The Sea and Cake @ Union Transfer

Last night, we finally made our way over to Union Transfer, Philadelphia’s newest venue for live music. Brokeback, a side project formed by Tortoise bassist Doug McCombs, was the surprisingly decent opening act at last night’s The Sea and Cake Show. Unfortunately, the crowd was sparse during their set. The four-piece had a killer sound, like a post/progressive rock band that wrote the score for an old western film. With a wall of noise and distortion in the background, McCombs’ guitar was the centerpiece of this instrumental outfit. Though they had all the right ingredients to good post rock. Ultimately, I wasn’t completely convinced, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying their set.

The crowd finally started filling out a bit more when The Sea and Cake took the stage. Most in attendance were bobbin’ their heads to the music (can’t really dance to post-rock), but there were also a few die hards that enjoyed the set more than others. A couple even came in late but made their way toward the stage and proceeded to dance to every song. Watching someone jump around like they are at a dubstep show while listening to jazzy post-rock was distracting to say the least; but once guitarist Archer Prewitt took out the ebow, I was hooked. The band performed a well-balanced set of newer and older songs from their catalog, while the crowd seemed more enthusiastic toward the newer tracks.

The highlight of the night was a spot-on performance of “Inn Keeping.” The song sounds literally split in half, with the first part exploring the band’s indie rock alter ego and the concluding half serving as a solo for Prewitt’s guitar. He adds a layer to these tracks, slowly bringing tones and feedback in and out with the ebow, that elevates those songs to fully-realized compositions. While the venue was moderately-sized, Prewitt made the room feel bigger than it really was. In the end, it was a great show. If you overlook the awkward stage presence (minimal to no conversation), you will discover a band that is doing what they really love. They may not show it, but you can undoubtedly hear it in their music. Check out the band playing “Exact To Me” below:

Black Moth Super Rainbow @ First Unitarian Church

The Red Falcon Projects. These guys really killed it. They sort of looked like former members of an 80′s hair metal band who eventually took a lot of acid and decided to play with synths instead. The Red Falcon Projects come out and start their set off slow with spacey synths whizzing by. In the distance you can hear a beat start to surface; next thing I knew, there was a girl next to me full-on raving. They had me mesmerized. I loved the contrast of the almost mechanical beats mixing with the very organic and swelling synths. As the opener turned off their equipment, I was bummed for about two seconds. And then I remembered who was up next … The Marshmallow Ghosts!

But that was a lie, because there was a surprise guest. I had heard that one of my favorite rappers had been on tour with someone but they canceled, and somehow he got snagged by Black Moth’s tour. So out stumbled Serengeti. Wow, he was wasted. But that made no difference, he plugged his iPod shuffle in and went at it. He kept referring to his stuff as “just some rap shit”. Oh, I beg to differ. The crowd didn’t seem to really get why he was up there at first, but everyone eventually warmed up to it. As he finished his set, he looked to the back of the room and said something along the lines of, “I think that’s it, right Marshmallows?”

The anticipation of the Marshmallow Ghosts live has been stewing since the day I heard they were opening. How to describe them? Ryan Graveface fronted, psychedelic shoegaze meets creepy backwoods folk. Everything about them is distorted, from their appearances (they all wore masks) to their vocals and instruments. The lights go down, and they take the stage. Their new songs have more of a shoegaze feel than the creepy Halloween theme to their previous releases. The songs build a great deal of tension and then slam you with a wall of fuzz and distortion. This was mostly influenced by their bassist. The second she stomped that distortion pedal, everything changed. She would go from playing single ambient notes to full four string chords, giving every chorus a very huge, full feel. Their set was a constant swell of this trend, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It is almost Halloween, do yourself a favor and buy their album. Support bands that deserve it.

Black Moth Super Rainbow. What else is there to say? The self-conscious synth-pop band from the middle of the forest. This isn’t my first time seeing them, but the first time was at a festival. Of course, I prefer the intimate venue. BMSR takes the stage, and I am standing literally three feet from Seven Fields, at the most, and right in front of Iffernaut. Her beats were so prominent in every song. On the album they are present but live they really pound, especially during “All The Friends You Can Eat” and “Spiracle.” Watching her play was intense; I was blown away. The reworked, live version of “I Think It Is Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too” was definitely one of the highlights of the set. The original song alone has a relaxing summer feel, but they added a more epic soundscape to the live version. The new songs have a really great vibe to them and seem to stray from the sing-along style of Dandelion Gum and the composition-heavy Eating Us. Every album they release has a prominent change in style, and that’s what makes each album great.

After thirteen songs of being lost in a daze, the bass line starts for their final song of the set, and audience loses their mind as they hear the “Forever Heavy” synth fade in slowly underneath. The song had such a gargantuan feel to it. Then, they were gone. The crowd didn’t stop cheering until they came back out. It’s a bit surprising that “Sun Lips” has become the sing-along song for all fans. At both shows, the festival and here, fans were yelling the lyrics. Strange. Then, came the Tobacco songs. They played “Motorlicker” and “Constellation Dirtbike Head.” Absolutely insane! Show over. If you’re looking for musicians that ‘push the envelope’ check out all of the bands on this ticket; and if you ever have a chance to catch them live, GO! That’s all there is to it.

[photos by Weekly Dig]

SETLIST
(New Song)
Melt Me
Tooth Decay
(New Song)
Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters
Iron Lemonade
All The Friends You Can Eat
I Think It’s Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too
(New Tobacco  Song)
The Afternoon Turns Pink
Drippy Eye
Spiracle
Caterpillar House
Forever Heavy

ENCORE
Sun Lips
Motorlicker
Constellation Dirtbike Head

From Freakout to Articulation: An Interview with Fool’s Gold

Fool’s Gold started as a ten-piece musical project between friends and family and has since narrowed its focus and size. Developing as musicians, as well as human beings, along with extensive touring, has helped the band hone their sound. The now five-piece band put out its second full length release this week, released a new video, and will tour in support of their latest music. Fishpork had a chance to talk with Luke Top, bass player, vocalist, and co-songwriter about the band’s new-found focus, the decision to sing in English, and the affects of social networking on their music.

Fishpork: When Fool’s Gold first started out, there was a rotating cast of members. You now have a more steady collective. Does that make the production of music easier? What about the songwriting process?

Luke Top: Yes, everything you say is absolutely true. We started out with kind of an open door, if you will. We put it out there that any friends, friend’s friends, or relatives of friends, friends of relatives can come on in and kind of join in this little group. Really it was more of an experimental project for a while. And as we started touring, the lineup got slimmer and slimmer. At one point, we were a 10-piece, and that was insane. I think once we put our first record out and really started touring a lot … we went from 10 to 7 to 6 … and after two years of traveling we were down to 5. And we decided at that point that this is the band … this is the core group that’s gonna stick through the next album. It really was a totally natural process of becoming the band. For the first time, I think it feels like a proper band. No one’s replaceable, and everyone plays an integral part.

As far as the songwriting process and recording goes, it really helped us hone in a little more. Whereas the first time around it was just kinda like a freakout. This time, everything was a little more articulated. When Lewis and I, my songwriting partner, wrote the songs, we wrote it with these players in mind. It was a lot different, but a lot of these guys have been in the band from the very beginning, so we were already familiar with each other.

FP: Is there a new direction the band is going in with this new record?

LT: I had this photograph that a friend of mine took. It was a picture of this beach in Rio De Janeiro at night. That image was definitely something we internalized as we were envisioning where we wanted to go with our music. This whole idea of articulating and sculpting out our sound a little bit or using a finer brush to paint with instead of these broad, simple gestures. It is a little more detailed. I think having a smaller lineup, having the experience of touring and playing live, and really just developing as human beings, led to this newer kind of sound, which Lewis and I have been yearning for this entire time.

FP: On the debut album, most of the record was in Hebrew. The new record is in English. What’s the reason behind the change?

LT: This whole idea of honing in our sound, from my perspective, led me to chase English a little bit more. The singing in Hebrew was a stepping stone for me to kind of let go and learn how to sing and write melodies in different ways. It was the first step in the evolution of the band. This time around, I was looking to use that knowledge and experience and apply it to my first language. And that seemed challenging to me. I thought that if it was a challenge, I definitely should do it. It really seemed like an organic step for us. This whole idea of articulation … I’m really able to hone in on ideas and emotion with much finer detail than I can with Hebrew. If that’s the goal, it makes sense to push yourself in that way. It’s pretty awesome to see people singing along in English when they don’t know the language. That’s a pretty powerful feeling. But we have those songs, too, and I might go back to it. I might try another language. I don’t know. But for these songs and for this record, it made total sense to use English.

FP: Did you guys record all or most of the new record in analog?

LT: Yeah, most of it. The studio we worked at allowed us to synch digitally to Pro Tools with new technology that I have, and we were able to maintain the integrity of the sound but edit digitally. We kind of mixed the two.

FP: What’s that recording process like?

LT: Lewis and I have lots of ideas stacking up after touring, lots of little sketches. We decided to go to a house near Joshua Tree, near a rural desert called Wonder Valley. We tried connecting and throwing out a bunch of ideas. Then, we came home. From writing to mastering, the entire process only took about four months total, which is something we’ve never before. It was really exciting. We’ve been building up ideas for so long, that the writing process came really easy. We’ve been talking about music and listening to music and thinking about music for so long that It just kind of happened in that week. Then, we spent about a month rehearsing a bunch with the five-piece. We went into the studio and recorded it all in five days … maybe less. I think we did three songs a day. It felt really rushed to be honest. That brought a certain type of intensity to the process. I did the vocals in about a week after that. Mixing one to two weeks after that. And that was it. We really learned how to play the songs, rearranged them, and we’ve done one tour so far since the album’s been recorded. We did a European festival tour about a month ago. So we’ve been able to play the songs out a little bit.

FP: I know you guys are doing a tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers in the UK. What other plans for touring are there?

LT: Yeah. We’re doing a US tour next month. And then in October we’re going out and doing our own tour for about 3-4 weeks in Europe, but an additional 10 days or so are supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the UK, which should be pretty cool.

FP: Who are you are touring with during the US leg of the tour?

LT: I think it’s mostly our own headlining tour, and I’m not really sure who’s supporting. I know we’re doing a couple festivals … Austin City Limits Festival. Another festival in Chicago. Mostly, headlining dates … a rather short one … about three weeks or so. We are doing a few shows with Cold War Kids … maybe 4-5 shows with Cold War Kids.

FP: I saw you open for Tinariwen at the Highline Ballroom in New York. How’d you guys get involved with a band like them?

LT: It’s a situation where we get to play Europe, and we got an incredible opportunity somewhat because we are tapped into music that’s kind of rare and not really being played out in the world. It’s by way of us referencing that kind of music a lot in interviews and musically. It was real natural for us to go out and play with that band. When we started the band, it was the impossible. We never imagined that would happen when we started out. It was wonderful. The next night we did Bell House in Brooklyn. That was something else. That Highline Show was kind of like that first time we met them, and we felt kind of intimidated. It was a little cold at first, and we didn’t connect quite yet. The new show at the Bell House was really, really amazing because we finally clicked. The singer joined us on stage for soundcheck. All the barriers broke down, and we were sharing a room backstage, and it ended up being this incredible collaboration. We’ve stayed in touch with them since. One of my favorite shows I ever played was that next night at the Bell House. Within one night I ended up getting to play bass with Tinariwen, which is shell-shocking. One of those moments … so that was really special. That night really affected everyone in the band. We try to do that kind of stuff as much as we can since then.

FP: We’re going to feature the new video on the site, and I’m curious about how the video came about.

LT: This time, it emanated from me, and we had a set of resources. We just went for it using what we had. It’s kind of a struggle finding someone to make a video for us. I don’t know why that is. We really wanted to make a video. And we wanted it to be thoughtful. And we wanted it to be full of images and match the song. We had this art space in L.A. We had some projectors, we had the willingness to make a video. Me, Lewis, and Lewis’ girlfriend came together and came up with a bunch of images and ideas. I got my friend to shoot it, edit it. Again, it was a really quick process. We just kind of found a bunch of stuff, figured out how to do it, and shot it. And there you have the result. Very much DIY. I wouldn’t say it’s the perfect video, but I think it touches upon what we were looking for when we got the idea for it. It’s a DIY affair for sure.

FP: How do you feel about all the social networking services that are surfacing at the moment with applications iike Spotify, Turntable, and so on?

LT: Absolutely nothing affects our writing of music, which is something special we have with this project. When we write music, it only involves music and music only, which is an amazing benefit of being in this particular band. It’s very much cathartic, it comes from a really, really truthful place. I kind of feel overwhelmed … I don’t know how it affects sales. I really don’t know what sales are all about. I’m not involved in that … thankfully. It’s kind of alarming. I’m kind of in charge of all of our digital presences, Facebook, Myspace, Topspin, etc. It’s very much not related to the making of music. I will says it’s pretty cool to have a relationship with our fans. I really love getting to write back and forth with people. A lot of people do write us. They write letters, they send emails. I really like that aspect of it. Some shy away from having direct contact. It’s a part of our band’s live show, and we really try to break the wall between band and audience. And I don’t mind being able to connect with fans 1-on-1. It’s pretty cool.

Album Review: Rolling Blackouts

The Go! Team are a UK based sextet; they are a psych-pop/trip-hop avant-garde band… if that makes sense. No matter how you classify them, it will never be dead on. Their songs just don’t normally stick to one particular genre. But that is besides the fact that Rolling Blackouts comprises all the elements of what I consider to be a great album.

The band captures the essence of pop music with the new record without becoming a “pop” band. Each track offers something new and original but always focuses on hooks and catchy melodies. The diverse styles the band explores from song to song are utterly engaging; I couldn’t keep up with genre changes. The pop influence is front and center on tracks like “Ready to Go Steady” and “Buy Nothing Day (featuring Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino).” Instrumentals such as “Bust-Out Brigade” venture into other directions but are equally catchy. Despite the constant shift of style, the entire album is full of energy and has incredible staying power on repeated listens.

Tobacco even remixed Go! Team’s “Voice Yr Choice,” which is only available on the Amazon MP3 exclusive version of the album. That version is only $4. Go pick it up! Listen to “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.” below:

Album Review: Opticks

Silje Nes, a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, released her debut album, Ames Room, in December of 2007. When I heard this album, I really enjoyed the soft, easy-listening style she had. With her latest release, Opticks, the music still has its easy listening vibe but is very spacial at the same time; you can feel an atmosphere encased in these songs. Each song brings you deep into a whole different realm. The album flows just as beautifully as every song on it. You get sucked into this album and get lost in it until about… well, actually, you kind of stay lost; but not lost in a bad way. It’s more like you let the music take you wherever it is going. The track “Branches” is a great example with its instrumentals and soundscapes.

Her music can’t really be pinned to a single similar artist; she’s more like if Mum merged with the french duo Air. Silje’s vocals are similar to Iron and Wine’s best work, with multiple vocal layers, some harmonizing and some whispering. And the vocals are embraced as an entirely different set of instruments. The real strength of this album is her delivery of different vocal styles and vocal effects. Of course, standout tracks like “Crystals” incorporate just one vocal track, and it works great, but songs like “Symmetry of Empty Space” have layered vocals that had me feeling like I was floating through a spaced out atmosphere. While the album still has a very minimalist sound to it, Opticks is a great listen.

Silje Nes – Crystals from One Little Indian Records on Vimeo.

Menomena @ First Unitarian Church

Waiting outside the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. Wait, that sounds familiar… Oh right, the Tobacco show. But, instead of being in the basement, we were in the sanctuary. Kind of an odd place to have a show but whatever. I love the fact that most of the crowd turned this event into a BYOB show. There’s nothing better than getting plastered in the house of the Lord. Kudos!

To start off the evening, Tu Fawning entered the stage. Though all I had heard from this group at the time was their single, “The Felt Sense”, I was very excited to hear more from them. Everyone was either sitting in the pews or sitting on the floor. Not me though, I was standing right in the front. This band deserved a more interested crowd; they really put on a great show. Tu Fawning are a very multi-talented group; each member was switching off instruments quite frequently. Every member, except the keyboard player (who also played violin on some songs), switched to playing drums at one point. Speaking of the violin, the pizzicato sounded perfect with their style of music. The singer, Corrina Repp, has beautiful vocals that highlihgts Tu Fawning’s intriguing and mystical sound. When they went into their final song, I knew it right away from the drum intro; it was “The Felt Sense.” It was the perfect song to end their set with. Exit stage left; lights back on.

The crowd grew a little bit larger while waiting for the next band. Suckers came out and opened with “Roman Candles” off their new album, Wild Smile, which features whistling throughout. This band was another multi-instrumental band; the bassist manipulated a sampler while playing bass. He had a drumstick in the hand that he was strumming the bass with so he could hit the sampler in between notes. The guitarist/vocalist (although they all sing during the songs) was hitting a maraca on a floor tom while singing. His vocals reminded me of Jim James (My Morning Jacket) from the Evil Urges album. The band eventually brought out the horn player from Tu Fawning to play on their final song. The crowd got into this one. This song was a huge build-up to the end of Suckers’ set and a great transition into what came next.

The crowd had exited the pews and stood in front of the stage, ending what felt like a sermon up to that point. Menomena came out and the entire crowd moved forward. I would call it the “Menomena Phenomena.” This audience was in some sort of trance until the headliners final took the stage. A highlight of their set was definitely “Dirty Cartoons” off their new album Mines; the piano part at the end was fucking magical. The addition of saxophone on some tracks was welcomed, especially on “BOTE.” At that point, they had a TV on the Radio vibe going. Playing multiple instruments was an obvious trend, and Menomena was no exception. The bassist, Justin Harris, was all over the place: Controlling the lighting, playing bass, saxophone, and a PK-5A foot controller. But he wasn’t the only one switching it up; Brent Knopf was also jumping from keyboard to guitar. They also had the guitarist from 31 Knots and Tu Fawning join them. Ultimately, the set flowed well:

1. Tithe
2. TAOS
3. Weird
4. Killemall
5. Muscle’n Flow
6. Five Little Rooms
7. BOTE
8. Queen Black Acid
9. Wet and Rusting
10. Dirty Cartoons
11. The Pelican
12. Sleeping Beauty
13. Evil Bee
14. ENCORE: Strongest Man in the World

Great show! I would see any one of the three bands again without hesitation. Check them out if you can!

Something Seriously Fucked: An Interview With Tobacco

Tom Fec (aka Tobacco), the mastermind behind experimental psychedelics Black Moth Super Rainbow, just finished touring in support of 2010′s Maniac Meat. In a 2008 interview with Kotori Magazine, Tobacco initially explained his vision for the solo project: “There’s something seriously fucked about workout tapes from the mid 80s, and just about everything obscure on beta tape. They make me feel awful, but really good and curious at the same time. With this Tobacco stuff, I’m trying to translate that feeling.” We were lucky enough to catch an intense performance at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia earlier this year. The ever-elusive Tobacco, who is known to wear disguises on stage and rarely does interviews, took some time to talk with Fishpork about his latest solo effort, the upcoming L.A. U.T.I. EP, and the recent theft of the notorious basketball head.

Fishpork: How do you approach your solo work differently than the music you make with Black Moth Super Rainbow?

Tobacco: It’s weird to answer that, because it’s all been solo work. I just wanted to do something different that wasn’t … that I didn’t have to think about bringing to a band to learn … that I could perform on my own … instead of relying on other people

FP: How would you describe the differences between the records that came from BSMR and now Tobacco?

Tobacco: I guess the main difference is that Black Moth was me worrying more about what people thought. And maybe not embracing some of the weirder shit that I really wanted to do … but was kind of worried about that. And so this Tobacco stuff was exactly what I always wanted to do. But I was worried that people might not understand it or like it at all.

FP: You have the L.A. U.T.I. EP coming out soon. What can you share about that release?

Tobacco: I made it while I was making Maniac Meat. It’s kind of … Maniac Meat was gonna be kinda of weird. I was gonna have a bunch of rap songs on there. And at the end of the day it just didn’t fit. So I kind of broke out all the rap stuff my friends were doing for me, and I’m making that into something. Half of it are like beats that are from Maniac Meat, and the other half are songs that just didn’t make it onto the record.

FP: Your live shows are pretty intense. We were at the Philly show. Did you have a favorite stop on your tour?

Tobacco: Maybe Ann Arbor. That one was fun. Everyone was pretty crazy. Kalamazoo was really good, too. I guess some people were fucking in the front of the crowd in Boston. That always makes for a good show. Yeah, those were my favorites. Philly was good too though. Philly was OK.

FP: Is there any new music that you’ve been listening to lately?

Tobacco: Oh man, I don’t think I’ve listened to a single thing since I’ve been preparing for the tour. Hmmm … let me look, I have a CD case in my car …

FP: A lot of fans have been following the disappearance of the basketball head. What’s the latest?

Tobacco: We left the stage for a couple minutes, and some little fucking dickhead came up and took it. We know who it was, and apparently it’s on its way back. It really bothers me, because it’s like this kid felt like he was entitled to this. It’s not even … people are like … let’s raise money to buy a new basketball head. I can buy a new basketball head. I can buy 20 new basketball heads. It doesn’t matter. What matters to me is that some fucking asshole thought they were entitled to just go up there and take it. And they thought, that as a fan, that was OK. But it’s coming back, so it is what it is.

FP: Do you have any plans after this tour? I read something about you playing guitar?

Tobacco: Everyone’s been asking me about that [laughs]. Every once in a while I say something … drop something stupid on Facebook, and a lot of times people take it seriously. That’s just something I said.

FP: So is there anything happening after this tour?

Tobacco: I’ll just be touring more. A couple more this year, and then next year we’ll do more. Touring is kind of … maybe a little more fun right now.

FP: Do you have any motivation to collaborate with any other artists. I really enjoyed your work with Aesop Rock. Would you consider doing something along those lines again?

Tobacco: Maybe, but I’m not certain. It’s weird. I’m in a weird limbo right now. I kind of don’t know what I want to do with my future. I don’t have any plans, but anything can change at any minute.

Check out Tobacco’s remix of Fishpork’s favorite track of 2009, “Die Slow” by HEALTH. If you like what you hear, please check out Tobacco’s Maniac Meat and support one of our favorite artists!

Die Slow – Tobacco Remix by bbasbarraf

Tobacco @ First Unitarian Church

While waiting outside the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, the crowd of anxious fans slowly started to multiply. For some odd reason that I will never understand, the church decided it was going to host a play upstairs during the show. This subjected the waiting crowd to an extra hour and a half after doors were supposed to open, which made no real difference to the flock of anticipating fans. The doors finally opened, and we found our way to the basement; this basement, mind you, is the hottest place in Philly to see a show these days. The numerous fans were no help to the sweaty masses, as they just pushed the hot air back down on us. We made our way past the merch table and headed for front and center. The crowd slowly grew larger and more compact.

The two members of Dreamend enter the stage; one sits at the drums and the other (Ryan Graveface from Black Moth Super Rainbow) picks up his guitar, flicks on the amp and slams the audience with over-driven distortion and delay. As the band immediately garners audience attention, they have a projector shooting images and video clips on a sheet behind them. The projection was actually used throughout the entire show. For Dreamend, images and cartoons of the sun communicated the passage of time. While the band’s opening track left an imprint, I was not as impressed by the follow-up, especially the vocals. The rest of Dreamend’s setlist was good, but not great. It mainly consisted of textured or effected guitar and very distinguished and momentous drum beats.

After the first band, Junk Culture followed. Junk Culture is signed to Illegal Art and has opened for Girl Talk in the past. This is someone I would really enjoy seeing again. They livened up the audience and had everyone moving. The use of the sampler was amazing, as it warped and delayed the vocal delivery perfectly. Their video projection was more to the vibe of their music and was really engaging. There were a lot of geometric shapes, lines, colors, and time lapses, which fit the mood of their songs well. The frontman of Junk Culture heard the rant of the crowd screaming FOURLOKO and started a song to the beat of their chant. He then jumped into the audience and danced with the crowd. I thought their final track was their strongest and was amped to discover a great new band.

Finally, out came The Seven Fields of Aphelion (from Black Moth Super Rainbow) and Tobacco (if you haven’t noticed the trend, also from BMSR). They just slam right into it, and the entire crowd goes wild. I never thought I would see a pit open up for Tobacco, but it did. This pit then morphed into a mob of people dancing until finally, a sea of fans was moving to the music. Unfortunately, this took the crowds attention away from the video montage. The use of pornographic images and 80′s aerobics was just genius. It opened with a foursome including one girl and three pterodactyls and ended with E.T. porn. The only thing that came to my mind was, “What the fuck?” If the song made you feel a slight paranoia, the video followed up that mood. Everything about the performance was superb. The use of the talk box and guitar instead of the usual vocoder was a highlight. The Seven Fields of Aphelion (Maux Boyle) held her own on keyboards and synth. She has also recently released a solo album on Graveface Records called Periphery. If you like Tobacca, you will dig her stuff.

Toward the end of the set, Dreamend came out to accompany Tobacco and The Seven Fields of Aphelion; it was basically a BMSR reunion. The great thing about Tobacco’s solo music as opposed to BMSR is that it has a much deeper and darker feel to it. With BMSR everything was a lot more like pop or hip-hop. Tobacco performing his songs with a full band was a real treat. This was a show I will never forget. Amazing, just amazing.

Album Review: Delta Spirit’s History from Below

While listening to Delta Spirit’s new album, History From Below, my first impressions where these verbatim, “Well this is no Ode to Sunshine.” But you know what, I really like this album. I was in love with their debut album. Seriously, I listened to it for about a month straight. Just like their previous effort, Delta Spirit opens the album with two very strong track, the latter of which is just plain danceable. “Salt in the Wound” is a slower song with a nice acoustic and vocal lead throughout. But “White Table” is just perfect; the way the guitar and vocals harmonize really makes the track standout. The persistent drum beat induces toe tapping until the song turns heavier around the halfway point. Everything then goes quiet save the drums but all kicks back in for a final crescendo.

The album tends to quiet down a bit after that; the next two songs are slower songs that are still worth the listen. When I first heard “Vivian,” I thought I was listening to a previous release. The use of harmonica gives the track a nice bluesy feel that I’m glad they decided to keep on this record. The eight-minute outro, “Ballad of Vitality,” is a terrific closer. The last two minutes are just ambient, but good, noise. Everyone seems to try to end albums dramatically and sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, the former is true. The band is currently touring the U.S. I was lucky enough to catch the July 2 show in Philly.

Album Review: Periphery by Seven Fields of Aphelion

Black Moth Super Rainbow’s Maux Boyle (also know as the Seven Fields of Aphelion) released her debut solo album, Periphery, in February and I haven’t stopped listening to it since. The record comprises of such beautifully articulate sounds, a change from the off-kilter weirdness that is BMSR. There is an entrancing mix of industrial-sounding melodies and more natural instruments, like piano. When I first bought the vinyl, I intended on listening to it while cleaning the apartment; I ended up sitting on the floor, listening to the entire album from the same spot in front of the record player.

Boyle’s airy melodies on the monosynth do bring out the “Black Moth” in Periphery. This is especially true on “Mountain Mary,” which features a subtle piano composition and gradually gathers multiple layers of synth and more piano. “Lake Feet” was originally a BMSR song off their album “Falling Through A Field.” The song’s title is fitting and similar to the experience that is Periphery. With absolutely no vocals or percussive instruments, I still find Periphery to be a very moving album. The theme of nature and industry is appropriately taken from these songs, and it follows through into her photography. The album artwork for this record is a multiple-exposure photograph done by Seven Fields of Aphelion. Additional photography is available on her etsy.com store. Give Periphery a listen. It’s an intoxicating, beautiful album.

The Seven Fields Of Aphelion – Periphery Sampler by Graveface Records

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