There were some great new breakthroughs this month. Bands like Skeletons, The Wandas, and Art Imperial turned in solid work that should propel their status significantly. As far as more familiar names go, Man Man and My Morning Jacket provided an equal dose of hook-filled rock and trademark experimentation, while other familiar names like Black Lips and Tyler The Creator have continued to do what they do best. An equal split of fulfilled expectations and creatively ingenious breakthroughs are evident this month, which in my opinion makes for a fun compilation. Feel free to share your thoughts on it below.

Just a heads up: Over the next several months, Obscure Sound will be undergoing changes for the better. This includes some redesigning tweaks, a more extensive array of features, and more writers. You may have noticed the site is faster than before too; this is thanks to several recent changes, merely some of many to come. If you are interested in becoming a part of these changes by becoming a writer or designer, feel free to e-mail me here. We’re always looking for varying opinions on music, and achieving more variety on these opinions is one of the many goals I have. I am looking forward to expanding Obscure Sound on a significant level this summer. As always, thanks for reading.

01. Skeletons – Grandma (post)
02. Man Man – Shameless (post)
03. The Wandas – Bending Over Backwards (post)
04. Tamikrest – Nak Amadjar Nidounia (post)
05. Black Lips – Modern Art (post)
06. Emanuel and the Fear – Dear Friend (post)
07. Art Imperial – The Inbetweener (post)
08. About Group – Repair Man (post)
09. Tyler, The Creator – French (Toro y Moi remix) (post)
10. My Morning Jacket – Circuital (post)
11. The New Division – Nocturnal (post)
12. Mayer Hawthorne – Mr. Blue Sky (ELO cover)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE COMPILATION>>> (77.8 MB, .RAR)

The post Obscure Sound: Best of May 2011 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

by Jay Mattson

Before 2009, I was more or less indifferent to Black Lips, a band that basically sounded like a few other bands I already liked (Monks, King Khan & BBQ Show, etc). Then I heard 200 Million Thousand, an album with a dirge to it that simply lights each song on fire. It was gross, murky, dirty and distorted, but it worked so well. And the band was recognized for this; the album received generally favorable reviews and was a favorite among journalists and fans alike.

Arabia Mountain, the band’s new album, is not like 200 Million Thousand. It is cleaner, more focused, highly thematic and more accessible. The attributes I just listed can be eschewed as positive or negative depending on which album you’re talking about. For example, TV on the Radio’s amazing Dear Science was described as a cleaner, more polished version of the band compared to their work on Return to Cookie Mountain. Cursive, on the other hand, showed how they had deteriorated from their grittier past, creating poppier songs for Happy Hollow and nearly losing an entire fan base in the process. Cleaning up can be a risky business, and Arabia Mountain does so with varying success.

These Lips have taken a decisive turn away from the grittier sounds of their past and have produced an album that has more upbeat, jangly, and guitar-laden tracks than anything they’ve ever done before. And though the vocals stay true to the band’s previous material, the instrumentation has undergone a 180-degree spin. Think Dandy Warhols and their western-inspired overhaul on Odditorium back in 2005.

“Family Tree” is a fun jaunt through a general overture of how Arabia Mountain sounds. Unlike their rather straightforward use of the standard four-piece band on 200 Million Thousand, this new material sounds fresh and innovative. One of the album’s first singles, “Modern Art”, could have been a Sublime b-side, as it fuses surf-pop and garage rock. Unfortunately, a lot of people are doing that these days, and Black Lips’ take isn’t noticeably better than Wavves or Best Coast. They are not terribly worse either, which makes it hard to place Black Lips among a gamut of quality.

I’ve got a soft spot for “Spidey’s Curse”, an ode to our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. “Peter Parker’s  life was so much darker than other kids,” other than being a fun line, helps create a connection between Spider-Man and universalized commentary on life. “Mad Dog” feels, in title and sound, like a forgotten Man Man track wrenched into limitations and restrictions. It is fun enough, but its unrealized potential is prominent, which takes away from its overall effectiveness.

This is where the album starts to meander. The next few songs sound disappointingly similar and forgettable. Only the hand-clap sing-along “Bone Marrow” really picks up the sagging album’s center. “The Lie” shifts gears a bit, though stays well within the Black Lips’ preset parameters of range and intensity, and that, yet again, holds it back, almost annoyingly so. After a little more filler, and just in time to save any sort of momentum, “Dumpster Dive” features a piano-heavy melody that leads into a classic Black Lips chorus.

“New Direction” may be the most fun song on the album. This is quite complementary, being that Arabia Mountain is full of fun-sounding songs. Its clap/guitar back-and-forth is interesting, catchy, and the lyrics are simple and straightforward. Unfortunately, “Noc-A-Homa” is a song that can’t find its footing. It makes giant missteps in trying to sound like the Black Keys. And while “New Direction” is the most fun song, “Don’t Mess Up My Baby” is the best song on the album; Cole Alexander’s vocals sound emotively somber, and the trudging instruments add to the haunting style Black Lips ushered in on 200 Million Thousand.

Wavves, No Age, and Liars have all cleaned up their sounds to varying degrees, and Black Lips are just the next in line to take advantage of this recent trend. Unfortunately, that’s what it is: a trend. This isn’t a band that needed to clean up, and while some of it works, most of the album feels like filler. It is not technically weak, but fails to be inspiring or significant.

Black Lips – New Direction

Black Lips – Modern Art

Black Lips – Family Tree

Black Lips – Bone Marrow

Official Site / MySpace / BUY

The post Black Lips – Arabia Mountain (2011) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

The King Khan and BBQ Show
by Jay Mattson

It has been a rough tour for Arish Khan (King Khan) and Mark Sultan (BBQ). Last month, The King Khan & BBQ Show nearly split ways in Australia after a heated argument and a slew of insults. Fortunately, the band patched things up and continued on to finish their pan-Asiatic tour. This month, though, saw (recent) history repeat itself here in Daegu, South Korea. For readers who don’t know, I’ve been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in South Korea since last November, and from time to time, my fair city of Daegu (Day-goo) hosts some amazing shows. Since I’ve been here, we’ve seen Xiu Xiu, Moools, Lymbyc System, and Bane, just to name a few. Of course, Seoul usually nabs the bigger acts (see Caribou later this month), but Daegu does get it’s share of impressive acts. One of these was The King Khan & BBQ last week.

For a mere 15,000 Korean won (~$18) my friends and I entered the dark, cozy Bar Guess in downtown Daegu to see the raucous, lo-fi sound of King Khan and BBQ. Before the show started, Mr. Khan was already causing a scene, becoming increasingly irritated that the small, locally owned bar couldn’t supply him with free alcohol. Not knowing he’d already ingested a more-than-fair amount of soju (traditional, VERY alcoholic Korean rice wine), I offered to buy the band some drinks. Soon after, a fog machine kicked on and the band started playing. If you’ve heard Arish and Sultan’s music, I don’t need to tell you how awesome the show was. Both players were decked out in their expressively flamboyant attire, looks of determination upon their faces. For 45 minutes, they brought a party. Songs from their whole catalog littered the set, though most of the songs seemed to come from their 2009 album, Invisible Girl. But 45 minutes was all we got. After a few of Khan’s questionable on-stage antics (flailing into the crowd, purposely spilling a whole bottle of beer in front of the stage, pushing an audience member around), the lead guitarist told the crowd they’d play two more songs. This seemed to be the catalyst for the storm of emotions that filled the rest of the night at Bar Guess. A quick chat between Khan and Sultan resulted in Sultan walking off stage, much to the audience’s confusion, and Khan playing a mess of a song to end the night.

Soon after, everyone in the audience could hear the screaming. A projection screen was pulled down in front of the instruments and performing space, and Sultan was seated to the direct right of the screen. From behind the screen, the high-pitched screams of Khan resonated throughout the entire bar, partly because they were so loud, and mostly because no one else was talking, just listening. A visible Sultan was shrugging, calmly trying to converse with Khan about the state of their musical act. Khan’s drunken jeering and explosive insults toward Sultan kept coming, though. After conversing with my friends for a few moments, we came to the conclusion that one of two things was happening: 1.) The band was actually breaking up, or 2.) This was one of the most intricate and theatrical shows we’d ever seen. Within the next ten minutes, Sultan was out from the back room, conversing with audience members. I took my opportunity to speak with him. The following quotes are straight from Mark Sultan, who told me that he wanted it known that “[Arish Khan] is a jackass who can’t hold his alcohol.”

Though I do write for Obscure Sound, my interest in the situation outweighed my journalistic tick and I ensured Mr. Sultan that I wouldn’t print anything about the incident if he didn’t want me to. “Actually,” he said. “You can write whatever you want. Please write about what happened.” We talked about the tour, how his favorite part of touring was “going to new places and seeing new people.” Of course, our conversation veered toward the night’s incident and I was able to understand a little better what happened.

“This happened back in Australia,” said Sultan. “I mean, I patched things up there and thought we could make it until the end of the tour.” (Side note: the band’s three Korean dates in Daegu, Busan and Seoul were the very end of the tour anyway.) “But he’s really just an alcoholic,” and “I’m sick of the abuse. We’re not finishing the tour.” When I asked what would happen to the last two tour dates in Busan and Seoul, Sultan assured me that “I can play those shows myself. I write [and perform] 99% of the music.” Throughout our conversation, Sultan was completely relaxed and calm. He reiterated a few times that “I’m fine. I’m alright.”

Honestly, I’ll never forget that night. I’ve been a fan of The King Khan & BBQ Show for quite some time and seeing them live was amazing. Seeing them break up was more of a bittersweet event; I was witness the the implosion of a phenomenal garage rock duo whom I truly enjoyed. Khan and Sultan have been friends since the mid-90s, playing together since then, as well. Though it seems like this break-up is quite final, there’s always a chance things will work out between these two artists. Near the end of our conversation, Sultan explained that “Speaking as a friend, I just hope [Khan] gets the help he needs.”

RIYL: Black Lips, Reigning Sound, Jay Reatard, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, The Gories, The Deadly Snakes, The Dirtbombs, Thomas Function, The Soft Pack, The Seeds, The Detroit Cobras, The Monks, The Standells, The Ponys, The Shadows of Knight, White Denim, Beach Fossils

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The King Khan & BBQ Show – I’ll Never Belong

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The King Khan & BBQ Show – Treat Me Like a Dog

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The King Khan & BBQ Show – Too Much In Love

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Official Site

MySpace

BUY

The post The Implosion of The King Khan & BBQ Show appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.