The Indie Literati

What’s been playin’ lately

nathanknapp — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:16:57 +0000

There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere by Head Like a Kite - 3/5. I was reviewing this one for SSV… very nice trip-hop/indie prog in the Gnarls Barkley vein, with more interesting production.

I am Hollywood by He Is Legend 5/5. I bought this album and wore it out over three years ago. I recently found it and voila, I was back to the wonderful days before hardcore and emo were fashion statements instead of music trends. This is actually one of the best rock albums I own – it’s very freeform, they go after hardcore, stoner rock, riff rock, etc etc. This was back before they took themselves seriously, so check it out.

The Wishes and the Glitch by Say Hi - 4.5/5. This a real gem of an album… sleepy indie pop with an electro bent, which I’m not usually crazy about, but they make it work really well.

Common Reaction by Uh Huh Her – 2/5. Let’s just say Leisha Hailey of L Word fame might think about staying in TV. Or maybe just writing more interesting music. This just seems like a shot at radio fame.

The Anti Mother by Norma Jean – 4/5. You can check my review below. I change perspective on this one every time I listen to it. It’s like Blindside’s SIlence, very different than their previous work, but in a good way.

Norma Jean vs. The Anti Mother

nathanknapp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:29:43 +0000

Oh yes. The great and mighty Norma Jean are back. For a band that at times has been accused of copycatting, they’ve reached a level of revered-ness in the hardcore scene that resembles another band of occasional plagiarizers–Led Zeppelin. Yes, we’re talking all-time greats here, and it might be argued that over the albums spanning their career leading up to this release they’ve gained the kind of reputation that only a few bands of this ilk ever manage to wrap their fingers around. When all the other metalcore bands decided to be fast and technical, Norma Jean has always been the kind of band to just tear the building apart, chaotic riff after riff. Even their one foray into math-metal, O’ God the Aftermath, was pure crunchiness.

With the release of The Anti Mother, Norma Jean is once again saying to hell with their fan base. Those who’re familiar with the band will know what I’m talking about-the band has a history of drastic change, from the breakdown-filled hardcore of Bless the Martyr to the mathcore of Oh God to the pummeling beast of a record that is Redeemer, the band from Douglasville, GA has never seemed to worry much about catering to the crowd who loved their last album. Anti doesn’t reverse this trend-this time around the wall of sound that the band is known for is replaced by a sharp hookiness that relies more on chords and less on the bizarro scales that have filled previous records.

Also adding to the ire of old school fans, vocalist Cory Brandon sings. A lot. I mean, for whole songs. Thankfully he keeps his pitch at a sort of worn out rasp… there’s nothing emo about it. In fact, while this album may easily be the most melodic entry into NJ’s catalog, it’s as close to being emo as your grandpa is to actually putting on skinny jeans and black eyeliner. Heck, “Death of the Anti Mother” may be the heaviest, most ass-kicking song in their entire repertoire.

And that’s what’s really odd about this album. The highs really are higher, in some cases too high (“Surrender Your Sons”) and the lows really are nastier and heavier (“And There Will Be a Swarm of Hornets”), as if a split-personality has developed-which is altogether possible. The creation of the Anti-Mother character that slithers throughout the album may be the greatest influence on the songwriting here. But this is not a true concept album. Speaking of songwriting, the band brought in several guests to help write a few of the songs–Page Hamilton of Helmet appears on one song, and Chino Moreno of Deftones and Cove Reber of Saosin both make contributions to “Surrender Your Sons,” which unfortunately is the weakest effort on the album–it doesn’t resemble a Norma Jean song in any fashion.

Arguably the greatest triumph of the record is “Robots 3, Humans 0,” a machine-like rocker that pulses and rips as Brandon’s broken voice rides a tide of soaring guitars. There is an air of confidence filling the track that manages to combine the classic Norma Jean metal swagger with the new streamlined feel, something they don’t seem to capture with the other melodic songs. The album closer, “And There Will Be a Swarm of Hornets” is a barn-burner in the classic demolition crew style, as if reminding the listener that Norma Jean hasn’t “sold out”-that most deadly of sins.

And really, there’s nothing here to imply that the band is “selling out.” It’s the kind of album made by a band that’s in the middle of a growth spurt. And with growth spurts come awkward pains and embarrassments… even for bands as talented as Norma Jean. The Anti Mother is no embarrassment, however–just flawed.

Check out Norma Jean on myspace: www.myspace.com/normajean

Blueprints for Future Posts

nathanknapp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:04:36 +0000

Is it just me, or has it been an off-year so far, album-wise? Doesn’t seem like I’ve really come across a record released this year that’s truly reached out and grabbed me. Forgive me if I’m forgetting anything. But, think about this: besides Death Cab and Coldplay(overrated!), all those bands that made great albums last year haven’t put anything out yet, although Of Montreal, mewithoutYou and Metric are all expecting. Which means happy times are comething soon.

Ah! I just remembered one – the new Say Hi album is amazing. Still not quite the kind of album I’d hang a “best of the year” tag on, though. Check it out: www.myspace.com/sayhitoyourmom

Later this week if everything goes well I’m going to post a couple of reviews, let you in on what’s been spinning thru my iPod – I’ve been listening to a lot of great stuff, it’s just that none of it came out this year. Also, points to anyone who caught the Norma Jean reference in the title… yes, I’ll be discussing The Anti Mother.

Blindside, please come back.

nathanknapp — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:08:17 +0000

You can bring your skinny jeans and suspenders. We are a forgiving bunch here at TIL. In fact, I feel I speak for all of America on this matter. We know being a European band is cool, and only playing four festivals a year is much more relaxing than coming to the states… but we need you. Rock and roll needs you. So please. Come back. Release that album you promised two years ago.

Thanks,

TIL

White Rabbits – Fort Nightly

nathanknapp — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:26:42 +0000

This is not another typical New York dance-rock band—or is it? You won’t hear a trace of synth on White Rabbits’ latest release, but if Fort Nightly doesn’t at some point get you out of your chair and dancing jubilantly, I’m afraid you should look into a pacemaker or something to get your heart-rate up. This may not be the best indie-rock album you’ll ever listen to, but I will guarantee the danceability factor is quite high. However, the highly repetitive nature of most dance music is also here, even though in this case, its organic sound as opposed to electronic. The more I listened, the more I got the impression that I was on a rollercoaster for small children, going over the same mildly entertaining track over and over. “With the album, we really just wanted to go from one place to the next seamlessly,” singer Steve Patterson said in an interview.

Well, they accomplished that, for better or worse.

The album opener starts with the jagged “Kid On My Shoulder,” which rips along with a ferocious bass riff, roaring drums and Steve Patterson’s vocals, which are frequently evocative of Freddy Mercury. However, the band stumbles with “The Plot,” a song that seems forever locked into its kick-drum intro, tick-tick-ticking its way through its verse-chorus-verse-chorus until the slow-down bridge. Unfortunately for White Rabbits, the repetitiveness of “The Plot” is prescient of what will follow on Fort Nightly. “Dinner Party” boasts a trombone rumble on its chorus, with typical indie-rock piano arpeggios in the background.

“Navy Wives” is an entertaining jaunt, although if it was about two minutes shorter, it would be saved of its own suicidal tendencies toward redundancy. “While We Go Dancing” is a brooding track that features the same kick-drum effect as “The Plot,” albeit used to slightly different effect; however, the controlled-madness of the verses and vocals make it one of the album’s best tracks.

“I Used to Complain Now I Don’t” is a fantastically moving song, that starts with a sort of jungle-drum feel (White Rabbits features two drummers), then morphs into a old west saloon-piano solo, diving all over the place. Then about midway through the song, there’s a time-signature change that really amplifies the movement of the drums and bass. Patterson’s mildly drunken vocals are even better here than before. “Take a Walk Around the Table” literally takes a stroll through a haunted house, with ethereal background vocals and more of the lovely sweeping movement—it could be a James Bond theme song. “March of the Camels” finds the band feeling ominous and expansively British.

Fort Nightly is definitely prime stuff as far as debut albums go—especially the latter portion—well-composed, obviously well-thought out, although the tracks tend melt into one another. Hopefully their next album will find a maturity that pushes them to expand their horizons a bit, work outside the same bam-ba-bam-ba-bam format. If it does, these guys could become a real force; as is, they’re just an indie-rock band with a penchant for driving, moving rhythm sections.

www.myspace.com/whiterabbits

Music of the local and personal side…

Caleb Roberts — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:53:50 +0000

Hello all,

I just wanted to place in the spotlight a good friend of mine, Jenny, and her musical project under the moniker “Gwenovere”. Her music is definitely good for everything from driving with windows down to dusting a living room; think soundtracks for daily life.

You can listen to and download for free all of her songs at her myspace page or head over to her YouTube to view a selection of her videos.

Enjoy!

Caleb

Metric…

nathanknapp — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:13:10 +0000

…is an awesome band. And Emily Haines, their vocalist, is a musical goddess. I recently acquired their ’05 release, Live It Out, and I’ve concluded that it is lyrically and musically one of the most ambitious and thought-provoking rock albums of the new millennium.

I was beginning to be afraid that they didn’t make intelligent rock ‘nd roll anymore. But I’ve been more-than-cured of that, thanks to Haines and crew. Also… you may have heard her voice on Broken Social Scene’s albums – BSS being another recent discovery I made. They’ve done the soundtrack for Ellen Page’s new film, The Tracey Fragments, which looks fascinating.

Check out Metric on myspace: www.myspace.com/metricband

A Blessing of Ambience

Caleb Roberts — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:57:36 +0000

Hey guys,

So due to my practical non-existence on this blog, I might appear as a unwanted hacker. But I’m not. I am, however, lame in regards to posting on this blog. But alas! I have a post for you and it pertains to the newest realm of music that is fascinating me: ambient music. Melancholic, sweeping, misty, and ethereal, ambient music is not only great for background listening, it also merges the world of trained composers and the DIY-indie culture. The product is beautiful. Here are some artists that are truly talented in the skills of synthesizing and engineering sound.

I hope you all enjoy!

Caleb