Tag Archives: pop

Gold – No Image

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GOLD_Cover

Rotterdam quintet Gold’s pounding yet warmly-produced, Post-heavy bent is faithful to that freedom of expression and unconstrained creativity so expected from Dutch artists. Milena Eva’s androgynous tones assist the Indie feel driving sophomore album, No Image (Ván / Profound Lore): opener ‘Servant’ having a laid-back, Pop vibe coursing through the cocooning weight of the instrumentation. The psychedelic bleeps, whistles and squalling lead spiralling through the ensuing ‘Old Habits’, meanwhile, coupled with the determinedly-intoned yet almost angelic vocal, nearly disguise a fuzzing brute of staccato rhythm.

Extreme Metalheads could find the album falling between two stools: a harsh Rock sound, tempered by the voice and attitude of their guilty ‘chillout’ secrets. Those who stick with this will, however, find unexpected thrills in each track which have you hooked before you realise. There’s no shortage of atmosphere here: shimmering pedal effects complement Eva’s moving delivery in ‘The Controller’, and preface a Blondie-style Punk explosion; whilst the early synth and sample work of ‘D.I.R.’ is the prologue to a thudding New Wave structure. It’s here where the production really emphasises the power and weight underpinning Eva’s soft lilt, reminiscent of a happy Brian Molko.

Bitterness and despair travel freely within these walls despite both emotions being delivered in an energetic and, in the case of ‘The Waves’, febrile manner, with lead and backing vocals seeming to sound simultaneously pained and carefree. The heavy, Joy Division-infused shoegaze of ‘Shapeless’ is driven by a seedy, sexy rhythm section, while the early swerve and bludgeon of ‘Tar And Feather’ threatens a Black / Grind influence, before delicacy briefly tempers an anger conducted by Igor Wouters’ phenomenal stickwork. Only the nevertheless brooding and occasionally sensual closers ‘Don’t’ and ‘Taste Me’ mar things somewhat, having a Saint Etienne-like lethargic drift which allows the interest to wander.

It takes no little courage and confidence to put together such opposing shades of light and dark, and to do so with such youthful vitality is joyfully uplifting. No Image is a “something different” that unifies many styles and, in doing so, proves capable of engaging devotees from across the heavy spectrum.   

 

7.0/10.0

 

PAUL QUINN


Audio: Rock Supergroup Nekokat Debut Single- Gimmie A Break

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Nekokat, Photo courtesy of Razor & Tie

Nekokat, Photo courtesy of Razor & Tie

 

Nekokat, a new band formed by members of The Ready Set and The Summer Set have released their debut single ‘Gimmie A Break’. Coming off of their forthcoming EP Communication (Washington Square/Razor & Tie), which drops on June 23rd. You can hear ‘Gimmie a Break’ at this link, or below:

 

https://soundcloud.com/wearenekokat/gimme-a-break/s-AKMXJ

 

Comprised of Jordan W from The Ready Set, musical conspirator Cameron Walker, and drummer Jess Bowen of The Summer Set, Nekokat recorded their EP with producer Eric Palmqist (Bad Suns, Night Riots) over five days earlier this spring.

Jordan W commented on his perspective of making music with a new band, after a long touring cycle ended with The Ready Set:

“I wanted to be at the beginning of something again that feel fresh and new.. That’s where the idea for the band came from. I tried to make an effort not to pursue sounds of the moment, but to create something that’s distinctly ours in a natural way.”

 

Nekokt album cover

 

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Faith No More – Sol Invictus

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faith no more sol invictus album cover low res

People love a great comeback story. Anything that shows a triumph against some kind of adversity, especially if you created it yourself, they will lap that up all day long. Some musical acts leave at the top of their game, while others split just in time before fizzing out creatively. When it came to Faith No More’s acrimonious split in the late 90s, it felt like it might have been coming for a while. The band certainly did not burn out their creative spark, nor did they wear out their welcome with fans. They were so prolific, so versatile, and so smart, you knew there would never be another act quite like them. When they came back in 2009 as a live act, they opened their shows with ‘Reunited’, the soft R&B song from 70’s duo Peaches and Herb, as a nod to the fans. After testing the waters with each other, the band decided they could stick together and make new music. Well the long wait is over and Sol Invictus (Reclamation Recordings/Ipecac) is here to put to rest any doubts you may have had about their comeback.

Opening with the title track, the band picks up basically where they left off with 1997’s Album of The Year (Slash). The track sounds right at home with their past, yet has some interesting elements on its own. Gradually easing in like a foot in a fuzzy slipper, it’s an “ah yes…” moment you get to have with yourself as the track envelopes you. Recurring lyrical themes on the album about regeneration, reinvention and that other “re” word we spoke of already begin popping up here too. ‘Superhero’ reminds one that despite being remembered for big commercial hits, at their most accessible they were never a true singles band that was pappy and easily digestible. ‘Sunny Side Up’ is an angsty ballad with great lyrical grist. Most of the tracks have a sonic kinship of the beloved King For A Day…Fool For A Lifetime (Slash) album too: hidden meanings, lyrical twists, massive piano and bass driven songs as a foil for Mike Patton’s emotive soulfulness and rubbery larynx.

Faith No More, by Dustin Rabin

Faith No More, by Dustin Rabin

‘Separation Anxiety’ is the heaviest track on Sol Invictus and certainly if you are the type of person that pines for the first three FNM albums, this is the song that will resonate with you the most. ‘Cone of Shame’ is wildly dynamic and strange, but also driving and melodious. Patton shows off the most of his insane vocal ability here too. The perfect blend of all of the rollicking elements of the band you want in one track.

Although Billy Gould, who produced the album (except for Patton’s vocals) is always seen as a driving force of the band and definitive mouthpiece, Roddy Bottum’s keyboards dominate this album. All of his weird 80s synth-pop craziness, mixed with his deft jazzbo piano stylings are ever-present in songs such as the torchy ‘Rise of the Fall’, the sinister yet beautiful ‘Matador’, and elsewhere.

‘Black Friday’ is a vampy Cramps-style number, complete with slapback guitars and whipping beats. This is also the track where guitar stands out the most, lending to the idea that without being the heavy guitar driven band of their youth, there is room for all of the parts of the monster to flourish properly. ‘Motherfucker’ is a conundrum of a song. You intrinsically laugh at the notion of a clever pop song as a massive ‘fuck you’ to those in power. Mike Patton as a new-age politicized Beat Poet? Why not! However, the song is undeniably subversive and smart, as is all the best material this band has put out. The build up to the chorus is glorious, Patton’s notes held like the vibrato of a well-bowed cello, hitting you where you live.

‘Back From the Dead’ may sound like a 60s slice of pop, right down to its jangly guitar and churchy “ahs” and “oohs” backing vocals. However the sentiment of “Welcome home my friend…’ in the lyrics could totally be a very meta, and self-referencing. After all; resurrection may be for those who got it wrong the first time, but the same cannot be said of Faith No More whose return is a welcome and worthy one. Let’s hope it lasts as long as it can.

9.0/10

KEITH CHACHKES


The Melvins – Hold It In

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the melvins hold it in cover

 

The Melvins new album starts off with a rather ominous question: “What was that shit you sold me?”, from the song the ‘Bride of Crankenstein’. Indeed, it is the question every fan of the long running act can ask freely. Those who love their music heavy, heady, obtuse and downright confounding for over over 30 years can attest that every new album from this band brings different flavors to table. They have never made the same album, or song twice. Buzz Osborne and his first officer on the Federation Starship Melvins NCC 1701-X, Dale Crover have influenced many more bands than admit it. They have evolved from the creative outliers of a budding scene (Seattle, in the 80s), into the elder statesmen of sorts for bands of their ilk. No wonder Hold It In comes from Ipecac Records, a label full of like-minded, talented crazies. Joining Buzz and Dale for this outing are Paul Leary and JD Pinkus from Butthole Surfers. The pairs of musicians are a match in every conceivable way chemistry-wise, creating some unsettling and special tunes.

As you would imagine when these guys get together to create, things get weird, and in a good way. Odd riffs, whimsical songcraft and brave arrangements dot the tracks. From the dismal heaviness and driving riffage of ‘Bride…’, to the bright garage pop of ‘You Can Make Me Wait’, the trippy-proggy ‘Barcelonian Horseshoe Pit’, to the twangy stomp of ‘I Get Along (Hollow Moon)’; the inventiveness of each band is heard. It is definitely a sound and a feel of a Melvins album, with contributions from Paul and JD. You can discern a “Paul riff” here and “a Buzz lick” there and imagine the energy in the room when these four came together. Some of the touchstones here are sick amounts of feed-backing amp fuzz, phantom interludes, a few amazeballs solos traded, Floyd-ian space-rock tone-poems, and a rhythm section like a terrifying monstrous beast at times. All the propensity for weird-assed lyrics, and bizarro vocal deliveries (including ungodly shrieks from JD) all come to the fore as well. A little bit of something for everyone.

When it aims to be heavy, this is one of the heavier albums the band has put out of late, which says a lot considering the Big Business collaborations. ‘Onions Make The Milk Taste Bad’ and ‘Sesame Street Meat’ (two of the better titles this year) are gnarly as hell; true rockers. Another great cut, ‘Piss Pistoferson’ reeks of glam rock greatness, way down to the production value. They are getting their classic Kiss jones out, and frankly a Kiss song hasn’t been this good since 1991 anyway. The angular album closer ‘House of Gasoline’ sounds like it was more fun than should be legally allowed to have when it was birthed. A jam among jams.

The only shame is Leary’s distaste for the road means this lineup will only tour as a trio with Buzz, Dale and JD. Still, in reference to the opening line of the album, whatever shit they were sold, I want to buy some right now and I suspect you will too.

 

9.0/10

The Melvins on Facebook

KEITH CHACHKES


Supergroup Cross My Heart Hope To Die Video Leaks

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Video footage of Cross My Heart Hope To Die has surfaced from their July 26, 2014 Vita E Morte performance at Subliminal Projects Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. The outfit features DJ Muggs, Andrew Kline (also of Strife), Brevi and Sean Bonner. Watch the clip below.

 

 

 

 

Cross My Heart Hope To Die

 


Akris- Akris

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21382_10151563846017914_2145203290_nWell this is a real mixed bag of delights. Bet you never thought you’d see The Bangles mentioned in here eh? At its base this debut long-player from Virginian duo Akris is largely stoner-sludge, all leaden grooves and fuzzed notes, but there’s so much more in the mix here. Prince’s fave girl band is just one of the many outfits springing to mind upon listening to Akris (Domestic Genocide): the winsome pop-rock quartet linking with the dropped out occult stoner of Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, especially on the doom-laden ‘Riverbed’ and the second half of the mammoth ‘Part of Me’, with the psychedelic sludge of Kylesa and grooved-out grunge of Nevermind-era Nirvana appearing frequently also. You befuddled yet?!

 

Oddly enough, given the guitar-driven hooks of the bands mentioned above, there are no six-string flurries here; just the rumbling, fuzzed thunder of, apparently, the world’s most sonorous bass. Its mistress, Helena Goldberg, is also the reason for the Susanna Hoffs comparisons: her breezy, melodic tones blending right from the off with sleazy, almost progressive structures in the overtly-sexual ‘Fighter Pilot’. The heavy psychedelia of Hawkwind marries the atonal scream and almost spoken delivery of Laura Pleasants on ‘Row of Lights’; indeed, the Kylesa link is apparent in a glut of tracks, with Goldberg marrying the Pleasants harshness with a soulful sneer reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s softer moments in ‘Unidentified’. Meanwhile the laconic drone of Vomit Within’s first section evokes comparisons with Undersmile, albeit with more mellifluous tendencies.

 

That the duo is just one big rhythm section with melodies is borne out by the relentless, pounding groove of closer Suffocate, alongside a throat-ripping scream that defies belief and the crushing bass work which is the underpin of the whole album. It is Goldberg’s delicious yet stark harmonies, however, which enliven the whole affair and give it an air of uniqueness; converting a merely intriguing album into one of real integrity and unidentifiable magnetism. Urgent, throbbing, and sexy as fuck, despite what is in many respects a quite basic sound, I will most definitely be returning to this on a regular basis.

 

8.o/10

Akris on Facebook

 

Paul Quinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Ghost B.C. – If You Have Ghost (EP)

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CDI have been asked more about the Ghost B.C. the last few years , and what I think of them as a legitimate band than any other question about music. Insanely catchy, totally blasphemous, and seemingly playing a joke on all of the humorless hipsters and elitists who hate them more than a tech death fan hates emo kids moshing at a show. While part of me says all of Ghosts entire being is gimmicky, and the band would be just solid if it were a bunch of dudes, there is no denying the quality of the players, or the songs. When the dust settles years from now, I believe they will be remembered for the impact they made on this era of music, and not the aura and schtick that makes people discount them.

 

This EP is really not that much different than their other recorded covers, or really any of their recorded output. Except that this EP was produced by Dave Grohl, and these are some of the best and most fun covers the band has done to date. The title track is the Roky Erickson song ‘If You Have Ghosts’ which is pretty evil sounding compared with the original. They give it their own bombastic treatment, as you’d expect them to, and it works well. Despite the hilarity of the idea of this band covering ABBA, I can’t really get past the fact that I hate ABBA deeply, as every self-respecting metal fan ought to. Still, ‘I’m A Marionette’ works as a cover, and I suspect this will be the big hit that carries this album. Army of Lovers‘ ‘Crucified’ has no irony at all actually, and is also one of the top songs herein. The best cover, and perhaps the best cover the band has done is Depeche Mode’s ‘Waiting For The Night’. This rendering is down right bliss inducing, whether you count yourself a DM fan, or not. The live version of ‘Secular Haze’ from Infestissumam is solid. Sonically the cross between the carny vibe and church music is great, and just cements the intelligence of the band to me. Once again, nothing new from this band, but still enjoyable.

 

 

8.5/10

 

Ghost B.C. on Facebook

 

Keith (Keefy) Chachkes