I have to admit that I’m not too fond of the name Ambien Blackout. It reminded me of something a sixteen-year-old would come up with after stealing their mom’s Ambien and forcing themselves to stay up. I has a hunch this band wasn’t going to be a jazz band full of guys in their mid ’60s.
Well I was pleasantly surprised by how good the band was. The EP entitled Black Lobster (dig the name) has some well above average indie rock and references bands as wide ranging as Weezer (think The Blue Album, Pinkerton) to Car Seat Headrest. The production is good, just about perfect, for indie rock. Everything sounded good in the mix and was pleasant on the ears. The band starts with a damn good song entitled “Elliott Smith On A Glue Trap.” This song is really catchy in a good way. The band rocks and I loved the flow of the song. That being said please leave Elliott Smith alone. “Between The Bars” is a song I still regularly listen to while preparing waffles for my golden retriever. The band delivers again with “Ringing.” They know how to write a catchy groove and the song isn’t nearly as annoying as it seems on paper. The lyrics are “Year after year, after year, after year, after...Year after year, after year, after year, after...Year after year, after year, after year, after…” and “Ringing, ringing that never stops. Ringing, ringing that never stops. Ringing, ringing that never stops.” The band somehow makes these lyrics melodic and sing-along worthy rather than an exasperating yoga mantra. “Chemtrails” has good original lyrics plus catchy grooves. First of all the band is obviously warning us that the government is spreading mind altering substances that control our thoughts and spending habits. Ok fine maybe not, you can interpret the lyrics how you want. The band decides to superfluously include the word “fucking” in the song “King of the Fucking World.” Some elements of post-rock in this song. They close with the “Moon” which might be the catchiest song of the batch. Great song. If the guys can get better at naming their band, songs and albums they might have a chance. I suggest they hire an outside consultant. All kidding aside this band really does bring the goods and with some luck and gusto the band could appeal to the indie rock community. Keep at it boys. You sound good.
Become A Fan
0 Comments
Clay Anderson is Texas native singer/songwriter who has playing guitar and writing music for thirteen years. He released Clay Anderson and Wheeltapper which is an eleven-song album that sticks to a guitar and vocals. There is a second guitar that pop ups now and then.
As for as the recording goes it sounded to my ears like a basic DIY home recording. The recordings are raw and you can tell it doesn’t have some of the extra mojo you can get from a professional studio. There are some things I really liked about this album and other things that which make the experience of listening to the eleven tracks a bit rough. You could tell me that my favorite artist in the world was releasing an album of guitar and vocals and I would still say that's a tall order to keep my attention. To Anderson’s credit he tries to mix it up with guitar tones but I still found myself yearning for other elements in these songs especially when he stuck to basics that you would be greeted to by any decent musician doing an open mic. His songwriting is solid throughout the album. There were certain songs which I felt fared better than others. One of his best songs is the opener “Circle Bar.” It’s one of his best vocal performances and the guitar riff was also quite enjoyable. After this song I was hoping that he would introduce some percussion into some of the songs because I felt an energy that was hiding beneath this song. The album goes in the opposite direction with “Deuteronomy 19:21” where the vocal production isn’t equal to the first song. It’s still a solid song and I appreciated his vocal performance. There are some enjoyable songs as the album progresses such as “Shivarees” and “Mojo Workin Blues.” A song like “Nip and Tuck” is played like it wants to rocks out. Clay Anderson and Wheeltapper is a mixed album in many ways. It offers different styles from blues to folk with varying degrees of production quality. Although some of this material felt a lot more apt for a full band than solo there were still some inspired moments. This album is far from perfect and would have benefited from brevity with this sparse presentation but I can still appreciate a talented songwriter who has an aesthetically pleasing voice.
KOLBAK is a musical project for Amsterdam native Harold Pflug. Apparently, this project has been around for nine years as he was also working with Redbrick VCR and a punk band called In Stitches. I surmise that's why it took him four years of recording to get down six songs on his release Sea.
The description he has at the bottom of his Bandcamp page didn’t seem all that indicative of the music he makes. I sure as heck didn't hear anything that came close to sounding like post-punk. The music felt more related to bands like Air or Spiritualized to my ears. He opens with “Start To Live” which is a simple song revolving around a couple of strummed chords and vocals. It’s a fairly catchy song but doesn’t require much scrutiny. The second guitar helps to create a sense of space. The songs start to open for the better starting with “Independence for Arrogance.” As I mentioned there is a bit of a Spiritualize vibe and I thought that was overt on this song. The song has a optimistic almost gospel like feel to it that I thought sounded good. Overall “Independence for Arrogance” has some good moments and keeps building higher and higher as the song progresses. Pflug goes into different territory with “Help You/Help Me (an ode to Joy)” which utilizes electronic elements like pads and electronic beats. The song has an ethereal quality to it and by the ending crescendo feels pretty hectic. “Confusion Against” is a straightforward pop song with some catchy vocal melodies while “Up” has a carefree “Penny Lane” type vibe that feels quite different than anything else on the EP. He closes with “Older Than Me” which had some rare straight rock moments. Perhaps it was the four years it took to make this EP but there was a disparity between the songs which painted a blurry picture of the type of music he makes. Despite some incongruent aspects to the songs I thought the songwriting was solid along with the production and delivery. I‘d like to hear some more of his work under the KOLBAK moniker and hope it doesn't take four years to see the light of day.
Blacklight Chicago is the solo project from eighteen-year-old Ben Adams. Apparently he has been playing guitar for ten years which means he started at eight and he has been writing music for about eight years. He just released his first effort entitled Ellipsism.
Adams is a good guitarist. For his age he is certainly in the top echelon. He has excellent lead work which is what most of this album revolves around. His guitar is the main focus here as he blends different styles like prog rock, metal and more. Ellipsism really is quite impressive if you like to listen to masterful technical guitar. The issue I find with Ellipsism is the same with many other technical virtuosos. It rarely tugs at my emotional strings. If I listen to a song from Queen, Radiohead or Sigur Ros I can feel that music in my soul. Ellipsism is a case where again and again I was thinking that man oh man can this kid play but rarely did I feel the emotional resonance. He opens with “Intro (A Series Of Unfortunate Events)” which is a very ambient intro which could have been trimmed down a bit. He had some cool sounds in there but it didn’t need to go past the one-minute-mark. The intro transitions into “Launch” which could not have been more different. It very much launches off with an intense barrage of distortion, drums, bass and of course lead guitar. I was exhausted by the one-minute-mark and so was Adams as he simmers things down slightly. The song goes on for seven intense minutes. There are a myriad of changes and it is overstimulating to say the least. “The Universe, In 2000 Years” and “City On A Spaceship” are both just as intense and dynamic as the first song. He closes with “Flatlined” which is eleven minutes long. The song is like a roller coaster and it just needs to be listened to. Ellipsism reminds me of the guys at Guitar Center who will blow you away with their lead skills. It’s visceral, makes your jaw drop but also isn't going to make you cry. Adams is a young guy who has a lot of potential. He obviously has the technical skill but I would like him to transcend this genre a bit as he gets older. I understand he can play but I would like to see where else he could take it.
Anthony Bizzarri is an artist from Cincinnati, OH, who has been a musician since he was ten- years-old. Throughout the ’90s he toured with multiple bands and performed as a studio musician. He recently released a four-song EP entitled Open The Door.
This is an instrumental album that revolves around lead guitar and is not unlike something from Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen. The album has distinct early ’90s, late ’80s rock flavor that is just undeniable. It’s not only in the music but very much in the production. I got the same feeling I usually do when I get to lead guitar albums. All I can picture in my head is some guy wailing on the guitar and loving it. It fails to elicit much of an emotional response from me like nostalgia or excitement, etc. For better or worse this genre feels like such a relic of the past that is outside of the underground or mainstream music of today. It will most likely keep resonating with the relatively small niche who can’t seem to get enough of it. The album opens with “Open The Door.” Suffice it to say that if you like the first song you will like the rest. The music is pretty standard revolving around guitar, drums and bass. It’s through and through rock music and as I mentioned earlier feels steeped in a production style that you would associate with this style of rock. The drum sound, the lead guitar and even the bass. Everything sounded very familiar and brought me back to my childhood. “Persistence on a Roll” could be an extension of the first track. Bizzarri shows off his soloing chops here even more. The song revolves around one long guitar solo. “Attack of the Zombie Wolf” is slightly heavier sounding veering towards ’80s metal. Bizzarri waits a little longer to start soloing here. “Lightning” comes out of the gate sounding like classic ’80s hair metal. Open The Door felt more like an homage to the past than a modern take on a niche genre. I can’t say that Bizzarri is introducing new elements I haven’t heard before to this style of music. That being said he is no doubt a good guitarist and if you are one who enjoys instrumental music revolving around a blazing guitar this will be one you won't want to pass up.
Become A Fan
Present Paradox is a prolific artist. For the past three years he has released something into the world. Before we get into his latest Space For Wishes it may not be a bad idea to to check out Acute and My Map which received Top Album honors.
Space For Wishes feels like a natural extension of his earlier releases. As a huge Radiohead fan myself it's hard not to draw some similarities. A song like “Symmetric Ostinato” feels like it could be a distant cousin to a song like “Weird Fishes - Arpeggi” but aside from the picking patterns the melancholy in general just has a similar feel. The melancholy often cradles you in solace. Because that is why a band like Radiohead is so revered. Their music just like Present Paradox isn’t there to make you sad. It creates empathy and you makes you feel connected. The effect on the listener who doesn’t dismiss it as “depressive shit” has quite the opposite experience of melancholy. The EP starts off with “Grow Slow.” Right off the bat I enjoyed the murky yet jazzy sounding drums. The cymbals shimmered with nuance. There is a similar feel to the guitar which has a soft picking pattern. It doesn't take long for the sign to draw you into its haunting appeal. The songs has a crescendo but never feels grandiose. “Eldorado” is a moving piece that slowly wraps in atmospheric pads. If it weren’t for the drums and vocals the song could float away. “Space For Wishes” has a good amount of energy from the percussion but also has a breakdown with ghostly vocal harmonies you don’t want to miss. “Letter Of…” is dissonant with an angular sounding guitar while the closer “Responder” has a hypnotic quality that could put you in a trance. Space For Wishes is another set of songs that I had no problem feeling connected to. He builds a foundation and yet every song offers a different flavor. A feat that isn’t as easy as it seems. This is a no brainer for me. Enjoy this.
Kevin Brown (vocals/guitar), Ricky Ganiere (bass/vocals), Mike Mann (guitar/vocals) and Jeff Holden (drums) are Redbelt. The band from Wisconsin released Beautiful Surround. Their music is about as standard no frills rock as you can get. You can reference more than a handful of rock bands from classic to contemporaries that these guys sound like. Suffice it to say this music is not for anyone who is interested in the fringe of what rock music offers.
This is the type of music that is usually best served on Friday nights at a bar. It’s fun, simple music that instills a visceral reaction. This music does not require active listening with headphones where you will discover something new each time you listen. The band opens with “Crossed Wires” which opens with a four-chord punk progression. There is no denying that the the band brings a good amount of energy to the song and that they can play in the pocket. Up next is “American Mercy” which sounds like classic Americana. The title track was a highlight amongst the batch. As the album progresses I can’t say there is much deviation. The band does a good job creating memorable melodies, palatable vocal harmonies and crunchy guitars. Depending how you look at this could be a good thing or a bad thing. The other highlight to my ears was “Hard Light” but for the most part the band sticks to what they do best. Is Redbelt bringing anything new to the table? No, not by a long shot. The band plays into tropes with no apologies. Take that for what it is. Their music has an American, blue collar vibe and I can imagine it being played in backyard BBQ’s. If that was their goal they succeeded. The band has some solid hooks and a great energy that is injected into rock 101 songs that many of us have come to love over the years.
I can’t but feel sorry for someone who doesn’t have a creative artistic outlet. I know from personal experience how cathartic composing a song can be after you have had an emotionally heavy experience. The true beauty in this process is that another sentient being whether it's live or a recorded version can connect with those emotions that the artist was trying to convey. It’s not uncommon for an artist to produce their most celebrated work in times of emotional stress. Just take a look at Nick Cave’s latest Skeleton Tree.
To say that The Pulse by Ivy. The Pulse was created under an emotionally heavy time would be an understatement. On her Bandcamp page she says, “This album was catapulted into fruition after the passing of my sister Allison. Life is short and too precious to not live out your dreams!” I have to say that after having knowledge of circumstances you listen to music with a different set of ears. The Pulse is poignant but also feels quite hopeful. The songs delicately balance different shades of emotions. I would say that this balancing act often happens within the same song. She opens with the title track which is one of the more upbeat songs on the album. The recording sounds great and the genre falls into rock/pop. Her vocals are front and center and carry the song. She sings, “That you're deep inside / The pulse / Of my veins / Of my heart / Of my broken soul /I 'll never let you go.” “Solace” is a stripped back effort revolving around mostly guitar and vocals. The song is haunting yet like the title infers it is also comforting. The lyrics are heartbreaking and revolve around a love that never comes. “Better Days” might be my personal favorite. The vocals are fantastic and worthy of some tears. Things start to pick up with “Old Apartment” and “Indigo Nights.”.These two songs mix and balance emotions with eloquence. As the album progresses I was impressed by the variety of different energy she brings to the songs. She closes with the piano led “Wonder Where You Are” which is an emotionally heavy mediation on passing over. Even If I didn’t read about the impetus behind this album I still would have been moved. The Pulse isn’t an easy listening experience but why should it be. There is real thought and emotion behind the sounds and I for one heard it loud and clear.
Become A Fan
Jerret Cortese is one prolific guy. He has released thirteen albums most of which are not under the moniker The Gothtones. His latest to my knowledge is After Dark. He makes dark yet light-hearted goth music. I’m aware that my previous statement seems like a contradiction but the music feels fun in many ways. Rocky Horror Picture Show came to mind a couple of times.
The songs are relatively short averaging about two-and-a-half-minutes long. For the types of songs they are, it works. The songs don’t feel too short which I was initially concerned about before hearing them. The album opens with the title track. It’s a lounge-y by the poolside Vegas vibe and I want to say the vocals have a tinge of Tom Waits and Roy Orbison. The track doesn’t deviate from the initial vibe but that is part of the allure. Almost like vignettes. Up next is “Venomous” and mixed in there with the goth are elements of LA Noir. Dark shadows, a seedy underbelly and detective who goes by his own rules. “Moon Is Leaking” revolves around a basic blues riff while “The Creeps” is a minute-and-a-half instrumental piece with a Joy Division-esque feel. Other songs flirt with other styles such as “Rat” which has a jazzy swing or “My New Machine” which is experimental. Perhaps the most impressive thing about these songs is that no matter where Cortese deviates to stylistically it still has a dark, gothic feel to it. Overall, After Dark is an album that I was able to appreciate more as a cohesive album than individual songs. Don’t get me wrong there are some good songs here but the sum feels greater than its parts in this case. I wager this won’t be the last time we hear from this prolific artist. I have a feeling album number fourteen won’t be too far away.
There is something to be said for the direct approach to things. It’s something I rather like most times. Just come out and say it directly, without beating around the proverbial bush. But if you ever eavesdrop on a public conversation between two people, young people especially, or overhear a public phone conversation you’ll realize after a time that the direct approach is not often the way most people approach conversation. And I’ve been reviewing both the novice and professional musical outputs for long enough now to tell when somethings just gone on a little too long or a metaphor is getting stretched thin or is just plain cliché. Nothing makes me yawn more than someone who thinks their being literary or poetic or whatever when they are really just trying too hard to make what they think “art” must be.
So when I heard Grand Rapids, Michigan, singer songwriter Anita Ranae’s debut record Watercolor Sidewalks I was pleasantly stunned at the razor sharpness of her lexicon as well as the subjects she chose to focus her songs on. Though Anita does write the occasional breakup tune, (but let’s be honest we all secretly love a good breakup song don’t we now) she also focuses her lyrics on subjects that aren’t as widely covered in songs; subjects like taking care of the elderly (Anita is a nurse) and the people of Pakistan, the country where Ranae spent her childhood. Watercolor Sidewalks opens with the stark and introspective “Growing up Slowly.” It’s a beautiful acoustic melody made even more beautiful by cello and violins and even more so by Anita’s beautiful vocals which reminded me at once of the folk-singer sister duo Lily & Madeleine. All of these accoutrements continue on the quiet yet powerful “Epilogue.” Here her lyrics have the same quiet power, as she crushingly asks “How does it feel to live as an open book / Passed by younger folks who don't stop to read?” Then perhaps even more achingly direct “How does it feel to be mother and wife but no longer a daughter or friend?” It is not just with death that Anita is able to conjure up great and powerful imagery. She does so wonderfully in the sonnet to David as she laments “You won't fit into my armor / It wasn't made for you /And my sword was never yours to own / So let me walk beside you / In the dry riverbed / And help you find your stones.” This same force comes out when she sings of Pakistan on “Jasmine.” “Now there's concrete and barbed wire / Where the jasmine flowers grew / And all the world sees are headlines and fault lines and feuds / And I'm missing you.” Watercolor Sidewalks contains the beauty and power of an album that it takes many musicians years to be able to do. Though it’s not all that surprising when put into the context that Anita Ranae definitely laid bare her heart on this record. She did not sidestep the truth with over complicated metaphors, but used the beauty of common language, an unflinching and often overlooked beauty.
Become A Fan
|
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|