The Amsterdams – Electromagnetica

When an eastern European band name themselves after a well known Dutch city which many of us have visited, this inevitably raises at least one eyebrow amongst critics and fans alike. Why are they calling themselves this? The Amsterdams aren’t alone in taking their name from another place that’s far from their own location, such as new Atlanta band Balkans, whose single I reviewed here recently. I didn’t question their decision in that review, and it isn’t, as band names go, a very bad one, although it raises the perplexing notion of a band from Zagreb calling themselves ‘Athens’, and you, the music fan, might’ve read this far into this article and begun to wonder ‘does this matter’? Well, sometimes it does. What The Amsterdams have done is provoke me into more thought about how I listen to music from international sources, and how I respond to approaches to producing music that draw on what can sometimes seem like unconnected and awkward juxtapositions of ideas that originated in the English speaking world, ideas that bands in New York, London, Vancouver and Melbourne probably either wouldn’t develop on or would do quite differently.

Anyway, what the Amsterdams have done is make an album of sufficient musical quality album of a kind that, were they either British or actually Dutch would easily find its way onto national radio in the UK/ Nederlands, sell in sufficient amounts to gain the band proper recognition in the relevant press and media, and secure them relatively prominent positions in the summer festival line ups. The Amsterdams already receive attention on these levels in their Romania, and are probably also aware that, occasional touring aside, that the impression they’ll make in the ever more crowded UK and US music scenes is, regardless of their own efforts – and their English vocals are near faultless – a very limited one. Those of us who do find copies of Electromagnetica are in for a listening experience that’s more than a novelty and The Amsterdams can be justifiably proud of their album, at least on musical grounds, although there are one or two things they could improve upon, in terms of presentation. The pink/grey tinged sleeve isn’t exactly eye catching and there aren’t any pictures of the band, that I’ve yet found anyway. And the press release makes reference to The Amsterdams ‘becoming more commercial’. Musically, yes, but I’d make one or two significant alterations to the sleeve artwork if I really wanted CD buyers to purchase Electromagnetica in large quantities.

To the songs, though: each and every of the ten tracks on Electromagnetica is a summery, synth backed pop anthem, songs that are developed with a literate gravitas that more than hints at The Amsterdams actual experience as musicians. And it sounds good too, there’s a depth and timbre to the overall sound of the songs that’s consistent throughout the whole album and that focuses the bands most notable strengths, the smoothly reverberating guitars, the ebullient keyboards, the firmly handled rhythms that avoid becoming too cluttered. This is music of the dance influenced indie mainstream and The Amsterdams, while they they refer to various influences in their press release, manage to avoid sounding very much like any of them. There isn’t anything on Electromagnetica that much resembles the music of Radiohead, Elbow, or Wild Beasts: what there is, is some solidly performed and skilfully composed modern pop music, and at least one authentic classic. “Island Of Love” is a highlight amongst what is, it turns out after all the name and locale palaver, is a collection of vibrantly effusive glossy teen drama soundtrack calibre melodies, built around a farfisa – type keyboard riff and some seamless guitar chordage, absolutely the sound of a very cool evening in one of Bucharest’s most fashionable music clubs and the song that might, just might, gain the international recognition The Amsterdams are looking for.

Certainly, no – one could accuse what are apparently Romania’s most prominent musical export of 2011 of setting their sights too low when it comes to self promotion, and the music’s more than up to the demands that The Amsterdams circumstances place upon it. It takes more than just talent to make an significant impression in the music world though, and while North American audiences can probably expect a visit later this year – the album was mastered in a Montreal studio and I wouldn’t rule out the band making a courtesy call, it’s unlikely that The Amsterdams will experience much in the way of recognition outwith Romania, reviews such as this notwithstanding. They’ve made a verging on remarkable album though, an album that could inspire admiration amongst some of their English speaking contemporaries, perhaps even envy. And with the internationalist naming trend amongst musicians doubtlessly set to continue, any day now I’m expecting to receive the new album by a band from Eindhoven called The Brasovs.

www.theamsterdams.com

Album from Daniel Knox in May

Enigmatic Singer-Songwriter Daniel Knox releases “Ghostsong” off of upcoming album

Evryman for Himself (La Société Expéditionnaire, May 10, 2011)

“Ghostsong”:

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WATCH the video for “Ghostsong”: http://vimeo.com/16408736

“The Loop,” Chicago’s business district, roars with activity by day but becomes like a ghost town after working hours. Where some find the abrupt emptiness rather eerie, singer-songwriter Daniel Knox sees an urban playground. From the time Knox moved to the city in 1999, he got into the habit of wandering around downtown, trying doors on random buildings and exploring inside any that opened. It was in this manner that he discovered the ornate ballroom of a vintage hotel. In the ballroom he found a piano.

Knox began to teach himself to play the instrument, returning regularly no matter how many times the hotel staff kicked him out. Knox came into his voice, a booming baritone that alternately croons, rattles the room, and twists into an unsettling falsetto, by singing loudly into the night, echoing off of enormous skyscrapers and into the empty streets.

On Evryman for Himself, Knox’s latest album and first on La Société Expéditionnaire, the songwriter reveals a melancholic, often haunting collection of songs that are as elaborate and unusual as the settings where the songwriter first honed his craft. The album is more reminiscent of stalwarts like Cole Porter and Maurice Chevalier than most modern artists, but retains a rebellious spirit akin to groups like Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Antony And The Johnsons, and songwriters such as Randy Newman. It’s big music with a minimalist flourish, words that seem unrelated until you give it a listen.

Umpire – “Green Light District”

Once again we’re blessed with another amazing band brought to us by Hidden Shoal Recordings. Umpire is their newest signing and they make a fine addition to the labels already amazing, and eclectic roster. Hailing from Perth, Umpire bring their bouncy, Smiths like charm into 2011. Although their first full length, Now We’re Active isn’t set to be released until June 2 (July 14 in the States), “Green Light District” is available now as a free download.

The single is upbeat and poppy with a chorus that wails, featuring a guitar line mid-way through the song that would make Sonic Youth bow their heads. If this track is in any way a sign of things to come, then rest assured that when the album hits, it’ll leave fans mesmerized. This of course should come as no surprise for anyone who follows HSR and their artists.

Damon & Naomi – False Beats And True Hearts

Although some still may mourn the short life and abrupt passing of Galaxie 500 – with last year’s back catalogue reissues no doubt exacerbating such feelings – it’s arguable that the split was ultimately creatively beneficial to the threesome in their subsequent creative roles.  Hence Dean Wareham was able to take his distinctive tones, gifted guitar-playing and adaptable songwriting from the divorce to form Luna and build a subsequent art-pop duo with Britta Phillips, whilst Damon Krukowksi and Naomi Yang retained the band’s predilection for higher-register vocals, ethereal atmospherics and less traditional musicality for redeployment and expansion as a conjoined two-headed enterprise.

Certainly though, Damon & Naomi’s post-Galaxie endeavours have been less openly assessed and recognised than Wareham’s, even though a rich seven album run has already marked the married couple out as commendably uncorrupted and stoically independent. But such strong characteristics have also upheld daunting barriers.  So it’s not been easy to visit their world without feeling overwhelmed in knowing where to start, with the absence of certain albums that emphatically demand more attention than others.  They’ve come close before though – with 1992’s recently reissued duo debut More Sad Hits, 1998’s elegantly intimate Playback Singers and 2005’s elaborately orchestrated The Earth Is Blue – in nailing down the essence of what can make them so captivating.  This latest and eighth LP can be added to that list of Damon & Naomi albums that almost act as defining standalone statements.

“Walking Backwards” – the opening track and preceding single – will undoubtedly help make False Beats And True Hearts seem like a place to point both the novice and the misplaced older fan.  Being possibly the most unrepentant and hook-laden Galaxie 500-like torch anthem in their canon, the song fuses lush layered harmonies to psychedelic guitar soloing – from returning and well-used guest string-bender Michio Kurihara of Ghost – to rapturous and memorable effect.  In its wake, the long-player takes on a more relaxed but still inviting approach, with the duo playing to their individual and combined strengths.

Following on from the greater openness and directness explored on 2007′s Within These Walls, Naomi in particular puts greater presence into her still unmistakably gossamer tracks.  Seemingly taking some cues from Sandy Denny and Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee, it’s hard not to detect a slowed-down British pastoral essence in the gauzy mix of her songs, notably on the gradually swelling “And You Are There,” the beatifically wintry “Embers” and the blissfully serene “Shadow Boxing.”  Damon – never a forceful performer either – finds more space to stretch himself out into, with the jazz-fringed folk of the opulent “Ophelia” being especially ear-catching.  Twined together inside the relatively dark husk of “Helsinki” and on the yearning strung-out “What She Brings,” the duo also draw positive comparisons with the vocal symbiosis of Low’s Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker.

Collectively the nine songs that make up False Beats And True Hearts don’t stray demonstratively from the path that Damon & Naomi have followed near-religiously since being coaxed into cutting More Sad Hits, but its subtly refreshed vocal shifts, balmy inviting arrangements, blur of rural-meets-urban asthetics and a clutch of mesmeric moments make it a record that could one day be considered as a true keeper in the couple’s discography.

“Walking Backwards”

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20-20-20 / Broken Horse / P-Vine Records

Atoi – Waves Of Past Relations

So far this Danish quartet’s 15 minutes of fame is their cover of Björk’s “Army of Me” for Bjork’s Army of Me: Remixes and Covers benefit album. But their ear-catching second full-length Waves Of Past Relations should change all that.

Singer Ida Cæcilie Rasmussen immediately commands attention as her voice jumps out from the speakers with breathy intonations and captivating, multi-textured melodies. Her radiant coo necessitates comparisons to other elite singers in this genre like Natasha Kahn (Bat For Lashes), Siouxsie Sioux (The Creatures, Siouxsie and the Banshees), and Karen O. (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). But these comparisons don’t stop with the vocals. Seamlessly mixing mystical electronic soundscapes with peppy synth-pop and tribal percussive stomps, the songs have a mysterious flow and a lush underbelly of intriguing sounds that attracts musical comparisons to the same bands.

Atoi have extracted the essence of 80′s synth-pop and refined it by blending in their own Scandinavian eccentricities, seasoning it with strands of goth and buffing it up with glossy production. Opener “All The Way” is a slick introduction featuring snappy bass notes, eerie drum beats and echoing atmospherics before surging with a lilting and catchy refrain sung by Rasmussen. Other outstanding tracks include “The Fight” and “Don’t Go To Bed” with jaunty programmed beats driving the sleek 80′s influenced indie-rock while shadowy, layered soundscapes delight the ears. These are well crafted songs that shimmer with lush and gossamer melodies and catchy beats. “Camouflage” decelerates the pace with a more cinematic scope and melancholic goth streaks while maintaining a pop ambience.

The album’s weaker moments come in the form of more nebulous song structures with stark, psychedelic touches, but Rasmussen’s haunting voice charms with a resonant distinction and keeps these tracks afloat.

With amiable melodies in a variety of tempos and moods and enough euphonious keyboard sounds, animated arrangements and titillating vocals, Waves Of Past Relations is a likable record that is enjoyable to listen to.

Recommended If You Like (RIYL): Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Creatures, Bat For Lashes, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Recommended Tracks: “All The Way”, “Don’t Go To Bed” and “The Fight”

Fake Diamond Records

Artists-On-Albums: AOA#21 (DulceSky’s Oliver Valenzuela on Ferment)

DulceSky’s Oliver Valenzuela on…

Catherine Wheel’s Ferment (Fontana, 1992)

Most artists tend to go back to the 60′s or 70′s to name-drop “classic albums” as influences, but for me, I only have to look to the 90′s. I can pick favorite artists from almost every decade, but the late 80′s to the early/mid 90′s is when I felt the magic, because it was happening when I was alive and it arrived fresh out of the oven. While the world seemed to be taken over by “Grunge”, there was this little island of music that was known as dream-pop and later quasi-officially touted as “Shoegaze” (which seemed to have stuck more successfully).

With The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine as the admitted main precursors of this music trend, Shoegaze sprang strong acts, like Ride, Lush, and Slowdive, among others. Catherine Wheel seemed to arrive a couple of years later than the first round of shoegaze acts, but still in time to be given proper forum in such a climate. At the time, I was blown away by Ride’s Smile (a 2-EP compilation for American consumption) and the greatness of Nowhere. But when Catherine Wheel’s Ferment arrived, it sounded bigger than life, and at the time it was the loudest-sounding “cassette” I had back in Santiago, Chile, where I grew up.

I had heard my friends name-drop Catherine Wheel, I had heard the song and seen the video for “I Want To Touch You”, but it wasn’t until I heard “Black Metallic” being played on a friend’s stereo, thanks to a high-wattage college radio station with great programming, that I realized what a monument of a band and album I had before me to discover. Once I secured a copy of my own, and I was able to dissect it, I was instantly blown away by its “hugeness” and strange nostalgic melodies. From the whipping beginning that “Texture” gives the album, as I immersed myself in it, I loved how the songs felt as if they were all a part of the same atmosphere and were so cohesive throughout. The continuity of Ferment‘s songs is one of its greatest accomplishments, while the songs sound different enough to exist on their own merits. Highlights for me are “Flower to Hide”, “Bill & Ben” and “Salt”. I also enjoy listening to the angry and brutal beginning of “Indigo is Blue” which later jumps into a more controlled melody. But really, the crowning glory of this whole work is “Black Metallic”. This epic anthem is so sonically direct, yet at the same time lyrically esoteric. These contradictory characteristics only help the unintentional mysticism created by the song.

Another powerful element that takes the album to its unique heights, is maybe Catherine Wheel’s most valuable asset, and that is Rob Dickinson’s deeply cavernous and intensely emotive voice. Originally the band’s drummer and a reticent singer who stepped into the role when demoing the first songs, Dickinson’s singing, along with their massive guitar elements, is what gives Catherine Wheel its trademark sound.

I remember walking the streets of Santiago, or laying on my bed, listening to this album to exhaustion. I never really got tired of it, I think my mind was turned onto other things, but this album was always there. It may sound cliché, but I really felt transported while listening to Ferment, everything was seen from a different dimension while I had my headphones on. If I was riding the bus home from school, noticing the sunset behind the gray buildings of the city and “Salt” came on halfway through the trip, it was a culminating soundtrack for the day.

A perfect album? Pretty close in my book. There is one discrepancy though, and that is the song chosen to close the album. “Balloon” is a good song, but I think it breaks the mood of the piece as a whole. Ever since listening to the album as one piece, it bothered me that the album didn’t finish with “Salt”, which provides a perfect chaotic and sobering fade for Ferment. “Balloon” would have been a great B-side or as a track placed somewhere in the middle of the album, even though I think it could have lived without it. Catherine Wheel seemed to have repeated the formula with the band’s second album, Chrome, ending such an epic release with “Show Me Mary”, not a bad song, but necessary for the album? I personally don’t think so. But who am I to throw rocks for misplaced songs in past albums or EPs? It seemed right at the time, obviously.

Catherine Wheel had been through Salt Lake City, Utah, the place that I’ve called home since 1996, a few times, but for one reason or another I never made it to one of the band’s shows. Finally, in the year 2000 I had my first chance to see the band live, and little did I know it would be my last, at least for now, as I later found out they had decided to “park the band” (term coined and used by Rob Dickinson to describe the band’s hiatus or possibly their definite break-up) at the end of that year. The show was just like listening to the orchestral distorted guitars of Ferment and Chrome straight from the albums, only ten times more powerful. They had a great selection from their catalog with an emphasis on Wishville, which they were promoting. It all sounded as if they were back to the Ferment/Chrome era when it came to handling their guitars through their overdrive, distortion, and boost pedals and then ending in their Marshall amps and cabinets stacks. I was a happy man, and deaf for three days.

Notes On The Artist:

Oliver Valenzuela is the voice and one of the guitars of DulceSky, a dream-rock/shoegaze-inspired band based in Salt Lake City, Utah. DulceSky came on the scene with their 2006 debut Lands (EWRecs/Nueve Music) which got significant rotation on the college radio circuit and made it to Jack Rabid’s Top 40 on his Big Takeover magazine. DulceSky recently released Invisible Empire, a musical sci-fi that dives into themes of disguised agendas for an unassuming population, all wrapped in “propulsive, dream-rock guitars, dynamic drumming, and Oliver’s deeply sonorous, warm vocal delivery”, as noted by Jen Stratosphere Fanzine of Delusions of Adequacy. You can find out more about DulceSky and the band’s music at www.dulcesky.com..

May release for Grand Pianoramax album

Berlin-based Grand Pianoramax to release album of organic, experimental electronica on May 3rd.

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Winner of the inaugural Montreux Jazz Festival international piano solo competition, Swiss born, New York-bred keyboard visionary, Leo Tardin originally conceived Grand Pianoramax as a live keyboards and drums duo with occasional guest vocalists. Eventually adding a studio aspect to the plan, Grand Pianoramax released two critically praised albums generating over 40,000 iTunes downloads.

Tardin is prepared to release the most ambitious Grand Pianoramax album to date, Smooth Danger (May 3rd, 2011 – ObliqSound).

The Berlin-based duo Grand Pianoramax takes a bold step into 21st century experimental electronica on Smooth Danger. Through a vociferous ingestion of culture that’s reborn into the world as a masterful cut-and-pasted vision, Smooth Danger is a warped sonic affair devoid of borders and subversive in execution.

Partially recorded in Mumbai, India and largely influenced by the Berlin underground, the album’s tweaked analog textures created with spindly keyboards, battered Wurlitzers, rewired Moogs, skewed grand pianos and a drum kit, along with the voices spoken-word artists Black Cracker and Mike Ladd, breathes new life into the morose melting pot of a generation that often just sits and stares.

The High Llamas – Talahomi Way

In a recent interview Irish guitarist/songwriter Sean O’Hagan noted that his band’s new album “Is a colourful record that has a spring feel at the start and an early spring evening feel at the end. There is reference to the pink evening sky.” While merely describing something obscurely aesthetic – without any reference to the actual sound of the album – he was definitely employing that while music is all sound, it never needs to be purely about that. With The High Llamas, O’Hagan has proven that music feels and can also carry emotion and soul without ever wondering what type of music it really ever is.

It’s part of the reason why many proclaim the London-based group to a carry a singular genre, their own specific style of music that is for some, ‘timeless.’ And it’s also probably one of the significant reasons why the band is nearing a two-decade partnership. Rather than solely focusing on styles, the band shifts through both modern and retro tapestry that encompasses rich influences and massively lush orchestration on their latest album, Talahomi Way. While the shapes of the sounds always seem to carry a nod to Brazilian bossa nova by way of Brian Wilson’s wall of sound, O’Hagan sprinkles the music with a necessary blend of rich overtones and pop sensibilities. While many songs traverse into a heady experience, Grizzly Bear-like songs like “Take My Hand” highlight the early spring feel in the aforementioned quote. And even on a song like “The Ring of Gold,” with its plaintive feel and wistful strings reminds more of modern-day Paul McCartney than of the 60s vibes The High Llamas are known for.

As the album continues to roll on, the sounds continue to share a good sense of composure in combining the elder styles with a sharp take on the sounds of night. “Fly Baby, Fly” is supported by an organ-based melody and more of the retro space that is this time occupied by melting horns and The Beach Boys’ reflective modes. By the time you get to the closing swoon of “Calling Up, Ringing Down,” and its almost melancholy tones, you realize that the spring day is ending. In many ways, the album’s travelling style is almost too predictable in the manner the interludes serve as small transitions and how the realization is evidently known but it’s also very well done. The space of sounds and the spectrum is still very well-received and The High Llamas definitely rise above.

And in the end, music is still however you want to personally receive it. Listening to the opening treatments on “Berry Adams” definitely seems to recall the pink evening sky when listening to the glistening keyboard and chugging bass line. I’m sure that O’Hagan realizes that his band has made a name for itself in being able to almost take the listener away for an entire album of music. The experience is definitely a good one and a huge reason why Talahomi Way is a success because of it.

Drag City

Blackfield – Welcome To My DNA

Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen are fantastic songwriters in their own rite, and as Blackfield and Blackfield II proved, their collaboration leads to pure musical magic. Full of magnificent melodies, heartfelt emotions, and lavish, unique productions, their records are phenomenally catchy and affective. Their third LP, Welcome To My DNA, is another wonderful collection of songs that deserves its place the Blackfield catalog.

The duo first met in 2000 when Israeli protest singer Geffen invited Wilson and his band, the highly revered Porcupine Tree, to play a show in Israel. Geffen had been a fan of PT for many years (he would eventually appear on their 2002 masterpiece, In Absentia), and the two formed a blossoming partnership. Usually the songwriting duties are split almost equally, but because Wilson is so busy with his sophomore solo album and other projects, Welcome To My DNA is largely Geffen’s baby. Still, Wilson’s voice is all over the record, and regardless of who wrote what, the signature Blackfield chemistry is still at work.

The album opens with the wonderfully arranged “Glass House.” Inspired by a dream Geffen had that, like most of the album, involved his fears and loneliness, its melodies, harmonies, and subtle orchestral production immediately incites a warm recognition in listeners. Wilson’s “Waving” is the clear choice to be the album’s first single, as it’s instantly catchy and accessible, and his trademark dynamical shifts (where songs start off poppy and then rock out) is present. “Far Away” is a sentimental treasure, and perhaps one of the best ballads Wilson has ever sung. The most surprising track on Welcome To My DNA is “Blood”; its first half rocks like a progressive metal version of an Irish/Celtic jig (actually, it’s similar to many of Porcupine Tree’s instrumentals, like “Wedding Nails”). Eventually, it evolves into a chilling harmonious chant. “Oxygen” carries the kind of infectious melody that writes itself in a matter of seconds yet it stays around forever.

Rather than conclude with an astonishing powerhouse like Blackfield II’s “End Of The World,” Welcome To My DNA ends with the beautifully poignant “DNA.” With the opening lines “DNA. Welcome to my DNA,” the track gives the album a significant sense of conceptuality which their previous two albums lacked (although this is obviously intentional). It builds brilliantly with its orchestration, and although it may take a few listens to fully appreciate, it’s easily one of their most exquisite songs.

While Welcome To My DNA is full of great moments, it also contains some of Blackfield’s weakest material. While these two artists always wore their emotions on their sleeves, the profane bluntness of “Go To Hell,” with Geffen chanting “f—k you all” repeatedly, is a turnoff. Artistically, one would think Geffen and Wilson would, as they always have, choose to transform a simple sentiment into a deep piece. But really, it’s a bit basic and immature. Still, I suppose, one must respect Geffen’s bravery in not mincing his words. Elsewhere, a few tracks, like “On The Plane,” are good, but not great, and since the majority of Welcome To My DNA is fantastic, these selections stand out as slightly subpar.

Few songwriters these days can write even one song that’s as good as anything on Welcome To My DNA, and the fact that Wilson and Geffen seem to do it so effortlessly and prolifically is a testament to their high caliber. While it may not be as perfect as Blackfield or as addictive as Blackfield II, Welcome To My DNA is probably their most diverse, experimental, and textured release. As another stellar collection of emotionally charged melodies complemented with gorgeous production, it’s another superb achievement for the duo, and it’ll likely stand as one of the best albums of the year.

New Album from Jeniferever in April

For further listening, check out tracks from the album, “Waifs And Strays” HERE and “Dover” HERE.

The sound of Uppsala, Sweden’s cult-beloved Jeniferever is often described in epic terms: majestic, soaring, atmospheric, careening, sweeping. And, the quartet’s forthcoming third album, Silesia (Monotreme Records) is a fitting example of their masterful meld of melodic pop songcraft with post rock’s expansive sonic wanderlust. It is an album borne of tragic loss and motion.

Jeniferever – Kristofer Jönson, Martin Sandström, Olle Bilius and Fredrik Aspelin – have previously been compared to some truly otherworldly outfits like The Appleseed Cast, Explosions In The Sky and Immanu El. But every second of Silesia is tied to place and time, bound by reality and borne by experience. It’s less about escape, more confronting the unexpected trials that send one’s life into undulation.

The album’s title is taken from the former name of Berlin’s Ostbahnhof. It was near here, while on tour in 2009, that Kristofer learned that his father had passed away. Reality bit where there was so often release; the structure of life on the road collapsed, and the band canceled their remaining dates. Several months later, a third album began to form; while not wholly informed by the recent tragedy, nevertheless the collection bears its title with no little relevance. Said Kristofer, “I liked the idea of naming it after a railway station since it’s a place of motion, a place where people arrive and depart and sometimes maybe depart never to come back…” And, the end product is Jeniferever‘s brightest, most immediate long-player yet. From pain, confidence; from darkness, light.

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