Friday, 25 January 2008Stardeath and White Dwarfs on Half Machine records Stardeath & White Dwarfs A) Toast & Marmalade For Tea - AA) Chemical Half Machine Records Quantity Pressed: 500 Release Date: 18/2/08 Stardeath & White Dwarfs wanted to answer the question what would happen if Coldplay had a baby with King Crimson. Not that they provide a clear answer to this baby problem, they might just be confusing the gene pool further. Oaklahoma city based Stardeath is Casey Joseph, Matt Duckworth and Dennis Coyne, nephew of the Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, who also penned the artwork on the single sleeve. Not to say there is a direct influence of course, but I can see why the comparisons are made. There are a lot of crashing symbols, epic keyboard solos, and distorted vocals. They sound to me more like they have a similar sensibility to Grandaddy, kind of deliberate pop sound experiments, covered in a thick layer of sludge. They take their time getting there, but they alway take an unexpected direction. They're mixing laser light shows with progressive jams. They are biting the heads off digital bats. It exists in that undefinable sound zone where there's no era reference, and an effect could change the entire direction of a song. At any point they could come to a dead stop and a phaser a capella interlude starts. I don't think we have any idea who made this baby, and Stardeath isn't giving us any clues. Jason Dean Labels: flaming lips, king crimson, stardeath and white dwarfs
posted by Jason @ 14:30
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Wednesday, 23 January 2008
The taste - I want you on Rank Records
THE TASTE
I Want You / I die when the night comes
Rank Records
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 22/2/2008
There's a nice kind of attitude when Maria Pattusch says 'I want you', you can hear her breath at the end of every verse, she's close to the mic, a little seductive and motioning you over. It's not an attack, or snotty ironic comment back on the opposite gender but more of a coy kind of trap for some unsuspecting audience member. She must be talking to me...right, but maybe she's saying I want to? You want to what?
For a minute the track slows down, and sibling Nick makes a quick break from the jangled backing rhythm guitar to change the dance direction and work the guitar distortion through it's paces, it's a really clean crunchy distortion that's going in a surprising anti-dance direction, I've heard they border on experimental when it comes to crafting the pop, and this is a perfect example. It's a welcome pause from the otherwise fairly typical high hat driven, borderline dance track.
This German based family act have been rightly compared to Franz Ferdinand, in structure and meteoric pop rise out of nowhere, half of these 7"'s are already presold, thanks to their support of Travis towards the end of last year. I've always believed there is something special about duo's and this doesn't look to be the exception.
Jason Dean
Labels: I want you, rank records, The taste
posted by Jason @ 14:41 0 Comments
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Friday, 18 January 2008
Air Cav - Alliance on Surbia records
Air Cav
Alliance
Surbia Records
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 4/2/2008
This is set to come out early early February, so consider yourself warned, it can be preordered so go find a retailer! This will be worth it.
Air Cav takes it's name from 'Air Calvary' used in Coppola's Vietnam film 'Apocalypse Now', and they are going to similarly rush you on the beach and drop this hit 'Alliance' on you. I can hear a real bloc party kind of song structure here, down to the sustained high note solos that continue on into a breakdown part with just a kick drum. But that's only after falling from the great heights of the chorus immediately before where it all comes together in shimmery fireworks. You need a break from the great heights, that kind of thing isn't supposed to last for the entire song. Then it comes back and carries you back onto a wave of pop goodness, complete with fade out final strummed guitar chord.
They have that big, emotional sound, very much like Arcade Fire, down to the strings, and screaming 'ooohhhh''s in between verses. I know how much that comparison is made and I won't use it lightly, they have the straightforwardness of steady songwriting, and typical instruments. They aren't hiding under too many effects or weird synths, they are doing everything right with what they have...they are taking full advantage of every voice....take it from 'branches' on their myspace, this is completely done in that same spirit of theatrical hugeness and complex arrangement as Arcade.
They are that summer blockbuster that you weren't sure if you'd like, but when it's done right.....
The camera pans back and we're flying off that cliff with Air Cav.
Jason Dean
Labels: air cav, alliance, Arcade fire, epic, surbia records
posted by Jason @ 14:47 0 Comments
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Monday, 14 January 2008
The Guessmen - Black Balloons on Co-Lab records
The Guessmen
Black Balloons / Death By A Thousand Lashes
Co-Lab records
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 28th Feb 2008
The Guessmen and their self described 'deviant pop' is as ominous as the black balloons and cheery rainbow on their 7 inch sleeve suggest. This is set for release soon, and you can get a preview on their myspace. The underlying beat of 'Black Balloons' is built on a distorted crunchy sample clanking away, a dark electronic melody and distorted vocals creep over this dance club feel soundtrack that kicks in right away. But they aren't trying to make you move as much as possibly scare you with far off screams in this kind of nightmare rave-scape.
It reminds me of when Killing Joke or Ministry crossed that techno-line and industrial acts of the late 90's went in search of a dance hit. There's nothing wrong with having these dance floor ambitions and I suspect that there is a carnival show to accompany this dance horror show, you would get more than a few guys standing at their laptops.
They incorporate the usual BPM's but with the sinister turned up to 11. The track finally just devolves into complete electronic meltdown and maybe they are playing with that expectation, the club hit that's full of not club sounds.
The B-Side 'Death by a Thousand Lashes' follows with the beats, slowly building on each other, looming with deconstructed electronics, pittering away, their dying output. The fun doesn't stop as There's a kind of fun house feel to the sounds, but it's the kind of sideshow that will actually hurt you if you think you know what you're getting into.
Jason Dean
Labels: carnival, co-lab records, deviant pop, electronic, killing joke, ministry, sideshow, the guessmen
posted by Jason @ 14:50 0 Comments
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Saturday, 12 January 2008
Spilt Milk - ’Frank’ on Happy Release records
Go mark this on your calendar now because a little more than a week from now this little gem is coming out on Happy Release records and you won't want to miss it.
Spilt Milk opens up with 'Frank' and great crystal clear production with slightly off, dissonant sounds, every guitar has that lazy perfectly out of tune, picked out of time sound. Gareth Milkfudge, his real name, has this layered singing half whiny vocals style which immediately sounded like the second coming of Modest Mouse. He's barely holding it together, just on the edge of screaming but he's beaten his head against the wall a little too hard. This is the old, good Modest Mouse which was immediate and raw, that weird sound, born out of necessity and imperfection.
Spilt Milk makes it clear the missed notes are on purpose and it's endearing, it's a first take, they're also injecting some good old Unicorns style fun into the track, laughing at themselves in the la, la, la chorus. It's the kind of infectiousness that keeps on reminding you of why you can't stop listening in the first place.I can't tell what the B-side might be but this joyous reminder is the fun of infinite tracks all coming together with every different guitar sound chorused and slight distortions. Vibrating strings in a real room, a miked amp a little too close.
It feel like that great undiscovered bedroom project your best friend has been recording... you knew he could do it, but this is actually going to go somewhere and you sit back for a minute and take a moment to appreciate you are just glad to know him. Don't change a thing....except maybe the name.
Jason Dean
Labels: spilt milk
posted by Index7 @ 21:27 1 Comments
1 Comments:
great release. keep up the good work
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Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Mechanical Bride - umbrella on Transgressive records
Mechanical Bride
A side only - Umbrella
Transgressive records
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 24/12/2007
Mechanical bride reconfirms that this is after all a good song. No...really, hear me out. My friend played it acoustic for me one day and before I could ask why it sounded so familiar, it hit me what he was playing at the umbrella part and it worked. It may have been born in some kind of song laboratory but there is something there even after everything is stripped away. It surprisingly is catchier, more listenable. Mechanical Bride hopes to breathe new life into this overplayed track which I'm sure has made as many 'worst of' as 'best of' lists.
Lauren Doss, Abi Bailey, Tommy Heap, Marcus Hessenberg, Sam Pearson play an impressive variety of classical instruments, from violins to euphonium. Lauren's vocal style on the track lends itself to it's inherent melancholic sadness. It's right up front barely whispering at points or getting lost to layers of delay, it benefits from this intimacy. It's not a celebratory song...when the shit hits the fan, hopefully someone will still be there. It was contorted into a dance hit, but here the minimal glockenspiel and staccato strings plucked and brief provide the rhythm part of the track behind a dissonant piano riff, which I happily can't connect to the original. The chorus of course goes for the ella ella ella in swirling echo fashion. I guess if you have to go with that part, you might as well really give in and trust it will be more than just an ironic novelty.
My only criticism is the choice to put this out as a one sided etched seven inch, it echoes tunng's etched 7" of bloc party's 'pioneer', why waste a perfectly good side of vinyl? Sure I like the occasional etching in my study but it's about the music, and I'd like to know more about this band than just a happy accident.
Jason Dean
Labels: classical, etched, mechanical bride, one sided, rihanna, transgressive records, tunng, umbrella
posted by Jason @ 09:54 0 Comments
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