Band You Should Be Listening To - Japandroids

...and I am back from the longest sabbatical ever. No need to explain myself, other than to say over the past two months I've lacked time, inspiration, and motivation to maintain this blog. Luckily, my recent hard drive reformat (thank you, Windows Vista) caused me to reevaluate my music library and has given me some long awaited ideas.

Of course, it wouldn't feel right if I didn't make my fist post in two months about some band that likes to make lots of noise. I really know very little about Japandroids, other than they are from Vancouver, BC and they derive their lo-fi sound from the acceptance of making do with what they have.

When bands don't have any money or exposure, they are forced to take matters into their own hands. Japandroids self-recorded and distributed two EP's using nothing but a drum set, guitar, two vocalizers, and a four track mixer. So you could say their lo-fi sound was predetermined whether they wanted to sound that way or not, but it suits them perfectly.

Like LA's No Age and San Diego skate punk band Wavves, Japandroids are a guitar + drums duo whose DIY punk ideals are leading a lo-fi renaissance of sorts. Their two-step drum and cymbal rhythms and garage-punk guitar riffs evoke the heyday of the noise/skate/garage punk era of the early to mid 1990's, when labels like Sub Pop and SST were releasing classic records seemingly by the dozens. Japandroids could easily have fit in during that era, as it isn't difficult for me to imagine them blowing the doors off some run-down warehouse in San Pedro while opening for the Minutemen.

If you want to hear more of these guys, their debut album Post-Nothing is now available on Canada's Unfamiliar Records. Also, for the LA readers of this blog they are playing the Silver Lake lounge on 5/29. People up North can catch them at Seattle's annual Capitol Hill Block Party (along with The Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, Deerhunter and many more) on July 25th.

Japandroids
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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are an Awesome Band With a Very Stupid Name

It's very easy to dismiss a band just because their name sounds stupid. Often times it's easy to infer many things about a band based solely on their name. For example, if you came across a CD-R with the name Napalm Death written on the front in Sharpie pen it's safe to assume the music found within said CD would be very dark, aggressive and loud (with an ample amount of grunting). . .and you'd be right. Rage Against the Machine is another name that tells you right away what to expect. You get the idea.

If I were to apply this logic to Brooklyn trio The Pains of Being Pure at Heart then my expectation would be a steady dose of contrived sad bastard Emo pop...or possibly some paint-by-numbers Goth rip-off music. Thankfully, the band sound nothing like either of those things. In fact, their debut self-titled album sounds pretty fantastic.

Those of you who read this blog (whenever I actually post something) know that I have a soft spot for well executed Shoegaze music. My adoration for My Bloody Valentine, The Pale Saints, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Ride (among others) makes it easier to appreciate newer incarnations/variations of the genre like Deerhunter, Serena Maneesh, and Asobi Seksu. So, it shouldn't be a surprised that I loved The Pains of Being Pure at Heart from the very first listen.

It's fair to say these guys aren't very original at all, but originality way too subjective of a term with which to base all my musical choices. What does make TPOBPAH great is how seemingly effortlessly the drift between melodic dream pop ("Young Adult Friction", "Stay Alive"), noise drone ("Hey Paul", "Gentle Sons"), and even Brit-pop ("A Teenager In Love"). Throughout this album the music is very precise and focused, never lasting longer than it needs to.

This sounds easy, but I assure you it isn't. The mark of good pop music (and yes, this is a pop record at it's core) is the ability to convey a feeling clearly and concisely. In other words, get right to the point, make me feel good, and then move on to the next song in under four minutes. Fortunately, TPOBPAH are able to pull this off over and over again.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "This Love is Fucking Right" (from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart)


The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Stay Alive" (from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart")


The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "A Teenager In Love" (from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart")

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My Bloody Valentine @ The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - 10/3/08

[Photo courtesy of LosAnjealous.com]

If I could compose a list of the top ten bands I was never able to see in-person, but wish I could, My Bloody Valentine would most likely be on there (behind The Clash, Talking Heads, Joy Division, and others). Finally, after a 16 year absence, Kevin Shields and the rest of crew made their return to Los Angeles for two shows at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the result definitely lived up to my lofty expectations.

The first sign of things to come happened when me and my brother walked inside the venue when we headed straight for the bar and noticed a display of free earplugs sitting on the counter. It was a nice reminder that things were going to get very noisy in a short time and that we'd better be prepared. As always, we brought our own ear plugs so a loud night was not only something we came prepared for, but encouraged.

When the lights dimmed and Kevin, Belinda, Debbie, and Colm walked on stage it took about two seconds before the tidal wave of distortion and reverb of "I Only Said" hit the crowd. And with that my attention was fixated on Kevin Shields for about 90% of the show as his hands never stopped manipulating the tremolo arm, nor did he use the same guitar more than once (that's 14 guitars total, folks).

From a technical standpoint, Shields is a master of his craft. The man can simply make any kind of noise he pleases using the right combination of guitar, amplifier stack (a huge setup of something like 10 Marshall amps), and effects pedals, which he makes look effortless. His finest moments came during the euphoric sound of "When You Sleep", the chaos of "Feed Me With Your Kiss", and the epic "You Made Me Realize" (which I will talk about in a moment).

The sound mixing was also a crucial part of the experience. In order to mimic the feel of their recorded work, less emphasis was placed on the vocals than on projecting the band's instrumentation. It is a long held opinion by MBV fans that the lyrics are secondary to the visceral appeal of their meticulously crafted soundscapes. Indeed, the music too damn loud for any vocals to sound intelligible anyway, so why even bother?

Speaking of volume, even through the protection of my silicone earplugs the music seemed to slowly but steadily grow louder as the show progressed. Of course, subtlety was thrown completely out the window during the night's closer "You Made Me Realise."

The song is already one of the most rauckus in the band's catalog, but they kicked it up many notches during the middle portion with a blitzkrieg of feedback that literally caused the walls to shake. I'm not kidding around here. The noise was deafening as the wall of amps behind the band blared a rumbling avalanche of tremolo-conducted distortion that lasted for nearly 25 minutes! After the storm calmed from ludicrous back down to merely intense volume levels the band promptly resumed the the song to its normal conclusion and exited the stage. No encore needed, since most people were probably ready for some air after that crazy go nuts sound display.

While it was impressive to behold, I would've been happier if the band cut the noise-a-thon to, say ten minutes and filled the remaining 15 with two more songs...like maybe "Sueisfine" and "All I Need"? It would've been nice, but by no means did it ruin my night at all. I got see one of my all-time favorite bands perform most of the songs I wanted to hear in impeccable fashion. If you can walk away from a concert saying that to yourself, then the night was a rousing success.

"When You Sleep"

Setlist:

I Only Said
When You Sleep
You Never Should
(When You Wake)You're Still In A Dream
Cigarette In Your Bed
Come In Alone
Only Shallow
Thorn
Nothing Much To Lose
To Here Knows When
Slow
Soon
Feed Me Your Kiss
You Made Me Realise
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Bradford Cox Refuses to Leave Us Alone. Maybe a Thank You is in Order?

There are many great musicians who just can't put their instruments down for very long. For whatever reason, one band or solo project isn't enough for them and the need to collaborate with others is an itch that has to be scratched. Not everything they produce yields critical praise or commercial success, and many times they run the risk of alienating their core fans with such 'diversions', yet we usually fail to give them credit for having the ambition to keep creating.

Thankfully, Bradford Cox deserves credit not just for the quantity of his creative output, but also for its high quality. In 2007 his band Deerhunter was the subject of seemingly endless praise, hype and debate as they unleashed two exceptional releases to keep fans busy. Readers of this blog (all 5 of you) know I've made no secret about my love for Deerhunter, so it should come as no surprise that my introduction to Cox's other band, Atlas Sound, has me feeling the love all over again.

It would be easy to attribute Atlas Sound's appeal to their similarities to Deerhunter, which is an argument that has some merit, but that ignores all the ways in which the two are different. Yes, the reliance on ambient noise is something that Deerhunter fans should recognize, but the way that noise is packaged diverges from the song structure found on Cryptogams/Fluorescent Grey.  On those releases (especially Cryptograms) noise is used as a bridge from one song to the next; as almost a build up to another, more detailed, idea. While on their debut Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Atlas Sound uses precision production and mixing to blend many sounds into droned atmospheric melodies. The sound is less Shoegaze and more of a blend of Krautrock (Harmonia and Cluster spring to mind), Brian Eno and a touch of IDM (Druqks era Aphex Twin can be heard in there at times). Cox's lethargic vocal delivery fits perfectly within this framework as it often times settles within the melody itself (see "Winter Vacation").

That dreamscape type of sound is on display for 14 spectacular songs and I haven't been able to put down my headphones for nearly a week. Atlas Sound, like Deerhunter, managed to release a record that will surely have blogs across the Internet talking about them (and Bradford Cox) for more time to come. While certain people might be sick of Cox by now, the man is three-for-three in releasing excellent albums, so get used to his face for at least another year.

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The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - Deerhunter: "Cryptograms" & "Fluorescent Grey" EP

1.  I know it may not seem fair to give the top spot on the list to two records from the same band. Aside from the fact that Fluorescent Grey is included in the vinyl release for Cryptograms (a big hint that both are meant to be enjoyed in tandem), it's difficult for me to determine which of the two is better. Rather than choose one, I decided it would be best to reward Deerhunter for making two excellent works that are a cut above most everything else that was released this year.

Cryptograms, perhaps more than any other album I heard all year, makes a strong case for the vitality of the album format. In an age where digital distribution has impacted the way albums take form, it's becoming more and more rare to hear something that sounds like it should only be played in sequence and in its entirety. The reliance on ambient soundscapes and white noise to form bridges between songs (that is, those tracks that  include vocals and at least a vague allusion to lyrics) is reminiscent of 70's Krautrock, especially of the Neu! and Can variety (hold your horses, I am not putting them in THAT category just yet).

What's more, the order of the songs makes a statement about the album format, specifically the LP. Because most of the "accessible" tracks reside on the record's second half, it lends itself to maximum enjoyment if you listen to it on a turntable. The dichotomy between side one and side two cannot be be understated with experimental moments of hazy textures on the former and flirtations with, dare I say, pop ("Hazel St.", "Strange Lights") on the latter. It's almost like they were going for the inverse of Low here. Whatever the motivation, the result is a satisfying journey from free-form noise to noise pop.

The journey continues and ultimately climaxes on Fluorescent Grey, where we hear Deerhunter more focused than ever before. The title opening track begins with an ominous piano and a beat that signals to the listener that a big payoff is on the horizon. The buildup continues to grow as Bradford Cox murmurs "patiently patiently" until a wave of drowned guitars and delay-cloaked vocals bring the song to a triumphant close. On "Like New" we hear the band at their absolute best (at least, to date), as they basically take everything good about Cryptograms and condense it into a tiny, easy-to-swallow 2:13 pill. While on "Wash Off" they end the party with sonic outburst that recalls some of the aggression of their ear-splitting debut album.

In the end it is nearly impossible for me to think of Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey as anything other than one cohesive piece of art divided into three acts. In order to fully enjoy and understand the climax/resolution you must first witness the setup and confrontation. In the case of these two records, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

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The 20 Best Albums of 2007 - A Place to Bury Strangers: "A Place to Bury Strangers"

3.  Making noise isn't the hardest thing to do. Any schmuck with an effects pedal can fashion themselves some grimey guitar sludge and call it "noise rock" or whatever suits their fancy, but only the most meticulous craftsmen have the talent to make real melodies from such cacophonous elements (please refer to Sheilds, Kevin in your textbooks for more information). One such savant is Oliver Ackerman, the frontman for New York trio A Place to Bury Strangers, who spends his days creating custom hand-wired effects pedals for many notable bands, including: Wilco, Spoon, TV on the Radio and Serena-Maneesh. Thankfully, Ackerman doesn't waste all his talent helping other bands sound good, as his band's self-titled debut proves the man is more than capable of producing his own flirtations with greatness.

In the typical parlance of our time it is easy to describe APTBS's music as "shoegaze", since much of it owes a great debt to the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, but such an arbitrary label would miss the entire picture. While the opener "Missing You", "Don't Think Lover" and "Breathe" all perfectly capture the sound of those aforementioned artists, APTBS also manages to incorporate influences from other pioneering noisemakers. On "She Dies" Ackerman and drummer Jay Space create a sound reminiscent of Pornography-era Cure, while on album closer "The Ocean" the resemblance to New Order circa Movement is uncanny. There's even a hint of pre-industrial Ministry found in their use of drum machines sprinkled throughout the album.

But these musical signatures would mean nothing if APTBS couldn't write a good song; which, it turns out, they can with quite aplomb.  "To Fix the Gash in Your Head" and "I Know I'll See You" might be two of the catchier songs you'll find on the same album all year. Both confirm what the rest of the album suggests, which is that ear-splitting noise is just as capable of producing beautiful melodies as anything else.

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Song of the Day - A Place to Bury Strangers: "To Fix the Gash in Your Head"

For all the flack that so many people give Pitchfork, it is hard to argue with how valuable their exposure is to a struggling indie band. While many (including myself) may take issue with the artists they chose to shine their bright light on, or the self-important overwrought tone of much of their reviews, they do tend to have an eye for hidden gems every now and then. Last week I was reminded of that fact when I downloaded the debut album from Brooklyn's A Place to Bury Strangers based solely on the glowing review it received from the indie tastemakers at P4K.

As usual, I merely glanced at the rating and didn't read the review until after I had listened to the album myself (so as to not fill my head with any preconceived notions). Three days and roughly eight or nine listens later I can honestly say A Place to Bury Strangers' self-titled debut is an exceptional work of noise-pop and shoegaze soundscapes.

"To Fix the Gash in Your Head" is simply one of many gems found this record, but definitely a great place to start if you are looking for a four minute primer on APTBS. Beginning with a Blue Monday-esque drum machine and a swirling wind of guitar distortion (Kevin Shields fans would be proud) as its foundation, the song races out of the gate and never slows down. As lead vocalist/guitarist and audio geek (he makes custom effects pedals with names like Interstellar Overdriver, Supersonic Fuzz Gun and Total Sonic Annihilation...enough said) Oliver Ackermann sings "I want to get you drunk/I don't care/I won't feel sorry" in his industrial-pop drone, I feel as though he is making an unapologetic declaration about his music in general. As if to say, my music is supposed to give you a gash in your head, deal with it or else I will "kick your face in." If you're like me, just put on a helmet and get on board.

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