Charlie Dubuc (vocals/guitar), Mike Horvath (bass/vocals) and Rj O'Neil (drums) are Echo Lad.
We reviewed their previous eponymous release which we held in high regard and now they are back with Dusking. The band makes you realize the somewhat unlimited potential a three-piece can bring to the table. I don’t mind a three chord, 4/4 timing kind of stripped down rock in the spirit of Nirvana or The White Stripes. That being said bands like Echo Lad bring a whole different approach to layers and dynamics that a rock outfit can bring. I’d love to see how the band pulls this off live. The band gets going with “Spirit Image” which is a bit of an intro. There are some synths on this song, a sort of backward type effect which are juxtaposed against the organic drums and bass. It’s a great groove that I’m sure they could have gone much longer but I appreciated the brevity. The band starts to crush on “Ambler.” There is such a perfect blend of technical skill and aesthetics here. It’s like an indie rock song with a more prog based technical skill. The band is loose but tight. You can hear the swing of jazz. It reminded me of Dismemberment Plan. It’s the vocals that bring the catchy melodies to the song. As the song goes to its last minute I was more than impressed. Is Dubuc singing and playing at the same time? “Where Has It Gone” hits a lot of the same points. The band does unleash some new textures and tones. There is this guitar distortion they find which covers the chorus that sounds like it's being slowly ripped apart. The band brings up the energy and perhaps is even more technical on “It's The Weather.” I liked the groove here and it reminded me of the band Menomena. There are tempo and melodic changes and even a breakdown section that rings of Primus. The band tear it up to the point of absurdity on “Super Stereogram.” I was having a hard time keeping up with the music mentally - I couldn’t imagine attempting to play it. “Dusking” is a slow burn which is a bit like one giant crescendo. “Mothra” is a song that deserves the title epic. I don’t just say that because of its almost eight-minute length but because of the amount they fit into that eight minutes. It’s a dynamic, roller coaster ride that is best just experienced. Echo Lad is an absolutely killer indie rock band. The band slays making it a near perfect marriage of technical skill and creative structure. Highly recommended.
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On their recently released Itchy Teeth EP, Genuine Panama bring their despondent city view to the masses, having worked these tunes to their better bones before live audiences across Cheltenham, UK, whether in communal art spaces or rooftops; but generally they serve a fan base of disenfranchised youth like themselves. In gigs across the city these songs are about, the arrangements where honed to pop precision, a contrast to the mostly outsider lyrics.
“I’ve got to be sane, I’ve got to be pure / I have to behave like I was told” sings Genuine Panama frontman Mike on “No Good,” a song which feels like the breaking point of too much pressure to conform. With a sweet voice he sings seriously about the restlessness of his city. His band plays a clean funk with little grit, relishing in the genre’s ability to transcend, for this band, an austere surrounding. And Genuine Panama plays this music with aplomb. Horns blast like melodic traffic while laid back drum grooves propel the crew forward like a summer stroll. Using the freedom good funk affords to step outside themselves, the standout “Elephant Carpet” goes a step further, incorporating world rhythms to wrangle maximum groove from the percussive vocals. Here, Genuine Panama comes off like a less pompous version of The 1975, with all the vibrancy and colorful, bright guitar tones with a more endearing perspective. And Mike is deceptively poetic, hiding some haunting thoughts behind his punchy delivery which is turned lower in the mix to accentuate its percussive element. “I feel like / I feel like you’re not there at all” hits at the end of the song like a sobering truth in a heated moment. A small complaint lies in this production choice across the EP. I wish the vocals were louder. Although utilized as more of an instrument in this context, a lyrical soul deserves to be heard. Genuine Panama’s intention with Itchy Teeth EP may be to clearly to bring forward a scene that is energizing and lyrically cathartic. With more songs in the tank, this short (at only four songs) set is just a taster for the new fans as well as a keepsake. I get their aesthetic completely, and admire its uniqueness and sincerity. However, I would also like to see Genuine Panama take the next step and bring some filth to their palette, letting the music represent greater freedom from their cultural trappings.
Urban life comes into play on Forgotten Bottom’s latest recording Hostile Architecture. With a moniker that is inspired by the nickname of a small neighborhood in South Philadelphia, musician Myles Donovan (viola/bells/pedals/bowed cymbal) and New Jersey transplant Eric Bandel (bouzouki/guitar/drums/shakers) are a two-piece band that continues their urban conversation on their cassette debut entitled Hostile Architecture. According to Wikipedia, “Hostile Architecture” is an urban design trend in which public spaces are constructed or altered to discourage people from using them in a way not intended by the owner. It is most typically associated with “anti-homeless spikes” – studs embedded in flat surfaces to make sleeping, uncomfortable and impractical.
The Forgotten Bottom’s signature sound of layered dissonance and harmonic overtures includes the voice of the city. Scenes from the city come to life on this album, recorded in a warehouse fire escape, as a bit of sounds from the city life flows through the recording. Hostile Architecture opens up with “Resurrect Dead On Planet Jupiter” with the instrumentals reverberating in an off-kilter quality. A soft lilting cadence comes from the bouzouki with the viola offering up a dreamy, introspective scope to the track. A bit of International flavor also unfolds from the instrumentals. There is a certain haunting and dreamy center to the song that is played with abandon and feeling. Next is “Shoot Me Or Give Me A Place To Live” that contains ambient background layers that fill the start of this track. It is a great acoustic number. The airy sounds from the bouzouki fills this song creating a moving and emotional soundscape. “Touch Nothing Until The Signal” features the lush sounds coming from the viola flowing forth. A lovely and inviting vibe is elicited. Sounds of the acoustic guitar unfolds, adding a mesmerizing layer. Percussions give off a lively, more energized feel to this instrumental number. Following is “The Dog Has Been Poisoned So It Will Not Bark,” where the acoustic guitar paves this song with traces of the viola weaving in and out. The sound is dramatic with tinges of melancholy. This is a classical song with touches of rock embellishments blending into the ensemble, giving this track a more modernized touch and blending the old with the new. In the background, the sound of rain and sirens helps serenade listeners along in this lush arrangement. On “Narcan Fairy,” the choppy cadences coming from the drums culminate into chaos and then eventually fade off. Next percussions and the bouzouki add some magical reverie to the song. The viola weaves in and out of this track adding a distinctive symphonic finish. A dreamy cast is felt coming from the strings. The drums add a marching backbeat on the rhythms. Towards the closer, “All Men, No Windows,” sounds of subway trains coasting by fills the backdrop to this track. The sounds of the trains is backed by steady percussions and the viola. The cadence is altogether busy with the subway noise adding a bit of background ambience as the sounds of the viola underlines this song. The airy cadences soar with atmospheric vigor. The tape ends to a smattering of applause - well deserving of a captivating performance. Forgotten Bottom demonstrates their grandiose creative proclivities on this tape. These aren't just random notes played out into the night. These are plainly orchestrated arrangements meant to showcase the ebb and flow and harmony and discord of the cityscape. Convoluted harmonies and semblances of melodies collide in a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds. Inspired by their environments, each song name are quotes taken from people living in Philadelphia. Hostile Architecture doesn’t romanticize the cityscape as much as it shows the stark and bleak outlook that oftentimes fill the urban lifestyle such as gentrification, development and the present opioid crisis. Yet these tracks aren’t just moving, they are a soundtrack to the city that somehow manages to aptly evoke the terrain of city life in Philadelphia in a vivid and emotional manner. Bold and unique, a great many startling acoustic numbers are on this tape. Highly recommended.
AVXDL is an art and music project formed in the fall of 2017 by Jackson Norton and Matthew Giuffre. They recently released Cave Metal which as they explain are single take live recordings. Everything is improvised and there are no overdubs or redos.
Most of these songs sounded like the tail end of an epic jam. Back in my college days (twenty years ago) we would throw up a couple of mics at band rehearsal and record our jams. This sounded so similar in many ways and I wonder if they are into like minded bands. “100,000 Feet Tall and Made Out of” is the first song and well it starts with drums and lmost instantly just builds into white noise, feedback, distortion and more white noise. There are no beats and no notable melodies either. It’s just a wall of sound that oscillates and it is so lo-fi it’s hard to know where it begins and where it ends. “Roy Batty” is more or less just an extension in terms of aesthetics. There is a tad more separation and there is a beat sort of but for the most part it's chaotic and walls of white noise upon more white noise eventually smother the song . “Move” is somehow more lo-fi than anything that came before. “An End In Itself” is more ambient but also the most realized song. It sounded like it was recorded in a different room as if the sounds were ghosts. I’m an engineer these days and the first advice I’d give the band is to see what they can do to either work with an engineer or learn a little more about the process. I know the noise art they are going for and recordings like this benefit from intricate engineering so you can go down the rabbit hole of sounds that might be arising from these soundscapes. The music felt like it was trying to be somewhere between Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Deafheaven. That being said the improvisation (besides the last song) sounded more like the secret track “Endless Nameless” that Nirvana used to play at the end of their shows. It was a cool payoff but you wanted to hear some of their songs first before you got there. There can be a moments of beauty in this psychedelic swamp but the recording quality has to be good enough to hear the nuances and details. I’m thinking ribbon mics, warm EQ’s, a 1176 and plate reverbs would be some of the things that could be used to create that separation. These are things you should find in a local studio. This is an art project about improvisation that seems to want to embrace the chaotic nature of sound. But it also begs the question what is possible if they worked on a composition for days or months? This band has some potential and talent. No matter if they made another improvisation album next or one more focused on composition I’m interested in where they go from here. Take a listen.
It was the mid ’90s and after class was out in high school we would jam on the front porch with a guitar. No one had a laptop back then so we would just record to tape. The songs were derivative from band's like Neutral Milk Hotel, Modest Mouse and The Smashing Pumpkins. I loved it because it was just visceral and a good way to get rid of the emotions I didn’t know how to handle.
Solar Bear and Voyager 3 make up Retrograde Amnesia and sort of reminds me of my former self. The songs on their EP “If I were you, I would have given up a long time ago” sound similar and are melancholy like the song we wrote. Although I’d say these guys are even more dismal when reading their lyrics. “Myob” does sound like Neutral Milk Hotel at least in spirit. It revolves around a couple of aggressively strummed minor and major chords and emotionally charged singing. It’s a catchy song and is sort of an upbeat mood. That being said the lyrics aren’t particularly joyful with lines like “how you hate me and how I hate you too.” Up next is “home/hope” which is the most realized song. It sounds somewhere between The Microphones and Youth Lagoon. The vocals are completely different sounding here. The vocalist sounds like he barely has enough happiness to sing the words. He sings, “in my eyes you're all I want but all I bring is pain to everyone I see.” The guitar work is great and I will say this was a highlight. “if the voice in my head was a better speaker, maybe I wouldn't hate everything I think” sounds like the beginning of a song that never comes to be. It's a vignette. The depression doesn't seem to have any signs of slowing down on “bound to fall” which is a lot of cymbals, some solid guitar work and a vocal melody. The music certainly has its moments and I enjoyed the cathartic release at the end but the lo-fi recording was literally breaking at the seams. The band delivers four songs all of which sound like they could be from a different band. It does contain that indie rock vibe throughout but it was hard to latch on to any kind of signature sound here. The band has a debut album coming out and I am interested to hear if they can form a signature sound. It doesn't matter if you’re Modest Mouse, Car Seat Headrest or Pavement. This is a key factor to why bands like these gained an audience. I look forward to hearing where this band lands.
Secret Fleets has emerged over the past year from the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. In that time span they have written and demoed material resulting in their debut album Secret Fleets. The record is a collection of songs they developed, each telling their own story. They are already working on new material and they plan on performing live in festivals in 2020.
Secret Fleets come out of the gate with powerful impact on the introductory track “Sleeping Giants.” The feminine vocals are beautifully soothing as it draws you in and sings to your soul. The instrumentation is also quite lovely as the energetic breakdown rises up when the singer yells, “I didn’t want to wake you up. / Didn’t want t steal you time.” On the following track “The Eighth” soft whispers are accompanied with plucking guitar notes. As the electric chords progress throughout the song, howling voices can be heard in the background. Shout out to Jesse Oberin for mastering the album, layering the vocals on top of one another giving the song depth and giving the album an overall clean finish for the Secret Fleets’ quality to shine. Coming in with dynamic drums, the song “Bone” is energetic and a more traditional rock song. They repeat the phrase “Becomes a brand new bone.” The guitar and drums are invigorating to hear, awakening listeners to move their bodies. The songs ends with an echoing screech delay effect that nicely fades into the next track “Kings.” The drums carry the song. The hypnotic thumps pull you in putting you in a trance. With the deep vibrating bass, the sensually seductive voice oozes through the speakers. While the first half of the album is vibrant, songs like “Lorraine” and “Kid You Cold” slow down the pace. Luckily the band ends the album on a strong note with “Pangea.” While its another slow song, the build up is well worth it. The strong vocals scream out the words “You don’t believe in a word you say!” Secrets Fleets debut album is badass. It’s very clean sounding making the vocals and instruments really pop. Also Steve Nimmo’s art design for the cover art is eye catching. This is a solid album to listen to and is well worth your time.
Howells is a group from Calgary, Alberta, Canada that recently released their second EP entitled Burgeon. The four-piece band which is fronted by Benjamin has a lot of different things going on with their music. They state on their website, they are a “sonic chameleon” and I would have to agree.
They open with “Entropy” and at some point I would love to hear an entire album or EP in this style. This a soundscape and quite a beautiful one at that. It starts with an ascension of sorts as if you could hear yourself wake up from a dream. There are ambiguous vocals that lurk like ghosts in the past. Soon enough the song starts to crystalize and out of the elements it was the piano that had my attention. The sublime piano melody reminded me of Sigur Rós, one of my favorite bands. The next song “The Good Side Of 25” was a great tune but really wasn’t what I was expecting after “Entropy.” This tune if you stripped it back to guitar and vocals could be a bluesy/pop song. It’s sort of the atmosphere and pads which give it a different contemporary feel. The vocals are soulful and well executed. There is no denying the catchy hook and the impressive lead guitar that comes towards the end of the song. “3:33” is up next and this song felt more aligned with “The Good Side Of 25.” There are some cleaner elements and the vocals are delivered in a different way. It reminded me of the way boy bands would sing in the ’90s for about the first minute. As the song progresses his affectation does mutate and by about a minute-and-a-half he sounds a little more loose and just has a different way of forming his words. There are also well implemented vocal effects which aren’t overdone. Up next is “Jenelle” which is a much more rock based song than anything that came before. I thought it was the highlight and repeat worthy. The more organic drums and rock based singing style seems to work very well for the band. It felt like the most single worthy song in the batch to my ears. They end with “On My Way” which is more electronic sounding and actually the most pop oriented track. The band is definitely a sonic chameleon (some of that may be due to the fact they have formed recently). So much so I had a hard time defining their signature sound because they flirt with a number of different genres. The cleaner, lush elements are a consistent factor and there is no doubt the singing is great across the board. The multi-genre band has a sound that I think a lot of people would appreciate for different reasons. Take a listen.
The old archetype of bohemian folk artist is a concept that’s been romanticized and commercialized in movies such as Inside Llewyn Davis and really refuses to go away. I like to think I understand why and can write an entire paper about this but a lot of it has to do with feeling free and unshackled from the restraints of society.
Highways & Byways is the second album from Joe Dillstrom and he embraces the more original singer/songwriter category that was established in coffee houses in the late ’60s. Truth be told this genre is still very popular and is often created by guys in their 20’s and most likely will continue in that way for the unforeseeable future. There are degrees and Highways & Byways gets so many things right that I really loved listening to it. Let's talk about aesthetics because that is a big reason I liked this so much. I’ve done a good amount of engineering and still prefer recording to tape. The hiss, the urgency and more has made me feel it’s the best way to capture music. Well, Highways & Byways was recorded to tape and the proof is in the pudding. It sounds fantastic. There is a little hiss, a perfect amount of warmth and I swear it somehow picks up more emotion than digital. I also have to mention the engineers placed just the amount of reverb on the vocals. These songs did blend together for me but that’s not a bad thing. Part of this is due to the fact of how bare bones the songs were. The guitar, a harmonica on occasion and vocals. There is a cohesive quality to that and if the artist taps in a certain frequency that the listener enjoys then they will like the whole album. That’s how I felt here. I pressed play to listen to “One More Moment” and let it ride. Now there are of course some differences. You can’t get more bluesy than “Johnnie Walker Red” but then you also have a song like “Charlie” which is more folk based. Suffice it to say Dillstrom’s influence from folk and blues artists from the ’50s and ’60s is an undeniable factor on these songs. The guitar playing is great throughout. Dillstrom has exceptional command of the instrument and prefers more nuanced strumming and picking. It’s never that aggressive. As much as I liked the guitar, the vocals are the focal point here. Simply put he knows what these songs call for and is able to fill the demands. There is plenty of emotion in the singing and even if the lyrics were about something silly (which they aren’t) you would be moved. I think at that point you should know what to expect from this talented musician. If you aren’t already listening then I encourage you to start.
I love an album that demands your attention right off the bat. That’s the way I felt when listening to Intuition by David Huss. The opening track “Shelikof” blasts off with a beautiful mix of Celtic and Americana overtones. Suffice it to say the entire album had my attention. Huss creates music as he explains “are inspired by introspection and personal transitions in life and are written with an optimistic perspective.” That sounds about right and I would have arrived at the conclusion without having read it.
After the epic “Shelikof” Huss gets a little fun and festive with “Cut a Rug.” I loved this song and it reminded me of The Decemberists but a little more traditional sounding in a number of ways. The orchestral strings and horns sound absolutely fantastic. I thought the vocals sounded excellent as well which have an energizing quality. It reminded me of the enthusiasm you might catch when listening to Arcade Fire. “Intuition” digs more into an optimistic energy and is the arguable highlight. He sings about love in plain and simple ways. When he sings, “I’ve never felt this way before” you know he’s not talking about a bad feeling. It captures that feeling you get when you meet someone and are excited about the future. “The Critic” is the first track which approaches melancholy at least in mood. It’s stripped back relying on acoustic guitar, horns and vocals. I loved this decision because similar to life there are ups and downs. This isn’t a dismal song however. Not even close. It’s a warm embrace reflection sort of like remembering a moment and shedding a tear because of it. This song felt like solace. “Cornerstone” is absolutely festive and joyful. There are hints of bands like Mumford & Sons on this song. The lush and traditional sounding “Campfires” is not to be missed and reminded me of Cat Stevens, and “Wings” is meditative and contemplative. “Stay” is a little more straightforward singer/songwriter. “Horizon” swells with reflection. The album closes with “Nautical Girl.” It’s fast but changes tempo and is certainly a high emotional note to go out on. This is a truly great album. The songs are really well written a full of emotion.
Citizen9 is an alternative rock band based on the west coast of Scotland. A couple years back I reviewed their release The Flood EP. They are back and better than ever with their first full length entitled Pelagic.
The band rocks hard with this release. They have a wide range of sub-genres under rock. There were moments I was thinking Tool and other moments where I was thinking Led Zeppelin. More often than that however I was thinking “this rocks” and the band is really coming into their own. They start with “Sentinel” and if you are familiar with a band like Tool or Perfect Circle the beginning has that same sort of dark atmosphere. The drums build and build and soon enough they burst and they find their first groove. You can hear what I’m talking about when I referenced Led Zeppelin. That bass line evokes John Paul Jones and the lead guitar as well sounds similar to Jimmy Page. I loved the combination of styles on this song. The band has some more success with “Nimbus” which is more focused on contemporary hard rock. I did like the prog style break down the band pulls off. Some of my favorite vocal melodies were on “Inertia” which is sung against an atmospheric soundscape. The band does go into their more signature sound of distorted guitars but I appreciated that transition. “Winter Comes” is on point and a highlight to my ears. The vocals soar here and I was digging the picking guitar pattern. “Last Stand” features some very inventive soundscapes. There is this impressive prog rock type of pattern before the band decides to rock out a bit more. “Lower Midnight” is the centerpiece and is around seven-and-a -half minutes long. This song is sort of old school and reminded me more of bands like Metallica and Black Sabbath. It seemed like a good song to rock out for Halloween. They continue with the high energy “Fall” and “Candidate” which both have their own respective tones and textures. Last up is “Monolith” which also kind of backs into Black Sabbath territory. Citizen9’s latest release is proof the band has been working hard at their craft. I love it when I hear this. Recommended.
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