A short little burst of spastic drum machines, pop vocal loops and goofy samples are just primed to bring out the Great Cornholio in all of us. And how can you NOT like an album with chicken and sheep sounds?
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10853 Hits
Ted Leo breaks no new ground. I know it, he knows it, and everyone familiar with his music knows it. While his fans can argue that he plays for those who weren't able to catch his influencors in their prime, another, and more convincing argument is that Leo is good at what he does. And to be honest, he really fucking is.
7784 Hits
I'm never opposed to making time for a new record from The Sea and Cake. While they don't explore new territory, I'm never let down. Everybody is a once again welcome record to mark the end of the cold season, optimistically looking forward to more pleasant, brighter days.
13120 Hits
An ATP-sponsored reunion of the dormant Aussie post-punk band is a revelation, and this live album shows just how many of the bands you know nicked from the Scientists' legacy. While packaged like a best of compilation, Sedition is actually the document of a May 2006 performance at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. It covers their own "best of" material from their nine year career and it can easily function as such because the band still plays as tightly as one who never took any sort of break.
12236 Hits
For those in need of a disc to spin this coming Halloween to scare the children, or simply can't get enough of clanging percussion and synth noise, this may fit the bill. For the rest of us…not so much.
6595 Hits
This sixth album is another firm step forward for Ectogram. While still firmly rooted in the Krautrock and post-punk spirit that is their hallmark, they keep pushing their albums into new places, challenging themselves and creating a treat for us in the process. It is easy to get lost in this album for hours; the eight songs that make up this album are meticulous in terms of sonic texture and each listening experience is full of new surprises. Not only that but Fluff on a Faraway Hill is fun too.
9039 Hits
Since 1934, Fuentes has been the premiere record label of Colombia, home to the country’s rich legacy of music. Covering the years from 1960 to 1976, this compilation is instantly likeable and very enjoyable throughout, highlighting some of the best work from the Fuentes vaults.
6649 Hits
It would hard to live up to the level of anticipation surrounding this debut from Brazilian producer Gui Boratto after his string of tantalizing singles, so I wasn't surprised when it didn't quite meet my expectations. There are plenty of enjoyable moments, but not nearly as many as there should be.
6973 Hits
Ted Leo breaks no new ground. I know it, he knows it, if you’re familiar with his music, then you know it. Even when he was in Chisel back in the mid-1990’s, his band's influences were obvious. Those influences were both clichéd and similar—the Who, the Jam, the Kinks. When he went solo about a decade ago, he updated the influences, but the approach was still the same. Starting out on Lookout! Records, Leo made songs referencing the Clash, the Pogues, Elvis Costello and almost all of the Stiff Records catalogue. His apologists (and he has many) hide behind two rhetorical walls. One, they say that he plays now for people who weren’t around the first time. This is a common argument, used for artists like Green Day and the Rapture, but it’s not a convincing one. It’s not like Leo is Alan Lomax, keeping alive a dying, unrecorded tradition—the Clash has left behind a bunch of CDs that anybody can get their hands on. I was in pre-school when London Calling was being recorded, but I’ve still educated myself on that generation of musicians. I assume that most people that would pick up an independent label CD would have, too. The other—and somewhat more convincing—argument is that Leo is good at what he does. And to be honest, he really fucking is. Living with the Living is fantastically well done and had it been made thirty years ago, it would be a masterpiece. The second song, “Sons of Cain,” sounds like a cross between The Replacements “Bastards of Young” and the Clash’s “Hateful” but you know what’s amazing? It’s almost as good. The same goes for the Costello-ish “Army Bound” and “Crying Over You,” which sounds ridiculously like the Clash when they were in reggae mode. These songs have a certain brilliance, but it’s greatly reduced by their unoriginality--listening to this album is like kissing a beautiful, but stupid woman. Poor Ted Leo. Had he been born thirty years earlier, it’s possible he would be remembered as a genius. But just as likely, he could have looked at the burgeoning punk scene of the late 1970’s and started a fantastic doo-wop band.
1592 Hits
With so-called intelligent dance music still inexplicably directionless to the point of being neutered and de-legitimized, purveyors of this once-promising sound seem to be throwing the kitchen sink at the problem in desperation. Emblematic of this rut, this pleasant and schizophrenic album attempts to embody an entire record collection's worth of influences, resulting in something neither fish nor fowl.
9725 Hits
Schneider TM attempts to broaden the palate with the help of Max Turner and grandmother Edith Kuss. Thankfully he doesn't abandon the machine-like vocal tendencies that can be so endearing. Not everything works on Škoda Mluvit, but there are moments of bliss and fun.
7223 Hits
Repackaged, remastered and reissued with a 13 minute bonus track, this mighty release from Kevin Drumm sees the dark of night again. The five pieces are more varied and exciting than I believed noise could be; this is no lazy DIY noise made with a handful of effects pedals plugged into each other. Drumm has molded this immense sound into such an imposing form that I do not think even an army of Merzbows could stand up to.
9983 Hits
Their fourth album sees Grails continuing to go from strength to strength. Even after last year's excellent Black Tar Prophecies collection I am completely gobsmacked at how far Grails have come on in such a short space of time. The title of the album is particularly apt as the group have shed all unnecessary fat from their sound. There is not a misplaced note or tone on this album, this definitely sounds like Grails have sold their souls at the crossroads in exchange for untold amounts of talent.
8058 Hits
Sonically seduced by the infinitely reverberating, rapturous depths of this record, I no longer care that Sasu Ripatti essentially mines the same creative space with every Vladislav Delay release. The fact remains that under this moniker he makes perpetually gorgeous, imperfectly fractured ambience, setting the mood for transformation and reflection on a quiet night alone.
7620 Hits
Unfussily and without gimmicks, Adam Pierce (as Mice Parade) favors certain notes and chords that quickly build excitement, sadness, and nostalgia. I don't think of this as cheap, easy, commercial or anything less than art. To dismiss it as pop would be a mistake.This disc is an evolved version of his flowing, blissful, non-clichéd popular music.
9283 Hits
Yet another collaboration from the same group of people is getting tedious, not enough experimentation or progress is being made on the musical front. This duo comprises of Caleb Scofield and Santos Montano, both from Old Man Gloom and the former is also in Cave In. I have a feeling more people will be sold on Zozobra based on the artist connections than on the strength of the music. The Hydra Head talent pool ia growing stagnant and this mediocre at best album is firm proof that the label is in serious danger of becoming a circle jerk for a few select artists.
8524 Hits
Taking inspiration from the likes of the Velvet Underground and Albert Ayler, Organ Eye is the manifestation of four different persons "doing improv" for the first time, and the results are worth taking a closer look at.
7669 Hits
Being a noise musician is kind of like joining the mafia. Sure, you can do other things with your life, branch out and try something new, but you can never really leave the scene. Seeing a release on Touch, that bastion of UK beard-stroking electronic experimentation, would lead one to think Kazuyuki Kishino has dropped the guitar noise and tossed out the effects in favor of a Powerbook and Max/MSP…but that would be wrong.
9070 Hits
Those present at November's Brainwaves who witnessed Troum's mindblowing set who have been seeking more music from them that resembled their set that night can stop here. Reviewing the videos from Brainwaves it's all clear now that Shutûn is undoubtedly the piece performed that night. For those unfortunate enough to miss out, a large portion of this performance is actually available now on the video podcast.
12412 Hits
Ripped from February 2007 live sets in Den Haag and Antwerp, this is Skullflower in violent duo mode. Joined by Culver's Lee Stokoe, Matthew Bower continues to use this project as an instrument of assault. Anyone looking for the nearly formed structures of recent Skullflower non CD-R releases will be disappointed. This twin guitar din is a storm of falling patterns, shredded by feedback and broken temple wails. As with most of Bower's work beneath the onslaught there is a strata of high end sparkles, though attention needs to be paid to Abyssic Lowland Hiss to reveal it.
9500 Hits
