Surviving the Golden Age » Reviews

Ceremony: Rocket Fire

AdamGrabowski — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:13:11 +0000

Ceremony: Rocket Fire
Ceremony are a Noise Pop duo who sound something like a modern day act inspired by Cure. Musically they sound a bit like a cross between Nine Inch Nails and The Beach Boys. How you ask?
The album is filled with guitars that are distorted and a bit too loud, drums that are loud and yet somehow remain hidden behind the melodies, and vocals that are distorted yet hushed. The loudness is the NIN part, while the melodies more resemble something the Beach Boys may have shared with us.
All the while, I couldn’t help but feel an Emo aspect to the music. If it weren’t for the lyrics inside the album, I’d have no idea what was being sung. And this is the part the reminds of The Cure. Lyrics like “I walk through dreams alone, alone in dreams is all I know” (“Never Make You Cry”) and “blinded by too many eyes she’ll never see that I live for her smile” (“For Her Smile”), and the kicker “All I know is sorrow and no tomorrow. I live in dreams of what used to be” (“Regret”). Every song is about some type of misery. Along with the same old formula of loud music that sounds like its trying to be hushed, the vocals just don’t do anything for me. In fact, the singer sounds like John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants on some serious downers.
One stand out track was “Marianne”, which as you can see is about a girl. On this track the vocals sound almost exactly like Flansburgh on downers, right to the cadence of the voice. And though the musically its much more of the same distorted, repetitive semi-loudness, the drums carry a hip hop beat to them which spice the album up, if only for a moment. Yet, the lyrics are all about this Marianne who said she’d break “my heart”. And it did happen.
In the end I feel like there is too much sadness on the album to help it float. I mean, I envision them performing in a club where a bunch of emo or goth kids are rocking back and forth with blank, tearful faces perhaps smoking and/or drinking. Its the same thing from song one to ten. It doesn’t have enough diversity to keep me interested, particularly with the vocals. If everything sounds fuzzy, what am I to focus on. They have the noise part down, I’m looking for a little more pop.
Rating: 3.8/10
MP3: Ceremony “Marianne”
Buy: iTunes

Sparkydog & Friends: People of the World EP

AdamGrabowski — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:55:15 +0000

Sparkydog & Friends: People of the World EP
The origins of Sparkydog & Friends came from friends playing together and recording in a garage. As time seemingly pulled the group apart, peeling it as a banana, those who did not move on in life came together to make a dream come true. To do this, they decided it was time to record in a proper studio. The result of that idea was the production company Magic Leap. The company would focus on indie music and animated/cg feature films.
The People of the World EP holds the first two singles of what will be a full length album that, as a concept, will blend elements of music and film together. Their goal is to blend music and cinematic techniques for live shows, something akin to what the Gorillaz have been known to do. But more than that, the album may include videos that will be produced “collectively across the web” as well as an online community where fans and the band will be able to interact.
The EP cover art was created by WETA Workshop which has done work on Avatar and The Lord of the Rings. The art featured is pre-production work for a feature film called “The Hour Blue”. Its interesting to say the least.
But the focal point here has to be the music. “People of the World” sounds like 80′s pop when you think of Phil Collins. Its softer guitars with keys making the melodies. It feels a bit hokey only because I couldn’t help thinking of “We are the World” when I listened to it. The chorus is sung as a group and is the only time the vocals aren’t manipulated to give an echo effect.
“Red Light” focuses more on the guitars and less on the keys. Its less busy as a whole resulting in the drums coming forward more. It still has that 80′s pop feel to it.
If the first two singles are any indication, I think the whole album is going to need more of that visual aspect they hope to incorporate. The music doesn’t stand out particularly on its own, though with only two tracks its hard to see how diverse it will be. The cover art also had me thinking the music would be different, something more appropirate for fantasy or sci fi, and perhaps less folksy. Its hard to gauge just what the full length album will be when it comes out later this fall, but this might turn out to be one of those projects that are better to see live than hear on album. Only time will tell.
MP3: Sparkydog & Friends “People of the World”
Buy: iTunes

Blue Sky Black Death: Third Party

Adam Morgan — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:12:20 +0000

Blue Sky Black Death: Third Party
San Francisco, CA production duo, Blue Sky Black Death have produced tracks for artists like Jus Allah, Sabac Red, Myka 9, AWOL One, Ill Bill, Prodigal Sunn, and Jean Grae among others. Their latest album, Third Party is a full length collaboration with vocalist Alexander Chen of Boy in Static fame.
Hip hop producers that try to cross over into other genres is often a dicey proposition (think Timbaland‘s collaboration with The Hives). In this case, Blue Sky Black Death are known as hip hop producers and they are working with a vocalist who traditional does Postal Service-esque electronic pop. That’s not exactly the biggest stretch in the world. What is surprising about the release is how much Blue Sky Black Death seem to conform to Alexander Chen’s genre rather than bringing more of a hip hop flare to the table.
With the lack of hip hop flare, it is amazing how similar to bands like Owl City Third Party sounds. The album’s opening track and lead single “Carl Sagan” has by far the most hip hop influence. The track mixes hip hop drums with electopop synths while Alexander Chen’s airy pop vocals go over the top. The track is reminiscent of Massive Attack style trip hop.
But “Carl Sagan” is not necessarily indicative of the entire album. Many more songs are along the Postal Service lines than a slick mixture of trip hop and indie pop. This leads to an album that is a little bit bland in my opinion. There are a couple of really great moments (late in the album song, “Rerun” comes to mind) but for the most part, the album is hit or miss.
Rating: 6.3/10
MP3: Blue Sky Black Death “Carl Sagan”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!

The National Rifle: Vanity Press

Adam Morgan — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:30:08 +0000

The National Rifle: Vanity Press
Whenever I go to Philadelphia, I stay in Havertown, PA. It is a little bit of a commute into the heart of Philly but it is worth it with the reduced hotel prices. But the years of experiencing Havertown never prompted me to think “this seems like a place a decent indie rock band could come out of” but indeed it is the home base of The National Rifle. On their third release, Vanity Press, The National Rifle attempt to put Havertown on the map as something more than the home of the nearest Sonic Drive-In to Philadelphia.
The album’s opening track “In The Weeds” is probably my favorite. The song opens up with an R.E.M. “Auctioneer (Another Engine)” style drum beat but Peter Buck’s arpeggios are replaced with lead singer and guitarist, Hugh’s extended power chords and snotty vocals. As the track evolves the drums become more disjointed and pulsating piano chords are added all making the song sound like at any second it will come apart at the seems and degrade into an unlistenable mess. But that disequilibrium is fun and the National Rifle somehow hold the song together just over four minutes.
The entirety of Vanity Press seems to fiddle around with this concept of disequilibrium. It almost reminds me of Pavement with a little more of a 90s alternative edge to it. At just five songs in length, it is hard to know if the National Rifle could be this captivating for a full length release but they certainly managed to hold my attention for the 20 minutes of Vanity Press.
Rating: 9.0/10
MP3: The National Rifle “In the Weeds”
Buy: iTunes

Andreya Triana: Lost Where I Belong

Adam Morgan — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:07:58 +0000

Andreya Triana: Lost Where I Belong
The press release for Brighton, England-based vocalist, Andreya Triana‘s debut album starts with “soul singers are ten a penny”. Not exactly the line you want etched into the head of prospective reviewers. Of course, the release goes on to tell you how Andreya Triana is more than just a run of the mill soul singer, but in the end is she really?
I think the short answer is no. It is funny because I almost never read the press releases before I listen to an album. After listening to Lost Where I Belong, I thought of starting my review with the line “soul singers are a dime-a-dozen” but the press release tried to beat me to the punch. There are plenty of people in the world with pretty singing voices, unless you have a distinct voice (think Macy Gray). Unfortunately, Andreya Triana does not have a distinct voice. Without that voice, you need to stand out with either great songwriting, great production/instrumentation, or great lyrics. Lost Where I Belong does not have any of those elements.
That is not to say that Lost Where I Belong does not have its moments. Lead single and title track “Lost Where I Belong” is a jazzy soul tune that evokes strong memories of royalty like Nina Simone. The double bass and bossa nova beat give the song character but the hook still lacks the punch to make it a true pop song.
My favorite track on the album is “A Town Called Obsolete”. The funk drums give the song energy and a Rihanna “Umbrella” feel. The chorus features old school sampled horns that give the track a meshing of vintage and modern that is slightly haunting. The result is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of what Andreya Triana is capable of.
Unfortunately, rarely does Triana live up to her potential. The album falls sadly flat on most occasions leaving it as little more than easily overlooked background noise.
Rating: 4.7/10
MP3: Andreya Triana “A Town Called Obsolete”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!

Brackles: Songs For Endless Cities Volume 1

Adam Morgan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:50:21 +0000

Brackles: Songs For Endless Cities Volume 1
24-year-old London producer, Brackles has been hailed as the future of the UK’s dubstep and garage movement. As co-owner of Blunted Robots and a regular on Rinse.fm and FWD, he is already all over the scene. On Songs For Endless Cities Volume 1, Brackles delivers a DJ-Kicks-type overview of the freshest joints in the scene including a brand new and exclusive track by himself.
What Brackles does very well on Songs For Endless Cities is not get pigeonholed with only UK artists. While the garage/dubstep scene is based there, there are plenty of artists around the world that are aping the sound. The compilation kicks off with Flying Lotus, an experimental DJ from Los Angeles. The track original appears on Flying Lotus’ 2008 release, L.A. EP 1 X 3 but serves as great mood-setter for the compilation.
Despite some esoteric international choices, the compilations main crux is UK dubstep producers. Brackles uses tracks from big name producers Zomby, Cooly G and Deadboy. But the big selling point of the compilation is the exclusive track from Brackles.
The track is called “Blo”. The track is a little busier than the traditional dubstep track, with overly complex drum programming and 90s techno-style keyboards. The track is fair but I feel like it fails in the context of the album because of its placement. It is placed after arguably the high point of the album for me which is Roska‘s stunning track “I Need Love”. “BIo” ends up feeling like more of a transition out of “I Need Love” than a track that could stand alone but I guess that is why it was made specifically for this mix.
In the end, the compilation does its job; it really evokes certain imagery. If you close your eyes, you can imagine being in a humid underground London club listening to the thumping beats while a sweaty mob dances about with lazer lights as the only illumination. But unlike those nights clubbing, the compilation comes with a track list allowing you to pinpoint tracks of particular interest and doing further exploring into the artists. It is not like the idea is a new and novel concept or that it has never been done and done well before, but Brackles really does a great job creating a genre overview of the underground dubstep/garage scene.
Rating: 8.0/10
MP3: Brackles “BIo”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!

Everything Everything: Man Alive

Adam Morgan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:48:13 +0000

Everything Everything: Man Alive
Manchester, England’s Everything Everything have already been hailed as filling the post-dancepunk void left by the hiatus of Bloc Party. And they accumulated this acclaim without even releasing a proper full-length, that is until the release of Man Alive. The group’s debut album seeks to fulfill the expectations bestowed upon the group.
There are obvious similarities between Bloc Party and Everything Everything. First off, the use of choppy angular guitars is prevalent. But to balance it out, the band also uses U2-esque echoed guitars on occasion. Secondly, the band has the same kind of manic energy as Bloc Party but then again that manic energy is also the keystone for all British post-punk bands like The Futureheads or Arctic Monkeys.
I think what really makes Everything Everything unique is its front man, Jonathan Higgs. Higgs has an absurdly wide vocal range yet never do the vocals necessarily sound what I would call “pretty”. His “normal” voice reminds me of Calvin Harris but then he has a ridiculous falsetto that has no comparison. It must be heard to be believed.
The album’s lead single, “Suffragette Suffragette” was released way back in 2008. The track features Survivor “Eye of the Tiger”-esque guitars before Higgs adds his vocals which spastically bounces between a normal male vocal range and something much higher. The vocals do not always sound great but somehow they work especially over the music that Everything Everything creates.
In the end, I am not sure Man Alive is quite Silent Alarm but it certainly does put Everything Everything on the map in a big way. With the energy and power of the album’s singles, the band has easily earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the biggest names in British post-punk.
Rating: 7.0/10
MP3: Everything Everything “Suffragette Suffragette”
Buy: iTunes or

The Weepies: Be My Thrill

Adam Morgan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:41:14 +0000

The Weepies: Be My Thrill
When I think of bands from the greater Boston area I think of Pixies, Dropkick Murphys, and hell even Aerosmith but never The Weepies. With nearly a decade of well craft indie folk pop under their belt and their songs being used in commercials for Old Navy and J.C. Penney and in episodes of How I Met Your Mother and House, The Weepies still do not have the name recognition to put them in the elite bands of Boston list. The duo strives to make that list with their fourth record, Be My Thrill.
The Weepies have basically been ghosts since releasing 2008′s Hideaway. The band did no touring for the record and instead immediately began work on their next album. As is usually the story, the group wrote upwards of 70 songs and pared them down to the absolutely best 14 songs for Be My Thrill.
The craftsmanship shows on the album. “Be My Honeypie” is the type of sickeningly sweet “we’re in love” song that will make single people throw up a little in their mouths but the track has a twee pop element that makes it irresistibly catchy if not too overtly optimistic. Equally sweet is “Not a Lullaby” but the track is much more subdued than “Be My Honeypie”. Unfortunately that makes it harder to take. The track ends up being mired in mediocrity.
The album luckily does not only feature love songs. “How Do You Get High?” is one of the most enjoyable tunes on the album. The song is energetic indie pop tune with very little of the folk style that have made the Feelies famous. While abandoning their signature style might seem like a bad idea, the song works so well that it is hardly an issue.
While I would be remiss to claim that the plethora of love songs did not take some toll on listening, the album does present some well crafted tracks. The bubbliness of the truly joyous songs are almost so contagious that when the group chooses to slow down the pace it feels like a let down. It is the catch 22 of writing pop music.
Rating: 6.8/10
MP3: The Weepies “How Do You Get High?”
Buy: iTunes

Carl Broemel: All Birds Say

Adam Morgan — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:05:10 +0000

Carl Broemel: All Birds Say
My Morning Jacket multi-instrumentalist sideman, Carl Broemel steps into the spotlight with his solo debut, All Birds Say. But those expecting My Morning Jacket with a different vocalist will be sorely disappointed, because Broemel has his own sound.
Broemel is a classically trained guitarist and plays pedal steel guitar, saxophone and sings back-up in My Morning Jacket so it should be unsurprising that the musicianship exhibited on All Birds Say is superb. “In the Garden” features majestic steel guitar backed by light finger-plucked acoustic guitar while saxophone and bassoon pepper the lazy summer chorus. It is, however, Broemel’s lush-yet-unsure sounding vocals that really star on the song and ultimately on the album.
On the album’s closing song “Retire”, Broemel ends the album by singing the word “retire” over and over again. With jazzy drums and an oboe backing, Broemel’s vocals sound an equal amount of pained and serene as if the word retire could mean death, sleep, or simply quitting. Which he actually means, I am not sure but his vocal intonation allows the listener to indulge any of the three meanings equally.
Overall, I often find myself on the cynical side of listening to softer, slower releases but All Birds Say fares pretty well in my eyes. Although the album could easily be slid in as background music for any day sitting on the front porch, sipping lemonade from a jar, the album also holds up to a more refined close listen.
Rating: 7.6/10
MP3: Carl Broemel “Retire”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!

The Sword: Warp Riders

Adam Morgan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:43:59 +0000

The Sword: Warp Riders
Austin, Texas based metal band, The Sword has delighted listeners with their combination of doom and stoner metal. On their third studio album, Warp Riders the band makes a conscious choice to incorporating more elements of hard rock.
Musically, Warp Riders is the least “metal” record The Sword has put out to date but that does not mean that the album does not have its moments. “Astraea’s Dream” reminds me of Doomriders but the track is merely an instrumental interlude between album sections. Although it is a full length track, clocking in at over three minutes, the track is not representative of the rest of the album.
The fact is the album has two strikes against it in my mind. First, it is a concept record. The Sword’s website has a detailed description of the storyline that the album tells. The website tells that the album chronicles the tales of “Ereth, an archer banished from his tribe on the planet Acheron”. After that I stopped reading because if I wanted science fiction I would have gone to see Battlefield Earth.
Strike two against the record is the vocals. The vocals border on 90s alternative rock on many tracks rather than what I would consider traditional metal singing vocals or some screaming. I suppose singing is better so listeners can understand the story.
With that said, musically the album is fantastic. Heavy, technically proficient metal filled with crunching guitars and explosive solos, what more could you want out of a metal album? In the end, the nerdy story and lackluster vocal performance are what really drags the album’s rating down.
Rating: 7.7/10
MP3: The Sword “Astraea’s Dream”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!