Black Baptista – Thread the Needle

Anyone entrenched in the prog-rock leanings of anomalous guitar player Omar Rodriguez Lopez is also aware that the man is as antsy as he is ingenious.  For more than a decade now, the Mars Volta guitarist has been spinning out album after album of flabbergasting rock and roll, sometimes at a rate so expeditious that the releases themselves become as difficult to distinguish as their creator’s feverish solos.  Los Angeles’ Bryan Baker hasn’t quite yet amassed the sort of prodigious output that would put him on par with Rodriguez Lopez, but with four records to his name in only 18 months, he’s certainly on a comparable path.

2010 found Baker – a Berklee-schooled guitarist of exceptional prowess – issuing three recordings that, though unorthodox by most standards, were robust examples of what could take place when industrial-grade electronic textures and jazz chops were fused together.  A slew of collaborators popped up throughout the proceedings, but it all still felt very much like a Baker solo effort.  Presumably, this all changes now with Black Baptista, a bona fide power trio in which Baker, drummer Andy Sanesi, and bassist Peter Boskovich unload some of the most searing and primal rock music this side of Led Zeppelin.

If you’re the type who joneses for the unrelenting rock assault afforded by groups like Them Crooked Vultures or the Dead Weather, then Black Baptista is bound to have allure.  This is 70-plus minutes of sinewy catharsis, visceral in its nod to the heavy blues rock of the 70s but also nonplussing when you factor in Baker’s penchant for Mars Volta-esque odd meter shredding.

The album’s monochromatic packaging is reflective of its contents – any studio embellishments and instrumental enhancements have been eschewed in favor of a minimal yet formidable lineup of guitar, bass, and drums.  Only Baker’s vocals, which have always been laced with a tinge of Broadway pomp, occasionally suggest a more dynamic emotional range.  There is no reverb to generate assuaging ambience, no tenderized ballads to quell the onslaught of amplifier feedback.  Yet whatever Thread the Needle lacks in beatific expansion, it makes up for with its headstrong mission to pummel you eardrums into putty.  Want to hear what “Amazing Grace” sounds like when the 18^th century hymn’s elegiac aesthetic is swapped for that of harrowing despair?  Here’s your chance.

From a technical standpoint, there’s not a bum track on Thread the Needle.  While Baker’s bellowing vocals and virtuosic guitar playing remain at the forefront of most songs, it’s a marvel to hear him interact with the ace rhythm section he has in Boskovich and Sanesi.  On opening cut “Doing the Best,” come hither lyrics like “You’re so sweet / and so kind / but I wanna / make you evil” and “I’m hungry like a lion / you’re sweet like a lamb” largely take a backseat to hairpin volume swells, adroit drumming, and alt-metal jams that recall the early funkiness of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  “Chip Away” features Boskovich copping Baker’s leads in a Zappa-fied demonstration of jazz- rock fusion.  “Get Up” is unabashed mosh pit material, with Sanesi channeling John Bonham as he bashes his drums into oblivion.

If there’s a sticking point to be found here, it’s the same aforementioned restlessness visible in the frequency of Baker’s releases.  Killer grooves and commanding melodies abound on Thread the Needle, but for an album whose shortest track is still more than 5 minutes long, it’s a shock that the band rarely sticks to one motif for more than 2 minutes before diverting in a different direction.  One such example is “I Got You,” which has a manic ADD-like quality as it veers between myriad tempos and volume alterations over its 8-minute length.  In most cases, the ghosts of Zappa, RHCP, or the Mars Volta are present regardless; “The Ghost Inside” is a perfect example of this, as guitar freakouts, swing grooves, and irreverent lyrics coalesce.

As the record nears its close, the songs begin to show off an experimental twitch – the power chords of “Patiently I Wait” recall radio-friendly 1990’s pop-punk, while the schizophrenic “Covar Rubias” brings the spectral comfort of an acoustic guitar to the fore before unleashing one last aural assault of rock band cacophony.

In a musical landscape where many acts tend to spread themselves too thin due to mounting stylistic whims, it’s absolutely refreshing to hear a band like Black Baptista surge forward with such an uncompromising vision.  The band gets the Led out and then some on Thread the Needle, but it also suffers from what at times feels like a one-track mind. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Baker and his new colleagues allow this new project to gestate further – Black Baptista could be a completely transcendent experience if they apply the patience necessary for their vision to become fully realized.

Invisible Elephant – Anomie Or Swimming In A Black Sea

The anonymous musician behind Invisible Elephant is creating soundscapes that, at least on paper, owe much to some often quoted influences – Sonic Youth, MBV, Mogwai, and while it’s possible to trace other creative debts in the swirling instrumental void that the tracks on Anomie conjure – Cocteau Twins, Eno, Spacemen 3 – the album has a focus and clarity that goes quite some way beyond merely rewriting the chord structures of “Here Come The Warm Jets” and “Loveless”: a skilled, innovative musician/s, Invisible Elephant is/are very much more than the sum of their influences, and while paying suitable homage to some of the best known experimental practitioners, IV take their listeners on a melodic and texturally structured ambient prog excursion that is very much of their own design.

First of the 9 tracks, “Commercial Appeal”, is a delicately played keyboard piece, with the sound of playing children woven into it. It’s at once reflective and also mildly sinister, and one of four tracks on the album that are less than two minutes in length. Next song “Everything” is of a very different cut though: a deftly phrased guitar introduces a ballad which, just when I was expecting a repetitive chord sequence is lifted by a chorus that brings a near spiritual depth to what began as a two chord strum. It’s a deeply felt and near masterful exercise in developing a song from the least complicated of beginnings. “Where Is Home From Here?” is an extension of the first track, piano and echoing background soundtrack (of birdsong) and also quite short, but next song, “Wish”, with its picked guitar melody and multi tracked vocal (by guest vocalist Ryli) is gently paced and suddenly spectacular in its intensities, and the fading vocal loop which the song ends with only magnifies its effect.

“When It’s All Over” is at over seven minutes the longest track on Anomie, again built around a basic two chord structure which is continually overlaid with a mixture of guitar and keyboard inserts and phased percussion, developing into a near anthemic conclusion. “Room 208″ follows, a brief interlude of industrial noise sculpture, and the sonorous keyboard riff of “Do You Believe” is a sudden contrast. It’s also perhaps the album’s strongest track, the keyboard and vocal overlaid with sudden bursts of guitar harmonics which just as swiftly pull back to the keyboard motif. “Black Sound” has IV revealing their garage punk roots and nods firmly in the direction of the JAMC, grinding wall of feedback included. Finally, “Back In The Box” seems almost like an afterthought, an acoustic number, again around two minutes, and ends with the chimes of an antique musical box.

I would like to hear more of Invisible Elephant, and not just their next releases. The one flaw in Anomie is the shorter tracks which, for reasons known only to the Elephant, aren’t developed beyond what seem like sketches for longer, more cohesive songs. The result of this is that Anomie doesn’t quite succeed as a full album, it’s more like an EP with obliquely vague inserts to separate the proper songs. Perhaps this makes me sound like a dyed in the wool three minute pop song traditionalist, but after hearing “Wish” and “Do You Believe?” I actually did want to hear more of the consistently inspired songwriting that IV bring to their Bandcamp site, and at an almost shockingly reasonable price too. Invisible Elephant aren’t letting us in on all of the joke just yet.

www.twohandsmusic.bigcartel.com

FAO#29: Critical Heights (Owen Tromans, Savaging Spires & Diva)

Established by “just three chaps trying to run a label where we would want to collect all the releases ourselves,” Critical Heights is both a boutique label and self-building community enterprise, run from both London and Winchester.  Built – so far – around artists with an acute awareness of their environments, the label has big artistic ambitions in a small niche way.  With a rolling schedule for limited edition releases in desirable high-gauge packaging, bespoke live events, multimedia presentations and micro-publishing house projects, Critical Heights could be an imprint worth monitoring as closely as the previously DOA-profiled Little Red Rabbit and Second Language labels.  Whilst its more elaborate plans are hatched, here below is a round-up from the Critical Heights physical music catalogue to date, to illustrate and explore its nascent potential.

Owen Tromans – Eternal Western Youth Dream (2001-2011) (CD + bonus digital material)

With material nimbly plucked from existing albums and EPs sitting alongside two new cuts, the tongue-twistingly titled Eternal Western Youth Dream (2001-2011) concertinas together the first ten nomadic and chameleon-like solo years from long-time DOA-favourite and ex-San Lorenzo leader Owen Tromans, into one portable 15-track CD.  Bringing his densely-packed songwriting into sharper focus – replete with recurring small-town characters, oblique religious references, nostalgic melancholy and free-range warmth – across a smorgasbord of settings, this limited edition compilation provides an invaluable service to both the previously uninitiated and the loyal fan.

Crunched into one place, Tromans’ sonic breadth is celebrated more than anything across the collected pieces.  Recorded in lo-fi and mid-fi situations and backed by varying numbers of empathetic guest players, Tromans’ magpie-like musical tastes deliver his songs with both forceful melodic propulsion and intimate atmospheres.  Hence, this compendium draws many cross-references without slipping into clumsy plagiarism.  So, you’ll find nods to Mary Timony’s overlooked medievalist Mountains LP (“Swiss Army Song”); blistering heavy-jamming in the same tributary as Come’s Gentle Down The Stream (for the definitive amped-up version of “John’s On The Bridge”); appetising Yo La Tengo-flavoured electro-acoustic fuzz pop coatings (“Like Rheticus”); rapturous campfire rustics (“The Spanish Flag”); tuneful Sebadoh-meets-Superchunk guitar-slinging (“Korea”); mordant early-Arab Strap minimalism (“All My Blood”); an unplugged reimagining of Brian Eno’s initial solo years (“Youth”); and epic I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight-indebted folk-rock yearning (“Acre”).

What Owen Tromans occasionally lacks in finesse and tidiness is overcome by steadfast enthusiasm and pure heart.  Moreover, few others have so distinctively tapped into actually celebrating suburban life, in songs that seem permanently suspended between summertime bliss and autumnal sadness.  All in all then, this is a fine distillation of a productive decade from The Bard of The British Burbs.

Savaging Spires – self-titled (CD/Vinyl)

Arriving with little or no backstory and a deliberate dedication to anonymity, this eponymous debut from Savaging Spires has ‘cult hit’ written through it like a stick of Blackpool Rock.  Seemingly the work of relative youngsters of a British origin, whom have evidently read the acid-folk rule book forwards and backwards, this album may be marinated in more psychedelic pastoralism than is perhaps strictly healthy.  However, the record is executed so well, that it’s near-impossible to avoid becoming addicted to its charms.  Broadly split between standalone songs and sound-collaging passages, the ensemble glide seamlessly through the pagan eeriness of The Wicker Man soundtrack, Espers’ druggy bucolic edginess, the underrated invention of Tyrannosaurus Rex’s Unicorn and the affectionate irreverence of Can’s ‘Ethnological Forgery Series’ pieces.  Rendered with harmonious yet freewheeling boy-girl vocal interlacing and more diverse acoustic instrumentation than one might trip over backstage at the Green Man Festival, the dozen gathered tracks shrewdly straddle the line between the shambolic looseness and meticulous craftsmanship with knowing but captivating flair.  Quite where this mysterious group will head in future is unclear but middle-aged men with unkempt beards might one day be fighting for this soon-to-be-rare artefact, with almost as much ferocity as they once did for original vinyl copies of Vashti Bunyan’s Just Another Diamond Day.  Grab it whilst it’s hot (and affordable).

Diva – The Glitter End (CD/digital)

This solo debut from the LA-based Diva Dompé (erstwhile member of BlackBlack and Pocahaunted) may come wrapped in sleeve imagery that worryingly suggests Lady Gaga dabbling with Bat For Lashes’ make-up box, but its audio aesthetics thankfully provide a far more genuinely avant-garde proposition.  Drenched in watery yet metallic electronic primitivism, The Glitter End sounds like it was recorded in the engine room of a submarine.  Blurring murky tropicalia, Germanic analogue synthesiser soundscapes, gamelan percussion, twinkling sci-fi incantations and warped Solex-style sampling – sometimes all within the space of one song – this isn’t an album for the unadventurous.  At her best and in moderation, Dompé uses her diaphanous tones and disembodied stew of sounds to create the powerful dual feeling of womb-like serenity and claustrophobia.  Taken en masse, the uniqueness does slip into slightly smothering repetition.  Ultimately, if it were slimmed-down and spread-out across the immersive grooves of a 12” EP, The Glitter End might have been more striking statement.  That said, if you’re looking for a real antidote to the polish and soulless professional of mainstream (lower-case) divas, this is no sugary placebo.

Also available on Critical Heights:

Instrumental twin-guitar improvisations on Delphic Vapours’ strung-out and sat-down Get Off Their Knees album, for fans of Mountains, Cluster and Sonic Youth’s SYR series.

Emotive post-hardcore and broken-down ballads on Incredible Weapons’ eponymous EP.

Owen Tromans and Wooded Wand masterfully covering each other’s songs across a must-have split-single.

Listen at Soundcloud for Critical Heights tracks.

Read more and buy from the Critical Heights homepage.

Q&A with Johnny and Ola of Cock And Swan

Hello Johnny and Ola!  What are the vibes like in your native Washington state and how have things been going?

Johnny: We are going back and forth from sunny and gray. Very busy recording with our friends!  I was on tour playing bass with The Curious Mystery, and Ola was in Bothell hanging out with our bunny and learning tenor sax.

There’s a lovely delicacy and vintage ambience to your indie electro-pop.  What types of synths and other instruments do you use to achieve that sound?

Johnny:  The Arp Odyssey is a synth we use for almost every song. We also have an SH-101 and a Korg Mono/Poly. We sample our analog synths through our tape machines and then cut it up on the computer.

On the other hand, the glitchy, intricate synth-work on some songs like “Stash” gives you a modern edge.  What bands have influenced you in this direction?  I’ve read that Boards Of Canada and Mum are two artists that you admire.

Johnny: Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, etc… Warp records are always a go to for good electronic sounds. We are into lots of different stuff though. We just snagged a few great vinyl LPs: The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails), Third (Portishead), and In the Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson) along with the full discography from Kraftwerk.

Ola, I love your ephemerally light and wistful vocals, but sometimes it’s difficult to discern the lyrics of the songs.  Who is the songwriter in the band?  Do you adhere to the school of thought that the overall sound is what is important in a song verses the message conveyed by the lyrics (Cocteau Twins versus Rage Against the Machine springs to mind for some reason)?

Ola: Johnny tends to write the initial lyrics, and then we work them out together to fit my voice. The more we record vocals, the more we are trying to make the words do something (as opposed to describing something literal).  So I think the sound of the words matters a lot.

Your debut album Unrecognize was released last year on Dandelion Gold Records.  Tell us about its creation. 

Johnny:  We write and record all our songs in our house.  Some of those songs are demos that are years old, and others (like “Sympethizer”) were quick one-day recordings. We love to use and reuse material and a lot of the songs from this record are either expansions of parts from previous songs, or an entire remake of an old song, along with stuff that we finally got around to finishing.

Johnny, you actually run Dandelion Gold Records, which features musicians from the Bothell and Seattle regions of Washington.  Is this a 24/7 occupation for you?  How is it working out?

Johnny: Dandelion Gold isn’t a full record label, but I do spend all of my time working on it and other projects. It’s more about giving a name to the sort of stuff we want to be associated with.

Now, this gets a bit confusing, but Dandelion Gold is also the name of a band, right?  Who is in the band at the moment and is there a relationship between the musical style of Dandelion Gold and Cock and Swan?

Johnny: Dandelion Gold is whoever is currently active in the group. We often do songs and compilations (DG: One) together as well as releasing solo works. Currently that list would include Shana Cleveland, Brad Dunn, Doug Arney and Olie Eshleman (Corespondents), Ian Obermuller, Ola, and myself. We all have solo stuff associated with Dandelion Gold, and we’ve all worked on songs together.

Okay, sorry to bring this up, but do you ever get guff for the name Cock and Swan?  Or do you ever regret naming your band Cock and Swan?  I just ask because I was doing a search online for you on Bing and a page suddenly appeared that said “Your current search setting filters out results that might return adult content. To view those results as well, change your setting.”  Oh, dear…

Johnny: I think a good rule of thumb on what is a good band name is whether or not you are comfortable saying it to whoever asks you “What’s your band called?” That being said, we had little choice in naming our band. It chose us!

You’ve done a residency at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard, and have played other gigs.  When you play live do you add members to your line-up?

Johnny: The residency actually refers to the band Thousands, who we played with, and which was our first show in about six months.

We’ve played a lot of different ways: Ola playing acoustic pianos with all of our friends playing drums, samplers, and synths surrounding the two of us, or as a five piece with two guitars and a drummer.  But we usually do a lot of multitasking and play as a duo.

Do you try to replicate what you have on record when playing live? 

Johnny: We don’t try to replicate what we recorded too closely. Typically we add structural changes and little bonus parts to the songs. Lately Ola is triggering and controlling samples of our synths and drum machine sounds while I play bass, affect our voices, and play a monophonic synth. Our current setup is as close to “dancy” as we have come so far.  Last time we also set up video projections of instruments and other stuff around our house, synced up with the beats.

What are you plans for the near future?  Are you working on a new album or EP?

Johnny:  We are almost finished with two actually. We are releasing a 12” of acoustic versions of our songs for Lost Tribe Sound and we are working on a continuation of the sort of stuff we worked on for Unrecognize. We are hoping the acoustic record will be out this fall.

Please list your official site(s) where we can find out more about you and purchase your music.  Thanks so much!

http://dandeliongold.com/ for music and video from us and stuff we think you’d like. http://www.cockandswan.com/ for just us.

The Sewing Circle – I Saw Stars

The support of success can definitely be some of the best chance to take. If past experiences have proven triumph then why not follow in the same path. For The Sewing Circle and their poppy rock affair of sounds the expedition of an album that reached a few good words caused them to take quick efforts in creating a follow-up, the dazed I Saw Stars. With no mention of an EP anywhere, the six-song collection unfortunately is a mixture of styles that end up leaving the listener disengaged and sometimes, definitely puzzled.

The brisk, 90s nostalgia that breeds into most of the songs is a recurring occurrence that always dates the music far more than it should. On something like “Love Games” the atmospheric blends of the swooning ocean and angular riffs recall that alternative shtick that certainly packs punch, while lacking charisma. Meg Blake’s voice is a sugary topping to the song’s tenacious vibe and her “I’m just crazy for you” lines are affectively delivered. Diversity is what they craft themselves on and while “Five Cigarettes” is more lingering thoughts (“I can’t wait to be a rock star”) the production of the music mutes most of the excitement from the band. Although there’s a gritty guitar solo, the drums sound wholly muffled and the bass is seemingly absent. There’s a growing bud of potential in the flower but a vigorous trimming at the edges seems entirely worthwhile too.

There’s a perceptible explosion on the album’s leading song, “Lead Role,” but mostly you get a crunchy guitar that beckons for a transfer to the modern era. At times the drums can barely be heard – especially on sections where fills are demanded attention – and in causing so, the music is left partially exposed to an unresolved escape. It’s like a great determined will that’s climbing up the mountain with the feeble support of sandals on his feet: the bottom won’t ever rise. In stark contrast, the closing song, “Until Now” leaves the band bulgingly supported by standby strings and a lax shaker; the album is mired with a sense of identity. They begin with a sordid connection of sorts and end with a scattered set of acoustic deliverance. Perhaps the confusion of the song’s ending, induced with a bewildered coda section that features a folk strum in weird fashion, is enough proof of the unrealized ideas capable for The Sewing Circle.

But through the identity crisis on this self-proclaimed LP, there are moments like the Celtic crash of “So As in Salem” that recognize a calming strength. If nothing else The Sewing Circle definitely pack energy on their music that defines their proven trust in each other and in their efforts. I Saw Stars might not be the kind of album to decorate as something special but for fans and likely additions, it’s positively an interesting experience.

Dream on Dreamer – Heartbound

When I think of the word refreshing a flood of images fly into my head – typically it is people laying in a bath tub full of mint leaves or something of that ilk. It’s the idea that you are rejuvenating yourself or coming into something with new eyes. In essence, it’s a change typically for the better and as I listened to Dream on Dreamers new album Heartbound the first thing that came into my mind was this concept of renewal. “Why?” you may ask, well, the whole genre of Post Hardcore is somewhat reminiscent of the world right now. It’s in a state of flux and upheaval, and rightfully so I might add. There are bands (Black Veil Brides, Escape the Fate, Alesana, etc.) that are all about the imagery that is associated with this particular genre, and have made a name for themselves based on that rather than actually having talent. Then there are bands that are not so caught up with the scene for the sake of it and are putting together great pieces of art.

The war seems to be in favor of the glam faux rockers simply because of the exposure that a record deal affords them, however there are signs that the tide is turning and bands are getting back to the roots of what this is all about.  Anyway, what I am getting at is this, the rockers of Dream on Dreamer understand the artistry that is involved in creating this type of music and it shows. They do not scream for the sake of possibly being labeled screamo, but when the subject matter of the song calls for it.

Heartbound is at times ambient and at other times heavier with overt metalcore conventions (ie. breakdowns) and, yet they still manage to have the overall feel of a Post-Hardcore outfit (weird time signatures, clean and screamed vocals and unconventional song structures). It’s all pretty overwhelming – oppressive even – but the record is not trying to crush you. Instead, the group will start off heavy, drift into something more melodic and then end on a heavier note.  And the album as a whole follows a somewhat similar pattern as it seems to go from heavy to soft. This makes for a listen that does not exhaust you, but instead allows you to explore the whole album without interruption. The instrumentation is tight and focused and every drum beat and guitar strum feels necessary and intentional. Do not expect the madness of Blood Runs Black or Cephalic Carnage or you will be slightly disappointed.

The standout song would have to be “Taking Chances Breaking Free” as it’s probably the heaviest track on the album in terms of sound and you really see the metalcore tendencies of the band shining with plenty of chugging and blat beats. Then there is the surprisingly melodic “Lifestream”, with the band alternating between clean and screamed vocals – it’s a good note to end the album on. It’s interesting that they chose to go out on a whisper instead of a bang. Overall, this album definitely gets a recommendation and it serves as a good introduction to the world of metalcore. It will not scare away fledgling fans with unbridled brutality. Yet old heads will definitely get a kick out of it, as it’s technical and heavy enough to warrant repeated listening.

“Space Rock USA Tour” @ Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

The Sellersville Theater (in Sellersville, PA) has always been one of my favorite venues. Its comfortable seats, classy décor, tasty concessions, and intimate atmosphere always provide a wonderful experience. In addition, Sellersville Theater specializes in booking relatively unique and obscure performances. On Sunday, August 21st, the theater delighted audiences with the three-act “Space Rock USA Tour.” Consisting of Hawkwind co-founder Huw Lloyd-Langton, Brainticket, and Nektar, it was an exciting and colorful night full of great music.

Huw Lloyd-Langton began the show with a 30 minute solo set. Audiences were treated to his charming English modesty and humor, as well as some truly amazing acoustic guitar work. He played several songs, including “So Long Waiting,” “Wind of Change,” “Hurry on Sundown,” and “Rocky Paths.” In addition, he surprised the audience with a rendition of Dave Davies’ “Death of a Clown.” Honestly, besides some inherent English charm, his voice wasn’t anything special, but his musicianship was astounding, and the way he mocked himself and his guitar (which refused to stay in tune) was endearing.

After an extremely brief intermission, Brainticket took to the stage. Although only keyboardist/flautist Joel Vandroogenbroeck was an original member, the entire band impressed. A sort of hybrid between ELP, Bigelf, and Black Sabbath, their psychedelic prog jams were complemented with some spacey projected visuals. While the band was never especially successful or popular, songs like “Like A Place in the Sun” and “One Morning” were met with praise from the audience.

Unfortunately, while the music was interesting and complex enough, Brainticket proved to favor spectacle over strong songwriting. Essentially, the band played intricate compositions as the female vocalist (who dressed as Medusa for added effect) spoke pointless, annoying passages. There was barely even a sense of melody, and her voice certainly wasn’t anything special. The band obviously wanted to include some otherworldly eccentricity, but really, they should just be an instrumental group and find something more productive for the singer to do.

Nektar headlined, and quite honestly, they put on one of the most exciting and intense shows I’ve ever seen. Founding members Roye Albrighton (guitar, vocals) and Ron Howden (drums) were joined by Peter Pichl (bass) and Klaus Henatsch (keyboards), and like all great bands, they played as four individuals locked into one mindset. Their setlist spanned their entire discography, including “Crying in the Dark,” “Doctor Cool,” “Dream Nebula,” “Desolation Valley,” “Recycle,” and “Where Are You Now?” They also played “Good Day” as an encore.

What’s truly remarkable is how well all of these songs fit together (considering that some were written decades after others). All of the musicians were in top form, and Albrighton played some of the best guitar work I’ve ever heard. And, contrary to so many other “space rock” groups (like the aforementioned second act), Nektar supplemented its hypnotic music with stellar songwriting. While Albrighton’s voice isn’t as good as it used to be, he still performed some wonderfully affective and catchy melodies. Overall, their performance easily exceeded expectations, and they received a standing ovation at the end of the night.

The “Space Rock USA Tour” at the Sellersville Theater was an amazing experience. The two opening acts were quite entertaining in their own way (albeit with some flaws), and Nektar was absolutely incredible. Most of all, celebrating the 40+ year career of a genre pioneering band in a venue packed with fellow fans made the show all the more special. Let’s hope that Nektar continue to create long after this tour is complete.

Sarah Nixey releases new EP

Following on from the success of her new album Brave Tin Soldiers, Sarah Nixey presents The Homecoming EP. The title track is an emotive tale of loss and yearning, rich in artistry, texture and colours. Reworkings by the magnificent Kids Love, who transforms The Homecoming into a dizzying waltz, and the extraordinary duo Microfilm, creators of a perfect blend of streetwise electronics and pure pop, compliment the single. The exceptional multi-instrumentalist Kevin Cormack of Half Cousin reshapes album track Black Rose, which tells the tragic story of Betty Corrigall from the Isle of Hoy in Orkney. An Orcadian himself, Cormack captures the ghostly presence of this poor, ostracised woman beautifully.

Available as a download from all the usual digital outlets worldwide. The iTunes link is here http://tiny.cc/e3b95

A video to The Homecoming can he viewed here http://bit.ly/oRmrP0

www.sarahnixey.com

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www.youtube.com/sarahnixey

Black Lead Records

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The Real Tuesday Weld – The Last Werewolf

The Real Tuesday Weld’s last coupling with author Glen Duncan, for 2003’s innovative I, Lucifer book soundtrack, was undoubtedly a creative marriage made in heaven (as well as being hell-orientated in its conceptual construction of course).  For those of us that fell for the debonair darkness, mischievous misanthropy and elegant eclecticism for I, Lucifer, there has remained a feeling of unfinished business, given just how well Duncan’s decadent dry-witted tale focused Stephen Coates’ borderline-unique musical vision.  But thankfully here we are again at last, with The Real Tuesday Weld’s soundtrack to Duncan’s almost literally rip-snorting novel, The Last Werewolf.

Whereas the aforementioned score to I, Lucifer reflected the printed story’s sophisticated juxtapositions and wry amoral musings in largely intimate and nocturnal musical arrangements, The Last Werewolf is a significantly different beast.  Energetically – with the aide of adroit guest players and extra vocalists – Coates has embraced the more widescreen remit of the new book’s globe-trotting adventuring, carnality, humour, romance and loss.  Coates and compadres have even bravely attempted to follow the narrative order of the novel across the nineteen strictly sequenced tracks.

As with I, Lucifer, this new soundtrack weaves together scene-setting instrumentals, snippets of dialogue from the book (read by Duncan and others) and a raft of connective songs.  However, this time around there are as many surprises as there are pleasing familiarities and refinements.  Certainly, the scorching wailing “Wolfman” – placed just after an opening sliver of conversation from the book – will scare the bejesus out of long-time fans, as guest vocal-cord-shredder Joe Coles howls lupine-like over a cacophony transmitted straight from Tom Waits’ basement.  Having broken down his self-built walls from the near-beginning, Coates conducts the rest of proceedings with razor-sharp single-mindnessness working in parallel with gleeful abandonment.  Hence, his electronic impulses have become looser yet more demonstrative, giving us the Detroit-via-Dusseldorf techno-pop of “Love Lust Money” and the gorgeous sad-eyed pulsing of “Tear Us Apart.”  Elsewhere, there are even vague hints of Bruce Springsteen on the uplifting anthemic “You’re Going to Live” and dark indirect homages to ‘80s 4AD through “Time Of The Month” and “The Cruellest Month.”

Such fresh stylistic stretching isn’t however at the expense of The Real Tuesday Weld’s core musical idioms though. But even when waltzing inside the near-trademark chanson of “(I Always Kill) The Things I Love” or driving along with the Django Reinhardt-indebted gypsy-jazz of “The Hunt,” there is a new sense of confidence and expertise that gives the gathered cast room to be simultaneously professional and playful.  Moreover, although Coates creates lots of space for perhaps technically better singers – like Pumajaw’s Pinkie Maclure on the soulful sibling-like “Save Me” and “Let It Come Down” – his own tones have gained a richer and warmer resonance too, as notably captured inside the mournful piano-led introspection of “The Ghosts” and within the blissfully amorous “Come Around.”

Whilst The Last Werewolf is undeniably the best album from The Real Tuesday Weld since its satanically-themed de facto prequel, it’s clear that the interim years have been essential in studiously refining and expanding Stephen Coates’ filmic reach, stylistic taste buds, compositional strengths, vocal range and circle of talented friends.  Like I, Lucifer, the album functions brilliantly as an enhancement to its partnering tome and as a standalone slice of life-affirming escapism.

“ME and Mr. Wolf”

Territorial Release Notes:

Available now via Six Degrees Records in the US on CD and digital formats.

A UK/Europe-wide release is to follow in October – as a highly desirable deluxe CD as well as digitally – via Crammed Discs.

Hudson Mohawke – Satin Panthers EP

While music continues to challenge and divert many artists and bands, it’s never without any due cause. For many, Hudson Mohawke’s  Butter was a resounding success of what electronic music could truly be – explosive, creative, diverse – and for others, it was eighteen songs of way too many ideas. Regardless of what camp you fell into, there was little denying the fact that Mohawke’s take on dubstep was something quite spectacular and something to behold of. Returning for a much shorter, much more focused release in Satin Panthers, Mohawke’s presence is in full command.

Like some kind of sparkling stars that are fluttering in the sky, the booming sound of Mohawke’s bass has a way of charging through. It’s almost like the darkening clouds as they ascend to immerse both the moon and stars in one enveloping swoop. On “Octan”’s climactic, expansive introduction everything seems surely possible in Mohawke’s dreamy escapade. It all ends as it begun with the same sparkling synthesizer in fluid repetition. So it’s abruptly tension-ridden that the next song, “Thunder Bay,” is exactly as it depicts, flashing rays of light that are striking from above. The immersing sounds always bounce off each other – where jagged beats and rhythms clash against each other – the beats on Mohawke’s compositions remain booming and loud. “Cbat” bumps from side to side, acting as a cool middle-section, instrumental escape and “Thank You” takes the role of the album’s closer: rapidly-infused and flourishingly lush.

Before getting more imagery-driven, it goes without saying that the atmospherics on Satin Panthers are swarming, vast expansions that crystallize above the skyline. In terms of what dubstep has to offer, Mohawke’s brand of electronic music seems more indebted to drum n’ bass statutes that rely on strong, resonating beats and stomping, almost relentless, amounts of echo for extra coating. There isn’t anything as shiningly lush as “Gluetooth,” or nearly that decorated for that matter and definitely nothing as 80s-influenced and bumpy as “Just Decided.” Instead, Mohawke rides a current flow throughout, one that follows in a linear path from song to song. Reaching “All Your Love” is a transition that couldn’t be more perfectly aligned and nurturing the theme that he’s constructed, Mohawke delivers the EP’s finest melody. But instead of allowing everything to back off, the beats come frantic and purposeful in the kind of manner that shows strong progress.

I think for many the sheer diversity of Butter really was too much to handle: by the time you reached “Black n Red”’s melodically-rich keyboards the album’s overall scope had taken completely over. I think it was safe to say that while it was affluent and decorative, Mohawke was flashing true potential in one of the better electronic albums of 2009. The way Satin Panthers comes at you is definitely much more abbreviated and more focused; whether or not this is due only to the shortness of the EP is quickly dispelled with how well the five songs do ebb and flow. And while there isn’t anything monumentally grand to take hold of Mohawke has provided strong support to the potential he flashed two years ago.

Warp

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