ESM Rating: 9/10 |
Listen if you like: Neil Young & Crazy Horse with even less singing and more guitar shredding. Or The Who.
First impressions: And with a blinding flash of lightning followed by the monotony-shattering crash of thunder, the God of Guitar descended once again… Sorry, I’ve been brushing up on my Celtic mythology lately. That doesn’t change the fact that Ascent, by California band Six Organs Of Admittance, will go down as one of my favorite albums of 2012.
The nitty-gritty: Six Organs is the long-standing primary act of guitar maverick Ben Chasny, accompanied by the remaining instrumental components of Comets On Fire. The band has been pumping out recordings like water from buckshot-riddled hull since 1998 and looks to only become more prolific as Comets continue a possibly permanent hiatus (headman Ethan Miller is still sweating under the sheets with his latest project, Howlin’ Rain). The preponderance of Six Organs’ past work slots them in the new folk genre; however, the band gives in to its inner jam demons on Ascent, unabashedly declaring its new sound with album opener “Waswasa,” a five-and-a-half minute instrumental freak out. The calluses on Chasny’s hand deserve an Olympic medal considering he ferociously executes a guitar solo almost the entire track.
Other recommended tracks: The band truly unloads with cultured grunge fury reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse in their prime — think “Cowgirl In The Sand” and “Down By The River” — on tracks “Even If You Knew” and “Close To The Sky.” Chesny’s guitar growls throughout “Even If You Knew” with the occasional melodic ringing or distorted scratch further validating the Neil Young comparison. Vocals are interspersed throughout each song, though they seem to be present more to promote some semblance of standard songwriting than anything. While the softly sung, misty words may seem an afterthought, they provide a necessary break to the no-holds-barred anarchy of Ascent’s jamming. Six Organs Of Admittance tosses in some diversity for good measure with “Your Ghost”, which takes on the band’s established new folk song structure, and “Visions (From Io)” with its sleepy surf guitar ring. At just eight songs, Ascent has it all — but, most importantly, has plenty of pissed-off guitar fury.
East Coast tour dates? Nothing nearby, I’m sad to say. Check the band’s page on Drag City’s website for possible updates: www.DragCity.com/Artists/Six-Organs-Of-Admittance. By Alex Lemonde-Gray
Six Organs of Admittance - Waswasa by Drag City
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ESM Rating: 9/10 |
Listen if you like: Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young, Spooner Oldham, Norah Jones, Americana, country, jazz, and soul.
First impressions: As American as apple pie in a 1963 Ford Mustang on the way to a baseball game. If you could rewind time and head back to the root of some of the most representative musical styles ever spawned by this great country — rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, jazz, country, soul, etc. — you’d find that, at the heart of each, is an earthy grit: a pure, simplistic, down-home authenticity. These are songs written by, about, and for real, hardworking Americans, and with every note, they capture the landscape and character of our nation. Dylan LeBlanc’s music is cut from that same cloth.
The nitty-gritty: Cast The Same Old Shadow organically combines the best and most fundamental elements of country, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. Slide guitar wails alongside buzzing electric guitar, and moody jazz piano hides in the background then jumps to the front as LeBlanc’s breathy voice warbles like a magical mixture of Willie Nelson and Louis Armstrong.
Other recommended tracks: Each track on Cast The Same Old Shadow has its melancholy, downtempo moments. But even the slowest of songs builds to a powerful chorus filled with vocal harmonies and carefully composed instrumental melodies. It’s a wonderful, cathartic cycle of build and release. Still, some tracks carry more weight than others. “Brother” is a clear standout and the most energetic track thanks to the rich layering of instruments in its chorus, and “Where Are You Now” has a strong jazz/blues influence. “Chesapeake Lane” combines haunting slide guitar with some of LeBlanc’s best vocal work, and “Comfort Me” is a bouncing blend of country, folk, and indie sounds.
East Coast tour dates? Tons. Louisiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Canada, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, DC, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas by the end of October, so head to www.DylanLeBlanc.com for al the details. By Allison Arteaga
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ESM Rating: 9/10 |
Listen if you like: The Flaming Lips, Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, Wilderness, Future Islands, Helado Negro, Julianna Barwick, tUnE-yArdDs, or Enya.
First impressions: Believe You Me has no hook. There is no explosion of rainbow unicorns or a flamboyant sampling of songs popular long ago. Nothing about the album will force you to stay and no element of the album will push you away. Sometimes having no hooks near you is a great thing — like when you’re on a slide. OMBRE seems pretty comfortable with the idea of gravity tubes, and we should be too.
The nitty-gritty: A developing friendship is the concept behind OMBRE’s vision and the driving force behind the band’s debut album. Solo artist Roberto Lange of Helado Negro encountered Julianna Barwick’s work through an Internet rabbit hole in 2009 and quickly recruited her for a long, dusty, transnational trek. The two became friends along the way and subsequently began recording as OMBRE in 2010. As a duo, the two have been sporadically contributing to Believe You Me ever since. The striking ease and confidence of the album’s creation resonates as much as any instrument. Whether Barwick is haunting the vocal layer with a siren song, or Lange is pumping a trumpet with the power of a New Orleans second line, nothing seems rushed or restricted. Believe You Me appears to be powered by the forces of nature — a tidal bore on the auditory estuary of the mind. This collected self worth may come from the expertise of these veterans, or from the raw elements of the album’s construction. What I can truly offer without hesitation is a recommendation to try every track. OMBRE built this musical city for us to explore.
Other recommended tracks: The melody backing “Tormentas” is one of the best experimental sounds ever to cross my work computer. Without sounding overdubbed, under-powered, digitally drained, lyrically empty, crass, or corny, this song still manages to inspire a deep breath of appreciation. Then it’s promptly blown away by the percussion-heavy and arguably better song “Cara Falsa.” Meanwhile, “Pausa Primera” is really scary.
East Coast tour dates? Nothing to speak of now, but look for an exhaustive tour schedule soon at www.AsthmaticKitty.com/Believe-You-Me. By Will Tunstall
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ESM Rating: 8/10 |
Listen if you like: Grimes, Little Dragon, Twin Shadow, SBTRKT, Diamond Rings, Grizzly Bear, Memory Tapes, Two Door Cinema Club, Passion Pit, and James Blake.
First impressions: Ditching their dirty, nouveau hippy idealism, Fragrant World is an apparent departure for Yeasayer and also the point at which their fanbase may be doing a little departing themselves. However, this may be the record with which the band reaches mild success.
The nitty-gritty: Swooning, psychedelic, bass bumpin’, poppy electro is what Brooklyn, NY’s, Yeasayer is up to on their third album, Fragrant World, which is pretty far removed from their tribal, futuristic, dystopian, experimental rhythms and world music-inspired sounds of records past. Leaning towards more clearly produced, warping bass-driven melodies — complete with a God-awful dubstep influence seeping its way in — the group minimizes their approach into a more focused, atmospheric, and electronic affair in the vein of The xx or Burial. Only with an obvious attempt to create more pop hooks, of course. Still, the organic sounds of Yeasayer can be heard, melting into some clever synth work and angular compositions. Meanwhile, frontman Chris Keating actually sounds better than ever, complimenting the group’s more accessible direction and coming off as a futuristic David Byrne of Talking Heads at times. Despite several great tracks on Fragrant World, these once-indie darlings will more than likely alienate early fans. But the fact that they’ve continually evolved and progressed in different directions, for better or worse, deserves recognition. And it will certainly garner a whole new fan base for them, possibly even crossing Yeasayer over to mainstream success. Good for them.
Other recommended tracks: The politically charged “Reagan’s Skeleton” works perfectly as a liberal anthem; “Henrietta” has a darling groove and hook; and “Fingers Never Bleed” is an off-kilter sure fire hit, complementing the current Billboard Top 100.
East coast tour dates: Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Florida over the next couple of months. Visit www.Yeasayer.net for details. By Peter Viele
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ESM Rating: 8/10 |
Listen if you like: The one and only DOOM, abstract rap, underground beats, crazy shit that after repeated ingestion somehow sounds so good.
First impressions: Weird. Key To The Kuffs, the first collaboration between mysterious rapper DOOM and British producer Jneiro Jarel, starts with some cheeky movie samples, seemingly coming out of left field. But that's always been DOOM's M.O. — little is known about the man's real life, and he either performs masked, refusing to reveal his face, or famously sends impostors out to perform in his stead. Yet Key To The Kuffs is surprisingly personal, or as personal as we're going to get from DOOM; the entire album is based on him being forced to make his life back in London after decades living in the U.S. (he got tied up with visa issues while touring Europe and eventually was forced to stay).
The nitty-gritty: First single "Guv'nor" is JJ DOOM, at its auditory finest. Pealing, off-time strings provide a warm backdrop that bounces and bops. "Banished," meanwhile, is far more uptempo, if in a queasy way. But at least DOOM's lines are crystalline, delivered on that track with clear-eyed fury. "Bite The Thong" features a guest spot from Blur/Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn, although the exact nature of the visit (and the song — how's that title?) is murky. Perhaps it's DOOM embracing his comic-book biography and inhabiting character after inexplicable character; thank God for a song like "Rhymin' Slang," though, bombastic, old-school beats and straightforward inflated-ego fire-spitting serving as an underground hip-hop fan's dream.
Other recommended tracks: But let's not forget that DOOM, and, by extension, JJ DOOM, is nothing if not challenging and head-scratching. "Dawg Friendly" finds the rapper turning the nonsensical into the strangely riveting, while "Borin' Convo" belies its mundane title with an epic, screwed-and-chopped tale of a "supervillian kicked out your country." I was thrilled when I saw leading Portishead lady Beth Gibbons attributed as a guest vocalist on "GMO." The song has an appropriately haunting beat, with Gibbons' trilling howls and moans emerging like ghostly emanations from beyond. But DOOM's lyrical skewering of genetically modified food, which comes fast and furious one second into the song, represents one of the best moments of his lyrical life: "There they go feminizing men again/Then pretend they don't know when we know it, xenoestrogen/Exorcise the jinn/Keynote lecture with a spin/Meant to get c-notes from end to end." Further highlights come on Key To The Kuffs, particularly the industrially grating "'Bout The Shoes," the hilariously germophobic "Wash Your Hands," and the intensely emotional ode to romance in his new life in Britain, "Winter Blues." But "GMO" is well worth the price of admission for JJ DOOM. This is an oft-understood, much-maligned, and insanely productive MC churning out yet another solid collaboration with an offbeat producer we need to hear more of. Sleep on DOOM if you want — but there's far more on offer here than what you get from just about any other modern rapper.
East Coast tour dates? None now, but if the man ever does make it back to America, please don't miss out. Stay tuned to www.MetalFaceDOOM.com for updates. By Nick McGregor
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