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Memories in Widescreen 2xLP picture disk
(3Six)
Pretty cool tense/rainy/techno-melancholic ambient drone record from a guy in the UK. Kinda like that Bieber time-extended thing occasionally cross-pollinated with vocal house … kidding, this is a fine effort of tasteful, beautiful sunrise meditations for your chemical comedown, definitely with a more than large nod to club electronic music as it existed in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. Melodies repeat on looooooong loops and the whole thing is stretched out to Stars of the Lid levels of slow-motion bliss. It’s refreshing and feelings-provoking, like what that “wet room” at Love would have been like without the ravages of time and the fight against water-borne bacteria, or the indoor-outdoor carpeting. Images of colored fluids splashing grace all four sides of this monster, and while one wouldn’t usually think to put something quiet and susceptible to surface noise on a picture disk, these don’t sound half bad. A great record, if not necessarily groundbreaking; it’s got character, and when your primary goal is to elicit an emotion within someone who is immobile on a sofa, that’s more than enough. 250 numbered copies, the first 50 of which (now gone) came with a CD-R called Bass Communion, which I for one would really like to hear. (http://www.3six.net)
(Doug Mosurock)
Art Abscons
Der Verborgene Gott LP
(Blind Prophet)
German neo-folk that’s absolutely crazy in its pursuit of earth-bound paradise on its own terms. Total Ren Faire/Medieval Times parking lot status achieved at several points throughout this LP, against gentler pagan folk-goth, all with breathy Deutsche lyrics and the sort of synth-“Wicker Man”/Kate Bush mindset that is hard to take seriously at points, but very hard to shake at others. The band sounds dead serious, even in moments of melodic whimsy, and that’s really all you can hope for: that the musicians believe in this craft. Beautiful gatefold sleeve with embossed lettering completes the twisted package. Numbered edition of 500. (http://www.blindprophetrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
James Arthur’s Manhunt
s/t LP
(Aarght!)
Scummy, leering garage/noise rock from Austin, TX that’s found a home on the Australian label run by members of Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Don’t those guys have bands like this back home? James Arthur’s Manhunt kicks up noise in spades, evoking the NYC garage contingent (Pussy Galore, Chrome Cranks, Honeymoon Killers) … which is fine, if they had much to add to it on their own, which really they don’t. For certain foul moods, this might be all you want, but for everyone else, this is more of a soundtrack for getting BBQ sauce mashed and matted into your mutton chops. Somehow there’s a Simply Saucer cover in here. Yeah, I couldn’t tell either. (http://aarghtrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Bachelorette
The End of Things 12” EP
(Drag City)
One of two earlier efforts by New Zealander Annabel Alpers, before her quasi-breakthrough My Electric Family for Drag City. She clearly comes from the Xpressway tradition and has a background in the ‘90s scene, as a member of Space Dust, just before the lights went out down there. This is some of the earliest Bachelorette music, and though it still contains more electronics and vocal treatments than just about all of her sonic/countryperson forebearers combined, there is still a good, strong heart of downer folk and loner misery on hand that keeps this music connected to history. I was especially moved by the death march of “Pebbles and Dirt,” guitar tracks moving forwards and backwards among lightly auto-tuned vocals, and the sad computer shutdown of the Cat Power-esque “On the Four.” If Bachelorette’s later material was too technologically alien for you, and you were looking for something with the same murk as, say, Sandra Bell, snap this one up. (http://www.dragcity.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Bassholes
I Feel Like Sleeping 12” EP
(Columbus Discount)
You gotta respect the Bassholes no matter what. Two fine covers (Mickey Jupp’s “I Feel Like Sleeping” being the nicest thing here original or otherwise, some of the edge taken off and the appropriate amount of studio help, like backing vocals, make it work), and two stompin’ originals on the flip. Raw rock ‘n’ roll from Don Howland and company. Part of the CDR singles club so I don’t know how available it is, but if you’re a fan, you gotta get it. (http://www.columbusdiscountrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Beastianity
Root LP
(Dais)
Already scarce reissue of some brawny neo-folk/noise from Australian madmen Beastianity. Originally released in 1999, the group’s Root album draws its lines with a scalpel, a mean, parched, and maniacal demeanor to hasten the apocalypse, by way of chanting slow torturous phrases across all manners of static and interference, finding beauty in the many dirges that cut through their material and reveling in some near-metallic sentiments in the title track. My experience with this genre tells me that there are more and less interesting paths to take, and Beastianity is definitely with the former, never fully committing to one sound but content to cause disturbances across a number of approaches. Nothing wrong here, just some realistically dark approximations of tomorrow, set to praiseworthy sounds that tune into the frequency of the destruction. I’ll bet hearing this while Y2K was still a hot issue would have been terrifying, but since then we’ve lived through eight years of GW Bush, wars we’ll never win (or end), an unbelievable amount of sea ice lost for good, and hundreds of thousands of tiny little collapses in the order of our lives all over the world, so, like, pass the salt, fill that pelican’s beak with cement and see if it says “it’s a living!” 300 numbered copies. (http://www.daisrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
The Cairo Gang
Holy Clover 7” EP
(Tin Angel/Empty Cellar)
I am terminally averse to unicorn imagery. Same goes for zombies, pirates, ninjas, Chuck Norris, future-kitsch, synthesizers, beach-bum nu-gaze soft-rock appropriations, and the photo-collage movement. This EP sports a crude watercolor of a bearded centaur – with arms (they don’t have arms, my dawgs) – holding the freshly-severed head of a Viking or a minotaur … can’t tell. Unicorns are mentioned because the first 20 or 30 time this 7” was shuffled over or past, I’ve thought to myself (or out loud) “this record better shape-shift into $1000, contain a map to a buried $1000, or contain photos of my girlfriend’s boss having his kneecaps shattered by ex-cons … cuz NO ONE can get away with unicorn imagery … NO ONE” as another record was chosen for review. Apparently my medication has done nothing to offset my ADHD.
Well, this record is nothing less than transporting genius wrapped up in a shell that is at once familiar on two levels and foreign on another. I’ll get the gripe out of the way: Only one track (the second one on an unknown side…half-point deducted for carrying over one of the ‘90s worst trends … no information on the labels) sounds like it was created by four people, and four people are credited as The Cairo Gang. But each of the four songs occupies that very special, very exclusive place that is growing smaller by the year. I refer to the world of fidelity-challenged psych-damaged folk/singer-songwriter/pop-lite that just so happens to be devastatingly perfect. There’s a direct injection of ‘70s Afternoon Rock (acoustic-based… America, Bread, Poco, etc) and The Numero Group’s Wayfaring Strangers comp as well as everything that made Ariel Pink’s Doldrums so effective minus everything that didn’t (forced obtuseness, calculatedly shitty recording techniques). Though my 80-year-old aunt might fail the blindfolded taste-test, this feels nothing like what’s emanating from the latest Slumericana movement. Now, it should be stated that this is indeed what some would consider piss-poor production, and there’s too much reverb (yaaaaaaaaawn), but the songwriting is otherworldly. At the end of the day, do I really need to clarify what matters? (http://www.endlessnest.com/empty_cellar)
(Andrew Earles)
Cheveu
1000 LP
(Kill Shaman/Born Bad)
The new Cheveu revue, comin’ right at you, shows the French trio kicking at all sides of the box they had previously occupied. I saw them play once and was really taken aback by their overtly physical performance (I think we crowdsurfed the singer a few times, and there weren’t all that many people there – in this place Todd P was booking which was basically a concrete slab covered by a tarp, across from the sewage treatment plant in Greenpoint. I can attest that anywhere even near it is one of the worst places you could hope to live), and how they totally overclocked on such a minimal setup (singer, guitarist, guy who runs the drum machine and Casio). That show, and the blinding rainstorm that accompanied it, have stayed with me for a while. They have played that physicality to distinctly native sensibilities – France’s unique ability to appreciate things alternate definition of rock, garage, twang, and wavoz to the realm of the untouchable. In few other places will you be able to find multi-LP vinyl box sets of mid-career Gene Vincent, case closed. Very few of Cheveu’s records sound alike from each other, the band always having adopted a new style to push against our notions of who they are at any given time, but reliant on their own personalities and charisma as a signature. I appreciate this even when it doesn’t work, when it gets awkward (which it does – see their outtakes LP Cheveau), there’s still a common path to follow out of it.
1000 is Cheveu’s second studio album, and they’ve taken a big leap forward in presentation and songwriting, really focusing in on how much of the balance they can lean on the machines. One of the stronger decisions made on 1000 is the string trio playing on five of the songs, as this takes the pressure off the guitarist while expanding the palette even further. It works great on opener “Quattro Stagioni,” giving a light-footed beach party melody a fullness, airiness and depth that it might not have had before, and on its best songs, ideas like these are shared with one of Cheveu’s most successful traits from earlier on – turning the drum machine up to blinding speed in the choruses and bridges, and playing off the top of the measure to fill up the space and lurch the dynamics of the song, not only adding aggression but speed as well. This technique also does something pretty interesting: it pulls the sentiments back in time to the birth of hardcore punk and Chicago industrial, carbon-dating the band itself back to an earlier era when records tended to sound as different and as groundbreaking as the best songs here. “Charlie Sheen” is one of them, and with its parochial, British/French art rock/vaguely RIO frame (I am hearing This Heat, especially in the vocals, and at least the essence of a Slapp Happy or Art Bears) in the verses, the juxtaposition is exhilarating, certainly the best song they’ve done yet, borne out of something no human drummer could do. It’s harder to deal with a few of the Zappa-esque sentiments here (particularly in the vocals), but I think after a few listens you are gonna stop worrying about any Y.B. nOrMaL tendencies via the scrutiny of your peers to their cover of “Ice Ice Baby.” Rather than attempt to describe it, I’ll just say that I’m sure this is the point where a bunch of Cheveu’s fans jump off of their train. I’ll also say that Cheveu has the best fresh set of ideas and execution of any rock band since the Pixies, or Pere Ubu when they started, and like those bands, they require more from you to meet on their own terms. Fittingly, they wipe the floor with a great number of more established bands playing to any modern band of any renown. Whether they’ll be asked to step forward is probably up to you. (http://www.killshaman.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Clockcleaner
Nevermind LP
(Fan Death)
For reference I’ll point you to this review, as my opinion on Nevermind hasn’t really changed. Some have said that the main reason Clockcleaner broke up was that they were tired of their fans, the people who were inspired by this competent, interesting record of theirs and had to come out to see them play, in their new pair of O.G. WildMans, the guys who spilled your drink and needed to be forcibly ejected from the bar.
It’s acceptable to do a “j.o. hand motion” in time to “Blood Driver” during the sax solo.
Richard Charles is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and perhaps was this band’s greatest asset after all.
The vinyl edition sounds way better than the CD did. It’s like the ceiling’s been cut off and there’s a lot more presence in the bass.
I still like it better than the records that followed, though the Gothcleaner 12” nearly edges it out. I don’t have any more thoughts about this record, but maybe some comments. After Nevermind people tried to take it over the top with their own bands. They’re all louder and noisier and more “sick” but really, are you gonna take Francis Harold & the Holograms over this? (http://www.fandeathrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Ami Dang
Hukam LP
(Ehse)
Sitarist and vocalist Ami Dang harnesses the power of Wham City with actual musical ability and thoughts on proper presentation, with a Loopstation or some such gear and a heightened awareness of how to write and play off oneself. The basis of these tracks is predominantly Indian in origin, but Ms. Dang strings these sounds together into the flux of the present, swirling around and building off of themselves into the rare space between Kate Bush and Zola Jesus. Impressive and powerful work. (http://ehserecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
Dangerous Boys Club
Vril LP
(Fast Weapons)