Wednesday, 27 February 2008The Humanity on Happy Release records Artist: THE HUMANITY A - Bass Linear B - Hollywood Label: Happy Release Records Quantity Pressed: 500 Release Date: 17th Mar 2008 Happy Release records is putting together an impressive early roster of artists in their embryonic arsenal: Spilt milk, Dirty hands, and Molloy. This is an impressive bunch with really unique sounds. I would say the only common thread might be this extreme leaning of each band, there's no middle ground with any of these sounds, they have a distinct vision that you either like and fanatically get or probably hate, either way they have cvered their bases...you'll fit into one of these camps. Bass Linear is full of the frantic strained vocals of 'Thorntocon', (that name is nothing with bandmates like 'Liq Weed Ganja'). He sounds something like Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav with this menacing 'I will make you dance' attitude. Musically they could be cousins of the Brooklyn super group. They share the slightly off synth heavily produced punk footprint. On top of everything this frenetic pace is separating it from the usual indie rock that you're bored with half way through the A side. There's a particular sound in this dance/art/rock style that can easily be attributed to experience rocking live, there's no substitute for the energy and feeding off a crowd. It can't be faked or learned. It's one thing to play in your bedroom, constructing everything perfectly in this noise disco world but to get out and perform with all it's imperfections will change you as a musician, you can hear that however limited experience on this A-side track, that was begging to be a single. The Humanity is quickly killing their idols, and attempting to leave every genre and band in their wake, they don't necessarily have to burn the mother down to get some attention....They certainly have that youthful cynicism down, calling their music the soundtrack to the cultural and financial depression of 2008....wow... we'll have on the turntable while we tie the noose, Thanks. Jason Dean Labels: Happy Release records, Les Savy Fav, The Humanity
posted by Jason @ 17:04
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Friday, 22 February 2008
Grand National - Animal Sounds
Artist: Grand National
Title: Animal Sounds
Label: Sunday Best Recordings
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 25th Feb 2008
Much like the Knife's 'Silent Shout' that seemed to come out of nowhere, channeling the interesting parts of the 80's keyboard age, Grand national has intimately constructed the sound of calculation. Every keyboard note and high hat 24bit sample has been tuned for maximum reminiscence.
The first single from their second album is everything musically that the update of the Miami Vice film was not: capturing that particular place in time in feeling, not necessarily through all the ridiculous fashionable forgettable elements.
It's that inexhaustible excess maybe that they are drawing on, the thrill of this new technology and exploiting the unfamiliar sound to it's limits of perfection. Digital for the very first time.
This could easily have found itself into those authentic 80's period films and the band has extensively studied and rehearsed this particular sound, playing in various cover bands to pay the bills and avoid a day job.
As if they were a long lost band who opened for Duran Duran, or Human League, this meticulous craft in songwriting can these days be done unencumbered by an expensive studio and engineers on a laptop at the kitchen table, and Grand National is taking this freedom and injecting some feeling into the typically cold techno approach to the samples and loops being king.
500 pressed seems like an awfully small amount for where this band is supposed to be headed, this hits Monday and don't wait on it.
Jason Dean
Labels: animal sounds, duran duran, Grand National, miami vice, sundays best recordings, the knife
posted by Jason @ 18:49 0 Comments
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008
White Rabbits - While we go dancing
White Rabbits
While We Go Dancing
Fierce Panda Records
Quantity Pressed: Not Specified
Release Date: 17/3/ 2008
The White Rabbits are touring with the Walkmen, starting in NY in March and there couldn't be a more perfect match. They share the strength in vocals, literally turning every verse into a yelling crescendo of energy gathering speed, in tracks like 'The Plot' and this single 'While we go dancing'.
The blending harmony you're hearing is from three singers, that's not layers of tracking, it's three people singing together, along with two people or more at any time drumming, and the standard two people playing guitars, its a unique ensemble for sure.. bent on atypical rhythms for rocking and bringing the live noise.
This is still a little less than a month away and there's no word on what's planned for the B-side, but keep this in mind for a mid March release.
On the cover of this single they are carrying a piano across a river, that valuable piano sound is responsible for the melody backbone in every track. It's classic elements like these that ground the songwriting immediately in a familiar place, mashing up of all kinds of sounds, and holding your attention.
It can be at times the pop harmony of the Beach boys and at others the rough pop constructed out of these unfamilar places like Spoon. It will definitely keep you listening from one track to the next on their solid first album 'Fort Nightly'.
Like NYC, they are taking these varied influences and cultures and letting them seep into the sound coming from windows in Brooklyn... a salsa influenced rhythm with woodblocks, reggae guitar in between beats... all culminating in epic swinging moments like the last night of the block party, street fair and molding the pieces into their pop vision.
Can't wait to hear what's in store for the B-side....I hope it's some unreleased gem of more signature borderline pop/world music.
Jason Dean
Labels: fierce panda records, fort nightly, white rabbits
posted by Jason @ 19:40 0 Comments
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Thursday, 14 February 2008
Brimstone Howl - tunnel of love on boomchick records
Brimstone Howl
Tunnel of Love /
Boom Chick Records
Quantity Pressed: 500
Release Date: 1st Mar 2008
Deep down, this fuzzzy overdrive chord progression and distorted vocals is a direct descendent of the blues. It's born of the 60's with MC5, or early Rolling stones, which in turn, came from the acoustic Blues greats, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson...BB King. It's a staple in the American tradition and contribution to music.
At times more than the basic, raw approach to the music itself, it's about storytelling, usually the sad story of cheating, drinking, things that punk can also identify with. It's a fringe expression for the working class, the pop music of it's time which is still universal. Any huge legend of a band became successful thanks to the blues, the Led Zepplins and the Eric Clapton's.
Brimstone Howl is a part of this legacy, and with every other single I've heard, all the familiar elements are there, the high hat heavy drumming, rolling bass lines, high tinny echoed strings and all the band chiming in for a chorus. It's like Clockwork Orange with the Outsiders, an era that's twisted just enough to confuse you and make it new again. These greasers are more Black Flag than Stray Cats.
The Brimstone Howl are playing the blues fast, and loud, loud enough to buzz the amps and border on punk territory, it's the combination that works with other contemporaries like Tyvek and Cococoma and this apparent resurgence of garage rock. Keeping it simple, straight up guitars, amps, stripped down kit. It's a tried and true situation, a classic that will always work, combine with the blues in Lincoln Nebraska and you have a postmodern JSBX second coming on your hands with their latest single.
Jason Dean
Labels: boom chick records, brimstone howl, tunnel of love
posted by Jason @ 17:27 0 Comments
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Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Team WaterPolo - letting go on Moshi Moshi
Letting Go / Problematic girls
Label: Moshi Moshi
Singles Quantity Pressed: Not Specified
Release Date: 25/2/2008
How long does it take for a band to blow up these days? What if you played the right few shows, posted a couple of tracks like 'Letting Go' on your new band's myspace, the URL just freshly registered. Could it happen with a song recorded in your house with garageband and a couple of microphones? Do you think you would find yourself opening for CSS on their tour and a new 7" single on Moshi Moshi?
I doubt it, because for as many right moves as anyone makes there a million wrong ones, and it's not something you can ever exactly pin down, it's an anomoly to try to trace this kind of success from bedroom to single.
This has to be that future we all wanted, where it all comes down to talent and any of the limitations that could hold you back as a poor musician with no gear are gone. This DIY sounds as professional as anything, the lines of home and studio recordings are nonexistent, is this even still a factor anymore? There's still no substitute for sheer experience or not exhausting yourself out of the gate.
But there's no excuses either for the sound, the choices, what's on that record is exactly what you wanted to put out, and what Team Waterpolo have put out so far fits right into the exhuberance of a debut, sounding as optimistic and frantic as a Tokyo Police Club, but as friendly as I'm from Barcelona, it's a pefect ending, from the bedroom months ago to being immortalized in 7" vinyl.
The B-side 'Problematic girls' takes the same dense tracked approach and veers all over genres from measure to measure, all chords to breakdown half rhyme/hip hop summer Luscious Jackson slow jam, into a xylophone solo, and then double time punked chorus with layers of lead vocals. They are proficient in changes that will keep you guessing the whole way through, pulling out an impressive number of tricks in less than 3 minutes. Let's hope they continue to maintain this breakneck out of control level of fun.
Jason Dean
Labels: css, letting go, moshi moshi, team waterpolo
posted by Jason @ 16:57 0 Comments
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