Witch - Paralyzed

Witch
Paralyzed
(03.2008, Tee Pee)
Verdict = "indie" metal?

All I can think right now is that somehow I got hoodwinked into listening to this album. I have no doubt that scores of indie rock followers will as well seeing as how the legendary Joseph Donald Mascis is manning the stick. What is the catch? Witch is as straight forward a metal band as you’re likely to find. And when I am talking metal, I am talking the Guitar Hero III metal right next to Dragonforce in bonus songs. Everything is here, screaming guitars, pummeling bass and pounding drums (which J plays pretty terrifically). However, I guess it is important to say that while the standards of some blessed out metal mania are present, the group is void of some of the standard Dungeons and Dragons doominess that seems to be parading throughout the genre. To be honest, I am probably way off base here. In all honesty, there really isn’t a good reason that I am reviewing a metal album. I listened to (and enjoyed) the last two Mastodon records. Does that count? I guess what I am trying to say is that I’ll take my token metal bands and run with them. Witch seems like that type of worthy crossover. With a dose of Iggy Pop and a bit of Comets on Fire haze, Witch is the kind of Metal that I can indulge in regardless of my generally wussiness. There are no apologies here: Witch is out for souls in the most rock n’ roll way possible and I for one am selling.

-Mr. Thistle

Listen to Witch on the Tee Pee site

Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams

Throw Me The Statue
Moonbeams
(02.2008, Secretly Canadian)
Verdict: Pleasant, it's the new charming

It took me a while to obtain this album. I ignored acclaim and recommendations from friends until one day I heard it playing in the ol' Slowtrain and it seemed to be soundtracking this lovely weather quite perfectly. The album art is sooooo bad however that I couldn't bring myself to buy it, and eventually just downloaded it. Shame too, since I love having physical copies of my music, and it's even out on vinyl. I took it upon myself to censor the cover art for this post, but it still didn't make it any more appealing or friendly on the eyes. I am sorry for disappointing all our millions of readers. Next time I alter an album cover I will not disappoint. Anyways, on to the review. Seems like 2008 is overflowing with pleasant music. 2006 saw a giant wave of quirky charm. 2007 saw everything through quirky poptastic glasses and now 2008 is chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool and shootin' some b-ball upside the school to put a smile on your face with it's quirky pleasantries and niceties. Such is Moonbeams, a quaint multi layered jangly indie pop album of diversity. Although the songs range from chord strummers to melodica and glockenspiel laden frolics to electronica, all are pleasant above all else and definitely comparable with sunshine and yellow flowers to lift your spirits. Personally I like this trend of happiness and hope it continues well on into the year. Happiness to all and to all a good night.

-Sassigrass

Shows This Week

Tuesday (4.28), experimental noise rockers, Indian Jewelry, are playing The Urban Lounge with always consistent experimental raga dronester, Stag Hare. Should be a sick tight experimental night and Forest Gospel pick of the week.

Friday (5.2), Dark Meat is back with all their jam band tendencies playing with confident local upstarts Kid Theodore at Kilby Court.

Dark Meat live


Friday (5.2), Black Kids and Cut Copy will be co-headlining one of those late shows over at The Urban Lounge. Pitchfork approved so you can・t really go wrong whether you want to admit it or not.

Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend


Cut Copy - Saturdays

Indian Jewelry - We Are The Wild Beast

Indian Jewelry
We Are the Wild Beast
(02.2008, Tigerbeat6)
Verdict = That Wonderful Bleating Noise Rock

Following FG’s penchant for critiquing everything auxiliary to the actual recorded music of albums we listen to, the cover art for Indian Jewelry’s We Are the Wild Beast is absolutely charming. As can be seen above, the image is pretty much exactly the kind of thing that I want on a big oversized poster in my living room. As for the music, it is similarly charming with its consistent, lo-fi bass buzz and guitar crackle running throughout. The music actually falls somewhere between Times New Viking and Liars: buzzy no-fi recordings of bombastic noise rock that hot enough to get your booty shakin’ and your head nodding. It’s consistent too. We Are the Wild Beast is simply filled with blissfully imaginative, constantly evolving songs that rarely tire. I would be willing to mark this as one of the better releases of 2008, but alas the album was actually released in 2003 under the banner of NTX + Electric. Yeah, ridiculous huh? Turns out Indian Jewelry is also Turquoise Diamonds, Japanix, The Corpes of Waco, Swarm of Angels and The Perpetual War Party Band as well. I’m not bitter of the trickery though. We Are the Wild Beast is worthy of this timely re-release and should be a fitting precursor to the bands forthcoming Free Gold in May. If you in anyway consider yourself a fan of loud, noisy, fun, no wavy rock then We Are the Wild Beast is unmissable.

-Mr. Thistle

Listen to clips at Boomkat

Dose One - Skeleton Repellent

Dose One
Skeleton Repellent
(11.2007, Purple Guerrilla)
Verdict = A Creative Explosion

I don’t think I could be more excited for the new Subtle album due out in just a couple weeks now. The entire band is worthy of accolades, but it is lyricist Dose One that is the engine of the whole thing. Subtle would undoubtedly still be amazing without him, but with him the band is otherworldly. It is Dose One’s insane, fire eyed delivery and totally out there personality that makes Subtle one of the most electrifying and exciting live bands I’ve ever seen (check them at Urban on 5/12). And it isn’t just Subtle, pretty much everything the guy touches turns to gold, check it: Clouddead, 13 & God, Themselves, Deep Puddle Dynamics, his collaboration with Boom Bip and guest spots in all sorts of other unlikely places (Hood, Fog, Peeping Tom, Aesop Rock…). He has basically three or four lifetimes worth of amazing output. Yet, even with his lengthy, spotless resume, I have never caught one of his solo albums until now. Late last year Skeleton Repellent dropped with little fanfare which led me to believe that perhaps Dose just thrives on a collaborative atmosphere and can’t really pull off something so great by himself. Well, it’s a pretty ridiculous thought in retrospect, but let me just assure anyone else with similar doubts that Adam “Dose One” Drucker is a certified genius. Skeleton Repellent is an immaculate, creative masterpiece that verifies that Dose One isn’t simply a rapper, I think that has been clear for sometime actually, but Skeleton Repellent should further attest to the fact that Dose is simply a pop mastermind. The album flows beautifully through Dose One’s painstakingly multilayered vocals with an eccentric electronic backdrop. Initial it is a bit overwhelming to penetrate, but for anyone familiar with Subtle and Dose’s various other experimental excursions, Skeleton Repellent will be a severely rewarding journey. In fact, Subtle’s ExitingARM is going to have a tough time competing with this thing in my book. As good as anything he as ever done.

-Mr. Thistle

Dose One - "Overchoiced"

The Julie Mittens - Self Titled

The Julie Mittens
The Julie Mittens
(03.2008, Holy Mountain)
Verdict = Ulcer Inducing

First off, The Julie Mittens is an awesome band name. We seem to be a little preoccupied with band names here at FG which is good, because bands names are almost as important as the music… Selling point number two: the release comes to us from the illustrious Holy Mountain imprint. If you aren’t familiar with their catalog already, you should be. Anyway, The Julie Mittens evoke some obvious imagery: femininity or whichever lanky girl that you know named Julie (we’re familiar with a few here at the office), the hand warming products of childhood when fingers are too small to be relegated to their own individual cloth encasing and somehow mittens also remind me of kittens. So over all it is a pretty cute and cuddly scene. The actual musical content of the disc is another story. I just recently completed my final for my literary history class which culminated in a series of essays on all of the literature we had covered in the class. Problem is, I didn’t really read any of the literature we were assigned in class and I definitely didn’t study. The result was about a gallon of acid churning and destroying my stomach as a result of the stress. Essentially, this is the effect that The Julie Mittens music creates. Separated into for extended jams each with corresponding dates as titles (assumedly the date in which they were recorded), The Julie Mittens churn out an assault of improvised aural squalor that screams and screeches so terribly that the already lengthy tracks seem even longer than they actually are. There really isn’t any form here either, no certain movements or composition, just straight for the jugular instrumental abuse. I can see, maybe just an inkling of what the band is trying to accomplish, but overall this is just terrorizing music in a more negative than not way that you will probably never play twice (that is, unless you like stressful final exam situations).

-Mr. Thistle

The Julie Mittens - "April 3 2007"

Flying - Faces of the Night

Flying
Faces of the Night
(02.2008 Menlo Park)
Verdict: So Cool

Flying is cool. I guess I could really end the review there and you would have as good of an idea about their new album Faces of the Night as if you read my attempt to describe them. And by cool I mean just that, no more no less. And I'm not talking about The Fonz cool, I'm talking about staying up till 3 am playing pogs and Super Nintendo while downing a box of otter pops cool. Riding your bike to the fruit stand in the rain cool. Giving a girl you have a crush on a mix tape with homemade art cool. I'd even dare say A Faulty Chromosome cool. I hope that makes sense. But ya, Flying is a band that blends lazy folk, eclectic beats, jammy rock, and a bit of spacey pop while sounding totally natural about it. Nothing on this album feels like an attempt to win anyone's approval, just a bunch of cool people making cool music. None of the jams or beats are overly tight and the guy/girl harmonies are at times a bit sloppy. It's this cool kid slacker approach that has won my heart and placed Faces of the Night quite high on my fav albums of the year so far list. Now all I need is a cute girl to jam out to this album with as we play Super Mario Kart all night.

- Wooly Mammal

Shows This Week

Tonight (4.21), Man Man and Yeasayer are playing In The Venue. There is absolutely no reason to miss this show. Man Man was virtually created to blow minds live and Yeasayer produced one of the best albums released in 2007. An absolute must see.

Man Man covering "Bulls on Parade"!!!


Yeasayer - "2080"


Tuesday (4.22), Islands will be joined by Band of Annuals and Kid Theodore for their show at In the Venue. I definitely am hoping for the best when it comes to Islands' new album, Arms Way, because after the initial charm of Return to the Sea, that album died hard. I guess you can't fault the band for not being The Unicorns. Anywho, album politics aside, Islands are always fun live. Show up and be ready to smile.

Islands - "Rough Gem"


Wednesday (4.23), the illustrious Saul Williams will be terrorizing Kilby Court and surprisingly they haven't moved the venue! There is absolutely no good reason for Williams to be playing a tiny venue like Kilby Court, but I'm not complaining. This show will most likely sell out. You know it's a good week for shows when Man Man and Yeasayer can't grab the coveted(?) FG live pick of the week, but there is probably very few that could steal that honor away from a Saul Williams show. And as an added bonus, local FG favourite Stag Hare will be providing the support. Another must see.

Saul Williams - "List of Demands"


Friday (4.25), indie metal crossover band The Sword will be shattering eardrums with Slough Feg and Children at Club Vegas. I don't know if it is still permissible to wear tight leather pants to this kind of show, but if you do FG will consider paying your way.

The Sword - "Winter's Wolves"


Friday (4.25), Norfolk & Western (with the now obligatorily mentionable ex-Decemberists band members) will be bringing their country tinged indie to Urban Lounge with the likes of Weinland and Deadhorse Point. Hot stuff!

Norfolk & Western @ PDX POP Now!


Saturday (4.26), Blood On The Wall will be playing at Why Sound. Why Sound? What is with bands playing in Logan nowadays? Well, Loganites are in for a treat because BOTW's indie rock assault is among the best in the business and their trailing along Bring Your Guns for the ride. Should be a blessed time.

Blood on The Wall - Baby Likes to Hollar"

Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies

Cadence Weapon
Afterparty Babies
(03.2008, Anti)
Verdict: I don't' love dance party music

First off, I don't understand why Cadence Weapon doesn't just go by his real name. I mean, Rollie Pemberton, could it get any better sounding than that? I guess "Cadence Weapon" is all right, I just like Rollie better. Anyways, Afterparty Babies is out and moving the bodies of dance loving quasi hip hoppers all over the continent. It seems like a lot of critics are in the same boat as I am, it's good, but after Breaking Kayfabe it just falls a little flat. Cadence tried to get all club on us in this album and its not half as interesting as the broken crunk nintendo beats of his former album. The tracks are still keyboard heavy with biting rhymes flowing freely, but Rollie's IDM influences creep in a little more and the electro goes to new extremes. If you like dance party anthems you will love this, I just don't fancy dance music very often and I would have been much happier if Rollie would have continued in his Kayfabe footsteps. You have to give it to him for changing up a little. No one likes a stagnant artist, lets just hope the next direction is a little less dance.

-Sassigrass

Bulbs - Light Ships

Bulbs
Light Ships
(04.2008, Freedom To Spend)
Verdict = Alien Robot Noise Transmissions

Bulbs’ press release has identified them as a San Francisco duo made up of ex-Axolotl noise monger, William Sabiston, along with Jon Almaraz, but I would be more likely to believe that the real duo behind the cacophony is pair robotic extraterrestrials given the unearthly clamor they produce. Light Ships is the first release on the newly formed Freedom To Spend label run by Pete Swanson of the Yellow Swans and it appears that anything with strings attached to Yellow Swans these days is gold. Light Ships is no different. The album starts off awkwardly rambling through a series of high end squalor bedded in a string of muffled electronic beats on “Gold Ropes”. It is clear right from the get go that there is something otherworldly going on here and while I can’t say that the album gets any less awkward or bizarre the evolution of that first track slowly starts piecing itself together before climaxing with a searing electronic squeal and then dissipating into a sort of audio rubble. The track is followed unassumingly by another off kilter beat textured by strange electronic feedback. Track after track Bulbs continue to throw curve balls into the machinery like space invaders and before you know it Light Ships has brainwashed you harder than any Scientologist ever could. You may not be jumping on Oprah’s couch anytime soon, but I assure you that the end result here is just as euphoric. There is really no understanding how great this album is without fully indulging in its many parts from beginning to end. A sample audit just won’t suffice. Bulbs want your whole soul and their willing to abduct you to get. So here I sit afterwards undoubtedly confused and yet somehow utterly satisfied.

-Mr. Thistle

Bulbs - "Light Ships"

Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward

Be Your Own Pet
Get Awkward
(03.2008, Ecstatic Peace)
Verdict = Bratty High School Angst

I feel really awkward (and not because the album title tells me to) about liking this record. It is pretty embarrassing to listen to and not just because everyone else in the Forest Gospel troupe seems to despise it. I’m listening to this thing on headphones right now and my cheeks are getting just as rosy embarrassed as they would if I played it in front of, well, anybody. I mean read some of these lyrics: “eating pizza is really great / so is destroying everything you hate” and “you signed my yearbook and that was pretty rad / but now I’m getting sick of you and it’s just too bad” and “lunch time is just not fair / hot dog mustard in your hair“. I mean could the lyrics be anymore inane? There is really no shortage of cringingly juvenile lyrical moments but for some reason it feels like that is just the way it should be. It’s almost as if the band wanted to make sure that everyone knew that they were immature high schoolers and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all just a big joke. To be honest I don’t even know if they are still in high school or not. Self conscious ridiculousness or not, Get Awkward is just the righty bratty, fast paced, sucky indie punk rock to blast while cruising main on a Saturday night and in true high school form. Be Your Own Pet has created a record that requires you to play it repeatedly until it is absolutely the last thing you want to hear but somehow you still have to. So in conclusion, this is really an admission to my being really immature and wanting to break stuff occasionally and just act like a general loser (something Sassigrass can attest to). It is just unfortunate that I’m in the age bracket where I have to be careful about engaging in “criminal mischief”. I guess I’ll just settle with toilet papering my parents. Hooray for Get Awkward bringing out the worst in me in all of its childish cussy glory!

-Mr. Thistle

Scott Tuma - Not For Nobody

Scott Tuma
Not For Nobody
(03.2008, Digitalis)
Verdict = Blissful Guitar and Experiments

Usually albums focused on a single instrument are bent on either the virtuosity of the player and the extremes of the instruments capabilities. On Scott Tuma’s third album, Not For Nobody, Tuma leaves himself and his acoustic guitar out of the spotlight and has chosen to highlight an albums worth of simple, beautiful melodies with entrancing results. The whole of the album whispers of Tuma’s humble genius with his subtle, alluring musical motifs. I suppose calling this simply an acoustic guitar album is a bit of a disservice to Not For Nobody seeing as how Tuma has painstakingly added a series of sparse experimentations and simplistic instrumental accompaniments (the pinnacle of which is Jason Ajemain’s string addition on “Loversrock1”) throughout his magnificently blissful opus, however, it is his acoustic guitar which strings the tracks together like a lazy piece of windy old yarn. And Tuma’s yarn carves a beautiful path indeed, folky ballads reminiscent of the heartfelt innocence of childhood, Not For Nobody is the perfect antidote to stress and the best companion to sentimental memories. The album opens and closes with ghostly reverb laden vocals that seem to mark your entrance and departure from an album that inhabits a place that is truly otherworldly, magical and unique. Not For Nobody is absolutely timeless and definitely one of the best releases of the year thus far.

-Mr. Thistle

Clips from Not For Nobody on Boomkat