Tag: album review

Pursesnatchers – A Pattern Language

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Rating: ★★★☆☆

When Dirty on Purpose broke up, I was a bit saddened, thinking I’d never get to hear their blend of sharp-edged indie pop again. Luckily, Doug Marvin and his wife, Annie of Au Revoir Simone, had other thoughts in mind, forming Pursesnatchers at home in their bedroom.  They’ve since fleshed out a full band and completed A Pattern Language, giving all the old DoP fans something to hold onto.

“Forever Ahead” opens with this angular stuttering guitar, just before Marvin enters with his whispering vocal, barely floating atop the rest of the band.  It’s a powerful song, built on the backbone of those noisy guitars and steady drum beats. You’ll find a similar pattern with “Mechanical Rabbits” as the song again opens slowly before bursting into the meat and potatoes, those discordant guitars crossing from ear to ear, balanced out by Marvin’s voice.  The dichotomy between Doug’s vocals and and the music is precisely what one would hope for from A Pattern Language.

While the quiet loud quiet dynamic made poplar by the Pixies is used excessively, there’s some differentiation between the songs.  “A Partying Prayer” applies the same construction, relying more on a forceful guitar sound, but it’s Marvin’s vocals that have a different tone to them (not as wispy).  There’s also an intricate closing to the song, built around carefully picked guitar lines.  Then there’s “Kissena Park,” possibly one of the best songs on the A Pattern Language. It’s the closest that Pursesnatchers come to creating a ballad, with cleaner guitar sounds, and Marvin going all soft. You’re likely to find this song sweeping you away for some time to come; it has such a pristine melody that you just can’t escape its magic.

What’s interesting about  Pursesnatchers is that they have this ace up their sleeve that they don’t seem to utilize enough; that ace being Annie Hart. Her first real audible performance comes as backing vocalist on “Baseball on the Radio,” and she really seems to balance out her pop inflections perfectly with Doug’s voice.  You can hear the cascading guitar chords chiming in and those powerful drums fills, but you can’t escape that her presence gives it the perfect essence of pop. She follows that up with her first lead performance on “Third Body Problem.”   It’s a wonder that she doesn’t make more of an appearance, vocally speaking, on A Pattern Language.  You can still have a dynamic song with her, but she brings a different balance altogether to the group’s sound. I’d be interested to see what the group can do using her more, as they seem to do on the latter half of this record.

Listening over and over to A Pattern Language you’re going to hear the ghost of Dirty on Purpose, and by no means is this a knock, as that band was vastly under-appreciated in their time.  But, it’s clear that Pursesnatchers have some tools in their arsenal that they haven’t quite brought to the forefront, so in the future we can only hope they grow, just a bit, making them something incredible.  For now, they’ll have to just settle for being really really good.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/pursesnatchers_baseballontheradio.mp3]

Download: Pursesnatchers – Baseball on the Radio [MP3]

Gardens & Villa – s/t

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Rating: ★★★½☆

So much can be said about a band’s debut album; most importantly, it is the first real taste at the style of the group. For Gardens & Villa, this debut is even more important considering the fact that they did not produce an EP as an introduction. With that in mind, this album feels even more impressive, as the songs feel much more mature and aged than that of a group just getting things together.

The opening track proves to be one of the finer moments from the start. “Black Hills,” begins with pulsating synthesizer beckoning your ears to wait keenly for this song to kick into gear. Then percussion is added to bump things up a notch, but not to an outright dance number. Instead it comes across as more of a casual psych pop number, with the vocals pushing it to something more. In stark contrast with the deep tones of the synth, the vocals are edgy, and borderline on falsetto in moments. Mellow, yet still bubbly, this opener finds the right balance between moody and groovy.

The next noticeable standout comes on “Thorn Castles,” a short number that only feels shorter when sandwiched in between the rest of the numbers on this album. On this track, what stands out the most are the vocals provided by lead singer Chris Lynch. Running along the lines of a shriek, it completes the eerie-cheery vibe that Gardens & Villa have definitely got going for them. In fact, this theme seems to persist into every song, and even takes over completely at the end of “Spacetime,” when the beat slows down to a gait and the vocals eases from its starkness into to a creepy whisper.

As far as variation in pacing goes, this album is all about the changes: one instant, you have “Chemtrails,” and the next “Star Fire Power,” which are perhaps both songs at the opposite end of the pace spectrum for this band. “Chemtrails” is a crawler, laden with minute details and elegant harmonies at its close. It is followed directly by “Star Fire Power,” which is a stellar dance party number that begins slowly, and then builds to a catchy chorus with a deep bass line that is sure to have you bobbing your head.

Looking at the whole album, I do not see a song that sticks out as horrible or misplaced. There are definitely some that resound above the rest, and others that fell mediocre in comparison, but on a whole, this is an impressive and enjoyable first effort.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Gardens-Villa-Star-Fire-Power.mp3]

Download: Gardens & Villa – Star Fire Power [MP3]

Grooms – Prom

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Rating: ★★★★☆

Two years ago, Rejoicer, came out, putting Grooms on the map, at least for a little bit.  In those two years, the group has really put in their time figuring out their style, and it’s going to pay huge dividends in 2011.  Prom is a record full of tracks tied together cohesively, yet each track is completely able to stand alone as an undeniable hit.

“Tiger Trees” opens with sampled drum beats and a repetitive guitar, sort of like an ambient opener for a Mogwai song, but moments later, cymbals crash, noise washes in, and you’re stuck in the melody bubbling beneath the track.  Here you’ll be intrigued by Grooms‘ ability to slither in and out of discordant atmospherics and melodious washes of noise.  Beauty in noise seems to be a huge theme from the get go as you enter into “Prom.”  It’s a youthful discussion lyrically, moving from the song’s title to discussion of the Smiths in one’s bedroom, but you’ll find yourself wrapped up in the line “I wanna be friends with you.”

Perhaps it’s just me, but while people can probably throw around a Sonic Youth reference here and there, due entirely to the loud quiet loud noise element, I occasionally hear later 90s indie rock heroes such as Built to Spill.  “Expression Of” has that same meandering quality that the best BoS tracks had, and vocally, you can definitely hear a little Doug Martsch channeling.  Part of the allure of Prom is that the band seemingly drop references to various bands throughout, such as the nod to Deerhunter in “Skating With a Girl,” but Grooms owns the sound; they make it entirely their own, wrapping it up in a unique blend of quieting melodies juxtaposed with distortion and feedback.

If you wanted to nit-pick here, perhaps you could call for a bit of a more polished production value, as some tracks tend to rattle perhaps too much for their own good. That being said, that’s one of the interesting qualities here, as the band clearly is marking their own territory within the realms of their forefathers. “Into the Arms,” comes late into the album, and this is perhaps the most Thurston Moore-ish song, even down to the lyrics, but the vocal delivery takes on a character of it’s own, allowing you to focus on the song’s construction, made more remarkable by the fact that the bass line seems to live just beneath the surface of the song, letting the cutting guitar chords roam free.

Sure, there’s definitely some landmark references throughout Prom, but everything has roots in something nowadays.  Grooms succeeds in their endeavors because you clearly see their dedication to crafting their own space within the confines of noisy indie rock.  It’s a place you’ll need to delve into, traveling with the band from start to finish on this most excellent journey, leaving you feeling fulfilled and rewarded for giving this record the deserved time.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/grooms_tigertrees.mp3]

Download: Grooms – Tiger Trees [MP3]

The Postelles – s/t

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Rating: ★★★½☆

Hailing from New York City, The Postelles seem to have the perfect infectious sound for the summertime. With catchiness reminiscent to that of past releases of bands like The Drums and Surfer Blood, they have crafted a fairly simple, yet bubbling pop album in this freshman debut.

The album begins with “White Night,” which shows off the instant capabilities of this band to make you move your feet. Jangly guitar welcomes you in, along with some punching drums and the vocals of Daniel Balk. Fast paced and furious, The Postelles jump right into their rock and roll pop. Balk’s vocals, complete with a borderline yelp, are joined by the rest of the gang on the chorus, giving the illusion that this group belongs in an earlier era. It’s a fresh little number at two minutes and forty seconds, leaving you ready to skip back and start all over, but following is “Sleep On the Dance Floor,” which is a bass driven slower number, that still has the jamming guitar of the first song.

After these first two songs, it’s not hard to see the likability these guys bring to the table; each song seems fit for the beach, or ready to put on your summer party mix tape, but the fun doesn’t stop there. “1 2 3 Stop,” the band’s lead single, comes third on the album, and if the first two didn’t have you dancing, then this should surely be the one. On this track, you can hear the crashing cymbals above the rest of the chaos during the chorus, with Balk leading the way. His voice is edgy, allowing you to sing right along with him.

The rest of the album follows suit of these first three songs: a mixture of fast paced blazers of songs like “Can’t Stand Still” and “Sound the Alarms,” as well as those slower moving ones like “Whisper Whisper” and “She She.” It’s a fairly complete first album, with the majority of songs that you’ll be anxious to play over and over again. Some may be slightly put off in the end by the lack of depth; most songs are done in three minutes, but I find this album packed with energy and pure fun. Isn’t that what summer is all about?

Memory Tapes – Player Piano

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Rating: ★★☆☆☆

It seems like Dayve Hawk has finally worked it out. After releasing music under bands by the names of Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes, somewhere around 2009 he decided to combine the names of the two and settled upon his latest, Memory Tapes. He then went on to make his first noteworth,y as well as full length album, in Seek Magic. Now, two years later Hawk is back once again, ready to present his chillwave once more, hoping to garner as much praise as before.

The first real song on this album, “Wait in the Dark,” starts with some bubbly synthesizer, accompanied by the high-pitched vocals of Hawk himself and methodic drum beats, chugging along. Interesting enough, the song plugs on, lack of many changes at all until the bridge portion, where the elements of the song cut out for a moment, then resurge with a slightly different, yet vaguely the same sound. What seemed like bouncy synthesizer in the beginning of the track, feels a bit flat when the end is reached, simply because it has been repeated so many times. Even though this song sounds good upon the few first listens, providing a pretty decent head bobbing beat, this lack of variety seems a bad sign for the album to come.

“Today is Our Life” follows suit of “Wait in the Dark,” in the use of only three main elements: synth, vocals, and drums, which appears to be the only combination Hawk is going for on this album (he later adds some guitar). While more enjoyable to listen to the than the first song was; the synthesizer elements are more tolerable, it still doesn’t offer up many decisively alluring elements. The same can be said for the remainder of the album. Each song feels like it will prove interesting and worth repeating, but fizzles out by its end, which is disappointing.

Player Piano is no Seek Magic; and for this reason, it seems as though this album comes across worse, due to the fact that we know what Hawk is capable of. In the end, he has made an album full of songs that I do not feel compelled to listen to again. Whereas Seek Magic all blended into one cohesive piece of indie-dance-electronica, I’m left unable to sink myself into this work, perhaps deterred by the repetition that turns into banality on the scale of an album.

King Louie’s Missing Monuments – Painted White

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Rating: ★★★☆☆

King Louie Bankston has been part of some great acts, playing with The Exploding Hearts and also working with the recently deceased Jay Reatard. It’s a pretty strong pedigree, and with Painted White, he’s ready to take the world on, offering up his garage-rock repertoire to the masses.

“The Girl of the Nite” jumps into the record with a pure power-pop guitar line, and a steady vocal approach, making the track a steady hit. But, as soon as you pass this tune, there’s an added gruffness that comes with the vocals on Painted White, clearing the way for a harder edge than many might be expecting.

For instance, “Victory Lap,” has this smoker meets alcoholic wispiness to the vocals, and I mean that to come across in a flattering way, as I enjoy that harder edge.  The song itself blends a bit of soft garage rock with poppier rock elements, but you can’t help other than to associate the music with a more punk rock element, sort of like power-pop’s answer to Against Me.  Still, if you’re looking for infectious hooks associated with steady beats, this record is full of them.

Personally, I’ve found a great bit of allegiance with tunes like “Black Rainbow.”  Bankston’s rough-edged voice provides the perfect contrast to a somewhat rock-a-billy/counrty tinge on the actual songwriting.  In doing so, it takes the song from run-of-the-mill power pop to guitar based jam. Similarly, “Nite Fall” has a barroom chant associated with it; the lyrics are simple enough to sing atop your lungs, and while the twang of the song it pleasant, it’s not overly intrusive, allowing for the occasional gang vocals (not to mention the regular ones) to carry the song.

Those of you looking for a faster paced in your garage-pop will find pleasure in the end of the record with songs like “Broken Hands” and “Hot Class.”  It’s not just the quicker pace of the tracks that will attract you, but the sharper influence of the guitars, using less twang.  This allows for these tracks to give a bit of momentum to the record that may have been missing in the earlier tracks. And it all closes with the semi-ballad “Dance All Nite,” which leaves Painted White with more of a traditional feel, in regards to modern spins on power-pop.

It’s hard not to have King Louie’s past in mind when listening to his current work, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Knowing everything that he’s been through as a musician, you can ignore missteps, or gruff vocals, and appreciate Painted White for what it is: a man having fun writing music.  Perhaps that’s the best thing about music of this sort, as there’s no pretension or scene, it’s just music. It’s good music, but it’s still just music, and it doesn’t always have to be taken so seriously.  So give this a go, and remember, it’s alright to just have fun while listening.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/01-The-Girl-Of-The-Nite.mp3]

Download: King Louie’s Missing Monuments – The Girl Of The Nite [MP3]

Young Montana? – Limerence

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Rating: ★★★½☆

Long is the laundry list of beat makers via the UK, but one of the rising stars of the scene, Jon Pritchard aka Young Montana, is a ripe 20 years old. Following in the footsteps of renowned veterans such as Prefuse 73, FlyLo, and Madlib, Young Montana? has just released his debut album, Limerence on Alpha Pup, with some fantastic artwork to boot. Emerging from relative obscurity in Coventry, a smallish town in the UK, Pritchard has managed to bottle up some of the most fluid beats of the year with a strong down-tempo style perfected in his own backyard.

While the flow is intermittent at best, the release works as a host of independent sketches comprised of a multitude of ideas, much like Prefuse’s Apexian. The overall theme varies widely from the soulful to the askew to the more gathered bass-driven tracks, but when Pritchard hits the right chord, the sound is rich, interesting, and energetic. In many ways, Pritchard is on the forefront of the next wave of beat makers trying their hands at the game after years of study dominated by the masters. While Limerence is not entirely ground-breaking, the release more than makes up for it in sheer jam-ability, on tracks ‘Sacré Cool’, ‘Suchbeats’, and ‘Repetition’. While most vocals are reserved in snippets thrown in for an added texture, the release is more or less instrumental. Utilizing his full arsenal of techniques and tricks, nearly every track holds a recognizable pattern worthy of a head bob. ‘Legwrap’ however, is where Pritchard is certainly pushing the boundaries, incorporating the pinnacle of his off-kilter, wonky, and plain off the wall trips and ticks before emerging as one of the more killer beat structures found on the album. Such is the way Pritchard directs his listener, always keeping us wondering what may come next.

The final track ‘Connct’ once again thrives on the bass heavy, but throws in a music box to keep the listener always guessing. While it makes what begins as one of the most enjoyable tracks less so, it’s still interesting enough in its own right to justify a listen. For such a young mind at an essentially old man’s game at this point, I predict good things from Coventry and a multitude of small towns throughout the world in the years to come in the wide open world of beat-making.

Pure X – Pleasure

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Rating: ★★★★★

At this point in time, it would be difficult for one to ignore Pure X (formerly Pure Ecstasy) based entirely on the amount of press that has seemed to surround the Austin trio over the last few months.  After listening to Pleasure over and over (and over and over) again, you’ll soon realize that the group is no joke, and they’ve crafted the slow-burning record of the year, if not just the straight up record of the year.

The instrumental “Heavy Air” begins the record with sort of the ominous feeling one would associate with bloated oxygen, weighed down in trickling bits of guitar reverb and harrowing sounds that fill every inch of space necessary.  It’s the perfect precursor to “Dream Over,” a track that begins with a little bit more light, as “oohs” gently float you through the intro.  Once the vocals come in, the echo effect of created by the band refraining from polish stains the track with every inch of passion Pure X possess, especially clear as vocals strain in the background to wrap up the song.

You’re going to be hard pressed to discover such a one-two punch as “Twisted Mirror” and “Easy.”  The former slowly builds with discordant guitar sounds carefully cutting through the space, all before we’re presented with even a hint of vocals.  Honestly, while the depth of the vocals on this track, and on Pleasure for that matter, elevate each song, the craftsmanship of the sound itself doesn’t even require singing at all.  With “Easy,” the appeal for the masses is immediately noticeable as drums mellowly pound the rhythm, vocals uplift you, and squalls of noise filter in and out of the song.  If you play it on repeat, you’re bound to get lost in the simple beauty expressed here.

Every song on Pleasure is a listenable gem, each with twists and turns of its own.  The seemingly instrumental “Surface” fills out a void in the record, with Pure X providing you a sense to further allow immersion into their dense sound; oddly, it’s not dense at all. The use of sound and structure fills every inch of recording space, creating the juxtaposition of hollow, yet dense; it’s a sensation you must have for yourself. There’s short tracks like “Stuck Livin” that seem like heartfelt laments about life, yet much like San Francisco’s Girls, there’s a bright light glowing beneath the stark reality of our world. Even the single “Dry Ice” is worthy of every inch of praise its received.  It’s quiet at times, yet the group’s approach swallows you whole, forcing you into some sort of melodramatic trance from which you never want to escape.

People will always be skeptical of bands with great hype, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any second of this record, though the band would probably disagree.  Pleasure is, to me, reminiscent of Spiritualized, utilizing the band’s creativity within the studio to extract every bit of sound possible, yet not filling it with indulgences.  Like Jason S., Pure X has crafted a delicate listen, one that whole-heartedly enthralls you track after track.  If there’s such a thing as modern classics, this one might well be on its way.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/08-Dry-Ice.mp3]

Download: Pure X – Dry Ice [MP3]

Son Lux – We Are Rising

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Rating: ★★★★½

Son Lux (AKA Ryan Lott) is still relatively unknown despite a strong underground following and well-established name in the music theatre production circle. Even his stops through SXSW in 2008 and 2010 were less than minor blips on most blogger’s radars. However, after a solid debut in At Wars With Walls and Mazes via Anticon in 2009, Lott is front and center in the outsider music world. That stunning, yet polarizing debut consisted of randomized yet painstakingly set, modern classical arrangements and chopped hip-hop blended into a striking pattern of delightful vocal imagery.

After taking note of that record, NPR decided to up the ante and proposed a pseudo-dare. Could Lott, whose prior methods of creation consisted of long, drawn-out thought processes, complete his follow-up in 1 month (February no less)? Surely, you jest. Like most musicians, Lott scoffed at the thought of modifying his creative process so blatantly. Especially considering his new material was already taking a general form.  By listening to his gut, Lott tossed that work aside and stepped up to the plate and hit a home-run. The finished product in the NPR RPM challenge, We Are Rising is a subtle wave at the meticulousness of his prior release, but with a strong foothold in the spontaneous and improvised.

What emerged is a record that takes the listener on a ride traveling multiple directions and varying speeds. ‘Flickers’ begins the voyage by the literal and metaphoric lighting of the candle. It’s the first glimpse of the light and dark, contrasts used intermittently throughout to great effect. The pseudo-title track ‘Rising’ is a powerful modern classical piece with pounding rhythms and playful winds. This dichotomy of contrasts is viewed has become more or less a signature of the young songwriter. What has also remained is a wonderful way with words, as seen on ‘Leave the Riches’. Toying with the idea of attachment, ‘Claws’ is a turn back to the slower drive, employing a rich bass heavy soundtrack contrasting with Lott’s airy vocals, while ‘Let Go’ is a direct shout out to his debut in the same vein as ‘Stand’ in tone and structure.

When an artist fully emerges themselves in a project and produces at a rapid pace, the result are often striking, if not unrecognizable. Such is the case here. The creativity that flowed in this month long session shows a deep rooted discipline, passion, and mental fortitude, not seen today in many artists. I find that refreshing, especially from such a relatively new artist. Son Lux took the best of his creative process and composed what many will argue is the best album of the year.

Handsome Furs – Sound Kapital

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Rating: ★★★½☆

Electronically driven, but vocally backed, is what Handsome Furs have shown us their sound consists of on their past two full-length records. It seems on Sound Kapital, they chose to put an even larger strain on the electronic elements of each song, nixing the guitar somewhat completely. Although an interesting choice, this heavy electronic sound is one that works stylistically for Dan Boeckner and his wife, and follow member, Alexei Perry.

This album starts out somewhat misleading on “When I Get Back.” Sure, there is the lovable drawl of vocals, but there is also this backing dub-esque beat that throws the number off a tad bit. Despite this underwhelming start, Handsome Furs progress as the album moves along. After the pace increases on “Damage,” they follow with “Bury Me Standing,” which is the first real standout track, complete with raging synthesizers, a hint of electric guitar and quickly iterated lyrics. Here, you also have the introduction of a mechanical feeling emoted from the songs. The repeated lyrics turn into a motif, feeling similar to a machine doing the same thing over and over.

This proves to be a bit of a double edged sword for this band. For some, this may prove to be simply too much because of the doubly repetitive base in synth. However, others may be allured by the gripping intensity of Boeckner’s vocals that Handsome Furs has not previously been known for, as exemplified on the power double of “What About Us,” and “Repatriated.” As I mentioned before, it seems like as this album moves along, the songs get better and better, and these two are no exception; they don’t contain the redundancy that the earlier tracks seem to have. Or perhaps the band’s sound just grows on you with more exposure.

But the most impressive song for me comes at the very end with the seven-minute stunner that is “No Feelings.” The exact opposite of its namesake, this song is packed with head bob inducing beats, but is also driven intensely by the power of Boeckner’s vocals. He successfully takes over the song, as opposed to letting the electronic aspects have the lead, and it does not feel longer than any of the other songs on Sound Kapital because it is so enjoyable. The track itself ends with the repetition of “no feeling” over and over, contributing to the overall theme of the growth of industrial behavior, in the most careful way possible.

With the large focus on electronic beats, I was pleasantly surprised with this album. The prevalence of Boeckner’s vocals draw away from heavy synth, creating nostalgia for those who love his power in his other works, and furnishing a new love for those who haven’t delved into his catalog.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/07_Repatriated.mp3]

Download: Handsome Furs – Repatriated [MP3]

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