New 7″ release from Supercluster

March 29, 2011 release is planned for a new 7 inch, 45 RPM single “Paris Effect”/”Neat in the Street”.
It will be available during Supercluster’s tour in March, and also will be available for order by independent record stores in the Secretly Canadian and ADA catalogs.

Both songs can be streamed from Supercluster’s website.

Cloud Recordings/Studio Mouse Productions (CLD014/SMP003).

“Paris Effect” is a wall-of-sound Supercluster original composition. Previously available only on a limited edition 2010 record store release by Wuxtry records in Athens, Ga.

Side B is the song “Neat in the Street”, a cover of a 1980 Side Effects song. Imagine that the last humans on earth throw a dance party and you’re invited.

Mixed and recorded by Jason NeSmith at Bel*Air Studios, Athens, Ga.
Label graphics by Candy/Michael Lachowski.
Vinyl mastering at Aardvark in Denver, Colorado.
Pressed at Erika Records in California, USA

With a blast of creative energy fueled by an enthusiasm for musical collaboration, a stellar combination of Athens, Georgia musicians formed SUPERCLUSTER in the Spring of 2007. First established as a writing and recording project by Vanessa Hay as an outlet for material that did not fit her main project, Pylon, SUPERCLUSTER resulted when Elephant 6 collective member Hannah Jones and Hay selected a “dream team” from among their musical friends. Spanning the history of Athens music from the early days of the B-52′s and R.E.M. to the present, musicians include Vanessa Hay (Pylon), Hannah Jones (The New Sound Of Numbers), Bob Hay (Squalls/Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars), Bill David (North Georgia Bluegrass, Monkey), Kay Stanton and Jason NeSmith (Casper & The Cookies), and John Fernandes (Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System and many others). They are occasionally joined by extraordinary musicians Bryan Poole, Damon Denton and Heather McIntosh.

The sound is best described as “Appalachian Wave,” a combination of electric and acoustic instruments and a blending of bluegrass, European folk, Krautrock, and new wave musical styles.

EPK: www.sonicbids.com/supercluster

Website: www.superclusterband.com

Obits – Moody, Standard, and Poor

When it comes to crafting succinct blasts of scrappy, blues-driven rock ‘n’ roll, there are few bands right now doing it with more spry spunkiness than Brooklyn’s Obits. With the musical economy of Spoon but the wiry performance practice of, say, The Strokes or The Walkmen, Obits fuses unrelenting grooves and urgent tempos with careening stabs of guitar squall alongside frontman Rick Froberg’s fiery, howl-at-the-moon vocals. Some may say it’s merely a 21^st century update on a sound that the Stooges and MC5 patented more than 40 years ago, but at a time when more tends to be more in indie rock, Obits’ taut and muscular post-punk seems shockingly fresh in its terse volatility.

The hype over the group’s gritty aesthetic began a couple years back when Froberg, guitarist Sohrab Habibion, bassist Greg Simpson, and drummer Scott Gursky released their debut album, I Blame You. Just as the arcane dubstep genre began to emerge from its European shadows and Fleet Foxes tenderly harmonized their way into the American mainstream consciousness, Obits chose a more direct approach, announcing their arrival with 3-minute screeds of guitar-based rock music that felt nearly unhinged and deliciously cathartic, compared to other acts making headlines at the time.

On the band’s sophomore LP, Obits picks up largely where I Blame You left off. Moody, Standard, and Poor may be slightly less caustic in tone than its predecessor, but the album still prizes the sort of swaggering energy that can only come from four pals armed with electric guitars, attitude, and some old fashioned sass. Songs like “No Fly List” and “I Want Results” are quintessential examples of this; the former is a raucous assemblage of frenetic third-wave ska guitar and Froberg’s acerbic yawp (“You’re daddy’s in hell / you’re mother’s in jail”), while the latter pairs brisk atmospherics and a jittery bass line from Simpson with barbed bits of guitar shrapnel and the gusty chug of a minor-keyed blues riff. There’s umbrage to spare when Froberg barks, “I want results / why, baby / aren’t they comin’?!”

Taken as a complete work, Moody is a quick listen – 12 tracks in just 35 minutes. While other groups continue to employ the kitchen sink philosophy to their songwriting process, you’ve got to hand it to these guys for continuing to make music devoid of excess; no track is played at a tempo under 120 beats per minute, and with the exception of the Sonic Youth-indebted “Standards” – in which the fluttering tones of an electric piano seep into the mix alongside earsplitting feedback– every song is executed with the traditional guitar/bass/drums setup. The concept almost seems novel when you consider how many other groups are sporting atypical instruments like hurdy-gurdies and glockenspiels in their arsenals.  Nonetheless, Obits’ vivacious approach to business does grow tiresome toward the end; tunes like “Naked to the World” and “Beggin’ Dogs” come off as perfunctory statements of indignation, eventually getting lost amongst the din of other songs.

Even though it’s more or less bedlam from start to finish, Moody… has a few gems that shine through all of the grit. Opening cut “You Gotta Lose” features wonderfully dissonant and angular guitar interplay from Habibion and Froberg, while the chorus of “Killer” locks into an infectious 3/4 groove that is absorbed as a visceral gesture, though at first unanticipated. “Spot the Pikey” is a cheeky instrumental in which only a titular declaration – delivered in a faux-British tongue, no less – interrupts the uninhibited jam session.

Obits revels in the sort of music that’s at the other end of the spectrum from brooding introspection and critical listening; these songs don’t ask for a response so much as they demand a reaction.

Natalie Beridze/TBA – Forgetfulness

Natalie Beridze goes by TBA, which gives her songwriting persona a sense of shadowy mystique. Her music is similarly intangible, embracing the darkened electronic miasma that takes credence from both Broadcast and Nine Inch Nails. On Forgetfulness Beridze’s cusped voice hoverins over the queasy blips and gut-pounding bass, squelching out peculiar, rickety melodies. Sometimes, like on “Deeply Superficial”, she follows her penchant for chaotic noise all the way, rocking the listener off their centers. But usually she’s embracing the quiet sides of bliss, “Silently” slinks along like a fading dream; “Half This Game is 90% Mental” is essentially a 9-minute hibernation.

Natalie’s psycho-sexual character and skill behind the boards makes Forgetfulness a full listen, but occasionally the constant bleakness can get a little overwhelming. Clocking in at a solid hour without the slightest patch of brightness is ballsy, but occasionally a little boring. Still, she has her act together more than plenty of other producers.

Wino – Adrift

After years of churning out some of the heaviest, doom-laden, riff-heavy rock with St. Vitus, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, et al., Scott “Wino” Weinrich has finally unleashed his first truly solo effort, Adrift. No drums, no bass. Just Wino, his voice, and often multi-tracked acoustic guitar; with some of Wino’s trademark lead work on an electric leaping out on some tracks.

The album starts off with title track “Adrift”, a gulls-a-soaring and seas-a-heaving, troubadour-esque song that ends up being one of the strongest on the album. Wino pulls back on his vocal delivery here, and it really compliments the melody he deftly picks out on the guitar. This is a great warm-up to the rest of the album which, for the most part, is a great representation of what Wino can bring us as on his own as a singer-songwriter.

Wino runs through a slew of lyrical themes on this album – from musings on love, loss, family, his allegiance to his rock’n'roll, biker lifestyle; on to ruminations about the state of the world and what drives us as beings on this Earth. Couple that with his crafty, well-honed guitar chops, and you’ve got yourself the makings of a great album. Mostly. I only say “mostly” because I think that, in some places, his pulled back approach to delivery (as on “Adrift”) would have fit a little better. But hey, this isn’t my album and you’ve got to respect an artist’s expression; that’s how they wanted it.

Some of the standout songs on Adrift are the instrumentals “Suzanne’s Song” and “O.B.E.”. The former riding along a powerful, somber yet, somehow, triumphant feeling melody; while the latter is built from heavily saturated effects until close to the end of the piece, where some clean acoustic guitar rises out of the trippy fuzz. “O.B.E.” kind of feels like filler at first listen, but it’s evident with further listens that it has its place on the album. “Green Speed” is a burner and a great way to close out the album, as well. This is some classic Wino, and this song would have been right at home on any of his former work with The Obsessed or Spirit Caravan. The other eight tracks are solid in their own right, I just felt I’d highlight some of my personal favorites.

Above all, Adrift is an album that obviously comes from the heart; you can’t deliver a work this powerful any other way. This, rocking and chock full of Wino grit, is a soulful and deeply personal album. It has traces of Wino’s previous works, while still being enough of a departure to bear little resemblance to the musical path he’s tread for so long.

Exile on Mainstream

Tera Melos – Zoo Weather EP

Zoo Weather is the latest release from the Sacramento trio Tera Melos, and it is for the most part an EP that relies on your preconceptions of what it is that Tera Melos does. In many ways that previous statement is a compliment but in other ways, well, some might be disappointed with this latest effort.

You may have already figured out that this is not the alt-country-metal-folk-experimental album that some have expected by now; rather, this is Tera Melos doing what they know best. Unfortunately, this effort feels like a “let’s pacify the fans until our next album” sort of deal. It seems puzzling that they would bother releasing this considering these tracks were already bonus tracks on the deluxe version of Patagonian Rats which was released on the same day. As one would expect, the guys frolic amongst the strange math-y landscapes that most of us have come to enjoy. For the unfamiliar and uninitiated this means you can expect weird and trippy electronic inspired tracks, open ended and improvised guitar bridges, excessive yet impressive chord progressions, intricate utilization of time signatures and plenty of other interesting instrumental improvisation.

I enjoyed three of the six tracks here, the others are just filler material. “Manar the Magic”, “Kelley” and “Purple and Stripes” were good and what I’ve come to expect from the guys. The final three just felt like stale rehashes,derivative of the previous three. 50% is not a passing grade. As a fan, I find it hard to recommend this to anyone outside of the truly diehard fans and the collectors. If you feel like listening to Tera Melos in better form do yourself a favor, go back and listen to their earlier material. Hopefully, that will hold you off until their next full length album. Better yet just go listen to Patagonian Rats.

All things considered, I expected a lot more from Zoo Weather considering the quality of the band. Maybe I should have done my research and realized this was more of a re-release instead of new material. I still feel that when it comes right down to it you are better off missing Zoo Weather. Considering the quality of their discography one hiccup is to be expected. Even as bonus material, Zoo Weather just feels like something you can miss out on. Only the compulsory collector will get more out of this than I did.

Josh T. Pearson – “Woman When I’ve Raised Hell”

Every once in a while the musical world is blessed with an artist like Josh T. Pearson. First there was Nick Drake, then Elliott Smith, and more recently Bon Iver. Ten years after Pearson’s group Lift To Experience disbanded his whispery, forlorn beauty returns with Last Of The Country Gentlemen, set for release in the US on March 29th. Track three is “Woman When I’ve Raised Hell”.

Texas-born Pearson gives us a heart-breaking performance. He barely breaths his words. “Woman when I’ve raised hell you’re gonna know it, there won’t be a shadow of a doubt in your bright little mind”.

After a ten year hiatus, only giving us the occasional song here and there, Pearson finally offers us a seven song album full of Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto, melancholy arrangements, and vocals that barely make it above that of a whisper. At the same time, he delivers an absolute, and un-yielding masterpiece that will bring about uncontrollable weeping.

Tour dates and new album from Liam Finn

LIAM FINN CONFIRMS JAM-PACKED tour SCHEDULE INCLUDING BROOKLYN’S BELL HOUSE APRIL 9

With his first new album in three years due out this spring, Finn spent much of the past year working on the follow-up to ‘I’ll Be Lightning,’ called “a remarkable solo debut album of bittersweet indie pop” by SPIN. Stay tuned for more details on the new album to be released by Yep Roc.

Liam Finn Spring Tour Dates:

3/28 – Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir Lounge
3/29 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
3/30 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue
4/5 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
4/6 – Cleveland, OH @ The Spot
4/7 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
4/8 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
4/9 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
4/11 – Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s Place
4/13 – Washington, DC @ The Red Palace
4/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live

For more information on Liam Finn:
http://www.liamfinn.tv
http://www.myspace.com/theliamfinn

RYAT – Avant Gold

Philadelphia has a storied past, but in terms of pop culture, the most frequently visited topics are probably Rocky, The Fresh Prince, and those irresistible hoagies.  If Christina McGeehan – a.k.a. Christina Ryat, a.k.a. Ryat – has a say in the matter though, you might also add electropop to the City of Brotherly Love’s accolades.  Were you to search for an abstract on the city’s colorful history of music, it would likely mention Philly soul and DJ Jazzy Jeff (and maybe fife and drum corps too), but it’s doubtful that the melody-conscious subgenre of electronica – with its sputtering synthesizers and glitchy percussion – would top the list.  Ryat’s debut LP could change all that.  Like the metal for which it was named, Avant Gold packs plenty of glitter, but it also imposes plenty of snap, crackly, and pop that makes for an elated yet crestfallen nine-song set.

There’s nary a review to be found that doesn’t draw parallels between Ryat and everyone’s favorite Icelander, Björk Guðmundsdóttir (apologies to Jónsi).  This stands to reason, given that both women have a predilection for ghostly melodies and sprawling soundscapes, but Ryat lacks Bjork’s quirk, extreme vocal timbres, and capriciousness.  The album’s not called Avant-Garde after all, and its tawny cover art serves as a reminder that, beneath all the erratic rhythms and drum machine hiss, lay some killer melodies.  To this end, Ryat’s closest compatriots would be other two women who, like McGeehan, have chosen to make music under false appellations – Bat for Lashes and Glasser.  McGeehan may not yet have the indie cred of Natasha Khan and Cameron Mesirow, but they all share a penchant for mesmerizing vocals, tribal drum textures, and hypnotic atmospheres.

Working in tandem with boyfriend/multi-instrumentalist/composer Tim Conley, Ryat posits a sound on Avant Gold that’s far more voluminous than you’d expect from a duo.  Tracks like “Superficial Friction” and “Bells” are ace examples of this fact; the former pairs a looping violin melody and the unsettling plinks of a piano with club-approved bass and the frenzied twitch of a drum machine, while the latter pits an obsessively looping bass line against stadium-sized percussion and the dulcet chime of Conley’s guitar.

Opening cut “In Your Face,” begins with a confrontational drum beat fitting of the song’s title, followed by the ominous thrum of droning keyboard harmonies and jittery mallet percussion.  “You once promised always / to protect me always / on the 4^th of July,” sings McGeehan with a mixture of resentment and disappointment.  The song is heavily textured with a profusion of synthesizer timbres and electronic embellishments, meaning the ear candy extends well beyond McGeehan’s echo-laden voice and sublime melodies.  Up next is “The Gaze,” a track heavy with juxtaposition thanks to the KMFDM-inspired whir of the keyboards and McGeehan’s melismatic vocal rhythms, which are overdubbed into dulcet three-part harmonies.

By far though, Avant Gold’s most arresting moment comes during the somber piano ballad, “We Walk Slow, but as Fast as Their Rush.”  Not a far cry from the off-kilter beauty of Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song,” the tune is buoyed by a steadily pulsating groove in 7/8 time.  It’s a notable composition for its lack of drums and bass, and directs greater attention to the lush string orchestrations and McGeehan’s tender voice, which at song’s end, is harmonized into startlingly intense major 2^nd intervals.

Not every track is as captivating – “The Fish That Lived Out of Water” suffers from chirpy video game effects, while “Time Worn” rides an emotional arc that is blissfully hypnotic but a tad shallow nonetheless.  Yet even when Ryat dials down the experimentation factor, these songs still stand tall as a testament to music’s nebulous but undeniable ability to intoxicate.  Avant Gold is certainly not going to translate into gold sales figures, but its shimmering luster remains as strong as ever.  Like the precious alloy for which it was named, Ryat’s first long-player is immediately alluring.

The Strokes – Angles

Whatever happened to the likely lads from the beginning of the century?  After the muddled, heavy rock of their last album, First Impressions of Earth, could we even have expected a fourth album from New York’s coolest band?  Five years later with a myriad of  solo projects, marriages, kids, drugs, and general loathing of each other, The Strokes return with Angles.  It’s never a good sign when during the press for the album, the band mentions that they will never record in such a manner again. Or how the recording process was tortuous.

Despite all of that, The Strokes have left us with a collection of songs that clearly recall their early days of recording.  The hooks aren’t up to par compared to their first two classic albums, but their is enough variation in the sound to provide a bit of a challenge for the listener.

“Machu Picchu” opens the record with a wind up, a stuttering riff, and Julian Casablancas’s vocals floating over the top of the mix.  The song represents a clear break from the mess on their last record.  It’s pretty much everything one would want from a Strokes song.  Lead single “Under Cover of the Darkness” is next, with its bubbling, busy riff and Casablancas’s moaning croon throughout.  The song works well due to its feeling of urgency.  “Two Kinds of Happiness” is a changes pace with a pared down riff and a hollow sound.  Then the song picks up traction and rocks, thankfully differently than anything from First Impressions of Earth.  Hell, even the vocals seem to be coming from somewhere else. During the recording of the album, the four instrumentalists (Valensi, Fraiture, Hammond, and Moretti) recorded basic tracks on their own.  The tracks were then sent to Casablancas for vocals.  Sometimes this works, but here that arrangement is apparent in a bad way.  “You’re So Right” features, of course, a stuttering guitar, and Casablancas’ vocals battling with the melody.  A nifty guitar break saves the track from being a total loss.  “Taken for a Fool” features a sweet buildup and a winning melody.  “We’re so lucky cuz we never grow up”, Casablancas croons in one of the discernible lyrics on the album.

“Games” opens the second side with a muted riff and a programmed drum sound.  The song itself is a meandering piece of synth rock, straight from the 80′s.  It must be said here that the rhythm section of Fab Moretti and Nikolai Fraiture are in the pocket throughout the album.  They are clearly the bedrock of the band, for without them their sound wouldn’t have the base to build upon.  “Call Me Back” is a change of pace, again.  It’s muted opening verse, featuring a simply picked guitar and Casablancas’ vocals – it shows minimalist musical acumen at its finest.  “Gratisfaction” features a simple riff, and a great descending vocal line.  The song is pure Strokes (again) and would be at home on any of their albums.  “Metabolism” is a heavy song (without really rocking out) and is in all actuality one of the weaker moments on the album, but the guitar lines are great, as always.  “Life is Simple in the Moonlight” finishes the album off at a ballad’s pace.  A tinkling riff bubbles, as the distorted vocals croon effortlessly.  There’s a dash of New York cool in the chorus, and it’s a fitting end to the album.

After five years of nothing from the band, Angles is a bit of a letdown in some people’s eyes.  What they can’t see, nor explain, is why.  The album is certainly better than their last, and is clearly a product that is greater than the sum of its parts.  Though its not without its faults, particularly the lacking second half of the album and the uber-80′s tinniness of the production.  When the Strokes were lauded from magazine to magazine in the early 2000′s, the hype almost seemed to be more important than the music.  Having been away from being a working band for a half decade, the Strokes have returned with a more polished take on their classic sound.  Different: yes.  Disaster: absolutely not!

Sony Records

Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy – “Close” video

Steve Kilbey of The Church and Martin Kennedy of All India Radio have collaborated again on a captivating second album titled White Magic which is out now.  The multi-talented Martin has created an illustration ‘n’ animation video for the song “Close” where he depicts Steve serenely riding a horse (that sports a near-continuously bemused smile) under a molten-colored sky and through a parched desert littered with animal skulls.  An occasional rock formation juts out of the dirt and a mysteriously smiling Martin hides behind one such outcropping.

“Close” features brushed drums and cymbal shimmer that mingle and dissolve like mist under the blazing sun.  An unhurried beat, sparse, Western guitar reverb, acoustic guitar strum, and muted keyboards crop up like sagebrush, punctuating the assuredly foreboding tone of the song.  Steve delivers the stark, laconic lyrics of “I hide in the dark…” and “I’m close… / getting closer…” in a sinuous, insinuating sing-talking hush.  Does Steve want a love connection or some other type of pleasant interaction?  No.  The cold, hard fact is that he doesn’t want any of those distractions.  He’s “…gonna need revenge…”

The video doesn’t match the covertly sinister vibe of the song and lyrics, but it is a droll lark.  There’s a mid-section montage that mildly recalls the surreal scenes of Spongebob Squarepants with its merging kaleidoscopic effects and when Steve intones “I reach for my gun…”, the horse’s smile droops into a comically anxious expression.  The amusing ending sequence has Steve, Martin, and yes, the horse too, lined up and kicking their legs side to side, which harks back to a hilarious Monty Python’s Flying Circus “between sketches” segment where Terry Gilliam has drawn a row of serious soldiers that he animates so that their legs all twirl around in logic-defying directions.

Video at official kilbeykennedy channel at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RShpdFuaPow

Official Site (with more Martin-created videos for White Magic) at:

http://www.kilbey-kennedy.com/

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