08/15 – 08/19:

+++ (Crosses), EP+

This is a new band from Chino Moreno from Deftones and Shaun Lopez from Far. Chino’s love of bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure is evident here, but this material is actually less an homage to that era than his previous non-Deftones project, Team Sleep. Spooky and atmospheric, this short burst of music is pretty entertaining stuff. The group released it for free download, which you can get here.

+++, “This Is A Trick”



Kool Keith & TomC3, Project Polaroid

2006 was a big year for Kool Keith. He released an album as the sinister space man Mr. Nogatco, the highly controversial Return of Dr. Octagon came out, he participated in the collaborative project The 7th Veil, and he teamed with TOMC3 to release Project Polaroid. All the projects have merit, even the Dr. Octagon one, but Project Polaroid was easily the standout. It’s one of the strongest things Keith has done in recent memory. TOM’s production is varied and surprising, and Keith seems more interesting in writing than he has in ages. It’s got samples from what sounds like a Stark Trek read-along record and the movie One Hour Photo, and raps about hanging out with basically every famous person ever. It’s a lot of fun.

Project Polaroid, “Talk To The Romans”



Soilwork, A Predator's Portrait

Soilwork’s 3rd album was a turning point, the moment they began to find their own sound. Still heavier by and large than later releases, it really upped the melodic content of their music, and the keyboards found a lot more to do in building mood and supplying texture. It’s a little slower than their previous breakneck, At the Gates-inspired sound, but still pretty fast on the whole. I’d say their finest hour was the next album, Natural Born Chaos, but this is easily the next-best thing.

Soilwork, “Like The Average Stalker”



Down, Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow

Down, a sort of metal supergroup featuring members of Pantera, Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity, but the music they make is more in the classic metal tradition of Black Sabbath. More of an evil blues sound than what you’d think of as “metal” in this day and age. And it’s a great sound, clearly brought to life by people who love what they’re doing. They wrote & recorded this album sequestered in a barn for a month, and every image that conjures is represented here. The music feels loose, light (or as light as music with dark themes can feel), earthy and fun.

Down, “There’s Something On My Side”


Tig Notaro, Good One

A comedy album! They happen sometimes. I really like Tig Notaro, and this album doesn’t disappoint. Her laid back, intimate delivery makes the stories she tells feel more like hanging out at a friend’s house than watching a show... except that you happen to have a really funny friend. This album does have its drawbacks, though, or drawback, I should say: pantomime. Inevitable in a comedy show, this set seems pretty heavy on things you have to see to be on CD. Bits that include setups like, “I just picture walking into the bathroom and seeing this:......” or “The video shows me going like this:.....” several times leave the poor listener wondering what everyone’s laughing at. Luckily, most of the material manages ot be very funny in spite of this. She begins with several quick bits before settling into her infamous 15 minute Taylor Dane story and then doing a just-as-long bit with audience participation. It’s a great set.

Tig Notaro, “No Moleste”



...And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead, So Divided

Trail of Dead two weeks in a row. How about that? This is the record where things got a little too out there. Really pretentious, really scatterbrained. Almost seems like every song could be from a different album. And yet, a lot of the songs are pretty good! The somber title track, the bizarrely Cure-sounding “Sunken Dreams,” the searing “Stand In Silence”... The out there stuff can be pretty good, too, as on “Naked Sun,” a simple rocker, or the Beatles-esque “Eight Day Hell,” where you could almost be listening to another band. But that kind of constant stylistic shift makes this album seem so unfocused and haphazard. One of the few records that might work better as singles than as a whole.

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead, “So Divided”


Yup.
---D