Music Wednesday (early edtion): Album Review: –Geocities– Oui Oúi

Oui Oúi-- Geocities (4/6)

Guys, Geocities is free here. The rest are sliding scale.  Go buy their music.

Oui Oúi is an independent "ambient/drone/electronic" duo hailing from St. Louis, MO. I was gifted their six track album (on cassette tape no less) from a friend this Christmas.

This, right here, is why I like electronic music so much. It’s pure innovation. Unlike a lot of music it it's genera though this little album doesn't make the mistake of becoming cluttered but still maintains the strong layering that electronic music is known for. An excellent balance of the rasping drone work and a stead background loop that layers on itself beautifully makes this little underdog a real gem.

Overall, I love it. Geocities has a cinematic, but not overbearing feeling that is very easy to get lost in.

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.

Album Review: Sick Puppies --Connect--

(3.5/6)
Lead Vocalist, Shimmon Moor, has always had a sexy voice that is frank and rugged. On past albums, his very solid, aggressive tenor range gave the songs a hopeful tone.  On Connect More demonstrates his low sexually charged range. When he strikes a passionate note his voice becomes a velvet and steel growl that really brings an edge to his work.

Bassist Emma Anzai takes a few tentative steps into the limelight on this album. Her  wicked talent that hasn't been seen in years she dominates the low end of everything she plays on. She has been dubbed the female ‘Flea.’ On Connect we hear of her whispery, alto voice.. Looking at her with jet black, shaggy edged hair wielding the bass like a weapon you'd expect a Joan Jett fearsome voice. On the contrary, her voice is soft and smooth and complements Moor’s velvety sound perfectly. She still sounds shy as she’s ever been, but on Connect, we start to hear a little more bravery. I have every confidence that once she relaxes into the role she will explode.

Mark Goodwin’s drum work is the rope that ties the album together; it is both subtle and consistent.

The lyrics are, as always, wonderfully provocative and sharp. Where things fall apart is  in the delivery. I expected their passionate, die-trying attitude, and was met with something that fell just shy of it in many of the songs. I feel like part of their problem is that the band is feeling around stylistically. They need to regroup and hone their sound.

From an overall album standpoint, the album is really hit or miss. There are some fantastic songs on Connect, but there are also several that are stylistically clumsy and don't seem to fit on the album. However, there is an overproduced tone that permeates the album
That being said, I feel that the solid songs out weigh the unsteady ones.

Overall a solid, not amazing album, especially when held up against their previous works. I liked it, but it wasn't as magical.

Album Review: Scream Shout -Threads-

(3/6)

I have a soft spot for the younger bands, so when I Scream Shout's Threads came across my desk, I was very interested. They defiantly sound like a greener band, but that is not a bad thing in my book.

Vocally, Threads  is one part passionate confidence, one part uneven and unfocused. The ardent tone compensates for the imprecision nicely.

However, it feels like the album is unsure wheatear it wants to be harder edged post-punk, or stick with a more melodic, alt-rock tone. Either would work, but the vocals come off muddied and dissonant at this point. That being said, one thing that really caught my ear is that the vocalist swears very well. I have no doubt he means every word he sings.

The lyrics are simple, bitter in places, and honest I can get behind a lot of what they’re saying and there is no questioning the sincerity, with goes a long way with audiences.

Musically, while simplistic, the instrumentation is solid and comfortable. I’m not sure if the distortion in the bass is intentional or not, however it works along side the sometimes ragged vocals. The lead guitar has a clean, alt rock sound in places while demonstrating a harder edge in places. The bass is also just a little off the beat, which threw me off.

Overall, Threads is very unsure of itself, despite the confidant vocals. The sound would be a lot stronger if it was more focused. However, this album would be great live as it has a lot of energy and passion.

For the curious, you can check out the album on preorder at www.scyllarecords.bigcartel.com the album comes out July 22nd.

Album Review: Thirty Seconds to Mars - LOVE LUST FAITH+DREAMS

LOVE LUST FAITH+DREAMS is Thirty Seconds To Mars' fifth studio album. No two Thirty Seconds to Mars albums are the same and they are constantly pushing the edge of what they are capable as a band. LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS is no exception. True, they have front man Jared Leto’s powerful vocals and the themes of striking out in the name of the self as their backbone, but there is a hitherto unseen vulnerability in both the music and lyrics. Leto is notorious, fierce, and defiant, spitting in the face of expectation. Don’t misunderstand me, tenacity and boldness are still an integral part of the album, but we get a peak at the beast’s underbelly. This exposure is unsurprisingly most audible in the “dreams” section of the album, though we get some teasers earlier in “Up in the air.”

Instrumentally, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS is complete chaos, hurdling from retro to electronic and back with no more than the most cursory transitions. This album is divided into four sections: Love, Lust, Faith, and Dreams. Each of these sections is very different, but still not fully coherent within each section.  I’m still not quite sure how I feel about this format. On the one hand it definitively showcases the band’s varied talents and their ability to incorporate a diversity of both sound and style. On the other hand, the album really lacks an overall cohesion musically and melodically.

Lyrically, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS is seamless, slipping between its four themes with a mixture of hope, wistfulness and ardent drive without so much as a hiccough. The hope and faith are the elements that really gave me pause. Time and again Thirty Seconds to Mars’ albums have contained themes of disillusionment and faith in the self over religious faith. While it’s still very much critiqued, we see talk of faith in something beyond the self in this album, which piqued my interest quite a bit.

Overall, I like the songs but I feel like the album itself is rough. It seems like Thirty Seconds To Mars is going through a style change and hasn’t quite settled yet. I look forward to more.

4/6

Album Review: How To Destroy Angels--Welcome to Oblivion--

 (4/6)

This highly anticipated little gem is the first full album from Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails’ side project How To Destroy Angels. Welcome To Oblivion will never make it into the top 40, because it is a completely different animal from what’s popular these days. Hell, I’d be shocked to hear any of the tracks on the radio. To be honest, I don’t think Reznor cares (nor has he ever). Reminiscent of 90s industrial with a flair of musical sophistication, Welcome to Oblivion is a subtle, edgy, and entrancing piece. Where it really diverges from Trent’s usual work is the addition of his wife Mariqueen Maandig whose voice contrasts Reznor’s in its softness but matches him, blending beautifully in its throaty whisper. Reznor has a distinctive, voice that anyone who listened to industrial in the 90s will recognize immediately from its hissing viciousness. He is truly an icon of the industrial music scene. Maandig’s feminine vocals round out their sound creating a complexity that I don’t think Reznor would be capable of on his own.

The overall sound showcases Reznor’s trademark complexity and intense layering combining the high pitched electronics of industrial and EDM with a heavy bass sound more reminiscent of traditional rock and muted vocals that lend an otherworldly, psychedelic feel to the album.

I give Reznor a lot of credit he’s a man of many talents and is responsible for at least the majority of the instrumentation on the album (along with his second time collaborator Atticus Ross and art director Rob Sheridan). He’s the kind of man that can do anything musically he sets his mind to. Reznor is constantly innovating while still keeping a firm grip on his hard-edged, iconic sound. There is no mistaking his music for anything else. He has a sophisticated, yet raw edge that is palpable in even his smoothest work. In Welcome To Oblivion he manages to create controlled chaos in the music itself. The chaos is audible, but each piece is still clear and distinctive.

The issue I had with the album stemmed more from the nature of the piece rather than any fault with the music itself. By the end of the album, things started to feel long and it dragged. It is a heavy album, but. The weight sneaks up on the listener and it isn’t palpable right off the bat. By the end of the album I was tired. Not bored, exhausted.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this album it brought back a lot of pleasant feelings and reminded me that industrial is perhaps not as dead as we think

Well done.

Album Review: Afterman: The Descention "This Selfish War Machine"

(4/6 for the album, 5/6 for the album with the book.)

Last October, The first half of this album was realased (Afterman: The Ascension) marking the final chapter in The Amory Wars. The Deluxe Edition included a gorgeous coffee table book, which contained the story and commentary from creator Claudio Sanchez. I waited to finish reading the book until I heard this album. I went back and read the second half of the book along side the album. So, I apologize if this review is a little less streamlined than my other reviews. I also apologize if my hard edge goes soft. There is so much about Coheed and Cambria’s music that hits me somewhere very personal.

Onward, then. 

Musically, Afterman: The Descention does not hold up to Afterman: the Ascension.  Coheed and Cambria’s famous layering is overused in places. However, this piecemeal sound is a reflection of the jarring events unfolding in Sirius Amory’s story. I'm still not personally a fan of how some songs sound Namely, "Iron fist," was far more upbeat than its lyrics called for. I first heard this song several years ago as a stripped down, raw, acoustic track. It was heart rending. I never envisioned this song as up-tempo and discordant as it came out.

I should add this: The album is absolutly brilliant and the story is beyond anything I could ever create. When I criticize this album,it  is always as compared to their other albums. I would call it brilliant in any other band’s repertoire.

Even in it's all of its flaws, Descention still weaves in brilliant throwback to No World for Tomorrow and Second Stage Turbine Blade. Musically, it is deeply complex (wich is a double edged sword in this case) and richly layered.. In addition to the story elements, some of the discordance comes from Coheed and Cambria trying to redefine their sound.

Lyrically, Descention is pure art. Creator Claudio Sanchez may occasionally get caught up in cool sounds and musical effects, but lyrically he is consistently ingenious. Evocative both of the story itself and something raw and human the lyrics are simple and incredibly profound. I could rave on for ages about the brilliance in the analogy of the artist as mad scientist. The current of raw, yet surprisingly precise emotion in the lyrics are just outstanding.

Two tracks took me by complete surprise, not because they were particularly bad or good, but because they were so out of character for Coheed and Cambria. They are happy tracks-- one is an actual love song. In the armory wars stories, it is a very rare thing to see hopefulness, and “Away We Go” and “2 Is My Favorite 1” are saturated with hope and love, a rare thing in the Amory Wars saga.

On the whole Descention was a good, but clumsy album that I suspect is a set up for something bigger still.  

And then there was the book. 

Just like with Ascension, I sat down with the book and read along side the album, as it was meant to be. The art alone is poetic, when you combine it with the lyrics that go straight to your core and the little pieces of commentary Sanchez leaves at the bottom of the lyrics of each song. It is both brutal, and striking. I got about three quarters of the way through the book and Iron fist --the very song I had issues with-- started to play. I lost my ability to act as a detached critic, leaned my head in my hands, and cried. I will admit Sirius Amory's story hits far too close to home for my own liking, but even without the personal element it is an elegant and beautiful story. I was sobbing for the rest of the album despite the fact that both of the above mentioned hopeful and upbeat songs are in that last quarter. It is simultaneously polished and unspeakably raw. It felt like I was reading the notes on someone’s diary. 

Amory Wars is not the war story it started out as. It is a love story with a demented, warped shell. Well played, Mr. Sanchez, well played.

Album Review: Blood Red Boots (self-titled EP)

Haling from Chicago, Blood Red Boots have a playful cocky tone, bringing out some notes of the 80s glam rock, pop-rock and the occasional country flair. Vocalist Keith Patrick in particular has a smile in his voice that is contagious.

Keyboardist Eric Hays shone through particularly strongly as did bassist Cyrus Johnson. William Heschl’s guitar work, however, needs some improvement, particularly in its coordination with the rest of the band and it’s precision.

Blood Red Boots have a lot of potential, but still need to hone their sound. While they are consistent, I’m not really sure they know what they are going for yet. They need to unify their sound and sharpen their personal sound.

Patrick experiments with a wide range of tones and pitches, some of which really worked (especially in “California”). However, there are places the vocals just go flat. I would encourage him to really focus on training his voice.

They strike me as fun live band–their love for what they do is audible in every track. It is clear they are enjoying what they do. These guys are at a very malleable stage of their development; I look forward to seeing what they shape themselves into.

Good luck, guys. 

Coheed and Cambria --Afterman: The Ascension. "This is Our War"

5/6
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this album since its announcement, hell since the release of their B-side last march. I confess my love for the story and my unabashed adoration of the band my have colored some of my criticism

For those that follow the band, this is the first chapter of The Amory Wars  and a prequel to Year of the Black Rainbow (Which was a prequel to Second Stage Turbine Blade). I suspect author and frontman Claudio Sanchez wrote himself into a corner with No World for Tomorrow*. In an interview, Sanchez mention that when he was writing No World for Tomorrow, he wasn’t sure there would be a Coheed and Cambria anymore. Two albums and several tours later, I think it is safe to say they’re still around.

So, when you’ve ended a story, where do you go? There was nowhere to go but further back, to the very beginning.

The stories in Afterman: The Ascension are riddled with complexities that are absent from the plots themselves.  The two stories: That of Domino, a boxer who becomes corrupted by drugs and greed and the story of Sirius Amory, a man driven to the stars by hubris, who unknowingly finds the star system where the Amory Wars happens years latter. They are elegantly paralleled down to even the music itself. Each has a signature musical style. Domino’s story, the story of a man at the bottom of society is gritty, with noisy, distorted guitar work and loud, violent fret squeaks. Sirius Amory’s story on the other hand is filled with airy, spacious high notes and understated precision. The slick feel of corruption is palpable in both stories, and vile, yet unmistakably appealing. Like in other albums, each story has a signature progression that marks the change of characters.  Amory’s almost radar like ping, sits well along side the scraping screaming guitars of  Domino’s story.

Amory’s sound is quite a departure from Coheed and Cambria’s usual sound. As a fan, I was much more prepared for Domino’s sound—the rugged, growling is quite common place on their other work. When  the preview of he title track “The Afterman” was first released, I had to listen to it three times before I could make heads or tails of it. It was a completely different sound. I’d never quite heard anything like it before, from anyone, least of all Coheed and Cambria.

The composition of this album is simply perfect. The pieces of each story, and their contrasting sounds, balance perfectly only blending toward the end in a wonderful culmination.

I have raved about how expressive Sanchez’s voice is in previous reviews, I’m sure. He takes it a step further in Afterman: The Ascension It feels like he is two different people on this album, his acting is beyond brilliant. A maniacal, gremlin like sound hisses and cackles in Domino’s story where there is a wavering, haunted whisper in  Amory’s arc.  Sanchez’s talent for voice modulation further augments the juxtaposition of the two stories as well as their unmistakable parallels.

Brilliant album, though I was disappointed in how short it is, a mere nine tracks..  (A second half is due out in 2013). I am looking forward to their next show and February 2013’s release with great anticipation.

*The full title of the album is Good Apollo, I'm Burring Star IV: No World For Tommorow. However, it is most commonly referred to as simply “No World For Tomorrow.”

Album Review: Three Days Grace --Transit of Venus--

(4/6)
Transit Of Venus has Adam Gontier’s signature gravely sexy voice, but it feels a little all over the place. While verity is usually a very good thing, Transit of Venus lacks cohesion and feels a little too experimental and takes a few tracks to gain its momentum.

Lyrically, Transit of Venus is quintessential Three Days Grace; themes of past mistakes, bitter anger, and hope run thoguht out the album. I think Gontier has really found his niche between raw, emotionality and artistic word choice. Honest, pointed words coupled with that voice still bring a certain charmingly rugged feel

The music itself is rough in places. While the guitar work has never been more perfect, I find there is an imprecision in this album's sound. It feels like in it’s experimentation the sound lost its clarity. However, the timing within each track is solid when paired with the vocals. I am hoping they find their balance in the next album

Transit of Venus’ composition is really chaotic; while the closing track echoes the opening track very well the album feels conflicted, rather than varied. It is as though half of the album is the rugged, angry sound we are familiar with and the other is a hopeful, almost peaceful piece.

Overall, I still loved this album, Three Days Grace will always be one of my pet bands, however, this is decidedly not their best work.

Album Review: Kyoto Drive -The Approach--

Kyoto Drive is an alternative rock band from West Midlands, UK. I picked them up when they shot me an email  (I suspect it was from my connection to the Matchstick Men) they have an uplifting, poppy sound and infectious, soft vocals and accessible lyrics. One of the things that struck me off the bat was the strength of their backup vocals and their knack for harmonization both vocally and instrumentally. Their sound is cohesive and just all around fun. Kyoto Drive's sound is also very polished compared to other young bands. It is clear they've taken the time to put that little extra bit of effort in to really make their sound clean.

Where I think they could stand improvement:

There were a few issues that stood out for me. The first is that the sound balance isn't quite right on the album; the vocals are a little muted compared to the guitar work. Both elements sound good individually; I would just like to see a little more tweaking the mixing phase.

I also found I couldn’t differentiate between their songs unless I really focused, while it is wonderful that they have found their sound, I would like to see more innovation and verity within the album.

The final issue I had was that they haven't really made their sound their own, yet (I say yet, because I'm confidant in their ability to do so) it sounds like a half dozen other alt-rock/pop rock bands out there. I can certainly see the potential versatility of their guitarist and keyboardist, however it does not appear on the album.

Overall, a fun band whose work I cannot wait to see start appearing on the radio over here in the states.

Here is a link to their latest music video Breathe

 The majority of their info can be found at the bottom of the vid.

Album Review: The Workhorse Kings-Tripple Crown-

The Workhorse Kings Triple Crown (4/6):
Another con find. When I found them at the convention the name made me think of that garish twangy country music you stumble on occasionally, wince, and walk away quickly. While they are definitively country, there is a harder edge to their sound than most country-rock. A strong baseline serves as the groundwork for innovative instrumentation that manages to be layered without becoming noisy. There is a nice balance of electronic growl and precision. While the instrumentation blends quite well, the vocals do not; the frontman has a solid voice, and the lung power to back it up. However, when it comes to the harmonies and chorus, his distinctive voice sticks out a little too well and sometimes drowns out his background vocals. The lyrics piqued my interest with a little more intellectualism than most country. Overall, this album has brains, attitude and style.

Album review: The Local Nobodies--EP

Album review: The Local Nobodies--EP

I am continually impressed by the rise of small, independent artists as well as the relevancy of the local artist in the modern music scene. However, as with any industry, the signal to noise ratio is exceptionally high.


So, when a young man approached me at the Lupe Fiasco show with three paper sleeved albums and an eager smile I was simultaneously intrigued and skeptical.

It was a pleasant surprise.

The young man in question was Frankie Flowers of The Local Nobodies A playful hip-hop group local to Milwaukee, WI. While it is very clear they are a young band, they had a surprising sense of musical composition and rhythm. With judicious use of sampling and some auto-tune (used correctly, I might add) these guys bring an ear catching sound that is unique without being completely out of touch with the genre. It is hip-hop that is not sexist, which is refreshing. Front man Frankie Flowers mange’s to avoid many of the pitfalls that young hip-hop and rap artist fall into. He has a precise sense of rhythm a pleasantly cocky attitude.

Where The Local Nobodies falls short is composition. The album has a lot of stylistic variety witch can be good in an established artist. However, it comes across as Inconsistent in a newer artist.

Conversely, within the songs things get a little repetitive. I found myself missing a bridge on a few tracks. I would recommend longer verses as well.

I hear a lot of radio potential in these guys. They are catchy without being annoying and their style stands out.

(4/6)