The Assistants – The Assistants

Welcome to the mid 80′s! Springsteen and hair metal rule the charts. The Celtics and Lakers are duking it out in the NBA. And in the UK, and new kind of alternative rock and roll is springing up. Moving away from the synthesizers and new romantic movement, and incorporating guitars and chugging rhythms, bands like the Smiths, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Stone Roses, and others came to the forefront and started a new generation of guitar rock.

But wait! This is 2007! I don’t even know who rules the charts. No one cares about the NBA (the Spurs are the champs, yet in Toronto none of this matters to the Assistants). While their debut album is filled with catchy songs and great playing, the spirit of the 80′s looms a little too large here.

“Taste It” opens with a swirl and a strum which sounds very British. Then the second guitar opens and I realize the production is going to be super thin throughout. Not too good a sign for ’07. It’s a fine song with a catchy chorus, but the sonics are simply inescapable. “Planet News” begins with a John Squire tribute riff and thankfully Cieran Megahy is a much better singer than Ian Brown. “This Time” adds a little more rock and roll to the mix, with better results, but if it kicked a little more ass…well, you know what I mean. “In My Dreams” actually sounds like a Boston song at the start, but once those thin drums kick in you remember those cold rainy Thatcher ruled days in the UK.

“And Then Again” is again hampered by the production, but a fine song is in there somewhere. “Handful of Heaven” is a nice little mid tempo ballad with some nice lyrics that isn’t hurt by the production. However, “Free to Believe” is…and that’s too bad. “White”, too, could use beefing up, especially with that huge guitar sound in the opening and the chugging bassline. But, that cheesy keys line almost ruin the song. Listen and you’ll know the one. If I even have to mention the 80′s tribute in the production again, well it pretty much ruins the last two really good songs “The Fall” and “Consent”.

I hate to give a band that I see a real future for a bad review, but I feel I must. So I will address my bottom line to the band directly:

Ciaran, Kiley, Adam, Tim, and Ildiko,
You are all talented musicians and I think you are a promising band. But, despite good songs, your debut sounds like an 80′s pastiche production wise. Your future does not lie in the past. Mahalo.

Superchunk – Misfits and Mistakes 7"

As the self professed Superchunk nut at DOA it is a great joy the North Carolina group has released a new single. Years ago the release of a single from one of the originators of what we know as indie rock was less the momentous event it is now. This is a band that in their 17 year career has released 3 singles compilations, each one longer than the previous one. But we all grow old and things slow down and as the members take to having lives, Superchunk isn’t the primary focus it once was. So when the time comes that a new single surfaces then I’m all over it, regardless of what it’s for.

“Misfits and Mistakes” was written for the (deep breath here) Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters and only included as a hidden song on the soundtrack with the character Meatwad on vocals. Instead of making us ‘Chunk fans plunk down cash for the whole album, (perhaps they remember our pains in having to sit through Collective Soul and Coolio on the Jerky Boys Soundtrack they were also on,) it has been officially released as a 7.”

It would be great if the All Tomorrow’s Parties folks would feature Foolish or Come Pick Me Up as a part of their Don’t Look Back series but as great as Superchunk albums are, they’ve always excelled at being a “singles” band. With each album their sound has changed and evolved but never strays from the hyperactive pogo-inducing sound where it originally began. With each release between albums it’s easy to tell what period Superchunk the song fits into; “Misfits” seems to span several of these eras.

Overall the sound is lean and crisp much like the best tracks on CPMU. The opening guitar lines are full of back and forth jerking before the band kicks into faster territory for the verses much like No Pocky For Kitty. Mac McCaughan’s vocals are upfront and contain classic ‘Chunk references to drinking and flying. The lyrical melody is reminiscent of their Indoor Living era, especially the “paper clips and paper cuts” line. Barely audible throughout the song is a keyboard, which is a fairly recent addition to the standard lineup we’re familiar with, but it’s subtle and keeps the song feeling vibrant, not that it was a problem to begin with.

So what about the B-side? Well it’s the Meatwad-led version featured on the official soundtrack. While this could be seen as the act of a band not having enough material it’s instead a sign from how great a band can be to have such a great sense of humor about themselves. Superchunk has always been one of the funniest and most humble bands in the typically cynical indie rock era and letting a cartoon take the vocal reins is further proof of this. Granted the flip side won’t get much play but it’s nice to know it’s there. Don’t have a turntable, you say? Well that’s unfortunate but no worry. The fine folks at Merge offer a free download of the song when you purchase the single. (At this time it is not available on iTunes or eMusic.) Even if you can’t take a listen on its intended format it works as a nice piece of art. Not content just to have standard black vinyl, each side features different work as done by the artists of ATHF.

It’s refreshing to know that some bands don’t lose their stride in periods of dormancy. It’s been nearly 6 years since their last full length release but judging from “Misfits and Mistakes” Superchunk still continues to grow in sound and maintain their ability to write absolutely rocking music.

Datarock – Datarock

Datarock brandishes an undeniable novelty factor thanks to its humorous lyrics and some slap happy sonics. So listeners will experience a sugar rush and, unfortunately, the headache that follows. Critics call it “dance”, but really Datarock is danceable post-punk that uses pop hooks and humor to draw listeners in. But it’s the music that will bring them back.

Most of the songs on Datarock have bounced around the net since 2005. The album has lasted this long because it isn’t just funny and sparkly – it’s good, too. The creation of Norway’s Frederik Saroea and Ketil Mosnes, Datarock has a surprising shelf life. The duo teamed up to celebrate a mutual affinity for the Talking Heads. But Datarock sounds more synthesized and danceable than Byrne’s Heads.

The album has 13 tracks, none of them filler. Simple but undeniably catchy, track 1, “Bulldozer”, builds with a child’s momentum up to the anti-anthem, “BMX is better than sex!” But the album exhausts that momentum quickly with the next few tracks. Track 2, “I Used to Dance with my Daddy”, starts the dance at mid-tempo and peaks with a hypnotic outro of layered vocal samples. Then, “Computer Camp Love” celebrates the films Revenge of the Nerds and Grease with a vocal dialog that sounds like an absurd musical. It crosses the cornball line, and that joke gets old.

Track 4 heralds Datarock‘s redemption. “Fa-Fa-Fa” is full-on disco, starring strained vocals that shine even over the infectious beat. The hot streak continues with “Princess”, the musical and lyrical better of “Fa-Fa-Fa”. “Princess” nukes the line between dance and punk. “Gaburo Girl” jams a jazz funk guitar over a pop beat. This is one of two tracks which ultimately suffer from an annoying, crooning male vocal. But it’s followed by one of the album’s best tracks.

The new-wave inspired “See What I Care” is full on dance pop that becomes anthemic: “If you want to stay, I’ll stay. OK? But you know I know it’s impossible. If you want me to go, I’ll go away. But you know I’ll be running away on Saturday, running away on Saturday, running away on Saturday”. “Laurie” is the sleeper track that should win listeners over; it’s slower, and sounds like another new wave offshoot.

Of the final four songs, “The Most Beautiful Girl” is the clear standout. More new wave re-invented with an innocent Casio beat and synth package. Great stuff. Meanwhile, “New Song” sounds like Electric Six. Not so great, despite all of it’s energy. “Ugly Primadonna” is more disco that doesn’t age as well as other tracks. “Sex Me Up” stands out mostly for its David Byrne-inflected vocal. And, last, “I Will Always Remember” is traditional disco, with crooning male/female vocal change offs, and the crooning starts to grate. This US release omits 2 tracks: “Night Flight to Uranus”, possibly for decency reasons, and “Maybelline” for legal, commercial issues.

Datarock‘s combination of charm, infectious beats and solid song writing make this a definite success. The good outweighs the bad, and any indie dance, pop or post-punk fan should check it out.

The Boyish Charms – Nothing Spectacular Awaits

You might say the Boyish Charms have little concern for cultivating an imposing appearance. The foot they put forward is probably the practical one and, often enough, the better sounding — no free posters or garish packaging here. Instead, they are refreshingly content to sit on their asses in sunny San Diego, looking out the window and writing songs — one after another, year in, year out, finances be damned. Witness the breadth of their output, wholly self-released or micro-independent: recorded to cassette, vinyl, cd-r, or whatever happens to be at hand, full-lengths always exceed a dozen tracks and EP’s succeed each other with the regularity of birthdays. Their approach to songwriting matches this tirelessness to boot, and Nothing Spectacular Awaits underscores both. Short, lean pop songs — sometimes little more than doodles on the lyric sheet — pass by in droves, shoving each other around and leaping from idea to idea as if inclusion were at stake. Fortunately it makes for an engaging, if occasionally wearisome, listen.

This is not to suggest that the problem is quantity over quality; rather, the Boyish Charms frustrate when they glance cursorily over melodies and tunes that merit expatiation. Stripping down to instruments that eight hands can play at once is more often than not a good move, particularly when it comes to straightforward pop. But Nothing Spectacular Awaits has its Belle and Sebastian moments, when a ceremonious trumpet enters the mix, or a piano skips along with the vocals in the background, and I wish that there were more of them. Guitar solos do the job, certainly, but strings and brass were made for this kind of thing.

“Cabinets & Cocktails,” I think, best demonstrates what these guys can do: a fragile guitar part, on par with Stuart Murdoch’s best, guides things along, accompanying a plaintive voice, gentle strings, and an elegant guitar line before expiring precisely when it’s run its course. A perfectly lovely tune by any measure, and likely the acme of this record, it also demonstrates the significance of arrangement: neither overcooked in the studio nor lo-fi to severity, the song’s elements cling to its structure like a tailored suit, and it’s a terrifically effective piece as a result. The album executes elsewhere as well, notably on the single “Dear Katy” and the penultimate “Let’s Stay Awake,” but nowhere as superbly as “Cabinets & Cocktails.” Fact is, simplicity and hastiness makes some of these songs facile and forgettable, and that’s a shame. The charm here may stoop occasionally to adolescence, but the moniker also belies a steady, discerning approach to pop songwriting that would benefit tremendously from embellishment.

Allegiance – Desperation

I listened to Allegiance’s old material here and there, but it never really caught me. The band’s latest effort, Desperation, would serve as my turning point.

The pacing of this band used to throw me off somewhat. I can get down with heavy hardcore, but Allegiance was giving me motion sickness. I prefer a more swaggering pace like that of No Warning and Guns Up. Upon a few listens, I noticed that Desperation delivers more of what I was thirsting for. The riffs on opener “Another Wave” built up with snarling force, this was a warm welcome. Ragers like “Summer Relief” could easily fuel a night of rowdy dudes partying. The chugging, twisting lick in “So This Is It” is another encore worthy moment. Vocals clash with bass and rising feedback on “The Desperation” leading into a surprise transition, a silent pause, before an unexpected mosh break. This is great shit to bob your head back and forth for, and it’s not a hard listen. At eleven tracks long, this album flies by. I just have some comments left for the vocals. They possess an unusually high pitch that’s identical to long gone Albany, NY group Once and For All. It’s a unique approach in the scope of heavy hardcore, but equally abrasive at times too.

Another respected hardcore release from Rivalry Records. If this was a rehash of Allegiance’s older work, I wouldn’t be singing the same tune.

Death To Anders – Punctuate The Calamities

There is a piece of twine on the cover of Death To Anders’ debut album, “Punctuate The Calamities”, tying together not just their the flimsy paper case, but their underlying, lo-fi philosophy. As students of the three Founding Fathers of late 80′s/ 90′s indie rock- Pixies, Pavement, and Pinback (with some after school tutoring from Sonic Youth)- “Punctuate The Calamities” serves as their final term paper, exploding with sporadic, noisy guitars, wild cymbals that resonate long after they have been struck, charmingly off key, nasal vocals, and most importantly, genuine heart and soul.

Death to Anders warble their way through their eleven songs, never wavering from the three P’s sound, but remarkably manage to sustain interest. Like Pavement, they are consciously aware of their sound, steering and shaping it instead of letting it control them. They know when to kick in the distortion and scream unintelligently, and when to harmonize over a pretty shuffle (the last strains of “Sad Part About America”). Like the Pixies, their song structures are unorthodox but do not alienate, and can seamlessly and radically alter their tempo and volume. And like Pinback, they weave hypnotic melodies into a solid rhythmic backbone.

With such strong influences, however, it is difficult to hear Death To Anders among the din of indie rock’s past. The question is not whether “Punctuate The Calamities” is a good album, whether it is their own album, with their own voice shining through the tremolos and rim shots.

Regardless, the three P’s have taught Death To Anders well- now it is up to them to go out into the world and make something of themselves, for even the best of educations are meaningless if you don’t apply them. Though I cannot say for sure what Death To Anders will be in the coming years, I am certain that the three P’s would be proud of “Punctuate The Calamities”.

Handsome Furs – Plague Park

Handsome Furs are a side project of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boechner along with his fiancée Alexei Perry. That’s it, just the two of them and very little in the way of instruments. They aren’t trying to create grandiose songs with great depth but rather simple, repetitive tracks with well-written lyrics. And at this, they do very well.

Boechner and Perry share roles on instruments and electronics while Boechner takes all of the vocals. Backed by a drum machine instead of an actual person with sticks and some stuff to bang on, the songs all ride along on a similar beat and with little fluctuation. This repetition does just fine in many spots but in others it becomes so repetitious that boredom begins to set in. However, luckily they dodge this bullet most of the time. Since this is a superstar writing duo, it seems fitting that they wouldn’t pour all of their attention into the music and would choose instead to focus on the lyrics. The music is sparse, minimal and at times, it even feels cold and a touch bored with itself. This certainly is not a sunny pop album to listen to in the car because you think that you could use some spirit lifting.

The album opens strongly with “What We Had”, a minimal, dusty alt-rock song that immediately sets the tone for the set. The song carries an eclectic feel that gives it a timeless quality however the sparseness of the track doesn’t take away from the catchiness of it. This is not the style of catchy that would elevate it to the highly played list on your local radio station but the kind of catchy where you actually have a desire to hear this particular song. It makes you want to put on your headphones and crank up the volume so that the world around you just fades away. It grabs you with its dark and rich textures while maintaining a certain level of minimalism that is often hard to do well. However, the problem with starting off with such a strong track is that the rest of the album has to live in its shadow.

“Hearts Of Iron” follows up the stellar opener with week electronic drums and a general bored feeling surrounding the electric guitar and vocals. The double-tracked vocals here blend so sweetly that it’s almost able to pick up the song based on voice along but in the end it just doesn’t quite measure up. “Handsome Furs Hate This City” opens with game-like repetitive electronics and static surrounding Boechner’s vocals. Both the Handsome Furs distaste for everything urban and their lyrical strength shows here with “Baby we can get you anything you want/ anytime you want/ but you won’t know what it’s for”.

“Sing! Captain” manages to pull itself out of the musical monotony that begins to surround the first half of the album. The vocals rise up out of a cloud of distortion to tell us a story of discontent and loneliness over a marching beat. “We hate this place here that’s our home/ it’s our home” rings out like a cry for help in a place where no one can hear. “Dead + Rural” picks up the electronic beat and moves a little quicker despite the heavy distortion while “Dumb Animals” drags the tempo right back down again with lyrics as depressed as the music. “The Radio’s Hot Sun” closes the album with a completely unremarkable track that is probably the simplest on the album and thus just fades away, easily forgotten.

The album feels less like an alt rock album and more like an outlet for two remarkable writers. A certain feeling of intimacy surrounds the album that makes it more suited to the headphones of a single listener as opposed to being blasted over speakers at a party. Despite the simplicity and repetitiveness of the album the recipe works – it is surprisingly catchy and we are allowed the opportunity to hear Boeckner and Perry making sweet, if not somewhat dark and depressing, music together.

Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist

Let’s not kid ourselves here. You’re reading this either because you are a diehard Smashing Pumpkins fan, or you came to see me rip this record a new one. Never one to make music on anything less than a grand scale, Billy Corgan’s new version of Smashing Pumpkins turns in a grand failure. It would be easy enough alone to dismiss Zeitgeist as a pathetic attempt to cash in on the legacy of one of the greatest rock groups of the 90′s. With the existence of several versions of the album only available at chain stores such as Best Buy and Target with exclusive bonus tracks not offered to indie retailers just adds insult to injury. Top it off with the fact that this is easily the worst record under the Smashing Pumpkins moniker, robbing 2000′s Machina/The Machines of God of that title. Finally, a personal note for good measure, I’ve found something to like about every Pumpkins album to date, with Siamese Dream being flawless in my opinion and the aforementioned Machina a low if sometimes fruitful valley in the band’s catalog. It almost seemed redeeming that the final Smashing Pumpkins record, Machina II/The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music was released online for free as a “fuck you” to a record label that had all but abandoned them. Plus, that record was far better than the first Machina which was released on an actual major label.

In an attempt to “bring the rock” back to Smashing Pumpkins, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlain have recorded an album of overblown drum fills and listless riffing with absolutely no hooks. Take one of the first singles, “Doomsday Clock,” for example. Not only does it practically seeth with the same soupy recording techniques that mired the first Machina album, it turns in a Tom Morello/Rage Against the Machine style toggle switch solo near the end. The result is laughably bad. Corgan’s voice is pushed so far up in the mix that his whiny and nasally vocals sound like insects buzzing in your ear. And it’s pretty much all downhill from there. The other single getting some radio airplay has been “Tarantula,” probably the only even somewhat halfway decent moment on the entire album. And I’m reaching pretty hard to give it that status. It sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins-by-numbers song being played by a second rate tribute band. It lacks something even the worst moments of the group have had up to this point: vision.

Still not enough to convince you to steer the fuck away from Zeitgeist? I’d gladly take Zwan over this any day of the week. This record is easily on par with Corgan’s solo record as one of the worst things he has ever done. Where The Future Embrace lacked a complimentary rhythm section to drive its wannabe stadium shoegaze, here Jimmy Chamberlain is a detriment to the record instead of the saving grace powerhouse he’s been in the past. Add to this that neither James Iha nor D’arcy wanted anything to do with this total turd. The cherry on top of this heaping pile is that its rife with fifth grade level political commentary. Your heart’s in the right place Billy, but you’ve failed to deliver your sentiments in any relevant or thoughtful way. Do I even need to mention the horrific cover art? At least it doesn’t bare The Future Embrace-style creepy shirtless Corgan pics. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing could have been a worse cover than that.

I can only hope that with all of the bad press Zeitgeist has been given that Billy Corgan will get the picture. We’d all love to see another Siamese Dream, sure. The chances of that are slim to none now and growing smaller every day, but it couldn’t hurt to hear Corgan try could it? At the very least it couldn’t be worse than Zeitgeist. Here’s to hoping.

Subhumans (Canada) – New Dark Age Parade

Subhumans’, New Dark Age Parade is not just another punk protest album. Gerry Hannah walked the walk by taking part in Direct Action protests in the 80′s. This abrasive album begins with “World of War”, a lament for the oppressed, hungry, unhappy and marginalized in society. “Celebrity” exposes a world where: “There’s no such thing as society and all the rules are set up for me.”

Subhumans pull no punches with lyrics describing the lives of the beat down that make up the majority of humanity. “Shut Your Eyes” reminds us “Silence is violence. Swallow hard and hold your tongue. Evil purpose will be done. In silence, your silence is killing as I speak.” Most of the album is straightforward punk, but “Clash of Intransigents” sounds like Ireland’s The Pogues with electric guitars.

Then there’s “Moving Forward”, which begins with a slow grunge intro which explodes into a speedy punk rocker. The song rattles off a catalog of former U.S. allies including Suharto, Shah of Iran, Pinochet, Mobutu, Pol Pot, Noriega, Hussein and Bin Laden. These guys make inciting songs that are a more apt representation of foreign policy than most of mainstream media.

Subhumans, who’ve been around since the 70′s epitomize Canadian punk and New Dark Age Parade will excite activists and all other fans of truth.

Call Me Lightning – Soft Skeletons

In the Soft Skeletons opener “Meet the Skeletons,” vocalist and guitarist Nathan Lilley half sings and half screams, “I hate the night!” over a thorny guitar riff and the pit-er-pat of forceful, unswerving drumming. Why hate the night? Children are informed by well-meaning parents that there isn’t anything in existence at night that isn’t there during the day. Precisely! The reason to condemn the night isn’t presence, it’s absence, the same reason one may avoid Call Me Lightning and their sophomore disc.

The trio occupy a space inhabited by many venerable artists: Les Savy Fav, Mclusky, the Jesus Lizard, you know the sound. The problem is, however, in their punk-tinged assault, they come off much like the skeletons adorning the album art and the album’s subject matter. They’re bare, lacking the character that have made the bands preceding them interesting and endearing: absent, like luminance during nighttime, is the sneer and reckless abandon of Les Savy Fav and Mclusky, the outright ferocity and perversion of the Jesus Lizard, the perplexity of At the Drive-In, or the carefree fun of Hot Hot Heat. Soft Skeletons is an album in dire need of flesh and variety.

Even in songs like “Return as a Child” and “Bottles and Bottles,” where the group performs like an animal gone feral, their rambunctious nature is betrayed by repetitive approaches and unvarying songwriting, the bestial creature caged by monotony resulting from a reliance on straight ahead drumming, repeated guitar riffs, and vocals which, as before stated, seem afraid to outright commit to either singing or screaming. In a way, the inessential nature of the songs on Soft Skeletons is a lower-level manifestation of the redundancy viewed when placing the group in context of the bands earlier mentioned. They’re a color photo copied into black and white, a superficial facsimile which supplants depth with routine.

However, Soft Skeletons does boast an enviable sharpness in production to abate its own hackneyed, boring nature. The guitars have a crispness that allows them to stab and barb as needed, the drums are poignant, and the bass sound compliments everything nicely from underneath. However, refrigeration after the fact won’t save stale food.

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