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dustedmagazine · 4 years

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Dust Volume 6, Number 8

Angel Olsen

Now half a year in the pandemic, we’re starting to see the emergence of quarantine records, whether in the trove of reissues hastily assembled to stand in for new product or home recorded projects made with extremely close friends and family or albums that are conceived and written around the concept of isolation. Music isn’t real life, exactly, but it lives nearby. And in any case, it’s still music and can be good or bad whether it’s been unearthed from a forgotten box of tapes, recorded at home without collaboration or side people or technologically gerry-rigged so that distanced partners can work together. So, as long as you all are making music, we will continue to listen and find records that move us, as the world burns all around. This edition’s contributors included Patrick Masterson, Andrew Forell, Tim Clarke, Jennifer Kelly, Bill Meyer, Jonathan Shaw, Justin Cober-Lake and Ray Garraty. Enjoy.

+ — #playboy (Deluxe Edition) (self-released)

#playboy (deluxe edition) by +

One of the most genuinely confounding records I’ve heard this year comes courtesy SEO-unfriendly artist + aka Plus Sign fka Emanuel James Vinson, a Chicago rapper, city planner and all-around community activist who spends his time helping with the city’s Let’s Build Garden City initiative when he’s not making music (which is frequent, by the way — take a look at the breadth of that Bandcamp discography). The concept with #playboy, originally released in April but deluxed in late May, is simple: Two kids find a music machine called #playboy in their basement and start tinkering with it. Its childlike whimsy is conveyed in the song titles (“Getting the Hang of It,” “Wake Up Jam (Waking Up)”) every bit as much as it is in the music, with occasionally grating indulgences, the odd earworm and a brief appearance by borderless internet hip-hop hero Lil B that makes perfect sense in context; the kindred spirit of that community-building cult auteur is strong here. You may wind up loving this record or you may wind up hating it, but I can promise you this: You’ll be thinking about it and the artist behind it long after it’s over.

Patrick Masterson

Actress — Mad Voyage Mixtape (self-released)

I once suggested Darren Cunningham mucks about with his music because he can’t help himself. That was about six years ago on the occasion of his purported “final” album Untitled; with the benefit of hindsight, we can see he was (like so many others, to greater or lesser consequence) just pulling our leg with that PR. Hell, he’s released two albums worth of music in July alone: The first was the mid-month surprise LP 88, which follows in the vein of his acclaimed high period as an often brilliant, occasionally frustrating patchwork of submersible beats best played at high volume with a low end. The second came at the end of the month in an m4a file shared the old fashioned way on a forum via Mediafire link, nearly an hour and a half long, and per the man himself, “All SP-303, sketchbook beats, recorded this past week [the first week of July] straight to recorder or cassette.” It feels very much like a homespun Actress mixtape and is probably best thought of as livelier accompaniment to 88 but, even still, there’s no noticeable drop in quality — once Actress, always Actress. If headier lo-fi beat tapes are your beat, this will slot comfortably in line.

Patrick Masterson

bdrmm - Bedroom (Sonic Cathedral)

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Hull five-piece bdrmm play a satisfyingly crepuscular version of shoegaze on their debut album Bedroom. Ryan Smith, his brother Jordan on bass, guitarist Joe Vickers, Danny Hull on synths and drummer Luke Irvin combine the widescreen sound of Ride with a cloak of gothic post-punk. Like the late, lamented Girls Names, bdrmm find a sweet spot where atmosphere and dynamics either build to euphoric crescendos or bask in bleak funereal splendor. Bedroom seems deliberately sequenced from celebration to lament. “A Reason To Celebrate” evokes Ride at their most anthemic, the tripping staccato driven “Happy” summons the spirit of The Cure of Seventeen Seconds before the pace drops for the second half, the songs become quieter and darker as the band finds a more personal voice. “(The Silence)” is an ambient whispered wraith of a thing, “Forget The Credits” impressively mopey slowcore. bdrmm don’t always transcend their influences, but this debut is an atmospheric treat if your taste runs to the darker end of the musical buffet.

Andrew Forell

Circulatory System — Circulatory System (Elephant 6 Recording Co.)

Circulatory System by Circulatory System

Nearly 20 years after its initial release, the excellent eponymous debut album by Will Cullen Hart’s psychedelic chamber-pop band Circulatory System gets a long overdue vinyl reissue. While his previous project, the undeniably great Olivia Tremor Control, tended to lean more towards classic psych-pop’s traditional tropes — hard-panned drums, loads of disorientating tape effects, wonky harmonized vocals — Circulatory System taps into something utterly uncanny. Both Signal Morning (2009) and Mosaics Within Mosaics (2014) have their moments, but this is front-to-back brilliant, conjuring a sublime atmosphere of reflective estrangement. The music is a thick, grainy soup of shimmering instrumentation, from the eerie (“Joy,” “Now,” “Should a Cloud Replace a Compass?”) to the joyful (“Yesterday’s World,” “The Lovely Universe,” “Waves of Bark and Light”), but part of the album’s magic is the way everything flows into a seamless whole. As is vinyl’s tendency, the rhythm section really comes alive here, the fuzz bass and tom-heavy drum parts booming out, with plenty of vivid details in the mix swimming into view. A worthy reissue of an essential album.

Tim Clarke

Cloud Factory — #1 (Howlin’ Banana)

Cloud Factory #1 by Cloud Factory

Cloud Factory, from Toulouse, France, overlays the serrated edges of garage pop with a serene dream-pop drift. It’s an appealing mix of hard and soft, like being pummeled to death by pillows or threatened gunpoint by a teddy bear. “Amnesia,” for instance, erupts in a vicious, sawed off, trouble-making bass line, then soars from there in untroubled female vocals. Later, “No Data,” punches hard with raw percussion, then lays on a liquid, lucid guitar line that encourages middle-distance staring. None of these songs really up the ante with memorable melodies, sharp words or that intangible R’NR energy that distinguishes great punk rock from the so so. Not loud, not soft, not great, not bad. Cloud Factory resides in the indeterminant middle.

Jennifer Kelly

Entry — Detriment (Southern Lord)

Detriment by Entry

Nuthin fancy here, folks. Just eight songs — plus a flexing, fuzzing intro — of American hardcore punk. Entry has been grinding away for a few years now, and Detriment doesn’t advance much past the musical terrain the band marked off on the No Relief 7-inch (2016). That’s OK. The essential formula is time tested: d-beat rhythms, overdriven amps and Sara G.’s ferocious vocals delivering the necessary affect. That would be: pissed off, just this side of hopeless. Detriment sounds like what might happen if Poison Idea (c. 1988) stumbled into a seminar on Riot Grrrl; after everyone got tired of beating the living shit out of one another, they’d make some songs. “Selective Empathy” is pretty representative. Big riffs, a breakdown, and more than enough throaty yelling to let you know that you’re in some trouble. You might recognize the sound of Clayton Stevens’ guitar from his work with Touché Amoré — but maybe it’s better if you don’t. This isn’t music for mopery. Watch out for the spit, snot and blood, and flip the record.

Jonathan Shaw

Equiknoxx — VF Live: Equiknoxx (The Vinyl Factory)

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There’s nothing like a little roots music to get you through the sweltering summer heat, and this early July mix by Gavin “Gavsborg” Blair (half of forward-thinking Kingston dancehall unit Equiknoxx) was a personal favorite of the past month for hitting that spot. The group tends to throw curveballs at the genres it tinkers with, and Blair’s mix highlights why they’re so good at it: The crates run deep. Spanning everything from legendary producer and DJ Prince Jazzbo to in-house music fresh out the box (e.g., “Did Not Make This For Jah_9” was released in late May), Blair sets the mood and educates you along the way. Like everything else these cats do (and that includes the NTS show — support your independent radio station!), it’s hard not to give the highest recommendation.

Patrick Masterson

Ezra Feinberg — Recumbent Speech (Related States)

Recumbent Speech by Ezra Feinberg

Knowing that Ezra Feinberg is a practicing psychoanalyst, it’s tempting to read meaning into the name of his second solo album. But be careful to think twice about the meaning you perceive and ask yourself, is it the product of Feinberg on the couch or your own projection? His choice to name one of the record’s six instrumentals (there are voices, but no words) “Letter To My Mind” certainly suggests that there’s an internal dialogue at work, but the music feels most like a layered deployment of good ideas than an exchange of intrapsychic forces. The synthesizers shimmer and cycle like something from a mid-1970s Cluster record, resting upon a pillow of vibraphone and electric piano tones, which in turn billow under the influence of undulating layers of drums. Feinberg’s guitar leads are bright and pithy, like something Pat Metheny might come up with if he knew he was going to have to pay a steep price for every note he played. Ah, but there I go, projecting an implication of adversary process where there may be none. Might it be that Feinberg, having spent a full work week immersed in the psychic conflicts of others, wants to lay back on the couch and exhale? If so, this album is an apt companion.

Bill Meyer

Honey Radar — Sing the Snow Away: The Chunklet Years (Chunklet)

Sing the Snow Away: The Chunklet Years by Honey Radar

Jason Henn of Honey Radar has a solid claim at being his generation’s Bob Pollard, a prolific, absurdist songwriter, who tosses off hooky melodies as if channeling them from the spirit world. His least polished material glints with melody hidden beneath banks of fuzz, whispery and fragile on records, but surprisingly muscular in his rocking live shows. This 28-song compilation assembles the singles, splits, EPs and bonus tracks Henn recorded for Chunklet between 2015 and the present; it would be a daunting amount of material except that it goes down like cotton candy, sweet, airy, colorful and gone before you know it. Like the Kinks, Henn has a way of making strident rock and roll hooks sound wistful and dreamy. In “Lilac Pharmacy,” guitar lines rip and buck and roar, but from a distance, hardly disrupting Henn’s placid murmur. “Medium Mary Todd” ratchets up the tension a bit, with a tangled snarl of lick and swagger, but the vocals edge towards quiet whimsy a la Sic Alps; a second version runs a bit hotter, rougher and more electric, while a third, recorded at WFMU, gives an inkling of the Honey Radar concert experience. A couple of fine covers — of the Fall’s early rant “Middle Class Revolt” and of the Monkees rarity “Wind-Up Man”— suggest the fine, loamy soil that Henn’s art grows out of, while alternate versions of half a dozen tracks hint at the various forms his ideas can take. It’s a wonderful overview of Honey Radar so far, though let’s hope it’s not a career retrospective. Henn has a bunch of records left to make yet if he wants to edge out Pollard.

Jennifer Kelly

Iron Wigs — Your Birthday’s Cancelled (Mello Music Group)

Your Birthday's Cancelled by IRON WIGS

As an adjective, “goofy” had gotten a bad rep in hip hop. Anything that is unusual, inventive and not in line with “keeping it real” is immediately stigmatized as goofy, weird, nerdy and bad. Iron Wigs is goofy but hold the pejorative connotations. Chicago representatives Vic Spencer and Verbal Kent team up here with Sonnyjim from the UK to do some wild rhyming. They collaborated before, but Your Birthday’s Cancelled is a complete, fully fleshed project, masterfully executed from start to finish. Instead of the usual gun busting you get a fist in the ribs. Instead of drug slinging, a blunt to activate your rhymes. Each member of the group has a distinctive delivery which makes you to listen carefully for every verse, no skipping. It’s a relief to listen to rap artists who don’t pretend they’re out in the streets while they’re at home enjoying a favorite TV series. The standout track here is “Bally Animals & Rugbys” with Roc Marciano dropping by for a verse.

Ray Garraty

Levinson / Mahlmeister — Shores (Trouble In Mind)

Shores by levinson / mahlmeister

Jamie Levinson and Donny Mahlmeister’s Bandcamp page indicates that they’re based in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. This goes further towards explaining their association with Trouble in Mind Records, which is located in the same county, than their music, which brings to mind something much further north. The duo’s music is mostly electronic, with modular synthesizers setting the pulse and sweeping the pitch spectrum while lap steel guitar adds flourishes and a shruti box thickens the textures. The album is split into two, with each track — one is named “Ascend,” the other “Release” — taking up one side of a 50-minute cassette. The first side trundles steadily onwards, and the second seems to bask in a glow to that never totally fades. Since there’s no “Descend,” it’s easy to imagine this music sound tracking a drive into the Canadian north, the journey unspooling under a sky that never darkens, its progress towards Hudson Bay unhindered by other traffic or turns in the road. Perhaps that’s just one listener’s fantasy of easy social distancing and escape from the present’s grim digital glare into a retro-futurist, analog dream. But in dreams we’re free to fly without being seated next to some knucklehead with his mask over his eyes instead of his mouth, so dream on, dreamers. This tape is volume one of the Explorers Series, Trouble in Mind’s projected program of limited edition cassette releases.

Bill Meyer

Klara Lewis — Ingrid (Editions Mego)

Klara Lewis’s latest recording shows a narrowing of focus. Previously she seemed to be trying ideas and methods on for size, investigating ambient electronics or hinting at pop melody without completely committing. Given the approach to music modeled by her father, Graham Lewis of Wire and Dome, she probably does not feel the need to do just one thing, and that’s a healthy angle if one wants to stay interested and flexible. But there’s also something to be said for really digging into an idea, and that’s what she has done here. Ingrid is a one-track, one-sided 12.” Burrowing further into one-ness, it is made from one looped cello phrase, which gets filtered and distorted on each pass. The effect suggests decay, but not so much the gradual transformation of a William Basinski piece as the pitiless abrasion of a woodworker going over a plank with sander. The combination of repetition and coarsening hits a spot closer to one that Tony Conrad might reach, and that’s an itch worth scratching.

Bill Meyer

Luis Lopes Humanization 4tet — Believe, Believe (Clean Feed)

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The cruel economics of contemporary creative music-making favor an ensemble like Humanization 4tet. At a minimum, the filial Texan rhythm section of Stefan and Aaron Gonzalez (drums and bass respectively) and Lisbon-based duo of Rodrigo Amado (tenor saxophone) and Luís Lopes can each count on having the other half of a band on the other side of the Atlantic. But any project that’s on its fourth record in a dozen years has more going for it than the chance to save on plane tickets. For the Portuguese musicians, it’s an opportunity to feel an unabashedly high-energy force at their backs, as well as a chance to drink from a deep well of harmolodic blues. And for the Gonzalez brothers, it’s the reward of being the absolute right guys for the job; it has to be a gas to know that the heft they put into their swing is so deeply appreciated. While Lopes’ name remains up front, everyone contributes compositions, and everyone gives their all on every tune.

Bill Meyer

Joanna Mattrey — Veiled (Relative Pitch)

Veiled by Joanna Mattrey

This solo CD, which closely follows a collaborative cassette on Astral Spirits, is only the second recording with Joanna Mattrey’s name on the spine. But Mattrey is no newcomer. The New England Conservatory-trained violist has been playing straight and pop gigs for a while. If you caught Chance the Rapper on Saturday Night Live, Cuddle Magic with strings or a host of classical gigs around New York City, you’ve seen her. But if black dress and heels gigs pay her bills, improvised music nourishes her heart. And if sounds raw enough to scrape the roof of the world nourish yours, this album is new food. The premise of Veiled is finding veins of concealed beauty concealed, and that search impels Mattrey to tune her viola to sound like a horse-haired Tuvan fiddle, clamp objects to the strings and blast her signal through some satisfyingly filthy amplification. And whether it’s a slender tune or a complex texture, the reward is always there.

Bill Meyer

Angel Olsen — “Whole New Mess” single (Jagjaguwar)

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Everyone processes a breakup differently (though, to be fair, that’s probably less true now than ever). For Angel Olsen in 2018, it meant retreating to The Unknown, a century-old church in Anacortes, Washington, that Mount Eerie’s Phil Elverum and producer Nicholas Wilbur made into a recording studio. What ultimately came from those sessions was All Mirrors, but Whole New Mess is a chance to revisit that album (fully nine of these 11 songs are ones you’ve heard before; only the title-track and “Waving, Smiling” are new) in a more intimate framework — just Angel, a guitar, a mic and her reverberant heartache. The most cynical view to be taken here is that it’s a stopgap capitalizing on people’s vulnerability amid a pandemic quarantine, but it could also be a corrective for the bloat of All Mirrors, a record I listened to once and haven’t thought about since. Late Björkian excess doesn’t suit her nearly as well as the light touch delivered herein, and your interest will similarly hinge on how much Whole New Mess sounds like the old one.

Patrick Masterson

Ono — Red Summer (American Dreams)

Red Summer by ONO

Ono, the long-running noise-punk-poetry-protest project headed by P Michael Grego and travis, tackles the Red Summer of 1919, evoking the brutal race riots that erupted as soldiers returned from World War I. During that summer, conflicts raged from Chicago to the deep south, as white supremacists rioted against newly empowered returning Black veterans and an increased number of Black factory workers employed in America’s northern factories. Ono captures the violence—and its links to contemporary race-based conflicts—in an abstract and visionary style, with travis declaiming against an agitated froth of avant garde sound. “A Dream of Sodomy” lurches and rolls in funk-punk bravado, as travis declaims all the nightmarish scenarios that haunt his nocturnal hours, while “Coon” natters rhythmically across a fever-lit foundation of hand-drums, mosquito buzz and flute. “26 June 1919” wanders through a blasted, rioting landscape, sounds buzzing and pinging and roaring around travis’ fractured poetry. “White men, red men, Manchester town, send ‘em home, Oklahoma, send ‘em home, in a Black man house, send ‘em home, send ‘em home,” he chants, ominously, vertiginously. The center isn’t holding, for sure. The disc closes with the uneasy truce of “Sycamore Trees,” where steam blasts of synthesizer sound rush up and around travis’ vibrating, basso verses about meeting under the sycamore trees, a metaphor like the blues and gospel and nearly all Black music is full of metaphor about reuniting in a better place. Powerful.

Jennifer Kelly

Julian Taylor — The Ridge (Howling Turtle, Inc.)

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Singer-songwriter Julian Taylor does the little things well. That's not to say that he doesn't do the obvious things well, too, on his latest release The Ridge. His easy voice fits his songs, letting autobiography come with comfortable phrasing. As a writer, he tends toward the straightforward, avoiding extended metaphors or oblique references. The title track considers a particular form of life, and Taylor sticks to the tangible, singing about the stable, “Shovel manure, clean their beds, and prepare the feed for the day.” Taylor's songs make sense of the immediate world and relationships around him, but they avoid woolgathering. The album feels a bit removed from the current climate, but that's no complaint when Taylor's developed a welcoming place to visit. It isn't always easy here, but it's always companionable.

But back to those little things. Each song has carefully detailed orchestration and production. The record goes down easy whether tending toward James Taylor, Cat Stevens or something closer to country, and much of that easiness comes from the precise placement of every note. Burke Carroll's pedal steel, for instance, never exists for its own sake, but to serve the lyric that Taylor sings. The album contains enough space to feel like a rural Canadian ridge, with details drawn into to support Taylor's direct stories. The Ridge could easily go unnoticed (unobtrusiveness not being a highly rewarded trait), but its subtlety and care make it worth taking your boots off and sitting down for a minute.

Justin Cober-Lake

Various Artists — For a Better Tomorrow (Garden Portal)

For A Better Tomorrow by Various Artists

Compilation albums loom large in the American Primitive Guitar realm. Takoma, Tompkins Square and Locust all had larger ambitions than merely offering a sampling of wares, and to them, Garden Portal says, “hold my beer. I’ve got some collecting and playing to do.” For A Better Tomorrow started out as a Bernie Sanders fundraising endeavor. But when Bernie bailed and COVID-19 came on the scene, Garden Portal pivoted to support Athens Mutual Aid Network, an umbrella organization that coordinates aid to the underserved in this trying time. But in addition to good works, there’s some good work going on here. Not all of it is guitar-centric, but even the tracks that aren’t are close enough to the strings and heart template of the aforementioned parties to merit consideration under the same rubric. Joseph Allred’s been ultra-productive recently, so it’s actually helpful to be reminded of the spirit that infuses his playing by listening to it one track at a time. Rob Noyes’ “Diminished” takes the listener on a deep dive into the construction of sentiment and sound. And Will Csorba’s Pelt-like blast of fiddle drone, “Requiem for Ociel Guadalupe Martinez,” will put your hair up high enough to make that self-inflicted quarantine do a bit easier to execute.

Bill Meyer

Various Artists — The Storehouse Presents (The Storehouse)

The Storehouse Presents by The Storehouse

The coronavirus pandemic put the brakes on many things. You doubtless have your own list of loss, but for the proprietors of The Storehouse, the catalog of things kissed goodbye directly corresponds to their endeavor’s inventory of reasons to be. Over the past few years, the Storehouse has invited audiences out to a West Michigan farmhouse to enjoy a potluck meal and a concert played by some musicians of note. If there had been no lockdown, listeners could have enjoyed the Sun Ra Arkestra last April. Instead, no one’s playing, and no one’s getting paid, so the Storehouse has compiled this set of live and exclusive studio tracks to sell on Bandcamp in order to benefit the musicians and the Music Maker Relief Foundation. The cause, is good, but so are the tunes. Want to hear Steve Gunn and William Tyler in sympathetic orbit? Or Joan Shelley pledging her love? Or the first hints of Mind Over Mirrors’ new direction? Step right this way, preferably on one of 2020’s first Fridays.

Bill Meyer

Z-Ro — Rohammad Ali (1 Deep Entertainment / Empire)

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On one of his previous tracks, Z-Ro admitted that he’s basically just writing the same song over and over again (that’s how meta he is now, writing songs on writing songs). While he exaggerated a bit, he was not that far from the truth. In the last half dozen years he’s been writing the same three or four songs in various combinations, reconfigurations and forms. Rohammad Ali follows the same template: haters hate him, but he’s OK and is counting his money. Multiply this by 17, and here is the album. Despite this self-cannibalizing (lots of poets did that), Z-Ro with every new album sounds fresh and far from tired. The self-repeats just fuel him. Rohammad Ali has only one rap guest, and it’s Shaquille O’Neal whose rap career didn’t jump off in the 1990s. A lack of guests only proves that Z-Ro can self-sustain without support from the outside. The only thing from the outside he needs is hate.

Ray Garraty

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jazzyspj · 5 years

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Research: Punk Rock

19th January, 2019

The exact origin of punk will always be debated, but the general assumption is that it developed from existing bands during the 1960's and took inspiration from the harsh instrumentation and vocals of garage rock bands like MC5, the Stooges and the Kinks.

In the 1970's, punk music took inspiration from garage rock. This developed into punk rock, characterised by aggressive instrumentation, screaming vocals and controversial lyrics. Concerts were also a place where there would be a large community of punks, explosive music and performances by bands and artists.

Punk rock music would typically involved a very distorted sounding guitar with a solid bass line, and thrashing drums that tied together the instrumentation. These sounds worked together with the vocals, which were melodious screaming voices singing songs of whatever they thought was important to them.

These songs were often short and fast-paced, getting straight into the point of the message with no filters and beating around the bush. They were an efficient and effective way of communicating ideas.

There are many punk artists that do not have a typically aggressive 'punk' sound, yet they are still known within the punk community as very prominent figures, such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Patti Smith This is because punk is not only about the music, but also heavily interrelated with the attitude and demeanour of the artist. A punk artist who is not truly expressing themselves will not be seen as a proper punk rock artist.

People loved punk rock back in the day as it was a new concept and idea, and a way of expression where people could express themselves and their opinions in an efficient and manifest way. The youth especially loved it, with its high energy and quick pace. It was a new culture and a diverse community of people who found a way to voice their feelings when they didn't know how.

(above: Punks march at the Rock the Bomb Festival of Peace)

Punk is very influenced by politics and various forms of activism. Developed from a critical view of the government and society, punk's foundations are set in questioning things around you and fighting for what's right. There are many songs that spread a message of social justice and a quintessential change needed at the time, and perhaps even currently in society.

Although they spread their message through their music and lyrics, there were also other methods that bands had of showcasing their beliefs. Due to the harsh and chaotic nature of punk, the live shows would also have a similar atmosphere with many members of the audience moshing (an aggressive and violent dance) to the music and being very violent and aggressive whilst in a crowd. In order to prevent people form being harmed and assaulted, some bands like Fugazi would have a strict No-Moshing policy and call the people out who violated this policy out of their concerts.

Additionally, female-oriented bands like Bikini Kill which were huge advocates for feminism would understand the struggles that women tended to face in punk live shows, who were physically and sexually assaulted by the aggressive male-dominated audience. In order to create a more safe environment for women, they made the women stand in the front of the crowd, closer to the stage whilst the men stood at the back.

(above: Bikini Kill concert, with ladies at the front)

These were just a few of the ways that the messages embedded within punk music slipped past the lyrics and melodies.

Although a lot of the punks and their music was progressive, there were also punks that also had a more conservative view. Punk music is very diverse, and includes communities from a spectrum of political and social views. There were also apolitical punk bands that did not involve politics and societal criticism too closely with their music and art form. Some of these bands include the Ramones, and New York Dolls.

Punk music and the punk community is all very diverse, and pinning it down to one distinct way would be impossible and not a very punk thing to do.

Sources

“Stage Diving And Violence At Shows: What's A Band To Do?” Bandwidth, bandwidth.wamu.org/stage-diving-and-violence-at-shows-whats-a-band-to-do/.

SMEAR Magazine. “A History of Punk.” SMEAR Magazine, SMEAR Magazine, 6 Sept. 2016, www.smearmagazine.com/posts/2016/9/6/a-history-of-punk.

“What Is Punk? 25 Definitions From People Who Should Know.” Flavorwire, Flavorwire, 21 June 2010, flavorwire.com/99393/what-is-punk-25-definitions-from-people-who-should-know.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_punk_rock

#research #punk #punkrock

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victoriahousetx · 7 years

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Industrial Cow Punk

CARREERRS , a “noise sludge industrial cow punk metal garage rock” band comprised of hometown heroes Greg Busceme Jr. and Chris Garcia, has been booking shows and recording new music to be released this summer (fingers crossed).

We started off our conversation with the most basic stop-asking-bands-this questions at the top of every ‘Terrible Band Interviews’ listicles across Google: What does your name mean?

“I tend to regret band names almost immediately,” Greg says, “and I get to [deciding what to call] them out of necessity. At the time I was getting started with the project, the material was very dark, and I was trying to come up with something that matched the dark aesthetic and the most daunting thing at that time was having to choose a career”.

Push pause and interject an inner dialogue about the gripping anxiety surrounded by the concept of sitting down at a young age and trying to pinpoint exactly what you are going to do for the rest of your life to make money, provide for a family that may or may not exist in 5 to 15 years, and be sustained through whatever ridiculous shit life throws at you (i.e Trump’s America, am I right?). What if we pick the wrong thing and spend years and thousands of dollars at a college just to end up hating what we do? Or, worse, what if we get stuck at a customer service job and five years are gone within the blink of an eye?

“The project has always been angst driven at the onset. A lot of the work that I’ve done previously was stream of consciousness, but this is more purpose driven. I worked on the points I wanted to make about things like pollution, feeling left out, and isolation.” And right as I am again hurdled down another metaphorical rabbit hole of existential freak out, Chris chimes in. “And at the same time, it is very tongue in cheek - its satire.” Oh thank [deity of your choice].

Although CARREERRS is the brainchild of Greg, created as a solo piece in New Orleans, he realized that he needed another person to help hone and embellish the sound he wanted to create. When he moved back to Beaumont, he auditioned several musicians to be his coconspirator and Chris was the One. Surprisingly, to me, Chris and Greg weren’t really friends before this project came to inception.

“I knew who he was just from the music scene,” Chris said, “I saw it as an opportunity to expand my horizons as a musician. Until then, I hadn’t played bass in a band before.”

“It’s definitely the most professional relationship I’ve been in,” Greg remarked. “Generally bands are formed by buddies who live together or hang out all the time anyway and eventually a tension grows and there is a sort of passive aggressiveness between members.”

“We definitely have everything out on the table. We talk through things. Greg mainly writes and composes the structure of songs, and I come in and lay down bass tracks. We both come from party band backgrounds where there isn’t much thought into presentation, it’s just about giving the audience a good time. But CARREERRS is a very vibe-y band.”

The vibe-y (definition: a complete atmosphere; a tone or mood) feel of their shows is accredited to several things.

Projected images on a screen behind them when they play. A few acts in the local scene have been experimenting with this show element, but CARREERRS has a distinct aesthetic that fits with their progression of songs. A collection of black and white images varying from vintage car crash footage to clips from surrealist Salvador Dali films create the uneasy tension and anger about living in a world you can’t control that bubbles under the service of their work.

Their performance tries to embody the feeling of the songs and they purposefully try to be outside of themselves. Greg contrasts their high concept performance to party bands. “We aren’t going to stand on stage and be like ”Let’s get fucked up” to give the audience a way of escapism and a place to release energy like a party band would, because that doesn’t lend itself to the message of the music, which is about looking at these points [of the songs] in the face and trying to work through it.”

Content and sound of the music to communicate themes. “I’m honestly kind of mentally constipated by the blitzkrieg of shit that’s been happening in the world and nationally.” Greg says. Amen, I say. He goes on, “I do think about these things, but the focus of the writing I’ve been doing lately are Beaumont centric - I love Beaumont, and thats what I can focus on.” By being specific to this small blip on the Texas map, they are hoping to put a harsh light on the issues that WE can all work on and affect with positivity or negativity if we choose - which is an idea I latch on to so intensely, we spend the next 30 minutes discussing echo chambers that people put themselves in, gentrification, and the desperately needed resuscitation of the music scene.

With doses of humor and equal levity, the listener is transported to that place in the back of their mind where deeper thoughts lurk, buried by layers of memes and other methods of escapism. But it’s not a bad thing - opening yourself to the messages underlying each CARREERS song, from ‘In the Band’ vaguely comments on the realities of being young and/or sick in a time where we cant afford healthcare to ‘Don’t Talk to Me’ about labeling people into unnecessary categories, can be a catalyst for a conversation about how to change the bullshit. Which is really what we all want anyway right? I’ll see you at their next show, soaking up the dark vibe-y rays of intention and totally DTF (down to feel).

https://carreerrs.bandcamp.com

By Julia Rodriguez

#victoriahousetx #high street times zine #CARREERRS #Boremont #BeaumontTx

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americanahighways · 5 years

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photos by Lisa Davidson

I had never heard of Alejandro Escovedo before moving to Nashville in the late 90s. A friend I worked with loved him and turned me on to his work with Rank & File as well as his solo offerings. I liked what I heard but over the years I drifted in and out of spells where I would reach for his records. I saw him in a small theatre with Joe Ely a few years back for the first time. I was blown away by the bare stripped-down songs sung with only he and Ely on acoustic guitars. As I sat there listening all I could imagine is just how good these songs would sound with a full band. Flash forward five or six years and I am sitting at City Winery in Nashville, anxiously waiting for Alejandro and Don Antonio to take the stage.

We were treated to an opening set by Don Antonio, the Italian band Escovedo worked with to write and record The Crossing. The lead singer looks like Reuben Blades which for some reason I found amusing. The band was tight and each song was uniquely their own. I kept thinking about how great Escovedo was going to sound with these guys backing him up.

In full disclosure I had not listened to The Crossing before going to the show. Not sure how this happened but the fault lies solely on my shoulders. While I had read reviews and found the concept intriguing, I avoiding the recordings (once I knew I was covering the show) as I wanted to experience these songs for the first time in a live environment. Once Escovedo walked on stage and the first notes of “Footsteps in the Shadows” rang out I was glad I made that decision. The song starts out ominously, which makes sense given its subject matter, and it continues building and cresting. The sax undercuts the moment before it returns to the gritty dangerous feel of guitars whaling against each other. It was an amazing moment and just recalling the urgent pulsing vocals I get goose bumps. “Texas Is My Mother” follows with the reverb from the guitars filling the room. Escovedo and Antonio Gramnetieri have a great chemistry and the interplay of their guitars take over the back part of the song and remind me of “All Along the Watchtower”. Escovedo takes a second to talk about how he and Don Antonio came to work together. He said he was going to tour Europe two years ago and had to pick from three bands, two were English and one was Italian. He chose the Italians and flew to Italy to play for a day and a half before kicking off the tour in Frankfurt. “Teenage Luggage” a tales of two immigrants (one Mexican and the other Italian) who like punk rock and all things 70’s is next up. It was very punky in terms of feel and lyrics and the horns and keys found a nice home amidst the raucousness. Stepping away from The Crossing material, Escovedo revisits “Castanets” from his 2001 release A Man Under the Influence. It is when you hear songs like this that you scratch your heads as to why Escovedo is not more of a household name. It is furious, the guitars are ramped up and rocked out, the keys are pounding and Escovedo is having a blast putting six-piece band through its paces. “Outlaw for You” is fun and upbeat with a vintage Detroit keyboard feel meshing nicely with the growly saxophone.

“Something Blue” also from The Crossing is a beautiful moment. Escovedo is strongly invested in this song and his honest voice resonates. As the song progresses it gets a little more rock and takes on a genuine heartland vibe. While I have alluded to how great Don Antonio is in backing Escovedo, let me take a second to drive this point home. They are beyond excellent. Having known each other since they were kids and growing up in the same village there is a synergy among them that definitely impacts the music. I am not sure an American band could have delivered what they brought to the party. “MC Overload” kicks off with some feedback before the thundering rumbling drums and guitars take it up another notch. You just have to love lines like “In my Italian Shoes I’m gonna overtake the bandstand” delivered with a semi-defiant sneer. Everything seemed to just keep getting louder as Gramentieri and Escovedo traded off guitar licks for one of the more visceral moments of the evening. Going in a very different direction, Escovedo goes back to 2008’s Real Animal for “Sensitive Boys”, co-written with Chuck Prophet. An autobiographical song about his life being in bands it is slow and achingly beautiful. Escovedo sings the hell out of this one, his 68 year-old voice untouched by time. The sax fills at the end provide the perfect close to a perfect song. “Sonica USA” brings back the early punk energy. As an extra bonus, Dead Boys guitarist and Nashville resident Cheetah Chrome joins the band for a genuine DIY garage rock rave-up! It is loud and bone rattling, just the way it should be. Before I can even recover from that sonic assault, the band explodes into The Stooges “Search & Destroy” with Chrome (of course) taking front and center on guitar. Escovedo is reveling in the moment, three guitars churning away and the drummer bashing the skins, it was a performance I will not soon forget.

So where do you go from there? Escovedo takes it down a notch with “Always a Friend” with keys and sax interplaying throughout. As the song progresses everyone gets a turn to stretch out and showcase their talents. It was fun and funky before the song segued into a reggae tinged version of “Tracks of My Tears” which is one of my top ten songs of all time (please bear in mind my top ten has hundreds of songs and the top ten is relative given the day, time, temp, etc.). Escovedo sounded right at home before the song again veered and went into Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” which eventually closes the set.

Walking off stage for a few seconds the band returns and Escovedo is presented with a cake for his 68th birthday and sung “Happy Birthday” in Italian, which is the only way I want to hear it sung from now on. For the encore we get the Joe Ely penned “Silver City” which was sparse and melodic. Before the last note rings out Escovedo is off on a tear with “Another Girl, Another Planet” which I thought was a Mighty Lemon Drops song but after a little research found it to be from English band The Other Ones. I always loved TMLD version so I was thrilled to hear Escovedo, Don Antonio & Cheetah Chrome beat it to a pulp! Coming down off of that temporary high I was just standing there wondering what else he was going to pull out of his hat. Remarking that the band hasn’t played this song they go into Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes” again with Cheetah Chrome whaling along on guitar. For a band that didn’t know the song they did a tremendous job, so tremendous I’m not sure Escovedo wasn’t pulling our collective leg a little. And then there is Ecovedo, center stage grinning, and pouring his all into the vocal performance. It was big, it was bombastic and it was over all too soon. Finishing with a wave the band walked off to rapturous applause.

I knew that Alejandro Escovedo would be magnificent but I had no idea how magical it would be. Six Italians and one Mexican-American alt-country punk all star made two hours go by in a blink of an eye. I was beyond ecstatic to have been in attendance but all the while was irritated that it had taken me this long to see Escovedo with a full band. The new record is a masterpiece and the light it shines on the immigrant experience offers a unique take on an experience that many of us are clueless about. Take my advice, spend the money, grab a flight, catch a train, and get a ticket to make sure you see Alejandro Escovedo with Don Antonio while they are on tour this winter. Moments like this do not come around often and you want to make sure you can say “I saw them when…”.

Show Review: Alejandro Escovedo Birthday Show w/Don Antonio at City Winery, Nashville @aescovedo1 @yeproc @newwestrecords #americanamusic photos by Lisa Davidson I had never heard of Alejandro Escovedo before moving to Nashville in the late 90s.

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themarsupials · 6 years

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100 Best Albums of 2017, pt. 4

25. Fever Ray – Plunge

Karin Dreijer is half of The Knife, but the tone for her second album as Fever Ray is vastly more immediate and inviting than her band with her brother; all restless rhythms, dense electronic beats and nervous energy, it’s not exactly dance music, but it certainly can’t sit still. Most surprising, though, is the unbridled lust in her lyrics, making this perhaps the horniest album of the year.

24. Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent

This Detroit band’s fourth album is a masterclass in restraint and release, in using moments of peace and patience to skillfully maximize the impact when the noise kicks in. Anchored by the mighty voice of Joe Casey – who spits his lyrics with all the vitriol of Nick Cave in the 80s – it’s a thrillingly dark listen.

23. Vagabon – Infinite Worlds

A recurring theme in music this year was the passing of the guard between indie rock generations; where big-name comebacks were often underwhelming (many notable by their absence from this list) in favour of thrilling debuts from voices often overlooked in the genre. Case in point, Laetitia Tamko, the woman behind Vagabon, an American born in Cameroon; with Infinite Worlds, she achieved the kind of debut other artists only dream of; tight, direct, unnervingly raw and honest, and downright unforgettable.

22. Oumou Sangare – Mogoya

Oumou Sangare turns fifty next year, and has been performing since she was five; for Mogoya, though, the Malian music icon hardly rests on her laurels. She’s managed to dance a fine line in successfully creating a contemporary update on her traditional Wassoulou sound, for a thoroughly empowering and danceable record that’s at once instantly recognizable as Malian, without being bound the “world music” tag.

21. Cable Ties – Cable Ties

There were a lot of great punk and post-punk records in 2017; few, however, hit with the power of this Melbourne band’s debut LP. Every track grabs you within seconds, and the tightness of the band’s performance keeps you hooked throughout. They’re playing Laneway next month, and if they’re not huge afterwards, there is no justice in the world.

20. Oddisee – The Iceberg

My second-favourite hip-hop album (after the obvious), this is the best release yet from the impressively prolific rapper; his words, delivered with clarity and eloquence, don’t beat around the bush; and paired with the organic, live-band sound, this record is an absolute breath of fresh air.

19. Jens Lekman – Life Will See You Now

Whilst Jens Lekman has never played the singer-songwriter aesthetic straight, his fourth album totally dismisses the tag, finding musical inspiration in disco and calypso. It makes for a real treat of a literary pop record, especially with his none-more-idiosyncratic lyrics, touching on everything from dinner dates to models of tumours to the Cambrian explosion.

18. Downtown Boys – Cost of Living

A bigger budget and a bigger audience helped the Rhode Island punks broaden their sound on their second album, allowing for longer and bigger songs. Their firepower, however, hasn’t dimmed a bit; like their debut, the impact of these bilingual, saxophone-fuelled songs of rage make Downtown Boys one of the most exhilarating bands working today.

17. Flamingosis – A Groovy Thing

A year after his last great album, Bright Moments, Flamingosis presented his greatest, most fully-realised work yet in A Groovy Thing. Like a slightly-less-whimsical Avalanches, this all-samples album unfolds as impossibly inviting, pastel-toned jazz-funk; every track establishing a warm, fuzzy groove you’ll want to inhabit for as long as possible.

16. Naomi Keyte – Melaleuca

The best South Australian LP of 2017, Naomi Keyte’s debut LP consists of gorgeously expansive pop-folk, with songs that evoke the rolling, golden hills and windswept beaches of the Adelaide region. An album of songs to lose yourself in, and to make you ache for home.

15. Broken Social Scene – Hug of Thunder

Wikipedia describes Broken Social Scene’s lineup as varying between six and nineteen members; for Hug of Thunder, their comeback record after seven years away, they managed to distill the potential of such an enormous sound into laser-like focus, resulting in a thrillingly joyous indie-rock success.

14. King Krule – The Ooz

I always hate it when young people are intimidatingly talented, a point proven by the astonishing creativity of Archy Marshall, aka King Krule. At just 23, he’s created, for the second King Krule album, a sound so unique, so immersive, that it essentially inhabits its own musical universe. Seamlessly crossing ideas across blues, trip-hop, rap, dub, dirty jazz and garage punk, this is a rich, complex and challenging listen, bountiful with tricks and treasures to discover for years to come.

13. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN.

Kendrick Lamar’s conquering of popular music culture is now so complete that he barely warrants any further justification. Let’s just say his flow and wordplay are unparalleled, and the raw sound of DAMN., after the elaborate To Pimp a Butterfly, continues to surprise.

12. Sheer Mag – Need To Feel Your Love

Sheer Mag’s debut LP is probably the most purely lovable rock album of the year; there’s no messing about with high concept ideas, just song after song of kickarse riffs and vocals. Drawing inspiration from wildly unfashionable sources – 1970s hard rock and 1980s power pop among them – Tina Halladay proves an absolute powerhouse of a singer, providing enough grit to temper the sugar rush of the music itself.

11. Kelela – Take Me Apart

After a number of EPs and countless guest appearances, Kelela’s debut LP finally appeared, and it was a revelation. In somewhat similar territory to fka Twigs, she twists contemporary R&B sounds into strange new shapes, with a near-impossible attention to detail in the production of every song, making this record a treasure for the body and the brain in equal measure.

10. Sampha – Process

Sampha Sisay has spent a few year playing guest vocalist, for Solange, SBTRKT and Drake to name a few. When his own LP finally arrived, it proved remarkably complex, deep and rewarding for a debut; fully fleshed-out and well-considered progressive soul music, it’s clear that Sampha’s been meditating on and distilling the sound of these songs for a while, resulting in a beautiful, thoughtful and moving album.

9. Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up

Even among a near-flawless discography, Fleet Foxes’ first record in six years managed to be their grandest achievement. A tour de force of complex majesty, these massive, multi-sectioned songs hit every note of aural pleasure, even with the immediacy of a single like “White Winter Hymnal.”

8. Lorde – Melodrama

Classic pop albums – not indie-pop, not art-pop, just straight pop – are a rare beast, especially those that a greater than the sum of their singles, and particularly those that follow world-conquering teenage debuts. Melodrama completely blows Pure Heroine away, cementing Lorde’s position as one the world’s great pop songwriters.

7. Feist – Pleasure

At the time, and following her surprise hit “1234,” Feist’s Metals album seemed shockingly raw; now, it sounds downright opulent, such is the stark, unpolished nature of Pleasure. Here, Feist drifts ever further from the mainstream, pushing her vocals low in the mix, and letting the songs breathe with an uncluttered, unrefined, downright dirty sound.

6. The Smith Street Band – More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me

Hitting full throttle within seconds, then barely letting up for another moment, this album catapulted the Smith Street Band into Australian music’s big leagues. Its core is Wil Wagner’s voice and lyrics, which split some critics between disarmingly honest and direct on the one hand, and mere bogan rantings on the other. For my part, I found his soppy romanticism and vulnerable realisations utterly gripping throughout.

5. Jay Som – Everybody Works

This album, from a woman otherwise named Melina Duterte, is the very epitome of not just indie rock in 2017, but independent music of any genre. Written, performed and produced entirely on her own, this is an album of intimacy, honesty, directness and identity-formation. Most importantly, despite the easy tags, there are no ballads or anthems here; rather, despite drifting from subtle bedroom pop to fuzzed-out noise, Duterte’s compositions are all about shades of grey, a true sign of a gifted songwriter with a bright future.

4. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream

The fourth official LCD Soundsystem LP builds on the dance-punk template of three perfect previous records, taking it into stranger, hitherto-unexplored places; the wigged-out guitar frenzy of “Emotional Haircut,” and the apocalyptic rhythms of “How Do You Sleep?” among them. It’s all representative of James Murphys’ increasingly no-fucks-given approach, allowing himself to take ever-greater risks than before.

Or, for a shorter review: James Murphy makes another amazing record – no one is surprised.

3. Thundercat – Drunk

Drunk feels like the album Thundercat has been teasing his whole career; after some false starts, EPs, great singles, great collaborations, Drunk is, finally, the bass virtuoso’s masterpiece. Over twenty-three tracks – none of which surpass four minutes – it’s a funk album made of small moments, intricate ideas and quirky humour. Whimsical, self-deprecating, and a whole lot of fun, it’s an endlessly loveable funk odyssey.

2. Priests – Nothing Feels Natural

Coming from Washington, D.C., this is undoubtedly the most exhilarating rock record I’ve heard in years. From a post-punk template, Priests keep you guessing with elements of surf, garage, goth and even jazz (check out the jazzy breakdown in the opener, “Appropriate”). With Katie Alice Greer’s howls and sneers accompanying ideas of identity, intersectionalism, democracy and general disappointment with the state of the world, Priests have provided the perfect soundtrack for 2017.

1. Perfume Genius – No Shape

2017 was, of course, a landmark year for Australia’s LGBTIQ community, with the long-overdue legislation of marriage equality. The path to get there was tortuous, damaging and painful; yet, in the aftermath of the campaign’s success, the time is right to celebrate what should be the mundaneness same-sex monogamy. It’s in this context, then, that we receive Mike Hadreas’ fourth Perfume Genius record; a thoughtful pop album that’s at once vibrant, decadent, tender, sentimental and celebratory. A lot has changed for Hadreas between records; on his previous, Too Bright, he looked upon himself with disgust, and approached his queerness confrontationally; for No Shape, however, he has nothing left to fear, no reason to retreat. As a result, this album – 2017’s greatest – is all celebration and acceptance of self, all odes to devotion and redemption, and, at the end of the day, sheer reverence for his lucky boyfriend, Alan Wyffels.

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reflektormag · 7 years

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Rock En Seine Festival: Day 3 (FR)

Leila Ricca

August 27, 2017

On the third day of its 15th edition, the Parisian festival welcomed a large range of artists and genres, combining electronic music, classic rock, pop, hip hop, and soul. From the eccentric Lemon Twigs to The XX, who headlined and sensationally closed the weekend, here are some of the most remarkable acts from this Sunday’s line up.

King Khan and the Shrines

Setting himself as a literal King surrounded by an army of musicians, the Berlin-based artist graced the main stage with a performance characterized by a rare vitality. The fully occupied stage entirely embraced the presence of every band member, from the dancers with tambourines to the golden capes of the brass players playing through the crowd. The trace of Khan’s punk debuts manifested itself in his surprising costume and the energy of his performance. Musically, the rawness of garage punk gained a further subtlety with the presence of brass instruments, as well as components of soul music. In this perfect mix of punk and soul, the band’s performance was marked by a few strong and positive political statements, engaging the crowd to show its support for black power by raising fists or referring to French punk band Berurier Noir’s famous “la jeunesse emmerde le front national”. Khan’s use of French didn’t limit itself to the denunciation of contemporary fascism: the lead singer regularly addressed the crowd in its language, for instance when presenting his daughter on stage or introducing songs. With a grandiose closure after an original and empowering show, the band left a noticeable positivity throughout the crowd and gave a perfect opening of the festival’s main stage on this final day.

Car Seat Headrest

After working independently for five years, and recording vocals in his car’s backseat, thus giving its name to the band, Will Toledo and his co band members signed to Matador Records in 2015 and started touring in 2016. Perhaps because of their recent presence on the indie scene, Car Seat Headrest didn’t convey a particular live identity or stage presence. However, a melodic and strongly nostalgic sound arose from the dreamy lo-fi tracks they performed. From these slower tunes to louder, classic rock infused songs, they managed to provide a diversified sound without losing any musical individuality. The imaginative, individual and original lyrics of the tracks from their last album “Teens of Denial” caused the audience to find itself in an intimate atmosphere of personal confusion, without nonetheless drowning in an overly sentimental and gloomy mood. Overall, the live performance managed to gain uniqueness through the musical ambitions of the young band and their meticulous but truthful execution.

Deluxe

The French electronic-pop-funk band, born from live acts, has gained a remarkable place in the international music scene since their beginnings ten years ago, going from performing in the streets of Aix-en-Provence to worldwide concerts and playing the Zénith de Paris last year. With voluntarily kitsch aspects, from the glittery roman gladiators meet Napoleon outfits, to choosing a mustache as the band’s symbol, they offered a highly entertaining performance, fully involving the crowd and delivering their unusual sound in an inventive and natural way. Just like mixing electronic music and the saxophone might sound original, Deluxe presented an eclectic stage identity and a varied set list. Indeed, the band went from performing dance songs and throwing colored balloons to the crowd, to covering one of Amy Winehouse’s nostalgic early tracks and therefore engaging in a more melodic musical path. If the lead singer appeared to have a great presence on stage, her band members actively participated as well, managing to make the crowd chant an instrumental passage to one of their tracks, thus achieving a great effect and creating a bond with the responsive audience. This clear harmony between the artists on stage and the public made the show into something more than pure entertainment, which could have been expected by the visual identity of the band.

Mac DeMarco

The Canadian indie soft rock artist delivered a performance perfectly reflecting his original, laid-back musical uniqueness. The artist’s stage personality mirrored just what can be expected from his singular style of “jizz jazz” indie and folk-rock. On the set, two coffee tables had been installed to create what DeMarco calls “the Bistrot”: a few members of the public are brought up on stage, offered a cup of wine, and have the possibility to watch the whole concert from the stage. Far from excluding them as a selected elite, this original, intimate, nearly familial atmosphere reflects exactly what it felt to attend the concert: despite the distance of a large stage, the public can feel a real closeness and nearly a friendly relationship with the performer, thus echoing the personal lyrics in his recent third album, “This Old Dog”. When a member of the audience is brought on stage and finds himself sitting on DeMarco’s shoulders, singing and dancing with him, the newcomer seems to be completely assimilated as a part of the act as if the live experience directly resulted from the union between the artist and the public. After having invited a part of the public to join him, DeMarco himself mingled with the crowd towards the end of his show by crowd surfing. Among this chill familial mood, the show was musically remarkable as well. The performance of “Chamber of Reflection” from the record “Salad Days” (2014) was particularly well executed; perfectly mixing the psychedelic resonances that can be felt from the studio version, and the relaxed atmosphere of the show. DeMarco’s musical uniqueness and down to earth personality, as well as his band’s notable performance and presence, contributed in making his concert one of the most memorable shows of the day.

The Lemon Twigs

By combining conventionally unrelated music genres and references, the Addario brothers gave a performance with a paradoxical musical integrity and incredible stage energy. If their first album “Do Hollywood” released last year seemed thoroughly structured and musically precise, their live performance was surprisingly natural and nearly theatrical at the same time. Between vocals reminiscent of cabaret music, rock guitar solos, irrational dance moves, country-like accents and pop tones, the young brothers displayed a specific visual and musical identity that surprised and pleased the diversified crowd. With an extraordinary virtuosity, the multi-instrumentalist artists jumped from the guitar to the drums throughout the whole show. If the two of them displayed a very unified performance in many aspects, their separate identities appeared nonetheless. While one of them played the drums, the other one performed irrational dance moves and guitar playing on the front of the stage, swapping roles halfway through and therefore indicating who wrote what songs on the album. Amid high kicks, jumps, and movements, the Lemon Twigs strike as unique and extremely talented artists, whose live act dive the public into an exceptional experience. “It was like a trance”, exclaims someone on the first row when the loud sounds fade as the band leaves the stage.

The XX

The British trio headlining this weekend’s line-up and closing this year’s edition did not disappoint, offering their combination of indie melancholic rock, dream-pop and electronic beats with a striking sincerity. Their much awaited performance started on the cusp of fashionably late, a bit longer than ten minutes after what was expected, only extending the suspense and impatience that started to arise from the public, which was nearly fully gathered around the main stage for this final show. The perfect harmony between Romy Croft and Oliver Sim’s voices finally arose with “Crystallised” opening the concert right after “Intro”. Through the middle of the show, Croft delivered an extremely personal and touching version of “Performance”, a song that evokes the difficulty of uncovering one’s vulnerability, a concept also found in other tracks of their latest album “I See You” in songs such as “Brave for you”. Playing alone while her companions sat in the darkened part of the stage, under a unique ray of white light, Croft’s melodic and sincere voice absorbed the public in a personal and deeply melancholic atmosphere, emphasized by her solitude and the strength of the lyrics. During lighter parts of the performance, the use of stage lights appeared to be very effective as well and helped to physically reflect the mood of the many tracks performed throughout the show. For instance, during a cover of Jamie XX’s “Loud places”, a range of coloured shades created an underground atmosphere that rendered the performance even more efficient. With a humbleness that usually is difficult to find in concerts of this span, the artists regularly thanked the public for “having them”, expressed their love for the city they were performing in and insisted on saying how much “each and everyone” in the audience touched them with their presence. By closing the show with a truthful and touching version of “Angels”, The XX’s sincerity manifested itself a final time before they left the stage and ended this 15th edition with outstanding beauty.

Photos: Oliver Hoffschir

#rock en seine #festivals #leilaricca

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yogaadvise · 7 years

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The Flight of His Life

On a late September early morning in Divine superintendence, Rhode Island, around 20 yoga trainees damaged from exercising handstands to enjoy Raghunath show a series of presents. He reached his arms up and also backwards, breathing in audibly, after that went down back right into a complete wheel on the exhale, from the backbend, he rocked into his palms as well as can-canned both feet overhanging, floating right into a handstand, after that he decreased his legs, toes directed, with a pike, ultimately touching down in a full forward fold. 'Damn,' sighed among the workshop's elderly instructors, who was taking the course. Raghunath sprung upright. 'Okay!' he said, clapping his hands twice. 'That desires to attempt?'

At 48, Raghunath relocates with the liquid certainty of a Slinky dropping stairways. During the two-hour Flight School-his signature inversion-focused devotion-fueled workshop-Raghunath showed handstand 10 different means, carrying out each variant with hypnotic control. Between demonstrations he paced in between floor coverings, supplying physical helps as well as chattering concerning philosophy.

After class, Raghunath as well as I talked on the phone as he drove south on I-93 to show 2 more workshops in Boston. 'Truthfully, if they just wish to discover balancings and also jumping around, I'm great keeping that,' he says. Yet handstands are inevitably alongside the point. ' I utilize the asana as lure to obtain individuals to higher points,' he says. 'Just what's the higher trait? That we become part of something bigger. As well as we have to learn ways to control our minds.' Accordingly, Raghunath starts as well as ends his courses with directed reflection, mantra, and shouting accompanied by harmonium as well as his very own voice.

Demand for Trip College has corresponded because Raghunath relocated from Los Angeles to Manhattan in 2008, where his courses became something of an establishment at elite studios. Understood for his extreme positions and intense charm, Raghunath developed a following of teachers and inversion-junkies explained in a 2012 New York Times profile as 'cultlike.' Beloved was Raghunath that when he left Manhattan 3 years back, one lifestyle web site compared his departure to 'Derek Jeter ... leaving the city to step out of the spotlight.' (Actually, Raghunath had actually relocated upstate with his partner, Bridget, also a yoga instructor, to elevate their kids closer to nature).

Part of just what makes Raghunath so attractive is his origin story, which reviews like a folklore of the modern-day master. Born Raymond Cappo to a socially traditional household in Connecticut, he relocated after high college to the Lower East Side, where he discovered working from a vegan restaurant called Ahimsa-a Sanskrit word meaning 'nonviolence' that denotes among the five yamas, or ethical principles, of yoga exercise. At 19, he stopped consuming meat, the manager of an alternative bookstore transformed him onto Ayurvedic nourishment as well as the spiritual Hindu scripture the Bhagavad-Gita. He began taking yoga exercise courses in 1987, studying with Sri Dharma Mittra as well as unrolling his floor covering alongside Jivamukti's Sharon Gannon at Swami Satchitananda's Indispensable Yoga exercise Institute.

It had not been long prior to Cappo, who 'd expanded up studying violin and also trumpet as well as had played in bands in senior high school, obtained associated with the Lower East Side's hardcore punk scene. Even as a young adult, he understood he wished to get to individuals. 'I was already really intrigued with metaphysics and also Eastern believed, and I truly appreciated spirituality,' he claims. 'I wanted to discuss substantial traits, since I knew that significant verses stood the examination of time.' He discovered a platform as the diva as well as songwriter of Youth of Today, releasing 3 albums between 1985 and also 1988, touring internationally, as well as founding the punk tag Discovery Records.

' People claim hard rock and also they assume of the Sex Pistols. Our following-tens of thousands of kids-were vegetarians,' Cappo describes. 'We didn't drink, we really did not smoke, our companied believe in favorable attitudes.' As component of the straight edge activity, Cappo's music promoted social activism and also a politics of extreme resistance. The 1988 video for Young people these days's pro-veg anthem 'Say goodbye to,' for instance, cuts between a radiantly young Cappo shouting and also fist-pumping in freight shorts and shots of a pig being stabbed (predating fellow musician-yogi Adam Levine's current, bloody romp in Maroon 5's 'Pet' by two-and-a-half years).

At 22, Cappo claims he obtained a 'strong spiritual calling' after his daddy passed away all of a sudden. Burned-out and mourning, he left the band to take a trip to India. 'I had an absence of faith in material culture. Not that I could not obtain cash, but that it was really privileged to have cash,' he states. Cappo found relief in brahmacharya, the Hindu method of celibate monkhood, while living at an ashram devoted to bhakti yoga as well as the deity Krishna.

People state hard rock and also they think about the Sex Pistols. Our following-tens of thousands of kids-were vegetarians

Through everyday asana, meditation, as well as research of the ancient scriptures, Cappo began to fine-tune his understanding of yogic viewpoint. In his analysis, the Bhagavad-Gita isn't really regarding renouncing material satisfactions even 'using what you have in a spiritual means. Energy is the concept,' Cappo claims. 'For instance, is cash good or bad? Cash is just power. You could utilize your money to be dreadful and also self-absorbed. Or you might utilize money for excellent things.'

At least, that's just what Cappo counted on when he returned to New York City as well as grabbed the mic once more in 1990. As the frontman of Shelter, Cappo aided develop a subgenre called krishnacore, a kind of religious hard rock that combined hardcore's high-energy sound with verses inspired by the International Society for Krishna Awareness (the 'Hare Krishnas'). With Shelter, Cappo saw a possibility to affect thousands of young followers who, like him, liked to mosh to music with a positive message-here, a teaching of extreme approval as well as abstaining from meat, medicines, alcohol, and entertainment sex.

Cappo would certainly continue living as a monk for 6 as well as a half years, maintaining his asana and reflection method (and also self-imposed celibacy) while playing programs throughout the UNITED STATE, Europe, as well as South The U.S.A.. 'We had a hit document in Brazil, we toured the world 3 times over, we got on MTV. It was among those things that ended up being larger compared to I believed it was mosting likely to be. Since I did it with a various type of internal discipline, that exact same popularity or appeal really did not fry me.'

Regular trips to India assisted, as well. In 1991 in Vrindavan, a sacred town in the northern province of Uttar Pradesh, Cappo was christened Raghunath, a name invoking the supreme deity Vishnu. 2 years later on, in the exact same village, he obtained upanayana, the ritual spiritual thread provided to Hindu initiates to recognize the transfer of spiritual knowledge. As the '90s abated, so did American passion in krishnacore, triggering Raghunath to locate other means of spreading his message. In 2002, a year after Sanctuary launched its last album, Raghunath relocated to L.a, where he started showing yoga exercise and promoting a raw food lifestyle with workshops and also cleanses.

While he maintains the hairless head and also inked-up arm or legs of his krishnacore days, Raghunath has actually softened substantially his general ambiance since leaving New york city. 'Due to the fact that I had then as a monk and really imbibed those teachings, fame-even within the yoga community-it doesn't influence me,' he states. He still visits the globe, leading yoga workshops and also classes on nourishment and also the functional applications of yogic approach, plus twice-yearly trips to India, where he guides small groups of yogis through the sacred sites and towns he's checked out since the '80s.

But these days, he aims to spend as much time as feasible at home with other half Brij and their five youngsters, that range from six months to 17 years of ages. 'Family is unbelievably basing for me,' he says, going silent for the very first time in half a hr. 'I are among those people that can take a trip 365 days a year, just keep taking a trip and keep training since I love to instruct a lot. I 'd be a little bit ungrounded. My household brings it back.' Currently, after years of self-searching, Raghunath treats his family with more respect compared to he does gravity.

This springtime, Raghunath and also Brij will certainly open their very own yoga and reflection center on the grounds of their 11-acre building in East Chatham, New york city. Called Super Heart Farm, the center will certainly organize public workshops, retreats, as well as 100- and 200-hour teacher trainings led by Raghunath, Brij, as well as welcomed educators. The Farm has a creek, swim pond, and also sufficient woodlands, plus a guesthouse as well as huge yoga exercise studio, a converted three-bay garage. Without any tv or cell service, guests will be welcomed to invest their time as the Cappo clan does-reading, food preparation, and working on outdoor jobs. Lately, Raghunath and his children built a composting bathroom, as well as he claims they select campfires and bedtime stories based upon the Bhagavad-Gita rather than seeing television.

For Raghunath, opening up Super Spirit Farm indicates an opportunity to share his life's deal with his kids, it's the following step he's been awaiting. 'I believe that a great deal of our possible begins just with fantasizing in your greatest self,' he claims, laying out his philosophy for a connected, effective life. 'If you have some fundamental, strong instructions of who you desire to come to be as well as establish that as an internal compass, then any place you go in this globe will always bring you there. I constantly recognized I wished to be bordered by nature, I constantly knew I enjoyed to show, and also I always recognized I enjoyed to find out. Generally when you enjoy something, you ready at it as well.'

Cover Photo by Robert Sturman

#asana #meditation #spiritual #types of yoga #yoga #yoga instructor #yoga nidra

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ricardosousalemos · 7 years

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White Reaper: The World’s Best American Band

Rock music hasn’t been the sound of popular youth culture in a very long time and there is no shortage of real, systematic causes: the irreversible narrowing of radio and print media, the economic and logistical nightmare of putting five dudes and their gear on tour and the undeniable fact that rock bands are extremely bad at creating content for music’s 24-hour news cycle. The competitive spirit, self-promotion, and obsession with quantifiable metrics that make hip-hop and pop music into a compelling spectator sport are invariably considered poor taste on and off-record. White Reaper, on the other hand, are from Louisville, KY—where the Muhammad Ali Center stands as a tribute to its native son who backed up the greatest anthology of shit talk ever heard. It’d be enough to have the sense of humor to call their album The World’s Best American Band. Even better if they have the heart to actually mean it. But White Reaper have the chops and the guts to make their hometown hero proud: bragging is when a person says something and can’t do it and White Reaper do what they say.

In White Reaper’s world, being coy about influence means you have something to hide and they proudly flaunt theirs like denim patches—Ramones, of course, but also Cheap Trick, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen, rock bands who essentially functioned as pop. The opening title track poses The World’s Best American Band as both a concept record and self-fulfilling prophecy, piping in the kind of crowd noise that can only be generated in arenas far bigger than White Reaper may ever see in this lifetime. But as the Louisville Lip once said, “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” “Rally up and dress to kill/Lace your boots and crush your pills,” Tony Esposito snarls before a ridiculous and necessary key change celebrates a victory lap after trying to snort the finish line: “If you fight and win/Throw the pool chairs in/And then confess your sins.” It’s the lowbrow wisdom of a band that’s either been there or seen enough Burt Sugarman videotapes to get the gist of it. But then a school bell rings and they’re back playing the teenage dirtbag on “Judy French,” a song that can make a Kia in rush hour traffic feel like a Camaro doing donuts in a high school parking lot.

The question remains as to why they stopped short of just calling it The World’s Best Band. They’re not the kind of caricatured, po-faced folk-rock that tends to be called “Americana.” But throwing “American” in the mix keeps their streak of self-deprecating farce intact: their debut was called White Reaper Does It Again. And the mere phrase “American Band” immediately triggers the wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner: “We’re coming to your town, we’ll help you party it down.” If these aren’t the only concerns of an American rock band, White Reaper believes that they should at least be the top two.

Up to this point, they’ve developed a reputation for wild live shows and fun, if rather derivative garage rock hooks, which made them not altogether different than 96% of the bands playing Burgerama any given year. But not only does the play-acting on The World’s Best American Band lend them a discernible personality, it makes their ambitions all the more obvious. In the tradition of modern classics like Is This It and It’s Never Been Like That, White Reaper are spiritually burning through a label advance but obsessing over efficiency and the bottom line like accountants. There’s nothing even remotely close to a ballad here, and in the slots where these would usually show up on a 10-song record, we get a blatant “Blitzkrieg Bop” homage (“Party Next Door”) and a 12-bar punk ripper that they could pass off as a Chuck Berry tribute (“Another Day”).

Who said craft had to be subtle? Unlike its puffier, unbalanced predecessor, The World’s Best American Band is mixed significantly louder than anything else you’re probably listening to right now and it’s equally glittery and gritty like a blood-caked switchblade—far more polished than the similarly indebted Sheer Mag, but with more edge to rule out any comparisons to the ’70s LARPing of Free Energy. And of course, the invocation of Grand Funk Railroad makes the connection from the band to Richard Linklater and his vision of boys and girls in America partying to British music all the more clear.

The Dazed and Confused comparisons are inevitable given Esposito’s snot-rocket vocals and the twin-guitar leads, while the keyboards and anxious drumming push White Reaper towards the MTV and new wave forms of pop-rock that typified Everybody Wants Some!! As with those films, a reductive reading of White Reaper can criticize the apparent lack of stakes and a worldview that only delays gratification rather than presenting actual conflict—boys will be boys and they’re always back in town. Yet, the words of “Eagle Beach” are as bashful as a Dashboard Confessional song: “I just wanna be a real good pair of your blue jeans/But you never wear the house when you’re wearing me.” And besides, whether it’s a high school dance or a garage rock festival, Esposito makes it clear on “The Stack” what he's learned about how rock becomes pop: “If you make the girls dance, the boys will dance with ‘em.”

#reviews-albums

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themanguidemg · 7 years

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Check Out The Best New Albums From January

New year, new music. The only silver lining about a terrible political situation is that great music tends to rise from times like these. Tons of long awaited new albums are set to be released this year. For now, check out the Best New Albums from January 2017:

Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 3

(Album Of The Month)

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Few groups can accomplish three truly great albums in their career. Run The Jewels, however, has done so with their first three releases in a row. This time the duo composed of Killer Mike and El-P have dropped arguably their best material yet. RTJ3 was surprisingly released a few weeks early on Christmas Day, for free as always, but the album was officially made available for purchase on it’s original date of January 13th. El-P’s post-apocalyptic trap b-boy production remains a signature force as the two MCs trade raps with effortless skills. Call Ticketron shows off Killer Mike’s brutal flow and wordplay over a bass heavy beat that’ll rip through your speakers. Talk To Me, the album’s first single, continues on their tradition of adrenaline rap that will force you into a mosh pit.

The guest spots, from Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio) to Trina, are few and about as diverse as you’d expect from the combination of Mike and El. Kamasi Washington adds the sax to Thursday In The Danger Room, which is the duo’s most personal track yet. El touches on his feelings watching a friend slowly succumb to a fatal illness, while Mike speaks on forgiving the man who killed his friend during an armed robbery. It’s verses like this that make Run The Jewels stand out above most artists in today’s hip hop landscape. Zach de la Rocha is back once again for another blistering 16 to close the album out on Kill Your Masters.

Run The Jewels 3 is a call to action for a revolution, all while promoting respect, maturity, togetherness and debauchery. This isn’t a kumbaya sing-a-long rap album, these topics are presented in the most hardcore, thumping package you’ll hear this year. With every album RTJ manages to step it up notch and once again with RTJ3 it seems like they’ve taken their unbridled chemistry one step further to create one of the most relevant and necessary music of their careers.

Stand out tracks: Talk To Me, Panther Like A Panther, Thursday In The Danger Room

Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound

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Frontman Dylan Baldi said this album would be his “version of new age music.” Albeit a gross over exaggeration, this is Cloud Nothings’ most mellow record. Know that they haven’t bitched out and turned into Coldplay, but they have ironed out their sound so it’s not a constant stream of punk infused chaos. Life Without Sound is their most melodic album so far and finds the trio introducing a 4th member and an additional guitar that enhances the album’s sound.

Their singles, Modern Act and Internal World. highlight their newer cleaner music while retaining memorable hooks and Baldi’s cryptic lyrics (which might split their fan base). One of the album’s best tracks, Enter Entirely, manages to successfully blend both new and old styles better than the singles did. The album’s last three tracks come closer to what we’ve come to expect from previous Cloud Nothings outings, especially the closer (Realize My Fate) which is a slow 6 minute burn that’s marked by Baldi’s hoarse vocals. Whether you’re a new fan, or a loyal follower, Life Without Sound is a solid listen from top to bottom, and marks the further growth of a very talented band.

Stand out tracks: Up To The Surface, Darkened Rings, Enter Entirely

Nick Grant – Return Of The Cool

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When I first heard Nick Grant’s 88, his debut mixtape released last year, there were signs of a very skilled rapper that still needed to find his own voice. Often through out that tape I found his sound too similar to that of other rappers. However, fast forward less than 12 months later and Grant has showed a trait that is rarely seen in hip hop: rapid artistic growth. Return Of The Cool is Nick Grant’s debut album and he set the mark high for future efforts. Everything from beat choice, flows and lyrics are light years ahead of his previous project.

On the Dilla-esque Gotta Be More, accompanied by BJ The Chicago Kid, Grant proclaims “N****s ain’t rapping lately, guess I’m trapped in the 80’s.” A similar concept is applied on The Sing Along as Grant shuns the record industry for it’s lack of originality and the disposable artists that settle for it: “Need of revenue, please never let em Jerry Heller you/ As the regret screams, I pray that the weed settles you/ Nothing is worse than having it and then losing it/ The hunger starts fading and then you become cool with it.”

If you haven’t checked out his appearance on the Late Show With Colbert, make sure you do as he performs another album stand out, Get Up along with WatchTheDuck. Nick Grant’s has shown he cares about improving his craft in order to rise above early comparisons. His long term career will benefit because of it as everyone is just starting to really take notice of the rising rap star.

Stand out tracks: Drug Lord Couture, The Sing Along, Get Up

Leopold and His Fiction – Darling Destroyer

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Vocalist Daniel James has received comparisons to Jack White for years now and thanks to the new album he will most likely accrue some more. Leopold and His Fiction’s Darling Destroyer seems like the true culmination of their sound. It’s a polished garage blues-rock album that takes elements from their previous releases and distills them in some whiskey barrels. This is also their cleanest and best engineered album which makes it even more enjoyable than any of their previous projects.

The mood is set as Cowboy opens up the album and it encapsulates what Darling Destroyer is all about with it’s high energy riff driven blues-rock. I’m Caving In is a gorgeous vintage rock track that contains influences of old Zeppelin, as well as early Aerosmith. Darling Destroyer displays James at his most dominant vocal performance in his career and the band sounds more cohesive than ever.

Stand out tracks: Cowboy, I’m Caving In, Saturday

Sheer Mag – Compilation LP

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If you’ve never heard of Sheer Mag, I can’t blame you but now it’s a good time to start. The Philly DIY rock outfit prides themselves on having no social media presence whatsoever, besides their SoundCloud page. Not only that, but none of their music is available on streaming services. The only way to get your hands on their three past releases is on their Bandcamp site, in which you can stream and/or purchase their three 7″ EPs on vinyl. Compilation LP groups a remastered version these three projects into one album, which is once again available exclusively on Bandcamp. This compilation serves as a primer to their debut album which will be released later this year.

Sheer Mag is an in your face throwback mixture of 70s rock, punk and soul. You’ll go through the first rawer sounding four tracks that defined their style and hear them evolve in real time as the album progresses. The highlights occur in the last 2/3rds of the album, as Sheer Mag really hits their stride with material from their 2nd and 3rd EPs. Tina Halladay’s screeching vocals reverberate over Hard Lovin’ and Nobody’s Baby. The band shines on Fan The Flames and Can’t Stop Fighting, songs which are able to project each member’s individual talent.

Trust me, stop sleeping on Sheer Mag. They’re one of the truly rare talents in today’s rock scene. Hopefully when their debut album drops later this summer, they become more accessible so more people can appreciate and acknowledge that great rock is far from dead.

Stand out tracks: Fan The Flames. Can’t Stop Fighting, Nobody’s Baby

COMPILATION (I,II,&III) by SHEER MAG

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tweefunk · 7 years

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Top 11 Records of 2016

Yeah, top 11. Fite me irl bruh.

I have opinions. Validate me.

* = “I wrote about this before, go scroll down and read what I wrote before you lazy sod.”

11. NOFX-First Ditch Effort (Skate-Punk/Rock) Recorded while Fat Mike was still using drugs, NOFX’s most serious effort to date tackles his impending visit to rehab, and public embrace of cross-dressing. It’s good to see the perpetually juvenile outfit take on adulthood and more introspective topics while simultaneously pushing themselves as composers.

While no one was expecting NOFX to write the next Pet Sounds, they secure their legacy by refusing to burp out the same old shit 30 years into their career. They also temper what could be maudlin or self-righteous with just the perfect dose of their screwball humor.

Unfortunately, they cross the line into the ham-fisted on the overwrought, hyper-apocalyptic and preachy album-closer “Generation Z,” which features an extended slam-poetry/spoken word outro that doesn’t scan as being all that far removed from Jonathan Larson’s brilliant piss-take of the genre in Rent. Sadly, NOFX is definitely not joking here.

10. Bayside-Vacancy (Pop-punk/Emo/Alternative)* A mall-punk tour de force. Anthony Raneri channels his inner broadway star to craft not just Bayside’s best-ever record, but one of the few worthwhile records from Warped alumni in the last few years.

9. American Football-LP2 (Emo/Post-rock/Experimental)

If the only conception you’ve ever had of emo is the swoopy-haired fad of the Hot Topic years, this the perfect record to change that perception.

After a nearly 20-year hiatus AF is back with a much more focused sound. Unlike their debut which was plagued by endless instrumental sections that diluted the song’s impact, LP2 devotes its energy to fairly conventional song structures that are boosted by layers of intricate guitar interplay.

Their debut, while influential, has been massively overrated due to their sudden disappearance and the legion of copycat artists that took their Television-on-downers guitar stylings and crafted an Emo Revival in the first part of the decade.

It’s rare that a reunion album delivers on its promise, but this is a rare exception. Definitely the prettiest record of the year.

8. Car Seat Headrest-Teens of Denial (Indie/Alternative/Rock)

Nauseatingly self-aware, clever-clever, ironic bullshit for hipster millennials who’ve never heard of my fact checking cuz. Dude probably laughs at his own jokes on the regs.

It’s also jaw-droppingly self-assured in scope and vision, not just for an indie garage-rock album, but any post-Radiohead album. Will Toledo is on some next-level shit here and he’s just getting warmed up.

The most powerful moments shine through when Toledo takes on collegiate know-it-all hippies on “Destroyed by Hippie Powers” and his own existential dread and immaturity on “The Ballad of Costa Concordia.” Another great, and all too honest, pop-hook delves into the unfortunate precautions necessary to deal with your idiot friends on “(Joe Gets Kicked out of School for Using) Drugs With Friends (But Says This Isn’t a Problem).” Spoiler: It’s Drugs.

Unfortunately, these moments of clarity are many times obscured by unnecessarily drawn-out arrangements, intentional vocal obfuscation (mumble-core anyone?), and single songs that jam two or three complete and disparate compositional ideas together rather than separating them into their own tracks.

7. Deerhoof-The Magic (Experimental/Noise/Punk)*

The first track is called “The Devil and his Anarchic Surrealistic Retinue.” That’s all I really need to tell you.

Take drugs, drink coffee, crank volume, party.

6. Joyce Manor-Cody (Emo/Alternative/Pop-punk)

On their list of the most disappointing things of 2016, Pitchfork accused Joyce Manor of sounding like Everclear on this album. I have no idea where that came from as the only similarity between the two acts are a preponderance for power chords and introspective lyrics, hardly unique characteristics in rock music.

However, Cody succeeds because it never tries to force its listener to feel anything. There’s an incredible sense of sadness and longing in this album, but it feels like someone sitting in their living room telling you stories about their life, and having all the disparate pieces fall into place.

The record gets its underdog charm from the simple but tight instrumentation. This sounds like something your friends in High School could have made, but with that extra bit of oomph that lets you know they’re going places.

I wish I had a record like this when I was 16.

5. Touche Amoré-Stage Four (Melodic Hardcore/Emo/Post-Punk)*

If you don’t cry, you: a.) Aren’t a human being, or b.) Have never lost anything or anyone close to you, so check your privilege.

4. A Tribe Called Quest-We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service (Hip-Hop/Jazz Rap)

On their first record in nearly 20 years, ATCQ give a master class in how to envelop modern sounds without devolving into tone-deaf pandering. Thus, their vintage brand of East-Coast Boom-Bap still sounds fresh, and the modern flourishes sound like an organic evolution.

For the most part, the record strikes a perfect balance between political state-of-the-nation tracks and homages to recently deceased member Phife Dawg. ATCQ make excellent use of guest artists to fill in the gaps and provide one of the most satisfyingly traditional rap records in recent memory. The only mis-step comes with the overly maudlin and un-subtle Phife Dawg tribute “The Donald.”

3. Chance The Rapper-Coloring Book (Hip-Hop/Rap/Pop)

If Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 opus To Pimp a Butterfly was the dark, tortured soul of the continuing struggle for racial equality in America, then Coloring Book is the movement’s pep talk.

Even on the somber moments of reflection, Chance never descends into pessimism. Furthermore, the party jams and love songs never feel contrived or overly sentimental. They feel like an urgent escape from a malicious world where the very act of daring to love yourself, warts and all, is a radical act.

The album also places itself in TPAB’s lineage by basing its composition heavily on gospel music, at times just outright dropping worship songs into the proceedings and littering the lyrics with religious imagery.

During many of the songs, there are ongoing backup vocals that almost play like crowd noise, giving the feeling that Chance is really just taking technicolored parade of joy through a wasteland of despair. Hell, “No Problem” almost feels like an unintentional homage to that scene in Ferris Beuller’s Day Off where he hijacks a float and leads all of Chicago in a sing-along. You just can't stop fucking smiling.

This is isn’t just a guy singing and rapping at you, he’s inviting you on a journey with him where salvation might not be dogmatic faith, but the ability to accept the blessing of life in whatever form it takes.

2. Kanye West-The Life of Pablo

If Blonde is the sound of a self-assured genius tinkering until he has the perfect, cohesive message, then TLOP is the sound of an equally talented genius slowly going insane.

Far and away his best production work, Yeezy seems content with ceding a significant amount of the spotlight to others--this conceit was explored further in his set design for the Saint Pablo tour where he usually performed in silhouette and primarily lit the audience--and this results in a slightly more disjointed product than he likely intended. Despite that, he conjures gorgeous soundscapes out of perfectly curated samples and creates an album that would be compelling even as a beat CD. Sadly, as thrilling as the backdrops are, his rapping doesn’t quite reach its potential here

Especially after his hospitalization, Yeezy seems to be in the same place he was in before dropping 2010′s masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. With the tide of public opinion against him, Kanye digs deep and tries to create something so brilliant that no one can doubt him.

in doing so, knowingly or not, Kanye creates one of the most honest assessments of toxic masculinity since the Violent Femmes’ debut. Not once does he attempt to sugarcoat his narcissistic behavior. In a way he’s almost a tragic figure.

It’s an eternal quest for redemption that Will Toledo (even though I backhand-complimented his band back there) explains a lot better than me. IDK.

1. Frank Ocean-Blonde (Alt-R&B/Pop/Hip-Hop)*

Art.

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