Tag: #Import 2025-04-25 15:23

song in the air

‘There are some bands out there that, no matter what, can be expected to produce high quality records. Elliott is putting the finishing touches on this reputation for themselves. For all intents and purposes, “Song in the Air” seals the deal.

The record is astounding. It is a necessity for any collection. There is nothing to disagree with on this, the band’s third full length. No matter what style of music you consider to be your favorite, Elliott will fit in. They make little to set boundaries for themselves. Plain and simple, it is just good music written by a good band.

“Song in the Air” is arguably the best of the Elliott records so far. The band has an easily palatable style that makes their songwriting deceptively simple. It is thoroughly textured, but is not too heavy. The album is well mixed and well produced, allowing it to be enjoyable on many levels. In the soundscape, there is always something different to focus on and enjoy. There is always something a little bit different that presents itself to you with each listen. This is not to say that there are an infinite number of delicate sounds hidden in the background. Rather, each instrument is spaced out properly so that it can be fully enjoyed for how good it really is.

Each part of the album is written with the utmost of care and precision. It is a delicate balance of interwoven fabrics that catch your ear no matter what mood you are in, shy of feeling very pumped and aggressive. This is not the album to rock out to. It is a light red wine album intended to be savored. It is one of Revelations Records softer, finer points.

The highlights of this record do come back-to-back in the front end of this album, which is the only downside to this record. It is not carefully balanced and trails off a bit towards the end. “Carry On,” “Believe,” and “Beijing (too many people)” are infectiously melodic tunes that will stick with you days after hearing them. Together, they carry the album from better to best status, relative to the prior Elliot records.

All together, “Song in the Air” is a good starting point for those who are unfamiliar with Elliott and it is a necessity for fans of the band. Regardless, it is a good addition to any collection of albums.

web 1.0, bitches

‘Don’t let the name fool you – this band is amazing. Without a doubt, this is the best thing recently released on Interscope, the people responsible for T.A.T.u. and 50 Cent. Amazing, simply amazing. This EP is a great follow up to their epochal full length of last year, “Source Tags & Codes.” It sounds like a rebuilt and upscale version of Edison except much, much better. This is worthy of much more praise than it is getting right now. The full-length to follow could easily be one of the best albums of the year. The band members are my new heroes.

kill us now

‘”Kill Us Now” is one of the best albums of 2003 and will remain so through the end of the year. It is equal parts Beatles, The Doves, Luna, Sigur Ros, Silver Scooter, Spoon, and Superchunk, swirling into an apotheosized musical aura. It is pure, divined from the rock Gods up above.

On the album’s second track, “Plastic Hearts,” the vocals ring out on the line “Just wind us up and we’ll make a good impression.” Someone must have wound them extremely tight.

Hello Defective has created a lucid and masterful work of true artistry. The album’s infectious grooves and transy vocals hit hard right from the start. “Kill Us Now” is full, whole complete. The adjectives that describe this album are relentless, one slightly different from the last but each is unable to accurately describe the record’s attributes on its own. Only in a succession such as astounding, amazing, mind-blowing, can more closely portray the band in their true and deserved light.

Myth has it that this Brit-based band consists of rather well accomplished members, including a Film Director (Armitage) and a product of MENSA (Kirby). It’s no wonder the music has such an intellectual air to it. As they sing in “Dim Like A Dog’s House,” “All our brains start out the same size.” The likes of Kirby and Armitage prove that some musicians turn out to be much more mentally well endowed than others end up being in the long run.

Hello Defective in the incarnation of what Oasis was hyped up to be. This band of musical prodigies may be able to accomplish just that because there is no media hype surrounding them. They are coming out of the woodworks to achieve the unachievable.

In addition to Kirby and Armitage’s well-defined musical muscle, much of the album’s thanks should go to the work David Hoffner has put into the band with the aid of his Mac. This only further proves the statement that a good deal of the most influential and highly acclaimed records over the last half-decade are assisted by computers.

Of course, musical purists will disagree on this subjective statement. No matter which side of this statement you stand on, it is difficult to argue the high quality of this album that should quickly make its way out of obscurity and into the limelight.

This poor reference aside, the band will have you at Hello.

loses control

‘After a long bought with depression and the continuous struggle to separate past from present, Robert Nanna and company have reemerged with a new Hey Mercedes LP, “Loses Control.” The name speaks volumes about the band and their most recent record.

As what appears to be a conscious decision, “Loses” does not congeal into a certain sound. It sways from classic rock to wistful pop to a version of indie-punk that is incompatible with early Hey Mercedes or any Braid material.

The spirit of this record has manifested their mental torment. It speaks of the band’s struggles. The loss of one member and the addition of another is apparent. Nanna’s sinking battleship of emotions cries out to anyone who will listen. It’s a wreck hiding behind a smile. The tenor of the record displays firm composure. It lets the casual listener know that everything is all right, and there is no need to worry. It’s a smokescreen or a card trick, showing the band’s diversity in their ability to pull off tight and well-structured compositions in a number of different genres.

Most of all it is confusing for fans of Nanna who have followed his path since the Friction days. You’re left in a sense of heightened curiosity, wondering what he is going to do next – and why.

a mark, a mission, a brand, a scar

‘Shit. The time I never thought would come has arrived.

After taking advantage of numerous opportunities to make insulting comments directed towards Chris Carraba, allow me to be the first to admit that the new Dashboard Confessional album is amazing.

“A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar” shows the full fledged band of Dashboard Confessional at its pinnacle to date. This is a full-on indie rock album bound to disappoint 13-year-old girls everywhere.

Sorry girls. You’ll get over it.

Carraba still wears his heart on his sleeve but everything else about the band has changed. He explores a bit more both vocally and musically. There are a lot of throaty whispers that lead into the patented sustained screams he does so well. The music is loud and distinct from previous Dashboard records.

As Andrew Beaujon, Senior Contributing Writer for Spin Magazine, pointed out in a previous interview, “Dashboard Confessional is suited well for the teenage crowd because the songs Carraba sings are about the beginnings and ends of relationships. When you’re a teenager, that’s all you have. There is no middle.”

The band has not strayed too much from that formula but that Unplugged moment of tear drenched teenager screaming along to the songs has passed. Carraba is going for it with this record. It’s a sure bet to say he’s got it.

This record has a part Taking Back Sunday and part Onelinedrawing feel to it. It does not necessarily sound like both or either, but it picks up on the same vibes that those bands give off.

Dashboard Confessional is reborn and it’s pretty damned exciting. The band’s survived the indie scene, the commercial arena, and now they’re back with full reign to do it their own way.

“A Mark” is a worthy record and will make fans out of all Carraba haters.

As John Doe of the punk band X once said, “It’s just a guy making fucking music. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

This album is bound to go platinum and earn critical praise from both mainstream and independent circles.

Carraba’s in control and there’s nothing to worry about.

There, I said it. Are you happy?

en garde

‘The more records that get released, the more this question becomes inevitable: Are the only creative musical hotbeds of this country in Omaha and Seattle?

It is decidedly so, according to the Magic Eight Ball. That’s the answer on which Criteria’s Stephen Pederson was banking. It must have been a good combination of luck, skill and careful shaking.

When his last band, The White Octave, disbanded, Pederson returned to his Omaha home to run through marathon writing sessions, 10 cuts of which were to appear on “En Garde,” his solo-band debut. “En Garde” is a savory blend of part Cursive, part The Cure, part The Good Life, part The Faint and all Omaha; errr… except for that part about The Cure.

Featuring session help from members of Nebraska’s elite, including members of Desaparecidos, Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class, Pederson had a good deal of backing that was bound to, at the very least, pad record sale statistics. Still, money was most likely not a factor. When you have some of the most talented musicians in the indie scene today at your disposal, why not use them?

He also has the experience of working with Tim Kasher on his side. From the band’s inception until 1998, Kasher was Cursive’s second guitarist. Once he parted ways with the band, Lullaby for the Working Class’s Ted Stevens took his place.

The time spent as Kasher’s second set of six-string-strumming hands has rubbed off on him. “En Garde’s” content could very easily be mistaken as the B-sides for Cursive’s more recent efforts to the inattentive listener.

His songwriting is a bit more staid than Kasher’s, but the resemblances are there. So are the differences. Their voices sound nothing alike. There is no apparent concept behind this album. There is also little dissonance built into the music, but the guitar progressions and vocal melodies are clearly comparable, revealing that he is a disciple of the almighty Kasher.

Criteria could stand its own ground without the Cursive influences, but using the lessons he has learned with that band have only added to this already heady record. The songs are tight, the production is pristine and Pederson shows a good deal of potential with this record. It is a solid debut.

http://www.seemerot.com

‘Worst of 2k3.

Awful. Simply awful.

Howard Dean’s campaign came to an early end when he announced that his hopes for presidency were over on Wednesday. No one could have predicted this six months ago. Some may lay blame on the power of news networks like CNN, whose portrayal of Dean’s infamous scream heard round the polls was over-exaggerated by a super-sensitive microphone.

Reportedly, no members of the audience heard anything out of the ordinary that day. Those of us tuning into the news stations heard something different. Soon, sites like http://www.deangoesnuts.com popped up and remixes were even made in which Dean’s scream was put to music.

Sure, he’s arguably an a-hole – but he may also have been one of the wiser choices in the upcoming Presidential elections. Nevertheless, this man’s aspirations were quite literally crushed by the power of the media and modern technology.

Although CNN apologized for the microphone and willingly accepted blame, the effects of their actions are irreversible. It’s a sad and incidental side effect of recording equipment, but far from the most absurd application of it.

On the other hand, putting a camera in a coffin is just WRONG. It may not result in amplified screams (or, at least, we hope not) but this employment of technology is hard to rationalize. It’s possible that it can lower the rate of people being buried alive, as if there was a huge epidemic of such instances, but we highly doubt that was the desire of the folks responsible for SeeMeRot.com.

It is entirely possible that this site was created as a spoof, but there’s nothing funny about the idea of a coffin camera. That’s almost as ludicrous as the idea of putting a camera in your pants and broadcasting it over the ‘Net. Oh wait, that’s happened already too. Honestly, it has. Go to http://www.pantscam.com if you don’t believe us.

What possible good can come out of leisurely watching someone rot inside his or her coffin? If you answered “none,” you passed our ethics and morality quiz of the week. But that still doesn’t change the fact that Dean took it in the butt.

the satellite years

‘”The Satellite Years” is the second full-length recording from Hopesfall. It is the first featuring Jay Forrest at the helm of the ship, and Trustkill Records as the ship helping the band sail forward.

Since signing to Trustkill, it appears that there have been no more shallow waters to pole through, or rough storms to face. Hopesfall is at the point of their journey where they are experiencing clear blue skies and sunny days with low humidity. They are certainly directing the ship, but no adversity stands in the way of the choices they are making at the moment.

The group is sincerely happy, appreciative of where they’re at, and potentially one of the nicer groups of individuals in the music scene today. There is little not to like about them.

They further scored points by enlisting the help of Matt Talbott, of Hum fame, to produce “The Satellite Years.” He has put his signature style into the record and it shows. The guitars’ sounds are lifted directly from Hum’s “Downward is Heavenward” at points. It has his name written all over the production.

The album’s title, the cover art, the song titles, and even some of the lyrics seem to bear his fingerprints as well. This is something that the band denies, though. The shared interstellar themes are incidental. At the very least, it’s an interesting coincidence.

The overall sound and production of the album are high-quality. The music is tight and well-written. The guitar and drum work are downright impressive at points. The backing vocals are unobjectionable. It’s just the lead vocals that are difficult to understand. For a loud, aggressive, and angry song, it makes sense to scream. Scream your heart out, as loud and throaty as you want. It’s fully functional in that instance. A good bit of the songs are downright pretty, though. To continue the same type of scream over every part of every song shows a lack of ability to diversify. It makes the songs one-dimensional, no matter how hard the rest of the band tries to open up the sound.

Forrest has the ability to sing. Use it. Okay, this scream is the fashionable thing to do in the hardcore scene. That’s understandable, but such a scene has no lifespan. The kids listening to it now are going to grow up. They will no longer agree with the anger that comes out of the screaming. They will not want to listen to such records anymore.

It’s a shame. Overall, “The Satellite Years” is a good album. It is the constancy of the screaming that shortens its lifespan. It makes an otherwise remarkable record sound faddish.

http://www.juvalamu.com/qmarks/

‘There’s no way around it. Nobody is going to read this article.

It’s the holiday season and the students have all skipped town. So, why waste a perfectly funny web site article on the three people that may read this column? OK, maybe three is a generous number if you don’t include editors and proofreaders. Certainly this column will reach at least one person.

And if we’ve made a difference in at least that one person’s life, than it has been worth it for us. We’re damned good Samaritans, you know? That’s why we’ll share an f-ing good Web site, to help our loyal allegiance of one.

Welcome to the Gallery of “Misused” Quotation Marks, you. Oh, and, thanks for reading, mom.

The creator’s precept is simple: to point out the common American fault of bad grammar, specifically in relation to “quotation marks.” The result is “comical.”

Blah blah blah. Blah blah blah.

Still reading?

Oh, yeah, the Web site. We should probably discuss that.

The Gallery is setup like an online library, featuring three sections: the Current Exhibitions, the Donation Rotunda and the Permanent Exhibits. Sure, there may not be any Picasso paintings hanging within but good old Pablo isn’t known for being unintentionally funny.

What you’ll see here is a collection of sayings and slogans from various signs. It’s more of a text-only, white trash art gallery.

Of course, a quote is no good alone. The gallery’s curator comments each one on. The comments are often not humorous so feel free to skip them.

Signs read: Road “Work” Ahead, “Milk” $1.99, Make some “friends” and Lose some “weight.”

The comical nature of this site can be described as a one-trick pony.

You figure we would’ve done a holiday related web site since it is the end of December. If you’re looking for something dealing with Christmas that might amuse you, go here: http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/white_trash_christmas.

Cleared for takeoff

‘”It’s been a lot of work,” began Jets to Brazil frontman Blake Schwarzenbach.

After a full-on bout with depression, the departure of drummer Chris Daly, and the constant struggle to separate himself from Jawbreaker, Blake Schwarzenbach has had a long runway and the Jets were moving slowly.

“We have a new drummer, Matt Torrey (from MK Ultra). We’re all trying to get the solidarity there, to feel that we’re all people that belong together.”

The end of the runway is approaching. The Jets have picked up enough speed to takeoff.

Troubled by low visibility, the process of deconstructing and rebuilding was tough but necessary. “It was good to stop everything and build it back up. Jets had to be reinvented again and to figure out what we had.”

What Blake figured out is “you have to be a band for about five years before you have any kind of audience, really.”

After six years in Jets to Brazil, Blake’s audience and band are finally starting to stabilize at a safe altitude that promises nothing but blue skies and clear days.