Tag Archives: Translation Loss

City Of Ships Streaming “The Light You Stole”

Posted on by

city of ships

Post hardcore outfit City Of Ships is streaming “The Light You Stole,” off Ultraluminal, out March 20, 2015 via Translation Loss, here.

Since forming in 2006, City Of Ships has consistently impressed audiences with their distinctive brand of heavy, down-tuned melodic rock. Their third full-length, Ultraluminal, finds the band building sonic skyscrapers on the foundations laid by their previous two LPs. With its ten expertly-crafted new songs co-produced by veteran recordist Andrew Schneider (Big Business, Cave-In, Pelican) and mastered by Carl Saff (Guided By Voices, Young Widows), the album is an unequivocal game-changing declaration from one of America’s most compelling underground bands.

Ultraluminal marks its territory with expansive guitar work, growling bass lines, and thunderous drumming. Vocalist Eric Jernigan harnesses his trademark shifts from soaring, gravel-throated anthems into tranquilizing melodic bliss, just as the songs themselves effortlessly cascade in coruscating crashes. Tracks like “Alarm” and “Medata Blues” demonstrate immaculate poise and imaginative lyrical prowess as City Of Ships keeps a white-knuckled grip on their surging dynamics.

Ultraluminal Track Listing:
01. The Light You Stole
02. Alarm
03. Metadata Blues
04. Preeminence
05. Private Party
06. Illawarra Escarpment
07. Lost It
08. Hardwired
09. The Old Man
10. Mile High

City Of Ships on Twitter
City Of Ships on Bandcamp


Giant Squid – Monster In The Creek

Posted on by

249094_10151494197709010_689857167_nSo often it’s said that live music shows different and more complete pictures of bands, and the bonus live recordings from this reissue of Giant Squid‘s first ever EP, Monster In The Creek (Translation Loss Records) affirms that point with gusto. This Texan / San Francisco quartet is now shorn of Aurielle Zeitler, the female vocalist of the original issue of Monster in the Creek (Translation Loss Recordings), but still purveys the blend of progressive madness and melancholy beauty on show here: organ parts, jazz-like flurries, and winsome vocals from Zeitler combatting the angry vitriol of male vocalist Aaron John Gregory.

It’s minutes into the opening title track before the first shot in anger reassures the listener that this isn’t a Carpenters album: roaring guitars accompany Gregory’s sneering delivery, not dissimilar to John Lydon circa PiL, this having succeeded an earlier indie wistfulness. Zeitler’s delivery is a little reminiscent of early Beautiful South chanteuse Briana Corrigan on the balladry of  Dead Man’s Fog, whilst there’s a modern torch-style to the opening of Age of Accountability: a smoky breeze evoking solitary corners of a Parisian brasserie, and some stylish vocal interplay with gorgeous melodies. Again however, the final third sees crunching riffs, chaotic organ breaks and Gregory’s snarl return. He adopts a death scream in the bizarre circus-punk of Throwing A Donner Party, the riffs of keyboards and guitars lifting and soaring in unison, the track’s light-hearted title betraying the first serious outbreak of fire and its dark subject matter of shark attacks. The prog-folk lilt of Dare We Ask the Widow brings us back to the core sound, with some heartbreaking Zeitler intonations leading toward a crashing crescendo in the most alluring, bewitching track of the set. Closer Lester Stillwell is a high-pitched, plinking organ accompanying those subtle riffs before the latter half of the album sees those instrumental demos and more violent live performances show the band in a new, enlivening light.

Whilst this is one of the most diverse, warming yet beguiling albums I think I’ve ever heard, its disjointed but fitting blend of beauty and strength totally absorbs me and is definitely worth repeated investigations.

 

 

8/10
Giant Squid on Facebook

 

Paul Quinn