Archive for the ‘6 Points’ Category
April 1, 2008
Black Mountain
In the Future
January 22nd 2008
Jagjaguwar
“The witch is on your trail, my lord
Stormy stormy high
You’ve been dying to be set free
Oh curse those honeyed hands”
I suppose it is important that you know what you are getting into when you unsheathe the sword that is Black Mountain. These Canadians will take you on a magical walk to the wild side whence witches, sprawling blood, and mystic towers doth hale. You can’t really call it prog rock because it is certainly not forward looking. They are steeped in nostalgia, and fully embrace the gravity exerted by their unapologetic tip-of-the-hat to early 70’s rock ‘n roll. That having been said, Black Mountain has put together a great fucking record.
In the Future is heavy. It is iron clad psychedelic rock that has no qualms concerning the use of fantasy to parallel our politically tumultuous reality. In a context such as ours, songs about witches and tyrants do not amount to mere verbiage. Black Mountain speaks of demons but avoids the silliness some find at D&D conventions. They are an entertaining, creative, and highly electrifying band.
-FF
6/9
http://www.blackmountainarmy.com
http://www.myspace.com/blackmountain
Other Music
Druganaut EP- 2005
Black Mountain- 2005
Stormy High EP- 2006
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Bands, Black Mountain, Canada, Frederick Foxtrott, Indie, Jagjaguwar, Music, Music Review, Politics, Psychedelia, Vancouver | Tagged 2008, 6 Points, Bands, Black Mountain, Canada, Frederick Foxtrott, Indie, Jagjaguwar, Music, Music Review, Psychodelia, Vancouver | Leave a Comment »
March 3, 2008
Darla Farmer
Rewiring the Electric Forest
March 24th 2008
Paper Garden Records
There is no need to dissect Darla Farmer into parts; the constitution of their style is quite clear. Their full-length debut Rewiring the Electric Forest is an amalgamation of Louisiana brass jazz, swing, gypsy rock, Americana, hardcore, and the slightest undertone of that frightful three letter word, ska. This audial cocktail is not, as one would suppose, an all out assault on the senses. Darla Farmer textures their music in unconventional ways without demeaning their well worked melodies. Clint Wilson’s vocals have the immediacy and anxiety of Tim Casher and the quirky pitch of Amedeo Pace. That’s right, I said Amedeo Pace. I know I find a way to compare everything to Blonde Redhead but really people…listen to Falling Man followed by Darla Farmer’s The Vigilant Mr. Lynch…yeah that’s right.
The burlesque attitude of Darla Farmer is delicious. The bright eccentricities sound as if they were lifted out of a carnival sideshow. Rather than overcompensating for the inherent problems that come with recording horn sections, the loose and live feel of the horns was captured and exploited very tastefully. Too often these types of recordings come off sounding like metronomed midi files, but the dirt is left on and the atmosphere is kept thick.
Recorded at Mike Mogus’ studio in Omaha, Nebraska (Bright Eyes, Saddle Creek), Darla Farmer has produced a good record that is as aggressive as it is intricate. The Cow That Drank Too Much, Mechanical Thoughts, and Tree on a Hill underscore the range that this band commands. Much of Rewiring the Electric Forest is a throwback to familiar melodic templates, however when the elements are infused some real meaty stuff is made. They should look into touring with Chicago’s Skybox. Their energy and eccentricities are totally compatible. While the horns may be overly emphasized, Darla Farmer are sure to improve the balance in time. In any event these 7 Nashvillans sound as if they would put on one hell of a show.
6/9
http://www.myspace.com/darlafarmer
http://darlafarmer.com
Tour Dates
3/4 – Nashville, TN @ Grimey’s
CD RELEASE SHOW
3/4 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
After The Jump/Paper Garden Records/Indie Outlaw SXSW Day Party
3/15 – Austin, TX @ Lucky Lounge
Team Grizzly / Stranded In Stereo SXSW Day Party
3/15 – Austin, TX @ The Pangae Patio
3/21 – Cincinnati, OH @ Blue rock Tavern
3/22 – Columbus, OH @ Scarlet & Grey Cafe
3/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA
3/25 – New York, NY @ Club Midway
3/27 – New York, NY @ Piano’s (w/ The Heavenly States)
3/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ TBA
3/29 – Reading, PA @ The Silo
TBA – Washington, DC @ TBA
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Carnival Midway Brass, CD Release, Darla Farmer, Indie, Manhattan, Music, Music Review, Nashville, Nebraska, New York City, Omaha, Paper Garden Records, Saddle Creek, Show Alert, Skybox, SXSW, Tour, Williamsburg | Tagged 2008, 6 Points, Americana, Darla Farmer, Gypsy Rock, Indie, Midway Carnival Brass, Music, Music Review, Nashville, Paper Garden Records, Ska, Skybox | Leave a Comment »
February 17, 2008
The Mars Volta
The Bedlam in Goliath
January 29th 2008
Universal Motown Records
The purpose of a concept album is to imbue a collection of songs with a sense of cohesive spirit. Whether to tell a story or to construct an audial ambiance, its purpose is ultimately to provide an absorbable reason that these songs belong together on one album. From rock operas like Tommy to more the celestial songs of Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer, concept albums rely on narratives that are interjected by the band, or by devout fans and are then supported by the songs themselves, or conversely an album might be released that when consumed by the public seem to contain a message or story. As the concept is defined by the audience, the band is asked about meaning and inspiration, and post facto significance is given to this or that line or note. The dialogue between the art consumer and the art producer is not always an intended result. Sometimes the work becomes bigger than the artist and meaning is derived from outside the act of creation. Albums that succeed allow for that dialogue to exist and in fact count on that process for definition. Unfortunately, today’s musicians, independent and otherwise, are releasing “concept” albums a dime a dozen. They make a record with lyrics that have a central theme, include a mysterious story narrating the meaning and purpose behind the record in their press release, and wait for it to seed in the consciousness of their audience.
Music has become increasingly disposable, especially in the independent market. Bands don’t expect to be relevant after five years and music consumers generally don’t have time to follow the careers of today’s hip band before tomorrow’s releases their killer first EP. The idea that bands make great music, and that fans then respond with loyalty and devotion has been abandoned by both sides of the equation. The dialectic that is required to generate nuance and complexity suffocates in their current lifespan. Of course this is a generality and there are plenty of bands that continue to generate legions of followers, but in shear numbers of releases by the multitude of bands, longevity has all but been jettisoned, and in terms of concept albums, longevity concerns have not abated the onslaught of concept records released. It seems as if these past few years every band has said, “It is time…to release…our concept album!” Yes Andy, everyone will have their 15 minutes.
Our friends Cedric Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodríguez-López of The Mars Volta have made yet another heavily conceptualized record. This time however they have included in the press release a story of how Rodríguez-López purchased an “archaic Ouija board” in Jerusalem named “The Soothsayer.” They contacted an entity named Goliath who represented three spirits. After ritually speaking with Goliath after shows, the band experienced crazy spooky shit during their tour and subsequent recording of aptly titled The Bedlam in Goliath. You get it? There is mayhem in Goliath…’cause he represents three spirits. During the making of The Bedlam in Goliath Rodríguez-López decided to stop the madness inflicted upon them as a result of their communication with the dead by burying the board and keeping quiet about it as they recorded remainder of The Bedlam in Goliath. I am certain it was difficult to make an album about Goliath, while refusing to talk about Goliath. Eeewwwwhooohooew whooo …Spooky!
All sarcasms aside, The Mars Volta have made an album that never stops moving. The Bedlam in Goliath is as aggressive as much as it is laden with punctuated and punchy melodics. The music is loud and laced with bobbling prog guitar riffs and manipulated and mutilated bionic vocals. From start to finish The Bedlam in Goliath provides a solid and textural soundscape that is undeniably intense. Despite the music industry’s temperamental climate The Mars Volta have been able to maintain a sizable following. This is largely due to hold over fans from Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s and Omar Rodríguez-López’s former band At the Drive In. The Bedlam in Goliath offers a heavy, hard hitting collection of songs. It is unfortunate that The Mars Volta has decided to frame the music within the narrative of “The Soothsayer.” It comes off as silly, gimmicky, and all together trite. Keep my interest by putting out a good record. Don’t feed me this crap story in an attempt to elevate the meaning and significance of the music. The Bedlam in Goliath is a good record made by a great band, who to their detriment have sought to shroud their music in mystery. The Mars Volta should trust their fans to have the insight necessary to interpret their work. The less we know the better. This is especially true for The Bedlam in Goliath.
6/9
http://www.themarsvolta.com
http://www.myspace.com/themarsvolta
Other Records
De-Loused in the Comatorium- 2003
Frances the Mute- 2005
Amputechture- 2006
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Bands, Music, Music Review, The Mars Volta, Universal Records | Tagged 6 Points, At the Drive In, Bands, Concept Album, Music, Music Review, The Mars Volta, Universal Records | 4 Comments »
February 13, 2008
Amplive
Rainydayz Remixes
February 15th 2008
Self Released
After we were told that Amplive was not going to release the Radiohead remix album Rainydayz because of copyright issues, today at 12:01am, Amplive announced that a compromise had been reached by both the Radiohead camp and himself. He admits that he “probably should have contacted Radiohead” before he committed to the remix project, but something tells me that this regret is not entirely genuine. His confidence and intuition told him that if it were crafted with sincerity and talent no amount of legal maneuvering would prevent his work from seeing the light of day. The record is now available for the next few days on his website free of charge. The record is a bit choppy, but it successfully experiments with and reconceptualizes Radiohead’s defined style. While the bulk of the seven Radiohead remixes are compelling interpretations, there are certainly times when Amplive’s creativity strays from innovation and resigns to sounding like a manufacturer’s scratch on an In Rainbows disc. The third track, Nudez, succeeds overall, but on occasion it devolves into a irrelevant display of blended and broken beats. Conversely, songs like 15 Stepz and Faustz transform the song while retaining important core elements, utilizing Radiohead‘s innate compatibility with electronic beats. Rainydayz sports the talent of Too $hort, MC Zumbi of Zion I, Chali2na of Jurassic 5, Codany Holiday, and Del The Funky Homosapien. I enjoyed the phonic dialectic.
6/9
http://www.onesevensevensix.com/amplive
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Amplive, Bands, Electronic-Phonic, Hip Hop, In Rainbows, Indie, Music, Music Review, Radiohead, Remix, Self Released, Unsigned | Tagged 2008, 6 Points, Amplive, Chali2na, Codany Holiday, Del The Funky Homosapien, Electronic-Phonic, Hip Hop, In Rainbows, Jurassic 5, MC Zumbi, Music Review, Radiohead, Rainydayz, Remix, Self Released, Too $hort, Zion I | Leave a Comment »
January 30, 2008
Fluorescent Grey
Gaseous Opal Orbs
February 29th 2008
Record Label Records
Gaseous Opal Orbs opens in the ether; in a primordial atmosphere complete with zoological calls whispered from the furthest reaches of time. As the track continues, Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum then descends over the human infested fabricated and technocratic world with the weight of collected textures, sounds, and beats, symbolic of the manifest destiny that has not only spread across the horizontal plane of this planet’s surface, but also the vertical conquests of urban development and file cabinets filled with patents of science and industry. The track is in a sense linear; it is a story of the eons, from the proterozoic to the post-industrialized and globalized world. Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum crescendos late, with tension and anxiety, as if all the sounds of the modern world were heard in concert.
The incorporation of sounds bound by a specific time or context predominate Gaseous Opal Orbs. The sound of African drums invoke a specific mode of music construction, which is then integrated with an electronic beat, paralleling the musical form without ever sounding alien or intrusive. Their basic functions are underscored and their purpose is maintained. They are time keeping devices. As the music itself deals with themes of time, growth, evolution, and importantly some of the darker aspects of so called progress, the instrumentation was conceived to a similar end. This record utilizes sounds from a variety of eras. This not only includes the vast stretches of geological time, but also musical styles separated by only decades. Take for instance the groove of Palette Swap Dub, to the Celtic revival of Celtic K-hole, to the acid infused hyperventilations of Molten Ghost.
Fluorescent Grey, aka Robbie Martin, invests a lot of energy in creating thick soundscapes that have the presence of a dense swamp fog. When there are not active contextual or temporal juxtapositions, he allows the listener to simply exist in the heavy environments found in the space between beats, emphasizing not always where the beat drops, but where it is conspicuously missing. This is a technique mastered by electronic pioneers such as Richard D. James, an artist that Fluorescent Grey clearly admires and through style and smarts, pays homage to. Gaseous Opal Orbs is a good record with a graspable concept and tremendous displays of talent. I look forward to more releases from both Fluorescent Grey and Record Label Records.
6/9
http://www.myspace.com/fgrey
http://www.recordlabelrecords.org
Other Releases
Please Do Not Buy This Recording- 1996
Untitled- 1997
Staircase made of balsa wood- 1998
Molten Ghost- 1999
Benjamin Vanderford with Fluorescent Grey- 2002
Lying on the floor mingling with god in a Tijuana motel room next door to a veterinary supply store- 2006
Ghos Busters III- 2007
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Acid, Bands, California, CD Release, Dance, Electronic-Phonic, Electronica, Fluorescent Grey, Indie, Music, Music Review, Record Label Records, Richard D James, Techno | Tagged 2008, 6 Points, Acid, Bands, California, Electronic-Phonics, Electronica, Fluorescent Grey, Music, Music Review, Record Label Records, Richard D James, Robbie Martin, Techno | Leave a Comment »
January 10, 2008
Xiu Xiu
Women as Lovers
January 29th 2008
Kill Rock Stars
I first heard Xiu Xiu at the 2005 Intonation Festival in Chicago. At the time there were only two band members emitting their unique wall of noise. It was a spectacle to see this thin little man beat a cymbal while sing-sobbing into the microphone. I fell in love with the act then and there. Caralee pushed buttons and keys, yanked twirly-bobs, losing herself in the summer heat. I remember when Jamie pulled out his autoharp and began to play what I later knew as Bog People. It was magnificent and discordant. Xiu Xiu abandoned standardization and came to represent to me the pinnacle of experimental liminal anti-pop.
The duo tackles the dark recesses of the mind, graphically describing disease, suffering, and anxiety with soft and poetic grace. Explicit sexual acts are injected into a song by a tender and emotive voice. In 2006 Xiu Xiu released The Air Force, easily one of if not the best record of the year. They seemed to have found the perfect balance, mashing beauty and ugliness, the excruciatingly ordinary and the sublime. Some may find Jamie’s lyrics melodramatic and his quivering voice ridiculous, but Xiu Xiu’s latest recording does not shy away from their stylistic hyper-expression. They seem to combat such criticisms with a doubled dose of effeminate grandeur.
Women as Lovers, due out at the end of January, transports the listener via blips and bleeps into Jaime Stewart’s personal space. The listener is often left feeling as if an acquaintance has told them something entirely too personal and while they are uncomfortable, they find Stewart’s openness agreeable and attractive. He’ll scream and he’ll croon and he’ll turn harmonic tones into caustic particles that pull apart from one another and then gravitate toward one another again. The songs simultaneously diffuse and then reconstitute themselves, proving the geist of reason can be reassembled from even the most deconstructed of expressions.
Although electronic effects color every song, there is a noticeably increased amount of guitar work throughout Women as Lovers. The song Master of the Bump recalls the quiet despair found on 2005’s La Forêt, yet it emphasizes the warmth of a reverberated amplifier. It reminds me of an old 50s era romantic radio tune playing during the loneliest moment of my life. Also, there is a noticeable presence of a fuller drum section brought by Ches Smith, not to mention the bursts of brass instrumentation that speckles tracks like No Friend Oh. Their cover of Under Pressure is not as good as it should have been, but something tells me that the track was recorded offhand and playfully. On the last track Gayle Lynn, all the newly fashioned elements of Xiu Xiu are assembled, most aptly displaying their collective creativity. The bass pulses as beats are acoustically and digitally mapped onto the track, while a flutter of horn fills the space between the layers of ambient noise.
Women as Lovers is a pretty good listen and Xiu Xiu has done well to add new creative minds to the mix. The exploration of melodic and anti-melodic chemistry is what makes Xiu Xiu great. James Stewart’s voice is amazing as ever and Caralee’s precious vocal assists beautify the monstrous themes of Xiu Xiu’s imagination. Women as Lovers never equals the shear genius of The Air Force. It lacks incredible hooks and its energy is muted. While the inclusion of new sounds is a great strength, Women as Lovers leaves the listener convinced that Xiu Xiu has not reached the full potential of their new structure. I certainly hope you people pick up the new Xiu Xiu as it is one of the first quality releases of 2008.
6/9
http://www.xiuxiu.org
http://www.myspace.com/xiuxiuforlife
Other Albums
Knife Play- 2002
A Promise- 2003
Fag Patrol- 2003
Fabulous Muscles- 2004
Life and Live- 2005
La Forêt- 2005
The Air Force- 2006
Posted in 2008, 6 Points, Bands, California, Electronic-Phonic, Electronica, Indie, Kill Rock Stars, Music, Music Review, Xiu Xiu | Tagged 2008, 6 Points, Bands, California, Electronic-Phonic, Indie, Kill Rock Stars, Music, Music Review, Xiu Xiu | 1 Comment »
November 30, 2007
Black Francis
Bluefinger
September 11th 2007
Cooking Vinyl
Dubbed after the blauwvingers, a nickname given to the citizens of Zwolle, capital city of Overijssel, Netherlands, Bluefinger is conceptually driven and marks a return of Charles Thompson, aka Frank Black now Black Francis, to the indie rock limelight. The record title is a postmortem reference to a particular blauwvinger named Herman Brood, an artist and musician born in the Overijssel city who committed suicide after he was scheduled to die in only a few short months. It is Brood who, through influence and inspiration, escorts Frank Black back to Black Francis. The album discusses drug addiction and sexual appetite, reflecting the artistic trademark of Herman Brood’s expression of hedonistic thought.
This quasi-possession of sorts has produced what is arguably the best release from the post-Pixies era Frank Black Francis. His renewed interest in the low-life persona has made for an excellent record and as far as resuscitations of deities go, Bluefinger measures Charles Thompson to the standard he himself constructed twenty years ago. He has left the musings of UFO’s and his not-oft discussed illusions of abduction that themed releases following Bossanova from his days with The Pixies. While the group has in the past few years reunited for short tours and events, next to nothing has accumulated in the way of new music. It feels as though the reconciliation that has occurred is no more than the satiation of new fandom. They were drafted by admirers, many of whom were not born at the time of the release of Come On Pilgrim.
The problem is that The Pixies are still to this day are so identified with independent countercultural music, that they are name-dropped at parties. Doing so puts you “in the know” even after all this time and exposure. They are the band that everyone teaches their friends to love, but that by now everyone already knows about. They were the Martin Luthers of the late-eighties music reformation and they’ve been called to give it another go. I think that Bluefinger represents more than a simple retrograde reclamation of Black Francis, it is a persona awakening. It is not a reenactment or a backward looking attempt to be what he once was. Rather, Black Francis has shown that it is he that is inspired. Instead of thriving off of the recently invigorated and trendy adoration of his “pixie” front, he comes to his listeners in awe of someone else. Herman Brood in some ways represents the humility with which Black Francis was revived.
Bluefinger abandons abduction and extra terrestrials to engage the dirty human stories still stuck in Black Francis’ imagination. What is alien is no longer described in relation to science fiction, but in terms of real isolation. Whether or not The Pixies will ever again successfully function as a creative force is not entirely clear. Black Francis has conceived of a way to meaningfully exist without The Pixies. Perhaps, after all is said and done, it will be their best chance for reintegration.
6/9
http://www.blackfrancis.net
The Pixies
Come on Pilgrim- 1987
Surfer Rosa- 1988
Doolittle- 1989
Bossanova- 1990
Trompe le Monde- 1991
Frank Black
Frank Black- 1993
Teenager of the Year- 1994
The Cult of Ray- 1996
Frank Black and the Catholics- 1998
Pistolero- 1999
Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day- 2000, not released
Dog in the Sand- 2001
Black Letter Days- 2002
Devil’s Workshop- 2002
Show Me Your Tears- 2003
Frank Black Francis- 2004
Honeycomb- 2005
Fast Man Raider Man- 2006
Christmass- 2006
Posted in 2007, 6 Points, Bands, Black Francis, Charles Thompson, Cooking Vinyl, Frank Black, Herman Brood, Indie, Music, Music Review, Pixies | Tagged 2007, 6 Points, Bands, Black Francis, Charles Thompson, Cooking Vinyl, Frank Black, Herman Brood, Indie, Music Review, Pixies | Leave a Comment »
November 19, 2007
Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam
September 11th 2007
Domino Records
I have no particular regard for Animal Collective. This New York City based experimental electro-spaz-pop has in the past simply aimed for weirdness, an objective not important or unique enough to warrant my patience. There has never been the artful exposition of Xiu Xiu or the pop confidence of Head of Femur. When I heard that Strawberry Jam had received near perfect reviews, I was provoked to investigate. To my dismay, I was happily surprised. Perhaps I have discovered something in Animal Collective that I had missed previously, or maybe they have discovered something in themselves that has expanded their quest for the bizarre.
When I first heard Peacebone I instantly knew from where The Annuals descended. What hadn’t been immediately clear became evident within seconds of hearing the staccato video game blips that synced together to form a driving beat with mad-hatter screams that made me smile with glee. In terms of accessibility, the lyrics and melody of the record are just within arms reach. Unsolved Mysteries has some of the same loony-toon sounds as Peacebone, but with a much simpler squeeze box rhythm. The vocals are a bit mundane but they improve as the song continues. Chores sounds like a children’s show theme song off of late eighties Nickelodeon, yet with a vocal quality reminiscent of The Shins. The strongest tune, For Reverend Greene, is laden with syth-pulsations and rock & roll vocals that invoke that part of my psyche that is still suspended in “the terrible twos.” This record is a trip for sure.
Not every track is that interesting or really worth commenting on. This is not to say that they are bad tracks. Rather the opposite, there is not a bad song on the album. I don’t feel like Strawberry Jam compromises on anything. Fireworks and Winter Wonderland aren’t great, but they are both fun party tracks. It’s just that every song is a fun party track. I would be remiss not to emphasize how the highlights of Strawberry Jam out-shine the status quo. I am convinced that the intro to #1 was written by Steve Miller, stolen by Animal Collective, and then fused with the tweaked baritone vocals of Ween and the pop sensibilities of The Shins. Swear to Fucking God. Cuckoo Cuckoo is hard hitting and dynamic, constructed with an elegant piano foundation and punctuated by a fit of timed plate smashings and chaotic revelry. It is hard not to get caught up in that revelry. It is difficult not to enjoy the chaos offered.
The sarcasm present in Strawberry Jam reminds me of the conceptually weird semi-self titled album The Who Sell Out. Derek, the last track off the record, would have fit comfortably between Silas Stingy and Sunrise. The jingle like melodies and whirly-bop effects seem as if they were pulled right out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The songs are not only weird, but they are animated and eager to entertain. Animal Collective has made great strides with Strawberry Jam. Still though, after all its strengths, it does not deserve the overly laudatory acclaim it has received. It is good, but not perfect as many have reported. The problem is not necessarily with Animal Collective’s conceptual ideas or the effort put forth. Their genre and style is inherently limited. It is tough to string noises together in order to create something worthwhile or interesting. In some ways this record is a touch nerd rock. It is better than average, although there is a bit too much Moxy Fruvous and They Might Be Giants influence for my taste. For all its sound-a-like qualities, Animal Collective has assembled a functioning cacophony, and I look forward to hearing more from their factory of fun.
6/9
http://www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband
Other Records
Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished- 2000
Danse Manatee- 2001
Hollinndagain- 2002
Campfire Songs- 2003
Here Comes the Indian- 2003
Sung Tongs- 2004
Feels- 2005
Posted in 2007, 6 Points, Animal Collective, Baltimore, Bands, Electronic-Phonic, Head Of Femur, Indie, Music, Music Review, New York City | Tagged 2007, 6 Points, Animal Collective, Baltimore, Domino Records | Leave a Comment »
October 12, 2007
Pinback
Autumn of the Seraphs
September 11th 2007
Touch and Go Records
For me Pinback represents everything that is good about “California” music. By this I mean they sound how I conceive California to sound in my head. Autumn of the Seraphs is possibly their most “California” album to date. In Devil You Know, a hip hop lilt pacifies what otherwise might be considered a thrash metal riff. Some readers may question my hardcore connection, but just listen to that dark beat. It is death metal smoking chronic in a custom hydraulic hooptie banging The Police along Pacific Beach at 15 miles per hour. It is quintessentially Pinback, although Sting practically wrote the intro to Blue Harvest (!!!Sendin’ out an SOS!!!).
Autumn of the Seraphs is a record far more produced than previous efforts. However, it does not sound as if its achieved warmth was fabricated post production. Conversely, the drum sequences add a methodical cadence to the already imminent beats. Pinback’s strength and uniqueness have always come from the interplay between the bass and drum. How We Breath sounds as if the band were trapped in a clock smith’s workshop. They, after hours of isolation, set into motion pendulums, chimes and other metronomical instruments, culminating into a beautiful concordance of time keepers.
Autumn of the Seraphs’ best track Walters suffers from a deep melancholy. As the song progresses the tempo increases and piano melodies are added until it erupts with heavy handed toms and snares along with unexpected distortion. Delicious! Pinback has the consumability of a toasted marshmallow stuffed with all the indie-pop you can handle. With synthesizers, and a healthy dose of vocal layering, this San Diego duo has made a record that is moody, pervasively sultry, and irrevocably cool. Pinback did not set out to redefine themselves with Autumn of the Seraphs, rather they have obviously sought to further elucidate their signature sound. Autumn of the Seraphs is nothing new, but it is a great addition to their heavily influential and highly regarded catalog.
6/9
http://www.pinback.com
http://profile.myspace.com/pinback
Other Music
Pinback- 1999
Blue Screen Life- 2001
Some Voices EP- 2002
Offcell EP- 2003
Summer in Abaddon- 2004
Posted in 2007, 6 Points, Bands, California, Indie, Music, Music Review, Pinback, San Diego, Sting, The Police, Touch and Go Records | Tagged 2007, 6 Points, Bands, California, Indie, Music, Music Review, Pinback, San Diego, Sting, The Police, Touch and Go Records | Leave a Comment »
September 21, 2007
Silversun Pickups
Carnavas
July 26th 2006
Dangerbird Records
This Silver Lake district LA band has the rare luxury of thriving betwixt and between. They have originality, yet they remind me of some great bands. I’ve read many reviews and can’t imagine why most hear a similarity between Silversun and Smashing Pumpkins. No disrespect toward Billy intended, but I just don’t hear it. Perhaps they share a feedback note here or there, but only a note. They have much more in common with fellow up-and-comers Airiel out of Chicago. Mr. Aubert’s vocals seem much more akin to Jeremy Enigk and Elliot vocalist Chris Higdon. They produce such familiar music, leading me to point out their sound-a-likes, yet I won’t attempt to pigeon hole them into any category or faddish type. My Bloody Valentine is clearly an ancestor to Silversun Pickups‘ noise, while Sunny Day Real Estate shares their pop impulses and guitar supplications.
It is not an album that I obsess over or repeat every moment of my free time, but I must say this band has a gut, such a visceral vocal force that it deserves a salute of some sort. Lazy Eye and Melatonin lay it out for us. I’ll put this record on my play list for many gatherings. It whets my nostalgia for dark exploration coupled with beautiful and melodic rhythms. I don’t know if I’d rave to a friend about this record, but I’d make sure they knew I had listened to it once or twice.
If you have an interest in an up beat Sunny Day, without any real comparison, or an infatuation with Elliot’s Song in the Air, than I’d expect you’d enjoy this display. It takes a lot of creativity to achieve this level of layered intensity and noise conglomeration, but to imbue it with the pop sensibilities of Silversun Pickups requires a sober understanding of the musical soundscape from which a clean execution can be drawn. More than that, it takes the confidence that your wall of noise is worth listening to. This one most certainly is.
6/9
http://www.silversunpickups.com
http://www.myspace.com/silversunpickups
Related Sounds
My Bloody Valentine
Sunny Day Real Estate
Airiel
Elliot
(All as if 1991 wanted its day in court)
Other Records
Pikul EP 2005
Posted in 2006, 6 Points, Airiel, Bands, California, Chicago, Dangerbird Records, Elliot, Indie, Jeremy Enigk, Los Angeles, Music, Music Review, My Bloody Valentine, Silversun Pickups, Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate | Tagged , Airiel, Bands, Dangerbird Records, Indie, Los Angeles, Music Review, My Bloody Valentine, Silver Lake Scene, Silversun Pickups, Sunny Day Real Estate | 2 Comments »
