The Brian Jacket Letdown--Eat Your Friends

Budded from a surreal childhood friendship, classical pianist Tom Phillips and puppeteer Will Harper make up The Brian Jacket Letdown—a collection of English, Brazilian, French, and Polish musicians who have developed into a hefty outfit shaking off their genesis and looking to the future. After releasing a debut EP, The Brian Jacket Letdown garnered much attention in the likes of supporting Misty’s Big Adventure, Scritti Politti, and Brian Jonestown Massacre. This year launched with an appearance on BBC2’s “The Culture Show,” and now continues with the band’s sophomore EP Eat Your Friends. “Eat Your Friends” begins with “Russian-style hoohah chanting” and buds into an oddly rhythmic blend of folk and indie rock. The vocals are quick, chaotic, and not meant to be understood. Such is the off-kilter style of The Brian Jacket Letdown. The B-side “Me and My Dog” sounds like an acoustic Ad Astra Per Aspera or, as they put it, “Led Zeppelin doing a cover of Japanese Kabuki theatre music.” Their guitar ability is uncanny, emulating a stumbling, rickety feeling while staying brilliantly rhythmic and fast-paced. The guitar solos on “Me and My Dog” are worth picking up Eat Your Friends alone, if not for exposure to a new take on old styles. Look for more to come from The Brian Jacket Letdown.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

Dusty Kid--Signal EP

Dusty Kid – a new project fronted by Paolo Lode – peppers their first EP with four distinct tracks. Of previous Duoteque fame, Lode is a well-known techno song writer with a plethora of tracks under his belt—precisely why choosing just a few was so difficult for this EP. So they threw 4 completely different tracks in, all of which could survive separately on their own singles.

I Love Richie is a non-stop techno hit filled to the brim with bass-beats and tip-of-the-ear vocals. Conga-style drums effects lace the track, adding a vibe of constancy through the ups and downs of the foundation beats. “See the stars come out tonight,” whispers the vocalist, before falling into a raging pit of techno frequencies and conga-drums. Cowboys adds a jazzy twist to the usual flow, adding some more pop-driven drum beats under a modest melodic front. Matrakoma is a house track if there ever was one, complete with a insanely-driving bass beat (and that doesn’t begin to describe it) and freaky vocals. This leads nicely into The Riot, a extremely catchy groove that won’t fail to get your foot moving and your head banging. Vibrant, moving, and complex, The Riot stands out as a clear winner.

Paolo Lode erases all doubt of his solo ability with Dusty Kid’s release. These 4 tracks could easily support their own EPs, but are instead thrown into one—showing the sheer volume of Lode’s creative process. Additionally, each one of these tracks is distinctly different from the last, adding flavors of jazz, house, techno, and pop all into one EP. Dusty Kid looks to be an outfit to watch, and I hope Lode continues releasing work of this quality.

(Published at 365Mag.com)

Torch Remixes

Great Stuff is back for more remixes as artists Namito and Rainer Weichhold put their musical talent to Soft Cell’s Torch release. Soft Cell, made up of Marc Almond and Dave Ball, are best (or worst) known of their release Tainted Love. This – the second of Great Stuff’s Soft Cell remixes – proceeds the 2006 effort that failed to make as big a splash as hoped. But Great Stuff is trying again, this time with Kling Klong’s Namito and Rainer Weichhold. This is Weichhold’s first remix, but never fear as he has Butch alongside to aid in the reinterpretation of this famed release.

Both tracks extensively use vocals in combination with driving bass beats. Weichhold’s version becomes mesmerizing with the repeated word “Come,” an eerie combination with his darker techno melodies. His track falls into silence midway through, only to rise back out of the quiet for a dance-floor climax. Namito’s remix (dubbed Namito’s Torture) too contains a delicately played out climax, while the remainder of the track is pulled back and quieter in comparison to Weichhold.

I prefer Weichhold’s work over Namito, but both are driving dance-floor beats that, while they may not do the original’s justice (and what could?), they are certainly captivating tracks worthy of picking up.

(Published at 365Mag.com)

Butch--Life Is Deadly

Butch’s first release on Craft Work, Life Is Deadly represents Butch’s newest work since his remix work on Wehbba`s Mary`s Army last year. It was this remixing work that brought to light Butch’s enormous DJ and producing talent—talent that yielded deals with Craft Work, Trapez, Great Stuff, and Flash. Life Is Deadly contains two neo-trance tracks by Butch and one remix by Christian Phoenix.

Life is Deadly takes off slowly, but the bass-lines to come are worth the wait. Truly a trance track at just over eight minutes, Butch relentlessly drives the dance beat—adding in minimal melodic effects over the top. But its clear the main focus is the pulse. Christian Phoenix’s remix is darker, pulling back on the bass and leaving it as a slithering techno groove. More submerged and creeping than the original, Phoenix’s version loses none of the original’s punch. The release capper Mushrooms of Happiness is much more colorful, in that more melodic blips and beeps are added. Additional electronic claps and whistles make Mushrooms of Happiness live up to its name, especially in comparison to the earlier Life Is Deadly tracks.

Butch indeed seems to be worthy of his budding fame. With so many record signings, we can certainly hope for more of this quality in the future.

(Published at 365Mag.com)

Ghostland Observatory--Paparazzi Lightning

From the start of “Piano Man” you may put Ghostland Observatory to rest. The barely distinguishable, headache inducing vocals are the final nail in a coffin of disco-styled rhythms and annoying blips. But don’t be so hasty! There are better novelties to be enjoyed here. Sort through the screaming train-wrecks that are “Ghetto Magnet” and “I’ll Be Suzy,” just be patient. There are interesting, bearable tracks among the mess of Paparazzi Lightning, the debut release from Austin’s Ghostland Observatory. “Sad Sad City” is the clear hit, mixing an Ok Go vocal/beat style with electronica instrumentals and disco effects. It may sound disgusting but its damn catchy, and at the very least fascinating like a car-crash and/or Frankenstein. “Vibrate” is straight out of the ‘80s (you can just sense the sequins on the parachute pants) but again forced around a beat that Dracula would use if he were throwing a disco party in his haunted mansion. Interested yet? Like a fully electronic version of The Sunshine Underground or a modern Prince, Ghostland Observatory rocket on through Paparazzi Lightning with one peculiar mix-match of genres after another. “Stranger Lover” is a slower, more morose track, and within “Move With Your Lover” you could swear that Prince actually had a hand in this creation. Odd as they may be, Ghostland Observatory are gaining a lot of buzz out there, and good for them. Their unique songs are a peculiarly fun listen, and the more vibrancy in the music scene the better. I just hope ‘80s-styled disco just doesn’t make a come back.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

Kobaya--Shiballizer

Starting his musical career at age 6, Nenad Petrovic has decades of experience under his belt. After dabbling in bass guitar and violin, Petrovic turned his attention to the electronic scene—producing and experimenting until 2004, when his first work “Rosa Salvahe” was released. From then on he has been releasing numerous EPs under the guise Kobaya, the latest being Shiballizer on Valentino Kanzyani’s Jesus Loved You record imprint.

The title track is a pop-dance-floor hit. Introducing the overall themes and melodies early, Petrovic then adds layer upon layer of bass beat, intermixing the general pace with rapturous spin-offs. Overall though, Shiballizer is a trance track that employs the same overall beat throughout its seven minutes. UnTitled is more pulled back and has a greater variety of bells and whistles accompanying the underlying bass beat. While the intricate effects and noise-makers give UnTitled a more interesting and dynamic feel than Shiballizer, the song never quite goes anywhere. Yes there are climaxes and shifts in the driving bass beat, but these happen too late and too infrequently for my liking, leaving the listener with minutes of the same beat.

Finally, Here Something This That (which is only available on the digital release of Shiballizer) drives faster than UnTitled. Together with an effect that sounds very similar to a barking dog, Petrovic switches up the general flow of the pounding beat so that it remains unique on the release, but still has trouble adding variety within the track. Shiballizer is the clear winner on the release that bears its name. While all three are trance-like electronic grooves, only Shiballizer really adds enough variety to justify its seven minute length. Still, Petrovic puts out some great grooves and more should be looked for from him, especially on the Jesus Loved You label.

(Published at 365Mag.com)

Snowden--Anti-Anti

The debut LP from Snowden, a quartet from Atlanta, Anti-Anti is a mish-mash of indie rock, dance-floor beats, and shoegaze ethereality. Right from the get-go in “Like Bullets” Snowden dabbles in alternating drum and bass beats that ride the narrow edge of collapse with perpendicular vocals. It should all rightfully fall apart, the bass should fall off-beat or the vocals should become muddled, but instead Snowden craft a track with so many driving pulses your feet won’t know quite what to do. The album’s namesake “Anti-Anti” follows a similar pattern, layering in different guitar riffs with the vocals and bass and drums in a confounded mess that somehow shapes out into a damnably catchy tune. Snowden achieves clear pop hits in “Between the Rent and Me” and “Black Eyes,” both being very accessible and nearly ready for the dance floor. Shoegaze influences ring through as well, peppering the songs with heavily-effected guitar riffs crafting towering sonic landscapes, like My Bloody Valentine pumped through with way too much bass. Indeed, these tracks are very similar to Radiohead (even Thom Yorke’s The Eraser) or The Arcade Fire (again, with more bass added). Some tracks like “Filler Is Wasted” tend to pound away at the ears, and may cause some headaches, but the majority of the album is explosive bass-driven ethereal pulsations that are just as much indie rock as they are dance mixes.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Midnight Movies--Lion the Girl

With bright indie guitars crashing, Midnight Movies opens their sophomore album Lion the Girl with more of gloomy late-night themes that graced their self-titled debut in 2004. “Souvenirs” features Gena Olivier's melancholy voice, repeating the ominous line “Like children…” over winding detached instrumentals. Lion the Girl continues in the same way from there, dotting autumnal landscapes with classic guitar solos, scathing vocals, and creepy effects that wouldn’t feel amiss in a bone yard. Much like Belle & Sebastian, but lacking their brightness, or a modestly downcast TV on the Radio, Midnight Movies throws out some wonderful melodies (such as “Hide Away” and “Coral Den”) and snippets of guitar solos worth salivating over (“Patient Eye”). “Ribbons” and “Bell Tower” are quieter songs, brooding over old wounds that finally explode into a guitar-riff mess in “Lion Song.” Olivier’s vocals are a perfect match for this melancholy mood, adding the delicacy of female vocals with strength and resilience as well (think an indie, non-annoying Lacuna Coil). The album closes as the flowery introspective instrumentals of “Dawn” give way to the shredding shoegaze guitars of “Two Years,” dishing out one last catchy melody before descending into silence. Midnight Movies come off strong yet again, putting together an album that should truly be played at midnight. A release perfect for the brooding introspection that comes with late-nights, Lion the Girl also hides brilliant indie melodies, wonderful edge-of-shoegaze instrumentals, and of course Olivier’s own wonderfully creepy vocals.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

120 Days--120 Days

There’s just something about Norwegian electronica-blended indie rock that makes me salivate. And that something is 120 Days. Like a Radiohead translated into a Nordic-environment and then back again, 120 Days is the development of a long friendship between friends Jonas Dahl, Arne Kvalvik, Kjetil Ovesen, and Ådne Meisfjord. After releasing Sedated Times, their highly-acclaimed debut EP, 120 Days finished their self-titled album—and have been riding the wave of popularity that has followed. 120 Days present moving dynamic electronic-themes that are still very clearly indie rock, together with damnably catchy rhythms and vocals. From the opening riffs of “Come out, Come Down, Fade out, Be Gone” you know you’re in the hands of brilliant composers, throwing just enough pop into a slushy dance-floor mix to keep your ear interested. Tracks “Get Away” and “Lazy Eyes” are strong winners off the album, and the U2-meets-Radiohead stylings in “Sleepwalking” will refuse to leave your head for days. What’s best about 120 Days though is their incredible dynamic. The fact that they can go from the pop-riffs of “Sleepwalking” to the pure electronic instrumentals in “I've Lost My Vision” is wonderfully refreshing, and the complete mood-change from the in-your-face attitude of “Get Away” to the sunny “Keep On Smiling” is impressive. And within “Get Away,” my musical taste buds are satisfied to unheard-of levels as a wonderfully distorted guitar solo rips through dance-floor electronica foundations. This isn’t your cheap dance-floor rip off, this is quality blending of indie and electronica, imported from Norway’s finest. 120 Days is a delightful delicacy.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

Cardinal--Cardinal

Cardinal’s story of sharply peaked levels of popular interest is familiar to anyone who was thoroughly disillusioned with the grunge movement by 1994, and needed something different. Singer/songwriters Richard Davies (of previous Moles fame) and Eric Matthews came together in the early ‘90s, and in 1994 released their sole self-titled album, a cabinet of redone ‘60s guitar chamber pop, mixed with some touches of modern indie-pop. Treasured by the underground of indie – especially those who appreciate the combination of thoughtful guitar instrumentals and orchestral support – Cardinal fell apart soon after their only release due to internal conflicts between Davies and Matthews. Both Davies and Matthews’ vocals on the release are bittersweet, evoking images of musical pioneers playing upon brightly colored stages—pumping their images and music into the homes of millions ‘60s families. Tracks like “If You Believe in Christmas Trees” and “You’ve Lost Me There” are silently brilliant and sound not one decade old, but four. Davies’ songs (which include both previously mentioned) are indeed more thoughtful in comparison to Matthews’ “Dream Figure,” which moves relatively slowly and awkwardly (think the worst Foo Fighters song you’ve ever heard) compared to “Big Mink” by Davies.

For those have been sitting on these 10 songs for over a decade now – and those whose ears devour “Silver Machines” and demand more – this 2005 re-release of Cardinal includes 11 bonus tracks. Included are original demos of favorite tracks like “If You Believe in Christmas Trees” and “You’ve Lost Me There,” both of which sound rawer and as a result more powerful than the album versions. Also included are a few unreleased tracks (including the rousing B-side “Say the Words Impossible”), most of which were written by Davies, and again show the true depth of his songwriting ability. A special treat to Cardinal fans old and new, these 11 tracks shed some much needed light into the creative processes of a power-combination whose full potential was only partly realized.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

Les Breastfeeders--Les Matins de Grands Soirs

Can French Canadians kick it or what? If your answer is “what?,” your quest-of-the-day is to go out and buy Matins de Grands Soirs by Les Breastfeeders—the best garage punk to be drenched in French since the ‘60s. After a decent start in their 2004 debut Dejeuner sur l'Herbe, Les Breastfeeders return even stronger and prove the language barrier is a boon in disguise. The rambunctious Montreal-French vocals add an exotic flavor to the dish, while in themselves becoming yet another crashing instrument in the spunky punk blend. Irresistibly catchy tracks (“Qui a Deux Femmes”) show off the rowdy fun Les Breastfeeders deliver with apparent ease, sprinting from one track to the next with quick-‘n’-dirty guitar solos and nonstop melodies. It’s a breathless experience rushing from the drum-backed bouncy refrains of “Viens avec Moi,” to the sweet-and-sour vocals of “Chanson pour Destinée,” all the way to the slowed bittersweet closer “Septembre Sous la Pluie.” Les Breastfeeders prove to be strong garage punk rockers (“Tuer l'Idole”) while keeping an element of rowdy fun (“En Dansant le Yah!”), and never abandoning their multicultural heritage (“Da-Di-Dam”). Playing in a similar style to The Raconteurs, the Ramones, their French Canadian brethren Malajube, or even The Vines (try out the Craig Nicholls retches in “Qui a Deux Femmes”), Les Breastfeeders crank out exotic stylings while still staying true to the genre, proving that punk is punk—no matter where you go. Wet your punk palate with Les Breastfeeders and Les Matins de Grands Soir.

(Published at MusicEmissions.com)

(in)camera--(in)camera

There’s no better accompaniment to the approaching spring than the ethereal landscapes crafted masterfully by (in)camera. From the very onset of opener “Juniper,” flowery blips pop about summery melodies like delicate fireworks carefully interrupting silent fields of stars. The symbols crash around otherworldly guitar riffs, as if the sparks and twinkles raining down from expired supernovas. All of this warm imagery is wrapped cozily around the strongly recherché vocals of Shelagh Larkin and Susan Smith. This, the self-titled EP debut of Cincinnati’s gloriously indie outfit (in)camera, rounds out 20 minutes with 4 songs. Like any good EP, the closing crashing feedback of “Green Motel” leaves your ears ringing and your moth salivating. Every song on this release is blisteringly warm, strong, and deep—as in a bottomless ocean sort of deep. “Inbetween” practically drowns the listener in a lake of sonic reverberations, teasing with smooth seas before inciting tidal waves of choruses. There are layers upon layers of sound within these tracks, and – much like Sonic Youth, Stereolab, and even My Bloody Valentine – your ears will require a few listens to swim through the waves of sound generated by (in)camera. The young-yet-veteran musicians of (in)camera prove already to be worthy of praise and to them I say: Please give us more!

(Published at MusicEmissons.com)