Review: Hollow Boys - "Believe In Nothing"

Hollow Boys - Believe In Nothing

(2014 Bridgetown Records)

Recorded in the heart of last year's harsh winter, Believe In Nothing is cloaked in gloom from its nihilistic title to the album art's murky, purple hue, reminding me of a psychic-type Pokemon card. It is the second LP in as many years, conceived by Minnesotan trio Hollow Boys, and is an impressive progression from the streamlined drone-pop delivery of their debut to a lush blend of Rough Trade jangle, voluminous shoegaze and a theatric delivery that recalls The Smiths; possibly the Misfits at times. "Spellbreaker" pits a creamy c86 guitar riff against a gravelly bassline. The two grate against each other, converging into a wall-of-fuzz chorus, complete with a triple-vocal harmony. "Melted" oozes into sludgier textures, its dissonant chord progression slathered in reverb and distortion. Overall, the effort is a sizeable portion of late-80s casserole: a combination of all my favorite indie-rock archetypes of that era crammed into one serving. It's a delicious combination that'll have you reheating the leftovers for repeat intake.
 

Review: Ariel Pink - "pom pom"

Ariel Pink - pom pom

(4AD 2014)

It's been fifteen years since West Coast weirdo Ariel Pink released Underground, his first dispatch of scuzzy, saccharine pop; a garage/glam crossbreed tinged with a sardonic delivery borrowed from the last gasps of the eighties. Since then, in all honesty, not much has changed. Fast forward to 2014, and that same brand of warped, low-fidelity psychedelia is just as present on his newest double LP, pom pom. The difference: a recent interest in Pink's work has wormed its way into the foreground of the indie music scene on the strength of his 2010 effort, Before Today, an album of re-recorded, "cleaned up" versions of his most accessible material. The album was met with incredible acclaim, but in the context of Ariel's career, was perhaps too immediate, too grounded in reality. pom pom is a return to the elements of his early material that make him so intriguing as both a musician and character: an exaggerated, Bowie-esque delivery, unconventional song structure and nostalgic pop vibes.

Besides Pink's manipulation of sensationalist music journalism to promote his album, perhaps the sudden interest in Pink's unique sound can be attributed to the postmodern aesthetic that has rapidly injected itself into the indie music scene. The PC Music collective has deconstucted dance music to its most spare components, exploring its inner workings at a minute, almost scientific level. 'Based' rappers like Yung Lean, Lil B and Kool AD don't so much break as they do ignore the rules of hip-hop. It's only natural that Ariel Pink's exploratory efforts would spike in popularity. pom pom's whimsical opener, "Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade" is an example of a song that's teeming with such an atmosphere. It's intricately constructed, yet does not take itself particularly seriously; its chiming keyboards and ecstatic, juvenile energy can be compared to children's music made by acts like The Wiggles, but such a timbre pairs extremely well with his penchant for over-the-top songcraft, peppered with trippy sound effects and dramatic shifts in mood or texture.

While pom pom has its strong pop singles, the feathery "Put Your Number In My Phone", for example, it's the album's most adventurous moments that steal the show. "Dinosaur Carebears" is classic Pink, a lengthy composition that splices together jagged pieces of fractured musical debris, from the unnerving cry of a circus calliope to a spacey reggae rock groove. "Exile On Frog Street" is a warm prog-pop number that hearkens back to late 60s albums like Pet Sounds and Their Satanic Majesties Request. Whether it's beauty, depth or fun you're looking for, you will find it in pom pom.

Review: Moral Guest - "Mooral Gest"

Moral Guest - Mooral Gest

(Self-Released 2014)

Bedroom pop artists take note: this is how lo-fi is done right. Moral Guest's most recent EP release is a sort of throwback to the beach-pop explosion of 2010. The project runs sparkling guitar melodies through layers of muck and reverb, finding a middle ground between post-punk and shoegaze. The first of Mooral Gest's three tracks, "Let Me Down", begins with a chunky surf-rock bassline, its blunt force tempered by a buttery, repetitious riff, laced with a slight phase effect to give the track a swirling timbre. Distant percussion and detached, nearly spoken-word vocal delivery join the droney instrumentation, making for fast-paced slice of guitar pop tinged with a hint of melancholy. 

The song is followed by the more ethereal "Wild Man", much spacier than its predecessor. The guitar tone is glassy, with notes played in a high register. The vocals are so buried in reverb that they're impossible to hear, coming out in a breathy warble that vaguely recalls Jack Tatum's tender intonation on Wild Nothing's debut album. "Do You Feel It?" rounds out the EP, slowing things down considerably, stewing in dreamy vibes and grimy distortion. Mooral Gest is a beautiful, fleeting hit of grimy dream-pop that makes good use of its short length. 

Music Video: Cool Dad - "Self Hate Team"

Cool Dad - Self Hate Team

Sum up Cool Dad's debut EP, sweet boys, in just a few words and you'd fish for terms like cozy, languid and nostalgic. Not much has changed since its July release date: the latest Cool Dad single, accompanied by a music video, is made of the same somber, entrancing stuff: minimal guitaristry, tenuous emotion and a warbly, fuzzed out aesthetic. The video is a perfect match, the tape-recorded documentation of a few hours out at the arcade playing air hockey and putt-putt, reminiscent of Daniel LaRusso's trip to Golf 'N Stuff in The Karate Kid. It's a brief shot of warmth and innocence to the system, a video sure to put its viewer in a snug autumn mood.

Rayning - "Self-Titled"

Rayning - Rayning

(Hacktivism 2014)

It's no coincidence that cover art that adorns Rayning's cassette debut closely resembles that of the Cocteau Twins' Heaven or Las Vegas. The Michigan-based solo project, fronted by Gerald Mckay, has nearly matched the alchemical blend of  ephemeral effects that compose the Twins' mythical dream-pop guitar tone. Like any good shoegazer, McKay finds a balance between noise and delicate beauty. His self-titled album opens with "We Are", which pits a gritty, lo-fi drum loop against an endless wave of guitar noise. Surprisingly, this abrasive combination, the lumbering percussion buried beneath layers of gnarled static, does not only sound pretty; it feels wispy and light. It encloses the listener's in its own atmosphere of noise, distortion and reverb, the heavy air swirling and undulating, never ceasing in its movement. McKay's distant vocals are delivered in a laid-back, almost absently, in a way that gives his music a Slowdive-ian timbre. "Necklace" and "If Only" two welcome outliers that appear on the release, more forceful, yet somehow more twee in nature than the songs they compliment. Rayning is an impressive debut that serves as a reminder that great shoegaze music is still being made in the 21st century.

Interview: Falatek

Tell us about your project. How did falatek get started? 

My name is Gregory Falatek. I went with falatek as my artist name because that’s what everyone has always called me. I’ve been making music off and on since my senior year of high school. I left college after two years and started taking music seriously. I’d say falatek officially started after I dropped out of school. 

Your recently released EPs, "V i d o r r a" and "s o i r e e" both greatly differ in sound from 

"r a v i". The first is very intimate and features a couple acoustic tracks and the second is very sample-heavy. In what direction would you like to take Falatek in the future?

I love slow, relaxing music. But at the same time, I like making something that can get people out of their seats. With Soirée I wanted to create a small soundtrack for a night out in the city circa 1985. But with Vidorra I wanted to make something you could listen to in the morning/while you sleep. Vidorra was created during a two hour studio session. I have so many musical interests so I like to make each project for a new time of day or new set of situations. I don’t want people to be able to predict what I am going to give them when I release a project. I want my listeners to grow with me. I’m still conscious of people who have supported me for years and I keep certain elements of my music the same. I want you to know it’s me when my voice comes on a record but I definitely don’t want you to know what I’m gonna say. I really like how my sound is progressing. It’s still amazing to me because everything started from a very hip-hop oriented place.

You have some live dates set up for this winter. What's the tour going to be like? Have you played any other show before?

This mini-tour is going to be great. I’ve done shows in the past but only during college when I was making underground hip-hop type records. I’m excited to perform the wide variety of music that I’ve created over the past year. Now, I have a vocal processor and new microphone. I’m about to buy a vocoder and projector screen for the winter show dates. Some of the venues have projectors so I would like to have all of my videos playing in the background. I’ve been working with a visual effects artist from The Netherlands named, Hidden Behind Leaves (@RotterdamRonin). If you haven’t seen any of the videos, check them out when you can. I think they will add a great aesthetic to the shows.

The production on "r a v i" was really stunning, and made the album an immerse experience for me, especially the cosmastly beat. How did you choose the beats, and how did you go about writing songs for each one?

I appreciate the kind words. I’m actually releasing an EP in 2015 that will be produced entirely by Cosmastly. There wasn’t much of a selection process for the beats. I have a lot of beats on my computer and I was recording so many songs last month. I ended up grouping Ravi and Soirée as they are because I figured everything sounded best this way. 

What music are you listening to these days? What else do you do that's not music related?

I listen to all types of music. I like searching through soundcloud to find new artists. I can’t stop watching The Killers live performances. I need to listen to Modest Mouse every day. Young Thug. Grimes is amazing. I really don’t do anything non-music related at the moment. But I’ve designed clothes throughout my life so I want to continue doing that in the future. I’d also like to get back into painting because I did a lot of drawing and painting during my childhood.

Falatek - "r a v i"

 

Falatek - r a v i

(2014 Self-Released)

r a v i, the sophomore effort of Los Angeles' Falatek, is perhaps the best American answer to the sort of vaporous, heavily autotuned pop exported most notably by Swedish cloud rap artists like Bladee, Thaiboy Digital and Yung Lean. If you're familiar with the music associated with the "Sadboys" and "Gravity Boys" cliques, you'll have a good idea of what to expect from Falatek: narcotic instrumentals that take influence from the surrealist, new age aesthetic of vaporwave, paired with a laid-back vocal delivery digitally effected to the point where it almost resembles the artificial speech of Japanese vocaloids. His sound blurs the line between hip-hop and R+B; many of the songs on r a v i would feel right at home alongside "Furthest Thing" and "Own It" on Drake's Nothing Was the Same. The crystalline production that permeates the album only enhances Falatek's ability to keep his listeners isolated in a bubble of sleepy, postmodern vibes.

r a v i puts its best foot forward with "late night", produced by Lexington, Kentucky's Manitee✌. It opens with aquatic pulses of electric piano that slowly help lower the listener into the album's serene atmosphere, as beautifully dark and desolate as the depths of the ocean, making for a jarringly intimate that forces the listener into a reverb-induced trance. Following it is "tears", a joke track of sorts that features 11-year-old rapper Lil Shark, who recently cashed in his 15 minutes of fame thanks to an online feud with SpaceGhostPurrp. Though Shark's look at rap culture through a 5th grader's eyes is pretty hilarious, it's kind of sad that it overshadows the stunning beat it accompanies, a shoegazey slow jam crafted by my current favorite producer, Cosmastly. "Robot City" is another standout track, including Falatek's tightest vocal performance to date as well as a infectious hook sung by Marblegarden. With an all-star lineup of American cloud rap artists, r a v i is a bedroom pop triumph with mass appeal, a "slo-fi" take on modern pop that stands tall next to its influences.

Half-Gifts Issue 11 Out Now!

Interviews with MoneyHouseBlessings, Little League Records and Hacktivism Records

 

BUY IT HERE

Review: Institute - "Salt EP"

Institute - Salt

(Sacred Bones 2014)

Though recent months have seen the New York label wading into safer sonic territories, New York-based post-punk purveyors Sacred Bones seem to be on the return to their former innovative stride. The close of 2014 promises new efforts by power electronics outfit Pharmakon and Sean Ragon's aggressive neofolk outfit Cult of Youth. Perhaps the best new addition to the label's illustrious discography is Salt, the first ever EP release by Texan art-punk unit Institute. Rooted in hardcore and tinged with gothic gloom, the band's dark punk energy recalls Skeletal Family and Soft Kill. The record's title cut is a gorgeously sour blend of chunky bass and tinny lead guitar. Moses Brown barks his vocals indecipherably, not unlike Teenage Panzerkorp's Bunker Wolf, adding to the track's droning potency. "Familiar Intensity" is another gem, its spooky melody carried by twin lead guitars. Listen to "Salt" below.
 

Single Review: Bloomshock - "Engtheogen"

Bloomshock - Entheogen

(Self-Released 2014)

Since late 2013, New Jersey based one-man-band Bloomshock has published a staggering total of 52 releases, ten of them full-length albums. Out of all current acts emulating the shambolic sound of early 90’s DIY, Bloomshock’s impression is easily the most accurate, employing a blunt, fuzzy guitar tone and an appreciation for early rock ‘n roll riffage to drive his prolific output. Entheogen is the best of his recent output of singles, its title track a twangy, infectious tune that recalls the dulcet pop energy of early twee. Imagine some c86 shimmer blended into Sebadoh's lo-fi snarl. It’s accompanied by two b-sides: a surfy instrumental jam that channels Dinosaur Jr’s “The Lung” and a cover of barlow*’s fuzz-gaze hit “In The Air”. Check it out below.

Mormon Toasterhead - "Memory / Monument"

Mormon Toasterhead - Memory / Monument

(Rok Lok 2014)

Ben Klawans' prolific output under the pseudonym Mormon Toasterhead has been marked by nothing if not its atomospheric minimalism. His lyrics are vague and surrealist, often unsettling against sparse instrumentation, suspended in reverb like canned fruit in its own syrup. Unlike a lot of lo-fi music being released these days, it's not so much nostalgic as it is introspective. Klawans' music puts me in a droney, meditative state that feels transcendent and often spooky. It would only make sense to me that he'd dabble in ambient music. Monument / Memory is the second Toasterhead tape release to be composed entirely of instrumentals, and it's perhaps his most engaging work to date.

"Happy day...happy day...happy day, sweet...heart" drones the sampled voice that opens Memory, the first of the two cassettes that make up this double album. It rests in the "uncanny valley" between sounding either sounding robotic or human, reminding me of the sort of voice that might narrate the  Sesame Street books on tape I listened to growing up, cheerful, soothing, but ultimately lifeless. It's accompanied by pentatonic, harp-like keyboard, wrapped in a misty drone, squeaky like a kettle that has come to boil. Much of the music on this half of the release is fragile and charming, with the tinny beauty of a music box's chime, or the score to a Pokemon title released on Game Boy Advance. A few weightier exceptions do exist, though. "White Rose" is a swirling piece of textureless ambience, watery synth pulses that could soundtrack the jellyfish room of an aquarium.

Monument opens in a more somber state with "Summer Rainstorm and I Lost My Toy Soldier". It's a bleak piece for solo piano, which sort of reminds me of the piano score that capped of the series finale Hey Arnold!. It's sad, chilling, and simple, fulfilling the Rok Lok Records formula perfectly. As I've stated many times before, Rok Lok does an impeccable job of keeping a uniform aesthetic throughout their release catalog, and Memory / Monument fits right in among ambient masterpieces like the Stars are Insane/Monogamy split or Love Letter's Gentle Memories. Also, the double album's packaging is beautiful, especially Monument's side, mimicking a retro wallpaper pattern. Mormon Toasterhead's new release will help enhance whatever emotion you're feeling at the time, and will stick with you long after the tape pops out of the deck.

Review: Spencer Radcliffe / RL Kelly - "Brown Horse"

Spencer Radcliffe/RL Kelly - Brown Horse

(Orchid Tapes 2014)

There's a cozy innocence that flows throughout Brown Horse, the split LP featuring lo-fi singer-songwriters Spencer Radcliffe and RL Kelly, enveloping the listener like a heavy blanket. It's the sort of innocence that's saddening, the kind you encounter when you read the books or watch the television shows you enjoyed in kindergarten, making you feel guilty and a little depressed for ever having allowed yourself to grow up. The raw, twee purity delivered on either side of the tape hit hard on an emotional level, perhaps without even trying to.

Radcliffe's side opens with "Green Things". The track starts off minimally, droning keyboard accompanying fingerpicked acoustic guitar, but these two elements, rather somber in nature, slowly build up to a striking crescendo, pluckings giving way to percussive strums and keyboard replaced by a medieval-sounding flute, which carries the song's melody. Moments like these are many on Radcliffe's half of the album, quiet and restrained escalations that give way to Dionysian appeals to emotion, often in the form of unbridled joy Each song contains just one or maybe two verses and a single chorus, following a songwriting structure often employed by post-rock bands. The mumbly, awkward vibe that opens "Tattoo" gradually glues itself together into an infectious chorus, cheery synths complimenting the staidly delivered mantra of "Saw your dad's yellow cupholder / when we're 25 years older / meet me in the parking lot / we'll hand it off", which is phrased like a jumprope rhyme. My favorite cut off the side is its keyboard-driven outlier, "My Song", a spoken-word tune that borders on twee hip-hop.

RL Kelly's half of the tape is more accessible, applying a more traditional structure to her craft, but losing no ground when it comes to beauty. Each track is composed of carefully layered acoustic guitar against often folky vocal harmonies. The twangy guitar parts that drive "Again" remind me of the sort of nuanced indie-rock being released by Up Records in the early 90s. "Wake Up" is my choice for the most satisfying song of the side, a minimal and tender tune in the form of words of encouragement to a younger kid who's been bullied by his classmates. Both Radcliffe and Kelly deliver their own take on lo-fi twee on Brown Horse, an effort that's reminiscent of both Belle and Sebastian and Built to Spill. If you dig warm, nostalgic vibes and fuzzy guitar-pop, this tape is your dream come true.

Nadnerb/Cool Dad - "Sweet Boys 2014"

Nadnerb/Cool Dad - Sweet Boys 2014

(Self-Released 2014)

"The greatest of statements is the understatement" is an aphorism I've often applied to my favorite lo-fi records, and it's an especially adept way of summing up the vibe of this particular split. Each of the Connecticut-based solo acts that share their space on Sweet Boys 2014 brings their own blend of minimalist garage rock to the table, but there's a single trait that bonds them together: simplicity. The whole album is brief, catchy and modest and no song overstays it welcome. Nadnerb and Cool Dad are frugal with their riffs, working each one to its full potential before the song's end. Cool Dad occupies the small overlap in the map of the lo-fi universe that houses the influence of Pavement and Blank Dogs. The power chords are guttural and chunky, complimenting wiry and slightly sour guitar leads. It's twee-pop at heart, but isn't afraid to employ a bit of punk-rock bite to get its point across. Nardnerb's aesthetic is a bit grungier, piling on the treble in the Dinosaur Jr-esque "Spells". "Slack Fresh" is a groovy surf-pop jam that wobbles and warbles like a Ducktails tune. Sweet Boys is chock-full of bummer-pop melancholia to get you through your autumn.

Brianna Kelly - "Return to Black Cotton Mountain"

Brianna Kelly – Return to Black Cotton Mountain

(2014 Self-Released)

Guest Review by Timothy "Treebeard" Adams

It's been said that Jesus has the best folk artists. This nine-track, mostly instrumental album is strong support for that statement. Hailing from the hollers of Northern Kentucky, but living in Cincinnati, Brianna Kelly has gained fans with her ethereal, lo-fi traditional folk with some tinges of bluegrass. This album (as of the writing of this review, only available only as “pay-what-you-want”) is beautiful, honest, life-affirming, and hits on a spiritual level that few artists do. Which includes that of times of pain and disillusionment along the journey, but without forsaking the path. I've spent a great deal of time listening to this album and consider it to be one of the best of the year. Skillful playing and songwriting, emotional honesty, and a lack of pretension are abundant. Even those with short attention spans won't find themselves skipping the instrumental tracks, which make sense in context and are very powerful. If you're someone who has been looking for spiritual music that's willing to express times where you just can't pray, then you need this. You absolutely need this. Stop what doing and download it. Now.

Sarrasine - "EP1"

Sarrasine - EP1

(Self-Released)

Though Argentinian quartet Sarrasine may proudly wear their 90's noise-pop influences on their sleeves, their untitled debut EP feels surprisingly original, and just might be one of the freshest (or at least most well-produced) bandcamp releases of the year. It's not exactly innovative, borrowing Dinosaur Jr's incisive brand of fuzz and the saccharine jangliness of The Field Mice. It instead builds off of the foundation laid by shoegazers and twee-popsters alike, making for a noisy, yet lovely effort that is astounding in its textural diversity and overall depth. Although the debut is just five tracks long, it still packs heaps of towering dream-pop riffage, all but one song lasting over 5 minutes. EP1 is a titanic, meticulously effort that could very well draw a cult following someday.

"Juniper" opens the album ominously, a sluggish bassline squirming against tinny snare hits. As the track creeps forward, a wave of hissing feedback slowly envelops the rhythm section, making a space for the track's piercing, anthemic refrain. Though the chorus itself is wordless, it's extremely powerful, towering against a bassy, minimal verse. The vocals on the track are gentle and tender, a male/female harmony that hearken back to the frail beauty of a Sarah Records single. The EP's centerpiece, however, is "Cloudy-ah", carried by blasts of industrial percussion, grainy synths and wobbly guitaristry. It's a perfect blend of punk and ethereal shoegaze, not unlike the blistering twee-pop churned out by Joanna Gruesome. Sarrasine's debut is a brief, beautiful hit of noise rock that begs for repeat listens. Give it a shot below.