MR JUKES GOD FIRST Island Records Soul, R&B, Funk. Listening Format: CD 'God First' is the debut album by Mr Jukes, the new alias of Jack Steadman from London based Rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. Steadman has taken an unlikely U-turn into Soul and R&B music. He has managed to fuse a vintage 70s Soul sound with a modern production that often has a Hip Hop leaning. The results are quite similar to the recent works of the Dap-Kings, The Menahan Street Band and other Daptones affiliated acts. 'God First' is a very collaborative project, as Jack Steadman has surrounded himself with some incredible vocalists and players including Charles Bradley, Lianne La Havas, De La Soul, Horace Andy and more. Most of the tracks are played by an ensemble with a rich amount of strings, as well as that classic Fender Rhodes keyboard sound. The album has a gorgeous flow and is full to the brim with hard hitting grooves, a warm and punchy bass sound, and uplifting soulful vibes. It's the guest vocal performances that really lift this album. BJ the Chicago Kid steals the show on 'Angels / Your Love' and Charles Bradley delivers a vocal that will give you chills on 'Grant Green' (presumably named after the legendary Jazz guitarist). It's so fantastic to hear that Charles Bradley is on the road to recovery! 'Somebody New' is another huge standout with a sensual vocal from Elli Ingram. The track builds to a fantastic Synth-Funk groove reminiscent of Dam-Funk or even something Flying Lotus would come up with. The squelchy bass sound is just irresistible and will definitely get you dancing. Whilst there are so many standout tracks across the album, the only sore thumb of the project is Jack Steadman himself. There are three tracks, 'Ruby', 'Magic' and 'Tears' that strip away the huge ensemble of instruments and are essentially just Jack Steadman solo tracks. These drifting ballads tend to slow down the amazing energy of the album, sounding much more like what you would expect from a Bombay Bicycle Club member's solo album. Steadman's brittle and folksy voice just isn't a match for the huge dynamic soul voices he has surrounded himself with on this record. The solo tracks become a little lost and just don't pack the same force. If you think of Mr Jukes as a collaborative project rather than a Jack Steadman solo record though, then 'God First' makes much more sense. This is Soul music done the right way in 2017. And there are some truly fiery, infectious and explosive performances littered all over this record. It's just a shame that Steadman ends up feeling like a mere guest spot on his own album, but his ambitions should be praised. 7/10.
CONVERGE I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT PAIN Post-Hardcore, Mathcore, Sludge Metal. Epitaph / Deathwish Inc. Listening Format: Digital Converge have just dropped a new EP out of the blue yesterday (as of publishing), the band's first release of new material since 2012's excellent 'All We Love We Leave Behind' album. This marks the largest gap in their career of new music, although the band have toured relentlessly in that period. The band also performed their classic, groundbreaking album 'Jane Doe' in full and released it is a live album earlier this year. There is still no explicit news of a full length album, so it will be interesting to see if either of these new tracks will feature on their next full length, or whether it will be a stand alone release. Since I don't know the answer just yet, I can only assume this is a stand alone EP and I will be reviewing it as such. There are two tracks featured here. 'I Can Tell You About Pain' is just shy of two and a half minutes and is an absolutely ferocious beast. The track reminded me of the title track of 'No Heroes', as it opens with this absolutely pounding Hardcore groove, with Kurt Ballou's trademark twiddly guitar licks thrown in. Jacob Bannon in particular delivers a vicious and fiery vocal performance here that is truly one of his best to date, right down to the vocal production. Converge have always had a knack for delivering outstanding opening tracks that grab you by the throat and this is no exception. But it is the second and final track of the EP that really blew my me away. 'Eve' combines elements of Ambient, Post Rock and Sludge Metal over a seven and a half minute epic. Again slightly reminiscent of a track from the album 'No Heroes' (their most experimental to date), 'Grim Heart / Black Rose', as well as having a strong Neurosis vibe. This track is the complete antithesis of the opening track. It is slow, and has clean singing vocals in the opening verses. The opening minute of the track actually sounds reminiscent of Stars of the Lid, with these gorgeous floating Ambient swirls. When the dreamy verse suddenly explodes into furious pounding riffs around three minutes in, it made the hairs on neck stand up. I can't express just how good Jacob Bannon is sounding on this EP. The use of dual vocals on this track takes it to the next level and it is clear that Converge are still experimenting and daring to go to new places. The overall production on this track is astonishing. So punchy, so textured, and yet as raw and primal as you would expect from Converge. In a way I kind of hope that these tracks do appear on the next Converge full length album. 'Eve' in particular is hands down one of the finest tracks the band have EVER made. Converge formed in 1990, and even 27 years into their journey, they are still at the forefront of Hardcore, Sludge, or Atmospheric Rock or however you want to label them. They keep daring to take risks and push their sound, writing and production further and further forwards. It comes as absolutely no surprise that the response to this gift of an EP has been so overwhelmingly positive. 9/10.
BORIS DEAR Sargent House. Doom Metal, Drone Metal, Amplifier Worship. Listening Format: Digital & CD Boris are a seminal band from Tokyo, Japan who are celebrating their 25th year of making music together. Boris have a vast discography and are best known for making all kinds of music that is incredibly loud and extreme. The band have experimented in Drone, Doom Metal, Harsh Noise, Electronic Music, Psychedelic Rock and all sorts. Alongside experimental legends such as Earth, Melvins and Sunn O))), Boris are considered to be one of the pioneers of the amplifier worship concept, even naming their 1998 album 'Amplifier Worship', which helped establish such ear destroying sounds. The group's discography is so deep, with many collaborations, that even die hard Boris fans struggle to keep up. It's safe to say though that the band have shied away from super loud Doom and Drone Metal releases over the past decade. Commercial releases such as 'Smile' and 'Noise' experimented with Psyche Rock and Shoegaze. 'Attention Please' was a really interesting left turn into making a dreamy Synth Pop album. Even though this band have always been putting out interesting and experimental music, a large part of their fanbase love it best when this band bring out the crushingly heavy riffs. In all honesty, Boris haven't quite given us that ferocity since their classic 2006 collaboration with Sunn O))), 'Altar'... Until now...!!! 'Dear' opens with a slow, drum rattle, and then just a single, face-melting power chord is struck and left to ring out, at maximum volume. The amp feedback swirls and pierces around your brain as a reverb drenched chanting vocal comes in. Instantly the fans of Boris at their heaviest will light up with a sadistic smile. Across the whole album, Boris dish out some of the slowest, heaviest and most crushing riffs they have ever dealt. The third track 'Absolutego' even name checks their very first album, so you can tell that the band are looking back on themselves for this anniversary occasion. Even though Boris seem to be looking backwards, they still perform with absolute conviction and passion. Other highlights include the monstrous 'The Power', which could easily have fit onto the 'Altar' album. Incredibly slow pounding drums rumble at a funeral pace, as these gorgeous harmonised doom riffs tread very similar chord(s) to Sunn O))). 'Distopia - Vanishing Point' verges into Space Rock over twelve psyched out minutes. The track starts off with hushed and dreamy vocals, as the loud fuzzy guitars escalate gradually. A barrage of Floydian guitar solos in the second half brings an epic sense of drama that works really well. The closing title track 'Dear' sounds like Boris ate Melvin's 'Hag Me' for breakfast and then slowly regurgitated it back up, sounding even slower, louder and more downtuned. 'Dear' ultimately feels like a love-letter to the fans who who have stuck by Boris since their inception. Whilst their experimental works outside of the Metal realm have been very commendable, 'Dear' is absolutely that back to basics, all out Metal album that fans have been waiting for, and they have done it in true style. Boris very much still know their way around a wall of amps and an array of fuzz pedals, and they continue to prove why they are one of the best in the business. 'Dear' is very much the successor to albums such as 'Pink' and 'Altar'. Not only that, it is genuinely one of the heaviest albums of 2017. 8/10.
IDLES BRUTALISM Balley Records Punk, Post-Punk, Noise Rock. Listening Format: CD & Vinyl. Punk officially had its 40th birthday in 2016, and with political turmoil overshadowing the globe, awareness of Punk and Hardcore music seems to be at an all time high. It's a great time for already existing Punk bands to feel fired up again, as well as for new ones to catch a flame. Whilst not all new UK Punk bands trying to recapture that spirit have turned out great (Slaves?), some bands have really gone all out and genuinely brought their genuine agro A-game (Savages!) Idles have pretty much come out of nowhere this year. The Bristol based band seemed to have taken their fate into their own hands, with that special DIY attitude. This debut full length 'Brutalism' bears a 001 catalogue number on what I can only assume is their own Balley Records. And yet the album has landed itself in record stores across the country, and is getting all the right press. Idles have done extremely well for themselves to smash their way into modern music's consciousness.
'Brutalism' from start to finish is an absolute riot. After an ominous sample and a Post Punk as fuck drum intro, 'Heel / Heal' bursts into life with frantic power chord guitars, and sheets of noisy agonising guitars that want to fight you. This is topped off by the snarling, manic screams of vocalist Joe Talbot. In terms of musicianship, whilst not reinventing the wheel, Idles come racing out ready for a punch up, with so much fiery passion and precision playing. The scatty washes of noisy tremolo guitar even channel Big Black. 'Well Done' is a huge standout that is just do direct and in your face. If it was made in 1977 it would have surely been a classic. Instantly they channel The Clash's 'White Riot' or Stiff Little Fingers' 'Suspect Device'. Joe Talbot's vocals are acidic as he spews out nonsense lines "Mary Berry love Reggae, so why don't you like Reggae? / Trevor Nelson loves football, so why don't you watch football?" A cheeky "woo woo" backing vocal gives it such a live and raw feel. 'Mother' is equally as exquisite, full of anger and storming riffs, with a chorus that simply sees Talbot yell "MOTHERFUCKER", as well as the brilliant quotable, "The best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich". 'Divide & Conquer' is another huge track that manages to slow the tempo down to this pounding stomp as noisy guitars drill their way into your brain. The precision playing also shines on the album's shortest and fastest track 'Stendhal Syndrome', which is overwhelming in the amount of venom it spits at the listener. And the nearly unlisted track 'White Privilege' (just shown as a white line on the album packaging) is full of agro, boasting the hilarious opening line "How many optimists does it take to change a lightbulb / NONE, their butler changes the lightbulb". Such absurd lyrics could come off a little corny, if it wasn't for the dead pan, no bullshit delivery of these lines. The socio-political undertones are used at just the right moments. Idles have ultimately floored me. 'Brutalism' is an album so direct, so honest, so raw. I can honestly see original Punk fans who were there from the start loving this album. I can see the Post Punk fans who dug PIL and Wire loving this album. I can see fans of Noise Rock like Shellac, The Fall, McLusky and Sonic Youth loving this album. Because it is rare these days to hear such a genuine Punk sound. Idles don't attempt to play Punk. They ARE Punk. They embody it through blood, bone and brawn. Everything about 'Brutalism', from the sound, the production, the songs, the riffs, the lyrics, the energy, the approach, the packaging, the label, the marketing... Idles have absolutely fucking nailed it. I think in terms for what is presented inside the box, this is gold. Here is hoping for some mad, outside of the box follow up! 8/10.
The Manchester International Festivalis an annual event that spans many weeks and venues taking all creative art forms such as live music, poetry, theatre and more. Every year the festival gets more ambitious and creative, truly thinking outside the box and pushing the limits of what a festival can entail. Highlights of MIF 2017 includedNew Order, Fatherland, Arcade Fire and Dark Matter... Dark Matter is just one small slice of the festival. A series of individual live shows favouring musicians known for making very dark, experimental and otherworldly music. Dark Matter has been curated by British DJ, journalist and BBC Radio 6 presenterMary Anne Hobbs. Eight headlining acts performed over the duration of the festival, includingLEVELZ, Holly Herndon, Paleman, The Haxan Cloak, Clark, Kojey Radical, Colin Stetson and Sunn O))).There were also brilliant DJ sets from the likes of Demdike Stare, Akkord and Mary Anne Hobbs herself. Sadly I wasn't able to attend all of the shows, but I wanted to give a shout out to the ones I did attend. It's brilliant that MIF and Mary Anne Hobbs were able to give such a prominent platform to strange, experimental and esoteric underground music. PALEMAN Gorilla. 6/7/17.
Manchester raised Paleman began his craft as a Jazz drummer and it is clear that he implements that into his sound. Not only was Paleman twiddling knobs and triggering samples on stage, but also adding live percussion along the way. He worked on improvisation, sculpting off kilter techno beats with icy cold synths. He delivered many peaks and troughs in his music, with the calmer parts evoking spacey atmospheres, soon leading into upbeat, lively passages that got the crowd dancing. The dim lighting and room full of fog helped to enhance a special atmosphere created by Paleman. His music was slow building, yet playful. THE HAXAN CLOAK Gorilla. 7/7/17.
The Haxan Cloak (real name Bobby Krlic) is a Yorkshire born Producer who has worked with Bjork, The Body, and even created film and TV scores. But when it comes to his solo act, Krlic likes to get sinister! The Haxan Cloak is one of the best modern names in Dark Ambient music, essentially creating scary soundscapes inspired by the music and atmospheres of horror and nightmares. The entire performance felt almost like one continuous piece of music, beginning slow like a glacier as long drawn out, ominous synths gathered in intensity. Krlic gradually built up layers of eerie and unsettling effects such as buzzing static, escalating noise, scraping and clanging sounds. The way The Haxan Cloak is able to allure an audience through gradual build ups and a foreboding sense of dread is mesmerizing. The use of strobe lights and thick smoke just added to the atmosphere. Only towards the second half of his set, did pulsing Industrial beats become more commonplace. The finale of his show in particular lead even greater towards Industrial Electronic music, with heavy, pounding beats and piercing noise that rumbled and shook your entire body. Krlic's show is incredibly loud and truly akin to a live horror experience. CLARK 02 Ritz. 8/7/17.
Warp Records veteran Chris Clark delivered a whole new stage show to the MIF in support of his latest album 'Death Peak'. Clark performed practically the entire album in full (though sequenced differently) plus some welcome oldies such as 'Winter Linn' and 'Superscope'. Clark really went all out with the light show, which was a true spectacle to watch. Each tune he played had its own choreographed colour scheme and lasers projecting trippy patterns towards the crowd. He even had two masked dancer girls on stage performing improvised dance routines to Clark's music. Certainly not an easy task considering how wonky his music is, switching up tempos and rhythms frantically. Though Clark isn't the "darkest" of the Dark Matter lineup, his eclectic body of music suitably strikes a fine balance between different moods and shades. His beats are incredibly heavy, pounding through the Ritz's bouncy dancefloor like a pneumatic drill. He truly got the crowd dancing the whole way through. Clark is so fascinating to watch on stage, not just because of the incredible visual show accompanying him, but just seeing how busy he gets. He is constantly moving up and down his large desk of Electronic apparatus, flicking switches, triggering samples and adjusting mixers, breaking into a sweat almost immediately. If anyone believes that Electronic music is just somebody standing behind a laptop pressing buttons, then Clark is here to prove you wrong! SUNN O))) 02 Ritz. 15/7/17
Closing MIF's Dark Matter series was one of the weirdest and most experimental bands on earth. Seattle's Drone masters Sunn O))) are renown for being perhaps the loudest band in existence. The core duo of Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley have featured in countless influential Extreme Metal bands, usually favouring the slowest and heaviest riffs in existence. Sunn O))) is definitely their most well known act, taking the concept of amplifier worship to the utmost extreme (and not just their name). The band perform in Sith Lord style cloaks in front of a colossal and intimidating wall of massive Sunn guitar amps. Over the years their touring line-up has continued to expand, tonight performing as a 5 piece. O'Malley and Anderson deafened audiences with their guitars, whilst the addition of two extra players on keyboards, electronics and even a Drone trombone added more layers to the sonic chaos. Attila Csihar, long time vocalist of the controversial Black Metal pioneers Mayhem, also performed a highly eclectic vocal display, as well as dressing in some elaborate costumes. Their music is so damn slow, that they have no use for a live drummer to keep a beat or tempo. Sunn O))) are very much a love it or hate it kind of band, even causing debate among extreme music fans. One numpty in the crowd even yelled 'GET ON WITH IT' 10 minutes into Attila Csihar's widely versatile ritualistic chanting intro. I was genuinely dumbfounded by this rude interruption, hoping it was some kind of self-aware irony. Personally I consider Sunn O))) to be true explorers, pushing the boundaries of what music can be perceived as further and further. In a nutshell, Sunn O))) performed for 90 minutes performing what is essentially just a note, or a chord, dragged into an infinite abyss. However because of their dynamic sound setup, the rumbling guitar drones were so incredibly, ear punishingly loud that the listener ends up confronting sound itself face to face. You can feel every wave and texture pulsing through your entire body. Sometimes it can be a scary and painful experience, as you feel all your bones rattling and it feels like your head is about to explode, but there are parts of it that are generally soothing, like getting a deep massage. In a sense, by attending a Sunn O))) concert, you become one with the force of sound. It genuinely is the closest I have come to being able to physically feel music travelling through my body. Even though the music of Sunn O))) is incredibly patience testing, their visual show was very exciting. A thick wall of smoke constantly filled the room, enhancing the sinister atmosphere. The sight of the amps and the mysterious cloaked men looked akin to an occult ritual for guitar fans. Vocalist Attila Csihar was by far the most animated on stage, delivering not only a great vocal performance but a physical display too. Near the end of the show he came out in a suit made of reflective mirror shards (reminiscent of their latest album sleeve for 'Kannon') and shot laser beams from his fingertips. The show seemed to drift slowly through different movements. It began with a chanting vocal warm up from Attila, followed by all 5 players demolishing Manchester with a monolith of loud noise. Some players would then drift in and out of the performance, allowing the drones to modulate, as if they were growing and shrinking in weight. Sunn O))) ended the performance with just the core duo droning away on their guitars. Despite the Sunn O))) live show essentially being 90 minutes of listening to one note, I still find them to be one of the most gripping, exciting, unique and thrilling live acts I've ever experienced. Sunn O))) are a landmark act in the field of the avant-garde. True experimentalists on a mission to shock audiences as well as defy perceptions of music and art altogether. What a perfect way to end MIF's Dark Matter showcase.
INTRODUCTION It should come as no secret that Mark Kozelek is a musical idol of mine. I consider him to be the best songwriter and lyricist out there. His ear for bone chilling, heart-breaking melodies and guitar arpeggios rarely seems to diminish, and he delivers some of the most heart on your sleeve, honest, passionate, direct and emotional lyrics of any singer out there. Kozelek first arrived with his band Red House Painters who released their 1992 debut album on 4AD Records. In retrospect they are now considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent Folk/Rock bands of the 90s. The 00s saw a change of name to Sun Kil Moon, but it was basically Mark's continuation of the project, instead housed on his own record label Caldo Verde. He has put out many solo albums, studio albums, live albums and collaborations under his own name and the Sun Kil Moon moniker throughout the last two decades. 2013's 'Perils From the Sea' album (originally planned to be released under the name Sun Kil Moon & The Album Leaf, but changed to Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle at the last minute) saw a drastic shift in Mark's songwriting, lyrical and vocal style. He seemed to put less emphasis on singing and contemporary Folk songwriting, and instead started delivering these long, rambling stories that were half sung, half spoken word. Over the many albums that followed including his critically acclaimed 'Benji' and 'Universal Themes', Mark expanded on this style even further and really started delivering much more experimental works. Since 2013 he has entered the most prolific stage of his career. Where once he would put out an album every 2 years, now he is consistently putting out about 3 albums a year! The lyric booklets (or posters) that come with his CDs fold out like road maps. In 2017 alone, Mark Kozelek has released 3 studio albums in January, May and July respectively (one being a double album), amounting in 4 hours of brand new material and a LOT of spoken word. I'm going to review all 3 of them in one, long Kozelek style rambling mess!
SUN KIL MOON COMMON AS LIGHT & LOVE ARE RED VALLEYS OF BLOOD Caldo Verde Records. Folk, Spoken Word, Alternative Rock, Singer/Songwriter. Listening Format: CD As I mentioned in the introduction, Mark Kozelek has switched to a Spoken Word style to the point where he barely even sings any more. 'Common As Light & Love Are Red Valleys of Blood' is by far one of his most striking and experimental works yet, pushing this new Spoken Word style further than he ever has before. In comparison, 'Jesu / Sun Kil Moon' and 'Universal Themes' had plenty of Spoken Word passages, but also had a fair bit of singing as well. This DOUBLE album comes unquestionably close to being a full on Rap album. But make a note, it is certainly not a Hip Hop album (yes there is a difference), though it does contain a longer lyric sheet than Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly'. Many of the tracks on this album see drummer Steve Shelley laying down a Hip Hop inspired kick and snare drum beat as Mark delivers every single thought he has ever had in 2016 out loud. The songs are all very, very repetitive, largely built on one groove and rarely switching up. If you are lucky there might be some sort of chorus. One of the most interesting things about being a Mark Kozelek fan recently is following his stories album to album. Familiar lyrical themes continue to crop up and he will reference celebrities or real life people in his life across multiple albums, or sometimes even follow up on a story he has already told on a previous song. It's rare to hear something this meta and self-referential in Rock and Folk music. Again Hip Hop is really the most prominent genre where an artist's lyrics will talk about other celebrities, real life people they know, and even mention themselves in the third person. It genuinely would not surprise me if Mark Kozelek had been listening to a lot of Hip Hop around the time he began writing this album. Mark's main lyrical stories on not just this album, but most of his recent albums seem to revolve around the following: His girlfriend Caroline. I feel like I practically know her from the amount Mark talks about what they get upto! Mark's favourite HBO shows. He loves True Detective! Touring and playing shows. There is often an obligatory story of an experience he had playing a particular show, or getting heckled by a crowd member. He talks about US politics a lot, touching upon his views on Trump, Clinton and guns quite often (he is anti-gun which is refreshing to hear). But the most emotionally involved stories of his often come when he describes friends and family members who have tragically passed away before their time. Mark Kozelek seems to be surrounded by death and tragedy. The way he went into so much painstaking detail about the death of his cousin Carissa in a house fire on 'Benji''s 'Carissa' has lead to not just one of his greatest songs, but truly one of the greatest songs of the decade. Mark certainly has a lot of interesting stories to tell, and name drops a lot of other musicians. There is a hilarious tongue in cheek moment 2 minutes into 'Philadelphia Cop' where Mark stops the song to pretend to take a phone call from Sufjan Stevens! However whether or not the listener finds Mark's stories interesting or not, or whether or not they have the patience to endure them is a big test on this album. It is OVER 2 HOURS long, of basically non stop rambling. There are barely any moments where the music is just allowed to play, and it kind of makes the musicianship take a backseat to Mark's voice. Also as much as I love to hear Mark sing (I've listened to him for days on end) hearing his monotone voice speaking for 2 hours is a rather draining experience. Listening to this album in full starts to become akin to listening to an audio commentary track on a DVD. I feel like in terms of the music and songs here, this isn't Kozelek at his best. 5 or the 16 tracks presented here exceed the 9 minute mark, and only have one or two actual melodies or distinct sections to show for. Many tracks leave the Folk realm entirely. 'Philadelphia Cop' and 'The Highway Song' both sound very Funk inspired. There are a few tracks that feel like legitimate songs. 'I Love Portugal' is a standout that actually has a chorus you can sing along to. 'Bergen to Trondheim' is a moving tribute written after the passing of Muhammad Ali (Mark's love of boxing has always been a common theme in his writing). But on the flipside 'Sarah Lawrence College Song' has a very unpleasant chorus hook that you just wish had not been included. 'Common As Light...' is an incredibly self indulgent album that is basically just a vehicle for Mark to express as many of his inner monologues as possible. The album transpires like somebody reading out loud their diary or autobiography, and the music often feels second rate, especially coming from such a master songwriter. Nothing comes close to the emotionally invested and heart warming classics he has written such as 'Carry Me Ohio', 'Katy Song', 'Lost Verses' or 'I Watched the Film The Song Remains the Same'. I genuinely want to praise this album for its ambitions. It's like Mark has actually managed to invent Folk Rap with this album. And the album breaks the fourth wall so hard that it is strangely mesmerizing and certainly a unique listening experience. But I feel like in terms of songwriting and album flow, listening to the entire thing is too much of an overwhelming and exhausting experience to really enjoy. It would have been a much more successful outing if all the fat had been trimmed away. So much of this album is excruciating to sit through, even for experienced Mark Kozelek fans. I feel like a newbie to his work would be even more bewildered by this double album. And consider that this is just the first of 3 albums to be released by Mark in 2017! 6/10. _______________
JESU & SUN KIL MOON 30 SECONDS TO THE DECLINE OF PLANET EARTH Caldo Verde Records. Folk, Spoken Word, Alternative Rock, Singer/Songwriter. Listening Format: CD So as if Mark Kozelek dropping a double album of Spoken Word driven Folk music wasn't enough, a few months later arrives ANOTHER album of... Basically more of the same. At least it isn't a double album this time, but it is still SEVENTY SEVEN MINUTES IN LENGTH... Dear God... The main difference between this album and 'Common As Light...' is that Justin K Broadrick of Godflesh and Jesu fame has written the bulk of the music. Mark basically just acts as primary lyricist and vocalist this time around. Justin and Mark became friends a few years ago after Mark happened to attend a Godflesh concert and was blown away... And yes he even wrote about the experience in 'The Possum' on Sun Kil Moon's 'Universal Themes' album. He also recorded a great Folk rendition of Godflesh's classic 'Like Rats'. Musically it is fairly similar to the sounds Kozelek conjured up on 'Common As Light...'. Lots of lengthy, drawn out, repetitive and stream of consciousness dirges. Except this time Broadrick has favoured programmed drums over Steve Shelley's live drums. There is a less of a Folk influence and more of an Electronic influence this time around. Sadly this album is really a low point in the career of both of these legendary artists who I consider heroes of mine. At least their first collab had a bit more variety, with Broadrick even managing to successfully implement his droning, distorted guitars in the mix. Here these lengthy songs sound very rushed, using very unmemorable, entry level Electronic beats that barely hold any atmosphere or depth. In terms of an album flow as well, plonking a 17 minute long meandering track of nothingness into just the second track in the tracklist is just poor album structuring. I wanted to give up on the entire album about 5 minutes into this go nowhere track, but I managed to stick it out. On this track, 'Wheat Bread', Mark rambles on about hanging out at South By SouthWest and going on dates with his girlfriend Caroline. Once again, it feels like Mark has ran out of any fresh or interesting stories to tell and is just repeating things again. He already talked about the SXSW festival on 'Philadelphia Cop'. This 17 minute dross barely qualifies as a song, it is just infuriating to listen to. 'Needles Disney' is just as excruciating, describing a junkie wandering around Disneyland. 'The Greatest Conversation Ever In the History of the Universe' is about as mundane as the song title is to read. Another 10 minutes of second rate Electronica and Mark rambling on. The song ends with the lyrics "I'm gonna go to sleep now, there's nothing more to write". I mean... Really? The first time I got to the 5th track 'He's Bad' I actually just turned this album off and was like "FUCK THIS, I'M THROWING IN THE TOWEL! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE"!!! 'He's Bad' is Mark's commentary on Michael Jackson and whether MJ was a paedophile or not. I mean really, it's 2017 and you are choosing NOW to express this message? And this is coming from a musician who released a beautiful cover version of 'I'll Be There' in tribute to him after he died. The song has the chorus 'He's Bad, He's dead and I'm glad", which is just in incredibly bad taste... Honestly I did not look forward going back to finish off this record, but I felt like I had to. Fortunately just to tease me, the final track 'A Dream of Winter' is actually a good song. It sounds like a PROPER SONG!!! Mark Kozelek actually sings. The song has a familiar structure and rests on a beautiful acoustic guitar arpeggio with his best vocal delivery on the album by far. But everything else on this record sounds extremely rushed and knocked together. This album feels like a bunch of leftovers from both the first Jesu & Sun Kil Moon collab, as well as 'Common as Light...'. Another big problem is the timing of this release. Sun Kil Moon has already dropped a 2 hour + record that is incredibly dense and challenging. I don't think a lot of fans were ready for ANOTHER release so soon (with a third one on the way after that). Sadly I have to say this is without contest, the lowest point in both Justin and Mark's prolific and great music careers. 3/10. _______________
MARK KOZELEK & SEAN YEATON YELLOW KITCHEN Caldo Verde Records Folk, Spoken Word, Avant-Garde, Singer/Songwriter. Listening Format: CD It's safe to say that I wasn't exactly looking forward to this release, considering I wasn't exactly ecstatic about Mark Kozelek's two other albums of 2017. Even though this is a fairly similar sound and writing approach to the two Sun Kil Moon albums released earlier this year, this one was just released under the Mark Kozelek name for reasons unknown. This one is a collaboration with Parquet Courts' Sean Yeaton, so I was expecting to hear some noisy rock, perhaps similar to some of the cuts from 'Universal Themes'. What I heard instead was very far from that. Musically this album has a very diverse array of instruments. I've heard piano, horns, wind instruments and guitars all crop up throughout this album. The overall vibe though is very dark, discordant and esoteric. None of the songs here adhere to a traditional structure and it is by far the most experimental and haunting release that Mark Kozelek has ever been a part of. On this release Mark Kozelek vocally does a very similar thing to the other albums. Lots of spoken word, singing kept to a minimum, lots of long rambling. Tracks range from 5-12 minutes, but an overall running time of 45 minutes is actually a breath of fresh air, making it the most easy to digest of the three releases he has made this year. Lyrically I guess it does repeat a lot of stories and themes that Mark has already expressed repeatedly. Opener 'Time to Destination' is a scathing bashing of the Trump/Clinton election run up. Whilst 'The Reasons I Love You' is literally a list of 10 reasons why he loves his girlfriend Caroline (who has practically become a star in her own right, cropping up on nearly every Mark Kozelek release since 2013). Whilst I am still not completely sold on Mark's Spoken Word phase of writing, 'Yellow Kitchen' is actually one of the most interesting releases in this style and surprisingly my favourite of his 3 albums released in 2017. It is genuinely the most unique and experimental. Mark's rambling fits really well over this experimental musicianship composed by Sean Yeaton, and evokes a whole different mood and vibe to the previous two 2017 albums. This is really dark and eerie stuff, and Mark's voice adapts very well to these weird sounds. I've heard some people compare this to Scott Walker's 'The Drift' and it is a pretty apt comparison. This is really strange and sinister, and I am genuinely enjoying it a lot more than I expected I would. Closing song 'Daffodils' literally sounds nightmarish and has Mark Kozelek barking like a wild dog. Surprisingly the album that seems to be getting the least attention from critics and fans is actually the best! 7/10. _______________ CONCLUSION This new Spoken Word phase of Mark Kozelek's career is what I like to call his "midlife crisis" phase. The guy is heading towards 50 years old now and he is probably tired of just writing amazing Folk music. Whilst I do miss how Mark would write these achingly beautiful guitar melodies and sing his heart out, I do appreciate this new direction he has taken. Mark Kozelek has genuinely released some of the most evocative, boundary pushing and experimental releases of the decade. I also get the impression that he is just doing whatever the fuck he wants, with whoever he wants, and he doesn't care about what anyone else thinks or even about album sales so much. But I think if he really, really wants to succeed in this style, he just needs to slow the fuck down. You don't need to be putting out 3 albums a year, or repeating the same ideas and lyrical themes. The rule of "quality over quantity" should still apply. Instead of releasing 4 hours of music in the space of 6 months, if Mark Kozelek had thought to just pick the best hour of all this material and release that instead, I think he would have made a far larger impression. It is one thing to challenge your listeners and fans, but Mark has gone a step too far and overloaded and bombarded his fans with too much material that becomes tedious to wade through. There is a bit of gold in all 3 of these releases, but it has not exactly been a pleasant experience wading through all 4 hours of it.
MELVINS A WALK WITH LOVE & DEATH Ipecac Recordings. Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Hard Rock, Sound Collage, Original Score. Listening Format: Digital.
Melvins have been incredibly prolific in the last few years. Two albums in 2013 (one was a cover album), two albums in 2014 (one was King Buzzo's solo album), two albums in 2016... Offshoot project Crystal Fairy have already released a quality album earlier this year too! At this point, Melvins announcing a double album seems like some kind of threat! 'A Walk With Love & Death' very much presents both sides of the Melvins coin in one release. The 'Death' disc is that classic Melvin's Sludge Rock sound. Whilst the 'Love' disc is a return to the experimental side of Melvins that made 'Electroretard' and collaborated with Lustmord. Truly a release for the die hard Melvins connoisseur! DEATH It's probably safe to say that Melvins have softened up their sound a little bit this decade *takes cover from a pelting of rotten fruit*. But seriously, Melvins' recent output has been closer to a Hard Rock sound, even if there are still some classy doomy riffs on show. King Buzzo hasn't quite given us a ferocious scream or a haggard, crushing deathblow of a riff that abuses stereo speakers lately, such as displayed on their seminal 1993 album 'Houdini'. But what Melvins' have done well is to keep releasing interesting stuff. Their run of albums on Ipecac hasn't always been gold, but have been full of varying sounds, line-up changes and lots of collaborative efforts. Considering they are releasing material at a yearly rate, their creative flow certainly hasn't diminished.
The 'Death' disc of this double album is such a fun and breezy listen. I wouldn't quite consider it Metal, although stand out 'Euthanasia' has a slow and heavy riff that could slay a woolly mammoth. Sounding like classic 90s Melvins (this song has been knocking around live sets for a long time now). But most of this album is much more in the Rock terrirory. Standout track 'Sober-dellic' has a Blues Rock stomp to it that seems to be challenging 70s ZZ-Top. Lead single 'What's Wrong With You?' beautifully channels their 90s Grunge/Sub Pop roots. This track sounds like the Beach Boys, Nirvana and Bubblegum Pop all mixed into a blender. The vocal harmonies sound so immediate and ear grabbing on this track. The vocal harmonies shine really well on the crunchy riff rocker 'Flaming Creature' too, another huge track. Ultimately the 'Death' disc is just so much fun. Melvins' have been trying to create more immediate, catchy and fun songs for a few years now and it sounds like they are getting better and better at it. They still totally inject them with that Melvins quirk and sense of humour. LOVE
On the tails side of the coin we have the 'Love' disc. It's been a while since the more controversial and experimental side of Melvins has been let loose but here we have it. 'Love' is an original score for a short film directed by Jesse Nieminen, also called A Walk With Love & Death. I've not seen the film yet, but judging from the score I imagine it to be a very surreal, arty collage film perhaps? The 'Love' disc is not a film score in the traditional sense. It is basically a series of noisy sound collages with field recordings, spoken word samples (presumably from the film) and little to no structure. Each track noodles about seemingly randomly, with the occasional pulsing electronics, banging drums, scatty guitars. All the tracks here sound like they are completely improvised in the studio and sound very lo-fi and barely mixed or mastered. It definitely harkens back to their 1994 sound collage album 'Prick'. I honestly really struggled to sit through this disc. It just... It's not good. The sound of Melvins messing around with instruments in their rehearsal room with no rhyme or reason might appeal to a small quota of Noise fans or Melvins die hards, but in reality, this is not enjoyable to listen to. It sounds like the band churned it out in an afternoon and barely looked back on it. It also has absolutely no connection to the impressive 'Death' disc in terms of sound, style or thematic content. I did not take away anything memorable or enjoyable from this disc, and I quickly want to forget I ever heard it. CONCLUSION These two albums really deserved to be released separately because they don't have any logical connection to each other. 'Death' is one of the best Melvins releases of this decade, and 'Love' might be the worst thing they have ever put out. If 'Love' had just been billed as a "bonus disc" I could have let it slide. But this package is not only being marketed as a double album, but priced as such too. And sadly, as much as I enjoyed the 'Death' disc, it isn't worth shelling out that extra buck (although the album packaging is superb). The 'Love' disc is something you will not want to listen to more than once... Ever! I'm going to leave this at a 6/10 (but in reality think of it as an 8/10 & a 2/10)
*Note: At least it lives up to the title. Feels like they got the 'Love' & 'Death' titles the wrong way around though?
CKY THE PHOENIX e-one Music. Alternative Metal, Alternative Rock. Listening Format: CD & Digital
If you are like me and you were a teenager at the start of the 2000s then you will probably have a soft spot for CKY. Back then, MTV was still worth watching, extreme sports were cooler than a good meme, and the show Jackass was must watch television. So those who enjoyed watching men eating their own puke and falling off skateboards will undoubtedly hold CKY's first two albums dearly. Even to this day, 'Volume 1' and 'Infiltrate. Destroy. Rebuild.' are brilliant staple-pieces of American early 00s Alternative Rock/Metal. I can still look back fondly with rose-tinted glasses on songs as classy as '96 Quite Bitter Beings', 'Sara's Mask', 'Disengage the Simulator', 'Flesh Into Gear' and 'Escape From Hellview', and think back to where the most stressful time in my life was cringing as the Jackass crew hurt themselves for my viewing pleasure. For some reason though, by the time CKY's 2005 album 'An Answer Can Be Found' rolled along, my music and viewing pleasures had changed drastically. This and their subsequent album (2009's 'Carver City') didn't even enter my radar. Even at the time I don't remember hearing one song from them or being aware of their existence. Just as the interest in Jackass declined by the end of the decade, so did the interest in anything resembling Nu-Metal. Things are different in 2017 though. Nostalgia is a powerful entity. It's a year where the SNES is available on shelves again, there is a new Blade Runner, Star Wars AND Alien film... Even fucking Jumanji is getting a reboot! FUCKING JUMANJI!!! So you know, might as well give the new CKY album a listen. WHY THE FUCK NOT!? It's worth noting that band founder, lead vocalist and contributing songwriter Deron Miller has left the band. Chad Ginsburg has not only stepped in to take over lead vocals but also produced the album... And OH...DEAR...LORD. I'm not even kidding, his vocal performance on this album sounds like your mate who always drinks way too much, stumbles about, slurs all his words and eventually collapses in front of the toilet. Deron Miller had a pretty versatile voice that was able to do awesome shouty vocals, as well as clean vocals that had a strong sense of melodicism. He would also use the dynamics of his voice to bring shades of dark and light to their songs. Well all that has gone out of the window. Chad Ginsburg is not cut out for the lead vocal role. His voice is incredibly one dimensional, and his deep, low pitched drawl seems to awkwardly try and tackle a higher range that just sounds like nails on a chalkboard. He flat out murders all of the songs here. His voice just seems to keep warbling uncontrollably, like he was genuinely hammered in that recording booth. But it would be unfair to single out his vocals, as the entire remnants of CKY really seem to struggle all over this record.
The best example is heard in the lead single, 'Days of Self Destruction'. It actually kicks off with a decent riff that sounds reminiscent of vintage CKY, but about 10 seconds in it is ruined by Chad's awful vocal. The song stumbles through a generic verse/chorus/verse phase and then in a spot where Deron Miller would probably have added an interesting change in gear, instead the band close off the song with A MINUTE AND A HALF of obnoxious guitar soloing. I'm not even kidding it feels like it is the first time CKY have ever attempted to play guitar solos! In the music video, Mastodon's Brent Hinds even appears to be teaching the band members how to play, which is an amusing touch. The truth is, this entire album is absolutely littered with these eyebrow raising guitar solos that serve no purpose other than to pad out a lack of song structure and ideas. 'Days of Self Destruction' ends as the title brilliantly prophesizes, with a wankfest of completely unmemorable, passionless and horribly mixed guitar dross until the song ends on an awkward fade out, like the sound engineer had said 'Nope... Not on my watch!" Seriously, this isn't a Frank Zappa album, this isn't an Yngwie Malmsteen album... What were you thinking??? 'Head For a Breakdown' is also plagued with horribly mixed and flat sounding guitar licks and solos when Ginsburg isn't barfing over the track, piercing the brain with their horribleness. Even the guitars sound like they are vomiting... Perhaps even worse is there are some Poppier numbers on this album that actually sound like they are trying to sound like Fall Out Boy... Recent Fall Out Boy (which is far worse). Opening track 'Replaceable' has this awful upbeat dance friendly stomp that just does not fit the CKY sound at all.
'The Phoenix' has 8 songs and only lasts 30 minutes, and manages to say absolutely nothing worthwhile in the process. Generic riffs, awful vocals, and some of the worst excuses for guitar solos I have ever heard. The songs lack any dynamics or strong hooks. Most of the choruses just end up repeating whatever the title is over and over. The mix is horrible, with the lead guitar lines in particular having this really piercing tone that claws at the inside of my ears, and the vocals are completely the opposite pitch to the guitars, often sounding off key, sloppy and unintelligible. There is such a consistent lack of spark or imagination across this whole album, that I don't even know why they bothered to go and record these songs in the first place. Awful attempts at Pop crossovers, half assed performances, songs only memorable for how laughably moronic they are... I feel like Deron Miller must have got the last laugh, because he successfully managed to escape from hellview before the bomb dropped! You know when you look at an album's track titles and it seems to be telling the story for you... 'Replaceable', 'Days of Self Destruction', 'Head For a Breakdown', 'Wiping Off the Dead'... Yeah... It will take something really special to prevent this from being the worst album of 2017. Maybe I'll go check out that new Linkin Park album everyone is raving about... 2/10.
WASHED OUT MISTER MELLOW Stones Throw Records. Chillwave, Downtempo, Dream Pop, Electronic. Listening Format: CD & Digital
Stones Throw Records was the shit in the 00s. It was known for having the most cutting edge, weird and forward thinking sounds in Hip Hop predominantly. Legendary artists such as J Dilla, Madlib and MF DOOM once thrived on the label. They even made a film about it back in 2013, the excellent Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton... And then after that, just as it felt like the label was about to enter a next level phase... Nothing much happened. I honestly have tried to keep up with Stones Throw since then, but haven't really heard anything that has grabbed me. Madlib is testing out his own label, dodgy posthumous J Dilla releases keep popping up (on other labels) and MF DOOM has moved over to LEX. On the other side of the crossroads, Washed Out was at the forefront of a "microgenre" (or non genre in my opinion) named Chillwave. The alias of Ernest Greene, Washed Out arrived on the scene in 2009. His big single 'Feel It All Around' was picked up as the theme song to Portlandia, and his debut album received a critical round of applause, which is where I first heard the term Chillwave. What is Chillwave? Well it's not really a genre at all. It's basically just a hodge podge of dreamy psychedelia, hazy reverbed vocals, and elements of funky Hip Hop as well as Downtempo Electronica. Basically imagine Air and Madlib making love in a cave...!?
Cut to 2017 and Washed Out's third full length album comes out on Stones Throw Records (his previous works were on Sub Pop). Alas we can all agree it sounds like a great fit. After all his breakout song that put him on the map, 'Feel It All Around' certainly exists in that Post-Dilla & Madlib kind of bubble, even if it sounded more at home with Indie Rock fans than Hip Hop heads. I guess the expectation for Washed Out joining Stones Throw is that he might be able to channel those Hip Hop influences even further, or perhaps make his most abstract and forward thinking album to date?
Well it certainly feels like Washed Out has tried to go for that Stones Throw sound. Yet he hasn't full immersed himself into it, as some of the tracks here feel a little too much of a retreat to what he has already accomplished before. When 'Burn Out Blues' kicks into life, that pumping bassline and laid back Hip Hop-esque beat feels majestic. Even when his washed out (ahem) unintelligible vocals kick in, it sounds pretty fresh. 'Floating By' is another track that seems to implement a more dense and abstract approach. Even though it is a fairly simple and dreamy song, it is the little details that shift and change on this track that elevate it. 'Hard to Say Goodbye' goes a little too funky and upbeat, as it has this Balearic Disco beat that feels so warm and nostalgic, like something Metronomy would pump out. 'Down & Out' honours Hip Hop more than any other track here, opening with the sounds of police sirens, and an eerie spoken word sample, as it leads into 'Instant Calm' which has a hard kick and snare combo. In just 29 minutes (yes this album is only 1 minute longer than 'Reign In Blood') Washed Out packs in a vast amount of ideas and sounds. All the tracks flow into each other really well, switching up styles and tempos erratically, similar to how his sonic peer Bibio operates. Washed Out has pushed his skills in production and sound crafting further than ever. There are so many layers and intricate details all over this album. The way Washed Out makes a sound college of eerie backmasked samples segueing 'Hard to Say Goodbye' and 'Down & Out' is such a commanding and ear grabbing moment on the record. But the biggest problems lay in the words written on the spine. Because a lot of these songs suffer from being too washed out and too mellow! I say the songs are washed out because, whilst there are plenty of ideas sonically, in terms of actual songwriting a lot of these songs feel too short and under-developed. In fact the album flows more like a mixtape than an album. Most of the tracks feel more like snippets and ideas than full compositions. And even the songs that do feel complete just feel a little too soft and unmemorable. Other than the interesting mix and layering, nothing of the vocals or melodies really ever grab me. Though I can appreciate Washed Out has made a step forward and pushed his skills as a producer, I feel that his previous albums were ultimately better written, more cohesive and memorable. 'Mister Mellow' is very much style over substance. 6/10.
