Published December 26, 2009
CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz
Good God! recently released a self titled CD and with only
one show left before guitarist Tim Grimes goes to live on the left coast …you’re not going to
have too many opportunities left to get it. So make sure to get to the show Monday and get a copy. (Details on the show are at the bottom of this page....)
This recording is super crisp, clear and polished, which is a
compliment for a band like this. There
are 4 instruments doing different things so it’s imperative that you hear all 4
clearly. The guitar tones are all pretty
sharp and slashing but there are a lot of intricacies in what they’re doing so
the thinner and more attack oriented sound is advantageous. They sound great,
very natural, very well panned, (if
you’re listening in headphones this makes a big difference), and prominent but
not over powering in the mix. Mike
Winslow’s drum playing is very energetic and interesting throughout the entire
record. He is able to push the songs
along and create flawless transitions between parts of the songs.
When most people
think of primarily instrumental bands I would bet the first two that come to
mind are Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky.
Well I’ll tell you right now there are very little of those bands coming
through in this music. The songs
structures on this record are much more traditional and have a much smaller and
more intimate sort of feel. Think more
of a mellow Don Caballero or Ghosts & Vodka. The interweaving of guitar and bass and the
solo’s are more of a factor than the giant buildups and huge atmospheric
soundscapes. The track “Books on
Etiquette” for example has super lyrical guitar playing which completely takes
the place of the vocals which a song with an arrangement like this could have
had.
The tracks “Michael’s Afternoon Swim”,
“Misdirected Love” and “Awake at Night / Tom Cruise was a Lousy Lover” all
actually have vocals in them. They are
very reminiscent of the band Hum. They
are almost talked and at points bordering on monotone. It’s an interesting thing to mix in but these
songs become very standard rock songs on an album that was surviving on great
musicianship. I will admit that the
opening lick and the noise ending on “Michaels Afternoon Swim” are 2 of my
favorite individual parts of the record.
Good God!’s self titled offering does not have much in the way of
surprises or studio trickery but what it is, is an honest and clear
representation of what these four individuals were able to accomplish as a band
in their few short months together.
CD Review: Brava Spectre - The Hands, The Water, The Hands That Occupy The Water
Published November 29, 2009By Adam Wujtewicz
The reverb soaked guitar and yelping vocals that tend to get lost in the overall noise of a regular Brava Spectre show are allowed to shine when put on record. The guitar tones are very split between a sharp slashing sound to a giant wash of noise; this highlights the dynamics of the songs rather than causing them to drone.
Steve’s drums are forceful and very natural but at some points can get a little lost in the mix when the bass kicks in… the guitars seem to take up a lot of space. If you keep your ears on him though Steve will amaze you with some of his breaks and fills. The bass sound is my one complaint with the record.
It’s all low end and leaves very little punch which tends to take away from the heaviness of the record. The one place the bass sound works perfectly though is in the middle of “Noosery! I Hung My Neck, Cursed Jowls!” right before gang vocals. Standout track of the album is “By The Lust, By Such A Tender Proposal”. The dueling guitar work and the incredible drum breaks make this song the most in-your-face on the record. So be prepared for a different, but no less intense side of Brava Spectre with The Hands, The Water, The Hands That Occupy The Water.
For more info on Brava Spectre:
CD Review: Recur Occurrence - Self-Titled
Published July 8, 2009
By Adam Wujtewicz
By Adam Wujtewicz
Recur Occurrence's self-titled EP is a 6 song offering that is completely packed to the gills with a rock sound seldom heard in this area or on the airwaves anymore. It’s big and aggressive as well as dynamic and pop sensible.
The EP has a huge guitar sound that is reminiscent of Hum - the band not the noise. It’s airy and fills up a lot of space, but it’s dense at its center. This sort of sound works very well with RO’s song writing, mid tempo head bobbers or jumpier pop rock tunes such as the album's opening track "Looking On" which the guitar helps to emphasize choruses and bridges. Conversely, the album’s second track, "So Much More", is more of showcase for the rhythm section. Corina Malbaurn's bass line is what drives the song forward; it’s sound is just elastic enough while being able to hold the low end. Eric Kendall's drums in the vocal breaks give the song shape and structure rather than just carrying through on a steady 4/4 stomp through the entire four minutes. My personal favorite song on the EP is "Distant". Jason Banta and Corina trade off vocal lines in the chorus which I love; and the delay on the guitar lead in the bridge gives it a spacey quality - it’s got and my vote for best lyrics on the EP.
The biggest - and possibly only downside to the record, in my opinion, is that the vocals and drums may be mixed slightly too low. RO is really much more on the poppy side of the heavy rock spectrum - think of bands like Simon Says or the last 2 Screaming Trees albums without the psychadelia. This is usually an audience that is big into lyrics and needs a beat to jump in time to. That being said, do yourself a favor and listen to this record for the first time on your headphones... you will be able to get the best idea of the way it’s supposed to sound. It may not mean a lot to the casual listener but the panning is great on this record which is also easier to hear on headphones. If Recur Occurrence’s self titled EP does not make you yearn for this sound on the radio again I don’t know what will.
For more info on Recur Occurrence:
CD Review: Luke Hunter - Dizzying Heights
By Adam Wujtewicz
Luke Hunter, drummer of the band Thick Thieves, has released his first self recorded/produced solo record - quite ambitious for a young man. Dizzying Heights has a mellow, ambient sort of vibe without being too spacey. Like the Thick Thieves, the sound of the record is definitely more rooted in "classic rock" or even early "alternative" rather than the indie rock which most his peers are playing. Unlike the Thick Thieves it doesn’t have that folky southern rock thing going on.
The layers and textures are what make the record what it is. The reverb and delay are caked on this record... it’s what gives it the ambient sort of feel but it can be a little much. About halfway through the record they stop being a texture and almost become a whole other instrument. The instrumentation is nothing out of the ordinary: guitar, bass, drums and keys - but everything is fattened up and aired out to make it sound like much more. The song writing is almost post rock-esque at points, it just moves from one thing to another in a constant stream, never turning around to remind you what the chorus was. This can be a difficult style to make work but Luke does a good job making sure you don’t get bored or confused as the songs drift along.
Most people would probably consider this an incredibly melancholy record, especially with the Radiohead cover at the end. I don’t see it that way. Mellow and melancholy, though containing a lot of the same letters, are not intrinsically linked. I would say that it's introspective - a thinker - rather than just writing it off as sad. This record shows a great deal of promise... Luke wears his influences on its sleeve but his influences are not common in this area of CT and it's his debut so that’s more than forgivable. I'd like to see this be a continuing project for Luke to see the path it heads down.
Dizzying Heights is available for purchase at The Mystic Disc in downtown Mystic, CT.
CD Review: Sodium Lights - Post Signal
By Adam Wujtewicz
Post Signal has a familiar indie sound of 90's bands like Polvo with electronic influences like Massive Attack. There are also occasional poppy, almost Paul Simon-esque, tunes on the record: "Thimble" and "His Father’s Father". The change from indie song to pop song is pretty hard to swallow within one album. The production of this record is completely radio ready - it's slick as black ice but the genre of music calls for it so I can't hold it against them.
The musicianship matches up perfectly with the production, it's very tight and calculated without sounding forced or like it was cut and pasted in the studio. I never thought I would hear a record like this come from South Eastern CT. Not that it’s completely outside the realm of what's going on in the area, but the electronic elements along with atmospheric, almost spacey, texture of the songs certainly puts them in a class of their own.
Post Signal can get a little sleepy at times for the average listener but if you put a little more effort into your listening there are tons of new layers to discover within the tracks. This is a very dense record disguised as an airy ambient piece. The good thing about studio bands is that they are completely committed and focused to making sure that the songs that they write sound as good as they can sound when they go on record. This is where a lot of live bands go wrong. They forget to add little bits of keyboard or maybe some extra guitar tracks to add thickness and atmosphere because they don't want to be untrue to what they sound like when they play out.
Sodium Lights have taken all of these "frills" and made them sound absolutely vital. The art of creating a record is not even on the same plane of existence. While a live show runs on adrenaline your record must run on maintaining interest through artistry... and Post Signal most certainly does that.
Post Signal by Sodium Lights is available for purchase at The Mystic Disc in downtown Mystic, CT.
CD Review: The Weird Beards - EP
CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz
One of the many things for purchase during Hygienic's opening weekend was The Weird Beards debut EP... a 4 song ditty with the old lineup, the lineup that included OB on mandolin and does not include their current drummer. The production team on this record is a veritable who's who of New London music. The recording itself was done by Hugh Birdsall of The Reducers and was mixed and mastered by Paul Brockett of the Paul Brockett Roadshow.
For such organic instrumentation; baritone ukulele, standup bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin and percussion, there is quite a bit of studio trickery. There are some backwards vocals and also vocals with digitally manipulated pitches. There is a cool loop intro at the beginning of "Patriot Act" as well as some ping pong panning on the ukulele and mandolin. These kinds of things work well with The Weird Beards' psychedelic gypsy nature.
The songs on the EP; "With a Lime", "Weird Beard", "Patriot Act", and "Beautiful Eyes" are super clever lyrically and all the songs are completely different topics. This gives you a really good view of the pallet that Brian Skidmore, lead singer and baritone uke, is working with to paint the landscapes of his songs. The canvas of this record is the three musicians who are able to keep Brian’s dreamlike visions afloat with their expressive riffing.
While not exactly a sing along record there are a bunch of gang vocals that add a little bit of fullness that can sometimes seem lacking with an all acoustic band. This is no singer songwriter pop BS either… the instrumentation and song structure removes it quickly from that category. This not your average folk - The Weird Beards may actually be from outer space somewhere, but the songs are easy to listen to for the educated musical ear. For anyone who has seen them live you know Brian’s vocal acrobatics and the jammy-ness of some of the songs can lead to them lasting a while. Both of those things have been pretty much cut out… leaving the real gold of the songs to shine in three minute intervals. This is a super worth-while record for the alt-folk enthusiast.
For More Info On The Weird Beards:
CD Review: Quiet Life - Act Natural
So everyone knows by now that Quiet Life released a record this year. Also that that lead guitarist/vocalist Sean Spellman, has moved to the left coast and that the rest of the band is to follow in January.
If you’ve seen Quiet Life play live you know it’s a high energy, alcohol fueled happy time show. Act Natural is pretty representative of that. It’s a fun record – it’s warm sounding, and like the live shows there’s a few surprises. The album’s diversity is really something to behold. Believe it or not there are stoner rock songs on this record... "Trying to get Home" and "Every One" contain some pretty big riffs and a solid distortion sound. With a little extra reverb on Sean's wavery, folky, bluesy vocals they are allowed to float over the guitars like a feather on the breeze but still cut through the mix like a straight razor. You mix those two tunes in with some acoustic numbers like the foot-stomper "Night Time" and the sensitive guy type ballad "California" and that gives you miles in between to make the bulk of a record. Let’s face it these songs aren’t reinventing the wheel or anything but they’re solid, well written tunes that help to add dimension to the record. Those are obviously the two poles of this record, most of it is somewhere in between the riff laden rock and the acoustic folky tunes and that’s where the real magic lies.
The rhythm section has a lot to do with this even though they can come off as very subdued with the amount of guitar and vocal on the record. "Trying to get Home" has great bass and drum presence but can tend to get a little lost and the guitars and vocals start carrying things away. "Niantic Bay Blues" is a great song that starts off with a lot of great sounding bass and drums but the guitars kick in and you can start to lose your place. The guitars do sound great though, there isn’t a thin sounding note on the record but I always thought of the bass and drums like the ring masters that kept the lions from taking over the circus.
Apart from sounding thick, the guitar sound is hugely varied which is a great way to keep things interesting. Another thing that will more than likely get taken for granted on this record is the "decoration". The horns, banjo, pedal steel, organ and harmonica are things that make this record special. Not that they are the only band that uses these instruments, but they use them all to their full potential in the songs. It's not a gimmicky half-cocked attempt at being different... it's done with the intent to make the song sound better. The frill with this record does lie in the instrumentation rather than any sort of studio magic. The sound of the record is just warm and inviting, it's a very honest sound. There is pop sensibility not only in the song writing but in the actual sound. It’s not slick and shiny – because if it was it would sound weird and fake. It’s not muddy and under produced either – then you’d lose all the articulation which is important to the genre. It’s a happy medium that allows Act Natural to be appreciated by a much wider range of people. If you’ve seen Quiet Life play live you know it’s a high energy, alcohol fueled happy time show. Act Natural is pretty representative of that. It’s a fun record – it’s warm sounding, and like the live shows there’s a few surprises. The album’s diversity is really something to behold. Believe it or not there are stoner rock songs on this record... "Trying to get Home" and "Every One" contain some pretty big riffs and a solid distortion sound. With a little extra reverb on Sean's wavery, folky, bluesy vocals they are allowed to float over the guitars like a feather on the breeze but still cut through the mix like a straight razor. You mix those two tunes in with some acoustic numbers like the foot-stomper "Night Time" and the sensitive guy type ballad "California" and that gives you miles in between to make the bulk of a record. Let’s face it these songs aren’t reinventing the wheel or anything but they’re solid, well written tunes that help to add dimension to the record. Those are obviously the two poles of this record, most of it is somewhere in between the riff laden rock and the acoustic folky tunes and that’s where the real magic lies.
The rhythm section has a lot to do with this even though they can come off as very subdued with the amount of guitar and vocal on the record. "Trying to get Home" has great bass and drum presence but can tend to get a little lost and the guitars and vocals start carrying things away. "Niantic Bay Blues" is a great song that starts off with a lot of great sounding bass and drums but the guitars kick in and you can start to lose your place. The guitars do sound great though, there isn’t a thin sounding note on the record but I always thought of the bass and drums like the ring masters that kept the lions from taking over the circus.
CD Review: The Reducers - Guitars, Bass & Drums
CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz
This record is super cleanly produced without any fancy studio trickery and you can hear all the instruments and vocals clear as a bell. That's incredibly important when you consider the tones that these guys get. Steve’s bass sound is the best punk rock bass sound I've ever heard. It’s crisp and has the real trebly snap that makes it cut through the mix without ever sacrificing the low end to round it out. The lines he plays are acrobatic in a way that push the song along and accent the chord changes but never take the attention away from the vocals or a guitar solo. The rhythm guitar has a great mix of distortion and articulation. It's never muddy or overpowering it just sounds like rock n' roll. The solo’s have great blues feel to them both in tone and riff construction. The sound has enough bite to make it stick out so you have something you can sink your teeth into. Even when there isn't a solo going on, the play between Peter and Hugh’s guitar work is a lot like their vocals in the way that they are similar yet distinct. You can always tell which is which but they are extremely complimentary to one another. Now what about the hammer that drives the nail? That would be Tom on drums with the snare cracks like no other. Never flashy, always on time and drums that are tuned to perfection... there really isn’t much more you can say about it.
Now being a band for thirty years has obviously given them the time to get this immaculate sound that they have but let’s examine what it’s done for the song writing shall we? The style of songs on this record appeal to pretty much anyone with ears. They are a little longer than most pop tunes but they move quickly from chorus to verse to chorus so instead of getting bored with it you almost have to keep up. If that description makes it sound repetitive let me assure you that there are bridges, guitar solos and musical buildups… like Hugh’s guitar change ups that drive "Paranoid Blues". There are elements that are reminiscent of The Replacements like the band’s complete tonal change during the solo in "I Don’t Mind". There are other things that have smatterings of great "Brit Pop" like The Kinks; the strong presence of backing vocals especially when they're "oohs" and "ahs" and a very snare driven style of drumming.
At this point I've given you plenty of reason to get this record and go see every Reducers show you can possibly make it to. I haven't even touched upon the crown jewel of this record... the pop masterpiece "My Problem", featuring Mark Mulcahy on vocals. It’s nothing less than world class. Paul Brockett once described this song as "the song that everyone wants to write, within their genre". Which is better than any description I could think of. It just hits on all cylinders and it’s really the perfect pop/rock song... especially if you're a musician you want to write a song that has this sort of power. These are 4 guys who have really learned from the best and are writing their own book on how to create really great music... that lasts.
Get your copy of Guitars, Bass and Drums at The Mystic Disc, The Dutch Tavern or:
www.rave-on-records.com
www.rave-on-records.com
For more info on The Reducers:
CD Review: Fatal Film - Thrill'r
CD Review by Adam WujtewiczFatal Film, after a long wait, has finally released their new full length album Thrill'r. It's filled with mostly old Fatal Film classics as recorded by their latest lineup, Matt Potter (vox and guitar), Dave Freeburg (bass), Sebastian Coppotelli (guitar) and Mike Winslow (drums).
Though the songs are not brand new, the selection is diverse enough to always be interesting but still very cohesive as a record. There's a little punk and a little blues; a few mid tempo songs and a few up tempo songs; some clean tone and some dirty tone; like I said the song selection is great. This record does give me a different vision of these songs than I previously had, hearing them live.
When I think Fatal Film I think very angular very sharp guitar, a rhythm section that is pummeling and vocals that give you a false sense of calm about the menacing music that's being played. The production of this record seemed to smooth it all over without making it sound smooth. The guitars are very muddy for the most part and the drums are almost non-existent. The lack of attack in the sound made me see a pop-sensibility I never saw in Fatal Film but the lack of polish on the sound kind of shoots those sensibilities in the foot.
In sharp contrast to all that the vocal sound on this record is amazing. The play of different reverb and distortion on the vocals throughout the record gives them great intensity and makes them stand out. Matt Potter's lyrics have always been very raw and up front and Thrill'r gives the vocals a sound that matches. There are a few other sonic tidbits that made me do a double take while listening to these familiar songs. The distorted drum roll leading into the closing of "All Our Cash" where the tambourine keeps time is a great way to bring the song to a big finish. They added keyboard on the album's opening track "Last Step" giving the song a really creepy atmosphere and depth. This was an unexpected move considering the stripped down straight ahead approach of this lineup. For me it paid off in spades. I didn't do a double take because I knew that the guitar nose dives at the end of "Sea Of Shitheads" would be coming but I was elated to hear them right up front where they should be and sounding meaner than hell. The bass sound on this record is also pretty true to form. It's dirty, it's extremely punchy, it leaves nothing to be desired. With the guitar sound on this record however, the bass can sometimes get lost in the mix or be overpowering, it's a hard sound to pin down.
My vote for best song on the record is "Sick as a Dog". This was a little surprising because my favorite thing about Fatal Film was their ability to put out more energy and anger than any "genre punk" without ever pigeonholing themselves. However, Thrill'r made me hear something subtle and interesting about this song that I'm extremely happy to have heard.
CD Review: The Liz Larsons - Talk Like A Male Artist
The now defunct Liz Larsons, (except for 1 or 2 reunion shows), just released their first post humus record Talk Like a Male Artist. A title that is intriguing if nothing else. If you could cut this record open it would bleed hip-ness and confidence. Lou Reed would have totally taken the Larson’s out on tour if this album came out around the same time as "Transformer".
The songs are very well put together and much more interesting than their live show ever showed them to be. Liz’s vocals are in a lower register than a lot of female vocalist -- they are incredibly strong and they have a charm that you cannot ignore. Sebastian may be most complimentary guitar player NL has ever seen. He has never played second fiddle to anyone but instead he has played alongside Liz Larson (The Liz Larsons), Phil Agins, (The Royale Bothers), Matt Potter, (Fatal Film) and has pushed what they were doing to another level. The guitars are almost completely panned which gives them enough separation so that you can tell them apart and appreciate what they do for each other. This is just one thing that makes the production values for this album so good.
The slight change ups in vocal sound in the song "Petty Clovers" and the snare drum that sounds like it was recorded in a deep cave as it washes across everything at the beginning of "He Digs Lacrosse" are 2 other great points of production on the record. Talk Like a Male Artist has awesome pop sensibilities but also a great sense of self. The songs are undeniably old school coffee house artist music, with the banjo and the obvious folk influence, but with such an ability to catch the ear of average listener with catchy melodies and well placed vocal breaks. The bass and drums are not flashy but this also adds to the pop charm of the record and tight and concise rhythm section will drive and accent the songs rather than distract from them and keep people listening. It also has all the speed of a pop album in that most of it is pretty mid tempo with a few slower ballads in there and couple sped up sections of songs.
I must say that this record was a bit of a shocker for me. I didn’t expect to enjoy it half as much as I did so allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised as well and check out Talk Like a Male Artist from The Liz Larsons. Also, don’t stop listening to the CD until the bitter end, you’ll be glad you did.
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