Album: Dinowalrus - Best Behavior

Album: Best Behavior
Old Flame
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Rating: ****** (6/10)

Outside the UK, there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground when it comes to the Second Summer of Love—either you’d give your favorite limb for a time machine set to the glory days of the Haçienda, or you have no idea what this sentence is referring to. >> Read the full review at popmatters.com

Album: Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror

Album: Reign of Terror
Mom & Pop
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Rating: ******* (7/10)

Personally, I think you’d have been foolish to harbor high hopes for Sleigh Bells’ follow-up to their 2010 debut, Treats. Sure, Treats was, hands down, the best album of 2010. But remember, 2010 wasn’t exactly 1991. The reason Treats was such a treat is that it was one of the only albums that sounded like 2010. >> Read the full review at piquedmag.com

Album: Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

Album: Eye Contact
4AD
Release date: May 10, 2011
Rating: ******** (8/10)

After 2008's exceptional Saint Dymphna, Gang Gang Dance are back to business as usual for their 4AD debut, Eye Contact, out tomorrow. The band are the uncontested masters of rhythm 'n' synth experimental dub, weaving waves of electronic sound and Lizzi Bougatsos's enchanting/crackpot vocals through ritualistic percussion and club-worthy bass. Eye Contact is a distinctive album, but it falls well within the boundaries established by the band's previous releases - there's not a lot of new ground covered here.

GGD is not an easy band. They've never handed their music to their listeners in a simple pop-song package. (The closest they got was a handful of tracks on Saint Dymphna.) As a result, GGD can be a challenging and frustrating listen, and Eye Contact is no exception. The eleven-plus minute first track is more than half intro, just wafts of synth sound, light cymbals and snippets of a man's voice. I have to admire the band's self-control and somehow, it comes off more ballsy than indulgent when they dare to ask the same patience of their listeners. In the fourth minute of the track, the small cymbals give way to rumbling toms while the synths gradually begin to carve out melodic motifs. But it's only after the six minute mark that the song truly begins and we first hear Bougatsos's familiar ululation.

The album pushes the band's mysticism to the fore with three interludes (titled respectively "∞" "∞∞" and "∞∞∞"), the first of which features a stunning sample of what sounds like an eastern orthodox hymn (according to The Guardian, it's Bougatsos's late uncle) laid gently in an analog-sounding bed of synth. The third interlude, sung by Bougatsos, sounds equally religious, drawing on eastern European and Middle Eastern scales that carry through the next and final track, "Thru and Thru." The band's shamanistic instincts were apparent on their last two LPs but never so literal as here.

Eye Contact is certainly a remarkable album and displays the band's control as well as their unending passion for riddim. The band is fascinated with every beat they can find, and they've searched the world for groove, drawing on sources that range from UK underground dance music to reggaeton to South Asian percussion ensembles. Surprisingly, given the breadth and spirit of the album, it doesn't overreach, nor does it sound bloated or narcissistic. First of all, Eye Contact can't overreach because the band is just that good. And it is saved from narcissism by the band's very real curiosity about the musical territory they inhabit. It's immediately evident that no one but Gang Gang Dance could have made this album.

But on the other hand, it hasn't got the richness or the punch of Saint Dymphna. A few tracks are exceptions: the club-inflected soundworld of "Adult Goth," the reggaeton-house anthem "Mindkilla" and the deep post-funk groove of "Romance Layers" come close, but nothing here is quite as good as "First Communion" and "House Jam."

The difference, and the reason that this album isn't quite equal to its predecessor, is in songwriting. Gang Gang Dance is one for sprawling epics that twist and morph and never give a hint of verse, chorus, bridge or any other recognizable building block. Sometimes the result is tight and bold, like Saint Dymphna's epic "House Jam" but other times, it can sound aimless and begs for an editor.

There are some duds on Eye Contact as well. "Chinese High" is uncharacteristically bright, even hinting momentarily at calypso. While that in itself is not bad, the band pushes it past sunny and into corny with the synthesizer's melodic motif at the end of the song. "Sacer" also gets a little lost with a melody that's simply too formless to carry a six minute song.

The final track, "Thru and Thru," may be the album's strongest. Eastern melodies intertwine with warm layers of sound and a beat that seamlessly merges the "tribal" with a eurodisco nightclub pulse. It's a perfect closer for the album, showing both sides of the record's split personality - its 3 AM clubhopper and its mystical seer - and finally satisfying both.

An album as bold and accomplished as Eye Contact shouldn't be a disappointment, but the band has simply set the bar so high that I've come to expect a revolution from them on every LP. Eye Contact isn't that, it's more about honing the band's existing sound, articulating its longing and its euphoria, going deeper into the trance. It's an album of exploration, like all of GGD's albums, but its exploration doesn't cover new latitudes, it just plunges deeper and reaches higher. It doesn't always succeed in these endeavors and can come off as detached and disconnected from the real world in a frustrating and at times even arrogant way. But the album's failures are part of its charm - its power comes from its fearlessness, its willingness to fail and to document its failures. That's what makes this album worthwhile.

Live: Sleigh Bells + Cults

When: 5/11
Where: Ridgewood Temple

Let's just get this out of the way - M.I.A. was not at the Sleigh Bells concert last night. I take full responsibility, I totally jinxed it by boasting to my friends that I was going to see her. She was never announced, but a big enough deal was made of the promised "secret guests" that it was generally concluded she would make an appearance in one way or another. And for the record, this assumption was not actually incorrect. According to inside sources, M.I.A. was actually the intended "secret guest" but she got sick at the last minute so DJs Shirley Braha (New York Noise) and Peggy Wang (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) were called in to take her place. I left after Sleigh Bells but there were meant to be other DJs, supposedly including M.I.A.'s assistant. Who is M.I.A.'s assistant? And does she know how to DJ? Weird.

I showed up in time to see Cults play. They are a band with a bunch of dudes with long hair playing instruments and one American Apparel-type hipster girl with long hair singing. I don't know how this band built so much hype on what's only their third show and only a few months into their existence. But however they got to be a buzz item, it wasn't through being a great band. To put it concisely, they sucked.

The band was originally and remains at its core a duo, Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin. According to an interview with Pitchfork, Follin actually has a punk rock background, which makes the anticourageousness of Cults all the more maddening. The band sounds like 60's girl groups meet 80's indie pop, which is really not the most original or exciting combination, especially these days. The songs are well enough written and arranged but there are no surprises and nothing original. Worst of all was the singing. Now, it's never fair to judge a singer from a single live performance because it's always possible to have a situation where you can't hear yourself well, but this girl was way off key the whole time. I mean, it was painful.

Cults certainly didn't ask for their quick rise to fame and given that they aren't even prepared for that, they can't be prepared for the backlash that's about to start, especially from grumpy bloggers like me. Well, buckle up, kids, cause there's no stopping the hype train.

Sleigh Bells headlined. Now, I found out about M.I.A.'s absence upon arrival but there was no official announcement of her canceling because she was never on the bill in the first place. I expected awkwardness at the end of Sleigh Bells set while the crowd waited for the superstar that would never appear. But I underestimated Sleigh Bells. They blew the crowd away and didn't need any secret guests to make this one of the concerts of the year.

Although Sleigh Bells' rise to fame has been intensely fast, they seemed surprisingly comfortable handling a crowd that probably bordered on four digits. Alexis Krauss seems made for this. She stormed the stage, shaking off her hood, grabbing the mic with both hands and shouting "What's up Brooklyn!" to a cheering room. The band wasted no time, slamming into the opening bars of the opening track on their new album and only allowing the audience one deep breath before launching into each new song.

There were only two problems with the show. The first was that while the Ridgewood Temple is a very hip place for a show, they don't have even a fraction of the sound system it would take to do Sleigh Bells justice. The band did the best with the volume you had and the screaming crowd made up the difference. The second problem is a bit more damning. Not very much of Sleigh Bells' music is actually created live. They just hit play on each track and added guitar and lead vocals. This was first of all robbing the audience of the thrill of seeing the music actually created, and second of all, held the band to pretty much exactly replicating their album rather than branching out. I do wonder if there's more they could do - starting and stopping individual loops instead of the entire mixed track, for example - that would make this seem less like lip syncing. (To be clear, I'm not saying they were lip syncing. Not literally, anyway.)

Anyway, that may sound like a big problem, but this band is so good that even that can overlooked. Hooded and not at all reformed hardcore guitarist Derek Miller layed out shattering guitar while Krauss sang and shouted and screamed (she loves to throw in a good high-pitched scream), sometimes all at the same time. She's a crowd pleaser, squatting at the front of the stage, passing the mic into the audience for the better-known choruses and affectionally grabbing at the outreached hands in the front rows. Then, at the end of the last song, the ultra-awesome "Crown on the Ground," she launched herself into the audience with absolutely no warning. The fans barely caught her, so sudden was her leap, but they hoisted her up and passed her around. She was still out from the stage when the song ended and she was handed back to the front to an explosion of applause.

The band didn't indulge themselves at all, though many young bands in their position would have. They played a relatively short set (with an odd number of non-album tracks) and kept their encore to a single song, "Rill Rill," their answer to M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes." (And no, it's not as good as "Paper Planes" but it's getting there.)

The press presence at the show was insane. I heard folks from places like, say, MTV, were being booted from the guest list in favor of "higher priority" media. (No idea who is higher priority than MTV.) But even the small army of photographers running around on stage right were no distraction. Instead, they added to the feeling that this was something historic. And one look at the crowd could confirm this. Hundreds of hands in the air, hundreds of girls and boys jumping in unison with the floor bowing dangerously under them, strobe lights flashing, beach balls and bodies flying - this is it. Sleigh Bells are the future of music. Score one sick distortion.

Album: Foals - Total Life Forever

Album: Total Life Forever
Transgressive/Subpop, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)

Maybe I should keep you all in suspense a little longer, but I'm gonna just break the bad news right here. Total Life Forever is not as good as 2008's Antidotes. Which isn't to say it's a bad album - after all, Antidotes was amazing (and if you haven't heard it, go check it out right now!).

There are two major ways in which Total Life Forever branches off from the band's debut. The first is evident from track one on - this time around, Foals rely far more on Yannis Philippakis's vocals to carry the songs. The opening track, "Blue Blood," leaves Philippakis almost bare and he (mostly) proves up to the task. His voice has always been distinctive while also being really on pitch, a rare enough thing from a male indie singer.

The second alteration the band has made in their sound, obvious in the opening bars of track two, is a move towards their electronic and dance inclinations. Foals were never a proper rock band, and here they've shifted further towards the synthetic and they've really deepened their beats. Sure, funk and dance rhythms provided the foundation of Antidotes, but these rhythms were always couched in an indie rock sensibility. Total Life lets go.

Like one would expect from a band of this caliber, the album has great songs. "Blue Blood" finds Philippakis bravely naked, while a pair of knock-out centerpiece singles keep the record from peaking too soon. "Spanish Sahara" is a warm melancholy with building urgency that breaks into a bizarre, uneasy fluttering pulse. Surprisingly, even this is outdone by what's next. "This Orient" opens with a playful amalgamation of sound but soon reveals itself to be as serious as any other. The tinkering intro opens into lush song with the kind of chorus that will get stuck in your head periodically for years to come - and you won't mind when it does.

Although the mistitled "Fugue" is a short instrumental waste of a track (it sounds like something the band threw together to solve a sequencing/segue issue), the slow, haunted "Albaster" pounds the album back to life. The soft clattering beat of "2 Trees" supports stunning waves of guitar arpeggios while the closer, "What Remains" thunders over some deep, deep bass.

Despite the great songs, despite the immaculate production, despite everything Foals have done right here, this album is a bit disappointing. The slick, rhythmic riff of "Miami" may be first rate, but another band could write this song. No song on Antidotes sounded like anyone but Foals. Total Life is a step towards the generic, both in the use of electronica and in the reliance on lead vocals. The vibrant instruments and the very humanness of the rhythms were what made Foals stand out - way out - from their peers. And while they are still themselves on Total Life, some of their most interesting features are fading more and more into the background. Sacrificing immediacy for polish, the Foals are at risk of losing their edge. Come back, guys!

[myspace]

Album: Holy Fuck - Latin

Album: Latin
Young Turks/XL, 2010
Rating: ******* (7/10)

Although I'm not really a fan of instrumental music nor of electronica, I've long been a fan of Canada's Holy Fuck, a (now) quartet who proved to me that electronic groups could put on a live show worth watching. Their recorded material, however, I've always been able to live without - it's not bad but it rarely holds my attention. Still, I thought I'd give their new LP a listen - third time's the charm, right?

Well, Latin doesn't really contain any surprises. It may well be the group's most direct album today, with focused songs mostly sticking well under the five minute mark. However, despite scaling back some of the repetition and other indulgences, any LP without melodies (vocal or otherwise) is going to struggle to keep its audience's interest. That's not to say Holy Fuck should add vocals or even extended instrumental melodies - that's not who they are. It's jut to say that who Holy Fuck are puts them in a tough position from the start.

They do have a few new tricks up their sleeves this time around. The opener, "1MD," builds gently from silence into a hum of noises. While this does demonstrate more restraint than the band usually shows, if we've learned one thing from post-rock, it's that no matter how well executed, any slow swell of noise is an easy and predictable trick.

Speaking of post-rock, the album's two calmest tracks, centerpieces Stay Lit and Silva & Grimes, are oddly post-rock-esque. There's a similar feeling of measured exploration and winding, indirect structure. I haven't decided yet whether this is a good or bad thing.

"Red Lights" and "Latin America" (which, incidentally, does not use Latin rhythms, as one might expect) get the album out to a strong start, but the sequencing is a bit surprising, since two of the coolest, slickest tracks come near the end, "Stilettos" and "Lucky." All four of these songs keep head-bobbing beats at the fore while adding some surprisingly beautiful noises to the mix.

Closing things out, "P.I.G.S." is the album's longest and most unruly track - and that's fine, every decent band gets at least one song like this per album, and especially as a closer, it works. The band lets lose a little, moves between sections and really shows their chops.

All in all, it's an album I wouldn't mind not owning. It's not bad - in fact, it is Holy Fuck's most consistent and disciplined effort to date. If you like pulsing electronica and excited noise, you'll like this. But personally, I'm going to hold out for the next time they come through town.

Live: A Place to Bury Strangers, Big Pink

When: 3/30
Where: Webster Hall

I've never thought about A Place To Bury Strangers being a particularly tight band but that's only because they are so seamless, you don't even think about them stumbling. At least, I never had until I heard them in the craphole that is Webster Hall.

Turns out APTBS now have a friend doing their sound, and while friends are awesome for listening to your problems and buying you beer when you have a bad day, they aren't necessarily awesome for controlling a sound board in a way that sounds good. I know it's an uphill battle to sound anywhere near decent in Webster - the acoustics in that room are notoriously slushy. But the room and the untrained sound guy - well, with their forces combined, they nearly trainwrecked one of NYC's most unstoppable bands.

From the get-go, it sounded like the three musicians on stage could not hear each other. At times, the drums and guitar seemed to be in entirely different places. The bass was barely audible. The guitar noise was a mess, at once hollow and muddy - and then it cut out all together for quite a long time. In the middle of one song, guitarist Oliver Ackerman walked over to the bass amp and adjusted the sound from there. That's a sure sign the guy in the sound booth is failing.

Several times, I thought the band was going to lose it entirely, fall apart and end their set. Much to their credit, they hung on, plowed through and finished in style. For all it ravaged their sound, the venue did beef up the band's visuals, with some serious smoke machine action and some serious strobe lights. The band's visual intensity helped mask the sonic failings, Ackerman in flashing silhouettes abusing his weathered Fender Jag. The deafening noise jam near the end of the set finally managed to lock in the sound a bit and the band exited with their audience rapt.

Though this was by far the worst set I've ever seen from this band, I think the problems were only visible to loyal fans. Anyone seeing APTBS for the first time was bound to be impressed - how can you not? And for those of us who did notice the band struggling, it could only increase our admiration as well. Anyone else would have given up and left the stage, but this trio rode their intensity alone and put on a damn show.

Of course, adding to the problems was the fact that APTBS were opening. Opening bands usually have their volume capped ten or twenty decibels below the headliner, and since APTBS's sound is based on pure volume, the dimmed sound destroyed what little clarity they may have been able to achieve. The true power of the massive speakers hanging in front of the stage was immediately apparent, however, when The Big Pink appeared. The bass was loud enough to severely damage my eardrums despite my fairly heavy-duty earplugs. It was the kind of bass that rattles your bones to the point of physical discomfort.

But I could see why the band cranked up so loud - except for the phenomonally brain-shattering volume of their bass line, there was absolutely nothing going on. How did this band get so popular? Their songs have no substance at all. There were a few decent beats but not a tune, not a song, not cool guitar sound, not an emotion, just vapid showmanship.

And let's talk about the showmanship too. The front man has a rock star haircut and was sporting a tattered white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. Several metal chains hung from his neck. The other major force in the band, the DJ, was a stockier fellow in a black hoody, hood up. Um, could you get any more cliche? Please? Cause that's just not enough for me.

Meanwhile, the bass player was entirely unremarkable and the drummer, well, the drummer makes me sad. See, I hate to hate on a female drummer, but this girl, one Akiko Matsuura, is NOT a good drummer. Granted, she was scantily clad and flailed her arms pretty good, but as a drummer, she sucks. Luckily, about 80% of the beat was coming from the DJ, so her inabilities were well hidden. But seriously, folks.

Maybe if I did a lot of drugs, I might have enjoyed this band. But it would have to be a lot of drugs. As it is, the Big Pink is a waste of time and space. Wanna be ahead of the curve? Forget about them. Everyone else will have forgotten them in a year too. Thankfully.

Live: Asa Ransom, Shilpa Ray

When: 2/28/10
Where: Cameo Gallery

It's insane to think I haven't checked in with Asa Ransom in almost a year and half, especially given how much I was impressed by them the first time around. But unfortunately, our schedules just didn't align until a few weeks ago, when we crossed paths at this Shilpa Ray-headlined show at Cameo Gallery.

Asa Ransom have certainly changed over the last year and a half. Many of their punker impulses have become slicker and cleaner while their dancy grooves have expanded exponentially. The band has also come of age in the way in which they present themselves. While before, they were just some guys playing pretty good music, now they have an image - five images, in fact, that assert five individual personalities but that also form a cohesive front of dark and somewhat anachronistic stylishness. This not only makes them interesting to see but also indicates that the band has a sense of their identity and purpose - that is, what it is they have and want to offer the music scene.

Asa Ransom (picture from MySpace)
But what exactly that is is a little hard to describe. In my original review of the band, I compared them to Pere Ubu in their mental-ward approach to dance music. Since then, Asa Ransom have smoothed it out a bit, coming closer to the target than Pere Ubu ever did. Still, their music is something of an impressionistic take on dance music - it's identifiable, but it's out there. For those who are up on their contemporary dance punk, a comparison to Liars would certainly not be out of line.

The band is percussion-focused, with the jerky grooves of the drummer and auxiliary percussionist an oft exposed skeleton to which bits of guitar, synth and vocals adhere. As they play, the entire band bobs in time with the songs, though again, each in his own way. The music is a pulse against which frontman Jacob Bills throws truncated bursts of lunatic energy.

There may be something lacking here in sincerity - I can't tell - and I wouldn't consider this a shoe in for being an important or successful band. But they could be and I'd like that. We'll see. [myspace]

Shilpa Ray headlined. Talk about your nutcases. As always, she attacked her hand-powered harmonium with admirably boundless energy, growling her bluesy vocals with the punk rock spirit they deserve - the melodies may take a page from an older book, but the lyrics are pure punk in their self-deprecation and their fuck-you attitude.

Sadly, Shilpa Ray's backing band, her "Happy Hookers" were not as good as I've come to expect. She had a different crew on stage this time around, except for her outstanding bass player Nick Hundley. These Hookers are were adequate, I suppose, but compared to the top-of-the-line musicianship to which Shilpa Ray fans have grown accustomed...well, they aren't quite there. [myspace]

Album: CFCF - Continent

Album: Continent
Paper Bag, 2009
Rating: ** (2/10)

The first time I heard CFCF must have been last spring when part of the Panesian Nights EP mysteriously showed up on my hard drive. I gave it a listen and though I wasn't blown away, I was reasonably impressed, especially by the club-inspired dark ambiance of "Crystal Mines." It was just an EP by an artist early in his career (one Michael Silver), and I figured by the time an LP came around, we might have something worth at least a short-term obsession.

Apparently, I was overly optimistic. Sometimes when I'm bored and often spaced out with a migraine, I pull out my keyboard, turn on some cheesy synth sound and plunk out little chord progressions and riffs with club-style rhythms. Although I have fun making dark, ominous chords bounce out in a head-bobbing rhythm, I've really never thought it was worth recording even to subject my friends and family to, let alone to put into an LP and foist on the world at large. Perhaps if I had, I'd have a small record deal and some lukewarm reviews on Pitchfork - it worked for Silver.

Yes, folks, what I'm saying is that I can write music this good in my sleep. And the kicker is, I'm really not a synth player at all. Yeah, ouch.

For one thing, I think I misunderstood the purpose of CFCF. While I thought it was experimental ambient in a dark way, this album is like electronic easy-listening, with synthesized saxophone, guitar and fucking pan pipe solos. Even when the music starts with something good - the guilty-pleasure pop of "Invitation to Love," the breaking beat and half-phrase synth lines of "Letters Home" and the sweeping dynamics of "Break-In" - he ruins it with the aforementioned fake saxophone and pan pipe shit or by just dragging it out waaaay too long. Vocals randomly pop up on a few tracks. In a pitchfork interview, Silvers said "I wouldn't consider myself a very strong songwriter or vocalist, so most of the time I try and then fail so I just don't bother." Yeah, we can tell.

The best track of the album is probably "Come Closer," one of those adorned with vocals. Though it wears on far too long, it's got more force to it. It's a much bolder, clearer statement than the rest of the album and comes closest to what I heard from Panesian Nights. Still, I can't even say that track is worth a buck to download. When surrounded by the far-less-than-half-baked monotony of the rest of the album, it's a nice break, sounding almost like a completed thought. But on its own, it doesn't have much to stand on either.

A celebration of self-indulgent rambling electronica, Continent is an album only a mother could love. Or so I hope.

[MySpace]

Live: These Are Powers

When: 5/21
Where: Glasslands

Ages and ages ago, I went to check out These Are Powers at the Vice Magazine party at Glasslands, and I meant to run a review, but then totally forgot. Better late than never, right?

Somewhere, someone must have amassed a huge amount of scientific data on all the shit hipsters love. Then, this genius ran all that information through a complex algorithm, and the result was These Are Powers. It's the pure distillation of all hipster trash and of course, the kids are crazy for it. The band takes edgy elements of hip-hop and makes them less scary to a white, suburban-born audience by, you know, not being hip-hop. Throw in some unrefined noise rock and crank up the bass so you can only really hear the beat, and you've got yourself a recipe for success.

And the band has an image to match - hipster-adored stereotypes all. Aspiring Bohemian Anna Barie comes clad in vintage clothes and an asymmetrical, arty haircut, while drummer Bill Salas is "urban" without being threatening. And Barie seemed obsessed with seeing exactly how many times she could mention Williamsburg between songs. The answer is, a lot.


These Are Powers (photo by Maxyme G. Delisle)
According to the band's wikipedia page, they use "polyrhythm," but from what I heard, I'd have to contest that claim. Three on two is hardly a polyrhythm, and I didn't hear the band attempt anything more complex than that. And believe me, I'm very tuned in to rhythms.

That said, Salas is an exceptional drummer. His skills, spread over a large, part-acoustic, part-electro set-up, are very impressive indeed. Such high-speed playing and sick, heavy beats aren't so easy to come by. Founder Pat Noecker's bass playing is strong, but he seems to get in his own way - keeping the beat going, keeping the crowds' heads bobbing, seems to smother more interesting inclinations. Barie's playing, on the other hand, looked like stabs in the dark to me (and I was standing quite close to her) so I almost think her instruments are more for show than for sound. She's a fine singer, though, with a strong (but not melodious) voice.

As bilious as this review sounds, I honestly salute the band for playing the game this well - if I could create the ultimate hipster algorithm and make a lot of money off of it, I totally would, so how can I blame them for figuring out the formula before I had a chance? The performance may be affected and frankly, void of musical merit (drumming aside), but they are technically proficient and they also get some points for originality - they really don't sound like anyone else on earth. And their pogo-ing and headbanging enthusiasm on stage is admirable and really gets the party mood going.

Personally, I will be avoiding this band in the future at just about any cost. But if kids are having fun listening and dancing, well then, more power(s) to them!

[MySpace]

Live: Holy Fuck and A Place To Bury Strangers

When: 5/22
Where: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Although A Place To Bury Strangers has long been one of my favorite NYC bands, I haven't actually been out to see them since the fall of 2007, when they "broke" -- thanks to a feature on Pitchfork's "Best New Music." So when I finally got to this show, a year and a half later, I was reassured (but not surprised) to see that the band's success hasn't led to musical comprise. In fact, critical acclaim seems to have helped the band fully recognize those things that has always set them apart - they seem far more focused and powerful than they did in 2007 (and they were pretty damn focused and powerful back then).

Undoubtedly one of the loudest bands in history, their noise has only intensified. Oliver Ackermann's custom-made guitar pedals - sold by his own Death By Audio - give his instrument a sound like no other. It's like one long metallic roar, more massive, more dense than anything you've ever heard - unless maybe you live on a very busy military airfield, that is. Confrontation by sheer volume isn't an idea invented by APTBS, but they can certainly join the list of bands that have pushed the approach to new extremes, a list that includes folks like The Who, The Stooges, Swans, Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine.


A Place To Bury Strangers

One of the things that makes APTBS so great is that the three musicians seem to come from very different places. Instead of meeting in middle stylistically, they each maintain their identity, crashing into each other at full force. This unusual interplay guarantees the band's unique sound. Drummer Jay Space plays relentless 16th-note-based heavy dance rhythms, while Jono Mofo's measured bass lines open up the sound, while deepening it into the lowest registers. This odd couple of a rhythm section make it pretty much impossible to say whether what you're hearing is fast or slow. Meanwhile, Ackermann's noise guitar buries heavy chords under squeals and roars while his vocals fight through the sonic combat zone undeterred.

Despite some problems from the sound booth during the first few minutes of the set, APTBS's inertia proved unstoppable. Hardcore fans would agree it wasn't their greatest show ever, but it was still a mindblowing performance. About halfway through the set, the band went into overdrive, hitting the strobe lights and letting loose. It's amazing Ackermann's guitar survived as long as it did, seeing the thrashing he gave it. Eventually his aggressive energy towards the guitar reached a breaking point and he threw it down, then dragged it around the stage by its cord.

The only mistake the band made was letting their noise jam go on a little too long. A good motto is "quit while you're ahead" - by stretching the boundaries of the audience's attention span, the band did lose just a touch of momentum near the end. Still, the onslaught was impressive, and by the time they actually exited the stage, amid deafening feedback, they'd fully recovered from any miscalculations. As always, lending to their mystique, the band didn't speak a word, just went on stage, made their noise and walked off. It leaves an impression on ya, it really does. [MySpace]

Holy Fuck followed APTBS and the combination seemed even weirder in practice than it seemed on first glance at the listing. Holy Fuck is an instrumental indie electro-dance group from Canada. But I guess it's not too strange, I know plenty of people (myself included obviously) who rank both these bands among their favorites.

Holy Fuck is one of two bands that convinced me electronic music can be good live (the other being Norway's 120 Days). All of the music is created on the fly - sure, there are sequencers and beats, but the band is constantly setting them off, inputting new samples, changing effects and creating sounds from a variety of sources. And the band members love to bob, pogo and dance to their own beats.

It's danceable music with complexity and merit, integrating a slew of rhythmic influences. The songs are loud and aggressive, but still fun. The only real problem is that the songs do get a bit "samey" and for those not dancing, the set was really too long. But as long as the front third of the audience is still jumping around, can anyone really criticize? In other words, Holy Fuck get to act like they're the shit because they are the shit. [MySpace]

With these two bands, I'd be shocked if anyone didn't get their $15 worth of awesome - maybe lost more than $15 worth of hearing, but definitely not short changed!

Album: Passion Pit - Manners

Album: Manners
Frenchkiss, 2009
Rating: ******** (8/10)

Boston electro-pop stars Passion Pit release their much-anticipated debut LP, Manners, today. And I despite myself, I like it a lot.

For a while, I've wondered why I prefer acts like Passion Pit and MGMT to so many of their more musically sophisticated peers (e.g. Cut Copy). There's so much I should hate about Passion Pit's hyper-poppy electronic dance music, from the cheesy, dated synth effects to the over-the-top pop cliches all over the melody. But truthfully, I enjoy it.

Now, let's get this out of the way. Passion Pit is primarily the project of one Michael Angelakos, who is something like 21 years old (maybe 22 now?). And his lyrics sound like they were written by a 21-year-old, at best. They are cramped with dime-a-dozen infantile "insights." But this is dance-pop and who listens to the words anyway? There's enough music going on that it's not hard to ignore the lyrics, and I highly recommend that you do so.

In terms of the music, however, Angelakos nails it. Yes, pop music is formulaic, but it isn't easy to get the formula this right, this much of the time. The first three tracks on the album are all bombshells, from the writ-large opening notes of "Make Light," to the children's chorus back-up vocals on "Little Secrets" and the tight layers of "Moth Wings." Even the slightly wince-inducing 80's dance beats are pulled off surprisingly well, probably because Manners doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is - a self-indulgent, artless, hook-centered pop album. (Or if it is pretending to be anything else, it's failed badly enough that it doesn't matter.)

The album does make some missteps. The first biggie is track four, "The Reeling," which falls on the wrong side of that narrow line between irresistible pop and vile top-forty-esque banality. Occasionally, the meritless lyrics also become too audible and too sophomoric to completely tune out (Exhibit A: "Swimming in the Flood," starting with the title itself). It also ends on a surprisingly weak note, "Seaweed Song," which fluctuates between annoying and unremarkable.

Still, the album's strengths compensate plenty. Most notably, the arrangements are nothing short of brilliant. The music never sits still, as layers pop in and out and vocal tracks play off one another without a moment's pause. The hooks and melodies are also exceptionally good - simple and formulaic, sure, but also irresistible. Of course, the album's break-through track "Sleepyhead" remains a strong point, but similarly strong synth riffs, unabashed high-range vocals and thoughtful composition are matched by plenty more.

This may be an album to buy tracks from online, rather than paying for the whole thing. But I'd definitely recommend you get your hands on some of it. You know what? It's called "pop" for a reason! People like it. And I'm one of those people. Anyone got a problem with that?

[MySpace]

Release: Project Jenny, Project Jan - The Colors [EP]

The Colors [EP]
Might Records, 2009
Rating: ****** (6/10)

Project Jenny, Project Jan is a name I've been hearing more and more over the last few months, and hearing they were putting out an EP (basically a tide-me-over until their proper LP release), I decided to finally see what all the fuss is about.

At the heart of it, the two-man PJPJ is not my kind of music. Like so many other electro-indie-dance-rock hybrid, uber-hipster bands (yes, that's an official term for them), PJPJ are fun in a rather lighthearted way and while I like my music to be fun, I also like it to be more emotive than your typical party tunes. So on my personal scale of I'm-kind-of-embarrassed-to-admit-I-actually-like-this (e.g. MGMT, Passion Pit) to I'm-annoyed-that-people-who-make-such-annoying-music-are-allowed-to-live (e.g. Cut Copy, Crystal Castles), PJPJ falls somewhere pretty near the middle.

What's good about them is their wide variety of styles, which will probably earn them some Cut Copy comparisons down the line (and has already given rise to plenty of Beck references). The first and last tracks are not quite club material, but are definitely coming from an electro dance-pop point of view. However, the almost tribal "You Said" betrays a heavy "world" influence, while the vocals on "Caller ID" are simply old-school rap.

The world and hip-hop sounds and the masterfully restrained vocals give the band some emotional depth that their peers lack. And in addition to seamlessly cutting diagonal across every established genre they can get near, PJPJ has excellent arrangements with a close attention to detail. Their heavy use of guests adds intriguing vocal and sonic textures to the tracks. It's definitely music that draws you in.

Unfortunately, the EP is weak in melodies, mostly using trite, obvious lines or too-cool-to-sing monotones. The instruments don't provide a lot of hooks either, so there's just not much to hold on to. However, the widely varied tracks fit together coherently - The Colors is no classic, but it's definitely got enough things right to introduce the band's style and tide over its hungry fans until their LP release later this year.

MySpace

Live: Primal Scream

When: 3/29
Where: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Thankfully, I didn't get around to buying tickets for Primal Scream's Webster Hall show on March 28 for a while, and in the meantime, they announced a second date - at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, a much more hip and intimate setting. I booked that ticket right away.

Primal Scream, like many bands driven by midlife crises, is looking a bit haggard these days. Their heavy drug use can't have helped either, and anyway, the band formed almost 30 years ago, in 1982. But despite their years, Primal Scream rocks hard. Integrating acid-house dance beats into poppy rock music, Primal Scream established themselves the ultimate British dance-pop group of the early 90's. However, despite their club-derived beats, Primal Scream's live show proves that they are definitely a rock band. From Andrew Innes's blistering guitar solos to Darin Mooney's massive drum sound, this is rock'n'roll.

Singer Bobby Gillespie carried the show with an energetic performance - he clearly aims to please his crowd. Innes did his part too, wielding his guitar like an AK-47 and just generally rocking it out old-school. Meanwhile, the rhythm guitarist (who was this? anyone know?) and bass player 'Mani' were also playing to the audience, while Mooney and keyboardist Martin Duffy lay low, focusing on their instruments.

The band stumbled a few times, but in a way, that was a positive thing - it's nice to know even rock legends make mistakes. The set was a good length and featured some lesser known songs alongside classics like "Movin' On Up." The audience took on vocal duties for part of "Rocks" and engaged the band in some friendly banter between songs.

Most importantly, the band was having unbelievable amounts of fun. They clearly love being on stage, love playing their music and above all love the admiration of their audience (who, in turn, clamored for a physical brush with greatness every time a member approached the edge of the stage). These guys were born to be rock stars, but they don't seem to take this for granted - pouring themselves into every song, pulling any crowd-pleasing stunt that pops into their mind and keeping the spirit alive for almost three decades. Though not my favorite band to listen to at home, Primal Scream and their powerful showmanship made an impact - next time they come through town, look for me in the front row.

Live + Album: Luise Pop

One thing about getting out of New York for a few days is that you also get out of the New York music scene for a few days and stumble upon bands like Austrian-natives Luise Pop. They've just released their debut album this week and I was lucky enough to, completely by accident, stumble upon their release show.

When: 3/12
Where: Vienna, Austria

When I walked into the Luise Pop show, hosted by Vienna's one real alternative venue, das Fluc, I had no idea what to expect. I definitely didn't expect a three-person choir dressed in funny nautical costumes at the back of the stage. My first thought was to cry "gimmick!" but I figured, at least it's a gimmick I haven't seen before. And when I gave the band a chance, they showed it was no gimmick at all - the mini-choir fleshed out the music indispensably and added a lot to the show.

The band, true to its name, plays indie pop, most of it very danceable (though of course, this show was in Austria so the audience staunchly refused to do more than a slight head-bob). Though not particularly cutting edge, the band boasts consistently irresistible melodies and brilliant arrangements. It's in this, the exceptional quality of their songwriting, that the band stands out from the pack.

Unfortunately, a lot of the parts were pre-recorded, which made the band less fun to watch - of course, a big part of concerts is seeing how a band makes their music, and that was lamentably missing here.


Luise Pop (photo by Andrea Salzmann)
Despite that, though, the band was still massively fun to watch! The entire group of them seemed to be a little bewildered and bashful, especially the choir in their odd garb. Frontwoman Lisa Berger seemed a bit shy too, but everyone threw their all into the show. They seemed surprised but very pleased to be on stage in front of a fair-sized crowd and they definitely made the most of the opportunity, striking a lovely balance between humility and confidence. From silly choreographed dance moves from the choir (delivered with not a little self-consciousness) to all-out rock moments from guitarist and co-vocalist Vera Kropf, the show just made me smile.



Album: The Car The Ship The Train
Asinella Records, 2009
Rating: ******* (7/10)

Of course, at the show, I grabbed a copy of the band's brand new release and debut LP, The Car The Ship The Train. Once again, the band's exceptional gift for writing melodies and arranging songs is clear. Using a broad palette of sounds, the band manages to make each song distinct without making the album seem scattered.

The indie-rock sincerity of Berger and Kropf's lyrics, driven home with a just-a-tad-shy delivery, is unquestionably endearing - these aren't polished pros, they are just some really nice people singing some songs! This makes some tracks ("Run Away" is a prime example) fall a little flat, but for the most part, it's effectively engaging and unlike many indie pop bands who aim for the same thing, it doesn't seem at all contrived.

Album highlights include the quietly beautiful "Pirate Isle," anthemic dance-punk "Feminist Terrorists" and "At The Gas Station," which has some the album's most interesting sounds and rhythms. As the record wears on, the songs gradually grow in depth and maturity, slowing down ever so slightly from the exuberant beginning and becoming more introspective. The album title is drawn from the lyrics of "Detour," a short track that brings together the album's theme of youthful transience in one rousing chorus.

The only really unsatisfying moment of the album is the closing song, which was also the closing song (pre-encore) at the live show. Both live and on the record, I was disappointed when the final 30 seconds of building triumph just abruptly ended instead of taking the step I anticipated - both times, I waited for the band to burst out into an ear-shattering closing chorus, and both times, all I got was a single orchestral hit and silence.

But missed opportunities aside, the album is ultimately solid and accomplished. It's a great listen, and like the live show, bound to make you crack a smile.

Luise Pop on MySpace

Preview and buy the album here. (The tracks are in a different order from on the physical CD.)

Upcoming Show: ESG - This Saturday!!!

OK, so yesterday, my friend was just telling me had to check out this band ESG who kind of ran with the No Wave crowd back in the early 80's. The four sisters from the South Bronx played a stripped-down, rhythm-focused funk that through odd twists of fate captured the attention first of the NYC No Wave scene and later of Factory Records in the UK.

ESG's innovative combination of rhythmic influences from the Rolling Stones to James Brown to Latin dance was profoundly influential in post punk, hip hop and club music. Sampling from ESG became a hip hop standard in the 90's, much to the group's frustration - they saw no money from the use of their work.

Over the last thirty years, ESG has flickered in and out of existence with slight line-up changes (most recently adding the daughters of founding member Renee). And apparently, I chose the perfect time to check them out, because when researching them last night, I was very surprised to stumble upon a current flier.

Show info:
ESG is playing Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St.) this Saturday at 10 PM. Tickets are kind of expensive ($20 adv/$25 door) but considering the band's historical significance and the fact that they are completely amazing, you'd do well to scrape together enough for a ticket. There are a number of other acts on the bill as well including Salvatore Principato of Liquid Liquid. It's not to be missed.

Best Albums of 2008 - Part 4 - #10-6

We're getting to the good stuff now...

PREVIOUS>>
Part 1 - Rules and Runners Up
Part 2 - #20-16
Part 3 - #15-11


#10

The Crystal Stilts - The Crystal Stilts [EP]
Woodsist

The Crystal Stilts have made some big waves this year with their simple, measured pop songs, which sizzle with distortion, ring with indie dramatics and have so much reverb, they may have been recorded in a cave. Yes, I know they put out a real album in 2008. And that album, Alight of Night is more polished and more cohesive than the self-titled EP. However, this collection of songs was the more exciting of the two. While on the album proper, the Stilts could consistently be mistaken for the Jesus & Mary Chain, the EP shows a broader range of influences and a lot greater diversity between songs. Alight of Night shows what the Crystal Stilts are, but The Crystal Stilts shows what they could be.

Track pick: "Converging in the Quiet"
MySpace


#9

Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Kill Rock Stars

Just because Deerhoof have put out better albums in the past doesn't mean their 2008 release isn't better than the vast majority of albums this year. Offend Maggie is a less focused and slightly more conventional effort than their masterpiece Reville, but it still features their signature angular guitars and oddball childlike melodies. And the album includes some of the band's best experiments in dissonance and contrast. Moreover, the band's extraordinary originality hasn't faded, and Offend Maggie makes it clear why Deerhoof have become one of the most venerated experimental acts of the decade.

Track pick: "Offend Maggie"
MySpace


#8

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Subpop Records

If you haven't heard of the Fleet Foxes by now, just pick a random blog post from 2008 from any music blog and you'll probably get something about this band. I thought I would dislike them, but after I gave them a fair listen, I have to say, their album has certainly earned much (if not quite all) of its praise. A down-home folk album with definite roots in spirituals and hymns, Fleet Foxes is far more tame than most of what gets my attention. What's edgy and interesting is that no one else is making quite this kind of music these days, at least no one with a recording contract, a tour manager and some indie rock cred. The record is a confident and cohesive collection of songs, and though the band's vision may not do much to push the envelope, they execute it with such a polished ease that it's no wonder this has been one of the stand-out records of the year.

MySpace


#7

Foals - Antidotes
Transgressive Records

I'm jumping on the bandwagon again on this one, but I'm feeling increasingly confident in my decision to like this band - already Antidotes is in regular rotation on my iPod, not in consideration for this review but because I really want to hear it. The album is most notable for the constant, complex interplay between guitars, bass and drums, each of which play "lead" parts that could alone propel the songs. Together, the parts lock into tight tracks that never grow boring. And over it all soar pop-friendly but original melodies that make it hard to tear yourself away.

Track pick: "Red Socks Pugie"
MySpace


#6

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Red Ink/Columbia

MGMT exploded into the mainstream in early 2008 for very good reason. Their super-catchy, radio-ready electronica has more rock sensibility than any club music since the early 90's Madchester scene. Catchy beats, irresistible melodies and masterful keyboards drive the whole richly-varied album forward. With obvious roots in psychedelic and Britpop music, MGMT has created an album lovable by everyone from club-rats to Flaming Lips junkies to anglophile rock snobs.

Track pick: "Kids"
MySpace


NEXT>> Part 5: #5-1

Live: Love Is All, Crystal Stilts and Cold Cave

Next in the stretch of shows featuring 2008 buzz bands was the Love Is All show featuring opening acts Crystal Stilts and Cold Cave.

I'd never heard of Cold Cave and I came in probably two-thirds of the way through their set. From what I heard, they play synth-made electronic dark wave that falls at the high end of run-of-the-mill - nothing original but certainly well-executed with lush, layered sounds. Their performance style involved the three members standing perfectly still, spaced out Kraftwerk-style along the front of the stage. It's not the most interesting thing to watch, but it works for them, helping them cultivate their dark, subtle atmosphere. All in all, it was alright. I wouldn't be surprised if this band becomes rather popular, but I'm not going to place a vote either way.

The band I was really there to see was up next, the heavily-hyped post punk outfit the Crystal Stilts. The band gets frequent comparisons to Joy Division,and watching them live, I could see why. On their recordings, the Jesus & Mary Chain-styled guitar wins out and their songs sound pretty much like Psychocandy outtakes. But live, it's easier to see the comparison of the Stilts' frontman Brad Hargett to Ian Curtis (it's more in his delivery than his voice), and bassist Andy Adler does sound a bit like early Peter Hook.

I like the Stilts, but I worry they are sliding from self-assurance to apathy and this show did little to reassure me. It was evident that they'd been playing a lot of shows lately. Yes, there was a nice level of comfort and professionalism on stage, but the other side of the coin is that they brought a sense of fatigue and lack of spontaneity. In the end, though, it was forgivable (at least this time around), since they were still having fun and making an effort to put on a show.


The Crystal Stilts
In terms of the music, it's rare to see a band with a male singer who can actually sing. On their instruments, the band was more amateur. That's part of their charm but it can be overdone. For example, I have no issue with Frankie Rose's decision to play drums standing up like Mo Tucker, but her improper grip on the sticks made her playing sound noticeably weak. Moreover, the rough-around-the-edges, militantly-simplistic songwriting that made the band noteworthy in the first place may soon become a real bane if they let it tie their hands. This is a great band, and I really did enjoy the show, but it's increasingly clear that they are falling rather short of their potential. Their hype can get them a little further, but if they don't push themselves much harder, their momentum will die out fast.

Headlining the show was Swedish pop band Love Is All. I listened to their album and found it to be pretty generic indie dance-pop. I didn't dislike it, though, and I thought I detected an artistic edge to the music. Live, however, any hints at some sort of intellectual artistry disappeared, and the generic quality of the music came to the fore. Moreover, the music's complete lack of emotion and depth became intensely evident to me. Dance-pop isn't really the most soul-baring of genres but it's quite possible to give it some trace of human feeling without making it less fun.


Love Is All
Adding to the horror, the band includes a saxophone, which is probably the single worst instrument ever invented. I can count on one hand the number of bands who have effectively used saxophone in contemporary pop music. (Yeah, this isn't one of them.) I did appreciate the bass and drums, however, which duplicated the quirky drive of electronica but with all the richness of a live performance. Still, that wasn't enough to make up for the problems and I left halfway through the set because it was really depressing me. There's a fine line between cheerful-and-fun and obnoxious-and-shallow, and Love Is All lands squarely on the wrong side.

Single: "Pushover" - Bearsuit

Single: "Pushover"
Fantastic Plastic, 2008
Rating: ***** (5/10)

British popsters Bearsuit, who generated a bit of buzz on this side of the ocean during the CMJ festival in NYC, have released a new single today. The song is called "Pushover" and it's certainly an odd one.

It may be a little over-the-top, and intentionally so, but it's a fun listen. Light-hearted, danceable, and well-arranged, with a nice sing-song part midway through giving some relief from the rockin' but assaulting vocal riff that dominates much of the song. It's not going to win any awards for originality - it could be mistaken for some of Le Tigre's odder tracks, among other things (Le Tigre?! Yes, I'm as surprised as you!). What's more, this song could be dreadfully annoying if you weren't in the mood for it. But I think if the timing is right (like when you want to have a crazy one-person dance party in your bedroom - and admit it, sometimes you do), it could definitely hit the spot!