You Will Get This Record...Then Pass The Time By Playing A Little Solitaire

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats' Mind Control is as Sabbath sounding a record as you can get without actually being Black Sabbath. In fact, it is easily the best Black Sabbath record of the year by far, this included.

Take "Mt. Abraxas:" it starts gloomy and doom, total homage to the first eponymous Sabbath record, then it gallops into "After Forever" territory. before sludging back down. After that "Mind Crawler" kicks in, with it's heavy and simple riffs backed by a barely audible but completely essential piano run. It's the kind of song that makes me get up and dance like Michael Shannon covered in bugs. And that's just the first side of the first record. There's nothing terribly complicated in this music. It's derivative sure, but it takes everything that was great about Black Sabbath and just nails it. It's heavy and it stomps and it is a little bit scary. You feel like something evil (or maybe just interesting) is going to ooze out of the speakers. (Aside: googling "70s horror movie girls" brings up a surprising amount of lesbian activity).

Speaking of lesbians, here's something to do: check out their website, specifically the Garbage Dump section, where fans upload images that might or might not have anything to do with Uncle Acid. It's.....strange...that's about the gentlest I can say about it.

Happy story about this record: I had first read about them when Steven Hyden mentioned them in a write-up he did about the state of metal citing primarily Kylesa (awesome), Deafhaven (OK) and Queens Of The Stone Age (tired). In fact that article is where I also first read about ASG and Blood Ceremony and Kvelertak, but I digress. Thanks to Spotify I was able to hear this Uncle Acid record and I dug it much. Then one day it disappeared off Spotify, with some message saying it could no longer be available in the US. FRAK! A couple weeks later I went down to Som Records on 14th Street in DC and lo-and-behold there it was, a vinyl copy of Mind Control, sitting on the shelf. I gasped..really...I gasped and probably squealed with delight when I saw it. I grabbed it lest another metal head lurked somewhere ready to pounce. It cost over $40 but I didn't give a shit. This record rules. Listen here for confirmation!

Fourth Time (Not) The Charm

Blackfield is a kind of supergroup, featuring Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and three amazing solo records, and Israeli pop star Aviv Geffen. It's a fascinating collaboration: Wilson uses Blackfield as a opportunity to write shorter, more focused, almost-pop songs; Geffen uses Blackfield to explore new sonic terrain beyond what his solo career offers.

Their first three collaborations (along with a live set from New York City) are all great, especially Blackfield II. The fourth, simply titled Blackfield IV does not have the impact the others do. This could be due to Steven Wilson taking a backseat to Aviv Geffen, supporting this effort less as a collaborator and more as a guest, in addition to his normal production duties. The record also hosts a number of additional guest spots. Vincent Kavanaugh of Anathema, Brett Anderson of Suede, and Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev all appear to different effect.

All the songs are credited to Geffen, but the songs that are the best are those that are the real collaborations between Wilson and Geffen: album opener "Pills", "Sense Of Insanity," and "Jupiter," easily the best track on the record, all have what made the other Blackfield records so great.

Unfortunately the rest of the record is lacking. "X-Ray" featuring Kavanaugh is a pleasant piece and the music works very well with his voice, but is ultimately a trifle. Brett Anderson doing "Firefly," while having a compelling voice that works incredibly well in the glammish Suede, is almost embarrassing; his over-the-top delivery fits well with Bernard Butler or, to less effect, Richard Oakes' churning guitars. It doesn't work with the orchestration and precision of Blackfield. Donahue's "The Only Fool Is Me" feels like filler to end an album side, coming in as a two-minute lullaby.

"Springtime" and the second side has more of the Blackfield vibe. Side opener "Jupiter" is followed by the heavy-ish "Kissed By The Devil" and the poppy "Lost Souls." "Faking" has a middling chorus and verse but then soars into a brilliant bridge; too bad it couldn't have been used in a better overall song. "After The Rain" closes the album but still feels like more filler.

Overall it is a disappointment. I really love Blackfield and was seriously looking forward to this record. It isn't a bad album on it's own; perhaps it should have been marketed as an Aviv Geffen solo record. I understand Steven Wilson wanting to step back a bit from other commitments, especially considering how well his solo career is going, but Blackfield works best as a true collaboration between two unique artists.

Here's the aforementioned "Jupiter." A great song that is supported by a fantastic video.

Forever Becoming

The best music is pure power. It attracts you, it reels you in, it envelops you. That is a primary reason why I often retreat to albums through headphones, searching for a powerful construct that overwhelms the sense. I prefer the lights extinguished except for a single candle. I take my contacts out or my glasses off. My primary sense at this point is auditory. Words are not even necessary. Often times it is simply the music that rushes over.

The latest record from Chicago's Pelican is Forever Becoming and it is one of those records. It occupies the post-metal niche but it is more than that. It is not just meticulously crafted but almost created. It is movement and energy. It feels alive.

The album opens with "Terminal." A slow build-up, like an engine turning over on a cold morning. It is after a minute the song finds its footing. Bass and drums driving the slow rhythm, an electric guitar picking notes over the top as the melody builds. It comes to a stop before "Deny The Absolute" crashes like a wave, the tuned down guitars assaulting the record needle. The jarring bass of "The Tundra" that rumbles like a beast. "Immutable Dusk" open the second side of the first vinyl record (the orange vinyl, as compared to the blue), might be the best of those songs, interlacing doom sludge with respite of cascading guitar work.

What sets Pelican apart is that dichotomy. Of power giving way to groove giving way again to power. Without any vocals the music must stand on its own. It cannot give way to predictability but has to be grand in scope. So we have 8 songs that vary in length three-and-a-half minutes to over nine. But none of those minutes feels wasted or for naught. It builds upon itself in emotion.

Here is "Deny The Absolute."

Start Your Weekend Early!

Tomorrow night, which would be Thursday September 26, my band Braddock Station Garrison hits the stage once again. This time at the Tree House Lounge at 1006 Florida Avenue, NE in Washington DC. This is a nice intimate club, occupying the second floor of a townhouse right next to Gallaudet University. No jokes about a rock club next door to the school for the deaf. Actually makes perfect sense, I think.

It's a special show for us. We are supporting California's Aloha Radio on their national tour. They are a very cool alt-surf-indie band. Also sharing the stage is our good friends Bells & Hunters; the are a great modern rock band sure to impress you. A real treat for us is having our record producer Don Zientara open the show at 8pm with what I expect will be a great acoustic set. When we last saw him he had a surf-themed slide show so it really fits perfectly with the bill.

Speaking of our record, it is finally available. It is called High Water. You can get digital copies at iTunes and Amazon. You can also get a real CD or digital version through CDBaby. You can stream it through Spotify and Rhapsody. It astounds me that our cool little record is available at all these places. Most importantly we have a whole box full of them that I shall have in tow tomorrow night. Come on down and get a copy!!

High Water features 6 original songs: "Into Your Arms," "A Lot To Ask," "Fall," "Maria With Child," "California Specific," and "Girl Gotta Gun." All were recorded and mixed at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington VA by Don Zientara and mastered by TJ Lipple. Photography was done by my wonderful wife Jodi. Our logo was designed by the extremely talented Emily Blackwell. The package design was put together by our own Patrick McCann. Not surprisingly we encourage you to get yourself a copy!

We hope to see you there!!

Patrick, Steve, Michael and Tom
at Manassas Battlefield 

The Eldritch Dark

When all is said and done this year, I expect The Eldritch Dark by Blood Ceremony to by sitting at the top of my favorite records of the year list. They are one of the many bands that Spotify has recommended to me since I started using the service.

I have mentioned them a couple times here. First when I
saw them open for Kylesa; second when they made my mid-year report. In case you're just tuning in they are a four-piece from Canada fronted by a keyboard and flute playing lady. Naturally she is fine but that is honestly just ancillary to the music, which is a cross between Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath. Lyrically it is kind of silly, singing about witches and sorcery and goings-on in related forests, but that's part of the fun. It doesn't waste anytime, as album opener "Witchwood" (of course) demonstrates:

Black magic has come to Witchwood

Their devilry takes place within our lonely woods

Such strange words and stranger visions

Forbidden hymns to summon things one never should

The record continues in that vein. There's more about shape-shifters, and sisters up to no good, and the moon, and the dark, and magicians, and a song about Christopher Lee when he burned up The Equalizer in The Wicker Man. This kind of stuff always makes me laugh a bit. When I was a kid I used to think how dangerous it was to listen to things like Iron Maiden. It was more interesting than what you usually got out of rock lyrics. Blood Ceremony are the same way. The pseudo-witchiness comes across as kitsch more than anything else. It's not scary like Slayer is; when you see Kerry King you get the impression he probably does worship Satan. Blood Ceremony does it with a nod and a wink. And I mean this all as a positive!! Looking at the notes in the record it appears guitarist Sean Kennedy writes all the lyrics. That is somewhat disappointing. Lead singer Alia O'Brien is a looker and it's more alluring to think she wrote them, but that's really a whatever kind of thing. The charm is that you have a pretty girl getting all witchy and singing about devil hymns. She seemed like a nice girl when I saw them live.

The music is great through and through. It's a very folky kind of heavy rock. I've seen them filed under doom metal. It's not really metal...too much gets lumped under metal these days. It has mellow spots where the flute takes over but it has plenty of rock to keep the head banging, but it stays to a very 70s inspired brand of metal. Really very debut record-era Sabbath. The band is altogether tight. Good grooves, good melodies that are both bright yet sinister-esque. Great vocals. Guitarist Sean Kennedy played a beautiful Yamaha when I saw them which inspired me to look into getting one of my own. I found one on eBay which I got for a total steal. Granted mine is the low-end base model wile his was the high-end fancy one, but it plays amazingly well for a guitar I got mainly because I liked the look, so much so it has become my primary gig guitar. Sweet!

Anyway, here's the second track off the record, "Goodbye Gemini."

Power Pop Round-Up

Here's a round-up of some of the power poppy kind of records I have added to the collection the last few months.

One of the records my lovely wife got me for my recent birthday is the latest from Scottish power poppers Attic Lights, Super De Luxe.  The best in Scottish power-pop has always been Teenage Fanclub, whose drummer Francis Macdonald handles production duty here. The band is kind of large, three guitarists not including one of the vocalists who also handles keyboards. All those guitars don't make for a Lynryd Skynyrd sounding album, instead we get a great bunch of 3 minute tunes. Very classic sounding Raspberries kind of power-pop. Album opener Say You Love Me sounds a bit too much like Weezer, but second track "Future Bound" has one of those choruses that make you jump. "Hit And Miss" and "Orbison" and album closer "Gabrielle" are the rest of the best of a really good set of smartly written songs.

Someone Still Love You Boris Yeltsin is an interesting band from Missouri. I first saw them when they were first on a bill with Two Door Cinema Club and somebody else who I already forgot. I have this feeling it was somebody I actually like quite a bit, but I am just spacing out on it right now. Anyway I liked them quite a bit and wound up leaving with their t-shirt. They do this jittery, lo-fi kind of power-pop.  Their new record is called Fly By Wire and it is OK. The production is a little hollow sounding, a real 80s British vibe permeates the record. The vocals are up in the high registers. Most power-pop doesn't need to be deep, but this is a bit more trifling than most. My head didn't really turn until we got to "Ms. Dot" at the end of the first side. It is a really nice, Shins-y number with a nice acoustic guitar line that lilts along. Second side openers "Loretta" and "Unearth" are nice mid-tempo numbers that bounce along. The record has the lyrics printed within gatefold of the record; I wonder why they felt compelled to do that. The lyrics aren't particularly deep, especially when compared to Attic Lights; they are the cryptic variety, back of the high-school notebook kind of stuff. One very cool thing is the vinyl disc itself; it's half red and half white and smeared in the middle thing so that when it rotates it wobbles. Very cool looking but it gives me a bit of a belly ache.

I heard of Big Eyes through a tweet from Dischord Records. They mentioned having CD copies of their latest record Almost Famous. I listened to a few tracks on Spotify and immediately found the record on Amazon (Dischord was out of vinyl). It has a harder vibe; when I shared it with my band-mate Patrick he mentioned I tend to like the crunchier, louder, more punky kind of power-pop. A buddy in college once told me the same thing, where he liked his power pop mellower and cleaner while I went the rough and teetering out of control kind. Lots of great tracks on this record, all of which would be perfect on Little Steven's Underground Garage: "Ain't Nothing But The Truth," "A Matter Of Time," "Nothing You Can Say," "You Ain't The Only One" might not have the best grammar but they have killer hooks. The record kind of blends into one another but it's hard and fast and gets in and out. Hey, that sounds dirty.

Lastly for tonight, we have Destroy This Place. I read about these guys in The Onion, where they and an article about good ways to market your band. I guess it worked because I checked them out and bought the record! Again, very noisy, fast, hooky, but with great singing and great harmonies. Great singing in that it fits perfectly with the vibe, not just screaming or yelling along but using the voice as part of the rock. Reminds me of bands like Heavy Into Jeff, bands I found hidden away in the Not Lame catalog and described as heavier Cheap Trick and Sweet.  Kind of Replacements-ish without the worry they might pass out at any moment. Bunch of really good tracks here: "Tight Sleeves," "Absorb You," "Born With Guitars In Our Hands," "Like Mice" and the killer album closer "Ghost Ride The Lightning."

Disconnecting Art From Action

For the most part I don't really dig emo bands. I find them kind of tiresome in general but moreover they tend to lack in hooks. Surfer Blood falls in the sort of emo, more indie rock kind of thing but has the pop hooks I hold near and dear to my heart.

Album opener "Demon Dance" gets things off to a rousing start before giving way to "Gravity", the best track on the record. It has one of those great 90s college radio choruses. Then there is a spectacular hook at the start of the chorus of "Weird Shapes" that soars up before doing a Walter Payton-esque stutter step. "I Was Wrong" bumps along like a harder-edge Shins track. The second side doesn't resonate as much as the first but it still bounces along.

Lyrically the record has familiar tropes of broken relationships and bad love. But it has an added element of real life that is potentially hard to disengage from. Before the record came out earlier this year, band leader John Paul Pitts was arrested for domestic battery, though charges were ultimately dropped. The interview I have read is admittedly one-sided to the artist, but it is also something he hasn't shied away from. He acknowledges it while not going into details. That's his right I reckon, but it provides a context around a song like "Squeezing Blood" that has lyrics like 

Damning allegations have come to light

Stapled to the background in black and white

That's the way it's always been

That's the way it's gonna end

All this world fell silent when I read the verdict

Steven Hyden writes about disconnecting art from the person much better than I ever could. He eloquently describes his challenges and dutifully brings in the likes R. Kelly and Chris Brown. He ultimately dismisses the record because the music isn't worth the guilt he would feel about liking it; the music isn't worth the hassle.

For me, I have no idea what went on in the world of this songwriter. I don't know the man, the woman, what the situation is/was/will be. Is he an asshole? Was he in a complex and volatile relationship and just snapped? Why were the charges dropped? Because there weren't any to press? Because the woman has her own issues to sort through? I don't condone anything here, but nobody knows the truth but them.

If he had come out and been all Sean Connery that would probably be one thing; or maybe not. Do I not watch James Bond movies or Indy 3 because Connery is a douche? If I equate morality with all the artists out there, then there probably won't be much to watch or listen to or read. J.D Salinger ran through girls like they were going out of style, does that make Catcher In The Rye unworthy of appreciating (or depending on my mood being exceptionally critical of)?

But what's the limit? If it came out that the lead singer of my favorite band murdered somebody in cold blood would I still listen to their records? Wow, probably not. If it came out that Pitts did assault his girlfriend would it change my view of the record? Maybe. Probably. Would I even remember five years from now any of that? Like Hyden I agree it isn't spectacular so as to remain culturally relevant because of any potential backstory, sordid or not. So I am left to sort out how I feel about it.

Interesting questions; a bit of heaviness to what is ultimately a lightweight yet enjoyable record. In Surfer Blood's case, I am in no position to judge anything but the music. In that vein let's just call the music what it is: a good indie rock record.

Anyway, here's the video for album opener "Demon Dance."