Category: Reviews

The Black Ryder – The Door Behind The Door

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The-Black-Ryder-The-Door-Behind-The-DoorRating: ★★★★½

The Black Ryder consists of Aimee Nash and Scott Von Ryper, who hail from Australia, but have recently relocated to L.A. Back in 2009 they released their first album, Buy The Ticket, which earned them some recognition as they premiered their self-proclaimed “rhinestone drone dark rock” music. The Door Behind The Door is a dramatic and gorgeous exploration of this genre, complete with standout tracks as well as an intensifying growth over the course of its duration.

If you were to listen to the first and last track of this record, you would be mystified as how one could lead to the other. Opener “Babylon” is a swirling and twisted slow core jam, complete with heavily distorted guitars that rip through the mix for a brief introduction. Then the band moves into their sweet spot: a sometimes-hazy wall of dark sound comprised of detailed and alarmingly subtle nuances that move you. Take one of my favorite numbers, “Let Me Be Your Light” for example. This number slinks in with its whirring sound and slowly takes off, the transparent vocals of Aimee Nash giving the whole number a juxtaposition between the lightness of her voice and the heaviness of the instrumentation. Infectious, deeply moving, well crafted, this song, as well as the rest of the numbers, hit you in a place you didn’t even know existed.

By the end of the album, there’s an overall shift from the heavy rock that The Black Ryder rolls in with to a beautiful and elegant refined orchestral sound; the very opposite of the historical progression of these genres. However, this transition feels nothing but natural and right for the band, as even when they dwell on the noisier side of things, there are signs of this elegance that creeps into the mix even in the beginning of the album. Like a well crafted novel or movie, upon second or third listen all the way through, you notice these subtle moments of foreshadowing embedded in the mix on moments like “Let Me Be Your Light.” Once you revisit the album, these moments become ever more apparent, calling your attention to the precision and intricacy that this band have done so well. When you reach the stirring last number, “La Dernier Sommeil (The Final Sleep),” you are ready for the tune, but still overwhelmed by its instrumental grace and fluidity.

The Door Behind The Door is a sprawling, constantly changing and progressing work from this duo that resembles a walk down a winding path, one which continuously gives you a breathtaking view with each curve you round. At 54 minutes in length, it begs you to simply sit down and do nothing but listen, letting the music wash over you in waves, though if you’re not careful it’ll sweep you away in the best possible way.

 

Santiparro – True Prayer

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santiRating: ★★★½☆

Chances are that you haven’t heard of Santiparro, the solo project of Alan Scheurman, and while I never mean to underestimate you dear reader, chances are higher that you don’t know what Santiparro means. So you know, this name means “the lens that sees many things not usually seen,” which was given to Scheurman on a pilgrimage to Wirikuta, the sacred desert where Peyote originates. This should clue you in to the earthy, sacred, and ethereal nature of True Prayer, if the album artwork hadn’t already. Overall, these threads are the center of this album, weaving together along with the twisted psychedelic folk rock to create something the likes of which are hard to come by.

The whole album is very much grounded in nature, which is made obvious through the opening track “Sikuli,” which is merely the sound of birds chirping calmly, as if welcoming the day. In opening this way, Santiparro gets our minds in the right state of mind before he really begins. When he does on “The New Baktun,” you encounter the soft vocals placed gently atop the gently folksy blend of guitar and barely-there percussive elements, such as shakers. This makes for a simple and effortless sound, but one distinguished by the quality of each of the elements. There’s a sleepy, half-trancelike nature to the sound on this song, and this is just Santiparro getting started.

True Prayer, while it maintains this trancelike, ethereal nature through its duration, does pick up a bit. Songs like “Total Freedom,” build on the simple foundation, adding more layers and earthy dimensionality. The guitar sound is twangy, although still subtle and low in the mix; there is a lot going on here, but not overwhelming. “Where We’re From” is one of the most straightforward songs on the album, but it still incorporates the intricacies that you’ve come to enjoy already. There’s a shift to a more rock and roll temperament here, with little squalls of fuzzy electric guitar that scatter off along the edges. The vocals are more forceful, standing out in the mix and changing from whispery to full bodied and deep.

Now, while this album is enjoyable, it’s important to note that if this is your genre of choice, I think that True Prayer could easily move up in your eyes from good to great. For me, there doesn’t seem to be enough variety in song style for to sink my teeth into this album for the long run, but there are a good deal of worthwhile and sonically interesting tracks that makes for a pretty good debut, albeit a little long. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Santiparro.

 

 

Grave Pool – Mnemonics

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grave poolRating: ★★★★☆

Lately, it feels like the dream pop/shoegaze genre is really taking off and spinning in several different wonderful directions. Nashville’s Grave Pool is no exception to this—the work of this gentleman takes a trip down shoegaze lane, but adds a whole new level of sheerness to the mix. Mnemonics may be Grave Pool’s debut album, but it feels like a seasoned work, one that delights as much as it resonates.

“Cast/Off” opens up the album with its brief taste of instrumental interlude that pulls you in from wherever you’re coming from. The synths wind their way in, gentle guitar strums along, and the soft yet substantial percussion creates a kind of drama that builds the short intro track into something more than just a throwaway instrumental song. Instead, it provides the perfect introduction to the sound that Grave Pool has elegantly crafted, akin to a sweeping overture of a stage production. Before you know it this track is over, and Devan Köchersperger has launched into the thick of it with “National Forest.” Angular guitars glide in white hot, while the vocals are muted and deep, juxtaposing the airiness of the instrumentation to give you an 80’s feel in a modern context; something about the synth in this song has me thinking about The Cure. Later on you get fiery tracks like “Burnt” or “I’ll Tell You Later,” both of which will get you grooving pretty intensely. Needless to say, I could go track by track enumerating each one’s lushness, but then you’d be reading this review for hours instead of just listening to it and finding out for yourself.

I will say that this album stands out because it feels so cohesive. It moves subtly to different places without becoming redundant or tired, coating you in its coolness layer by layer until you’re completely submerged. Sometimes, this kind of music can feel rushed or urgent and the instruments crowd each other, but that’s not the case with Grave Pool, each instrument feels precisely placed and has its own room to flourish and play, all within its streamlined sleekness. It’s synth pop delicately placed into a dreamwave/shoegaze setting, and somehow it feels so right.

When Mnemonics is all over and done, you don’t feel wrong at all starting it right back over again. The nuance to this album is killer, and will have you listening to it all day, all week, and maybe all year. See for yourself.

 

A Place To Bury Strangers – Transfixiation

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placeRating: ★★★☆☆

The noise, the noise, the noise! For more than a decade now, these New Yorkers have been dishing out a steady supply of loud and rambunctious rock music. But you already knew that, or you should, as they’ve become somewhat of a staple band when it comes to experimental post-punk revival noise rock. Transfixiation is far from short on the loud and punch-you-in-the-face rock and roll, but does it push A Place To Bury Strangers past where they’ve already been?

They open up with simmering “Supermaster,” which has the band’s dark post-punk grit toned down to a pop level, giving it a newfound accessibility that was missing before. This song plays with the concept of bursting forth into the explosive rock that we know the band to be capable of, but instead, they stay treading water just below of the surface. Oliver Ackermann’s vocals stay low in the mix, and the whole song crawls along forebodingly, building up the suspense as squalls of electric guitar slice through the mix. Alluringly, this song piques your interest and sucks you in before APTBS ever really launch in.

But not to worry, “Straight,” the second track up has the band taking this newfound pop accessibility to a different level. This song is a great middle ground for the band; neither too hot nor too dull in terms of gritty noise rock or a watered down version of their original sound. Instead, it takes the band to a different level, combining the grit with the streamlined to make for quite an enjoyable track. There are other tracks on Transfixiation that fit this mold in the best way, like late burners “We’ve Come So Far,” or “Fill The Void.” Both of these songs combine a newfound pop sensibility to the mix while maintaining the band’s core sound, and open up the band to a new hybridity we had scarcely seen before. Other times, you get the band holding on to their loud roots unabashedly. Take songs like “Love High” or “Deeper,” in which the grungey elements are in full force.

So, the answer to the question I posed at the beginning of this review is both a yes and a no. There are some tracks on Transfixiation that clearly stick out and sail above the classic noise they’ve come to be infamous for. However, part of the album feels so steeped in feedback and coated in grit that you’ve already gotten to know; a half step in a different direction rather than a full step. It’s up to you to decide if that’s a good or a bad thing.

 

Sonny & The Sunsets – Talent Night At The Ashram

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sonnyRating: ★★★★☆

For years, Sonny Smith, with and without the Sunsets, has been turning out a ton of youthful and light tunes, incorporating aspects of whimsy into his odd indie rock music to create a genre all its own. Talent Night At The Ashram marks yet another album for Sonny and company, but this time around, a running thread of melancholy and seriousness runs through with the whimsy, creating an album exploring the relativity of normalcy.

The overall sound on Talent Night At The Ashram continues in classic Sonny & The Sunsets style: soft indie rock with a touch of whimsy, but elements on this album make it feel slightly like a stripped down approach to glam rock, a-la Ariel Pink, but with more subtlety and nuance. The guitars are twangy and distorted, there’s a heavy reliance on piano or synth riffs that runs through and under everything, and Sonny’s vocals seem as distant as ever. Opening “The Application,” gives you a brief insight into this transition, as the song meanders along, with Sonny opening with the lyrics “I filled out the application to be a human being,” underscored by a twee synth riff, creating a rosy sound that’s juxtaposed by the solemn lyrics Sonny spins. This is where the gravity of album lies, and it works well for the band.

Sonny continues his tradition of storytelling, as most of these tracks tell the tale of some, often titled woman and her thrills and spills in daily life. You get the obvious ones, like “Alice Leaves For The Mountains,” and “Icelene’s Loss,” in which the title characters are the main focus of the songs. As you delve deeper into the album, it seems that each song talks about matters of daily life. Take centerpiece and main attraction track “Happy Carrot Health Food Store,” which listens more like a multi-act play, with its distinctive movements. The first of which gives you classic Sonny, setting up the stage with exposition of this imaginary, or perhaps real, natural health food store that you enter “through a mystical door.” This opening brings the eclectic glam rock, with clip-clopping percussion and Sonny’s faded vocals. Then you transition to the next act, where the band really kicks in and you’re greeted with vast and detailed imagery of the characters that work there, and when the band launches into its wirey guitar chorus and following instrumental break down, you’re completely hooked into this weird little play. The ending acts gives you Sonny talking with a barking dog, which, oddly enough, feels like the only natural end to this exercise in the sometimes mundane, yet meaningful nature of daily life.

Talent Night At The Ashram walks the line of sincerity and irony with a smirk and a wink, and sometimes an outright grin. Admittedly, this album takes a little work to enjoy: the music is subtle and not overtly becoming on first listen, and I found myself needing a few spins around before I could really sink my teeth into the tracks. However, once I got on board, the album really opened up and revealed that Sonny & The Sunsets somehow still have a bit more up their sleeves to give to you. Spend some time with this record and get lost in its subtleties.

 

In Tall Buildings – Driver

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in tall buildinsRating: ★★★½☆

In Tall Buildings is the project of multi-talented musician Erik Hall, of Wild Belle and Saturday Looks Good To Me, amongst other bands. Driver is his sophomore record under this moniker, following up the 2010 self-titled debut. Hall has come quite a long way since that initial release, fleshing out his folksy sound with electronic elements and focusing on creating a dichotomy between these two distinct sounds. The result is an exercise in precision and creativity, as Driver carves out its own space and flourishes there.

What works really well on this album is the constant battle between the balance of warm and cold sounds within the music. Aesthetically, Hall’s vocals are cold and distant, barely audible at points as he mutters his lyrics. In this way, they work almost as another instrument amidst the synthesizers, sheer percussion and elegant guitar riffs that are scattered in the mix, but as an instrument of juxtaposition. While his voice may be static, cool and calm, the music transitions between aligning with this chill and opposing it with growing warmth. The sound of the guitars play a large part in this—when acoustic they fill the emptiness of the track, and when electric, often the riffs are distorted warmly to give out that surfy heat of hotter days. There’s a soft blending of the elements here that feels like the sonic accompaniment to a visually smooth and subtle gradient of color.

On a track-to-track basis, this album doesn’t have a bad song, as each one feels artfully crafted, however, I have found highlights that are all over the map. First track, “Bawl Cry Wail,” is as sonically emotive as Hall’s voice gets, and the instrumentation is rustic and stripped. Later on you get the sleek and practically dance floor ready “Flare Gun,” with simmering synths and a catchy pop chorus that you’ll be singing along to in no time. Then you get “When You See Me Fall” which is a halfway point between these two songs, mixing the minimalist sound you got early on with the electronically dominated threads that have percolated in to the album.

Driver, with its sheer quiet melancholy pop veneer, feels like an excellent record for a transition from winter to spring; from finally shaking off the cold, shedding those coats, and emerging into the sunlight. There are some tracks that have definitely made my listening catalogue and perhaps you can make the delicate de-thawing process with In Tall Buildings as well.

 

Quarterbacks – s/t

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quarterbacksRating: ★★★½☆

Sometimes, simple is great—whether you’re in the mood to just jam out or not, stripped down rock songs will always be there to take you away. Such is the case with New Paltz, New Yorkers, Quarterbacks and their incredibly high-energy twee-punk sound. On this self-titled debut album, these three gents don’t give you a song that lasts even two minutes, but they do give you lots of them, leaving you to question just why anyone would bother with creating longer tracks.

The general sound on this album is that of borderline out of control spastic drumming, electric guitar riffs that just won’t quit, and the vocals that just try to keep up with the instruments. Opening with a quick number, “Usual,” they instill this high energy from the beginning, that classic electric guitar sound making sure you’re wide awake before they fully launch into things. From here they don’t really stop—while they may slow down slightly, the whole album seems to run on pure raw energy. The lyrics come at you full force, and little details all become apparent at once in this youthful release.

Just because the overall sound on this album is hyper-fast and feisty doesn’t mean that it lacks tenderness. Surprisingly, there are a ton of softer moments embedded in the mix, which provides the necessary juxtaposition to the twangy punk guitars and nasal vocals that serve as the main focus of the group. These moments sometimes have whole individual tracks devoted to this sound, and other times they come as a blip interred into an otherwise rambunctious track. The tender, slower moments seem to be wound into the fiber of Quarterbacks sound, and this gives the album a real emotive quality that harkens back to 90’s emo bands. This melancholy tone runs through the album alongside the playful, which is quite effective for the band—see “Knicks,” or “Center”

While the hyper-short song lengths may seem a little ridiculous at first glance, at the end of Quarterbacks, you understand why the band has such a choppy catalog of songs for you to enjoy. Simply put, It works perfectly for this genre; the brevity of each track makes you appreciate it more, as before you even get the chance to really sink your teeth into the number it’s gone. Such is the same with the album as a whole: if you blink, you’ll miss it, so keep your eyes and ears open.

 

 

Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

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fatherRating: ★★★★☆

Josh Tillman, or rather Father John Misty, has garnered a notorious reputation over the years, and this reputation has only grown as of recent—there’s no point in denying that. Whether it was launching his faux-stripped of artistry-midi version of this album, or performing new tracks around New York City with a karaoke machine, he’s developed a sarcastic and cynical side to his infamous hip shaking and suave performance style. I Love You, Honeybear is the musical counterpart to this performative transformation, and our reaction mirrors that of our reaction to his publicity shenanigan; that is to say we are simultaneously with and against Father John Misty in his battle with sincerity versus cynicism in the 21st century.

It was the best of times, it was the not so best of times: the tracks on here range a great deal in their merit as they traverse the genre of pop folk with hyper clear production. In some of the numbers on here, Father John Misty’s lyrics are apt and brilliant, describing the perilous plight he faces with quick quips and with colloquially deep storytelling. These lyrics, the heart of the album, are often accompanied by sweeping musical arrangements that will make your skin crawl with goosebumps. The strings are often the perfect counterpart to his words, demonstrating his talent for creating drama and emotionally moving pop music.

But on a few tracks on this album, things don’t quite add together as eloquently and neatly as the rest of I Love You, Honeybear. Particularly numbers like “True Affection,” or “The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apartment” seem to be flattened by the production, the very soul of the music stamped out by the desire to maintain an ironical distance between artist and substance.

These, of course, are overwhelmingly overpowered by those completely wonderful songs, of which I could go on about for days. There’s each of the singles that we were tantalized with before the rest of the songs were revealed, like hitting-the-nail-on-the-head “Bored In The USA,” or the title track, which comes equipped with lines like “The future can’t be real/ I barely know how long a moment is/ unless we’re naked, getting high.” Then you have some completely surprise numbers that take you by storm. “Ideal Husband,” is the most rambunctious tune you’ll find on the album, with a full on melt down from our fearless blasé leader. But Father John is at his best with “Holy Shit,” which feels stripped and sincere, as he weighs love with a long list of the things that make up our own absurd reality: “Oh and no one ever knows the real you and life is brief/ So I’ve heard, but what’s that gotta do with this atom bomb and me?” It is the moments like this number that make me want to give this album 5 stars.

On first listen of this album, I was completely enamored with what Father John Misty had crafted, and with good reason: musically, it’s easy on the ears with its lush and gorgeous sound. However, after several rounds through, some of the tracks simply don’t have the same amount of sweeping power that the majority of the tracks do. Perhaps these other songs’ staying enchantment will kick in over time, but for now I Love You, Honeybear is a rather valiant effort at depicting love in our modern times in which the highs outweigh the lows.

 

The Fireworks – Switch Me On

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unnamed (1)Rating: ★★★★☆

The Fireworks are a self-proclaimed loud fuzzy pop band from London who have released a bunch of material thus far, but Switch Me On marks their first trip down full-length LP lane. And it is an exciting one, filled with gritty feedback, alluring pop hooks and dueling vocals coated in reverb to pull you into this groups infectious sound.

Switch Me On is an exhilarating chase at high speeds—you’re constantly trying to keep up with The Fireworks in their never-ending energy, but its one that you’re willing, and wanting, to keep pace with, as the lo-fi fuzz rock is as good as it gets. The band bursts through the door with their squalling feedback, utterly distorted guitars, popping percussion and the trading off of vocals between Emma Hall and Matthew Rimmell. “With My Heart,” is just the beginning, breaking the ice so that you can jam along with the band. The chorus is infectious, as Hall and Rimmell share the hook; their voices collide to add to the collected messiness of the sound. It’s not clean and it’s not delicate, but the ferocity gives the band the right amount of grit they need to push forward to other places. For example, “Let You Know” is the least fuzzy track on the record, and it pushes on the jangly nature of the guitars and the smooth vocals rather than the intensity of the feedback. The Fireworks aren’t a one trick pony.

Halfway through, you’re refreshed with “On and On,” which is championed by Emma Hall’s vocals and a killer guitar solo at the end. Like the other songs on this album, this one is also fast and furious, streaming by in a blaze of buzzing guitars and pop hooks and its one of the best tracks on the album. As Hall chants “on and on and on…” as the title suggests, you wish her and the band would just keep on. And they do; later on you get “Corner of My Mind,” which is as close to shoe-gaze as this band gets, and the guitar riffs that cut through the feedback are sharp and crisp, grabbing you with their clarity in the fuzzy cloud of noise. It’s the little nuances such as these that vary from song to song that keep the tracks from getting too redundant or falling down the well of sound.

So you reach the end of the album, and you realize just what’s happened to you: your hair has been blown back a bit, and your socks have been knocked clean off your feet, and you find it a little hard to stop shaking your hips. You’ve been switched on by The Fireworks, and the only cure is to spin Switch Me On again and accept your grunge-y, fuzz pop fate. As far as this genre goes, this is some of the best music you’ll find. Turn it up loud and get down.

Jessica Pratt – On Your Own Love Again

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Jessica-Pratt_On-Your-Own-Love-Again-coverRating: ★★★☆☆

Jessica Pratt first hit the scene back in 2012 with her debut self-titled album that transfixed audiences with its folksy creations. Now she’s back with a soft sophomore effort, On Your Own Love Again, which hopes to double up on the success of the first album in the apparent age of the singer/songwriter.

While Jessica Pratt’s music is certainly folk, it goes deeper than this blanket genre term suggest. Pratt’s overall sound is a mix of cascading acoustic guitar that serves as both the melody and the rhythm accompanied by her whimsically airy vocals. These vocals are the main attraction, though, and through them she spins intricate tales and crafts wonderful imagery that your mind will linger on. The combination of her voice and the intricate plucking of acoustic guitar are vastly more complex than they might seem and Pratt weaves them together with ease and allure. The sound here is simple, yet elegantly crafted, ornate, yet easy.

The highlights of this album come all over—by no means is this a one sided collection of songs, and I feel that those that resonate with you the strongest depends on your personal taste, but those that struck me as the most enticing come from the second half of the album. I was drawn strongly to “Jacquelyn In the Background,” on which Pratt’s vocals are impossibly breathy and light and yet still weighty in their content. The twisting and turning acoustic guitar falls on itself, creating a constant state of motion over which the vocals are able to glide. At the end of this track, the production adds a twist to it, distorting the vocals and guitar as if the record is playing on the wrong setting, evoking a level of self-awareness in an unexpected twist. Another song that has really pulled me in is “Back, Baby,” which reminds me a bit of old Destroyer records—the melancholy guitar that cuts through the tongue-twisting vocals hits hard.

I enjoy the songs on On Your Own Love Again, but I wasn’t too floored by the overall construction of the album; it’s gentle and delicate all the way through. Whereas Pratt’s contemporaries seem to burst through with power guitar or electronic components, she holds firmly to the eclectic nature of her folk tunes, which leaves me a little longing for more. She’s captured my attention with the enticing and spell-bounding quality of the music, but doesn’t expound beyond this.

 

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