Aficionado – The Myth About Real Life

About a year and a half ago, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Aficionado via their fantastic Circus Music album. It was a very innovative, skillful and fun record from a band of masterful arrangers who still maintain the carefree energy and rebellion of High School recluses. Their follow up is the short but sweet EP The Myth About Real Life, and it continues in the same vein. Its seventeen minutes pack in more ideas and surprises than most full length albums, making it well worth a listen.

Formed in 2004 in New York, the band proclaims that they “…set out to do something different. Almost 5 years later, we’re still here, still doing something different.” Anyone who hears them must agree. They combine the horns and rambunctious nature of Ska (like the earlier No Doubt albums) with the punk rock angst of At The Drive In. But, and here is the really cool part, they also combine the prog rock instruments, timbres and complexity of influences like Kansas and Yes (ok, they never get that symphonic or deep, but there is definitely some element in the mix). The end result is a group of friends having a hell of a good time creating music that is a lot more intricate than you may think, and certainly better than contemporaries who make simple Emo crap.

The title track opens with foreboding horns, keyboard and flutes while a 70s rock guitar solo adds some flare. Singers Nick Warchol and Laura Carrozza (who also plays the flute) exchange lyrics about growing up that are simple and poignant. They proclaim their words with vocals and melodies that are endearingly amateurish (it’s about the energy and musicianship, not singing perfect harmonies). The group shifts rhythms with assurance, and listeners never quite know where the track will go. If the band only used standard rock instruments, it would be ordinary, but their complementation of horns, woodwinds and synth sounds makes it very interesting and engaging.

“I Don’t Believe We’ve Met” is a much more straightforward track with a clear verse and chorus. Musically, it doesn’t really venture into the complex territories its predecessor did, but it’s still an entertaining listen. The middle section slows things down to allow a beautiful passage of flutes, keys and clean guitar as the vocals and drums begin to build back up.

The static guitar opening of “Naysayers” eventually combines with more horns and the most interesting melody thus far. There is underlined tension that is quite admirable when listened to closely, and the middle section here is simply awesome. The keyboard repeats a riff while the guitar solos and other instruments build over it. It’s like the more proggy moments of The Decemberists, who in turn borrow the sound from classic Jethro Tull. Of course, this leads back into the chorus.

Closing the album with a starry dual guitar motif is “The Same Original Idea.” There is a definite circus feel on this track due to keyboard timbres and funky rhythms, and their incorporation of male and female vocals are still handled uniquely. It culminates in an outcry but outcasts for change and acceptance. The piece closes with a short piano section as Carrozza gives us a few last words to live by.

If there are any gripes to find with Aficionado, it’s that their vocals are a bit unconventional and unwelcome at first. Warchol is expressive, but he isn’t exactly a singer in a traditional sense, and he carries a slight obnoxious nature that may turn some listeners off. Likewise, Carrozza has little range, and it’s fair to say any female could sing her part. However, Aficionado is a band that are proud of exactly how they sound, and that is fine. Warchol and Carrozza probably aren’t trying to being real singers as much as they’re trying to add yet another quirky sound to the mix, and they succeed at that.

The Myth About Real Life is an impressive and enjoyable EP. It has massive replay value and is a nice appetizer while we wait for the next proper album. The band continues their signature sound of Ska/Punk/Prog that makes them worthy of your radar. I stand by my original claim (which you can see on their Myspace page, so thanks guys) that sometimes the underdogs of music are the only ones doing anything special with it.

Richard Hawley – Truelove’s Gutter

You can attempt to make different kinds of music. Try and write stuff that’s cluttered, busy and overabundant; try and make something quiet and solemn with a tendency to drag; even try to make something loud but inviting with rich hooks – but whatever you do, don’t ever fool yourself into thinking anyone can do it. Richard Hawley has, quietly, delivered one of the most solid solo careers of the past decade. His arch – both seamless and successful – has always been about making good, honestly melodic and affluent music. And with every passing album comes a new reward: something to behold with esteemed results.

He’s an inviting person, one who works with musicians from both sides of the pond in an effort to spread good music to all. And while Hawley’s made a name for himself with his swooning baritone and his impeccable skill at writing gorgeous melodies, he’s never sounded as nakedly lush as he does on his new album, Truelove’s Gutter. Make no qualms about it, as the title may suggest, this is not a love album in any shape or form. Named after a location in Hawley’s native Sheffield, this is Hawley’s darkest album to date. But by leaps and bounds, brilliantly composed, it’s also one of his finest recordings with supreme ease.

For starters, in terms of instrumentation, there are many bare moments to be had on Truelove’s Gutter. With the exception of a few flashes, the songs are decorated with sparsely whispered moments of quietness. An exercise in reservation, Hawley depicts some of the lowest moments of his life and those around him with music that can be described in one word: breathtaking. Because it isn’t how big and outlandish your music can be; as Hawley proves, projection is all about how much of yourself you are devoting and just how carefully conveyed it all is.

One of those moments, where everything seems to come spilling out of the boiling pot, is the vastly vibrant, “Soldier On”. The foreshadowing comes at the beginning with the ominous sounds of dissonant chords that are both minor and augmented. Describing a life that is lonely, Hawley tells of mustering on even when it feels entirely impossible. Avoiding the abyss, the music is capered with the softest touches of strings and piano. Eventually, after searching for the kiss that never comes, the music erupts with a sudden force of sound: the drums pound, the guitars roar and the strings shred. And even after everything comes crashing down, Hawley closes the song using the same line that he opened with, “Never say goodbye, you’re the apple of my eye.”

That’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how musical these eight tour de forces feel. The focus is on the silent side of life and Hawley is able to contort and weave the sounds to paint a heartbreaking picture. Where 2007’s Lady’s Bridge opened with the soft strumming of an electric guitar followed by the swaying use of strings, Truelove’s Gutter creeps in slowly and gently with the stunning use of aurally spectral instrumentation, atmospherics and a superb acoustic guitar melody. Both have their strengths, neither possessing any weakness, the latter is just a bit more, special.

Never throughout any of this will your heart feel shattered, Hawley isn’t singing just about relationships but about the problems we come across just to get by. Whether he’s telling us to let all of the good come shining in with the help of flourishing strings that take control of the music (“Open Up Your Door”) or embattling us to forget the pain and seek the jubilation by way of a calming guitar and his yearning as he sings, “Your lover’s ghostly memory, haunts you all your days” on “Don’t You Cry”, there is too much to adore and savor.

Hawley described the sounds as something he could only hear but not really describe. So when the time came to piece everything together, the use of unique tools was seen as the norm. But it doesn’t matter that you’re using the waterphone, mega bass or cristal baschet because the only true factor is the artistic expression. Hawley has made an exceptionally perfect album with Truelove’s Gutter: it’s endearing, uplifting and absolutely beautiful, what else could you ask for?

Mute

Short Takes

Brian Buckley Band – “Mother’s Day” single
self-released

The first thing that really strikes you about this song is Buckley’s interesting voice. The first few lines are delivered in a hushed tone, but when this guy breaks into that powerful falsetto you swear he could move mountains. The poignant lyrics about a new mother losing her baby couldn’t sound any closer to home, the group’s slightly off-kilter arrangements fit the whole tone of the song perfectly. Buckley’s singing style may rub some pop and rock fans the wrong way, but those drawn to cinematic songs chock full of emotion will love this.

www.myspace.com/brianbuckley

Out Like Lambs – s/t EP
self-released

There’s nothing showy about this four-song EP from the outside. The simple slipcover has a black and white photo, the song titles, and the band’s contact info on it. Nothing else. The songs contained within this self-titled release are as soft and melancholy as you might expect, but in the case of this New Jersey cast of many the tunes are lovely. I’m not sure I’d completely classify this as folk, but the shimmering guitar and soulful vocals breathe life into these soft, rambling songs. A nice diversion for those cold nights once the trees have dropped their leaves.

outlikelambs.com/

Air Waves – s/t EP
Catbird Records

There’s not much information to be found on Brooklyn, NY based Air Waves. The group seems to be led by a woman named Nicole Schneit (vocals, guitar) and she is joined by various other musicians on piano, drums, bass, etc. Schneit’s folk rock is light and airy, with just a hint of country threaded throughout. Each of the five tracks on this EP make me think of late summer days – the light has just begun to change into that golden fall hue, but the days are still warm enough to soak in the sun. There must be a lot of people who’ve discovered the little slices of joy on this EP, because the disc is sold out. Check ‘em live in Brooklyn if you can.

www.myspace.com/airwavesmusic

Hollands – Faces EP
self-released

The opening track on this five song EP, “Strong Arm”, makes me think NYC based Hollands is a funky rock band. I don’t completely love the vocals, but man, that bass line makes you want to dance. But then the next song, “Anomie”, makes me think this duo wants to be a folk act. Then there’s the more straightforward rock of “Over and Out”, the sweet and melodic “Coughing Boy”, and the atmospheric “High Class” – all of which leave me wondering just what direction these two really want to go in. Maybe it’s the dip your toe in every pool mentality, but Faces doesn’t truly show off this duo’s best features.

hollandsss.com/

Album from dboy released in November

IVOLV alternative present “remember the light and believe the light” the new album from dboy

dboy, the singer/songwriter based in west yorkshire releases his first full length album on IVOLV.

these 12 new tracks come hot on the heels of the singles “people are fragile”, ”off to war” and ”broken

in a musical landscape dominated by new technology dboy truly is a new artist for the new millennia, going against the ‘4 piece band’ grain.

dboy espouses good solid thought-provoking lyrical dexterity and a singular musical and artistic vision – the very title of this album is a ‘borrowed’ line from 4:48 psychosis by the playwright sarah kane – he insists on de-capitalisation stating that “the focus should be on the music; not the maker”

‘remember the light and believe the light’ is available from all major digital retailers from november 24^th 2009.

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dboyspace

A Sunny Day in Glasgow – Ashes Grammar

A Sunny Day in Glasgow seemingly came out of nowhere a few years back with a delightfully klangy and blissed-out EP, The Sunniest Day Ever, an even klangier and more blissed-out full-length, Scribble Mural Comic Journal, and a loosely gorgeous and lengthy tour EP, Tout New Age. All of this music was both arty and accessible in the best ways, basically by sounding unique on one hand but instantly pleasurable on the other. Yet, as they release their sophomore full-length album, Ashes Grammar, the band is still flying pretty far under the radar. That’s a shame, because they make great dream pop music which never checks the dream or the pop at the door for too long, making their indulgences the listener’s adventures. Ashes Grammar takes what they accomplished on SMCJ and attenuates it, stretching it into new shapes and sizes, avoiding a retread of their debut album by avoiding the traditions of the album form altogether.

At 22 tracks and over an hour long, there’s a lot to get tangled up in if you’re looking for a product subdivided into discrete, intelligible parts. And let’s be honest, why wouldn’t you be expecting that? But the first proper song comes at track four after a few minutes worth of gauzy vocalizations and instrumental bubbling that feels a bit like the greeting music for a worship service or wedding. Looking at it that way, it’s fitting, as “Failure” announces itself as the main event with some twinkling synths leading to some  bouncy and bombastic music, the angelic female voice, distorted drums, and klangy guitar all jumping out into relief, and it feels like old times again. Just when it feels like this track might pummel you for 4 or 5 straight minutes, it changes to a second half Arthur Russell would approve of, with a crystalline piano melody, clear guitar, sunny synths, and soft male vocals bringing the song to a thoughtful and surprising conclusion. Sonically, this album is less guitar-driven and much more spacious. The change of vocal duties from his twin sisters to Annie Fredrickson and only one of his sisters is imperceptible, and the detached feminine vocals still overlap in robotic cascades and sleepwalking declarations.

The rest of the album plays out in similar fashion to the first four tracks, alternating between atmospheric interludes and more gripping and crafty sonic territory, and results in a long player which can feel a bit slippery and samey, even interminable. Ben Daniels, the driving force behind ASDIG, has become better at shifting gears, slowing songs down for sweetly pensive breaks, or simply taking right turns which go in a different direction without seeming completely unrelated. On initial listens, it can be really difficult to know when one songs ends and the next begins without watching the display interface of your listening device for track changes. But whose problem is that?

There’s something to be said for the brave move to structure the album in such a fashion. It took me many listens to get a grip on it, as I attempted to carve it up into pieces I considered either proper songs or interludes, imposing a bit of the order I’ve come to rely on as a starting point for understanding popular music. Now that I can separate the pieces and focus my attention in a fashion I’m more accustomed to, it is an open question as to whether I prefer it as the long form, dream-logic piece it seems intended to be, or whether it’s better viewed as a bunch of proper songs stitched together with inconsequential interludes.

In the end, this preference likely matters not. Just the fact that it’s accomplished this duality makes it an achievement in its own right. It enters the realm of multi-purposefulness: Throw it on when you want some pleasant, multi-textured driftiness, or throw it on when you want to feel some charming tracks emerge from and then fall back into the ether. Why is it so important to make beginning and ending distinctions as a listener? Ashes Grammar can’t answer that question, but that it has provoked the question in such an enjoyable and engrossing manner is cause for celebration.

The Lovely Eggs – “Haunt Me Out!”

“Haunt Me Out!” by The Lovely Eggs appears just in time for Halloween festivities and, in the words of Holly and David (or is that Twin Peaks?), “The Eggs are NOT what they seem!!”  This new single is available as an extremely limited release of 100 CD copies (with the Twin Peaks mystique continuing on the b-sides “It’s Spooky” and “Rappin’ In Plastic”) and is also on iTunes.

The song starts out innocently enough, with the languid tap of a tambourine and guitar refrain with Holly sing-talking up ‘n’ down the scales, piping up with the phrase “haunt me out”, channeling a 1960s girl group vibe.  Tart slices of Twin Peaks-inspired spoken vocals are intermixed (“Leland Palmer’s invited me to tea”), augmented by spine-tingling swooshes of wind, high-spirited, faux-sinister cackling, and gleefully goulash…no, ghoulish “Ooohs” by both David and Holly.  It’s a delightful scream.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thelovelyeggs

Casper & The Cookies – Modern Silence

The songs on Modern Silence alternately exasperate and enthuse as the band rummages through the past 50 or so years of musical history filtered through a lo-fi, indie, pop/rock lens.  The band line-up consists of Jason NeSmith (ex-member of Of Montreal) on guitar and vocals, Jim Hix on guitar and vocals, and Kay Stanton on bass and vocals (with Joe Rowe on drums for parts of the album).  Casper & The Cookies has put out 3 albums and this is the band’s excessive opus, clocking in at just under one hour and packed with 18 songs, catering to the listener who enjoys lyrical and instrumental twists and turns every few seconds.  A large amount of guest artists appear on this album including Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo, Vanessa Hay of Pylon, Cole Causey, Lucas Jensen, Bill Doss, Fishboy, members of The H.E.A.P. and The Shut-Ups, and many more.

Opener “Little King” is bouncy and upbeat and features breezy and light male vocals akin to Marc Costanzo of Len.  “You Love Me” stirs guitar riffs, drums, cymbal shimmer, and swooping synth notes with summery guy and gal vocals on the lines “…every day friends say / they want to be free / as free as they think / a bird would be.”  Kay takes center stage on “Pete Erchick Bicentennial Service Area”, a slower number with wiry guitar jangle and bass line, with Kay sing-talking in a mid-range tone “If I don’t know where I am / If I speak out just a little / I will soon find my position…”  Spacey synths, piano, and violin make their way through “Song Across The Sea” with gentle male vocals and the despondent lyrics “…so far across the sea / So far from poor old me.”

The introspective “Cloud Of Bees” is a lyrics-heavy winner (“Everyone’s looking / but nobody sees…”) with serious-tone, delicate male vocals, flowing, picked acoustic guitar, contemplative piano notes, and a chorus of wistful sighs.  Take a gander at the lyrical complexity: “You dress like a dandy, your hair made of stars / your composure is earnest viewed from afar / Inch a little bit closer, the illusion is wrecked / you’re nothing but pixels, you’re nothing but specks.”

The Cookies opt for a 70s glam rock vibe on “Moldy Flower” with flashy guitar riffs, a hard beat, cymbal crashes, and falsetto-high, “come-on” male vocals.  The 1990s indie rock sound is represented on the Kay-sung “Meredith” and also on the yearning, Sloan-like “New Day Zero” with male and female harmonizing and the lyrics “Since you’ve gone, my mind’s no good / It won’t do anything that it should / It won’t let go, the whole day through / playing memories of you.”

“Keep Talking” recalls a sped-up “Brass In Pocket” by The Pretenders with a heavily grooving, piano-based rhythm.  Gospel tones radiate through “Sunshine Girl”, along with saxophone and trumpet and Kay’s Natalie Merchant-like vocals, until it changes to a 1970s sound with squelchy bass line.  The laid-back island vibe of “Chocolate Cake & Coffee” is a welcome treat with its subtle guitar play, Bossa Nova beat, and soft male vocals.

The band cruises through ambient territory on “I Am Happy” with spacey sounds moving like a slow jet through the clouds and demure male vocals accompanied by echoing, harmonizing vocals from Kay.  The ambient sonics carry over to “Your Eyes Of Gold” (supposedly a deconstruction of “They Long To Be (Close To You)” by Burt Bacharach) with its calmer, amorphous tones, muffled heart beat, and manipulated vocal “Ahhhs”.

Closer “I Am Gone” takes the cake (or is that cookie?), and the kitchen sink as well, with a plethora of varied audio clips following and/or layering into each other for a 15 minute-long ambitious, but aural-addling journey, starting with what sounds like a reprise of “I Am Happy” played through a warped receiver and then every few seconds morphing through the following pastiche: picked guitar, electronic blips, flute-like synths, accordion pulls, piano notes, glistening guitar strings, glockenspiel, hand-beaten drums, female spoken word, a kid saying “Ooh-ba-ba”, saxophone, whistling, tingling chimes, a 70s groove and bluesy guitar licks, draining liquid, fiery guitar riffs and kinetic drums, laser zaps, bass line, tapped glass, a voice saying “right”, asteroid-busting sounds, bird tweets (courtesy of Rocky the parrot), distorted guy vocals, a car driving by, cymbals, shuffling beat, harmonica, music box-like notes, a girl intoning “spring, summer, autumn, winter” and “Casper don’t understand”, jazzy drum rolls, rambunctious beat, and kazoo…

Throw Me The Statue – Creaturesque

Throw Me The Statue is officially a band, now that the project has grown from the one-man bedroom-pop stylings of Scott Reitherman to include drummer Jarred Grimes and multi-instrumentalists Aaron Goldman and Charlie Smith. And, while the production work of Phil Ek (The Shins, Built To Spill, Band Of Horses) has helped integrate the new players and enhance the sound, this sophomore effort still contains a lot of the quirky charm of it’s predecessor, Moonbeams.

But there is a duality of sorts at play on Creaturesque. On the one hand the syncopated and fuzzy synth beats and short, quirky guitar bursts are edgy and unique and push the envelope toward neo-psychedelic indie-rock. “Waving At The Shore”, “Ancestors” and “Snowshoes” are all good examples of how the band blend the right elements into a swirling and catchy mix that can stand next to the music of Deerhunter, Of Montreal (although a bit less schizoid) and Peter Bjorn and John, while standout “Hi-Fi Goon” employs some slick Built To Spill-like guitar lines in a short but snappy rocker. Other times though, TMTS play it safe and seem complacent to spit out mediocre dream-pop with misplaced, falsetto vocals.

Creaturesque is filled with sophisticated, bedroom-style indie-rock that maintains a fuzzy, back porch charm while showing flashes of art-school savvy. The naive melodies are adorned with blotches of beats, hazy keyboards and snappy streaks of guitars in subtly shifting arrangements.

It makes for some delightfully fetching quirk-rock when it’s all clicking, but there are also moments when the songs never quite develop this alchemy and fizzle into the mist, albeit a fine cool mist on a bright, sunshiny day.

Secretly Canadian: www.secretlycanadian.com

New album from Fieldhead in November

Leeds resident Paul Elam records his solo works as Fieldhead. Paul is a full-time member of The Declining Winter (featuring members of Hood) and a member of Glissando’s Fleeting Glimpse Ensemble.

Fieldhead releases They Shook Hands for Hours through Home Assembly Music on November 2nd. The release comes as a 10 track CD album, with a limited number accompanied by a bonus remix CD, featuring remixes from Machinefabriek, Jasper TX, Library Tapes, Seaworthy, The Declining Winter, Glissando, Northerner, Pausal, Yuri Lugovskoy, James Yates and Matthew Collings.

Tracklisting:

1 this train is a rainbow
2 half names
3 document one
4 they shook hands for hours
5 of october
6 he’d found the sea
7 songs well known
8 broken
9 i’m fond of maps
10 introductions

www.myspace.com/fieldhead

www.homeassemblymusic.com

Of October mp3

Owen Tromans & the Elders – The Fall of Acre

The snake is an animal rich with imagery and significance. It’s best known as the evil serpent that tempted Eve in The Bible. So it goes without saying that the context animals can and do represent is substantial. On another note, contrary to popular belief, the raven was the first animal that came out of Noah’s ark and not the dove. These elements of dark and light are prevalent in everything from nursery rhymes to film to music.

On The Fall of Acre, Owen Tromans enlisted some help from his backing band, the Elders, to flesh out these songs into a creative vision of metaphors and revolving characters. Opening like a story book with a plaintive introduction about escaping a town, revealing protagonists and antagonists throughout the songs and finally reaching a complete ending with closure, Tromans continues on his habit of delving into literate rock.

In his review of Tromans’s previous album, Hope is A Magnet, Jeff Marsh commented on how “His [Tromans’s] songs feel more like stories, weaving some recurring characters from past releases with lyrics that go far beyond the typical…” And it’s obvious, with the intertwined cast of characters appearing and re-appearing at different intervals on The Fall of Acre, that the same routine will be followed here. Themes of mortality, the aforementioned dark/light imagery and humanity are captivated and reinforced with Tromans’s ability to delegate his passions. It’s weighty and heady at the same time, sure, but its purpose is one set for grand exposure.

The eclectic styles that shape the album’s sound can be rooted in the band’s own love for mid-90s rock. Bands like Everclear and Green Day sound like strong influences in music that features angular guitar riffs and straight, up front and honest lyrics. On “To Vanquish a Serpent,” the guitar’s spaced out sound is clearly reminiscent of the famous alternative movement that took over the later part of that decade. And the opener, “Leaver”, begins with some typical piano chords for setting, before ripping into your standard guitar and drum flash.

The stories follow Acre, John and Lucy and their relationships within each other. With the raven, snake and everything else popping up for moments of excitement, the goal is to express something real and inviting. “Golden Connection” is a slow-rolling song that finds Tromans using a guitar that’s tuned to sound like a banjo and soft-played drums and maracas. Lucy is frowning about the actions he’s taken but he tries to reassure her with the messages he’s come to deliver. Romanticism at its brightest moments can still come off as reaching but for the most part, there is a lot of optimism.

But even with all of the hope and desire, “The Wake Up” is the album’s lowest low. An off-sequenced song that wouldn’t have fit anywhere on the album to begin with, it’s a throw-away in every sense of the word. Sandwiched in between two of the greatest songs on the album, with their feeling of betrayal and forgiveness, it’s a waste. “A Terrible Bird” is a vitally strong song that features some of Tromans best lyrics and “Acre” is the album’s powerfully propelled epic burner. Fierce, with nine minutes of brooding music that never lets up, the ending lines of lo-fi hush are fantastic. Fortunately, the only saving grace for “The Wake Up” is its minute in length but ultimately, it feels wrong.

There’s strength on The Fall of Acre with everything from the lyrics to the music finding ways to reach you. Tromans has been working on music for many years now and through it all, he’s yet to find a true door to success. This wont be the bursting moment he was waiting for but it’s another strong release – one with enough good to get some attention.

Sacred Geometry

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