Passage – The Forcefield Kids (Anticon, 2004)
(This originally appeared in Canned Magazine)
Everything from Anticon has an undeniably cohesive style. This release from Passage (Restiform Bodies) has that feel and a little style on top. The Northeasterner transplanted himself to Oakland a few years ago and has since been involved with Anticon: spreading the gospel of oddity. Again, Anticon doesn’t specialize in hip-hop. The collective specializes in exploding the boundaries of said genre. Passage doesn’t necessarily rap, he sings and strums a guitar a good part of the time. Although the guitar playing is accompanied with myriad burps, gurgles and hums of electronics, one can most certainly hear the folky influence in the music. The album itself flows well. With any hip-hop or electronic recording a test for competence is the ability of the producer to meld each track together to create a seamless breadth of work. The Forcefield Kids possesses a singular vision of sonic textures, thanks to Passage. While this slab does not sound specifically derivative of one artist/group the closest relation may be Beans and his first solo full length Tomorrow Right Now. Sometimes the boom-bap doesn’t sound like rap, but more like electronic punk. The album starts off with an unsettling instrumental and proceeds to offer similar sonic settings throughout. Often times Passage does not rap, but sings portions of the verse only to explode with section of raps (“Lost in Boston with a head full of Zanex”). When verses are understandable they’re interesting, but occasionally between the raps and bizarre production a track becomes trying (“Put together/Play/Red Ferrari calendar blob”). This is an amalgam of sounds, only for the advanced listener, but certainly an apt introduction to Anticon for the uninitiated.
Tracklisting:
01 – Forcefield Intro
02 – In the Bio Burbs
03 – Creature in the Classroom
04 – The Pins in the Bowels of Charmed Design,
05 – Old Aunt Mary
06 – Free Luvv, From Left Field
07 – Whine Money
08 – The Unstrung Harp
09 – The Kiss Ass Karaoke
10 – Put Together, Play, Red Ferrari Calendar Blob
11 – Jail 4 Lil’ Geniuses
12 – Duck’n'cover
13 – 19911
14 – The Unspectacular Whiteboy Slave Song
15 – Spring ‘97
16 – Suffragette
17 – Reagan’s Chest
18 – All the News That’s Fit to Pint
19 – Scarefilm
20 – Poem to the Hospital
21 – Pail of Air
Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores – Everyman for Himself & God Against All (Corleone, 2003)
(This originally appeared in Canned Magazine)
Let us all pretend that men birth babies and that another man has the ability to impregnate him. And if a man has multiple partners, each man’s DNA some how meshes to create the next generation. Now, put Zappa, Weird Al and Tom Waits in a room with a buncha liquor and a bed. Nine months later, Alec K. Redfearn pops out playing tracks from this slab on his accordion. I don’t know if that’s an endorsement or a condemnation, but the redoubtable talent and uniqueness of this release is indisputable. You know that once a man sings a love song and repels the aire of mediocrity in the lyrics, there is in-fact talent. These folks do it on “Ohio” and it’s even amusing while they’re amidst the groove. Most of the time, the music makes me feel as if I should be walking down a tree-lined pathway with a mule and a silly hat on – I’m not. There are a number of songs (“Black Tar and White Slavery”, “Nail/Total Eclipse of the Head/K-Hole”) constructed with minimal lyrics to shift focus to the bizarre, off-kilter melodies and funky rhythms of The Eyesores: damned enjoyable. The lone musical quandary reveals itself on the final two tracks that are ostensibly one. “The Green Hat” is a seven-minute drone, while “Coccyx” is a drone of only one minute and eleven seconds. As innocuous as the pair are, they’re alternately charming and a waste of time. Yet, the closing is only a finite blemish on an otherwise genuinely inventive release.
Tracklisting:
1. Mole
2. Candy-Ass
3. Heartpunch
4. Ohio
5. Black Tar and White Slavery
6. Nail/Total Eclipse of the Head/K-Hole
7. Black Holes
8. Cold Little Knife
9. Screeching Halt
10. The Green Hat
11. Coccyx
Odd Nosdam – Level Live Wires (Anticon, 2007)
(This originally appeared in Rock-a-Rolla)
The scattered aural aesthetic of Anticon is forever weaving in and out of its past. Level Live Wires works hard to sit itself firmly in early Anticon styles while still trying to accommodate newer listeners who are familiar with some of the more rock flavored releases of the collective. The more droney aspects of this slab are in relation to the latter day releases and include a consistent vocal throughout “Fat Hooks” that somehow, tangentially, refers to Rhys Chatham or Lou Reed. In all fairness though, the beats presented by Nosdam include dirty, earthy samples that can shoot images of old vinyl into listeners’ heads as on “Kill Tone” and its sequel “The Kill Tone Two”. In the same manner that the producer uses simplistic hip-hop and assimilates it into an even more minimalist structure, he has created a vast array of track titles that are obviously interrelated. “Burner” and “Up in Flames” are a prime example of this work with the two following each other closely and sharing a very similar tempo. Criticism aside, this disc can work as something to drive your car, read a book, take a nap or just jam out to; all the while, Odd Nosdam pushes his label towards a return to form.
Tracklisting:
01 – On
02 – Kill Tone
03 – We Dead
04 – Freakout 3
05 – Fat Hooks
06 – Blast
07 – The Kill Tone Two
08 – Burner
09 – Up In Flames
10 – Slight Return
11 – Off
Mushroom – Joint Happening/Yesterday, I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers…
(This originally appeared in Rock-a-Rolla)
On every release, Mushroom has a different purpose stated throughout their musical excursions. At some points they do want to sound is if Krautrock was a validly popular musical offshoot. And at others, the sound of their city, San Fran, in past days becomes the focus. These two releases, Joint Happening and Yesterday, I Saw You Kissing Tiny Flowers…, shows the structural elements of the bands compositions being based around themselves and then someone else’s talents. On Joint Happening, the band is joined by Eddie Gale. With this addition the band doggedly attaches itself to early ‘70s fusion. Mushroom’s explorations often seem looser, if that’s possible, then much of what was being birthed in the ‘70s. Frequently the sound is not as tough and funky, “Our Love” for example. But on “I was Torn Down at the Dance Place, Shaved Head at the Organ”, the entire groove is based around the break beat. Now, all of these things occur organically, but on Yesterday, the band occasionally submits their sound to the leadership of Levy. Her performance won’t necessarily interest fans of the instrumentals even when Afro-beat, Kraut jams and somewhat sloppy grooves are all present.
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (Domino, 2007)
Even though Animal Collective has been creating music for almost seven years, the break through of Sung Tongs (2004) has not quite faded away. The fluid nature of the band and its sound has continued with the even more electronically pronounced Strawberry Jam. The slick digital photography of this release contrasts with the handmade look of Sung Tongs and the storybook quality of Feels (2005). Musically, Jam seems detached from previous efforts as well. While maintaining the same raucous, chanty mood of the past, lead off track “Peace Bone” incorporates electronics in an extreme fashion. Esoteric lyrics follow with the line “an obsession with the past is like a dead fly” while the following track sounds more laid back. “Unsolved Mysteries” utilizes negative space between the bubbles emitted from the production and the basic melody. “Ralph and Florian” era Kraftwerk makes its influence felt on “#1” as the album becomes more disjointed, but never sloppy. Concluding Jam is the most Beach Boys inspired vocal selection as AC croon either about a child or a dog (take your pick) while the track spirals into the boom-bap production that closes out another further reaching Animal Collective offering.
Busking: The Portico Quartet
Whoever the last street musician was that you saw, these folks easily trump ‘em. A bit too ’smooth’, but that’s also just an opinion.
Visit the Brits at Myspace.
Shaky Hands – Lunglight (Holocene/Kill Rock Stars, 2008)
I’ve read reviews of this slab that mention M. Ward and R.E.M. (who shouldn’t really be mentioned ever – unless it’s in a tone of derision). And since that’s the case, invoking those names further won’t really be a great help. But since the US is supposedly amidst an underground rock renaissance, I suppose that these Northwesterners are going to be lumped into that. Of course, one would first have to accept the fact that rock is making a come back and if No Age or Fleet Foxes are proof of that – well there just might not actually be an argument to be made.
Lunglight is unquestionably a rock record: easily digestible and springing forth hooks. The most outstanding quality to the lead off track, “A New Parade” is its ability to make me recall “New Breed” by Iron Cross. Nick Delffs lackadaisical, slurred singing is charming in a certain way, but here, his nonchalance enables one to hear his lyrics in ways that he did not intend. The off kilter singing pledges debts to Steven Malkmus, much in the same way that very frequently the rhythm section sounds like an updated Talking Heads. The drumming surpasses the rest of the music in its inventiveness and there seems to be a repeated Caribbean inflection in a lot of the playing. Drumming behind the beat on “You’re the Light” recalls ska (you’re laughing – don’t.)
An overwhelming majority of this disc is pretty standard fare. Occasionally, the drumming swells into some sort of poly-rhythmic frenzy only to be dragged down again by the normalcy of the rest of the group. Shaky Hands, though, are at its best when Delffs indulges his bizarre sonic fantasies – this happens too infrequently. “No Say” proffers a quite and almost jazzy progression interspersed with some guitar noise instead of a bridge. That ‘bridge’ could be the most impressive portion of the album. And that’s too bad, because Shaky Hands sound almost urgent. But not quite.
Zs: Live at the Comet Tavern (Seattle, 08.07.08)
Zs is in a constant state of flux and their music aptly represents it. Beginning with the ‘05 disc Karate Bump, the purely instrumental group struck out beyond math rock and whatever other variation or sub genre one would care to construct. Incorporating flamboyant compositions into a group that might listen to as much Mission of Burma as Albert Ayler, it yielded the ‘07 release of Arms. The compositions were staggeringly complex as on previous efforts, but the release was bolstered by a newly recognized penchant for vocals. A bit shocking at first, but the group’s ability to lock into complicated timings and progressions so far superseded any potential criticisms – in the end the change was charming.
Their latest release, the Hard EP on Three One G showcases the newest configuration of the band: Sam Hillmer (saxophone), Ben Greenberg (guitar), and Ian Antonio (drums). At the Comet, Greenberg’s clear guitar may have hinted at the Flamin’ Groovies classic Teenage Head while Antonio’s set, lacking cymbals but sporting electronics pointed towards electronica. The squall of the next thirty minutes was unpredictable.
In past performances, with two or more additional members, the interplay of the group depended on the swell of each player locking in step with one another to create a tremendous layer of repetitive figures. Lacking an additional guitar and saxophone suggested that Zs’ sound could become thin, not necessarily less cacophonous, but not as dense and full.
But the trio burst forth with noise, playing their set ceaselessly. Hillmer performed with a music stand slightly off to his left, but Greenberg and Antonio seemed to fall into a sort of swaying musical trance as their bodies reflected the variegated sections of the composition. If there was a break for applause, there would have been a great deal, but at every turn that seemed like some summation to a musical statement, there was more. Watching Antonio stretch prior the band beginning made sense. In addition to the vast mental stamina put into writing this piece, the endurance required for such a performance seemed tantamount to running a marathon. It was more than appropriate for each member of the trio to be seated.
The only disappointing aspect of the evening was that crowd which formed for the local acts filtered out to smoke cigarettes, mill around with their pals and ostensibly ignored Zs. The ten or so attentive fanboys – and the one young woman who somehow figured dancing was a good idea – were privy to a performance that seemed out of place at the Comet. Where was the Seattle avant-jazz crew? Why wasn’t this show sought out by the folks that book the Chapel (no, not the bar in Capitol Hill, the venue in Wallingford) or Gallery 1412? Perhaps there’s an answer and maybe we’ll find out if Zs visits the NW again. Maybe.
Read more at Skyscraper.
Zs – Arms (Planaria, 2007)
(This originally appeared in the Spring ‘08 issue of Skyscraper)
Zs, when first glimpsed, don’t look like their music sounds. And probably that’s a cultural failing on my part for making assumptions. But in performance, members may don hooded sweatshirts and pants that one might refer to as tight. That belies the sound the group creates. Seeing them is closer to watching a chamber orchestra than a jazz or rock outfit. Arms finds the group adding an element that was lacking on Karate Bump but not during subsequent tours – vocals. “B is for Burning” begins the album and sounds as if the group is continuing in the same vein as previous efforts. The compositions are dense with notes and the percussion serves to accent the music, instead of directing it. Acknowledging of the no wavers before them, the following track sounds like James Chance slowed down before it turns to the drone of “Nobody Wants to Be Had”, which also sports vocals that impressively follow the guitar and sax melody. Even with the added vocal element, the band’s main objective is working with rhythm and timing. On every track odd meter or significant pauses work to disorient the listener. It’s disorienting in a pleasant and cerebral way though.
Tracklisting:
01 – B is for Burning
02 – Woodworking
03 – Nobody Wants to Be Bad
04 – Balk
05 – I Can’t Concentrate
06 – Except When You Don’t Because Sometimes You Won’t
07 – Z is for Zone
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – The Letting Go (Drag City Records, 2006)
I don’t recall exactly when being folky got to be cool again, but I’m alright with it for the most part, save for Devandra Banhart. Charlie Parr, Iron and Wine and this gentleman, BPB, have been carrying on a tradition of old timey instruments with newer production and recording techniques to varying degrees. And regardless of what music one has encountered that has involved BPB before, his latest album, The Letting Go, comes across as not only more of a singular vision, but also one that is easily applicable to any and all that listen. A gloomy violin, which acts to almost recall a silent film score begins “Love Comes to Me”. The slight guitar figure compliment the voice of BPB as the hand drums add some motion to the song. This opening track sets the tone for the album and is recalled again on a few other tracks that also study the human condition. “Cold and Wet” has a pre-war blues feeling and the vivid couplet “Shoes are wet/Our skin is cold”. But this time it’s physical and emotional pain as opposed to simply the later. Finger picking isn’t lacking on this BPB outing and on “Big Friday” the listener gets a little sample along with a nice reverb soaked slide part. If you weren’t a fan before, or were a bit apprehensive, The Letting Go might be an open to door to begin falling in love with good ole Billy – swear.
Tracklisting:
01 – Love Comes To Me
02 – Strange Form of Life
03 – Wai
04 – Cursed Sleep
05 – No Bad News
06 – Cold & Wet
07 – Big Friday
08 – Lay And Love
09 – The Seedling
10 – Then the Letting Go
11 – God’s Small Song
12 – I Called You Back