Describing an Of Montreal show is like setting the scene for a circus. Literally. The amount of cartoonish yet elaborate characters, the band-built set of props, the whirlwind of energy… it is difficult to pinpoint which component of the performance merits the most mention. When it comes down to it though, like the mark of any great band, it is the music that keeps people going. For a band like Of Montreal, their set is not an illusion designed to compensate for sub-par music. Neither is frontman Kevin Barnes’ energy, which is the quite opposite of a facade and a vocal part of his music whether on stage or not. So when I saw them for the first time on Saturday night, I was not surprised by the festival-like atmosphere. I knew that would be there. What stunned me was a remarkably tight performance that somehow managed to take the best parts of the band’s music and their renowned stage presence, both of which are anything but subtle. Such immaculate management prevented an overflowing of ideas, which is always possible considering the band’s lofty scope. Fans were treated to quality with no pretentious showmanship.

The success of their performance on Saturday night, the second of a two-night stint at Terminal 5, is no surprise to fans. When you have an opener like Janelle Monáe, who is successfully attaining fame in both independent and mainstream circles, it is hard to have doubts. The little that I caught of her set was excellent, and her re-emergence during the phenomenal “Enemy Gene” later in the night brought emphatic cheering from an audience that were thankful to be given an opener that sounded like a headliner. This occurred about mid-way through Of Montreal’s setlist, which to my delight was culled heavily from their new album, False Priest (review here), and my favorite, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (review here). Barnes and co. were able to seamlessly navigate their way around a setlist that, despite their striking stylistic similarities (like Barnes’ falsetto or a funk-heavy rhythm section), contained appropriate variations in tempo and mood.

A rendition of “Casualty of You” was a surprising entry in the midst of jolted dance-friendly efforts like “Godly Intersex” and “Girl Named Hello”, which was accompanied with dancers in pig masks who proceeded to grind it up with Barnes. Yet, they all maintained synchronization even as breathing room got thinner. As the sole ballad-like track on False Priest, “Casualty of You” fit naturally with songs from the same album despite its emotional distance. Barnes’ piano-driven delivery reached believable authenticity despite the more vivacious preceding efforts, which was played with expected mastery by longtime members Bryan Poole, Dottie Alexander, and others. Barnes stole the show’s visual factor, but the music was a collaborative tour-de-force that contained the tightness and infectiousness demanded from funk-heavy efforts.

Performances of “Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” and “She’s a Rejector” reminded me how wonderful Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? was. Even though Barnes is three years past the divorce that plagued him to write many of the exceptional but forlorn efforts on Hissing Fauna, the same intensity was there as if it happened yesterday. It is questionable whether an audience should enjoy an artist’s suffering, so perhaps these tracks sounded bouncier and more fluid than usual because the issue is not as sensitive. Or maybe it is simply that the band was on their game. The intro to “Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” focused on some very interesting glitch-pop, while “She’s a Rejector” retained the same successful anthem-against-heartbreak feel as it did three years ago. These songs were fantastic additions to the False Priest-heavy set, showing more alt-rock and electro-rock than funk but achieving a similar degree of irresistible uniqueness.

These earlier efforts had little dependence on the set or scenery, which Barnes described to Spinner as being a very collaborative effort: “It’s like we’re an art collective, in a way,” he said. “Everyone in the band is contributing, everyone is the crew is contributing and this is very collaborative experience for all of us. Our bass player is responsible for building 85 percent of the props we’re going to use on tour. My brother designed all of them. All of us are involved in filming all the video content.” Seeing as how tightly involved the band’s music was, it is not surprising to see that this was a mutual effort. Barnes may steal the show on more occasions than one, but it is clear that the Georgia-based collective are blessed with additional talent beyond their enigmatic frontman.

For a tour that has seemingly been developed like an elaborate film, with costumes and sets taking the entire summer to create, it certainly lived up to expectations. I am not sure how Barnes had enough time to write a great album like False Priest AND help organize an intricate tour like this, but that is beside the fact. The band put on an exceptional show that was lively but also somewhat grounded, featuring a very accessible setlist (for Of Montreal’s standards) and not straying too far from it, apart from a few admirable Michael Jackson covers to close the night. I recommend that you listen to False Priest, fall in love with it, and check to see if the band is coming somewhere near you. If not, it is one of those tours you will regret missing a year from now.

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Of Montreal – Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider

Of Montreal – Coquet Coquette

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by Lauren Tischler

The sound of Ghost Mall is indescribable. But the band, made up of college roommates Pierce, Alex, Cody, and Jimi, give it their best shot. “Garage-y ramshackle pop/ethereal,” lead singer Pierce Lightening struggles, attempting to put a label on his own music. With a lead singer named Pierce Lightening, and influences along the lines of “Babes, Springsteen, Comic Books, and Star Wars,” you are naturally drawn to the quartet. What is surprisingly more interesting than the band members themselves is the music on their first album, Goons.

The album, produced by DJ Teenwolf of Ninjasonik, features five well-done and oddly classy songs. The EP starts out with the marijuana-induced “40 Nugs”, and while I would have chosen a different track for the first, it sets an appropriate tone to the album without giving away their mysterious style. Next is “Senile Felines”, setting a dark synthesized tone that lures the listener further in. The next couple of tracks are “Young Liars”, followed by “Balloon Idea’s”, which captures an eerie essence while keeping it light; it samples a few lines from Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” with convincing maneuvers. The final track, “Johnny Appleseed”, serves as a near-perfect ending. It is more of an anthem than anything, providing the listener with a soft sort of closure.

The album itself is a work of art, but it is clear that Ghost Mall are about performance art more than anything else. Ethan Barnett, a fan, describes a show in full detail. “The first time I saw them, it was in the basement of SUNY New Paltz. It was one of the coldest nights of that winter, but as soon as I got into the basement and Ghost Mall was about to begin their set, I began to sweat because there were about 75 people packed into a small classroom. They began their first song and the room turned into a beehive, with everyone dancing in every direction. The lead singer was lost in the crowd, and all you could see was one of his hands. By the time they began their second song, the keyboardist and guitarist were lost in the mess too. Midway through their set, Pierce was thrown up into a crowd surf, and he held onto a water pole that was soaking wet from condensation. After the final song, “Johnny Appleseed”, everyone ran out the exit covered with sweat. Head to toe.”

“I don’t know what we’re trying to achieve,” Pierce says about his band’s music. “We’re just being honest. Sometimes it’s about our specific friends, sometimes it’s about how everything should be. Mostly, our songs are about the end of the world. So maybe they’re a warning.”

You can catch Ghost Mall on September 24th at 323 Wall Street in Uptown Kingston, New York.

RIYL: Japanther, Penguin Prison, Male Bonding, Urinals, Latterman, Cloud Nothings, Abe Vigoda, Times New Viking, No Age, The Mae Shi, Parts & Labor, Psychedelic Horseshit, AIDS Wolf, Wavves, Lightning Bolt, Jay Reatard, NODZZZ, Sic Alps, HEALTH, Arab on Radar

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Ghost Mall – 40 Nugs

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Ghost Mall – Balloon Ideas

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Ghost Mall – Johnny Appleseed (acoustic version)

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As our pleased ears have told us, bands that form with members from other influential bands are usually victorious. In regard to these sometimes-called “supergroups”, one reputable name is Jonathon Donahue, whose short but praised presence in both the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev make him a rare example of a musician treading between two of the most acclaimed acts in a given genre and time period. The Rassle contains four members that can relate somewhat to Donahue, at least in his juggling of work between two bands that some consider chronologically suitable rivals. The Rassle, which focuses on reviving the post-punk sound, has extreme chemistry despite the members’ mixed backgrounds. It is probable that this instant chemistry was a result of The Rassle’s make-up and experience, which includes former Virgins affiliate Erik Ratensperger, Marc Solomich of The Takeover UK, and Reed and Blair Van Nort of Young Lords.

The Rassle formed after a long acquaintance and a short history of playing shows together, mostly at random venues in New York City, soon forming the name The Rassle. “It’s a slang word,” Blair Van Nort says on the name. “Reed and I are brothers and we come from a small state in the south called Texas and we used to joke about rassling when we moved to New York many years ago.  Things like: “Rassle me up a 40 when you’re at the bodega.” Or, “If you don’t clean up your room I’m gonna rassle your ass.” We just thought it was a funny word but also loaded with enough context to make it a good band name,” he explains. “And we also liked that people might not be familiar with the word, so they could apply their own contextual imagery without the words defining the band first.  Kinda like when we were kids and heard about Oasis.  We didn’t think about what a stupid band name it was, ’cause we had no idea what an Oasis was.”

With the age of technology at its prime, we are frequently seeing bands take advantage of it by setting up extensive MySpace pages, twitters, blogs and websites. Characteristically, The Rassle’s Myspace page is vague and has a sense of humor to it. With Biggie Smalls and Little Richard listed as their musical influences, and a minuscule amount of friends, first-time viewers might question the band’s legitimacy. “We’re still so new,” Erik Ratensperger says on their lack of Internet partake. “We only launched these songs a few months ago, but it’s nice to see such a positive response so early.  This is definitely not a side project; when we started this, we didn’t know exactly how it was gonna go, but we quickly realized that something was there.  It was pretty magical, it just sparked and we decided go full steam,” Ratensperger finishes, before Reed Van Nort quickly pipes in, “Who’s on MySpace anymore anyways?  I think as Seth Meyers put it: MySpace: The Abandoned Amusement Park of the Internet.”

So with Young Lords and Virgins influences present, should we expect a similar type of listening experience from The Rassle?  “This is an entirely different band,” Ratensperger boldly states. “I think the music we are making now is a lot better than what we did with Young Lords,” Blair Van Nort adds. “But we are older now and have learned a lot more about making music and we have a clearer vision of what we want to see when we reach the light at the end of the tunnel.” Though they aim for a fresh style, the band incorporates a cumulatively equal style in the songwriting process. Ratensperger sees the process as mutually beneficial. “It’s a collective effort.  It’s really nice when we’re working on something and everyone’s just bouncing off each other with different ideas on what might make a song move,” he said. “But because this is still so new, I think we’re also still learning the process as we write and record more songs.  It also usually also involves a few cold ones and Doritos.”

Being an unsigned band fairly new to the music scene, The Rassle decided to take the initiative and recorded a few demo songs on a cheap microphone in their apartment. “From the beginning we decided to throw the kitchen sink at these songs,” Blair Van Nort says on his band’s loose recording process. “We had all been in bands that got pigeon-holed into these genres and styles and we were super reluctant to allow this new project to be defined by his or her dogma. So we tried adding and subtracting lots of different sounds and instruments until we found the parts we felt added up to the highest degree of sonic purity. But ultimately you know we were super limited by our tools since we made these songs at our apartment using Garage Band and Pro Tools Lite, but I think it turned out great. We stumbled into something so much more honest and true to ourselves being cramped in our tiny apartment but dreaming big.”

With a few rough songs, some upcoming shows in the New York/ New Jersey area, and an optimistic attitude, The Rassle have already began their journey of taking over the indie rock world. “We just really wanna make music that inspires other people,” Blair Van Nort says on his band’s goal. When asked for a few last words, the guys summarize in a few of their own lyrics. “Celebrate the days!” Blair exclaims, as Reed pipes in, “If it’s all you got!”

RIYL: MGMT, The Virgins, The Takeover UK, Young Lords, Black Kids, Mystery Jets, Good Shoes, The Maccabees, The Pigeon Detectives, The Teenagers, The Strokes, Passion Pit, Klaxons, Two Door Cinema Club, The Kooks, The Clouts, Blonde Acid Cult, Dear Future, The Redwalls

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The Rassle – Wild Ones

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The Rassle – Born Free

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The Rassle – Celebrate the Days

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by Colleen Seidel

Twelve seconds into The Colorage, a trumpet caps off the end of an crescendo guitar run, practically announcing the arrival of a talented new alt-rock band from Pittsburgh, PA.  And while the five-song EP from Yours Truly isn’t completely flawless, bigger bands have professionally produced worse LPs than this young trio from the Steel City. This is indicative of either the current music scene’s tolerance for banality, Yours Truly’s promising chemistry, or both.

Singer Justin Portis fronts the group with vocals and works the progressive guitar rhythms that give the songs their signature intensity. Portis proves himself to be a potent lyricist, crafting poetic language in melodic form that’s both catchy and thought-provoking.  The single best exemplar for this is the alliterative “She taps for tips on tabletops” in the album’s fourth track by the same name, although snippets litter the EP all along the way.  At the same time, Portis has good vocal range that he employs well, if uncertainly at times, especially in the soft beginning of “In the Friscalating Dusklight.”

The album’s best track – if one could be named, as they all sit on pretty equal footing – is “Don’t Look Down.”  It possesses the right mix of energy, drama and accessibility.  It’s not your run-of-the-mill radio single, but it is easy enough to sing along with that you might find yourself doing just that hours after you’re done spinning the record.  If nothing else, “Don’t Look Down” exists as a great introduction to the Yours Truly sound, despite the fact that the band placed it last in the track lineup.

The group’s respective creative talents are well-matched, with verdant drummer Eric Downs supplying the beats and Pittsburgh-famed producer DJ Huggy on bass.  Downs isn’t satisfied with simple variations of quarter-beat patterns when he can do something more intricate, most likely a result of his college jazz background (note the opening to “Last Chance”).  Huggy provides a solid basement for the songs to rest upon, one without which Portis’s flying guitar solos would seem limp, but also stands on his own as a natural with bass rhythms that dip and dance about (again, note “Last Chance”).

Where the band stumbles is, paradoxically enough, its ambitious experimentation.  While it gets kudos for trying things other young bands wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, at first some things feel forced and disrupt the flow of an otherwise smooth song.  “Don’t Look Down” offers doubled-up guitar notes as a Hail Mary at the end that aren’t needed; certain vocal work throughout the album goes in one direction when you expect it to go in another, which is slightly counter-intuitive.  The kinks, however, are nothing that can’t be worked out as the group’s chemistry matures, and it must be said the addition of the aforementioned horn work on “The Crown” was a touch of genius.

In all, The Colorage is a solid debut from a young band that, given time to marinate in its own creative juices a bit more, can only get better.  Let’s just hope the current rock scene wakes up from its Nickelback-induced coma to take notice.

7.0/10.0

RIYL: Incubus, Mutemath, Foo Fighters, Audioslave, 311, Slightly Stoopid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Matthew Good, CAKE, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer, Third Eye Blind, Muse, Faith No More, Placebo

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Yours Truly – She Taps for Tips

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Yours Truly – The Crown

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Yours Truly – Don’t Look Down

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The post Yours Truly – The Colorage (2010) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

It’s almost dark, and I am sitting in front of the fountain that decorates the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY. Walking towards me is Kathryn Calder and her manager Euvin Weeber. Kathryn is looking like anyone else in the crowd that surrounds us, down to earth in a floral print dress, while Euvin blows her cover in a flashy, white suit. After introductions, Kathryn and I find a comfortable spot and begin to acquaint. Later this night, she will be playing the first show of her upcoming tour with her band The New Pornographers. The band very recently released Together, their fifth album, which features impressive collaborations and an extensive orchestra of unusual instruments. The band, who have been together since 1997, are a grand group of nine. I took my moments with Kathryn to speak of the tour, David Bowie, and her ongoing goal of producing the best album ever made.

LAUREN: Your album (Together) just came out a couple days ago?

KATHRYN: Yes!

Very exciting, congratulations

Thank you

You guys have been together for a while now. Since like, 95′?

Well, I think the official date is 97′. But, I didn’t join until 2005. But yeah, it’s been a long time.

How do you feel like your music has evolved since your first album (Mass Romantic)?

I think it’s just getting “more.” More of everything; more harmonies, more instruments. I think Karl is getting into orchestration these days, so it’s pretty fun. You know, we’ve got lots of guests on the record obviously. Lots of cello, horn section, all kinds of chimes. You name it! We’ve got it!

On the album you collaborated with acts like St. Vincent and Beirut. Is there anyone you are really inspired by and would die to collaborate with?

Me personally? I’m not speaking for the band here? Who would I love to collaborate with… oh man. You know, I’m a huge fan of St. Vincent. I mean, technically, I’ve already collaborated with her. I wasn’t there when that was all going down, but it’s still awesome. Who else? I can’t pick… but, David Bowie! I don’t know. Tough question. The Shins!

You guys have been compared to The Shins multiple times!

Really? I’m not surprised. It’s sort of a melody-driven, similar type of thing.

I noticed that the album art for Together is remarkably similar to Neko Case’s solo album, Middle Cyclone. Any relation in regard to design?

Well the album artwork was actually designed by… this is terrible, but you’re going to have to look this up. I can’t remember. But they were both designed by artists, and Neko did the typography. I love it. I think they did an amazing job. (Editor’s note: I believe Katherine is referring to Kathleen Judge)

What has been your most interesting experience on stage?

So many shows! I guess my most memorable show was when I first joined the band in June 2005 and we played Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It was something like my third show with the band… in front of, you know, 10,000 people. And Neko wasn’t there, so I was singing Neko’s parts. It was super fun, and about three quarters of the way through, we were on stage in this big park with tons of people. And there was this sort of “reserved” section for people in front of the stage, and then a bunch of people from behind stormed into the reserved section. It was fun, and it was this big party! That was one of my most memorable shows.

Well you guys are headlining Lollapalooza this year, are you excited?

Yeah, yeah! It’s a big deal! We played Lollapalooza before, and I had a good time. That brings up another memorable show! We played Coachella, and I almost got heat stroke! For some reason I didn’t eat before the show. I was too busy wandering around and having a good time. And it was sunset, so I thought, “Oh, Sunset! It’ll be cooler!” It totally was not though, because the sun was directly facing me. So yeah, that’s another memorable one. But yes, Lollapalooza!

This is the first stop on your tour. What made you choose Woodstock, NY?

Karl lives here! We did a lot of the record here. I mean, the record was done everywhere. We recorded in studios all over the place, just because that’s the nature of the band. Most of the band is from Vancouver, so we make it work. Karl moved up here with his wife and they have this little guest cottage that we put up this makeshift recording studio in, and did a lot of the record in the bedroom. You know that kind of thing, where the control room is in the living room! So we did a lot of the record here, and then when we were looking for a place to rehearse, we picked this theater (Bearsville Theater) because Karl knew about it. It’s a really beautiful little place, and it fits everybody. We’ve been here for the past week, just getting ready for the upcoming tour. Fitting, it’s all very fitting.

What do you aim to achieve with your music?

I think we just try and make the best records we can, all the time. That’s what the goal is, you just have to keep getting better, keep trying to make the best music you possibly can. That’s all we’re trying to do, all we’ve ever tried to do.

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The New Pornographers – Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk

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The New Pornographers – Silver Jenny Dollar

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Immaculate Machine – Dear Confessor

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Immaculate Machine – Sound the Alarms

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Get the “Crash Years” MP3 for free here.

Kathryn’s solo material can be heard here.

The post Interview with The New Pornographers appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Long-distance collaborations before the internet must have been daunting. Mere words can be transferred easily from one end of the world to another using many methods, but artistic ideas rarely mature properly in circumstances deterred by lack of spontaneous contact. This is especially the case in music, where many people exceed their own potential by working with others that benefit their creative process. Nowadays one can set up a conference call, use a collaborative program, and several people can seemingly be working side-by-side on a creative project and come away with great results. Essentially, technology is able to emulate band practice in your pajamas. This was even the case before the dawn of the internet age, with artists sending cassette tapes to one another for purposes of both inspiration and track-by-track additions. To create worthwhile material like this without a central songwriter is very difficult though, as sending a musician precise sheet music and a cassette accompaniment is a lot less stressful than attempting to express ideas to a songwriter that are often too complex and undeveloped to be put into words. Human contact, under the right circumstances and with the right individuals, is a primary component into developing these ideas into substance.

Secret Cities originated from a cassette tape mentality, at least in the sense of two music-loving teenagers swapping mixtapes from one end of North Dakota to the other. Those mixtapes developed into a collaborative process, where by using a 4-track they would gradually add upon their mutual work. Marie J. (MJ) Parker and Charlie Gokay met in 2001 at band camp, of course, and in an eager attempt to not romanticize this tale I will jump to the part where the duo get their music discovered. After sending material back and forth and showing it to friends, it got in the hands of a rep at Baltimore-based Fall Records. They had plenty of material to peruse, as Parker and Gokay had put together a dozen or so cassettes at that point. The label heard enough to be satisfied rather quickly, and the duo’s full-length debut Zurich was released in 2005. They went under The White Foliage at the time, changing to Secret Cities shortly after. Zurich was a sneak peek into the culminating relationship between the duo, who found their mutual adoration for psychedelia cross paths nearly a decade after first meeting at band camp.

The calming dream-pop of Zurich was a depiction of a band with impressive ideas and no restraint, the latter occasionally to the point of over-repetition in probable fear of straying too far from psychedelia basics. It was a great mood album though, and their new album Pink Graffiti under a new name retains these aspects of impressive atmospheres. However, instead of straying within the realm of conventional cohesion, Pink Graffiti finds a more infectious pose in its expansion of several moods. Whereas Zurich presented a drugged-out feel largely inhibited by ethereal reverb that complemented orchestral-like instrumentation, there is a more prominent fixture on moody pop music as opposed to texture-based atmospheric pieces of The White Foliage. These elements are still prevalent with Secret Cities though, especially in cases like “Wander” where a delicate piano strolls somberly along the click-clacking of percussion, a booming bass drum interrupting occasionally for the point of introductory expansion. These helpful percussive elements are courtesy of recently added drummer Alex Abnos. The only instrumental piece, “Wander” sits alongside the emotionally charged “Pink Graffiti, pt. 2” and delightfully accessible “Colors” with appropriate vigor. The first of those two is one of the album’s standout tracks too, where Parker shows her wistful high-pitched croon with a forlorn cry that repeats, “I know, I know she still loves me. I know, I know she still needs me now.”

Moments like these, particularly in Parker’s voice and the brooding string-based arpeggios that develop behind her, remind me distinctively of Marissa Nadler’s work. Other similarities include Meg Baird, Devendra Banhart, and Victoria Legrand, but the Nadler similarity is most accurate in emotional depth and stylistic fixture. Secret Cities can work wonders with the most barren of materials, even if monumental build-ups like both parts of “Pink Graffiti” say otherwise. When they want to though, tracks like “Pink City” find little more than the band’s harmonic ability spreading its wings. A joyous chorus full of lightly plucked acoustics, hand-clap percussion, and sonorous guitar solos complements an equally optimistic set of verses, serving as a refreshing opener that allows the listener to ease into the band’s multitude of vocal performances and emotional variations. “Color” benefits from the same whimsical glee, except with Parker as the vocalist instead of Gokay and a synth-laden arpeggio in the chorus that falls more in the vein of indie-pop. The lack of emotional ferocity does not necessarily equate to a misstep though, as these songs flourish in their own right. “Boyfriends” has a similar vibe to it, recalling The Shins more than Mazzy Star or Slowdive.

Overall, Pink Graffiti is a very inviting listen that shows a band in its true form, a successful formula they have aimed for ever since producing Zurich . Parker and Gokay meeting at band camp eventually gave way to this album, formulated by the vision they mutually shared upon meeting a decade ago. It was certainly not an instantaneous form of output, but after the right forms of collaboration and working with the right type of people, they emerged with Pink Graffiti. It is a laudable release that the band should be quite proud of, though I will definitely not be the first to tell them this. This summer could be a big one for Secret Cities, as artists in their likeness with emphasis on lo-fi psychedelia are picking up steam lately. Considering Pink Graffiti is one of the better examples of this, it should not be surprising when it occurs.

RIYL: The White Foliage, Marissa Nadler, Ariel Pink, Beach House, Cults, Devendra Banhart, Mazzy Star, Slowdive, Meg Baird, Alela Diane, Cut Copy, Rio en Medio, Espers, Grimes, Massive Attack, Burial, King Midas Sound, The Radio Dept., Kate Bush

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Secret Cities – Pink Graffiti, part 1

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Secret Cities – Boyfriends

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Western Vinyl Records

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The post Pink Graffiti in Secret Cities appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

There is something very likable about Slothbear, even in addition to their name. Their sound recalls the best parts of vintage college-rock, which is presented with clarity through the band’s surprisingly adept methods of self-production. The feel of restraint that is often associated with home recordings is absent on Slothbear’s debut EP Qids, and instead a feeling of spontaneity is present that in every way recalls something nostalgic for the 20-something crowd. The band’s four members, who are just that, are four good friends based out of Long Island. Their demeanor at this point is wonderfully playful and in no way indicative of a band with unharnessed ambition, joking that “they hope to get a 9.2 on Pitchfork” for the reason of not having to go back to Stony Brook University in the fall. This is humorous enough and probably said tongue-in-cheek, but it is also a rather apt depiction of the general thought process for college-aged bands on the heels of a debut they were very dedicated to. In the case of a release like Qids, where the band’s ferocity and prevalent melodic abilities are on display, one could easily see why they would rather pursue a musical career for the time being instead of sitting in lecture halls. Unlike many other groups in their vein, they actually have a legitimate case for the pursuit.

Formed in 2008, Slothbear are still growing into their own skin after steadily improving the past two years. Early recordings, from what I heard, were typical of a new band attempting to uncover the strengths and cloak their weaknesses. The growth exhibited on Qids makes me very excited for the band’s future, which seems somewhat stabilized by a mixture of creative and technical minds. Qids was produced by one of the band’s members, Doug Bleek, who is graduating from NYU with a degree in recorded music this spring. He took care of the engineering and mixing, while Craig Heed, Josh Ginsberg, and Ian Miniero refined the group’s sound over the period of a year-and-a-half. In that time, sharing the stage with bands like Real Estate and earning the approvals of Mike Watt and Craig Finn were a few of their accolades. They even almost got their song featured in MLB 2k10, and their exclusion is somewhat surprising since many of Slothbear’s tracks are better than anything on that game’s soundtrack. Nonetheless, the consideration of a band without an official release for a major video game is representative of the general perception Slothbear provide, which is that of hefty potential being steadily fulfilled through a sound that satisfies, plain and simple, without any smoke and mirrors.

“White Christmas” in no way recalls the serene snowfalls of winter, instead offering an infectious take on holiday-themed mishaps that finds guitar licks oozing with spontaneity and vocal performances abundant with energy. Their youthful energy is predictably one of Slothbear’s biggest allures, but it is their ability to manage their songwriting within this inexperienced ideology that impresses me most. “Slash the polar bear, make off with the reindeer,” states a chorus complemented by the dynamically collaborative vocals of Heed and Ginsberg. “Yank the cord, emasculate. There will be no white Christmas.” The hooks throughout the album are heavily prevalent in this manner, with playful verses extending into ignitions of dual-vocals, insertions of additional guitar progressions, and imminent percussive intensity. The songs make do entirely with guitars, bass, and drums, which along with this compatibly vintage style of songwriting is bound to bring up comparisons to Guided by Voices, Television, and Sebadoh.

The vocals on Qids are unconventionally melodic and somewhat similar to Tom Verlaine or Isaac Brock in their delivery. They show no hesitation to flaunt an abrupt snarl or impulsive spoken-word segment, which under any other style of instrumentation may have faltered. The influences here are so immediate though that it comes across as cohesive thanks to prior recognition, though tracks like “Don’t Taunt a Tiger” blends a few of these together to create something special. When the “away-ay-yay-ay-yay” kicks into the chorus, the song resembles slick power-pop in the vein of (old-school) Weezer. The chorus on the other hand, with its repetition being guided by a bridge of intensifying percussion, sounds a bit like lo-fi electric folk in the vein of Dan Bejar (at least when they comment on Tatiana’s martyr status). Qids finds several other favorable cuts as well, like “Spacey”. This is an interesting stream-of-conscious spur over glistening guitar progressions that excel in their arpeggio format, somewhat avant-garde for Slothbear but still lovably accessible like the rest of their efforts. Songs like “White Christmas” show a lot of this in a nostalgic sense, while others like “Don’t Taunt a Tiger” is representative of creative fusion at work. Both are just as enjoyable, and Slothbear certainly have a bright future in furthering their creativity while retaining a sound that is already familiarly enjoyable.

Download the album in its entirety for free here.

RIYL: Guided by Voices, Television, Times New Viking, Sonic Youth, Apples in Stereo, Psychedelic Horseshit, Sebadoh, Charalambides, Weezer, Real Estate

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Slothbear – Don’t Taunt a Tiger

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Slothbear – White Christmas

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Slothbear – PA Kids

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Anthemic rock music really has to soar to earn its name. To rouse an audience because they are already familiar with your work is one thing, but to come out anonymously and take a crowd by storm is the most blatant asset in this glossy depiction of “anthemic indie-rock”. For a band like The Kissaway Trail, their label as a “blog band” comes from the massive online acclaim that treated other artists like the Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! To sudden success in prior years. Some of these blog-fueled acts prevail by seizing upon the immediate opportunity and never looking back, but most squander after an album or two. While these type of bands lack the traditional PR format of exposure, their online-based exposure is equivalent to the resonance of a vastly successful, albeit virtually unknown, artist at a show that takes first-time audiences by storm. The medium there is just a concert hall instead of a blog; one is physically substantive in real life but they both have a similar aim, that being the promotion of unknown artists that rouse listeners in ways only their familiar favorites previously could. That being said, it is hardly a surprise that The Kissaway Trail have generated substantial buzz with both their work in the studio and on stage.

Singer and guitarist Thomas Fagerlund calls Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins his favorite band and biggest influence, respectively. Such an appreciation for ’90s alt-rock is by no means concealed by The Kissaway Trail, who combine that with exhilarating indie-rock to produce a sound influenced by nostalgic alt-rock as much as contemporary, electronic-aided rock. On their new album Sleep Mountain, the Danish collective wildly impress with tones of both frailty and epic tendencies. Their electronic influences are primarily echoed in the production, which takes a routine rock-oriented cast of guitars and keys to sonorous heights. On one of the album’s brightest moments, “Painter”, we find the band at a beautiful place. The structural build-up this song literally makes me choke up, mainly because it employs the same gradual structural punch that orchestral epics do. It begins with a few splashes of keys sporadically interrupting an acoustic guitar, gradually giving way to gorgeous new accompaniments. Think a lyrically coherent Sigur Rós, especially once this one really gets going. Sure, The Kissaway Trail are pop musicians at heart just like most of their Scandinavian counterparts, but a remarkable effort like this shows their rare emotional depth. “Painter” is a more folk-laden tune accentuated by contemporary production, that being familiar with subtle sampling techniques. Its rootsy folk vibes are even apparent when several layers of vocal accompaniments, resonating strings, and reverbed percussion erupt in pure glory, never drowning out the simple acoustic guitar that is subtly the melodic heart of this beautiful epic.

The band likely groans whenever they hear an Arcade Fire reference, though even keeping that in mind I cannot resist when listening to “New Year” and “Beat Your Heartbeat”. It is one thing that Fagerlund’s vocals sound similar to Win Butler’s, but it is mainly the “anthemic” (oh, there’s that word again) type of songwriting that arises such comparisons. Producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) helps the case as well, even if comparisons to Manic Street Preachers would be more applicable. “Beat Your Heartbeat” sounds like a familial choir from the get-go, and when Fagerlund utilizes effects to alter his guitar’s tone into a more string-laden effect the comparison becomes even more evident. The haunting keyboard melody that creeps under the is proper reinforcement of an invigorating composition that would otherwise get lost in the intricate instrumentation and majestic production. Like Arcade Fire and Sigur Rós, The Kissaway Trail are quite extraordinary because they are able to make intricacy appear accessible and addictive. Similar to what Phil Spector did with his “Wall of Sound”, recent bands like Mono in VCF and The Kissaway Trail are showing his influence by infusing accessible songs with glossy production and intricate arrangements. Even if they are not the most theoretically complex works, the songs on Sleep Mountain play with such distinctiveness and passion, thanks to a one-two punch of fantastic songwriting and suitable production. There is no desperate audible plea for radio time, nor an overly stylistic public image that tarnishes their sound. The Kissaway Trail are one of the few contemporary bands today making stylish rock music without sacrificing their modest image. In showing that alone, Sleep Mountain is an enormous success.

RIYL: Manic Street Preachers, Arcade Fire, Sigur Rós, Mono in VCF, Interpol, Figurines, Choir of Young Believers, Kashmir

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The Kissaway Trail – Painter

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The Kissaway Trail – Beat Your Heartbeat

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The Kissaway Trail – SDP

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I was a bit weary when Bishop Allen began their EP project, where they released an EP once every month for the entirety of 2006. Why rush artistic integrity and spoil the chances of a full-length masterpiece in the process? Many listeners probably had a similar first impression, but when hearing the type of content that the Brooklyn-based duo produced throughout these 12 EPs it began to make sense. They almost resembled lo-fi bedroom recordings with their amiable DIY dedication, their infectious indie-pop being led by an array of crackling guitars and pianos. Although the sporadic stream of releases prevented much press since most music publications would not dare review the same band every month, the concept alone generated plenty of recognition that brought acclaim for both the band’s work ethic and stylistic focus. To keep listeners coming back every month for a release that hardly varied in style was quite an achievement, and in doing this it represented the duo’s cunning songwriting ability. After the finale of this EP project, it was hardly a surprise when Bishop Allen landed a respectable label deal with Dead Oceans (which involves people from Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar) because of this new acclaim.

A Brief Smile are another group out of NYC attempting a similar concept, except this time without the major indie backing and promotion that Bishop Allen had. A Brief Smile has already released three EPs this year, one each on the first Friday of May, June, and July. Whereas Bishop Allen had previously established substantial recognition with a full-length debut in Charm School before undertaking this adventurous approach, A Brief Smile are generally unknowns still looking for their breakthrough. An short 7-track debut, R.E.S.T., was released in 2005 before a full-length album, Now We All Have Horns, appeared in 2007, but there remains a vague enigma surrounding this group. Each of their three EPs this year represent varying stylistic approaches, leaving a sense of unpredictability that can only be positive for a group as young as A Brief Smile, who all met while attending NYU. The estimations surrounding their next album cannot be conventionally hypothesized, as bassist John Carnes explains. “These albums are all different from one another sonically but I think if you really listen to the lyrics, you’ll find commonalities – a kind of narrative that goes from creation to destruction to creation.” This kind of stylistic multifariousness that A Brief Smile have shown despite a limited number of release is what makes them so promising for the future.

A Brief Smile’s absence from touring since August can likely be contributed to whispers of a full-length release. The five-piece is now at work on “a dance record” that uses “dark chugging synths” to pave the way for a return to the band’s pop roots, set to be released sometime in 2010. This return to their pop roots is in reference to their earlier material, which is in slight contrast to the tinge of indie-psychedelia displayed on Sunshine State, the most recent of their three EPs this year. “Animal Magnetism” shows off this psyche side quite well in addition to the five-piece’s versatility. “Do you believe in the hope of a magnetic soul?” DL Tashjian sings over impulsive stuttering of keys, assailing guitar riffs, and bursts of tuned-up bass. Tashjian’s vocals are crisp and delightful, adding melodic variations of vibrato similar to that of Jim James, though comparisons to the powerful quiver of Brandon Summers (The Helio Sequence) is more apt due to the shared uses of soaring melodies within a sparkling blend of indie-rock and electronic-rock. A track like this can be accredited to indie-rock with its conventional structure and length, but at times the soaring guitars make it feel like more of a post-rock effort. When all the instruments condense in the last minute over the hectic pattering of percussion and Tashjian’s echoed moans, it feels as if a ten-minute epic had just concluded. I mean this in the best way possible too; it is a song that makes time move slower due to its psychedelic leanings, while hardly abiding by the stereotype that enjoyment is best identified by time passing quickly.

“Bigger Lies” continues to tout its psychedelic influences like “Animal Magnetism” did, promoting its 4:20 length quite nicely. This is an extremely developmental effort, with a bass-keyboard fusion providing a leading melody that is no more than four notes. This unfolds as expected though, and judging how effective A Brief Smile are in exposing . You can just feel the anthemic section of “Bigger Lies” unfolding as the track progresses, the rhythm section hinting at possible bursts of melodic variation. Tashjian’s vocals continue to solidify any lack of variation that may occur during the track’s early goings, providing plenty of dramatic flair before interesting harmonic combinations and rhythmic appliances are utilized to establish “Bigger Lies” as one of the most convincing efforts of A Brief Smile’s career thus far. It should be the first of many monumental successes for this group . I honestly believe that this tracks will go overlooked simply because songs on 3-song EPs from unknowns generally tend to be disregarded. If these were perhaps put towards their eventual full-length then more exposure would have been imminent, but looking at these three EPs it was clear that A Brief Smile did this for their growing fanbase and not for commercialized potential. With A Brief Smile now hard at work in the studio, we have a gem like Sunshine State to tide us over until their dark, synth-savvy follow-up is released in 2010. Download a few of their EPs for free here or there until then; this level of quality is rarely distributed for free so take advantage of it.

RIYL: The Helio Sequence, Dirty on Purpose, The Happy Hollows, My Morning Jacket, Snowden, Annuals, The Main Drag

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A Brief Smile – Bigger Lies

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A Brief Smile – Animal Magnetism

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A Brief Smile – Honeycomb Shrinking

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To say that Lymbyc Systym represent the next large movement might be an overstatement, but their methodology is certainly becoming more prevalent among emerging artists. Almost all of us can remember being enamored with a certain technological breakthrough during our childhood, from color television to smart-phones. Many young artists today can probably remember when Atari or the internet first came out, which are now regarded as a few of the first interactive technological experiences available to the general public. Growing up in the ’80s or ’90s meant having these advancements pushed in your face, whether it was the social functions of arcades or the necessity of computer skills. Interest in technology unsurprisingly peaked as a result during this time among the public, whose younger demographic grew up to be already accustomed to the technological skills that older individuals have difficulty grasping. The musicians naturally hold true to traditional theory and influences, but many also fused their tech-savvy skills into aspiring musicianship to create music that used both today’s latest technology and the influential musicians of yesterday. Lymbyc Systym, among several others, have begun using this to create a successful project by today’s standards.

Brothers Jared and Michael Bell possess the obvious modernistic edge as the founders of Lymbyc Systym, and with that they should know that glitzy production and VSTs are not going to disguise sloppy songwriting (except in the genre of trance perhaps). Luckily for their listeners, the Bell brothers are not going to overburden you with robotic tendencies. Their influences range everywhere from free-jazz to thumping indie-rock, resulting in a glistening combination of powerful musical layers and styles that could probably be classified best as post-rock. Their approach is a tad more futuristic than others in the genre though, owing more to those in the vein in The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev instead of Mogwai or Mono; the vibe is distinctively futuristic even if electronic forces are only subtly prevalent. Possessing the orchestral beauty of Sigur Rós and versatile prose of a Broken Social Scene in one, Lymbyc Systym successfully tread the dangerous waters of loops being implemented into post-rock. Whether it is percussive horse hoofs, washes of breaking waves, or trickles of a pulsing synth, Lymbyc Systym implement it all beautifully without sacrificing the delicately authentic nature of group-based post-rock.

Lymbyc Systym’s second full-length album, Shutter Release, should open great doors for the Arizona-based brothers, much in the way Lost and Safe did for The Books in 2005. I make this reference because the two duos are currently touring together, in addition to possessing similar styles of music that must make it a treat for audiences interested in sample-supported post-rock. Note the “supported” emphasis, for neither band make an issue of overusing it and abandoning the genre’s ethics. Both groups manipulate the boundaries of post-rock and electronica, producing a mesh of madness that is often incomparable. Lymbyc Systym shows this as well as versatility; the varying tempos on the album are remarkable for its diversity, like the gradual build-up contained after the imploring brass and twinkling of keys in the self-titled effort where it explodes from delicate chamber-music to a full-blown haze of shoegaze and intensifying post-rock. The previous two genres are perfectly represented through keys and rhythm, as guitars are prominent but more in their tonal direction. Their melodic content is irrelevant but done so intentionally to ensure the diversity and authentic entertainment of the track. Listening to this one, among others on the album, a few times or so will reinforce this.

Shutter Release can sound everything from dark and brooding to effervescent and triumphant, though its main point of interest is how these moods are delivered. The swipes of keys over bursts of childish laughter in “Teddy”, the infusion of guitars and keys to create the monstrous driving melody in “Ghost Clock” before reverting into anthemic indie-rock bliss, and the pit-pattering of percussion over unfolding organs and pulsating synth chords… these are just a few of the audibly descriptive examples I can provide after listening to Shutter Release a few times. The songs are so well constructed and maneuvered that the replay value on this one is tremendous, whether you are listening for that single hook or the entire song’s cumulative value. Everything is present in these tracks, as there is so much ambition and exploration that the topic of one’s enjoyment becomes subjective in a sense. There is so much to like here that the only thing listeners have to argue over is the best moment of any track. On an album like Shutter Release with so much to admire though, it would be unjustified to choose just one.

RIYL: The Books, Broken Social Scene, Sigur Rós, This Will Destroy You, The Album Leaf, Do Make Say Think

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Lymbyc Systym – Ghost Clock

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Lymbyc Systym – Shutter Release

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Lymbyc Systym – Teddy

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