04/23 – 04/27:

Meshuggah, Koloss

Since last we heard from Meshuggah, a whole thing has sprung up trying to turn them into a genre called “djent.” It’s really dumb. The perfectly synced stop-start guitars & drums and palm mutes that Meshuggah favors these days sound cool, sure, but it’s hardly enough to build a genre out of. And, on the other hand, most of the bands don’t actually sound like Meshuggah, they just have songs with parts that sound like Meshuggah, which makes the whole thing even flimsier.

But Meshuggah have changed a lot over the years, themselves, and the band that currently sounds like a factory designed to produce flawless heavy metal is back, making it clear that there’s only one band in their genre. Koloss is definitely of a piece with previous album obZen, maintaining its unrelenting assault, but adding a surprising amount of groove. It doesn’t have anything as fast as “Combustion” or “Bleed” from that album (Though “The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance” and “The Hurt That Finds you First” will still get your blood pumping), but I think it has a greater coherence from front to back. Like obZen, Koloss might seem simpler than past efforts at first, but while the increasingly weird experimentation of their 2000s work is mostly gone, it’s replaced with songs where the trick isn’t necessarily inventing a new way to play so much as making more familiar song forms fit that strange Meshuggah sound. The jagged guitar parts and odd pattern of the drums on “Marrow,” “Break Those Bones Whose Sinew Gave It Motion” or “Swarm” recall the Meshuggah of the 90s, but never simply return to the style they played at the time. The aforementioned new focus on groove is an interesting experiment itself. “Do Not Look Down” has a groove bordering on funky, even, yet still sounds like Meshuggah. The 6-minute “Demiurge” adds spooky atmospherics to the mix, while instrumental closer “The Last Vigil” lives up to its name, a surprisingly quiet, reflective piece more about atmosphere than song. There are so many new sounds to take in. The band continues to find new ways to expand on their sound, to find new layers and paths within it, without ever really changing it. It’s a difficult balancing act, but they pull it off. Accept no substitutes.

Meshuggah, “Do Not Look Down”

Paul Weller, Sonik Kicks

In recent years, Paul Weller has alternated between more straightforward rock records and more experimental albums. Previous offering Wake Up The Nation was a rocking call to action, but its predecessor, 22 Dreams, was almost a different style of music for every track, and it was preceded by his first rock album in several years, As Is Now. so that puts Sonik Kicks on track to be a bit more loose and experimental, and lo, it is. While it has straight up rockers like “Kling I Klang!,” and”Around The Lake,” most of its running time is made up of tracks with a little bit more spirit of adventure. Electronics find their way into his music for the first time of significance since the latter days of The Style Council, he experiments with dance rock and dub, there’s a Middle Eastern flavor to “Driftiers,” and there are a few ballads in a classic Weller mode. But while the stylistic variety of 22 Dreams gave it an unwieldy sprawl that was hard to appreciate all together, Sonik Kicks is remarkably focused for all its flights of fancy. This complete feeling is helped along by some songs that flow into each other or odd little interludes. It doesn’t take much, but it makes a big difference, as the album is so much more fluid and a really enjoyable listen from start to finish. Weller has experienced something of a Renaissance in the 2000s (the 3rd?... 4th?... of his career, even), and Sonik Kicks may be the best album of this period.

Paul Weller, “Drifters”

Sharon Van Etten, Tramp

Sharon Van Etten’s apparently been doing it for years, but I am just getting on the bandwagon here. Seems like a pretty good place to climb aboard. This album’s thoughtful, vulnerable tone is almost hypnotic, reeling you in deeper with each subsequent song. It reminds me in places of PJ Harvey, post-new wave 80s “alternative,” folksy singer-songwriter fare and more as it unwinds its running time, but it manages to shift very subtly from song to song and sound to sound, creating a true album experience in a music world where that’s becoming a lost art. The introspective, forlorn “Give Out” makes way for the album’s only real rocker in “Serpents,” which is in turn followed by the stripped down ballad “Kevin’s,” but it all feels of a piece and unified. It’s a great record.

Sharon Van Etten, “Give Out”

There you go.

--D

04/16 – 04/20:

Boy Crisis, Tulipomania

Once upon a time, the future Kool AD of Das Racist almost made his way into the mainstream music biz as the singer for a dance-rock band called Boy Crisis. Founded at the same art college where he met his Das Racist co-conspirator Heems, Boy Crisis has the sound of a band like, say, Franz Ferdinand, but even then, Victor’s lyrics were humorous and unique, and really make the group stand out. Their record deal never quite worked out, and Victor ended up being a rapper, but for awhile there, things were looking very different for him.

Boy Crisis, “The Fountain of Youth”

The Dead Weather, Horehound

This album sounds like a bunch of friends playing music for fun. In the best way possible. That those friends happen to be from  lot of famous bands isn’t really the important thing, though it was certainly what got the band its hype. Its sloppy, fuzzed out, swaggering, blues-drenched romps hit me right between the eyes. It’s not revolutionary, it’s not cutting edge, it’s just a great time. It’s got more attitude and visceral appeal than any of the bands its members hail from, frankly. I never noticed... never even considered... how risque Bob Dylan’s “New Pony” was until I heard Allison Mossheart sing it. It’s one of the most fun albums I’ve heard in years.

The Dead Weather, “Treat Me Like Your Mother”

Mastodon, Leviathan

Mastodon’s second album is, I gather, many fans’ favorite. But for whatever reason, it’s never been mine. Opener “Blood & Thunder” is undeniably one of the very best Mastodon songs ever made. It’s on the strength of that song that I always put it on. “That song is awesome, surely I’ll want to hear this.” But somewhere in its running time, my attention always seems to wander off. Even the instrumental noodling that tended to crop up on their proper debut, Remission, never failed to keep me engaged. I can’t really explain it. I offer no defense, Mastodon fans, feel free to hate on me. I like it ok, but it’s just not as visceral as Remission or as experimental as Blood Mountain.

Mastodon, “Blood & Thunder”

God Forbid, Equilibrium

God Forbid’s 6th album is sort of a new start for the band. Founder Dallas Coyle left, replaced by Matt Wicklund from Himsa. Matt brings some new ideas to the group, and the result is an album that still sounds very much like God Forbid, but tries some new things, too. Fickle people cried foul, and worse “djent,” over album opener “Don’t Tell Me What To Dream.” Claims to “djentness” are exaggerated, but it does represent the first of many new approaches on the album. Dallas taking his half of the clean vocal harmonies he created with his brother, Doc, out of the mix is noted, but not only does Doc still provide clean vocals, traditionally growling frontman Byron Davis adds some clean vocals to his repertoire, as well. He hasn’t abandoned his more aggressive style, just switched it up some, and the results are a big success. The most striking departure on the album, which seems to have gotten oddly little press, is its overwhelming positivity and spirituality. Far from being Christian metal or anything, Equilibrium nevertheless does add some words of encouragement and references to a higher power that may surprise people. God Forbid has never sounded stale, has never made an album that wasn’t worthy of their legacy, but even so, they sound revitalized on Equilibrium.

God Forbid, “Where We Come From”

There you go.

--D

04/09 – 04/13:

Veil of Maya, Eclipse

I wasn’t too keen on the last album by this band, [id]. It mostly seemed like a retread of 2nd album The Common Man’s Collapse. The songs sounded really same-y and familiar, and while it had a few nice moments, I was worried that I was done with this group. Eclipse, then, is a welcome surprise, expanding on their strengths, showing positive growth, and really destroying everything in its path. It’s an all-out assault on the senses for 28 brief minutes, but that’s not all it is. These songs find the band really upping their songwriting game, exploring more coherent compositions without compromising anything that made their sound their own. They’ve infused their work with a little more melody this time out, especially in the instrumental title track, but the unbelievable guitar pyrotechnics and seemingly impossible drumming are still in full effect. The most amusing moment comes near the end of “Punisher,” where a sample of a youtube user making fun of Periphery’s guitar sound is answered by Veil of Maya playing his impression of them. With Periphery’s Misha Mansoor at the boards producing, that’s even more humorous. Eclipse was a welcome surprise, and has become one of my most-listened albums in the intervening weeks.

Veil of Maya, “Punisher”

Every Time I Die, Ex-Lives

In the realm of aggressive music, it’s pretty well understood that most bands are either going to call it quits or mellow out, often pretty fast. I don’t blame them, either. Playing intense, crazy music to people going completely insane every night, the singer screaming himself hoarse... that just can’t go on forever (Unless you’re Slayer). So Every Time I Die is an interesting anomaly, indeed, as they seem to be getting only more extreme with age. A few years ago, 4th album The Big Dirty seemed to hint at a blueprint for the band’s mellowing future: leaning more heavily on the more Southern Rock aspects of their sound, with singer Keith Buckley relying more on clean vocals. It would’ve been a natural transition to continue making good, but different music.

Instead, 2009’s New Junk Aesthetic found them roaring back with renewed intensity, and now Ex-Lives takes them to dizzying new heights of speed and aggression. Ex-Lives is the most uncompromising explosion of aggression they’ve ever issued by far. New drummer Legs Leger’s first time recording with the band is a revelation, and seems to have energized the band completely, and the return of longtime bassist Steve Miccichie to join stalwart guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams is welcome.

A signature element of ETID’s popularity has been Keith’s unique, literate, often hilarious lyrics. The lyric sheet for this record are an honest, personal response to feelings of isolation and sadness while on tour with his side project, supergroup The Damned Things. As a result, there’s not a whole lot of laughs this time, and the darkened feel of the lyrics compliments the brutal music. But it’s not all just an abusive wall of sound. One of the album’s darkest hours comes in the relatively radio friendly “Revival Sickness.” A lively banjo lead creates a memorable moment, and closer “Indian Giver” has an atmospheric approach that is new territory for the band. Ratcheting up the intensity hasn’t stopped them from finding new ways to play. And the results are maybe the best album Every Time I Die has ever made.

Every Time I Die, “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space”

Ava Luna, Ice Level

A few months ago I talked about Ava Luna’s disappointing 2nd EP and said I hoped this album would right their course. Oh boy, did it. The more seductive, groovy sound of their first EP returns, but tempered with some of the complexity they were trying for on 3rd Avenue Island. Ice Level gives the female vocalists more of the spotlight while combining some pretty undeniable, complicated drum patterns, a little more noise and a lot of soul into an album that flies by and fairly cries out for a replay. For my money, the back-to-back power of the slow burning “Stages,” the super funky “Wrenning Day,” and the infinitely catchy “Sequential Holdings” make up the albums backbone, but there’s not a bad song on the all-too-brief set.

Ava Luna, “Wrenning Day”

 

Skatalites, Ball of Fire

Skatalites may not be a household name, but they should be. With a membership made of many musicians who had been influential in Jamaica separately, The Skatalites were one of the earliest ska groups in the late 50s and early 60s, and played on records that helped popularize reggae outside of Jamaica. Their reach is substantial, but somehow fame never came with it. A big part of this is they often weren’t billed as a group, but simply served as the backing band for a single performer, often one of their own ranks. As The Skatalites, they released comparatively little material, making collecting their early work pretty challening. But famous or not, their influence has endured, and the rather inexplicable ska/punk revival of the 90s brought them attention from a whole new generation. Mine, as it turns out. For some one who really got into “ska” with the 3rd wave, which amounts to little more than punk rock bands with horns, being introduced to The Skatalites was a real eye opener. I fell in love instantly, and it was this record that did the job. By the time of its recording, most original members (Or even 2nd generation members) had retired or died, but the band just kept recruiting top musicians and recording and touring.

Ball of Fire finds the band reworking many of their early classics (And the James Bond theme) into the instrumental, improvisational style that has become their trademark, so it serves as a sort of greatest hits, but not. Some of the songs are altered so considerably that the work really stands on its own. It’s impossible to ignore. The music will get you moving whether you like it or not. And I like it a lot.

Skatalites, “Latin Goes Ska”

Sharon Van Etten, Tramp

Sharon Van Etten’s apparently been doing it for years, but I am just getting on the bandwagon here. Seems like a pretty good place to climb aboard. This album’s thoughtful, vulnerable tone is almost hypnotic, reeling you in deeper with each subsequent song. It reminds me in places of PJ Harvey, post-new wave 80s “alternative,” folksy singer-songwriter fare and more as it unwinds its running time, but it manages to shift very subtly from song to song and sound to sound, creating a true album experience in a music world where that’s becoming a lost art. The introspective, forlorn “Give Out” makes way for the album’s only real rocker in “Serpents,” which is in turn followed by the stripped down ballad “Kevin’s,” but it all feels of a piece and unified. It’s a great record.

Sharon Van Etten, “Give Out”

There you go.

--D

04/02 – 04/06:

Every Time I Die, Ex-Lives

In the realm of aggressive music, it’s pretty well understood that most bands are either going to call it quits or mellow out, often pretty fast. I don’t blame them, either. Playing intense, crazy music to people going completely insane every night, the singer screaming himself hoarse... that just can’t go on forever (Unless you’re Slayer). So Every Time I Die is an interesting anomaly, indeed, as they seem to be getting only more extreme with age. A few years ago, 4th album The Big Dirty seemed to hint at a blueprint for the band’s mellowing future: leaning more heavily on the more Southern Rock aspects of their sound, with singer Keith Buckley relying more on clean vocals. It would’ve been a natural transition to continue making good, but different music.

Instead, 2009’s New Junk Aesthetic found them roaring back with renewed intensity, and now Ex-Lives takes them to dizzying new heights of speed and aggression. Ex-Lives is the most uncompromising explosion of aggression they’ve ever issued by far. New drummer Legs Leger’s first time recording with the band is a revelation, and seems to have energized the band completely, and the return of longtime bassist Steve Miccichie to join stalwart guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams is welcome.

A signature element of ETID’s popularity has been Keith’s unique, literate, often hilarious lyrics. The lyric sheet for this record are an honest, personal response to feelings of isolation and sadness while on tour with his side project, supergroup The Damned Things. As a result, there’s not a whole lot of laughs this time, and the darkened feel of the lyrics compliments the brutal music. But it’s not all just an abusive wall of sound. One of the album’s darkest hours comes in the relatively radio friendly “Revival Sickness.” A lively banjo lead creates a memorable moment, and closer “Indian Giver” has an atmospheric approach that is new territory for the band. Ratcheting up the intensity hasn’t stopped them from finding new ways to play. And the results are maybe the best album Every Time I Die has ever made.

Every Time I Die, “Underwater Bimbos From Outer Space”

Ava Luna, Ice Level

A few months ago I talked about Ava Luna’s disappointing 2nd EP and said I hoped this album would right their course. Oh boy, did it. The more seductive, groovy sound of their first EP returns, but tempered with some of the complexity they were trying for on 3rd Avenue Island. Ice Level gives the female vocalists more of the spotlight while combining some pretty undeniable, complicated drum patterns, a little more noise and a lot of soul into an album that flies by and fairly cries out for a replay. For my money, the back-to-back power of the slow burning “Stages,” the super funky “Wrenning Day,” and the infinitely catchy “Sequential Holdings” make up the albums backbone, but there’s not a bad song on the all-too-brief set.

Ava Luna, “Wrenning Day”

Now, Now, Threads

It’s been awhile since Now, Now Every Children’s first full-length, Cars. Since then, they’ve had record label woes, dropped half their band name, gotten signed by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, and released a tantalizing EP called Neighbors. And Threads makes good on the promises of that EP. The band’s sound is fuller now than before the name change, more polished and refined, but the dream-like atmosphere and ambiguous lyrics that allow you to get lost in their songs, coupled with occasional exhilarating bursts of speed, the factors that made me a fan, are still firmly in place. Now, Now has really stepped up their game in the last couple of years, and I’m really pleased to hear the results.

Now, Now, “Thread”

Big KRIT, 4evaNaday mixtape

Prolific, difficult-to-categorize Mississippi rapper Big KRIT’s latest free mixtape is, as usual, filled with the kind of high quality material other rappers would save for a retail album. KRIT presents a level of diversity in terms of sound and subject matter pretty much rivaled by no one, especially in the South. The album begins with a few somber, introspective songs about struggle and loss before transitioning into more upbeat fare. There’s something for everyone here. You want real emotion in your hip hop? Done. You want just fun, high energy songs you can play at a party? Done. You want old school songs? Done. You want songs that revel in the now? Done. You want conscious rap? Done. You want sex rap? Done. And all of this for free. You really can’t go wrong. Get it here.

Big KRIT, “1986”

There you go.

--D