Review

Ecstatic Sunshine
Way
"Herrons"

Their last album Freckle Wars was often criticized for becoming monotonous as it went on, but nevertheless I think it was still something new and fantastic. This new EP takes a different approach to album structure, sporting 30 minutes of music over 3 tracks instead of 12. I think the problem here is that I’d much rather skip over a track than however many minutes of annoyingly repetitive music because I end up feeling like I’m missing something. Fortunately, the repetitiveness pays off by melding flawlessly into new movements within the songs, where you begin to hear certain elements reintroduced in different ways. I like to see albums that play out like a learning experience—teaching you one concept before moving onto the next—incorporating what you’ve learned into what you need to figure out, and though it probably isn’t too intended and more of a side effect of drone-like music, Ecstatic Sunshine work on a similar premise with Way.

Review

Alaska the Tiger
The Truth About Earthquakes
RIYL: Slint, Unwound, Shellac, Lungfish
"Hater, Lover, Fucker"

Alaska the Tiger are a recently defunct band from Columbia, South Carolina. Hopefully you got around to seeing them play because otherwise you missed out. Big time. Columbia has a long history of being bashed for lack of a good rock scene, but the truth is that the city has always had incredible bands. Of course, my word is only as good as far back as the mid 90s go with bands like Assfactor 4 (All right, Tonka and Unherd. Anyone remember Marion?) because that's about as far back as I'm familiar with the music scene here. But living in California, names like In/Humanity still stuck out among our Drive Like Jehus and Antioch Arrows. And still today, Columbia continues to be rewarded and adorned by bands like Alaska the Tiger (to the ignorance of most it sometimes seems).

The Truth About Earthquakes is a 3-song EP that sounds like a whole bunch of my favorite bands, and that always puts a smile on my face. Slint and Unwound are no doubt the inspiration for the band's gloomy sort of indie rock sound. Alaska the Tiger are one of the more unique bands I've heard from Columbia, but in way of bands with their influences stemming from Unwound (as well as bands whose members write for the Free Times), I treat you to Death Becomes Even the Maiden, another Columbia great with a lot of history behind it.

3 songs may not be much to discuss, but it's plenty of room for a band to let out anything they want. The overwhelming clutter of buzz and feedback, the quiet-but-tense vocals and loud-but-melodic high energy music recalls this history. It really doesn't matter if Alaska the Tiger don't play something we’ve never heard before. It’s people playing what they want to play, and it’s really fucking good. Alaska the Tiger are another proud Columbia memoir, and The Truth About Earthquakes is a conspiracy to make you smile.

Reviews

A few more mini-reviews.



Moving Units
Hexes for Exes
RIYL: The Rapture, The Faint, You Are The Drum, Death From Above 1979
"Blood Beats"

A mix of post-punk and dancy indie rock, Hexes for Exes is the next logical step for the band. While it no longer relies on a minimalist charm and is more The Faint than ever, the album still fits right along with everything Moving Units have released since their ThreeOneG debut. To put it bluntly, they're one of the few “dance punk” bands who don't immediately stand out as garbage. Compared to bands like VHS or Beta or Death From Above 1979, Moving Units avoid rock star ripoff status because they aren't a carbon-copy of their influences. That, and they just have so many of them. Sure, there's Gang of Four, ESG, Pixies, The Cure, Daft Punk ad nauseum, but listen closely enough and you can hear a little bit of Can, Wire, and even Captain Beefheart. Moving Units have been a long time favorite of the Southern California scene, but then again Palatka's "The Truth About San Diego" sums it up pretty well.



Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala
RIYL: El Perro Del Mar, Belle and Sebastian, Architecture in Helsinki, Morrissey
"The Opposite Of Hallelujah"

Either you like him or you don't, and I doubt that will ever change. Night Falls Over Kortedala is all and more that we've come to expect from Jens Lekman, and like his previous albums, there are small shimmers I can only describe as incredible whereas everything else tries desperately to remain a complete bore. There's some appeal in that, though. It's why people like Belle and Sebastian probably. The difference is that Night Falls Over Kortedala is playful with its depression. Piano, ukulele, wordsmithing—dig it.



Chicago Afrobeat Project
(A) Move to Silent Unrest
RIYL: Fela Kuti, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Nomo
"Superstar Pt. 7"

Afrobeat is working its way closer into the mainstream every year, and 2007 is no exception having seen so many releases. CAbP keep a bright spotlight on their influences while dancing around a lot of obscure genres. Jeff Parker from Tortoise is noted as working with the band frequently, but since they're from Chicago, it's pretty much a given that a Tortoise member is somehow involved. Silly me, thinking that the similarities were a coincidence. Most of the songs have long runtimes, but they transition so much that you'll never feel worn out. (A) Move to Silent Unrest is simply the best orchestrated Afrobeat album of the year.

Reviews

Jason Anderson
Tonight
RIYL: The Hold Steady, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Bruce Springsteen
"Jonesboro"

Jason Anderson is a man who you may know from his 2005 The Wreath or, more likely, his work in the band Wolf Colonel. Forget about him. The lo-fi Jason Anderson who threw in a catchy song here and there as a pleasantry? This ain't it. This is a Jason Anderson you've never heard. Sure, you can still experience his high energy shows, his dedicated fan following, and his general avoidance of playing on a stage, but these new songs are indeed just that. Sort of. They're a different sound with the same feeling. The writhing gist of an old acquaintance. A new familiarity. Is Tonight borderline second-rate blue-collar rock? Maybe. But is it still fun as hell? You bet.



M83
Digital Shades Vol. 1
RIYL: Brian Eno, Fennesz, Boards of Canada, Air, Múm
"Coloring the Void"

Hippiegazer extraordinaire Anthony Gonzalez is probably the most namedropped artist when it comes to present-day shoegaze, and let's face it: It's because he's really awesome. New or old, fresh or stale, Digital Shades Vol. 1 is the return-to-form album for M83. Where Before The Dawn Heals Us radiated anthemic charisma, Digital Shades Vol. 1 might as well be the new replacement soundtrack for the upcoming final cut edition of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. With this album, we're returning to what some noise bands wish they could still do with field recordings and formless song structures where the inherent appeal of fuzzy, percussionless noise as music creates some kind of dense, dramatic lull you'd only experience from nighttime hypoglycemia. No, I'm not a doctor, but I did listen to M83 last night.



Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew
Spirit If...
RIYL: Stars, Menomena, Do Make Say Think, Sunset Rubdown, Metric
"Aging Faces/Losing Places"

A solo album? I don't get it. Even though it still has members of both Broken Social Scene and friends (Feist, Stars, Emily Haines), the new-but-not-so-different title is the first in the series of "Broken Social Scene Presents" albums. Low key songs are really what define this pseudo-solo release. By striking a balance between indie pop, singer-songwriter, and post-rock, the album has a sort of high-production, but lo-fi charm. I'm a sucker for texture added into songs, whether it's a ship creaking as it goes down, number stations, or even samples as breakdowns. Especially samples as breakdowns. Now, for two big complaints about the album: 1) It's too contrived. The distraught vocals, the moody, emotional storytelling—you're not falling for this are you? 2) It's too self-indulgent. Does Kevin Drew really need the backup of Feist and Emily Haines? How can you even call this a solo effort? And remember, this is going to be a series of albums. What if the sequels suck? Oh, god. What if they don't?

Review

Souvenir’s Young America
September Songs
RIYL: Russian Circles, Isis, Grails, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
"6:39"

Two words: Richmond, Virginia. Also, freight trains, but that may be my GY!BE nostalgia seeping through. This new release by Souvenir’s Young America takes us across all the familiar tracks of the instrumental post-rock scene while not forgetting the importance of capturing one’s attention before a song even takes off. Right from the get-go, September Songs howls desperately through the twang of a harmonica fit perfectly for some lonesome down-and-out roughnecking it through the old west. But all reminiscence and melodic harmonies aside, September Songs has more than its fair share of epic build-ups and heavy guitar work. And while they don’t take on quite the same amount of metallic intensity of bands like Isis, Souvenir’s Young America thankfully reach out with an urgency refreshing enough to maintain a captivating originality in a genre oversaturated by bands all too willing to cash in on the doom and gloom motif. Even though the album only features three tracks, September Songs is an effort deserving of anyone interested in, or even the slightest bit curious of, the future of post-rock outside of its established confines.

Reviews

I decided to post some of my reviews for the station that are written marginally higher than a fifth grade reading level or are about an album worthy of negligible listenership.



Tar..Feathers
Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface
RIYL: Woods, Meneguar, Les Savy Fav, Owls, Modest Mouse
"Was it Even There?"

Here we have another DIY miracle. The music, artwork, lyric sheet, and packaging are all the product of one Marcus Nyke from a little place called Sweden. Nyke is all over this record with his doubled/tripled/multi-layered vocal tracks that will stop at nothing to haunt you at every verse, chorus, and breakdown. Although Nyke is responsible for writing the songs, the bass lines and drum beats are filled in by friends Morten Bileskalns and Pål Olovsson. I really hope these guys can pull off everything on this album live because it would make a bad show an impossibility. Their sound is like a good synth-pop take on all the new freak folk bands that have been sprouting up lately, and I'm struggling to find anything wrong with that. It’s like Jana Hunter meets Les Savy Fav. I mean, come on! They’re from Sweden!



SeepeopleS
Apocalypse Cow Vol. 1
RIYL: The Physics of Meaning, Band of Horses, The Shins, Fields

They say puns are a rare medium well done, but SeepeopleS’ new release Apocalypse Cow Vol. 1 puts a stake in any grisly foretaste that might be nibbling at you. This album demonstrates not only the band’s exemplary application of wordplay, but their musical aptitude as well. Also, SeepeopleS claim to be an anarchist band, putting many of their political messages at the forefront of their lyrics when not about love or something even more boring like personal and universal issues. Why is it that anarchists bands always have the best album titles? Anyway, this Asheville, NC band manage to easily hold their own among southern indie greats like The Physics of Meaning and Band of Horses with this immense 15 song release on the band’s own Razcalz Recordz, a name of which its wordplay sorely lacks the same sense of whimsicality as Apocalypse Cow.



Chemikal Records
Ballads of the Book
RIYL: Areogramme, Idlewild, Sons & Daughters, Arab Strap, Scottish Accents

This compilation by Chemikal Records puts Scottish musicians in collaboration with Scottish writers. Chemikal Records considers it an "elaborately ambitious" project, but I think I would describe it as being closer to plain old "totally awesome." I'm surprised at how non-verbose this record really is. The lyrics are just as strong as the music and take nothing away. There really is no gimmick here. Despite all that could have gone horribly wrong, Ballads of the Book remains a fantastically genuine album. Upcoming and unsigned artists belt out, with heavy Scottish accents abound, solid and convincing rock songs that leave hardly any low points on the album. I would have it no other way. I can only hope this doesn’t become something more government "Art Councils" begin to latch onto.



Pistolero
The Last Foire
RIYL: Wilco, Spoon, Dead Ponies, The Kinks

Kick up a stool at the old saloon, buckaroo, and buckle down with some melodies from the wild west. Well, the west. And really, just west of here. Which means Atlanta. All right. You know what? Their CD case has a dude with mutton chops on it. So if that isn’t good enough for you, I don’t know what is. Honestly, aside from their name, Pistolero aren't so much representative of the wild west as they are of British rock and roll during the 60s. They manage to mix a few different influences to create a pleasant dissonance that is largely unique to the Atlanta music scene while still letting the British invasion shine through.



RTX
Western Xterminator
RIYL: Pussy Galore, Royal Trux, Memories of Hollywood before the “Hollywood Rock” music festival made everyone turn in their guitars and self-parody for synthesizers and sunglasses.

This will be the music blaring through the side-alley door of a cocaine-littered rock club while some 1980s, blast-from-the-past head banger, whose butt crack would be surging toward freedom if it weren’t for the overgrown mane sprouting out of his balding cranium, watches you with intrigue as you’re wallowing in your own vomit after a night of some impressively hard partying on the Sunset Strip. Yes, it really does take so many adjectives to explain the weight with which this album [review] should be taken. I’ve never seen a five-piece rock outfit pretend so hard to relive an era in which the only notable events were the rise of Mötley Crüe and the release of Beverly Hills Cop.

Actually, on second thought, where do I sign up for this?

Reviews

So now that I'm a DJ, I've started reviewing albums to get them submitted to the music library. I totally stole like a whole sentence from someone, but here they are:


Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack
Defeat or Humiliate the United States of America
RIYL: Bread and Circuits, Torches to Rome, Econochrist, Moss Icon
"Karma Collection Day"

Defeat or Humiliate the United States of America is the quintessential mission statement of hardcore. After years of legal struggle, Clean Plate Records finally brings to light the second and final LP by Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack, a record which craftily challenges society and demands absolute cultural reformation of the United States and its groupthink. Mike Kirsch (Bread and Circuits, Torches to Rome) assembled this Californian combat team to triumph over the void of creativity to which most hardcore music today succumbs, and, in doing so, achieved immeasurable victory by creating an album that is more than just another "Fuck you" to the United States’ warped sense of capitalism and the Bush administration. In addition to their iconoclastic punk rock anthems, the band scatters these collage-like samples between songs that pull from various speeches, films, and even some original material. Also, the passionate sentiments of Stokely Carmichael during his speech at the 1968 Black Panther Party’s "Free Huey P. Newton" rally can be heard throughout the album. Defeat or Humiliate the United States of America is an unequivocal landmark and milestone for hardcore music. It is such a tragedy that this band broke up because, in the end, the message of this record falls victim to the same thing that befell Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton, and the rest of the Black Panther Party. In the end, these are just words.



In First Person
Lost Between Hands Held Tight
RIYL: You and I, The Assistant, Reversal of Man
"The Beast"

Thick, heavy, and sincere. Lost Between Hands Held Tight is the band’s debut album and the third release by Paramnesia Records. In First Person builds on the screamy, emotive hardcore sound of its members’ previous bands (You and I, The Assistant, A Petal Fallen) while trying to be an existential and socially conscious effort. In First Person and Mike Brennan at Paramnesia Records did a fantastic job of putting this record together. It’s an incredible gatefold release, complete with a screen printed insert, and very DIY. The album begins with the absolute intensity and political audacity of tracks like "The Beast," "Item #14," and "Kanye West Was Right" before moving into the more melodic and somewhat D.C. sounding "Alfred Hitchcock." The fifth track, "...And Time is Running Out" puts drummer Vanessa Espinal’s (hooray, a girl on drums!) vocals up front which is a much welcome addition to the album.