Album Review: Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die

Album Grade: B

In the middle of the previous decade, it became in vogue to combine forms of media for mass consumption: Green Day’s American Idiot and Queen’s career (as cataloged in a book by Ben Elton) were adapted for the stage — comic book movies became the hottest Hollywood commodity — musical theater-inspired TV shows hit the airwaves in droves.  In 2013, Ghostface Killah has eliminated the middleman and done it all at once, writing an album based on a comic book that feels like a play and was written with composer Adrian Younge, best known for writing the score of 2009’s cult classic Black Dynamite.

Artist Of The Day: Yuck

If you've happened to visit an online music outlet over the past 48 hours or so, it's a fair bet you'll have seen Yuck's name cropping up left right and center. If you've not, don't get too excited. It's not a new album announcement, although the small print did state that they're heading to the studio to devise a sophomore. No, the main headline is the untimely departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg; a setback which although not fatal has plunged the band's immediate and long term future into doubt, not to mention providing a major complication to the process which will eventually yield a new full-length. Now, let's not get our knickers in a twist, we're hardly talking about musical revolutionaries here. Even the Londoner's most fanatical followers would struggle to make a case against the offerings being exclusively revivalist, and the more reasonable ones might even have a hard time asserting they stand out from the plethora of other modern grunge copyists. The truth, however, is that they've never really tried to, and that's part of their charm. Far from selling millions of records or pushing music forward, their goal is merely to emulate their idols of the late '80s and early '90s, creating scuzzy, carefree music with which they and those of their generation can reminisce. From their languid live performances to their drummer's daft Afro, Yuck epitomise all that's good about refusing to take oneself too seriously, and that's why this considerable setback can only be cast in a negative light.

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Jukebox: June Miller - From Autumn To Ashes

June Miller is one of the best new drum & bass duos in recent memory. Getting onto my soapbox for a second, most new acts stay within the confines of very "safe" music, keeping within the boundaries of standard jump-up beats or brutal neurofunk growls. June Miller, a duo made up of a Brit and a Dutchman, keeps the listener on their toes. First they might release a schizophrenic, paranoid banger like "64 Thousand Dollar Habit" with uneven patterns everywhere, then they might follow that up with the huge techstep piece "Snapcase" and its ominous, guttural wobbling. Point is, they're actually exciting and inventive in an industry-standard-fulfilling DnB world, and that's a very good thing.

Artist of the Day: Greeley Estates

Metalcore is an interesting genre. Spanning technical musicians such as August Burns Red and the more traditional scream-verse sing-chorus Killswitch Engage, the genre seems to have fallen in a rut of cookie cutter bands spewn out from labels like Victory and Rise. Greeley Estates, the once post-hardcore band gone metal, are one of the exceptions. Blending the heaviest riffs and blast beats with curveball production and memorable vocals is what Greeley Estates is all about, and they're doing mainstream metalcore the right way.

Artist of the Day: Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson's music is the most mechanical living beast one could ever imagine. This is why the musician's work is such a paradox, because however much labor he places in it, regardless of how structurally solid his art is as a whole, its effect on the listener transcends blueprint. What Stetson achieves with sound isn't something that can be calculated, or even estimated: it leaps into the field of potential with both wings outstretched, capable of picking up any and all willing passengers.

Artist of the Day - Los Campesinos!

As a Michigan dweller, I suffer from a wicked case of cabin fever every year, so the first day of the year I can walk outside without a hoodie on is a glorious event for me. It's the time of year I can acknowledge school is almost over, watch baseball all day, and trust that I won't be suffering from frigid cold ears on my walk to my car not 90 feet from the front door. More importantly though, it's the time I can just be alone for a while, be it out for a jog or driving the 30 minutes necessary to get to my friend's house during rush hours. In my hypothetical CD carousel of warm weather jams, Los Campesinos! find themselves in constant rotation. The former octet (they're down to six now) of snotty Welsh twenty-somethings know a thing or two about writing a bold, feel-good jam. Their full-bodied sound of horns, guitar and call-and-response vocals is chaotic; not traditional, "blow out your speakers, turn it up to 11" stuff like Sleigh Bells, but the energy is certainly enough to make you grin and slap your steering wheel at least a couple times on your drive. Furthermore, the banter between endlessly charismatic vocalists Gareth and Aleksandra (who departed shortly after the release of 2010's Romance is Boring) is patent UK snark, dropping one-liners and playing off each other like a pair of lifelong companions. There's really no rhyme or reason as to why Los Campesinos! are able to pull of their style as well as they do, but, despite the lack of method behind the madness, the group's hi jinks are the perfect soundtrack for your trip to a sibling's soccer game or a far away restaurant; sure to brighten even the most dreary chore, especially with a shining sun in the background.

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Artist Of The Day: Rockwell

Rockwell is probably the most exciting young producer out there today. The British producer of many genres of music has some of the keenest attention to detail I've heard, and every single drumbeat is perfectly placed and necessary (in some cases, over 100 different types of them are all put down with the utmost care). Not only that, but Rockwell (Tom Greene) is willing to go into basically any genre and style with his music. Though he got his start with bone-crunching techstep (see "Noir"), he's also got quite a bit of sultry DnB, "bangin'" trap, chilled downtempo, and other styles under his belt. Everything he does, from club tunes to less aggressive styles, is executed perfectly, and it seems the only way the already accomplished producer has to go is up - he's definitely one to keep an eye on in the coming years.

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Artist Of The Day: BATS

BATS is one of the most talented and original bands in post-hardcore today, and the late 2012 release of their second album The Sleep of Reason has only swelled their growing popularity. They effortlessly stand out from the crowd because really, no comparisons are accurate enough to do them justice. Sure, there are moments on The Fall of Troy’s Doppelganger which might come close to emulating the mathy riffs which BATS deploy, but the post-punk undertones and the varying song structures set it apart and are unrivalled in one package. However, the most distinguishable trait they possess is the lyrical content delivered by frontman Rupert Morris, and he fluctuates wildly between topics which physics and evolution enthusiasts marvel at. For BATS, it’s simply the norm to ponder the wisdom of pushing the boundaries of stem cell research and follow it up by recreating the fiery apocalypse of the universe’s end.

BATS are due to embark on a UK tour in the next week, and their science and astronomy inspired bombardments are likely to send tremors around a gritty, intimate setting near you soon. You can check out the details of their upcoming tour on their LastFM page, and also buy your tickets from the link below.

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Album Review: Home By Hovercraft - Are We Chameleons?

Album Rating: B

Sometimes, appreciating the beauty of life becomes most difficult precisely when you need beauty the most. The burdens of every day have a way of silently crushing you, as the books in your bag push your head down until all you can see is the gravel. My school rests on top of a hill, and each step I take these days feels heavy—April in Korea is the most colorful time of the year, with the cherry blossoms coming into full bloom, but for high school seniors, it’s a mental hell. The timing is apt, for theatre-rock troupe Home By Hovercraft’s debut release, Are We Chameleons?, is a much-needed panacea for these trying times. It’s so bright it’s practically drenched in color, but its aesthetic qualities belie an album that’s more than willing to delve into the darker reaches of the human heart—even if it ultimately comes out triumphant.

Watch This: Rare Monk - "Underground"

Oregon indie-rock band Rare Monk strikes a careful balance between icy detachment and swelling sentimentality, and "Underground," the first single off of its first (and fantastic) LP, Sleep/Attack, plays wonderfully with it. The track may be built on a cagey beat and some heavily synthesized vocals, but the meat of the track is the tangled explosion of strings and drums that illustrate the consequences of, as the chorus goes, waiting 'till your emotions burst out. The video goes even further with this dichotomy, cutting from shots establishing an uneasy serenity to short, powerful bursts of vicious carnage in the choruses. Unsettling implications arise when the protagonist reaches his breaking point and begins to spill blood, as the muted colors of the video suddenly give way to vivid reds and faded golds--and the moon makes way for a sunrise. Waking up in this nightmare world may be ill-advised, but those who can make their way out of the dirt just might find something--or somebody--worth coming back to life for.

Rare Monk's debut is available everywhere now.

Artist Of The Day: Paris

Here's a bold prediction for you: Paris will make it big very soon. Though their debut EP has only just come out, they've shown incredible pop sensibilities while making interesting song structures with some cool guitar noodling at such an early stage. The Lowell, Massachusetts quartet has been turning heads left and right with their catchy and fun brand of female-fronted post-hardcore, and they've already acquired a significant number of fans even with such little material. Though they're young, they show maturity in songwriting beyond their years, maturity that's sure to win over both old salts in the music world and more casual listeners alike. It's entirely possible that sooner or later, the band will blow up - and we'll be watching them to see if they do. They're applying for a spot at the Vans Warped Tour this year, and you can find out how to vote for them through their Facebook page (link below).

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Live Review: The Evens, Plant Zero (3/30/13)

A great number of strange factors converged and led me to seeing legendary punk icon Ian MacKaye performing with his band the Evens at the Plant Zero Art Space. “How many of you have seen a show here?” Mackaye asked before kicking things off. There was a bit of mumbling. “How many have been to a wedding reception here.” Hands were raised. Mine included. The man was dressed precisely as I had expected – black sneakers and tall white socks, cargo pants and a maroon t shirt. And, of course, he was hairless. In fact, I’m fairly certain that, outside the damn inescapable coercions of age, Mr. MacKaye hasn’t changed in the slightest since around 1989. There’s some definite comfort in that. The crowd about fit the mold I’d imagined too. There were your worn-out but in-shape guys who had seen hardcore get born and weren’t about to let a few gray hairs in between the rest of the brown buzz-cut talk shit to them, your former college radio DJ’s who left Jesus for Fugazi in the mid-80’s, and of course your modern punks, be they straight-edge or crusty or bent or hipsters or whatever, all looking to Ian as a guiding light, or for validation.

Jukebox: Jimmy Eat World - I Will Steal You Back

Jimmy Eat World has always excelled at writing music about relationships and latest single "I Will Steal You Back" is no exception. Frontman Jim Adkins has described forthcoming album Damage as an "adult breakup record," and the theme is palpable on this track. It's a decidedly less romantic take on rekindling love, Adkins looks to 'steal' back his lover back after a lie has driven a wedge between him and his unnamed suitor, with an acknowledgement that Adkins is fighting a battle he's "sure to lose," but there's beauty in his hopelessness. His voice drips with yearning and the subtle inflections of words like "walls" make the emotions more palpable, the nuances more pronounced. Adkins has an ear for detail and puts it to good use on here in stark contrast to the overblown arrangements that dulled down 2010's Invented.

Damage was rumored to have a focus on acoustic guitar, but that element isn't as prevalent as the band's descriptions would have you believe. The acoustic is very much as part of the song, but it is far from the main attraction after the first verse. However, the purity of the acoustic strums provide a very nice accent for the main riffs and plucky bass. This is a new look for Jimmy Eat World, but still sounds very much like the group as it could have been a cut off of Clarity if the production sounded like that on Chase This Light. The ways the elements mesh work almost too perfectly, making "I Will Steal You Back" one of the stronger, if more contrived, songs JEW has made in the past seven years.

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Album Review: Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Album Rating: A-

There seems to be an almost irrepressible human need to scrutinise the new and compare it to the old. We’re always searching for influences and similarities and we have a nagging, awkward desire to label someone “the new [insert classic artist].” But sometimes, something comes along which reminds us of the beauty of simplicity, and that rather than dissecting things we should enjoy them in a primal, fundamental way. It’s certainly a view which Kurt Vile welcomes, and when you listen to Wakin on a Pretty Daze, it’s easy to see why. Rather than pin-pointing his influences he’s keen to remind us that “everything’s an influence,” and that music sometimes thrives most when it lives and breathes and exists because of everything around it. The lush, uncomplicated melodies and soft diction which dominate Wakin on a Pretty Daze embody the organic simplicity Vile aims for, and it succeeds largely on this premise.

Artist of the Day: Rape Revenge

If you take the Riot Girl Movement and couple it with the short and distorted stylings of powerviolence, out comes Rape Revenge. Within the first seconds of listening to any of the band's songs it's obvious that the currently three-piece hardcore outfit take cues from contemporary feminist hardcore band, Punch. Feedback-laden tracks screech into blast beats and thrashy down-tuned riffs. Slow hardcore chugs quickly ramp up into wild snares with hints of d-beats, then curve out with tempo changes into breakdowns. The music is topped off with vocalist Samantha's ear-wrenching screech, only fitting for the strong themes and aggressive style of music the band explores.

Album Review: Kahn - Kahn

Album Rating: B+

It's unfortunate that Kahn's eponymous EP was released the same week as both James Blake's Overgrown and SP:MC's Declassified EP. Because everyone has been raving about the intricacy and soulfulness of Blake's sophomore full-length and, if I may quote Sputnikmusic user Jash, the "skank" of  SP:MC's first full EP, Kahn has come out with a whimper instead of a well-deserved bang. While it's true this doesn't come close to the beauty that is Overgrown, saying this is bad is like saying Burial's self-titled LP wasn't good because it wasn't Untrue or Kindred. After all, Kahn's first full EP is a highly respectable - and at times excellent - slice of dubstep and garage. Though many are sure to scoff at the relatively short runtime and seemingly lifeless raps present, the EP pays homage to the classic dub-influenced sound of the past while taking noticeable steps out of his comfort zone within the span of only a few minutes.

Album Review: Max Richter - Disconnect

Album Rating: B+

For a film exploring the sense of isolation created by an ever “connected” world, it probably wouldn't be much of a risk to employ a musician whose most successful work focuses on, among other things, isolation. Less of a risk still to actually use some excerpts from said critically acclaimed and popular album about isolation in said film about isolation which no doubt hopes to be both critically acclaimed and popular. After your mind’s tongue has untied itself from the previous sentence, it should not be a great effort to imagine the film and soundtrack working together rather nicely. Sadly, however, the soundtrack could be seen to be a little wanting in isolation. Within the film, I don’t know - it isn't out yet.

Jukebox: Demons- The National

If nothing else, The National have mastered the art of restraint. Matt Berninger's baritone vocals always sound like they're on the verge of breaking into a huge chorus or a soaring bridge, but they never do. It's a bit tantalizing, listening to The National, they go small where they could go big and their tempered approach to music perpetually fascinates but never completely satisfies. "Demons," the quartet's first song in three years, continues their tradition of being one of the most muted yet exciting indie bands around. All the classic elements of The National are here: the rock solid drumming of Bryan Devendorf, the understated layering of the mix- this time incorporating an influence of strings, replacing the piano suites of High Violet and Boxer- and, of course, Berninger's captivating voice. As always, it is the vocalist who holds us in place, hanging on every deliberately stressed word.

The lyrics show, perhaps, a shade of nostalgia from Berninger. He rehashes old imagery, the alligator, the buzzard, and admits that he's "secretly in love with everything that [he] grew up with." This sort of self-awareness is what we've always accepted; Berninger will artfully hint at his emotions and let the audience fill in the blanks. "Demons" is nowhere near as intricate or obscure as some of their previous, but maybe that's just part of the "awkward phase" Berninger finds himself in. After all, considering the band is 14 years into their career and Berninger is being brought down by his demons and they're still producing top-notch material, it looks like the slow-burning juggernaut that is The National will continue rolling. Look for their album Trouble will Find Me, due out May 20th.

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Artist of the Day: Moon Hooch

Yesterday, I went to see They Might Be Giants. As expected, it was a stupendous show. Whimsical middle-aged post-punks are not the subject of this piece, however. I was zoned out when the opening act took the stage, but was immediately, perhaps rudely, brought back to reality by what could only be described as an earthquake of bass. They were called Moon Hooch, and they were nothing like the accordion-strapping dork-rockers I expected them to be. Through the haze of the rainbow-light soaked mist of the fog machine they came - two saxophone players. One was playing relatively simple, repetitive melodies. The other seemed to have defiled his instrument with a long, hollow log that was belting a wubbawubba sound that sent my mind reeling back to my viewing of Spring Breakers a week or so ago. Behind it all, the 4/4 pound of the bass drum, with hi hat accents on the off-beat. It was... House music?

Album Review: Petrels - Onkalo

Album Rating: A

Onkalo takes name and inspiration from a spent nuclear fuel depository currently under construction in Finland: a structure with a planned lifetime of 100,000 years, approximately similar to the age of the human race. The timescale is preposterous -the oldest human structures standing today barely scratch a single percent of it- and if our modern world is anything to go by Onkalo (aptly translated to “hiding place”) will soon be our legacy. The album focuses on the mere thought that in 100,000 years something might be looking back at the now decaying depository, as well as all the questions they may have. Will mankind’s sole lasting contribution to the earth be nuclear? It’s a piece full of uncertainty, timeless beauty and, above all else, fear.