AWmusic

Allan and I went to see The Calm Blue Sea Monday night at NEU+RAL. While the tickets were basically a steal ($5 to see three bands including TCBS–Sleep for the Nightlife and Reverse Mount Rushmore), there weren’t many people there…I think maybe not more than 20. Nonetheless the music played that night was great! Unfortunately we did have to skip out on Reverse Mount Rushmore due to some circumstances.

I have to say off the bat that I have been to a few post-rock shows and I have never been to a show that ever sucked. I get easily disappointed with the pop bands that I see live, and that could be because of the acoustics of the venue or maybe they just truly suck ass. It is always guaranteed that a post-rock show will never be disappointing, and that probably lies in the fact that it’s all instrumental so they really need to know how to play, and do.

Neither of us had ever been to NEU+RAL before. It’s a pretty small club in the basement of a building on College Street, but the acoustics of the place isn’t so bad. Sleep for the Nightlife, hailing from our very own Toronto, Ontario, played first, but we only got to see half of their set (we were a little late, on my account. Sorry Allan ). I had never heard of them before besides some MySpace songs the night before the show, but they were quite entertaining and personable performers onstage. They played a few songs I recognized from their MySpace, including “i heart pandas.” They have more of a jazz- and metal-influenced, fast-paced appeal (I was reminded of The Samuel Jackson 5 often), which kept me on my feet throughout the entire set. I think towards the end of the set, the tempo started getting a little off, but I can’t place any blame because I would never be able to keep up that kind of pace if I was playing the drums like that for an hour.

The Calm Blue Sea came on next playing songs from both their albums. I was actually surprised (and a wee disappointed, not to dis the other band) they were the second band because they are most popular of the three (loosely according to MySpace hits, anyway). Unfortunately, it being two days after the actual show, I’ve forgotten what they started off with, but I do remember they played a few of my favourites from both their debut and Siegfried (we reviewed it here). I really was ecstatic to hear “Literal,” only the microphone was on way too low to hear the vocals. Damn you, sound guy! But all is good. Their performance was awesome, and everyone was so into the music. We ended up hearing some pretty awesome tunes such as “We Happy Few,” “The Meeting”/”The River that Runs Beneath this City,” “The Treasure,” and “The Contest.” And as soon as they came, the soon they left. I believe their set was about an hour, which doesn’t ever seem long enough when it is music you enjoy. I wished they could play longer though, but seeing as they were sandwiched between two other bands, it’s understandable that they couldn’t. I’m a bit disappointed that they were sandwiched between the two bands, leaving little (or no possibility, really) for an encore, despite there being just a few of us. I’m sure I’m definitely not alone when saying this, since someone from the crowd yelled out, “One more!” I couldn’t have agreed more.

We recorded some tracks but I suppose we were standing too close to the speakers as my crappy camera compressed a lot of the sound, making it sound really distorted. I always feel bad about taking pictures of bands playing live, just because I think the flashes from the camera are distracting and blinding…but enjoy the few pictures we took that night in the “more” link below.

Here is the rest of the band’s tour schedule:

The Calm Blue Sea’s Remaining Fall ‘09 Tour Schedule
Sept 9 @ Brillobox – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 9pm
Sept 10 @ Bernie’s – Columbus, Ohio – 9pm-
Sept 11 @ Convenant Church – Cincinnati, Ohio – 8pm

MP3s:
The Calm Blue Sea – Literal
The Calm Blue Sea – The Treasure
The Calm Blue Sea – The Cross

(more…)

Also, as a side note to the review–TCBS are touring right now, and AWmusic will be attending the band’s show in Toronto at NEU+RAL tomorrow (Monday, September 7). Here’s a call out for all those who’d like to see the band live! It’s their only Canadian show this year (and their first time playing in Toronto), so hop on it! Each ticket is $5, and you also get to see Sleep for the Nightlife and Reverse Mount Rushmore. You can buy tickets at the venue.

Last November, our site reviewed TCBS’s debut album (you can read the review here). While I definitely enjoyed the album, I felt that the band would benefit from a more definitive sound. It seems that with Siegfried: An Original Score, TCBS has definitely done that. The compositions are sharper and brilliant, with a more consistent overall sound. Siegfried: An Original Score is one of the more refreshing albums I have heard in awhile.

But we really can’t review this album with out reviewing its connection to the film. It’s not unusual to see a post-rock band live with some sort of backdrop behind them, but Siegfried: An Original Score is different in that it was composed for the purpose of the film, rather than the other way around. It does what a soundtrack should do: it elicits the different meanings, emotions, and imagery throughout the film. As stated previously, I haven’t seen this film with its original score, so I can’t compare. I find it’s better that way though, so that the music can be interpreted in itself rather than servingas a comparison as to what covers the film better. The film centres around the Nibelungenlied myth, where the character Siegfried, who, upon hearing a story about the beautiful sister of the King of Burgundy, goes on an epic adventure to find and woo her. TCBS’s score meshes quite well with the film. The synchronization of the transitioning between scenes is well done, and if there were any moments of awkwardness, it is only because the film itself is produced with a few transitional flaws. The score invokes many different feelings, and does so quite superbly. For example, “The Wedding” is a more depressing tune in the beginning, fit for the scene when the queen of Iceland is to be wed to the King of Burgundy by force, but the track ends with a momentous intensity as Siegfried is also wed to the King’s sister. This is one of the many examples that TCBS is able to master the tone of the film, shaping it with their music.

The music itself is quite akin to the film itself in that it elicits a fantasy-like feeling. The tonality throughout the album is created mostly through the play of piano-driven melodies, ethereal synths, and lingered electric guitar notes. It is a soft reminder of Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, and Gregor Samsa. There is also one song that is adapted from a track from their self-titled debut, “The Rivers that Run Beneath this City.” The quality production of Siegfried: An Original Score is a few steps up from the debut, but there can’t be any real complaint as TCBS are totally self-sufficient. This is a very well-composed, well-produced album.

While Siegfried: An Original Score features more mainstream post-rock than not, it is still a fantastic album, and one of the more refreshing of the year. Being that the band is entirely self-sufficient, I have to commend them on such quality music. This is a definite must for all post-rock lovers. Make sure to check them out and their tour schedule to see if they’re playing near you. They really cannot be missed.

The Calm Blue Sea’s Fall ‘09 Tour Schedule:
Sept 6 @ Paycheck’s Lounge/Hamtramck Festival – Detroit, Michigan – 9pm
Sept 7 @ NEU+RAL – Toronto, Ontario – 9pm
Sept 8 @ 123 Pleasant St. – Morgantown, West Virginia – 10pm
Sept 9 @ Brillobox – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 9pm
Sept 10 @ Bernie’s – Columbus, Ohio – 9pm
Sept 11 @ Convenant Church – Cincinnati, Ohio – 8pm

MP3s:
The Calm Blue Sea – The Treasure
The Calm Blue Sea – The Cross

This album is full of avant-garde craftiness, coupled with fun and wild elements to the likes of Frank Zappa. The band is eclectically composed of an electric guitar, miramba, trombone, sax and percussions. Sounds like the make up of a jazz band, and in a way they are. In other ways they are also a punk band, a polka band, a classical band, a metal band…the list could go on. The point is, there is no exact way to pinpoint Calle Debauche’s place amongst others; they seem to transcend the notion of genres.

Calle Debauche are made up of very talented musicians who really know how to play their instruments. Each track is written so well that transitions are seamlessly weaved to invoke a variety of images. Generally, their tunes are upbeat and fun, but the band also manages to sneak in a few bars of tranquil mellowness occasionally. Their tendency to be more upbeat and circus-y is not to say that they can’t be taken seriously; in all truth, their music has to be taken seriously in order to fully appreciate it. I suppose that’s just an element of such avant-garde music. The arrangement of each track is very intricate, to the point where I wonder: how can they be so original, and could their future releases ever top this one?

The album starts off with “…”, a 35 second track that starts off mellow and digs right into “Defenestrator,” a very polka-esque song with so many transitions I start to think I might become bipolar. This is not a one-time thing throughout the album; in fact, almost all of the songs feature some sort of drastic transition, but as mentioned earlier–seamlessly so. It just doesn’t sound wrong, ever. I also love the full use of all instruments in each song; one instrumentalist is never left out. Calle Debauche seem to know how to use with what they’ve got very well. “VRF” is quite reminiscent of Zappa, being more of a compilation of genres of metal, ska, and jazz. It seems like an appropriate background theme for an old 80s video game. I especially enjoy “Regarding Pete,” a rock tune with amazing guitar solos that makes blatant references to songs like “The House of the Rising Sun” and the Circus theme. Such referencing always makes songs much more entertaining, and considering the rest of the album is entertaining in itself, it’s easy to see what I mean by how amazing this album is.

Calle Debauche are quite strange. Americans with a French band name that take on influences from eastern European folk music…I think I am in love with this album, I really do. It is a definite must for those looking for some fun avant-garde/prog music that captures worldly influences. If you like Zappa, you will definitely love Calle Debauche. Here’s looking to future releases!

MP3s:
Calle Debauche – Defenestrator
Calle Debauche – Regarding Pete
Calle Debauche – VRF

Here are the contest rules:
- You must be a North American resident.
- Enter the contest by commenting below with your email address (not in Comments section).
- We’re doing things differently. The FIRST TWO people who comment will WIN the CD.

MP3s from Lasse Passage’s If you don’t have time to cook…
Lasse Passage – Belize
Lasse Passage – Song For Paria
Lasse Passage – New York
Lasse Passage – Far From Love

In this album, the band still manages to keep to their core of quirkiness and fun, with perhaps more of a refinement in the overall production and arrangement of the album. Even the simplest song seems to have some complicated arrangement to it. Perhaps that can be accounted for through all the vocal harmonization found throughout the entire album, something that wasn’t as experimented with in their previous record. Sometimes the band even manages to sound something like the Polyphonic Spree, especially “Honeymoon,” where the music is so absolutely uplifting. The acoustics are also something to be mentioned about: the sounds are clean, crisp, and lack anything but fullness to it. Despite the fact that the band does not blatantly try to enunciate, I can still hear every pronunciation. This is really a finely produced album.

Bombadil have the power to be elusive–while they sing and play in a way that makes you want to jump for joy, their prose sometimes don’t fare so well. While the lyrics are quirky, they often share stories about every day human experiences (oh how serious now!), such as a person having a bad, and thus quite meaningless, birthday (”Sad Birthday”), or a pretty ironic (but sweet) take on a fight (”Reasons”): Well when I’m the reason you get mad, consider when you never had a reason to be quite so angry for it all.

Interestingly enough, an instrumental track titled “Prologue” actually sits in the middle of the album, which has a beat appropriate for a rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy.” It is full of strange sounds of synths, perhaps the only electronic track on the entire album. I wondered the significance of this, and am still baffled. But a theme must be emerging, somehow. This album also features a song sung in Spanish, “Laurita.” I have no idea what they’re singing, and they could be plotting murder through song really, but it still sounds so good. Typically it does have a Latin tone musically, but it still maintains a Bombadil temperament. Which goes to show that while Bombadil considers themselves as folk rock, they really do cross genres a bit, but still are able to find their own place in the middle of it all.

Overall, this is a fantastic album and I couldn’t have expected any less. I’m still rooting to see them live one day. Unfortunately on their MySpace last month, they posted that their tour was canceled due to fellow bandmate Daniel having severe tendonitis. The band is currently off any sort of performing, and did not perform at their album release party. Get well soon, Daniel!

MP3s:
Bombadil – Honeymoon
Bombadil – Reasons
Bombadil – Oto the Bear

The thought of a post-rock band being a two-piece and sounding like a full band is rather hard to believe. Although most tracks never features anything more than the drums of Kuhn and the guitar of Landy, the music successfully pulls off a full-band sound. That could be easily accounted for by layering and other studio-produced magic, but I think there’s a different character here. Landy and Kuhn definitely know how to play their instruments, which totally takes off that “post-rock is made by people who can’t play their instruments for shit” outlook many people have. Tracks such as “…or the Northern Lights” and “Not the Wind, Not the Flag” can attest to this, as the band demonstrate how they can aptly transition from a melodious, clean sound to a more harder, rougher sound–and through this, still sounding like a full band with just two instruments. Granted I have never seen them live, but judging from the raw sounds of this album, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re equally great performers live as they are in studio (check out their MySpace for a list of upcoming shows, Californians).

Stylistically, Silian Rail have quite a bit mellow/clean character to the likes of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. And I know those comparisons make them sound like they stick to conventions–and while they do, they certainly aren’t boring in that regard, anyway. They stay away from that quiet-loud dynamic, preferring to stay at a consistent tempo and melody with slight changes at the breaks. The guitar melodies are always interesting and engaging–it would be hard to get bored of them. It reminds me a bit of Kaki King in the days where she didn’t play with a full band, just crafting music with her guitar. The clean electric’s play alongside with the drums gives it a fascinating raw feeling to it; Landy seems to prefer clean to distorted, which works well. In some tunes such as “Zzth” and “Venice,” Kuhn plays the glockenspiel, giving a particularly playful taste to the album. Funny enough, I was expecting something to stand out in this album that was a bit eclectic. I usually find in post-rock albums, there is always an instrument that stands out the most, whether it be the guitar pedal or horns, and in …and I You, to Pieces, it is the glockenspiel.

It is hard to be bored listening to this album, but I think more experimenting would be beneficial for the band for their future releases. It is veritably quite conventional and post-rock is a hard genre to really reach the top without being too similar to sounds we’ve grown accustomed to. Being a duo is definitely a charmer, especially such a dynamic duo who knows what they’re doing. Silian Rail has definite potential, but perhaps needs to experiment a little more to find their own niche in the genre.

I feel a video is warranted to show the fantastic dynamics between Lardy and Kuhn. It also has a little interview at the end:

MP3s:

Silian Rail – Tituba
Silian Rail – I is Somebody Else

Yes, it does tug at the heartstrings without being melodramatic. Even the most cynical songs have a warm demeanor to them that it could be so easily misinterpreted as happy. Or perhaps I’m misinterpreting them myself. Nonetheless, this is an album full of dreamy tunes that are not for the flighty or impatient. Lasse’s vocals has a certain quality to it that is perfectly imperfect, with an almost Southern touch to it…or perhaps that is just the Norwegian charm. The lyrics have an unusual bluntness to them at times: So don’t be so cocky when someone says ‘I love you’. Although it is straightforward prose, there seems to be something so poetic about the words he sings, and meshed in the sounds of a homey setting, the music comes together.

Lasse Passage has the appeal of Nick Drake at times, singing along to the finger picking of his guitar with a soft and mellow tone. His music tells you to leave all your city dispositions at the door, conjuring images of a more natural setting, perhaps in the middle of the woods as the sun beams down on your body, splitting at the shadows of tree branches and leaves. Indeed, his music could simplistically be described as mellow folk rock, with hints to Wilco and Nick Drake, but again, it requires a lot of attention, patience, and the right set of mind to listen to this album. Lasse Passage uses his classical training to create a complexity of sounds that comes together effortlessly.

“What Have I Done” is probably the most “rock” tune in the album, with a heavy-set similiarity in style to Wilco and Travis, and is the only track to feature an electric guitar. Surprisingly, it is fitting in this album although it sets itself away from the other tracks in its general tonality. “Belize” is a fun, chirpy tune that is played by a full band of synthesizers, piano, horns, strings, and different types of percussions that even included some bongos. Lasse Passage demonstrates how crafty he is, being quite well-rounded by playing around with different techniques and sounds.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed If you don’t have time to cook…. It is an impressive debut and has a lot of potential for a great follow-up album, as well. Looking forward to future releases! Also, interesting to note is that Lasse Passage’s album is now selling in Toronto at Sonic Boom and Rotate This, our blog’s home city. I wouldn’t be surprised if his fan base grows here. This album is a definite must for all.

MP3s:
Lasse Passage – Belize
Lasse Passage – New York
Lasse Passage – Song for Paria

When I first listened to Ferndorf, it reminded me a lot of Erik Satie, a renown pianist in the early 20th century that is known mostly for his Gymnopedie compositions. I was introduced to Erik Satie back in high school, where I fell in love with his music. Back in his days, his music was considered very avant-garde, eventually catapulting the movements of minimalism. So, it was not surprising to see Erik Satie’s name associated with Hauschka’s music on his MySpace.

Hauschka’s music centres around the idea of the “prepared piano,” where he often experiments with the altered sounds of the piano by placing objects between the strings, hammer, or dampers. Although I am not very knowledgeable about the workings of the prepared piano, it is still easy to hear the alterations throughout his music, as subtle as they are. Sometimes you can hear a lingered clang after each note, or an abrupt stop of a note that sounds more a tap than anything else, or even the strums of the piano strings. The alterations are blatant in some tracks, such as “Rode Null” and “Barfuss Durch Gras,” but overall it’s not surprising that it’s so difficult to feel the alterations as they sound more like individual instruments in themselves.

He is accompanied by two cellists and some electronic elements (”Freibad”) which create a bit of a more orchestrated feeling. The different aspects of the piano interwoven with each other give each track a more fuller feel to it, while the electronic elements gives the music more a contemporary twist to it. Many of the tracks in the album are completely improvised–tracks such as “Blue Bicycle,” “Morgenrot,” and “Nadelwald.”

The great dynamics between the piano and the rest of the instruments definitely show through his music. He is able to create different tones throughout each track, even inviting us to reminisce our own childhoods. “Blue Bicycle” has a flighty feeling to it, imaginative of when bike rides as children were recreational, something to be enjoyed. The last half of the album is more mellowed out, with a more serene tone to each track.

This is a brilliant album that amplifies itself through Hauschka’s mastery of experimenting with the piano. With a soft familiarity to Erik Satie, Yann Tiersen, and John Cage, Hauschka provokes feeling and imagery, something that is not so often found in music today.

MP3s:
Hauschka – Freibad
Hauschka – Morgenrot
Hauschka – Neuschnee

Tortoise’s new album, Beacons of Ancestorship came out on the 23rd this month. It’s been a pretty anticipated album, which can be asserted through the numerous MP3 reviews of “Prepare Your Coffin” (click here here to read ours) during the past few months.

It’s been a long way since TNT, possibly their most acclaimed album in a time where post-rock was too underground to be appreciated. The need for traditional raw instruments are almost nonexistent, something that has been said to be since the dawn of the new millennium for our ‘post-rock’ veterans. Instead, these have been replaced by synths as introduced in Standards (2001)–and lots of ‘em. Creating a more space-rock, dub heavy sentiment, Tortoise have really stuck it out with this one.

If you read our MP3 review, I mentioned that, at that point, I hadn’t listened to any Tortoise beyond TNT, an album I did enjoy immensely. If you’re a fan of Tortoise, you’ll know post-TNT, Tortoise took a turn for the more eclectic, increasingly using electronic means in their subsequent work. They became more abstract and less familiar. So unfamiliar, I would say, that it would be almost impossible to imagine that Beacons of Ancestorship and TNT were released by the same band.

Have Tortoise always been this weird?

Beacons of Ancestorship is probably one of the most schizophrenic albums I have ever listened to. While it has its consistent elements in terms of instrumentation, I can’t even think of how it could be summed up as a whole. Rhythms are intertwined in each track, coming off as awry, but strangely enjoyable. Some tracks present a traditional melody, others have no apparent melodies at all.

“High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” is the first and longest track of the album, closing in on a little more than eight minutes. Some first tracks help a listener brace themselves for the rest of the album. I’m not even sure if this track does that. It implements all of Beacons of Ancestorship–dense and distorted space synths reminiscent of Frank Zappa, with constant changing melodies and rhythms. It’s heavily progressive in nature, too much to handle at first.

Then it rushes into “Prepare Your Coffin,” probably the most normal song in the entire album, if only in that it regresses into a more conventional rock sound than the rest of the album. You think you’ve got used to the sound…it’s starting to sound pretty normal–and then, “Northern Somethings” hits you. In its two and a half minutes of life, it is already capable of–to go back to elementary school terms–smooshing the shit out of my brain with its annoying melody that sounds like a bunch of aliens having an orgy that isn’t very enjoyable. It seems, however, that “North Somethings” seemed to brace me for the rest of the album better. It just keeps getting stranger and stranger from here.

Yes, while some tracks can manage keeping a tune, they still reek of some sort of strangeness, whether it be the eclectic tone, messed up rhythms, or seemingly imperfectly weaved instrumentation.

Each song seems to represent a different style altogether, making the album seem more inconsistent as a whole. One song may be more apparently dub (”Monument Six One Thousand”), another may be reminiscent of old 80s Brit punk with an electronic element (”Yinxianghechengqi”), and another may sound like it could have come off a Western movie soundtrack (”The Fall of Seven Diamonds Plus One”). Different sounds are just scattered throughout this album, with the only backbone probably being that inconsistency is the key.

I think that it just needs to be accepted that you can’t find any certain regularity throughout this album in order for it to be appreciated for what it is. Overall, it is a pretty good album with interesting traits that cannot be wholly ignored. Perhaps that is the beauty of Tortoise, after all.

MP3s:
Tortoise – Prepare Your Coffin
Tortoise – Minors

Tortoise’s new album, Beacons of Ancestorship will be out in two weeks. While we wait, “Prepare Your Coffin” has been circulating around getting some reception from critics and fans. For fans, Beacons of Ancestorship is probably long-awaited, as Tortoise hasn’t been releasing any original material since 2004’s It’s All Around You. They did release a covers and compilation album set in 2006.

I have to say off the bat that I haven’t listened to any Tortoise material outside of TNT (1998) from a friend’s recommendation. It’s a pretty good album, but I’m not sure why I was never compelled to listen to the rest of their discography. However, “Prepare Your Coffin” has definitely encouraged me to check out more of their stuff, and I will be reviewing Beacons of Ancestorship when it gets out.

When I first heard “Prepare Your Coffin,” it reminded me a lot of Camel and Frank Zappa. It honestly has that corny 80s feel to it, when artists liked to play around with space ambience. It’s quite the heretic to post-rock conventions, sounding more like the background music to some Final Fantasy (or some old Sega Genesis game) fight scene. I can totally picture playing Double Dragon to this song. This track also is unconventional to what I know of Tortoise through TNT, but I’m not sure how valid that statement is in context to their sound as a whole (i.e. other albums). TNT is heavily jazz-influenced, having a sameness to Do Make Say Think. In fact, it would be hard to even classify “Prepare Your Coffin” as post-rock; I would say it’s very progressive in nature.

It’s a pretty good song that is reminiscent of Camel’s older material, and I’m a huge fan of Camel. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the album turns out.

MP3:
Tortoise – Prepare Your Coffin