Battles - Mirrored

Nerds making music; it can be a beautiful thing. In a high school setting it's usually in orchestra or marching band. But out here in the badlands of the real world, rock music stardom is typically reserved for the über-cool. Too cool for school, per se. Thankfully, Battles (John Stanier, Ian Williams, Dave Konopka, Tyondai Braxton) have arrived to steal some of the thunder with their prog/math rock. Each of these guys have been members of other groups or currently have multiple musical endeavors. In addition, each is a skilled musician and is responsible for several instruments or samples. Good thing there are plenty of layers of sound to go around with keyboards, drums, guitars, bass, vocals, and synths eventually going all at once. For only having been together for less than 2 years, Battles have meshed extremely well to produce an awesome debut album out on Warp Records entitled Mirrored.

Mirrored is equal parts playful rock, angular guitars, driving drums, and synth loops all mixed with the complexity of the quadratic equation to create a surprisingly melodic concoction. Most tunes start off simply and spiral outward to a point where it seems like they're teetering on the brink of confusion and utter disaster, but Battles manages to steer clear of those pitfalls. While on previous EPs the band has been solely instrumental, Mirrored sees vocals (a lot of times distorted) and whistling added to the tapestry for melody and affect. The first single "Atlas" has been voted Single of the Week by NME in the UK and has a pretty awesome video to match. Another great tune is the very first track "Race:In" that catapults you head first into the album. The syncopated rim shots drive forward until a repeated guitar line comes in to hold place for the forthcoming whistling melody that appears front and center. The melodic whistling is eerily reminiscent of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs going off to work. The nerdiness of Battles' music seems organic, effortless, and entirely unique rather than over-thought, pretentious, or uninteresting. There is such a wild mix and variety of sounds coming together on this album that each listen brings to light new thoughts and responses. To appreciate this explosion of instruments and technology try and listen to how many layers there are on each song. Each is crafted so precisely, the mind boggles at how great they must be to see live.

Fly My Pretties - Live at Bats

Often times finding music from other parts of the world is difficult, but it is made much easier when you have friends who have traveled and lived in wonderful places. One such friend of mine has been nice enough to share with me a few favorites from New Zealand. The second of these acts (first being The Phoenix Foundation) is Fly My Pretties from Wellington, NZ. They are fronted by the Black Seeds' Barnaby Weir and he is backed by anywhere from 8-18 of his musical friends. Musicians from other NZ bands join in the merriment, while Mr. Weir takes song-writing credit for most of the tunes they perform. Fly My Pretties is not your typical band who practice, record an album, tour, write new songs then repeat. On the contrary, Fly My Pretties pretty much just tour and play live. With this great melting-pot of talent, it comes as no great surprise that the music is eclectic; from folk, funk, reggae, rock, to soul. Each song takes on a life of its own, yet sounds distinctly like it could only come from Fly My Pretties.
The debut live recording release Live at Bats was recorded over 5 sell-out shows at Bat Theatre in Wellington. It's somewhat surprising that with 5 shows recorded the album is only an hour long. There is probably some great material sitting on tapes in a basement somewhere in Mr. Weir's house. Luckily, what is included is a great selection showcasing the various styles and genre-hopping Fly My Pretties can accomplish on a nightly basis. While not a huge fan of reggae (because it mostly all sounds the same), their foray into the genre sounds fresh and relaxed and authentic. A couple of the tunes even sound a little bit like Pat McGee Band from way back when. The most endearing songs come as solos or intimate arrangements from Mr. Weir and are more in the folk variety. One such song "Champion" is below from the concert video...and today we're going AV with YouTube!

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

Ian Bavitz (aka Aesop Rock) comes from the school of underground hip-hop in NY that made its way to the forefront in the late 1990s/early 2000s. While he has been making music since his debut Music for Earthworms (1997), the spotlight has only been getting brighter since the release of Labor Days (2001) on Def Jux (El-P's Manhattan-based label). This particular release saw Aesop tackle the American labor society and how so many people are essentially slaves to a paycheck. In addition, the single "Daylight" was re-released as an EP all to itself. Aesop Rock's claim to fame is in large part due to his voice and lyrical content. Sometimes he is barely comprehensible, other times his lyrics only vaguely make sense. In some ways, his voice isn't just to spout personal opinions but rather to be part of the production as an instrument or sample unto itself. His production is usually dark, dirty, yet melodic in tone.

None Shall Pass is a great album compared to most of the rubbish hip-hop artists are producing currently. On the other hand, None Shall Pass is just a good album when comparing it to the upper echelons of other underground hip-hop. The main difficulty with the album is the uneven quality of the production. The standout tracks come from guest producers rather than the the ones produced by Aesop himself. Had he stayed away from the production a little more the album would be extremely tight and eclectic from track to track. Unfortunately, when there are a few tracks by Aesop back to back they meld together and become somewhat monotonous. The bulk of production comes from Blockhead, Aesop's long-time producing partner. It's possible that Aesop has learned mostly from his friend, and therefore his sound is too close to that of his buddy's. Aesop Rock's lyrical content on the album is sometimes hard to understand both aurally and technically. His message is usually pretty opaque, but that doesn't mean it's not highly enjoyable. It probably could have been much better had he brought in El-P to produce a couple more tracks or had a guest spot from Percee P. Any way you slice it, this album is incredibly more interesting and nuanced than 80% of the hip-hop currently circulating stereos and headphones today.

The Phoenix Foundation - Horsepower

Sometimes being mellow is a good thing. In the case of The Phoenix Foundation's US debut Horsepower it's quite a good thing. This band from New Zealand, not to be confused with the only other one Americans know (Flight of the Conchords...hilarious by the way), decided to re-release their 2004 debut Horsepower with a couple additional tracks for their Stateside debut. Immediate comparisons can be made to early (acoustic) Coldplay with elements of the The Shins. While I was optimistic that the album wouldn't be a sobbing and mopey journey, it's hard to escape that feeling after a few listens. On the other hand, sometimes it's perfect for the mood.

Horsepower clearly shows promise from a band already very well known in their homeland. They've already played in some of the country's largest festivals including Big Day Out. I was really hoping for more than just a couple upbeat tunes. For a band that grew up listening to the likes of Pantera and Slayer this type of music seems like a total contradiction. Gentle harmonies, and falsetto crooning are the norm on this effort. They maintain a spacey, playful, and even whimsical feel throughout most of the album. Especially atmospheric tracks include "Sister Risk" and "St. Kevin." The Phoenix Foundation should have little trouble finding a spot on any number of melodramatic TV shows here in the US. Essentially, a music supervisor's dream since they're unknown and would provide a perfect paring for a gray sky or melancholy afternoon. If you're looking to chillax and contemplate life, Horsepower would be a perfect album for that endeavor.

Galactic - From The Corner To The Block

As pointed out previously, the fusion of two artists is sometimes a touchy task to pull off well. On the other hand, the marriage of various genres all too often loses something when melded into one. The New Orleans band Galactic proves this stereotype wrong in many ways. This fact is especially true on their newest album From The Corner To The Block (Aug. 2007). One of the best ways to describe Galactic is by saying they incorporate elements of funk, jazz, hip hop, and rock. In addition, they can jam with the best of them.

On From The Corner To The Block the instrumental sextet gather guests artists ranging from Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Mr. Lif, Gift of Gab, Boots Riley (The Coup), and Lyrics Born. Each of these artists takes a turn with the band. Galactic is a tight sounding band with enough horns to fill a smokey jazz club and funky bass to make George Clinton happy at the same time. The whole album sees the band at it's tightest without missing a beat. It's a funk/hip-hop album that makes the case for itself to be seen live rather than through blind speakers. Surely, Galactic sound infinitely better live since they actually come from a performance background. The guests MCs do a masterful job blending their lyrical prowess with that of the band. Some tracks are standouts while others kind of struggle to find their way. There are also a couple instrumental jams thrown in to reassure older fans of Galactic that they haven't totally changed their stripes. At their zenith, some songs surpass The Roots best offerings, while others need some more polish.

The Eames Era - Heroes and Sheroes

Do you like sweet indie pop that bursts with energy and exuberance? If you answered "yes" then you'll most likely enjoy The Eames Era. If not, you could enjoy them anyway for their upbeat, infectiously singable tunes...maybe, maybe not. Anyway, The Eames Era was formed in 2002 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by two high school guitarist buddies; Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner while enrolled at LSU. Joined by drummer Greg Gauthreaux and bass player Brain Waits they originally called themselves The Double Zeros. The missing piece to the puzzle came in the form of songstress Ashlin Phillips. With the quintet complete they changed their name to The Eames Era in honor of celebrated designers Charles Eames and Ray Eames (who designed famous pieces like this and this).

The second full length release Heroes and Sheroes follows their debut Double Dutch which saw significant airplay on college radio and earned them spots on Grey's Anatomy and Falcon Beach with the song "Could Be Anything." Self-released back in April 2007, the album Heroes and Sheroes is 17 tracks that flow seamlessly together, causing anything from head bobbing to toe tapping. The sweet vocals of Ashlin Phillips is a perfect combination of Jenny Lewis and Emily Haines. She provides depth and sincerity when keyboards, handclaps, and the ba-ba-ba-ba's boarder on twee-pop cliché. At no point do the clichés sound trite or out of place. They're fully aware of their sound and manage to turn the clichés into strengths. If more proof is needed, Ms. Phillips' backing band can play with the best of them, giving crunch and and a kick of soul to their melodic arrangements. This album could be described as irreverent, lively, and energetic. As a whole, the album is very enjoyable. There are a couple weaker songs, but none are of the throw-away variety. It's relatively easy to hear which are the strongest tunes. One of these is below, entitled "Fake Do-Gooders", which has a great hook and catchy melody.

Blue Scholars - Bayani

This is smart hip-hop. This is thoughtful hip-hop. This is passionate hip-hop. DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic have helped put the Pacific Northwest on the Hip-Hop Map with their brand of underground hip-hop. Joining forces at the University of Washington (Seattle) the group focuses on social and political issues of both local and national importance. The quality of their production is also an amazing virtue of their second full-length album Bayani. Most importantly, this hip-hop isn't concerned with album sales, drugs, sex, misogyny or rims.

MC Geologic flows, "spits", rhymes, and everything in between, but always with clear pristine vocals. Geologic has no need for flashy things, as he imparts humility and honesty into his lyrical content referring to how he's “Got holes in the soles of a third of my socks” on “Ordinary Guys." These conscious lyrics are coupled with Sabzi's deft beat making skills. There is enough space and funk injected that gives his beats a decidedly "old-school" flavor. The music created isn't easily pegged down, and as their press release says it exhibits, "Poetic lyricism with beats you can dance to. Marxist theory mixed with Baha’i spirituality. Musical influences ranging from Thelonius Monk and Aphex Twin to Marvin Gaye and J Dilla." All of these qualities are put to the forefront on the track "North by Northwest." Geo talks about their roots in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from wet weather to the Seattle Mariners. Their geography allows them to defy typical East Coast or West Coast hip-hop trends of yesteryear. But clearly, the Blue Scholars are here to serve notice that there is a burgeoning scene in the top left corner of the USA.