Interpol – S/T EP

New York and I have yet to reconcile. I’ve always had sort of a love/hate relationship with the city. Of course, all of this is distant, since I’ve never been there, but bear with me. Take, for instance, the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. They always beat my Detroit Tigers. They used to beat my father’s Detroit Tigers. In fact, he hated the Yankees so much, he would put Mickey Mantle baseball cards – now worth several hundred dollars – in the spokes of his bike. I do, however, like the idea of a bustling city, bursting with culture and history. I even like The Strokes just fine. Despite this, I’m really not a big fan of the bands coming out of the city recently. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and their garage ilk all sort of annoy. All this talk of indie rock only being worthwhile if it moves bodies seems awfully bandwagon-esque to me. See? Love hate. Hate the Yankees. Like the image of the city.
Interpol is the New York band that might forever change my opinion of the city. Undoubtedly, they’ll be lumped in with the burgeoning garage rock culture: lots of guitars, wear skinny ties, seem awfully cool. Fortunately, this young four-piece doesn’t sound like they’re playing in a club so much as some sort of hospital. Sterile. Distant. Yet somehow there’s a lot of life living there.
This all-too-brief three-song EP is Interpol’s official debut, though they do have some self-released material. As shown by the Matador tag on the back of this album, somebody’s noticed these guys and gotten them into a nice studio. At first glance, they’re going to draw a lot of comparisons to Joy Division, mostly because the singer’s voice has the same vague, detached yet focused quality. A closer inspection finds the singer’s delivery and tone much closer to that of David Byrne. The band itself whips up a storm in three long songs, the shortest being over four minutes long.
The EP kicks off with “PDA,” the most driving song on the album. Sterile power chords chug along under clean-cut single note leads the patter repetitively over the tight, caustic rhythm section. The songs are mostly built around the two electric guitars, which sound like they’re traveling in straight lines. They’re clear and defined, evocative and chiming, but they’re just dirty enough to blend with the singer’s moan. “NYC” is a much more soothing affair that takes a melancholy verse into a low-flying chorus. When the bridge comes and the singer slides over the line “turn on your bright lights,” it sounds like a pure blast of melody. The six-plus minute “Specialist” closes the EP with a bobbing bass line and the disc’s most coy lyrics: “You make me lose my buttons / oh yeah you make me spit / I don’t like my clothes anymore.” It’s catchy in sort of a macabre way, and the song takes off from there.
What’s really amazing about these songs is their length is never a problem. All the standard elements are there – verse, chorus, bridge – but the songs never seem over-long. This is the most unique-sounding band I’ve heard all year, and I’ll be waiting in line when the full-length comes out in August. So New York and I are at least speaking to each other again. If only Interpol could take care of the Yankees.

Radio 4 – Gotham!

Radio 4 hails from Brooklyn, NYC and carries lofty ambitions like many other kindred NYC artists. Borrowing as much from the sound of past NYC art-punk revolutionaries (Television, Talking Heads) as well as the more dance-oriented British post-punk artists (Gang of Four, Public Image Ltd.), the band creates high standards for themselves by choosing to play such a critically-acclaimed style. While keeping one ear in the past yet still forging forward to create their own musical vision, Radio 4 makes an effort to fill your head with talk of revolution while making your ass move to the beat.
Hit play, and Gotham! opens like a Pandora’s box full of grooving, danceable post-punk sounds. The album opens with “Our Town,” a track that is dedicated to good ol’ New York, a city that is equal parts politics and partying, an idea that is echoed throughout the rest of this album. The over-riding feeling I got from this album is that it is perfect for a wide array of situations. The album’s fourth track, “Struggle,” could be the theme song for any self-respecting, green-bleeding liberal or work just as well as a welcomed addition to the CD changer of a late-night party kid; Gotham! manages to be political without killing the party, funky without losing any meaning. “Save Your City” could have been on the last Strokes record if they listened to anything other than the Velvet Underground. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Radio 4 contemporaries of the Strokes, but whereas those lovable little rich boys opt for a more simplistic approach, Radio 4 goes it the hard way with more sophisticated, layered music.
My only complaint about this brilliant album is that the first half is so strong, the second half is weak in comparison. Songs like “Eyes Wide Open,” “Calling All Enthusiasts,” and the aforementioned “Struggle” bring the ruckus like a room full of fiery, pissed-off liberal college students who have had a little too much to drink. While the same energy and quality are still present past track seven, the remainder of the album could have done without two or three songs.
Radio 4′s Gotham! is without a doubt a fresh-sounding release, one that’s likely not to be duplicated any time soon. The mix of fiery political message and party-time dance beats makes for an accessible combination sure to appeal to indie rockers, dance fiends, and other cross-sections of “the underground.” Hell, I could even see one of these songs being used in the background of a car commercial. So here’s to critical acclaim and cross-over appeal to a deserving group of ambitious musicians.

Man Will Destroy Himself – Consume…Be Silent…Die EP

Hey all you gutter punks, pay attention! Wait, you’d have to have access to a computer to be reading this, but nonetheless, I have a band for you. Hailing from Raleigh, NC and playing heavy-ass, crusty hardcore, I give you … Man Will Destroy Himself! All kidding aside, MWDH brings back that old-school hardcore ethos that says “maybe we aren’t great musicians but we are going to rip shit up.” But to the contrary, this band features Reed from hard rock heroes Corrosion of Conformity. If you’ve ever heard COC’s Deliverance album, or most anything else by them, you know how talented Reed is behind the drums. Rounding out the band is Sam (fronted one of NC’s first hardcore bands, Bloodmobile), and Abe and Dalgo who are in local Raleigh hardcore bands.
Even though Reed is the well-known musician in his band and his drumming is superb, the rest of the guys here can’t be discounted. The guitar attack is truly an attack, full-on and relentless. There is some definite straight-up rock-n-roll flavor mixed in with the old-style hardcore work; check out “My Revenge” to see for yourself. “Who’s Next?” is a ripping, tough-guy hardcore anthem with crunchy riffs. The vocals on every song are commanding and made even more forceful considering all four band members join in on the gang vocals.
Clocking in at just under 14 minutes, Consume…Be Silent…Die is a quick and satisfying listen. It will definitely get you up and moving, remembering hardcore days of yore. It’s obvious how rockin’ of a live show MWDH puts on by just giving this short album a listen. I imagine lots of beer, sweat, and broken stuff.

The GC5 – Never Bet the Devil Your Head

If you’re fed up with the turn punk has recently taken down the poppy, pretty boy road then this is the record for you. Cleveland’s resident raucous punk rawkers, the GC5, bring an old-school punk ethic to their music that respectfully recalls the past and pays its dues to punk rock history while still having a distinctly modern appeal. The band’s name is a pun on pioneering Detroit rockers, The MC5, but their music most reflects the modern working-class punk band ethos and belief system such as workers rights and anti-corporate left-sided politics. Whatever the mix for the vitriol, the boys in GC5 pack some serious punk rock heat.
The band is made up of Doug McKean (vox/bass), brother Dave McKean (drums), and Paulie Weaver/Pete Kyrou (guitars/backing vox). McKean has a penchant for spirited, “Irish” sounding working-class punk-rock songs. You can hear the streets, the pubs, and the Guinness in his scratchy vocals (even though the band’s average age is barely 20). But as rousing as the songs are, they still have catchy edges and sing-a-long choruses. Pump your fist, stomp around, and sing along with my favorite song on this record, “Breakin Down.” Most of the songs are up tempo and rocking, but there are slower ballads like “Lies & Prophecies” and “When All Else Fails.” But it has to be said that basically every song on here can be called a ballad, no matter what the tempo of the song as McKean’s earnest narratives remind me of Social Distortion’s Mike Ness.
Production on this album was handled by Ryan Foltz of the Dropkick Murphys. His touch definitely gives the GC5 a good touch of the Murphys’ signature sound but without the traditional Irish folk elements that makes the Murphys a band close to this reviewer’s green Irish heart. It’s fairly obvious through listening to this record that these guys put on a rollickin’ and energetic show. After releasing their debut full-length, Kisses From Hanoi, in 2000, the band played over 250 shows in support of that record sharing the stages with such punk stalwarts as the Bouncing Souls, the Swingin Utters, and the Dropkick Murphys. So chalk up some genuine road experience as a reason why the GC5 bring such a grizzled, street-smart sound.
This type of punk rock is one that never gets old. If it’s done right, it’s inspiring and uplifting but also something you can cry in your beer to. This stuff does nothing but get my ass up and moving and pumping my fist (use your imagination at home, kids). The GC5 do old style punk rock up right; the sound is hard and earnest, yet catchy enough to be stuck in your head all day. No doubt about it, the GC5 rock!

Euclid Crash – F.M.O.

So Euclid Crash hails from Oklahoma, and they rule. Two random bits of information that are not so vital and so very crucial to this review at the same time. While you’re pondering my contradiction, I’ll fill you in on why Euclid Crash is so great.
First of all, you cannot go wrong with these vocals: a female’s voice over these bass lines is simply heavenly, and it’s even made better by the rough quality of the recording (even though I would’ve mixed the guitars a little louder). Secondly, the bass lines compliment the usual punk drum beat very well but then even make the vocals more distinct, and when I think of the first track, the first two things I think of are the vocals and the bass.
OK, now the thing that sells me on this CD is the keyboard. It sounds like they’ve sampled a Game Boy onto a couple of these songs, and that’s just really really cool. It’s also nice to help the quiet guitars out with some melody.
Euclid Crash has punk drums, power-chord punk guitars, and punk lyrics. You don’t have to think about the lyrics to get their meaning, there are minimal cryptic metaphors here. And while that’s sometimes good, I can’t see Thursday’s lyrics working for Euclid Crash.
Thus ends this review, I must now go and thrash my friends at some video games. But check out Euclid Crash’s sound; it’s similar to a lot, but identical to none. The beautiful roughness of the recording is the same thing that makes me like the Get Up Kids’ Four Minute Mile so much. Some records just sound better when they’re not overproduced, and this is definitely one of them.

City of Caterpillar – S/T

Most great albums come out rolling about with critical praise (and, of course, harsh nit-picking) and will ride that wave of proportioned excitement until an even better album comes out. Then, as it always does, the previous record ends up forgotten on a dorm room floor or used CD bin at your local record store. It’s always been that simple. Hardly anyone talks about Kid A anymore; they’re too busy raving about Source Tags and Codes. Some albums strive to sit on the money spot of people’s top-10 lists and some strive to sell and some just long to be memorable in the least bit. Almost every album ever released anywhere at any point wants to be, or is, one of these things.
Yet, intentional or not, City of Caterpillars’ self-titled album is something just very different. It’s not the best album of the year, it’s not going to sell a million copies, you may not even remember it in five years. But right now it exists simply as a very very good sign of things to come.
If you’ve been looking, you’ve probably heard more unique bands in the last two years than you have in your entire life. Yet at the same time hardcore music has been dumbed down, metal bands disappeared entirely, indie music went mainstream, and ‘emo’ has lost any trace of a meaning it once had. So who is standing out in the sea of mediocre bands? The innovative ones who take their music to the next illogical step. City of Caterpillar doesn’t exist somewhere between the new modern experimental ‘classical’ music and screamed math-y emotional hardcore, they decided to make their home at both ends of the spectrum simultaneously.
This debut is at points more Come On Die Young-era Mogwai (“Minute Hour Day Week Month Year”) than Godspeed You Black Emperor (“Maybe They’ll Gnaw Right Through”), and vice versa. During its more blisteringly tight indulgences into their trademark post-hardcore Molotov-rock-tails, it’s honestly almost too much to handle. There is long tension and there is sudden release. On many occasions, without warning, the whole structure and feel of the song will switch, and suddenly you’re disoriented and looking for the surface while layers of frantic percussive noise will hide the quiet guitars below.
While bands like the kings of mediocrity Dashboard Confessional pander to emotion, this album rips it raw right out of you and holds it above your head and just keeps running. It’s wonderfully panicked, it’s edgy, it’s very difficult, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. But ask yourself this: when was the last time a hardcore album was described as being gorgeous?

Dianogah – Millions of Brazilians

I’ve been a rather large fan of Dianogah ever since their first full length, As Seen From Above, which came out on Ohio Gold a number of years ago. The band formed back in 1995 in Chicago, IL and have released three full lengths and a handful of EPs to date. They have made quite a name for themselves in the past few years touring Europe and South America as well as the US playing with such bands as Shellac, June of ’44, Don Caballero, Hum, The For Carnation, Blonde Redhead, Rachel’s, and The Shipping News.
The trio patents their unique instrumental sound by consisting of only two bass guitars and drums. However, all three musicians put a spin on traditionally based rhythmic instruments and force them to become lead parts playing incredibly catchy and addicting melodies. Each Dianogah release keeps getting better, and the instruments become more intertwined, working together to form either lush melodies or spastic highly rhythmic jams. The year 2000 saw the release of Dianogah’s Battle Champions, which was produced by Steve Albini and really captured the band’s true and accurate live sound, nothing more and nothing less. Battle Champions did quite well by getting many good write-ups as well as charting high on college radio. However, with 2002′s Millions of Brazilians the band decided to progress by focusing on having a more produced and developed sound. They decided to enlist Jon McEntire (of Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, etc) to produce and shape the album in ways that were unconventional compared with their previous albums. The result was a success, and MOB turned into a lush post-rock masterpiece. The songs are rich and much fuller sounding. New instruments were added to fatten up the sound and make the melodies more substantial. These include the addition of vibrato-laden electric guitar, Fender Bass VI, piano, synthesizers, Hammond Organ, and bass clarinet. In addition to these new and exciting instruments (a first for Dianogah) is the fact that they enlisted one of my favorite musicians, Rachel Grimes of the neo-classical post-rock group Rachel’s, to play piano on the album. Jon McEntire also makes appearances on the album as well.
The first track on the record, “Wrapping the Lamp, Sir,” is a memorable tune with a gorgeous intertwining bass melody. Crisp and precise drumming follows in followed by saturated organ in the background as a more or less drone. All of the parts work extremely effectively. The bass guitars play mostly on the high end, forming distinct harmonies between themselves. The track is addicting and definitely calls for repeated listens. The ending of the song is equally as pleasant, coming in at full force with bass chords that are hypnotically beautiful. “Maria, Which Has Got Her Heart Completely Fucked Up” has the very traditional Dianogah sound with bass playing more rhythmic qualities. This song reminds me of the Battle Champions type of material where it is not very produced but yet it works very well. The beginning is mostly staccato with each bass playing sharp and jolting parts. The drumming again is precise and clear and works well for the song. “The Smallest Chilean” comes up next and again is similar the to the previous track, relying more on rhythm than melody while still remaining interesting and intense. The addition of distorted bass and weird off-kilter sounds in the background makes for a tune that is darker than usual.
“American Dipper” is definitely one of the strongest on the record. It starts with a brief harmonic interlude and eventually develops into electric guitar with vibrato as well as piano. Rachel Grimes plays the same beautiful piano part that she plays in Rachel’s, and it complements the bass parts extremely well. The electric guitar part plays an extremely memorable melody that is hauntingly beautiful in combination with the piano. This track demonstrates just how far Dianogah has progressed musically since their last album.
“Flat Panda” combines both the highly rhythmic qualities with the newer more produced sound, incorporating vibrato guitar into the mix. “Take Care, Olaf” starts out with the same type of bass chords as usual but the chorus is extremely full with more of Rachel Grimes’ piano work. The song grabs the listener with it’s extremely melodic melody. This is one of the best tracks on the album. “Piñata Oblongata” adds synths to the mix, adding a strange aura to the music, overlapping amazingly catchy intertwining high-end bass guitar. “Goto Dengo Loses the War” adds bass clarinet on top of high-end bass, which is a unique sound that is very effective. “Pitufina” is reminiscent of older Dianogah sounding more stripped down to the bare elements but still remaining an interesting listen. The last track on the album, “The Sky Came Down to the Rooftops,” starts out with odd sounding effects laden guitar while taking it down a few notches. This is indeed a more introspective and quieter Dianogah, which is less about being all in your face and more about lulling you with hypnotic melodies.
Millions of Brazilians is indeed a breakthrough for Dianogah and their typical sound. The band has showed they are than capable of adding new dimensions to their old formula and still remaining true to their roots. The additional production work shows what a musical genius Jon McEntire truly is. It will be interesting to see where the band goes from here, whether they go back to their earlier sound or if they enter a new sound completely. I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing the band live, but others have told me they are equally as fantastic. MOB will make a nice addition to your collection and will be the perfect album to relax to, drive to, or fall asleep with. If you are not familiar with the group this album will make more of an impression on you than any of their earlier material will. MOB will most certainly make my top 10 list for the best releases of this year.

Keram Malicki-Sanchez – The Birdseed

There are a rare breed of people who are not merely artistic but ultra-artistic. Not merely content to be in a band, they have too many ideas for one project. They play music, they write, they make films, they act, they paint, do any of a hundred other things, and they do them all with various degrees of skill that would make the less talented person sick. LA-based Keram Malicki-Sanchez appears to be one of those people. After forming his own record label at 19 for his band/project Blue Dog Pict, he’s done experimental theater, radio drama, acted in television and film, written novels, and more.

The Blue Dog Pict seem to have an odd retro-rock style that verges at times on 70′s pop and others on an almost industrial sound. Recording solo, his music is an odd amalgamation of styles he at times refers to as non-rock, at other times points out its clearly rocking attributes. As many musicians on their own do, Keram blends styles indiscriminately, mixing rock, new-wave, electronic experimentation, and pure, catchy, hook-laden pop all at once. At times, it sounds remarkably similar to other, well-established musicians, while at other times it takes on the truly unique feel he was obviously pursuing.

“The Birdseed” is one of those songs that blends styles and works quite well. Starting off with buzzing electric guitar and up-tempo pop hooks, it turns into a mix of electronic beats and Elvis Costello-esque pop, blending the styles quite well. Throughout it all, there are moments of heavy guitar riffage, moments of almost gospel-like vocals, and almost British-sounding pop. It’s catchy, to say the least. However, it’s a bit repetitive, and at times it feels like he’s adding in the extra beats for their own sake.

Some artists thrive on their own, free from any restraint of a band to explore their own creative tendencies. Others need the structure of a band to at least help them cull through the host of ideas. Keram Malicki-Sanchez is clearly talented, and without seeing or hearing any of his other endeavors, he’s got quite a bit of skill as a musician. He may need someone to rein in his creativity, however, and help add more structure, to help him choose what’s worth keeping and what’s merely interesting.

Wauvenfold – 3Fold

Let me again stress my varied taste in music. I can listen to virtually anything, from folk to hardcore to rap to country, if it’s unique. If it sounds like every other band in that genre, I’m probably not going to like it. Hence my problem with electronic bands. You can do a million interesting things with synthesized beats and samples, but, in the end, it often comes down to sounding like sped-up beats repeated over and over again, usually for at least eight minutes.
The Nottingham, England-based duo of Noel Murphy and Tom Hill have recorded three 12″ EPs for the UK-based Wichita Records, and now they’re all collected in one handy and quite strikingly packaged CD for your aural pleasure. While clearly electronic experimentalists, these guys are most definitely different. The beats here are unique, often run through effects or distorters to sound like creaks, groans, deep booms, and scratches. These beats at times give you the impression that someone’s moving things around in your house instead of making music, and thus they’re a bit hard to take at first.
But by the third song on this album, you’ll be accustomed to the strange sounds this duo creates and realize that it’s quite definitely music. Because those beats are not random, and they clearly develop into a wholeheartedly unique and exciting rhythm. Add to that some keyboard grooves underneath, often light and airy, and you get an album that’s perfect background music while even better foreground music.
The opener, “Clip,” has this lovely, subtle keyboard line interspersed very lightly under more foreground scratching-sounded beats. The keyboard groove is more pronounced on the more up-tempo and playful “Podunk” and much deeper and richer on the less beat-heavy “Selenium Pulse.” The beats become a tad more traditional – although still interspersed with intriguing and perfectly placed bleeps and scrawls – on “Stab,” while “Residual” is almost ambient with its spacey keyboards and lovely melody underneath these omnipresent beat-sounds that are more than just beats. By contrast, the beats are subdued and play second fiddle to the rich, almost mournful keyboards on “Pixel Stitched.”
By the later tunes – I assume their in order as released, but the progression could be all in my head – the band does start to get a bit carried away with their beats, distorting the sounds for the sake of doing it and layering on other beats, sometimes three different layers of very different beats as on the somewhat difficult “Eye Bulb.” The beats almost distract from the lovely symphonics on the simpler “Obliq Itch,” but at times the song drifts down into dreamy keys alone, creating a haunting atmosphere. The sense of melody is lost in the more ambient “Foil Twitch,” which is followed by two unreleased tracks: the dirgeful and almost frightening “Vessel” and what appears to be a remix of “Clip” done for a John Peel session.
These days, Wauvenfold are plying their unique electronic music in a live setting more often, and I hear their music is quite groove-inducing. What’s presented here is much too laid-back and sweet-sounding to make you want to dance, but it’s easy to imagine them sped up and remixed. The band’s done some remixing of their own, and, even for one who tends to hate remixes, I imagine their take on almost any song would be an exciting one. This is some of the best electronic music I’ve ever heard, and I strongly encourage you taking a listen to Wauvenfold.

Snowglobe – Our Land Brains

There’s always been a heavy dose of retro pop – an homage to the 60s, if you like – in bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and their Elephant 6 compatriots. Yet some of these bands take it further than others, providing no so much an updated take on a retro sound but trying to recreate that sound altogether. The Apples in Stereo often fall into that category. While not part of the Elephant 6 collective, Memphis, Tennessee’s Snowglobe clearly could be, and yet unlike those heavily retro-minded bands, their take on the 60s pop sound sounds rooted in a more quirky kind of modern indie pop.
Employing a cadre of horns, Rhodes piano, and organs in addition to the traditional guitars, bass, and drums, Snowglobe take a poppy, quirky bent on retro-sounding indie rock. Their songs are at once playful and silly while rich and vibrant. Something of a romp the whole way through, it’s equal parts Kinks and Pavement, the Beatles and Neutral Milk Hotel, past and present. With meticulous recording, it’s easy to see how this album will please the Elephant 6 fans and disturb those who find that collective’s sound too dated for their taste.
Snowglobe’s only real shortfall is that they appear to have tried too hard on this, their debut release. Sixteen songs fill a very long album that feels even longer through moments of extended guitar and keyboard interplay on some songs. Throughout those songs, they seem confused as to whether they want to lean more heavily on the past or reach more for the modern approach. Songs like the folky “Waves Rolling,” which rolls as it says upon its lush vocal treatment, and “Big City Lights,” with its warbling saw-like sounds and folksy vocals leading to a great big finish, lean more toward the retro sound. “Smiles and Frowns” takes an Of Montreal-like circus romp feel, playful and upbeat. The playful and bright “The Song that Frustrates Us” has a light, Beatles-esque feel to it.
Truly in their own unique voice, the band is at its best in moments like the more involved “Dreamworks, a fantastic song, folky at times and yet given more urgency through soft horns, emotionally delivered vocals, and an ending filled with psychedelic guitar and cascading keyboards. The up-tempo pop of “Muse” might be otherwise unassuming if not for the heavy dosage of trumpets and keyboards that give it a playful, slightly psychedelic feel. It contrasts the lovely and intimate feeling “Stubber,” which uses soft strings and sensual horns to back up the vocals. Some nice and unique keyboard sounds add a more modern feel to “Experiments.”
While not the biggest fan of the Elephant 6 variety of retro-pop, I can’t help but be drawn to Snowglobe. Perhaps it’s the sheer sincerity of the vocals, the perfect amount of horns and keys to accompany lovely, often acoustic guitars, or the light song structures, but this is definitely an enjoyable summery pop album.

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