EP Review: Monster
Inu is an intriguing new collaboration between a few established musicians. The group consists of producer Count, guitarist Tim Hingston, and cellist Zoe Keating. Count has produced, mixed, remixed, and engineered with some of the greatest; everything from Radiohead to Frank Sinatra to DJ Shadow. Tim Hingston is the guitarist from the Nyles Lannon band. He performed with them at SXSW in 2008. Zoe Keating has played with the Dresden Dolls, toured with Imogen Heap on five tours, worked on solo albums, and was in the band Rasputina (a personal favorite). She creates a unique sound as a cellist by mixing spacey electronics through the use of a laptop controlled with her foot.
Inu’s Monster EP is going to be one of the best 2010 has to offer. Every song on the album is an intriguing mix of electronica and rock. The record starts with “The Bailing,” a track that seems to be inspired by Radiohead’s Amnesiac. The mix of electronic soundscapes, guitar, and percussion is near perfect and highlights the unique talents of each member of the band. The most straightforward “rock” track on Monster is “Stephen Colbert.” The synthesized vocals, distorted guitars, and consistent down beat of the snare drum are elements of an elaborate and beautiful composition. All five tracks on the EP are standouts, but the most impressive track is “Captured,” with its soaring vocals and Keating’s haunting cello. Monster is an impressive EP; I can’t wait for the full length album!
You can stream Inu’s entire Monster EP on their MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/inuband
Album Review: Heligoland
With their fifth studio album release, has Massive Attack yet again made an ‘awe-worthy’ record with Heligoland? This album starts out with a nice chilled out track featuring Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio, and “Paradise Circus,” which features that porn-laden music video, may deserve repeat listens. Heligoland has many featured artists on it; one being the always-chosen vocalist, Horace Andy (he was also featured on the track “Angel” off Massive Attack’s third studio album Mezzanine). The album also includes drum tracks contributed by the recently deceased Jerry Fuchs from !!!. However, the duo seems to have lost their gothic sound from past albums, which makes Heligoland just “another Massive Attack album.”
There isn’t one track on the album that I can honestly say, “I really want to listen to that song again.” Heligoland has a deluxe version available on iTunes with six remixed versions of songs off the album. Is it sad to say that the remixed songs are the best part of the album? Besides that, there will also be a vinyl release of the album available shortly. And the next thing to look for from Massive Attack is an upcoming EP that will be released May 2010. It will feature tracks from previous tours that are not included on this album. Though most of the Massive Attack albums are great to listen to, this one is surely one to fall asleep to.
Album Review: Tarot Sport
Fuck Button’s Tarot Sport is a mesmerizing exercise in electronic musical composition. The album displays an uncanny ability of the noisy electronic duo to do the impossible: transform indecipherable bleeps and glitches into highly accessible (even your Grandma might dig this shit), 10-minute instrumentals. Each track is repetitive but highly melodic and catchy. Andrew Hung and Benjamin Power build up each song slowly and reward patience with hypnotizing crescendos that induce goosebumps on repeated listens. Imagine Sigur Ros and Aphex Twin collaborating on a album.
There are only seven tracks on Tarot Sport, but that doesn’t equate to a lack of material. Five of these songs approach or surpass the 10-minute mark effortlessly. Highlights include the epic “Olympians,” which features an addicting percussion loop that swells into inspirational synths. If the band removed the “Fuck” from their name, I’d vote for a radio-friendly version to be the theme song to the 2010 Winter Olympics. “Rough Steez” is a shorter track that takes several obnoxious noise samples and stitches them together into digestible form. The song represents why Hung and Power are untouchable in the electronic music scene at the moment. Tarot Sport is one of the most epic and addicting albums to be released in the last few years. It’s an absolute masterpiece!
Album Review: Atlas Sound’s Logos
Fuck this shit. I can just make another album. [Logos is] not finished and now it never will be. It was also going to have a rad cover. I would describe it to you but that would be stupid. P.S. there are no vocals on “Quick Canal.” I never got the chance to record them. This record was not free to record, so if you’d like to pay for hearing it send a paypal donation to lastdeerhunteronearth@yahoo.com. I am not a fucking opportunist so don’t think I expect it.
And so goes the complicated and extroverted personality of Bradford Cox. Lucky for us, the Deerhunter frontman had second thoughts after fans begged and pleaded. He posted a follow-up with new intentions:
I have no idea what people want me to do. I’m not trying to be a cunt to anyone. I will finish the fucking album and stop bitching. I honestly really truly do not want attention from this. Sincerely. I wish none of this shit would have happened. I was just trying to give away another virtual 7″. Now everyone that reads this thing is going to think i’m a fucking lunatic. I just have nothing to do. I guess I’ll go clean my room.
But enough drama queen gossip. Is the album any good or what? No, it’s not. It’s incredible and well worth the wait (if you consider 20 months between albums a long wait). Our first taste of finished tracks beyond the original leak was the Noah Lennox supported “Walkabout,” which immediately raised the legitimacy of our BBQ playlists exponentially. Apparently, Panda Bear provided Cox with sampling lessons during their European tour together. The result was nothing short of a perfect, blissed-out homage to nostalgic summer jams. Surprisingly, “Walkabout” is not the best track on the album. It barely squeezes into the top 5.
Other standouts include the album’s centerpiece, “Attic Lights.” Here Bradford Cox is at his best with just an acoustic guitar and some minimalist percussion. The addictive chorus slowly builds into a payoff featuring a string section. Although Logos is much more accessible than 2008’s Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Hear, “Sheila” is a radio-friendly 60’s-style pop song featuring the juxtaposing lyrics, “Cause no one wants to die alone,” and “We’ll die alone together.” In the middle of this “pop” album is the eight and half minute ambient gem “Quick Canal.” When the unfinished version of the album leaked months ago, “Quick Canal” didn’t have lyrics. Here the song is polished with accompanying vocals by Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier. The song is an atmospheric and moody intermission that explores new ground for Atlas Sound. It certainly leads one to question where Bradford Cox will lead his Deerhunter alter ego next time around. Until then, Logos has provided us with one of the best albums of 2009.
Album Review: Embryonic
The Flaming Lips never cease to amaze me. Every album is a completely different take on the musical genius of the entire band. Though many songs from the Lips discography seem to lead the band in an unpopular direction, commercially speaking, they have definitely done things right with their latest release, Embryonic. Wayne Coyne has taken a step back from center stage and joined the rest of the band. Though they have lost most of the ‘sing-song’ qualities in these songs, Embryonic succeeds on many levels. The record seems to have fallen into darker, more psychedelic territory. Other Lips albums explored psychedelics, but it was always hidden behind the leading narrative of each story in those songs.
There are several highlights on the new album. “Worm Mountain” is an amazing mix of everything The Flaming Lips have done to this point. The song features MGMT, which was a very good call on their end; these two bands were meant to work together. The end of the song conjures a The Soft Bulletin vibe with its string section. The album ends with a dramatic finale, “Watching the Planets,” featuring Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Embryonic seems to focus more on the actual music rather than what will ‘sound good’. It’s not easy to put out a double album that engages the listener from beginning to end; and for me, the Flaming Lips accomplish this. Every song on Embryonic will have you moving with the music, and that contagious Flaming Lips enthusiasm comes across in every note. The one downside of the album may be that you can’t really tell many of the songs apart, as they all seem to blend into one extremely long composition. The album does work on extended listens. You’re just not going to find many singles that stand out. What’s next for the band? How about their interpretation of Dark Side of the Moon featuring Henry Rollins and Peaches?
PS. If you miss the good ol’ At War With The Mystics Flaming Lips, then just get the deluxe version of the album, which includes four bonus tracks.
Album Review: Get Color
Calling HEALTH’s debut album a love/hate record is a ridiculous statement. It is what it is: a collection of experimental and unfocused noiserock tracks that seems to beckon for additional production or vocals by Mike Patton. If you’ve never heard of HEALTH, chances are they are not your cup of tea. Think 30-second Fantomas chapters brought to full song realization. The band seems to “get it” a bit more the second time around with Get Color. Again, too many of the tracks offer no reason get excited. Mundane and repetitive noise doesn’t seem to reveal anything new. There are some highlights though. “We Are Water” offers a rave-worthy anthem that will offend most of your senses. HEALTH reach their pinnacle with “Die Slow.” The track actually takes the form of traditional song structure and shows that these guys do have some talent. Followed by a beautifully disturbing video, “Die Slow” just might be one of the best tracks of 2009. Unfortunately, the song is positioned as the first track on the album, and the rest never lives up to what is promised. One fact that cannot be neglected is that HEALTH is one of the best live bands out there. The music is better packaged and experienced in performance.
Album Review: Moderat
Moderat is not the first collaboration by electronic gurus Modeselektor and Apparat. They released the disappointing Auf Kosten der Gesundheit EP in 2002 under the same moniker. The second collaborative effort from the group has much to offer fans of each but does not quite live up to each individual band’s previous works, especially that of Modeselektor. Happy Birthday! and Hello Mom! are landmark electronic dance records that few in the genre have approached in production and sonic mindfucking.
Recording on vintage analog gear, Moderat offers up one of the best tracks of 2009 in “New Error,” a slow building tour de force with an affecting drum beat and synths that seem to purposely fall off the rhythm track every once in a while. Other album highlights include “Rusty Nails,” a somber but catchy drum and bass track featuring vocals by Sascha Ring (Apparat) and “Sea Monkey,” a track that slowly builds from a repetitive and eclectic dance floor beat and pays off in the second half with a batch of swirling synths. The album does lose some of it’s addictive nature after the first three tracks and contains some filler between additional standouts “Sick With It” and “Porc#2.”
Moderat is currently supporting Radiohead on their European tour.
Album Review: Wilco (The Album)
Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, was an underrated gem of an album that ranks right up there with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as far as I’m concerned. Although it received generally favorable reviews, some fans and critics panned the album as being boring and too straightforward. Although the record may be the band’s most accessible to date, the song structures are anything but straightforward. The album is collection of somber songs that highlight Jeff Tweedy’s migraines, depression and struggles with drug addiction. Wilco’s latest album is called Wilco (The Album), and it’s pretty boring.
“You and I” features a duet between Tweedy and Feist, as the pair do their best Carpenters impersonation. “You Never Know” sounds like a John Mellencamp cover. “Bull Black Nova,” a song fans are clamoring over and imagining as the perfect live track, doesn’t go anywhere musically and features the most annoying, repetitious guitar chord in recent memory (at about the 2:30 mark). I do realize the song is about a man who just killed someone: “It’s in my head / There’s blood in the sink / I can’t calm down / I cannot think.” However, the music sounds more like the soundtrack to a drowning cat and doesn’t fit Tweedy’s disturbing lyrics. I thought Nels Cline was supposed to make Wilco a better band. Wilco continues their cutesy play on titles with “Wilco (The Song),” which they played live on The Colbert Report. It’s a bland, derivative track that sounds aged on the first listen.
This is the first Wilco record I find myself skipping tracks on. The innovative sound that catapulted Wilco into the indie rock scene is gone. Glen Kotche, one of the most innovative drummers on the planet, continues to be underutilized. I’m not sure how I would categorize the sound on Wilco (The Album), but “grandpa rock” comes to mind. Maybe there is a formula that summarizes it better: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Jay Bennett = Wilco (The Album). Don’t get me wrong, there are several high points on the album that are worthy of a spin. I just can’t remember any right now.
Album Review: Octahedron
Since their jaw-dropping Tremulant EP and De-Loused in the Comatorium masterworks, The Mars Volta have seen a steady decline in the quality of their album releases. Amputechture and Bedlam in Goliath were big disappointments for me. The band has always had a proflific work ethic (with five albums in six years), but it seemed that the band was content with releasing jam sessions for albums. Lead guitarist Omar Rodriguz-Lopez considers their latest release an acoustic album. In Octahedron, The Mars Volta have revisited the formula that brought them early success and released their best album since 2005’s Frances the Mute.
Album opener, “Since You’ve Been Wrong” is one of the best tracks of 2009 and follows in the tradition of “Televators” and “The Widow” as accessible, radio-friendly singles. Another highlight is the 8-minute epic “With Twilight As My Guide,” which is one of the best tracks the band has conceived to date. Lead singer Cedric Bixler Zavala’s stunning vocals and Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s mix of acoustic guitars and effects creates an eerie atmosphere that works in every way. “Copernicus” contains some electronic elements that offers a welcomed progressive sound.
Zavala had previous mentioned that Octahedron would be The Mars Volta’s pop record, “The band wanted to make the opposite of all the records we’ve done. All along we’ve threatened people that we’d make a pop record, and now we have.” The band’s declaration of Octahedron as an acoustic album isn’t exactly accurate. European single “Cotopaxi” and the excellent “Desperate Graves” are as heavy as anything the band has released before. Rodriguz-Lopez said in early 2009 that the next two records were already recorded and awaiting release dates. Octahedron was one of those albums, and another is yet to come. While we wait for official news of an At The Drive-In reunion, it’s good to know that The Mars Volta have returned to form.
Album Review: 25 Years [EP] by Middle Class Rut
Before reading Kerrang! magazine describe Middle Class Rut as a cross between the “swagger of Jane’s Addiction” and the “fury of Rage Against The Machine,” a similar comparison was apparent. It’s actually more like Perry Farrell singing lead for Rage (it’d be blasphemy to compare a two-piece band without a bass player to Eric Avery’s Jane’s Addiction). Even as a two-piece, Middle Classs Rut pull off an epic sound. Lead singer/guitarist Zach Lopez and drummer Sean Stockham experienced early career success when they were signed to a major label in their teens as Leisure. Since then, all versions of a band attempting to add additional players haven’t panned out. The latest incarnation, also known as MC Rut (the name comes from a Shel Silverstein poem), removes all extraneous components to focus on the pieces that were never broken.
The band releases their 25 Years EP on Bright Antenna, and the record is nothing short of spectacular. From the opening riffs of the title track, the EP features six punches to the face. “25 Years” serves well as an opener, complete with visceral guitars and Richard Patrick screams. “Dead Set” features an impressive interplay between Lopez’s delayed guitar and Stockham’s relentless percussion. “I Guess You Could Say” lightens up just a bit, with an addictive guitar melody and lyrical wordplay. “All Walks of Life,” a standout track on the EP, finds the band turning up the intensity with Lopez’s squelching guitars and best screamo impersonation. “Tied Up” is an anthemic dose of collected rage with a catchy chorus. The band saves the best track in “I Don’t Really Know” as the closer. It’s highlighted by Lopez’s impeccable guitar solos and his strongest lyrics on the record, as he sings an angst-ridden duet against his alter ego (I’m assuming this is Stockham helping out on vocals): “I don’t really know what I believe; I never really know, I can’t agree.”
The album is one of our favorites of the year and will likely end up on Fishpork’s end-of-year lists. MC Rut has recently gained increasing popularity in the UK, and the buzz continues in the US. Download the title track from the EP here or stream it below:
Watch the video for “Busy Bein’ Born” off their MC Rut EP below. If you like what you hear, check out our contest for a Middle Class Rut prizepack, which features a copy of the 25 Years EP and a limited addition 7″ of the “Busy Bein’ Born” single signed by the band.