Five in a Hand – “Alien Ballz”

“5 in a hand…..if you’re lucky,” seems to be the tagline for this small experimental rock group from Iowa. Yes, Iowa of all places. The band is comprised of five members playing various instruments with comparable sounds to MSI, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beastie Boys. An odd combination of influences, but perhaps why this group is so intriguing.

Putting aside their interesting rhythmic flow of words and lyrics and overall raspiness the singer can conjure, I choose their instrumental song, which displays legitimate music entrepreneurship and a name that makes me giggle, “Alien Ballz”. I stumbled along this band when a good friend offered me a link to some local music, specifically telling me to listen to the aforementioned song. I figured I would give it a go, if nothing else because of the funny title. However, I was hooked from the intro. In the beginning, the synth leads with a hot lick that sounds straight from outer space, or perhaps the 80’s. Regardless, the prominent synthesizer riff got me interested and the layering of digitized effects, manipulation of sound, and the unorthodox use of instrumental sound kept me in.

This band dares to experiment, which is commendable and what keeps the listening audience guessing. The track “Alien Ballz” is just an example of the bands willingness to experiment musically as well as their desire to have fun. Upon finishing this song, listen to the other tracks this band has to offer. Their style, musicianship and diversity in genre, style and lyrical flow is something that can’t be found just anywhere, you have to look in Iowa.

http://www.myspace.com/fiveinahand

Simple – “Signs in the Sky”

Simple, also known as “A simple band” hail from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Their latest EP was recorded live for the local college radio station WKNC, North Carolina. The trio represents an eclectic style of  punk-pop, grunge, and indie that is raw in nature, upbeat, and overall fun. This can all be found in the single “Signs in the Sky.”

The band displays a classic punk-rock trio with a simple and repetitive guitar riff, a driving bass line, and upbeat percussion to push the the tempo. Ironic or not, the band displays a very simple instrumentation and layering, perhaps because they are in fact named Simple. However, this does not draw away from the effectiveness of the song or genre, often less is more. Much like the instrumentation of the song, the form is very simple as well. A mere verse chorus verse chorus layout leaves the listener wondering the true potential of the band’s creativity. The singer’s vocal integrity leaves something to be desired, for instance, pitch and tone are not always quite there, but then what the hell, they are an indie-punk band. However, in general the recitative style of singing, comparable to Cake or most “talk-like” styles of  singing found in a fast paced punk songs, is often more catchy and a staple in punk rock. Something enjoyable about the song, when able to be deciphered, are the band’s choices in lyrics. A personal favorite was a question posed to Brutus on how it feels to take a life with your own hands, and of course the staple of the chorus, “I’m going out of my head tonight.”

Overall Simple is just what they purport: simple. They are a punk rock trio pushing through the grapevines to your eardrums. They display a classic punk instrumentation and tone to their music while trying to intrigue the audience with unusual lyrics and a raw attitude. What can I say, I must be “going out of my head tonight.”

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Worst Case Ontario – Smallcraft EP

Do you miss rock from the early to mid 90s? If so, New York’s own Worst Case Ontario might be your new best friend. It almost makes me want to find an old flannel and some combat boots. Almost. The band’s approach is pretty standard – two guitars, bass, drums, vocals – throw ‘em in a room together and see what happens. There’s plenty of chugging guitar, thick rhythms, and barreling drum work. It’s a bit too sludgy to be straight up garage rock, but the vibe is there.

While the throwback feeling is definitely nostalgic, I’m afraid most of us have moved on. The five tracks on the Smallcraft EP don’t have many distinguishing factors from one to the next. The drums stand out on opener “Celebrity Sighting” and closer “Capricorn” finds the band experimenting with their sound a bit. Kudos for that.

Although the vocals aren’t incredibly strong and often get lost in the mix, I guess that’s half the point, right? Smallcraft isn’t going to make waves, but I can easily picture the kids in New York digging the sludgy-ness, not realizing it’s been done before. I hate to leave the reader thinking there’s nothing worth investigating here, but for a short EP with such a narrow focus you’re either going to be excited by the 1990’s-esque qualities or…not.

Jaill – That’s How We Burn

Jaill play garage the right way. Heavy on the hooks, light on the sneer, lovingly attuned to Reed’s salt and Casablancas’ swoon, and thoroughly uncynical – eulogizing getting high, getting laid, and getting out with your friends. Despite the hostile name, That’s How We Burn doesn’t have a moment of resentment, or a moment of originality, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

In fact, the consistent, unwavering quality songs make up for most of Jaill’s derivativeness. It’s pretty hard to write meaningful music out of such rooted conventions of guitar, drums, and bass, but That’s How We Burn is engaging throughout, which is quite an achievement for a meat and potatoes rock band. The band spans the touchstones, the balladic acoustic number “Summer Mess,” the half-smiled swinger “Baby I,” and plenty of roughed-up, Euro-informed, chart-ready rock songs (“On The Beat,” “Thank Us Later”, “Demon”) – but all of that familiarity only elevates the potency of the material. The band doesn’t even try to spice up their production with some fringy white noise, keeping the songs hi-fi and crisp, which is surprisingly unique in the context of what a lot critic-rock has come to encompass. That’s How We Burn isn’t going to change the world, nor does it try, it simply reassures us that an honest-to-god rock band can still make good music, and that the rapidly aging genre still has some statements to make.

Jaill

Ty Segall – Melted

I remember hearing about the passing of Jay Reatard and being entirely confused. I still recall sitting in front of my computer, probably getting ready to write a review, and reading the news headlines. I couldn’t believe that, here was a musician whom I had most recently bought an album of, and he was gone. I immediately forgot about everything I needed to do and played his music non-stop. And ever since then, there’s been a void missing in that garage rock sound.

Now it’s unfair to Ty Segall for me to be mentioning Reatard in the review for his newest album, Melted. But if ever there was the perfect scenario for a musician to step into, and completely reign over, now is the time for Segall. “Imaginary Person” is stellar mastery of what fuzzy, straight-ahead, no-nonsense punk rock is supposed to be. The pop is where it fizzles and capers off the edgy sides but Segall is in fine form here: stable, playful and energetic. It’s one of the many reasons why Melted is probably going to be the best of its class by the end of the year.

Many have dismissed Segall and his latest release because of its inability at piercing new territory. This is, mostly, immediately forgotten when you have something as ridiculously catchy as “Sad Fuzz”. Blistering guitars squelch at the seams, while Segall plainly bellows “Please don’t be sad, my baby…you know you’re mine,” the raucous intensity comes in the form of the drums and Segall’s own penchant for declaring the words, even when they’re as simple as “it’s lovely outside,” in the most striking of manners. Most of what’s hidden under the reverb of Melted is what everyone strives for: solid melodies and hooks.

There are a lot of moments that gently wash away, against the pushing drive of the other songs on the album. Segall mostly attempts to create different spaces of time and is able to make many of them work to his direct advantage. This happens on the gentle stroke of “Bees”, with its bass melody and galloping drive; the call for different voices is greeted with a mixture of raspy souls and the bass’ acoustic part. And it couldn’t come at a better time with what’s definitely the earliest part of The Beatles on “Girlfriend”. Strengthened by a marvelous opening, the drums reach heightened proportions with a soaring verse-chorus blend. Segall is basically in full uproar over what he feels is his and the song’s certainly aided by it.

Although Melted is surely a welcome follow-up to Lemons’ catchy greatness, the smallest of missteps come in the lightest of manners. A much more subdued nature is favored and Segall and his bandmates stretch the spectrum with menacing structure (“Mrs.”), when they could have probably just been rocking away. If anything, the raunchiness of what rock can do is felt like it was sorely missed and it makes up for moments of uneasiness. But don’t get me wrong, they’re quickly dispelled with jarring moments of true musical bliss (“Alone”); when you’re at the point where you can pinpoint the smallest of challenges, there is no shame in that.

Goner Records

Rippit Rippit- Shark Happens EP

Ambitious yet playful, the Saskatoon group Rippit Rippit emit an orthodox style of musical compositions. Creating a garage-rock sound that is both diverse and sporadic, this youthful band has set themselves apart from the normal criteria and stereotypes that ground young groups. Garnering influences from indie-rockers such as Modest Mouse, Spoon and the Strokes, it is no surprise that this band has an offset sense of maturity lingering beneath the often silly lyrical content that is present in many of their tracks. Their debut EP, Shark Happens may lack the lavish talent that many bands contain but there’s potential inhabiting each of these songs.

Front man David Turnbull provides an enjoyable sense of enthusiasm in each track and, while his vocal talent is questionable, the energy he exhibits through each lyric will surely cater to a vast array of listeners. The track “Vomit Roll” is a perfect example of this vocal excitement that will have audiences encapsulated each time Turnbull yells “Pump the Jam!” Another great component is the keyboard in “Vomit Roll” and “Counting Sheep”. The synthetic sounds from the keyboard act as a medium for “Counting Sheep” which allows the song to progress in a much more relaxed pace than many of the other tracks on the EP. Niklas Winnitowy exercises this with effortless precision and while his guitar parts could be substantially more complex, the simplicity doesn’t take away from each song.

One of the most easily accessible tracks on Shark Happens is “Paris, Passion and Pastries” as it follows a traditional garage-rock sound that is full of instrumental only parts with limited vocals. The lyrical content itself in many of these songs revolves around girl complications and many unserious topics. This is clearly intentional and it is more enjoyable when a band doesn’t take themselves too seriously. It would be beneficial however, if the group attempted to delve into new lyrical topics in future releases in order to gain a wider audience, and further establishment of maturity in their tracks.

As for each melody on the EP, there is nothing ethereal nor generic. One of the most impressive parts of the entire disc is the use of a trumpet in “Frank’s Bank” which adds to what would have been nothing but a speedy track reminiscent of The Ramones. This sense of individualism in each track separates Rippit Rippit from many others in their genre and it would be a shame for the group to stop progressing at this point. A few more layers are recommended to each song and the approach to diversity in their use of instruments is applauded.

Shark Happens is a great debut EP for a band that refuses to be chained by any one influence. While it is clearly garage-rock, its creative use of trumpets and keyboards exemplifies the amount of potential Rippit Rippit has. It is great to see this sort of innovation that can only keep progressing for this small, high school band from Saskatoon.

The Black Keys – Brothers

You wouldn’t be mistaken when referring to The Black Keys as one of rock’s most consistent bands. For six albums now, the Ohio-based duo has quietly created a discography that consists of some of the best blues-rock of the new century. After a quartet of albums that showcased solid and steady hands on deck, the Keys opted to have Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) produce the pair’s fifth album, Attack & Release. And although it created a unique scenario where each person could get creative and truly collaborate, there was a certain bite missing to it.

That bite, that grit that we’ve all come to love from The Black Keys was replaced with an experimental hand that added a few flutes and added arrangements to the mix. The songwriting took a bit of a dip but even with that, it was still, yet another solid release. But this time, taking a different direction, the Keys have decided to equally work together with Burton on production techniques and it’s provided them the full control to be able to give in to their inhibitions. And this time, that indulgence is a strong focus on the many different shifts in the game of love.

Through fifteen songs that all snarl with a tremendous amount of emotion and passion, Brothers glistens with a radiant sheen. Still just two members, each song packs a definite punch that always seems to hit you right in the gut. Chronicling wrong decisions, jealousy, betrayal, bitterness, fakeness and even, complete and entire heartbreak, these stories come to life behind the pair’s resolved demeanor. The opening lines of “She’s Long Gone” detail such harsh situations with Dan Auerbach singing, “She was made to blow you away,” paired with a grooving guitar lick. These are still poetically challenging words that they’re singing about, only this time, they just happen to hit that much harder.

The changes that they’ve implemented seem to make the most sense, too, with everything coming together in rousing fashion. Rather than taking a blanket approach to the production, each song has its respective engineer and producer, making for varied sounds and styles but all, of the highest quality. “Tighten Up,” the album’s lead single, is where Burton is most felt, opening the space inside of the pockets to fill it with whistles, organs, and chords that cloud the darkness of the subject matter. Here, it’s displayed through a tumbling bridge that combines clashing drums and guitar for what Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney purposely positioned. She’s playing with our emotions and “running wild” but it’s up to us to cut her loose, eventually.

What sets Brothers apart from what Attack & Release conveyed is the duo’s ability in crafting those tender moments that leave just the right amount of reflection to ponder about. Not only does “The Only One” sound like something that was written exactly with a lead female vocal in mind but it’s Auerbach’s falsetto that carries it throughout. The Chinese-like guitar trickles in the background with a shaker, while singing about that unmistakable hold she has on you. And the album’s heaviest hitter is “I’m Not the One” with its dooming pattern and even darker themes. Possible of multiple interpretations, the strongest case is for a broken lover that knows and realizes she isn’t right for him and still, keeps him wrapped around her finger. Ultimately, he realizes that it’s time to move on but after it’s too late; these aren’t stories for the faint of heart, I reckon.

That’s what this is all about: as if they’re advising us on life’s many, many battles because we’re all brothers. Whether or not you love their music, Brothers represents a champion sound for the duo, one that covers all of their best strengths onto a terrific album; you can’t ask for a better present than that.

Nonesuch

Unnatural Helpers- Cracked Love & Other Drugs

Unnatural Helpers are muscular garage rock in full. Sometimes their boldness produces really raw, energetic songs, and sometimes it just feels flat and bland. UH are a Seattle band, so you know they’ve been influenced by the garage scene that Seattle is famous for. Heavy guitars and pounding percussion plow through the speakers, while Dean Whitmore talk-sings-shouts his way in a band that comes off (possibly intentionally), like they’re just waking up and throwing shit together. Again, it can lead to a couple hits and a few misses.

Cracked Love & Other Drugs features fifteen songs, yet it clocks in just under twenty-six minutes, so there’s a lot of one and a half minute burners. The riffs run a little too close together with their heavy, choppy patterns, so there’s not a lot of differentiation between songs. Something like “Brainstroke” can sum up a handful of other songs, with unpaved guitar jams and shouting from Whitmore. At the heart of the problem with this album is that, despite its weighty nature, it’s still a pop record. That being the case, there are few melodies or hooks for this album to lay claim to. “Our Most Entitled” finds a solid hook while using a similar “Brainstroke” formula; the difference is subtle but “Our Most Entitled” becomes an enjoyable jam. “I Claim it Mine” is a legitimately awesome song. It’s a shame it rests in the middle of all this mediocrity, but “I Claim it Mine” sounds like it could have been a seminal song for a band in the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, or now. It just has a classic feel to it. It’s heavy, like usual, but the attitude and melody click so perfectly together. Then, it’s right back to meandering garage rock with “She Was Your Girlfriend”. Whitmore is a veteran performer, so this is who Unnatural Helpers will be, as opposed to a young band evolving their chops. What we’re left with is a throwaway album with one inexplicably awesome song. If there’s a way you can listen to “I Claim it Mine” and skip everything else, that would be ideal.

Company Man – The Headless

Steve Slovacek’s story is fascinating, he grew up a closeted-homosexual/atheist in a devout Mormon family. While in college at BYU, he dropped out and eventually ended up in New York City. New York starts scaring the hell out of Steve, so he moves with his parents in the Czech Republic to a Mormon church in Prague. With an EP already under his belt, the Czech Republic offers Steve a new space to begin working on his first full-length album. Except he’s not really in the position to record in style. He uses Radio Shack microphones, a desktop computer, two laptops, Cool Edit Pro, and Adobe Audition Software. Not exactly what Phil Spector would have set up. The instruments are rickety acoustic guitars and a few others are bought on eBay, learned quickly and then sold off. The percussion is made up of kitchen utensils, handclapping, and a lot of other resourceful items. This is Company Man; broken and kept together by Scotch tape.

Company Man, for its simplicity of instruments, is not simple in sound. It can’t be described in one sentence. Sometimes you’ll find foot-stomping pop songs with a tight groove, and sometimes there are laid-back reflections. It should go without saying that this is a lo-fi recording, so instruments tend to bleed together taking the vocals down with it. This grittiness fits Company Man perfectly, because Slovacek’s melodies are slow burners. There isn’t a hook to them that makes them immediately accessible, but he keeps pushing the melody up against the deformity that is that music and watches his melody flourish. In no way a disrespect to Slovacek – and a compliment if anything – this record isn’t about him. His melodies are an afterthought behind the star of the record, the instrumentation, which I’m sure Slovacek recorded anyway. The instrumentation is mad-genius great. The music is a constant flurry of homemade noise, held together with thick basslines. “A Cancer in Her Lungs” is the best example of this and it’s the album’s best song. Everything chaotic comes together to make a fully formed song with a terrific rhythm, giving the piece a memorable hook.

Songs like “22 in 2005,” “Children,” ”The Safer Parts of the City,” and “Utah” are winners, as is almost every other song. It’s certainly an interesting listen, just to hear the noises mesh together. But The Headlessis very good, more than just a parlor trick where a guy uses knives and forks to make sounds. Not just a solid debut, but something legitimately making a splash that deserves to be checked out.

Jeremy Jay – Splash

Sensitive rock ‘n’ roller Jeremy Jay has kept a prolific pace since 2007, releasing a slew of albums, EPs and singles with the support of K Records. He has two full-lengths in the can for release in 2010, and Splash is the first. Written and recorded as he lived in London between long stretches touring, it finds Jay in typically soul-searching fashion, both romanticizing the distance and yearning for the things left behind.

Where previous album Slow Dance was a celebration of living in the present – the rapture of unfolding romance, prowling the city streets with friends, sharing a slow dance – Splash takes a more reflective approach, presenting a soul in isolation creating a postcard from afar. This is also a more down-to-Earth affair. Gone are the horses jumping over moonbeams, replaced with long-distance phone calls and an obsession with jaguars. Lead track “As You Look Over the City” jumps out of the box like said jaguar with the band brashly striking an overblown chord in unison, signaling the wide-open attitude and bright sonics that fill the remainder of the album.

Jay’s hooky garage rock sound returns, no more complex than it needs to be to be tuneful, and the catchy songs become familiar almost immediately. Off-kilter guitar leads earn the Pavement comparison, but another pre-release comparison to EVOL-era Sonic Youth is mostly in Jay’s overactive imagination, unless you count his Kim Gordon-esque whispered intimacies and occasionally tone-deaf sassiness. This vocal style, mixed up front and maintaining all its imperfections and idiosyncrasies, separates Jay from the field, humanizing his music with a personality you have no choice but to either reject or accept. His heart is on his sleeve for sure, but the make or break proposition isn’t anything he’s saying. Rather, it is his performance, raw and in the moment, which makes Jay an artist worthy of attention. Instead of seeming like a project, you trust that his art is born of life, easy to believe in and root for. Not a side-gig as he works in graphic design or app development, you get the feeling that he makes albums simply because that’s what he’s made to do, his primary instinct.

Somewhat contrary to his past successes, the songs on Splash that are most successful are the songs that eschew myth-making fantasy and keep their feet firmly planted on the ground – or at least lounging on a balcony or riding on a BMX with a guitar strapped on back. A few ventures into pirate and battlefield metaphors qualify as minor detours, not fatal flaws. At his best, Jay can’t be beat when he plays to his overarching theme: locating the importance of his small world by living away from it. “Just Dial My Number” balances the bouncy and the scuzzy, mixing the trust, hope, and barely-contained urgency of relationships temporarily disembodied via telephony.  Piano-led “Someday, Somewhere” is an elegant and spare dedication to one left behind. “Hologram Feather” is a slowly chugging remembrance, abruptly snuffed out when Jay remembers driving “up to San Francisco on my own to visit you”. There’s a sense that the memory got a little too real to go on.

The album clocks in at a very brief nine songs and 27 minutes. When the fluttering little riff for the final song, the Modest Mouse-shaded “Why Is This Feeling So Strong”, comes out of the speakers, it feels too soon. But it’s in keeping with the sentiment of the album. You can never say it all in a postcard. The best you can do is cram in as much as you can with short, vivid bursts.

Jeremy Jay

K Records

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