Align in Time- Me & My Arrow (2011)
26 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Reviews, Album Tags: instrumental, Align in Time, Me & My Arrow
Streaming at the bottom of the page.
I always have the utmost respect for solo projects. It takes a certain kind of person to take all their ideas, concerning every aspect of the musical process, and piece it all together to make something beautiful. Align in Time, the one-man instrumental undertaking of John Boles, is breathtaking. How one man can do such things is a mystery I’ll never solve.
It begins with what sounds like the end of a song, with a big explosion, and then quietly leads to what sounds like the beginning of a real song. It has this early This Will Destroy You sound that I really like. Short song that turns into “The Many Faces”, which is my favorite off this album. Begins with the reverse-play that God Is An Astronaut use on the back-end of a couple of their songs. The build is simple, but pretty, and then they bring up the pace, and then bring it back down with a sound that kind of sounds like a less-heavy Gifts from Enola. Then something amazing happens, complete with guitar solos from prog rock, and at 4:24, I was DYING for blast beats. Overall, the album is very nicely put together, though sometimes it becomes a little repetitious. What I love about this album is when it’s off, it’s still listenable, but when it’s on, it’s like you’re in another world. The beginning of “Men without Chests” is outstandingly unique, and it feels like this entire album is a blend of so many genres that you can only truly classify it as instrumental.
Rating: Align in Time’s Me & My Arrow is probably one of the most impressive outings of a one-piece band that I’ve heard in forever. Creativity in abundance, this album has been on repeat since I got around to listening to it, and my only regret is not listening to it sooner. There were a couple of portions that I wish it would have gotten heavier, or maybe a little less airy, but to have those be the only things to detract from this album speaks volumes. I know I said I was going to grade harsher, and I am, and still this album deserves a 4/5 kegs. Insanely great work.
B.
Los Caidos – Los Caidos demo 2011
24 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Band, hardcore, punk Tags: Argentina, fastcore, Hardcore, Los Caidos, South America
The moment I heard the guitars in “Odio” I knew exactly what I was getting into. Los Caidos hail from Argentina and this three and a half minute demo will leave you broken. Dark, frantic fastcore with male/female vocals gives you the feeling that this would best be suited for a dank basement full of sweaty people. The first two tracks fly by and it slows down a bit with ”Ahogo” but picks up and kicks your teeth in with the ”Dia Tras Dia”. The last track of this demo really hits home, its a blistering, incendiary ode to those who are stuck pushing paper (much like myself). Get this demo, rage and think about firebombing that shitty office of yours.
|Bandcamp|
E.
Pocket Vinyl- “Monsters Talking” (2011)
19 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Album, Reviews Tags: Connecticut, Painting, Piano, Pocket Vinyl
One of those bands with an attention-grabbing concept, Pocket Vinyl combines music with painting for a multidimensional experience. The musician, Eric, plays a piano-heavy indie rock while his partner, Elizabeth, paints elaborate and interesting pictures onstage. Eric is a really talented pianist, but many of his songs sound like he’s playing show-tunes. Where he really excels is when he slows down the pace and plays more soulful (see “I Once Kissed A Woman Simply For Her Lips“). Out of the entire album, there were some very interesting and informative pieces, and there were some not-so-interesting, bordering on downright boring tracks. The one recommended to me from the band was “A Little Joke”, which came with the real selling point of this band: the live painting. In the span of the 3 minutes it took to finish the song, she completed (in stop motion) an actually pretty impressive painting. Now, I don’t know what the painting really has to do with the music, or even the band in general, but it watching it keeps you entertained.
Rating: Pocket Vinyl is a gimmick-band that combines painting and piano into one, big sensory extravaganza that leaves you confused, yet amused. The music is sporadically powerful, especially when he screams or plays slow, but is more often than not dull and uneventful. The real selling point is the painting, a work of art at every show. I feel like their strength may lie in seeing them live, and they hail from Connecticut, so they frequent around the east coast on a normal basis, so I probably go out to see them to get the full experience. Overall, Monsters Talking earns a 2.5/5 kegs.
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B.
CENSORED
18 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Blackout in protest of SOPA. See you on the other side of Wednesday.
Cryptodira – The Four Quarters (2012)
12 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Album, Long Island Tags: Cryptodira, Long Island, ugh
Cryptodira hail from Long Island, New York. These young guys (I emphasize young [they are like 16 0r something]) play a blend of Death Metal, Post Metal and its obvious they have a strong love for Metalcore. While they call themselves “Progressive Death Metal,” they unfortunately are not progressive enough.
There are aspects of this album they I could kind of get into; for example, some of the post metal elements used during the intros grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, that is about as far as I got in some songs. The time changes, super hi-fi production and drums that sound tired and programmed left me feeling cold. While listening to “The Four Quarters,” one thought kept creeping into my mind: These dudes sound like a really mediocre Shai Halud. The constant switching of styles is a cute trick, but covers up a lack of creativity. I was really hoping to hear a song that was not 100% blast beats, but I guess that is asking too much. I really wanted this album to have at least one song that I would like, I really wanted to be able to say “HEY, CHECK THIS OUT, IT RIPS”…but I can’t. Instead, I am going leave off saying that I really hope these guys grow as musicians.
E.
Still Blue Still Turning- Unstacked (2012) [Video]
11 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Stream, Video Tags: Joshua Priestly, Still Blue, Still Blue Still Turning, Still Turning, Unstacked
The second video from Still Blue Still Turning, this time featuring the track “Unstacked”, which was one of my personal favorites off of American Artist. Reconnecting with photographer Joshua Priestley, Still Blue Still Turning create cinematic gold in a way few ambient bands can rival. The duel image style of this video is really impressive, as it allows for two scenes to be playing out with the music, sometimes creating two totally different feels on the same song (for me, one was comfort and one was despair). Truly, honestly, a sight to behold.
B.
Caspian- Live At Old South Church (2012)
09 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Album, Reviews Tags: 2012, Caspian, David Palmer, Live At Old South Church
It was a cold late October night in Boston. One of the worst winters in Boston’s history was rapidly approaching, but this night it was just cold and crisp, without a cloud in the sky. The crowds of people crossing Boylston Street and through Copley Square as myself and my best friend climbed the steps from the green line to make our way to Old South Church. A common landmark and popular photo opportunity for visiting tourists, tonight a very special event was taking place. Caspian was to perform live for a special benefit for Amirah.
We arrived early and found a pew about two thirds of the way to the front on the left side. The church was already mostly filled, everyone quietly sitting, while muted conversations took place, each seeming to know how special this night would actually be.
Old South Church is a beautiful place. Stained glass windows, Gothic architecture without being too ostentatious, and muted indirect colorful lighting set a relaxed yet slightly theatrical mood. Caspian took the stage and began to play.
The performance was filled with quiet, loud, joy and sadness each piece flowing together into a seamless wave of music and light. And then the stars came out. Your breathe was lost.
It was perfection, and this is how i chose to remember it, but now I have an artifact from that night.
Fast forward to this past “Last Night On Earth 2011” show where I picked up an advance copy of a live recording from that night (available on 10 January from Mylene Sheath). Having a memory of an event is one thing but to have a tangible artifact, something that documents that memory is something else entirely.
This record is proof that my memory wasn’t overly romanticising the beauty of that moment.
Sycamore is enough evidence of that alone, with the cellist in the introduction and the guitars filling the air, i remember the stars, and the look of bewildered amazement on my best friend’s face as they played that heart breaking ode to hope and joy as it explodes into drums and finally hearing the cheerful audience.
This record documents a very special live Caspian performance and as many times as I’ve seen this band live, nothing will compare to this performance and their special attention to their more pretty songs like Last Rites and The Dove as well as ASA and the always amazing Concrescence.
Five songs in total, but enough to show the range and attention to detail this band has for their music, and the respect they have for it given that they do not take any liberties with their songs in a live setting. What is most interesting is in this live recording you get a sense for this band’s sense of humility and earnestness.
My only hope is that any who has the ability to recognize beauty in music will find this record, and will be able to appreciate how special it is even without being at the performance. It could be one of the most valuable pieces of music in your collection. But if you were there, like me, you will need to have this record.
Net- + (2011)
04 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Album, album stream, Reviews Tags: +, 2011, Net
Album streaming at bottom of page.
“Based out of Austin, TX, NET is a four piece post-rock band looking to share their message through music.”
Could not be further from Explosions in the Sky, which is probably for the best, Net is best described as a mixture of a modern alternative band and post-rock. I know, sounds like a recipe for disaster, but somehow they pull it off. Maybe it’s the vocals, which echo across the soundscape instead of being the main feature, but I didn’t turn it off at the first sign of voices, which is a good thing.
The album, +, yes, literally the plus-sign, does a lot of things I did not expect. Namely their song structure. Generally, post-rock bands either do samples or vocals. Get a little farther into the music scene, namely hardcore-punk, metal and sometimes (mostly with the old stuff, but now making a sort of comeback) hip-hop, you’ll see a blending of samples along with vocals. Those genres aren’t post-rock (for the better), but Net breaks the stereotypes.
The vocals are pretty good in terms of sound, for the most part. “Aphelia” was outstanding, yest “In My Element” got on my nerves a little bit because I felt the vocals didn’t work out so well (too much all at one time). The vocalist has some singing talent, and the echoing effects they’ve used give his voice a epic, what I can only describe as deity-like sound (imagine something ringing down from the heavens). I wasn’t really digging the weird guitar solo at the end of “Sinkhole” (maybe you have to hear it in person). At times, the guy sounds like the vocalist of Tool, which is a pretty neutral statement, depending on if you like the band.
Rating: I can see where Net can go with this. They seem to be very talented musicians, and the vocals on this EP don’t make me want to bash skulls in. At the same time, however, it feels like they concentrate on it too much, and it does make the Net sound different than what they can be. When I heard “Aphelia”, I got goosebumps, and even when they went to the samples in “In My Element”, I was kind of getting into it. The rest of the songs are okay, but don’t amount to anything more than just being listenable. Net sincerely has the ability to suck you into songs in the same way Moving Mountains first album did. They bring you in mainly with the music, and then use vocals to their advantage to make the song stick in your head. My grievance is that the vocals on the first track were so interesting, yet on the rest of the album, they were simplistic and monotonous. There are sparks of grace on +, hidden behind the rest of the music, but they can really hammer out something spectacular the next time around; this was their first EP after all. 2/5
B.
Is This Revolutionary? Christmas Mix, Vol. 2: A Very Ambient Christmas (2011)
25 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in album stream Tags: 65daysofstatic, A Very Ambient Christmas, Blueneck, iLiKETRAiNS, Imogen Heap, Matt Stevens, The Water
Because people’s music tastes differ, and not everyone likes Kenny G (if they don’t, they’re dumb), I’ve compiled a collection of the best ambient/instrumental Holiday music I could, and put it into a nice little package for you. I’m just going to keep adding more songs to the list every year, so if you want to be included in the 2012 edition (which may not even happen, on the off chance the Mayans were right), start making songs. As for right now, our list includes:
- “Just For Now”- Imogen Heap
- “I’m Dreaming of a White Noise Christmas”- 65daysofstatic
- “Silent Night”- Matt Stevens
- “Elf Storage” – The Water
- “Auld Lang Syne”- The Water
- “Last Christmas” – iLiKETRAiNS
- Christmas Albums 2008-2011 by Blueneck*
Sometimes, you just need some music to match the holiday, and not make the holiday match the music.
B.
Is This Revolutionary? Christmas Mix Vol 1 : Fuck Christmas
24 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in To Be Sorted
Happy Holidays kids! I managed to scrape together what energy I had after quite the Yule celebration last night. I hop you enjoy this finely curated mix of anti-Christmas, jams. This is the perfect mic to play after all the booze is gone and your left with your nagging family. Enjoy!
1.Fear – Fuck Christmas
2.The Dickies – Silent Night
3.Crass – Merry Crassmas side 1
4. Impact – Punk Christmas
5.M.D.C. – Black Christmas
6.The Damned – There Ain’t No Sanity Clause
7.Agoraphobic Noseblees – Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Holiday Cheer
8.Sonic Youth – Santa Dont Cop Out On Dope
9.Adrenalin O.D. – New Year’e Eve
E.
(Credit – Zombie Santa, Phillip Blackman)
