal boulevards, carriedforward by propulsive keyboards. "Winter in Wien" is the first of athree-part song suite entitled "Europe After the Rains," a sentimentalhomage to Max Ernst which doubles as an atmospheric meditation on theprofound sense of history the solitary traveler experiences in oldEurope. The songs switch freely between spoken-work beatnik recitationsand refrains sung in English or French. Night Air 2 displays anintelligence and elegance so rare in modern pop music that at firstlisten it seems entirely foreign, but is all the more welcome for it.

samples:

• Night Ride
• Winter in Wien
• Night Street

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

Darla
After releasing their acclaimed debut album in 1999, it was abundantlyclear that Auburn Lull have a firm grasp on the finer points ofshoegazer space rock, and their music holds a power that they alonecontrol and wield, letting it out in beautiful doses and specimens thatcan cause the heart and brain to swell. For their new album, they chosenot to branch out a great deal and keep the formula somewhat constant —not a bad thing but a firm limitation that has the potential toadversely affect the proceedings. There is growth in the band both asmusicians and songwriters, and it should not be said that the music isstagnating within this structure. However, at times on this album itfeels like the band is simply repeating themselves, working from acomfortable base but then not expounding. Some chances might be nice tohear, but ultimately the album is a satisfying one in many areas. Evensomething quite simple like the blending of songs from one into thenext is handled with an almost medical precision, and the mood nevershifts abruptly to jar one from the state of consciousness that isdeveloped. The echoes that are captured on these songs are those ofaching hearts and starving minds, of people miles apart though right inthe same room together, of flighty concepts of things in the walls andthe way things ought to be. Simple melodies and trickery abound, withsamples and echoed percussion joined by droned guitars and simple notesplucked and repeated. Atmosphere is key, as each song is practicallydrenched in the weight of a place and time as well as a feeling orwords. "Season of False Starts" illustrates this pursuit perfectly withbuild upon build, then, appropriately, false starts and stops, thevoice ghostly rendering the words "decades fall apart," among otherthings. It's almost like the music of lessons or voices from beyond thegrave will use, old Hamlet lecturing his son and saying "do notforget." While the album feels like they're referring to themselves,they also touch something far deeper within, and in those moments theyapproach the next stage in their evolution.

samples:

• Building Fifty
• Season of False Starts
• Seaforth

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

Touch & Go
The covers record is a grand art form, often abused, but with a conceptlike this one there's no way to go wrong. Sally Timms' latest soloalbum is primarily comprised of songs written by men, hence the title,and with anyone else some of the material might come off a bit tooforced. Timms takes these songs and, to her credit, does not change anywords or situations in the songs to make them work from a woman'sperspective. These performances are the original songs in newarrangements, brought about by Timms and the engineering/productionteam of Johnny Dowd and Justin Asher. The emphasis is on raw, however,with songs sometimes reduced in parts to just Timms' voice, aforeboding and sensuous being all its own. She has chosen some ratherinteresting specimens to emulate, from her other band the Mekons toMark Eitzel to Ryan Adams, and each interpretation bears a stamp thatwill never wash off in my mind. This makes it impossible to listen tothe original song without thinking of Timms' rendition, a testament toher artistry and originality when the tunes aren't even hers to beginwith. The two Mekons songs are especially moving, as her interpretationis informed by something deeper, so any changes could imply thatperhaps this is the way Timms always wanted the song to go; though theMekons are along for the ride, providing the music. Most of all, thisis a solo album of striking variation, with revealing and incrediblyprovocative imagery. The instrumentation involved alone is a wild ride,from musical saw to accordion to moog bass to strightforward guitar anddrums. Programming by Asher is never tiresome, and Timms' voice risingfrom a whisper to a plaintive wail and filling the room with nakedemotion is purely goosebump-inducing. By the time "Little Tommy Tucker"takes the speakers, I'm spent, and it's almost the bedtime story I needto fall asleep. It would be, that is, if it weren't so completelymesmerizing, with her frightening "none shall be married" refrainrepeating in my head so vividly that I may never sleep again. 

samples:

• Corporal Chalkie
• Fools We Are as Men
• I'm Just a Man

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

Secretly Canadian
Whimsy and fantasy are all it takes for Chris Barth to make a goodalbum. The lyrics on the album don't always make sense, but sometimesthey have a familiar sentiment that conjure up memories and ideas aboutthe world that might otherwise be forgotten. The whole of this recordworks like this: Barth's voice takes front and center on nearly everytrack and it is a gorgeous voice capable of both distress and relief.The music, when it isn't just an acoustic guitar, rolls along like agarage band trying to feel out its new equipment and this childlikeclumsiness is what marks the best songs on the album. In the meantimeBarth speaks out lyrics like "I'm gonna watch my baby trees grow / Overthe next fifty years I hope / I should have known I would hurt you likethat / I'll bet the farm I won't make it home." Not exactly the stuffof Byron or Whitman, but it's the way that he sings that makes thelyrics so important; it is as though they were written to fit aroundthe music and were not so much drawn up to convey deep, personalconvictions. The music, as a whole, is simplistic with arrangementsthat play on the addition of instruments in just the right place. "OurPlace in the Sky" is just a popping guitar rhythm with Barth's voicehighlighting the accents until a bass guitar begins to wrap all therhythm into a tide of melody and completes the song. "Watching YourHouse Burn" is a slow rhythmic intensification that pulses with all thereverb of layered acoustic guitars and the uneasy rumbling of drummachines. The opening lines, "I got poems on my shelf / I pick one offand raise a spell," are the epitome of the album and mark theprogression of this song and others. As the acoustic guitar races alongwith Barth's voice a tension is developed that relieves itself in thesound a heavy, thumping bass and the echo of a simple and repeatedlyrical theme. Most of these songs clock in at the two minute mark, butone outstanding and instrumental exception is "Sun Enters Capricorn."Whether or not the album's lyrics are completely convincing or even ifthey were just built around the songs after they were developed, Born a Black Diamondas a deliciously mystical aura. The guitar wailing and phased nuanceson "Sun Enters Capricorn" wobble and tumble like a living creature inits death throes. The drums on this track are noticeably heaviercompared to others and everything after this song seems to emanate outof this song, as though it were the most important piece. "The Balladof Normanoak" closes the album on a solemn and reverent note, as thoughthe music was all devoted to the mythical character of Normanoak. Afuzzed-out guitar makes its presence known between Barth's pained voiceand the light plucking of an acoustic melody. "Normanoak, Normanoak /You touched me, you let out some smoke / Oh it goes, oh it goes" andthe story (pointless? epic? nonsensical pseudo-myth?) ends. 

samples:

• Watching Your House Burn
• Sun Enters Capricorn
• Slow Explosion

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19 September 2004

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Warp
As a drummer, I'm always fascinated when electronic/studio-basedprojects take to the road with extra musicians in tow; the humanelement provided to make the live shows a lot more exciting.Performances augmented by a live drummer, guitarist, etc. interactingwith pre-set samples and loops adds a new dimension to thecompositions, blending organic rhythms and tones with digitallyprocessed signals. The outcome generally takes the music to a whole newlevel and is, of course, much more interesting to watch than someoneconstantly keeping busy behind a mixing desk while note-for-noterenditions play out. For their latest release as the Two LoneSwordsmen, the dynamic studio duo of Andrew Weatherall and KeithTenniswood have tracked the bulk of their tunes with the live groupapproach. From the Double Gone Chapelhas the guys using four separate drummers throughout to hook their rawbass lines and overdriven synths on. They proceed to layer upon theirvarious rhythm sections for some novel, dark and sexy tracks. Thehalf-time squelching keyboard groove of "Stack Up" opens up the discfor distorted, dental drill-like whirs which weave through the soundsof a digital beach shore. The steady pulses of the guitar percussive"Formica Fuego" and sliding down-tuned bass of "The Lurch" back a mixof post-punk and new wave which should crowd the dance floor of anyretroesque club under its black lights and darkly attired patrons. Inkeeping with that particular timeframe, a distorted cover of Gun Club's"Sex Beat" appears early on in the mix; tight performance andinstrumentation but doesn't do too much for me. The lilting noisescape"Punches and Knives" and dirty shuffle of "Kamanda's Response" croonwith twisted lyrics and vocals which conjure up visions of a modern daySyd Barrett curled up in the corner of a dark smoke-filled studio.Having not followed the Two Lone Swordsmen too closely since their 2000release Tiny Reminders, I wouldn't have expected such an impressive mix of live, laid back tracks on From the Double Gone Chapelby comparison. Then again, there's only so many ways to use the studioas an instrument without filling it with musicians to play into theether. 

samples:

• Stack Up
• The Lurch
• Sick When We Kiss

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

Mush Records
Instrumental hip-hop and I have a rocky relationship, but it's one thatThe Opus is working to mend. Mush has lined up a steady stream of myfavorite releases over the last year, and Breathing Lessonsdefinitely falls into the stack of things I've listened to more thananything else lately. Whispering voices and moody ambient loops lieunder the beats for most of Breathing Lessons giving the recorda kind of hip hop-noir feel not unlike the old Wordsound and Asphodelreleases that first pulled me into the world of instrumental andexperimental hip hop. This record is so solidly constructed that Idon't even mind that it nicks the "Give me love so that I can kill"sample already used to perfection by Meat Beat Manifesto. The guestvocal by Lord 360 on "Isis" is intelligent and tight; cerebral but witha groove, and groove is what makes most of The Opus' work stand out.The beats are constructed from a classical hip hop paradigm with loopedpatterns of fours and eights, breakdowns, instrument drop-outs, and theoccasional beat-juggling that sounds like it must come from a pair ofturntables (even if it doesn't). Instrumental hip hop can often feellike it's waiting for something, or that it's somehow missing the vocalintended to tie it all together, but that's never a problem for trackslike "Whirlwind-Guardian" or "The Strange Adventures of Mr. Happy,"where the music alone is enough to propel the songs forward. A steadydiet of instrumental hip hop will leave just about anyone thinking thatit all sounds the same, and to be fair, a great deal of it isconstructed from the same sliced up not-so-rare grooves and jazz riffs,but The Opus layers compositions with enough spooky atmosphere, musicalslivers, and finely tuned beats to make a record worth seeking out. 

samples:

• Isis
• The Addiction
• The Strange Adventures of Mr. Happy

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19 September 2004

Michael Patrick Brady

Albums and Singles

Merge
Montreal'sArcade Fire is the latest breath of crisp northern air to spark ourheavy brains, and their debut album is a wonderful promulgation ofthoughtful, emotional pop music that is striking in its clarity."Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" is an epic opener, so captivating that itmay be some time before a listener can escape it to experience the restof the album. A simple piano melody leads the track, placing its feeton the ground before the crushing crescendo of organs, accordions,guitars, chimes, and synths appears, bursting this love song at theseams. Vocalist Win Butler imbues the song with such fervor, animperative desire that speeds the song along as the drums linkthemselves to the heartbeat, pushing the band to a breathless brink."Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" is a far tighter piece, drawing the scopeinward from the epic sprawl of "Neighborhood #1" to a darker, confinedsound. A lolling accordion and sharp strings punctuate the driftingvocals, almost accusatory in their tone like a Greek chorus deliveringtheir take on the situation from just offstage. The layout of "Laika"is quite clever, tossing new elements and surprising shifts into thesong that make it far more intriguing than any straight ahead design.The Arcade Fire seems comfortable warping song structure to fit theirexpressive needs, and it works well throughout the disc. "Crown ofLove" finds Butler channeling a suicidal Scott Walker, a quiet plea offorgiveness above a restrained orchestral swell, building and buildinguntil the weight becomes too much to bear. As the song closes it eruptsinto a stunning gallop, that hits like a ton of bricks and slowly fadesaway, comfortable departing with that shock still in the air. "Wake Up"aims to rival the Polyphonic Spree when it comes to off-kilter choralacrobatics. While the comparison is initially apt, the song quicklydiscovers its own place, a far less absurdist and far more realistforay into celebration of living, with all its complexities. Themusical background of the song is overwhelming, and far more fullbodied than much of the aforementioned comparison's output. Once again,as soon as the comfort of the musical motif of the song sets in, theband takes a hard turn into sixties girl groups territory, throwing inthe whole wall of sound. Funeral is an exhilarating experience:the debut of a fresh, invigorating band and a batch of songs that willensconce themselves in the hearts and minds of many for years to come. 

samples:

• Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
• Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
• Wake Up

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19 September 2004

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Albums and Singles

Quarterstick
Itdoesn't seem to matter where Tara Jane's called home, whether it's theeast coast or the west coast, her Louisville roots are what shinethrough her music. Moderate guitar-based songs have a twang and charmand a complete mastery of songcraft that is not uncommon with otherrural midwesterners like Jason Molina, David Pajo, and Will Oldham.It's music that's equally appropriate for frigid nights indoors as wellas blistering summer afternoons. With Tara Jane's solo records, fansknow what to expect for the most part: a collection of well developedsongs with Tara on guitar and nearly everything else, paired with avery small number of guests on various other stringed instruments anddrums, often matching abrasive chord structures with convincing vocals.Tara's a poet and the recordings are canvases where her verses andmusic meet: both sensual and confrontational, both delicate and coarse,almost all finding their way into her music simultaneously. Tara oftenexperiments with other devices to make rhythms like the clicking trackand whirring effects on "Famous Yellow Belly" and composes anoccasional lengthy instrumental jem like the opener "Take the Walking,"which is mesmerising with its rumbling bass-heavy delivery. One thing Ican always rely on with Tara Jane records are that usually two or threesongs always stand out to me as quintessential pop tunes, combining astrong, catchy tune with the perfect instrumentation. For You Sound, Reflect,I'm completely in love with the songs "Howl," and "Without Push," whereTara gets some help from Nora Danielson on violin and a couple variousothers on backing vocals. The driving drums and direct vocals on "ASnapshot" is also quite a powerful achievement, where Tara'saggressively listing off "this is where you lied to me and this iswhere you needed me,... and this is what you stole from me and this ishow i used to bleed" amongst various other sharp things. It's alwaysthese strong songs nestled in an already strong album which make methink that an ideal world will recognize singer/songwriter Tara JaneO'Neil as a classic many years from now (since I've almost given up allhope with the current world). As my mind wanders off along these lines,I find it it's hard to believe even an internationally adoredsinger/songwriter like Joni Mitchell could ever have a hit today withsome of the songs that made her a household name nearly thirty yearsago. Anyhow, Tara shouldn't be missed now and I look forward to seeingher again live next month.

samples:

• Howl
• Famous Yellow Belly
• A Snapshot

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19 September 2004

Administrator

Albums and Singles

Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto, there was a great collaboration in the early 80s between local prog-rock heroes Rush and Max Webster on the tune "Battlescar" that was, like, totally awesome for an impressionable rock radio pre-teen. Looking back, I don't think there's been many unique rock group pairings where both parties come through loud and clear without fighting for the spotlight as I would have imagined or care to remember. Over the years, most of the major label stuff always came across as either: a) a third party-penned tune recorded to benefit a worthy cause; b) a contractual and cheesy supergroup; or c) the obligatory tribute record, which is also usually a) and b).Drag City

Source material re-mixes were and still are the popular collaboration for a lot of electronic-based musicians, with artists sometimes never meeting in person. A couple of years back, west coast precision metal trio The Fucking Champs and D.C. futuristic rockers Trans Am decided to embrace the earlier days of the rock's upper echelon by recording under the name Trans Champs, releasing a great EP in which both groups complimented each other and maintained their own identities. This time around as The Fucking Am, Gold has them broadening their unique middle ground of crunchy guitars and tight drumming to some darker, heavier and at times playful places. "The Gauntlet" had me close to headbanging to its super-tight and processed drums, monstrous wall of heavy guitars and low end, at times thick enough to vibrate the nose hairs. Taking its title from the now famous Pete Townshend defense, the time-warped "Doing Research For An Autobiography" nearly left my jaw hanging as it shifted back and forth from twin guitar major key 70s blues/rock licks and double bassdrum-driven keyboard explorations that touch on the psychedelic. The laid back and loose jamming of "Elastico Gomez" takes the excitement level down a few notches only to have layering drones build up the tension to segue into the crunchy and controlled meedleying of "Electrico Gomez" to close things down. As one who prefers to think as having outgrown my stadium rock upbringing, Gold had me wanting to pump my fist in the air and revisit my inner-metalhead without an ounce of irony. 

samples:

• The Gauntlet
• Doing Research For An Autobiography
• Taking Liberties

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