ORION AURALIA

Over the next few days I plan to present an assortment of mini-reviews on some really pretty great albums that have released this year to not nearly enough notice and/or acclaim. Note that I won’t be presenting with download links and in a slightly different format to my normal articles because of the volume of upload it would take (and because I’m way lazy). It seems a huge shame for people to miss out on some great tunes because of overshadowing, so I hope this series will encourage fellow music-afficionados to themselves dig a little deeper in their exploratory missions. Regardless of all that, here’s a couple delivered on a silver platter…

RAEIN - SULLA LINEA d’ORIZZONTE TRA QUESTA MIA VITA E QUELLA DI TUTTI

Genre; Screamo/Emo/Hardcore

Release: June 2011

*Raein - Nirvana*

Raein are a personal victory for me. Being Italian, I’ve spent years scouring for a contemporary and exciting Italian band to no avail. Finally, with the release of ‘Sulla Linea’ I have accomplished what I was beginning to suspect impossible. This screamo/hardcore band from Forli put great emphasis on melancholia in their music - between the dissonant guitars and soulful moans a clear picture is painted of such emotion. Its always fantastic to discover unique bands that aren’t mass produced under the hood of the United States, and Raein is a notable example. ‘Sulla Linea’ is shrill, potent, and truly the essence of a genre that is far too easily disregarded just by name nowadays, when instead it should be celebrated for its take on the tired-out stems of punk. 

AUSTIN PERALTA - ENDLESS PLANETS

Genre; Free Jazz/Contemporary Jazz/Nu-Jazz

Release: February 2011

*Austin Peralta - Capricornus*

When Brainfeeder Records are mentioned to anyone who’ve heard of them, the mind leaps to the glitch-y, jazz-y electronica produced by owner Flying Lotus (and fellow artists Teebs, Thundercat, Samiyam etc). So to my surprise, this release is almost indistinguishably a Brainfeeder record. Austin Peralta is a purely free jazz artist with a focus on winding and technical piano work and somber saxophone. The track above, ‘Capricornus’, is the most upbeat moment on the album that showcases Peralta’s abilities to energise and enthrall. At only seven tracks, this album still packs in an undeniably powerful 40 minutes that jazz has the benefit of being able to do so exclusively well. A contemporary miracle.

The People’s Temple - Sons Of Stone

Genre; Garage Rock/Psych Rock/Surf Rock

Release: May 2011

*The People’s Temple - Led As One (Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum)*

Stumbling across this record for the first time sure was a shock. The People’s Temple have put out an album that sincerely feels like it doesn’t belong in this this decade, but rather back in the 1960’s. A culmination of distortion, fuzz, echoed harmonies, and 60’s musical sensibilities make The People’s Temple come across very much exactly like The Rolling Stones or The Stooges in points on Sons Of Stone, and it’s really pretty brilliant. The band is unpretentious and almost-too-genuine-sounding to believe, a truly enjoyable album to listen to over and over. Furthermore, highly recommended for throwing in the face of the people who are stuck in the Hendrix-era and say that “no good music is made anymore”. Can’t stand those people. 

Hail Mary Mallon - Are You Gonna Eat That?

Genre; Hip Hop/Rap/Underground Hip Hop

Release: May 2011

*Hail Mary Mallon - Meter Feeder*

Hail Mary Mallon is the collaborative effort of hipster-hop king Aesop Rock and his ‘None Shall Pass-contributer’ companion Rob Sonic. It’s also everything you should expect from such a pairing. The duo slip and slide between each other’s verses fluidly, spitting out bars upon bars. The big difference between this record and your usual Aesop affair is clearly the production. In past, songs from these MCs were fleshed out with smooth grooves and very sample-heavy, whereas here it’s almost as though you’re listening to a series of tracks that are mutated and grotesque. The songs on Hail Mary Mallon are stripped way back and the sampling is almost all of disturbing human interactions. I’ll be honest, it took some getting used to how very dirty this record really is, but once it clicks it’s almost as though you’re hearing a whole new side to these two that’s been left untapped over the years.

End of part one. More to follow.

Apollo Brown - Clouds

Release: February 2011

Mellow Music Group

Genre; Instrumental Hip Hop/Hip Hop/Electronica

Apollo Brown is not in much of the same league of popularity of some other hip hop producers (J Dilla, Madlib etc.), but his work is often compared to these legends of the field. This bodes well for his newest release, Clouds, which is a twenty eight track instrumental hip hop odyssey that obviously takes structural cues from Jay Dee’s Donuts as a record. The similarities found between Apollo Brown and his contemporaries really stop at a cosmetic point though, because the music itself is an entirely different animal.

Apollo Brown’s style is a far cry from the music of the Slum Village, or even his self-named inspirations (Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr). The grime and dirt found in a lot of hip hop to add to it’s character is wiped clean on Clouds, instead going for an aesthetic that relates much closer to the album’s namesake and cover art. The tracks on this album are float-y and light, even opening on a distinctly un-hip hop, acoustic number that promotes peace and relaxation - something that I think is safe to assume no one would say about any Wu-Tang material. This beatmaker’s skill is based in the warm grooves that make instrumental hip hop so different to its vocal brother, and the ability to flesh out more complex emotional associations to the music instead of having a message hand fed to listeners through lyrical delivery.

That said, there are a few instances of vocals on Clouds and they’re not all that unwelcome. ‘Shoot The Heart’ and ‘Drinking Life’ are more-so sampling than a fully fledged guest vocalist but it really adds a different spin on the album than the rest of the tracks. I wish it had been attempted to a bigger degree, because although working fine as a focused instrumental release Clouds could’ve really come alive with some well-realised guest spots. Aside from the lyrical songs though, it’s difficult to pick out tracks to highlight for their merits on a release like Clouds because of their short length and large quantity. On the other hand, to do so would border undermining the idea of a record made in the fashion Apollo Brown has done so. The pulse of each of these ~2 minute tracks is crucial to this style, once again trading in a type of “flow” found in hip hop for another altogether.

Nevertheless an album like Clouds is difficult to pick up and play whether on the go or in private, because bar investing an entire hour into listening to it from front to back, it isn’t easy to start from any random track or just listen to a fraction of the record. The songs really only work as a collective, because as individuals they’d only serve to be glorified interludes. Though J Dilla’s Donuts, which I hesitantly bring up again for comparison, is widely praised regardless (or perhaps because of?) of the fact that it too is a large collection of tracks that rarely breach the two minute mark, my main problem with any albums like this is that as a listener you almost don’t get enough commitment from the artist per song. The musicianship is fantastic, but when you only get 1 or 2 minutes of appreciation of said musicianship it can sometimes feel like a waste of attention.

Clouds is very much a record to soothe a mind. The tempo rarely goes high enough to excite at all, and many of the tracks feature benchmarks of relaxation - such as the crackle of radio static or a lounge piano - but it puts on enough of an edge to be more than just background music. I strongly believe Apollo Brown deserves a much bigger audience than he’s currently gathered, his skills are clearly recognisable and yes, even harken to some seriously talented individuals that came before him… but I won’t say which ones.

Rating: 7.9/10

Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies

Release: June 2011

Be Happy

Genre; Math Rock/Emo/Alt Rock

Flying still pretty reasonably under the radar, Algernon Cadwallader is a Philadelphia band with an annoying-to-remember name, and an unfaltering spirit. Parrot Flies is their third release to date, continuing their brand of jaggedy math rock a step further from their highly appreciated last release; ‘Some Kind Of Cadwallader’. It’s no question that these guys are brimming with energy, and Parrot Flies is an eleven track series of feel-gooderies that hits like a ton of bricks. Definitely a release out of the left-field, it screams for people to take notice of it.

First thing you’ll notice about the record is that it is relatively short, only the opener and closing tracks breaching the five minute mark and all the middle songs sitting comfortably on around two or three. This is a great reflection on the music itself, a bubbly escapade into math rhythms and riffs for people with attention spans on the lighter side. That’s not to say its a detriment to the music, if anything the calculated noise of the guitars and drums works much better in smaller doses, as evident in album namesake ‘Parrot Flies’ as well as most of the rest of the middle tracks on the record. You’re able to get a grasp of a song (if only for a moment) and feel the groove, before it’s switched out for another high energy barrage and it sincerely feels like what the group was trying to accomplish with this album. Another huge merit to Algernon Cadwallader with this effort is that the pulse of Parrot Flies never really gives in, even on ‘Sad’ and ‘Loose Cannons’, the two moments in which the record comes closest to a “toned back” song. My only gripe is that there isn’t much variation in style on the record because of this. Every song follows from the last effortlessly, so it does tend to feel like one big lump of clay in moments, instead of anything with any semblance of structure. Definitely though, if there was one album from this year that you needed to kickstart your day, this is it.

The immediate concern any first time listener will probably have with Algernon Cadwallader is the style of singing they employ. Shouting, rather, because that’s what is happening throughout the entire album. On every single track, the sounds of almost inane and borderline mid-western emo screeches of Algernon Cadwallader’s frontman dominate. It can be off putting at first (severely so, depending on your musical disposition), but after some time with the album I’ve come to realise that it’s actually a huge benefit to their sound. There’s a surprising mixture of symmetry and contrast between the shouts and technicalities of the backing guitars that flows incredibly well in the context of Algernon Cadwallader’s records. On latter tracks on Parrot Flies the guitars are harder hitting, more visceral, and the shouting accompanies well instead of sticking out. Where as on the earlier tracks the guitar lines shimmer and gleam, so the vocals serve to create a distinctive contrast between the two elements. It might seem a little contrived to say that they work well in every single scenario on the album, but in this case they really do. You might just need to tune your ears a little to wrap your head around it.

Having no prior experience with the band, I didn’t give my full attention to Parrot Flies in the few times I saw it mentioned around release. Not to mention it was on the tail end of a series of other huge releases, so it isn’t in nearly a defined enough position on 2011’s musical timeline to stand out. Luckily, the album does everything else it possibly can to be noticed. By being so distinctive and wholly enjoyable in it’s vibrancy, it’s difficult not to notice if you give even just one track a chance. I would recommend taking that chance.

Rating: 8.1/10

Note: Please take notice that all the tracks in the first leak of this EP were mislabelled and in the wrong order. My upload has the correct tagging, but if you wish to change them yourselves/double check: go to amazon.com and compare the song length tags on their previews with the files in your library.

TOKiMONSTA - Creature Dreams

Release: May 2011

Brainfeeder

Genre; Electronica/Glitch/Instrumental Hip Hop

Brainfeeder Records certainly knows its type. Los Angeles-born TOKiMONSTA shares her (a gender inflection that happens all too little in this genre) place on the label with the likes of Teebs, Daedelus, Flying Lotus and Mr. Ozio to name a few. I can assure you that if any of those names are a style you like, TOKiMONSTA will be right up your alley. Creature Dreams is yet another record based on the foundation of electronica music made at/for night-time, but with an injection of rich, glitchy textures and catchy grooves that make TOKiMONSTA much more than just a pretty face.

From opener ‘Fallen Arches’ you can tell that Creature Dreams is going to be a lush, deep experience. Though TOKiMONSTA relies on heavy looping to keep her songs pulsing, much of the raw material is quite magnificent to listen to. In music’s most digital age, artists today seem to too often concentrate far too little on a backing sound with substance and instead litter tracks with more emphasis on the foreground. What is great about the niche that TOKiMONSTA falls under (along with her contemporaries - with special mention to Teebs) is that they’re musicians who thrive on a rounded sound… “juicy” even. The jungle drums on ‘Fallen Arches’ resonate as they’re expected to, and the infinite guitar riff isn’t held back by sounding tacky or inanimate. This feeling of ebb and flow contributes hugely to the dreamlike sensation that TOKiMONSTA aims to achieve with her late night compositions. 

There are two songs on the EP that feature a guest vocalist; a relative unknown by the name of Gavin Turek. On both ‘Little Pleasures’ and ‘Darkest (Dim)’ her tone generally compliments what would otherwise be some of the stronger instrumentals on the record regardless. Its not a performance that completely changes the tide of Creature Dreams (as many artists seem to shift style to suit their particular guest) which is great. It feels more like Turek is collaborating with TOKiMONSTA, and not the opposite. My only gripe is that Turek’s vocal delivery really doesn’t alter much between her two appearances, so even though ‘Little Pleasures’ and ‘Darkest (Dim)’ should be quite noticeably different tracks her contribution melds them together a little too much.

Also arising is the issue that even though the EP is supposed to have elements of “glitch”-hop, some of the instances really don’t add to the theme of night at all. When you go into a record (no matter how short) expecting a mood, getting the opposite effect is pretty decently jarring. Case in point is ‘Moving Forward’ which stand-alone is not a bad song, but focuses wholeheartedly on almost birdlike samples that do not excel the sound in the way I assume was intended. On the opposite end of the spectrum ‘Day Job’ tries a little too hard to play into a seedy and dank emotion. The distilled riff on the song isn’t terrible but coupled with the drum mix it’s all a little too straightforward and detached from the rest of the EP to work, even as the closing track.

Creature Dreams definitely meets expectations, but the fact that it’s an EP seems to be its saving grace. Seven full songs is the limit I’m prepared to give an artist before the output becomes an LP, and narrowly missing this has been beneficial for TOKiMONSTA, as I think fans put more weight on a full release than an extended play. Not that this changes the quality of the music in the slightest, but Creature Dreams already showed a few signs of shakiness and had TOKiMONSTA felt pressured to tack on some more incomplete pieces, it could’ve ruined the flow that is so crucial to the enjoyability of this record. But as it stands, definitely a top contender for EP of the Year.

Rating: 8.6/10

Moby - Destroyed

Release: May 2011

Little Idiot/Mute

Genre; Electronica/Ambient/Downtempo

I have a pretty decent history with Moby. His 1999 classic ‘Play’ was the first album I think I ever really appreciated for its musical integrity, and still holds up for me today. It established a sound that was very uniquely Moby and still stands as a strong contender for one of the most consistent albums ever (even if only very subjectively, and sentimentally). So here we are, twelve years later with Destroyed, an album full of promises to bring back the Moby fans love after a few shaky attempts. But the question must be asked whether the sound that makes an artist so distinctive can stay vintage or “classic” after so long, or if it instead causes the music to feel lacking and uninspired.

Even though Moby has stated that Destroyed is a minimalistic electronic album intended to set the mood for seeing cityscapes late at night, it still plays off much the same motifs as most of his other albums. It carries the same sort of sound as his previous record ‘Wait For Me’, but not nearly as depressing. More so melancholic. It also feels as though he’s attempted to infuse the record with some traits of ‘Play’, but in reality Destroyed is not nearly enough of a step away to stand alone as a fresh sounding, new album. That said, there’s the very rare occasion where the album strays much too far from the theme that Moby has set for Destroyed, in particular ‘After’; a song that would fit best on ‘Last Night’ - Moby’s club anthem album.

So stepping back from the idea that Destroyed is meant to sound different from Moby’s previous works and instead taking it as another “safety album” (in which I mean the artist has stayed within their own safe zone/not wandering into new territory), it’s a lot easier to judge. All the things that make Moby great are on Destroyed; whether its the ethereal, soulful (if not a little generic) female singing on tracks like ‘The Right Thing’, Moby’s own monotone and to-the-point singing, and the stretched out string arrangements so typical on his albums. When these elements come together in their prime, they’re the strongest moments on the record. ‘Stella Maris’ is grandiose and emotive, close to operatic and definitely a highlight, as are ‘Be The One’ and ‘Victoria Lucas’. Though it should be mentioned that the latter two were both released on an EP (alongside ‘Sevastapol’) earlier in the year, and with the three songs being particularly strong moments on the album it does feel a bit underwhelming having heard them all previously.

Unfortunately, the reality faced on Destroyed is that all the previously mentioned traits just don’t always work for Moby. He’s ten albums into his discography and repeating the same style for almost each one is beginning to take its toll. I’ve mentioned ‘After’ as trying something different by sounding more akin to Last Night, but even though Last Night was quite a feel-good, almost disposable club album, at least the songs had spirit and girth. Lead single on that record; ‘Alice’ was potent and had a deep, thundering bass line whereas ‘After’ doesn’t come close with it’s near undecipherable vocals, slinking synths and still completely nonsensical-to-me hook line: “But my mind was low”. Even Destroyed’s first single ‘The Day’ really doesn’t cut it for me, opening with some truly ugly and offtone synthesizer that immediately makes the track fall flat. Bad, but worse when it’s followed up by some uninspired and ineffective singing on Moby’s part. 

I suppose it was too much to expect another classic from Moby this late into his career. While I firmly believe 2009’s Wait For Me was a gallant attempt to return to full stature, Destroyed definitely knocked these expectations down a few notches. It isn’t his worst by a mile, but at seventeen tracks long there was the high risk of some meandering or even total wastage. And several do feel that way. I can appreciate that perhaps he strived for some variety in his compositions but too often do tracks seem out of place and a more concise effort next time might be the better option. When it’s all said and done, even with my dreams of another great record being kicked around after Destroyed I really want to give Moby another chance, but as it is all things point to me needing to have a strong patience for that to happen.

Rating: 7.0/10

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome

Release: May 2011

Parlophone

Genre; Rock/Alt Rock/Classical

I don’t believe that Brian Burton (Danger Mouse)’s newest collaboration with Italian composer Daniele Luppi, Rome, can be as easily lumped into the genre tags above as I have just done. While it certainly has traits of general alternative rock music, and the rich, full sound of a classical orchestra it’s above all a homage album, not a standard affair at all. Though past enterprises by Burton have consisted of partnerships with The Black Keys, The Shins’ James Mercer, radio hit Cee-Lo Green etc., consider Rome not as an easy listening regular LP, but as a tribute to the age of spaghetti Westerns instead. A soundtrack to a film that has never existed, with the support of two brilliantly picked singers as album contributors; Jack White and Norah Jones. This, coupled with the reformation of several of the original performing groups on the scores of the great Ennio Morricone, using vintage instruments, and having the album recorded in a church in Rome add bountifully to the genuineness of the record.

Rome is divided into two general sets of songs; ones that are longer and overall more fleshed out (featuring the talents of White and Jones), and others that stay on the shorter end of 2 minutes but instead concentrate on showcasing the beauty and intricacies that Danger Mouse has managed to create with the tools and musicians at his disposal. In regards to the tracks containing the guest vocalists previously mentioned, there’s very little misstepping on Burton’s part. Not only do the songs stay true to the themes present in the album, but are also ever-so-slightly tailored for their singer in question.

‘Season’s Trees’ featuring Norah Jones has a swooning string section carrying the track, but also introduces a gentle guitar riff in the foreground that (when accompanied by Jones’ incredibly fitting and immaculately delicate singing) doesn’t just strive for the Western sound, but also sets itself next to her previous discography quite comfortably. The Jack White tracks follow suit in this notion, with special attention to ‘Two Against One’ (the first promotional song released for Rome) that by name alone stands for the epic duels of the West, and is further reinforced by a plucky, stuttering guitar and White’s signature scratchy tone serving as the perfect vision of an outlaw.

While the guest-centric tracks are the most accessible pieces of the album, the instrumentals are most definitely the body and soul of Rome. Burton and Luppi have spent five years crafting this record, with no room for a lack of accuracy. Even going so far as to collect the original members of the “Cantori Moderni” (the choir that performed on the soundtrack for ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’). All this eye for detail really shines on the record, be it on sweeping, emotional tracks such as ‘Roman Blue’ and ‘Morning Fog’ or the more active and “typically Western” songs like ‘The Gambling Priest’ - which is full of so much sleaze and debonair that as the listener you can picture a character of the song’s description almost effortlessly.

Whether he’s working with distinctly accented hip hop stars, Brit-pop legends turned solo artists (that hide behind a cartoon band), or the deep underground indie scene, it seems as though Danger Mouse can do no wrong. Though Rome is not a straightforward album like anything Danger Mouse has put out before, it’s yet another incredibly put-together collaborative effort from the now almost legendary producer. So full is Rome of the ideas that make the aural set piece he chose so distinctive, that it’s an astonishing effort. Though the album caters to a specific audience, one ready for something more akin to a soundtrack than a rock/hip hop venture, there’s no denying it exemplifies exactly what it means to and at a high degree. Rome so perfectly combines the allure of the Western film age with Burton’s crisp, professional sound that it leaves me hungry for another project of similar proportions. Luckily, the man never seems to want to slow down (with another 4 collaborations/sequels currently announced). He certainly hasn’t for this release.

Rating: 9.3/10

The Antlers - Burst Apart

Release: May 2011

Frenchkiss Records

Genre; Alt Rock/Dream Pop/Post Rock

If you’ve been following the release of Burst Apart, the fourth total album (second as a fully formed collective) of New York band The Antlers, you are probably a fan of their highly acclaimed, heart wrenching 2009 effort; Hospice. The group has made it abundantly clear though that their follow-up is to prove that they don’t just make “sad music”, and is therefore a departure from the music that made them the sizable indie rock band they are today. But as it turns out, Burst Apart is more of a transformation of similar sound as opposed to any significant overhaul in comparison to their previous output. 

The strengths in Burst Apart lie in two areas; material that feels new and different and material that recaptures their older, minimalistic spirit in good fashion. In regards to the former the two tracks that stand out are the two released in promotion for the album before release; ‘Parentheses’ and ‘Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out’. Both are definitely detached from anything else the group has done in past, but do retain the elements that make The Antlers so distinctive. ‘Parentheses’ does this by upkeeping the infamous falsetto of frontman Peter Silberman, but then suddenly injecting a dominating, dark guitar riff into the song. It’s possibly the most extreme moment of difference from past efforts within the album and truly shows the group trying new areas to great success.

In regards to tracks better akin to older material, there are definitely more instances of this on the album than of the band trying something new. These songs make up the bulk of the record (at least two thirds), and while some are very effective, others feel lost in Burst Apart’s progression. On the positive side, ‘Corsicana’ opens with a melancholy piano melody and grows around itself into a smooth, soothing track that embraces what The Antlers are capable of doing incredibly well; an emotively potent minimalism. ‘I Don’t Want To Love’ is another example, this time guitar based instead, that rings out it’s title alongside a regimental drum beat as a sure message that is simplistic enough to not be lost on anyone. 

Perhaps the reason that Hospice felt like it had very little filler is because of how powerful the concept was from start to finish. Every song felt like it needed to be there, to fully express the story of the relationship between the hospital workers. Because Burst Apart is meant to be far less of an emotionally draining experience than its predecessor, some of the essentialness turns into moments that feel a bit stagnated and reused. In songs such as ‘Hounds’ it seems like the band is set on somewhat of a loop, with tools (such as Silberman’s falsetto) that would otherwise work to the track’s benefit instead left feeling overdone. ‘French Exit’ also bears this curse, combining the typical falsetto with incredibly ordinary synths that turn the song into a cheesy, muddled affair.

It must be difficult for a band to tell their fans upright that they aren’t going to be making another record like the one that got them the significant majority of their fanbase. And on the flipside, it is difficult for a fan to go into an album that they’ve been promised won’t be like the one they’ve previously loved. But with enough of an open mind, Burst Apart is a good album. A great album even. The songs on it are possibly better compared with Uprooted (Silberman’s Antlers debut, before hiring two more members) instead of Hospice, which the band agrees threw them way into the deep end. Sure, Burst Apart isn’t as perfect as Hospice, but it’s a different item altogether and shouldn’t be compared (even if it will be).

Rating: 8.4/10

And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs

Release: April 2011

Richter Collective

Genre; Math Rock/Post Rock/Experimental Rock

Say what you will about Irish culture, but they’re a country who seems to consistently put out a stream of great music. The latest comes in the form of And So I Watch You From Afar, a four piece instrumental group who are following up their formidable self titled debut in 2009 with Gangs, a continuation of their fierce and technical style of music. Post Rock is often not the most energetic of genres, but And So I Watch You From Afar inject their compositions with so much activity that it’s a dazzling listen from start to finish.

While the band’s debut still constituted of highly distinctive, bouncing rock songs, (see ‘Set Guitars To Kill) it was generally quite standard in terms of guitar riffing and drum beats. Gangs takes a different approach by being far more imbued with the principles of math rock (in both sound and song titles; prime example being ‘BEAUTIFULUNIVERSEMASTERCHAMPION’, which looks like it could’ve been ripped right from a Giraffes? Giraffes! album). The guitars on the record are technical and juttering, while the drums follow suit with a pleasantly spastic unpredictability. Perhaps the best example of this on the album is ‘Think:Breathe:Destroy’ that never falters in delivering a frantic pace while it gives and takes in volume and layering throughout its duration. The track’s album companion ‘Search:Party:Animal’ further reinforces these same ideas, with the song’s high-toned main guitar riff definitely establishing a sense of grandeur and showing off the skills of guitarists Rory Friers and Tony Wright.

Even though math rock compositions seem to be the focus of this album, there are still some quite serene moments of post rock present and scattered across Gangs. ‘7 Million People All Alive At Once’ isn’t exactly downbeat but it does manage to get across the emotive values of the genre, while the songs belonging to the ‘Homes’ set on the album are even more exclusively concentrated on the evolutionary and progressive nature of post rock. ‘Homes - …Samsara To Belfast’ is definitely the standout track in regards to this, by becoming a centerpiece of crooning guitars that slowly wind the song down after it’s six minute climax.

It sincerely feels like And So I Watch You From Afar have successfully followed up with their sophomore effort. No track is especially filler or unlikeable if you’re a fan of the style of music being played, which is a rarity in genres where everything is reliant on the potency and effectiveness of the instrumental musicians. The inability to ‘hide’ behind lyricism and the center stage nature of many vocalists forces the hands of many instrumental groups to survive on a whole different kind of skill to attract their audience. Gangs is a piece of pure musicianship, and it should be celebrated for this fact.

Rating: 9.2/10

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Release: April 2011

RCA

Genre; Rock/Alt Rock/Grunge

Although I’m generally opposed to reviewing something that everyone knows and will see in the world whether I write a raving review or not, I’m genuinely interested in Wasting Light. Not because I’m a huge fan of the Foo Fighters (though I’m partial to Grohl’s early efforts), but rather because its not often that an album garners any hype. Today’s industry promotes pop music far over anything else, and Foo Fighters are so far divided from that whole scene that the success of frontman Dave Grohl seems more like a relic of the 90s than anything relevant to today.

Wasting Light is an attempt for the band to get back to their roots, re-employing original guitarist Pat Smear to the ensemble and going back even further; getting Butch Vig (producer on Nevermind) and Kirk Novoselic (Nirvana’s bassist) to contribute to the album. Because of this, the record strips back the arena rock sound established on the groups last three records and instead goes for a full analogue, raw musical dynamic. Thats not to say the album doesn’t manage to encompass some recent habits. ‘Arlandria’ displays the album on its hugest note; Grohl’s iconic shout arriving in the form of “Fame fame go away/Come again another day”. Several formidable hook lines and riffs keeps the song pumping and is a great example of easily listenable, audience pleasing rock music.

Something to remember about the revised Foo Fighters line up is that they now have three guitarists. As a consequence, you’d expect to hear a lot of guitar harmonies (or “guitarmonies”) in the album but honestly it only ever really comes through on lead single ‘Rope’ and somewhat on ‘Bridge Burning’. “Loud guitar rock” is what the band has said on several occasions as the ‘point’ of the Foo Fighters and definitely ‘Rope’ gives that image. In particular the song’s solo, which is gritty, potent and totally unexpected. I had to open up my music player even on multiple playthroughs to check it hadn’t swapped to a different album. If theres anything I believe music appreciators enjoy the most, it’s an album surprising you in a pleasing way.

Though there are a couple of other highlights on Wasting Light left unmentioned, like the inclusion of Husker Du’s Bob Mould as backing vocals on ‘Dear Rosemary’ or the entirety of the song ‘White Limo’ (seemingly taking inspiration from Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘Gunslinger’ and ‘Quick And To The Pointless’ interludes), but anything else left to say in praise is kind of dwarfed by almost the entire latter half of the album. The excitement of creating a new Foo Fighters record seems to have faded on the band from ‘These Days’ forward, with the rest of the tracks ranging from solidly bland on their highs to ‘Back & Forth’ on their lows; a song so straightforward that it sounds like if you asked someone with a guitar to make up a Foo Fighters song on the spot and thats what they churned out. I’ll give a little grace to ‘I Should Have Known’ (the song featuring the aforementioned Kirk Novoselic) for trying something different, but its pretty clear by that point that its far too little, far too late.

The first thing I noticed about Wasting Light is that every single track tries to come as close to the archetypal 4 minute mark of radio-rock that it can. Its pretty obvious that Foo Fighters aren’t setting out to change the game with their newest, instead finding inspiration from their early cues. In fact, the point of this whole review is probably moot because of this. If someone follows the 6 degrees of Dave Grohl in the music industry, they’ll listen to Wasting Light regardless of what I say. He’s basically a household name. So I’ll say my final words directed at nine year olds just getting into music now: Wasting Light isn’t too bad, it tries very hard to be The Color And The Shape or There Is Nothing Left to Lose. But it isn’t. So go listen to those first, then it might be worth your time.

Rating: 7.1/10

Blue Sky Black Death - Noir

Release: April 2011

Fake Four Inc.

Genre; Electronica/Instrumental Hip Hop/Downtempo

At this rate, a duo like Blue Sky Black Death should know what they’re doing. Even when they’re not putting out one of their seven previous meticulously crafted instrumental hip hop albums and instead try something in a whole new field, like last year’s shoegaze-y surprise; Third Party, they manage it brilliantly. Noir is a return to old sound for the production duo, removing the minimalism found in their effort last year and setting out to accomplish something as refreshing and solid as what many consider their magnum opus, 2008’s Late Night Cinema. 

Noir definitely embraces the concept of “a skydiving phrase alluding to beauty and death”, which is the group’s own definition for the name Blue Sky Black Death. The album’s sound is gorgeous and full, a true testament to musical aesthetics. The sweeping synths accompanying jungle drums on ‘And Stars, Ringed’ and the foray of instruments (with special attention to the swooning saxophone part) used on ‘To The Ends Of The Earth’ really highlight the duo’s talents in creating soundscapes of incredible magnitude and immerse the listener in music from all sides. Instrumental hip hop is interesting in this regard because far too often hip hop that is centered around the vocalist lacks in production, when the reality is that the music should be fleshed out on all sides - not just in singing. In a complete overhaul of the convention, artists like Blue Sky Black Death can go easily without any vocals at all while still absolutely getting a very specific message or image across, through instrumental mediums that positively drip with emotion.

It’s evident that Blue Sky Black Death have a wealth of knowledge in their field, and Noir has been sculpted in a fashion that as a result the music is lush and pulsing in its 14 song run. It definitely holds the best consistency of any of their records to date, no song having any notable dip in quality or factor of disinterest, but what does feel missing to some extent is the highlights found on previous efforts. If you were asked to name ‘moments’ on an album like Late Night Cinema, you might mention the tremendous ‘Maggot Brain’ sample on ‘All The News Is Bad Again’, or the soulful “ohh”s and keyboard drips of ‘Lord Of Our Vice’. Noir does seem like the duo put more emphasis on creating something that keeps a level of quality through and through and because of this there does feel like a certain aspect of “highlighted” songs or “instant favourites” is missing. If it had to be narrowed down I’d say ‘Gold In Gold Out’ (notably the break-in at 1:10 to 1:40), and the stuttering tone of ‘Fire For Light’ stand apart from the rest of the set as tracks with highlights, but as mentioned previously, it isn’t immediately evident.

I’m not sure if Noir is an album that should be listened to casually. Doing so might deprive it of its wholesomeness if shuffled in with music of other genres. It’s definitely an album that demands a degree of attention with it, to pick up all the different elements sliding towards the listener. No other album of 2011 thus far is really comparable with Noir, therefore giving a rating in line with previous albums is difficult, so I’ll leave it on this note. Blue Sky Black Death manage to not disappoint for yet another year, and I can only hope that an addition like Noir to their already impressive back catalogue will gain them more exposure within the electronica and/or hip hop crowd, something which they sorely deserve.

Rating: 8.8/10