Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tulus - Biography Obscene
Tulus are a black-metal group from Norway. The band released three albums since their inception in 1991, before slowly evolving into the band Khold -- which broke up in 2006, so Tulus "reformed" and came out with their latest in 2007, 'Biography Obscene'. The band is a three piece, but I'm not sure if they lost/gained a member after the Khold breakup.
I got into 'Biography Obscene' by great chance, randomly spotting/taking interest to the album cover. For a three-piece, they're one of the more aggressive BM bands I've heard -- both in playing-style and production; the singer sounds clear, the guitar opts for heavy riffing as much as it does ambiance, and the drums, while not any huge detour in BM, largely maintains the BM-vibes and keeps things rolling.
Where this album differs from most BM, is the steady additions of other instruments, but not in that "melodic-BM" cookie-cutter way; the early half of the album sprinkles in a lot of piano/organ, while the latter half sticks its head down the rabbit hole with some unique-sounding horned instruments -- giving select tracks a jazz accompaniment to their sound. Tulus manage (in maybe one or two songs) to present some interesting out of place riffs (which truthfully could splice into a hair-metal song) in the otherwise familiar dark-atmosphere, that somehow transcends 'Biography Obscene' into its own carving and brand of BM. The crazy part, then, is that it works.
If you're tired of your BM coming from a well, frost-bitten and all, but boring -- see what Norway's Tulus have to offer. Really diverse/interesting album.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
MYERS - MYERS aka SWITCH Collection
MYERS is a friend of mine from the myspace heyday, dude from El Paso who was making beats in his spare time for solo work and other peeps. I would check back on his stuff now and again, so he hooked me up proper with a collection of his stuff, 'MYERS aka SWITCH Collection'. I've had this for probably two years -- relistened to it again a few days ago and asked MYERS if it would be cool to host it (he said yeah obviously, he's cool like that).
Standouts for me include his sampling of Bright Eyes' "Sunrise, Sunset", or the Winkie chant from Wizard of Oz (notably used on the "KGB" song from Binary Star), but overall just a solid listen.
Keep tabs and show support.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Withdrawal - The Perfectionist Blacklist
Scoured the internet to bring you these faces.Here's a gem. This group from Cali (or maybe Portland?) spent 20 months in the studio to make their one and only release, 'The Perfectionist Blacklist' in 2006. Describing this album is kind of difficult, because it covers a wide range of styles/moods, but I'd say it's an experimental-punk/rock amalgamation.
At the forefront of their unique sound, was their vocalist Jason Dodge, who at will could switch from the band's mellow intricacies to flat-out belting the song forward. Dodge's voice may come as an acquired taste (took myself one or two listens to fully-appreciate), as sometimes his wailing can work against him in the context of the song -- but overall, pretty unique. All of the musicians are talented though -- really enjoyed some of the drummer's input.
Sometimes this band could linger around simply "decent" (like the opening song, probably the weakest of the tracks) but when they're on -- tracks like "Oil & Water", "I, Claudius", and my personal favorite/album closer "The Struggle", they could be downright savage.
Highly recommend checking this out, especially since the album has become almost non-existent on disc/the interwebs. And cuz, yanno, it's pretty good.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
An Emerald City - EP
Cool band from New Zealand I stumbled across -- been trying to find their full-length 'Circa Scaria' to give them a proper listen.
I have a four song self-titled EP from them, cool post-rock/world vibes, mixed with the occasional electronic turn. The last song "A Question" has been stuck in my head, tight track.
Wish I had more to share, but that's all I know...
Enjoy.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Yura Yura Teikoku - 3x3x3
Yura Yura Teikoku are a recent discovery for me. The band began as a 4-piece in 1989 (one guitar-player left early in their career), earning a cult following in the KÅenji music scene (the supposed birth-place of punk in Japan) with their spastic performances. Spearheaded by singer/guitarist Sakamoto Shintaro, who would shave off his eyebrows and wear his waist-length hair parted down the center like traditional Japanese ghost-caricatures, the band earned a name in the underground as a bombastic psych-freakout with essential live performances.
The band continued to gain popularity in Japan, so much so that word of the band has remained almost none-existent outside Japan; Yura Yura Teikoku played their first gig-abroad in 2005, in New York.
I've been on a mad hunt for their material, specifically their indie releases prior to this post, or before their first "official" and acclaimed debut in 1998, '3x3x3'. The band has retained their spastic qualities, only more integrated into a surf-sounding dynamic, constantly pushing the boundries on later releases of experimental pop...which to be honest, in the few others I've heard, has been hit-or-miss.
Yura Yura Teikoku (translated as "Unbalanced/Floating Empire") started from scratch with their live show, which still seems their most revered quality. If anyone has/can find their work like 'Are You Ra?', which (apparently) is more representitive of their live sound, I'd def appreciate it.
All that said, their major-label debut, '3x3x3' is good stuff. Sakamoto Shintaro seems skilled enough on guitar to switch styles at will, and the songs reflect it. The bass-player finds some tight grooves, and the drummer, while not technically amazing, is a large part of the band's eclectic sound.
If you're interested in hunting down more of their recent work, their album 'Sweet Spot' is pretty interesting, too. And I couldn't talk-up their live show without a vid, so here's a badass show around 2001...now just imagine ten years prior with undoubtedly more freak-out.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Otograph - Dive into Pixeljunk Monsters
Otograph are a duo from Japan. Takashi Iura and Sachiyo Oshima began as electronic/visual-art performers, eventually incorporating their vivid soundscapes into other areas of visual entertainment such as film and video games.
My introduction to the group came from a downloadable PS3 game, Pixeljunk Monsters. Otograph did completely original music for the game, employing their airy and ethereal form of keyboard-driven electronics. Being that the game is a form of the old tower-defense games, it demanded precision of tower placement, which towers to use, when/what to upgrade...which could lead to assume carried hours of difficulty and unwanted stress.
Just keep humming, just keep humming...FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHBut, both as a testament to the creators/artists of the game itself, and especially to Otograph, no matter what odds stacked against you, the motivation was there to complete what was before you. I can recall countless sessions of my poor, helpess villagers on the verge of getting laid to waste, all-while humming along to the friendly and charismatic work of Otograph.
Perfects on every level, son.Even if unfamiliar with the game, 'Dive into Pixeljunk Monsters' should offer a peaceful and enjoyable summer listen. Dissecting any one song will reveal their lush simplicity, but as you'll discover track-to-track, Otograph did a great job of mapping-out unique and interesting vibes throughout the course of the game/album. And truly are the reason you won't want to pull out your hair 70% through the game.
Upon getting this album the disclaimer asked to do with this as you wished, but also requested no sharing, so hopefully my loyalty to the Pixeljunk series/spreading the word is enough; if you have a PS3 though, the game is a no-brainer, and with the score by Otograph a slight $3, I figured it deserves a wider audience.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
