Leticia Castaneda is a sound artist who hails from Los Angeles, where she has lurked around with the likes of Solid Eye, Mitchell Brown, and other LA dadaists who continue the Frankensteinian experiments of Destroy All Monsters and the Los Angeles Free Music Society. On The Verge Of Redundance marks her first released recordings, which offer a somewhat quieter take on the phantasmagorical collages produced by many of her colleagues. Nevertheless, a sense of disembodiment courses through Castaneda's abstractions of field recordings, home-built circuitry, abused consumer electronics, and primitive dronescraping. Bells, bleeps, metallic rumblings, and plenty of unrecognizable sounds spiral into interlocking patterns which ultimately mutate, dissolve, or otherwise disintegrate into soft droning fields of low-key gestures. Nicely done.
Castanets bring us gentle slightly-jangly psych-country all the way from San Diego with, technically, their second album, Cathedral. Fans of the Gris Gris, The Dirty Three, and Six Organs of Admittance will love this. Castanets' leader, Ray Raposa, reigns in some of San Diego's favorites, members of Tristeza, Pinback and Rocket From The Crypt to create music that's pretty darn epic in its simplicity and sensitivity. We look forward to hear the first album, previously a cd-r only given out to friends and at live shows, which should be out on Asthmatic Kitty soon.
This one somehow slipped by us back in October... actually right around the same time that another seemingly likeminded album was haunting our ears - Dark Developments by Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power & Amorphous Strums. We're really sorry it did because it's a fine companion! If you've dug the recent collaborations that Mr. Chesnutt has been up to with various artists on the Constellation Records roster (aka Godspeed You Black Emperor, Hangedup, A Silver Mt. Zion, et al), the Castanets' latest full length will surely please! No, there's no sign of the Chesnutt, but main man Ray Raposa's vocal delivery is quite often a deadringer for him or maybe somewhere between that and Carla Bozulich whose Evangelista band is also very much a kin!
An overriding sense of despair permeated City Of Refuge. The lonesome ghostly twang and looming gloomy atmospheres offer a gravity unheard on any other Castanets recordings that have come before. An ultra bleak beauty!
Shhhh! The subdued hush of San Diego's Castanets' latest contemplative folk album can be ever so easily drowned out by the sounds of the city, but if you can find yourself a quiet time and place to listen to First Light's Freeze you'll be pleasantly rewarded. In songs such as "A Song Is Not The Song Of The World", the sensitive boy vocals at times bring to mind those of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, Built To Spill's Doug Martsch or Mountain Goats' John Darnielle. Now imagine those vocals atop some slightly off-kilter and psych-tinged which brings them into company with current abstract folk groups such as Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice. Nice!
Castanets' new album warms our cockles with its brothy aural stew. Soft bristling hazes of electrified dissonance and icy slide guitar drift across their woozily weaving acoustic melodies with the kind of mumble-murmurred woebegone emotive singing that lets flow once your defenses are down after a shot or two of hard liquor and weed. As In The Vines progresses it settled into a more traditional indie country twangy comfiness. A bit withered, a bit ghostly, a lot lovely!
Well, this is a weird one! A four-way split of Portland bands with two of the bands playing at the same time on each side(?!) You have to pan hard right or left to hear each band alone. I guess it sort of makes sense when all the bands seem to traffic in a kind of ramshackle mumbly Americana with a bent towards the freaky. It just builds an added layer of bizarre disorientation to the proceedings when you play them at the same time. Pretty cool but super weird and really limited!
NOW ON VINYL!!
We got our first taste of this NY black metal horde on their Stones/Salt 7" from last year, a two song blowout of angular frenzied riffage, gnarled metallic crush, blasting beats, a distinctly weird take on black metal, one that owed as much to noise rock as it did to classic BM. And on this, their debut full length, that noise rock influence becomes even more evident, and makes Mounds Of Ash so much more than a run of the mill black metal record.
In fact, this sounds like the sort of record that could have existed outside of black metal entirely, sure there's insectoid riffing, and some blasting beats, and some soaring epic melodies, but hell, that stuff all existed in some form before black metal.
To these ears, this sounds like some noise rock metal core band from the nineties, super charged and a bit blackened, the more obviously black metal parts are separated by long stretches of loping moody post rock grooves, are churning, chugging almost metalcore heaviness. We've seen folks throwing out comparisons to legendary metal outfit Deadguy, and this does indeed sound a but like a black metal Deadguy, or maybe Kiss It Goodbye, which is for sure a good thing. There's also plenty of Neurosis going on, thick swells of roiling moody metallic bombast, a sort of metallic post rock slow burn that often builds into a flurry of frantic thrashing, but just as often sprawls into something more tripped out and psychedelic.
In fact, the more we listen to Mounds Of Ash, the LESS black metal it sounds, the production seems like the most black metal part, the music though, is just so dense and weirdly melodic, and crushingly epic, with swaths of woozy minor key weirdness, and killer harmonics laced brooding breakdowns that sound like a WAY heavier Slint or Bastro, which is about the raddest thing we can think of, and which is pretty much exactly what this is. Heavy, washed out, fucked up, a little bit black, way melodic, post-noise rock avant dirge metal, whatever you want to call it, this just might be our new favorite slab of grim and gorgeous avant heaviness...
The two members of NY black metal duo Castevet may have a pedigree heavy in grind and death metal, but their gnarled angular take on black metal owes way more to post rock and noise rock, these two songs sounding like two parts of the same song, that song an alternately pounding, loping chunk of Voivodian chug and primitive old school blast.
Angular and off kilter, tangled blackened riffs over relentless muscled pound, all wrapped around tortured anguished howls, the rhythm lurches and stutters, ferocious and heavy, but also weirdly moody and atmospheric, almost more like noise rock with a hint of blackness, flurries of double kick, some classic BM guitar buzz, eventually breaking down into some pounding old school black metal. The second side sounds like a part two, but the second part is much more melodic, with some woozy, spidery minor key guitar melodies and short stretches of muted post rockiness, even some Black Flaggy guitars here and there, but this side too gets more black as it goes, slipping into serious Darkthrone territory, before a dense mathy breakdown/outro that revisits that opening minor key melody.
Really awesome stuff. Can't wait for a full length. Cool packaging too, milky clear vinyl, no label, in a sleeve with a very spare insert, visible through the record, and one weird thing, the center hole is slightly too big, so be careful placing the record on the turntable, it's easy to get it off center, which makes the whole record sound even woozier than normal, which is actually kind of cool.
We were pretty crazy about In Witch Order, the debut from this local female fronted metal combo, which was released on the venerable German label Van. This new one also came out on Van a while back, but finally it seems metalheads in the US are catching on, as it was just reissued on Prosthetic in the states, which we can only hope means this kick ass classic metal / witchy psychedelic doom trio will finally get some of the love afforded their contemporaries in the current crop of female fronted metal combos, like Jex Thoth, the Devil's Blood, Loon, Blood Ceremony, Christian Mistress, Witch Mountain, cuz really, some of us at aQ thick Castle rank at the top of that bunch, their sound not so much doom (although it is definitely doomy) as psychedelic heavy rock mixed with some classic metal, from the riffs to the killer leads, the proggy arrangements, the sound epic and majestic, groovy and druggy, melodic and plenty heavy, and while the songs kill, and there are hooks galore, brimming with unusual parts and super memorable guitar melodies, it's bassist Elizabeth Blackwell's vocals that define the sound, and she's gone one of those voices that's both melodic and sultry, but also a bit raw and raspy, on the throaty side too which gives her vox a power and heft that some of the above mentioned outfits lack, and suits Castle's sound big time.
"Ever Hunter" starts the record off with what is essentially a pop song in metal clothing, but it works, the vibe is still ominous, the guitars buzzy and a bit blackened, but it's got a crazy catchy chorus, although somehow the verses are almost catchier than the chorus, and there's a cool, mathy breakdown midsong, where it does get sort of metal, until the leads come in and instead of shredding, it adds a droned out almost sitar melody to the track, which only makes it sound even more psychedelic. "Corpse Candles" lets Blackwell shine, her vocals dreamy and divine, over more crazy catchy riffing, while "Storm Below The Mountain" lets guitarist Mat Davis take over on vocals, his voice a raspy growl, which is perfect for the teutonic chugging crush beneath, there's some killer guitar leads and a super dynamic stop/start breakdown, not to mention some sweet male/female harmonies. The title track is slithery and swaggery, and again delivers a wicked chorus, the whole thing mathy and proggy and again not so much metal as just heavy, which is how the rest of the record plays out, the band deftly weaving together all sorts of disparate elements into a kick ass collection of psychedelic heaviness that we're digging like crazy.
It's always weird to discover a local band via a label in another city, or even another country, but it happens all the time. Not sure if it speaks to a lack of venues in SF, or less importance placed on bands playing tons of shows before putting out a record, or just us not going to enough shows, but we keep discovering records by bands we didn't even know existed, even though they're from right here. Which was the case with Castle, whose new record was just released on aQ beloved German label Van Records, who in the past have brought us incredible music from Ruins Of Beverast, Sol, Nagelfar, The Devil's Blood, Griftegard, Verdunkeln, Funeral Procession, Kermania and more.
Castle might have the most in common with their labelmates The Devil's Blood, being a female fronted heavy rock band, and with the seeming popularity of 'witchy' metal bands, it seems only a matter of time before fans of Loon, Blood Ceremony, Jex Thoth, Cauchemar, The Devil's Blood, Christian Mistress, Purple Rhinestone Eagle and all the others finally discover these guys (and gal) and freak the fuck out, cuz Castle might just be one of our favorites, they have an incredible sound, heavy and psychedelic, drawing on classic heavy metal, a little modern black metal, classic psych, and vocalist Elizabeth Blackwell has a killer voice, raw and rough around the edges, but powerful and emotional, a little bit gritty, a hint of a rasp, the same sort of vibe we used to get from Doro (vocalist for Warlock), intense and powerful, without resorting to shrieking or howling, somehow the perfect match for the music, riffy and psychedelic, and in fact, they have a little Sunset Strip swagger, some of what we love about eighties metal finds its way in, as does some cool mathy post rockiness, opener "Descent Of Man" might be the heavy psych jam of the year, with a killer main riff, a wicked hook, groovy and heavy and tranced out, took a while before we could even get to the rest of the record, but once we did, pretty much all the tracks hit just as hard. So great!!
Another Canadian delight! Imagine a meeting between Broken Social Scene, Built To Spill and Coldplay, and you just might discover The Castle Project. Their fine debut album Diaries Of A Broken Heart more than holds its own alongside the recent works of those mighty musical forces. Main man Ryan Ostiguy's richly emotive vocals slouch and soar in all the right places. He's struck a well executed balance of lush chamber pop stylings, gentle acoustic strummery and big rock guitars. Really gorgeous. Really good. Really recommended!
Awesome collection of stuff by this '70s funk master.
I've been a fan of Christina Billotte ever since her days in all-girl Dischord act Slant 6. Previous to that she was in Autoclave, and after that, Quix*o*tic. Now here she comes with a new project. The Casual Dots are a carefully quirky garage rock trio, playing sorta punkish '60s-ish pop, with clomping drums and two guitars -- one's twangy and surfy, the other all bumblebee fuzzed. And of course a big facet of their sound are the distinctive and (to my ears) enchanting vocals of Ms. Billotte, whose singing is showcased especially on the Etta James cover they do, "I'll Dry My Tears". '50s rock diva LaVern Baker also gets covered, while the rest are Dots originals, including an instrumental or two. Catchy, cool, retro fun.
very very limited pressing of 300!
Cat Power completists! Here's two lil' ditties from Ms Chan Marshall released by the UK wind of Matador Records (hence the slightly more hefty price tag). One is the languid "Could We" taken straight from her latest album The Greatest, and the other is a dreamy cover of the Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" (mysteriously titled "Dreams" here). Sigh-inducing. but all too short! That's right Matador, just keep us wanting more...
Chan Marshall & co. give us -another- batch of cover songs from the Jukebox sessions on this special vinyl-only release. She interprets Otis, Aretha, Credence, Fairport Convention and The Pogues, some ("Fortunate Son") more convincingly than others ("It Ain't Fair"). The further she moves away from the song's original mood, it seems, the stronger the outcome. Those of you who have followed Chan's career to this point know that she has forgone the trappings of indie rock for what this reviewer would call "indie soul." None of these songs have quite the pull of, say, "Satisfaction" on the first covers record, but "Fortunate Son" comes close, due in no small part to Jim White's minimal drumming and the undeniable smoky appeal of Chan's voice.
Ms Chan Marshall's debut album!
It's easy to jump on the Cat Power backlash train but once you invest some time with the newer incarnation of Chan Marshall you start to really appreciate her new sound, which is a marked change from the visceral, emotive, heart on her sleeve Chan of old.
It's understandable to initially miss the outward intensity of her prior work, but she continues to prove herself one of those very special songwriters who understand a wide array of song styles and approaches. While some of us here were initially turned off by The Greatest, her last full length, eventually revealed itself as something very special with repeated listens. No longer was she grabbing us by the neck but instead seductively cradling us in her arms. The Greatest seemed to alienate some of her earlier steadfast "indie" fans in the same way that Dylan upset his folk followers when he decided to plug in and not subscribe to any one sound, style or doctrine.
Her first album of covers in 2000, a stunning and simple collection, was not only a fantastic record, but also helped open the gates for many others to jump on the covers record bandwagon. Those covers have become as much Marshall's as they were the original performers', again helping begin a movement in indie rock of covering old classics, and much like Devo before her, she managed to make the Stones' "Satisfaction" all her own.
Jukebox is kind of like the follow up to The Covers Record with another batch of Chan's favorite songs, songs she loves enough to want to take a stab at: Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell, James Brown, etc. She also radically reinterprets one of her own songs ("Metal Heart") and offers up one brand new original. We do kind of wish she had used the same old-time Memphis greats that backed her up on The Greatest, as her new band on Jukebox (featuring members of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Dirty Three, Chavez) can sound a bit bloated and not quite as smooth and soulful.
All that said this is still another fine chapter in the ever evolving and engaging musical odyssey of one of the most gifted singer / songwriters around today.
Oh and we think if you're going to get Jukebox, now is the time as the deluxe initial pressing comes with a 5 song bonus disc (feat. songs by the Hot Boys, Moby Grape, Nick Cave, Roberta Flack, and Patsy Cline) that we think we might even like more the record proper!
Perhaps her best (and definitely most beloved) full length to date, Chan Marshall's fourth album shows a definite maturation of her voice. This is not to say that there's not a distinct charm to hearing her voice crack on every other song, however, she is far more confident in her ability to generate the sad harmonies of her songs. Heavy on the beautiful heartbreak. As a bonus, Jim White and Mick Turner (both of the Dirty Three) are Chan's backing band on this album. Be prepared to get all misty-eyed.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
2 tracks, one previously released and the other a conflation of songs by Moby Grape's Skip Spence and Thurston Moore.
A Chan Marshall and Cat Power fan's super deluxe tandem treat!
The dvd contains four works by filmmaker Mark Borthwick: three short films set to Cat Power songs and a two hour long outdoor performance. If you've seen the You Are Free album art then you're already acquainted with the look and feel of some of this gent's work 'cause those are stills from the film shoot. This hazy, dreamy film was shot at a distance with a static camera. It's as if we the viewers were just taking a stroll through the forest, and heard some faint music drifting through the leaves. Drawn towards the voice and guitar, we stumble into a grassy clearing. Not wanting to disturb this wonderful impromptu performance, we stay many yards away, warmed gently by the sun and the song.
The cd contains one 18 minute long song... no, that is not a typo. We said EIGHTEEN MINUTES! Prior to hearing it we were guessing just how she could have a song thaaaat long. Perhaps she was gonna just repeat the chorus a few extra times or maybe hold some notes for a few extra bars. Anyways, the song does not disappoint. Co-written by Marshall and M. Ward, it keeps the listener enchanted from start to finish. It was recorded during the You Are Free sessions, and is definitely closeknit in mood and sound. A fine album epilogue.
This long-awaited new full-length from Chan Marshall aka Cat Power prompted the following exchange of messages on Facebook between a few aQ-staffers:
Irwin: Since Tuesday when the new Cat Power came out it's been in my ears all day every day, once again she gets to the CORE of it all, the ups downs & all arounds (the bonus track "Fire" gives me chills)... Chan4eva!
Scott: Please please please review it for aQ. Too "mom-rock" for me, or as Cliff calls it, "aunt-rock":)
So, we have a difference of opinion there.... Meanwhile, Nick here appreciates the fact Chan Marshall played all the instruments on the record herself, aside from a few tracks of drumming from Jim White and guitar work by Judah Bauer. He also thinks that, like Moon Pix and most of You Are Free, Chan sounds best with limited accompaniment. So, you can be the judge, we have the digipack cd and, while they last, the super duper deluxe limited vinyl package with bonus 7" record with 2 songs not on the cd (including the aforementioned "Fire") and full album mp3 download.
About as self-explanatory as you can get... Chan Marshall (sans backing band) sits in a dimly lit studio with a guitar or a piano and covers The Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Smog, Nina Simone, Moby Grape, Michael Hurley, Phil Philips, and even an older Cat Power song. Some have found this to be somewhat boring, while others have found it utterly beautiful and captivating... we'll leave it up to you.
First things first, be it known that the title does not mean that this is a Cat Power greatest hits album, nor do we think that it's really an adjective to be applied to the album itself. Okay, before all you Cat Power fans starts freakin' out on us for that comment, let us say that yes, The Greatest is a really good record, but (dare we say?) her last full length You Are Free and her earlier Moon Pix still occupy that place of honor in Chan Marshall's discography (in our opinion anyways!). Each of those two albums really captured a soaring height of Cat Power magic. Pretty hard to beat. Perhaps part of the distinction with this album lies in that while still wholly heartbaringly intimate in her songwriting, Chan Marshall's shed the endearing fragile timidness of her early recordings -- that quiver of youthful uncertainty replaced by a combination of defiance and vulnerability. Indeed, this is perhaps her most worldly and womanly album to date, and definitely one with a far broader appeal (perhaps adult contemporary even). You could *almost* imagine her taking the Lilith Fair stage! Although there's one concrete element in particular that definitely sets The Greatest apart from past Cat Power albums -- namely the addition of saxophone on a number of the songs -- there's something much more intangible that distinguishes it from those of her contemporaries. Precious few dare to come anywhere near capturing the pure, potent simplicity of her compositions. This is perhaps her greatest strength.
Been waiting with baited breath for the new Cat Power album? Yup, so have we! Psst, it's due out in late January. Her label, Matador Records have kindly presented us with a glimpse of what's to come... for less than a dollar... and if these two songs are any indication, it's gonna be an absolutely wonderful doozy. She's picked right up from where her achingly gorgeous last album You Are Free left off. Wow!
Simply gorgeous, and so well worth the nearly five year wait! Yes, it has been that long since the last Cat Power album (not including her Covers Record), but Chan Marshall's songwriting is so rich and lingering, that an album like 1998's Moon Pix just lasts and lasts. You certainly may have been craving more new CP songs, but at the same time found you were not yet done with what was on your plate. Timeless and deeply personal, hers is music you revisit again and again. So it comes as no surprise that You Are Free is no exception. Absolutely compelling and gorgeously assembled, this is an album that you could easily lose yourself in. Although it's as emotionally weighted as any of her past albums (or perhaps even more so), this doesn't solely focus (or dwell) on themes of sorrow and pain as those did. Introducing the earthy intimacy of the album, the lead off song trails offs with a handful of casual piano notes as if it were being performed in an impromptu setting - perhaps in front of just her closest friends. The third song "Good Woman" is a prime example of how strength, frailty, hope and despair are all entwined in Marshall's music. This deeply moving highlight of the album acutely conveys crushing heartbreak, survival and renewal. With backing vocals sung by two young girls and an enveloping string arrangement, you'll surely wish it continued past its four minutes. Marshall does kick up some dust on a few numbers, singing with such white-knuckled conviction on songs like "He War", only to return within her next breath to a ghostly whisper on "Fool". Quite something to behold. You Are Free comes to a close just as it began - subdued, yearning with just her voice and piano. Highly recommended.
Frogs. Demonic and / or cult possessions. Caves. Numbers stations. EVP transmissions. VLF static. These have been the subject matters for AQ's favorites from the "Found Sound / Field Recordings" section. Without a doubt, 'The Cat' ranks as one of those great oddball records alongside the Sounds of North American Frogs or the Ghost Orchid or the Conet Project. This album is simply a 45 minute recording of a purring cat whose contented rumblings have been amplified through the careful placement of a contact microphone. The cat in question is named Urchin and resides at Stormy Records in Dearborn, Michigan. There, Windy Weber (of Windy & Carl fame) and Davin Brainard (who helps run Time Stereo) recorded this amazing document of deep-rumbling cat happiness.
Now you can enjoy all the comforting joy of a cat's warm purring without all those nasty hairballs. Allergic? No problem. This cd is hypo-allergenic. No litterbox to clean (or to let get filthy). No fishy cat food to dish out. No unsightly scratching post that the cat will ignore while it shreds your new sofa. What you get instead with The Cat is a marvelous recording of a cat enraptured in drooling bliss. As these recording attest to, Urchin seems to spend a lot of time splashing in water, which isn't normal cat behavior at all. Or at least that's what it sounds like. Maybe he's lapping up milk, or cleaning itself with A LOT of saliva. Anyway, this is a nice disc for you fans of drones and field recordings, who don't have cats of your own to amplify.
And we figured we'd end this review with a couple of timely haiku courtesy of our pal Harvey Sid Fisher:
We're almost equals
I purr to show I love you
Want to smell my butt?
You must scratch me there!
Yes, above my tail!
Behold, elevator butt.
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
SORRY.
Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom. No, we mean it. This is dismal, despairing, ultra doom. Not doom like Sabbath or Candlemass. No, this is mega doom. Or death doom. Or funeral doom. Or whatever you call it. But whatever you do call it, this is most certainly, dark and dreary and completely and gorgeously miserable. So slooooooooow and plodding, it threatens to grind to a complete halt. Guitars tuned unbeleivably low, riffs thick with graveyard dirt and the flesh flecked bones of the dead, haunting siren-like melodies, wrapped in tattered shards of ultra-reverb, and vocals that sound like tectonic plates slowly shifting and grinding against each other, thousands of feet below the surface of the earth. This is essential doom for those of you who bow before the dark art of Skepticism, Thergothon and Disembowelment.
There are two kinds of doom. Well, okay, there are probably more, but for the purposes of this review we'll stick to two. The first is the new breed of sludgey dirgey slow motion doom practiced by folks like SUNNO))), Moss, Marzuraan, Bunkur, Buried At Sea, Dot [.], Boris, Khanate, Whitehorse and the like. The interesting thing about this type of doom, is it's not necessarily doom METAL, in fact more often than not it's more experimental than metal, and is often played by folks who are far from being metalheads. One might call it indie-doom. Or something. Although for god's sake let's not call it indie-doom. That's almost as bad as calling romantic comedies rom-coms. Anyway, there's that distinctly indie, avant breed of doom, and then there is DOOM METAL. And within doom metal, there is a breed of super slow, super dirgey, beautifully depressive funereal doom, that at least sonically, most resembles that avant drone dirge doom we love so much. Maybe that's why all those non-metal folks into SUNNO))) and Earth and Corrupted and Boris can get into stuff like Skepticism and Esoteric and diSEMBOWLEMENT as well. It pushes the same sort of buttons, it's slow, lurching, rife with tarpit rhythms and glacial cadences, everything is tuned ultra ultra low, it's just very dark and droney and depressive. But the thing about doom -metal- is it retains some of the elements of it's parent genre, metal. Instead of being like a distorted electric guitar version of Angus Maclise or Henry Flynt or any of the other modern minimalists, It's like Sabbath or St. Vitus or Wichfinder General or Candlemass or Pentagram, but slowed waaaaaaay down. Actual metal songs caught in some sort of time rift, that renders each riff a lengthy smear of depressive ambience, a drum fill can plod along for minutes instead of seconds. The difference is subtle but it is definitely a big difference. That's maybe why, as much as we love all that NWODDDD (new wave of drone death dirge doom, you read it here first!) we tend to be way more engaged by the metallic end of the doom metal spectrum. Esoteric and Skepticism obviously, but also less distinctly funereal outfits like diSEMBOWELMENT, Paramecium, Evoken, My Dying Bride and loads more. One more modern group who better captures that depressive funereal doom sound better than almost anyone is Catacombs, a one man band whose gloomy doomscapes definitely fall sonically right between Skepticism and Esoteric. Haunting minor key melodies drift wraith-like over a bleak and barren soundscape of plodding, mournful musical sorrow. Guitars dripping with cave-like reverb, everything sounding like it was recorded in an antechamber of hell, vocals so low they sound like someone dragging a huge piece of sheet metal along a rough patch of pavement or like a field recording of a thunderstorm, slowed down. Surprisingly dynamic for a doom record as well, with riffs that hover and drift over vast expanses of nothingness, before lurching back into motion. But also quite melodic, with some tracks sounding almost like a more metal Low, lilting and melancholic, all grey and washed out and wrapped in a distant haze of Burzumic guitar fuzz.
So slow and beautiful and creepy and ominous and amazing.
... are brothers Jake and Josh Housh. Jake can also be heard in the band Moviola, while Josh can also be heard in Our Lady The Highway. They took some time out from their respective bands to get together for a little acoustic family gathering. The result? A baker's dozen of rough-hewn gentle twang tunes full of brotherly love. Very homespun, earthy and warm which extends to the packaging too - a delicately hand-printed white cardboard jacket. Oh and they thank they're folks and family in the liner notes too. Awww!
This killer slab of blown out noise rock ferocity, NOW ON CD!!
These guys must destroy live. Check out the picture on the sleeve, wild frenzied sweaty kids mid-mosh, a bloodied microphone, and then of course there's the music, a fucking skull crushing unholy post punk noise rock racket that manages to take all the stuff we loved about Sub Pop and AmRep and nineties noise rock and amp it all up two thousands style. A little bit of screamo, a bit of post hardcore, but really, these guys could have come straight out of 1995, cuz they just don't make shit like this anymore. Only, they do. Catalyst does, and it sounds as good as it ever did.
Heavy as fuck, catchy as fuck, wild tribal drumming, buzz drenched super distorted riffage, howled vocals, soaring choruses, plenty of mathy breakdowns, a little bit off groove, hooks galore, warped woozy guitar harmonies all tangled and melodic reminding us big time of Drive Like Jehu, and heck, they even have a song called "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)".
We raved about their previous record Marianas Trench, which we still have a few copies of, but this one is even better, heavier, catchier... We often lament the lack of actual BANDS, y'know, bands that write songs, there's so much dronemusic, and experimental ambience, and free folk improv, and blackend buzz, and we do love all that, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like an actual rock band, pounding away on actual instruments, sweating, bleeding, leaping off the stage, rolling around on the floor, and spitting out actual songs. Of course it helps when the band is this bad ass and the songs rule this hard, so if you've been hankering for some seriously heavy post punk noise rock in your life, and who amongst us HASN'T? Well, then these guys should definitely hit the spot.
You may be familiar with the pastoral jazz-twang sounds of Minneapolis band Lateduster (whose roster features Andrew Broder and Martin Dosh of Fog) from their impressive Five Easy Pieces cdep or self-titled full length we have here at AQ, but did you know they also composed music for a dance performance choreographed by Ms Emily Johnson? 'Tis true. Their aural accompaniment to the Catalyst troupe's presentation of "Plain Old Andrea, With A Gun" shows a somewhat darker, more tense and gritty side to the group. Very fitting for the volatile, unsettling visual proceedings. The dvd includes two versions of the performance, a behind the scenes documentary and some highlights from "Lateduster - Live At The Walker".
Killer one sided slab of crushing, heavy post hardcore stoner grunge screamo heaviness from these Richmond Virginia noisemakers. Grinding, pummeling, super distorted and angular post punk, but with some serious groove, and vocals that go from howled to screeched to crooned (well almost), killer riffs, filthy and heavy, pounding drums, mathy and chaotic, think Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Mudhoney, Halo Of Flies, the Melvins, lots of Amrep, some Sub Pop, and here and there, Nirvana at their noisiest and heaviest.�
Definitely old school, and can't help but remind us of the good old grunge days, but it's hyped up, and filtered through a more modern take on post screamo hardcore, some seriously heavy, hooky ass kicking stuff.�
Limited to 700 copies, these are on clear vinyl with the flipside sporting an awesome tripped out, psychedelic blue ink silkscreen. All housed in an amazing full color sleeve. Way recommended.�
We had the one sided 12" version of this here disc a while back, but now it's been reissued with those 4 songs, as well as a whopping 9 more from an earlier lp and a split with fellow noisemakers Mass Movement Of The Moth. So all you record impaired folks can finally dig in to this monstrously noisy slab of post punk rrroooaaar.
This is some seriously crushing, heavy, post hardcore stoner grunge screamo heaviness coming at you straight from Richmond Virginia. Grinding, pummeling, super distorted and angular post punk, but with some serious groove, and vocals that go from howled to screeched to crooned (well almost), killer riffs, filthy and heavy, pounding drums, mathy and chaotic, think Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid, Mudhoney, Halo Of Flies, the Melvins, lots of AmRep, some Sub Pop, and here and there, Nirvana at their noisiest and heaviest.�
Definitely old school, and can't help but remind us of the good old grunge days, but it's hyped up, and filtered through a more modern take on post screamo hardcore, some seriously heavy, hooky ass kicking stuff.�
Way recommended.
These guys must destroy live. Check out the picture on the sleeve, wild frenzied sweaty kids mid-mosh, a bloodied microphone, and then of course there's the music, a fucking skull crushing unholy post punk noise rock racket that manages to take all the stuff we loved about Sub Pop and AmRep and nineties noise rock and amp it all up two thousands style. A little bit of screamo, a bit of post hardcore, but really, these guys could have come straight out of 1995, cuz they just don't make shit like this anymore. Only, they do. Catalyst does, and it sounds as good as it ever did.
Heavy as fuck, catchy as fuck, wild tribal drumming, buzz drenched super distorted riffage, howled vocals, soaring choruses, plenty of mathy breakdowns, a little bit off groove, hooks galore, warped woozy guitar harmonies all tangled and melodic reminding us big time of Drive Like Jehu, and heck, they even have a song called "Lars Ulrich's 1986 Funeral (It Should Have Been You)".
We raved about their previous record Marianas Trench, which we still have a few copies of, but this one is even better, heavier, catchier... We often lament the lack of actual BANDS, y'know, bands that write songs, there's so much dronemusic, and experimental ambience, and free folk improv, and blackend buzz, and we do love all that, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like an actual rock band, pounding away on actual instruments, sweating, bleeding, leaping off the stage, rolling around on the floor, and spitting out actual songs. Of course it helps when the band is this bad ass and the songs rule this hard, so if you've been hankering for some seriously heavy post punk noise rock in your life, and who amongst us HASN'T? Well, then these guys should definitely hit the spot.
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Can't say that any of the EC8OR records have anything for me. But when EC8OR's Gina and Patric are working independently of each other, the results kick ass. Patric's latest assualt features an arsenal of 'Amen' breaks shattered into high velocity shards of spastic snares and devestating bass. Digital Hardcore junkies will be most pleased!
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EC8OR leader Patrick Catani's newest solo album, "Hitler 2000", although now re-named (for cd release) "Attitude PC8" and with much of the 'wacky' Hitler artwork removed, is a huge pounding slab of distorted breakbeats and straight-up noise. Brutal and catchy and funny. Kind of like a tagteam match between Lesser, Alec Empire, Kid 606, and Merzbow. It's hard to believe that this stuff can keep getting harder and more distorted and more fucked up, but it does. We're still waiting (hoping?) for a domestic release on this one, for now here's the import.
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Another Digital Hardcore militant, better known for his work with EC8OR.
In 2001 East Bay's Catfive released a good record filled with unlikely samples -- Fela-style afrofunk, Brazilian batucada, lounge, moments of dub, scratching that sounds like a twisted harmonica -- that worked so well atop a mix of beats and groove. The new 7" is somewhat timely -- a pro-peace, anti-war message -- but as such is maybe a little too predictable, featuring samples of Bush I and II, other politicians, journalists, Elvis, etc. Negativland is funnier, but Catfive's hearts are certainly in the right place. The B-side is a cool gimmick, though. It plays backward -- i.e. the needle starts in the middle and works its way outwards. It's a bunch of cartoon / old movie / tv samples with a similar political bent as side A, but without added music. On transparent red vinyl.
Remember that amazing Milk Cult record from last year? I'm liking this Cat Five record for the same reasons: it's a winning combination (a bit lighter than Milk Cult) of unlikely samples mixed together in a very accessible, headnodding fashion. Every sound or sample works both as a percussive and a melodic element, whether it's Fela-style afrofunk, Brazilian batucada, lounge music, moments of dub, scratching that sounds like a twisted harmonica, or silly film clips, it all works well, like a hip hop gig filmed in 1920s madcap silent film style. Or DJ Shadow's ditzy younger cousin or something. Cat Five are from East Bay, headed by the guy otherwise known as Balanceman (who released an album on Deluxe). A nice surprise!
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The project of Kurt Ralske from old timey 4AD faves Ultravivid Scene. Pretty, clicky swoonscapes for fans of Main.
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