Archive for the 'music' Category
Another year of heaviness. I gotta snap out of that. Maybe.
- Helms Alee – Night Terrors. A few years ago my favorite record was Autolux Future Perfect. This is like that. Burly, but hooky and pretty. Like Autolux it’s all there: tones, production, songs. Really nice.
- Young Widows – Old Wounds. Mathy noise rock. Cool production, great record.
- 2 Foot Yard – Borrowed Arms. Smart and musical, as expected.
- Akimbo – Jersey Shores. I love a good side project. Which this record isn’t, technically, but it feels like one given how it was made and how it came out. Total ass kickage.
- Torche – Meanderthal. Yeah, this record is on pretty much every other top 10 list this year. I prefer the In Return EP, but this one’s pretty great too. Heavy / hooky.
- Baroness – Red Album. Yeah, 2007. But I listened to it like crazy this year. Riffs, followed by additional riffs, interspersed by jams.
- KEN Mode – Mennonite. I just found out that this record exists. The band released it themselves with little fanfare. It’s not as consistent as Reprisal (which blew my mind) but it still rules.
- Made Out of Babies – The Ruiner. Spastic, heavy, weird, good.
- Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid. I love these guys. They’re like a British Radiohead. No, wait. Anyway, they made another really nice record. And they produce themselves. Respect.
- Leatherback – H is for Hospital. My friend Sean made this record in February. I admit that my take on it is colored by knowing Sean, but so what? Like I said a few months ago, “it’s a mostly instrumental wide-eyed take on King Crimson and lo-fi pop, and I really love it”. It’s free, go get it.
- Cursed – III: Architects Of Troubled Sleep. Distorted distortion. Yes.
Honorable mentions:
- Black Elk – Always A Six, Never A Nine
- Clouds – We Are Above You
- Kaki King – Dreaming of Revenge
- Portishead – Third
- Black Ships – Omens
- Wetnurse – Invisible City
- Meshuggah – ObZen
Remember the “RPM Challenge” in February, where you were supposed to make a record in a month? Bradee and I just finished ours. Hah.
When we blew the original deadline, we just put the project away. But it’s been driving me nuts that we didn’t finish it. So we wrapped it up last week (it really was almost done).
If I had to describe the result, I’d say “half-ass pop songs”. Bradee and I wrote most of it, and friends chipped in on a lot of songs.
Download it here.
And no recording project is complete without photos.
Ah, relief.
When we recorded the first few Kowloon Walled City songs late last year, that recording was supposed to be a demo of sorts, to book shows and tide us over until we finished a full-length. But over the next few months, we realized: why record these songs again? They came out great. And why wait to release something until we have 10 songs written and recorded?
Instead, we decided to release an EP, and then another when we finish another batch of songs, and so on. We would put out vinyl, and give mp3′s away for free. This makes great sense: we get to release music more often; we get our music into as many hands as possible; and people can support the band by buying vinyl, which will be in a beautiful package. More releases means more work, but the work is part of the hobby, really. I like making stuff. (We also decided to do some merch, which is also more work, but fun.)
That decision was at the end of June. In the month that followed: I mixed the remaining two songs from that session; we found a designer and he created a fantastic package design; I researched vinyl pressing companies (we chose Pirate’s Press here in SF); we had two good friends master the album (Ben did the vinyl, Greg did the CD/mp3); we designed a new website; Jason wrote a bio and Ian hunted down press and blogs to contact about reviews; I updated my homegrown store software to handle t-shirts and “zoom” images. And we were in business! DIY FOR THE WIN.
After all that, we’ll release Turk Street, a 5-song EP, this month. It’ll be available on 10″ translucent red vinyl, CD (a limited run in a handmade package), and yes, for free on the interweb.
Over at the store, we’re taking preorders on the vinyl and CD. The official release date is Sept 30, but we’ll ship out vinyl as soon as it arrives. Go buy something and tell me if the store is working.
Here’s my best-of list for the year. I didn’t actually find that much new music this year for whatever reason. And my means of finding/getting music were different than last year, too: I barely bought any physical CDs; I canned my emusic subscription; I started using the Amazon mp3 service; I didn’t use lala much at all. I followed a few mp3 blogs though I don’t think I ended up buying too many records as a result.
The Great
- Kruger – Redemption Through Looseness. Dense, heavy, well-played, ridiculous, consistent. I love this record. Also, that is how you start a record. Boom.
- Unsane – Visqueen. Huge. Great production, great songs.
They “grew” without watering down their thing. - Replicator – Machines Will Always Let You Down. Oakland! I’ve been friends with Ben for a while but I had never heard his band until I got a copy of MWALYD. Snotty, smart angular rock.
- Black Cobra – Feather And Stone. Sludgy heaviness that charges along and constantly threatens to derail itself.
- Dyse – s/t. Another two-piece, I believe. Tight post-punk with nice indie production. And a great use of jangly, barely distorted guitar tones a la JR Ewing. myspace, buy
- Neil Young – Live At Massey Hall 1971. “Here’s a song I just wrote… it’s called ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’”. “Here’s another new song… ‘Old Man’”. etc.
- Radiohead – In Rainbows. They keep killing it. Not revolutionary but still great. I love pretty much everything about this record: the songs, the arrangements, the guitar playing.
- Blonde Redhead – 23. I didn’t know much about Blonde Redhead before hearing this record. My near-musicologist friend Bob this record is a total sellout. I think it’s great. Hooky without being sugary, neat production, great vocals.
The Good
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – In Glorious Times. Not their best work, but still pretty fantastic. Epic, ridiculously dense, occasionally whimsical. myspace, youtube, buy
- High On Fire – Death Is This Communion. Big metal. Doesn’t live up to Blessed Black Wings, but what would? This record sounds a little too clean, a little too under control; the last one sounded like a tractor trailer on a Formula 1 track.
- PJ Harvey – White Chalk. Apparently this year’s “The Good” list should be titled “records by amazing artists that continue to do good work, though not their best work”.
- Neurosis – Given To The Rising
- Zozobra – Harmonic Tremors. Solid, way detuned sludge with some actual hooks. Nicely done. myspace
- Book Of Knots – Traineater. Weird rock side project from genius violinist Carla Kihlstedt (of SGM, Tin Hat, 2 Foot Yard, etc etc etc) and a bunch of other badasses. This record is a huge leap from their first; the songs are much stronger and more diverse. myspace, buy
- Akimbo – Navigating The Bronze. Awesome freakout riff-core. myspace, buy