The Dear Hunter – Act
III: Life And Death
(Triple Crown Records)
2.5
Not to be confused with the
Kranky Records avante-drone-pop outfit Deerhunter, this project of former
Receiving End Of Sirens vocalist Casey Crescenzo is a lush and orchestrated
concept album of huge, epic progressive indie rock, like if an emo rock act
crashed into a truck full of Queen (or Muse) CDs, or something. That may sound
a bit convoluted, but this mix does work for Crescenzo & company. I hear a
little bit of Beatles in the mix somewhere (bits of "In Cauda
Venenum"), as well, but overall this is a crisply-mixed set of dense and
grand pop tunes that will appeal to fans of complex, highly-arranged rock with
a dramatic, theatrical side. Really pretty fine stuff, given half a chance.
-- Todd Zachritz
Burn Halo – Burn
Halo
(Rawkhead Rekords)
0
This is big, anthemic, and
sanitized radio metal that lacks any sort of individual personality, borrowing
its sound and attitude from their equally vapid mainstream peers. Formed by
former Eighteen Visions singer James Hart, Burn Halo brings some serious Axl
Rose/Guns 'N Roses worship on "Here With Me," while other songs echo
similar 80's metal inspirations, with plenty of radio-friendly hooks and
dumbed-down lyrics that smack of stereotypical rock-star posturing. The hit
single, "Dirty Little Girl" (featuring the guitarist from the equally
despicable Avenged Sevenfold), will appeal to fans of tripe like Hinder,
whereas most of the other songs here will fit in nicely next to anything else
your favorite FM rock station plays all day. Bleah. Please give me back my 45
minutes.
-- Todd Zachritz
Dessau – The Truth Hurts
(WTII Records)
4
It's been a long road for
Nashville-based industrial rock act Dessau.
Centered around programmer/vocalist John Elliott, Dessau saw relative success in the form of
actual MTV airplay and a club hit with 1990's “Isolation.” Elliott worked
alongside such genre heavyweights as Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker of Ministry,
as well as famed Joy Division producer Martin Hannett, among many others. And,
truth be told, these co-conspirators are a good way to describe the overall
sound of Dessau. The Truth Hurts
isn't so much a new album (the last one of those for Dessau was 1995), but a
collection of unreleased sessions, alternate mixes, early vinyl cuts, and a
pair of live Joy Division covers. In short, a treasure trove for fans, and a
superb intro for the uninitiated. Dessau's work
here moves from the brooding cover of Ministry's early synthpop gem
"Revenge" (here amped up and ready to fight), to the boldly anthemic
(yet catchy) “Sun,” to the dubby trip-hop instrumental “Chalkline,” which
boasts of production by Chicago's
Die Warzau team. It's hard and heavy all the way on The Truth Hurts, with good hooks, as in the concussion-inducing
dance rock leviathan, “Beijing,”
presented here in an unreleased mix/version. The earlier material (recorded
circa 1985) is a little less angry, and more melodic, as evidenced by tracks
like the almost new-wavey “Crutch of Utility.” All-in-all, a uniformly
consistent collection, and hopefully a harbinger of new material for Elliott
and Dessau.
-- Todd Zachritz
The Glasspack – American
Exhaust
(Poison Tree Records)
4
This band is a sonic tornado
of piss and vinegar. They are an all out dirty, fast, and heavy cacophony
taking the listener home from a bar dizzy drunk, banging them for 3 hours
straight, taking a couple swigs of Jim Beam straight and leaving at six in the
morning. Get the idea? Dave Johnson (vocals/guitar) started the band right at
the turn of the millennium and they have been rocking out ever since. The
Glasspack is a self proclaimed fusion of 60’s styled jam rock and 70’s
hard/punk rock. Anyway it is sliced it will blow your doors off.
“Smut” is a punk dream with relentless, distorted guitars
spiced up with some higher, face-melting riffs. “Whiskey House” shows the bands
psychedelic side boasting a surreal chorus surrounded by vintage metal riffs.
“Shut Up and Ride” is a hellacious head banger filled with heavy riffs accented
by searing upstrokes and not to mention on hell of a bad attitude. “One
Kentucky Night” showcases a more bluesy side to the band, it is fast but the
guitar composition is full of stops, starts, wails, and glides. As for “Jim
Beam and Good Green,” enough said. This band has fashioned a great, driving
sound which is refreshing in light of most contemporary rock.
--Nick Durcholz
Sexstone – The
Painful Side of True
(Rumsey Records)
4
The members of Sexstone come
from a musical background with a variety all but unmatched by most bands in the
area. Hailing from Western Kentucky this band brings a sound fashioned out of a
multitude of tastes. The range of this band is significant especially in light
of their grassroots mentality. This range is possible for the band in most part
due to lead vocalist Steven Bauer’s voice which compliments both slow, softer
tunes as well as the faster, heavier ones. Unlike most bands nowadays Sexstone
bridges generational gaps with songs people of most any age can appreciate.
“Where” is an acoustic soul-searcher with melancholy but
quirky lyrics and a soaring guitar solo providing a nice rising action in the
song. “Falling Away” is a stand-out on the album with a distressed verse and
hallowed guitar/bass but could use stronger lyrics in the chorus. “The First
Time” begins with a sharp, rapid guitar and higher pitched vocals giving it a
pop-punk feel. Unfortunately the lyrics are terribly unoriginal but musically
it is a fun track. The guitar composition
on “My Night” is fast, structured, and clean. “Screaming Daylight” is the
lyrical peak of the album punctuated by a lumbering, heavy chorus. These guys
have tremendous talent musically but show room for improvement in
songwriting.
--Nick Durcholz
Jóhann Jóhannsson - And In The Endless Pause There Came The Sound Of Bees
(NTOV)
4
Known as much for his
production work (Barry Adamson, Pan Sonic, Marc
Almond) and for his band
(Apparat Organ Quartet), Icelandic composer Jóhannsson here has crafted a
gorgeous modern classical score. Using the City Of Prague Philharmonic
Orchestra to realize these pieces, the sound is deep, crystalline, and
definitely not your grandparents' classical music. The opening
"Theme" is a wispy and hopeful string composition, with a slight air
of mystery. The seagulls and thunderclaps at the end bring a peaceful close.
"City Building" seems to enter more dangerous environs, with shadowy
undercurrents and a minimal chorus of voice, piano, and violins, all gelling
into a dramatic yet subtle conclusion. But it's not all traditional, either.
Among Jóhannsson 's strengths are his incorporation of
nontraditional sounds to these structured pieces. "Rainwater" uses
effected field recordings to add an element of grit to an otherwise simple
piece of music. "Pods" utilizes deep, cavernous reverberations to add
menace to the piano/strings. And "Escape" has an air of tension in
it's drones.
"End (Snowing)" is
an aptly-titled 6+ minutes of stunning piano and strings, with a chilly arctic
air -- perhaps the finest song here.
It's this modern sound-sculpting that brings Jóhannsson's
compositions into more avante garde territories, all the while remaining
accessible and quite lovely. This beautiful set of songs is quite limited, so
act now or pay collectors' prices later.
-- Todd Zachritz
Greg Davis – Mutually
Arising
(Kranky)
3
His first Kranky release in
(gasp) almost 5 years? Davis has evolved much in his “absence.” Indeed, Mutually Arising is a set of 2 extended
tracks, both with similar trajectories, but altogether different endpoints.
"Cosmic Mudra" is nearly 29 minutes of buzzing, carefully-layered
drone. To an untrained, or impatient ear, this could be construed as
single-note nonsense, but upon closer “deep listening,” this drone is a
combination of sounds that gently twist and envelop itself again, like an
ouroboros circle. The drones become intense at around the 18 minute mark, and
it's really quite an overwhelming experience. "Hall Of Pure Bliss"
runs at 22 minutes, and it's a more spacious, lilting, almost ambient journey,
It really doesn't get much more minimalist than this, thank you John Cage. But
Davis' ear is on a spiritual angle here, as evidenced by his titles.
Is this meditational music? You betcha. Imagine opium
dens and alternate planes of consciousness, then imagine the soundtrack. This
is that.
-- Todd Zachritz
Rome – Flowers
From Exile
(Trisol)
3
Hailing from Luxembourg, and
led by the sonorous, rich baritone croon of leader Jerome Reuter, this group
has built up a rabid European fanbase. "Flowers From Exile", their
4th album, is, without a doubt, their strongest. And though it may bear some
superficial similarities to the dark, occult folk of Death In June at times,
Rome offer a broader and more diverse musical palette, and one that transcends
genre categorizations. Indeed, there are echoes of dark poet/songsmiths like
Cohen, Cale, or Scott Walker here. There's some French chanson inspirations,
too, if you listen close enough. But really, Rome are their own unique beast.
Flowers is a
conceptual album, dealing with the theme of exile and reflects on the Spanish
Civil War of the 1930's. Perhaps a lofty and pretentious premise, but in this
case it works quite nicely. After an instrumental intro, "The Accidents of
Gesture" begins in grand fashion, with a triumphant and sweepingly
cinematic build-up, and Reuter's powerful, well-spoken words leading the
charge. This, to me, is the album's tour-de-force -- packed with emotion, mood,
tension, and old-world beauty. "Odessa" is a more intimate, traditional
folk song, with a more sensitive nature. It's moody, slightly sorrowful, and
really quite catchy. Throughout the album, Reiter's strong and emotive vocals
capture the limelight, though the lush instrumentation is equally as
compelling, with a superb sense of dynamism and restraint.
The balladic title track, which segues into “Flight in
Formation,” closes it all out, and together, these form a somber and fitting
end, complete with martial horns and the cool sounds of a tide coming in from
the sea. And although it's not perfect -- some songs in the middle of the album
seem to evaporate from memory pretty fast-- the best stuff here is just
incredible.
-- Todd Zachritz
Calling Corners – Requiem
(Shatterproof Songs)
3
Looking for an antidote to
all the local cover bands? Calling Corners might just be the cure. The band is
a culmination of contemporary hard rock bands with driving riffs, dark vocals,
and some well placed melody intertwined. Matt Camp, guitarist/lead vocalist,
the founding member of the band encountered difficulty in finding other members
who shared his vision but once he did a remarkable solidarity was reached
almost immediately. This band knows the musical body is weak without all its
parts and they make clear effort in this album making sure the parts are
greased and in top working order.
The first track
“Behind Your Pride” is great compositionally but lacks any type of unique sound
within the hard rock genre. “Man in the Meantime” has exceptional lyrics but
Camps vocals sound forced and a little awkward. “Puzzle Piece” draws its
strength from the chorus which is solid in vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation.
It has a nice flow but the verse and bridge are fairly bland. “Speechless” is a
seemingly flawless track save for the overdone Vedder-esque vocals. For Calling
Corners the talent is there but this band needs to find a sound to call their
own. In the short time they have been together they are off to a hell of a
start.
--Nick Durcholz
Livan – Happy
Returns
(P & C Pumpkin Music)
4.5
This British invasion is a
razor-sharp blade right to the gut. Livan goes from breakneck to beautiful in
the blink of an eye and remains concise like a seasoned assassin. He has
experienced many dramatic ups and downs to draw from. He was born into a
political family in Greece and buckled under the pressures of life, sinking to
the bottom of the barrel before deciding to live a constructive life. A burning
passion for creating music is imbedded into each track of his newest effort.
Livan has reached a mature part in his career wanting to create something that
chisels his name into the stone of music history.
“Happy Returns” is a solid title track. Musically, it is
high energy and simple. The lyrics are
intricate and dark. “Kiss and Tell” contains spiteful lyrics and a powerful
chorus accented by a rapid, jumpy bass line and quick, industrial guitar licks.
“When the Lights go Down” is progressive, static filled track which isn’t too
strong lyrically but gets stronger musically as it plays out. “The Machine” has
squeaky clean and sharp composition. The vocals are passionate and hold much
more of a personality than in other tracks. Livan is a musical mystery man
always throwing sonic curveballs to the listener.
--Nick Durcholz
Chest Rockwell – Total
Victory
(Chest Rockwell)
3
This young and quirky indie
band from Bowling Green, KY shows a breadth and scope that make them a more
than viable hope for the area's rock future. Sure, this well-done self-released
CD has some patchy spots, but there's a vision here that gives these guys an
edge over peers who may be eking out a living doing lame covers or tributes.
"2 Pumps Away" boasts some superb guitar effects/pyrotechnics, and
"Eleven is the New Seven" is a prog-metal piece that may be the
group's finest moment. "Mortal Universe" shows their metal-prog
chops, too, and this is what I like best about Total Victory. Other tracks show an affinity for atmospheric and
complex indie-pop, though these don't seem to be quite as interesting as their
harder cuts. Vocalist Josh Hines is limited, and he seems to stretch sometimes,
but the guitars (either Hines, Seth Wilson, or both) display a wide array of
textures and styles, from more ethereal to almost funky. Impressive! It's all
held together by the sturdy rhythm section of Nick Rouse (drums) and Nick
Stewart (bass). Total Victory is a
solid effort, with plenty of room to grow. I hope they do -- I'll be interested
to hear them progress further.
-- Todd Zachritz
