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Uni And Her Ukelele - Breakin’ My Own Heart
Tue Oct 30 2007 · Posted in Songs on littleradio.com
Ham1 - I Had A Good Idea, But It Passed My Mind
- Ham1
- Ham1 - I Had A Good Idea, But It Passed My Mind
- The Captain's Table
Orange Twin
Mon Oct 29 2007 · Posted in Songs on littleradio.com
Old Time Relijun: Catharsis in Crisis
Old Time Relijun
Catharsis in Crisis
2007 | K Records
So, there's this chick drummer, and a guy who looks like he's a bible
salesman hooked on to a stand up bass, and then there's this hillbilly
guy with a beard who's stripped down to his underwear that kind of
howls into the microphone... This is how Old Time Relijun was first
described to me. Not much has changed. They've added a full time
saxophonist, the line up has gone through a few different people, and
although their new press photos would have you believing they were in
the Mob, they are still putting out some raw, almost frighteningly good
music. Their latest release Catharsis In Crisis is the third in a
musical trilogy, but can equally be enjoyed even if you are not
familiar with the other albums.
The
opening track "Indestructible Life!" starts with these resonating
pluckings from a guitar while that howl I was told to watch out for
announces who you are listening to, in case you needed to double check.
And then comes some of the catchiest, syncopated beats that move like
murky water and just suck you in. Arrington de Dionyso's voice both
carries a melody and sounds as if it can rip flesh apart. This is the
trend throughout the album. Each track carries some of that heaviness,
that psychotic-ness that ties the album together. The lyrics present a
dual nature, someone questioning their existence, their sanity. As de
Dionyso sings "I got lost in the wilderness, I got lost in confinement"
alongside ideas of stolen flesh and borrowed bodies, a thin line breaks
between man and his demons.
Not every song is so heavily laden
with foreboding lyrics though. "Garden of Pomegranates" is a velvety
song that uses an undulating bass line as a sexual tonic. While "Dark
Matter" (although some lyrics at the end) feels like the most UN-pop
surf guitar song I've ever listened to, and I don't mean that as
negative.
The last striking element on here is the ability for
Old Time Relijun to both sound frantic and paced at the same time; a
controlled chaos. I recommend Catharsis in Crisis all the way through,
but I especially recommend listening to "Indestructible Life!", "Garden
of Pomegranates", and "Akavishim".
-Elana Rintala
(Looking for something similar? Try these bands: Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits)
Fri Oct 26 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Creature With The Atom Brain - Is That Lady Sniff?
- Creature With The Atom Brain
- Creature With The Atom Brain - Is That Lady Sniff?
- I Am The Goldengate Bridge
Jesuz Factory
Fri Oct 26 2007 · Posted in Songs on littleradio.com
Electromagnetic - Honeycomb
- Electromagnetic
- Electromagnetic - Honeycomb
- Honeycomb EP
Self Released
Fri Oct 26 2007 · Posted in Songs on littleradio.com
The Henry Clay People - Didn’t Mean Anything
- The Henry Clay People
- The Henry Clay People - Didn't Mean Anything
- Blacklist The Kid With The Red Moustache
Self Released
Tue Oct 23 2007 · Posted in Songs on littleradio.com
Boris - Just Abandoned Myself
Fri Oct 19 2007 · Posted in Live Sessions
Band of Horses: Cease to Begin
Band of Horses
Cease to Begin
2007 | Sub Pop
Band of Beards, I mean Band of Horses' sophomore release Cease to Begin
segues nicely from their last record with the opening track "Is There a
Ghost". That track could have sat well on Everything All the Time.
However that dreaded sophomore slump has wormed its way into the
subsequent tracks. This album has proven that I can still have a
love/hate relationship with a piece of music. Ok, well maybe hate is
too strong of a word. Listening to the lyrics though sometimes I had to
shake my head. "Ode to LRC" is a perfectly acceptable song, catchy
even, until Ben Birdwell starts to sing out the words "..the world is
such a wonderful place..la tee da." Then it feels strained and cliched.
Maybe he just rushed through the song, or he was having an amazing day
when he wrote it, but the word choices are jarring from his usual
lyrics that feel a little grittier. That's the problem with some of the
songs, bordering on a mediocre approach that seems to only hover on the
surface and not go further.
But
then I have the love part of the album too that still makes me want to
listen and give them a try. Birdwell's voice still holds that sad, soft
quality to it, and it has a sharp uniqueness to it that still draws me
to listen to him. I'm also a sucker for songs you can clap along to and
stamp your feet ("Lamb of the Lam (In the City)"). The accessibility
towards a wider audience is here, and yet it is obvious that they are
still trying to do a "Band of Horses" album and not completely re-work
their material into something foreign for them. I can respect that.
Overall the album is polished, but in that over scrubbed way. I'd
recommend "Is There a Ghost", "Marry Song" and "Lamb of the Lam (In the
City)".
-Elana Rintala
(Looking for something similar? Try these bands: Neko Case, Wilco, and Neil Young.)
Thu Oct 18 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com
Interview: The Besnard Lakes
Before the Besnard Lakes melted the audience on Friday night I had a chance to talk with frontman Jace Lacek about their stunning second album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar).
The performance? As epic and larger than life as you'd expect. The band
played some incredible versions of "Rides the Rails", immediately
sliding right into the pulverizing "Devastation". "And You Lied to Me"
was also massive as guitars soared beneath the vocal harmonies,
saturating the entire club in overdriven bliss. The encore was a nice
surprise as the quintet covered Fleetwood Mac's "You Make Loving Fun" with drummer Kevin channeling his best Christine McVie. I felt privileged to be there.
Wed Oct 17 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com
Hell at Night - Feast Your Eyes
- Hell at Night
- Hell at Night - Feast Your Eyes
- Battles of the Spirit
Self-Released