Review: Adult Jazz- Gist Is

Still trying to parse out what I feel about the Electric Wurms project, I thought I could share my opinions on the debut LP by the UK group Adult Jazz. The sound of this band is a little weird. Reverb soaked vocals made up of barely comprehensible half phrases, skeletal song structures infused with synths and horns, and the the oddest drum patterns are a little bit of what you can expect here. I was really mostly impressed with the drum work on this album, along with the ability of everyone else in the band to do their own thing, mostly independent of the drum beat. I thought that was just great.

I think where the album falls a little short with me is with the vocals. A lot of it sounds a little Animal Collective derivative, and I really couldn't warm too much to the lyrical half thoughts, though I found the vocal rhythms and interplay between them and the drums and other instrumental parts pretty interesting.

I feel like I should like this album a lot more than I do, or maybe there's something I haven't quite grasped. I'm sure later on in the year when this finally clicks, it'll be a great album in my eyes, but for now I can really appreciate the powers at work and the individual parts, but the whole just doesn't really resonate with me. This is definitely one to listen too though. I could see opinions on Gist Is being very divided, and you really need to experience it to pick your side.

Out of a total of five stars, I give this:

What were your thoughts on the album? My thoughts on the Electric Wurms debut EP should be on its way in the near future.

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July/August Mini Reviews

During this last break from writing, I finally completed my move to the 412, but this didn't stop me from listening to some new music. Granted, it was a little harder to get a hold of in a state of transition and without internet, but with all that worked out, I thought I'd share my opinion on a few albums that came out in the interim.

Various Artists: Beck's Song Reader

I was pretty excited for this album to see release. Apparently I was one of the few, as it took me some effort to find this at a record store (thank you House of Guitars for being the only place in Rochester to stock this). I had previously purchased the collection of sheet music, but it's a completely different experience to hear the songs performed. I had heard some Youtube performances and my own attempts to play these songs were a little rough (my guitar playing is far from perfect, I'll just leave it at that). It was interesting to hear each artists' take on Beck's work. My favorites were Jack White's fuzzed out country "I'm Down", Laura Marling's "Sorry", and Jack Black's comical take on "We All Wear Cloaks". But of course the star track was "Heaven's Ladder", performed by Beck himself. I've seen reviews criticizing that all the artists sound alike. And to that, I have to disagree. I feel like each song has its unique energy, but with a unifying Beck lyrical style. I quite enjoyed this album.

Juice Machine: Hot Rainbow

I had been meaning to take a look at one of these recordings for some time. During one of my bandcamp searches, I came across the tape label Turmeric Magnitudes. This label seems to specify in releasing tapes and downloads I can only call noise. The output from this label is pretty astounding, and I just picked this release because it was a recent release that I thought was a standout. I feel like this kind of music is like ambient music for the death metal crowd. Each release is made up of plenty of distortion, harsh noise and other sounds. While some releases sound like piercing noise or rotting tape loops, this releases sounds more like someone took a sledgehammer to an NES Track & Field game and then attempted to play the resulting shards. The sounds are interesting to say the least. Definitely only something to listen to if you're in an adventurous of experimental mood.

Stardeath and White Dwarfs: Wastoid

I first heard of Stardeath and White Dwarfs through their collaboration with the Flaming Lips on the Dark Side of the Moon cover album. And while it's true that the band has not and probably never will escape the shadow of the Flaming Lips, I can still say their output thus far has been enjoyable. Like the Flaming Lips, their sound is fuzzed out electronics and guitars marinated in LSD. I found the build and climax of "The Chrome Children" to be pretty satisfying, and the Flaming Lips feature on "The Screaming" was a welcome surprise. I look forward to more by the band, including their parts on the upcoming Sgt. Pepper's cover album (the track list had them playing with Tegan and Sarah on 'Lovely Rita'- what a weird combo).

So those were my opinions on some late July/ early August releases. What were your opinions if you listened to the albums? What new stuff have you been listening to? Also, speaking of the Flaming Lips, I'll be looking at the new release from the Wayne Coyne/ Steven Drozd side project, Electric Würms, in the near future.

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Review: Nobody's Smiling- Common

Inner city violence has always been a problem in the US, and violence is reaching increasingly high levels in neighborhoods in Chicago. This violence has led to residents referring to the city as "Chiraq", and it is this violence that rapper and native Chicagoan Common seeks to raise awareness of in his 10th studio effort, Nobody's Smiling.

The album starts out with a stark and atmospheric sampling of Curtis Mayfield, and the concept takes legs from there. Common is in good form here, and apart from a few weak lines ('Go hard like liquor'? Seriously?) his wordplay is very interesting and captivating. His wordplay and message on the bonus tracks on this album are actually superb, and leave me wondering why they weren't included on the regular album, especially '7 Deadly Sins'. 

NO I.D. serves as sole producer on this album, and his music definitely suits the lyrics here. I do have to say, intro to 'Blak Majik' got a little tedious though. It's also apparent that the master is taking a little bit from his pupil's playbook, referring to the Yeezus undertones on some of the production. The features on this album are also very good for the most part (the exception being Big Sean, but was that really a surprise?) Vince Staples actually gets pretty close to stealing the show on the tracks he's featured on, spitting some great verses.

As previously stated, Big Sean gives a lackluster performance, and his featured track, 'Diamonds', kind of kills the album's flow early on. It really has no place in the track list, and does not fit the tone the album was going for. That can be said for a few other tracks, but definitely 'Diamonds' and 'Real' in particular.

All in all, this was a solid project, and I liked the thought of Common including Chicago rap's new school on the album, as well as trying to raise awareness of a very serious issue in the city. I'm kind of a sucker for conscious rap albums, and while there were tracks that deviated a little from the point, it says a lot more as a statement of intent and a topic of conversation than most rap out today, and music that gets people thinking is always a good thing.

Out of a total of 5 stars, I give this:

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Review: Heaven & Earth- Yes

I would like to preface this review by saying that Yes's output in the early 1970s was amazing. The complexity of their arrangements and virtuosity of its members are things of legends. Fragile and Tales from Topographic Oceans are some of my all time favorite albums, and they are one of the cornerstones of progressive rock.

That being said, what the hell happened? Among countless lineup changes throughout the last 35 or so years, Yes in terms of studio output has been a little hit or miss, but had it's number of solid albums. With news of the release of Heaven & Earth, I can honestly say I was moderately anticipating it. I wasn't expecting Yes circa 1972, but I really wasn't expecting this. Some people may be quick to blame their new vocalist Jon Davidson for the sound of this album, but that is just simply not true. I think his contributions here are some of the best moments on this album, and I think he fits the band well. That being said, this album is pretty far from any incarnation of Yes I've ever heard.

There's the early Yes which is kind of confused as to what it wants to be, then the golden era prog juggernaut Yes, followed by their pop and new wave experimentation, and then back to attempting the prog sound that was their real claim to fame. Notice I didn't list AM soft rock anywhere in there, which is really all I hear when I listen to this. The chops are there, but their sound just seems so watered down, like they were afraid to play over a certain volume or speed. Steve Howe and Chris Squire are terribly underutilized on this album. You're making a record with an amazing guitar player and bassist, respectively, and you don't have them spread their wings even a little?

All in all, this album isn't really as terrible as it is frustrating. I feel like if the members of Yes were feeling more adventurous, and stepped outside their comfort zone like they used to, they would have arrived with an album a little more memorable, and a little less, dare I say it, Peter Cetera-y. I've heard their most recent tour will involve playing Fragile and Close to the Edge in their entirety, along with other hits, and some cuts off of this. I hope they realize when they dive into those albums what this effort was missing. In essence, I hope that Close to the Edge helps them realize that this project was devoid of any edge whatsoever.

Out of a total of five stars, I give this:

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