PEARS
Green Star
Feature Track: Anhedonia
Keep Listening: Green Star
Deep Cut: Doorbell
When I was a freshman in high school, there was a group of upper classmen who I met through community theater. I can't say that I was ever "part of their group" or anything, but they were nice to me and introduced me to a few things that contributed to my nascent personality. For instance, my first beer was a Rolling Rock poured into my mouth from the 2nd balcony by Scott Kearny at a cast party.
One of the most influential people for me during that time was a girl name Br3it Anderson. Yes, she spelled her name with a 3. I thought it was badass. Actually, I still do. Br3it was a bad ass chick. Rumors abounded that she met Marilyn Manson at the Rock & Roll hall of fame and "dated" him for a bit. I have no idea if that is true, but I want to believe it. She was the daughter of my English teacher. Her father introduced me to the work of Joseph Campbell and once gave me extra credit on an exam because I was able to name the song 'Rats' by Pearl Jam based on a 15 second clip of the song. Her mother was an obsessive Rock & Roll fan and had a 8'x6' afghan with the likeness of Steven Tyler on it. She made it herself. She always had an Aerosmith shirt on.
Anyway, one day during a rehearsal for our Highschool production of Three Musketeers, she gave me a mix tape, out of blue. I have no idea why she gave it to me or what made her think (realize) that I needed it. This was back when mix-tapes were literally cassettes. I can't remember all the tracks, but I remember most of them. It was a collection of the sickest tracks I had ever heard. Blag Flag, Prong, Minor Threat, Green Jelly, Bad Brains, Fugazi and many other bands I had never heard of. I wore that tape out! My first listen through that tape was one of the most crucial moments of my youth and it sticks with me and informs my sensibilities to this day.
The older I get, the more difficult it becomes to really get excited about bands in the "punk" genre. Over time this genre has become so watered down and confused that one never knows what will come out of the speakers. It could be pop music, hard-core, screamo or any number of other types of music that do not make me think of "punk".
From the get-go I knew that PEARS was legit. The average length of any track is about 90 seconds and their sound flows through meter changes and sonic moods in a way that took me right back to that cassette tape. There is a specific feeling that I get in my gut, head and soul when I hear some of those old mix-tape songs and for me most of this new album resonates on that same frequency.
PEARS brings a new sophistication to a legitimate brand of punk by allowing subtle hints of pop, rock and hardcore to seep through for seconds at a time while never veering from the tried and true patina of dirty garage punk rock.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
One Weird Thing is That You Have Probably Never Listened To This Album
The Bears
Eureka! (2007)
Feature Track: On
I know about The Bears because of their association with guitarist, electronics guru and producer Adrian Belew. Their 2007 release Eureka! is a masterpiece. However, if you hurry now, perhaps you can be the 700th person to listen to the album on Youtube. On Spotify, The Bears are not faring much better.
Despite the relative small impact these metrics would suggest, with the advent of nearly flawless data storage and playback system with little or no degradation, time will prove this band out to be one of the most influential and powerful musical forces to emerge out of this era of recorded pop music.
This band touches on the edge of the best sounds Weezer ever achieved while intermittently breaking out into disastrous hooks that must be an influence on Dave Grohl's ever maturing sound.
Relentless pop assault delivered via viciously purposefully counter-sound. Eureka will be 10 years old next year. It stands with anything released this year or last.
Eureka! (2007)
Feature Track: On
I know about The Bears because of their association with guitarist, electronics guru and producer Adrian Belew. Their 2007 release Eureka! is a masterpiece. However, if you hurry now, perhaps you can be the 700th person to listen to the album on Youtube. On Spotify, The Bears are not faring much better.
Despite the relative small impact these metrics would suggest, with the advent of nearly flawless data storage and playback system with little or no degradation, time will prove this band out to be one of the most influential and powerful musical forces to emerge out of this era of recorded pop music.
This band touches on the edge of the best sounds Weezer ever achieved while intermittently breaking out into disastrous hooks that must be an influence on Dave Grohl's ever maturing sound.
Relentless pop assault delivered via viciously purposefully counter-sound. Eureka will be 10 years old next year. It stands with anything released this year or last.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Moderat III
Moderat
III
Rating: Essential
I listened to this at least three times. Something would always come up and I would have to turn it down or off. Quite a few times, I let it play on through into the next albums (different versions of III) I found myself entangled. Huge tracks full of space. Animal Trails is characteristic of this "crashing silence". Discover this gem for yourself.
III
Rating: Essential
I listened to this at least three times. Something would always come up and I would have to turn it down or off. Quite a few times, I let it play on through into the next albums (different versions of III) I found myself entangled. Huge tracks full of space. Animal Trails is characteristic of this "crashing silence". Discover this gem for yourself.
Lukas Graham
Lukas Graham
Feature Track: 7 Years
Keep Listening: Better Than Yourself
The wikipedia for this artist reads like a artist-centric fantasy novel. It's impossible to believe anything on the internet. So this guy ordered an MPC from amazon, threw a track up on youtube and then sold 20,000 concert tickets. Magic record deal descends from heaven. 5 years later almost 500M plays on a few spotify tracks.
The harmonies on Mama Said are religious and highly original. They sound as if they were truly sung and not queued in. I feel like Joe Satriani/Cold Play are going to crash down on Lukas Graham's Happy Home. The vocals on this one are definitely tweaked. The sting is lessened by the smooth horns on Drunk in the Morning.
My complaint with Bruno Mars has always been that his songs are brilliant, but essentially without substance. Graham sits in a much more authentic pocket. I would say that Funk making a comeback, but did it ever really leave? From Bad Brains to Pearl Jam's Dirty Frank and into Daft Punk, funk has maintained a steady place in the peripheral awareness of any music worth listening to. Strip No More. o__o
Better Than Yourself opens up into Graham's self-confessional autobiography. This is an artist bringing everything he has, even though he doesn't understand what it is yet. He faces the fear of blossoming with a soliloquy of self-expression. Singing to a brother who is jail, literally, metaphorically opening up a bevy of avenues for the listener to reflect upon. Dude has a voice. It is easier to believe the Wikipedia history by the end of this album.
Lukas Graham
Feature Track: 7 Years
Keep Listening: Better Than Yourself
The wikipedia for this artist reads like a artist-centric fantasy novel. It's impossible to believe anything on the internet. So this guy ordered an MPC from amazon, threw a track up on youtube and then sold 20,000 concert tickets. Magic record deal descends from heaven. 5 years later almost 500M plays on a few spotify tracks.
The harmonies on Mama Said are religious and highly original. They sound as if they were truly sung and not queued in. I feel like Joe Satriani/Cold Play are going to crash down on Lukas Graham's Happy Home. The vocals on this one are definitely tweaked. The sting is lessened by the smooth horns on Drunk in the Morning.
My complaint with Bruno Mars has always been that his songs are brilliant, but essentially without substance. Graham sits in a much more authentic pocket. I would say that Funk making a comeback, but did it ever really leave? From Bad Brains to Pearl Jam's Dirty Frank and into Daft Punk, funk has maintained a steady place in the peripheral awareness of any music worth listening to. Strip No More. o__o
Better Than Yourself opens up into Graham's self-confessional autobiography. This is an artist bringing everything he has, even though he doesn't understand what it is yet. He faces the fear of blossoming with a soliloquy of self-expression. Singing to a brother who is jail, literally, metaphorically opening up a bevy of avenues for the listener to reflect upon. Dude has a voice. It is easier to believe the Wikipedia history by the end of this album.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Laura Gibson - Empire Builder
Laura Gibson - Empire Builder
Feature Track: The Cause
Keep Listening: Five and Thirty
Rating: 4
It helps if the first track is undeniably epic. But it is not required. Often, if the sonics are right, I find a few introduction tracks to be a nice 'wading in' experience to some albums. The Cause tip-toes into a barren creek bed. It starts to gently rain. Then with, seemingly, more force than that being applied by the surrounding precipitation, the river is running.
An effectiveness of pronunciation highlights the lilt of an accent and the words float through the air like the stories of Ulysses' bard. Not Harmless is a post-grunge folk masterpiece. Empire Builder was a roller coaster. I was unconvinced until the guitar faded in at the very end and the toms were uncovered. Five and Thirty is intentionally phased. The listener is required to complete the puzzle and verify the artist's intent. This is a vulnerable position for artist and listener. Simply entering this space, the listener has the power to examine qualities of their own sentience that are independent of genre or lyrical content.
Dark Lake provides a perfect segue from the broken back beat of Five and Thirty into the unapologetic pop of Two Kids. From here, I was tuned out while doing some work. But it finished strong with big horns behind a heavy fader.
Feature Track: The Cause
Keep Listening: Five and Thirty
Rating: 4
It helps if the first track is undeniably epic. But it is not required. Often, if the sonics are right, I find a few introduction tracks to be a nice 'wading in' experience to some albums. The Cause tip-toes into a barren creek bed. It starts to gently rain. Then with, seemingly, more force than that being applied by the surrounding precipitation, the river is running.
An effectiveness of pronunciation highlights the lilt of an accent and the words float through the air like the stories of Ulysses' bard. Not Harmless is a post-grunge folk masterpiece. Empire Builder was a roller coaster. I was unconvinced until the guitar faded in at the very end and the toms were uncovered. Five and Thirty is intentionally phased. The listener is required to complete the puzzle and verify the artist's intent. This is a vulnerable position for artist and listener. Simply entering this space, the listener has the power to examine qualities of their own sentience that are independent of genre or lyrical content.
Dark Lake provides a perfect segue from the broken back beat of Five and Thirty into the unapologetic pop of Two Kids. From here, I was tuned out while doing some work. But it finished strong with big horns behind a heavy fader.
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