Music Weds: Catch Up Post

No armchair music theory this week. Catching up on reviews and the novel. More to come next week. In the meantime, have some reviews.

The Reviews:

Matchstick Men –Acoustic Grooves To Soothe The Soul–:(3.5/6 for the electric 4/6 for the acoustic)

The originals:

In the era of wavering voices, it is refreshing to hear a vocalist  who isn't  strictly  tenor but can still stretch into the tenor range without his voice breaking. The vocals do go a little flat, but that works with the overall sound. The background vocals work to round out the sound and serve to complement the lead vocals.

The guitar work is catchy and has a delightful grind to it, though I'm still not quite satisfied with the sound balance.

Overall, it was a good single

The acoustic versions:

I always brace myself for acoustic versions of any band’s songs as it really distils their sound, especially the vocals, and can bring out little problems that are not audible on the electronic versons.  Matchstick Men does a great job and avoids this problem.  Their acoustic numbers are, if anything, better than their electric stuff. I love the addition of the electric bass it makes the vocals shine and emphasizes the acoustic guitar work.  I'm delighted by the versatility of the lead singer’s voice and cannot wait to hear more.  The only complaint I have is that the guitar work is a little imprecise in places. However, I feel like that actually works with their overall sound.

Listen to Acoustic Grooves To Soothe The Soul in Full

Check out the original versions of the tracks

October Game––Balancing(4/6)

"I don't need your advice, i need your silence instead"

Defiant, confidant lyrics, oddly simple sound or how layered it actually is. Delightful bass work. THe lead singer’s throaty, ragged vocals flex within a low tenor range that is nested in a musical sound that combines industrial sensibilities with a hint of 80s flair. My only complaint about the vocals is that the vocalist pushes his sound a too hard in places.  Musically, my only issue is that the bass is a too tight and focused  in places.

At times the instrumentation is disorganized. If the music itself was simplified a fraction these guys would have a really spectacular sound.

Make no mistake, these guys are good, but I feel like there's more there. I would love to hear a live track from these guys.

Released tracks below:

"We Built This Wall To Destroy It" music video

"Beg Cycle" soundcloud: 

Traitors!–– Boys of the Double Cross EP––(2.5/6)

Traitors! are fun  and  have  a punk  core with a definitively British sound. The drum work is incredibly solid. However,  the vocals need to be honed to really cement the punk sound. I would encourage the lead to really go for broke in the punk sound and either blend in with the background vocals or completely stand out, right now it's somewhere in the middle and that doesn't work for their sound.  Boys of the Double Cross is  an average EP  and don't see a lot of potential in their music.

Video link for "We Build Towers"

Music Wednesdays: Concert Field Guide, part 1: Don’t be that guy.

I’ve been thinking about starting a little informal list of types of fans that are problematic and types of fans that I really love seeing out there as a part of my Concert 101 series.  So, here is my first entry.

This is not meant to be comprehensive, nor is it meant to offend. This is just something that I’ve observed in my 15+ years of concert going.

First Entry: The Scoffers and Complainers

The Bad:

The Ubërsnob: These are the people that started this entry. I have a much longer rant about them, but I don’t think it’s suited for this blog. I personally find them reprehensible and just plain obnoxious. Now, as a snob, I have no issues with people being fussy about their music, or even about the particular songs they like from a band. However, The Ubërsnob not only complains loudly about how the band used to be better or how this song is their worst song ever, but they also have the nerve to snub their fellow fans. Their reasons range from how the fans are dressed, to being excited about a particular song or not knowing enough about the band’s non-radio songs. They also have a habit of disliking their band’s increased popularity. 

Why they’re a problem: They bring down the mood and alienate new fans. They also tend not to shut up for the entire show. 

The Friend: This is someone who hast to take someone to a show they aren’t into or even actively dislike. Maybe the fan is their friend, or their SO, maybe it’s their little sibling who can’t drive yet. Taking someone to a show you don’t want to see isn’t inherently a bad thing; we’ve all been there. However, The Friend will moan, roll his/her eyes and generally throw a temper tantrum the entire show, they might also have some of the characteristics of a snob. They want to let every one know they are not happy to be there. Loudly.

Why they’re a problem: Like the snob they bring everyone down and probably also upset the person they brought, defeating the purpose of their coming in the first place. 

The Impatient Fan: This fan really just wants to hear one or two particular songs. Instead of just kicking back and enjoying the show or chilling at the bar, The Impatient Fan will huff, stomp their feet and throw little fits until the song they like plays, after which they invariably leave. They also announce the fact that they only like these two songs loudly and repeatedly.

If you’re this person, do us a favor and stay home. Usually the song you like is a single witch will be in the encore. If you must be there, stay in the back.

Why they’re a problem: They talk/ play on their phones the whole damn time. Bright lights and irritated voices do not make other fans happy.

The Ignorant Drunk The Ignorant Drunk is usually already three sheets to the wind before the show starts and loudly declares that he knows none of their songs, yet still tries to sing along and shouts random ‘clever’ things at the stage, usually particularly at female band members when they talk. The ignorant drunk finds himself or herself hilarious. 

Why they’re a problem: Do I even need to explain this one?

The Hater (of Slow Songs): Most bands have at least one song that is slower than the rest of their work. This song divides the crowd in half. One half is comprised of the people who love this song with every heartbeat and usually end up with tears streaming down their cheeks, singing along to every word. 

And then there are The Haters. These people talk through every. Single. Slow song. What’s worse about it is because slow songs are quieter everyone in the room can hear these loudmouths. And it’s usually not even important talk. If you don’t like a quitter song, please do us all a favor and just shut up. 

Why they’re a problem: their yammering kills the mood of the song completely. If I’m getting all emotional, the last thing I need to know about is that party you were at last night or what was on TV. Moreover, everyone can hear them. At least if someone is talking during a loud song, the music might drown them out.

The Good:

It’s important for me to say that there are also fans that I love. I’m not an ubërsnob, hell when it comes to my fellow fans; I’m not even a regular snob. I think of my fellow fans as family, I love nothing more than happily bonding over good music. There are certain fans that I have an even dearer affection for, I will be more than happy to put up with the odd faux-pas for these fans.

The First Timer: This is usually a fan that has every album, knows every word has on the shirt from the band and probably has a concert poster in a bag tucked under their seat or clutched in their hands. They are usually young and are ready to explode before the show even starts. 

Why I Love Them: The sheer amount of happiness that radiates from them. The excitement and the smiles.

The Incoherently happy: This is a big sister to the first timer. They might have seen the band 90 times by now and are just so stoked to do it again. And again. It doesn't matter; it doesn't even matter if they know the words to the songs. They are excited beyond measure and full of screams and cheers.

Why I Love Them: same as the first timers. They are happy and serve as a reminder that this is what music is really about. 

I think I’m done for today, I have to go do stupid responsible things now. 

Next entry in the Field Guide: Drunks

Dubstep Tangent (Electronic Music Rant, part 2)

Dubstep Tangent (electronic music rant, part 2)

I’m going to say something that might make a lot of people discount me as a critic because of how many people hate dubstep:

I like dubstep. It’s an innovative genre that employs unique sounds and incredible adaptability.

Some of my dubstep rant came in at the end of my Genre rant (part 1) but I’d like to expand on it here. I think this applies a lot to other electronic music as well, but I’ll stick to something I’m more familiar with for the moment.

To me dubstep is some of the purest music on the market today. Part of what makes music of any genre so strong is the sheer number of interpretations it can. This makes music incredibly personal. Music with lyrics, however, has a core to guide the listener. Words have meanings and those meanings may not always trigger the same feelings in every person, but there will be at least some commonalities. Lets look at the last verse of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”
“If I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way.”

For anyone who’s heard this song, the lyrics alone are enough to give the listener chills. It is a simple piece at first glance. However, ask yourself. Is this verse saying that the singer has lost himself completely and that he is finally broken or that despite this loss he is going to “find a way?” And what does that entail?
The song does not explicitly answer these questions, but I guarantee anyone who cares about this song enough to look closely will answer both of those questions differently. However, you would be hard pressed to find someone who did not interpret this song as being about someone who has been broken by someone or something else.

(Personally, I fall with those who favor hope, but a lot of people fall with those who favor despair.)

Strip away the words. Instrumental work is much more open to interpretation than music with lyrics. Even classical pieces when taken out of context trigger lots of different responses. However, because of social conditioning, we know that certain components are supposed to trigger certain emotions. IF a song drops into a slow tempo and moves to a minor key, with predominantly strings, we know its supposed to be mournful, if a song goes into a major key and speeds up, throwing in brass and cymbals, we can assume victorious, swelling music.

But what happens when the instrumentation, and I do consider Midi Players, decks, and computers interments for this exercise uses sounds that have no precedent? How do you interpret the rippling pulse of a synthesizer? Is it the anxiety of someone running away or the exhilaration of victory? Is a sharp bass drop the sound fierce and determined or the sound of someone breaking in one sudden moment? With no other context save for what we hear, the listener has full control of his or her experience, despite the artist being the creator. Even if the artist has an emotion in mind, a song can feel completely different to a listener.
Because of it’s roots in EDM and Electronica, we can safely assume most Dubstep is designed to make you dance, but what do you feel when you hear the screeches and pulsing of something completely alien with no lyrics or tradition to guide you?

There are no universal answers to those questions. That is what dubstep is about.

Nine Inch Nails –Hesitation Marks—

5/6
I’ve been looking forward to this album since the release of  “Came Back Haunted.” One part vintage Nine Inch Nails, one part mind-warping innovation Hesitation Marks brings both an electronic tone and the grinding guitar that Nine Inch Nails does so well. Combine that with Trent’s gravely, sexy voice and you get an album that is exhaustingly hard-edged and wonderfully raw, despite the studio polish.

Vocalist and Nine Inch Nails’ mastermind, Trent Reznor worked with Atticus Ross on this album. Ross’ contributes an eerie layer of electronic sound that ripples beneath, the patter of drum work. Neatly stack some subtly distorted guitar work over this and it slowly shapes into a delightful totality of effect that makes the listener’s hair stand on end.

The meticulous precision of the layering and flawless blending in Hesitation Marks is pure genius. As background music, it is seamlessly cohesive. Up close it becomes an intensely complex, ornate masterpiece. The mixing is nothing short of perfection.

The vocals are, as always, deliciously raspy and dripping with pain. Reznor’s voice is distinctive and flawlessly articulate. He knows exactly how to use it to achieve whatever he sets out to achieve.

On the whole this album is innovative, yet familiar. It’s a treat for both fans of the harder industrial sound and the ambient electronic sound.

Single Review: Dearist "Get What You Want"

Over the years I've developed affection for small British bands. After reviewing a few, it seems they've gotten wind of me as well. I can't say I'm complaining. 

The former* front man of Kyoto Drive, Adam Binder contacted me with this little gem.  "Get What You Want" has a solid bass line that adds a punch to the passionate lyrics the musical variation within the song was really nice surprise, especially in a genre that is often very homogenous

4/6--Nice work guys. 

Here is where you can find the song itself and  you can buy the song here. I highly recommend it.

*According to the email Kyoto Drive is on a break, not broken up.