AWmusic

So after a good 10 years with Saddle Creek, Conor Obert’s label, The Faint has released their first album completely written, recorded, and produced on their own. It’s about time they formed their own label – am I the only one who finds it weird that Conor Oberst was a member of the Faint (well, Norman Bailer) 13 years ago? The Faint is so energetic and sexy and new wave/nu rave while Bright Eyes is … none of those things – man, I hate Bright Eyes.

Anyway, I wouldn’t say Fasciinatiion is their best work despite rave reviews but it’s worth a listen. The first track, Get Seduced, shows some depth that you wouldn’t really expect from a dance punk band … which is not necessarily a compliment. I’m always kind of annoyed by celebrities commenting on their whole twisted community. You can interpret the song as an attack on the sheep of society fawning over movie stars or as an attack on self-obsessed celebrities but either way, famous people should stop biting the hands that feed them/ acting so hypocritical. Still a decent song though. Nice and sleazy.

To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of the Faint’s lyrics and prefer not to listen too closely to them. I enjoy the synthesizers and distortion and beats, I couldn’t care less what their opinions on popular culture are. For example, Mirror Error is a great song to dance to but they can stfu about self-image and body modification. I mean, maybe I AM a shallow bitch and maybe I DO get piercings to hide my withered, deformed soul but I don’t need the Faint to tell me that. Come on, they probably pay a stylist themselves. At least for photoshoots.

Don’t even get me started with The Geeks Were Right. Watch what the humans ruin with machines? More like watch the Faint make their living by using machines to make the music that’s ironically criticizing technology. I hope those lyrics were written during some crazy acid trip. The song’s awesome otherwise though.

I don’t know if I like it better than Wet From Birth. I don’t know why everyone hated Wet From Birth – it wasn’t as good as Danse Macabre or Blank-Wave Arcade but it wasn’t worth a 5.5/10 (I’m looking at you, Pitchfork). If you’re looking for deep, meaningful lyrics from the Faint, you’re delusional. Allow me to recommend some Bob Dylan or better yet, go read a book.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Geeks Were Right
Forever Growing Centipedes

School starts on Wednesday and look for the website to go into some sort of limbo, I’m terrible at time managing. Without further ado here are the week’s posts and whatever else is going on around the blogosphere.

Welcome our 3 new writers, Matt, Coko and Lu.

Stereolab – Chemical Chords by Matt- put this on my list of albums to check out
The Virgins – Coko questions their band name, from band pictures it looks like more of truthful confession
Endeverater – Kiss or Kill by Lu

Reviews:
Broadfield Marchers – The Invitable Continuing
London Zoo by The Bug – I gave it a 5/5 (am I giving out too many?), it is really is worthy of its critical acclaim
The Faint – Fasciinatiion – What’s with the I’s?
Island’s Arm Way
Mothlite – The Flax of Reverie – hopefully we can get an interview going Jess
The Sleeping Years – We’re Becoming Islands One by One

Other:
Cutting Edge Music Fest Pt. 2
Hamlet 2 Review and Mini-Playlist – save your $$
Tropic Thunder Playlist and Review – Hilarious but offensive movie. I’m shameless when it comes to these playlists.
Joe reviews The Final Riot tour with headliners, Paramore.
The Microsoft Zune is Gangsta – Screw The Ipod – srsly
Ghalib reviews the Woodhands and Lioness show he saw last weekend.

News around the internet:
F Yeah Fest guys got beat up by Radiohead security with the cops watching. They recorded security beating up a patron excessively and security ran and beat them up for it.

The man behind AntiQuiet (or one of the writers) had his house stormed by FBI and he was formerly charged for posting tracks of Chinese Democracy. Chinese Democracy is the long awaited Guns n’ Roses album that has cost a reported 10 million or so. He faces a LONG prison sentence, releasing copyrighted work before it’s formerly released is really the problem. He did have it coming, especially living in the states. Slash isn’t rooting for him.

Some good discussion at the Elbo.ws forum. Way to hold us bloggers to standards Under the Dog.

Pitchfork ended the hype of Bloc Party’s Intimacy with a predicted 5.0-something score.

A lot of conversation between other bloggers and myself sometimes refer to the bloggers who simply post mp3s/videos without much text accompanying it as the lame part of mp3 blogging. It is true, a lot of the traffic comes from providing mp3s and not what is written though attempts on MANY great blogs still continue even if they had periods of lagging traffic. They have a very constant audience because they’ve been in the game longer and they don’t blog about what’s hot but more to what their interests are.

However, with the Hype Machine and Elbo.ws being quite popular and a resourceful source of a traffic, there are certain methods and ways in order to get traffic from these aggregators (you could argue that my playlists do this but I definitely don’t do it to the extent of some of these other bloggers.

From my experiences of talking to other bloggers, they seem to be all genuinely nice with the occasional rib but never anything to the extent of calling out another blog on their own blog. I figure I’m not a nice guy or I’m an asshole or dick but it needs to be said. You may think I have no right to call out another blogger that works “hard” however the blogosphere needs someone to step up and start calling out some of these bloggers .

The first blog I’d like to call out is “Damien Is Listening To…”. Damien is currently considered one of the hot blogs on Elbo.ws and has been for awhile. No, I’m not jealous. I know how to get on that list but Damien’s tactics seem to be following “whatever else is hot, I’ll blog about it myself”. There’s very little original content on his blog, just a lot of regurgitating whatever the other blogs are talking about when it comes to new singles.

His English (if it is English) is intentionally bad and he writes nothing about the song, other then a few words that really don’t tell you anything. Do you review believe a guy would be listening to Mogwai, AC/DC/, Rihanna, Nelly and Metallica, Of Montreal, and Okkervil River. It’s painfully obvious.

Damien Isn’t Really Listening To… is a more appropriate title. He posts about 5 times a day, regurgitating everything that other blogs work hard to write and watering down his content with whatever everyone is talking about it which goes away from music blogging in the first place. –It’s to point out what is good and what is not and what you like and you dislike. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just some nerd that doesn’t get out much and just looks at the what’s hot section of Elbo.ws to only rewrite the post again but with crappier writing. (150 posts per month would be a tough task… if there were a ton of content written…)

There are many blogs that are great, I’m thinking about highlighting them eventually but I find it more important to point out these “popular” blogs that are more of a disservice to the blogosphere. It won’t be the last blog I personally attack.

Flame Away.

The Bug is the stage name of British producer Kevin Martin, from listening to this album the music is a mix of dance, reggae, hip hop, grime and dub/dubstep. He callborates with a various number of singers and MCs, on this record from Tippa Irie, Ricky Ranking, Killa P, Flowdan, Warrior Queen, Spaceape and Roger Robinson.

One of the best parts of this album is that most of these songs are club ready, e.g. can really endear to a dance crowd yet probably create a big enough following to people looking for something creative.

Strictly speaking on the musical beats, some songs are absolutely awesome and The Bug doesn’t mind switching styles and using subtleness in small basslines or random noises. This is an album you kind of have to listen to for yourself as my writing and musical limitations.

I’m not traditionally a fan of dubstep/electronica/reggae or any of the genre classifications that The Bug would have of this album. I’m a noobie in that regard but I’m reeled into the quality of this album.

The group of singers and MC do a great job of keeping this album entertaining, some great talent and great skill. To be honest I’m not very good at understanding lyrics in Reggae so I’ll spare you my interpretations. My favorite contributor has to be Flowdan, he spits at a high pace in some intense trip-hop style drum beats on Jah War. The other contributors all need to be given a hand hear, most are rather anonymous to me but they put this album to new heights.

This whole album is very good and if you’re up for experimenting on something different (because if you’ve followed this blog, I’m usually into all things pop) this album is STRONGLY recommend.

Rating: 5 out of 5
An absolutely amazing record. It belongs on best of the year list both mine and critics. I generally don’t have much to say because my writing skill sucks, just know it’s a sick album that uses a ton of electronic elements all throughout the album to create something special. Lyrically I hear it’s good but it’s not something that’s required of you to enjoy this record (from what I can make it out it’s top notch but I may be wrong so I’m not regurgitating something incorrect).

Just do yourself a favor and check it out.

Jah War ft. Flowdan by The Bug

Skeng ft. Killa P and Flowdan by The Bug

Poison Dart by Warrior Queen by The Bug

The movie isn’t really all that funny. The premise is simple, the drama program is going to be shutdown after less then stellar reviews and puts on a offensive musical filled with sex etc while the main protagonist struggles with his own personal life.

At best it provided a few chuckles out of me but they were few and far between. For a movie to supposedly be quite offensive it had a lot of unfunny racist jokes and no real character development which felt cheesy at best.

It failed to be offensive or evenly comedically stupid and choose the “middle” ground and ended up as a movie that is quite forgettable and probably wishing that I saw Tropic Thunder again. There just isn’t much to the film that I could talk to you about. The storyline is predictable from the outset with no real shocks or surprises. Involving race and sexuality was minimal or poorly done.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Here’s a mini-playlist somewhat related to movie but I’ll keep it short:
Play Your Part (Part 1) by Girl Talk
Let’s Call It Off by Peter, Bjorn and John
Sober by Muse
Stars and Sons by Broken Social Scene
Totem On The Timeline by The Klaxons

They released an EP in 2007, with 6 songs, which have been re-recorded for the full-length album that came out this year in June. The album starts “Room service muthaf*ckas” then switches to a danceable beat. I love all their songs. They don’t sound the same. You can dance to all of them. They all tell a story. This album reminds of the Maroon 5’s album “Songs About Jane” before Adam Levine became a “hot bachelor”, when he talked about the anonymous girlfriend that beat up his heart. The Virgins talk about the club nights where they meet expensive rich girls who infect them and offer “cocaine brunches”.

I guess I do have to pick a couple of favourites: “One Week of Danger”, “Hey Hey Girl”, “Radio Christiane” and “Love Is Colder Than Death”. It’s about the grooveable beats, the meaningful words and the strange anthems. The Virgins sound like guys who just said to themselves, “let’s just do it and see what happens”. You can hear their nonchalance in their album. This doesn’t mean they don’t care… but at the same time, it really seems like they don’t. In today’s market, everyone cares too much about having the freshest sound because we all sound the same. I actually bought their first album online, and it was sent in the mail with my address handwritten. That’s how real these guys are…and by the way, this was just a couple of months ago. I’ve read that there was a bidding war between record labels for the debut album release. That’s cool I guess, since it means their talents are being recognized by the industry. I just hope they can stay simple within their colourful complications. They are just guys grooving to their sound… and it’s hard to get tired of it because it’s not too out there, not too catchy and therefore not easy to get sick of.

One Week of Danger by The Virgins

Rich Girls by The Virgins

Love Is Colder Then Death by The Virgins

It’s a bit of different approach, writing 19 pop songs and showing off your creativity in these tiny tracks is definitely a less popular strategy compared to few songs that are super long. It’s not a bad idea in my opinion, aren’t more and more people getting ADHD from all the constant things thrown at us and multitasking? I know it suits me well then 12 minute tracks.

The Broadfield Marchers like to move on the next thing quickly, almost too quickly. There are a lot of quality songs on this album and I personally wish some tracks were longer then around 2 minutes. A lot of songs feel like they are uncompleted and in that sense I am shedding a tear. They are very talented, they have a great sense of what works and can forge a great short pop song. They know how to work with simplicity and not overdoing it (ehh) mixed with great vocals.

At the end of the day, I really like the Broadfield Marchers but instead of being all over the place, they would be served in concentrating on “finishing” some songs because a lot of the songs have massive potential. I undoubtedly believe they have the talent to do so.

It’s just painful to see that some of my favorite songs aren’t even 2 minute longs and I’m sure I would like them if they extended the rest of the album as a lot of the songs I whole heartedly dig.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5
I really like the Broadfield Marchers even if this gets an average score. Until they focus their energy on lesser songs, I don’t know if many people will take them seriously. They are great nonetheless and enjoyed listened to the album the past week.

Eagles Prevail by Broadfield Marchers

Amazing Wheels by Broadfield Marchers

When Cowards Stall by Broadfield Marchers

(more…)

I thought the first album was creative but not exactly accessible. I didn’t find myself wanting to listen to it more then a few bits and pieces. Arm’s Way starts off with the Arm with an entertaining hook using Nick Thorburn’s vocals well. They use more entertaining, catchier music and aren’t afraid to use it while yelling angry verses in either dry or clean vocals depending on whatever they feel. They tend to display when they feel and they really get their point across.

I really like most of the songs on the album, they aren’t all great, some feel a little bit too contrived and the more structural, catchier music doesn’t quite match up to the vocals or lyrics. It’s damn entertaining though. I don’t really see a problem with being less creative and toning down the experimentation when it works and it works for me, which is most importantly all that I could care about more. There’s still quite a bit experimentation with the structure and lyrical conjecture to still say this album is pretty good.

Either way, if you place away expectations of the first album and the Unicorns, this album is pretty good on it’s own. It’s still creative and experimental and I can’t fault any band for that.

There’s a lot to this album, most songs are 5 minutes or longer and the Islands manage to keep my attention throughout with some cool intros and use of musical progression to keep me interested all the way throughout. It’s like almost song has an epic ending that I have to witness.

Some of my favorite tracks include Kids Don’t Know Shit, We Swim and In The Rushes.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I don’t know what Pitchfork was fussing about but this is a great rock record. In similar fashion other critics seemed to follow Pitchfork’s “opinion” which more seemed like an arbitrary number to just say the album was not as good as the first. Islands still took great risks on everything they do on this album and some people may miss out on a gem.

Kids Don’t Know Shit by Islands

The Arm by Islands

Mothlite are an avant-garde drone band consisting of Daniel O’Sullivan and Antti Uusimaki, hailing from London and Helsinki respectively. Mothlite’s uncanny ability to master sounds upon sounds blew me away with their debut album, The Flax of Reverie, to be released in stores this September. It’s made it hard for me to try to listen to conventional music since I’ve set my hands on this album, renewing my esteem for the avant-garde.

Both members provide extensive experience with music production and composition to Mothlite, so it wasn’t surprising at all that The Flax of Reverie was a fabrication of remarkable flair and splendor. Overall, the album is an ambience of dark soundscapes, with undertones of restless plight, keeping listeners on their toes constantly. This album is not to be taken lightly; it is deep, cerebral, almost beautifully tormenting.

I don’t know where to begin to explain the instrumentation on this album. The advantage of using the studio as instrument is that the music is limitless. The genius of both Sullivan and Uusimaki isn’t bound to arbitrarily placed noise. It is weaved intricately on this album to create amazing atmospheric waves of every mood you can imagine, all in one. Oh yes, it is that deadly.

I especially enjoy the vocals on this album: cascading vocals on the track, “Riverside” emphasize a restless, edgy state of mind, and harmonizing vocals on “The Untouched Dew” are reminiscent of some sort of Gregorian chant, and coupled with the backing instrumentation, are sure to leave chills down your spine.

Don’t be turned off by what appears to be descriptions of a soundtrack to a horror film, because The Flax of Reverie is really anything but that. It is a calming, intricate arrangement, tapping into the subconscious to that place we barely ever seek to go. There is definitely a combination of genres to be heard on this album, from jazz to progressive/psychedelic, but that’s not to say there’s a lack of consistency. Mothlite is definitely hard to define, as the avant-garde so achieves, so there’s not much more to be said. It’s a delectable album, so if you’re looking for something different and something with depth, Mothlite is the way to go.

MP3:
Mothlite – Riverside

I’m surprised to see that HMV (well, HMV UK, so maybe not that surprising) has Mothlite under its listings, but two of the three sites we usually have up don’t. Buy this album at CD Universe.

Bubbling over with tightly constructed, lounge pop soundscapes, “Chemical Chords” brings summer to you in vivid Technicolor.

They kick things off with the jangley feel good “Neon Beanbag”. Replete with bright horns, lush strings, Motown high-hat and chugging bass line, Stereolab seems determined to brighten the skies right from start. The rest of the menu follows suit by oozing good vibes.

I find it hard to really categorize this album. The track “Self Portrait with Electric Brain”, feels like early Motown. While “Silver Sands” & “Chemical Chords” seem to pull inspiration from Brian Wilson and his Pet Sounds. French pop, Hollywood soundtracks, Electro rhythms all permeate the album. Yet it doesn’t suffer from schizophrenia for a second. They some how fold all these various styles together and make them their own. The album is beautiful, cohesive piece.

Singer Laetitia Sadier’s voice is reminiscent of a Velvet Underground era Nico, without the heroin-induced aloofness. She sings in both French and English though I often wasn’t sure which was which. Her sometimes odd phrasing made it sound as though she were singing in a language all her own. To be honest, I didn’t really mind that. As much as I value really solid lyrics and loath really bad ones, I found myself indifferent here. It just didn’t seem to matter. Her voice becomes another instrument in the band. You might not know the exact notes being played but it sure sounds good. Her monotone delivery plays nice counter point to the otherwise lush orchestral sounds.

As happy and bubbly as things are, when it comes right down to it the album isn’t amazing. There’s nothing here that will floor you or change your perspectives on life. Don’t get me wrong though, it is a really good album. Fun, witty, playful and full of inventive hooks and pretty melodies. It gives you that summer time feeling even in the middle of a rainstorm. Stereolab is able to be inventive and sound fresh even when riffing on themes we’ve heard before. I’d recommend it as a pleasant way to spend 48 minutes. You may even be compelled to make a sandcastle or two.

Neon Beanbag by Stereolab
Self Portrait with "Electric Brain " by Stereolab