Ten Shots Plus a Promise starts not with a song but a declaration. It’s actually interesting and well spoken. It also really accentuates what is the best part about this album – the lyrics. Andy Leeming is a singer-songwriter who takes his time to create stories, metaphors and allegories within his songs to gain the listeners interest. While the album has well-crafted songs and great lyrics the album contains 15 songs (I should mention that the last two songs are bonus songs) almost all of which are based entirely on his voice and guitar. The album would have benefited from being shorter and condensing some of his best material. Leeming works best when the songs sound soft, intimate and have a hint of melancholy such as the delightful “Scars.” The music begins with the second track “Yorktown” and I have to say I loved the lyrics “How I wish I was alive back in 1776 cause the 21st century is popping pills when all it really needs is a revolution and a good night’s sleep.” Being an American History buff myself I liked that he tried combining these themes into the songs even though it sometimes came off as a bit gimmicky. “Nothing at All” was the first song in which things slowed down a bit. This is a good thing, His voice sounded better and I could clearly hear the lyrics. Not since Conor Oberst have I heard a songwriter take this much time to really craft the lyrics by taking simple narratives and combining them with clever metaphors and analogy. What he also has in common with Oberst is his reference to self-medication, which was a common theme on Fevers and Mirrors by Bright Eyes. The album went back and forth with me cringing at times to really enjoying it. I haven’t felt that way in a while. The songs that had a punk rock vibe didn’t fare as well with me as the intimate material. Being his first debut the good outweighs the bad and his lyrics alone are something that most other singer-songwriters will be jealous of.
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Daniel Masson is one of the pioneers of the French electronic music scene. Back in 1976 before most of our readers (including myself) were born Masson was experimenting with computer-based compositions. After years of composing and refining his abilities he went on to make video game soundtracks for giants like Ubisoft. Having released material on such labels as Jet Lag and Oceania Records his latest is entitled A Tiny Kick in the Brain. After a couple of minutes of listening you know this is a very seasoned veteran who is extremely talented and that would make most of the newer generation of artists in this genre seem like amateurs. This album is a great blend of world music and cutting-edge original musical composition. Some of that may have had to do with his many travels as well as the great artists that contributed to this project such as the American pedal steel guitar legend, Bobby Black, and the great pop singer, Kally aka Hyung Yoon Jang, from South Korea. If I had to make a comparison it might be to The Field if there were more of an ethnic vibe to his music. The reason I bring up The Field is because there is a fluidity, and optimism to Masson’s music. It also seems to have an abundance of change that never leaves the music to feel stale. “Screen Characters” is a great opener and would be a great track to be playing at a chill house party. I absolutely loved it. Nothing felt forced on the track from the organic bass to the inspired complexity of the rhythm. Somehow there were a lot of things going on but everything felt perfectly placed, very similar to Panthu Du Prince. The world music wasn’t apparent to me until I heard the second track “Diving into the City” which had a beautiful eastern sounding string instrument. In the wrong hands this could have been a disaster but this was far from the truth in this case. “Smog on the Roof” was the first track that didn’t contain a deep bass drum for you to grove to. Instead there was a trance-like synth that was front and center as a distant almost ominous cloudy pad permeated the stereo-field. Les Souvenirs offered some singing that I usually think takes away from instrumental music but in this case it is so good I didn’t seem to mind it here. It was low in the mix and I felt like it was like any other instrument. I’m so glad I got to hear this music. Now I know where all the innovative French electronic musicians got their influence from.
Beyond the Great Divide by Jack J. Hutchinson was recorded on the road and is a six-song EP that has elements of psychedelic, folk and rock. The songs are powerful, exuberant pieces of work that showcase Hutchinson’s incredible guitar playing as well as his ability to write a good tune. What’s most interesting about his work is that is Americana rock but I swear I heard some traces of 80’s elements in there. I think it was his vocal delivery. I didn’t mind it and it actually worked quite well all things considered. The songs are straightforward as the guitar and vocals are the main focal points of these songs and there is no studio trickery going on here
The first song “Too Much Too Soon” starts with a brief cough before you are introduced to some badass slide guitar. I was expecting to hear Jack White singing but instead it reminded more of Bret Michaels. I know this sounds bad but it somehow works and I really enjoyed it. As I mentioned previously something about the vocals has an 80’s glam vibe. The guitar just shreds in this song and that is reason enough to give a listen. Some of the songs are hit or miss but I really enjoyed “Long Way Down” which had a horribly infectious vocal melody and I adored the strings at the end. I was hoping that it would last a bit longer. I think Hutchinson really stepped into his own with “Smile” which is an acoustic number that was a couple of guitars and his voice. It sounded like something I would hear if I turned on the radio in 1972. This was a pretty good album. The songwriting was solid, the vocals were melodic and the guitar was exceptional. Take a listen. Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Ektoise is a band the combines organic instruments such as guitar, violin, saxophone, and piano with electronic elements. It’s truly a beautiful thing to see this done well because when done well - it’s transparent. It’s not like you are listening to two separate things. You are listening to one entity, to one composition that conveys the music and transfers what matters to the listener - the emotion. I remember when I first heard the Notwists Neon Golden and was taken back that they were able to seamlessly meld electronic and organic instruments. Although Ektoise does not write pop music they do have the same ability to mix the two so well it’s as if they always had a symbiotic relationship. Ektoise released Kiyomizu back in 2011 and it is an epic, original and absolutely eclectic mix of songs that should not be unheard.
Let’s start with the opener “The Shoreline By Morning” which is a gorgeous song that starts with fluttering electronics, violin and scattered piano. The music is eventually drenched with a wave of white noise not unlike Glide from Fennesz. What was very different however was the explosion that comes with the drums that move the song to epic proportions. The song eventually melts away from its awesomeness leaving the piano to be left alone. The next two songs were good but didn’t hit me as hard as “State Vector Collapse” which is an utterly, original song with elements of glitch that are executed with complex timing as well as having an industrial type feel. The song was a bit frightening and I loved every second of it. It sounded as if I had just stepped into an insane asylum. “Venerandum” was an excellent avant-garde ambient composition that was incredible to listen to on a pair of hi-fi headphones. This is a meticulously thought-out composition that has a lot of changes of moments of beauty other artists would be jealous over. The song is like a three-piece act and by the end you might not know how you arrived but you will be glad you did. The album ends with “Down River” which is another original ambient composition that sounds like nothing else before it. Bottom line is that this album is a borderline masterpiece and should be a must for fans of ambient, experimental compositional music, and just about any other genre that is out. At this this point you should stop reading this review and start listening. Inspired by acts like Jean Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream in the early 1970’s, what would later be known as State Azure began deconstructing these sounds and eventually creating his own material. The music is ethereal that combines textured pads, arpeggiated synths with a heavy low-end and sophisticated rhythmic palette. State Azure’s latest is entitled So Long, Eternity. It is a solid effort that has nothing wrong with it but often left me yearning for more. The songs run around the five-minute mark and never overstay their welcome. For the most part the songs follow the same structure. Once you hear the first song you will know what the rest of the album has in store for you. It kind of reminded me of the artist Lone or Enya if she took some acid and then started making kick ass music. Things start off good as the first song “A Fragile Purpose” slowly builds itself with different ambient textures feeling both soothing as well as introspective. The song is solid. The mixing is done well as State Azure choses sounds carefully. I can hear everything clearly which was nice and it felt like everything had its own space - no muddiness, no crowding of space, and overall good production. The third track on this album had a bit of a Persian vibe and was one of the notable standouts for me. It had a trancelike quality that left me feeling as if I was in a dream. I have to say again the production was great. The low-end especially was perfect. It hit just hard enough, almost like a hip-hop album. While I would I have loved to have a bit more experimentation on this album, State Azure knows exactly what it is trying do and does it well. Overall, this is a solid album with excellent production and plenty of well-crafted music that should make many music fans happy.
Adrian Lavinge and Evan Downey make up the newly formed 1921 and when I say newly I don't even know how they had anytime to record. They just formed this last February. 1921 makes very sparse acoustic music. that contains occasional bursts of energy. The first two songs are similar as they have both are quite melancholy and both have a folky feel. There are actually drums on the second song entitled "reel them in" but they are played so lightly I barely noticed. It was a bit remenicisnt of Bonne "Prince" Billy's masterpiece "I see a darkness" in that there was a slow bpm and that the players seemed to be barely touching there instruments. Not neccessarily a bad thing.
The third song "Going Home" was a bit of a departure as it felt really different then the first two songs. I didn't mind the change in pace but I was just listening to decent folk and was kinda digging the solace I was finding in the music.The song starts energetically with a fast beat and fuzzed out guitars and a couple of delay pedals. Perhaps the oddest thing was that the song completely changes in the middle. I really enjoyed the second half and while the recording was lo-fi I loved his voice on the song. It sounded honest, heartfelt and sung with some emotion. This part in particular was my favorite part of the EP so far. The closer "Trial" was another somber number that introduces some strings that added some good accompinment to the guita and vocals. These guys have a little bit of work ahead of them but they are off to a good start. Having formed only a couple of months I was impressed they were able to put out a solid debut so fast. Cody Wilson is the one-man act called Deplacer. He creates soothing, creative ambient sounds on his album Songs for the Blue Room. Fans of Brian Eno and Keith Fullerton Whitman will appreciate this album as the notes are far and between with a lot electronic noodling and experimentation to fill the gaps. The songs are often long continuous vessels of sounds that flicker with anomalies of imperfection. Each song is unique containing its own set of sounds and textures. Some are better than others but for the most part these songs are well done and will be appealing to fans of the genre. The album is long and I would be right in saying that the artist did not intend for the listener to listen to this in one sitting. The first track is one of the strongest. “Melting” is filled with warm pads that reign supreme throughout the song as what sounds like random fluxuations are introduced. It’s the type of song you would listen to with your eyes closed and zone out, probably beneficial for meditating. “Civils” had more of my attention. The song was engaging and varied enough between the low -end and electronic loops that I was actively listening. Hands down this is one of the better songs on the album. While the next track “Thinner” wasn’t my favorite, I did enjoy the track after that called “Polaroid.” It sounded as if far off piano notes were being played from a mountain while warm pads barely floated into the air. Some other notable pieces were “Sleeping” and “Barely.” Wilson is a young man starting things off on the right foot but needs a lot of improvement. He has displayed in this album that he has a good foundation and will most likely only improve in time. What came first, Executive Swede or the music? I can see this album, The Swells, being played in an executive suite while you're waiting for your young(er) boss to approve your new business proposal to expand coffee outlets, and I can see this being played in Sweden, or at the very least by Swedes. Did they shape their music after their name or create their music after naming themselves?And here’s a little bit of trivia, a swede is also, after some loose research, apparently a rutabaga in other parts of the world.
Cool, creative chaos going on here, with even measures of improvisation and predetermination. This Portland four-piece focus their talents, and they are men of many, into making instrumental jazz-rock. Sounds simple, right? But the music is anything but. No track sounds like another. Drums ebb in and out of rhythm, sometimes providing the foundation for an entire song, sometimes appearing to tease the listener with soft chopstick clacks and nothing more. Guitars achieve cohesion through discord, with one laying out a groovy riff, and the other seeking to overturn it. Sublime bass (whoever the bassist is is aces). The signatures are all over the place and in general great attention is given to experimentation, with the results leading listeners to a blissful but inspiring audio experience. There's even an accordion in one of the songs and it doesn't feel out of place at all. The album isn't perfect, which is great, because then I'd listen to it all the time and never expand my taste. Though I'd have perfection in my ears so I'd be all right with that. Or would I? The music, and get me a tissue for my snobbery, will not appeal to casual musical listeners; each track is unique but the music does meld into one large sound. That wave analogy earlier? Think of the album as a tidal wave of jazzy, sometimes surfy music, and you can either embrace the inevitable or head for higher ground. If you're one of those people who absolutely needs a musical reference to decide if you want to check out a band, these guys remind me a lot a lot of Tortoise, early Do Make Say Think (without all the moodiness and the thinly veiled thought of suicide) and I feel Nujabes, rest his soul, could pretty much pick samples from this album at will. Having been together for a year, Ghost Cat has accomplished a lot in that time. They released two EP's, played over 60 shows in addition to playing a 8 day East Coast tour with Always Wanted War. Falling somwhere between Pretty Girls Make Graves, Block Party and Blood Brothers they are a technically proficient band that will appeal to fans of progressive post-punk and hardcore acts. Other people may turn this off within the first couple minutes. For what they do they do it pretty damn well. I for one was impressed by the dynamics of the band. The vocalist for instance goes from screaming in your ear at one moment to bringing down his vocals down a couple of octaves the next. Let it be known that the guitarist were pretty great, the drumming is absolutely sick at some parts. That's one thing I love about hardcore bands is the drummers were usually pretty badass. Case and point here. The EP starts with "Space Pope is Reptilian" which starts with a 15 second drum roll before the rest of the band introduces themselves. I didn't think I would like the band after the first song. It felt uninspired and didn't catch my attention. Luckily, I felt things improved with the second track entitled "Marshmallow teeth". There are some killer guitar licks and and always am a sucker for when the whole band screams at once. The vocals felt a bit flat at certain points and then other times kicked ass when they were harmonized. Weekday at bernie's not to be confused with weekend at bernies was my favorite song on the album. The guys rock hard and the songwriting felt a notch above as it was also the most emotionally powerful. This band still have a lot of room for improvement but they are off to a good start. When they get in the grove, flash their technical prowess they do it well. I'm interested to hear how to they will play into their strengths on their next release.. |
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