Album: Crystal Antlers - Two-Way Mirror

Album: Two-Way Mirror
Recreation, Ltd.
Rating: ***** (5/10)
Release date: 7/19/11

I love simplicity. Some of my favorite songs stick relentlessly to four quarter notes, three-note melodies or two-chord progressions. The key word in that sentence is "or." Our Crystal Antlers seem to have overlooked those little two letters on their most recent bore of a release. Two-Way Mirror is devoid of harmonic or melodic interest. It does occasionally veer into vaguely interesting rhythmic territory but it's not enough to carry the album. If the opening vocal melody doesn't immediately put you to sleep, you probably need to cut down on your caffeine intake.

Two-Way Mirror is, primarily, an exercise in late 60's psych rock cliches. Most of the riffs, many of the melodies and nearly all of the beats sound familiar. However, those cliches are filtered through modern sounds - that sort of strained, shouty male vocal that's dominated indie rock since punk, and a lotta noise. Despite these 2011 touches, though, the album sounds dated and frankly, dated to a time when rock music kind of sucked, when psych rock started to get really bloated, when Jimi was dead and the Dead were taking over. Listen to the opening notes of "By the Sawkill" and tell me you haven't heard it before. It's like friggin Santana, only at least he was a) better and b) doing this shit in 1970, when people didn't know any better. It was a primitive time back then, before people knew about punk rock and computers and haircuts.

That said, I've probably knocked these kids enough. There really are some cool moments on the album. The droning synth-and-drum interlude "Way Out" is brilliant and original and not 1970 at all. "Summer Solstice" is less exciting but at least sounds modern with its post punk drums and murky mix. In fact, it sounds kind of like the Arcade Fire, which in 2011 is better than sounding like Santana.

"Always Afraid" sounds pretty par for the album until it's taken over by some avant jazz saxophone which is rarely a good idea but miraculously works here and puts the band on a completely different level. It's the beginning of a triumvirate of inspired songs. The next track, "Knee Deep," accomplishes what the rest of the album is probably trying to accomplish, which is a fresh, if not radical, noise-and-chaos take on a familiar form. It wallows in that form, but it's also bold enough to have something new to say about it. However, no track on the album holds a candle to end of this brilliant triptych, the breathtaking "Sun-Bleached." A smoldering guitar, faintly warbling organ and subdued voice bleed together in a song so stunningly dissonant it really, genuinely makes me cry.

Unfortunately, this late piece of pure brilliance doesn't end the album. There's another song, "Dog Days," which sounds like what you'd think a song called "Dog Days" would sound like, which is to say, not very exciting. I'm sure it sounded pretty gnarly to the band when they wrote it after smoking a lot of weed. But the whole point of weed is that it makes boring shit seem interesting, and well, my dear antlers, I'm sorry to tell you that this song isn't up to snuff without chemical enhancement.

The Crystal Antlers obviously have something going for them. Otherwise, they could never have written anything as simple and arresting as "Sun-Bleached." The sonic components are pretty well in place throughout the album, actually - cut the reverb (which isn't as obscene as most recent bands' anyway) and they'd be just the right kind of noisy. The only missing piece to this puzzle is song-writing. But unfortunately, that's a pretty important piece and all those 1-4-5 chords and melodies are enough to bore ya to tears.

Hopefully, "Sun-Bleached" is enough to tide us over until these guys learn how to write.

CMJ Summary - Part 2

Despite trying to attend as little of CMJ as possible, I felt worn out by the time Friday rolled around. I skipped most of the SESAC showcase at Cake Shop, since I'd just heard and was unimpressed by the Depreciation Guild and wasn't that gung-ho about the other bands.

So my first stop was Little Girls at Pianos. The line-up has completely changed since I last saw them, but the band is essentially the solo project of one Josh McIntyre, who covers vocals and sometimes keys or a guitar. This new group of musicians backing him was particularly low-key, putting the entire weight - for better or worse - on McIntyre. The bassist and guitarist hunched on opposite sides, playing their parts adequately but without any show.

McIntyre, however, has a nervous energy that pulls the audience in. His behavior on stage is full of dramatics too weird and awkward to be a gimmick. No, he's sincere, and lacks any hint of the aloof disaffection of most of the talked-about DIY bands of late. It's refreshing to see someone being honest on stage.

With gothy, Joy Division-esque songs but with less polish and more fuzz, Little Girls certainly start with a tried-and-tested foundation, but from the awkward tension of the stage show, it's clear they wouldn't hesitate to break the rules. There's something extremely raw about the band, not only in that they are young and their sound rough, but also in that they seem incomplete. As with their recent album, this sense that the band has yet to come into its own can frustrate, but it also adds a special thrill to the already jittery music - potential can be more exciting to hear and watch than a final product. And this could be the early signs of true genius. Time will tell. [MySpace]

I caught part of Crystal Antlers at Cake Shop, and found the music far less abrasive than I remembered their recorded material being. It was also generally mellower than I expected - noise rock, but not without its gentle, grooving passages. The noisy parts weren't noisy enough for my tastes, but I can definitely respect the musicianship and creativity of the band. That said, it's not really my thing and since I couldn't even see the stage, I decided to cut out and return with the crowd thinned down. [MySpace]

Next up, after a quick shift from SESAC fo the FYF/Video Thing showcase, were English popsters Let's Wrestle. I've liked Let's Wrestle in the past, after hearing a few songs that ended up on my computer. Live, they were far less wussy than I expected - a raunchier, grittier guitar sound was mixed too low under even more aggressive bass and drums. The punk attitude was a pleasant surprise, but unfortunately, the quality of the songs was disappointingly inconsistent. For every great melody, there were a couple poor ones. Nothing was bad, but it wasn't outstanding either. There are plenty of bands that do the same thing at the same level. [MySpace]

Ninjasonik, jarringly, came on next, storming the stage and starting the set only minutes after Let's Wrestle's exit. Ninjasonik are a party-rap group who for unknown reasons often play with punk bands. Personally, I don't like party music of any variety - having fun is strictly against my religion. And Ninjasonik doesn't have much of an intellectual appeal. The lyrics are occasionally witty but mostly banal or needlessly obscene chants. The music is nothing to get excited about, and the rhythms are all mindnumbingly simplistic. There was no substance anywhere in the set.

However, I will say one thing for the band - they put on a hell of a live show. They got a huge mosh-pit going, and lots of call-and-response from the audience. Their abrupt start and extremely high-energy performance got nearly everyone dancing and shouting along. I can't recommend the band to any serious music fan, but partiers will be delighted. [MySpace]

Finally, the act I'd been most eager to see took the stage, the new SubPop signee Male Bonding. Though I had thoroughly enjoyed the Male Bonding songs I'd heard before the show, I didn't see what about their melodic, lo-fi punk made them stand out enough to get the attention of a label like SubPop, especially when that label is an ocean and three thousand miles of land away from the band's home.

Seeing them live at Cake Shop, it was immediately apparent that this band is something special. Gifted and competent, the three musicians played with an intense precision. These aren't youngsters who can write songs, these are musicians who know exactly what kind of music they want to make and exactly how to make it. You'd never expect a punk band to be more rhythmically complex and adept than a rap group, but Male Bonding drummer Robin Christian Silas could definitely teach Ninjasonik a thing or two.

As a whole, the band seems to follow in the tradition of SubPop greatness, with hooky guitar, solid singing and well-written songs. There was only one problem - when I heard the recording, I know I heard great tunes, but at Cake Shop, I couldn't pick out a vocal melody most of the time. Whether it was a bad night, bad sound at the venue or a lack of skill singing in live situations, it was disappointing to have none of the sunny anthems I was expecting. Still, I think it's clear SubPop made a great choice with these guys and I'll definitely be looking out for their debut. [MySpace]