{"id":2324,"date":"2010-04-24T12:12:03","date_gmt":"2010-04-24T19:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/?p=2324"},"modified":"2010-04-25T10:50:04","modified_gmt":"2010-04-25T17:50:04","slug":"2324","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/04\/24\/2324\/","title":{"rendered":"New Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indy Music ~ New & Improved<\/h1>\n

CD reviews by Kent Manthie<\/h5>\n

Love is All
\nTwo Thousand and Ten Injuries<\/em>
\nPolyvinyl Records, 2010
\nwww.polyvinylrecords.com
\n<\/strong>
\n Here is another fantastic release from one of the best indie labels in the country: Polyvinyl Records. You may not be all that familiar with them if you live on the West Coast and\/or listen to a lot of commercial radio. But I know there are those pockets of intelligentsia, swinging music lovers who are cult-followers of all things indie, eclectic and talented.
\n This album of which I speak is by a band who call themselves Love is All and their latest CD, Two Thousand & Ten Injuries<\/em> s led by a teensy-voiced faery of a woman who sings with lovely abandon and in the background, the music has a more edginess to it – not one filled with \u201cangst\u201d or pretend nihilism, but with a genuine style and sound that doesn\u2019t come off as reductive or derivative. It has an up-tempo feel, guitars rocking out, a big blast of beats to keep it all in line and it just coheres very well with her meandering, beautiful \u201clittle girl\u201d sound that isn\u2019t immature or all that \u201cinnocent\u201d but has just the right complement to the music.
\n The \u201clittle-girl\u201d singing melds just right with the sparse, at times, melodies and that voice is just so damn cute that you don\u2018t realize, at first, that a lot of the lyrics can be dark and depressing or expressive of an unhappy person, politically. This is all perfectly exhibited on \u201cEarly Warnings\u201d and the title track. The closing track on Love is All is \u201cThe Birds Were Singing With All Their Might\u201d, a sweet yet mystifying touch of love for their cult-following and, hopefully, the new ones they pick up along the way through college radio, word-of-mouth, lots of touring – playing small-to-medium sized venues and maybe opening for some god-awful pop band who is probably not half as good as Love Is All.
\n After listening to this EP (it\u2019s a bummer, I know, but the whole CD clocks in at only 19 minutes) you come away feeling like you know these guys, as if you\u2019d just invited them into your pad and had a cocktail or two and got to know their deepest secrets and their yearnings and burnings for their future and what they want to do with their music in the future, where are they headed, et cetera, maybe get in some other discussions as well if their g-damned publicist isn\u2019t around.
\n So that\u2019s what this EP does – it lays out the foundation for their sound-path, they experiment a little bit, by now having \u201cfound themselves\u201d and the niche they\u2019re cornering and with enough self-confidence, went and recorded this thriller of an EP – a demo to the world, you might say.
\n Next time around, though, I expect a full-length CD armed with pop pleasantries and plaintive wailing from the cutest voice I\u2019ve heard in a while. <\/p>\n

:::<\/p>\n

Japandroids
\nPost-Nothing<\/em>
\nPolyvinyl Records, 2009
\nwww.japandroids.com
\n<\/strong>
\n \u201cA brutal force of joyous abandon.\u201d (-NME #39). That really sums up the debut from the beautiful music of Japandroids, Post Nothing<\/em>. To show how popular they are getting (and this is in no part due to any radio hype or any hype of any kind except word-of-mouth) try checking it out (or even finding it) at your local library. At my local branch it was on hold for 8 different people. I put myself on the list because I knew I\u2019d want this CD just because they are on Polyvinyl Records and being very hip to PVR, meaning everything I\u2019ve gotten from them has been a good CD; paradigm-shifting at their best, repetition at its worst. You can\u2019t say that about a lot of labels (especially the major labels).
\n Anyway, just so you don\u2019t expect some pots and pans and white noise that Japanese-art bands (think: the Boredoms) are known for, just know that Japandroids are not from Japan – they are two white boys from somewhere in the US, probably the Midwest.
\n A couple songs worth mentioning here would be \u201cI Quit Girls\u201d – written probably due to a promising relationship that didn\u2019t gel, following in a pattern of similar happenings, not in a way that pines for one\u2019s own homosexuality to become manifest (consciously or unconsciously). Another one worth mentioning is: \u201cRockers East Vancouver\u201d, a jam-packed, beat-heavy mood swinger wherein the guys turn things way up and just let the music do the talking (well, the lyrics too\u2026) with the really cool drumming and the anthemic guitar manipulation. Also, \u201cWet Hair\u201d has a sexy mix to it along with an A for effort in their winning streak of slick, rocking tunes.
\n In all, the mood of the music is upbeat, no faux angst here and no blood-curdling \u201cEmo\u201d either. The only label you can really pin on these guys is just plain ol\u2019 \u201crock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u201d – as they\u2019re not punk, hip-hop, experimental or pop and they certainly aren\u2019t drone or ambient.
\n Next time they come to your town, make sure you get in the door to see them play. I\u2019m pretty sure these guys would put on a energizing show and really entertain; no they don\u2019t have a big, expensive stage show, a la Marilyn Manson or U2, but they let the music do the talking for them and that\u2019s all they need for a backdrop.
\n I can hear how the studio, for Japandroids, is limiting and by getting on stage they\u2019d throttle it to the max. I think it\u2019s the combination of the bombastic drums and the screaming guitars working together yet apart, that makes Japandroids who they are and is the best way to start out describing them. <\/p>\n

:::<\/p>\n

Sarah June
\nIn Black Robes<\/em>Silber Media, 2009
\nwww.silbermedia.com
\n<\/strong>
\n In 2008 Sarah June recorded a CD for Timothy Renner\u2019s Hand Eye record label. Soon, all kinds of labels were being thrown at her: \u201cGoth Folk\u201d \u201cWyrd\u201d Folk and \u201cAttic Core\u201d. To me, though, it sounds a lot like Neil Young circa early-mid 1970s, when he did a lot of acoustic sets onstage (and later years too, but those were the best) with just an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and an upright piano that he\u2019d occasionally play. That is what In Black Robes<\/em> is all about: Just Sarah June and a guitar, the two of them being plenty to work with. Sarah\u2019s got this high-pitched, childlike voice, that sounds like a little girl\u2019s but make no mistake, Sarah\u2019s all woman. And don\u2019t let that childish singing fool you either: Sarah June has a sometimes vicious pen and uses it to creatively cut down idols that need chopping off, or sometimes she\u2019ll stick a little political message or social critique, woven into those oh-so-sweet lyrics. Sarah is a good songwriter and would\u2019ve been more of a sensation in those dark years (except for King Crimson and Bowie) of the 1970s, but with all the subgenres that abound today it\u2019s no wonder that the \u201csinger-songwriter\u201d is making a comeback – after all, it\u2019s just good songwriting, there\u2019s no secret formula for that, just an innate knack for slick, catchy melodies.
\n As a child, Sarah took piano lessons and that helped her build the musical knowledge that she would need to pick up the guitar shortly thereafter. As a young teen, she began to write her own music, eventually dropping out of school, Sarah began pursuing music as her eventual calling in life and was adamant about fulfilling her dream. Hell, she already had a roster of original tunes and all that was needed was the space to play in and mates to play with and hopefully some studio time would come her way as indie folks heard more and more of her.
\n After recording her first CD, This is My Letter to the World<\/em>, recorded for Renner\u2019s Hand Eye label in 2008, which was received quite well itself, Renner eventually split to
\nfocus on Stone Breath, another project with which he was involved at the time. So Polyvinyl was more than happy to pick her up and sign her, the result, so far, of that marriage being In Black Robes<\/em>. PVR is the perfect home for Sarah June. There, they give her the space she needs as well as the time and freedom to create what she creates, then records it and sells it just like that (with a little help from a producer now and then). <\/p>\n

:::<\/p>\n

Carta
\nAn Index of Birds
\nSilber Media, 2010
\nwww.silbermedia.com
\n<\/strong>
\n Another CD from Silber Media that shows off their \u201csofter side\u201d – meaning that An Index of Birds, the new CD from Carta isn\u2019t a \u201cNu Metal\u201d (or old metal for that matter), since Silber Media has been known to have some crazy, dark, black, nihilistic metal on their roster – sometimes experimentally so, which always makes it even more fun: like Philip Glass working with Slayer on some project or other.
\n Songs that stick in one\u2019s mind after the CD is over include \u201cHourglass\u201d, \u201cThe Likeness is Almost Undeniable\u201d, \u201cSantander\u201d and the 11+minute \u201cDescension\u201d. While there isn\u2019t too much diversity among the music, well, at least it stays consistent and doesn\u2019t leave you wondering where they\u2019re coming from. They have a little bit of Mazzy Star in them as well as the late, great Kirsty MacColl. The music is great, a bit atmospheric and hazy at times, but musically, the lush and bittersweet lyrics override a melancholy yet studied and perfected craftwork.
\n I see a big, bright future ahead for Carta as long as they stick to the indie avenue and put on great, unforgettable shows, which will then spread their name by word-of mouth and next thing you know, you\u2019re the darlings of the critics and the hipsters that know what\u2019s cool before everyone else. <\/p>\n

:::<\/p>\n

The Lost Patrol
\nDark Matter<\/em>
\nSelf-Released, 2010
\n<\/strong>
\nOn the follow up to their debut CD from last year, The Lost Patrol come at us with this bliss-out of a CD, Dark Matter, an agreeable CD to say the least, no sophomore slump here – it looks like they probably played some shows around and then got back to work as soon as they could in order to keep the continuity going. Some bands, who I won\u2019t mention here, have released phenomenal debuts and then rested on their laurels but by the time their follow-up finally came out it was like – who? – in this biz you have to be as relevant as possible because all sorts of soundz are going to come out of the woodwork during that time you\u2019re not being creative.
\n On this slick, candle-lit dinner of a CD, The Lost Patrol, fronted by a singer with a very potent set of lungs: Mollie Israel who is part of a trio that also includes Stephen Masucci on the guitar, bass, the Omnichord and \u201cprogramming\u201d and rounding them out is Michael Williams, who adds his touch with the 12-string guitar.
\n The CD has an array of sweetness and light, but backed with a pronounced bass presence and a good drummer. The tight beats keep the music from turning into a mass of ether and floating away.
\n Songs like \u201cLay In Wait\u201d and \u201cIn Your Blood\u201d show off their \u201cpop\u201d side while others like \u201cJustine\u201d, \u201cCalling Your Own Name\u201d and \u201cThese Days\u201d delve into the more moody aspect of them, the latter three are more slowed-down, atmospheric and melancholy. The songs are all credited to \u201cThe Lost Patrol\u201d not to any one band member, which shows that it is a real collaborative effort.
\n Maybe it\u2019s the way the CD\u2019s been self-produced & released that gives the disc that certain \u201cedge\u201d that is just this side of raw, but polished up as best they can. For doing it their way on their own, Dark Matter has turned out to be a success. It\u2019s got a diverse bunch of smooth tunes. Some chill-out, quasi-ballad-esque songs, melancholy laments, plus more upbeat, almost pop stuff that shines at its best, like \u201cCalling Your Own Name\u201d or \u201cPlay Me For a Fool\u201d.
\n It\u2019s hard to pin The Lost Patrol down because they\u2019re all over the place. Of course, it\u2019s always under \u201cRock\u201d at stores or online shopping, but as for subgenre, you can\u2019t say they\u2019re \u201cpost-this\u201d or \u201cneo-that\u201d and I don\u2019t really know anyone I could compare them to except for maybe the Cowboy Junkies but at a faster pace and with more laissez-faire as well, musically, that is. It\u2019s really just a good indie rock CD that isn\u2019t too long and has originality as well as spirit in its eleven tracks. Let\u2019s just hope that they keep on releasing CD after CD of this unique spirit of music.<\/p>\n

:::<\/p>\n

Casio Kids
\nTopp Stemning pa Lokal Bar<\/em>
\nPolyvinyl Records, 2010
\n<\/strong>
\n When first you hear just the name of the band (Casio Kids in this case) you can a lot of times catch a little vibe about what they\u2019re about – take Cannibal Corpse or Deicide – just hearing those band names, if you had never heard of them before you\u2019d still most likely be predisposed to assume them to be speed-metal or at least dark metal of some kind.
\n Well, it\u2019s sort of the same with European pop bands – some of them have the cutest names, especially the Scandinavian ones; they pick band names that are warm and fuzzy and have a kind of pleasantness about them, either in the way the name sounds or whatever it evokes by its name. Casio Kids would seem like they\u2019d probably be a cheesy, retro-pop band with no sense of irony; but in this case they\u2019d be wrong because that\u2019s not how the Casio Kids come across at all. They are inventive, creative and sure, they use a lot of synthesizers and drum machines and whatnot, but it\u2019s done so artfully and the sound is beautiful that comes from them. It\u2019s not what is playing the music, it is how well it sounds, how pleasing it is to the senses, not just the ears but the whole body all at once. If a song has certain hooks or bridges or catchy riffs that is all the better and there is plenty of that with Casio Kids. The only thing is that they don\u2019t speak any English – or at least not very much – all the songs (not to mention the title) are in what looks like Danish or possibly Icelandic, but not Norwegian or Swedish. I can\u2019t make out what the entire title of the CD is trying to say but it has something to do with the \u201clocal bar\u201d – it almost sounds like they could be saying \u201cquit stopping at the local bar\u201d or something to that effect.
\n The electronic music that envelops the disc, behind a bemused, shy, kind of quiet female who sings in a wanton way, not quite grounded maybe, but who definitely knows more than she\u2019s letting on. But the music itself, even though it may be electronic, has a real hypnotic aura to it and some of it is just repetitive and trippy enough to hold one in its sway, most of the songs are in the longish area – from 5 – 10 minutes or more in some cases. This gives the listener time to get lost in the music and come out on the other side, feeling like they were floating.
\n It\u2019s hard to pick a favorite song or three, but just to whet your appetite, I\u2019d say that \u201cGront lys I Alle Ledd\u201d is a great one, a record definer, since it is the opening cut, it has to set the tone and it does that well. Two others that stood out to me include: \u201cVerdens Storste Land\u201d as well as \u201cFinn Bikkjen!\u201d, both have a blissed-out sense of wonder and the awe of someone in a trance or a child.
\n Listening to this CD it never really actually mattered that I couldn\u2019t understand what they were saying, it was just their inimitable style and that almost universal sense of pop and rock as well as the more mystical elements it can bring with the electronics that make up the \u201cband\u201d, except for some stray percussion instruments and the occasional acoustic or electric guitar in the background. It is truly something that crossed the language and (somewhat) cultural barriers to some extent, by bringing this to a US audience. They may have to have a bit of patience – Americans are so \u201cright now, right now\u201d that they\u2019re going to have to be those more intelligent ones that can slowly absorb and appreciate the complexities of something like this. Enjoy! <\/p>\n

:::
\n
\n– KM<\/b><\/p>\n

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Indy Music ~ New & Improved CD reviews by Kent Manthie Love is All Two Thousand and Ten Injuries Polyvinyl Records, 2010 www.polyvinylrecords.com Here is another fantastic release from one of the best indie labels in the country: Polyvinyl Records. You may not be all that familiar with them if you live on the West Coast and\/or listen to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[573],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4051,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2011\/03\/14\/sxsw-polyvinyl-records-sxsw-showcase\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":0},"title":"Polyvinyl Records SXSW Showcase, on Saturday (3\/19)","author":"admin","date":"March 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"(Alert)Live Music In The Lone Star StateSaturday (3\/19) On top of all the crazy festivities that this year's SXSW will surely provide you, there's one thing that you must do - COME TO THE POLYVINYL SHOWCASE! We've got an amazing show lined up for you this year. I guarantee you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lifestytle"","block_context":{"text":"Lifestytle","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/lifestytle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/sxsw-polyvinyl-222x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":147,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/09\/19\/music-reviews-secret-apollo\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":1},"title":"music reviews… secret apollo","author":"admin","date":"September 19, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Music reviews by Kent Manthie Secret Apollo: HOMEMADE TIME MACHINE (tall people records) Secret Apollo have twiddled and fiddled with the knobs in the studio for a bit and wound up with this ultra-cool, way hip CD, which is not too long, either, only about 40 minutes altogether. There are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7163,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2012\/09\/04\/were-breaking-up-already-babe\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":2},"title":"We’re Breaking Up Already, Babe?","author":"Kent","date":"September 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Deerhoof The Breakup Song Polyvinyl Records, 2012 Review by Kent Manthie Tweet This year, so far, has been a pretty good year for indie music. In the early part of 2012 we received a couple other bands\u2019 albums also on the Polyvinyl Records roster: Owen\u2019s whimsical, at times and always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Deerhoof-the-breakup-song-pic-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2219,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/03\/17\/here-are-a-few-new-releases-to-whet-your-palate\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":3},"title":"Here are a few new releases to whet your palate:","author":"Kent","date":"March 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Aloha Home Acres Polyvinyl Records, 2009 Reviewed by Kent Manthie Well this is a nice surprise. Aloha has finally come into their own, so to speak. Home Acres is the third CD I\u2019ve reviewed, which is when I got hip to the band. On previous CDs, Aloha seemed to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":169,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/10\/30\/owen-other-cd-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":4},"title":"Owen & other CD reviews","author":"admin","date":"October 30, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Owen: \u201cAt Home with Owen\u201d (Polyvinyl Record Company) When I first saw the new Owen CD that the musical geniuses over at Polyvinyl Records sent me I was excited but simultaneously apprehensive about first listening to it. It may sound kind of odd but I was so blown away (still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3161,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/11\/01\/indie-takeover-one-cd-and-two-seven-inchers\/","url_meta":{"origin":2324,"position":5},"title":"Indie Takeover: One CD and Two seven-inchers","author":"Kent","date":"November 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Aloud Exile Lemon Merchant Records www.allthingsaloud.com Reviewed by Kent Manthie What to make of Aloud? Hmm\u2026it\u2019s not your everyday pop-rock-hip\/hop-emo-nu-metal CD but a horse of an entirely different color. More oriented toward hippie groovin\u2019, folkified, laid back mellowness, Exile, their newest release has some interesting routes less traveled in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2324"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2326,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324\/revisions\/2326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}