Discovery - A little Catch Up (Part Two of Three)

Part One



So, here is the next set of newish albums and bands. Some in here are a bit more... me, but still different.




Max Tundra – Parallax Error Beheads You
6 years can be a long long time in music – I mean, in 2002, Franz Ferdinand were only on the horizon and Arctic Monkeys had only just started playing guitar, and that was when Max Tundra’s last album hit the shelves. He then set to make one of the most complex pop records ever and… well, he mangaded it. Parallax… is one of the oddest, most interesting albums I have listened to this year, even making it into my top 5 albums if you ask me at the right time of the day. It is filled with the techno-like blips and bleeps of the afore mentioned Crystal Castles but is filled with the smart melodies of a canny song writer and the gorgeous production of an artist that understands the craft of a great sounding song. Also, in the album, there are some fucking great tunes that get my tapping my feet – and that can’t be said of many bands these days.
Max Tundra (Myspace)




My Latest Novel – Wolves
So, you might be wondering where are my Scottish bands that I have been shouting about for ages, and also where are my regular Indie stylings gone with all this hiphop and glitch rock? Well, look no further than My Latest Novel, a fantastic band from my neck of the woods… and another, like Aereogramme, I totally missed out on when I lived down there. They are similar to Blur’s later years with the darker pop songs, similar to Arab Straps gloomy wordings and twisting vocabulary, but mostly they share their sounds with this years Scottish band of indie types, Frigthened Rabbit. The dark, soulful, almost folky sounds of the album push them into the forefront of a pack of bands from the central belt that are taking over from the old crew. Along with We Were Promised Jet Packs, My Latest Novels’ new album, due in 2009, should be one to watch.
My Latest Novel (Myspace)


God is an Astronaut – God is an Astronaut
Post rock, huh? Surely nothing can be done more than the sprawling Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the short but rocky Mogwai, the fullforce heavy 65daysofstatic and the simple melodies of Explosions in the Sky? Surely with Slint and Do Make Say Think everything is covered? Well not quite as this Irish trio really have made me realise that you don’t need to be dark and dreary to emote through post-rock and in this album there are some absolutely stunning examples of why the band should be more revered in the Post-rock community – the liberal use of piano and strings are welcome, and the effect is a grand scale only matched by th longer periods of Godspeed’s Life Yr Skinny Fists Like Attenas to Heaven, but am I comparing the two? Well, that is like me saying the most recent pop album from a recent act holds it’s own to Sgt. Pepper, and that is high praise indeed.
God is an Astronaut (Myspace)

Discovery - A little Catch Up (Part One of Three)

It’s been a while since I posted about new bands that I have recently been getting into so here is part one of quite a large list of them that should let you get back up to speed with where I am musically at the moment. I went on a bit a new music binge the last few weeks… and it has been bloody brilliant. Anyway…

Sunn O))) & Boris – Altar.
This is way left field for me and is the frist drone/doom album I have listened to for any length of time. Basically Sunn O))) (ignore the rather pretentious punctuation, call them Sun) and Boris are two bands that collaborated on an album that is held by some as the seminal record in both doomrock and dronerock. However some see it a quirky footnote to the band’s careers… and I don’t know yet. The album is something of an ordeal and an experience, being nothing like I have listened to before. There are no discenrable structures and no real “song” parts as it is uses guitar drums and production values to create an epic wall of sound that only really be described as Lightning Bolt without the riffs and the lyrics. The track at the middle of the album is stunning, “The Sinking Belle”, but is it easy to listen to? No. Is it like anything I have listened to before? No. Will people like it? Probably not…

The Sinking Belle (Youtube)

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
Glitch computer electronic trance dance rock. As many descriptors as I can give and it still doesn’t make up what Crystal Castles are like – their debut album is made up of sketchs of ideas and short pieces with distored vocals that make the voice sound more like an instrument than a lyrical line of words and that effect is something that I have loved on The Knifes album. Here is works with the Mega Drive / Atari blips and bleeps that make it sound like nine people are playing different games of Mario Land, Tetris and Paperboy in a dark room with lasers and smoke blasting the atmosphere with a punctual demounr like a scattering spray of shotgun pellets into fabric. The album is different again and is something that I have grown to love.

Crystal Castles (Myspace)

Why? – Alopecia
I missed this the first time round, even when it was being rammed down my throat by hundreds of screaming fanboys and glowing reviews. I perceived them to be either rocky like Johnny Foreinger or indie like British Sea Power, but what I was not expecting when I popped the album in was a trip-hop rock band with some of the greatest rapped vocals I have heard since Beastie Boys’ in the heyday of the Jurassic Five. I am not big a fan of rapping to be honest… but the melodies here are strong and the lyrics are downright incredible… “I lost the first game of Chess I ever played” and “I saw to guys fucking in a dark corner of a basket ball court” being two choice examples, and the way that they are wound around the music, performed by a live band, make for a very compelling album and a worthy investigation. Pushing for my favourite find this month.

Why? (Myspace)

Discovery: Portugal. The Man, My Bloody Valentine, Glasvegas

Listen to me carefully: I have never known a period in my musical history like the last year. The lucky thing is that whilst my methods of musical consumption have changed my fervour for new music is higher than ever before and now, via this blog and reviewing on God is in the TV, I have found more new bands that I like and have expanded my musical repitore further in the last 9 months than in years, closely related to 2003 for new bands.



Portugal. The Man
Experimental rock? Dividing musical opinion? Sounding like a best of compilation of various genres? Portual. The Man, apart from playing havoc with the Word grammar check, are one of those bands found whilst browsing message boards and Wikipedia genre lists that via the love of Last.fm and Myspace they perked my intrigue. A couple of downloads later I have decided that they are good. The take influences from the last 500 years of music distilling that impressive and imerssive sound clash and came out with a sound that has made other critics go “This is just piss” and some go “I like the nature of this”. I fall in the latter camp, and really quite like them.
Sounds Like: The Mars Volta being told to make their songs 4 minutes long or they wil be forced to play Girls Aloud songs.
Try: Chicago, from Waiter: “You Vultures!”


My Bloody Valentine
Okay, I am late to the party with this one. I had not even heard to My Bloody Valentine 4 months ago. Well, that might not be true – I am sure I had heard them, but knew who they were? Understood their importance? Not a chance, but after the furore over their live shows in the last months (including 20 minutes of white noise) I have to admit I missed them pretty outrageously. Why? Not sure… but they are fantastic, especially Loveless, their second album. Is there a third album due 18 years after they stopped? I hope so.
Sounds Like: The Smiths being thrown into a box of explosions
Try: I Only Said from “Loveless”

Glasvegas
I might have been late to the party with My Bloody Valentine by I have been on the bleeding edge with Glasvegas, finding them a year ago playing Libertines raw rock now they are the second coming of shoegaze. To many young indie boys I will call shenanigans on the Twilight Sad or Proclaimers shouts – that is just people realising that most Scottish artist sing out of the accent, good or bad. However, following the lead of Roddy Woomble in his later years, the Scottish Accent is going the way of Arab Strap and making a resurgence. And it works on the Glasvegas records. Expect a review of the album soon.
Sounds Like: The Beach boys with a hang over playing at the far end of a room

Discovery - Drive-By Argument, The Mae Shi, 4 or 5 Magicians, Dananananaykroyd.

Drive-by Argument - I gave this band a rather glowing review on God Is In The TV and still after a couple weeks can't get over how much fun this band actually are. The synth led hooks and choruses are simply put fantastic. While they do nothing special other than grab a good rhythm and melody, bands are slowly beginning to realise that is pretty much all you need to do. Drive-By Argument are technically a manufactured band, being thrown together by their lecturers at college. From this rather un-rock and roll start (compare it to a band that I am beginning to name drop more and more on this blog, Franz Ferdinand, where they were started over a fight for a bottle of Vodka) they have the whole rock and roil thing down to a tee. In fact, they blow the socks off any of the latest crop of Indie bands that are literally pouring out of gig halls and into Record Label books every 5 minutes.

The Mae Shi - Who? you might be asking. What? you will be asking after listening to their second LP, HLLLYH. Procured before my meeting with them a few weeks ago the band blew me away with the rather post-punk synth type of rock that not only looks at time signatures with loathing, but also grabs that lovely thing called "fun" and cuddles up to and squeezes it till it goes blue. While they might sound obtuse at first and even on the third listen you might be wondering how anyone is supposed to sing along to the random tracks that sway from stomping rock riffs and crunching bass to light shouting and singing. Under all the random firing from all corners lies a band having such fun that it can only rub off onto the listener. Like We Are the Physics you will be smiling and taping your foot. You might be asking how do you pronounce the album name HLLLYH - there are two thought on this, either Hallelujah or Hell Yeah! After asking the band I decided Hell Yeah; they seemed to agree with me. Seeing them live is something else - the Mae Sheet is something that when told about you won't believe. Literally, a big sheet is pulled over the crowd. I loved this band.

4 or 5 Magicians - Up and coming small band who are making waves in and around the scenes at the moment are worth having a little listen to. Sounding mature this early in their career is something that should be commended - plus, there are always places in the world of Music for a good strong vocal and chord progression.

Dananananaykroyd - Hailing from Glasgow I am still to catch these guys on tour but listening to them you can see where the buzz is coming from. There will be a bandwagon coming for these guys so jumping on it this soon will gain you indie credibility. I expect fun things from these guys.

Discovery - AVAST! & The Whitest Boy Alive

Two bands in one Discovery post is something I was trying to avoid, but I am bursting to describe these two new bands that are stunning their way into my lists of bands that I must see live, and where they are quite the same, they are also slightly different from each other. But, in a weird twist, are linked by one simple fact that makes them quite unique in my recent acquisitions - I have bought their records my self.

AVAST! are a Scottish indie band that are born of the same basket that Stapleton were, and have pilfered most of their members. Jingle jangle pop guitar with shouty vocals make them sound like Dartz!! but with a slight tweak to the formula in that the songs a dripping in rather luxurious melodies and stamped with the same Indie pulse-watching that Stapleton should be famous for. Avast! keep the rhythms, the guitar and the lo-fi production but have the charm to make it work. I seriously suggest you listen to them and love them. They have inflections of Post-hardcore that can't be ignored too.

http://www.myspace.com/avastuk

The Whitest Boy Alive are another similar offshoot from a band that I love. Kings of Convenience are one of the bands that no matter what mood I am I can return to either of their two main albums and smile at the acoustic guitars duelling with each other and the improbable sound of two men sounding so intune with their harmonies that it seems like they were born of the same tree. The Whitest Boy Alive then, is slightly different, being only Erland Oyes this time around pulling the guitar from various levels of distortion and the drumming that is steeped in disco inflected groves but recorded on a track that makes it sound so organic. It is no surprise when listening to the album Dreams that they started as an electronic artist as the music pulls at the high-low troughs and peaks of dance music and almost every track here has a groove do danceable it should be illegal. The simplicity of some of the melodies and arrangements shouldn't be off putting as the songs are little wonders of 21st century indie.

http://www.myspace.com/thewhitestboyalive
You may be surprised to see my jumping from Post-Rock to poppery Indie, but be warned: My tastes are much more varied than that.

Discovery: Try These Three

Discovery: Try These Three

Every so often I will find a band or an artist that I think someone else should be listening to. Also, every so often I will randomly mention it to a friend to find that they have already found them previously or in some cases, seen them live by accident. In my head I have a running total of bands that various friends have recommended to me and the other way round, when I have impressed a band onto a friend. I have an altogether different music taste from most of my friends, but these three are in vogue at the moment.

The Safe Bet: Broken Records
Edinburgh band that seem to have the whole of the indie scene looing their way with a glance at both their potential and also with envious eyes. Their EP was released earlier in the year but these days it is better to Myspace them and you can get a good idea from the what kind of ban they are but these guys are probably going to be huge. There is Arcade Fire, there is Modest Mouse, there is Dylan, but alos there is a smattering of what gives young Scottish bands that little kick up the arse – there is the Travis, Idlewild and Franz Ferdinand effect where success is only a short leap away. Without a contract an album is probably a while off, but I suggest you try them and try to see them live. Very exciting times indeed.
Myspace.


The Outside Chance: The Knife
This brother sister duo from Sweden are not only compelling but mystical; they are rarely seen live, preferring to hide behind wondrous and magical visual screens, with lights shot complementing the music. It is all part of the feeling and the album Silent Shout is one of the most amazing records I have heard in a very long time. It is not what I expect to be everyone’s taste – it is nothing like Broken Records for a start, but the techno-electronic melodies are so artfully constructed and the vocals affected with nods to Bjork, you feel not only is the lyrics not that important, but they are used as an instrument. Listening to this album with headphones might be one of the most cathartic experiences on record. This album is essential. Try “We Share Our Mothers Health”, “Heartbeats (that one made famous by Jose Gonzalez and Sony)” and “Marble House”
Myspace.

The Old School: The Smiths
I cannot talk highly enough of this band who last year I found, wrapped in critical rapture, and they have became my favroutie band of all time, no question. I can listen to any album from any point in their career and not skip one track ever, they songs are that interesting and the guitar work is that intricate. I truly would love them to reform, but at the same time would love them to not reform, keeping what they did 1983 – 1987 as a testament to the late 80s Britain and the Thatcher years. This is what makes it great to be a indie fan – and whilst they might have become the band that most love to hate (because of the actions of Morissey, like my father) I would implore anyone who has indie credentials to get The Queen is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come, the two seminal albums.
Last.fm

Discovery - Thrice

Thrice are an experimental rock band founded in 1998 while the members were still in high school. This is clearly evident when you look at at their early work, it is full of immature songs that have a very harsh sound to them. Yet I find this harsh sound strangely compelling and I must say I find their earlier work far more enjoyable. I wouldn't call myself an expert on this band, they have 5 full length albums and I've listened to 4 of them rather infrequently. However, I can spot a good track quickly and sadly of the 4 albums I can find only 5 or 6 songs that I really enjoy. However, these tracks are really good and hence I feel that Thrice are a band definitely worth listening to.

Who are they like I hear you ask? Well, even though they aren't classed as 'emo' I still think of emo bands when I think of similarities and The Used immediately spring to mind mainly due to the high pitched singing they both feature. However if you enjoy a bit of post-hardcore music definitely give Thrice a listen.

Here are 3 tracks you should listen to - the first two are nothing short of brilliant...

Don't Tell and we Won't Ask
The Artist in the Ambulance
Ultra Blue

Review/Discovery/Blank Canvas - Post-Rock

Being offshore this coming few days my outpourings upon music have slightly limited as I have not had a chance to review anything new and to be honest, everything I do have is quite old and impossible to review without sounding a little stupid or out of date before becoming cool again – like liking Thomas the Tank Engine now, but not allowing it to be liked while I was 14-18.

So, what shall I review? Well, instead of forcing a post to fit into the restrictions that we have placed on this blog, I have recently become more aware of a band that somehow slipped passed me totally, and in action, a full genre that I am slowly becoming to love.

Post-rock. I suppose I should explain the genre in its boldest terms, considering that most of its alumni are dead against the genre as it is. Post-rock is basically a branch of rock music, that seeks to be different. In the same way that post hardcore is different from rock, post-rock is a definite difference. The genre dictates almost no real conformity, but the only thing that is guaranteed is that the songs are normally not based or regular Verse-Bridge-Chorus-Verse style that you can expect from regular pop-rock, and in most cases, almost every other type of popular music. Occasionally, you will find a post-rock band that use lyrics, but the ones that I have been listening to are mostly instrumentals, with voice samples. Repetition of key melodies, pieces of music and themes, such as Apocalypse, death, and loneliness seem to crop up a lot.

But on my other blog I have already mentioned Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who are the superstars of the genre, and recently I have started to listen almost exclusively to Mogwai, the Scottish equivalent. But in the same vein, the classical style of Godspeed – the structure of movements and continuous pieces of music linked by themes – is not adhered to by Mogwai. Their songs and pieces are much shorter, with less static or samples, clocking at around 4 to 5 minutes. This means that they are easier to digest as an album, but again, repetitive plays seem to unravel the music, in a web of entangled words that are never said through ever note and cymbal splayed.

The funny thing is, these are the tips of the iceberg. 65daysofstatic, Slint and others are further into the depths of Post-rock and are deeper into the dark underworlds of music so obtuse that I might be the only one I know that likes it, other thinking it is very laborious, with long and drawn out boring sections. These parts are the bits that make me smile, happy to like a genre that by definition is anything that they can’t fit into other genres.

Also, down that line is the discovery of true classical music, and with my other mutual blogger, a trip that way might be successful. I have already started to enjoy the Kronos Quartet.

Discovery - Sons & Daughters

You should know... Sons & Daughters.

Why?
Well, they are from Glasgow, so anyone who is Glaswegian should automatically have an unrivalled affinity with them, as that is the case with most bands from the fair city. But, there is more than that. Infelcted with folk (no, keep reading!) they have crafted two impressive albums that I have found to be very dance-able and have genunely interesting music.

What makes them different?
They have a sound that is obviously Scottish - and dirty too. The songs feel of dirty, wind, rain, peat and whisky, and the coal smell of a fire. Inside the warm and perilous chords you can hear the roars of clansmen running through hills, chasing after the English. You feel scottish, and most importantly, you will be tapping your feet too.

How did you find them?
I was introduced to them in 2006 by mr MTV2, which is rare now. I bought the first album and was s impressed I actually wanted to see them live. Come Idlewild at the Barras a few times ago and they were supporting. Whilst my cronies where getting drunk (not to say I wasn't) I sneaked a little listen, to find most of the crowd very unimpressed. Idlewild have this folky types interested, but also attract indie lovers and they would have been slightly put off by the fierceness of the music. I feel though, that with the new album, they have pulled of what Idlewild seem to be missing - a Scottish indie record, that feels like Scotland should.

Okay, Ill try them.
Try these two from the new album, Gilt Complex and Rebel With the Ghost.

Final Word?
I don't know if these guys are going to be everyones cup of tea, but I suppose that is the charm...