Album: A Place To Bury Strangers - Onwards to the Wall [EP]

Album: Onward to the Wall
Dead Oceans
Release Date: February 7, 2012
Rating: ******* (7/10)

It's no secret that A Place to Bury Strangers is a one-trick pony, but it's a damn good trick. Guitarist and singer Oliver Ackermann makes his own custom guitar pedals and uses them to annihilate his songs in a peeling monolith of distortion and feedback. A driving beat and heavily reverbed tenor vocals emerge from the murk and shape the wash of noize into irresistible bite-sized songs.

The band's new E.P., Onwards to the Wall, is in many ways a more interesting release than the band’s last full-length album, 2009’s Exploding Head. >> Read the full review at piquedmag.com

Release: Liquid Me - Liquid Me (EP)

Album: Liquid Me
Self-released
Release Date: May 6, 2011
Rating: ****** (6/10)

A couple of weeks ago, this guy sent me an e-mail telling me how awesome I am and asking me to review an EP by some band called Liquid Me. I like it when people tell me how awesome I am, so I agreed. I gotta say, not many bands in my little universe would name their influences as "Nirvana, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Foo Fighters, and Queens of the Stone Age."

Turns out, they weren't joking. They sound pretty much like exactly everything that was on alternative radio in the 90's. I'm not sure why anyone would want to play a style that hasn't really been relevant since 1993. I'm not really sure why if they did, they'd want someone like me to review it. (I'm also not sure why they are releasing on a Friday. Mysteries!)

But the band does succeed at what they set out to do (assuming what they set out to do was imitate In Utero-era Nirvana and Pearl Jam - oh, and Queens of the Stone Age). The guitar work is impressive - lots of harmonics and nasty riffs. "See Thru" is probably the best example, with a mean solo and a hook doubled on octaves, a la Smashing Pumpkins. But the guitars are on their game for the whole EP. "Resist" also has a fun riff and the drummer Todd is at his best here, endlessly reacting to minutiae in the guitar line.

"She Said" (will people please stop using that as a song title?) branches out a bit sonically, with some distinctly industrial-inspired elements. Meanwhile, "Resist" has moments that recall Black Flag - but only a few. Most of the song is straight alt rock. The EP is also book-ended by their most Nirvana-esque songs so what musical range they do show is buried.

Lamentable lyrics aside, this is clearly a talented bunch. I haven't heard anyone do this genre this well in a long time. But I don't really understand the point of doing something that's already been done, and in fact, done to death and then had its carcass trampled flat and dragged through the mud for years and years by crappy radio stations nationwide. Never mind that Liquid Me is better than quite a few of the bands that made it big post 1995. Like any throwback, it's a fun listen if you're into that kind of thing. But it's not interesting and I can't help but think it's a waste of talent.

Who knows, if the band digs deeper, they may find some influences that broaden their horizons. But for now, they're just chewing up the 90's and spitting it back out. So, if that's your thing, check them out.

Release: Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Higher than the Stars [EP]

Release: Higher than the Stars [EP]
Slumberland, 2009
Rating: **** (4/10)

Tweegazers the Pains of Being Pure at Heart put out a surprise hit (or at least "hit" in the indie world) record this winter, but it's eight months later and for a pop band in the internet era, buzz never lasts that long. So, with an ongoing tour and year-end lists drawing ever closer, the Pains need to do something to keep their name in the press.

Sadly, instead of getting themselves arrested for doing something ridiculous or pulling some other dangerous publicity stunt, the Pains decided to call people's attention with a new release, a five song EP out this week.

The EP is thoroughly disappointing. With more electronic beats and synthesized sounds, the band sounds more and more like an 80's throw-back, which is, of course, what they always were, but more subtly than this. The Pains may have been the best twee band since the heyday of Sarah Records, but "Higher than the Stars" and the Cure-esque "Falling Over" sound like any of dozens of New Wave revival bands. They lack Kip Berman's signature guitar sheen, replacing that with overused pop sounds.

"103" and "Twins" sound more like the Pains we know and love, with Berman's guitar making a buzzy, fuzzy wall from start to stop. But here, the melodies don't match those the Pains have written previously. "Twins" is, well, boring and "103" is catchy only in that it has nearly the same riff and melody as their previous single "Come Saturday." Resorting to recycled melodies only two years into their career doesn't bode well for the band. Then again, a lot of people won't notice.

The lyrics are Berman's usual fucked up, creepy words that you don't understand and assume to be sweet until you look at the lyric sheet. The dark themes should be an asset, but for some reason - perhaps because there is nothing in the music, including in Berman's singing, to indicate anything sinister - it just doesn't amount to anything.

The "Higher than the Stars" remix that closes the EP is better than the original, delving into the deeper sounds and far more interesting rhythms, thanks to dub-inspired producers St. Etienne. Still, a remix can't make an EP worthwhile, under any circumstances.

The Pains must decide whether to wallow into their indie pop until they become generic or to pursue more innovative ideas. The band has influences far broader and more interesting than the music lets on and they have the potential to evolve. If they don't, they'll have to face being forgotten as quickly as they were discovered this spring.

[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

Release: The Naked Hearts - These Knees [EP]

These Knees [EP]
Self-released, 2009
Rating: ***** (5/10)

I never mean to solicit submissions that I'm going to write negative reviews of, but sometimes, you can't predict a disappointment. Such was the case with the Naked Hearts EP, which will be released tomorrow (Jan 20) on limited edition vinyl.

I've caught one end or the other of a Naked Hearts set numerous times because they tend to play shows with many of my friends and many of my favorite New York bands. I've always really enjoyed what I've heard of them, noisy pop with male-female vocals and great crunching guitars. So when I heard they were releasing an EP, I was pretty eager to have a listen.

But when I put my copy on, I kept waiting for the band I liked to kick in. Instead, I just got a dime-a-dozen indie rock band with mediocre melodies and a cliched sound. Amy Cooper has a strong voice and thankfully sings most of the record. However, co-frontperson and singer Noah Wheeler leaves quite a bit to be desired in pitch and tone. The songs aren't bad, but they are completely unmemorable - there are probably hundreds of local bands who have accomplishments at the same level.

The one exception is "Call Me," which, while not groundbreaking, is by far the record's most satisfying track. The melody is catchy and delightfully gritty and the subtle guitars provide perfect support for Cooper's voice. I'd skip the EP, but if there's ever an opportunity to download the album track-by-track (which sadly I don't think is included in release plans), this song is definitely worth a buck to add to your collection.