Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (7/30/08)
Ah, Sebadoh: lo-fi’s silver medalists. They are the Goodfellas to Pavement’s Godfather - no matter how much you love them, the other guys will always get the highest pedestal. Stephen Malkmus and company even beat them to the reissue punch back in 2002 with their Luxe and Reduxe version of Slanted and Enchanted. Whether this sibling rivalry is deserved or not is moot - in fact, lingering just adjacent to the spotlight has given Sebadoh a bit more mystique than their concrete co-stars.
Finally, though, Sebadoh has decided to release a much-deserved and much-needed reissue with a dust-off of their 1993 Sub Pop release, Bubble and Scrape. The reissue tacks 15 oddball extras onto the already-kaleidoscopic track list, and, rather expectedly, the bonus songs range from the lush to the ludicrous.
It’s difficult to compete with some of the original material, from the valium-folk of “Happily Divided” to the abrasive groove of “Emma Get Wild”. The bonus material kicks off with a striking cover of the Necros’ “Reject”, equipped with the same haunting sincerity and stuffy-closet recording quality as another ‘90s band’s “rarities” release: Nirvana’s With the Lights Out. Also recalling some of Kurt Cobain’s many hidden (until recently) introspections are the wistful acoustic rendering of “Soul and Fire” and an even looser version of “Flood”.
While these alternative cuts add depth to some already-loved songs, many of Sebadoh’s unreleased tracks are complete throwaways. A few, like the four consecutive, untitled tracks that are merely labeled “Part 1” through “4”, may leave some listeners wondering if they are even listening to music at all. The one exception is “Old Daze”, which sees singer-songwriter Lou Barlow cough out a rabid growl that is pushed along by, strangely enough, a killer blues riff.
As an entire unit, this new version of Bubble and Scrape is a bit much to swallow. For newcomers to the band, and even casual listeners, it’s probably better to stick with the original 17 tracks - or, even better yet, back up a couple albums and check out their masterpiece, Sebadoh III. Bubble and Scrape does have some emotional poignancy, though, in that it was the last album that co-founder Eric Gaffney participated in. While the albums that followed were mostly still good, they don’t carry the delightful delirium that habitually pulled listeners in strange, new directions in the past. As it stands, Bubble and Scrape is a worthy album to reissue, and the bonus songs, if nothing more, add new sonic textures to the oddball persona that is Sebadoh.
-Andy Pareti
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Album review: Nine Inch Nails, The Slip
Originally published in Freetime Magazine (7/29/07)
What is this? Trent Reznor is actually releasing a formal CD? Say it ain’t so! Not only that, but Nine Inch Nails’ The Slip, which was dropped in listeners’ laps for free back in May and is just now being released on disc, is actually a straight-on rocker, a first for the meticulous mastermind behind the trademark sweeping industrial beats of Pretty Hate Machine and atmospheric creep show of The Downward Spiral.
This sure isn’t the same semi-self loathing dark angel of industrial rock that painted the nineties black. This is the sound of a man on a mission. Reznor has an agenda - a message - and he’s really pissed off. A notorious stickler for dynamics, atmosphere and gradation, Reznor throws all his little rules to the wind and smashes into The Slip with a cocksure aggression.
Cutting ties with his label, Interscope, was certainly a creative rebirth for Reznor in many ways. The songwriter has sounded wholly liberated as of late, speaking out against record labels, offering his music for free, and unleashing an unprecedented (for him) gamut of material in a very small amount of time (this from the same guy who took an average of five years to finish a new album back in the ‘90s)
The Slip is one big, angry, outburst of rage. Within his troubled soul, Reznor’s found a new purpose - the fight for creative freedom - that is so absolute and so simple, that his music is reflecting its directness. Maybe the most striking thing about The Slip is its drums, which are very straightforward and very rock and roll. After all the synth beats and manufactured sounds, Reznor has found an appropriate focal point in the primitive act of bashing the skins.
And then, like an electrical storm, it subsides, slowing to a rumbling smog of distant dread. It’s here that Reznor finally summons his inner composer, first on the stalking, brooding “Corona Radiata”, which swells from an appropriate plod to a demonic rumble over the course of seven and a half minutes.
The album ends, though, not with a clear night sky, but with an aftershock. “Demon Seed” brings NIN back to the dance club doom of past cuts like “Heresy” and “Head Like a Hole”. It’s another message - that even though Reznor may have been able to let off some steam with The Slip, there will certainly remain a steady supply to come.
What is this? Trent Reznor is actually releasing a formal CD? Say it ain’t so! Not only that, but Nine Inch Nails’ The Slip, which was dropped in listeners’ laps for free back in May and is just now being released on disc, is actually a straight-on rocker, a first for the meticulous mastermind behind the trademark sweeping industrial beats of Pretty Hate Machine and atmospheric creep show of The Downward Spiral.
This sure isn’t the same semi-self loathing dark angel of industrial rock that painted the nineties black. This is the sound of a man on a mission. Reznor has an agenda - a message - and he’s really pissed off. A notorious stickler for dynamics, atmosphere and gradation, Reznor throws all his little rules to the wind and smashes into The Slip with a cocksure aggression.
Cutting ties with his label, Interscope, was certainly a creative rebirth for Reznor in many ways. The songwriter has sounded wholly liberated as of late, speaking out against record labels, offering his music for free, and unleashing an unprecedented (for him) gamut of material in a very small amount of time (this from the same guy who took an average of five years to finish a new album back in the ‘90s)
The Slip is one big, angry, outburst of rage. Within his troubled soul, Reznor’s found a new purpose - the fight for creative freedom - that is so absolute and so simple, that his music is reflecting its directness. Maybe the most striking thing about The Slip is its drums, which are very straightforward and very rock and roll. After all the synth beats and manufactured sounds, Reznor has found an appropriate focal point in the primitive act of bashing the skins.
And then, like an electrical storm, it subsides, slowing to a rumbling smog of distant dread. It’s here that Reznor finally summons his inner composer, first on the stalking, brooding “Corona Radiata”, which swells from an appropriate plod to a demonic rumble over the course of seven and a half minutes.
The album ends, though, not with a clear night sky, but with an aftershock. “Demon Seed” brings NIN back to the dance club doom of past cuts like “Heresy” and “Head Like a Hole”. It’s another message - that even though Reznor may have been able to let off some steam with The Slip, there will certainly remain a steady supply to come.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Album Review: Wire - Object 47
Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (7/27/08).
Wire
Object 47
Pink Flag
Available Now
Everything about this current version of Wire points to their past except for the music. The album name refers to the number of releases the band currently has, and their record label is named after their legendary debut album from 1977. But Object 47 is far removed from the raw, gritty style of that much-loved group of young punks. It’s a curious listen that sometimes bears fruit, like on the new wave-inspired “Four Long Years” and closer “All Fours”, the latter of which most closely resembles the relentlessness of their earlier work. The best track, though, is “Are You Ready”: of all the new directions Wire tries on Object 47, this one works excellently, fusing foot-stomping funk with Talking Heads-era post-punk. That sonic experiment works so well that it makes it even more of a shame that many of the musical detours found here result in dead ends.
-Andy Pareti
Wire
Object 47
Pink Flag
Available Now
Everything about this current version of Wire points to their past except for the music. The album name refers to the number of releases the band currently has, and their record label is named after their legendary debut album from 1977. But Object 47 is far removed from the raw, gritty style of that much-loved group of young punks. It’s a curious listen that sometimes bears fruit, like on the new wave-inspired “Four Long Years” and closer “All Fours”, the latter of which most closely resembles the relentlessness of their earlier work. The best track, though, is “Are You Ready”: of all the new directions Wire tries on Object 47, this one works excellently, fusing foot-stomping funk with Talking Heads-era post-punk. That sonic experiment works so well that it makes it even more of a shame that many of the musical detours found here result in dead ends.
-Andy Pareti
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Review - Siren Music Festival 2008
Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (7/23/08)
Words by Andy Pareti
The ancient Greeks would be proud. In a time when indie fans in the five boroughs and beyond gather around the faded glory of the historic Coney Island park with unease and doubt in their minds for the Cyclone and other grandfathers of amusement park delight, the Village Voice delivered a free concert that, if just for one day, made everyone forget about the area’s potentially numbered days.
It seems, at this point, that every Siren Festival you attend could be your last. The controversy and red tape surrounding the potential redevelopment of the Coney Island area has spiked attendance at the attractions in recent years, and the Siren Festival has been no different. The free celebration of those overlooked, underappreciated, and simply undiscovered artists that we all love so dearly has been appropriated with the triple-threat of Greek mythology: a trio of bird-women-monsters who lure their victims in with an intoxicating, bewitching song. While the Siren Festival is, at least so far, non-fatal, many of the sun-scorched concert-goers could agree with the term metaphorically, under the corrosive, mid-July sun.
On Saturday, July 19, the eighth annual Siren Festival treated listeners to a great assortment of up-and-comers and established veterans. Headlining the day’s festivities were Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and Broken Social Scene, but scattered around the nine hours of live music were great acts like Annuals, the Helio Sequence and Islands. They even had Ted Leo spinning records throughout the day. Here are a few of the highlights:
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: A slightly out-of-it Stephen Malkmus led his Jicks through one of the stranger sets of the day, ending with a very unexpected but somehow fitting cover of Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets to Paradise”. Malkmus stumbled through a few lyrics and even accidentally knocked his mic stand off the stage at one point, but the band still managed some great live translations of their latest indie opus, Real Emotional Trash. The Prince of Feedback (sorry, Stephen, but Sonic Youth are still king) sure delivered in that department, as his numerous amps shot darts of fuzz through the crowd, rattling the pavement (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Islands: If there was one band that upstaged the headliners, it was the late addition Islands. These Montreal natives sure know a vacation spot when they see one, and this time they transported the crowd down to the Caribbean, where they offered a mix of calypso, neo-psychedelia and electro-string sections. Singer Nicholas Thorburn came out to the stage with a garbage can on his head, later claiming it was a way to beat the heat. It lay idle until the end of the set, when the band began literally “bangin’ on a trash can.” Doug Funnie would have enjoyed it.
Ra Ra Riot: “Fuck my ears just a little harder!” someone yelled during Ra Ra Riot’s performance. That seemed to be the general consensus for the other late addition to Siren Festival. The Riot presented a chamber pop performance that resembled Arcade Fire somewhat, heavily rooted in the electric strings of Alexandra Lawn’s cello and Rebecca Zeller’s violin. An impassioned rendition of the wistful stomp, “Each Year”, was one of the show’s highlights.
Annuals: 3:30 was a rough time. Early enough that the sun still stabbed you but late enough you just started to feel your sunburn, Annuals were a cool, North Carolina breeze. The sleeper hit of the festival, the band showed why they are one of the most underappreciated live acts today. Opening things off with “Complete or Completing”, Annuals treated the crowd to a downpour of beach balls. Adam Baker wins the award for widest-open-mouth-during-a-delirious-scream, and Anna Spence hunched so far over her piano her reddish locks completely covered her face - like a Cousin Itt with nicer legs.
Dragons of Zynth: Opening the show to a patchwork crowd of semi-curious passer-bys were experimental oddity outfit Dragons of Zynth. Their strange mash-up of jazz, funk and what most closely resembles sludge rock, Zynth initially sounded as if they bit off a bit more than they could chew - kinda like how a little kid tries to mix a whole bunch of finger-paints together and ultimately just comes up with brown. But after a muddled start, the band developed a focus, adding sharp keyboard melodies and some rambunctious stage antics that included jumping off the stage and throwing random objects into the crowd. Overall, a solid litmus test for the steadily-growing masses.
Words by Andy Pareti
The ancient Greeks would be proud. In a time when indie fans in the five boroughs and beyond gather around the faded glory of the historic Coney Island park with unease and doubt in their minds for the Cyclone and other grandfathers of amusement park delight, the Village Voice delivered a free concert that, if just for one day, made everyone forget about the area’s potentially numbered days.
It seems, at this point, that every Siren Festival you attend could be your last. The controversy and red tape surrounding the potential redevelopment of the Coney Island area has spiked attendance at the attractions in recent years, and the Siren Festival has been no different. The free celebration of those overlooked, underappreciated, and simply undiscovered artists that we all love so dearly has been appropriated with the triple-threat of Greek mythology: a trio of bird-women-monsters who lure their victims in with an intoxicating, bewitching song. While the Siren Festival is, at least so far, non-fatal, many of the sun-scorched concert-goers could agree with the term metaphorically, under the corrosive, mid-July sun.
On Saturday, July 19, the eighth annual Siren Festival treated listeners to a great assortment of up-and-comers and established veterans. Headlining the day’s festivities were Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and Broken Social Scene, but scattered around the nine hours of live music were great acts like Annuals, the Helio Sequence and Islands. They even had Ted Leo spinning records throughout the day. Here are a few of the highlights:
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: A slightly out-of-it Stephen Malkmus led his Jicks through one of the stranger sets of the day, ending with a very unexpected but somehow fitting cover of Eddie Money’s “Two Tickets to Paradise”. Malkmus stumbled through a few lyrics and even accidentally knocked his mic stand off the stage at one point, but the band still managed some great live translations of their latest indie opus, Real Emotional Trash. The Prince of Feedback (sorry, Stephen, but Sonic Youth are still king) sure delivered in that department, as his numerous amps shot darts of fuzz through the crowd, rattling the pavement (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Islands: If there was one band that upstaged the headliners, it was the late addition Islands. These Montreal natives sure know a vacation spot when they see one, and this time they transported the crowd down to the Caribbean, where they offered a mix of calypso, neo-psychedelia and electro-string sections. Singer Nicholas Thorburn came out to the stage with a garbage can on his head, later claiming it was a way to beat the heat. It lay idle until the end of the set, when the band began literally “bangin’ on a trash can.” Doug Funnie would have enjoyed it.
Ra Ra Riot: “Fuck my ears just a little harder!” someone yelled during Ra Ra Riot’s performance. That seemed to be the general consensus for the other late addition to Siren Festival. The Riot presented a chamber pop performance that resembled Arcade Fire somewhat, heavily rooted in the electric strings of Alexandra Lawn’s cello and Rebecca Zeller’s violin. An impassioned rendition of the wistful stomp, “Each Year”, was one of the show’s highlights.
Annuals: 3:30 was a rough time. Early enough that the sun still stabbed you but late enough you just started to feel your sunburn, Annuals were a cool, North Carolina breeze. The sleeper hit of the festival, the band showed why they are one of the most underappreciated live acts today. Opening things off with “Complete or Completing”, Annuals treated the crowd to a downpour of beach balls. Adam Baker wins the award for widest-open-mouth-during-a-delirious-scream, and Anna Spence hunched so far over her piano her reddish locks completely covered her face - like a Cousin Itt with nicer legs.
Dragons of Zynth: Opening the show to a patchwork crowd of semi-curious passer-bys were experimental oddity outfit Dragons of Zynth. Their strange mash-up of jazz, funk and what most closely resembles sludge rock, Zynth initially sounded as if they bit off a bit more than they could chew - kinda like how a little kid tries to mix a whole bunch of finger-paints together and ultimately just comes up with brown. But after a muddled start, the band developed a focus, adding sharp keyboard melodies and some rambunctious stage antics that included jumping off the stage and throwing random objects into the crowd. Overall, a solid litmus test for the steadily-growing masses.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Album Review: At the Spine - Vita
Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (7/5/08)
At the Spine
Vita
Global Seepej
Available July 29
When a band goes out of their way to assure its listeners that their music does not imitate other artists - as At the Spine does on their official site - it usually means you can expect the musicians to do exactly that. These punk revivalists manage to stay true to their word for most of their latest release, Vita, though they experience some bumps and bruises and songs that fall flat along the way. However, singer Mike Toschi’s lyrical politicking always goes straight for the jugular (think Minutemen meet the Nightwatchman), specializing in a literal bluntness that recalls the good old days of protest rock when all you had to say was “give peace a chance.” Musically, the album also contains a few striking standouts, like the sarcastic trot of “Primrose Hill” and the explosive muscle of “Transylvania”. Vita is a somewhat uneven disk, but its highlights suggest a great deal of promise for these sermonizing Seattle rockers.
-Andy Pareti
At the Spine
Vita
Global Seepej
Available July 29
When a band goes out of their way to assure its listeners that their music does not imitate other artists - as At the Spine does on their official site - it usually means you can expect the musicians to do exactly that. These punk revivalists manage to stay true to their word for most of their latest release, Vita, though they experience some bumps and bruises and songs that fall flat along the way. However, singer Mike Toschi’s lyrical politicking always goes straight for the jugular (think Minutemen meet the Nightwatchman), specializing in a literal bluntness that recalls the good old days of protest rock when all you had to say was “give peace a chance.” Musically, the album also contains a few striking standouts, like the sarcastic trot of “Primrose Hill” and the explosive muscle of “Transylvania”. Vita is a somewhat uneven disk, but its highlights suggest a great deal of promise for these sermonizing Seattle rockers.
-Andy Pareti
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