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"

 

Ten Thousand Hours

Spotlight Kid

Ten Thousand Hours

(Saint Marie)

The past few years have been a great time for me when it comes to music.  There has been quite a revival of new artists who have been heavily influenced by the types of music that first captured my endless attention so long ago.  I want to shout it out to the world!  Unfortunately, my voice gets lost among the million plus other people doing the same thing and what makes my opinion more important or distinctive than anyone else’s?  Nothing.  I am simply a fanatical music freak who gets all worked up and cannot shut up about how cool I think this stuff is.  I wish I could do it justice.  I wish I could convince people out there that it’s all worth a close listen and repeated listens.  I absolutely want these artists to be able to continue their art and the best way is for them to make a living at it.  And I want to talk about it.  I want to be turned on to other artists who may inspire me along the way. 

At the moment, I am listening to the third album from UK six piece Spotlight Kid Ten Thousand Hours.  I have been anticipating this release since last spring and summer when they released two digital singles that dazzled my heart and mind: “Budge Up” and “Sugar Pills” (both included here).  I wrote about them at years’ end (my #17 pick of 2013 here) and will sadly most likely not do them any more justice than I managed to squeeze out at that time.  “Sugar Pills” smashes onto the scene here, after a brief pleasant instrumental title track, just as singer Katty Heath declares: “Like a lightning bolt and a jolt to my soul.”  This damn song gets better every time I hear it.  The relentless pounding drums, the flood of atmospheric noise that feels like fresh spring air coming through wide open windows.  It begs for increased volume and complete rapt attention.  So too does that other single “Budge Up.”  The dramatic intensity of the song is both thrilling and exhausting.  By the time the song reaches its Pixies “Tame”- like climax, we are completely wrung out on the emotions fueling the song.  The other pre-LP sneak peak, “Can’t Let Go,” is another scorcher that reminds of the exciting forward momentum that many of the songs on their second LP, 2011’s Disaster Tourist, contained, or tried to contain.

Elsewhere, we find the bubbling brightness of “I’ll Do anything.”  This song’s sparkling music and Heath’s terrific voice are as addictive as the crush described and yet the endlessly repeated guitar line creates a hypnotic and mildly melancholic effect.  The very grinding rocker that is “A Minor Character” glides and explodes with energy and a bitter dismissal in the chorus: “you’re such a minor character in my life” (one minor complaint: this song is not recorded with the same fidelity as the rest of the collection.  It lacks the same depth and richness.).  Meanwhile, the rich, electronically based instrumental “Hold On” provides a chance to breathe and at various moments reminds me of early Art of Noise.  While the bigger sounding mostly instrumental (one repeated lyric: “smile – only want to make you”), “Bright Eyes,” glides and grooves and goes all interstellar.  Finally, the closing powerhouse is actually the title song that was seemingly absent from their last album, “Disaster Tourist.”  The striking hot guitar line of each verse absolutely goes haywire and overloads into a My Bloody Valentine-style disorienting meltdown in each instrumental chorus.  It is stunning and remarkable. 

So, why haven’t I tracked down their debut album yet?  I promise to get on that task, if you promise to check out this new album.  Now, to get them to perform somewhere near or in Oregon….

(spotlightkidsound.co.uk and saintmarierecords.com)

Spotlight Kid "Sugar Pills"

Cheatahs

Cheatahs

Cheatahs

(Wichita Recordings)

My old friend Ken, one time way back in High School – probably spontaneously, as we were about to begin a test in something like Geometry class – blurted out one of his many invented jokes.  He said: “I hate taking tests at the zoo.”  Of course, what you may have already surmised is that this is not a good way to set up a joke.  There’s no inherent response that such a statement will illicit, such as a ‘knock knock’ joke, which universally brings about the response: “who’s there?”  Somehow though, we were all tuned in enough to set him up as he needed to bring about the punch line.  “Why do you hate taking tests at the zoo, Ken?” - came the response.  “I always end up next to the cheatahs.”  And now, here we are 25 plus years later and I am listening to the debut album by a band named Cheatahs, before attending the first stop on their first US tour here in Portland tonight (2/22/14).  I cannot imagine a connection here, besides that they are using the term Cheatahs in the same twisted context.  Word has it that this UK-based four-piece, comprised of an American, a Canadian, a Brit and a German, coined the name because they were all involved with other projects, but were moonlighting with each other as they formed this band.  Whatever the case, I’m glad they went the route they’ve chosen, because their previous Extended Plays collection (my 2013 #11 pick seen here) and now this debut are dominating my music world.

As mentioned in my review of Extended Plays, this band dwells in musical styling’s that were guiding my days back in the early 90s.  They could be ripped for being too derivative, but I simply don’t care.  This new album contains a fire and passion and a quality that overcomes everything.  What I liked about the best of the old “shoegaze” bands (a terrible UK press term thrown at a wide variety of bands of that era, because their stage presence was too insular and not rock star-ish enough for headline hungry writers) were that they acted as a complete unit.  All of the instruments (be it guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals, etc.) were on equal footing.  The songs were more about the whole impression - a wash of noise that could somehow be loud and bold, dreamy and atmospheric, and most importantly melodic, all at the same time!  When bands such as Swervedriver, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, early Moose, Lush, Catherine Wheel, Pale Saints, Curve and many many blew my freaking mind and expanded my horizons twenty plus years ago, it was because they somehow encapsulated everything that I had previously loved about music up to that point and pushed it to new territories.  Cheatahs have brought this all back to me and it sounds as fresh now as it ever did then.

For those familiar with the band up to this point, the second EP Sans lead off track “The Swan” makes a triumphant appearance in all of its huge pounding and soaring glory.  It has the same kind of vibe as Interpol’s “PDA,” but not as dry and angular.  Also, both sides of their late 2013 pre-LP single emerge in fuller forms.  The “Son of Mustang Ford” careening abandon and white hot riffage of “Kenworth” slowly dissolves into a floating in space ambient conclusion, while the super catchy buzz and spooky keyboards of “Cut the Grass” are allowed to come to a proper conclusion now, as the abrupt fade-out from the 7” is corrected.  Meanwhile all of the new material blasts and swoons perfectly. The album feels cohesive and flows naturally.  The new single “Get Tight” alternates a grinding power chord with each sung lyric and manages to alternate between heavy rock, dreamy psychedelia, and catchy three minute pop song.  Elsewhere, the opening mellow instrumental snippet of “1” explodes into “Geographic” whose hard strummed guitar hook instantly puts this song into overdrive, while the blistering and gliding “Northern Exposure” and its amazing chorus brings to mind the inspiration that is Teenage Fanclub’s “Star Sign.”  The second half of the album is the first real sign of their My Bloody Valentine influence, as “IV” is rife with layers of see-saw off-kilter feedback waves over the top of a stuttering shuffle beat.  The album closes with the most melancholic sounding song of the collection, “Loon Calls,” which is also one of their strongest to date,

It’s always difficult to describe what music sounds like, but it’s even harder when everything fits together so well in these ‘washes’ of melodic sound.  It takes so many listens to break apart mentally each component’s importance to the whole.  What I can say though, is that this is a lot of fun to listen to and both of their CDs have been on constant repeat at home and in my car for some time now.  I do not see that ending any time soon.  Now should I try and tell them Ken’s joke sometime before or after their performance tonight?  Probably not.

(cheatahs.net)

Cheatahs "Get Tight"

 

Top 40 of 2013 - #40 to #36

2013 has been a strange year.  The first half of the year had passed before I truly felt much of a spark from the music that I draw so much from.  There were January disappointing announcements of two promising young bands calling it quits (Nature Set and Standard Fare).  There were exciting returns from legendary bands, such as My Bloody Valentine – something that seemed like it would never happen – but in the end, their newest self-released album left me feeling empty and unmoved.  It sounded like so-so B-sides that wouldn’t have made the cut on their amazing late 80s Creation EPs.  It’s nice to have them back and maybe baby steps are what they needed to make, since following up their groundbreaking 1991 loveless is next to impossible.   

Similarly, we saw another surprising reappearance from the Pixies after 22 years.  Sure, they've been touring relentlessly for the better part of a decade, but it's been all the old stuff.  So, the odd news that Kim Deal had left the band coincided with news of new material.  Whatever the case, the initial free download offering of "Bagboy" was promising.  It contained many of the elements that made them groundbreaking and now legendary, but had a new twist.  However, their proper re-debut with EP-1 is simply a collection of four disappointing generic songs.


Then there was the re-appearance of my more recent favorites Editors, releasing their fourth LP, but this time without founding guitarist Chris Urbanowicz.  His input and creative style of playing was clearly a huge part of what made Editors so good, because the resultant The Weight of Love is an okay collection of Kings of Leon sounding love ballads and big U2 style anthems.  It does not contain the magic that originally drew me to the band in the first place.  Too bad.

 

Yet, as the year reached the end of summer, music started to click into full force again – into an embarrassment of riches, making me wish I had riches to afford it all.  Every year is an excellent one for music; it’s just a matter of tracking it down.  Sometimes it takes more time and energy than others, but it is out there and 2013 turned out to be pretty special.  

40.

Summer of Blood

Summer of Blood EP

(self-released)

Well, this is quite interesting.  A menacingly titled debut EP limited to only 50 copies.  This five songer is lovingly pieced together with lots of little inserts in the sleeve and an old school photocopied cut and paste style information page.  I don’t know much about this fledgling Sheffield band, except that it formed out of the ashes of the tragically short-lived Nature Set – a band who weren’t around long enough to release an album, but whose two EPs managed their way into my heart with their pleasing pop immediacy (2011 #14 here & 2012 #19 here).  The EP opens with a mellow walk through the park with “Mainstream Rituals,” but then things get going with the dirtier sounding “Blood Curl,” a bitter ode to a broken relationship.  “Mi Sagrado Corazon” brings back the heavy organ layers from the first track and kind of goes nowhere.  But the proceedings are saved by another gritty song in “Straw Dogs.”  This buzzing pop number reminds the most of the former Nature Set, but with heavy guitar work burgeoning underneath the organ lead.  Its simple mid-tempo beat and repeated refrain “you never felt this way before” is instantly a winner.  The proceedings close with an unlisted short instrumental ‘Summer Rituals II,” which is pretty and makes me curious what direction this band will go with their next release and if they’ll stick it out long enough to grow.  If they do, I’ll be listening!

(facebook.com/pages/Summer-of-Blood/552276668136890)

39.

Standard Fare

“Rumours” 7”

(Kingfisher Bluez)

My love affair with Standard Fare was abruptly cut short in January of this year, when they announced that they were splitting after only two albums and a handful of singles (see here for 2010 #3 pick, here for 2011 #13, and here for 2012 #8).  It’s so sad, because I fell so hard for their fun, energetic sound and especially Emma Kupa’s unique vocal style.  Luckily, they left us with great music to listen to going forward and to remind us to wonder ‘what could have been.’  This limited edition 7” (only 300 copies!!) is their farewell to us fans.  They give us what are clearly songs that didn’t make the second LP cut (Out of Sight, Out of Town), but they are still quality songs.  The A-side, “Rumours” is a breezy, light on its feet strummer, with excellent guitar flourishes by the underrated Danny How.  This should’ve made the last album or at least should be more widely heard.  The lyrics, as always, have a natural feel, as if ripped from a diary and they tell a story that seems to allude to either a failed or unrequited past affair and the rumors and fallout that have kept these people apart for so long.  Meanwhile, the quick two minutes that make up the B-Side, “Out of Sight” is clearly B material, but still a catchy little song of escape - a fitting closure for a great young band.

(standardfare.co.uk  /  kingfisherbluez.com)

38.

The Joy Formidable

Wolf’s Law

(Canvasback Music/Atlantic)

Over the last three plus years my fire and love for The Joy Formidable has been substantial.  Their 2009/2010 mini LP A Balloon Called Moaning and the debt full length, 2011’s The Big Roar, both became my #1 picks for those respective years (seen here & here), and the few times I’ve been lucky enough to see them perform live have been exhilarating and thrilling to say the least.  This is a band that brings it and brings it consistently; maybe more than any band I’ve ever seen.  Their emergence made me feel like a teenager again, when I was discovering music on my own and seeing live music for the first time.  This second full length appears just after they have toured the western world multiple times gathering a substantial fan base the old fashioned way – one audience at a time – with an album full of hope.  They have added diversity with a beautiful batch of slower songs (the acoustic ballad “Silent Treatment” and the timeless sounding “The Turnaround”), several orchestral touches (“This Ladder is Ours,” “Forest Serenade”) and of course a bunch of massive sounding showstoppers (“Little Blimp,” “The Leopard and the Lung”).  Lyrically, they seem to be finding an amazing amount of hope, wonder and redemption with humanity, even after we continue to burn, rape and pillage the Earth and each other and their enthusiasm feels authentic and believable.  Yet, for some reason, this one has not quite settled with me.  I love it and have listened to it over and over, but it hasn’t captured me in the same manner.  It could be that it needs a simple tweak in production or mix (maybe Andy Wallace’s metallic sheen has sucked some of the life out of their performances?), because when sprinkled into the live setting these songs fit in spectacularly with the older favorites – especially the astounding unlisted title track that closes this album now that it has been paired with the set closing blitzkrieg that is “Whirring.”  Or maybe it is that the epic centerpiece “Maw Maw Song” is the first song of theirs that I don’t particularly like.  Whatever the case, this is all nitpicking, because this Welsh trio is still about the most exciting band out there today.

(thejoyformidable.com)

37. 

The Black Watch

The End of When 2xCD

(Pop Culture Press)

I first encountered the black watch way back in 1993 when I happened across their 7” single “Whatever You Need” b/w “Come Inside.”  I purchased it solely because it was $3 and the cover featured a nice picture of my first ever crush: Natalie Wood.  Such a frivolous music fan I am, but wow – what a record!  Both of those songs are among this veteran band’s best.  Anyway, this started me on the current journey following them and enjoying their unbelievable consistency.  This new release made me especially curious, since their 2010/11 11^th album Led Zeppelin V was their best in several years (my 2011 #33 pick seen here).  Bandleader John Andrew Fredrick seems revitalized ever since ex-Chills guitarist Steven Schayer has joined the group a few years back.  The songs are more vibrant and memorable again, like in the 90s, when they strung together a ton of great singles and some really solid albums.  The first few songs here have their skittering layered guitars bleeding with extra urgency and fire.  The opening “I Don’t Feel the Same” sounds like one of their classic songs and would sound perfect on any of their albums.  Meanwhile, “Meg” is their best single in eons.  The cascading drums and that scratchy repetitive guitar riff build up a compelling case that Meg is pretty special (I especially like the line: “You know I go all ice cream inside”).  The album loses a bit of that energetic momentum as it progresses, but the softer songs start to reveal their intricacies with repeated listens.  The jaunty sounding “The Spare Side” adds a new element with a horn section, but the sound, as is often the case, belies the downer message of the words.  But who cares?  The bridge and song tempo shift about halfway through and it’s absolutely stunning.  The Steven Schayer led closer shows, once again, that he is a really good songwriter in his own right, as “Unlistening” evokes a very powerful load of emotions atop a simple guitar line and some backwards effects.  Another good album from this band and there seems to be a little more notice of their efforts this time around.  Here’s hoping for 25 more years!!

This album is also packaged with essentially a free best of CD.  There is a sixteen song collection that compiles songs from their 1991 sophomore LP Flowering up to the aforementioned Led Zep V.  There is a lot to take in, but it proves the point: they’ve been really good for a really long time.  And which songs show up?  Those two from the Natalie Wood single?  Why yes, they sure do.  Also, while you’re busy taking in their history, pick up and read Fredrick’s recently reissued or finally issued novel The King of Good Intentions!

(facebook.com/theblackwatchmusic)

  

36.

Swervedriver

“Deep Wound” (download single)

(Tym)

New material from Swervedriver?!  Huh?  They’ve been touring consistently for several years now and astounding audiences by somehow being even better than they were as an active recording band in the 90s.  Meanwhile, leader Adam Franklin has been consistently releasing his own really good albums (with Bolts of Melody) over the last several years.  It didn’t seem like the actual Swervedriver would be new again.  Yet, December has come and this previously tour only and obscure Australian import 7” (I tried to order, but it was ungodly expensive) has finally been made available via download with news of an upcoming new album.  Perhaps all of the recent signs of their massive influence on so many of today’s bands have them wanting to reclaim their turf.  “Deep Wound” shows no sign of rust either and seems like an ode to one of their influences by naming the song after the pre-Dinosaur Jr. hardcore band Deep Wound.  Obviously, the constant touring has kept them sharp, because this song has the same white hot edge that they always had, along with Franklin’s great voice and amazing ability to write intricate guitar hooks that can be simultaneously dreamy and shredding.  The b-side is a reworked version of the a-side, labeled as “Dub Wound.”  It really isn’t very dubby, but definitely has a more spacious sound.  It’s pretty fantastic in its own right.   Cheers to a new album in 2014!

(swervedriver.com)

  

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