Another Voice in the Crowd

[videos] PORTISHEAD!!!

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 02:48:44 GMT

So I just realized that these newfangled "Internets" may in fact have footage of new material that Portishead debuted at the ATP show they curated earlier this month... I was surprised at how aggressive a couple of these tracks sound, but can't say I'm disappointed. Even after waiting all these years for an actual new album (not just rumors and fake press releases) I'm excited. Also, I'm extremely jealous of everyone who was at that show (for more than just Portishead - they had a pretty good lineup and it would have been an excellent excuse to fly out to England). I usually don't get all fanboy over any musician, but Phead has always been an exception. I think I may need to go change my pants now.

Entire set from 2nd day in MP3 form: (download zip) as found from some site I've never heard of before

video of just the new songs:::

Wicca

Mystic

Peaches

Machine Gun

Hunter

My Thoughts Exactly

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 20:22:52 GMT

So, instead of getting off my ass and coming up with real content, I was just looking at some webcomics. This one, from Questionable Content, sums up my feelings about Deerhoof pretty well. You know Deerhoof, right? If not, you need to. Now.

VNV Nation - Matter + Form

Sun, 24 Apr 2005 02:53:52 GMT

VNV Nation - Matter + Form // Metropolis, 2005

A couple years ago, Ronin Harris created a term for a new genre, "Futurepop", to describe the sound he was trying to create in VNV Nation. At the time, I thought it was cute (if not a little pretentious) but it's understandable; not many musicians like to be tied down to a genre, after all. The problem was that term made little sense. VNV easily fell into numerous pre-existing classifications; its EBM rooted in House and Industrial, inherently danceable electronic music with surprisingly eloquent lyrics. While their last offering, 2002's Futureperfect, pushed even further from their industrial roots there was no denying it was still an EBM record with absolutely no surprises. The only difference between it and their previous albums is that it was weaker and less provoking- hardly a basis for a new musical category.

All of this changed with Matter + Form, VNV Nation's official definition of "futurepop". Blending their standard beats and lyrics with 80s pop sensibilities, VNV took a bold step away from familiar territory and created something different with brilliant results. No matter how far into synth-pop territory the material gets it never loses the feel or mood of EBM and retains all of the elements of VNV nation old fans will remember. Make no mistake- this is not a retro album. While it gives a LOT of serious nods to old pop styles (and even breaks out a lot of vintage synth hardware on a couple songs) this still feels like a modern record. This is "Futurepop"- forward facing in the way 80's synth bands wished they could be. This isn't to say that VNV Nation is carving out the future of music, but they have a pretty vivid idea of where they want it to go.

The album itself is pretty equally split between 'newer' and 'older' sounding tracks, all blended well together. Nothing really feels out of place; everything is well paced as to not feel awkward or jumpy during any of the stylistic transitions. The older-sounding material provides a good balance to the record (as well as a nice buffer for older fans to adjust to the newer material), but falls short of the mark set by prior releases. Entropy does an amazing job of synthesizing guitars and is without question the most 'industrial' song Harris has written since Praise the Fallen, but is brought down by an annoying chorus. Lightwave, an instrumental, is one of the strongest songs on the album and probably closest to what people would expect from a VNV Nation release. The one-two punch of Strata and Interceptor have a good flow together and are both good EBM pieces, although a lot more straightforward dancefloor than anything else VNV has ever put out. They work excellently together as companion pieces, but neither would really stand alone well as a single. That is a problem that keeps coming back on this album- for a band that reveled in the German pop charts, there are very few candidates for individual release.

The first single from the album, Chrome, is the only clear radio single on the entire album. An excellent blend of the newer and older styles, Chrome has a genuine pop feel without letting go of the house beat that Ronin Harris has been so fond of over the years. Vocally, Harris barely hints at harmonies and uses melodies very atypical of anything VNV Nation has ever created. The outstanding point, though, hits about 3 minutes into the song when everything shifts and moves full force into new territory. As the first real song on the album, this sets the pace for the mixed flavors of everything to follow.

The most disconcerting aspect of the newer sounding material is the fact that they used the drum machine to simulate analog drumming. While only used on Arena and Perpetual, this is the biggest diversion from VNV Nation canon and is likely to anger a lot of longstanding fans. While they are a little weird considering the source, the songs themselves are actually quite good and use the textured synths well to blend in with the rest of the album. That said, it's very hard to imagine either of these hitting a single chart after the 1980s and they are not likely to find a very large audience because of that.

Rounding things off, Colours of Rain is a soft piano and orchestral segue that is pleasant enough to shift the mood, but comes off sounding derivative of video role playing game music (anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game will recognize the comparison). Other than that, Endless Skies and Homeward are the weakest points on the album overall (both sounding very reminiscent of material off of Futureperfect), but neither falls worse than mediocre. Homeward is even charming, in its own right, but it never really makes a lasting impression. In that way, it's the perfect track to describe the overall feel of this album- it's charming, but it fails to leave a lasting impression. Stylistically, this was an excellent experiment (and quite successful in that regard), but it lacks strong individual songs to define it. After the initial gloss begins to wear off, each track fades quickly when listened to closely. Definitely a good album for background listening, Matter + Form has an excellent style and good flow, but lacks the nuanced material of previous VNV Nation albums.

Song Highlights: Chrome, Arena, Lightwave

VHS or Beta - Night on Fire

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 03:19:00 GMT

VHS or Beta - Night on Fire [Astralwerks, 2004]

A true incarnation of dance rock, VHS or Beta work meandering guitar pieces together with pounding house beats to create something that is both fresh and derivative at once. With the boom of post-punk revival bands updating the likes of Joy Division, The Cure, and Mission of Burma, it was only a matter of time before someone pushed the more dancable side of the genre. VHS and Beta do so with flare by adding in mild electronics, yet keeping the distorted guitars and general rock feeling to their songs. Unfortunately, this album comes off as more style than substance. The lyrics are functional at best and largely rely on repetition to flesh the songs out to a suitable length for a club mix.

The opening track, Night on Fire, throws out riffs that belong on The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me with a Robert Smith vocal impression to lend to the comparison. At the same time, the tune apes Depeche Mode's People Are People, creating an odd dynamic that makes it instantly familiar on the first listen. You Got Me is stylistically ripped straight out of the '80s pop charts in form and feel, with a smooth production to match. This could have easily stood the ranks with Aha or Crowded House had it been recorded earlier, but having come almost 2 decades late to the party it relies largely on retro appeal to work its charms. Next, Nightwaves is purely a house track with a distorted guitar line running through it. While that is fantastic in theory, it doesn't really pick up until about 4 minutes into it and relies too much on the drumbeat to pull the rest of the song. From here, they jump back into 80's pop mode with The Melting Moon, which holds its own and stays more toward the rock side of the spectrum. No Cabaret comes up strong as a standout track but runs too long without any incentive to listen. This is the clearest example of VHS or Beta's overly repetitive lyrics in that they basically play through the song twice on the same track, driving it into the ground. This is followed by the oddity Forever, a song that breaks the overall theme of the album in favor of an Eiffel 56 style club song that is easily the lowest point of the album. From here they tone it down and bring it back about 10 years with Alive, sinking further into their Cure influences. Nothing much can be said about Dynamize other than that it is a disposable instrumental track. Period. The Ocean has some very nice guitar work, but is hard to get past the forced Cure feel. How many times did they listen to Disintegration while writing this song, anyway? The album wraps up with the meandering Irreversible, another instrumental track. This time, though, they manage to pull it off with a good build up and progression that showcases their style quite nicely. While it's a very long track at nine minutes, it never really gets into the rut that some of the earlier songs fell into.

Simply put, VHS or Beta are so retro it hurts. Overall, Night on Fire is a hollow dance romp that is technically good, but lacks substance to drive it. It follows closely in the disposable fluff of '80s mainstream pop, spinning in just enough recycled new wave and post-punk to keep things interesting and hammering everything down with an exhausting house beat. The style is interesting, and this is definitely a band that has promise, but the songs are way too weak throughout the album.

Download and listen before buying.

Highlights: Night on Fire, You Got Me, Irreversible

Mix: Sunday Morning 1.0

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 17:04:29 GMT

Something mild for a Sunday morning, no theme. I've had this sitting around for a while, actually... I figure this is as good a use as any for a neglected journal. ~~Links are to mp3s via YouSendIt.com.~~

track 01 5m01s Figurine Stranger
track 02 2m46s Enon Shave
track 03 3m14s The Magnetic Fields No One Will Ever Love You
track 04 4m45s Built To Spill You Were Right
track 05 3m05s Slowreader Sweetest Suffering
track 06 4m15s Elbow Little Beast
track 07 4m11s Pinback Anti-Hu
track 08 2m51s Yo La Tengo Stockholm Syndrome
track 09 3m28s Death Cab For Cutie Lowell, MA
track 10 4m59s Flaming Lips One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21
track 11 4m55s Dire Straits Brothers In Arms
track 12 5m01s Frank Black & The Catholics St. Francis Dam Disaster
track 13 4m25s Snow Patrol The Last Shot Ringing In My Ears
track 14 4m48s ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Heart In The Hand Of The Matter
track 15 4m27s Fugazi Argument
track 16 5m44s The Sea And Cake Four Corners
track 17 4m12s My Bloody Valentine When You Sleep
track 18 3m30s Radiohead Go To Sleep

Total Playing Time: 75m37s

Physical copies available by request.

The Faint - Wet From Birth [[promo]]

Sat, 10 Jul 2004 20:51:05 GMT

The Faint - Wet From Birth [[promo copy]] [Saddle Creek, 2004]

The Faint have drifted a bit from the dark synth-pop they've been honing over their past 2 albums and brought guitars back into the mix, as well as violins on Desperate Guys, Southern Belles In London Sing, and Symptom Finger (they feel tacked on in the first, but work quite well in the latter two). I Disappear strays into disco territory while the plodding Erection kills the tempo of the album not even half way into it. Lyrically, Wet From Birth is much lighter than their earlier work, even throwing in some humor on Desperate Guys and Birth.

Even the better songs like the quirky How Could I Forget are interesting to listen to, but a far cry from the danceable pop of Danse Macabre. For the most part, elements of "danse" music are present- strong beats and decent hooks are still present on most of the songs, but it doesn't really feel like it's the focus. When it comes down to it, this really seems like a transitional album. The Faint seem like they were getting tired of the synth pop that they had been making and want to do something different, but aren't quite sure what. Southern Belles In London Sing and How Could I Forget are pretty much it for highlights, although I Disappear and Symptom Finger grew on me a bit. While those couple tracks are good, but the rest of the album just really isn't really worth bothering over.

Has its moments, but largely disappointing.

Skinny Puppy - The Greater Right of the Wrong

Wed, 07 Jul 2004 17:15:16 GMT

Skinny Puppy - The Greater Right of the Wrong [SPV, 2004]

Almost a decade after splitting up, the surviving members of Skinny Puppy are back with an evolved sound. Fans of their old material who thought that The Process was a 'sell out' album should stop reading and pretend that this record was never released because The Greater Right of the Wrong is without question along the same vein. It's obvious that both Ogre and cEVIN Key have learned a lot from their side projects over the years, especially Key's refined programming that has a cinematic quality on many tracks. Lyrics are mostly sung, not regurgitated and growled through distortion. Smooth beats and subtle melodies flow through well structured songs that, with the exception of a jarring break in Neuwerld, are entirely coherent from start to finish.

The album gets off to a rough start with the neu-metal styled I'mmortal, which sounds like some unholy crossbreeding of Depeche Mode and Orgy. This is immediately followed by Pro-Test, in which we are subjected to Ogre attempting to rap (something that comes off embarrassingly reminiscent of Madonna's American Life). Possibly strangest of all is the track Use Less which contains a chanting chorus and analog drums (!) contributed by Tool's Danny Carey. The result is actually fairly good, but feels more like Filth Pig era Ministry than Skinny Puppy. Most of the other tracks move more into a dance territory, songs like the excellent PastPresent and EmpTe utilize house beats to a satisfying result.

Neuwerld, the highlight of the album, is the closest to classic Puppy that you'll get on The Greater Right of the Wrong. With its twisted vocals and sudden changes in melody and beat (as well as a somewhat cryptic sample that sounds a lot like "manzier" from an episode of Seinfeld) it feels more like an update to the old sound than anything else on the album. Other peaks are the glitchy Goneja and DaddyuWarbash.

Recommended for any fans of Electronic or Industrial.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:10:09 GMT

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand [Sony, 2004]

By far one of the catchiest albums I've heard in a long time, Franz Ferdinand seem to have struck gold with their fusion of post-punk riffs, disco beats, and an attitude that oozes Friday night fun. The assertion that Franz Ferdinand is "Scotland's answer to Interpol" isn't far from the truth- they obviously share some of the same roots, but where Interpol emulates Joy Division's gloom Franz Ferdinand instead flaunts a lighthearted sexuality to the tune of dance beats. While still a similar sound, the sheer danceability makes FF sound more akin to a polished A Certain Ratio than anything else, especially on Tell Her Tonight (a track that's hauntingly similar musically to A Certain Ratio's Shack Up).

Further separating them from other post-punk revivalists, Franz focus on much lighter subject material. Jacqueline finds the band stepping up to the plate with a party attitude, throwing around lines like "We only work when we need the money." A few tracks such as the homosexually themed Michael and the disco-esque The Dark of the Matinee are charming songs of infatuation. Others like Cheating On You, Take Me Out, and Tell Her Tonight all boast sexual infidelity without resorting to explicit lyrics, resulting in an almost romantic feel to the songs (Cheating On You could have been some sort of twisted Beatles song).

Overall, this album has an infectious quality that makes it hard to resist. From start to finish I found myself getting pulled in by numerous hooks and generally well written songs. Even at their cheesiest moments (ahem. Darts of Pleasure ahem.) Franz Ferdinand manage to keep a relaxed, fresh sound that makes up for the occasional lyrical transgressions.

Highly Recommended.