by Max Fishkin

Tokyo Police Club are a four-piece that hail from Canada, home to many indie artists such as Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade. These guys don’t have the same stigma attached as the previously mentioned bands. Instead, Tokyo Police Club are the indie garage heroes you hear about on the local nightly news, saving the world one show at a time. Joking aside, they really have grown comfortable in their own sound. Our interview with the band’s keyboardist, Graham Wright, could suggest as much in regard to their recording ideology alone. As you can see by that conversation, the reason why they are “heroes” is because they enforce a very straightforward garage-rock sound with very little pretension, contrary to the intricate electro-rock fusion of Wolf Parade or the epic anthem-like demeanor of Arcade Fire.

Such artists seem a bit inaccessible to certain listeners, who see that vein of songwriting conflicting with an innocent yearning for straightforward garage-rock. The songs on Tokyo Police Club’s previous releases, A Lesson in Crime and Elephant Shell, were relatively short and more vigorous in this garage-rock vein, while their new album Champ clocks in at 35 minutes and hosts a more mature but still energized band. When the promo copy for Champ came in the mail, I furiously ripped open the packaging and fed it into my CD player and it hasn’t moved since. For the past three weeks, I spent more time enjoying and listening to Champ than even thinking about writing this review.

The opening track, “Favourite Colour”, is a great summation of the band’s sound on this record: personal, melodic and lively. The glitchy synth intro unfolds into a spotlight on acoustic guitar and vocals. With lyrics like, “You were looking back on your days/how you spend them all in a blur/when they asked if you were for sure/let sugar melt down your throat/cuz you know its sweet getting old”, these guys are aware of taking the title of champ as they age, which is aptly depicted throughout the album. What could be better than playing in a kick-ass band and living life as you please during your ‘greatest years’, as most nostalgic parents remind us?

The single on Champ is “Breakneck Speed” and will serve as a great setlist staple while Tokyo Police Club tour with Passion Pit this summer. After catching a tight performance at All Points West last summer, I eagerly wait seeing their set at Bonnaroo this Friday. My next favorite track, “Bambi”, features a glitch-echo guitar effect that settles into a flurry of notes. Vocalist and bassist Dave Monks really understands his range and role as singer, which really lets all of the songs shimmer throughout Champ. But the track “Hands Reversed” shows a different side of Tokyo Police Club without completely making an about-face. This video, filmed about six months ago, strips the song to its core of guitar and vocals. The band’s contribution to the song on the album cut is subtle but very effective. The sluggish drums and bold synths develop the dynamics of the song, gradually building and releasing tension in rewarding fashion. The greatest part about Champ is that, in an age where most albums are half-filler and no-killer, this CD is a promise that rock ‘n’ roll will never die.

RIYL: We Are Scientists, Born Ruffians, Ra Ra Riot, Foals, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, The Maccabees, Metric, Minus the Bear, Wolf Parade, Harlem Shakes, Land of Talk, Death Cab for Cutie, Cold War Kids, Matt & Kim, Hot Hot Heat, The Futureheads

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Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Food

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Tokyo Police Club – Breakneck Speed

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Tokyo Police Club – Hands Reversed

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The post Tokyo Police Club Remain Champs appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

by Max Fishkin

I saw Gogol Bordello at All Points West in August 2009 and loved every second of it. But the band and its sound does not translate verbatim to record. The atmosphere of the crowd, the presence of the nine-piece band and the ornate dancers transports you to a kickin’ dance party that never dies down. The greatest part of seeing Gogol Bordello live is that you can’t help but jump around and throw your fist in the air; the music takes you over. Your primal instincts of the world at large are forgotten for the time being and there is nothing left to do but enjoy the party! While I will still review their new album, I highly recommend seeing Gogol Bordello live because the spirit of their performance doesn’t seem to be captured on any of their recordings.

But I can’t go on reviewing the tracks just yet. Something was bothering me early into the album. The quality of songwriting on their new album is stellar, but the production is momentarily lackluster. On the back of the hard copy of their fifth album Trans-Continental Hustle, in bolded letters it reads Produced by Rick Rubin. If you’ve been following some other work by Rick Rubin, you will notice a general distortion at peaks in the music, i.e. on a loud drum fill or accented beat. Point and case: listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song Californication, and the clipping begins when the drum fill carries the listener from verse to chorus, and on the accents in the chorus. Metallica’s latest release, Death Magnetic, received huge amount of criticism for being ruined by said distortion, an effort to compete in the Loudness Wars. The magnitude of this error doesn’t compare on Trans-Continental Hustle, but it still irks me on the few seconds I notice it. The initial few seconds on ‘Rebellious Love’ is a perfect example.

Gogol Bordello’s Trans-Continental Hustle does not wait a second to find its groove. Just like most Gogol Bordello tunes, they get you off your feet to dance or rage like a punk rocker. The first track, “Pala Tute”, sees the trans-continental influence that Eugene Hütz has absorbed in his time trekking the globe with Gogol Bordello. The growing fame for this multi-cultural band hasn’t gotten to Hütz’s head when he sings lines like “Caravan is comin’/All guitars are strumin’/And says old hitano/Boy, forget about the bling”. Many of these lyrics are in Romani. “My Companjera” drives the ol’ Gogol sound home and is itching me to kick loose and start dancing. The ache of missing a distant love is the theme of this song, but it doesn’t damper the upbeat spirit of the tune itself.

The somber feeling from the previous track is prevalent on “Sun Is On My Side”, but the message is endearing to the missed and distant lover. The ‘dai dai duh rum dum’ chants bring me back to my time spent in Temple, hearing the cantor wail and chant the prayers with a furious fervor. But Hütz did not let the somber mood hang around for long after he reminisced about his “Rebellious Love”. Hütz postures, “Will they ever capture one another?”, referencing mankind, love and god. Maybe he is alluding to the fact that he missed a lover while in his new home of Brazil. Gogol’s punk roots have not been abandoned, as evidence by the two-step breakdown on ‘Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher). As Trans-Continental Hustle proves, Gogol Bordello will continue to take cues from foreign influences while holding onto their roots, resulting in tunes that are universal and fresh in sound.

RIYL: Balkan Beat Box, DeVotchKa, J.U.F., Kultur Shock, Romashka, Jason Webley, Csókolom, Besh o droM, The Clash, Iggy Pop, Kal, Taraf de Haïdouks

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Gogol Bordello – Pala Tute

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Gogol Bordello – My Companjera

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The post Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle (2010) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Before I get to an album that has recently caught my attention for the past few days, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Max Fishkin and I will be helping out Mike occasionally throughout the site by posting about a few noteworthy bands from time to time. Thanks for your time and consideration.

An act that has been drawing all sorts of acclaim lately has been Health, a 4-piece hailing from the bustling, regenerative city known as Los Angeles. They formed in 2005 with the simple yet commendable vision of bringing music to the listener with their ambitiously productive blend of indie-rock and noise. They originally wanted to call themselves “Medicine”, but some obscure shoegaze band from the ’90s already had nabbed the rights, so the four-piece chose Health instead. Their humble efforts are being rewarded time after time as they commendably play for free at big venues across the country. Currently they are on tour, so check their web site for a local show near you. They recently released their schedule for January and February, including a slew of dates with White Williams, Crystal Castles, Autolux, and Dan Deacon’s Ultimate Reality.

I recently donated blood to a school-run blood drive. The paranoia and anxiety that are associated with such an event can be expected, if you look for it. The image of the needle piercing my skin ever so slowly is still burned into my mind. What seemed like hell was not as bad as it was. As time passed, time seemed to carry on the same. The mood was ever constant as a heartbeat. Health’s new self-titled album (buy) proves to be a mirror of such rushing emotions. The beginning of the album carries on gracefully in a natural flow. The slow yet angst-filled building tension in the beginning of the album gives in to a natural rhythm throughout the rest of the journey. The opening track, “Heaven”, sets the rest of the album up for pure adventure. The crescendo of the instrumental collective is seen as the tracks progress. Driving drums, noise-driven odds and ends with samples unfold in the epicenter of the album, the fantastic “Zoothorns”.

The next track, “Tabloid Scores”, is that faintly reminiscent with a hint of the Blood Brothers and The Locust. The processed factory alarms, wailing vocals and distorted, eerie guitars send the listener into a headache of noise. As relentless it seems, the music carries through into more melodic, monk-like vocals with jungle drums and the Phil Spector-like “Wall of Sound” production effect from overdriven guitars in “Lost Time”. For some, the music can be therapeutic. For others, it can be an ongoing, ceaseless headache. For the listener with tendered ears, Health’s new self-titled release will revitalize the drive inside, especially after giving 2 pints of blood. Health prodiding of a mixture of noise, indie, and synth-rock is simply more than enjoyable enough to be your guide through such a psychedelic, soul-provoking journey.

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Health – Heaven

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Health – Zoothorns

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Health – Tabloid Scores

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