Comments (People Who See Sound
Ghostbird – Ghostbird
(BMI/Capricorn
Studios/ Link Music Management)
4.5
Elusive and precise as the animal from which this band got their name
from, the owl, Ghostbird’s sharp, expansive tunes stealthily assault the
listener leaving behind only the whisper of a fading dream. The founding
members of ghostbird, Trent Hancock and Mike Cooper transfused a hodge-podge of
influences to construct the band’s maiden sound. Both Hancock and Cooper are
deeply entrenched in the
“Toy Soldier” is
comprised of tight drums, airy synth, and a melancholy piano accented by
introspective lyrics and multilayered vocals. “Night Kills Day” boasts a
reggae-like rhythm composition with edgy guitar distortion in the chorus and a
clean tone in the verse. The drums are the true standout on this track, filling
the downtime with a stilted, rich beat. “Caroline” has an upbeat, feel good
tone which balances out the lonesome material in the lyrics. This track has a
strong chorus. For a debut effort this album is well crafted and structured.
The path this band is on is a promising one. -- Nick
Durcholz
Massive Attack – Splitting the Atom
(Virgin)
4
I’m a pretty solid Massive Attack fan going back to 1998’s Mezzanine, an
effort most recognizable to the general public as the source of “Teardrop,”
currently used as the theme for acclaimed television show House, M.D. When I finally got the chance to sit down and listen to
their newest release, Splitting the Atom,
I was anxious to hear what it sounded like. It’s haunting. There are so many
layers going on at once, my head nearly explodes. Splitting the Atom isn’t something you’ll want to listen to with
headphones. It deserves speakers, and works better at a lower volume. Mid-tempo
cuts like the title track and “Pray for Rain” are heavy on the bass. All the
guest vocalists accent the instrumentals well.
If there’s any flaw in
this EP, it’s the length. I almost want more of the dark sounds—the horn
section on “Bulletproof Love” gives way to the steady low sound of a muted
klaxon. If you’ve got a good set of speakers you’re willing to turn up just
enough to hear the music, you’ll be good to go.
(Equal Vision
Records)
5
As far as appearances go, this band is a hipster’s wet dream. Musically
though
“People Say” starts off
the album with a flowing, bluesy riff counteracted with a lighter, driven tone
in the chorus and the verses. Lyrically, the chorus of this track really stands
out. “Work All Day” boasts a back and forth rhythm which inspires soulful
moves. The drums are simple and sharp and the vocals are solid. “The Sun”
begins with piano in major accented by a funky baseline to bring in the
soulful, uplifting vocals. The musical and lyric composition on this track is
flawless. Bringing all types of funk,
Black Cobra – Chronomega
(Southern Lord)
4
Bay Area duo Black Cobra's Southern Lord debut (and third LP overall)
shreds from the very first track. "Negative Reversal" is a frantic,
riff-heavy onslaught of sludgy doom/stoner wickedness – like the Melvins on a
speed binge, perhaps. "Catalyst" begins with some subtle drone, but
it soon erupts into another mammoth cataclysm of molasses-thick riff-n-spliff.
"Zero Point Field" gets so sticky, it threatens to become total
noise, but it never devolves quite that far.
Produced by the
man-of-the-hour Billy Anderson (Melvins, Neurosis, High on Fire), Chronomega is a thick, bludgeoning behemoth
capable of crushing anything in its path. I am duly convinced, and worship at
the altar of Black Cobra.
The Fall of
(Equal Vision)
3
The trio that is the Fall of Troy is an eclectic looking bunch of
fellows. On first glance the listen questions how they would even be friends
much less band-mates. Musically these three have an admirable range in rock and
actually feed off of each other very well. They seem to blend the best parts of
several pioneer acts in the past two decades. They sport rapid-fire drumming
reminiscent of Fear Factory, piercing vocals of the Deftones or Glassjaw, and
the guitar composition of Rage Against the Machine and Staind. Unfortunately, the vocals Thomas Erak come
off too whiny in most cases but instrumentally this band is a fine-tuned,
ear-assaulter.
“Panic Attack!” is an
epic stand-out track for Erak on guitar. His riffs are heavy, intricate, and
multi-rhythmic. “Straight-Jacket Keelhauled” is a straight out thrash-fest. The
screaming vocals are appropriate for the mood of the song but almost take away
from the compositional complexity of the track. “A Classic Case of
Transference” flows well lyrically and the guitar is break-neck but again the
vocals are very irritating at times.
“Empty the Clip, the King has been Slain, Long Live the Queen”, again
great instrumentally but the vocals are girlishly dramatic. The whiny,
overly-aggressive vocals make all of this band’s songs sound the same, when
instrumentally they are unique. The band needs to address this. One thing is
for sure the Fall of Troy has an immense passion for music.
A Storm of Light – Forgive Us Our Trespasses
(Neurot Recordings)
4
This album serves as a warning and a document of mankind's widespread
gluttony and greed over our own Mother Nature and the devastating effects of
Earth tipping the scales back into her favor. And to capture that heavy-duty
concept, the music needs to be grand, all-encompassing, and absolutely omnipotent.
Forgive Us Our Trespasses comes
mightily close, and in fact works quite well under that condition. Formed in
2008 by Josh Graham (ex-Battle of Mice, Neurosis visualist) and joined by
Dominic Seita (Tombs, Asea), Andy Rice (Sinking Ships), and Joel Hamilton
(Battle of Mice, Book of Knots), this incredible combo is primed to prove
themselves juggernauts of environmentally-conscious, cerebral post-metal
heaviness. The titanic rhythms and thunderous riffage of the aptly-titled
"Tempest" envision a future wrought with apocalyptic cataclysm. The
potent storms of doomy, slow, and tortuous grind here are melodic and dynamic,
though, pulsing with ethereal undercurrents that envelop the monolithic slabs
of pure, primal force. Lydia Lunch herself provides effected spoken parts through
three cuts, and former Swans frontwoman Jarboe also adds her considerable vocal
talents to a couple of songs, but this is really Graham's child, as he
contributes just about every instrument to the mix, as well as conjuring the
amazingly apocalyptic artwork on the sleeve and liners. "The Light in
Their Eyes" places a mournful cello as the centerpiece, with martial drums
and frightening soundtrack textures providing the color to the rendering. This
is an album that warns of a possible, even inevitable, global environmental
catastrophe. And the music provides a sort of soundtrack -- powerful,
unstoppable, and ultimately sorrowful. This is a hell of a recording, and this
group will be legendary if they can keep up with a creative zenith like this. -- Todd
Zachritz
Green River
Ordinance – Out of My Hands
(Virgin)
1.5
Still on the look-out for that truly awesome, original rock/pop band?
Well these guys are definitely not it. Green River Ordinance has the
instrumental and lyrical personality of a two-by-four. About the only saving
grace for this band is the passion in their vocals and the clean structure of
their tracks. This Texas-quintet had rich musical lives in the past but seem to
have never wanted to reach beyond the status quo. This is what the album
implies at least. It is bland, recycled, and leaves the listener thinking, been
there heard that. Honestly, how good can any band be that has been featured on
MTV’s The Hills?
“Outside” has a decent
flow to it. The lyrics and music mingle well but it’s a polished, soft rocker
trying to be hardcore and falls flat. “Out of my Hands,” one word: cliché. “On
Your Own” boasts a melodic, bittersweet piano which is great but the lyrics and
vocals are full of fluff. “Goodbye L.A.” may have a certain emotional importance
to the band but damn, this song is extensively, terribly dreadful. “Different
(Anything At All)” has good rhythm and energy but still the same reoccurring
theme. If a listener is into processed
pop/rock garbage with no soul, Green River Ordinance is their band. If not, do
not so much as give a second thought or even a passing glance.
DJ Spooky That
Subliminal Kid – The Secret Song
(Thirsty Ear)
5
Suffice to say this is possibly DJ Spooky (aka Paul D. Miller’s) most
fully realized and wide-reaching release in his already deep and extensive
catalog. He's got collaborators from nearly every continent (and genre) at
hand. The list alone is impressive: Thurston Moore, Jungle Brothers, Rob Swift,
The Coup, Mike Ladd, Sussan Deyhim, Abdul Smooth, Vijay Iyer, Zimbabwe Legit,
and more. But the star of the show is unquestionably DJ Spooky himself, who
takes the material from these disparate sources and creates a worldly, wise,
and hopeful travelogue that traverses the fringes of culture(s). "Dazed
And Confused Dub" is a massive rock symphony. "Where I'm At" is
forward-thinking hip-hop.
"Heliocentric"
is funky electro-jazz, and "Azadi" is full of smooth, sensual, Middle
Eastern chants. And that's just a few of the 20 cuts here. DJ Spooky masterfully
fuses the sounds of urban hip-hop, academic electronica, gritty rock,
futuristic classical, musique concrete, and out-jazz, and in effect creates as
close to a comprehensive modern-day pop music/sound collage as you're likely to
hear this year. Or this century. Stunning and essential.
Voice of Eye – Seven Directions Divergent
(Conundrum
Unlimited)
3
True to its title, this long-awaited new CD from New Mexican duo Voice of
Eye wanders across the deserts alluringly, and in different directions. It's
been many years since I last heard from the duo of Bonnie McNairn and Jim
Wilson. Their 90s releases were incredible conjurations of primitive spirits
and fleeting ritual ambiances that were simultaneously dark, seductive, and
intense. With this release, they immediately go into a completely different
realm with the opening track, "Gates of Mysterious Fire." It's a
rhythmic track with McNairn's wispy, ghostly vocals. There are other tracks of
earthy, narcotic, and psychedelic song-based composing here, reminding me a
little of Charalambides' primitivist work, though VOE layer their tracks much
more densely. As with their earlier work, all of the sounds here are
organic/acoustic in origin -- no synthesizers were used, which seems incredible
when you hear the sonic textures at work here. Indeed, Voice of Eye are masters
of sound manipulation. "Golden Space Funk Transmission" isn't all
that funky per se, but it is a solid bit of rolling ambient pop, both drifty
and hallucinogenic. "Om Shanti" is a traditional Sanskrit mantra, and
is a very enjoyable and meditational sound built on traditional instruments for
an exotic, droning journey. The final track, the 18-minute
"Transformational Birth," harkens back to the group's earlier works,
and is a decidedly darker, ambient improvisation that sounds like a leviathan
awakening from slumber -- edgy, majestic, and not least of all, frighteningly
sinister. Beautiful work, and a hearty journey, indeed.
