The Brokedowns – New Brains for Everyone

In true Chicago fashion, in accordance with the example set by gems like Pegboy and The Lawrence Arms, The Brokedowns provide the same raw, aggressive punk rock power made famous by these very bands. Although hailing from the far-flung suburb of Elgin, Illinois instead of the city proper, The Brokedowns released New Brains for Everyone on Thick Records, which has been a staple in Chicago’s music scene for years. Gritty and gruff, The Brokedowns combine typical punk rock fury with a sense of humor.

Slightly satirical in their lyrics, such as on tracks like “Pro-Gear, Pro-Attitude, Pro-Results” and “SARS Groove,” it is refreshing to displace the oft-heard drunken heartbreak with a different message. On New Brains for Everyone, the band channels classics like Crimpshrine and Screeching Weasel on every blisteringly fast-paced track; The Brokedowns don’t let up for a second when it comes to passion and ferocity in their music. The Lawrence Arms, however, do boast a certain amount of polish that, on many songs, The Brokedowns lack.

Polish or lack thereof aside, standouts on New Brains for Everyone include “Barefeet” and “Sinking Century,” both of which employ growling vocals and frenetic, roaring drumming, and provide a clear indication that if one ever attended a Brokedowns show, it could likely result in a bloodied nose or a black eye. “Year of the Hydra” also proves to be an excellent track. The Brokedowns’ approach to music is simple but satisfying: they will say what they mean and call out hypocrites and meatheads alike. Pretentiousness is nowhere to be found on this record, only straightforward, eardrum-thrashing, loud and boisterous punk rock.

This no-nonsense attitude and unapologetically saying what they think make The Brokedowns a solid choice for blunt punk rock. The Brokedowns recently released a split along with fellow Thick band The Arrivals, and the label always makes sure Chicago bands are represented on the national circuit. The liner notes are amusingly vulgar, but it’s clear that it’s all in good fun. All in all, The Brokedowns are a solid choice when it comes to Chicago punk rock, and, if they keep releasing albums like this, they could one day reach the same level that bands like Dillinger Four and Rise Against have achieved.

Hunters, Run! – Forgotten Souvenirs Of The Modern Age

Hunters, Run! is second rate, plain and simple. Their latest record,
Forgotten Souvenirs Of The Modern Age, is sloppy, overly compressed pop punk without purpose or direction. Each song sounds exactly the same – guitars rip through non-stop, undulating dull, repetitive rhythms. The drums bang dull and loudly underneath trite, sophomoric lyrics such as “come on baby let’s go downtown and get wasted”, to name one of the more groan inducing lines. The bass adds nothing but noise, chugging lifelessly along the roots of the chords. There is no depth, no soul, no inciting riff or spark of creativity to lure listeners in. Forgotten Souvenirs Of The Modern Age, is as bland and unfulfilling as a saltine.

Structurally, there is nothing interesting going on – every note is predictable, every attempt at modulation or syncopation is laughable, every half-assed scream elicits yawns of apathy. Hunters, Run! can do much, much better if they break free from this tired “rock for the sake of being loud” mold, and sign to a label (one other than their own Battle Standards) that will help them find their sound.

Untied States – Bye Bye Bi-Polar / These Dead Birds 7"

2006’s Retail Detail, the last full-length from this Atlanta group, was a mess. It brimmed all over with skronky avant-rock, flashing all over with electronic embellishments and God knows what else like some kind whizzing and whirring children’s toy only the most careless parent would allow their offspring to hazard. It was a great thing.

This seven-inch, released during the second half of last year, synthesizes their discordance into a much more easily consumed and, even, “rock” package, but it’s hardly left in want of thrill. The A-side, “Bye Bye Bi-Polar,” fails at exorcising the titular ailment and, instead, relishes its affliction, fluctuating from propulsive, Faraquet-esque segments to manic flares of noisy angst until settling uncomfortably between the two in a tense yet speedy psychological drift. “These Dead Birds,” the B-side, is a bit slower moving and contemplative, but it only waltzes along for so long until the band gets bored and rips everything apart, feedback and an uneasy voice caterwauling together to bring a violent end to the composition.

Even with a toned-down act, Untied States are electrifying. These tracks are apparently off an upcoming full-length, so pay attention.

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

What a great year it has been already and it only seems to continue. I feel that I could already make a solid top ten list for 2008, already! And what a way to end the first month of the year with Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut. To be succinct and simple, this is a jangly indie-rock quartet from New York City. All four members met in Columbia University where they created the band. But it’s the band’s energy and unique arrangements and instrumentations that really make it a winner.

This is a lean, mean album that finishes after only 34 minutes of indie-rock perfection. “I Stand Corrected” starts off in what seems to be a ballad style before the drums and driving bass kick in. It ends up being a kiss-off song about a boyfriend/girlfriend dispute that is captivating and dreamy. Just when you don’t think it could get any better, the strings kick in and that killer Sting-like bass riff steals the show.

This band already had big things ahead of them because their EP (also self-titled) from last year gained rave reviews. Even Rolling Stone honored their song, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” as their #67 best song of 2007. That song is also found on the full-length LP and it is a standout track. However, every song sounds distinctly unique, yet, dissimilar from the previous one.

The album is filled with polyrhythmic techniques and a lot of it seems to be influenced or at least grounded in African pop with some calypso and reggae undertones and Western classical music. And their influences are obvious on here with everything from Talking Heads to Graceland era-Paul Simon and the aforementioned, The Police. The band itself has defined their style of music as “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Upper West Side Soweto, Campus and Oxford Comma Riddim,” I am not really sure what that means but hey, it kind of works.

The violins on “M79” could be taken directly from the Classical era with their melodic and pizzicato styling. The opener on here, “Mansard Roof” is filled with some great syncopation and creative guitar work and those great moments don’t ever end. Around the minute and ten mark of “Walcott” it’s as if you stepped into the Baroque ear as the cello takes off with the melody—it really is something else. The second song, “Oxford Comma” is gritty and yet the music is prettier than ever. The keyboards are light and bouncy while the lyrics are anything but pleasant. And the Irish-influenced “Bryn” sounds like it could have made a perfect match on last year’s Best Picture winner, The Departed.

There will always be a new band that just comes in and knocks your socks off with a great album. Usually it takes a while before you find it but it almost always happens once a year. I just didn’t think it would be here so soon in 2008 with Vampire Weekend. This is a magnificent debut, filled with endless melodies, memorable hooks and plenty of toe-tapping moments.

Rogue Heroes – The King Is Dead

Rogue Heroes self-released The King Is Dead and the band is a somewhat refreshing surprise, considering their rock and punk influences and DIY ethos. It’s a mixed bag, but it does satisfy in most aspects.

First, I’ll talk about the problems. Though it is pretty slick considering it was probably done on a budget, the production value is a little sketchy. Oftentimes the vocals will sound a little louder than they should and in these spots, such as on the title track, they feel a little out of place. In the pre-chorus of “Stun Gun”, it actually made me cringe a little.

“Head in the Oven” is the first track on the album I felt like I could truly enjoy. Rogue Heroes sure know how to write addicting hooks. Songs like “My Name is Jones” and “Real Good Old Boys Don’t Lie” are prime examples of their swagger inducing rock n’ roll attitude. “The Assassination” is an interesting filler song, mostly punctuated by noise.

They balance out the record well from “Song” to “One More Round for the Road”. All of these closers are ballads if I ever heard any. The King Is Dead isn’t perfect by any means, but you can tell these guys have a lot of potential.

Brigades Like This – s/t

From the first few chords of Brigades Like This’s self-titled six-song offering, you’re led to expect an Interpol-like undertaking. Suddenly you’re thrust into a Panoply-Academy system of note choice, rhythm changes, and vocalizations. “Your Voice,” appropriately enough, draws your attention to the vocalizations as much as anything. The singing doesn’t sound like it fits with the song. It sounds like it was tacked on after the band came up with the rest of the song and, melodically, it’s not exactly congruent with the goings-on. So, OK, you learn pretty quickly that this band is not afraid to experiment a little or, less charitably, isn’t afraid to sound, ummm, kinda wrong.

While the song formulae vary, they often feature the let’s-be-loud chorus to contrast with the comparatively subdued verses, as exemplified on “Breath.” And therefore it’s not a surprise when the band gets all GYBE on the 10-minute “Peaks and Valleys” or the similarly long “The Last Song.” Loud, reverbed guitars and crashing drums have become something of a shopworn trope for this kind of thing, and I have to say that I was expecting a little more from Brigades Like This. Why not subvert the form and surprise us a little, as “Your Voice” does? The world might not be patient enough for any more Come On Die Young tracks, especially after Mogwai set the bar so high and did so a long time back.

“Slide Away” does capture a little of the Verve’s sound from when that band had a song of the same name. And I was happy to find that the song also reminded me of the long-lost brilliance of the band Variac. But it builds so slowly that you may check your watch along the way.

I know that some or even most listeners will find the singing too off-putting to continue with this disc, and that aspect of the band’s sound does limit its appeal. It would probably have to be an acquired taste for even the most open minded. This release comes off as a band that is still deciding on its direction, still feeling its way, but capable of something better than how it represents itself here.

Lafcadio – Kibosh

I was pretty excited going into Lafcadio’s Kibosh. With song names like “If Someone Asks You If You Are God You Say Yes,” “Fat Camp Panty Raid,” and “FreeWillNelsonMandela” and then the insanely hilarious album cover, how could I not practically pee myself with anticipation? But this album sure does disappoint. Kibosh really is not a bad album, if I had never heard The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Calculating Infinity then I would probably love the album. Usually I can get past influences, but when a band goes past being influenced and borders on plagiarism, well, you know they are out of hand.

I really look forward to another Lafcadio album, they show huge technical promise. I just really hope that they can let a band influence them and leave it at that. I’ll leave the joke about “putting a kibosh on blah blah blah” up to you; there are a few to choose from.

Hello, Blue roses – The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty…

Hello, Blue Roses is the collaborative effort of Sydney Vermont (visual artist, Bonaparte vocalist and former Toronto Children’s Choir kid singer) and Canadian indie-rock stalwart Dan Bejar (Destroyer, Swan Lake and The New Pornographers). And like all projects Bejar is involved with the one thing you can expect is the unexpected. In this case the unexpected is an eclectic collection of Vermont-penned indie-folk tunes embellished with classical, new age and indie-rock influences.

While Bejar is all over this album (arrangements, vocals, guitars, etc.), the songs on The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty… are a far cry from the happy power-pop of The New Pornographers and the cacophonous indie-rock of Swan Lake and have more in common with early Destroyer records than anything else, but not really. These 14 tracks are decidedly Vermont’s thanks in part to her femme-folk songwriting, her nods to Tori Amos, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey and her unusual, emotive, and keen, singing voice.

The honest, bittersweet and poignant compositions are built mostly on acoustic guitar and voice and are sometimes expanded into reflective musical sketches by blending in harmonious backing vocals (thanks to Bejar), buzzing electric guitars, flute and piano, often within theatrical arrangements. Bejar himself describes the music as such: “When I listen to the sound of it, I hear European pastoral music butting up against a harsh 80’s reality.” The songs are “…completely melodious, but still so strange.” to which Vermont adds “It makes for an overall eclectic sound, which still has its own organic logic.”

Scattered through the disc’s 14 tracks are some alluring, peculiar-sounding and genre-bending songs. Some, like “Heron Song” and “Come Darkness”, incorporate old-world classical and new-age elements with spacey synthesizers, flute and angelic melodies. Others, like “Hello Blue Roses”, “Shadow Falls”,”Sunny Skies” and “Mediterranean Snow”, steer toward indie-rock by integrating buzzing electric guitars, sweeping synths and lilting choruses, while “St. Angela” steps it up with a full-band rock sound that bears comparisons to the gritty indie-rock of Cranebuilders. But there are also 4 or 5 less elaborate tracks that lean more toward folk, with just acoustic guitar accompaniment, and rely on the vocals to carry the melody. Unfortunately Vermont’s voice is not as polished and pure as those mentioned as RIYL, and is more fragile and somewhat brittle, rather than commanding.

The songs here are genuine, impressionistic compositions, like pieces of musical art, that sway in many different directions so there’s little balance and it requires a lot of attention in order to absorb it all. Expect many repeated listens before becoming accustomed to their unconventional musical wisdom and assimilate this multi-faceted and original album. The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty… can be an engaging listen if you like eccentric music that is not easily categorized.

Recommended Tracks: “Shadow Falls”, “Sunny Skies” and Skeleton Aim”

Owen Tromans – Hope is a Magnet

Owen Tromans plays rock ‘n roll with a folk troubadour’s soul. In his latest release, the British musician eschews the folk style from his latest releases, which called to mind the traditions of the United Kingdom’s countryside, and returns to a full-band sound. Hope is a Magnet emphasizes big electric guitar riffs, catchy rhythms, sing-along choruses, and tight, emphatic song structures.

But what sets Hope is a Magnet apart from other rock albums is that folk soul of Tromans’. His songs feel more like stories, weaving some recurring characters from past releases with lyrics that go far beyond the typical stories of love and angst that permeate the medium. Tromans showed his rock chops with the band San Lorenzo, and here he shows how he can merge that style with his solo folkier roots to create a truly great pop-rock album.

The album’s single, “Light it Up,” is a call to action song filled with big guitar riffs and plenty of rock ‘n roll rhythm. For the catchiest track, transition quickly into “Levitate Me Judith,” a bouncy pop track that will have you bobbing your head from the first note. The combination of upbeat, plucked acoustic guitar and the electric rhythm guitar gives the song a unique and chiming quality. “Evangeline” picks up on that somewhat, with a lighter and more personal feel. (I can’t help but wonder if this is the same Evangeline Matthew Sweet sang about.)

My favorite track here is “Korea,” an up-tempo and catchy song with a brilliant chorus that I’ve had stuck in my head for weeks now. You’ll be singing along with “Hey girl, where ya going so fast, you know I only wanted to try to make this last” in no time. “Dust of Stars” reminds me of the classic British invasion rock, and “Hey Moon” shows the more folky, acoustic side of Tromans’ spirit while still possessing an up-beat rock chorus. The big rock ‘n roll sound comes back with garage riffs on “Ghosts!”, while the instrumental “Cuckoos Over Cradley” showcases Tromans’ guitar prowess. The closer, “Pinball,” builds on a thick rock reverb and quiet horns before ending the album subtly.

Hope is a Magnet is the finest release yet by an artist with an immense amount of talent. Tromans proves his songwriting chops along with a jubilant sense of the roots of rock ‘n roll and pumps out 10 catchy, brilliant tracks. Don’t miss this one.

Motherfathers – Kolchak!

In Kolchak!, too many wasted tracks and bad vocals smother a decent noise rock album. Musicians often like the smell of their own farts but 20 tracks and 77 minutes is ridiculous. And the vocals are the reason people laugh at Russian rock; the delivery is style-less and bland because it’s undeveloped – like the guy never tried to sing before. In this case, that’s not good.

Russian 4-piece Motherfathers knock off a few genres but only succeed when they do noise rock; abused, distorted guitar, bass grinds and heavy grooves. It’s a shame the band indulged too much because Kolchak! has 6 burly songs and 4 more are salvageable. The better songs, like tracks 2, 3, 5, 6 and 15 (titles unavailable) sound like early Today Is the Day.

But the rest of the album is a distressing cluster fuck of tapped out free-form noise jams.

All that wasted space and poor vocal deliveries ruin this album. But Motherfathers are no lost cause. Barely 3 years old, this band scraping through the Moscow underground may deliver yet. Chalk Kolchak! up as a learning experience for them and move on.

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