I often find myself longing for the old days. You know when times were simpler. Things with machines have really gotten out of hand. I know I sound like I’m a thousand years old but really I think we’ve lost our way as a society and I don’t think I’m alone but I think people have gotten too lazy to try and fight back the urge to do something anymore. I mean there are such things as Twitter wars. How friggin lazy are you? What happened to fisticuffs?
Maybe I’m the product of my environment, the hustle and bustle of Chicago. But after listening to the three tracks on Curtains Drawn EP by Starkville, Mississippi blues-rock trio Huge Ghost I started thinking well maybe not. These guys are all over the social media: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc. yet Curtains Drawn was recorded live and had very little done with it afterwards. The slow-fi Ryan Adams-esque opening tune “Curtains Drawn” was recorded in one take. Like Adams’ tunes it’s full of soft and somber biographical metaphors “an apple in your brothers eye / a dagger in your father’s side” singer Joe Whaley laments with a twang as he picks precisely at the saddest strings a guitar can play, backed by the quickened heartbeat bass line of Ben Hodge and the soft ripened beats of drummer Troy DeRego. Next we’re ushered into the familiar world of country-blues rock riffs on “Silver and Gold” a song that is simple sounding but with great effect. It’s a shoulder shaker with garage rock roots and lyrics that don’t try to outdo themselves. It hits that perfect three-and-a-half minute mark that keeps the listener both satisfied and yet hungry for more. The dessert of this little three song effort comes in the form of the mid-tempo blues rocker “Nobody’s Girl” the quintessential left and leaving song. The song every man has had to write at some point in his life. Huge Ghost, like me, is a product of their environment. As someone said to me today, “In the grand scheme of things what’s the use of worrying seeing as everything has already been decided anyway.” It seemed very prolific even though as he said it he handed me the slice of pizza that I had just ordered. But it made sense. With Curtains Drawn Huge Ghost isn’t doing anything new. But that’s not their thing. They’re doing something that’s been done a million times over, but they are doing it well and that’s what really matters. Never forget.
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Currently based in Los Angeles, California, PedanticEschew is a contemporary experimental and ambient music artist from India. His previous role as a guitarist in a band in 2008 prepared him for his future musical endeavors as a virtually one-man band, and his most recent album LostConsciousness demonstrates his unique blend of traditional and trance styles.
“Bullorg,” a dark, brooding track, opens the album on a meditative and flowing tone. Minor chording is central to the soundscape, and multiple layers of acoustic-esque instrumentation and echoing electronic percussion repeat and vary throughout the song, converging to form a catchy, ritualistic-like tune that draws the listener into the beat and pulse of the record. The haunting qualities of PedanticEschew’s style continues in “NervEnd” one of the more memorable songs on the album featuring a hushed, subdued energy throbbing beneath a catchy riff that is repeated on bell-like synthesizer sounds. Trance influences are apparent in the distorted bass notes and harmonies, and as the track progresses, it increases in both complexity and intensity. “Project Buff” introduces a slightly harsher, hard-hitting facet of PedanticEschew’s music. Off-kilter beats and syncopated rhythms jolt the listener into a singularly fascinating realm of sound, and PedanticEschew successfully joins each of the juxtaposing instruments together into a cohesive, stylish whole. The final seconds of the song feature a totally different rhythm than the preceding sections of the song, adding an unexpected layer to the already impressive tune. Although the album winds down with “Krom,” a high level of energy is maintained throughout the track. This is the first song of the record that incorporates lyrics sung by Amanda Citranaga from the band Mantra, giving the usually instrumental soundscape a new additional character. PedanticEschew proves his musical agility and ability to create a wide range of sounds. Overall, LostConsciousness is a highly polished, well-rounded record that exhibits a significant maturity and musical understanding which speaks well to PedanticEschew and his natural talent. Listeners will undoubtedly be drawn to the unique sounds in this album, as well as yet-unheard songs from future works from PedanticEschew himself.
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Little Raven is an alternative psych-folk outfit and even that vague, obscure genre description fails to aptly summarize everything this band is about. The band is comprised of Rafael Green (vocalist/guitarist), Rob J. DiMauro (drummer/percussionist), Kyle Edmonston (drummer/percussionist), Keenan Keaton-Payne (bassist), Fawn Larson (vocal harmonies) and, finally, Gabriel Reynolds (keyboardist).
On Your Shoulder is a three-track EP with more to offer than many full-length independent albums. It begins with the self-titled “Little Raven”, which is an acoustic-driven, upbeat, but incredibly tender piece of folk rock madness. Rapid, but soft, drumming is accompanied by fluttering, manic acoustic guitar and a pumping, infectious bass rhythm. Nonetheless, despite this sonic chaos, the band still retains a soft and soothing atmosphere. This is mainly brought about through Green’s delicate, reverberating vocals, which somehow manage to blend perfectly with the musical insanity that surrounds them. The second track is entitled “Save Yourself.” Retaining jazzy vibes and acoustic guitar at the forefront of the track, Little Raven is consistent with their musical stylings, while also introducing new elements to the mix. The beat is clearer, more punctuated and Green’s vocals are more powerful; he plays with falsetto and is supported by squealing, high-pitched, electric guitar chords which invite a clear jazz and rhythm and blues style into Little Raven’s music. “Don’t Look Like Us” serves as the perfect closing track to this incredibly short, but eclectic EP. Little Raven treads new ground once again. This time, they trade in jazz-fueled chaos for a sweet and emotive ballad. Gentle acoustic guitar and plinks of synth merge atop the soft beat of tom toms. Green and Larson provide a beautiful blend of male and female vocals; a romantic, nostalgic and slightly sorrowful serenade. At the same time, this seems to almost be a beautiful and relaxing lullaby. It is not dreary. It is just as complex as the other two tracks, but in a much subtler way. The immense size of this band more than explains the huge sound that they manage to pack in such a short work of art. If Little Raven could create something so exciting within three tracks, I can only imagine the exciting things they could achieve in the future. They are definitely ones to watch.
Highbeams is Adam Pendlington, Ian Pendlington and Stephen Quinn. The band released the impressive Everything Aside and are are back with Do Good \\ Be Well. This release is an EP at twenty-one minutes and like its predecessor contains some great music.
The songs are celebratory, catchy and put you in a good mood. I was actually reminded of Rusted Root in a number of ways. Remember them? The Rusted Root comparison is most apparent on the opener “Lead On.” It starts off unassuming with vocals and guitar chords but as it progresses there is this world music type groove that starts to emerge. The energy shift is subtle but by the end of the song it has an almost tribal quality to it. I think the vocal harmonies are really what does it. The band also delivers infectious grooves on “Lovely Company.” For not a whole lot of instrumentation the band makes a lot of noise. The vocals are really exceptional here and I loved the high energy the song delivered. I think the band made the right decision to go with “All The Same.” The energy here is more subdued and quite necessary after the first two tracks. One thing that this song had in common with the first two songs are the exceptional vocals. Catchy, fun and well delivered. This song also has a slight country vibe. It’s subtle but there. “Done” is a little more reflective and nostalgic sounding than celebratory. Some of the lyrics reflect the mood of the song. It is another good song that also displays some of their versatility. Next is “Roots and Wings.” I’m not sure why but I like the name of this track. This song is a builder. It gets more intense as it progresses. They close with “Taking Care of You” which like “Roots and Wings” builds with energy with time. Do Good \\ Be Well is a great EP. I really enjoyed how these songs were produced and delivered. I’m not a betting man but if I was I would put down a paycheck on the fact that these guys would blow your socks off live.
A couple of years ago, (Jesus has it been that long already?) I used to make a joke about Dave Grohl. Every time a Foo Fighters song would come on I would say to whoever would listen or just into the ether “What the fuck is Dave Grohl so pissed off about?” Sometimes people would laugh, other times they would just look at me and their faces would say “shut up.” But I was confused because here was a guy with nothing to prove and in no need of money so far as I saw it screaming like a passed out alcoholic bum on the train in the midst of night terrors.
But moving on I got reminded of this dormant torment after I heard the first shrills coming from the opening lines of “Six Feet Down” by the nitty gritty Nashville rockers The Clover Club, the opening track of their six-song debut Straight Flush Hustle. Specifically the lines “I may not have a job but I got my rock n’ roll band.” So then I’m thinking well yeah maybe a lot of Grohl’s angst stemmed from the fact that he maybe just got fired from a job after Cobain fired a gun into his mouth, thus ending Nirvana. But to get more direct the influence cast by Nirvana’s dirty fuck-all nastiness of thrashing guitars and lyrics that lead one to see enlightenment as a total joke. The gritty ’90s blues rocker “Roll the Bones” only helps to enforce this sentiment. Next comes the mellow turned tough spanking of “Lonely Backroad” which combines a blues and metal to make a pretty tasty fuck you sandwich of anger. Then comes the latter day Metallica cut with some sort of late ‘90s rock on the angst-driven “A Fair Game Never Played.” Clover Club close it out with a funk laden blues radio rocker “Built For Sin” where they take it over the top and in a good way. I mean it’s chintzy in a sense but also, if you’ve been drinking, pretty great. The solo, if you’re sauced, will have you dropping to your knees in a fit of air guitar and channeling your best Chris Cornell et al. I kept having to turn down the volume on Straight Flush Hustle because it was late and early in the day when I listened and I hate moving and didn’t want my neighbors to get me kicked out of my apartment. If you’re stupid and don’t understand my analogy Straight Flush Hustle is loud. And it should be. Revenge, as they say is a dish best served cold and I think Straight Flush Hustle is an album best served live. Not that the electronic version was lacking but I have an affinity for bands that sound like they need to let it all out. The Doors were like that too. I wasn’t born then but I can imagine what it must have been like. Some people are just born for the stage. The Clover Club are just one such band.
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Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Artist Album Rating Metaphysical Resonance A Florist's Fauna 3.7 Slow White Slow White 3.9 Absolute Boyfriend Abs Boy 3.5 Marshall Basson Dead Ends 3.4 kryten Lunch Money 3.5 Chorba Hamasa 3.3 Ourselves, Alone Covet 3.6
Ben Hilzer and Jayme Cole are a Denver-based duo Becoming Brothers. The duo met in college and have been making music for five years. They recently released a self-titled five-song EP Becoming Brothers. The EP is all about the vocal work. Luckily, the vocals make the songs.
As far as the music goes it is performed on a guitar which implements basic chord progressions. I would have liked to hear more instrumentation and variation on technique on the guitar. “I Can't Let Go of Your Love” is the opening track which I thought was the most impressive song on the EP. The vocals are on point here. I was impressed by the vocalist’s range and the overall aesthetics of his voice were easy to enjoy. The song does run into some slight trouble once the he goes for a high octave stressing his voice. Not so much because of the delivery but because of the lo-fi recording. “Oh, Annabel (Live)” is a live track which initially feels pretty silly. The introductions feel like the beginning of a comedy skit. On this track the duo delivers catchy melodies that will get stuck in your end. I was again impressed by the singing and just how on key the vocalist is. Good stuff. Remember when people listened to tapes. I do. You could make copies and if you made enough the recording sound warped. I’m not sure what was going on with “Untitled (Lullaby)” but that's what it sounded like. They get back on track with “The Beautiful” which is undeniably a great sounding track. I thought the guitar work was solid here and really benefited the exceptional vocal performance. The closing title track is another testament to their talent. I couldn't but help think of Fleet Foxes after listening to this EP. Something about the vocals and folk feel sounding similar. I like this duo and think this is great start for them to build on. I’m looking forward to how they evolve.
Something about the story of The Licorice Whips is heartwarming. Melanie McDermott (bass) and Julie Clark Shubert (electric guitar) initially met at an open mic. Hubert picked up a Fender Strat at the age of fifty and McDermott despite being twenty-five years younger had been playing bass for twenty years. After discovering they had chemistry they started working on their album Descended From Cats.
Descended From Cats is a simple album in a number of ways. The instrumentation is sparse, the chords progressions are basic and the melodies are sing-along worthy. I don’t mind a simple guitar lick especially when it’s mostly there to serve the vocals which you have here. My only minor issue with this album is sometimes the energy feels a little deflated. Some of the songs may have benefited from percussion. There are a couple of songs that actually do have drums but it’s so lo-fi it really doesn’t add much. The album starts with “Sammy” which is a solid song. It's a song that revolves around their vocal harmonies which is really their strength. They sing, “Hope is a thing / That you need to feed If you don't well it.” I was pleasantly surprised to hear what sounded like a harp on “Rapunzel.” It fit the fantasy theme and ended up one of my personal favorite tracks. “Leave Your Apron at Home” is a well sung song about a Thelma and Louise type girl getaway. Definitely a highlight. The duo run into a little bit of trouble “I Want to Know You” which sounds inspired by Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash. It’s not a bad song but the percussion is off time and this happens again on other songs. I would suggest they pass on the drums until they can get a better recording and figure out a better way to get to stay in the pocket with the other instruments. Overall, Descended From Cats has some mishaps but has some good songs with great vocal delivery. If the duo want to take it to the next level I suggest a step up in recording quality and it might be beneficial to work with a knowledgeable producer who can hone their talent. Descended From Cats is a good foundation and I hope to hear more.
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Call Me King is a metal band based just south of Austin. Since their first show in October of last year, the band has already played dozens of shows and venues. They have already received astoundingly positive feedback from listeners and accrued an ever-growing fan base. Call Me King wastes no time getting started in their latest release entitled … And The Snow Will Turn To Ash.
The album opens with “Kelsier Says Hello.” This opening track is driven by double-bass drumming and distorted, grueling guitar riffs. Escape-The-Fate-esque vocals fluctuate endlessly between emotive, pained singing and guttural, raw screeches from lead vocalist Gauthier. Interesting that I should make the comparison between the old lead vocalist of Escape The Fate, Ronnie Radke, and Call Me King’s vocals when Allen, Call Me King’s lead guitarist, cites Escape The Fate as their biggest influence. Nonetheless, I do not see Call Me King as “just another tribute band.” The comparison I made is more one of the general style and emotion present throughout Call Me King’s music. The songwriting and performance itself is slightly more defined and raw. That’s a good thing, of course. “A Short Drop, A Sudden Stop” opens with chugging, slightly-muted electric guitar, staggered chords and Gauthier’s emotive vocals once again. Lead guitar swirls and reverberates endlessly over what seems to be the peak of this electrifying song. Yet, once again, the listener is taken off-guard when Gauthier’s voice breaks into guttural shrieks of raw fury, as the guitar descends the track into the lowest depths of angst and emotion. It is the sonic sound which comes from this combination of lead guitar arpeggios, strained singing and furious chords that creates such a brilliant track here. ‘You Don’t Vote For Kings’ combines dark, twisted piano chords with a relentless, rapid drum beat to really push Call Me King towards the depths of their dark, twisted, metallic capacity. The vocals are much more of the same. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as there is only so much variety that songs of this style can allow. Emotion cannot be compromised in the face of loud and clear vocals, but there are only so many ways one can mold and contort their voice when singing at such volumes. That being said, it is the melody of a song which captivates me. “You Don’t Vote For Kings” is the most infectiously-catchy track and does offer a small dose of something new in the form of beautiful female vocals towards the latter half of the track. All in all, Call Me King may not experiment with too many different sounds, but they do what they do brilliantly. They are an independent band which exhibits as much talent as any of the mainstream or vastly popular metal bands of the last decade. I see good things for them if they maintain this level of quality in future releases.
Listening to Night of Rewind, the most recent release from Lowah, a solo project lead by Vince Simpson based out of Brooklyn, New York, I was immediately transported to a vividly emotional past. This interesting album deploys aspects of R & B, electronic and indie, and does so under a playfully seductive guise which is sure to be enjoyable to just about any listener. The combination of warm, heavy synths and bass-barren vocals lends itself to a pensively nostalgic listening experience.
Night of Rewind begins with a pulsing, retro-sounding synth which is soon accompanied by a flirtatious beat that matches the moods of the various synths surrounding it very well. Simpson’s voice, on the other hand, contrasts the timbres of the instrumentation thoroughly, as it is high-pitched, and cuts through the underlying instrumentation like a knife through butter. However, I think the vocals work very well with the song— despite their lack of bottom end, they are smooth and full. The melody is very nice, and the pitch is spot-on. I got a very Justin Timberlake-esque vibe from Simpson’s voice and delivery, which is obviously positive given the style of music. My personal favorite song on the album titled “Endless” reminded me of The Weeknd vocally, as it drifts between a soulful, passionate vocal delivery and a coy, skittish elocution. The song, despite its contrasting parts, is very cohesive. I feel like this tune is the most full-sounding piece of work on the album, which leads into my only complaint: I often found myself seeking more out of the production. At times, the instrumentation didn't feel quite full; however with that being said, I found all of the individual parts to be very good musically. I just feel like some added layers and sounds out of the instrumentation would provide Simpson’s voice what it truly needs in order to convey itself to its full potential. This is a minor complaint, and easy fix, as it lies predominately in mixing. Overall, I would say that this is a very solid release, and would appeal most to those who enjoy groovy, passionate music that falls on the darker side. Although this release was easy to listen to, it is important to note that the album itself and the themes that it possesses are pretty heartfelt, and, although there is some silver lining found within some of the lyrics, the subject matter reeks of a romanticized past, all to look back and see life for what it truly turns out to be. |
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