Reviews
We vs. Death (NL) just went on a little eurotour. At the end of it I saw them in Berlin. One-word review: Stunning.
They’re a 5-piece playing almost entirely in minor. It’s in the sentimental line of post-rock – but there’s enough musical creativity to engage, and more than anything, it works in a live setting. The lyrics are sparse, the trumpet is eerie, but it’s fitted as a perfect counter-balance to a heavy and dense foundation.
We vs. Death - A Black House, A Coloured Home
Beep! Beep!, 2009
Hey you! Get you speakers out! It’s time for some Airpeople! And it’s time for me to admit that 9/10 bands on this blog have no singers… jolly brilliant, if you ask me.
The Golden City is their debut and a soothing collection of 9 varied instrumental rock tracks. What I think Airpeople does well (besides from reminding me of FMTM) is their catchy surface combined with a post-rockish layering of guitars… without degrading themselves to the daunting, cliché post-rock buildups, that is. Instead, most of the tracks are kept on the lighter, refreshing and positive side – like sharing the energy and dynamics of team spirit and combined, creative minds. Or as Flo from the band says:
When we started with Airpeople we had a rough idea of the creative process, not so much of the way it should sound. A focus or the idea behind Airpeople is to experiment with all kinds of styles and to create music thats exciting for us to play. We’ve known each other for a long time before Airpeople, love to play music and trying new things keeps it interesting and fun. There are so many things you can try and we like to take our time for that. So far we never had a clear picture of the song before we started working on something new. Sometimes there is a vague idea for the atmosphere, everybody plays what he likes and then we see how the pieces can become a song. In the end the song can be very different from the original idea.
Visit their site and have a listen to the first track of the album. And no, the oil drums aren’t real.
Airpeople - The Golden City
Golden Antenna, September 2009
Ever tired of Monads? I am. I know a lot of people who are. In computer science this is like highlight of all frustrations. An IO Monad is (said in a humane way) something that can contain your logics separated from actual input/output. It’s something that enables you to abstract from the side-effects of communication, so it won’t poison your reasoning. And this makes perfect sense: Say you’re a band, and you have your own reasoning about music. Why care about the side-effects?
For Io Monade Stanca there seems to be a logic that music is worth the intuition it can distract and dismantle. It sounds like Shellac and June of 44, for sure dusty. Unlike their old influences they play with a sort of confused/confusing orientation towards noise rock. The band is fully in sync about their mission, yet sounding like something in chaos and without an aim. It’s a technical fascination to listen to, but at the same time played at a slow pace. Maybe I’m as insane as the music, but I’ve been listening a lot to this in the background of my work. It’s like fragments pieced together, resembling what music might be in my subconsciousness.
And like the previous review, I’ll leave you with a link, so you can procrastinate about something the band happened to mention in a song title.
Io Monade Stanca - The Impossible Story of Bubu
Africantape, October 2009
I cannot overlook the fact of a new Bats album. Finally. I receive it with all guards down, expecting something fun, technical and well… entertaining. And here it is: Exactly how I pictured it and a natural extension to the old EP. Delivered at ripping speeds and with little regards to genres. What’s so fascinating about BATS is the natural blend of danceable, mathy and heavy, a medicine against boredom, an energy that’s transferable directly from speakers to body. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta. Someone certainly chose a scientific theme for this. Star Wormwood? Mythological, too. Getting to grips with a main theme for the album or even understanding basic parts of the texts is a challenge, but maybe also a wake-up call. Is it okay to listen to something you perfectly don’t have a clue about the ideas of? Is it okay to listen to the opposite? And how about the most noble ideas in modern science – to label them geek-classified and move on is just a shame. No, let’s put music on them. The album comes with a text-book, so once I’m done grooving out, I’ll check the texts. A few links…
BATS - Red In Tooth And Claw
Richter Collective, August 2009
Alright… this was mentioned in an earlier post, but new instrumental band on Hello Sir released their 30 minute debut last month! Hurray! It’s a duo consisting of guitar player Adam Joyce and drummer/keyboardist Brennan O’Brien, and judging from youtube, they look pretty cool live.. with or without the local drunken douchebag crowd. Being a duo, the sound could of course lack something, but TBC uses their setup to the optimal effect, special features being multitudes of lightly strummed, layered guitars, intoxicating shifts in volume and loads of reverb.. all done very coherently. You could easily draw a parallel to the initial two-man outfit of Russian Circles, that managed to bring about some of the hardest-hitting, super-focused, technical post-rock I’ve ever heard. TBC is much less metallic and mathy, though, but they manage just as well as Russian Circles to create a sound that reveals some impressive results when played at adequate volumes. This is both due to skilled, clear production and even more so, the intelligent structure of layers and the sonic spaces they each operate in.
The tracks on I’m The Spring are all quite post-rockish in the traditional sense: Instrumental, guitar, outbursts, buildups, slow-downs. But nowadays when these old methods don’t really work, and I find myself yawning at Mogwai, it’s quite a relief to see them used in a new setting, with shorter tracks and thus more compact excitement. On a few occasions TBC do slow down quite a lot, but it certainly doesn’t ruin the album and seems more of a natural break in the flow of the album than a cheap sentimental trick. Check out the opening track of the album below.. some of the best stuff I’ve heard this year…
Underpass Sunrise:
The Bronzed Chorus - I'm The Spring
Hello Sir, April 2009
Passe Montagne has a sound typical of 90s noiserock, especially Shellac. But their short, fast grind-like tracks are constantly changing between rhythms and riffs that make them sound skizo, like Don Cab or Hella. It’s a crazy energy shock, but just the kind of thing to put on if you need your hyperactive disorders cured. There’s even some hooks in there, so for a few seconds they’ll make you feel comfortable in their environment before once again shredding the rhythm and the melody. Like balancing on your toes.
Passe Montagne - Oh My Satan
Africantape, April 2009
This baby barely needs introduction. It’s been known for a long time, that FMTM was recording a new album, and many of the songs have been played live for the past 2 years. What took them so long, though, is very evident in the final result – and all the touring of course. Oh, and maybe because 2 members live in San Fransisco and the other in New York. The structures of every of the tracks are perfectly fitted and produced in such a careful way that you can only love them instantly and even more for every listen and every new detail. As a comparison to the other two full-lengths, FMTM are definitely doing what they have always done, so in no way can anyone be disappointed. It’s just what I was hoping for after having loved The Impossible Leap… (2003) and their s/t debut (2002), which I might add seems to be totally underrated.
The album plays well as a whole, maybe a tad more danceable at times, and maybe a tad more quiet at other times than what we’re used to. And then there’s choir singing part of the opener.. heavenly new idea that really fits. You might know two numbers already, ‘Beyond God and Elvis’ (from the tour EP) and ‘Let Them Know Its Christmas Time’ (formerly the ‘Edagda demo’ on Myspace). The other ones are of even better quality – more dynamic and more firm, which is such a relief. I thought ‘Beyond God and Elvis’ was one of their weaker tracks and a signal that everything was getting post-rock sentimental, but instead we get a fresh new doze of melody and rhythm playing on a broader scale of emotion.
And as for the political relevance: this world still needs fixing. Glad that someone can write music about that and not lose orientation or drown their own art in political messages.
From Monument To Masses - On Little Know Frequencies
Golden Antenna / Dimmak, March 2009
We’re eager listeners of anything coming out of Nantes. A common denominator could be something like technical rock wrapped in clean and tight sound, typically mentioning Shellac, Fugazi and The Ex… and quite successfully carrying the sound from back then, and then a bit further.
Fordamage packs lots of interesting elements, ranging just as wide as Shellac does – playfulness mixed with seriousness. As a result, it’s hard to get bored, but instead you’re strapped in for the full 32 minutes. Guitars are loud, but there’s a quiet moment lurking behind every outburst and vice versa. Tight, dynamic etc etc. it seems like Fordamage has been listening to a lot of variety, because you can almost hear jazz and balkan in some passages, everything of course trademarked with a sound that doesn’t make the effort blurry – It’s focused, and that’s probably a result taking more time to write, which really bears fruit for a band in this scene.
So be sure to give it a shot and hang around at their shows in UK, France, Belgium and Netherlands.
Fordamage - Belgian Tango
Kythibong, January 2009
Trying to catch up with recent releases, here’s another important one from 2008: If a band says they’re inspired by June of 44, Unwound, Rodan and Hoover, they’re automatically qualified for a review here. It’s not that I personally think they sound a lot like any of them, but there’s the noise-ridden, super-loud production that makes them sound 90s, and it’s so authentic that I have a hard time imagining it’s new. And we’ll value any effort in this regard.
Gods & Queens do their own thing. Everything is Untitled with this band, and that kind of emphasizes how their songs are a little hazy and anonymous when played alongside each other. Normally music will make your feelings surface through dynamics – loud vs. quiet, fast vs. slow, noisy vs. clear etc. But Gods & Queens are a bit simpler, mainly just sticking to loud and noisy. What you’ll be looking for is the slow progressions and the melody changes buried deep within the noise. It might make the album hard to enjoy at first, but as you spin it further and get to know them, it gets easier to tell what they’re doing. This might sound like a failure, but make no mistake that this album couldn’t have been done much better with regards to shoegazed frustration and fear. Track 4 is probably the most accessible track due to its gentle beginning, building upon the same jam throughout its duration, but gradually increasing in loudness. The closing track of the album has the same formula as the other tracks, but extends to almost ten minutes, and this is in my opinion where they have the strongest impact, although it’s better to judge this album as a unity.
Gods & Queens might be near your favorite venue in Europe in April, so be sure to catch them.
Gods & Queens - Untitled
Robotic Empire / Adagio 830, October 2008
Nantes label Kythibong has an interesting menu these days, judging from which there should be no hesitation acquiring what they put out. This one is a CD release of 250 copies all in cardboard and with an impressively clear silkscreen print featuring the 4th Baboon, a wise-looking elderly baboon with beautiful white hair made by label-mate The Healthy Boy.
Komandant Cobra sounds a lot like 31 Knots, but they are far more a rock outfit, with a flair for moving from quiet guitar sessions to hard-pounced drums all nicely put into effect by a well-fitted production. The track Moi Le Rouquin begins with a pretty hefty guitar riff instantly being backed up with some of the most crispy drumming, I’ve heard for a long time, reminding me of how the new Papier Tigre and Shellac sounds, too. They keep playing like that for a few minutes until slowing down and adding lyrics. And this part might sound surprising at the first listen, because singer Emmanuel Ligner puts a lot more effort into beauty than aggression — done too by 31 Knots and Frank Shinobi, but K.C. dares to sound even sadder at times.
In general it’s a really nice effort, and maybe they slow down a bit too often for my taste, but heck; Tracks like Fish, Moi Le Rouquin and We Get Astray reveal a strong outfit, and let’s hope to see them finding their way around Europe.
Komandant Cobra - Baboon Qu4tre
Kythibong, December 2008
