Small Wonders #4

Double Muslims - s/t 7″

Laboratory Standard Recordings (www.myspace.com/laboratorystandardrecordings)

Double Muslims hail from my hometown of Knoxville, TN and have the dubious honor of being one of my favorite local bands from the past few years. On this recording they are Eric Lee on guitar, Jason Boardman (proprietor of local venue The Pilot Light) on drums, and Marcelle Good playing cello. Everytime I’ve seen them live I’ve gotten a completely different impression, once they were two drummers and two guitarists playing complex math-rock but then another time they were Lee alone with Mountains of Moss main man Adam Ewing joining him on banjo. Regardless, they make some great music and you get a taste of both of those elements here. “Errors of Menace/Stupor Creek” comes off like a hybrid of Dirty Three, Abilene, and possibly Don Caballero to a lesser extent. This one’s limited to 300 copies, numbered and sealed with a wax stamp. Good stuff.

 

Deerhunter/Hubcap City – split 7″

Rob’s House (www.robshouserecords.com)

ATL’s Deerhunter and Hubcap City team up for a terrific split that is probably sold out at this point thanks to all the press Deerhunter have been garnering for their incredibly excellent Cryptograms album. Their side here showcases the droning ambience of the album in seedling form. Hubcap City on the other hand plays the grounded foil to Deerhunter’s dreamy float. They offer up a slice of found sounds, strings, and weary vocals. I’m sure there are some copies of this left out there, get ‘em while you can.

 

Helm - Origin of Misery 3″ CD-R

Blackest Rainbow (www.blackest-rainbow.moonfruit.com)

Not to be confused with hardcore band The Helm, Helm is Luke Younger from Birds of Delay. This is the second release from him under this moniker as far as I’m aware. It follows his self-released One CD-R. Younger unleashes a painful onslaught of harsh noise on the unsuspecting. Origin of Misery encompasses three tracks and clocks in at approximately 20 minutes, nearly filling the tiny 3″ to the brim with uncontrolled screeching goodness.

 

Goslings/Yellow Swans - Bored Fortress split 7″

Not Not Fun (www.notnotfun.com)

Another installment of Not Not Fun’s Bored Fortress subscription series gets the nod for pick of this litter. If you haven’t heard Goslings yet, what are you waiting for? Their Grandeur of Hair disc from last year was a blown out trip heavy enough to stand next to SunnO))), noisy enough to rival Merzbow, and with vocals not unlike the shoegaze bands of yore. Simply put, they are a phenomenal group and their side of this split is nothing less than perfection. Yellow Swans do their thing on the flip side, constructing a glorious wall of white noise. Perhaps taking a cue from Goslings, they add subtly melodic themes into this mixture. This is one of the best split 7″‘s I’ve heard in a long time.

The Poison Dart – Get Hot

The Poison Dart show their Northwest (and Canadian) roots on their debut album Get Hot. The album displays the original intent of alternative music, by blending various musical styles and instruments with lyrics that tend to encompass a view of existentialism; even if the individual search for meaning leads one to invent words like “Stereophobic” (one of the album’s tracks). Fans of the Seattle and Portland music scenes in the 90’s will undoubtedly enjoy the purist alternative sound of The Poison Dart, and playful mood of discontent that is created on Get Hot.

Many tracks on Get Hot display the band’s ability to blend melancholy vocals with a catchy beat. This can especially be heard on the track “Lady, I’ve Been Hoping Long,” where lead-singer Megan McDonald’s voice has the disaffected tone of Aimee Mann with a Pat Benatar edge, and creates a noticeable juxtaposition to the catchy pop music playing along with the lyrics. The Poison Dart has a great asset in Megan McDonald’s voice, which doesn’t go out of tune or pitch once on the entire album, and is perfectly suited to the type of music the band created, by infusing an appropriate flatness. Her voice also sounds great when grainy, like on “Lay Low (Lay Low),” or distorted, like on “Pamphleteers.” Sometimes, however, tracks seemed to fall short of grabbing my attention, or there was a noticeable feeling that Megan was not passionate about what she was singing. Some singers, such as Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Beck, can sing nonsense, but put so much style and passion into it that it makes the listener care; however, Megan seems to not muster up enough energy on some tracks (“Mark of a Man”) to create interest from the listener. Alexander Mahan and Jay Arner make great back-up vocalists and add more texture to songs like “Stereophobic,” but interrupt the coherency of the album when singing lead vocals, like on “I’ll Bend my Will,” “Fragments,” and “Rise and Shine.” The vocals on these tracks are mainly out of tune, and seem awkward sandwiched between the professional sounding Megan McDonald.

The music on this album is outstanding. The Poison Dart show they are proficient in playing anything from the xylophone to the organ, while consistently maintaining excellence in guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The music always compliments the vocals very well, while diversifying the style enough to keep things interesting. Listeners will hear everything from a fifty’s style sound mixed with industrial distortion on “Phamphleteers,” which is very original playing with the song’s political lyrics, to folk on “Lay Low (Lay Low),” and even into the realm of a bard type musical style on “Occupations.”

Get Hot seems to show the raw debut material of a band that has a lot of great elements. Their musical sensibilities, and the voice of Megan McDonald, make The Poison Dart a band to expect exciting alternative music from that pays homage to the past while experiencing the creation of innovative musical styling. The tracks that stand out are “I Was Not Made to Reproduce,” “Lay Low (Lay Low),” “Pamphleteers,” and “Rise and Shine.” Particularly outstanding is “Occupations,” with it’s folk/bard ballad type style and carefully constructed lyrics that emphasize the syllables of words and their meaning in a truly unique, pleasing to the ear, and fun-to-sing way. The main lyric of this song seems to project one of the areas where Get Hot does not excel: instilling immediacy into the music. Megan proclaims in “Occupations,” “Who could make that make a difference to me. They’re just songs out of stories that go around in circles.” The vocalization and lyrics on tracks such as “I’ll Bend My Will,” “Rise and Shine” and “All Things Must Pass” left me feeling that the members of the band wouldn’t testify in court to the lyrics or passion behind them. This sentiment aside, Get Hot is a good album with great elements that any fan of alternative music will enjoy.

Skinny Jim and the Number 9 Blacktops – Matchbox

Skinny Jim and the Number 9 Blacktops are one of those bands I should see live; their myspace profile – featuring a topless Skinny Jim in all his tattooed glory – reminds me of the Sideruner’s own minimalist arrangement. Like the Siderunners, the Blacktops combine old Americana styles with a 70′s and 80′s punk rock attitude. With touches of Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and pyschobilly pioneers the Meteors, the Blacktops have a full sound with a three-piece’s crispness. “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Hot Rod Girl” explore different avenues of the 50′s pop circuit, “Matchbox” reveals the Blacktop’s grittier tone with dirty country vocals and teethy distorted guitar licks.

“Matchbox” aside, the Blacktops keep things concise, just missing the two minute mark on “Twenty Flight Rock” and barely crossing the line with “Hot Rod Girl”. The former owes more to Buddy Holly and the 1950′s rockabilly revolution than Chuck Berry’s pop-rock style. With its “Revon”-style glimmer, “Twenty Flight Rock” lays off the rocking guitar riffs – opting for an abbreviated solo towards the end – in favor of Skinny Jim’s seemingly amused voice – what’s so funny? -. Due to low production values it’s hard to decipher Skinny Jim’s lyrics, but the song isn’t really about balladry; “Twenty Flight Rock”‘s cohesive sound seems to be the goal and it’s certainly achieved. The verses three chorded “duhn duhn duhn”‘s turn into surfy twice picked eighth notes, which add melody to Skinny Jim’s vocal beat counting.

Staying the pop course, “Hot Rod Girl”‘s call response chorus meshes well with the palm muted guitar and up-tempo rhythm. In addition to one and…three and guitar strums, the trio adds a female guest vocalist lending a refreshingly country tone to the otherwise single-genre piece. Also, the solo makes great use of Skinny Jim’s guitar noodling, causing whatever effect he uses to rise to the surface; it’s probably vibrato, reverb or some combination of the two.

My favorite Blacktop’s song has to be “Matchbox”. With a Meteors’ style verse-solo-verse-solo format, the tune’s bare drum and bass style makes the biting but clear distortion tear right through the foundation, eating away at the skull and bone’s exterior. Skinny Jim throws away the poppy 50′s boy voice in favor of a manly country western growl. The first chorus/solo pays homage to Chuck Berry with plenty of B-E string bridges and piano-like diatribes ending just in time to welcome back the big bass’ boogie. In a moment of brilliance the Blacktop’s decided to include a chunky drum solo – which at first sounds like the bass’ rhythmic slap – instead of a second guitar for the final “chorus”.

Like I said in the beginning, I’ve got a feeling Skinny Jim and the Blacktops need to be seen in person, mainly because, despite their claims of a punk influence, their music is damn well influenced by the rockabilly of the 1950′s, without so much as a hint of the vicious 70′s 80′s rock. Maybe this translates into a hard rocking show belying the poppy garnish of a CD recording ala the Siderunners. For lovers of raw rock n’ roll and country western debauchery, I recommend Skinny Jim and the Blacktops for a quick evening of raucous fun and excitement; to everyone else, sip your fine chardonnay and try not to pet your cats too hard while you waste your night glorifying wonderfully crappy Japanese B-Movies and jacking off to men in well tailored pterodactyl suits; good night!

Go It Alone – Histories

One of the more consistent melodic hardcore bands is Vancouver’s Go It Alone. They’re no strangers to myself, having an EP (Vancouver Gold) and 2005 full-length (The Only Blood Between Us) already in my collection. Two years later with the sophomore album out, the band is still very recognizable. Histories focuses on the growing pains men experience. If you pay any attention to hardcore, this is a popular choice of subject, especially considering peers like Sinking Ships, Another Breath, and Modern Life is War are all writing from similar perspectives. Expected influences remain true (Carry On, Champion, Stay Gold), but the slower, darker moments are definitely an appreciated step.

It seems like the band has all the ingredients for success. The recording was done by the same guy who worked with Killing the Dream, Life Long Tragedy, and Allegiance. This is easily the best sounding Go It Alone to date. “Relics” is different than anything else the band has to their name. A muted power chord slowly marches in solitude until it becomes a full fledged introduction. Vocals remain familiar, persistent and pissed, but not impossible to understand most every word. Even the bass jingles loud enough for anyone to notice its presence. The slow as molasses breakdown of “Rapture” is certainly a throwback to mid 90′s hardcore (check out BURN). Plenty of other occasions add a 90′s feel, which I’m all in favor for. The melodic shift was apparent by the time The Only Blood Between Us was released. The band has learned there’s more ground to cover than the fast hardcore they originally attached to.

My issues with Histories are broken up between kinks in the new sound and vocal patterns. “Weight I” tries to be too epic, and it backfires into something boring. The same guitar notes ring out at the same pace while indecipherable words are overheard pushing three minutes. Modern Life is War are the shining sons of epic hardcore, everyone else isn’t so lucky. “Monastery,” you get to witness an awkward vocal pattern in action. Partly to blame are the words chosen. “The shadows are growing longer in this room / The door is locked / You can’t come in.” It feels too obvious and stiff, but other songs do avoid elementary territory. “Weight II” makes for another odd situation, however. For a song with a one liner (“We all fail the test of time…fuck!”) it certainly isn’t terribly profound, and I’d much rather hear the fertile groove going on minus the random interjection.

In the forecast of melodic hardcore in 2007, this is above average. While technically I’m saying that Histories is alright, there is still something missing.

Draft Riots – MascuLeninism

From the album title, to the song titles, to the name of the band itself, Draft Riots has something to say. They manage to get a lot across with minimal lyrics and diverse songwriting on this brief and note-worthy album. With broad influences spanning 70’s British punk and rock, and DC punk from the 90’s, Draft Riots are a talented group of musicians, and MascuLeninism proves that.

What’s especially cool about Draft Riots’ new album is the fact that each song has a distinct sound, and the poetic lyrics are a small but pointed part of a remarkably diverse, musically impressive record. This Louisville outfit’s motto is “stay versatile”, and with standouts like “Cheney Pie” and “Masculeninism”, they exemplify this. The vocals are strong on songs like “Commoner”, and the additions of piano on several songs show that this instrument has a place in rock music. The best part of Draft Riots’ album is the instrumentals. Each element intertwines close to flawlessly, giving MascuLeninism that something extra.

One of the few disappointments was the length of this album — it only has seven tracks. A full-length release would more accurately show Draft Riots’ potential, but from MascuLeninism alone, they sure have a lot going for them. Definitely worth a listen or two.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Scribble Mural Comic Journal

The story goes that A Sunny Day in Glasgow began as a bedroom recording project of Ben Daniels of King Kong Ding Dong and Ever Nalens before morphing into the current trio of Ben and his identical twin sisters, Robin and Lauren. With his cyclical guitar cascades and their ethereal vocals, Scribble Mural Comic Journal emerges sounding like the mutant offspring of Cocteau Twins and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Sure to evoke more than a fair share of My Bloody Valentine comparisons too, which is becoming the benchmark of laziness in modern album reviews, A Sunny Day in Glasgow have concocted a terrific record despite having one of the worst band names I’ve ever heard.

Scribble Mural Comic Journal will cause much head scratching right out of the gate if you let the comparisons cloud your judgment of its opening tracks. “Wake Up Pretty” is a subtly electronic and brief intro to “No. 6 Von Karman Street,” another electronic track with sighing vocals that belies all of the fuzzy atmospherics and acute noise pop of the rest of the album. After the impression of two separate intros, “A Mundane Phone Call to Jack Parsons” appears to claim its place amongst the best pop songs of 2007. Changing gears from bubbly techno-lite to tumbling feedback and booming drums, its lush (no pun intended) vocal delivery perfectly complements a wealth of noise with just the right ratio of melody. All the references to rocket scientists, Von Karman and Jack Parsons, would seem appropriate as ASDIG definitely seems to have its head in the proverbial clouds.

“Our Change Into Rain is No Change at All(Talkin’ Bout Us)” certainly flaunts its Cocteaus influence during its opening bars, layered acoustic guitars and keyboard opening up to wordless vocalizing from Lauren and Robin before putting a slower, Low Level Owl-era Appleseed Cast style arpeggiated bridge to good use. “Ghost in the Graveyard” peels away the repetitive beat after a minute or so to reveal chiming guitar work while “5:15 Train” springs to life with a very Fennesz-ian smear of processed guitar. “C’mon” is worthy of all the raving you might hear about its bending guitars, haunting vocals, and tinkling percussion. “Panic Attacks Are What Make Me ‘Me’” is a delicious loop of shimmering guitar and electronics, spinning off light in all directions. “Watery (Drowning is Just Another Word for Being Buried Alive Under Water)” is another sweet confection of pop goodness only outshined here by the aforementioned “A Mundane Phone Call to Jack Parsons.” “The Best Summer Ever” closes Scribble Mural Comic Journal on a high note with jangly strumming before melting into autumnal bliss.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow release Scribble Mural Comic Journal on a world already prepped with shoegaze revivalists such as Asobi Seksu and Serena-Maneesh. Although the group appears to wear its influences on its sleeves, the real beauty here is the honesty and warmth with which they are presented. It would be a real crime to see this record dismissed as another bandwagon hopper on the shoegaze revival. If there isn’t enough room in the current scene for a record this gorgeous then we’ve got some serious problems.

Midnight Movies – Lion the Girl

Los Angeles’ Midnight Movies seek to evoke the deep hours of the night not only in their chosen name but also in the “decidedly noir,” gloomy goth-pop they compose and perform. In fact, they capture that special quality of night in another way as well: they put me to sleep. Though the atmospherics are fine and the band manages some decent tracks of restless, power-chording guitars and brooding keyboards, once the songs on Lion the Girl are over, they are as difficult to remember as those wisps of dream that dissolve upon waking.

I have trawled through this disc a number of times now and I am at a loss to identify from memory any tune, any standout hook, or any lyric. Oddly, the band’s music reminds me a lot of Sheffield, England’s great forgotten goth-poppers the Comsat Angels, though leeched of the Angels’ riveting drama and portentous hooks. Lion the Girl also suffers from a dull, muddy sound despite being produced by Steve Fisk, whose credits include Low, Minus the Bear and Nirvana. And though vocalist Gena Olivier tries gamely for a seductive Beth Gibbons-like tone, her anonymous voice just disappears in this mix as do the meager melodies.

The attempted menace of Lion the Girl succeeds only in fits and starts, the twilit “Bell Tower,” or maybe the semi-hypnotic title song. “Patient Eye” begins with the alluring sound and mood of a darkening Los Angeles, with one’s sense of safety slipping away as the electric heart of the city struggles to pump enough light into the bleak alleys and hidden corners. But the nascent mood never coheres, and the song tiptoes through the crepuscular atmosphere, only mustering up some interesting scraps of melody at its very end.

Maybe it’s the suggestion of the band’s moniker or their hometown of Los Angeles, but I can’t help feel there’s something actorly in Midnight Movies’ music, a detachment from the material and its intended emotional impact that you might expect from a second-rate performer unable to turn planned words and actions into seemingly spontaneous expression. L.A.’s dark underbelly will have to look elsewhere for its muse; Midnight Movies are, unfortunately, not ready for their close-up.

Deleted Scenes – s/t EP

I’m not sure what it was that made me pull Deleted Scenes’ debut EP out of the piles of discs, but I’m absolutely glad that I did. What makes one band out of the thousand others waiting stand out without first hearing the music is a mystery to me. Maybe it was the minimalist look of the cover art or perhaps the fact that other than the CD-R’s sent to the press this is a digital only release. I guess maybe I thought this was a band that could use a little boost and I generally enjoy rooting for the underdog if they deserve the attention.

Deleted Scenes are a Washington, D.C. based foursome that play some incredibly catchy indie rock with great pop sensibilities. The group’s self-titled debut EP is only four songs long, but each of them pack a punch. There is a pretty wide range of styles here for such a short release and I’m impressed by each of them.

Opening track “Day Off Work” has a bit of a rockabilly vibe, with driving guitar and bouncing drum work. This is the kind of indie rock that should be getting tons of radio play! “Trying to Remember a Dream” is a slower, lo-fi number with a touch of dark Americana that comes out in the somber vocals. “Hyperbaric” slows the pace down even more and this time takes more of a folk-rock turn. A trumpet adds to the many layers here and lyrics like “I can just about forget about getting’ young again” make me a bit wistful for more carefree days. The final song, “He Just Doesn’t Get It” brings the tempo back up to energetic rock territory again and this is where I really, truly love Deleted Scenes.

Deleted Scenes show amazing promise for such a young band as it seems hard to do indie rock this well anymore. The band is tight, they write some seriously catchy tunes, and they don’t dumb down their lyrics for the masses. If intelligent indie rock is your thing this Deleted Scenes EP won’t set you back more than a few bucks and will easily be one of the best purchases you’ve made all year.

Tiger – Swankin

When it comes to old-fashioned slide guitar, few of Tiger’s contemporaries can sing the blues quite like him. Armed with a unique energy and screaming guitar solos – i.e. “Swankin” -, the Nashville resident makes up for his lack of eclectic-ness with a complete understanding of blues traditionalism – shown on “Scrappy Blues” and “Woman On My Mind” – and his pure unadulterated skill.

Tiger’s most polished song “Swankin” is an exercise in control and riff continuity. The guitar is fast paced and stays solid throughout the two and a half minute-long blues instrumental. While never betraying the steady chop-thwop drumbeat, Tiger varies the guitar slides and keeps the tangents fiery but controlled, never losing steam as some modern day “rock solos” have a tendency to do – fuck Velvet Revolver. In between solos, Tiger exits the main riff and goes into a blaze of palm muted picking culminating in a well-toned break.

Howling Wolf or Robert Johnson could’ve written “Scrappy Blues” and “Woman On My Mind”, given their strict adherence to old-school principles. “Scrappy Blues” is a much slower instrumental, which sounded like it was recorded on the same equipment Son House used back in the 1920′s. The fuzz of the live recording gave it a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of classic recordings and really fit the piece nicely. “Woman On My Mind” was any number of blues songs thrown together with the same old motifs of longing and unrequited love, which is the main problem with Tiger’s style; it’s really old. While the music itself isn’t bad; the songs are dated and only fans of the real old time blues will get a kick out of it, them and thrice convicted hipsters trying to be cooler than their artsy friends.

My Brightest Diamond – Tear It Down

Tear It Down is an apt name for this release as ten songs from My Brightest Diamond’s 2006 debut album Bring Me The Workhorse are torn down, remixed and built into thirteen distinctive tracks.

While I am a fan of My Brightest Diamond, aka Shara Worden, I’m not a big fan of remix albums, and a couple of the tracks on Tear It Down help justify this opinion. I also wonder why someone would remix something that is already such a unique and masterful work to begin with. To me, the best remix is one that doesn’t sound like a remix, but rather a unique and different version of the original song that can stand alone on it’s own merits, and this is where Tear It Down succeeds, most of the time.

Tear It Down sees Shara Worden’s sophisticated and sensual cabaret-influenced, chamber-pop tunes re-worked in a variety of electro-styles by the likes of Alias, Lusine, Gold Chains, Stakka and Murcof, among others. With the exception of a couple tracks that use jittery noise effects and annoying repetitive vocal blips and one that is so nebulous it fails to warrant attention, most of the re-mixes are very well done. And while they’re not necessarily improvements or enhancements to the original compositions, they certainly are different enough and remarkably appealing.

While Bring Me The Workhorse contains shades of Bjork, Tear It Down is even more Bjork-like given it’s diverse nature, the use of experimental electronics, bristling beats, animated arrangements and the way these artists have remixed Ms. Worden’s powerful and radiant voice to fit their compositions. Some of the tracks are certainly more techno and rhythm n’ bass oriented but are done in a meditative, cinematic style while retaining most of the endearing qualities of the originals. Others slow things down to create a more expansive, almost ambient feel with some hypnotic beats and plush orchestrations.

While Worden’s assessment of the remix artists that “The variety of their approaches made this project exhilaratingly unpredictable” and the fact that the bulk of the remixes on Tear It Down are smart and palatable takes on My Brightest Diamond’s sparkling sound makes this an attractive album. But two remixes each of three songs appearing on a disc with seven other remixed tunes that clocks in at about 68 minutes is a bit extreme and could turn off some listeners. Overall though, Tear It Down offers a decent and different perspective on some compelling music.

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