The Blow – The Blow

The-BlowRating: ★★★☆☆

Listening to The Blow has always been a mild obsession, but I’m pretty sure every girl I dated since 2007 ended up with “Parentheses” on some mix tape of mine.  But, after spinning a good deal of time with The Blow, it’s good to see that Khaela Maricich hasn’t dropped off much since the departure of Yacht.  In fact, my book has her better off, as this record’s bursting with fun.

The work on previous efforts from The Blow is still prevalent, as this seems mostly like a continued experiment for Khaela’s voice, with the beats coming in second place.  “Make It Up” holds tight to that formula, with Maricich operating on various pitches throughout the track.  It picks up in the back end, uniting vocal samples atop vocal sample. But, in writing about a record by the project, it’s always difficult to work through by just talking about the beats that back up the vocal.  However, I think the range in the vocals are what ultimately make the record more than enjoyable.

On a track like “A Kiss,” you get the whole spectrum of the offering.  It opens with a semi-sultry croon from our frontwoman, paced playfully in the foreground.  It sucks you in immediately, and moments later, there’s a slight rise in the pitch, while the beats stutter.  From there, it floats off into a loftier vocal realm that adds a new level to the track.  It’s all complimented by the backing vocals soothingly approaching from the background.  These are the sorts of songs where The Blow really excel, showing that despite a very simple approach, there’s still some dynamism in the process.

For me, part of my whole experience also circled around the search for the standout track, and for the most part, I think that’s where this record might have a step above its predecessors.  Each track on here is purposeful, and none of the above should be discarded during your listening experience. That being said, I’ve really been drawn to “Hey” during my last several spins.  It starts with heavier pulsating beat, carefully building tension before the song slowly rises to its musical climax.  You can feel it in the vocals, as a lighter keyboard begins to accent the driving rhythm; I especially like how the song holds out longer than expected, then unleashes the hook.  It’s definitely a song that’s piqued my interest.

All in all The Blow have another great little listen on their hands.  They’ve never been knocking down the doors of creativity, but they’ve always given the audience something that’s ultimately rewarding/endearing.  It’s becoming increasingly harder to look away from the group, especially when things are as focused and enjoyable as The Blow.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/07-Hey.mp3]

 

Show Preview: Yacht @ Mohawk (6/8)

Date Friday, June 8th
Location Mohawk
Doors 800 pm
Tickets $12 at the Door

The weather has cooled off a bit, so a full on dance party seems like a bit of fun, right? Well, Yacht always bring a solid amount of danceable pop, so it looks like Mohawk is definitely the place to be for the Friday night.  I’m also going to suggest that you all go and check out Onuinu, who I wrote about a little while back–dude’s make bedroom pop from Portland, so you gotta support his differentiation.  Love Inks will kick everything off, so grab your friends, a few pre-game beverages and go have a blast over at Mohawk.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/09-Happy-Home.mp3]

Download:Onuinu – Happy Home [MP3]

Show Pics: FFF6 Day One

Fun Fun Fun Fest Six photo coverage begins.

There is a lot to go through; here is but a smattering. Day One features Cloud Nothings, people getting tattoed, The Gosling, dust, YACHT, The Thermals, The Oh Sees, more dust, Okkervill River, Four Tet, bandanas (wearing one right now) and a couple filler shots from the house.

Head past the break for a couple of stories, the pics and a link to even more pics…

Read more

Show Preview: YACHT @ Emos (4/19)

Date April 19th
Location Emos
Doors 900p
Tickets $14 from Ticketweb

Austinites get ready for one crazy music-filled week.  We know this week could get expensive, but we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t point you in the right direction, and that, dear reader, is towards YACHT.  Sure, Jona’s been making music with all sorts of people, my favorite being The Blow, but now that he’s focused on YACHT full-time, he’s hitting his stride. The duo will be embarking on their Road to Utopia tour, and Austin is one of the earlier dates. This bill also features Bobby Birdman and Love Inks, so we’re counting on you to hit up Emos and have a blast with this electronically-influenced evening. If you’re going to do it up this week, may as well get started here folks.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/yacht-psychic-city.mp3]

Download: YACHT – Psychic City (Voodoo City) [MP3]


YACHT – See Mystery Lights

yachtRating: ★★☆☆☆

When Jona Bechtolt left B.L.O.W all these years back now, no one knew what direction he would pursue, as his music seemed perfectly fitting for the duo.  He wowed many with his clever YACHT debut, I Believe in You…, but could he proceed in a similar direction while achieving similar success when he added Claire Evans to the mix? See Mystery Lights is the answer to that question, though not necessarily the answer many were seeking.

The predominant factor on this set of ten songs is the usual inclusion of various blips and bleeps fused with clever pop elements throughout, much the same recipe used on the debut.  This round, the beats don’t really sound as progressive and interesting as they once did.  Perhaps this is due to the similarities of recent releases by other electronic based groups such as Animal Collective. Electronic collages are gradually wearing listeners down, and themselves, becoming watered down.

Redundancy seems to be one of the factors that contributes to the decline in creativity on See Mystery Lights. “It’s Boring/You Can Live Anywhere You Want” carries on for entirely too long, and never really seems to break into any new territory throughout the eight minutes of the song.  “Psychic City” opens with beats that seem reminiscent of The Knife, but then there is an utterly annoying water drop sound that continues to drip for the entirety of the song while Evans imitates early Debbie Harry.

“Summer Song” has easily one of the more enjoyable beats on the album; it’s probably one of the songs you would pick to play at a party, but even still, the promising beats don’t seem to really take off and go anywhere. It’s as if the whole record seems to be treading water, in danger of drowning itself in monotonous beats and repetitive lyrics.  What once garnered interest and enjoyment now seems tired and basic. One can go through the whole album without feeling as if any time has passed at all; musically, the album has stayed in the same place, as have you, the listener.

And in the end, you find two renditions of songs that were already presented on the album, which don’t particularly add anything to the originals, if you are to say that they don’t detract from those songs.  It seems that See Mystery Lights just didn’t quite come together for YACHT, and one might possibly say that the group suffered to come up with new material for an entire album, as clearly they ran out of songs.  It’s not a horrible offering, but it’s one that won’t really add much to your listening experience on this Earth.

New Tunes from YACHT

yachtYears back nothing seemed as bubblegum delicious as B.L.O.W. , so when one of the members parted ways to form YACHT, everyone took notice. Now it seems that the one man show of Jona Bechtolt has evolved into a duo, including Texan Claire Evans. Since the new line-up is set, it would only seem appropriate that the group release a new album on July 28th titled See Mystery Lights. Here is a hint as to what that album might sound like, as this is the first released single.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/yacht-psychic-city.mp3]

Download: YACHT – Psychic City (Voodoo City) [MP3]