Category Archives: albums

Album pre-order: Sloan – "Twice Removed [Deluxe Edition]"

Legendary Canadian band Sloan are re-releasing their groundbreaking 1994 sophomore effort “Twice Removed”  with a whole host of goodies and following that up with a tour.

So as you can see from the above video there are TONS of extras that will be included when you pre-order. In my opinion this makes it completely worth the $89.99. If you haven’t heard the album then you probably won’t be willing to part with so much cash, and probably won’t be interested in all of the extras, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make yourself familiar with one of the greatest Canadian rock albums of all time. Forget Canadian, this album holds up as one of the best no matter what you put it up against.

This will be the first time “Twice Removed” has been made available on vinyl since the 90’s, a big plus for those of us that are completists. If you want to familiarize yourself with Sloan and you are on Spotify then you are in luck because the entire Sloan catalog is up there for your listening enjoyment.

Ironically one can not access Spotify in Canada, so enjoy the video below, or simply listen while you head to Sloanmusic.com to check out their tour dates, where they will be playing “Twice Removed” front to back all across Canada and the Northern U.S. As of right now they have posted dates throughout September with a promise that there will be more shows booked through October and November so keep checking  Sloanmusic.com if you don’t see a town near you listed.


Find Sloan: Web | Twitter | Facebook

Sloan “Twice Removed” Tour: 

SEP 05, Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge (Northwest Music Fest)
SEP 06, Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
SEP 07, Golden, BC – Rockwater
SEP 08, Oliver, BC – Tinhorn Winery
SEP 09, Lethbridge, AB – Average Joe’s
SEP 11, Edmonton, AB – Starlite
SEP 13, Cranbrook, BC – Key City Theatre
SEP 14, Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
SEP 15, Victoria BC – Rifflandia
SEP 17, Medicine Hat, AB – Esplanade Theatre
SEP 18, Regina, SK – The Pump
SEP 19, Saskatoon, SK – Louis’ Pub
SEP 20, Winnipeg, MB – The Pyramid
SEP 21, Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
SEP 22, Chicago, IL – Subterranean

See also: Album review: Sloan – “The Double Cross”

Album review: Red Alder – "Hyper Vertical"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram.com on July 10, 2012)

Red Alder - "Hyper Vertical"
Red Alder – “Hyper Vertical”

Kelsie Brown has been releasing a steady stream of quiet, ethereal bedroom pop on her bandcamp page under the name Red Alder for over a year. Last week, on June 24, she announced that an entire album’s worth of older tracks were going to be released, and this is that album.

Though the songs aren’t meant to fit together to create a cohesive album – as they are lo-fi demos for the most part going as far back as 2005 – the general style and atmosphere of each track is very similar throughout. A piano awash in reverb builds over the top of vocals that are simultaneously whispering and shouting to be heard on “So Gracefully”, perhaps the most well formed of this collection as far as pop structure is concerned. Despite these songs not being thought of as forming an album “In Rain I Sat Alone and Waited” does seem to pick up where “So Gracefully” leaves off melodically. Synth tones overlap, accumulating a cloud of dissonance before disappearing into the night.

Another instrumental, “Untitled 2?, draws similarities to Erik Satie’s solo piano works. The simplicity of two repeated chords with a wandering, melancholic melody over top sounds uses the Gymnopédies and Gnossienne of Satie as starting points. And in “Two,” Brown’s voice cries out in occasional dissonance against the gentle piano texture.

This collection is available now on the Red Alder bandcamp page for any price you’d like. Though no performances are listed at this time, if you are in the Seattle area keep your eyes out for a possible show in the future.

Find Red Alder on: Facebook | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

 

Album review: Foton – "Omega"

Foton - "Omega"
Foton – “Omega”

From Portland, Oregon’s Field Hymns Records, Foton has produced an album full of electronic, mostly ambient sounds that fall somewhere between Boards of Canada and more experimental, free-form soundscapes that are (what I imagine to be) like field recordings from a trip to Mars.

Melodies and pulse fall in and out of focus across much of the 30 minute album. For example “There Was the Ruby Glade” keeps trying to leave the ground but sputters into Wagon Christ territory before concluding. Instead of one solid structure, or one solid idea, we have fragments of surging electronics that glitch and buzz,  held together by droning ambience.

“Slope 7F” provides the longest melodic line of any of the songs that hauntingly rings out unsupported by any harmony before the sound of a pipe organ comes crashing through in a swell of sound, that again is cut off completely. The song builds and falls continually leaving the listener hanging, before the lengthy melody returns only to be defeated by scratches of howling distortion and drums. This is probably the finest song on the album.

The closing track, a 15-minute magnum opus of pure, throbbing, ambient sound that builds to a loud organ sound once again, retaining the same harmony throughout and eventually fading away after several shifts in timbre. What’s interesting here is not so much what happens structure wise across the sprawl of 15 minutes, but it’s what happens timbre wise that changes the almost physical shape of the sound that emerges. The form is not in the division of sections here, because there is only one part, rather the form lies in how the pitch envelope is shifted slightly over that time.

This album is an interesting experiment in sound, creating shifting ambient soundscapes that aren’t afraid of straying from that archetype to allow melody and pulse emerge if need be.

Head to the Field Hymns page for Foton to purchase this release (out now!) for only $6, or click through the bandcamp link below. The album is being released on a limited edition of 100 cassettes, so don’t delay. Instant download upon purchase.

Album review: Japandroids – "Celebration Rock"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram on June 12, 2012)

Japandroids - "Celebration Rock"
Japandroids – “Celebration Rock”

When a band sort of falls off the radar for a little bit it’s natural to feel worried. In today’s musical climate a band only stays relevant for as long as they can pump out song after song and album after album. It’s even more worrisome when a band like Japandroids – a band so exciting, energetic, and original, and with such a talent for writing catchy, shout-along choruses – seems to be puttering to a standstill.  The Vancouver pair seemed to be disappearing into memories, stretching themselves thin touring 475 days a year, and leaving us hanging with spare singles and cover songs to tide us over.

The problem with such an approach is that the expectation for something truly epic, something that will exceed all previous efforts increases exponentially. And this is the part of the post where I let you know what you are hoping: they have.

On Celebration Rock Brian King’s voice is a little bit more crackly and weather-worn, no doubt the result of all of the aforementioned touring, but all of the energy and shouts are still there; not only are they still there, they are surprisingly better, more earnest, and more filled with joy. After Post-Nothing I think we all figured that it was safe to assume that there was no way this band could continue on in the same manner. In order to remain relevant, they would have to try to do something different, branch out, and add things to their sound. Well, here’s Japandroids proving us wrong.

Celebration Rock is comprised of 8 songs that fly by in a frenzy, never letting up for a second. The album opens and closes with the sound of fireworks, and every song is propelled forward like it’s been shot out of a cannon. The steady drumbeat of “The Nights of Wine and Roses” fades in, and King can hardly contain his excitement as the guitar enters the mix, swaying a bit against David Prowse’s solid backbeat. Things pick up from there, building until the bottom suddenly falls out, and the pair’s most jubilant string of interjections is extended over the following thirty seconds.

Usually I would say that a good album needs to have a shape to it – the ups, the downs, the entire emotional landscape, you know. Albums need to take us on a journey and allow us to get lost as listeners. But with Celebration Rock, there is absolutely no room for complaint. Japandroids is rocking harder than ever before; they are clearly excited by their music, and they are unapologetic for it. Every single song is comprised of hooks that seem so effortlessly strung together. Between the energy, the hooks, and the nostalgic impact of the lyrics, it’s easy to get lost in Japandroids’ oeuvre. The songs sound new and familiar, capturing the fleeting idea of reminiscence that we all find ourselves feeling from time to time.

The album also features one of the most fantastic one-two rock punches in recent memory, placing “Younger Us” and “The House That Heaven Built” one after the other, the latter of which is a standout track among an album of standout tracks.

The pair is currently on tour, but from what I have heard tickets are selling incredibly fast, and with good reason. Seeing a Japandroids show is a great experience, and one that comes highly recommended. Check their website to see if they are coming to a town near you, and to order the album for yourself.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/07.-The-House-That-Heaven-Built.mp3|titles=The House That Heaven Built]

Connect with JPNDRDS // Facebook | web |

UPDATE: The album is currently (TODAY!) available as a $3 download on Amazon. Go get it!

 

Download: Titus Andronicus Mixtape Vol. 1

Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus has released a mixtape through their tumblr presence that not only includes properly recorded versions of two new tracks, but also a whole host of collectible material from their early days prior to the recording of their first album, outtakes from their 2010 masterpiece The Monitor, acoustic demos and even some Weezer (?!) covers. It’s travelling around the internet already, so grab it while it’s hot and pump yourself up for more new material from Titus Andronicus, but I would warn you against following Patrick Stickles on twitter as that dude stays up late and can be really annoying, but then again he also announces stuff like this via twitter so….consider yourself warned.

By the way, following the download link to their tumblr page will also provide you with several new live video clips. Be sure to check those out as well.

Download the mixtape.

Titus Andronicus:  Twitter | Tumblr | web

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titus-Andronicus-Upon-Viewing-Oregon’s-Landscape-with-the-Flood-of-Detritus.mp3|titles=Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus]

New album: Alta Mira – "I am the Salt"

Alta Mira
Alta Mira

I jokingly tweeted that I should send an e-mail to bands if I’m able to listen to their entire album or EP without losing interest. Hey, we get sent a lot of music and unfortunately that means the music gets judged by how quickly it can grab us, and hold our attention. I’m not sure if the other guys would completely agree with me or not, so I’ll just say that that is true for me.

Last week Albany, NY band Alta Mira quietly sent me a link to their Soundcloud and Bandcamp sites, and I listened. After that I listened again, and as I write this I am listening yet again. It’s crafty pop music that is catchy and more on the quieter side at times, while more on the dance side at others. The mix is clean, and the tunes are solid on their forthcoming album entitled I Am The Salt.

Of the tracks available on their Bandcamp page, “Organ Anthem” opens up in the middle, when the vocals drop out, and just builds and builds before the driving and echoed guitar pulls us back in again. It’s probably my favorite of the 3 tracks available, and good on them for ending the release on a track that makes me want more. That’s the way to do it. Bands take note! The first track “Good Enough” makes me think of The Shins, but with perhaps a bit more layering and rhythmic drive.

It looks like they are already garnering some attention from reviewers from their previous EP from 2007 and a self-titled LP from 2009, so the only thing left for you to do is to check out their tracks. The full 10 song LP “I am the Salt” is slated for release on March 31st. You can download the first single, “Good Enough” below, and stream a couple more at their Bandcamp page.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Alta-Mira-Good-Enough.mp3|titles=Good Enough]

Connect with Alta Mira // Facebook | Myspace | web | Bandcamp

 

Album review: Luke Roberts – "The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport"

Luke Roberts’ “The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport” is, on its surface, a collection of heartfelt emotional explorations. Continued listening reveals a deeper folk and country influence. Roberts’ delicate and finely crafted arrangements are spare one track, fleshed out the next, always finding the perfect balance of instruments to accentuate his plain-spoken lyrics.

The first thing that struck me upon hearing the opening seconds of “I Don’t Want You Anymore” slow, droning violin’s delicate vibrato and spare guitar chords was the way that it reminded me of Jason Molina’s work with Songs: Ohia’s final album “The Magnolia Electric Company”. This track opens like a country ballad, heartache weighing heavy in Roberts’ voice. The violin comments on the emotive quality of the lyrics in its moaning bleat that contributes a deeper level of emotional interpretation. Like many of the songs throughout the album this is a sparse voice and guitar affair, though Roberts’ intricate picking can weave a complex harmonic fabric with a great deal of interestingly voiced chords on tracks like “Second Place Blues” and “Cartier Timepiece”.

There are only a few tracks assisted by a full rhythm section, moving the songs from the Nick Drake territory of “Spree Wheels” towards the aforementioned Magnolia Electric Co. sound. Luke’s voice is clear and low, similar to Bill Callahan, conjured from a very personal place as evidenced from the first person perspective of the lyrics. Though even without the aid of a full band Roberts has a skill in filling the spaces. The excitement in “Lost on Leaving” rolls forward with harmonica and piano in addition to broad guitar strumming and the most hopeful words sung on the album: “With everyone smiling at me”. It’s impossible not to see Luke Roberts himself singing through a smile as the words cross his lips.

Luke Roberts - "The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport"
Luke Roberts - "The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport"

“Will You Be Mine” is strummed brightly as Luke’s voice cracks. He follows the line “I need you to call” with an extended pause that puts us as listeners in his place, waiting and hoping in desperation for fulfillment. The track consists almost entirely of two chords, but he shows us what can be done with only two chords in this track and the next track that is equally minimal in its harmonic changes: “Spree Wheels”. In “Spree Wheels” the guitar sound morphs into a full ensemble with the lower strings sounding clear and round like an upright bass.

The way in which the songs are recorded brings the listener in closer. From the dry drum sound on “Old Fashioned Woman” to the sound of fingers brushing against the guitar strings as they are plucked, to the directness and clarity of the voice; this album is very present. It’s hard to hide mistakes in a mix like this, and that high-wire act of sorts is exciting to listen to. Luke Roberts is a confident performer who doesn’t disappoint on any of these songs.

Standing in sharp contrast to the laid back and stripped down nature of the majority of the songs is the arrangement of “Old Fashioned Woman” with its distorted lead guitar line that slices right through every other instrument in the ensemble with a slight amount of reverb and delay that comes off as an otherworldly sound amidst the repeated lulling finger picked steel string guitar. Adding to the colorful arrangement in this track is the simple 2-note piano line that gives a bit more depth, complexity and reinforcement to the guitar line.

With “The Iron Gates at Throop and Newport” the artistry and craftsmanship of Luke Roberts as a songwriter, and guitarist is truly on display. He successfully navigates a wide variety of sounds and textures to great effect throughout.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/08-Lost-on-Leaving.mp3|titles=Lost on Leaving] [audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/06-Spree-Wheels.mp3|titles=Spree Wheels] Head to Thrill Jockey right now to pre-order the album. It’s set for release on March 20. And if you are planning on purchasing the album in the vinyl format (as I wholeheartedly suggest), Thrill Jockey says:
 The vinyl version of Luke’s debut Big Bells and Dime Songs sold out upon release, so do not hesitate.

Video: Scout – "So Close"

(Originally posted to Tympanogram.com on March 6, 2012)

Scout - "All Those Relays"
Scout - "All Those Relays"

Scout’s Ashen Keilyn has a voice that is instantly recognizable. It’s earnest and inviting despite that, in this track, it’s singing of heartache and pain. Of “So Close” Ashen says, “It’s a song I wrote after one of many arguments. The line ‘So I’m stuck down here with my heart in a splint / getting so close to calling it quits’…well that’s exactly how I felt at the time.”

Ashen, and Scout, are preparing to release their first album since 2003, and much like last time it will include guitarist Steve Schiltz. Though some things have changed since 2003, obviously, as at that time Schiltz was just starting to get things going with his band Longwave. Now Longwave is gone, but Schiltz has remained busy on the scene with his solo project, Hurricane Bells, and a new label imprint in Invisible Brigades, which will be releasing the new Scout effort.

This video comes from director Bill Moldt, recorded live in Olé Recording studios in Queens and caputres Keilyn and Schiltz on guitars, with Schiltz singing falsetto backing vocals (and manning the omnichord/drum machine). The new Scout album, All Those Relays, also partially produced by drummer/producer of Spoon Jim Eno, will be released March 27 via Invisible Brigades.

Find Scout:  Facebook | web

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Scout-So-Close.mp3|titles=So Close]

New track: Lee Ranaldo – "Off the Wall"

(Originally posted on Tympanogram.com on March 5, 2012)
Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Watching your favorite band break up is tough to do. It’s like being a kid and having to decide if you are going to live with your mom or your dad after your parents get divorced. I’m still in the phase where I’m holding out hope that Sonic Youth isn’t going to disband, but rumors of this coming Summer’s Lollapalooza performance being the bands last are going around, and sooner or later we are all going to have to face the inevitable together.

In the meantime, Thurston Moore has released an album of genteel, somnolence-inspiring arrangements that function essentially as ruminations on open guitar tunings; Steve Shelley is drumming with Disappears (a band that nobody would be paying attention to if Steve Shelley wasn’t drumming for them); and Lee Ranaldo is making his debut as a solo songwriter with his album “Between the Tides and the Times” on Matador Records.

This isn’t his debut album by any means, as he has released a handful of highly experimental albums including East JesusFrom Here to Infinity, and Amarillo Ramp (for Robert Smithson) that would test the fidelity of any true Sonic Youth fan. These albums are in addition to other free jazz albums that he has collaborated on.

So far we only have one song from the new album, set for release on March 20. “Off the Wall” is structured in typical verse/chorus/verse fashion with a free-wheeling easiness in the melody that sounds like it would fit perfectly on Rather Ripped. This is, oddly, quite a departure considering Ranaldo’s other works. Leave it to someone so completely left-of-center as Lee Ranaldo to release a straight ahead rock track and have it seem like a departure. The truth is that this track does sound like one of the songs that would appear on a Sonic Youth album, where Ranaldo is typically woefully underrepresented.

He’s also got some solo performances coming up, including a spot at Primavera. Check him out live if you can, as his band includes not only Steve Shelley (you know, the guy from Disappears), Nels Cline, Alan Licht and John Medeski. His tour, with M. Ward and Disappears, mostly hits up the East Coast and parts of the South and Midwest. You can check the dates here, and pre-order Between The Times and The Tides at Matador.

Lee Ranaldo on: Facebook | web | Twitter

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lee-Ranaldo-Off-The-Wall.mp3|titles=Off the Wall]

ETA (March 13, 2012): Lee’s album, “Between the Times and the Tides” is now streaming in its entirety on Rolling Stone.com.

Lee Ranaldo OFF THE WALL Official Video from Lee Ranaldo on Vimeo.

 

Album review: Terry Malts – "Killing Time"

Taking the garage punk aesthetic to unexpected places and mixing it with an early rock and roll sensibility for melodic pop hooks, Terry Malts succeeds in making fun, catchy noise with the occasional biting social commentary. It’s all apropos of punk rock.

The first thing that immediately struck me is how much the singer’s voice sounds like that of Joey Ramone’s, and I should apologize because once you start to hear it that way it will be impossible to hear it any other way. The comparison was something that my mind would not let go. Uncomplicated songs with straightforward structures are not something that the Ramones invented, but Terry Malts takes the form and sound — as an archetype — and runs with it. The songs on “Killing Time” not only have more lyrical depth, combined with variety in the tempo and rhythm department, but are also given room to breathe. The band allows each track to develop in its own way by either cutting back and building up the dynamic again or with the addition of a squealing, messy guitar solo. Perhaps a better idea of their sound would be to place it in terms of the noisy garage punk bands Male Bonding or Dum Dum Girls.

Terry Malts buzzes with a guitar tone that seems to have been taken directly from Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade and it’s that haze from which the entire album takes its tone – bass heavy, and at times overridden with feedback and echoed vocals. The buzzed out “Not Far From It” is a perfect example of this sound. With “I’m Neurotic,” the droning, repetitive and spacious grinding guitar riff pervades, though the simple, pared down lyrics are more the focus on this track. Repeated statements of “I’m neurotic, that’s what she says, I won’t let it go to my head. Maybe she’s right” not only works to highlight the fact that he is, in fact, neurotic, but therefore that “she” is right. Efforts specifically directed towards preventing it from going to his head are only doing the opposite. The music reflects the neurosis that commandeers all attention and focus.

“Nauseous” picks up the pace significantly. It’s far more catchy with a quick tempo, and perhaps even borders on “sing-along” inspiring with the hook “na-na-na-na-nauseous”. This is all combined with an ability for capturing the aura of early hard-core punk like Black Flag, mixed with a bit of the early rock and roll-influenced fun. Those two characteristics seem, on the surface, to be diametrically opposed, and I can’t think of how they could be working together — but according to Terry Malts they can, and do on this track. By placing the lighthearted melody of the vocals against support from heavy, bass-driven, guitar noise that is thrashing about in the background they manage to make work something that would seem like an option in the first place.

Terry Malts - "Killing Time"
Terry Malts - "Killing Time"

A doo-wop, early rock and roll sound also pervades “No Good For You”. If you could imagine the guitars being a little cleaner, and putting the vocals up front more, then I think this song would easily find a place for itself on the Top 40 back in the late 1950s. Not to beat the Ramones references into the ground, but it seems like this is what they were trying to conjure from themselves when they worked with Phil Spector. Instead, they more or less ended up turning out the same music that they had been all along, which is certainly not a bad thing.

Some of the lyrics on “Killing Time” push the boundaries with plainspoken, forthright social commentaries. The track “Not a Christian” is at once a slam to Christianity with lyrics such as “A prayer is empty air and no one’s listening” and a statement of personal beliefs with “There is life and there is death, I live my life, I do my best”. It’s over almost as fast as it began with no room left for ruminations or arguments.  Similarly, in the biting social commentary category, is “Mall Dreams”, a diatribe against modern consumerist culture. When the line “Who are you when all you do is consume?” is sung the conviction of the statement isn’t made any less contemptuous by the bouncing rhythm and uptempo character of the song. It happens to be a happy track on the surface but the lyrics beg for deeper inspection.

“No Big Deal” lyrically lands more on the personal side of things, sarcastically trying to cope with a break up. “No big deal, that was just my heart you ripped out” – sings a sullen voice that seems to be accepting of his fate while still managing to put his full pain on display. The squeal of uncontrollable feedback also permeates this track, the guitarist seemingly unable to hold it back, and unwilling to turn it down.

Squarely in-line with punk ethos is “Can’t Tell No One”, a straightforward rocker with rapid fire vocals. “People try to tell me what they think is right for me….but I won’t listen to them, won’t take their advice, I really wouldn’t have it any other fuckin’ way” is the most punk-rock line on the album. The rigid, uncompromising raising of the middle finger directly into the face of everyone within shouting distance serves as a very nice contrast to a lot of the other songs on “Killing Time” that are more obviously making use of the old school rock and roll influence.

The album really is about balancing those two extremes: the birth of rock with the noise and attitude of various strands of punk — from the garages, basements and dingy clubs across the country.

[audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/03-Where-Is-The-Weekend.mp3|titles=Where Is The Weekend] [audio:http://quartertonality.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/10-No-Good-For-You.mp3|titles=No Good For You]