Maxvan’s Neighbors

Animated Objects

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:00:57 -0700

07/25/2008 09:59:26 ♥ written by vu ()

Animate Objects

Tour Dates

09/17/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/18/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/19/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/20/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/21/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
10/04/08 Chattanooga Convention Center Chattanooga, TN

Animated Objects are a hip-hop crew from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2005, they've won numerous regional awards for "Best Hip Hop" band, and having listened to their debut album, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma (released March 31^th, 2007), I can see why.

At first, I thought this was a typical MCs/DJs crew, but Animated Objects consists of a true live band of keys, bass, drums, and guitars. And not to put a too fine a point on it, the band members looks like of Asian/Indian descent, much like the hip-hop Asian Dub Foundation (which incidentally have a new album out).

As the album name, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma, suggests these are songs that you can play to your parents and not feel absolutely embarrass about its subjects. Now, this is not to say that it's watered down rap/hip-hop, but more so that its subject matter is not about banging hundreds of chicks or bragging about killing somebody or glamorizing about gang lifestyle. All this is explained in the first song, "The Weight", a jazzy background music with a spoken dialogue.

I felt the the album seems to have a theme of a location and places. As if each songs were stops along a journey through urban America. For instance, "El Dorado" sounds a city you'd like to visit, but not stay ("let's leave it all behind"). This song was recently awarded Best Rap/Hip-Hop song on the 7^th Annual Independent Music Award Winner. You can hear the song proudly displayed on their myspace.

The other song that stood out for me was their not-so-hidden bonus track, "The Battle Of Now". This is powerful song about rape (at least that's what I'm interpreting it). The woman vocals are provided by Margaret Vagle, who I only wish sang on more Animated Objects songs.

My song of choice is "Beautiful", a song featuring guest falsetto of Charles Hammond Jr. This is unlike most hip-hop songs, as the usage of the violins would reveal.

What I really like about this album is that the music is all originally composed for each song. I couldn't detect any sampling (and if some were used, it's not so obvious).

According to their official website, you can own the 12 track album for a mere $5. This is a really cheap price for a full length, so I suggest you take advantage of it before someone change their mind. Look for them at the five-day Pygmalion Music Festival.

Links: animate-objects.com myspace.com/animateobjects

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Greetings from Finland

nobody@vox.com(annaliisa) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:45:00 -0700

Blogging from Helsinki tonight, briefly. If ever in Helsinki I recommend you eat at Savotta Restaurant near Senate Square and the national church. Good stuff, especially the whitefish and Karelian stew. (I will add in hyperlinks when I get home later but tonight I am tired.) I wish I could post a pic but the PC I am on is sort of old and does not have an SD Card slot for me to transfer images. Helsinki was picture post card perfect today, not too hot, not too cold, bright blue skies with puffy white clouds. I will have to post a long summary of my trip after I get home and recover from the jet lag. With the exception of a minor terfuffle with my mother this afternoon, it has been overall quite a grand and refreshing vacation, and much needed after working 2 jobs for many months.

That, by the way, is done: when I return to the States, I will be back to working only one 40 hour per week job only. Sweet relief! More on that later too.

As for now, bedtime. Nuku hyvin!

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Cathy Dennis

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:36:24 -0700

07/24/2008 07:31:44 ♥ written by vu ()

Cathy Dennis - All Night Long (Touch Me)

Cathy Dennis

Discography

[1991] Move to This

[1992] Into The Skyline

[1996] Am I the Kinda Girl?

http://news.yahoo...

NEW YORK (Billboard) - UK Singer/songwriter Cathy Dennis stormed America at the beginning of the...

So, I caught the news about how 90s dance diva/pop singer, Cathy Dennis, is still making a living in the music business - not as a performer, but as a music writer. She's responsible for huge hits for Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, S Club Juniors, and Janet Jackson, just to name a few. I'm happy to see her doing so well!

Anyway, this news caused me to flashback of my high school youth. I had seen her beautiful 60s haircut and neon green album cover and fell in love with her. I got her debut album, Move to This through my primary way of purchasing semi-cheap CDs: BMG Music Club (which I'm still currently a member).

I think at the time, she had "Just Another Dream" as a hit single, a dancey number with that catchy line "is it for real or is it just another dream (just a dream)", followed by "Touch Me (All Night Long)" which shows off her dancing skills on MTV.

Cathy Dennis - Too Many Walls

Once I had the album, I was drawn to her sweet lullaby love song, "Too Many Walls". This song, complete with the violin parts, did really well on the Billboard charts.... and I believe it was the last time we heard from her in the States.

I don't know what happened really, she disappeared as quickly as she appeared on pop radio.

Looking at her discography, I can tell you that she did release two other albums, and a greatest hits, but as far as I know, they were only a blimp on the radar in the US. I'm sure she fared far better in her home country.

As luck would have it, Discopop reported a brand new Cathy Dennis album called Sexcassettes should be out in 2008:

Her manager, Spice Girls svengali Simon Fuller, adds that the album has “a real contemporary guitar feeling” - which is less encouraging.

I don't know about 'less encouraging', but it should be interesting to hear her new original songs.

Dennis, from the recent Yahoo article, adds more details:

Actually, yes. I've been working for the last year-and-a-half with a band I put together called Sexcassettes. We're shooting a video for the first single, "Killer Love," this month, and I hope to have it out by the end of the year. It's more of a band sound than produced pop. As usual, I have no idea what to expect.

Links: wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Dennis

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A Brief, Biased Review of Beach Areas on the East Coast

nobody@vox.com(Dabysan) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:02:53 -0700

I'm off to Cape Cod tomorrow for a brief, but much needed vacation to visit family, loll on the beach and pretend that the sad vegetarian selections they offer at seafood restaurants are fit for human consumption. I love the beach, and I'm told that Cape Cod was my first beach experience, but I've never really warmed to it. Cape Cod has a bit of a stick up its ass. Too many million-dollar houses; too many antique shops; too few actual beaches; way too few waves. I expect to have a lovely time, but absent family connections, Cape Cod would never be my first choice of East Coast beach destination.

Cape to the cizzle

Here then, is a brief rundown of the best and worst East Coast beach areas as defined by me.

Cape Cod: As mentioned, Cape Cod has a stick up its ass. Also, unless you're a Kennedy or some other form of bazillionaire, you almost certainly will have to drive in order to get to an actual beach from your "beach house." When you get there they'll violate you for a $15 parking fee. Grade: C-

Hilton Head: Here's another beach area with a stick up its ass, and its a southern flavored stick, so its even more off-putting. Hilton Head gets extra demerits for calling its major gated neighborhoods "plantations." Ick. On the upside, its pretty, the beaches are wide and the climate is awfully nice. Grade C+

The Jersey Shore: Here's what you need to know about the Jersey Shore: It's in New Jersey. If that's not enough, two more words: Atlantic. City. 'Nuff said. Grade D

Virginia Beach: Virginia Beach is Jersey Shore South. Grade D

Maryland/Deleware Beaches: These were the beaches I really grew up on, so I have a special place in my heart for them. But in the cold light of dawn, they don't really stand up. Of all of them, Rehoboth is the easiest to take, but all of these beaches are brutally crowded, suffer from Manhattanesque traffic congestion and feature some of the skankiest bars in Christendom. Grade C.

The Outer Banks: What makes the Outer Banks so great is that the proportion of beach to non-beach is simply the best anywhere. The Outer Banks are barrier islands that stretch 30ish miles long and less than a mile wide along the coast of North Carolina. That means, wherever you say, you're an easy amble to the nearest patch of sand. This also means that even in high season, you can find a place to lay your towel that's comfortably distant from the nearest other beach goers. From a cultural standpoint, the Outer Banks is nice enough not to seem trashy, but far enough down market not to seem snooty. Not coincidentally I'll be heading there for another (equally deserved) vacation later this summer. Grade A.

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Motion City Soundtrack Acoustic EP

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:33:31 -0700

07/23/2008 19:26:56 ♥ written by drew ()

Motion City Soundtrack - Fell In Love Without You

Motion City Soundtrack

Tour Dates

07/23/08 Ramkota Exhibit Hall Souix Falls, South Dakota
07/24/08 Grandmas Sports Garden Duluth, Minnesota
07/25/08 Riverside Ballroom Green Bay, Wisconsin
07/26/08 Streeters Traverse City, Michigan
07/29/08 Vans Warped Tour: Pittsburgh, PA
07/30/08 Vans Warped Tour: Riverbend Music Center OH
07/31/08 Vans Warped Tour: Verizon Wireless Music, IN
08/01/08 Vans Warped Tour: Marcus Amphitheater WI
08/02/08 Vans Warped Tour: First Midwest Bank IL
08/03/08 Vans Warped Tour: Canterbury Park ,MN
08/05/08 Vans Warped Tour: Credit Union Centre SK
08/06/08 Vans Warped Tour: Race City Speedway AB
08/08/08 Vans Warped Tour: Idaho Center Amp, ID
08/09/08 Vans Warped Tour: Gorge Amphitheatre WA
08/10/08 Vans Warped Tour: Columbia Meadows OR
08/13/08 Vans Warped Tour: Save Mart Center CA
08/14/08 Vans Warped Tour: Coors Amphitheater CA
08/15/08 Vans Warped Tour: Shoreline Ampitheatre CA
08/16/08 Vans Warped Tour: Sleep Train Ampitheatre CA
08/17/08 Vans Warped Tour: The Home Depot Center CA
09/04/08 MSU Auditorium East Lansing, Michigan
09/06/08 Crocodile Rock Cafe Allentown, Pennsylvania
09/07/08 House of Blues Atlantic City, New Jersey
09/08/08 Recher Theatre Towson, Maryland
09/10/08 The Orange Peel Asheville, North Carolina
09/11/08 The Music Farm Charleston, South Carolina
09/12/08 40 Watt Club Athens, Georgia
09/13/08 Real Big Deal Festival Gainesville, Florida
09/15/08 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
09/17/08 Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois
09/18/08 The Blue Note Columbia, Missouri
09/19/08 Liberty Hall Lawrence, Kansas
09/22/08 Club Oasis Louisville, Kentucky
09/23/08 Newport Music Hall Columbus, Ohio
09/25/08 Magic City Music Hall Johnson City, New York
09/26/08 Northern Lights Clifton Park, New York
09/27/08 Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel Providence, RI
09/28/08 Toad’s Place New Haven, Connecticut
09/30/08 The National Richmond, Virginia
10/01/08 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh, North Carolina
10/02/08 Rocketown Nashville, Tennessee

I'm always excited about acoustic releases. I generally prefer them since they strip away the flashiness and give you the raw talent of the band. Motion City Soundtrack's Acoustic EP is no different. The EP features five tracks from their 2007 album "Even If It Kills Me". For those who don't know Motion City Soundtrack is an increasingly popular indie rock/alternative rock/pop group formed in Minneapolis. The band has released three albums under Epitaph Records.

As with most acoustic releases, the songs all sound much more earnest and heartfelt. The versions of "Fell In Love Without You" and "It Had To Be You" should go down in love-song history for their incredible emotion-evoking sound. Unlike some acoustic albums, Motion City Soundtrack delivers complete studio quality throughout the entire EP. There are not only acoustic guitars, but chimes, drums, piano, bass-- the whole nine yards.

Motion City Soundtrack - Broken Heart

This wasn't just a sit-down in the basement; it was crafted with much precision. The vocals may not have been as smooth as in "Even If It Kills Me" but they are strong and hit all their marks (which is no small feat with all of Motion City Soundtrack's high octaves). Even if you've already purchased "Even If It Kills Me" I highly recommend you pick this EP up. The quality and effort put into the Acoustic EP is easy to recognize, and it's a whole new take on all of the songs.

Links: motioncitysoundtrack.com myspace.com/motioncitysoundtrack epitaph.com

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touché

nobody@vox.com(hotrod) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:04:52 -0700

Well played, Buckeye fans. Well played....

oooh, that's a burn!

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Golden Death Music, Ephemera Blues

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:22:14 -0700

07/23/2008 08:17:50 ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)

Golden Death Music - The Unmaking

Golden Death Music

OK, show of hands: how many of y'all reading this have dropped acid? Strangely enough, considering my interests in neurology and altered states of consciousness, I never have. Nope. Not once. A friend of mine once said that I acted as though I were on acid all the time, just by default. Therefore, I've always been afraid that eating a tab or two might, paradoxically, make me normal. Can't have that now, can we?

Well, thanks to London, Ontario's Golden Death Music, you do not need to resort to illegal pharmaceuticals to experience seriously altered states--I'm talking the kind that can potentially mutate you into a Homo erectus or a telekinetic, maggotlike far-future form, so be careful when listening. Also, if you're forced to take a piss test at your job, do not be surprised if traces of Golden Death Music's stunningly beautiful first album, Ephemera Blues, turn up in your urine. This is the kind of bizarre, edgy, yet still tranquil music that will permeate your entire being after a few listens, lighting up your chakra, opening your Third Nostril, and perhaps transforming your pineal gland.

Golden Death Music is singer/songwriter Michael Ramey, but the album sounds as though it's been composed by a whole studio full of musicians. Nope. It's all Michael Ramey, who has written and recorded every song himself--a sizable achievement, since Ephemera Blues has a very large sound. Mixing elements of Pink Floyd, Donovan, 13th Floor Elevators, Legendary Pink Dots, Radiohead, and Jethro Tull into a swirling, multicolored and multitextured album, Ramey has created a record that literally defines the word "psychedelic." Though most songs are primarily driven by acoustic guitar and vocals, drifting in and out and through these primary elements like noctilucent clouds are eerie synths, glitchy electronic touches, flutes, cellos, electric guitars, horns, and heavily-reverbed backing vocals. Though the sounds all blend together nicely to create a languid, sleepy texture, all instruments are still distinct and nicely arranged in space, which makes this album a wonderfully immersive headphones experience. Coloured waves of sound will fill your mind with disembodied bliss...and best of all, there's no nasty come-down or flashbacks to worry about!

Much like Pink Floyd, Golden Death Music acknowledges that melody is the keystone of any piece, and Ephemera Blues is built on a solid foundation of melody and songwriting. Ramey's lyrics are often rather dark, as on the album closer "Into the Ocean"--"Throw yourself into the water / Feel the changed and tainted ocean / Let the damaged waves caress you / Feel the change"--but not morbid. In fact, there is an airy lightness to this album that gives it the feeling of a peaceful near-death experience and greatly justifies the name Golden Death Music. "Waking Nightmare" may be constructed from a tense, unnerving electro-glitch base, but the melody itself and the vocals are quiet and pretty, as though Ramey is observing the waking nightmare of life from the stance of someone who's left it all behind. Even "Lost in Violence," my favorite track on the album, manages to depict our earthly hell with a relaxed peacefulness.

Speaking of Pink Floyd, Ramey is one hell of a good guitar-player, and his acoustic guitar work will no doubt remind you a lot of David Gilmour. There are no guitar solos in his songs, however: they are trim, economical tracks that usually measure about four to six minutes in length--just long enough to let you lose yourself in them without becoming overlong or tedious.

In many ways, Golden Death Music's Ephemera Blues is musical theosophy. Much like the literary work of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Golden Death Music gathers together elements from many, many sources and attempts to synthesize them into a mystical, transcendent, syncretic unity. However, unlike theosophy, Michael Ramey actually succeeds. Whereas Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled was a hefty tome of absolutely insane religio-babble, Ephemera Blues is a tight, complex, but manageable assemblage of musical concepts and ideas that really will make you feel as though you've tapped into the Pistis Sophia, the gnostic truth, the one-ness, behind the confusion of reality. And it will bring you the peace of musical enlightenment.

Links: myspace.com/goldendeathmusic helmetroom.com

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Side Projects

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:52:48 -0700

07/22/2008 22:48:52 ♥ written by vu ()

It's another big CD-Tuesday for us, we've managed to cover ~~most~~ all of them:

Man, I'm so glad that it will be a light release date for July 29^th, but looking ahead, it looks like another big day for us for August 5^th: The May Fire - The List, Peter Bradley Adams - Leavetaking, /Passenger. - Wicked Man's Rest, Trapt - Only Through The Pain, and Telepathique - Last Time on Earth... so looking forward to tackling those, since I am also assuming we will get more, the closer we get to that date. So below are last minute submissions for July 22^nd:

Sunfold - Gorgée de Rubis

Sunfold

Tour Dates

07/22/08 DC 9 DC, Washington DC
07/23/08 M Room Philadelphia, PA
07/25/08 Union Hall Brooklyn, NY
07/26/08 Mercury Lounge New York
07/27/08 Middle East (upstairs) Boston, MA
07/29/08 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC

SUNFOLD
myspace.com/sunfold

With the release of Toy Tugboats, released today, July 22^th, this North Carolina band, Sunfold, is kicking off a mini tour on the East coast.

Even though some of you might not know the name Sedona (the original name for the band) or Sunfold, you might know them through Annuals. What's interesting to note is that Sunfold includes all the members of Annuals, just under a different name.

Their biography lists that basically Annuals is headed by music singer/singer Adam Baker, while Sunfold is under songwriter Kenny Florence's direction.... and under his direction, it looks like Sunfold are gearing to a refreshing wide range of instruments (hammered dulcimer, lap guitar, cello), in addition to the standard guitar/bass/drums rock and roll fare.

I do like what Sunfold is doing here, trying out different genre of music. Take a listen to "Gnosis" and you'll think this must've been inspired by popular jazz and 70s progressive rock. The banjo and lyrics on "Shapeshiftin'" sounds very old-time music, while "To Wake the Eye" is pretty much jazz. "Sailed off to Sea" is their most country-sounding song, and "Gorgée de Rubis" is experimenting with artificial sound as well as a hint of Hindi music. As you can see, all songs are all over the place.

This might be a good thing if you consider that they are still growing and trying to find where they fit in. It should be interesting to see how the two bands exists parallel to each other as time goes by.

Toy Tugboats is out today on Terpsikhore Records. Look for their mini tour and/or see Annuals.

LACKTHEREOF
lackthereof.com ♥ myspace.com

Lackthereof - Last November

Lackthereof

Speaking of side projects, Lackthereof began life in 1997, before Danny Seim started another band in 2000 called Menomena, which took over as the main project. Seim have decided to return back to Lackthereof with this latest release called Your Anchor, released today, July 22^nd on one of our favorite record label, Barsuk Records.

The promotional song Barsuk want us to us is "Last November", which makes my choice a lot easier, but if you ask me, I would've prefer to use "Ask Permission" as I felt that song edge out November slightly.

Since the songs on this album were probably closely watched and mixed by Seim, himself, he controls all you hear - so the songs seems to fall on the more experimental side. There's odd melodies and unconventional music shifts, making it not very pop radio friendly.

The most radio-friendly song is his cover of The National's "Fake Empire", one of his favorite bands. To be honest, I haven't had a chance to check out the National, due partly to all the hype for the band last year. After hearing Lackthereof's version of "Fake Empire", I might check out what all the fuss is about..... Although, I would hazard a guess that it sounds very unlike the original.

PS, the most interesting thing, if you ever get a chance to see photographs of Seim and his pug. Apparently, Ms Geddy Lee, the dog, is the manager of Menomena.

Links: weheartmusic.com site.weheartmusic.com

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Samantha Crain

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:54:38 -0700

Traipsing Through the Aisles

Samantha Crain

Samantha Crain is a Choctaw Indian singer-songwriter from Shawnee, OK. She has self-produced recordings, but today marks her debut on Ramseur Records. The Confiscation EP is a remarkable 5-song "music novella" with each song telling a different story; from the press release, Crain says, "Every second, everybody is being fulfilled or robbed, and when that happens, there is a story. Everybody has a story and they are stories of redemption or they are stories of betrayal."

She and her band The Midnight Shivers are currently on tour promoting The Confiscation EP.

Tour Dates

07/26/08 DFEST--Dirty’s Tavern Stage Tulsa, Oklahoma
07/28/08 Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, KS
07/29/08 Dulcineas Denver, CO
07/30/08 The Palladium Salt Lake City, UT
08/01/08 Pickathon Roots Music Festival Portland, OR
08/02/08 Pickathon Roots Music Festival Portland, OR
08/04/08 Triple Door Mayfield! Seattle, WA
08/06/08 Sam Bond’s Garage Eugene, OR
08/07/08 Axe and Fiddle Pub and Music Club Cottage Grove, OR
08/08/08 Sophia’s Davis, CA
08/12/08 Hotel Cafe Los Angeles, CA
08/14/08 Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica, CA
09/06/08 Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago, IL
09/07/08 Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago, IL
09/27/08 International Festival Lawton, OK
10/09/08 Taste Orlando, FL
10/10/08 The Globe Saint Petersburg, FL
10/11/08 New World Brewery Tampa, FL

Links: Official Website | MySpace | Virb

Posted by Jason

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Mouth of the Architect - Quietly

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:58:15 -0700

Generation of Ghosts

Mouth of the Architect

Tour Dates

26 Jul 2008 DAYTON DIRT COLLECTIVE DAYTON, Ohio
01 Aug 2008 Ravari Room Columbus, Ohio
02 Aug 2008 Zanies Too Indianapolis, Indiana
03 Aug 2008 Howler’s Coyote Cafe Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
04 Aug 2008 Xtreme Wheels Buffalo, New York
05 Aug 2008 The Downtown Quarterback Endicott, New York
06 Aug 2008 The Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts
07 Aug 2008 The Living Room Providence, Rhode Island
08 Aug 2008 Knitting Factory Tap Bar New York, New York
09 Aug 2008 Broad Street Minstries Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10 Aug 2008 DC9 Washington, DC, Washington DC
11 Aug 2008 Nara Sushi Richmond, Virginia
12 Aug 2008 The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina
13 Aug 2008 Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia
14 Aug 2008 The Haven Winter Park, orlando?, Florida
15 Aug 2008 Brass Mug Tampa, FL
16 Aug 2008 Atlantic Gainesville, FL
17 Aug 2008 High Ground Venue Metarie, Louisiana
18 Aug 2008 Hi Tone Cafe Memphis,TN
19 Aug 2008 OPO Downstairs @ The Urban Table Fayetteville, Arkansas
20 Aug 2008 Downtown Music Little Rock, Arkansas
21 Aug 2008 Club Dada Dallas, TX
22 Aug 2008 Red 7 Austin, Texas
23 Aug 2008 Conservatory Ok City
25 Aug 2008 Gator’s Farmington,NM
26 Aug 2008 Clubhouse Tempe, AZ
27 Aug 2008 Knitting Factory Hollywood, California
28 Aug 2008 Chaser’s (fka Scolari’s) San Diego, California
29 Aug 2008 Thee Parkside San Francisco, California
30 Aug 2008 Rotture Portland, Oregon
31 Aug 2008 Riversdale Grange Roseburg, Oregon
01 Sep 2008 Studio Seven Seattle, Washington
03 Sep 2008 Marquis Theater Denver, Colorado
04 Sep 2008 Replay Lounge Lawrence, Kansas
05 Sep 2008 2 Cents Plain St Louis, Missouri
06 Sep 2008 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Iowa
07 Sep 2008 Reggie’s Rock Club Chicago, Illinois

One of my best friends has been telling me to check out Dayton, Ohio's Mouth of the Architect for about a year. He'd played some songs for me, and I'd dug them, and I don't really know why, but I never really got around to checking them out. And now, here I am, reviewing their new album, Quietly, and wishing I had.

Mouth of the Architect do the “post-metal” thing like few other bands. Rather than leaning heavily in one direction or the other, the more Explosions in the Sky style is mixed seamlessly with something more along the lines of Isis, creating something that's almost entirely their own.

Album opener “Quietly” opens... uh... quietly, with something that sounds like one of Mogwai's more contemplative moments with some added distortion and builds up over the course of ten minutes into a sludge epic. The returning original vocalist, Alex Vernon gives a really awesome, powerful performance here, and every time you think the track couldn't possibly get any heavier, it does, and yet, it never sacrifices the post-rock and psychedelic undertones that differentiate them from every other heavy band out there.

Most of the tracks on the album follow this general template of layers of noise stacked on top of each other, with some lengthy psych-sludge jam parts, but thankfully, it never feels like a template. The first part of “Guilt and the Like” is defined by cool, delirious sounding guitar riffs that would probably sound really hackneyed in the hands of a less competent band, but sound awesome here. “Generation of Ghosts,” on the other hand, starts with a trem-picked guitar riff reminiscent of the classic Godspeed You! Black Emperor crescendo, stretched out into an oddly ambient lead-in to something that would sound like a classic metal intro if it weren't for the softly sung vocals underlying it. The crescendo has a keyboard riff that adds an uplifting feel to the skull-crushing riffs. The intro to “Rocking Chairs and Shotguns” is reminiscent of Tool's more contemplative moments, with more time to contemplate, and none of the polish, with a fading guitar noodle that sounds like maybe someone wrote it hanging out in their rocking chair with their shotgun. The track returns to the theme set forth on the intro numerous times throughout in subtle ways. The last track, “A Beautiful Corpse,” on the other hand, just busts down the door and goes straight for the jugular. This is about as sludgy as this band gets, and they don't let up until the ending's shouted vocals without any instrumental accompaniment.

Overall if you like post-metal, you'll probably dig this album. I found myself wishing I'd checked this band out earlier, and I'm glad I have now. The album is out today, and the band is about to head out on a huge US tour. More information and tour dates (because there are way too many of them to post them here. Vu can, though, if he wants to apply some of that fancy formatting I have no idea how to do) can be found at the band's official MySpace page. They're hitting about three quarters of the lower 48, so most of our American readers can probably catch them in the next couple months!

-Soup

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