Incentive is located in Canton, Ohio. He has been recording and releasing under the Incentive name since 2003 and his latest release in entitled Happiness.
His experience certainly shows itself with these songs. There is a fluidity and just a sense from the production to the mixing that this isn’t his first rodeo. The music on this album if often alien, subterranean and dark. I would associate it with artists like Gas and Burial. The music is somewhere in that zeitgeist. The album opens with “45 On the Beach” which could create a sense of vertigo if you aren’t careful. There is a lot of dissonance and white noise which comes from different directions. The industrial style beat really keeps the energy moving feeling like you are moving through some kind of factory located beneath the crust of Mars. As the song progresses the somewhat overwhelming but beautiful white noise smothers the track. “Trauma, Anxiety, & Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms” contains ominous overtones that mix with some post-apocalyptic imagery that brings to mind Bladerunner. The track twists and turns. What sounds like hellfire mutates as a faint beat propels kinetic energy forward. We get something a little more straightforward with the crystalized “agonal” which is perfect for an afterparty and late night crawlers. “Time Flows Beyond You” is perhaps the most experimental yet with beats and elements that are in the same company of sound artists like Fennesz and Tim Hecker. Even more experimental is “lowdose” which is the arguable highlight. Similar to Fennesz and Amon Tobin the music has no emotional bottom you can rely on. Its tension is beautiful and perhaps even ugly at moments. The song might make you think, which is one of the things art is supposed to make you do. The title track “Happiness” at first comes closer to sounding like something Trent Reznor might have in his back pocket That being said the song dismantles itself before going into perhaps the most epic sounding music on the album. It transforms into different patterns of energy which wrap indistinct emotions before coming to a close. “"I look to the distance, and see the end of the world."” is the closer. He starts things off simple enough with an arpeggiated synth before exploring a vast array of textures and tones. This track had a feeling like it was moving forward and even accelerating. This music benefits from active listening and good quality headphones. It doesn't have that one vocal hook you might be able to appreciate through a laptop. I never felt like the artist was resting on his laurels. He knew when to make changes and in cases like this an eleven-plus- minute song makes sense because of the story he is trying to tell.
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If/Then is a trio from Bloomington, Indiana comprised of Mike Jackson (guitar/vocals), Mike Emmett (bass/vocals) and Jason Gold (drums/percussion). The band released an eleven-song album entitled Kids.
The album is a high energy rock album with emotionally charged performances. I was reminded of a lot of bands that were very popular around 2005 through 2010 like Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown but perhaps most evident was Arcade Fire. The performances are dynamic and Jackson’s vocals are versatile and emotive. Things starts off with “Sons & Daughters” and the energy is picked up right away. I have to credit Gold who brings the goods on the drums with an impressively tight performance around an infectious groove. The vocals are anthemic, borderline cathartic with a sense of urgency and yearning. It felt like they were putting everything they could into the performances. They set the foundation with the first song and showed how dynamic they can be on “Wild Ones.” The song slowly builds, is torn down and in general experiments with intensity. There are also some serene moments such as around the three-minute mark. “So Much Weight” is a single worthy. The guitar riff as well as the vocals are memorable. Something about their energy at this point made we want too see them perform this live. They continue to have some success with the “New Crowned King” which is another with an almost limitless amount of energy that comes pouring through channels. Another highlight was “The Hours” which showcases the band's strengths. They go out with the self-titled track which is just as good as any song that came before it. The reason I have appreciated bands like Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade is because the emotion is on fire to a point where it's visceral. The same can be said about If/Then which seems to a new generation of like-minded bands. Recommended. Ryan Kennedy (guitar), Jason Ward (guitars), Sid Neel (bass) and AJ Moore (drums) are Terrestrial Animal. The band from Wilmington, North Carolina recently released Amorphous Sum. The band plays post-rock that has been around for more than the last twenty years. You can hear shades of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky and more. That being said they can sound like a more straightforward alternative band minus the vocals. The songs are a little longer than a standard pop song but relatively short for post-rock standards in some ways. The band gets going with “U2 Incident” and it is a slow burn. Post-rock is usually not in a rush to get anywhere and that applies on this song as well. There is some contemplative ambience created by guitars and around the three-minute mark the band finds a groove. It’s bright and avoids dark textures. They hit upon a very popular post-rock vibe that Mogwai made popular on “Gravity.” This song is darker and strives for epic heights. That ’90s vibe I was referring to earlier makes itself known on “Below Dark Water.” There are points where the distorted power chords sound closer to Nirvana. The band goes into more classic post-rock formula on “Horizon Atlas” but again there is an alternative flavor to the song. They get closer to psych-rock on “Cellar Door” and at moments sound similar to Comets on Fire. The band sufficiently rocks on “Methuselah Syndrome” while the closer “Permutation City” is the longest and perhaps the highlight on the album. The band is talented and has done their homework but I rarely felt like I was getting a sound that defined the band. It felt broad. On that note the album was cohesive, The songs did seamlessly flow into each and their technical talent is indisputable. When I was in high school in the ’90s I started to get in the bands that have defined the genre. The genre felt fairly stuck but bands like Do Make Say Think exceptional release Stubborn Persistent Illusions and a few other albums started to tinker more with the sound. I like this band but I would just like to hear some more experimentation here and there. The ’90s alternative vibe was cool but one of two more unexpected moves could really define the band. I think the band has talent as well as potential. I hope to hear studio quality songs at some point because the songs seem to deserve that. This is a very good start and I hope to hear more soon.
IOL is a producer from Port Orchard, Washington who recently released doubt. The album is an instrumental, dark and features a nice array of sounds while sounding cohesive.
The album starts with “{xx” which definitely has some dark overtones. That being said the 4/4 hip-hop beat gives it a sense of familiarity and I was actually expecting some rapping. He has some more success with “ReEeEe!!” which again is dark and perhaps does an even better job at creating a sense of doom. “pink insulation in the attic” was a highlight. I really like how the rickety acoustic guitar sounded. The move away from the big hip-hop sounding drums was a good move as well. There are some additional percussive elements as well which gave this song a feeling of menace and dread. “hes coming.” is ambient and features low hums and some circular piano melodies while the album highlight “doubt” features some especially haunting notes which sound like detuned guitars. The subdued “the ossuary” is also really well done while “delirious” is both calming (the sound of rain) but also terrifying in some ways. “what happens when we die?” is meditative and zen in some sense. It’s very minimal and just straight ambient with one slow burn of a drone making itself known. “the Old Woman with the Black Dog” sounds like you are walking through a different dimension and it was one of the songs that felt like there might be some sense of light somewhere. He closes with “chrysalis (bonus)” and I had a feeling I was going into a dark rave. This is a very good debut. I liked the fact every song wasn’t relying on a strong hip-hop beat to carry the song. Too much of just that and I often feel like I'm listening to a loop. He mixes it up quite well but also displays a cohesive quality between all the tracks. I really liked the trajectory the artist seems to be on and hopefully this is just the beginning. I’m looking forward to hearing more.
TomJohn is a father and son musical duo from Belgium. They explain that Tom came back because of turbulent times and I surmise that is part of the reason they started working on into the woods.
The album leans towards darker tones and textures not unlike what you see on the album cover. The vocals really reminded me of Pink Floyd but so did the more cosmic and epic qualities they strive for in the music. “Show me the way” is the first song on the album and is indicative or what else you will hear. There is this pensive and haunting quality to this music while at the same time it is beautiful. I would say “Open the door” is an even better example of this. The vocals are very dramatic here and the mood starts off haunting but really digs into the warm and nostalgic Pink Floyd vibe. “Rise again” is a highlight with a lot of texture that is atmospheric. “The other side” is an instrumental song that felt a little more aligned with post-rock which gets intense with metronome like drums. “The hunter and the wishing well” seems to be more ominous. The vocals are at points hyperbolic where he sounds like a villain. “Into the woods” goes back into post-rock territory while “Listen to the wind” is an undeniable highlight with some of the most beautiful and haunting moments. As an engineer myself I have to admit I was having a hard time with the electronic drums which try to sound organic. It’s a little hard to explain but there is something missing that live organic drums seem to capture. Overall, I thought this was an immersive album and it attempts songs which feel grand whether they are haunting or going for something more hopeful. I also think it’s great that a father and son are making music together. Take a listen.
Symbient is a band located in the city of Sunderland in the UK. Symbient is comprised of Daniel Collings (guitar), Cameron Pugh (guitar), Conor Hanson (drums) and Khynan Hanson (bass guitar).
My first thought after spending some time with these songs is how fast the band likes to play. It’s really impressive but my brain could barely keep up with the BPM they decided to play into. Hanson has some pretty unreal skills as a drummer. That being said the whole band is incredible. They open with “Backstab” and the band starts off at a more standard BPM but quickly increases the tempo. The song is catchy with a lot of energy. It reminded me of the music I used to hear when I played the game Crazy Taxi. The whole feeling is just intense and constant. I thought they might slow things down on “Step Aside” but it was a tease. The first ten seconds are probably around 120 BPM. After that the band just goes into hyperspace. The drumming again was just non-stop with an insane amount of fills. I couldn’t catch my breath. Once I got to the third song I realized starting the songs off at a slower tempo was a shtick in some ways. They do it again on “Train Station.” The band just destroys with guitar solos, bass fills and the complex drumming. “Unsettled” is the closer and yes they do the same thing on this song. The first ten seconds are at a slower BPM before exploding. The band reminded me of fast punk like NOFX and maybe to a lesser degree a band like The Offspring. I thought the songs were all well written and their technical ability by itself kept me interested. On that note, the songs are also emotionally powerful not just fast. Recommended.
Hey Baby! began nine years ago when 16-year-old Kacper Majchrowski first learned how to record his music on a computer, using a simple drum machine and running guitars and basses through a preamp. When Majchrowski made the move from Sydney to Brisbane, Australia, he met drummer Jaeger Brodie while jamming at a house party. The two quickly bonded over similar music tastes. Wanting to form a band, they sought out another guitarist, which was answered by local player Sam Wilson. The band recently acquired Callum Young on bass who also plays guitar in Jaeger's other band The Jumpkicks. Since getting together, the quartet went straight into writing energetic tunes – described as “dirty indie-rock.” The band loves to play fast-paced garage tunes but they don’t take their lyrics too seriously. Essentially, their songs are about growing up while having fun, falling in love, dissatisfaction and taking drugs.
Their EP Couch House, released in the latter half of 2018, was recorded and mixed outside in the country with Alistar Richardson (Zefereli, The Cairos) before being sent off to Grammy Award-winning Australian mastering engineer William Bowden (aka King Willy Sound). Everything was recorded in Alistar’s studio surrounded by trees and peacefulness, with the exception of the outro on “All Good Things Must End” which was recorded on a phone while everyone was hanging out and Ali was messing around on an old battered acoustic – sounds pretty cool. The opener “Something Awful” doesn’t sound awful at all to me. It’s a fun, danceable song, frenzied and clearly energetic. There are a lot of swears, so if that’s your thing, this is your song. “Kids” has a somewhat cleaner sound instrumentally, mixing punk rhythms with surf-punk guitar. I liked how one of the band’s guitarists left space between the chords on the verses, creating tension between words. Brodie’s drumming was insane – I think I worked up a sweat just listening to him! Also, I liked the sing-along chant at the end. “Unconventional” starts off with guitar rhythm that reminded me of a familiar punk rock chords from yesteryear. The guitars here are a bit more jangly, adding to the post-punk/college rock feel harkening back to house party gigs of R.E.M. and Pylon, via 1980. Overall, this one was more “radio friendly” – does anybody use that term anymore? “Dead Inside” begins with a gentle, rather beautiful guitar/keyboard intro and it’s clearly a detour from the band’s first three hard hitting, punkish numbers. As the song played on, I loved it even more – I had to turn this one up. The guitar melody, the echoes, the harmonies between Sam Wilson and the other guys is just great! This one reminded me of something, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Give this one a listen for sure. Last there is “All Good Things Must End” and oh my! – the drumming is once again through the roof. The guitars are equally fast and frenzied. If this one doesn’t make you want to dance or at least bob your head, then I’m not sure what will. I think this last tune was structurally the band’s strongest and most dynamic. The group has great chemistry and knows how to play tight. More swears on this one, too.
aaron joseph russo is an artist from Melbourne, Australia who recently released you can't win them all. He is a young guy at twenty-four years of age and he explains the album was written during a transitional period. At thirty-eight I will say there are plenty of other transitions I went through long after that age but it’s relative and when you dig into this question it becomes philosophical. I think for most people in their mid 20’s it’s a period where you start to really feel divided between the carefree nature of being young and finding a different type meaning as you become an adult.
The songs have a warm melancholy to them and are lush. The album was more about mood for a number of reasons. For one thing, I had a hard time understanding the lyrics on some songs but even more so is the consistent feeling you get when you listen to these songs sequentially. The vocals are drenched in reverb and russo sounds similar to Bon Iver at times. He also sings barely above a whisper as you can hear on the opener “wish” which is a highlight. This is a great song not only because of the melodies but because of the details. The slight detuning and the other elements which are panned hard left and right sound like they are coming from down the hall. It’s a beautiful song. He has some success with a song like “so tired” which is lush and a dream pop enhanced song not too far away from the bands like Beach House or Auburn Lull. “again” is very still and meditative. I was trying to make out the lyrics here and have ambivalent feelings about not understanding what he says. The vocals almost act like another element which was very cool but I was wondering if there was another layer of meaning that I missed out on. As the album progresses there are some highlights. “what are you doing” is both hopeful and melancholy while “when the feeling fades” contains a memorable vocal melody. This is a cohesive release and russo established a sound with this sequence of songs. It works really well from beginning to end. Some people might call this depressing music. I for one think it will be a sad day if people stop listening to music like this. You are missing the point if you think depressing music is supposed to make you depressed. There are many things it can do but perhaps most importantly it can reflect moods that sometimes words can’t capture. Once that is recognized it creates empathy which if all goes well will mutate into a similar pattern of energy we call solace.
Aiden Brookstone aka Aiden is a twenty-three year old musician from Vancouver, British Columbia. He released The DrB EP. The EP features four songs and every song sounds like a completely different artist so let's take this one by one.
Up first is “Outer Space - feat. (Aliens)” which is this loose and comedic song. It reminded me of Beck in a number of ways if he was a little more silly. The groove is fun and revolves around a harmonica riff, a loud bass drum and a couple more riffs. It’s also pretty catchy with lots of comedic interjections. “My Life Story” is a hip-hop song and has some similarities to Sage Francis. It’s similar to the first song in that it’s tongue-in-cheek and comedic. That being said there are points in the lyrics where he attempts to be motivational, is a bit morbid and explores the absurdity of life itself. In another drastic turn he creates an experimental soundscape on “What is Music?” There are some chipmunk affected voices and some psychedelic swirls which feel like you might be traveling down a wormhole. “Circles” is a song where he sings against clean guitar. It’s a bit jazzy and atmospheric. I would say it was the highlight and also the most sincere song of the four. The song was well written and I liked his singing voice. On his Bandcamp page he explains the songs are a little bit different. I would say these songs are very different. As I’ve explained before I think forming a signature sound is an important factor in gaining an audience. It’s hard for the audience to fully connect and become a fan with an artist, especially an up and coming one, if an EP or album doesn't have a sense of cohesion. Even if they connect with one song they will most likely hope some of what they heard will pop up again in a slightly different way. The good news for Brookstone is that he seems to excel in the areas he attempted. “What is Music?” was the only song that didn’t leave much of a mark on me. The other three were really well done. So much so it’s hard for me to pick a highlight. There is a difference become genre hopping and melding genres. I would encourage Brookstone to think about how he can combine these styles into one signature sound. In fact the artist Beck comes to mind again who has done this on albums like Odelay and Midnight Vultures. At the end of the day Brookstone showed he is talented and versatile. The songs are really well done and I think there is more we will be hearing from him. Take a listen.
When I heard the name fablelore I was hoping that it was going to sound a little like the world of warcraft, lord of the rings and fantasy. The band comprised of Thillman Benham (cello), Waylon K. Smith (keys/vocals), Eli August (guitar/vocals) and Dave Benham (flutes/percussion) released Chapters. That is certainly the case and I would say the flutes and cello add a lot to the factor as well as the lyrics which are in the realm of fantasy as well.
The EP starts with “Wastelands of Time.” There is some beautiful guitar picking and a whimsical flute quickly comes into the mix that really adds to the feel they are going for. Once the cello comes on board as well I did start to feel like I was in a fantasy novel. He sings about spells and even uses the word “thine.” I really didn’t know what a whippoorwill was at first but figured out it was a bird. “The Whippoorwill” felt like part of our hero's journey perhaps encountering a majestic creatures. On top of the cello and flute they now add distorted guitar and rolling toms which give the sense you are going into battle. On “The Valley” I was picturing landscapes perhaps a little like the intro to Game of Thrones. It’s thematic, grand and quite serene. The vocals are fairly sparse here with them showing up in the first half. That being said the lyrics revolve around themes of magic and spells. They close strong with “Fools Fire” which is more of a battle chant. The percussion is a focal point and as the song progresses it certainly goes into epic territory. To state the obvious, I think this music will resonate most with fans of fantasy. There is just no hiding the influence from the genre. The music is original sounding and they have a niche. I was impressed and will be waiting for the next chapter in their story.
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