Cass McCombs – WIT’S END

If you’ve been following Cass McCombs for awhile, you know that his albums have slowly become less loud, less showy, more intimate, and more refined. Though PREfection and Dropping the Writ both were finely executed and enjoyable albums in their own right, his last album Catacombs felt like a triumph in artistry, the sound of a musician stripping his sound of the recognizable layers of influence to expose the songwriter’s core. It proved that the opaque McCombs was also good at working in a clearheaded vein. Seeming even straightforward at times, he pulled off an affecting version of his patented oblique reflection, mixing it with grateful domesticity and plainspoken confession. Yet, even the awareness of his entropic songwriting trajectory and move into more directly emotional territory doesn’t quite prepare you for the dour surprise of his new album WIT’S END, a somnambulant set of songs which are deeper and darker than anything he’s done.

This is the first McCombs album to sound composed on piano and keyboard as much as on guitar, and overall the arrangements stray away from folk and rock idioms pretty much completely, embracing stark piano, soft Fender Rhodes, and a variety of twinkling chamber instruments. The soft-focus, blue-eyed soul of “County Line” leads off the album with a song that tells of an escape which is simultaneously a return – a sad sort of retreat – and though it’s deliberate pace and warm instrumentation make it as easy as a pillow, it actually kicks up quite a bit of dust compared to the seven waltzes and ballads that follow. McCombs, who wrote from a perspective of contentment throughout his last album, has jettisoned that for the voice of a person burrowing deep into loneliness and disconnection. Sometimes this comes off morose, as on the celeste-colored “Buried Alive” and the up-and-down moods of “Hermit’s Cave”. At others it feels more blitzed and bewildered, lulled by emotional shellshock, as on the repetitive and drunken music box strummer “The Lonely Doll” and the dull, achy desolation of “Saturday Song”. The imagery of “empty houses and family plots” and stomachs “tied all in knots” further the brooding feel explicitly, but it’s lines like “A calf is easy to brand” which really capture the futility, weirdness, and elusiveness of sadness in which WIT’S END dwells.

McCombs’ singing is great as always, emotive and technically on the mark, reaching for the soulful high notes on opener “County Line” and highlighting the right moments with just the right amount of vibrato. The most vivid musical moments here are when the woodwinds drop in, picking up the brooding where his voice leaves off, particularly on the final three minutes of “Memory’s Stain”, where a bass clarinet and harmonium stretch back and forth across each other with a subtle tension which almost perfectly mimics the unsettling settlement of a deep depression. On WIT’S END, McCombs is following paths laid out by folk minimalists like Tim Hardin and Gordon Lightfoot and synth and piano brooders like Leonard Cohen and David Ackles. Yet, he marks off his own territory with his commitment to following his muse instead of writing for an audience, and in his compositional style, which is willing to dispense with tradition by either bending awkwardly to move in unanticipated directions or to stand completely still at great length. If it doesn’t put you to sleep, WIT’S END provides a rich and empathetic companion to loneliness.

Cass McCombs

Domino Recording Company

Bodyfarm – Bodyfarm

Dutch band Bodyfarm was formed in 2009 by friends wanting to play death metal as it should sound and how they enjoy it, too. Their debut self titled EP is the proof of that aim and its success, a 4 track blast that is pure death metal without frills and spills. A conversation between drummer Quint Meerbeek and guitarist/vocalist Thomas Wouters on a return trip from a gig for Wouters with his previous band sparked the beginnings of Bodyfarm. Disillusioned with the band he was in he asked Meerbeek if he would be interested in being part of a pure death metal band, and within days the beginning was in progress. The band say “We play plain death metal, and have fun while doing it. As long as it’s aggressive, catchy, groovy and raw we are good with it. We are not doing something new, we’re just doing what sounds good to us and try to keep it relatively primitive. Our only message is to enjoy death metal the way it’s supposed to sound” – and I cannot really add to that; their music is not groundbreaking or forging new paths for the genre, but it is good and honest and entertains, delivering what is on the ‘label’. Guitarist Bram and bassist Mathieu make up the foursome from Amersfoort, Holland and have worked hard and long on their material and stage show, and now are ready to show the world what they have with the Bodyfarm EP.

The release starts off with an intro which is an almost cinematic build up to a climax and exciting finale, like in a movie soundtrack, before a leviathan groan leads in title track “Bodyfarm”. The track is a rampaging and pulsating assault that stomps through as cool guitar sounds and solos cling on. Though there are deep growling vocals the track feels more instrumental in a way and works perfectly. “Final Redemption” continues immediately with virtually the same chords the opener closes on, and if there was not a 2 second gap I am sure one could believe they were still on the first track. Another blast of aggression and directness that stirs the listener and, though not breaking down any barriers, is a powerful slice of sound. “Heartraped” follows and is the best track for me, with a dark compulsive groove and lingering pulse of rhythm that works so well. Wouter’s vocals are straight death metal without any real variance but also clear enough to understand the lyrics without straining, which is more of a rarity these days. Final track “Slaves Of War” builds on what has come before, not really adding anything different to the release but simply carrying on the aggression, power, and throbbing riffs – though it does have a great growling bassline throughout.

Produced by I Chaos vocalist Harry Van Breda, Bodyfarm is an enjoyable piece of death metal and, though the EP has nothing to make your jaw drop open in amazement, there is nothing substandard or a copy of anyone else. If you are fans of bands such as Nile and Bolthrower you should certainly check out this band.

http://www.myspace.com/bodyfarmnl

Album from Amanda Shires in May

DAYTROTTER POSTS EXCLUSIVE SESSION WITH AMANDA SHIRES

Nashville-based singer/songwriter/fiddler Amanda Shires recently stopped by Daytrotter to preview her new album Carrying Lightning (5/3, Silver Knife Records). Check out the session and hear why critics are comparing her to Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, and Dolly Parton: http://bit.ly/fBLkMV

Stream Carrying Lightning here: http://bit.ly/gSbrH5

Amanda Shires Tour Dates:

4/25 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
4/27 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Saint
4/28 – Richmond, VA @ The Sprout
5/1 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
5/3 – Tampa, FL @ Skipper’s
5/11 – Newton, NC @ The Gallery
5/13 – Nashville, TN @ The Basemnt
5/15 – Columbia, TN @ RPM Live Music Nights
5/20 – Arlington, VA @ House Concert
5/25 – Pittsfield, MA @ The Mission Bar
5/28 @ Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared
6/1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Grape Room
June 2 – New York, NY @ The Living Room

Amanda Shires On the Web:
http://www.amandashires.net/
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/ashires

Prefuse 73 – The Only She Chapters

On 2009’s Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, Prefuse 73’s Guillermo Scott-Herren spanned 29 earthy tracks to deliver one of the freshest sounding electronic albums of that year. Songs like “No Lights Still Rock” bounced with splashing energy and playful tones that highlighted a banner year for the music producer/musician. The sounds he created were memorable and it aided in reaching an epic high. For his new album, The Only She Chapters, Scott-Herren has scaled back the overall amount of songs in favor of a thickening new sound and on a blissful fusion of layers, it makes for a terrific listen.

Where as songs like the aforementioned “No Lights Still Rock” were built around a stomping beat-heavy session, songs like “The Only Serenidad” travel through an ambient tunnel of sounds where everything is happening around us, rather than within. Even on “The Only Valentine’s Day Failure,” the emphasis lies more on the melancholy harmonies than on the thumping beat. While this may or may not be a conscious decision, it causes for a lot of the songs to vanishingly pass by. There’s a great deal of reflective beauty in this new direction but it’s definitely not Ampexian Part Two.

And as on “The Only Trial of 9000 Suns,” the music’s meditative loops drive the ulterior sounds into something vast and all-encompassing. Rather than simply getting lost in a wave of sound, Scott-Herren takes the outer walls and stretches them within the loop he’s created. It’s fitting that “The Only Way to Find” would follow with even deeper layered vocals and far more pensive moments. But that’s the main focus on The Only She Chapters, the heady and space-y time lost that nostalgia can have on us and how nothing else seems to come into focus. Scott-Herren’s music is thick and rich because of it and steadily so, outstanding too.

While there is a great deal of attention made for the guest vocalists that appear on the album including Shara Worden and the late Trish Keenan, the choir of voices work more as an additional instrument to the music rather than serving as lead vocals to any of their particular songs. On “The Only Direction in Concrete,” Scott-Herren decorates the music with tribal beats and forward-thinking samples before adding the coating of Zola Jesus’ vocals to the mix. Scott-Herren’s music has always evolved around compositional phrases that served as lush orchestral pieces and with the addition of featured voices on a few of the songs, everything sounds enjoyably more lush because of it.

In many ways, The Only She Chapters is yet another confident addition to Scott-Herren’s collection as Prefuse 73. There have been a lot of changes since Vocal Studies but there’s always an underlying greatness to everything Scott-Herren delivers. The Only She Chapters is just more proof of that and more reason to enjoy some fine electronic music at its best.

Warp

Gray Young – Staysail

Okay, so sprawling and epic get thrown around quite a bit especially when we are talking about ambient/post rock albums. So, let’s try something different because this record is a little bit different, especially when it comes to what we generally expect from this type of music. The artists are Gray Young and the album is Staysail, an  apropos title for an album that sounds like you are adrift in a dynamic sea of shifting melodies.

This 11 track album literally flows effortlessly from start to finish. Staysail begins with a slow burning cathartic track, and it culminates with a soft acoustic drifting ballad. I feel odd about using the moniker “Post-Rock” simply because it does not really accurately describe what these types of bands actually sounds like.  Gray Young resides in an ambient and pseudo psychedelic place with some post-punk thrown in for good measure.  I would definitely say the biggest thing about the Staysail is the development of an atmosphere or a mood within the structure of the song. Expect twists and turns in tempo shifts, the textured melodic strumming, and the sometimes explosive exclamation points that are the drums. That being said the band still manages to throw in portions that seem to spiral ad infinitum, drawing you in like a honeybee to an un-pollinated daffodil.

The songs often begin with the minimalistic strumming of the guitar and switching back and forth between different riffs, like an appetizer of sorts getting you ready for the body of the song.  Vocally the band is not like Sigur Ros in that they are actually utilizing real words. However, the lyrics take the same structure of the music adding to the repetition and building up of melody. That is not to say the lyrics are inconsequential as they do serve a purpose; rather, what I am implying is that the utilization of vocals is seen as an instrumental device. The actual instrumentation is effectively cosmic. The guitar playing is expansive and the drums are steady.  The highlights for me would have to be “Meridian”, which sounds like a combination of ambient and surf rock.  Another track, “Seven Fourteen”, is an upbeat indie pop inspired ditty. Finally, the suitably low key “Inside/Outside” seems to whisk along deserted pathways and abandoned buildings.  Everything about this album gels together quite well, artistically it does not re-invent the wheel but it is an album that goes beyond the worthy of attention title.

This album gets plenty of cool points from me for three reasons. First, their music manages to be that perfect consistency of tenuous but heavy enough to hold your interest. Second, the band steps outside of convention (sort of) in that they utilize the lead singers cryptic lyrics coupled with his despondent delivery. And finally, it’s a start to finish record where all of the tracks are good and a few manage to go beyond that simple adjective, and there is that conscious decision to let the songs connect like a mosaic of sounds. Therefore, Staysail is definitely worthy of purchase (even if the economy is still merely recovering).  Heed my advice and go now, later, or sometime in the not-so-distant future and download Staysail.

EP out now from Therapies Son

Therapies Son releases debut EP of bedroom pop heartache

Therapies Son quickly won fans last fall when his humbly self-recorded demo of shimmering pop surfaced, catching the ears of some elite press and becoming something of an Internet sensation. Therapies Son is the nom de tune of 19-year-old Van Nuys, CA songwriter Alex Jacob.

Heartbreak has long been the lynchpin for many a glittering and storied musical career, and to that proud and varied lineage joins Therapies Son. Turning to music and tapping into an innate gift for songwriting after the painful dissolution of a relationship last autumn, Jacob started writing gorgeous, otherworldly songs which somehow managed, in the space of about 3 minutes or so, to absorb a library’s worth of the most glorious chapters in the Encyclopedia of Pop, ranging from Flaming Lips to Beach Boys to Grizzly Bear, before reflecting it back through its own uniquely cracked, fractured prism.

On his debut EP Over the Sea, we have the to-ing and fro-ing, galloping playground pop jam “Rose Red Rose”, in which the initial whispered, tender intones make way for Technicolor orchestral bursts, glittering melody and breathless, merry-go-round waltzing, rubbing shoulders with the shimmering ebb and flow of the appropriately named “Still I Call”, opens up into something more vast, more widescreen, and, with its swirling strings and otherworldly beauty, absolutely not of this epoch. The exquisitely poised heartache of “Touching Down” meanwhile, sounds bizarrely all the more yearning with what sounds like an entire marching band behind it, while “Yellow Mama” kaleidoscopes a whole world of loss and longing into its short running time, Jacobs’ hushed vocals guiding the listener gently to a close. A truly one of a kind talent bound to break plenty of hearts of his own in the near future.

On the Web:

therapiesson.tumblr.com

www.facebook.com/TherapiesSon

www.myspace.com/therapiessonmusic

Omar Rodriguez Lopez – Telesterion

With a solo catalog that spans not even 10 years yet boasts more than a dozen (and counting) albums of original material, it seemed sort of inevitable that songwriter and guitar demigod Omar Rodriguez Lopez would try his hand at tidying up more than 150 tracks worth of volatile experimental rock and whittling them down to a judicious collection of only 37 of his choicest cuts.  So it is with Telesterion, Rodriguez Lopez’s first-ever attempt to bring some clarity and concision to a career defined by confounding songwriting, unorthodox performances, and breakneck diffusion.

It’s a tough assignment to parse the work of any prolific artist, let alone one like Rodriguez Lopez, who, in addition to appearing on more than 50 individual releases since 1996, is not averse to eyebrow-raising song titles like “Elderly Pair Beaten with Hammer” and “Hands Tied to the Roots of a Hemorrhage.”  Couple this with a fluency in the Spanish language and guitar theatrics that sound like the unholy union of Bill Frisell and Frank Zappa, and you’ve got an intimidating charge set before you.

Telesterion does what it can to make sense of the chaos, but packaging almost 40 songs on a 2-disc compilation is still plenty antithetical to the succinctness of most greatest hits compilations; Omar Rodriguez Lopez Plays His Hits, this ain’t.  Thankfully, the man makes his intentions a little more conspicuous, stating, “Everything I do is a celebration. The idea of this album is a place where people can get a general understanding of that ritual.”  From this angle, Telesterion is a successful endeavor, though tunes with monikers like “Half Kleptos” and “Rapid Fire Tollbooth” don’t exactly beg for screams of fervid elation.  Still though, if sifting through Rodriguez Lopez’s body of work – note for brooding note – isn’t in your game plan, this sinewy collection of heavy metal riffage and harrowing post-rock will get the message across just fine.

Once you get yourself past the suspect release methods, cumbersomely named tunes, and plethora of material, there’s just not enough that can be said about the songs themselves; Omar Rodriguez Lopez has never been one of indie rock’s most accessible artists, but those with a discerning ear and a patient mind are in for an exhilarating ride with one of modern music’s most beautifully twisted minds.  Presented out of chronological order, Telesterion features cuts from every Rodriguez Lopez album from 2004’s solo debut (A Manual Dexterity) to last fall’s Cizaña de los Amores.  The album kicks off with “Locomoción Capilar,” a blistering track from 2009’s Solar Gambling that brandishes many of the El Paso resident’s idiosyncrasies – barbed guitar melodies, sultry Spanish vocals, expeditious drumming, and coalescing layers of texture.  From here it’s on to “Population Council’s Wet Dream,” – off of Old Money, also released in 2009 – which highlights the sort of blistering dissonance and graceful catharsis typical of Rodriguez Lopez’s work in the Mars Volta.  There are traces of early Sonic Youth No Wave and 80’s speed metal embedded here, where extended squalls of drill noise give way to fiery six-string heroics.

While these qualities are Rodriguez Lopez’s stock-in-trade, Telesterion also allows floor time for some of his less impervious work.  “Melting Chariots” is notable for its straightforward 4/4 time signature, funky groove, and swaggering jazz fusion horns.  “Polaridad,” from last year’s electronic-infused Tychozorente, brings clarion vocals, chiming mallet percussion, and squiggling atmospherics to the fore.   Two tracks from Ciencia de los Inútiles showcase Rodriguez Lopez at his most intimate; “Viernes” and “Lunes” are both tender acoustic meditations with only a little Fender Rhodes and the hypnotic vocals of Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana Rivera filling out the milieu.  Again featured on the Solar Gambling tune “Poincaré,” Rivera’s voice is treated with delay while a piano tentatively plunks out aching chords in the background.  Like “Polaridad,” there’s nary a guitar to be found.

Yet for the restraint he so deftly employs, it’s hard to argue that Omar Rodriguez Lopez is at his best when he’s haphazardly zigzagging across the map – “Shake Is for 8^th Graders” is an exemplary demonstration of this, as Mars Volta bandmate Cedric Bixler-Zavala sing-songs his way across jittery layers of guitar and angular drum patterns.  Same goes for “La Tiranía de la Tradición,” which features more of Bixler-Zavala’s acerbic vocals and white-hot synthesizer timbres that eventually devolve into an earsplitting melee.

Those who ignored the first 17 albums(!?) of Omar Rodriguez Lopez are not likely to jump on the avant-garde bandwagon after hearing this career-spanning abstract, but for those who only had the time to investigate a half dozen or so of his records and are still searching for some aid in discovering the rest, Telesterion is a must have guide.

Thraw – Encephalic Oppressions EP

I think it is safe to say metal music is popular in Slavic countries with thrash especially favoured and produced in abundance and with quality. Slovenian band Thraw are one of those bands keeping thrash alive and driving it onwards worldwide with their Bay Area style attack. Thrash is still everywhere in various guises and interpretations with bands such as Devildriver, Municipal Waste and Gama Bomb but few seem to bang out the core thrash sound from its early days. Thraw are one who do and do it competently and aggressively. Since forming in 2006 the foursome from Ravne na Koroškem have been building a strong following and acclaim through their live shows with bands like Municipal Waste and released demos. Encephalic Oppressions is the bands third EP consisting of 5 slabs of thrash and technical musical ability.

First track starting off proceedings is “Pandemic Reflection”. There’s a delightful mellow intro with gentle guitars and pastoral emotions before it switches into a vibrant thrash attack, not full out but certainly unrelenting. The track comes from early Anthrax with group vocal shouts and Aleksander Smode’s light but strong delivery. The guitars of Domen Hudrap and Ozbej Paternus drive and infuse melodic play in equal measure and at times give the track an almost progressive feel. “Condemnation” picks up the baton with a Megadeth vibe from the start and intensifying the attack without compromising the skillful guitar work. The bass of Rok Vrckovnik powerfully drives the track as the song expands through the others artistic melodic contributions into good mass vocal moments and a neat guitar solo. This is harder than the opener but well away from the rampages of a Municipal Waste or Slayer. “Mage’s Rage” (with its meandering guitars weaving good patterns though the song), “Obscene Anatomist” (even closer to Megadeth), and “A Piece Of Madness” complete the release. The latter track is a harder piece than what came before – again with guitars, bass and drums combining to create an interesting and direct form of good thrash.

Encephalic Oppressions is a solid and entertaining release and for a demo the production is very high, but the EP is not particularly inspiring. Thraw give us a good solid handful of tracks which are well-written and very well played, their musical skills are not in doubt, but it also has no real originality. We have within Encephalic Oppressions something we have heard over the years often and though the band adds some great creative extras with their ability and ideas it’s not ultimately ground breaking. That said, Encephalic Oppressions should be heard as listening to something well known but very well done is better than something new and delivered with chaos.

For more on Thraw check out their official website http://www.myspace.com/thrawmetal

Sleepy Vikings tour dates

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Tampa, Florida’s Sleepy Vikings has announced two weeks of tour dates (with more to come) in support of its upcoming debut album They Will Find You Here, scheduled for release on May 10th via the New Granada record label. “Calm,” the first single from They Will Find You Here is

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now.  See below for tour dates.

Sleepy Vikings has previously and dubiously described its sound as “southern shoegaze,” but this tag is really just window dressing for hick towns and beer plus Pavement and Sonic Youth. This is a band that accepted an invitation to play its first show before it even had a set of music to play, so fitting into a genre is not a top priority.

What really is tops is the band’s music. The songs on They Will Find You Here are filled with dreams and nightmares that have already caused the local press in Florida to call Sleepy Vikings “…a swooning squall” (Orlando Sentinel) and note that the band is “…king-hell committed on blazing a trail” (Miami New Times).

Sleepy Vikings Live

04/30 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar

05/06 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub

05/13 Gainesville, FL @ Club 1982

06/10 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge w/ Casper & The Cookies

06/11 Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof w/ Sleepy Eye Giant

06/13 Richmond, VA @ Sprout

06/14 Charlottesville, VA @ The Box

06/15 Chapel Hill, NC @ Night Light

06/16 Newark, DE @ Mojo Main w/ The Sky Drops, Troubled Hips

06/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery w/ The Sky Drops, Thrushes, Young Jaguars

06/18 Washington, DC @ Axum’s Level X Lounge w/ Thrushes, Mittenfields, Forevsner

06/19 Philadelphia, PA @ King Fu Neck Tie

06/20 Somerville, MA @ The Rosebud

06/25 Nashville, TN @ Foobar 2 w/ The Winter Sounds

06/26 Atlanta, GA @ Club 529 w/ Today The Moon Tomorrow the Sun

Official Site: http://www.sleepyvikings.com/sleepy_vikings/Home.html

Julie Christmas – The Bad Wife

Julie Christmas, of the Brooklyn-based band Made Out Of Babies (and formerly of Battle Of Mice), released her debut solo album on Rising Pulse Records this past autumn.  Although Julie’s raw and riveting vocals and emotions are at the forefront of The Bad Wife, the creation of the album was a team effort, with Julie gathering the talents of John La Macchia (of Candiria) on guitar and some songwriting, the late Troy Young, Mel Lederman (of Victory At Sea), Joe Taormino (of Dub Trio), Oddity (of Dalek), Tony Maimone, and producer Andrew Schneider, who also contributed some bass tracks to the album.

Julie possesses a highly expressive voice, conveying both fearlessness and fearful unease, delivering emotional catharsis in spades on each song, including two covers, “If You Go Away” by Jacques Brel and “I’ve Just Destroyed the World” by Willie Nelson.  Julie’s changeable vocals morph from light, curling, sweet ‘n’ sour entreaties to heavyweight shouting and wailing as she creeps about and freaks out on the 9 melodic, but intense tracks.

Julie’s vocals on the verses of “July 31^st” hit just the right balance between breathy fragility and tense menace, while the highly-charged chorus sections rock out with full-on exclamations that are matched by fiery riffs of guitar.   Julie breaks out the battering ram on “Bow”, coming across like a hybrid of KatieJane Garside (Daisy Chainsaw, QueenAdreena) and Kat B’jelland (Babes In Toyland).  She alternates between sharply tart vocals pattering “…the sign says lay down just this final time.” and end-of-tether snarling and bellowing while supported by heavy slabs of guitar and occasional cymbal crash.

Somber disillusion pervades “Secrets All Men Keep (Salt Bridge Part 1)”, a low-key affair with a measured beat, liquidy strummed acoustic guitar, and eventual globular keyboard notes.  Julie sings in a delicately regretful tone “…cuts on your cheek say you’ve been somewhere wrong…” as her ghostly, Hannah Fury-like vocals float around a rising, shining guitar line.

Ominous piano notes fill out the oddly-titled “Six Pairs of Feet and One Pair of Legs” as distorted guitar growls amid the clank and clash of metal and clack of wood, calling to mind the work of Hannah Fury, Jo Gabriel, and Bitter Ruin.  Julie sing-talks in a mid-range tone, then boils over into an emotional roil, fiercely shouting on the chorus as constant guitar fuzz and heavier drums build up with her breakdown.

The intense and tense “Headless Hawks” contains a key theme to Julie’s modus operandi as she reveals “…I prefer that darker road / and tunnel under solid stone.” A slowly-loping tempo is pitted with stings of guitar, cymbal crash, and Julie’s sinister vocals that are augmented with scattered layers of secondary vocal lines.  Release comes in the form of Julie’s defiant vocals as she lets loose on the chorus, wailing away against harder guitar riffage.

The change-of-pace “The Wigmaker’s Widow” has an old-fashioned sound with a marching drum beat, sustained accordion pulls, and piano notes, as Julie belts out in torch singer fashion “…on streets that echo love’s lost faded screams…”  The imagery of the lyrics is violent and visceral as Julie, on the verge of a meltdown, describes the demise of a relationship where the grist at its center is “…to claw and grab / I grind with small white teeth.”

On album-ender “When Everything is Green” Julie pushes a more hopeful note, but never loses her passion as she swims in piano, cymbals, and distorted guitar.  Julie brings in themes of renewal and growth as she exclaims “New air in your chest / breathes long winter’s death…” amid electronic ‘new-day-dawning’ sonics.

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