Category: Instrumental (Page 3 of 5)

Pelican: What We All Come to Need

December 1, 2009 /


RIYL: Isis, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Sun O)))

Pelican, by far the most notable instrumental post-metal art rock band named after a waterfowl, left indie-metal label Hydra Head Records last year and joined up with Southern Lord Records, home to such experimental icons as Sun O))) and Earth. So perhaps it’s not coincidental that their first release on the label, What We All Come to Need, is a slight return to more experimental ground. Their 2007 release City of Echoes got some flak for being too “mainstream” due to some slightly more traditional sonic arrangements that were far shorter and more restrained than the epic-length opuses that the band was known for in the past. On What We All Come to Need, the band has seemingly split the difference between the “pop” sound of their last album and the unabridged soundscapes that was their earlier work. While there are no droning 10-to 20-minute epics on What We All Come to Need, most of the tracks hover around the seven-minute mark, giving the listener enough time to get lost in the songs’ dark, melodic world without descending into tedium. That being said, perhaps they cut a bit too much of the fat away. The menacing “The Creeper” and riff-heavy “Glimmer” could benefit from being a little longer, and shorter cuts like “An Inch Above Sand” and “Strung Up From The Sky” never really get a chance to develop. However, tracks like “Ephemeral” show that bigger isn’t always better by pounding its way through your cortex with its thunderous riffs in a scant five-minute running time.

Will the hardcore among the art-metal fans enjoy it? Probably not – it’s still a bit too “traditional” sounding for them. But metal heads who are curious to see what all this “post-metal” talk is about would do good to start with What We All Come to Need, as it’s a perfect bridge between the hardcore droning sludge of groups like Isis and progressive metal such as Mastodon. (Southern Lord Records 2009)

Pelican MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD Reviews, Instrumental, Metal

Hem: Twelfth Night

October 30, 2009 /


RIYL: Incredible String Band, Amazing Blondel, Pentangle

It ought to come as no surprise that a combo which has taken its cue from iconic Anglo folk music should carry those interests further – in this case, creating an album rich in Celtic and Baroque tradition. But in accepting a commission to pattern a soundtrack for the Public Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” Hem’s allowed their Elizabethan extremes to run rampant, augmenting their usual mellow musings with a contingent of pipes, flutes, whistles and orchestral flourishes all in keeping with the trappings of the period. Mostly instrumental, it gives vocal nods to a theatrically superior cast that includes Anne Hathaway and Raul Esparza, but it’s a relatively unknown David Pittu who proves best suited to singing the sonnets, especially on such traditionally-tied verses as “The Wind and the Rain,” “Hey Robin, Jolly Robin” and “I Am Gone, Sir.” As the titles suggest, this is neither rock, nu-folk nor any combination thereof, but rather a sound that owes its origins and inspiration to the Bard. Hem enthusiasts will likely note this as a momentary detour in anticipation of a band project due early next year. For their part, theater purists will probably appreciate the effort and admire its authenticity. (Nettwerk 2009)

Hem MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Folk, Instrumental, Melodramatic

Sam Bush: Circles Around Me

October 14, 2009 /


RIYL: Yonder Mountain String Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Nickel Creek

Sam Bush conveys the impression of an agreeable guy, a musician immersed in what he does. He boasts that same affinity for his fans that Jimmy Buffett displays in acting the role of cheerleader while readily encouraging unabashed celebration simply for celebration’s sake. But where Buffett’s built a reputation for being a party practitioner who induces his fans to wear silly hats and label themselves Parrot Heads, Bush invokes a merry mood simply by showing up, creating a communal Zen-like experience that takes its root in his music alone. Fans who flock to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival each year can attest to the joyful Bush bash that occurs every time he takes the stage, but for the uninitiated, his new LP, Circles Around Me, ought to suffice.

Bush helped invent the genre now known as “Nu-grass” while heading the New Grass Revival, and while he’s broadened his palette over the years, he’s also managed to maintain his populist appeal along the way. The title track opens the new disc with him marveling at the blessings generated by the kinship of his fan following, with Telluride accruing special mention. But then Bush gets down to business, tossing his limber fiddle and mandolin into the exhilarating frenzy of the album’s bluegrass banter. A trio of sure-footed instrumentals – “The Old North Woods,” “Blue Mountain” and “Junior Heywood” – provide the keynote offerings, but covers of Guy Clark’s mournful “The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle” and a harmony-fueled “Roll on Buddy, Roll On” vary the template ever so slightly while adding a supple touch to the proceedings.

Truth be told, Bush’s main strength lies as an ensemble player and, in fact, aside from the fiddle workout “Apple Blossom,” Circles Around Me benefits tremendously from the collective input of Bush’s collaborators – Del McCoury, Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas included. Happily then, these circles remain unbroken. (Sugarhill 2009)

Sam Bush MySpace page

Americana, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country, Folk, Instrumental

The Octopus Project: Golden Beds EP

August 7, 2009 /

Patton Oswalt joked that Austin was one of those cities that lives in a magical bubble that protects its residents from the chaos and the muck that surrounds them (“You mean I can’t pay for a sandwich with a song?”), and this five-track EP by playful electronic enthusiasts Octopus Project, their first effort since 2007’s Hello, Avalanche, bears that out. Leadoff song “Wet Gold” rocks a Theremin and boy-girl vocals to a beat that Stereolab would have killed for, but the band launches a full-on guitar assault on follow-up track “Moon Boil.” They finish the EP with three instrumentals (!), ranging from trippy (“Rorol”) to pogo-tastic (the Death Cab-esque “Wood Trumpet”). It’s the work of a band with a love for all things pop but a healthy disregard for all things popular. Lord knows we could use a few more bands like that these days. Peek-a-Boo 2009

Octopus Project MySpace page

Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

INF: The Go Round

July 31, 2009 /

Breaks records are usually intended for DJs, when they can be mixed and sampled with other tracks for DJ sets or remixes. Once in a while, though, one can break through to more mainstream audiences. DJ Food did it with their Jazz Brakes series, and now it looks like INF might with The Go Round, an infectious collection of ’60s-influenced loops, grooves and beats. The Go Round sounds like some magical out-of-place artifact from 1960s London, combining groovy instrumentals with modern beats to create a soundtrack to the best crime movie Michael Caine never made. One can imagine Mini Coopers tearing through the streets to the pulse-pounding beats of the title track, a romantic interlude to the gentle guitar strums and eastern drum beats of “The Boogie Man” and the final fight scene to the awesomely named “Power Move, Baby.” The Go Round is brief, clocking it at just over half an hour, so it’s not a lot of bang for your buck. But it’s still a fun listen that would serve as great background music for a party, dinner, or car chase. (Beats Broke 2009)

INF’s MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Instrumental

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