Becoming Real Forever

Tender Age

Becoming Real Forever

(SINIS Recordings)

Holy shit, have I been out of it!  As mentioned in the previous post (It’s Beginning to and Back Again), I’ve been on autopilot for a few years with regards to keeping up with music, but, thanks to Amber Crain’s amazing When the Sun Hits blog and internet radio show on DKFM, I got clued in to Tender Age just in time for their debut album’s release and I am thankful.  Tender Age are from Portland too, so they’ve been right under my nose this entire time. 

This young five piece apparently recorded this album in a shack over at the coast, in Seaside.  Having grown up on the Oregon coast, I can just imagine how out of place their squealing guitar feedback and extreme dissonance must have been, but at the same time, it somehow makes perfect sense.  I have a distinct memory of riding in a car crammed full of high school classmates heading southbound on Highway 101 on a school night in the late 80s to attend an art opening at the Cultural Center in Newport.  Everyone in the car had a piece in the show, but me.  I was, and still am, the eternal supporter (the bridesmaid, the caddie, the cling-on, the groupie) of the arts – never the artist.  Along the way, we were listening to Sonic Youth’s brand new Daydream Nation, which I had dubbed for my old friend Ian, who was driving.  I distinctly remember gazing out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset on the way up the hill of Cape Foulweather with a huge grin on my face taking in the stunning view as the middle part of “Silver Rocket” went about destroying the car’s speakers.  Becoming Real Forever reminds me of this moment.

From what I’ve seen, Tender Age sometimes get labeled with the “shoegaze” tag, likely because of their liberal use of feedback to create some pretty intense soundscapes.  They remind me more of the aforementioned Sonic Youth, or Dinosaur, or Pussy Galore school of rock and noise - something that would come out on SST, or Homestead Records – all influences on those early shoegaze bands.  Plus, vocalist/guitarist, Tauna Leonardo employs a cool, otherworldly and disconnected Kim Gordon style spoken word approach on songs like “Olives Choice,” “Dark Circles,” and the first half of the epic “Cellphone Tower.” Tender Age are excellent when it comes to using three guitars (Leonardo, Elaina Tardif, and Christopher Klarer!!!) to create feedback which invigorate their songs with chaos.  The searing presence of the noise gives their songs an urgency and the feeling that the entire procedure might run off the rails at any moment.  It’s exciting!

It doesn’t hurt that the opening song, “Don’t Mind,” is an addictive pop song buried within a Psychocandy-era Jesus and Mary Chain wall of screeches, a ramshackle looseness, and a deep bassline that booms and moans like a really strange harbor buoy that’s way too near for comfort.  I find myself listening to it over and over.  When drummer, Olives, leans into the hi-hat during the bridge between the chorus and the second verse, I feel like an itch is being scratched.  That crazy low sonic boom bass, creatively guided by Bryan Robertson, guides the similar “Isn’t Real” as well.  The trudging and heavy “Lowers” leaves behind a trail of wreckage in its wake, along with a surprising sing-along vocal melody in the chorus.  The funky shuffle of “Deluxe” is the oddball track of this bunch, but a welcome breath of fresh air, and a touch of needed variety – making it a standout.  So too, the breathy acoustic ballad, “Nothing” that closes side one with a real touch of beauty.

Overall, Becoming Real Forever, seems to express a sentiment of feeling disconnected, disengaged, and separate from the rest of the world.  This is a feeling I think a lot of us can identify with in this age where so many of us are overcrowded yet completed isolated.  So much of what happens anymore does not seem real at all.  There is a definite surrealism to their sound with all of the noises coming at you from everywhere, as well as decay and destruction.  They build somewhat basic rock song foundations and then take sledge and jack hammers to these structures and present the remains as the finished product.  Have you ever wondered how an old section of sidewalk can become so broken up over time, when it is made out of concrete – something so indestructible?  Tender Age might have been there blasting away just before you arrived.  I highly recommend this album.

(https://sinisrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/becoming-real-forever)

Tender Age "Isn't Real"

God's Dream

Ringo Deathstarr

God’s Dream 12” EP

(Neon Sigh / Noyes)

God’s Dream is quite a bold title for a record, yet somehow it all makes sense.  Ringo Deathstarr, from Texas, has a way of encapsulating all kinds of various things and cramming them all into compact little moments of organized chaos.  Over their first two albums and multiple EPs, they have mined familiar musical territory (but really, honestly, who doesn’t?) and have been accused of copying their musical idols (My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, etc.).  What sets this trio apart is that they are clearly having fun.  They infuse their noisy songs with a lot of energy and a touch of randomness that always keeps fresh and a little bit surprising.

This EP, or mini-LP (it’s seven songs, but is nearly as long as each of their first two albums), was originally released in Japan at the end of 2013 with more songs, but I missed that one, so luckily, a shorter version on fancy coke bottle vinyl was finally released this spring domestically.  Why is it that Japanese releases often provided with bonus tracks?  I’ve never understood this. 

Anyway, “Bong Load” opens side one with a sudden burst and a lot of lyrics where lead guitarist Elliott Frazier seems to be describing some sort of psychedelic meltdown.  In many ways this is the perfect Ringo Deathstarr song, because it is somehow both loud and full of disorientation, but there is calm inside the storm.  The rock steady, be it off-kilter, beat, along with a constant drone that runs throughout the song provides the song its guiding light, as the rest of the instruments meander their way down the path – eventually finding the other side.  It’s an intriguing balance that I first remember Sonic Youth achieving with their landmark late 80s work, but very nicely done here. 

The highlight of the collection is the title track, “God’s Dream.”  Bassist Alex Gehring steps in with lead vocals, as she has done a couple of songs a collection, and spellbinds us with a stunner.  Actually, there are a lot of Alex’s singing this song and her angelic voices culminate in a beautiful chorus over the top of a descending guitar line.  Again, this song is not quiet, but like “Bong Load,” it has a majestic beauty that this band seems to have found on this newest material.

“Flower Power” begins as a harsh march, turns into a speedy buzzing force, and then about halfway through changes into a drifting ambient dreamscape, before slowly building up the noise and momentum and finishing with the rock.  It was about this point, the second of third listen through the record, that I began to realize that Ringo Deathstarr is starting to record more fully realized songs.  Their fantastic short and varied collections have hinted at this, but here they seem to be stretching out and giving more ideas to each song. 

The first side closes with the dreamy David Lynch-ian “Shut Your Eyes,” which, in all honesty, has often made me do.  There have been long gaps between my listens of side one and two as “Shut Your Eyes” has allowed me to drift off into my own little dream world.

The three song second side begins with the pretty straightforward rock song “Chainsaw Morning.”  There is a back to basics to feel to this loud song, right down to the verse/oft-repeated chorus/verse and the big drum fill - sort of solo - that is the climax of the song. 

Up next is “See You,” another big sounding track.  This song musically alternates between a jaunty bounce with Gehring’s dreamy vocals and a dragging darkness with Frazier’s deep voice.  It’s an interesting juxtaposition, but lacks a certain hook.

The collection ends with the epic and upbeat “Nowhere,” which brings back their earliest mildly industrial influence aside the all out noise assault that makes up this beast.  This song evokes more modern contemporaries of similar sounds like Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers.

Overall, this is an excellent collection, though side one far outshines the second.  It is great to hear the band continue to spread their wings.  It’s a fun ride worth taking.  Stay tuned and come along.

(ringodeathstarr.org)

Ringo Deathstarr "God's Dream"