Volume

Guest Reviewer Of The Month Matt Hensley

Grinderman
Anti-
*** (3.5/5.0)
Well overall, I thought this record was good. I am a big fan of Nick Cave’s older stuff, so I’m always trying to listen for that earlier sound. I think it’ll be a great record to sip whiskey on the rocks to. The first song from Nick’s new band Grinderman, “Get It On,” is one of the gems-just when you’re about to skip to the next song, the piano comes in and you’re like, “F-k yes!” Another standout is “Honey Bee (Let’s Fly To Mars)”-a great song and I love the organ sound. But my favorite song on the record is “(I Don’t Need You To) Set Me Free”-sweet bass line, brilliant song, classic Nick Cave. I will buy this record.-Matt Hensley


Shadows Fall
Threads Of Life
Atlantic
***
In a perpetual sea of endless copycat metalcore bands, Shadows Fall stands apart from the herd with some truly thought-provoking and highly stylized heavy metal. The band has been endlessly touring since its inception in 1996 and finally garnered national attention with the release of its third album, The Art Of Balance, and a super successful stint on a headlining stage during 2003′s Ozzfest.
On the band’s fifth full-length studio LP, Threads Of Life, you’ll find more of the same, but this time, with major label backing from Atlantic, the production value of this new album is crispier, tighter, and definitely heavier. Intricate guitar blasts coupled with an on-the-spot rhythm section and lead singer Brian Fair’s harmonic screaming has become the band’s benchmark. Fans of Lamb Of God, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, and All That Remains will be chomping at the bit to get their hands on Threads Of Life. Devil horns pointed skyward on this one, for sure.-Aaron Schmidt

All Smiles
Ten Readings Of A Warning
Dangerbird
*** (3.5/5.0)
If, after the demise of Grandaddy, you’d asked me which member would be the first to put out a solo record, there’s no way I would have said Jim Fairchild. Maybe it was finally Jim’s turn to step in front of a microphone and let us know what he’s thinking. At first listen, Ten Readings Of A Warning is a totally competent, melodic, largely acoustic, partially folksy, partially lo-fi, falsetto-voiced gem. Who knew that Jim could sing? I mean, sure, his guitar playing has always been first-rate, if largely-unfortunately-unnoticed, but who knew he could write songs?
Here’s the bottom line, though: I’m into approximately 40 percent of this album, which is a pretty decent ratio considering that most albums have, at best, three decent songs with a ton of superfluous filler. But man, that 40 percent is pretty excellent. I expect that Jim will only mature as a songwriter, and in time, with a bit of luck (or, of course, a quasi-mystical peyote experience in the desert), that 40 percent will grow to 50 percent and 60 percent. Finally, one day many years from now, he’ll put out a greatest hits album and I’ll go, “Dude, 100-percent awesome! Well done.”-Andreas Trolf

Love Of Diagrams
Mosaic
Matador
*** (3.5/5.0)
Though Melbourne’s Love Of Diagrams has been making its mark within the Australian music community for a few years, they’ve generally gone unnoticed within most American indie-rock circles. That’s about to change. After two trips to the U.S. and Europe, the bass-drums-and-guitar trio has signed to Matador Records in New York (home to Cat Power and Mogwai). LOD’s sound primarily deals in no-wave experimentation and the urgent rhythms of U.K.-style post-punk. Imagine Unwound crossing swords with The Pixies and Gang Of Four. Yes, it really is that good. With Spartan, energetic arrangements and call-and-response vocal workouts, Mosaic offers a surprising leap forward from their recent self-titled EP. Despite the EP being pretty half-assed, the full-length sounds like a band finally coming into its own. This can partially be attributed to the way it was made: Recorded in Chicago at Steve Aini’s Electrical Audio Studios with producer Bob Weston (Shellac, Mission Of Burma), Mosaic has that “serious contender for best indie album of the year” vibe.-Arlie Carstens


Midnight Movies
Lion The Girl
New Line
** (2.5/5.0)
Here’s something you won’t catch me doing often: admitting that I don’t really know what I’m talking about. I like to think of myself as one of those guys who can bluff and charm his way into and out of pretty much any situation.
Case in point: I’m completely unfamiliar with Midnight Movies. So let’s have this be a learning experience for both of us, okay? Let’s hold hands and figure this out, shall we? First off, the chick singing sounds like Nico, only without the German accent. And since you and I both really like the Velvet Underground, Midnight Movies scores a point right out of the gate. The music is brooding and slightly sinister-”noir” is a good term. I’m still on the fence about this whole “neo-noir” business. It’s kind of hard to pull off without sounding all disingenuous. No points added or deducted in this case. It’s also a bit new-wavey. It’s what people in New York in the late 1970s took to calling punk bands that learned to play their instruments well. Keyboards, fuzzy guitars, melodies-I don’t know, just like this whole mà‡lange of stuff.
Honestly, I want to be all meh about this album, but the moments when it shines it just glows in this rich incandescence and you stop thinking, “Neo-noir, what now?” and you just sit back and go with it.-Andreas Trolf

Panthers
The Trick
Vice
*** (3.5 out of 5)
Is it too late to have a discussion about bands named after animals? I guess with the “wolf market” being so oversaturated, it’s only natural that bands branch out. Japanther is a good name. Tiger Army is okay, I guess. And, of course, the original (I think) animal band name: Hawkwind! The thing about animal band names, though, is this: The band should at least embody some of the more anthropomorphic attributes associated with the animal they’ve chosen as their emblem. Case in point: If you name your band after a wolf, your songs should be a bit wily, flashing a hint of danger like barely concealed fangs. Panthers, on the other hand, are symbolically quite different. Panthers are a brooding malevolence. A sleek force of nature crawling languidly through lush foliage, awaiting the opportune moment to pounce upon their unsuspecting prey.
The Trick, then, is just that: a trick. Ten urgent songs, not wasting a moment, that combine the crunch of stoner jams with the stomp of a hardcore upbringing, with heavy doses of melody. This is no slow and deliberate panther stalking you in the shadows. This is the explosion unleashed the moment of a vicious attack.-Andreas Trolf

The Watchers
Vampire Driver
Gern Blandsten
** (2.5)
Some things are unnecessary-like, say, strawberry milkshakes, the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and this album Vampire Driver by The Watchers. The pull-quote (attributed to The Fader) on the band’s bio says, “…a band daring to sound unlike any other on the radar right now.” Hilarious. Man, what planet is The Fader on? Such a crock of sh-t. For indeed, The Watchers sound like several other bands, past and present. From the guitar tones to the vocal inflections and angular rhythms, this is a barefaced re-enactment of post-punk bands Gang Of Four and Wire. It’s a real downer when artists wear their influences so heavily as to be virtually indistinguishable from the music they draw upon. A band working through an “all over the map” identity crisis makes for a far more rewarding listen than one whose vision extends no further than blatantly biting other specific acts… particularly when it is to no significant or groundbreaking degree.-Arlie Carstens

Thee More Shallows
Book Of Bad Breaks
Anticon
*** (3.5/5.0)
I expected Thee More Shallows to be a hip-hop or ambient instrumental act, largely because they’re on Anticon Records. But this is not hip-hop. This is straight-up twee, bedroom-style indie pop, low-fi, and a bit creepy (think Grandaddy or Sparklehorse). It’s always weird when indie and punk labels try get their feet wet in the hip-hop world; it just feels like, “Oomph, wrong turn.” The similar can be said when hip-hop heads attempt “rocking.” Y’all remember when P. Diddy “rocked” with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page? Damn, so embarrassing!
TMS, however, is not embarrassing. Rather, this thing is mesmerizing; it’ll pique your inner WTF curiosity. Had this arrived on any other label, even a more appropriate pop label, it would’ve been overlooked. It’s good, but it can’t compete with the likes of Belle & Sebastian, The Shins, or any number of other indie pop acts. Releasing it this way guarantees it’ll receive exposure within a whole scene of Anticon aficionados who might not otherwise take interest in music of this sort. Smooth move.-Arlie Carstens

Electrelane
No Shouts, No Calls
Too Pure
****
Electrelane are Verity Susman (keyboards, guitar, vocals), drummer Emma Gaze, Mia Clarke (guitarist), and Ros Murray (bass). Between them, they play piano, organ, harmonium, saxophone, guitar, bass, banjo, cello, and drums. Oh, and several songs on the new No Shouts, No Calls feature choral arrangements. As in, multiple voices singing together in glorious unison as all those other instruments clang, clatter, and blast away. Electrelane raise your arm hairs in that special way only really unique, brave music can. The members live variously in Berlin, the Czech Republic, London, and Brighton. That they’re able to get together to concoct such incredible, enjoyable music is genuinely amazing-particularly since they’re known to set up their instruments in the studio and then rip through everything in one take. Angular, propulsive, loud, delicate, somber, energetic-this is their finest album yet.-Arlie Carstens

Priestbird
In Your Time
Kemado
****
Formed from the ashes of schizo-metal band Tarantula A.D. in early 2006, Priestbird consists of three very talented musicians who explore the uncharted realm of esoteric and symphonic-enhanced musical harmonies. Each member of Priestbird sings on each track and plays a wide array of instruments, including cellos, violins, piano, drums, banjos, guitars, and flutes. Together, the end result is nothing short of spectacular, as Priestbird guides the listener through a merry-go-round of lush orchestra-laden space rock complete with searing and eerily haunting vocals.
These days music that’s tough to classify is a rarity, but Priestbird has pulled it off and created its own niche in the heavy-rock originality department. Even the band’s name-inspired by an old Tarantula A.D. song about a character called Priestbird who guides bird spirits into the afterlife-is as original as the band’s sound.-Aaron Schmidt


UPCOMING RELEASES
MUSIC TO MAKE YOU DANCE. MUSIC TO MAKE YOU PRANCE.

May 22
Boris with Michio Kurihara, Rainbow
Erasure, Light At The End Of The World
Pelican, City Of Echoes
The National, Boxer
The Bravery, The Sun And The Moon
Shapes And Sizes, Split Lips, Winnings Hips, A Shiner
Soul Sides Vol. 2, The Covers
Voxtrot, Voxtrot
June 5
Cinematic Orchestra, Ma Fleur
Get Him Eat Him, Arms Down
Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger
June 19
Fridge, The Sun
July 7
Smashing Pumpkins, Zeitgeist

ause they’re on Anticon Records. But this is not hip-hop. This is straight-up twee, bedroom-style indie pop, low-fi, and a bit creepy (think Grandaddy or Sparklehorse). It’s always weird when indie and punk labels try get their feet wet in the hip-hop world; it just feels like, “Oomph, wrong turn.” The similar can be said when hip-hop heads attempt “rocking.” Y’all remember when P. Diddy “rocked” with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page? Damn, so embarrassing!
TMS, however, is not embarrassing. Rather, this thing is mesmerizing; it’ll pique your inner WTF curiosity. Had this arrived on any other label, even a more appropriate pop label, it would’ve been overlooked. It’s good, but it can’t compete with the likes of Belle & Sebastian, The Shins, or any number of other indie pop acts. Releasing it this way guarantees it’ll receive exposure within a whole scene of Anticon aficionados who might not otherwise take interest in music of this sort. Smooth move.-Arlie Carstens

Electrelane
No Shouts, No Calls
Too Pure
****
Electrelane are Verity Susman (keyboards, guitar, vocals), drummer Emma Gaze, Mia Clarke (guitarist), and Ros Murray (bass). Between them, they play piano, organ, harmonium, saxophone, guitar, bass, banjo, cello, and drums. Oh, and several songs on the new No Shouts, No Calls feature choral arrangements. As in, multiple voices singing together in glorious unison as all those other instruments clang, clatter, and blast away. Electrelane raise your arm hairs in that special way only really unique, brave music can. The members live variously in Berlin, the Czech Republic, London, and Brighton. That they’re able to get together to concoct such incredible, enjoyable music is genuinely amazing-particularly since they’re known to set up their instruments in the studio and then rip through everything in one take. Angular, propulsive, loud, delicate, somber, energetic-this is their finest album yet.-Arlie Carstens

Priestbird
In Your Time
Kemado
****
Formed from the ashes of schizo-metal band Tarantula A.D. in early 2006, Priestbird consists of three very talented musicians who explore the uncharted realm of esoteric and symphonic-enhanced musical harmonies. Each member of Priestbird sings on each track and plays a wide array of instruments, including cellos, violins, piano, drums, banjos, guitars, and flutes. Together, the end result is nothing short of spectacular, as Priestbird guides the listener through a merry-go-round of lush orchestra-laden space rock complete with searing and eerily haunting vocals.
These days music that’s tough to classify is a rarity, but Priestbird has pulled it off and created its own niche in the heavy-rock originality department. Even the band’s name-inspired by an old Tarantula A.D. song about a character called Priestbird who guides bird spirits into the afterlife-is as original as the band’s sound.-Aaron Schmidt


UPCOMING RELEASES
MUSIC TO MAKE YOU DANCE. MUSIC TO MAKE YOU PRANCE.

May 22
Boris with Michio Kurihara, Rainbow
Erasure, Light At The End Of The World
Pelican, City Of Echoes
The National, Boxer
The Bravery, The Sun And The Moon
Shapes And Sizes, Split Lips, Winnings Hips, A Shiner
Soul Sides Vol. 2, The Covers
Voxtrot, Voxtrot
June 5
Cinematic Orchestra, Ma Fleur
Get Him Eat Him, Arms Down
Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger
June 19
Fridge, The Sun
July 7
Smashing Pumpkins, Zeitgeist