Alice Lee – Could This Be Love

Combining the slinky rhythms of the more popular Brazilian styles with the chord changes and sky-reaching crooning harmonies of 70s R&B stars like Stevie Wonder, Alice Lee has a general appeal that is at once artful and commercial. The softly mutated genre-fucking leaves me at a loss to call the music anything other than jazz; especially since Lee’s vocals are appropriately versatile yet retaining a signature clarity that makes it easy to categorize her as a jazz-vocalist, placing virtuosity and soul over innovation or lyrical content.

“Could This Be Love” features a scat solo followed by a stand-up bass responding solo and yet still comes across as sophisticated lounge music despite these impressive moments. Indeed, Lee’s compositions (she writes the majority of parts for all of her songs, including piano and guitar) often have breezy arrangements like this, akin to Henry Mancini or Burt Bacharach, but this quality is tempered by her sensual urbane delivery. Occasionally she sounds so self-assured that the music becomes cloying, but usually a tasteful balance is maintained between emotion and artifice. Don’t misunderstand, her music won’t make you “get down;” it isn’t perverse, it isn’t awe-inspiring, and it doesn’t rock. But if you are looking for a gift for your coffee-shop music-loving girlfriend/boyfriend/Mom/Dad’s .mp3 player, this is quite suitable.

I feel strange endorsing something sponsored by Maybelline (gotta’ pay rent somehow I suppose), but as far as “easy-listening” goes, you could do worse.

Raveonettes – That Great Love Sound

While what I have heard from their first album, Whip it On sounds boringly uniform – and despite their often painfully trite lyrics (and equally chintzy name) – the Denmark-based Raveonettes have written a very catchy garage-pop tune, “That Great Love Sound.” The breezy simplicity of their previous recordings was a major fault, rendering their songs into disposable fluff. However, the straight-forward nature of “That Great Love Sound” becomes the quality of economy. There is nothing superfluous about this well-honed tuneful pop song.

The vocals, one male-one female are sung in close-harmony and delivered with sexy withdrawal; and when married with the wall of blues-based guitar sounds, insistent pounding drums, and tambourines, it brings to mind a sweeter Jesus and Mary Chain, a ditzy Spacemen 3, or an infantile Yo La Tengo. Their flattened effect and subdued vocal harmonies work as a great contrast against the overdriven pop, which churns even though the instrumental component is not funky, nor soulful. The exacting buildup from verse to chorus, with each line sung a little louder and precisely on a climbing chord change is a basic technique put to captivating use. The song is very carefully assembled, with each element lovingly lifted from their influences. This whole “Nu-Garage” thing that the band is trying to identify themselves with seems to dress up the drug-addled New York new wave, put a faux-rough edge on 60s bubblegum girl groups, and mix it all together in a warm, presentable, mildly kitsch-y package. With their melodious and delightfully vapid appeal, the Raveonettes are definitely meant to be a consumable product. Kudos to Richard Gottehrer (Sire Records co-founder and Blondie producer) for a great job bringing to the forefront the key sonic elements of this exciting single. Lacking the attitude or pretense of “alternative” bands (a nauseating marketing scam), the revivalism of the Raveonettes, even more so than their “cousins – The Strokes and White Stripes,” is really just a celebration of danceable pop music. Viewed in this light, it has a back-to-basics traditionalist stance which is a welcome rejoinder to the over-produced electronic complexities of most American top-40.

With practiced ease/cool, great production, and fashionable sex appeal, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raveonettes are able to ride a subsequent single onto the UK-charts just as soon as NME can hook their backpage promotional talons into them.

Merzbow – Merzbeat

Masami Akita, known to most of the world as Merzbow, has often claimed to be embracing a specific genre with his noise. He’s claimed heavy metal (Noizehed), jazz (Door Open at 8am), and now glitch IDM. In the past, he’s more or less dropped a sample or two over the top of his noise that places it in the “genre” he’s purporting to explore. With Merzbeat, it seems he’s actually undertaken a different style.
Don’t get me wrong, this is still a noisy record. The opening track (which is apparently a “cover,” though I am unsure of who initially recorded the song and imagine it sounds nothing like this), “Promotion Man,” comes at you with a fuzzed-out guitar, a mindlessly repetitive drum loop, then less than a minute into the track it is covered with pitch shifted static bursts, while the EQ on the drum loop and initial sample are also manipulated. Eventually, more drum loops are added to the mix, and they trip over each other while high pitched squeaks and pops occur. Then the song stops cold.
And that’s most of Merzbeat in a nutshell. Steady, propulsive drum loops, regular and irregular bursts of noise, and the occasional curiously familiar but unrecognizable sample. “Shadow Barbarian (Long Mix)” fares well, with a slow buildup of tension which keeps the piece moving forward until it becomes a complete static-fest. However, “Tadpole” is fairly stagnant, working with an extremely limited palate. Effectively a collection of about three samples, it starts and finishes without ever really heading in any direction – it’s almost an ambient track, or it would be if it wasn’t mastered to the point of nearly clipping and didn’t contain the screeching noises around minute three or so.
The “hidden bonus,” a remix of “Amlux” (a different Merzbow release entirely) by Jack Dangers, is a random grouping of various moments from the source material, some additional noises, and, at one point, the sound that was used to advertise XDR on cassette. It’s not as interesting as its source material and doesn’t seem well thought out. It is, however, the most Merzbow sounding track on the record.
So is it any good? I have mixed feelings. I’m a big fan of both Merzbow and glitch IDM, but I find this a fairly unsatisfying blend. Too often the beats are on autopilot (indeed, in “Promotion Man” they don’t vary until the last two minutes of an eight-minute track). Although it’s interesting to hear him work in a more formal structure, I’ve always preferred the Merzbow that sounds more like an attempt to control chaos, the one that really skirts on the edges of our perception of what music is; this sounds formulaic. Whether you think of Merzbow as an artist or a charlatan, he usually challenges his listeners. Here he will only challenge people who have never heard either genre before. That having been said, it’s not a bad record, and I find myself throwing it on from time to time and listening to a track or two, especially “Looping Jane.” But there’s nothing particularly memorable here, especially once the shock of hearing regular rhythms on a Merzbow record wears off.
Long time fans of Merzbow will no doubt find something to like here, and it’s not the worst record he’s put out, but newcomers to the worlds of either glitch IDM or noise would be better served by something else. So, I’m recommending it to long-time fans who like the notion of Merzbow playing at not being Merzbow; probably the very definition of limited appeal.

Mick Turner – Moth

Since Australia’s most loved instrumental trio – The Dirty Three – are no longer a strictly full-time concern, each band member has used the lengthy patches of downtime to explore equally expressive avenues. Violinist Warren Ellis has split his time between Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds and releasing his own solo recordings. Drummer Jim White has spent substantial stretches of time playing with Smog. The quietest third of the group, guitarist Mick Turner, has bided his time recording/touring with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (AKA Will Oldham) under the alias of the Marquis de Tren, as well as cultivating a series of acclaimed solo albums, with this one being his third since 1997’s Tren Phantasma.
And it’s obvious from the outset that Moth isn’t about grand gestures. There aren’t any song titles listed for starters, just the subtitle “Parts 1-19″ to denote the 19 short tracks. An approach that may reek of pretension with the likes of Labradford and Sigur Rós, it makes plenty of sense here, especially given the abstract nature of Turner’s instrumental song arrangements. As clichéd as it may sound, Moth was almost certainly conceived as a flowing composite piece. Pull almost any track out into isolation and it just won’t make sense. So strapping nametags to everything would be an intrinsically meaningless process.
Throughout Moth, Turner’s electric and acoustic guitars (sometimes looped, backwards, or overdubbed) weave sparse threads around low murmuring organs, plaintive piano, fuzzy harmonica, and quietly pattering percussion. Stretching himself between open spaces and claustrophobic close-ups, Turner seems inherently drawn to the notes and nuances that other guitarists might dismiss as inconsequential or too obtuse. There are, of course, things here comparable to the instrumental works of David Grubbs and Papa M, but neither of them quite share Turner’s elastic sense of timing or his deep sense of tranquillity.
Moth unquestionably hinges its resonance on context. We have to ask ourselves, would we really give this record the benefit of our listening and learning curves if it weren’t for the Dirty Three, Will Oldham, and Drag City connections? The honest answer is, probably not – that all-important third spin might never happen. Play Moth at the wrong time (anytime before midday) or in the wrong place (noisy train journeys are a definite no-no) and it might sound like someone aimlessly tuning up in the next room. However, should you spin Moth with a 3 am shot of whiskey, indoors on a rainy day, or in a deserted beach house with gentle waves lapping in and out of your ears’ internal mixer, its soothing pleasures will be more than appreciated.
Moth may require a substantial time/patience investment from the listener, but rest assured it does give back rewards with considerable and continuous interest.

Lower Forty-Eight – Halfback

My first reaction upon hearing Halfback was: hey, this is the missing link between metal and punk. Surprisingly, I’ve never really heard music that melds Metallica-like riffs with raw, punk-rock vocals.
To call Lower Forty-Eight’s music “punk,” however, would be misleading. The musicianship and complex compositions are far too precise for that. On much of the album, vocals are few and far between, with plenty of time given for instrumental experimentation. The songs on Halfback tend to meander and flow through various phases as they speed up, slow down, and switch styles. While the non-conventional song structures add interest and variation to the listening experience (if you are patient), at many times the music borders on self-indulgent. Sometimes I wish the band would just get to the point; some songs simply refuse to die, repeatedly stuttering back to life every time I swear I’ve heard the last drumbeat.
In general, the quality of the songs on the disc vary. Some work quite well, such as the opener “The Eternal Internal Implements of Destruction” (nice lite-metal riffage backed by sparse vocals) and “Shane Dank” (a more mellow listening experience with an almost jazzy vibe). However, many bland tracks like “Plague of Appreciation” are a reminder that Lower Forty-Eight are still a new band who have yet to perfect their sound. The sound production on the album is not terrific, with the drums and vocals especially sounding a little flat. On the whole, Halfback is an interesting listen for those who are open-minded. There is more promise here than delivery, however, and there is little to differentiate this album from scores of similar indie efforts.

Million Dollar Marxists – S/T EP

Maybe its a lack of anything better to do that provokes Canadians to create mass quantities of rock music. My friend Mike thinks it’s the bagged milk. In any case, with a population of only 32 million give or take, the Great White North has retched up everything from Propagandhi to the Red Hot Lovers, and though I’m not sure Million Dollar Marxists will attain the – in my opinion – god-like status of Propagandhi, these six little songs are a step in the right direction.
Straight out of Ottawa, M$M are a melange of musicians from defunct bands and local favorites. Collectively the members have been in and out of The Detrimentals, Handicap 5, The Muggins, The Botch Suicides, The Cruds, and Token, all current or former players on the local circuit. This self-titled EP, originally designed as a demo, comes as their first release after a successful month-long Canadian tour and a few gigs opening for Nashville Pussy.
I have to be brutally honest with myself: I want to hate M$M. They seem to have usurped a political punk image, neatly packaging dearly-held ideals into a catchy name, a professional logo, and a polished flash website that screams marketability. These guys even have a snazzy acronym for their cleverly ironic name. I can only imagine that after stints in a series of failed local bands M$M’s members decided to ditch the Ramen-noodle lifestyle; but then why didn’t they ditch the image as well? The result is a political facade with no discernible political message.
Yet I can’t stop listening to them. From the first bouncy riff, the guitars spew attitude as the bass and drums drive the songs to the verge of raw, thrashy rock without completely assaulting the ears. The vocals are perhaps the strongest part of the outfit. Luke’s voice exudes attitude with a sneer worthy of Randy Fitzsimmons of The Hives or even Mick Jagger, and even I have to admit that the repetitious chorus format is decidedly punky. M$M may be polishing up their image as they move on to bigger and better things, but they have the talent and experience to make the transition smoothly.
It should be interesting to see where M$M goes in the next year or so. Pushing my punk snobbiness aside, M$M seems to be one of the most promising bands to come from Canada in awhile. This EP definitely deserves attention from any fan of raw, raucous rock.

Bad Astronaut – Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem

Joey Cape has been a busy guy. Besides fronting Lagwagon, arguably one of the best poppy-punk bands around, he also divides his time between running My Records, joking around with the always entertaining Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and taking the helm for Bad Astronaut, a band that has grown to be less of a side project and more of a well-established band, thanks in part to Lagwagon’s lengthy sabbatical since their last recorded effort. Perhaps in an effort to tide fans over until the supposedly forthcoming Lagwagon record, Cape has offered up Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem via Bad Astronaut. What was once a three-piece has morphed into a small gang, with Cape accompanied by Marko 72 (Nerf Herder, Swingin’ Utters, Sugarcult), Derrick Plourde (Lagwagon), Angus Cooke, Todd Capps, Thom Flowers, and Jonathon Cox.
Bad Astronaut could be described as a combination of three unique parts, with the first being the obvious punk background. Many moments do resemble previous Lagwagon work, partly thanks to Cape’s unmistakable vocals, but this rarely lasts for an entire song. The second part would be a gentler singer-songwriter side, which is shown through scattered moments that consist of nothing more than Cape’s vocals and an acoustic guitar. This hints at the downtrodden folk-rock of Elliott Smith at times, and that influence was made obvious when the band covered Smith’s “Needle in the Hay” back on their debut, Acrophobe. Finally, the third piece of this puzzle is a textured and spacey one, hinting at a crush on David Bowie or Radiohead, most evident on the lush closer “The Passenger.” Drum machines and sequencers show up from time to time, as well as other toys like analog synthesizers, keyboards, and cello, adding some depth to the standard drums, bass, guitar, and vocals.
These three unique elements are blended perfectly, often within the framework of the same song, making for a moody and intriguing rock record. More than once, a track opens with acoustic strums and vocals, breaks out with peppy rhythms and punchy guitar work, and then sprawls out with some more trance-inducing layers. The musicianship is impressive, and perhaps that should be expected when the band lineup includes seven people and a small handful of guests. Hell, Blues Traveler’s John Popper even stops by to add harmonica to “Our Greatest Year.” The studio gloss is nicely perfected as well, shown most during more atmospheric moments.
From the goofy title of the album to the sound of the band’s previous work, one may expect another excellent dose of punky power-pop, but what you end up with is something much more durable. The range of the songs is incredibly ambitious, and at first glance one may not expect a bunch of guys with snotty punk backgrounds to be able to pull it off. But such a person would be proven terribly wrong and would instead be treated to one of the catchiest and most thoughtful batches of songs they had heard in some time.

Various Artists – Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man, Vol. 3

This compilation’s goal is to provide exposure to some of the artists performing a different part of the world. Many of these bands have been around for a while and are well known in their area, while some are up-and-comers. All of these bands share a common goal, and that is to rock and rock hard. The music on this disc is raw and unabandoned; there are no flashy pretenses to be found anywhere. There are still places where real rock is found, and these bands are reperesenting them here.
Like many compilations, this one has some good tracks and some that are rather uneven and not well put together. Sweatmaster get everything rolling with “I Am a Demon and I Love Rock and Rock,” which is a raw primitive beast of a song with some good vocals. Baby Woodrose turn in a great performance with “Never Come Back” that sounds like a heavier garge track with soul influences that wouldn’t be out of place on the Nuggets 2. The Chronics clock in with a rambunctious “Slippin’ and Slidin’ ” that has some dirty guitar. On Trial turns in “Higher” that is very similar to more raucous Rocket From the Crypt with its greasy punk approach. The Launderettes give us a good mix of girl-group harmonies and punk backing that works nicely in “Nobody but Me.” The Flaming Sideburns turn in the best performance on this disc with “Blow the Roof Away,” which has rock attitude and deliberate pacing combined with snotty vocals.
Some of the lesser tracks on tghis record have the same energy but lack other skills the others have. Vegas V.I.P. turn in a rockabilly-flavored number that sounds a little like “Secret Agent Man” called “Nightrider;” it’s not terrible but awfully kitschy. Species give us “Ram it Up,” which is powerful musically but the songwriting is very weak and the song meanders along. The worst song on this disc is given to us by Thee Ultra Bimboos with “No Man’s No Good.” This song really doesn’t have much going for it with annoying vocals and extremely amateurish music.
This disc givers an interesting look at a music scene in a totally different part of the world. There is nothing remotely resembling a polished product with most of the music relying on its power and attitude. Most of the groups share a smilar sound as well, whcih can be expected since it is garage rock, but some are more convincing than others. It is good to hear bands keeping old fashioned rock alive all over the world where it has basically died out in the states. This disc is a very interesting example of the music played in different areas; it’s very interesting and entertaining but not mindblowing.

Lanterna – Sands

Lanterna is primarily the work of musician Henry Frayne, occasionally helped out by Steve Day who put together some rhythm tracks. Frayne was formerly a member of such bands as Area and The Moon Seven Times, and he has also contributed to many other projects. On one of his other previous discs, Frayne made music for a picture book that accompanied the CD, and this shows you where his music is at. Frayne clearly knows how to use space in his music, and the effects can be absolutely stunning when he does it right, which happens frequently. Frayne’s music is very wide open and flowing, and though sometimes reaching into New Age territory it still needs to be paid attention to.
“West Side Highway” starts the disc off in mesmerizing fashion with all its elements interlocking in a tight melody. Frayne’s guitar work flows in and out at will over a skittering rhythm and fun clavinet playing. The song flows and ebbs freely, creating some very soothing music that is hard not to get lost in. “Windward” has a stark folk feel to it that is even more apparent as Frayne begins to ghostly hum and moan along. There is some wonderful guitar playing on this song that ranges from melancholic to fresh and bright. “Fields” is another stunning song on this disc that will fill your head with many pictures; this song has some very spirited and alive guitar that will bring a smile to your face when it’s heard.
“1975″ is another one of the standouts that holds its own on a disc that has many standouts; the biggest thing it has going for it is it really seems to be telling a story. “Atlantic” is one of the stronger more ambient pieces with the programmed rhtyhm and clavinet washes. The song holds up even though there really isn’t much going on or anything catchy like in some others. “Grey” ends the disc on a spacey drone of a piece that serves its purpose and continues to become more interesting as the piece goes on.
Frayne has really put a lot into his music, which is clearly obvious once you put this disc in the player. Unlike many instrumental works, Sands has many emotions and feeling included throughout the disc’s musical journey. The emothion and feeling are clear to see, and the music will take you to many places in your head, a very rare thing with this type of music. It is hard not to get lost or caught up in the music’s beauty, but you will be a better person if you pay attention to all the little nuances. This is quite a piece of musical art and one of the better listening experience I’ve heard in a while.

Volta Do Mar – At the Speed of Light (or Day)

Quite possibly the definitive math-rock album, Volta Do Mar have, on their second release and first full-length, crafted a work of genius. And I don’t use that word lightly. The four members of this Chicago-based primarily instrumental band are incredibly talented musicians, as is evident on any one of these songs here. And, as on their first EP, the brilliance here is how well these tracks flow together, providing one complete listen instead of fragmented songs.
But the question you’re probably asking is what makes this special. Volta Do Mar (roughly translated as turn of the sea) uses a guitar, a five-string bass, a six-string bass, and drums, and they play a style that has been termed, unfortunately, as math-rock. That can best be defined as complicated, very intricate rock that uses more notes than chords and generally has a fast pace and few vocals. A lot of bands have been attempting that style recently, but none have done it as well as Volta Do Mar on their first album.
Defining the songs on this release is difficult if not impossible. Each song has a number of progressions, changing pace, changing rhythms, even stopping and starting again. But that’s not to say it’s a difficult listen. Rather, these songs are easy on the ears, with a wonderful, jazzy flowing style and an incredibly rich sound brought on by the double-bass assault. “7/1000″ is a great example of the jazzy feel, from the rich guitar work to the amazingly intricate drumming. A clever, almost Western-sounding guitar line starts off in the short “Rock for Nations” and picks up as a main theme to “Music for Countries” near the end of the CD, helping maintain the flow throughout the album, also shown by the closer, “Sound After Day,” that picks up where the opening track started.
The band proves they can get more melodic and soft on the quite lovely and flowing “Lengua Pivo,” but it picks up quickly with some downright jaw-dropping guitar work and flows nicely into the more abstract “Thoughts from the Assembly Line.” “Breaking Ribs for Tom Thayer” shows off their faster, more rocking side, as this song just blazes away for the most part, but in the same way the slower songs speed up, this one slows down and has its more subtle, melodic moments contrasted by sheer crashing, anthemic rock. There’s even some vocals at the end of the lengthy and changing “Ransom Stoddard,” which is a nice change of pace. The rhythm takes the lead on “5:09 a.m.,” a more subtle and restrained track at times with a more jazzy feel.
It’s so difficult to describe the style of music that Volta Do Mar don’t just play but seem to have perfected. Their unique instrumentation adds a richer texture than almost any other similar style of band I can think of. And this is only their first full-length.

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