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Biography Of Ferns is a Seattle-based band who formed in the late ’90s, but they obviously want to be a British post-punk from the late ’70s. One listen to Pastel Gothic and you’ll be sure to pick up hints of Public Image Ltd., Wire, Joy Division and most obviously Gang of Four. That’s cool, those are good bands to use as a starting point (God only knows more bands should), but there’s a difference between “being influenced by” and “trying to sound exactly the same as,” and Biography of Ferns far too often fall into the latter category. It’s not that they’re bad; there are a quite a few good tracks here. The first half of the album is especially strong; “Join the Barber,” “The Charmer” and “Accidental Town” all deftly combine the dance-friendly vibe of Gang of Four with the general insanity of more experimental acts from the time like Public Image Ltd. But Pastel Gothic is one top-heavy record, and the steam runs out quickly. By the time things wrap up with “Ring of Oaks” and “First Kiss” the catchy melodies are long gone and all that’s left is a boring excursion into post-punk masturbatory shoegazing. And someone needs to slap the hell out of their lead singer until he dumps the ridiculous fake British accent. On a completely unrelated note, these guys should tour with Unicycle Loves You. Not because they sound anything alike, but because they’re both two of the stupidest band names you’re likely to hear. (Tellous 2007) |
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Listening to Woven can be extremely annoying, and not just because their lead signer can’t sing (although that plays a large factor in it). Woven is so annoying because each of their records are textbook examples of how to squander potential. They’ve shown promise ever since their 2001 EP debut EPrime to become a great electronic act, maybe even a mainstream version of Aphex Twin. However, instead of embracing their inner glitch, the group continues to try and combine their natural talent for breakbeats and killer loops with generic, utterly boring alt-rock straight out of the late-’90s post-grunge handbook. Much of the blame for the band’s failure to successfully merge the two decidedly very different genres should be placed on singer Ory Hodis. There hasn’t been a signer this bad in a band this good since Einar’s days with Bjork in the Sugarcubes. Hodis seems to have two styles, whisper sing/speak and falsetto yelling/whining, and he can’t pull off either. Songs on Designer Codes are completely ruined by him. “Perception Whore” and “Inhale” are awesome IDM-inspired bits of insanity, kind of like Radiohead’s Kid A with some balls. But the second Hodis opens his mouth and unleashes his inner sensitive alt-rock bitch, the songs are totally ruined. Hodis should shut his mouth and Woven should either recruit a new lead singer or seriously consider reinventing themselves as an instrumental act, since that is one area they need no help in. |
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Mugison is a weird dude. Of course he is, he’s an Icelandic musician. This is the country that brought us Sigur Ros, Mum and the queen of all things WTF, Bjork. But Mugison is a little different from his decidedly very different musical countrymen. While his compatriots prefer to dabble in the realms of experimental noise, electronica and whatever the hell Bjork is doing right now, Mugison seems determined to keep his decidedly off-center music firmly planted in American-influenced blues rock, making him slightly more accessible than the throngs of batshit crazy artists from the land of puffin. Slightly being the key word, because while Mugison’s latest release, Mugiboogie, is pretty bluesy, it’s still pretty damn weird. The title track, for instance, buries the blues riffs behind a sea of wacky keyboard sounds while the insanely freaky “I’m Alright” pairs up a soundscape of near-random noise with a shocking example of Cookie Monster death metal vocalizing by Mugison, who otherwise maintains a cool, slightly throaty, blues singing style through most of the album. When it all comes together, though, it works beautifully, the best example being the brilliantly abrasive “Jesus Is a Good Name to Moan,” in which Mugison angrily demands his girlfriend tell him who this Jesus guy is and why she’s yelling his name while they do it. Yeah, that may sound funny, but there is no humor in the surprisingly dark and powerful tune. Other highlights include the anti-government “The Animal” and almost-metal “Two Thumb Sucking Son of a Boyo.” This is one wacky album. Fans of Beck and Soulwax should definitely take note of this Icelandic kook. (Ipecac Recordings) |
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Dumbest band name of the year? Maybe, but once you listen to the Phoenix quintet’s marvelously messy debut, Thinks and Feels, it almost makes sense. There’s nothing conventional about this outfit; even by experimental post-rock standards, they’re too weird to fit in, because you never know when they’re going to ditch the alien arrangements and whimsical time shifts in favor of some Marvin Hamlisch piano, Beach Boys vocal stacks, Neil Young space travel, or good old-fashioned classic rock. Calling them Menomena meets My Morning Jacket isn’t really accurate, but then, neither is pretty much any other point of reference you could come up with for this stuff. What matters most is whether or not it sucks, and Thinks and Feels decidedly does not. Woe to the listener who tries to absorb any of it out of the record’s context – this isn’t a pick-and-choose type of album – but give it a few front-to-back spins and feel yourself slowly being drawn into the weird, wonderful world of What Laura Says. Give them an “A” for originality, and join us in wishing best of luck to Terpsikhore when it comes to promoting any of this. (Terpsikhore 2008) |
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King Kong vs. Godzilla, Alien vs. Predator, Freddy vs. Jason. These are the eternal battles that have captured the imagination of the American public. Now you can add Computer vs. Banjo to that list of epic duels. The computer half of this musical duel is Johnny Mann of the little-heard Nashville funk band Gran Torino. The banjo is represented by Beau Stapleton, formerly of the slightly successful southern jam band Blue Merle. To be honest though, there isn’t much in the way of “vs” on the duo’s self-titled debut. Much of the album is simply a low-fi electronic album, songs like “Low” and “Outer Space” have nary a country influence in them. On the flip side, country ballads “San Joaquin” and “2Heavy2Hold” don’t have much a computer presence to them. When the two do team up, the result is more like a Grandaddy album than something that you would expect from a name like Computer Vs. Banjo. Where’s the 21st century version of “Dueling Banjos”? What about a hardcore rave anthem with some line dancing influence thrown in for good measure? This is a good album, but there’s a lot of untapped potential here. Hopefully Mann and Stapleton will really embrace their novel concept on their next album and truly give us a battle between the technological majesty of electronic music and the down-home charm of classic country. (Diagram 2008) Filed under: Alternative and Electronica and Country and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes Comments: None |
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When David Ford released his 2006 album, I Sincerely Apologise for the Trouble I Have Caused, we gave him a pass. That’s because his brooding folk/pop was novel, and it was fun to hear a guy like so pissed off showing us just how anger could translate into humorous yet powerful songs. Kind of like, “Take that, bitch.” But this time around, Ford’s Songs for the Road, while more of the same fare, just comes across as, well, bitter. And you’ll be like, “Dude, shut the hell up already.” The British singer/songwriter knows how to craft a song, so we’ll give him that. But this time around, Ford is like an angry James Blunt—well, slightly cooler than Blunt but a little less fucked up than Amy Winehouse. Songs for the Road has two tracks that especially bring out Ford’s inner bitter—“Go to Hell” and the musically uplifting yet slap-in-your-face “Nobody Tells Me What to Do.” Anything beyond that, and you’re going to wish this dude would just go away. And the sad thing, really, is that you know that if David Ford fell in love and wrote some heartfelt songs that reflect that, he could be amazing. But for now, dude just needs to lighten up. (LABEL: RED/Independiente) |
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A band’s press release almost always relies on a simple “A + B” statement to define their sound, and usually the equation involves two bands of such regard that the results are laughable. It’s always the garage band from Gary, Indiana who considers themselves to be the magic combination of Radiohead and Led Zeppelin. Middle Class Rut ambitiously describe themselves as a combination of Jane’s Addiction, Refused, Rage Against the Machine and the Foo Fighters. Now that is a ballsy statement. Not only is Middle Class Rut comparing themselves to three of the biggest bands of the ’90s (and Refused, a hardcore post-punk band from Sweden) with the release of their (somewhat) self-titled debut, they also hold the ideal that people actually want to hear another band that is wearing said influences on their sleeves. Surprisingly though, that ridiculously hyperbolic description is spot-on. And the fact that the result isn’t half bad is even more surprising. “Let It Go” and “All Walks Of Life” recall the anger and energy of their influences, with a hardcore punk edge that explains the somewhat questionable inclusion of Refused in their equation. Sure, they may run out of steam later on, with “So Long” and “I Don’t Really Know” feeling a bit too much like Jane’s Addiction for their own good, but this is one of the only bands who have managed to draw influence from mid-’90s alternative rock and not suck outright. And for that they deserve something. Also with ten songs (one secret) and over 40 minutes in length, this has to be the longest EP ever. (No Label) |
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The band’s name is a reference to the many ‘isms’ that they feel are tearing at the fabric of society (racism, terrorism, etc.), but we see the band’s name as an acronym: It’s Sub-par Muse. Lead singer and songwriter Andre Mistier is clearly a big fan of Matthew Bellamy & co – a quick glance at the band’s top friends on their MySpace page confirms this – and the band’s sophomore effort, Urgency, feels like one long mash note to the UK power trio. There is no questioning the band’s talents as musicians, and lead single “Sacred Cows,” with its Morello-esque octave-jumping guitar riff, could pass for a leftover track from the Black Holes and Revelations sessions. The problem is the band’s slavish devotion to replicating Muse’s style. The title track alone is three Muse songs rolled into one, combining the music from “Time Is Running Out” with the lyrics from “Apocalypse Please” and “Butterflies and Hurricanes” (“If you’re wondering what you’re made of, now’s the time to see / Bring on Apocalypse”). Oh, and their bass player uses a lot of effects pedals, just like a certain Muse bassist. These guys could be dangerous once they find their identity, but for now, they’re just a group of highly skilled copycats. (STM Records) Filed under: Rock and Alternative and Electronica and CD Reviews and CD QuickTakes Comments: 6 Comments |
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Someone call the cops, because Dan Bejar’s been robbed. With I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke and Laura, Detroit’s Pas/Cal has assembled one gorgeous (but lengthy) love letter to the Destroyer and part-time New Pornographer, churning out song after song of ornate but odd guitar pop. “Glorious Ballad of the Ignored” seems to have five or six mini-suites all by itself. It’s immaculately done but also overdone, turning on themselves so many times that it’s easy to get lost mid-song. These guys clearly know their way around a melody, but one wonders what kind of masterpiece they could whip up if they forced themselves to keep it simple. (Le Grand Magistry 2008) |
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Yes, there are a lot of bands that sound like Kessler. The Dallas quintet’s sound falls somewhere between Warped Tour and Family Values, but with songwriting chops that rival power pop industry benchmarks like Butch Walker and Fountains of Wayne. I Know Your Voice is the band’s debut and if you came to the table wanting to hate it, you’re going to walk away disappointed. Kessler isn’t doing something that hasn’t been done before, but you’ll be tapping your feet and grooving before you know what’s happening. Add to the equation producer Jim Wirt (Hoobastank, Jack’s Mannequin) and you probably already know what Kessler sounds like. But this is a strong debut, in particular the first single, “Outside Your Window,” which sounds like summer. Other standouts are the Goo Goo Dolls-ish “Dallas” and the blazing “The Missing.” (YMA Records) |
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Going by their H.R. Giger-lite cover art and the vaguely-threatening title Cold Blooded Demon, it’s obvious that Revmatic want to be taken seriously as a “real” metal band. And while the group does manage to keep things at a constant fast and loud pace on their third album, they forgot to make it good. Hyper-fast guitars chug non-stop on Cold Blooded Demon, speeding their way through at near-Motorhead intensity on the opening “Head My Way” and rarely slowing down until the slightly more subdued closing number “So Far Away.” And while the crunching riffs start out great, they quickly get old as Revmatic reveals itself to be a one-trick pony, with their one trick being slightly heavier than usual, Top 40-friendly post-grunge bullshit. They may know how to plug an amp in and crank it to 11, but they sure as hell can’t do anything past that. The recurring theme of Cold Blooded Demon is “I hate that bitch because I love her so much” with titles like “She’s a Drug,” “Lie to Love” and “Such a Disease” singing the praise of dysfunctional relationships. Even if you somehow still like crap like this, you can do better. Doesn’t Puddle Of Mudd have a new CD out? (Self-released) |
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There is a strong case to be made here for the importance of sequencing. The track listing for Partie Automatic, the debut album from Florida synth-rockers the Black Kids, paints the band into a corner before they’ve had a chance to spread their wings. Opening songs “Hit the Heartbreaks” and the title track are serviceable enough, but it’s the third track that throws everything out of whack: The weedier-than-weedy “Listen to Your Body Tonight” has no business whatsoever in the three-hole; that slot is tailor-made for lead single “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You,” which would have propped up everything on either side of it. Instead, “Boyfriend” is batting seventh, behind the girl group-ish “I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again),” which feels like an answer record to the Pipettes. Granted, those two songs work really well together, but is anyone still listening by this point? Lead singer Reggie Youngblood has a few different speeds, but his strained Robert Smithisms dominate the front half, making the album a more laborious listen than it needs to be. Our suggestion: re-sequence the album, and replace “Listen to Your Body Tonight” with their cover of Sophie B. Hawkins’ “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover.” Everyone loves a cover version, right? (Columbia) |
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You can usually tell everything you need to know about a band by their name – Staind, Crystal Method, Motorhead, etc. – and then there are bands like the inexplicably named Sunny Day Sets Fire, who will likely turn off the very people who will love them before they’ve heard a note because of their name alone. For the record, they are far more about sunny days than setting fires, and Summer Palace, the debut album from the UK-based band – their members are from Italy, Hong Kong, Canada and England – is one of the year’s finest, a delirious mix of New Pornographers-style smart pop and psychedelic tinges that bring to mind Flaming Lips and Polyphonic Spree. “End of the Road” sports a spaghetti western guitar hook, while “Stranger” is straight-up bouncy power pop, and “All Our Songs” will make A.C. Newman green with envy. To carry the New Pornographers comparison a step further, some songs sound like Newman-written songs while others, namely “I Dream Along” and the (annoying) “Map of the World,” could have been the work of Dan Bejar. It all adds up to one of the most adventurous and rewarding pop records you’ll hear all year. More, please. (IAMSOUND Records) |
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Technology has afforded so many singer/songwriters to release albums in the last few years that it’s practically unfathomable. So how do we sift through everything and find the music that’s actually worth listening to? We rely on things like satellite radio, film/TV artist launches, and publicists. Of course, this stuff has to pass our ears and make us stand up and take notice, and Denver’s Dan Craig is doing that to more than a few ears. His third album, Skin Grows Thin, is 13 mostly acoustic offerings that are dreamy, ethereal Damien Rice-like fare that is performed with precision and emotion as if Craig truly believes every word he’s singing. To pull off the acoustic thing well, you have to have a remarkable voice, and Craig’s smoky tenor is just that. The opening track, “Further to Fall,” is money in the bank, but there really isn’t a bad track on here. Other notables are when Craig smartly uses strings and sweet harmonies to deliver his message, as he does on “Breaking Hearts Tonight” and “All Break Down.” Dan Craig’s music might be a music supervisor’s dream, but more than that, he’s a dependable singer/songwriter in a crowded genre. (Dan Craig Music) |
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Val Emmich is a name you may not recognize, but here’s a dude (yes, Val is a man) that has released five albums and an EP, one on a major label and a few on indies. And years of touring with the likes of Butch Walker, Gavin DeGraw and Better Than Ezra has helped to shape Emmich’s current style and songwriting on his latest, Little Daggers. Emmich played most of the instruments on this effort, and it’s filled with anthems and rockers, heartfelt lyrics, and hooks that are sometimes subtle but usually engaging. It’s the kind of album you probably won’t hear on the radio, but you’ll find playing in some cool record store or, if Emmich is savvy at marketing, in a motion picture. You can take the songs on which Emmich tries a bit too hard, especially on “Hurt More Later” and “Darling Denise,” the latter of which sounds kind of like emo whining. But the bulk of the tracks are very good, bordering on really, really good. In particular, the first few rocking numbers, “The Lucky Ones” and “Get On With It,” will have you quite possibly dancing on the roof of your car, while the best track of all, “Down,” sounds like a cross between Butch Walker and a more somber Bruce Springsteen. Despite a few clunkers, this is still one of the better albums by an independent artist in 2008. (LABEL: bluhammock music) |
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