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