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Words Archive
Doc Martens jumps the shark, stabs it in both eyes, then jumps it again
Working at Saatchi & Saatchi in London must truly suck. Imagine you are in one of those "idea" meetings trying hard as hell to pitch Doc Martens, which practically sell themselves among the music industry and disaffected youth culture all over the world. But the problem you're having is that your ideas are lame, you got the job at Saatchi because your Dad knows a guy from college who now runs the department. He owes your Dad a huge favor after that time he scored blow just before finals were due his senior year.
So you get this cool job and your first assignment deals with Docs, which you never even owned at any point in your life. You were always more of a K-Swiss kind of guy anyway. You're about to get called on at the meeting, its GO TIME:
"Hey guys, I got it! Let's take some images of a few dead rock stars and throw some Docs on them. How extreme is that bro? Then they'll be like sitting on top of clouds looking tough and durable, just like a Doc Marten boot. Is that kick-ass or what?"
High-five.
Wed May 23 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com
Dungen: Tio Bitar
Dungen
Tio Bitar
2007 | Kemado
Dungen’s masterpiece, Ta Det Lungt,
was a widescreen breath of colorful psych-rock and stands as one of
finest and most cohesive albums of the 2000s. As Gustav Ejstes yearns
in his native language, which is one that I don’t have any clue about,
he releases a well-crafted flow of dynamic percussion, fiddle, guitar,
keys and that magical flute (precisely woven on this album’s breezy
“Familj”) that is familiar and reassuring to anyone who feels uplifted
by music. He's still the main composer/magician along with guitarist
Reine Fiske, whose soloing is sharper than ever with hooks that fall into the song and add a different hue, instead of attempting to bring a fuzzed-out ego to the mix. Tio Bitar is certainly more mellow and gentle as a whole, but still succeeds at sparking the imagination like it’s predecessor.
Dungen stick to the layered psychedelic, folk-rock covered on Ta Det Lungt,
only the songs don’t immediately grab you so quickly this time. The
best tracks here are the fiery "Gör Det Nu,” "Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det
Ordnar Sig” and "Svart Är Himlen.” The drowsy daytime feel of “Familj”
is the landmark track for me on this record. It’s not a radio single or
some razor-sharp statement of intent. It effortlessly builds and soars
with a lighter pallette of flutes and organs that left me with my jaw
dropped in amazement. How can something so restful and "light" feel so
heavy?
I'm not exactly sure what I expected from Dungen on Tio Bitar, it would seem almost impossible to recreate their last opus. But their music is still powerful even in these softer moments.
-Scott McDonald
Tue May 22 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Interview: Division Day - Part 1
LR: How are things going?
Rohner:
Really good. Trying to keep a cool head...ya know...Not falling into
patterns of drugs, late nights and women. All the stuff that comes with
the big time.
LR: Hah! A regular day in the life for Division Day?
Rohner:
But really, we’re good. The album release is coming up and we’re all
excited. We just got the full artwork and copies of the record a few
days ago. Its nice to see it finally happening. Everyone’s just ready
to get rolling.
LR: Yeah it’s been a long time. When was the original release date with that other label?
Rohner: I think earlier…like March.
LR: But you guys self-released it too right? And what exactly happened with that label that fell apart.
Rohner:
Yeah, we originally put out a thousand copies and had signed a deal
with this other label that fell apart a few months later. They sent us
to CMJ on their dime which was really nice. And we got some stuff done
while they were paying for it.
Under that deal the album was
supposed to come out in March and that even got pushed back quite a bit
which was a bummer. But it ended up being a good thing because we’re so
much happier with Eenie Meenie, much more comfortable. It was worth the
wait.
Tue May 22 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com
Interview: Division Day
LR: How are things going?
Rohner:
Really good. Trying to keep a cool head...ya know...Not falling into
patterns of drugs, late nights and women. All the stuff that comes with
the big time.
LR: Hah! A regular day in the life for Division Day?
Rohner:
But really, we’re good. The album release is coming up and we’re all
excited. We just got the full artwork and copies of the record a few
days ago. Its nice to see it finally happening. Everyone’s just ready
to get rolling.
LR: Yeah it’s been a long time. When was the original release date with that other label?
Rohner: I think earlier…like March.
LR: But you guys self-released it too right? And what exactly happened with that label that fell apart.
Rohner:
Yeah, we originally put out a thousand copies and had signed a deal
with this other label that fell apart a few months later. They sent us
to CMJ on their dime which was really nice. And we got some stuff done
while they were paying for it.
Under that deal the album was
supposed to come out in March and that even got pushed back quite a bit
which was a bummer. But it ended up being a good thing because we’re so
much happier with Eenie Meenie, much more comfortable. It was worth the
wait.
Tue May 22 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com
Interview: Man Man
Man Man is
unlike any other band. From their stage setup, to their music, to their
monikers they bring nothing else to mind – and this is wonderful. I was
lucky enough to talk with the sexy voiced Honus Honus, aka Ryan
Kattner, singer and keyboardist of the band, before their most recent
show in Seattle. I am completely in awe of this man who is an
incredible artist and also a cool dude with a great sense of humor. He
also let me hear an in-progress version of one of their newest songs –
a murder ballad – and it is fantastic.
Tue May 22 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com
The Sea and Cake: Everybody
The Sea and Cake
Everybody
2007 | Thrill Jockey
Everybody is a throwback to earlier Sea and Cake, taking a noticeable step away from their 2003 release One Bedroom.
It’s an album with the ability to shake off the gray skies and bring in
some warmth. The songs have the ability to sound minimal and yet full
at the same time, such as “Up on Crutches” the opening track. The
signature slow climbs are still present, but sometimes the songs don’t
always hit the mark. I feel like occasionally they lack some character
that was more apparent in earlier albums.
As a whole, the album
is an enjoyable listen, however not one particular song stood out for
me. Each song seems to spill over into the next, creating a
long-playing, relaxing buzz. This aspect of Sea and Cake is not a bad
thing though. The interconnectedness of the songs does relate to the
distinct jazz influence on the band, and keeping this in mind, the
flowing of the songs makes sense. I’d recommend “Lightning” and “Left
On” if you really wanted to extract two excellent songs from the album.
-Elana Rintala
Mon May 21 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Interview: Ken Andrews (Failure, On, Year of the Rabbit)
As I mentioned in my review of his Troubadour show, Ken Andrews doesn't need an introduction. If you were alive in the '90s and played guitar, Failure was on your radar screen and was one of your favorite bands. Ken Andrews continues his tradition of stellar songwriting with his solo album Secrets of The Lost Satellites. I was lucky enough to catch him via ichat. Here is how it went down...
Mon May 21 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com
Wilco: Sky Blue Sky
Wilco
Sky Blue Sky
2007 | Nonesuch
Sky Blue Sky,
their 6th release, is surprisingly good. It’s a mellow listen that
slowly climbs in tempo 'till the 5th track, "Side With the Seeds," and
then dabbles around, not lingering too long on any one particular
style. It makes for a good mix that doesn’t stagnate. There is a very
strong 70’s laid back element throughout the whole album (I’m reminded
of Fleetwood Mac and even some James Taylor), with fewer tendencies to
be more along the lines of alt-country although the title track, "Sky
Blue Sky" and "Please Be Patient With Me" do echo back to those earlier
styles. The third track, "Impossible Germany," has an incredible amount
of buzz surrounding it over the internet. Soft and lulling it
encapsulates the vibe of the whole album in just under 6 minutes.
The
only incongruous element here is that the loneliness and isolation
found in the lyrics in many songs does not really exist in the vocals.
Jeff Tweedy sounds so carefree that I find myself washing over the
lyrics instead of really paying attention. However, I think that
repeated listenings will solve that problem. Overall, Wilco pulled
together a more mature album that shows they have advanced great steps
in their career.
-Elana Rintala
Fri May 18 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Deerhunter: Fluorescent Grey
Deerhunter
Fluorescent Grey
2007 | Kranky
While making their last release, Cryptograms, Deerhunter also put aside several tracks that make up the new EP Fluorescent Grey. The songs both belong with Cryptograms and yet lock together to form a jewel on their own.
Deerhunter
excels at making soaring builds in songs. The droning guitars are
hypnotic, sucking your attention in until they punch out an explosion
of sound that is near frenzied and chaotic. The title track
“Fluorescent Grey” has one such build, however it sets the beginning of
the EP as somewhat spooky with monotone whispers and spiraling
electronic keyboards woven in-between pounding drums. The dual
androgynous vocals instantly brought to mind Spaceman 3’s “Transparent
Radiation” before launching into the next song. Listening to the
lyrics-when they are discernable, the album takes on another layer of
gloom with deathly lines like “so many useless bodies, so much sorrow”
from the second track “Dr. Glass”, which in itself is a bizarre name
fitting of the lyrics.
At the half way point of the album,
Deerhunter washes away the spookiness with “Like New” preparing the
listener for the final epic rock out. “Wash Off” blends the elements of
the songs prior into the strongest song off the EP. Again, they use
echoing vocals, droning instruments, and repeating lyrics in layers
until they pretty much go crazy rocking out. It’s a great
ambient-electro-garage song. Now really, who does that?
With only four songs, this EP is incredibly powerful and begs to be left on repeat.
-Elana Rintala
Wed May 16 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Great Northern: Trading Twilight for Daylight
Great Northern
Trading Twilight for Daylight
2007 | Eenie Meenie
In the past few years if you asked someone what Great Northern sounded
like you’d probably get an answer based on logic, “Earlimart.” Although
that’s a healthy starting point for discussion the path explored on Trading Twilight for Daylight reveals another world created from a completely different band.
The
album succeeds on many levels. First, it sounds really warm and
saturated. Second, there’s the rich vocal harmonization and detailed
arrangement that Great Northern craft so effortlessly. And third, their
strongest talent, is how the quartet builds these triumphant songs by
mixing lush piano chords with guitar and synthetic strings. The result
is soothing and memorable without ever revealing a musical weakness on
any particular track.
As thick as the sound comes across there’s very little excess found anywhere on Trading Twilight for Daylight, just a strong palette of sparkles, buzz, and melody. “Just a Dream,” “Home” and the dreamy ELO-inspired rock of “The Middle” are outstanding pieces of atmospheric rock. These songs are clearly the foundation of the album and an obvious leap forward from their Bats EP.
“Telling Lies” and “Into the Sun” flex more muscle and guitar grit right from the start. It’s during these songs where the rhythm of Ashley Dzerigian’s bass thumps along with Davey Latter’s outstanding kit skills. Rachel Stolte and Solon Bixler continue to reveal stories of love and loss without retreating into a pattern of hopelessness. Trading Twilight for Daylight intertwines so many layers into a seamless debut that begs for repeated listens.
-Scott McDonald
Mon May 14 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Frog Eyes: Tears of the Valedictorian
Frog Eyes
Tears of the Valedictorian
2007 | Absolutely Kosher
Part
of the fun of listening to Frog Eyes is comparing what you think you
heard to what is actually being sung, 9 times out of 10 I’m completely
off. There are great stories hidden under the ferocious roaring of
Carey Mercer though, and Tears of the Valedictorian, the sixth release from the British Columbia band, proves to be their best yet.
Hearing
Mercer for the first time can be a bit daunting. He lures you in with
melodic whispers then lashes out with growls that can be mistaken for
nonsensical babblings. These vocal spasms may be the frantic ravings of
a madman, but there’s always a little madness in genius. “Tears” is
polished without sounding too overworked. There are the usual elements
that one expects from a Frog Eyes’ piece- thunderous beats offset by
melodic keys, but the album possesses a heavier feeling this time. The
combination of orchestral-like layers of instruments with the demented,
carnival-like organs and cymbal pings produces a slightly creepy and
yet sad tone that is found in bits and pieces all over the album. The
irregularity found in their earlier works has now grown and evolved
here so that the album feels complete.
I’m finding it hard to
recommend just one or two songs to listen to. Every song deserves a
spotlight, whether it’s the sprawling "Caravan Breakers They Prey on
the Weak and the Old" or the last echoing notes of "My Boats They Go."
So, I suggest that you go out, listen to the album and enjoy it has a
whole.
-Elana Rintala
Fri May 11 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Amateurs: Speak Easy
Amateurs
Speak Easy
2007 | Self-Released
I wanted to somehow work the phrase “Easy like Sunday morning” in here,
not because I’m reviewing the Commodores, but because it’s a great way
to sum up the first full length release, Speak Easy, from Los Angeles based Amateurs.
It’s a laid back, mellow album that meanders through several styles
without getting lost in the woods. Drawing on influences such as T-Rex,
Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie, they produce a style that is reminiscent
of happy 70’s rock, without sounding derivative and clichéd. And then
they throw in some country layers, dark soundscapes, dual guitars, a
violin and a bucket load of emotional vocals. When you think you got
their sound pinpointed down, the album morphs from poppy to dream-like.
This is especially so with the track “Submariners” where the
instruments take on a floating, underwater quality. “Speak Easy”
successfully translates emotion in their instrumental tracks as well,
slowly rising and building the structure until the whole track sweeps
you off your feet. I recommend “Omaha Nights”, “Spectacular Fall”, and
“Submariners”.
-Elana Rintala