Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

Tunng
…And Then We Saw Land
(Thrill Jockey)
Rating: 4 of 5


The subtle art of reinvention is one that Tunng dabbles in so well. Countless other audile flavors have bled through on their three previous releases; all of which, featuring lead vocals from founding member Sam Genders. This time around, on …And Then We Saw Land, Genders’ remains dormant. Decidedly, the other bandmates collaborated in majestic display; working earnestly with what available resources they had to fruit this ambitious and panoramic record.

After the first piano and acoustic guitar strands of “Hustle”, the stated single here, Mike Lindsay and Becky Jacobs chant over a trotting drum track in charmful carefreeness. The quaint tale “It Breaks” follows; ambling along to a churning rhythm and accented by a trickling piano line played with soft attack.

‘A trick of the light, a turn of the tide’, Jacobs and Lindsay sing mellifluously on “October”—a beautifully simple pondering bookmarked for perfect addition into anyone’s autumn mixtape this year. “Sashimi” is another standout; equipped with a burbling synth part and constantly back-falling progression. The instrumentation is rich throughout—marked with banjos, melodica, exotic percussion, and electronic fiddlings. Not to mention how rewarded we are in hearing Jacobs joining the forefront on vocal duties here and there; notably on the short “These Winds” and on the ‘goodbye wave’ refrain of closer “Weekend Away”.

Each and every selection complements the next. Even the instrumental “By Dusk They Were In The City” is well-crafted; a glitchy two-chord study heightening to a guitar-solo crescendo.

Tunng succeeds in holding true to their chief ingredients of rustic folkiness and fragilely-sung storytelling, and at such a leisurely pace. This result, however, is more calculated and easy-to-digest; less characteristic of the hushed inwardness of their earlier recordings. Recalling imagery of berry pastures and lush landscapes viewed from the window seat, …And Then We Saw Land is a slideshow cyclorama of sonic multicolor—a frontrunner as this year’s Cannibal Sea.

Don't Look Down or Back - Tunng

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Nice Nice - Extra Wow

Nice Nice
Extra Wow
(Warp)
Rating: 3.5 of 5


You want a big record? Prop the door wide open to acid post-rock band, Nice Nice. Their latest off of Warp Records is uncurbed, gutty, and loud. Donning aggregate amounts of garage-y guitars, piquant chimes, swirling synths, and agitating rhythms; Extra Wow jumps right in your face from its genesis.

The Portland duo is high on compression. The first two table-setters establish the bar for the prerequesite tolerance needed to combat the turgid bombast to ensue. “One Hit” is one hell of a throbbing migraine from which to recover, and you might not get the chance with the sweltering clutter the next two clips to follow.

From the wilding whorl of “Everything Falling Apart” to the feel-good hobble of “Big Bounce” to the nu-gaze bumper “A Vibration”, there is so much ground to cover. The disturbing beginning of “A Little Love” recalls the contorted terror of the costume ball scenes in Eyes Wide Shut before reinventing into a churchy disco. “See Waves” makes good of a quirky melody, fitting neatly like a peg in a hole for an Animal Collective tribute. As if to the pulse of a sonic strobe light show, you have to dizzily feel your way through the maze that is this record.

Possibly the most pop-accessible song on Extra Wow, “Make It Gold” is a blinding stare into the sun, with hot-white glints pinching at each strained nerve. When they’re not clamoring about in flailing fits, the drums hold steadfast. You’ve got the tribal boil of “Double Head” for getting in your rain dance. It’s almost time to uncap that bottle of acetaminophen—all the way up until the last two tracks. “New Cascade” shimmers like a groggy ‘morning song’; a slow reawakening from the bender of the previous forty minutes. Lastly, “It’s Here” builds to a crescendo for the first 2:15 and then lazily trickles away.

Extra Wow will surely sit in the pit of your stomach after a once-over. Maybe a little too freak-out busy for you MGMT fans out there, but Nice Nice can keep it cheeky and muster out some heady grooves.

See Waves - Nice Nice

Review posted on ZapTown
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Ken Camden - Lethargy & Repercussion

Ken Camden
Lethargy & Repercussion
(Kranky)
Rating: 3.7 of 5


Chicago experimentalist Ken Camden has been assigned roles with the Implodes Sound Quartet and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tamburo; the latter, acting as guitar contributor to the supertemporal Universal Orchestra of Pituitary Knowledge album Ghosts of Marumbey. Now acting as bellwether to his own flagship for modern classical and experimental ambient music, he recorded and re-recorded several one-take pieces and carefully selected the top qualifiers for the new Kranky release Lethargy & Repercussion.

This is not music for study. This is an engaging exploration, yet you will want to remain recumbent to digest it. The six tracks unfurl as follows.

In naïve jubilation, the fluttering arpeggios spray about on the opening tessellation “Birthday”. Every trill permeating deep within the eardrums, Lethargy is a headphone enjoyment through and through. The second exercise, “Raagani Robot”, begins down a passageway to the otherworldly featuring swells in modulation from left to right in static delay. As the track culminates, the hypnotic dance shifts the playfulness of the intro to something more convoluted before petering out. Think DOPO without vocals. The trend goes: everything is to play out before seven or eight minutes expire.

The metallic cicada-song of “In Your Ears” bounces channels with just enough basal communication to resonate an uncannily warm feeling of microcosmic isolation before invoking the Eastern spirits of “Raga”. The adaptive bourdon of the tanpura (used in several of these compositions) bolsters the midrange of the equalization in these mixes. More pedal-work through guitar mutterings persist as “New Space” opens up and ultimately sublimates.

Final vision “Jupiter” (the only inclusion to benefit from overdubbing) drones and wavers in illuminating epiphany. The sound of blinding light, God, paranoia, space travel, the afterlife; whatever the intent—Camden’s expressions are limitless. The melodic modes are still seventy-five hundred miles east, but the intended destination is extraterrestrial.

In Your Ears - Ken Camden

The review posted on ZapTown
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Ten Years

Yesterday marked ten years since I first fell in love...

I felt a little inspired by it.

Wrote a song.

Enjoy.

Kingdom of One

New from The National...

From their forthcoming release High Violet.

enjoy...

Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National

I feel like a million bucks (or, so I keep telling myself...)

Oh man, I was getting into some good ol' ranting at work today. I don't think anyone really enjoyed hearing my thoughts on tanning, body hair, and relationships to that extent, but it was fun getting a load off.

The day has gone by rather quickly; left work early, not much happened, typical day.

It's cooled down to 55 degrees as the sun goes down in Pittsburgh. I was enjoying several favorites from 2009 on my iPod on the bus ride home. A few I will share with you...

Turpentine - Vandaveer
Flirted With You All My Life - Vic Chesnutt
The Atlantic Ocean - Richard Swift
Know Better Learn Faster - Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Chatting with the Radar Bros.

Exclusive interview with Merge Records' band, Radar Bros. found here at ZapTown.

Their latest album, The Illustrated Garden, is a fascinating comeback release due out tomorrow. We'd like to chalk it up as one of 2010's more promising albums thus far. Have a go at it...

The interview on ZapTown
www.radarbros.com
www.mergerecords.com

A nugget off of the upcoming MGMT record

MGMT is releasing their second album Congratulations on April 13th. The record was supposedly written in a "small cabin in the woods" early last year. Here's a little sneak peek for you.

Flash Delirium - MGMT

Strand of Oaks - Leave Ruin

Strand of Oaks
Leave Ruin
(La Société Expéditionnaire)
Rating: 4.4 of 5


La Société Expéditionnaire just continues to take great chances, and as a result, we’ve all been rewarded with some beautiful, contemplative avant folk records. The label, established in 2006 by Lewis & Clarke’s Lou Rogai, offers a few more titles each and every year—including this bonny debut from Timothy Showalter aka Strand of Oaks.

Salvaging what he could from a fire that took his house and all his possessions; Showalter borrowed a guitar and traipsed the city streets of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, writing plaintive songs of self-vindication and mourning from hotel rooms and park benches. A failed relationship behind him, along with everything else, Showalter composed himself and released the Pyrrhic victory Leave Ruin. What we have here are the doleful expressions and candid retellings of a man who enduringly suffered; having lost so many things in his world, both tangible and intangible.

Heart-stricken and carnal confessions, such as “New Paris” or “Sister Evangeline”, capture the sense of torment Showalter has undergone, punctuated by vulnerable guitars and subtle piano touches. “Two Kids” is a short revealing tale of humble petition—performed on a lone guitar apposed by banjo. A gentle Hammond organ keeps “Mourning Worker” nice and calm amid twangy electric guitar phrasings. “End In Flames” and the record-titled last selection, two of the tenderer ballads volunteered for the album, stand tall as bookends on both sides.

Intimately effusive at times, but all the while serving to convey the palpable emotion, Leave Ruin remains irrefutably genuine—a stirring exorcism from the deepest chambers of the heart.

End In Flames - Strand of Oaks

The review posted on ZapTown
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'I never travel far, without a little Big Star...'

Another sad day for music... Alex Chilton died Wednesday in New Orleans of an apparent heart attack. Chilton has inspired some of the greatest artists of our time--Tom Petty, The Replacements, R.E.M. and Wilco, just to name a few. One of the first authors of power pop music, he (alongside another talented songwriter, Chris Bell) lead Memphis rock band Big Star from 1971 to 1974, releasing two critically-acclaimed albums. He cut his teeth with blue-eyed soulsters, The Box Tops and met with success on the chart-topping single "The Letter" in 1967 when Alex was only sixteen years old.

The powerfully influential #1 Record came out in 1972, featuring "The Ballad of El Goodo", "Feel", and "Thirteen". Their exuberant follow-up, Radio City, was released in 1974 and included memorable entries "September Gurls", "O My Soul", and "Back of a Car". The band broke up shortly after, stemming from tension among members of the band caused from lack of commercial success due to poor promotion and distribution from Stax Records.

In 1978, the nihilistic Third/Sister Lovers was released. Despite attracting the attention from fans upon its release, the record did little, as far as sales. On December 27th of that year (one day before Chilton's 28th birthday), former founding member Chris Bell died in a tragic car accident. This came shortly after Third/Sister Lovers hit shelves.

Chilton and original drummer Jody Stephens reunited Big Star in 1993 with guitarist Jon Auer and bassist Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. This incarnation put out the record In Space in September of 2005 on Rykodisc. Several well-received performances followed, as well as the issuing of a compilation disc, a box set, and the remastered version of a double album consisting of the first two records in the Big Star catalog.

Alex Chilton was readying himself for an upcoming performance at this year's SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. But, it seems that Alex has already played his last show...

* * * * *

I put #1 Record on as soon as I got home and have let it track straight through. There's an incredible energy to each track, whether it be the intimate reflection of the acoustic performances or the rumbling affair of the guitar-driven rock songs. I can't get over how incredible the instruments sound. I'm amazed every time I cue up "Feel" or "Don't Lie To Me".
It is no secret that Alex has thrown down the gauntlet with his incredible contribution to pop/rock music. He was fiercely overlooked. But his legacy will live on in the music he has composed and the artists that he has influenced.

Alex Chilton, we miss you very much.

The Ballad of El Goodo - Big Star
September Gurls - Big Star
I'm In Love With A Girl - Big Star
Thank You Friends (demo) - Big Star
Thirteen (Big Star cover) - Elliott Smith
Alex Chilton - The Replacements

Latest from Arts&Crafts

From the land that brought us the 2010 Winter Olympics, label Arts&Crafts is celebrating a big day in Austin at SXSW this week. Performances include Broken Social Scene, Jason Collett, Zeus, New Buffalo, Timber Timbre, and Still Life Still. Other roster artists' tour dates begin with April for Los Campesinos! and in May for The Most Serene Republic.

Related A&C news include an upcoming solo release from Australia's Sally Seltmann of New Buffalo fame on April 6th, Broken Social Scene's Forgiveness Rock Record slated for May 4th release, and not to mention, A&C roster alumni Stars are hitting with a long awaited follow-up album.






The Five Ghosts will be released on new imprint Soft Revolution Records on June 22nd.

Young Offenders - Constantines

Luther Russell - Motorbike EP

Luther Russell
Motorbike
(Wool Recordings/Ungawa)
Rating: 2.4 of 5


Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Luther Russell has been running it up the flagpole for over a decade; coughing up convincing renditions of funk-rock, Americana, and acoustic folk-blues on an array of sporadic releases. You may have heard him shifting between the vocal stylings of Elvis Costello on last year’s single “Good Music” and Chris Bell, at times, heard on 2007’s Repair. Russell’s genre-twitching woolgathering continues on this precursor to the forthcoming LP, released by Wool Recordings.

You can’t help but notice the overwhelming kinship in sound to Either/Or-era Elliott Smith on the title track, “Motorbike”. Owing thanks to the wonderful quality of analog tape, it is from the hook-laden affect of this opener that the record is layed out.

The collage continues to unfold with an endearing ode to John Fahey (even in name) on the excerpt, “Dead Sun Blues”. “Et Al”, the other ditty here, is a tad more intriguing. It starts off with a haunting piano line, but then strums sweetly with some added on-melody murmuring.

The secondmost-realized composition on Motorbike is the poppy “Tomorrow’s Papers” with its chiming Teenage Fanclub drive. The shakedown blues of “A World Unknown” features a simple marriage of drums and slide guitar. While it is a fun little get-up, the song slouches and drags in its continuance. Actually, many of the tracks here reach a plateau in design. Album closer “Somehow or Another”, for example, has Russell exercising a completely different vocalization. His ruminations, however, pan out annoyingly—suffering from the usual lack of anything going on, lyrically.

In short, Russell could have done more to fortify the eponymic first selection on this EP. He has surely hoisted another colorful banner, but the salutes may not come his way.

Motorbike - Luther Russell

The review posted on ZapTown
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The 'Love Room'

For the fourth straight time, a third-room roommate of mine has met with the epiphany of love.

Let me explain...

I've lived in this particular three-bedroom apartment for almost three years now. Originally, it was my friend Dave and I. We had lived in another house a few streets away and had to relocate, due to arguably shady dealings from the previous landlady (she sold the house out from underneath us to a new owner who wanted to live on the same floor that Dave and I shared; we were only given a month's notice).

The third room was designated as a storage room, but for whatever notion (or prenotion), Dave decided to move all of his stuff down the hallway from his spacious first room to the small half-bedroom. Yeah, so the room at the beginning of the hall made a pretty awesome computer room and workstation. But, what had driven Dave to do this?? It wasn't for the roomy closet space, if I remember correctly...

He had just recently met a girl. Now infatuated, she would stay over all of the time--the two of them staying up late watching John Cusack movies on digital cable in Dave's new, smaller bedroom by the bathroom. I'm trying not to digress here. Anyways, Dave and his girl (Amy) got engaged. Dave and Amy would then spend the next few months scouting out houses to buy, all the while I was nervous of a change to come. And it came...

So, Dave and Amy bought a house nearby, all set up for the July 'move-out' and the pending October wedding. I scrambled to find some friends to fill the gap, specifically financially.

A debaucherous month went by (for me, and that's another story entirely), and good friends Tom and Jesse were set to move in. On account of Jesse's dog, he had to bow out and my co-worker Matt entered the lease instead. With the apartment full of three, money was no worry any longer. Nothing but good times ahead, I thought. But after only something like a little over two and a half months, I lost Tom to Stacy.

Stacy, Tom's girlfriend at the time, filled up all of his waking hours and won him over. Sure, things didn't fare too well with me being cranky all of the time about her constant presence at the house and his not coming out to the bars with us anymore. And, I blame myself for the distance. But, when he decided to move out of the place and in with a couple of my other friends to save money, I think he could've given me a little bit more than just three days notice! Egad!

Matt, who has been living in the first room, and I made our rounds looking for a possible candidate to have room with us. It was back to splitting rent and utilities down-the-middle again. In the meantime (sometime in January), my friend Sarah told us her younger sister Lauren was looking for a place in Pittsburgh--out from the 'rents' house.

This golden opportunity proved to be a blast, at first. Lauren moved in, got a job, bought a hookah, and we all sat around listening to CDs and shooting the shit. Everyone got along, all was well; and the third room at the end of the hallway was occupied again. But... then... along... came... Kori.

I could devote three or four good paragraphs to this motherfucker, but let's just keep it brief. Kori (terrible spelling) is a degenerate and a mooch and completely devoid of personality and unworthy of conversation... ahem. But, Lauren just had to be head-over-heels with this swell fella, and decided to start looking for a place for them to live together. Oh, the insanity of a young girl's mind. Yeah, I hated Kori. So did Matt. Who didn't? Lauren. And, my disdain toward him and his existence probably saddened her. This must've made it easy for her to ditch out on us and move to the South Side with him after giving us two days notice. Seriously, who makes this shit up??

Fuck if I can explain any of this! That room is haunted. I started to imagine the idea of putting an ad up on Craig's List.

• Temporary Roommate Wanted (Crafton)
• small room with spacious closet; month-to-month living situation; to live with two grumpy twentysomethings; w/washer (no dryer); tolerant of smoking; the person who shall move in will find true love in two months, guaranteed; apparently, no requirement for giving substantial notice when you finally plan to move out and live happily ever after with your significant other

Much later on in the year (2009), Matt and I finally found a co-tenant in our work buddy Sara. Sara, who is already in a good relationship, didn't seem to pose any threat to us of bailing--which was bonus. She moved in in November.

Sara brings her boyfriend Gregg over quite a bit, and Gregg is sweet as hell. Gregg and Sara get along great together, and we all sit around the living room watching Pens games and going over our taxes.

Well, the call of love sounded again this past week.

Early Friday morning, Matt and I received a text message from Sara announcing her recent engagement. What could I say to that? Figures! No, really, I'm very happy for her and she hasn't moved out yet. But, in all honesty, this is becoming a freak recurrence. It appears that Sara and Gregg haven't made any plans just yet, and all is calm before the storm. But, anyone out there who has been looking for that 'special someone' for quite some time, I'll let you know when the opportunity arises for you to move in with us and get your number called!

Sidenote: I guess it's a wonder Matt and I don't give it a try ourselves.

Call To Love - Crooked Fingers
Borrow Love and Go - Jackson C. Frank
Uh-oh, Love Comes To Town - Talking Heads
Love Street - The Doors

The Ides of March: News of What's to Come

photo of Jon Ragel of Boy Eats Drum Machine (above)

Oh my, we've been keeping really busy here!

Working with Andrew at ZapTown, yours truly here at PSoV chatted a bit with Ollie Knights of Turin Brakes on Friday afternoon. More on the interview to come. Also, Merge Records' Radar Bros. have been in correspondence lately. Lots of chit-chat to put up on print. We've also heard from Distile Records, specifically in regards to a really interesting new band, Untied States.

Check out Untied States on YouTube here!

...and a track off their debut album, Ineffable, By Design

I'll Prove You Wrong (Again) - Untied States

We here at PSoV thank Finn Riggins for answering a few questions and wish them all the best with their current tour! They'll be stopping as close as Harrisburg, if you have the opportunity to check them out--do so. They've been playing multiple dates with another fascinating band I've had the privilege of enjoying, Portland, Oregon's Boy Eats Drum Machine.

Here's the first track off of their latest album of the same name:

Hoop + Wire - Boy Eats Drum Machine

* * * * *

Many more good things to come; including reviews and commentary on new releases--the likes of Joanna Newsom, Black Francis, Strand of Oaks, A Weather, Luther Russell, and much more!

Stay tuned, ya'll.

Hangovers: Sat. March 14th, St. Patrick's Day Weekend

Another morning/afternoon Pittsburgh St. Patty's Day shit-show...

I continue to refill my glass with distilled jug water; just woke up from what was supposed to be a short nap. Apparently, my phone's text message inbox is full. I slept in way past my bar invite and I'm not trying to catch that last bus into town. So, I'm missing out on Irish song karaoke and more swill draft beer. I'm pretty fully-functioning at the moment, I just can't smoke cigarettes very fast right now. You know it's been a rough day when you save files to the desktop as 'whatever'.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, all.

Irish Wake - Lullaby For The Working Class

Class Actress - Journal of Ardency

Class Actress
Journal of Ardency
(Terrible Records)
Rating: 3.9 of 5


Elizabeth Harper ditched the classic singer-songwriter approach and teamed up with producers Mark Richardson and Scott Rosenthal; branding their ‘Totally 80s’ electro-pop vehicle, Class Actress. This five-song disc, coming to us exclusively from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor at Terrible Records, is a taste of what’s in store for the full-length promised later this year—and what a lingering and intoxicating nip it is.

Attuning her enchantingly cool delivery all throughout her debut, Journal of Ardency, Harper evokes a metropolitan vibe underlined by slinky synth modulations and threshed disco beats. “Careful What You Say” throbs like a club banger, but Harper’s distressed lines warn with innocent savvy. She plays the part of the bruised peach so well, in fact, that it intimates that these engineered dance tracks spawned from the unfeigned penmanship of her earlier solo work.

The eponymous selection, second in the play order, is the clincher. The aching humility bleeding out from her as she is imagined strutting along the city street, outside the hotspots and after-hours parties. Harper strikes me as the girl who looks better when she’s not smiling, but instead gazing out from a cold blank stare. The glassed-over look that begs ‘come-hither’ is made hearable on the ricocheting finale “Someone Real”.

Whilst still under the radar, this trio still benefits from the appeal of their captivating mystery. Tossing around somewhere between the sounds of Reverie Sound Revue (see “Let Me Take You Out”) and The Bird and the Bee (“Adolescent Heart”), Class Actress still manages to assert themselves as fresh and unique. If I had my druthers, this short-but-sweet sampler would reflect the direction of pop music to come.

Journal of Ardency - Class Actress

The review posted on ZapTown
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Shellshag at Kopec's (Sun. Mar. 7, 2010); live review

My friend Sarah and I killed time at the Sharp Edge Emporium in Friendship; enjoying some feta, black olives, and sun-dried tomato pizza. We had driven up to the original venue, a house located on Kincaid Street in Garfield, only to be told that the show got moved to a bar on Penn Avenue called Kopec's. With the later start time of 9pm, a friendly passerby told us, we were in good shape to grab a beer and a bite before heading down to see Shellshag.

Shellshag was added to an already existing lineup, seemingly unaware to show-goers out for the other bands that evening. After three blistering local sets (spanning in length from eight minutes to 40 minutes apiece), Johnny Shell and Jen Shag graced the stage. 'Shellhead', donning his Wonder Woman tee, was celebrating a birthday and reaped the benefits of gifted whiskey shots in between commotive punk selections. Featuring "Resilient Bastard" and "1984" from their hot new LP Rumors In Disguise, the six-to-seven song set met new dumbfounded happen-to-be-there's and seeking followers with bombastic joy as the crowd lipped out words and gazed bewilderingly up at the duo.

Drummer Jen pounded away behind the distortion like a cannonade. Whether it was Shag sometimes knocking over toms or Shell's amp jumps, the beer-fueled band kept the audience totaled and amused. Despite the lacking quality of good vocal-to-guitar mixing, everyone was still at Shell's sleeve with each word. He knocked off Recess Records' band, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, toward the end of their set accompanied by the onlookers' droning singalong. Shell closed things down, slinging his axe above the drop ceiling and stacking up Jen's three-piece drum kit. Everything fell before Shell cut the amplifier switch. I still had a little bit of that feedback ringing in my ears.

The Pacific Northwest--from Boise to Portland: An Interview with Finn Riggins' Eric Gilbert

Last Wednesday, psov posted a review of Vs. Wilderness--the delightful new LP from Idaho's very own Finn Riggins (featuring keyboardist/vocalist Eric Gilbert, drummer Cameron Bouiss, and guitarist/vocalist Lisa Simpson). They are currently promoting the record on an extensive tour of the States (including a stop in Austin for the SXSW Festival).

Amid their journey down the Californian coast to play a show at the Soda Bar in San Diego tonight, Eric took a moment to answer a few questions for us regarding the new album, the music scene in Boise, and life on the road.

Vs. Wilderness is such an invigorating and gratifying listen. Unfortunately, I had to stumble upon it rather than it being delivered to my doorstep. How can we get the word out on the streets about Finn Riggins?

Thanks! Certainly can use all the help we can get. I'd say this is a good start. Appreciate you taking the time. Glad you stumbled upon us. I see [ZapTown is] in Indianapolis. We're playing at Vollrath Tavern on May 5th toward the end of this tour. Hopefully, by then Indy will know we're coming.

It’s evident in the sound of the album that the band was having a blast during the recording sessions. Describe the process of translating the written material to studio tracks?

It's true, we had a blast. We really enjoy the music we play and I'm glad it shows. Most of this record was written and refined during a very busy touring schedule in 2008 and in the spring of 2009, and really is a pretty honest snapshot of our live sound and where the band was at that time. We tracked Vs Wilderness, mostly, live over a three day stretch in between shows last May at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, ID. It's a big open room and we were able to get good isolation for the drums and really play these songs like we were used to ripping them at shows. We honed some of the arrangements down for the recordings, but made most of those adjustments on the fly. We did do a decent amount of layering some parts over the top in the mixing process at AudioLab to help capture the energy of our live show. We had our hands in all aspects of the recording process, and although it was a whirlwind three weeks, we most definitely had a blast recording this album.

There is a lovely stop-animation video that was shot for the infectious track, “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)”. What does this song mean to you?

This song was the first song we wrote upon moving to Boise in January [of] 2009 and [it] was during the bottom of this current recession. There were all these questions hovering about how much harder things were gonna get. This song, to me, is about doing what you love regardless of how poor you may be in the midst of it all. It's about being rewarded with the joys of community and the common causes that bind us together through hard times. It's about valuing the little things in life. It's about local underground music and art and the spiritual backbone it provides to small and big towns all over. It's about dancing with your friends.

Built To Spill is the only other band that I can think of from Idaho. What was it like growing up and playing music in what is, historically, such a musically-devoid scene?

Idaho has never really felt musically-devoid to me. We all met going to school in Moscow, ID, up in the panhandle (northern Idaho), and it was and still is a very vibrant college town with free-form college radio and all kinds of touring and local musicians playing in town several days a week. Granted, a lot of our friends from the scene, when we were there, have moved to Portland, OR and elsewhere to further pursue music careers. But, there definitely wasn't a lack of creative music being made around us. Idaho does lack much representation in the music industry though, and that can be problematic trying to work in to the national scene. A lot of musicians tend to move to bigger markets because of it, but we've been able to cover some ground in the industry thanks to our relentless touring schedule and playing those larger markets on a regular basis. We're also thankful to have stumbled upon an amazing relationship with Tender Loving Empire--our Portland, OR based label--as they've helped us be fairly well-tied into the vibrant Portland scene and we often get mistaken for a Portland band. Rightfully so, though, as we definitely feel like we're part of that scene as well, despite not storing our household goods there.

With so many performances under your belt, you’ve played with a plethora of up-and-coming bands. Tell us about some of those bands and the experiences you’ve had while sharing the stage with them.

Wow. Where to start? Definitely one of the biggest rewards with playing so many shows all over the country the last several years has been playing with and seeing so many other great bands in different scenes and following them as they develop as well. We get asked about our influences all the time, and although there might not be any direct aural similarities, we all certainly feel that we're mostly influenced by our peers at this point in our history--on many levels. We love touring with other bands when we get that chance, seeing them night after night and comparing notes along the way. More the merrier tends to hold true in most cases. Some of our favorites: Tartufi, Low Red Land, Jared Mees & The Grown Children, Orem The Sink, The Globes, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Woven, Hosannas, Sister Suvi, Tune-Yards, Nat Baldwin, We Vs The Shark, Man/Miracle, The Dont's, World's Greatest Ghosts, Le Fleur, Built To Spill, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Disco Doom, Wildlife Refugees, Ponchos, Appomattox, Yeah Great Fine, Talkdemonic, And And And, The Mutineers, Hello Shark, Love That Dress, Council of Lions, Rooftops, Test Audiences, Asher In The Rye, America Owns The Moon, and many many many more.

You have this small cabin up in the mountains. I’m sure it’s beautiful up there—a pleasant escape from the weariness on the road. What does the band do when they’re not playing or recording music? Any avid hobbies or pasttimes?

We've technically moved out of the small cabin in the mountains and down in to the "big city" of Boise. It was nice coming home to the solitude of the small mountain town, but it's been nice coming home to a more vibrant music and art scene now. I like to play basketball when I get the chance. When we were up in the mountains, I enjoyed hiking and fishing when I got some free time. Cam's an avid skier and definitely does that as much as he can. On the road, we travel with a bocce ball set and try [to] play whenever possible. Frisbee too. Lisa's the crafty one of the bunch and does a lot of sewing.

Finn Riggins seems like fun-loving people. I’m sure you get around to making conversation with some of the fans that attend the performances. What was the most supportive thing someone said to you after a show? Any good tour stories?

Definitely get a lot of time to hang with friends and [make] new friends at shows--certainly one of the joys of this endeavor. Really fun to meet like-minded folks all over this country and hear their take on their community and music, and always interesting to watch and hear how they react to what we're doing. People say a lot of kind things to us... most supportive thing though? A lot of them are too embarrassing to say. Someone that saw us recently emailed us afterward and said that we'd renewed his faith in modern music and that he was going to start DJing at his community radio station again because of it. Little nuggets like that never fail to inspire us forward. Lots of good tour stories, unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to share the juicy ones. We played in a yurt once. Coziest dance party ever. It was amazing. We're playing a party on a boat next Tuesday in Austin, we're really excited about that one.

Indie rock concert-goers will always have their stereotypes and presumptions. What was the most indeliberately insulting thing said to you after a show?

"Idaho's that state right above Kentucky, right?" Nah, not easily insulted in general. Even if someone makes an association with a band that I don't like that much, I'm usually excited they found a way to connect to our music. And, I just think it's hilarious that so many people don't know that Idaho is in the [northwest]; that it has lots of mountains, and that it's a beautiful place to live.

You’re currently on a massive U.S. tour this spring; almost seventy dates, if I counted correctly. What are your plans after things finish up in late-May? Might you be ready to head to the studio to lay down some new material?

The plan is to spend the summer and fall writing and working on a new album, while remaining open to regional opportunities and any support tours that might be offered to us. We're really excited to get to work on new material--lots of ideas being thrown around. We'll have a new practice space in Boise when we get back and all kinds of inspiration built up over the course of this three month tour. There's been talk of trying to whip up something new while on this tour with the acoustic instruments we brought with us... maybe have it ready to play by our May 5th Indianapolis show? We'll see...

* * *

Check out Finn Riggins on MySpace

www.finnriggins.com

www.tenderlovingempire.com

www.riotactmedia.com

Clogs - The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton / Veil Waltz EP

Clogs

The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton / Veil Waltz EP

(Brassland)

Rating: 4.4 of 5 / 3.5 of 5

The mosaic cache of January’s EP, Veil Waltz, serves as a foretoken to the hinterland of their renaissance. As a precursor to their forthcoming full-length, Clogs revealed their latest embodiment with this meandering batch of mostly instrumentally-concerted pieces, but not without the highlight of “On The Edge”. The two “Turn The River” themes are here to awaken the beauty of the aforementioned focal point. The Catalan phrasing of the title track and the tranquility of the xylophone-scored “Turn 13” are unique elements, yet derivative of the Clogs’ earlier work. Closing track “Parallel Man” finds bandleader and violist Padma Newsome, steeped in a well of reverb, revisiting his fascination with Indian folk music.

The inspiration behind Newsome’s compositions on the highly-awaited fifth release by these chamber-folk artists is something pure, and somewhat privy. The title of the LP references the widow of British composer and conductor Sir William Walton. Constructing from seemingly archaic progressions, Newsome has exchanged lurking orchestral post-rock build-ups for the dregs of delicate chamber music. Almost serving to spotlight the vocals rather than the vocalists (which include Padma) themselves, these waltzes and descants are spun and woven for My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden to adapt to, and with most astonishing results.

From the rendered-Italian palaver of the a capella “Cocodrillo” to the witching hour obsequies of “We Were Here” (featuring banjo and vocal contributions from Sufjan Stevens), The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton senses the demure revelations of a band of virtuosic performers. Complex structures betwixt and between the wistful verses of “Adages of Cleansing” stand to exhibit the prodigious talents of the group, entangling bloodcurdling string pocks and flourishes and Bryce Dessner’s substratal guitar excerpts with frantic hand drum rhythming tension from Thomast Kozumplik. Still leaning to his Baroque tastes with a post-rock bent in the ilk of classical instrumentalists Rachel’s, Padma can still step to the plate and shine a melody like no other, as can be heard on “Red Seas”.

Utilizing Worden’s feature tessitura on the simply beautiful “On The Edge” or the emotive gesturing of “The Owl of Love”; for Padma, the breadth of this record is indebted to her. But, Matt Berninger’s baritone, loaned to the plaintive “Last Song”, resonates with baring contingency. The forlorn pantomime of “To Hugo” follows; touched by staccato marimba lines, swelling strings, reedy bassoon lines from Rachael Elliot, and even audible breathing leaking into the mix.

Meeting more than satisfactory, if not numinous, upon first impression; The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton hearkens to be replayed. Recognizing it to be their most earnest work to date, Clogs have found their respective Aoede in Shara Worden, and affirmed their genius.

The review posted on ZapTown
ZapTown home page

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R.I.P. Mark Linkous

Word has just gotten out about the death of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous. This is, of course, very sad news. Four powerfully-stated and under-appreciated albums as Sparklehorse, work with Danger Mouse and Fennesz and Nina Persson, curating and producing the tribute album to Daniel Johnston, and having toured with The Flaming Lips and Radiohead; Mark leaves a musical legacy behind him.

I've had the privilege to see Sparklehorse open up for The Flaming Lips at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh years ago. It's A Wonderful Life is still an amazing album to me--I celebrate Sparklehorse's discography. Mark brought a touch of the surreal to all of us with his distinct voice and tone. He was and will remain a remarkable, yet understated, presence in music.

He will be missed.

It's A Wonderful Life - Sparklehorse

The Touques - The Touques EP

Reno’s next-gen act, The Touques, has been kicking up some sand in the West. It was time to pay a visit to their EP from last year.

The Touques

EP

(self-released)

Rating: 3 of 5

The grinding sustain of the guitar suddenly waning to handclaps and an octave-jumping keyboard bass part, my first impression was that this was another Bloc Party-style art punk band. But continuing to listen to "4", the first of five on this self-titled EP from Reno's The Touques, I could begin to partake in the raucous lilt and admire the kookiness of this band.

The second track, “Roy Stampler”, is a jagged runner laden with give-and-take guitar lines, competing vocals, apropos drum fills, and a derailed middle-leg jam. The Touques voracious approach to post-punk revival is coupled with their own wanton folly. The ‘smoke-break’ of “White Elephant (Settling)”, with its written-in-one-morning feel, would act as fitting filler to play to the crowd waiting for the band to emerge onto the stage during a live show. It even comes equipped with a sub-track of background party banter.

With more than greets the ear initially, The EP sheds light on a flair for the fancy. The saturated reverb of the mix combined with the moodier nebulous tones of the final two selections on this short-player lend to gothic decay, not completely unowing to seminal acts like The Cure. “Goodbye Monsieur” closes with the same chattering guitar that “4” opens with, looping the record like a Mobius strip.

Like looking through a magic lantern, the phantasmagoria of the lyrical imagery and off-tune caterwauling will hypnotize, yet unsettle. The flow of the material is a little misleading, but the spellbind of its beacon keeps you trudging forward—as if, blindly following the direction of a compass even though you know it not to work properly. Wide-eyed and somewhat wilted, you can still hazily make out shapes on the horizon of the promise of what may come. Or, is it just a mirage?

Check them out on MySpace

Their blogspot site (free EP download provided)

Anticipation and how I don't really need a spring or a summer...

Less than eight months until Halloween...
Less than seven months until my birthday...
Less than six months until the weather starts to cool down...
Less than four months of hockey season left...
Less than a month until Pittsburgh Pirates opening day...

September Gurls (Big Star cover) - Superdrag

'You are all a lost generation.'

It's a quarter to seven, and I've already went to the Asbach. I've got an inch and a half in my Sharp Edge sampler glass that I received, complimentary, last year at the annual Beer Fest. I've spent the last hour watching Greatest Drunks of All-Time clips on YouTube. That just reminds me, I have to finish my Bukowski so that I can borrow 'The Sun Also Rises' off of my roommate.

I'm settled in for the night, ready to enjoy the two new Clogs records I've received in the latest promo distribution. Reviews of their new LP and EP will be up on psov in the coming week.

Preparations have already begun for a new P L A Y List, as well.

Somebody left a copy of 'Ruanaidh: The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan' at work. It went unclaimed, so my other roommate took it. I'm excited to give it a go. I was reading a few passages on my lunch break of old Pittsburgh pool hall lore, descriptions of the poor Irish communities in what is now Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh, and recounts of Pittsburgh Kid Billy Conn's bout with heavyweight champion Joe Louis at the Polo Grounds in '41.

There's obviously quite the bit on my must-read list, at the moment. Read more about 'Ruanaidh' here.

Finn Riggins - Vs. Wilderness

Finn Riggins

Vs. Wilderness

(Tender Loving Empire)

Rating: 4 of 5

The joyous celebration of playing together, the good vibrations between members of the band during the recording process, the appetites for catchy melodies; sonic evidence of all of these are present on Vs. Wilderness. Idaho noisemakers Finn Riggins jump in and splash around wildly on their fourth album, and third with Portland label Tender Loving Empire—Cameron Bouiss, Lisa Simpson, and Eric Gilbert currently touring with this late-2009 release in their arsenal.

The kind of record that invades your psyche like a cannonade and leaves you tumbling forward; it’s not an off-putting feeling. But, it’s certainly one you don’t want to put on if you’ve already got a splitting headache. Between cacophonous jams like “Vs. Birds”, skittering trips like “Furs”, or the exuberant anthem “Wake (Keep This Town Alive)”, there is no unfastening your seat belt. That swallowing lo-fidelity envelope around the tracks makes these built-from-scratch compositions all the more endearing—such as the over-compressed “Battle”, or how the retaining wall of slightly unbalanced equalization prevents Lisa’s spanking guitar lines in “Antoinette Pt. 1” from bucking out from your stereo speakers. Wait. Did I mention catchy melodies? Visit the frolicsome third track, “Dali”.

Barely-surfacing vocals, metallic guitars, and ever-crashing cymbals riffle along, and sometimes in complex time signatures. So enthralling are the grittiness of “Mahoney” and the banshee-wail majesty of the last track, “Rush Of Animals”. These are the indie rock records that redefine the genre with each and every push of the play button. I can only strive to have as much fun listening as they had performing.

Dali - Finn Riggins

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