timwarrenmusic - under_score

timwarrenmusic
under_score
(2009, Square Root Records)
RIYL = Dntl, Eluvium, Stars of the Lid

Tim Warren records music under the lowercase jumble of timwarrenmusic, which seems pretty self explanatory if not just a little bit odd, but there is something sorta resonant in the Warren’s recording title and the music that he has put out with under_score. Each track on the album is made up of fairly simplistic pop lengthed ambience, all working in its own little unobtrusive sphere. The music doesn’t make a case for itself as groundbreaking in its genre, or unusually euphoric or unique, but it is within the context of these modest little pieces that Warren has presented something special. First off, the music is as soothing and beautiful as the soft colourful edges an unfocused television. Of course, you’d have to mute the volume and play under_score to really get at that beauty, but it is there: brief snippets of heaven. In a genre that can be belabored by repetitious, occasionally infinite-seeming loops and drifts, under_score seems enhanced tremendously by the concision of its pop length. The tracks rarely float past the three minute mark, making them as engaging as they are succinct. This isn’t to say that Warren has created a short work. As a whole under_score is definitely shorter that, say, a Stars of the Lid double discer, but if Warren can manage the same blissful energy in a fourth of the time, that counts as a triumph to me. And it’s not like we have been begrudging any of the silty garage rock that being parade around for its brevity. Warren’s project is certainly an obscure treat that will most likely inhabit the small corners of only a few houses around the world, but for those who get there heads into those tiny corners there is a certain quaint majesty that is to be had with rewards that far outreach what you’d expect out of an album of this description. A truly stunning, beautiful document that asks little, but gives much. And, in accord with the generosity that emminates from Square Root Records, under_score is available for download for free, however, trust me when I applaud the beautiful packaging and all the extras they've tacked on to a purchase of the physical release.

-Thistle

download under_score from Square Root Records here.

Sustentacula - S/T

Sustentacula
Sustentacula
(2009, Rasbliutto)
RIYL = The Microphones, Dragging An Ox Through Water, Benoit Pioulard

So, as you may or may not have noticed, Fall semester has started and, subsequently, the slow descent of this here blog. However, as I get totally swept up in my studious student persona I feel it is important to pass along a few gems as they find their way to me. Sustentacula arrived in my mailbox a few weeks ago and I am sorry, I should have posted about it sooner, but life…and all that. Anyways, this debut, self-titled album is a glorious, quiet little beast that you’ll most certainly want to get your grubby mitts on. The work of David Rafn, along with some of his compatriots in the Portland area, Sustentacula speaks simplistic acoustic songs through a kaleidoscope of gorgeously off kilter production and instrumentation. Rafn writes perfect acoustic bedroom pop ground up with bits of trenchant machinery and clamorous, woodsy atmospherics. The album reminds me of the very best of K Records when they were in their heyday with a few added doses of experimental ear candy. Yet, even with the nostalgia of K riding on Rafn’s back, Sustentacula feels vibrant and fresh; a necessary music that seems to be missing from the landscape of music being released to close out this decade. A stunning debut, if I might say so myself, and a saving grace for anyone floundering in a musical rut in terms of new music. I’ve got some more homework to do, so I’ll have to cut this short, but there really isn’t much more to say: ten great songs that never wander away from the high level of goodness opened up with the very first notes.

-Thistle

Sustentacula on MySpace

Caboladies - Crowded Out Memory

Caboladies
Crowded Out Memory
(2009, Gneiss Things)
RIYL = High Wolf, Axolotl, Sam Hamilton, Emeralds

To call Caboladies and the Caboladies related output in the last couple of years 'prolific' is kind of like calling Michael Jordan just an ok basketball player; it’s pretty much the understatement of the decade. The craziest part is that it seems like everything this Kentucky trio (now a duo?) touches turns gold and promptly (and rightfully) disappears amid the frenzied drone-heads lurking teh internets for any sign of an under-the-radar Caboladies release. Well, I lamented not being hip to the Caboladies’ Atomic Weekender LP on Digitalis, but I guess I can’t complain because Crowded Out Memory, the new cdr from Emeralds run label Gneiss Things, is pretty much the album lengthed Caboladies treasure that I have been yearning for all year. Like Axolotl’s Of Bonds in General, Crowded Out Memory just barely makes the thirty minute mark with three long form tracks. I bring up Of Bonds in General because despite the astral hyperboles that I heaped upon that record in my review of its unparalleled goodness, Crowded Out Memory is hitting that same level of noise-ambient bliss. While Caboladies do fit into a similar category as Axolotl, there are definitely distinct differences in their sound. What Caboladies have been pushing is a bit less abrasive and a bit more, um, spacey? Crowded Out Memory is flush with a polysynth barrage of digital rainfall, mechanized laser beams and glittering keyboard sizzles that all combine to create the most unlikely beauty. Crowded Out Memory is basically two relatively shorter tracks sandwiching an eighteen minute plus behemoth of wandering, molecular mischief that strives to rearrange the patterns of space. Caboladies do a pretty fair job too. I wouldn’t be surprised if based on the efforts of this album alone that scientists announce the addition, retraction and rearrangement of several planets in our solar system by early next year. Of course, by that time you can probably expect that the Caboladies will have released a dozen more, equally gorgeous tapes, cds and vinyl to put things back into their rightful place again. As far as I am concerned, Caboladies can pretty much do whatever they want. This album is simply nuts delicious, textured and pastoral, futuristic and timeless. I guess there is one less available spot in my top ten for 2009.

-Thistle

Caboladies on MySpace

The Yolks - S/T LP

The Yolks
The Yolks
(2009, Randy Records)
RIYL = The Fresh & Onlys, The Strokes, Nodzzz

Simplicity can be a risky business. On the one hand, the simplification of chords and instrumentation brought us much of the glorious pop music that started gaining momentum in the momentous sixties. The Zombies, The Who, The Velvet Underground (you know the list): They sifted gold through the most remedial means. On the other hand, the paring down of instrumental and compositional elements of a given band can also quickly reveal how truly uninspired they are when it comes to song writing. I have the feeling that with some of this recent noise pop, that the noise is a compensation for actual honest-to-goodness song writing. I think the line of thinking goes something like this: “Wow, that song is kind of sucky. Hey! What if we just turn everything up way loud and add a lot of feedback, then no one will know the difference.” Now, that doesn’t apply to everybody in that category, but you’ve got to imagine that some of these bands are running things this way. That’s were The Yolks come in. Forget about lo-fi noise pop, The Yolks are just straight bare bones retro pop and - yep, you guessed it – these three guys can actual write and play fantastically catchy, enduring songs. It’s a simple setup of guitar, bass and drums. The ground isn’t erupting over the instrumentation or the limited chords The Yolks are hashing through, but on their debut LP, the ground is erupting over the fact that they are actually pretty freakin’ great. And fun. Of course the band’s record label claims this as well, but its true, this music is full of soul, and energy and fun. This is the kind of music that forces me to open my sun roof and wish that I had some old sixties convertible to go get milk shakes in. Oh, and you’ve got to love that cover art. Solid.

-Thistle

The Yolks on MySpace

Groupshow - the Martyrdom of Groupshow

Groupshow
The Martyrdom of Groupshow
(2009, Scape)
RIYL = Matmos, Eric Copeland, Black Dice

Groupshow is something of a German electronic super group boasting membership of Jan Jelinek, Hanno Leichtmann and Andrew Pekler. Pekler and Leichtmann actually worked as a backing band for Jelinek on tour which is, I’m assuming, how the trio formed under the single creative entity. If you are familiar with any of their work individually, you’re probably not going to be surprised by the fact that Groupshow’s electronics are weird, but weird in the best possible way. The trio’s improvisations turn into slightly off kilter pop tracks that usually revolve around the 3 minute mark, not too long or too brief to fully flesh out their alien skin. And if you were ever to imagine what pop music is to aliens, I imagine Groupshow is a pretty good possibility. The Martyrdom of Groupshow is filled with piles and piles of various odd synthesizer tones, blips, hums and beats, all scattered around and yet scattered into some type of symmetry that assures to never feel random. There is a cohesive thread here that pulls the oddity through for human consumption. I haven’t heard any of Leichtmann’s solo work, but in comparison to Pekler’s and Jelinek’s, The Martyrdom of Groupshow isn’t quite to standard, but as a testament to how high those standards are, Groupshow’s debut is definitely up there as far as my favourite electronic albums of the year and seems to be getting better and better the more I listen to it. Certainly it is a worthy stopgap between the time we wait for something new from each artist as an individual and, assuming they continue to record together, The Martyrdom of Groupshow is a stunning display of talent and potential.

-Thistle

Groupshow on MySpace

Slumberwood - Yawling Night Songs

Slumberwood
Yawling Night Songs
(2009, A Silent Place)
RIYL = Our Sleepless Forest, Letters Letters, Skallander

Slumberwood is an artistic collective from Italy that seems to dabble in just about every medium, including sound on this, their debut album. Yawling Night Songs is a dense collection of wild sounds that have been let loose to navigate a dense night jungle. The first and second tracks build seamlessly into an increasingly tense aural freakout with layers of noise being placed atop one another. Towards the end, female vocals are introduced, babbling incoherently. The experience is somewhat trying near the end, but just before the floor falls through, Slumberwood eases into a gorgeous acoustic guitar passage modified by little bits and pieces of hanging shrapnel that is kind of reminiscent of some of Scott Tuma’s work. Yawling Night Songs feels like an exercise in just these types of juxtapositions: the calm and beautiful posted up next to the manic and frightening. Slumberwood also seems keen on trying their hand at just about any musical genre that tickles their fancy, moving from drone, to noise to folk to blues/bluegrass to post rock. Everything is fair game. However, it is this openness to morphing that makes Yawling Night Songs sometimes feel more like a well compiled or interesting mixtape that the work of one band with a defined aesthetic. But, no matter how ambitious the band is when attacking each individual muse, they pull it off pitch perfectly. Each track feels well produced and filled with lush instrumentation and faded field samples in every nook and cranny. Yawling Night Songs attacks every version of night available under the black sky and is a beautiful debut record for a band experimenting to find out exactly what it would like to be. Slumberwood may not have their identity down pact yet, but their fragmented debut shows a lot more promise and has loads more bliss induced musical moments than most bands just getting their feet wet. Certainly a group to watch out for in the future.

-Thistle

Slumberwood on MySpace

High Wolf - S/T

High Wolf
High Wolf
(2009, Winged Sun Records)
RIYL = Caboladies, Stag Hare, Predator Vision

In the wake of two super-limited, super-terrific, already sold out tapes, High Wolf has released this self titled CDr which should hopefully stick around long enough for people who are reading this to snatch one before they too vanish into oblivion. Unfortunately, this seems to be the current trend in underground experimental noise and drone. Start a delicious new group and proceed to release awesome slabs of sound in the most limited quantities possible. I don’t get it. I don’t care if I have one copy of something that was limited to 100. I just want to hear the music. Why not make more copies? They’ll sell, right? I mean, take this most recent Caboladies LP: Atomic Weekender is the band's first release on wax and for some reason Digitalis sees fit to only produce 100 of them!? It’s baffling. Doesn’t it cost more per record when you produce smaller runs? Surely there is at least 3 or 400 more people who would have easily snatched those things up (me included). The same thing goes for the ridiculously expensive Animal Crack Box set from Animal Collective. Of course you’re going to start a feeding frenzy when you only press a 1000 copies of a new 3LP for a band who had just released the album of 2009 (For the record, Merriweather Post Pavillion, while amazing, is no longer my favourite of the year. Still good though.). Anyway, I’ll try to subdue my rant. You can just download the ripped copies online anyway, right? And if I’m going to be forced to steal a copy instead of pay for them because some hip, limited run release sold out, then I’m also not going to feel bad about it. What does any of this have to do with High Wolf’s selft titled CDr? Nothing really. You can still order this thing. Six full, lush tracks of bubbly, tropical and tribal drones that alternate between meandering meditations and percussive propulsions. These guys really are worthy of the amount of hype that is beginning to build for them. Who knows, they could turn out to be 2010’s Emeralds. So, as an apology for a review that really only used a sentence or two to describe any actual music, I suggest this: keep an eye out for future High Wolf releases, because they may not last long and considering their three for three track record so far (the Animal Totem cs is my favourite of the three), they’re not likely to disappoint. Beautiful dense drones for the drone inclined. Check it!

-Thistle

High Wolf on MySpace

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra, Blues Control and Ruby Ruby Ruby

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra
Take Off!
(2009, Alien Transistor)
RIYL = Leonard Bernstein, Lawrence Welk, Steve Reich

Composed by Berlin compositionalist Daniel Glatzel for a 20 piece orchestra, Take Off! is a melting pot of retro styles that have been chopped up, reassembled and invigorated with a hyperactive youthfulness that has taken a lot of music listeners by storm. This isn’t really the music you’d expect to be blasting through your average college aged hipster’s headphones as they’re bobbing down 3rd South in SLC, but after indulging myself, I can’t really think of anything better. It's simply cool stuff. The part that kills me is that Glatzel is 25 years old (my age!) and he has pulled off one of the most adventurous orchestral compositions of this decade. Combining orchestral jazz, film, classical and, well, lots of other stuff, the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra touches just about everything on this astounding debut. I’m not going to be surprised to see this on plenty of year end lists this year (I’ve already noted it on a lot of pre-emptive ones), it is just too refreshing, too exciting, too smile-inducing and too much fun.



Blues Control
Local Flavor
(2009, Siltbreeze)
RIYL = Peaking Lights, Wet Hair, Oneohtrix Point Never

I’m having difficulty comparing and describing Blues Control’s music at the moment. I have been listening to Local Flavor for a couple weeks and can’t seem to pin any descriptors or RIYLs to it that feel right. And I'm pretty sure this has always been the case ever since they debuted with Puff. Of course that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to make an unwieldy stab at it for this blurb. Combining guitar, piano/keys and a variety of processing methods, Local Flavor finds Blues Control at their milkiest, murkiest, weirdest and, as a whole, their best (I just love that first track off of their self titled album on Holy Mountain). This is really delicious stuff. Not quite noise, not quite not noise; just some beautifully bizarre psych “blues” and loopy swamp drone that is sure to leave you waterlogged and floating dead down the Amazon. And who wouldn’t subscribe to that?! I wish I could present something more cohesive because I’m liking Local Flavor enough to think its deserving of it, but alas, my words fail and all I can leave you with is a healthy, fragmentated description/recommendation: good mucky forward pedaling crocodile rock to die to(?).



Ruby Ruby Ruby
The Shadow of Your Smile
(2009, Zarek)
RIYL = Billie Holiday, The Magic I.D.

Ruby Ruby Ruby is the result of an offhand suggestion that was unexpectedly taken in to consideration and then blissfully realized. Margareth Kammerer of The Magic I.D., along with a troupe of class gentlemen (when you listen to the album you’ll realize that they could only be classy), rework ten gorgeous jazz standards in a classic smoky way that makes everything turn to black and white when it’s playing. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but Kammerer’s voice is just so pleasing and her guitar along with the rest of the instrumentation (bass, drums, sax, organ) just oozes a simplistic majesty that is far too fleeting in music being released in this era of electronic polishes and auto-tune (I hear you Jay-Z). For youngsters like myself who haven’t been fully immersed in these type of tunes, The Shadow of Your Smile is a gateway drug. Looks like I am going to be doing some heavy digging for more of this ancient bluesy, swingin’ jazz in this vein. Loverly.

Ruby Ruby Ruby on MySpace

-Mister Thistle

JOMF - Ballads of the Revolution

Jackie-O Samuel L. Jackson
Ballads of the Revolution
(2009, Fire Records)
RIYL = Gowns, Califone + Vibracathedral Orchestra, White Rainbow

In carrying on with my ridiculous aversion to typing out swears, I have altered yet another band name (remember Fun Buttons and Psychedelic Horses Hit?) that was already pretty awesome to begin with. However, I think I may have improved the band name this time around. I mean, Jackie-O Samuel L. Jackson? That is prettyBUG if you ask me (watching too much So You Think You Can Dance). But whether or not you prefer JOMF or JOSLJ, there is no denying that the music created by the glorious moniker is nothing short of brilliant. And on this most recent album it is nothing short of utter brilliance. JOSLJ has a pretty long track record filled with experimental explorations that travel all over the map, burrowing into each little niche and exploding it into something wholly unique and impressive. For some reason I haven’t been keeping up with the band since Flags of the Sacred Harp, but their newest, Ballads of the Revolution, doesn’t seem to have travelled all too far away from the experimental Americana that was featured there. This is a plus for me because I loved that album. Ballads of the Revolution inhabits a slack, hazy pocket of blissfully psychedelic tunes that certainly stands outside of the conventions of your standard folk/Americana, but is still probably one of the more structured releases within the Jackie-O catalog. Additionally, there is a lot of spacey and kind of rock oriented in places on Ballads of the Revolution. Some moments which definitely remind me of The Besnard Lakes or Black Mountain mixed with a woodsy tribal vibe that insists itself upon every track. So, built on six inscrutable tracks of weirdo JOMFness, Ballads of the Revolution is a perfect continuation to the band’s wonderful aesthetics and is probably one of the better points of entry for those new to the north western juggernauts. Ballads of the Revolution is an alternate universe filled with endless jams for the mind altered forester for which I invite you...?

-Thistle

Mouthus - Divisionals

Mouthus
Divisionals
(2009, Ecstatic Peace)
RIYL = Skaters, Religious Knives, Double Leopards

I don’t know if I could get through with a Mouthus review without writing the word ‘clatter.’ So there, I did it. Divisionals contains the signature industrial clatter that Mouthus has been honing in on for years now and it never gets old. A limited edition vinyl release on Thurston Moore’s scattered Ecstatic Peace imprint, Divisionals isn’t going to claim the spot of Mouthus’s most quintessential release (Saw A Halo was just too good), but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t totally worthwhile, gritty Mouthus working it out massively as always. With two tracks to a side, Mouthus boils through four long droney scraping epics that occasionally come off as more pleasant than excruciating, at least when gaged with their previous work. You know what, when I step back I regocnize that I really shouldn’t like this stuff whatsoever. There is not really any logic to enjoying such brittle, carnivorous noises, and yet I just devour it up. Why is that? I wanted to mention also that I was sitting with Sassigrass (my co-Forest Gospelateer/wife) and she was talking some mad trash on a few well known blogs about the kind of music they cover and so I asked her to explain what kind of music she thought Forest Gospel featured and she said that it was primarily super obscure and ultra boring music and that those designations weren’t mutually exclusive. Slam! Heh, well Mouthus probably fits that description for a lot of people, but I can’t help but really enjoy it. One man’s music is another man’s tools for tortured interrogation. It is funny to see that popping up in a lot of hater's descriptions of some of the noise popularized in the last couple of years. Well, I tell you what, if I was getting interrogated to Divisionals I wouldn’t give up an iota of information. This trash can cluster crunk of cracked percussion and grating electronics is just too too good. Naw, but grill me with some Lady Gaga in the background and I’m bound to spit up some info in 10 seconds flat.

-Thistle

Mouthus with my homeboy (and apparently theirs as well) Axolotl

xbxrx - Un Usper

xbxrx
Un Usper
(2009, self released)
RIYL = HEALTH, Blood Brothers, Ultra Dolphins, Daughters

It is been awhile since I’ve listened to a good palette cleanser; an album which simply steps out from the rest of my lengthy queue of albums I need to be listening to and says ‘screw the rest of this crap, lets go get a chocolate milk shake.’ I probably could have made that read a lot cooler and tougher (heaven knows xbxrx demand both), but in all honesty, I’m just not that cool or tough. That is, I haven’t been, but since I’ve started listening to the latest self released, palette cleansing album from xbxrx, Un Usper, I’ve been thinking, ‘you know what, maybe I am cool and maybe I am tough.’ Un Usper just exudes a self-assured swagger and blissful violence that can make even a geek like me feel like a dangerous punk superhero. I’m not a xbxrx expert by any means, but Un Usper certainly takes some progressive steps in culling the noisy elements of Sounds and matching it with the standard fits of rugged punk that the band regularly produces. It’s perfect for someone like me who has been waiting patiently for some good hardcore noise punk to really grasp onto, and within that arena of sound xbxrx have surely hit the mark. There is plenty of skree filled noise jams fitted next to ambling drums and guitar feedback interludes that’s built up this dynamic structure that is Un Usper. In addition to the fact that xbxrx have put out a great record, the band is the latest in recent memory to try out the pay-or-“donate”-what-you-want payment method for their work. They have uploaded the album to Mediafire, Rapidshare and elsewhere for quick accessibility along with a morality testing PayPal donation button on their home page. It is still an interesting idea and the album is surely worth some of your hard earned (depending on your job) money as a salute to the xbxrx's ear bleeding hardcore chops. Check it out now from the link below.

-Thistle

Dowload Un Usper from xbxrx's homepage

Candy Claws - In the Dream of the Sea Life

Candy Claws
In the Dream of the Sea Life
(2009, Act So Big Forest)
RIYL: Flaming Lips, Atlas Sound, Stars, Animal Collective

Hurry! Before it’s too late! I’m sorry! Hurry! Forgive me! I’m sorry! This was supposed to be IT! This is IT, it’s your perfect summer album, and it’s all my fault that it isn’t. I’ve been meaning to write this review since before the schools got out, since before the swimming pools and snowcone shacks opened their doors and peddled their respective forms of refreshment. Could it be, that this is the one that got away?
But no, I say. And this album, too—No! it says:

1. Depending on your situation (globally, educationally, economically, emotionally, etc., etc.), there is still give-or-take a month left of summer. Or should I say, almost ONE WHOLE THIRD of your summer left to enjoy! Swim! Drink iced tea, splash in a fire hydrants’ fountaining! Relax—just try it! Read! Work hard, play harder! Kick the can! Stay up late! And let this album be your soundtrack. It is just ideal. It has been, after all, created as a “companion album” to Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us; an album created with the ocean—all its light, its vibrancy; its activity, its cool; its immensity and wonder and playfulness—as the music’s dragoman, its inspiration and influence. And what is so, so much more important, Candy Claws manage to pull it off. This is an unbelievably ambitious record, and the fact that it doesn’t just crush under the pressure of its themes is incredible. (Serious: I can’t believe it’s coming from this “…who?” troupe, there’s so much aplomb and talent and objective-fulfilling. They sound like serious vets. I mean, to legitimately remind me of the Flaming Lips, without sounding like a rip-off or half-bake?) Truly, the weight of the ocean is bearing down on them, and from that crucible emerges a gem, an effortless, playful album that shows not a single sign of strain, anywhere. Which leads me to

2. (A rebuttal of my opening themes, kind of.) What is great about In the Dream of the Sea Life is that it is good enough to transcend being just another “watery” sounding or “beach” themed summertime album. All of the components of the music are proficiently, potently used, and the band sounds distinct in all the right ways. They really seem comfortable in their own skin, poised and coolheaded as artists, bursting with ideas and the enjoyment of hearing those ideas realized in such a way. Their album has been a completely wonderful surprise, and I can only apologize for keeping it to myself for so long.

[P.S. The hard facts, for those who want them: Candy Claws is a two-piece from Fort Collins, Colorado. Ryan Hover and Kay Bertholf are their names. This is their first LP, and was released by Act So Big Forest—a Fort Collins “collective” of which Hover and Bertholf are members. HOWEVER, they have just recently joined the Dublin, Ireland-based label-thing Indiecater Records. And In the Dream of the Sea Life will be released, “remastered” and with far, far less fantastic artwork than the original, by them on August 3rd. However, since the original sold out months ago, it’ll have to do. And do it will, I’m certain.]

— Braying Mantis

Candy Claws on MySpace

Candy Claws LIVE 5-22-09 from Candy Claws on Vimeo.