Various Artists – Robotic Empire Sampler #1

“A Sampler?” I said to my friend, drunkenly. “How the hell do I review a sampler?” “Well, you moron,” he said, “you just sort of talk about what acts on the sampler represent something interesting, and which ones you don’t like, and why.” “Oh yeah,” I said, and, once I sobered up, I sat down to write the review. With 27 songs, and nearly as many acts, it’s going to be impossible for someone as lazy as I to describe them all, but here’s a few highlights:
Pig Destroyer, “Task Master” and “Purity Undone” – Pig Destroyer show that they are really on top of their game with these under-a-minute hurricanes. Furious vocals, lightning fast beats, and a very cool set of riffs. It amazes me how much power this band can squeeze into a tight space.
Neil Perry, “Looking Back at the Way You Want it to be in the Future” and “Wait, Did He Get Enough Yet?” – I haven’t heard of this band before, but after hearing these two vastly different tracks, I’m sure going to seek out more. The first is a raging slab of metalcore, all screamed vocals and tension. The latter is a live jam, mellow, demonstrating musicianship without being showy. They have, however broken up – but do plan to release a double CD of their discography.
Hassan I Sabbah, “Not So in Tune with Shells” – These guys pack more ideas into a one minute song than some bands do onto an entire record. Supersonic tempo changes, really inspiring guitar work, and an almost Mastodon-like sense of progression are on display here.
A Life Once Lost, “Our Second Home” – Throat shredding vocals, combined with military precision, they reminded me a bit of Lamb of God. Good, straightforward metal. And, sometimes, good, straightforward metal is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Pageninetynine, “Your Face is a Rape Scene” and “More Complicated Than a Sci Fi Flick” – I’m a sucker for a good, hard driving riff, and these guys inject a sense of groove into the music which had me nodding my head like an idiot by the end. That’s a really good thing, trust me. And, much like Neil Perry, they’re also calling it quits. Find something by this band while you can.
The Ultimate Warriors, “Kids Need Clues” – What can you say about a 13-second song? Not much I suppose, but for some reason I was chuckling at the end of it, so it gets a mention. With a name like “The Ultimate Warriors,” I’d imagine they don’t take themselves too seriously.
A Day’s Refrain, “Forces of Habit” – Good, old fashioned grindcore inna Discordance Axis style (ok, not quite as, um, abusive as DA); it’s nice to hear someone can still work this style without sounding like a set of liches.
And a few lowlights: Benumb, “Path of the Righteous” – This band is fairly well respected in grind/extreme circles, and I cannot figure out why. The vocalist sounds as if he’s constipated, the production sounds like it was recorded with a condenser mic in an air raid shelter, which renders the music a big, tinny blur. I’ve heard live shows by these guys are amazing, but I’ve never heard a recording by them which inspires at all. This is no exception.
Hot Cross, “Untitled” – Like the Dillenger Escape Plan, without the focus. The vocalist isn’t up to the task, sounding like he’s in danger of running out of breath, and the solo in the middle is just dull.
Superstitions of the Sky, “Tonight” and “Things Said in Passing” – These tracks sums up what’s wrong with emo (and no, I don’t think all emo is bad); however, repackaging a crappy 80s powerballad, making it acoustic-based, and layering it with a vocalist who sounds as if someone has stolen his lollypop is just laughable.
There are a number of other bands here, some good, some bad, all worth taking the time to listen to at least once. Robotic Empire is a pretty cool little label, all things said and one, releasing mostly EPs and 7″ records, some from more established bands (Opeth), and a number from a few bands I have absolutely never heard of. They also do limited distribution of a few frighteningly obscure bands/labels material (and at nice low prices). After wading through the sampler, and checking out their website, I’ve come to the conclusion that Robotic Empire are a label worth spending some time with.

Cat Power – You Are Free

Having somewhat accidentally acquired the baton of soul-bearing head-spinning balladry from Kristin Hersh with the much-loved Moon Pix in 1998, Chan Marshall (who is 99% of Cat Power) has struggled to sate the appetite of her fanatical followers ever since. A series of shattered and stumbling live performances and awkward attention-deflecting interviews validated the feeling that this is one lady who isn’t willing or able to turn her intensely private music into some kind of group-therapy hostelry. Further perplexity came in the form of The Covers Record in 2000, an undeniably pretty stopgap measure that kept Marshall’s profile ticking over without offering to unravel any of the masterful mysteries of Moon Pix. With such career convolutions in mind, You Are Free, Cat Power’s much-delayed sixth album (and the first in five years to feature new self-penned material), comes with a mountain of expectation looming over it, possibly not the best thing for a chronically shy songwriter. A blessed relief, then, to find that Marshall has finally delivered an album that, arguably, surpasses the miraculous Moon Pix.
Built around alternating/intermingling arrangements of electric/acoustic guitars, plaintive piano pattering, ornately orchestrated strings, double-tracked vocals, and lo-fi drum clunking, You Are Free is unquestionably the most musically eclectic album in the Cat Power catalogue. It certainly confirms that Chan can rock as well as roll with the best of them. Thus the jagged-fuzz pop of “Free” and “Shaking Paper” (the latter with Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on drums) oscillates back to the twisted-rock passages found on Cat Power’s overlooked Matador-debut What Would the Community Think (1996), whilst the sparse accompaniment and smoky vocals of “Maybe Not” recall the otherworldly performances that stopped The Covers Record from being just another writer’s block cover-up. However, it’s the unmeasurably sad but lovely “Good Woman” that provides the richest arrangement, with a serene violin line from The Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis and a spooky chorus of beatific backing vocalists (including Pearl Jammer Eddie Vedder, bizarrely).
New musical strength and confidence aside, at the core Marshall seems no less emotionally and mentally fractured. The inclusion of a folded poster-sized lyric sheet shows that horrors, real or imagined, still haunt this incredibly gifted songwriter. The sublime “I Don’t Blame You” alludes strongly to the hungry demands of fans that some musicians, Marshall included, find overwhelming and intrusive – “You were swingin’ your guitar around / Cuz they wanted to hear that sound / That you didn’t wanna play / I don’t blame you.” It seems that Marshall’s aversion to indie-idol status (“Don’t be in love with the autograph / Just be in love when you love that song”) is as strong as her fear of committing to someone she loves (“I want to be a good woman / And I want for you to be a good man / This is why I will be leaving”).
But if Marshall really wanted Freudian-schooled rock hacks to look away, then she may have been better off leaving the album’s most startlingly track – “Names” – for her private outtakes collection. Coming across as a sequel to her heaviest piano-led tearjerker “Colors And The Kids” (the highlight of highlights from Moon Pix), “Names” ploughs deep into Chan’s assumedly traumatic adolescence. Resurrecting tall or true tales of childhood friends in horrific circumstances, Chan’s delicate delivery of disturbingly deadpan lines such as “His name was Donovan / He was a very good friend / The cards were stacked against him / He was selling cocaine / The last time I saw him / He was 13 years old,” will send shivers down even the sternest of spines.
With 14 tracks across 52 minutes, the only downfall of You Are Free is that it probably gives us too much. For these are songs that need to be loved – just like their author – in individual isolation and away from the hum-drum demands of daily existence. These are songs to bury your heart in, songs that say so much with the simplest of tools, songs that make up the flesh and bones of one of the best albums you’ll hear in 2003.

Bettie Serveert – Log 22

Cruelly displaced by the collapse of the early-90s college-rock boom, Holland’s Bettie Serveert seemed to slip-off many people’s indie-rock radar sometime after 1997’s disappointing third album, Dust Bunnies, lost them the label backing of both Matador (US) and Beggars Banquet (UK). That’s a shame, because 2000’s John Parish-assisted Private Suit (self-released in Continental Europe, licensed to Parasol Records in the US) was the self-ordained sonic rebirth fans (and record company execs) had been wishing upon the band to keep them artistically afloat amongst the ever evolving musical populace. The mature but playful musical overhaul of Private Suit appropriately harnessed the precious songwriting gift of Carol Van Dyk whilst turning down the overwrought guitar histrionics in favour of more keyboards, subtle strings, and a more spacious studio sound. Undoubtedly buoyed by the creative corner turning of Private Suit, here comes the next much-awaited step forward.
Sadly, however, some of Log 22 feels like a step too far, with the band’s ambitious arrangements falling foul to the limitations of their musical abilities. Forgetting the disciplines of self-editing and clearer production techniques that John Parish brought to them on Private Suit, this self-recorded follow-up appears, in parts, to be cluttered and overblown. Having drafted in an arsenal of string and brass-players into their revised battle-plan, the core Betties – Carol and guitarist Peter Visser – repeatedly march their melancholic-pop into melodramatic orchestrations that too often drown them sound.
Whilst this bigger sound does admittedly bring some benefits to the windswept Buffalo Tom-meets-Bacharach road tripping of “Wide Eyed Fools” and “Have a Heart,” it does do damage elsewhere. Meaning that the disastrous “De Diva” and “The Ocean, My Floor” feel hideously overreaching, with climatic strings and guitar-strangling smothering Carol’s gentle warbling. The otherwise tender torch song “Captain of Maybe” is also undermined by unnecessary synthetic adornments. However, the quieter, less blustered moments do mercifully behave more like natural members of the Bettie Serveert song family. The gorgeous “Cut n Dried” is a particularly fine moment, as it captures Carol cooing more comfortably over plaintive piano fills and baroque violins, re-confirming her status as one of rock’s great-lost comfort blankets. Elsewhere, the gliding space-rock of “Given” shows that the band’s new directions don’t always lead to dead-end dramatics, and the rootsy retro blues-twanging of “White Dogs” is a worthwhile homage to the Stones circa Goats Head Soup.
Although somewhat misjudged, Log 22 is far from being a bad album, and it’s certainly not Bettie Serveert’s biggest faux-pas. There is certainly a seductively beautiful record buried beneath the top-heavy instrumentation and inside the overlong 60-minute running time. Furthermore, a fistful of elegiac gems within implore us to maintain our patience for another potentially great record further down the line, even if this one fails to fully exploit the focus and foresight found by the band in recent years. So please don’t give up on the Betties, just yet.

Various Artists – Fat Music Vol. VI: Uncontrollable Fatulence

I don’t really see any purpose for this compilation. That’s not to say it’s a bad album; it just seems pointless. With the exception of Wizo and Frenzal Rhomb, all of the acts included are already insanely well-known, so it doesn’t really promote any “up-and-coming” bands. I suppose one might check this disc out for the previously unreleased tracks, but experience should tell most fans that “previously unreleased” generally means “not good enough for our last album” – or else the track will be on the band’s next album (which you’ll probably buy anyway). Nevertheless, Uncontrollable Fatulence, the sixth edition in the more or less annual Fat Music series, is a good preview of Fat Wreck’s spring releases.
The compilation kicks off with “Presenting: the Dancing Machine (Il Robot Con la Testa di Scimmia),” a previously unreleased track from Chicago’s The Lawrence Arms and a good, if obvious, choice for the opening track. Quick history lesson: The Lawrence Arms rose from the ashes of The Broadways, which rose from the ashes of the short-lived ska sensation Slapstick. Brendan Kelly, ex-frontman of The Broadways and ex-member of Slapstick, heads The Larry Arms with a nasal, Lars Frederiksen-like rasp and strong leftist ideology. Intense without losing any harmony, last year’s album Apathy and Exhaustion was one of the best punk albums out in 2002. This drum-driven yet melodic song – arguably the best on the album – just reiterates how great this band is.
Dillinger Four also appears on this compilation with “File Under ‘Adult Contemporary’,” a track from last year’s Situationist Comedy, another great punk album from 2002. Similar to The Larry Arms, D4 play fast, intelligent pop-punk with a political bite, though more humorous and fuzzy-sounding, as if the vocals are coming from far away. Both bands deserve more attention than they receive.
Propagandhi is the next in line, contributing “Back To the Motor League,” a track from 2000’s disappointing Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes, which did a 180 from pop to hardcore after John Samson (now frontman of The Weakerthans) left the band. Rather than sporting the intelligent, cleverly sarcastic lyrics and scream-able hooks of Propagandhi’s first two albums, “Back To the Motor League” is obnoxiously thick with bass, nervous guitars, and “fuck” in all its ridiculous forms. It’s as if the band’s trying too hard to be angry and offensive just to prove they’re not sell-outs, and the song comes off sounding like a regression into adolescent angst (“I like to party fucking hard, I like my rock’n'roll the same; don’t give a fuck if I burn out, don’t give a fuck if I fade away”). I guess they’re trying to be sarcastic, but the lyrics are almost unintelligible and lose justification outside of the context of the album.
Perhaps I’m just a picky, die-hard fan, but when compared with the other political/enraged punk songs on this comp, “Back To the Motor League” is even more of a disappointment. For instance, Anti-Flag’s previously-unreleased “Federation” and Rise Against’s “Generation Lost” (probably from Revolutions Per Minute, out April 8th) are both fist-raising protest anthems with passion and intensity, but they don’t sound like they were written by naughty teens just trying to get a rise from “the establishment” (whatever the hell that is). Avail, who contribute the energetic “Blue Times Two” from Front Porch Stories, also proves that a punk can make relevant social commentary without being hypocritical, self-righteous, or narrow-minded.
Fat Music VI is not all political commentary, though; this album is rife with more innocent tunes. Lagwagon’s “Never Stops” (which is, to the best of my knowledge, on their upcoming album Blaze, out April 8th) starts slowly with an acoustic guitar section before Lagwagon’s sweet, immature punk quickens the pace of the song. No Use For a Name contribute “Friends of the Enemy” (from Hard Rock Bottom), a radio-friendly jingle with a sing-along chorus that is more rock than punk. Though a little more grating, Strung Out’s “Your Worst Mistake” is similar in that it’s more of a rock song with pleasant, inoffensive harmonies and a screechy guitar solo. Australia’s Frenzal Rhomb, one of the “lesser-known” (but certainly not unknown) Fat Wreck bands, play a previously-unreleased track entitled “Cocksucker,” but the name makes it sound harsher than it is. Wizo is the other “lesser-known” band. “I Hate You,” which mostly just repeats “I hate you” several times, is pleasantly perky but sounds like album-filler fluff. I had hoped for a song that better displays the band.
Of course, NOFX and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes both show up on this disc with two previously-unreleased tracks, “Mattersville” and “Nothing Compares 2 U,” respectively. “Mattersville” (most likely from either the upcoming EP teaser or the full-length album The War on Errorism, both due out this spring) sounds just like every other NOFX song. I’m just surprised that Fat Mike can continue to come up with catchy tunes. “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a Sinead O’Connor cover, isn’t as good as most Me First covers – I actually like the original better – but it’s a decent rock rendition.
There’s a little ska on this disc, too. The Mad Caddies‘ “Leavin’,” previously released (but appearing on Just One More, due out March 11th) is a very typical Caddies song: a laid-back melody driven mostly by horns before the rock kicks in. Less Than Jake is the other ska band on this comp. Though I was hoping for a little preview of their upcoming album, “Faction” is from Borders and Boundaries (2000). LTJ are more skunk (ska/punk, heavier on the punk) than the Mad Caddies, particularly on this song.
And finally, there is no good way to segue into the remaining two songs. The Swingin’ Utters‘ “Sign In a Window,” from Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass, and Bones, is actually a kind of dull pick. It’s a great song but doesn’t really showcase the band’s unique talent. Sick of it All give the disc a wrenching twist of hardcore; “Built To Last” makes my vocal chords hurt just listening to it. Its raucous, rowdy, and definitely a fun listen.
Plenty of teasers and a few walks down memory lane keep the disc interesting. (I was even inspired to dust off Borders and Boundaries and Versus God, some older Dillinger Four.) In the end, this 1000-word dissection was as pointless as this compilation. Fans of any of these bands have already heard these songs or will hear them on an upcoming release.

Reggie and the Full Effect – Under the Tray

I expected another dose of genius, and what I got was a little something lower on the food chain. Reggie and the Full Effect’s debut effort, Greatest Hits ‘84-’87, was and still is wonderful, perfectly combining comedy and nerded-out indie rock. The second effort, Promotional Copy, was almost as wildly entertaining. But now, with Under the Tray, it feels as though the same jokes are being rehashed again and again, and some things are getting pretty tiresome while others get fresher and better.
For those of you who don’t know, Reggie and the Full Effect is an odd project. No artist names are ever given, and the whole thing has been shrouded in mystery since its conception. Gradually though, fans have discovered that former Coalesce member and current Get Up Kid James Dewees is pretty much the mastermind behind the whole thing, joined by a rotating cast of guys from comparable bands, including fellow Get Up Kid Matt Pryor. Half of the tracks on every release are jokes, ranging from samples and skits to synthed-out love songs and blazing heavy metal. The other half consists of actual songs that are essentially quirky emo-pop with a tremendous reliance on huge riffs, blinding hooks, and downright sappy lyrics.
As far as the jokes on Under the Tray go, they just aren’t that funny. Four different versions of “Drunk Girl at the Get Up Kids Show,” all of which are uneventful samples of a conversation with some poor female now immortalized on record, feel rather unnecessary. “Mood 4 Luv,” a keyboard-heavy love song straight out of the 80s, brings back the imaginary Fluxuation, a character who was much more entertaining on Promotional Copy. “F.O.O.D. aka Aren’t You Hungary” is a jazzy and completely absurd number that bursts into a wall of screams and guitar solos, while “Linkin Verbz” is a heavy metal grammar lesson. Yes, I’m serious.
On the other hand, the actual songs have gotten more diverse and actually quite good. After the lulling and less than thrilling opener, “Your Bleedin’ Heart,” there are quality songs like “Image is Nothing, Lobsters are Everything,” which is a dark, dreary, and surprisingly entertaining tale of broken love. That song, along with others like the equally excellent “Megan 2k2 (Even Though It’s 2k3 Now),” relies heavily on an assortment of electronics the band has never utilized with such success. Meanwhile, “Apocalypse WOW!” rocks harder than any other song here, but it keeps itself somewhat under control and doesn’t break down into a jumble of noise and inside jokes as some other tracks do. The grungy “What Won’t Kill You Eats Gas,” the goofy “Getting by With It’s,” and the rocking “Happy V-Day” (which, if my ears aren’t lying to me, features Hot Rod Circuit’s Andy Jackson on supporting vocals) also stand out as highlights. However, there are songs like “Congratulations Smack and Katy,” which not only make plays on song titles from the previous two albums but also sound remarkably like two or three songs the band has already recorded.
“It’s always for the satisfaction / And we do it just to get a reaction,” goes a line in “Getting By With It’s,” and that’s the feeling one gets when listening to this. It seems like Reggie and the Full Effect is less of an actual band and more of a middle finger, making jokes and rocking out without caring who is listening or what those listeners think. And in the end, the results this time are severely mixed.

Steve Caballero – Bandology Vol. 1

So, famous skateboarder, Steve Caballero, has just put out a compilation album featuring cuts from all four of the bands that he has played with over the years. But, are we interested just because he is famous, or does his music speak for itself? Well, one would probably listen to it initially due to name recognition – if, for no other reason, out of curiosity. At the same time, many celebrities, from Shaq to William Shatner, have tried cutting their own albums, none of which wowed anybody to say the least.
Does Caballero fall under the same category? Actually, for the most part, the songs on this release aren’t half bad, and it’s interesting to see how Caballero’s taste in music changed over time. For instance, his earliest project, The Faction, rock out a set of solid old-school hardcore songs at a blistering pace. They come off as a mix of early DRI and Minor Threat – a soundscape surely at home with any skate minded individual. However, as the disc plays things get a bit strange.
Odd Man Out is a bizarre mix of heavy rock and wailing vocals – think Ozzy meets the Cro-Mags. The music isn’t terrible, but the singing is a bit over the top. Also, even though this band is competent, they don’t have the energy and flair that The Faction translated to their recording. So, even though the technical ability of this group may have one-upped the previous one that does not necessarily spell success.
Next up is Shovelhead. They are similar in spunk to The Faction; however, the vocals leave something to be desired. The music is heavier than either of the previous two projects – especially the rhythm section. The drums and bass pound and thunder the tracks from inception to climax. On the other hand, the vocals come off with a “grungy” sort of vibe – a little Chris Cornell, a little Layne Staley. Though the singing fits the sound, the mix of the two just doesn’t really work.
Caballero’s last group featured on this disc, Soda, is a fun, female-fronted melodic punk group that is a nice surprise. Out of all the bands on this compliation, Soda is probably the easiest on the ears. They combine a No Use For a Name style of West Coast punk and modern emo to create quite the catchy sound. Though their tunes aren’t wholly original, they are well written and splendidly produced.
All in all, this is a very interesting archive for the simple fact that, for those who are curious, one can trace the path of Cabellero through his musical journey from A-Z. Though a couple of his groups were misfires, the others were solid. Fans of his skateboarding should find much to appreciate with this compilation.

California Snow Story – One Good Summer EP

Whenever I think of Scotland, I think of the wet, cold, foggy weather. The last time I was there it rained the whole time. Okay, I was only there two days, but still. Most of the music I listen to that has been made by Scots reflects their “harsh” environment. Take, for example, Travis. It’s always raining on Fran Healy, and he doesn’t sound the least bit surprised. Another Scottish group, Belle & Sebastian, is the last band I would suggest to a borderline depressed friend. All of the UK seems damp and dreary. Many of the better bands from the island seem to revel in their weather-induced melancholy. Which is why I was suprised by California Snow Story. The group also hails from Scotland (Glasgow), but apart from the accents, you would never know. One Good Summer is the debut from this surprisingly lighthearted quartet. With song titles like “Summer Avenues” and “Snow in Summer,” it doesn’t feel necessary to sum up the group’s sound. But I will, just in case.
Think Stuart Murdoch and Co. on low doses of anti-depressants, just enough to get rid of the cynicism. While the song “Out of Time,” with the opening lyrics “My mind lies over the sea/impossible dreams come easy to me,” does tread a little down their fellow countrymen’s well worn path, it manages to retain a rather sunny demeanor. There is no time to sulk nor is there reason to in the world of California Snow Story.
With male (David Skirving, formerly of Camera Obscura) and female vocals harmonizing and trading lead duties over acoustic guitars and gentle drumming (with a little flute and glockenspiel), the band has managed to make Scottish beach music. Not in the “Wipeout” or “Misirlou” party vein, but sun-going down, bonfire-in-the-sand style.

iSOLA – S/T EP

iSOLA is a four-piece band hailing from Texas where the members got together while attending Southwest Texas State University. On the band’s debut EP, the musicians keep things firmly rooted in airy pop tunes. This recording is full of bright melodies clearly influenced by early Brit-pop.
“Medic” starts things off with some underlying, flowing keyboards soaring over the breathy vocals of Joey Agnew. Occasionally the vocals are a little bogged down by the production, but the song stays interesting regardless. “Where are All the Flowers” has some nice rolling guitarwork that quickly switches to blasts of distortion. There is also some very good drumming by Shane Berry on this track. “I Won’t Change” is the disc’s attempt at a ballad, with sweet guitarwork that mixes nicely with Agnew’s rambling narrative. Occasionally a tinny keyboard pops up and is a little distracting, but the song is pretty entertaining otherwise.
There is a pair of hidden songs at the end of the disc, and those are actually the most enjoyable and memorable of the disc. This is a disc of pretty solid pop that could benefit from a little bit more originality. It’s hard to knock a band that clearly has a passion for music and makes a solid effort. This recording is enjoyable, even if it doesn’t leave you wanting more when it’s over. Agnew’s vocals are a little thin, but he can carry a tune that doesn’t stretch his voice too far. The end result is pleasant listening and an overall effort that should be commended.

Calexico – Feast of Wire

This is the fourth release from the group of friends and musicians led by Joey Burns and John Convertino, who are the rhythm section of Giant Sand. Burns and Convertino are also highly sought-after studio musicians for many different projects. The band is rooted in many different forms of traditional music, and they blend all of them into a unique mix. The band can go from jazz to Tex-Mex in a drop of the hat, and quite frankly, they do it well.
“Sunken Waltz” has Burns putting out a great vocal performance and spicing the song up with wonderful guitar and accordion playing. His phrasing is perfect, giving the song a real authentic sound to its down-home groove. “Black Heart” has a very cinematic tone, with soaring strings and Burns’s vocals taking a down-and-out approach. It is a good mixture of solemn backing and unique instruments. “Not Even Stevie Nicks…” has some sparse folk leanings with rhythmic guitar and strong drumming. Burns’s hushed vocals drift along in an airy manner, cutting over the barren backing.
“Close Behind” has a Latin flavor to it with fiery strings and horn flourishes. Convertino leads everything along in a wonderful shuffle with very good keyboard and pedal steel work. “Attack el Robot, Attack” has a little bit of a jazz feeling to it with nice guitar and horn accompaniment. This song uses some buzzing electronics and keyboards, giving it a different quality unique to this track. “Crumble” has the band tackling a full-out jazz number with some great trumpet work as well as an outstanding rhythm section performance. They tackle the style very nicely for a stellar instrumental workout.
Burns and Convertino have proven to be master at whatever form of traditional music they take a stab at. They use some different instrumentation to keep everything fresh and entertaining. The duo has clearly developed their longstanding friendship/partnership into impeccably tight performances. This is the best complete work the band has offered to date, and it deserves a home in any self respecting roots fan’s collection.

The Instruments – Billions of Phonographs

Excepting a radical shift in the current musical climate, the Instruments, an Athens-based collective of musicians centered around Heather McIntosh, will not find much of a place on the radio with their debut, Billions of Phonographs. Neither will they have an easy time finding their niche even in the purportedly open-minded underground. With a musical vision that sounds as if it shares many of the same sources as Tom Waits (especially Kurt Weill), the Instruments conjure up the sounds of creaky wooden galleys and wide open seas at a time when most people are immersed in labyrinthine studio trickery or sweaty downtown rock clubs.
The change is welcome if for no other reason than that it strays from the ordinary without looking back, but it has more to recommend it than just that. For indie snobs, there’s a fine pedigree involved, as the large cast of musicians assembled here comes from sources like Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, Music Tapes, and Elf Power. Those may be esoteric charms, but a more accessible one comes in the form of McIntosh’s songwriting. She lets the songs come along gradually, never forcing a change before it sounds natural to do so. They move along with an easy shuffle and stay rhythmically mellow, but the music as a whole achieves considerable tension through weird, dense vocal harmonies. With these, McIntosh makes things interestingly creepy without resorting to production gimmicks or silly histrionics. She has also done a fine job with her players. The group sounds tight and well-rehearsed, but they also avoid the downfalls that come with such adjectives, keeping things relaxed and organic throughout. That’s a very good thing considering the nature of the material. McIntosh aims to go relatively far out with her spooky oceanic concerns, and if Billions of Phonographs had sounded like a product of intense studio labor, she would have been sunk from the beginning.
By being the only driving force behind the Instruments, McIntosh gets most of the credit for the success of Billions of Phonographs, but she also gets the blame for what goes wrong. This is particularly appropriate for the biggest weakness of the album, which happens to be McIntosh’s vocals. She strives for a weary croon but ends up sounding boring instead. It’s nice to see that she doesn’t try to hit her audience over its collective head with Marilyn Manson obviousness, but it would’ve been even nicer to see her try for something less vanilla. Then again, when she arranges the aforementioned vocal harmonies, she invariably goes too big and too loud, a flaw only magnified when contrasted with McIntosh’s druggy delivery. The times when everything comes together just right, as it does on the last two tracks (“My Ship” and “By and By”), she proves that she at least has the potential to make something really admirable. Perfecting music of this kind may not deliver McIntosh or anyone else to fame and fortune, but it would be worth a hearty salute nonetheless.

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