Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

Posted : 3 months, 2 weeks ago on 9 May 2008 06:43 (A review of Elephant Shell)

This is it then. When Tokyo Police Club released their A Lesson in Crime EP a few years back, the world was shocked. How could this fresh new indie band be so damn good? Seven songs that together lasted just around fifteen minutes, it was impossible not to get dragged into the hyperactive music, with frontman Monks often shrieking and shouting through a loud-hailer and fast handclaps perfectly timed to the beat and melody of the music. After these seven short songs that left such an impression, it was a waiting game for the first full length.

So, this is it then. The debut album of TPC is finally here and it has no doubt shocked most fans of the Canadian band that has been signed to Saddle Creek some time ago. Gone are the hyperactive vocals and fast handclapping, and in the place is the same old indie/emo teenage angst we've come to known and grow bored of.

At first, anyway. After a few plays, the ears get used to Monks' overly winy vocals (especially noticable on the re-recorded version of audience favorite Your English is Good) and the more laid back melodies and it becomes more obvious that it's still one of the best emo records made in recent years. The fire is still there, it is just more subtle.

It takes time to adapt to this more poppy Tokyo Police Club, but the focus on the strong pop songs they can make isn't a bad one per se. First single Tessellate might be a bit too cheesy for some, but on other comparable tracks, like In A Cave and Juno, it works better. Then there is the strange one out of the bunch, The Harrowing Adventures Of..., a song that seems out of place at first but in time unveils itself as one of the strongest emotional masterpieces.

On tracks where the edgier TPC is still present, like Sixties Remake and closer The Baskervilles, the longing for the rocking EP becomes more apparrent and the listener has to wonder: is it a good think this band went for another direction, since we already have A Lesson in Crime, or could they have done so much more with that sound? Still, the excentric soundscape TPC is known for is still present here. It's just now what the world expected. And the band that made A Lesson in Crime is still the one I love more.

Strange debut then. A solid one, but not as refreshing as it had could been.

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Desaparecidos - Read Music Speak Spanish

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 8 May 2008 06:49 (A review of Read Music/Speak Spanish)

It's difficult to start a review of a record that, a couple of years after it has been released, right now stands as my favorite record of all time.

What makes Desaparecidos' Read Music/Speak Spanish so good?

Is it the way frontman Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, Commander Venus, Park Ave) shrieks and shouts in a way he has never done before, often sounding like he swallowed his tongue and on the brink of throwing himself of a building?

Is it the fact that this is the only record to ever have come out from Desaparecidos, before Oberst decided that the band was in danger of becoming to popular and split up?

Is it the nine songs (or ten on another version of the record) that all critisize the discontent of the middle class citizens of the United States in such a way that it never seems preachy, rather well analyzed and close to hearth?

Or maybe it all just sounds so great, with nods to the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr.

This record needs to be in any indie fan's collection.

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Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime

Posted : 4 months, 4 weeks ago on 31 March 2008 04:18 (A review of A Lesson in Crime)

These Canadian indie scene newcomers have signed to Saddle Creek since the release of this debut EP, A Lesson in Crime, and listening to it makes you understand why.

The quality present here is undeniable. Short, fierce pop songs with catchy hooks and strong use of instruments and voice all around. At times, the voice of Dave Monks is whiny, but he redeems himself with another burst of unexpected notes or original lyrics.

The only downfall, according to many reviewers, is the short time of the disc: around 15 minutes. However, for me this was quite refreshing and it makes you want to listen to the record all the more. In a month, the first real record of this band will be in stores and I'm more than ready for it.

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Radiohead - In Rainbows

Posted : 5 months ago on 29 March 2008 06:26 (A review of In Rainbows)

Let's ignore all the hype surrounding this record for a minute - sure, it was noble of one of the best British bands of the past decade to offer this album online with the user free to pay the band any price they wanted. But most fans wanted the actual copy anyway, instead of a few MP3's on a computer. Let's take a better look at the music itself.

The music is good, it's clean, it's pop. Radiohead hasn't been this clean cut since the days of The Bends and OK Computer. What followed after those two records were experiment after experiment - computer sounds in the form of Kid A and the second part, Amnesiac, and the mix of all their sounds on Hail to the Thief.

Here, Radiohead returns to the inwards sounds that made them so popular in the first place and it is indeed nice to know they are still able to churn out some mighty fine classics. Sure, there are a few harder songs, but all in all this record is so silent that it's the perfect music for an evening of self-reflection or a romantic diner. High emotional points like 'Nude' and 'All I Need' are combined with more rythmic offerings like 'Bodysnatchers' and 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place'.

Apart from the digital revolution this band seems to be after, In Rainbows will be remembered as the record where Radiohead shows they are still able to make good music, simple as that.

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Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster

Posted : 5 months ago on 27 March 2008 10:04 (A review of Hold On Now, Youngster...)

This indie band from Wales, now signed to Wichita (known as the British home for super-acts like Bright Eyes) has been compared a lot to the Canadian Broken Social Scene, but it shares more with the one-album-wonder Park Ave, maybe more than they themselves even realise. Sweet pop tunes with both male and female vocales make pain and joy from relationships sound so sweet and bitter at the same time.

A mighty fine debut with classics such as 'Don't tell me to do the math' and You! Me! Dancing!' from the previous EP's present, and new songs like 'We are all accelerated readers' and 'This is how you spell' do the trick as well.

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Park Ave - When Jamie Went To London...

Posted : 5 months ago on 26 March 2008 06:09 (A review of When Jamie Went To London... We Broke Up)

Park Ave is a previous band of Conor Oberst, the now 27 year old genius behind the soon-to-be-gigantic Bright Eyes and one time project Desaparecidos.

Park Ave, with Oberst on drums and backing vocals at an age that must be close to 20, was something of a one time project as well. Before this only record available came out, singer Jamie went to London and the band broke up, hence the title of this record.

It is a shame, because Park Ave has been given an insane amount of praise by critics and the ever demanding indie-scene. Instead of complicated long songs or emotionally driven acoustic sets, something new fans of Conor Oberst might expect, what we have here is a collection of short pop songs that are so honest and simple that they do the trick perhaps even better than the alcoholic- and drugs-driven material of later Oberst. The child-like way themes like love and the life of an artist are portrayed here are quite something to behold.

So, it is indeed a shame this band broke up. Of course there is still plenty of chance to check out Oberst with his Bright Eyes project and even Jamie is busy again with the popular indie-band Tilly and the Wall, but for fans its nice to delve back in the roots of these artists and check out Park Ave. Team Love, the fairly new record label of Oberst has re-issued this album to make it more available so you could do worse than checking out the website to buy this rare piece of indie history.

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The Rifles - No Love Lost

Posted : 1 year, 1 month ago on 23 July 2007 12:35 (A review of No Love Lost)

The Rifles certainly is one of the better bands that have come out of the British indie scene the past couple of years. Packing as much melody as your average Kaiser Chief-wannabe band, but having so much more personal sound, their debut album is nothing short of a fun piece of plastic.

At times, No Love Lost sounds like what a love baby of the Cure and the Clash would sound like, the guitars filling the latter punk-band spot and the vocals having as much emotion as a Boys Don't Cry chorus.

While there's no denying the record has some weak spots, notably the last song 'Narrow Minded Social Club' is a bit too much pretentious for a band that you just want to hear to drink a beer to, the band makes up for it by the sheer number of anthems. "She's Got Standards" is a rocking opener, and the fantastic melodies in Local Boy and Peace And Quiet susses all doubters.

All in all, two thumbs up for this new band.

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Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 28 October 2006 05:20 (A review of Saturday Night Wrist)

On Saturday Night Wrist, the Deftones finally deliver what fans were waiting for. Three years in the making, the internal friction between members, most specifically front man Chino Moreno’s perfectionist way of working and his side project Team Sleep which he toured with during the writing process of this new record, caused some anger and frustration between the band members. Still, it’s like we’re used to in the ‘Tones camp and in the end it only makes for a more varied and finished record, a record with more bells and whistles than some bands have put into their entire career.

Unlike the dark, and perhaps over-produced fourth record, "Deftones", which was troubled in the shadow of their third, most praised effort "White Pony", Saturday Night Wrist sees the Sacramento boys back with clear sound and more importantly, a line up of songs as diverse and emotionally charged as WP. Whether this is the Deftones'€™ last record or not, it is clear that whatever happens, the gods of 'emocore'€™ have delivered another classic that will be haled by critics and fans alike.

Moreno'€™s voice is crystal clear again, a breath of fresh air after the echoing end result of self titled. The instruments are just as refined and every drum beat, every riff pumps into the listeners ear as if it€™s Deftones€™ final chance to really shine again, to deliver something that can be hold as their high point for many years to come. Deftones, you remain just what we have always loved about you: unique and emotionally charged, with rocking melodies. You don't care what the rest of the world is doing, so your music stays timeless.

A short track by track review:

Hole in the Earth
The first track of the album, functioning as the first single as well, is so Deftones and so different all the same. Very reminiscent of the Cure but with louder guitars, the song deals with Moreno's position in the band when not all was well, singing '€œI hate all of my friends'€. The repeating of the song title works in a good way, settling the listener in the way Chino'€™s lyrics work every so often. Most important for all, the track carries an energy that disregards the negative lyrics and transfers it in a very positive feeling. Chino wasn't lying when he called the record up-beat.

Rapture
Poised to be the fans' favourite of SNW, the track could remind one of the "Around The Fur" record, with Chino fiercely screaming through most of the song. '€˜It'€™s a rapture / but a different style' cements the frontman'€™s reputation once again as the master of writing insanely cool lyrics. Especially the contribution of Frank Delgado on the turntables makes for a haunting experience that would fit on White Pony.

Beware
A live favourite that used to be called '€˜Beware the Water'€™ has such thick riffs that its difficult to not bang your head to it. Cricket noises in the distant give a taste of what'€™s to come further down the record: its all about underlying vibes creating a cohesive experience just like every Deftones record does. The heavy ending at the end should please all long time fans. It clocks in at six minutes as well. Long and meaty, just what the doctor ordered. The record’s 'Change (in the house of flies)'€™, but harder.

Cherry Waves
And so the new age of Deftones sound begin. A soft, emotional song with dolphins in the background, the band takes its listeners through the ocean and back. A love song? Perhaps. With Moreno'€™s cryptic lyrics, one can never be sure, but if any 'Tones song could be about drowning in another human being, this is it. Two couplets and a chorus are followed with some fantastic drumming on Cunningham's part. Can we get a blanket now? We sink deeper into the fantasy world SNW is creating. For some this is the ultimate song on the record, to me it's just very, very good.

Mein
And so, the fear of every Deftones fan arises. System of a Down's frontman Serj Tarkan in a Deftones song? Thankfully, Mein is anything a fan could wish a new song should be. Pounding guitars and drums, and vocals with so much melody that it should be forbidden. Serj pops up later in the song and fits right with the song. The song is very rhythmic and up beat. One of the surprises on SNW.

U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start
The first instrumental from Deftones ever, it'€™s a nice transition from the first to the second part of the record, but not very special in any way. This instrumental reminds one of Mogwai and it really is a song to set the general vibe of the record.

Xerces
You'd expect an ear-shattering hard song after the interlude that was the last song, but Deftones just aren't as straight forward as that. The instruments provide a melody that show Deftones are the masters of their own sound: it just sounds like them through and through. Moreno's vocals are reminiscent of Team Sleep, but that isn't such a bad thing. Then the chorus kicks in, with riffs that have an undeniable punk vibe. Yes, I get it now, this record is more varied than an orgy.

Rats Rats Rats
Ah, but here is the hard stuff. At least, the couplets are, but the chorus turns in White Pony sound in a mix of agression and melody. Then after two choruses comes the killer part... what a fucking trip! Deftones meets Slayer.

Pink Cellphone
A hip hop beat with Annie Hardy talking about buttfucking and foreskin? The song is addicting, maybe not up beat enough to form a good dance song but a good and funny listen all the same. On the 'clean' version of the record, the finale is missing and that's a shame, because it's funny as hell.

Combat
Nice and hard, with Chino screaming to his listeners "which side are you on?". It ensures there is enough for the metal heads to bang their heads too. Thankfully there's some melody thrown in for good measure and after two choruses the song surprises.

Kim Dracula
It has the same feeling as Combat to it, but without the surprise at the end. If anything this is the weak spot of the record, but that is more telling of the quality of it all instead of the lack of in this song. Just a catchy song, nothing more.

Riviere
One hell of an ending for a record. Beginning in silence, then blasting into a mix between Pink Maggit and This Boys Republic. Chino's voice just screams emotion. Cound me impressed.

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The Mars Volta - Amputechture

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 26 October 2006 04:47 (A review of Amputechture)

Oh no, it's another The Mars Volta record! I can hear the critics sharpen their knives already. Except for the EP 'Tremulant' and to some extent, their first record 'De-Loused In The Comatorium', the press has been bashing these ex-At The Drive-In boys like there's no tomorrow. And it's easy to see why they do such a thing. Songs that last almost 17 minutes, with some kind of structure somewhere in the background but mostly progressive use of guitar solos, high pitched singing and shifts in dynamics, Mars Volta records can be a pain in the ass to understand.

However, for people like me who love to learn to listen to music, again and again to try and see the structure, getting familiar with the melodies how difficult it may seem, this is pure heaven. Why spend time on records with three minute singles that you know from front to back in a day, when you can go on an exhaustive rollercoaster like this for weeks?

In fact, 'Amputechture' is one of Mars Volta's most accessible records to date, although that isn't saying much. Album opener 'Vicarious Atonement' begins the record quietly, much like second track on 'Frances the Mute', 'The Widow' did last time. Then the over 16 minutes long 'Tetragrammaton' kicks in and we're back to the familiar sound this band is known for.

But there are, thank god, surprises. 'Day of the Baphomets' features singing we're not yet used to from Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and it makes for a good listening experience.

Nowhere does the structure of the entire record not the songs itself get anywhere near the complexity of 'Frances the Mute'. That record will probably forever stay Mars Volta's jamming record, which is saying something since each song on every record itself sounds like a big jam anyway. 'Amputechture' is more focussed, but in a Mars Volta way.

Only for people who love this kind of stuff. I do, so I'm good.

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Bright Eyes - Noise Floor (rarities)

Posted : 1 year, 10 months ago on 24 October 2006 04:23 (A review of Noise Floor: Rarities 1998-2005)

On Noise Floor, Conor Oberst presents a collection of b-sides and rarities that spans a large amount of his musical career. As is the case with so many other bands, this b-side record misses any form of cohesion. Of course, there aren’t really classics available on it either, as all the good songs have appeared on ‘real’ records, but there are, thankfully, a few stand out moments.

Press through the frankly abysmal a cappella effort ‘Mirrors and Fevers’ and you’ll arrive at the two-hit wonder that is ‘I Will be Grateful for This Day’ and ‘Trees Get Wheeled Away’. While this isn’t the case, both songs sound like they are left from Bright Eyes’ most recent records, ‘I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning’ and ‘Digital Ash In A Digital Urn’. Both songs have sounds, structures and melodies that remind one very much of these records.

Drunk Kid Catholic is indeed a great song, featuring Mark Bowen. The next great piece of art comes in the form of ‘Blue Angels Air Show’, with fantastic sounds that set the mood. ‘Bad Blood’ and the Daniel Johnston cover ‘Devil Town’ are both lovely songs for the ones that prefer the ‘harder’ works of the one-man band, while ‘Amy in the White Coat’ will surely please listeners that need an emotional pinch.

So, this collection isn’t half that bad, but of course they are just left overs and they will never overcome the shadow of Bright Eyes’ real work. A record for the fans.

Written by Michel Musters (Moz La Punk)

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