Sleepy Sun has been making some pretty big sounds lately. the san francisco-based psych group has been around for a while now, experimenting with different sounds and line-ups, but they made their most focused and boldest creative statement yet with their fourth album Maui Tears, released in jaunuary. this sounds like a band pushing off into something truly special.
the album's lead off track, "The Lane," caught my attention immediately, sounding like Soundgarden at their most transcendental moment mixed with Ok Computer-era Radiohead, with a heafty dose of that great old shoegazer stuff like Swervedriver. pretty fucking bold, especially when it is pulled off so successfully. the video is properly epic as well.
the entire album is pretty great... a lush variety of styles, from a roar to a whisper...spot-on performances throughout... beautifully recorded... and a masterful mix that weaves a perfectly balanced mesh of sound. but the record reaches for an even higher level with the final three tracks.
the dreamy "Slowdown" eases into things with calming waves of guitar and voice... droning synth layered far into the background. your pulse slows, your muscles relax, and your feet momentarily leave the ground.
the dreaminess is broken wide open with "Galaxy Punk," a goosebump-raising, sun drenched summertime anthem. the hooks imbed themselves immediately, sticking straight into your brain, and the guitars are so fucking HUGE that you can feel the wind in your hair.
it is obvious that Sleepy Sun is not messing around here, this is some seriously great music. but they rise up even higher with the 10 1/2 minute title track. "Maui Tears" confidently steps up to the OK Computer/Pink Floyd "Echoes" level, and convincingly pulls it off. a pretty impressive feat. top shelf stuff here, people.
Maui Tears is a monolithic statement from a band that seems to be entering it's prime. i have heard great things about their live performances and am eager to see them at this year's Austin Psych Fest. if their onstage show is as anywhere near as good as their recent studio work, they might find themselves in an entirely different level of the stratosphere soon. it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
For the past 25 years, Josh Homme has been one of the most uncompromising, individualistic artists in all of music. As a supremely badass fourteen year old in Palm Desert, California, he helped found Kyuss, the cult classic desert stoner metal band famous for their debauched "generator parties" out in the desert wastelands. Out of that band's ashes rose Queens of the Stone Age in 1997, and Homme has been pushing that group into the upper stratosphere in the pantheon of legendary rock bands ever since. Just for kicks, he started up the boogie rock group Eagles of Death Metal with childhood friend Jessie "the Devil" Hughes, trading in his heavy guitar licks for the drumkit and ass-shaking happy retard beats. He is the organizer of the Desert Sessions, spontaneous recording sessions at Rancho De La Luna, a quiet studio out near Joshua Tree National Park, with some of the best guest musicians in the world. And as if that weren't enough of a resume, he started up Them Crooked Vultures, a power trio with, of all people, Dave fucking Grohl and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul fucking Jones. Basically, Josh Homme is the undisputed Alpha Male of the modern rock scene.
That is why it was so weird to hear that all of it almost came crashing down in an instant as the Hammer of the Gods flirted with the idea of taking Homme out in his prime. During a routine leg surgery in 2011, there were unforeseen complications and Homme, the indestructible rock god, died on the table. Doctors managed to shock him back to life, but he was bedridden for four long months, lost in what he has been calling in recent interviews "The Fog," an unshakable depression that almost destroyed everything he had built up. Homme contemplated retirement in order to be closer to his wife Brody Dalle and their two young children; a career in music seemed superficial when confronted with his near death experience. But Homme's wife prodded him back into his home studio, urging him to forge ahead. He reconvened with longtime co-conspirators, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and drummer Joey Castillo, as well as bassist Michael Shuman, and guitarist/keyboardist Dean Fertita. It had already been an unusually long time since the last Queens album, the highly underrated Era Vulgaris in 2007, and there was some determination to get in the studio and crank something... anything... out. With little preparation and limited material available to forge into an album, the sessions proved to be incredibly difficult and resulted in a sad divorce from Castillo, QotSA's drummer for over a decade. Dave Grohl climbed behind the drums once again, claiming the spot he vacated after 2002's Songs for the Deaf, and helped the band across the finish line. Ex-Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore took over when Grohl bowed out, playing on one track and acting as, for now at least, QotSA's touring drummer. The band was joined by a wide variety of guest musicians who acted as a buffer between the frustrated band members, with Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri brought back into the fold, as well as appearances by Trent Reznor, the Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner, and Elton John, among others. All of these ingredients combine to form ...Like Clockwork, a dark and wandering record that never settles into a predictable pattern, and drags the hallmarked Queens of the Stone Age sound kicking and screaming into the future. ...Like Clockwork harkens back to the 1970's when big guitar rock was what the cool kids got stoned to and what got the girls' panties all wet, and Queens seem hellbent on awakening that sorely missed tradition. After ...Like Clockwork debuted at the top of the Billboard chart the week of its release, their mission seems to be well underway.
The first few spins through a new QotSA album always find me disappointed. Every. Single. Fucking. Time. (well, except for Songs for the Deaf, that one melted my face the first time through). Initially, Queens of the Stone Age's music is consistently out of my realm of expectations. i might want one thing, but they always deliver another. That can be a problem if you want the same material cranked out time and time again, but i enjoy the creative twists and turns Josh and Co. consistently take, so i am willing to give each album a bit more time to crack its code before it starts to sink in. Longtime Homme fans from his old Kyuss days will probably continue to be frustrated, mourning their fallen guitar god as his instantly identifiable sludgy fuzz guitar tone has all but disappeared completely. In fact, Homme seems most comfortable when Kyuss continues to fade into the shadows of his rearview mirror and he rebuilds himself into something fresh and new with each album. Some old fans drop off, some new fans climb on board, and others have been clinging on white knuckled to keep up the entire time. If you want to drink the Homme-spiked Kool-Aid, it's here and it tastes good. So take a drink, and, slowly but surely, over repeated spins, ...Like Clockwork's personality finally begins to emerge.
"Keep Your Eyes Peeled" is quintessential Queens of the Stone Age. the curtains open with a melted, hallucinatory groove and a snarling riff dripped over castillo's off kilter drum beat. this is definitely an unusual choice as an album opener... rather than bursting in and making a grand entrance, "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" crawls in through a darkened rear window like a prowler with bad intentions. these are some of Homme's darkest lyrics yet, and he makes a line like "The view from Hell is blue sky/so ominously blue/i daydream until all the blue is gone" even creepier by singing it in a sweet, floating falsetto. this is one of numerous moments throughout ...Like Clockwork (and even reaching back to Era Vulgaris), whether by coincidence or by design, where i swear i can taste the influence of 90's avant pop deconstructionists Shudder to Think. this is a great compliment, and i don't believe i have ever handed it out to anyone ever before.
If the Radio Gods have any sense whatsoever, "Sat By the Ocean" will be the feel good hit of the summer. Straight up mid 70's arena rock with a dash of "Don't Bring Me Down" and a huge glammed out Xanadu'ed chorus. Josh's best sing along classic rock pop song yet.
"The Vampyre of Time and Memory" was the first song Josh wrote after months of inactivity. "I hated it," he said in a recent interview. Well, I wasn't totally sold either. I hated it the first several times through, less so the next several times. now, i dig it. Funny enough, the live performance from the recent NPR concert from the Wiltern Theater in LA was definitely improved with the glossy studio veneer wiped away.
"If I Had a Tail" is a deceptively simple song, with Grohl's restrained 4/4 beat forming the song's spine and josh's voice carrying the melody. It's a fun, probably effortless Queens tune that ebbs and flows through the verses and choruses and leads to a big glammy finale before breaking off into a strange whispered voice outro.
"My God is the Sun" is another slab of vintage QotSA. Grohl drives the song with a drum performance that harkens back to the old Songs for the Deaf days, barreling through a mountain of thick guitars and bass. A classic.
the next track, "Kalopsia," is an odd, pill'd out, hallucinatory tune. opening with a fading heartbeat and a hospital respirator wheezing in the background, Josh pulls off some great straight faced lounge crooning over gently floating guitar lines and piano. when he sings "bye bye black balloons/see ya real soon," it sounds like he is falling deep into blissful oblivion, until a huge Ziggy Stardust chorus kicks its platform shoe through the window and he crawls his way through a thick coma fog towards daylight. an album highlight and, i am certain, will be devastatingly awesome live.
"Fairweather Friends," although loaded to the gills with guest stars, comes off to these ears as heavily overproduced, overworked, methodically radio friendly, and bland. cowritten by Mark Lanegan, the song could have used his deep baritone to give it some weight, but instead we are given a weak vocal performance by Josh. this is Queens reaching complacent middle age, with a nice house, a new suv in the driveway, and a couple of kids playing in the yard. personally, i've deleted the song from my itunes. sorry.
Any complacency is shaken off with the skanky "Smooth Sailing." Josh's Alpha Male swagger is on full display here and the whole band is in on the action, too, laying down a steamy swirl of sex on the dance floor lust. White fucking hot.
While there are other lyrical moments on the album that metaphorically talk about Josh's near death experience and the months of crushing depression that followed, "I Appear Missing" confronts the issue straight on. It's a beautiful and haunting piece, and is probably the most powerful tune on the album. "shock me awake/tear me apart/pinned like a note on a hospital gown/deeper i sleep/further down the rabbit hole/never to be found." there is a stunning, hair raising finale, with Josh's pained falsetto "with my toes on the edge/such a lovely view/i never loved anything till i loved you/i'm over the edge/what can i do/i'm falling through." absolutely gorgeous stuff.
on the title track, "...Like Clockwork," the Homme rock star bravado is completely gone. he has laid himself completely bare, wide open and vulnerable. on the album's other ballad, "The Vampyre of Time and Memory," i sense a bit of a typical Homme wink-wink-nudge-nudge, don't-take-this-too-seriously attitude (at least i HOPE so, especially with a line like "i'm alive/hooray/you're wrong again cuz i feel no love"), but "...Like Clockwork" is shockingly private and somber. the first half of the song is just Josh and a melancholic piano line, and slowly a quiet acoustic guitar and a mournful cello fade in. soon, the rest of the band comes in, notable for being the first recorded Queens performance by drummer Jon Theodore, and huge swells of strings, commandeered by UNKLE's James Lavelle, bring the record to a close on an elegant but sobering note.
So, once again, Josh Homme and his compatriots knock another one out of the park and continue to widen their legacy as one of, and arguably THEE, best and most interesting rock bands of our generation.
A.E. Paterra, best known as 50% of the synth and drums-driven behemoth Zombi, has been churning out releases under his solo Majeure moniker at a dizzying rate. 2012 saw the release of, by my count, five new Majeure records, culminating with the release of Solar Maximum, the bands' 2nd full length album. Paterra has complete mastery over the vast array of electronic instruments laid out before him... vintage keys, synths, knobs, switches, and drum machines that would make an analog electro tech geek cum. Majeure is currently producing the finest Kubrickian sci-fi journey-to-the-edge-of-the-universe muzak out there, and the HEAD MEDICINE Dispensary cannot hand out enough prescriptions for this. our highest recommendation
"The Dresden Codex" from their 2010 debut Timespan is quintessential Majeure. tranced-out washes over a frantic pulse, ebbing and flowing over a spellbinding 13 minutes. i've gotten so much fucking drawing done to this song it's not even funny. completely engrossing. listen to an excerpt HERE
"Atlantis Purge" is Majeure's 20+ minute contribution to the split EP Brainstorm with his Zombi compatriot Steve Moore. Elemental, haunting, and absolutely mesmerizing. a masterpiece. listen to an excerpt HERE
"Solar Fare" from the Synthesizer of the Gods EP. Paterra's finest disco dance beat. pop music crack cocaine beamed in straight from 1984 that just makes ya wanna dance, dance, dance. listen HERE
"Starchild 3113" from the Tracer EP. whoa. an epic mindmelter. chemicals are a must. listen HERE
"Caribbean King" and "Extreme Northern Lights" from Solar Maximum subtly feel up the sonic boundaries of Majeure. "Caribbean King" moves at a different pace, with a languid, lazy day groove that stands out amongst the chilly cosmic void of the rest of Majeure's catalog, and "Extreme Northern Lights" has a startling beauty about it that transcends anything Paterra has done previously. every note is perfect and when the song takes flight around the 3:45 mark, it is the soundtrack to the most beautiful memories buried in your brain.
click HERE to stream the entire album
HEAD MEDICINE'S Q&A WITH A.E. PATERRA
Head Medicine:what are your earliest musical memories? when did you know you wanted to make music and who/what were your first artistic influences?
A.E. Paterra: My earliest memories are being scared shitless by the "Thriller" video, having my mom yell at my brother and I for listening to "Another One Bites The Dust" (she thought it was about suicide or something), tuning in late one night to The Song Remains The Same and catching "Moby Dick", waking up to "Freewill" on my alarm radio, watching Bladerunner in junior high, and seeing my first Phil Collins solo concert. I'd say those were my earliest influences, and I knew I wanted to give music a shot when I hit 14 and bought a drumkit.
HM:how does a majeure composition take shape? where do you believe it comes from, how does the idea germinate and how is it developed? is it spontaneous or heavily structured? at what point do you know whether a piece is destined for majeure, zombi, or something else entirely?
A.E.P: I usually just fire up my synths and play around until I get something solid together. Sometimes I'll place random midi notes in a loop until I stumble across something interesting. I believe the ideas come from everything I've ever heard before, combined with my own taste. More often than not things are spontaneous. Zombi or Majeure? Good question. It just depends on whether or not Steve and I are working together at the time - if we are, I focus on ideas more in line with Zombi, and if we aren't then anything goes.
HM:you have to be one of the most prolific artists out there having released, what, five albums in the last 12 months? that's crazy. how many hours a day/days a week are you able to devote purely to the creation of music?
A.E.P: Well thanks - I always wish I could do more, and if I worked on music more often I would. But I go through periods of major downtime. In general I work in cycles. I hit my studio hard for a week or so, then have a period where I don't even attempt anything at all. Some days I work 8 or 10 hours, some 2, on average 4 or 5 when I get in there. It just depends on what I am working on.
HM:name 3 artists that you turn to when you are at creative low tide and need re-fueling.
A.E.P: Hmm, I have to say I simply don't listen to anything at all! Refueling for me is purging everything from my mind so I can start fresh. It's been my experience that I hear influential music exactly when I need to. It's funny how it happens - out of the blue a friend or roommate will be playing something, and it sinks right in.
HM:how important are visuals in the creation/presentation of your music, on your albums and live? do you have any aspirations to produce film scores?
A.E.P: If I have the chance to work with a video artist during a live performance, I'll always jump at the chance if the venue is right. Visuals add so much to live performance, especially with this type of music. It also takes the heat off of me being a one-man act. I would love to produce music for films. I've done a couple with Zombi, and a handful with a couple of filmmaker friends, Tony Balko and Olivia Ciummo. Just this past week I took part in a Pittsburgh event called "Sync'd". It's a collection of short films made by local filmmakers and I was given six to perform live to.
HM:what do you feel is the underlying connecting thread through the music of Majeure? how is it different than zombi?
A.E.P: Not sure, I guess it's just "me". Whereas Zombi is "us".
HM:along with Steve Moore, you run an independent cassette-only label
called VCO. could you tell us a bit about how that originated? what is
VCO's objective? is this mostly for you and steve to release your solo
material, or do you put out other artists' work? what are VCO's plans
for the future?
A.E.P: In 2003, Zombi released the Twilight Sentinel EP
on CD, and we needed a label name. VCO was born years ago, and last year
I had some material that I wanted to release. I started talking to
Steve, asking him about possible connections with other labels he may
have, etc. In the end we both arrived in the same spot - we hate
soliciting labels. Having an outlet for our music when needed really
helps us. So I put out Synthesizer Of The Gods as VCO 002, and from there we released Steve's Primitive Neural Pathways.
At that point we discussed not wanting to be simply a vanity label,
and started releasing music from other artists. This past year we've
released 8 albums, and the response has been fantastic. We have more
releases planned, and at some point may try our hand at vinyl.
HM:what are your tentative plans for 2013? more albums? tours? or a little R&R?
A.E.P: Steve and I have started working on a new Zombi album, so that will be my main focus for the next few months. I'll most likely start throwing around some new ideas when I have a chance. VCO takes up a lot of time, so there is that. Most likely just work on the Zombi album, focus on Majeure during my downtime, and make trips to the post office. No plans for touring, but I am open to do more if the right opportunity comes.
HM:what single piece of music are you most proud of?
A.E.P: For Majeure, "Geneva Spur" or "Extreme Northern Lights" off of Solar Maximum. For Zombi, everything from Surface To Air, and "Spirit Warrior" from Spirit Animal.
~thanks to A.E. Paterra for taking the time to talk with HEAD MEDICINE!
The Mark Lanegan Band
Blues Funeral
4AD records 2012
since the mid-1980's, Mark Lanegan has been one of the most powerful voices in american music. his deep baritone voice shows a set of vocal chords coated with a perfect patina that can only be reached with decades of heavy drug, alcohol, and nicotine use. the wisdom in his words verifies this lifestyle, and the fact that, thirty years later, he is still walking on this planet, creating music, and performing onstage proves that he was blessed with the rock n roll genetics needed to survive it all. he's an american classic, our generations' johnny cash, but he still resides in relative obscurity. he is best known for his work with the psychedelic classic rock seattle scene pioneers The Screaming Trees and for an impressive string of gothic americana-themed solo albums. he has been a full time member of Queens of the Stone Age, has dueted with the british chanteuse Isobel Campbell on a handful of smoky records, and has collaborated with the trip hop duo Soulsavers. He has partnered with The Afghan Whig's Greg Dulli under the banner of The Gutter Twins and has worked with... well, you get the picture. he has been a major force on the music scene for years and years, and he refuses to fit neatly into any mold of expectations.
even still, i was surprised how far his sonic palette had expanded for his most recent release, The Mark Lanegan Band's "Blues Funeral." credit is due to the hugely talented multi-instrumentalist/producer/mixer Alain Johannes (QOTSA, Chris Cornell, Eleven) who accurately performs and translates the sounds and atmosphere in Lanegan's head, and human metronome Jack Irons (pearl jam, red hot chilli peppers) is rock solid on the drums as always. "Blues Funeral" is easily one of the years' finest albums and boldly stands out amongst the massive and wide ranging catalog of Lanegan's career.
the almost industrial sounding grind of the opening track, "Gravedigger's Song," gets things moving immediately, hammering like a haunted prison chain gang. Lanegan's opening lyric, "With piranha teeth/i've been thinking of you...," sets the dark and ominous tone. (super creepy video by director Alistair Legrand)
"Bleeding Muddy Water" feels like an old slave spiritual sung under the full moonlight. over sparse instrumentation, Lanegan's haunted voice carries almost the entire weight of the song. the melody is entirely his and he's positively crooning in the chorus: "ooohhh baby, don't it feel so bad?" so fucking good.
"Grey Goes Black" veers off into different territory and is the first example throughout the album of an early 80's new wave feel, with an icy cold mopey dancefloor beat and a guitar solo that sounds like something from U2's the Edge circa 1983.
"Riot in My House"... jack irons' trademarked bedrock-deep grooves with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme bringing his hot shit licks to sexy things up. yes please. and check that tight as fuck groove at the 1:55 mark. damn that's hot stuff
the new order-style synth dance beat of "Ode to Sad Disco," in the context of Lanegan's career, comes from far out of left field and signals a dramatic shift in the albums' tone. a thread of trance-y, spaced-out electronica runs through most of side two. Lanegan sounds fucking fantastic gruffly pleading "Gloria/I get down on my knees" over a throbbing 80's dance beat. who knew?
"Phantasmagoria Blues" is an absolutely gorgeous song. once again the melody is entirely Lanegan's, beautifully sung over a plaintive sheet of sound and skittish electronic drums. the first of a series of masterpieces that dominate the last half of the album.
Lanegan is in full on new wave mode... the chorus sounds ripped straight off of an early Cars record
"Harborview Hospital," named after a rehab clinic in seattle, is the second masterpiece on the album. beautifully radiating and full of melancholic reflection.. like the clouds parting on a sad grey day and everything, for a few moments, is just perfect. the music has a shimmering liquidness to it, a subtle bass pulse is provided by ex-Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble, and Lanegan sings "the devil's ascending/upon some crystal wings/in the citadel/lightning/splits a cloud of butterflies and fiends/and with a vacant stare/i'll leave a flower there." stunning stuff and easily one of Lanegan's best works.
the serpentine "Leviathan" slithers up the listeners spine, building to a swirling web of layered voices as Lanegan duets with Masters of Reality's Chris Goss. "everyday a prayer for what i never knew, this is one i said for you."
"Deep Black Vanishing Train" is the lone call back to the raspy, dusty folk of Lanegan's past solo work. plaintive and haunting.
"Tiny Grain of Truth," the triumphant, glowing finale, is the albums' third masterpiece... a mesmerizing drone of guitar noise washed over a steady synth drum beat, with Lanegan, the grizzled veteran, declaring "what's done is done is done now." it's a staggeringly beautiful track.
and with the end of that song, the final shovel load has been thrown on Lanegan's "Blues Funeral," and he rides off into the sunset full of unlimited possibilities and potential and ignores anything that has ever appeared in his rearview mirror... as always.
10 of 10 and a "top five album of 2012" finalist.
~reviewed by Kojak
here's a non-album track from the Blues Funeral sessions, "Burning Jacobs' Ladder."
and a fantastic set from the 4AD Sessions at Pull Studios, NYC
it is easy to overlook the fact that, amid the decade-long unbroken streak of classic albums released by the akron ohio duo The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach (the Key's singer/guitarist) released a solo album in 2009, "Keep it Hid," that just might very well be his finest work to date.
Two years prior to that on "Attack and Release," the black keys began broadening their stripped down-to-the-bone blues rawk sound by incorporating additional instrumentation (bass (!), keyboards, and percussion among others), but it was on "keep it hid," that auerbach fully emerged as a finely tuned songwriter capable of a wider range of emotions, textures, and sounds, proving himself more than just a scruffy dude with an awesome beard banging out supremely badass blues riffs. there is more depth here, the songwriting and instrumentation are more developed, and there is more air for the music to move through. auerbach performed the majority of the musical parts himself on a wide variety of instruments, with most of the drumming being handled by bob cesare, whose beats are as strong as anything by black keys drummer Patrick Carney. "Keep
it Hid" starts off with the creaky front porch folk of "Trouble
Weighs a Ton," featuring harmony vocals with Dan and his uncle, guitarist
John Quine. the table is immediately set
for a different musical experience from the cranked up Black Keys sounds we
have grown accustomed to. the song is
stripped to its' emotional core; hushed
acoustic guitar, weary lyrics and two guys singing without any ornamentation at
all.
the
second track, "I Want Some More," stomps in with a sludgy swamp rock
groove built on thick-as-mollasses fuzz bass, a mellotron vamping in the
background, and Bob Cesare's mallets pounding on the floor toms. Cesare separates himself immediately from any
comparisons to Black Keys' drummer patrick carney by consistently forming the
center of the groove and allowing everything to swirl around him rather than
frantically trying to lead the charge.
this aspect to Cesare's drumming is a defining trait to "Keep it
Hid."
the
swampiness continues through "Heartbroken, in Disrepair," an Auerbach
classic. the "How Soon is Now"-ish
phased guitar riff is fucking unforgettable.
Auerbach's songwriting is completely tuned in here, and it would take
the Black Keys a few more years to catch up to this song. again, Cesare is at the eye of the storm,
forming the songs' core with a subtle drum march. he continuously gives the album a tasteful,
classic Creedence Clearwater Revival sound.
"Because
I Should" is an unusual musical interlude.
an almost industrial sounding piece of musique concrete, it seems to be
a collage of found sounds with backward masked wind chimes. the tracks' purpose and intent is a
mystery. it may be to provide a bit of a
wind down from "heartbroken" into the quieter tracks that
follow, to reset the listener's
perspective for a stylistic shift, or possibly to act as a chapter break for
the album. occasionally, throughout the
record, the quiet rustle of the wind and the gentle vibrations of the chimes
come in again, so these sounds provide a mysterious thread from the beginning
of the album to its end.
"Whispered
Words" ushers in a quieter section of the album, and branches out into a
classic R&B sound while "Real Desire" is a piece of
cheek-to-cheek slow-dancing soul. Organ
and bass are the lead instruments on "Real Desire," with guitar woven
almost into the background, and the drum machine intro leads to Auerbach's own
live drumming. this song is Auerbach's
one-man-band moment.
the
ethereal "When the Night Comes" might be Auerbach's finest creation
to date. Co-written by Auerbach's
father, Charles, the song has a hazy, luminescent glow... beautiful and
touching lyrics sung over soothing acoustic guitar, an almost invisible bass
drum resonating in the ether, and ghostly harmony vocals by Jessica Lea
Mayfield on the chorus. it's undoubtably
Auerbach's most personal and sincere work.
Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Mark Neill at the start of these
experimental sessions, "When the Night Comes" was a large leap
forward for Auerbach and signaled a massive creative shift for him as an
artist, setting the tone for the wide-open approach to the recordings that
would follow. the wind chimes fade in at
the end and lead the listener into the
album's next chapter.
"Mean
Monsoon" is a steamy, sexy tango and cranks the albums' heat up once again
with dueling hot shit guitar licks by Auerbach and Quine, the upright bass of
Rob "Thorney" Thorsen, and Cesare's thumping drums. the mood continues into "The
Prowl," with a horny fuzz bass line and a cool drum shuffle from Cesare
and bleeds over into the sinister title track, "Keep it Hid." once again, Auerbach and Cesare are locked
into a no frills, classic CCR swamp rock sound and it sounds absolutely
magical.
the
menacing clouds break open for the sunny 60's garage rock of "my last
mistake" until the ominous, creepy paranoia of "When i Left the
Room" snakes backs in. the track is
covered with a heavy atmosphere of serpentine guitars, banjo pickin', backwards guitar soloing, and what sounds
like a goddamn sitar strummed over a
layer of Cesare's now patented floor tom drum rolls. the recording is a dense
web of sound, masterfully produced, performed, and assembled in the final mix.
it is an album highlight for sure.
"Street Walkin'" is the last slab of hefty guitar meat on the
album, and the framework for all of the great Black Keys tunes that would later
show up on "Brothers" and it's follow-up, "El Camino" is
formed. the wind chimes at the songs'
end signals one last chapter break.
Auerbach
and Cesare close the album out with the twin guitar strums of "Goin'
Home," echoing the records' stripped down opening notes of "Trouble
Weighs a Ton," and brings the entire piece around full circle. Auerbach's lyrics seem wiser and less weary
now, the guitars brighter and more optimistic.
the chimes once again fade out and brings the album to a close.
"keep it hid" almost destroyed the black keys. at the time, patrick carney was distracted by a brutal divorce and felt betrayed by auerbach's solo venture, which he knew nothing about until the album was being released. but when the dust settled and carney and auerbach kissed and made up, the black keys were reenergized and opened new creative doors, expanding their sound dramatically with their massively successful albums "Brothers" and "El Camino," doors that were first pried open by auerbach on "keep it hid." a bit less self conscious than any black keys album, "keep it hid" is more wide open and uninhibited, and might turn out to be auerbach's defining artistic statement when it's all said and done. a classic from one of rock music's modern greats.
Goat, a collective of musicians from the darkest corner of the Swedish netherworld, might very well be the most mysterious and electrifying band on the planet at the moment. until earlier this year, noone outside of their remote village had ever heard of them. they have never played a live show outside of their commune. their hometown of Korpolombolo was, according to legend, a hotbed of voodoo worship for centuries after a traveling priestess and her followers were led there by a cipher hidden in their ancient texts. the practice went on for hundreds of years until the Christian church found out what was going on and the village was burned to the ground, the survivors cursing the land as they fled, a curse which still haunts the area to this day. the band members claim that, when they were very young, the village elders initiated them into the entrancing, percussion-heavy musical traditions of their ancestors and that Goat is merely a continuation of a generations old ritual. maybe their backstory is a work of fiction, or maybe it's true. all i know is that if in fact there is a centuries-old voodoo curse coursing through the veins of the music of Goat, i wouldn't be the least bit surprised. there is something almost otherworldly about the music on their debut album "World Music," that much is certain.
the album sounds like a dusty relic from the past, and is shocking in it's scope and execution. there is always a heady mixture of exotic musical styles swirling in the air: tripped out 60's psych rock, turkish stoner funk, blaxploitation soundtracks, thick afro-cuban rhythms, scuzzy detroit prepunk, droning krautrock, indian raja, prog rock, old school west african blues, ethiopian grooves, acid folk, and straight up classic rock guitar riffs--oftentimes blended together into one ferocious mixture over the course of a single composition.
these can't really be called "songs" in the traditional verse/chorus/verse sense, these are long and winding musical pilgrimages, trance inducing spells, and peyote-fed meditations. there are no musical boundaries here.
the album opener, "Diarabi," is a reworking of a song by west african bluesman Boubacar Traore. the original is an unadorned, mournful acoustic composition, but Goat turns it into a towering pillar of distorted guitars, bass, and flute, building higher and higher until it crashes in a crescendo of frantic drumming. the theme of the album is established... everything is on overdrive from here on out.
(here's the original Boubacar Traore version of "Diarabi." there is a very interesting Traore documentary titled "i'll sing for you" on Netflix Instant Watch that is well worth your time.)
next up is "goatman," one of the most badass tunes i've heard. ever. this is some serious ritualistic voodoo funk, built on a foundation of supercharged african drumming, menacing fuzz bass, unintelligible shouts/chants, and searing wah guitar solos. it's a blistering song and when it was originally released earlier this year as an impossible-to-find 7" single, the first time the outside world got a glimpse into the beast that is Goat, word spread very quickly around the globe that something special was being cooked up in the scandanavian wasteland. a classic.
"goathead" continues where "goatman" left off and brings it a step further into the flames, culminating in a wah guitar freakout before breaking off and breathing a sigh of relief as it comes down with a hushed acoustic coda and fades into gentle white noise. (this video clip edits out the quiet finale, check the whole song out HERE)
special props need to be given to the editors of these videos. a compilation of some very interesting clips from around the world.
once you think you've got these guys figured out, Goat pulls out the hard-as-nails funk of "disco fever," and everything changes. a thick, ass shaking bass line wraps itself up in latin percussion and a cool repetitive guitar lick before it twists a bit, becoming more disorientating with splatters of psychedelic 60's organ.
"golden dawn" roughs things up again with it's heavy prog rock and a savage distorted guitar solo that burns everything in sight to ashes
Goat comes up out of the steaming jungle for a bit with the straight up street heavy funk of "let it bleed" and it's impossible-to-resist body shakin' groove would feel right at home in the Rolling Stones mid-70's catalog. great guitar licks, a skronky sax solo and congas add all the right flavors. another bona fide classic.
"run to your mama" rolls in like a threatening storm with a sinister bass line and leaden slabs of heavy guitar riffs while rippling indian percussion rolls underneath. as the music settles into a disquieting drone, there is a strange solo that seems to be plunked on a child's piano or xylophone. ominous stuff, and when the singer belts out "lightning in the sky/boy, you better run to your mama now" it sounds like good advice.
the album closes with three tracks that merge seamlessly into one. the restrained acid folk of "goatlord" begins the piece and bleeds into the funereal organ hymn of "det som aldrig forandras" which builds steadily into a mesmerizing cosmic drone, spiraling up towards enlightenment as it finally circulates back to "Diarabi," the opening track, bringing it all around full circle. it's a breathtaking piece of music.
"World Music" is one of those rare albums that grabs you by the shirt collar from the first note, lifts you up off of your feet and backs you up against the wall and there's not a fucking goddamn thing you can do about it... and considering it's Goat's debut recording, it is an all the more impressive feat. this is an absolutely electrifying record, fresh and compelling with unrivaled intensity, and is hurled through your stereo speakers like a much needed revolution-sparking molotov cocktail. for the musically adventurous: buy it. now. 10 of 10
~kojak
more on Goat HERE. info on Rocket Records HERE. buy WORLD MUSIC HERE
~this review was originally posted on myspace back in, oh, maybe 2008.
SHUDDER TO THINK
PONY EXPRESS RECORD
1994 EPIC RECORDS
if
you are among the lucky few who are familiar with the 1994 masterpiece
"pony express record" by Shudder to Think, you almost surely have a
strong opinion about it. You either find their unique style of art-fag
pop music abstraction completely unlistenable or you hold them among the
greatest musical acts of the decade. From the very first notes you
hear, whether it's one of their patented never-before-heard guitar
chords, an impossibly strange time signature, or singer Craig Wedren's
truly bizarre supergayass high falsetto and nonsensical Dali-esque
lyrics, it's hard not to have an immediate opinion. This is some of the
weirdest music you will ever hear, more so than avant-garde noise
experiments because, after all, it's one thing to make weird music, but
it's another thing entirely to make it all catchy as hell. That takes
an unusual talent. and the fact that this came out on a major label is a
huge accomplishment.
HIT LIQUOR – what a weird fucking
song. Bassist Stuart Hill lays down a serpentine bass line as Nathan
larson shoots out jagged slivers of guitar noise. This is a seriously
focused beam of creative stream of consciousness. Very disorientating.
By the end of this drink you are suspecting that Shudder to Think has
slipped you something. Up is down and right is wrong, your head is
spinning. It feels good. warning: homosexual/cannibalistic overtones in this vid. did not earn many brand new fans, i'm afraid.
GANG OF $ - the drunken stumble down
the street…unusual guitar riffs that are oddly catchy and melodic tho
they are completely foreign sounding. STT takes the verse-chorus-verse
guitar pop tune to the extreme, shattering it and reassembling it into
an unrecognizable collage. by the way, adam wade is one of the best
drummers around. how he keeps time on this record is a superhuman feat.
9 FINGERS ON YOU – It's official, Shudder has coerced you back to their
place. You kinda wanna leave, but it's pretty swanky. And, shit, are
they musical freaks… The sex toys are pulled out and you get a vague
idea about what is to come.
SWEET YEAR OLD – the wine glasses
are pulled out, and a fine bottle of red is served. Candles are lit.
your head is REALLY swimming by this point.
EARTHQUAKES COME
HOME – it's with this song that you realize that shudder is never going
to take the easy way with their pop music. They had a perfectly good
radio-friendly song going here, great soaring chorus, and they
disassembled the whole goddamn thing and put it back together into
their unique style.
KISSI PENNY – same thing goes for this tune. Just staggeringly beautifully arranged. What a cool, weird song.
X-FRENCH
T-SHIRT – if you had a good radio station around in '94, you might
have heard this one. Funny enough, while the rest of the record is all
about schizophrenic time changes, this tune goes completely into the
opposite direction and boils an eternal pop song down to 2 chords (it's
basically one chord the majority of the time) with an endless chorus
that builds and builds and spins off into the universe, A truly
beautiful fucking tune. That chorus, cryptically written in the liner
notes as
"holdbacktheroadthatgoessothattheothermaydothatyouletmeinjusttopourmedowntheirmouths"
wedges itself into the sticky parts of your brain and never leaves. The
bold repetition of a single chord is effectively hypnotic, with those
strange vocals floating above, and a disarmingly complex drum beat
holding it all together. Perfect layering of guitars with a great,
almost invisible solo over the ending, and very thoughtfully placed
backing vocals. Perfection.
NO RM. 9 KENTUCKY – first things
first, what a song title! Doesn't even pretend to make sense. Starts
off with a heartbreaking guitar and vocal performance, without question a
craig wedren highpoint that awkwardly ends and is replaced with hushed
brushes on the drums. The sexy mood is set. But, of course, even their
romantic slow dance numbers have to disintegrate into chaos. It
eventually calms down and ends quietly. Whew… (this is a slightly different demo version)
CHAKKA - just
when you finally get settled, the band blasts in with their most focused
performance of the album. They aren't interested in throwing you off
of the trail with odd and ridiculous lyrics, or to impress you with
their savvy time changes, they are out to smash your face with their
guitars and they succeed. The lyrics are a total mystery.
OWN ME – you start to kinda black out around this point… things get stranger
and more abstract again, and than all of a sudden, there's a huge arena
rock chorus thrown at you. Didn't see that one coming… and of course
it runs off the tracks smashes itself to a slow halt. Pop music
deconstructionists, for sure.
SO INTO YOU – the classic
slo-burning 70's tune by the Atlanta Rhythm Section is captured, tied
up, mutilated, and turned inside out. This version will blow yer mind
if you let it. One of the most visionary cover tunes of all time.
TRACKSTAR
– hard to describe. A musical Salvador dali painting. A minimalistic
first half, with the ending crashing in unexpectedly like a 747,
bludgeoning you into submission as wedren's croon soars over it all,
"oooh/to the future/I never imagined a worse fate." Nice.
FULL BODY ANCHOR – a plaintive ending with wedren's always-odd harmonies and acousic guitar.
Overall,
folks, I gotta say… this album totally fucking rules. one of the most
original records you will ever hear. Throw away your preconceptions,
approach it with a fresh ear, ready for something different, and Shudder
to Think's "pony express record" will give you something beautiful and
weird and sexy and ridiculous, and, most importantly, GOOD, that will
take you years to chew through.
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