Album a Day (Limited Edition EP Edition): Silversun Pickups - The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago

Silversun Pickups
Dangerbird Records (2007)

Recorded live in Chicago for rock blog, The Tripwire, Silversun Pickups released this four-track EP somewhat under the radar in a no-frills, black & white, cardboard sleeve and only available in various Independent Record stores. On a general basis I would not consider myself a music collector. I know this sounds counter-intuitive given my library of 1700 CDs and probably at least one hundred more digital albums, but in any kind of collection you have two very different approaches. I'm sure we all have a friend, co-worker, stalker, etc. that collects action figures. Think about that person for a second. Got it? Ok, now I'm guessing that person you are thinking of does not take his/her (let's be honest its a he) toys out of the box. That would "devalue" the toy. I come from the other approach, which is: if you have a toy, it is meant to be played with. Now musicphiles work in a similar way. Collectors of albums will listen to their music, but if you put in front of them a stack of common CDs that they would very much like but are fairly easy to find and a rare one track single then they will almost always pick the latter over the former. The other collector wants to enjoy the music and the rarity does not determine the artistic value (this would be the category I would fall in. However, this EP (which I found used once again at Amoeba for, I believe, seven dollars) makes me begin to understand why perhaps those in the first group and those in the second group can perhaps meet somewhere halfway. What I'm trying to say is that this particular EP is a real gem.

I, much like the rest of America, fell in love last year with Silversun Pickups after hearing "Panic Switch" off of their sophomore album Swoon. I went back and acquired their first album Carnavas (which was an early review I did for this blog). In listening to both of these albums you can hear how well-produced the band is and when a band is well-produced then you do start to wonder how they will fair under live or stripped-down circumstances. Hearing The Tripwire Session: Live In Chicago I can tell you that this a talented band that sometimes I'm actually more crazy about live than in recording (to take absolutely nothing about from the recordings). What I think is so great about the versions here (three of which are taken from Carnavas and the fourth from their debut EP, Pikul) is that there is a very raw quality that gives the songs a bit more of an edge while maintaining a stripped-down quality that pushes the slightly more punk qualities of the band but remaining true to the band's signature sound.

My favorite track on the CD has to be the first one, "Future Foe Scenarios", which really demonstrates what I'm talking about. It's amazing because you still get the well-placed synths but the lack of over-production really pops the guitars and drums. Doug McBride did a yeoman's job taking a live session and giving the recording a lot of space and breathing room that helps create a certain intimacy. What pops the most to me is the vocal work here of Brian Aubert. I love how Aubert pushes himself to the point of really belting out particular moments in the song that is very representative of their live shows. Aubert also just has such a unique voice that its refreshing to hear it actually sounds that way in a more bare bones scenario. The song itself is also just a fantastic song. Silversun Pickups are a very catchy band so its easy to get lost and enchanted in the music and I just hope that the message of the song isn't lost on too many of the listeners. I mean really go back and listen to that song with messages of discontent, revolution, etc.

As well as Aubert's vocal and guitar work is displayed here, so are the talents of all the band members. Chris Guanlao's drumming pushes the energy of the band and this is another live scenario that if you see Guanlao playing (and just even youtube it) you'll see a certain passion that is clearly evident. I mentioned previously Joe Lester's keyboard work but really for a band that is primarily rock driven its great to have an extra layer of something that I think pushes the sound of the band to the next level. And let's not forget the bass Nikki Monninger. Monniger's bass-line on "Well Thought Out Twinkies" is so fucking smooth and really takes center stage on that particular track.

Often with these releases I don't think a lot of thought is given into placement but I'd like to give major props to the arrangement here. The first two songs "Future Foe Scenarios" and "Well Thought Out Twinkies" instantly hook the listener, and just like any good artist the band then reaches towards more of a b-side with "Comeback Kid" that helps move the CD along while keeping steady a certain tempo. It's also nice that not all of the songs are from the same album as that can take away from the specialness of the release and it could feel like just a bonus disc for the album. This is another song that shows off nicely the more aggressive side of the band. I think the smartest move is finishing the EP with the more casual "Dream At Tempo 119" featuring great backing vocals by Monninger.

I'm glad to own this but I think there's a sad quality to the idea that not many people will get to hear these versions, though there's always hope for b-sides/rarities releases down the road for a band that has a bright future and should continue to release more material, and maybe an album that's a little more stripped down like the music found on The Tripwire Session: Live in Chicago.

Favorite Tracks: Future Foe Scenarios and Well Thought Out Twinkies

http://silversunpickups.com/

Album a Day: KMFDM - Naïve

KMFDM
Wax Trax! (1990)

Often times its difficult with a band that has put out so many consistently good to great albums, like KMFDM has, to pick which out which one is the best. However, I think a valid case can be made for Naïve as perhaps being the most important (in addition to one of the best). The year was 1990 and KMFDM had began to reach a modicum of success in Europe with their first three albums, the first of which, Opium, was a big underground club hit in Hamburg Germany, and the second two, What Do You Know, Deutschland? and Don't Blow Your Top both beginning to reach a more international audience, with the former being distributed in the UK and the latter being distributed by now famous underground Chicago-based record label Wax Trax! The band's four album, UAIOE, would be the first without Raymond Watts, who at this time left the band to form PIG (though of course Watts would return later, leave again, return again, and so on). That album would also be distributed by Wax Trax! and the band made their American debut in support of the album opening for Ministry. UAIOE would go on to be a really bizarre, though solid album, but it wouldn't be until the band returned to Europe from the tour to record their fifth album, Naïve, that the would truly solidify their signature sound, a solid blend of metal-infused Industrial and club-friendly EBM (old-school EBM like Front 242, not the VNV Nation sound that we've become accustomed to).

In addition to the factors leading up to this particular release, there are a number of other things that make this album important. This album would be the first in which KMFDM would sign directly to Wax Trax! and would mark the debut of guitarist Svetlana Ambrosius. Name not ringing a bell? Oh that's because Ambrosius would later go under the much more familiar name of Guenter Schulz. This would also be the last album before the band would ultimately move to America.

What I find so particular interesting is that the lineup at the time consisted of Sascha Konietzko (Excessive Force, MDFMK, KGC, Schwein), En Esch (Slick Idiot, Pigface), Guenter Schulz (Slick Idiot, PIG, Schulz), and Rudolph Naomi (Girls Under Glass, Sweet Sister Pain) who are basically four of the most German men you could ever meet, and yet this album (again, recorded in Europe) to my 2010 ears sounds like the epitome of American Industrial. There a great amount of fun to the album with a hard edge to it (though I think you could make an argument for it being the other way around).

Of course the album starts off on just the right note with the track "Welcome" which is a really quick eighteen second introduction that simply states "Welcome to the world of KMFDM. Happy to introduce you to our new album Naïve". I know this probably doesn't seem like much, but those familiar with KMFDM know that a large facet of KMFDM over the years is how self-referential they are (with many lyrics in various songs and in fact entire songs detailing the exploits of KMFDM), so to start off this way and then straight into the title track is very exciting. "Naïve" is absolutely one of the best songs on the album with simple but straightforward lyrics on top of a really solid but hard club beat, backed by slick guitars and a duet vocals between Konietzko and KMFDM-contributor Christine Siewert.

I love how this album has songs like "Naïve" and "Die Now Live Later" that are infused with what we know now as that early 90's dance sound (think C&C Music Factory but then try to forget I mentioned C&C Music Factory and pretend I said KMFDM and that you knew what I was talking about) juxtaposed with more guitar driven borderline metal songs like "Piggybank". I'd actually say "Piggybank" is also one of the more stylistically interesting songs on the album because the guitars feel hard like metal but slightly more repetitious like funk and you also get one of Konietzko's signature chanting-style vocal renditions that has almost a hip-hop element to it. This blend of Industrial, funk, and hip hop would soon pave the way for bands like Die Warzau and Psykosonik while being right in line for My Life with The Thrill Kill Kult, who would also infuse a lot of dirty disco into their own style.

Of course what would later launch this album into the spotlight would be one of the band's few primarily German songs, "Liebeslied". Part of the success of this song was its sampling and re-purposing of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from his 1930's cantata Carmina Burana. If you're not familiar with this particular song then just Google or Youtube it and you'll quickly go "Ohhhh yeah" or at least pretend to so as not to look like an idiot (or sycophant). Apparently Orff's estate has never been particularly happy with the sampling of this song and (which may I point out is a medieval poem that Orff set to music) and halted production of the entire album because of its use of the recording. To me this is ridiculous in the realm of the fact that "Happy Birthday" is owned and to sing it on radio or television requires paying a gross amount of money. I'm not saying that people don't deserve to be paid for their work, however I am saying that when that person has been dead for quite some time then its time to let it go. My attitude is "if you didn't personally create it then fuck you!", but that's just me. Of course KMFDM wouldn't be the only band to suffer this fate, but rather in an exclusive club alongside Apotheosis (though to be fair their 1991 rendition was basically just a rip-off or Orff's version and probably the reason Orff's estate made an issue of this at all), and Apoptygma Berzerk's "Love Never Dies - Part 1" from their 1996 album 7 (you would think they would have learned from history what happens when you sample this song, but no). It wasn't until 1993 that the fuss was made and the album was pulled off the shelf, but it would result in this version of Naïve gaining rare status with the album at times being sold in the hundreds of dollars (though I constantly see it for 30 bucks at Amoeba Records twenty minutes away from my Glendale, California home in Hollywood. Also I paid fifteen bucks for my copy so suck on that).

Rare and important status aside, this is just a great fucking album that includes some of the great aforementioned songs in addition to a really slick "Achtung!" whose slight repetitious guitar ringing gives the song a Western kind of flavor that makes you want to fire pistols at high noon despite the crazy En Esch German vocals. One of my favorites and stalwart of the album would be "Go To Hell". I love "Go To Hell"s sound because it mixes in elements of punk and rockabilly that works so well with the styles of everyone involved making it a song that really shows off the skills of everyone in that incarnation of KMFDM. I also think what is smart about this album is the smattering of non-traditional album tracks like the remix of "Friede" thrown right into the middle of the album and the three additional tracks at the end with "Virus (Dub)", "Disgust (Live)" and of course one of KMFDM's seminal songs "Godlike (Chicago Trax Version)".

The album would later get edited, rearranged, and repackaged as Naïve/Hell To Go (minus any semblance of "O Fortuna") and then later re-released in 2006 by Metropolis/KMFDM Records (again, still minus "O Fortuna" but back to simply being Naïve but with most of the tracks from Naïve/Hell To Go) but if you can find a copy then I highly recommend it not only for the fan appreciation or collector aspect but also just to simply hear the artists' original intentions from one of the most pivotal albums from one of the most provocative bands of the last thirty years. Also this album has that great signature cover artwork by Aidan Hughes (aka Brute!). This is probably one of my favorite KMFDM covers (of which he's done the vast majority of including both albums and the plethora of singles) for its composition, color, and just that absolute creeper. That dude on the cover is a scumbag and his smile is perfect, only being enhanced by the overpowering sun in the background (daytime creepy!).

Favorite Tracks: Naïve, Die Now Live Later, Friede (Remix), Liebesleid, Go To Hell, and Godlike (Chicago Trax Version)

http://kmfdm.net/

Album a Day: Laibach - Jesus Christ Superstars

Laibach
Mute
(1996)

Given that legendary industrial group Laibach's first album, 1985's self-titled Laibach, featured a damn dying on a cross (or a plus sign given the proportionate horizontal and vertical components) it seems like it was only a matter of time before the band would produce an entirely religiously themed (primarily Christian) album. Though it would take eleven more years to get there, 1996 gave way to Jesus Christ Superstars. This particular album would go down as one of the more raw, guitar-driven albums in the band's discography, more reminiscent of Oomph! than their previous work, which, while always heavy, for a long time tended to lean more on the electronic side.

There was a bit of irony there given that the first track on the album is a cover of Juno Reactor's "God is God". Though with Laibach nothing is accidental, and what would be even odder than the slight change in musical direction is that first song. Laibach had been and continues to be long-known for their various covers, often re-purposing songs for their own agenda, and this CD contains three covers (again, not unusual for the band) with the Juno Reactor song, "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera of the same name, and a cover of Prince's "The Cross" from his first solo album Sign O' The Times. What would be so strange about the inclusion of "God is God" is that the song hadn't been released by Juno Reactor yet and wouldn't see a release until the single released a year later in 1997 and on the full-length Bible of Dreams (also released in 1997). However, if you check the liner notes of the Jesus Christ Superstars (again, a great reason for having physical over digital) you'll see the musical writing credit given to Ben Watkins and Nick Burton of Juno Reactor and on the last page of the booklet there is a note that says, "The original version of "God is God" is taken from the forthcoming Juno Reactor album and single on Blue Room Released." I personally just find that pretty amazing and I'm surprised that I think that that particular tidbit has been somewhat forgotten by time and I've even seen credit given first to Laibach in various places.

The song "God is God" itself is a fantastic cover that takes a primarily electronic/tribal piece and makes it into a typically-Laibach epic. What works so well for this and many of the songs on the album is a mix of the sweepingly dramatic performances of Laibach and booming/commanding vocals. Its a really great contrast to the original even though both resonate for different reasons. I'd even go so far so say the Juno Reactor version has a sort of removed, passive quality that allows the listener to float around in the ether and transcend to another state of reality or plane of existence. Laibach's version is much more engaging, fear-mongering, and earthly.

The second cover on the album is perhaps just as fantastic, a re-imagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's "Jesus Christ Superstar". Of course this song is sort of a centerpiece for the album, with only the addition of an "s" standing between the name of the song and the name of the album. Laibach has a great piece written up on their website about the album and in referencing their choice to cover this song they mention how the original (a mirroring of John's Lennon's quote about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus) "...cast a clean-cut Jim Morrison type as Christ and played out his story against the peace concerns the Vietnam war period. That its social impact outweighed its musical value could be ascribed to its meeting the religious needs of an audience unsatisfied by conventional religions. Laibach use it today as a vehicle to explore the way rock had absorbed Hollywood's idea of Christian values."

I won't detail every song but the rest of the album and every one of the original tracks are equally as good as the covers. Even for an industrial album there's still plenty of diversity on this album with more traditionally Laibach songs like "Kingdom of God" and "Abuse and Confession" which, like many of the songs on the album, features these really solid orchestral parts that only enhances their already epic nature, to heavier songs like "Declaration of Freedom" and "Message From The Black Star" that are much more in the style of Neue Deutsche Härte (new German hardness) that was typical at the time of bands like Oomph!, Hanzel und Gretyl (though an American band), Umbra et Imago, and the emerging Rammstein.

Personally one of my favorite tracks on the CD is a much more minimalist song towards the end of the album named "To The Night Light" which feels much more in-line with early Laibach. I think this song (certainly amongst others in their discography) shows a more artistically-driven side of Laibach where they are truly one of the more masterful bands in Industrial at controlling atmosphere and mood, driving it towards a very dark place.

The roots of Industrial music generally centered around the challenging of ideas, musical forms, convention, etc. By 1996 there had been a boom in Industrial and while some bands such as KMFDM, Pigface, and the disintegrating Skinny Puppy were still behind that there were a number of bands emerging that simply just wanted to make angry pop music. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, however, I just thinks its refreshing that Laibach was and continues to be a band that subverts, questions, and thinks during its process, even though they could rest on their laurels of simply being a fantastic, aggressive band. Here Laibach takes on the major theme of religion. The Goth/Industrial scene is not one that is typically associated with deep religious belief so the emergence of such an album is not necessarily controversial, nor do I think it intends to be. The band has stated that with this album they hoped to raise more questions than give answers. Though of course doing an album like this, one does have to wonder Laibach's stance on religion. Is this a question of all religion, Christianity, organized-religion, D. none of the above? The aforementioned article has a quote from the band that I think perhaps sums up the whole thing, "Yes, we believe in God, but unlike Americans we do not trust him."

Favorite Tracks: God is God, Jesus Christ Superstar, Kingdom of God, Abuse and Confession, Message From The Black Star, and To The New Light

http://www.laibach.nsk.si/

Album a Day: And One - Nordhausen

And One
Virgin Records
(1997)

Germany's And One has long been one of the oddest bands. Don't get me wrong, they are also one of my favorite bands but there's always been something a bit off-kilter about this band and I think its that they have the ability to range from quirky (bordering on crazy) to dramatic, and that quirky side can get down right odd (see their most recent video of a lounge version of "Military Fashion Show"). In a sense And One is like a great comedic actor that crosses over to drama and excels at both, and is almost always entertaining. And One's junior effort Nordhausen is a perfect display of the band's dynamic abilities.

I don't want to dwell too much on the odd side of And One because I don't think its the only thing that defines the band but you can help but notice songs on this album like "Sweety Sweety" which is essentially a proposal for an undefined lady to marry the first person subject of the song, bare children, and basically have the whole white picket fence scenario. The song is actually very sweet, and leans much more on And One's synthpop side, but remains sort of a curiously odd song. The other song on the album I would say is in the same vein is And One's cover of Swedish musician Harpo's 1970's song "Movie Star". I love the cheesy sound effects and bubbly synthpop aided by And One collaborator Anja Krenz's guest vocals.

I guess at this point I've turned an about-face because I think odd is the wrong choice of words. Realistically And One is just charming and its songs like these that make for very light (but nonetheless heartfelt) moments that contrast really nicely with the more somber moments on the album like "Sometimes". "Sometimes" is one of those songs that I think helps endear And One to the Goth/Industrial crowd because there's a great fun-EBM club sound to this song but you also have the more downer lyrics about wanting to be alone but not really knowing what you want at all. I know this can come off as a real debby-downer but its honest and its how so many feel whether they want to admit it or not. This more somber side comes out perhaps even more intensely in the last two tracks on the album "Mirror In Your Heart" and the title track "Nordhausen", which remove a little bit of that club friendliness (although "Mirror In Your Heart" still has great synth work reminiscent of Ultra-era Depeche Mode (interestingly both that album and this one were both released in 1997).

One of my favorite aspects about And One has always been that while you get most of their songs sung in English that there always sprinklings of those German songs that compliment the band well and evoke thoughts of Kraftwerk, the Autobahn, and The Bauhaus (the school, not the band). On this album we get songs like "Uns Gehts Gut" which is just a really cool minimalist song that shows a different side of And One. Certainly And One is a band that isn't afraid to experiment and the album actually starts off with "Und Dafür", which has that signature And One sound but is missing the band's trademark vocal work by Steve Naghavi. Now I love Naghavi's vocals but I actually find it refreshing to have a song that can stand on its own for the rest of the composition.

Nordhausen does not have any of the signature songs that you associate with And One ("Panzermensch", "Goodbye Germany", "Techno Man", "Military Fashion Show", "Wasted", etc.) and its possible that it passed you by the first time so I highly recommend adding it to your collection as it is really one of their most top to bottom solid albums with really no bad tracks in the entire thing and a few songs that really should be in your top ten list of And One classics. The album is well-produced Steve Naghavi and band-mate/drummer/back-up vocalist Joke Jay (now an ex-member of the band but a long-time creative force in And One), solid keyboards by Rich Schah with great guest work by the aforementioned vocalist Anja Krenz and pianist Piano Reeves.

Favorite Tracks: Und Dafür, Sometimes, Movie Star, Sweety Sweety, Sitata Tiralala, and Mirror In Your Heart

http://www.andone.de/

Album a Day (Film Score Edition): Hans Zimmer - Inception

Hans Zimmer
Reprise
(2010)

Regardless of how you may or may not feel about Christopher Nolan's Inception, there is absolutely no denying the brilliance of Hans Zimmer's score. Now, I personally loved Inception as I happen to think that if this is the (at least immediate) future of big-budget action films then we are on the right track, but to me a great score not only helps enhance the film but can also function as its own separate entity, as if the two were companion pieces (though I can't imagine watching this film without the score). This is the type of film that has very large grand ideas and then very small intimate moments. I mean consider the fact that the vast majority of the film takes place inside of the human mind. There is an incredible depth to the brain, and especially dreams that we have only begun to understand but have been constantly fascinated with since as far back as possible. Dreams are our safe havens and yet they can be dangerous at the same time. Its where we have adventures, love affairs, self-loathing, self-aggrandizing, etc. In other words, this soundtrack isn't just for a film that has to deal with all of that but also a soundtrack that must have its own psychology to it.

One of the great things about the CD copy of the album is a story in the liner notes where Director Christopher Nolan details the process of working with Zimmer on a film that he described as being so intrinsically interwoven with its score. Of course Zimmer has worked on over 100 soundtracks and if you run down the list its a veritable "who's who" of major American Motion Pictures. Few reach that upper tier of film composers and so obviously takes a certain something. This especially holds true when you are working with a master of scale like Christopher Nolan, though this is not the first collaboration between the two with Zimmer being the creative force behind Nolan's acclaimed Batman series (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). The end result is that Zimmer (who has every right at this point to basically phone it in) continues to challenge himself, do research, and perfect his musical cues.

Of course the most noticeable cue on soundtrack is the very industrial mechanical droning horn. This almost always serves as a reminder that something wrong is happening in the dream world, whether it be the Projections becoming aware of intruders or the world itself collapsing. But beyond that there are also great small moments. Although this is a very electronic soundtrack its difficult to put all of the music into one genre. To me this has to be another call back to the film and its own concept of playing with genre. When I first walked out of Inception I said, "This is Ocean's Eleven meets The Matrix", which I still stand by, however as time has gone on I can see that beyond heist film and sci-fi there are also strong elements of classic action, espionage, and film noir that are often represented by different characters and each of those characters stronger moments are easily displayed all over Zimmer's soundtrack. I think the most significant one has to be Leonardo DiCaprio's character Dominic Cobb who displays all the traits of a classic noir character reminiscent of Fred MacMurray's Walter Neff in Double Indemnity and so many of Cobb's scene involving his lost lady love, Mallorie (played so perfectly by Marion Cotillard), you get very heavily noir music, like in her first appearance with the track "Dream Is Collapsing". A good counter example of that would be somebody like Tom Hardy's character Eames (the Forger) who is much more of an espionage guy and we get music like "Dream With a Dream".

What continues to impress me about Zimmer is how open he is to the collaborative process, which I'm sure working with a collaborative director like Nolan only encourages, and one of the really happy results of that is that on this soundtrack Zimmer brought in musician Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse, The Cribs) to play guitar. Typically film composers of Zimmer's caliber tend to use more classically trained musicians and so even though Marr was already an accomplished musician, I still find it refreshing for Zimmer to have the taste-level to bring in someone like Marr that in addition to being an excellent musician, also isn't going to be afraid to speak his mind which again lends to the collaborative process.

In addition to the regular soundtrack available in stores you can download two free tracks ("Projections" and "Don't Think About Elephants") from the film's website and on itunes you can purchase a Junkie XL remix of a song titled "Inception" that obviously takes from various parts of the score (and is probably an indication that there will be more remixes in the future as was the case with the Dark Knight Soundtrack). I think the Junkie XL remix is a really solid track that probably isn't as good as Zimmer's score but adds for a cool twist that has club appeal to it and I think the crossover, much like enlisting Johnny Marr, can only pull in more of an audience for one of my favorite soundtracks of the year (and perhaps period).

Favorite Tracks: Half Remembered Dream, Dream Is Collapsing, 528491, Mombasa, Paradox, Time, Don't Think About Elephants, and Inception (Junkie XL Remix)

Album a Day: Lycia - Empty Space

I won't watch horror films during the day. Its not that you can't enjoy horror during the day (at least not on a sunny California day like I've been used to for the past several years) but come on, the light is shining, people are stirring about, worse comes to worse I can just leave my house and all will somehow be less creepy. The night is the perfect time for high-contrast lighting, things that look like other things, and more things popping out of nowhere. I don't often feel this way about music because I just don't find most music creepy, even music that somehow sets out to be as such (though it seems like there isn't as much of that as there used to be). However, if you want creepy, nighttime-enhanced music then look no further than Arizona's veteran-Darkwavers Lycia (probably a creepier place to live than you may realize), and also when rifling through the discography make sure to make a stop at 2003's Empty Space.

For certain moods I have specific albums I like to listen to because when you're feeling a certain way you just don't have the time to start sampling things and this album fulfills that dark need in me. This isn't even to say brooding (for that I have other albums) but rather much like how I described that creepy nighttime feeling. To me this album brings about feelings that zombies are going to start coming out of the woodwork or the infected will begin running at me ala 28 Days Later. I always think the last track of this album, "The End" (how fitting) is reminiscent of the song playing in the film when Jim is enacting his plan against the military guys (or I'm not sure if it'd be the other way around as this album was released in 2003 but recorded in 1999 and the film came out in 2002 but I'm not sure when that song was recorded, so let's just leave that tidbit ambiguous).

What I think appreciate the most about this album, and perhaps Lycia in general is that their process seems closer to the way fine artists would work in that you get the appropriate tools for the particular song. At times you may get guitarist/found Mike VanPortfleet's vocals that are really subtle and intimate while others are more appropriate for the distinctly haunting Tara Vanflower (be sure to check out her solo work by the way) and some songs don't need any vocals at all. More traditional bands work much more similar to narrative filmmaking, which is to say that if you have a vocalist then you use it (though it certainly is common to have songs that only feature the vocalist and maybe a synth or guitars...poor bassists and drummers of the world). I think this way of working allows Lycia to maximize potential for songs because nothing feels forced and everything is unexpected. Though I do miss the vocals when they aren't present as Vanflower's voice really brings the work to another level and very much in the same vein as Siouxsie Sioux. VanPortfleet's vocals are a little more sporadic but they add a great texture to the album, particularly on the aforementioned "The End".

Part of what really solidifies the whole package to me are the little moments such VanPortfleet's vocals on "Not Here, Not Anywhere" or the popping effect (perhaps a woodblock or castanets, unless I'm way off) on "Violent Violet", or just that constant guitar riff throughout the album that sounds just off enough to put the listener in a state of unease (in a positive way). Each member of the band has great moments on the album with an attention to detail. In that sense its like you have four separate artists all working together like an well-oiled machine from the aforementioned work by VanPortfleet and Vanflower to John Fair's off-kilter percussion work, David Galas' post-punk bass.

Lycia has done a great job of continuing to transform over the years while maintaining a signature sound that has helped sustain fanbase (including Trent Reznor) while growing as artists and as a collective. This was the last album until the band recently released on online exclusive EP so I hope this is a sign that their work will continue until those that make the music feel its time to hang it up, and in that case they all have great side/solo-projects that are worth checking out. But to me this may stay for a long time as my favorite Lycia album.

Favorite Tracks: Not Here Not Anywhere, Persephone, Violent Violet, The Long Drive, and The End

Album a Day (EP Edition): Leæther Strip - Suicide Bombers

I'm glad we're all in agreement that George W. Bush was one of our worst Presidents in history (though let's not forget how much of an asshole James Buchanan was). However, to every yin there is a yang (or is it the opposite here?) and there was a silver lining to eight years of political misery: eight years of really angry Industrial laden with Bush vocal samples that you would think must have come from a Charlton Heston movie or something. Some of the music became redundant but a vast majority of it just had so much material to work from including Bush, Bush's cabinet, war, Bin Laden, Sadam Hussein, Al-Qaeda, terrorism, etc. And the great thing was that you could pick and choose so that way you can mock terrorism while also mocking Bush at the same time, and this was one of the clear factors that helped bring one of the greatest Industrial minds out of his funk.

The year was 2005 and we hadn't seen any new material from Claus Larsen (A.K.A. Leæther Strip) since 2000's Carry Me, but realistically there hadn't been any significant release of music from the Leæther Strip project since the release of his 8th album, 1997's Self-Inflicted. Now for some bands time off isn't all that unusual, but Larsen started Leæther Strip in 1988, released his first single in 1989 (Japanese Bodies), first album in 1990 (The Pleasure of Penetration) with a second album that year (Science For The Satanic Citizen) and subsequently released an album every year (and a number of EPs and singles) until his hiatus. Ignoring the one single from 2000 and some compilations of earlier work, Larsen basically took off for eight years in contrast to the previous eights years of consistent material.

So a lot of buzz surrounded Larsen in 2005 upon rumblings of new material. An album would come but first was this EP, Suicide Bombers: Who Told You To Die That Way? Situations like that can tend to build a lot of hype and the last time we had heard new Leæther Strip Larsen had been changing around the sound in such a way that created mixed reactions amongst his fan base. However, this EP absolutely delivered if nothing else but for the title track. "Suicide Bombers" became an instant club hit but its also just such a great perspective on the war in Iraq (is that over yet?). In the song you have a great clip of W. repeating the phrase "suicide bombers" and Larsen simultaneously dissecting why these "martyrs" do what they do and chastising them for it. Larsen has a long history of speaking his mind and deconstructing villainous acts, but what I particularly love here is that Larsen is older, perhaps wiser, more introspective, clearly had a lot of time to think about all of this, and while he still rips the suicide bombers apart there are also questions of how they got where they are, why do they do what they do, etc. while I think taking Bush to task and almost pleading with these men and women not to do what they do while showing empathy (though some of it is very condescending and in the end Larsen does wish harm on those that would perpetrate such acts).

Musically the title track is also just a solid track that's very danceable, very catchy, with a great mix Larsen's normal trademark vocal style and perhaps something slightly more aggressive. In addition the EP contains an alternate "12 Inch Version" (remember when every band on Wax Trax! had a 12 inch version of a song?) that isn't all that different but certainly interesting as you get a longer Bush sample where W. states that "suicide bombers are targeting innocent men, women, and children" plus a slightly different, perhaps more consistent club-style beat. This alternate version isn't really better or worse than the original version but just different, which is kind of cool in itself.

Whats interesting about this EP is that it basically is a mini-album because the whole thing is just under 40 minutes (many albums are as short at 48 minutes) and with the exception of the 12 inch version of the title track, all the rest of the songs are originals. One of my favorites besides the title track is "The Shame of a Nation (Part I & II)". Certain elements are very indicative of its place in the mid-2000's but the overall sound is very reminiscent of more classic Industrial/EBM. There's a very steady pace that probably isn't as much of an automatic dance-floor hit now but you would definitely see an old-school crowd being very into this. I also love the line in this song with the supposed female computer vocalist stating "Leæther Strip is back" during Part II of the song (with two minutes left in the song the same voice informs the audience "And now EBM people I would like to welcome you to 'The Shame of a Nation Part II'. Please enter with caution or stay the fuck out".

The rest of the songs on the EP are all good, though I think "This Is Where I Wanna Be" is probably the best of the bunch as it feels like the first three tracks have an "I'm back" feel, while this song is sort of the "Now let's resume where we left off". Larsen has a great ability to retain that old school sound while adding transformative elements that given the feeling of something progressive rather than nostalgic. I'm sure some of this must have been credited to Larsen's extended hiatus, which seems to have reinvigorated the artist and allowed Larsen to introduce Leæther Strip to an entire new audience.

Favorite Tracks: Suicide Bombers, Suicide Bombers (12 Inch Version), The Shame of a Nation (Part I & II), and This Is Where I Wanna Be

Album a Day: Five Finger Death Punch - The Way of The Fist

Five Finger Death Punch is certainly in contention for one of the best Heavy Metal acts going today and they only released this debut album, The Way of The Fist, in 2007. The band first formed in 2005 when the Hungarian-born former-U.P.O. guitarist Zoltan Bathory (tell me that's not an epic name!) enlisted the services of drummer Jesse Spencer (W.A.S.P.), bassist Matt Snell (Deadsett, Anubis Rising), guitarist Caleb Bingham (who would ultimately leave the band before the finish of the first album, being replaced by former W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts), with the last edition being vocalist Ivan Moody (Motograter), who Bathory courted via Myspace (I know that idea seems ridiculous now...I mean who even uses myspace anymore?).

Part of what I love so much about this album is that you have a Los Angeles-based metal band that clearly brings that American Heavy Metal style as the base, but then I'm sure Bathory's Hungarian background has to factor in somehow even if its not such a direct influence. On top of that the band interest in Asian culture is evident with the band's name, the title of this album, and several song titles (like "Death Before Dishonor") being obvious references to classic Kung-Fu films. Perhaps the fascination stops at the surface level of titles but I don't think the influence is quite that ephemeral but rather something that becomes integrated into the band's style.

Five Finger Death Punches' sound represents a much more "pop"-oriented direction that metal has been going in with typically more metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall so its interesting in the last three or four years to see that permeate into different style of metal (especially something so classic like heavy metal). When I say "pop" I simply mean that there is something more accessible about the sound that's put forward for someone that may just be easing into metal. I don't think metal will ever really go in a full-on pop direction because at the end of the day you're still listening to an album with fucking heavy guitars and a considerable amount of screaming (no matter how much melodic singing that's coupled with). But Five Finger Death Punch push those boundaries and that puts them in the position to reach a fairly wide audience with songs that I found myself singing along to the first time I put on the disc.

There's a ton of passion on The Way of The Fist and while some of the lyrics are much more straight forward they convey feelings that are very universal about betrayal, self-loathing, feelings of inadequacy, etc. Of course most of the songs seem to be about particular relationships that went wrong but rather than just being typical "I love her" or "fuck her" its a lot more self-reflection that we all go through and there's something very cathartic about that and Moody's vocals are really perfect for conveying all of those genuine feelings. I think the best song that displays whats great about Five Finger Death Punch is "Death Before Dishonor". There's something very self-empowering about this song with a strong positive push behind it.

The album is also so well produced. Metal albums can be difficult to produce because you don't want an inevitable wall of sound coming at the listener that can often happen in these cases but instead here you get something that is coming from all directions. The credit here goes to the recording skills of Stevo "Shotgun" Bruno (Mötley Crüe, Prong) and Mike Sarkisyan (Spineshank) with mixing duties handled by former Machine Head and Soulfly guitarist Logan Mader. I also love the cover artwork by Sxv'Leithan Essex.

Overall this is a fantastic debut for this band that has several great singles, really killer bonus tracks on the re-release of the CD including a fantastic acoustic version of "The Bleeding" that shows off the musical talents and diversity of this band. Five Finger Death Punch has shown a great amount of potential with this debut album and the 2009 follow-up War Is The Answer (another album that is sure to be discussed here soon enough) which is why its so exciting to hear what they will have in store when they go back into the studio later this year to record their Junior album.

Favorite Tracks: Ashes, The Way of The Fist, The Bleeding, The Devil's Own, Death Before Dishonor, Never Enough, and The Bleeding (Acoustic)

Album a Day (Compilation Edition): Various Artists - Femmes de Paris Vol. 1

I think the "pop" genre has often gotten a bad rap in more independent-based music scenes because of its connotations of commercial appeal over artistic intent or perhaps because it often just makes a shitload of money. I can empathize with this to a certain extent and then I remember that I like pop because its fun. Also if you give any pop music long enough then it will take on some sort of new value. In a sense this like finding a really expensive red leather jacket at the goodwill for 20 bucks (which I have done on two separate occasions at two different thrift stores in two different states). This is how I feel about 60's french pop so that's why I was stoked when I found this 2002 retrospective compilation, Femmes de Paris, Vol. 1. Though perhaps the pop aspect of French Pop is a bit of a misnomer as so much of the genre is heavily influenced by American Rock of the 50's and 60's. You can see a strong parallel between the French Pop movement and cinematic French New Wave with the influence of American pop-culture exploding in France post-World War II and the youth/artistic movements of the 60's being on the receiving end of that.

Part of the focus on this style of music is the celebration of the french language with music targeted at french-speaking countries that dominate more than just France including other parts of Europe like Belgium or as far as North America with more than just the Quebecois, extending to all parts of Canada. And lest we forget that so many African nations were colonized by the French. In many interviews I've conducted with bands from non-English speaking countries a vast majority of them want to sing in English because it appeals to such a wide market. Now we've established there are a lot of French speakers, but inherently its a far more niche market so that means there is a Pop movement, which again would traditionally spell commercialization to the fullest extent, and yet here's the artistic integrity. You can call it patriotism, nationalism, traditionalism, and maybe I'm over-thinking but to me its a love for a beautiful language. As a filmmaker that shoots mostly 16mm I inevitably wind up having many discussions about film versus video. I generally see the points made by people on the video side but I truly love film. I'm sure these musicians, their bands, and their producers had many discussions French vocals versus English ones and they came to the conclusion that at least for one song they would sing in their native language (most of these women spent their entire musical career singing in French).

One of the brilliant traditions that comes out of this whole thing is the importance of the cover song. These women sang all sorts of rock 'n roll covers and those are some of my favorites on this disc including Marie Laforêt's "Marie douceur, Marie colère" which is a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black". There's a great minimal quality to the recording of this song that puts a great emphasis on Laforêt's ability to belt out the vocals for this song just as well as Mick Jagger. This is probably the best cover on the compilation but there are also great covers of the Lee Hazelwood-penned "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", "Sloop John B" (a traditional West Indies folk song popularized by The Beach Boys), the Motown hit "Baby Love" (which became The Supremes most successful hit), The Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satin", and one of the bonus tracks is a Beach Boys original in the form of "You're So Good To Me".

What I love about the covers and in fact all the songs on the album is that they are all really short with the longest song clocking in at four minutes and nineteen seconds and that is Patricia's cover of "Nights In White Satin" which in its original recording comes in at seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds, so for this to be the longest song certainly says something, especially since most of the rest of the songs on this disc are really under three minutes. The reason I like this is because there's almost a snack quality to the songs. These are perfect songs for sprinkling into mixes of other things or as one grouping you're able to get nineteen songs for a fifty minute album.

The covers aren't the only great songs on this comp as some of my favorite are original tracks sometimes penned by other writers, sometimes written by the singers or at least with contributions. Of course its difficult for me to know what's going on in these songs because I don't speak French but in that sense the music has more of a visceral quality in which I have to just listen to the way the voices moves. Of course there are some songs that its easy to get hooked on for at least a suggestion of the lyrics, like Christine Pilzer's "Dracula", which is easily my favorite song on the entire compilation and reminds me of a lot of the great (or at last campy) European vampire films of the 60's and 70's. Jocelyn's "Nitty Gritty" also seems pretty straight-forward.

Speaking of Jocelyn, what winds up being really interesting is that a lot of the singers of this era are just these one name performers like Jocelyn, Patricia, Stone, Elizabeth, etc. This might not seem odd now that we have Madonna and Prince, but keep in mind that this was at least ten years before Prince and twenty before Madonna. I suppose that you could point out the misogynistic quality of the French in creating commodities of these women, but I think in retrospect they wind up having mythical God-like qualities like Hercules or Athena. Of course not all of the women are just one name and in fact many of them made their names as actresses as well as singers with the most well-known on here being Brigitte Bardot, who most would probably know from either Roger Vadim's And God Created Woman or Jean-Luc Godard's seminal Contempt. This compilation not only provides fantastic songs but also serves as somewhat of a reference towards popular culture in France during this time period, giving it historical context and significance.

A lot of these songs also just have amazing bands backing them and you get great horns like the trumpet on Tiny Yong's "Tu es le roi des menteurs", amazing percussion, and clearly the Bob Dylan love is shown with the harmonica on Violaine's "J'ai des Problèmes Décidement". One of the greatest songs purely for the instrumental elements is probably Liz Brady's anthematic "Partie de Dames".

However, at the end of the day this grouping of songs is really just a fantastic compilation of music that has pop-appeal, rock-appeal, and of course appeal to my nerdier history-loving side (and I love The French even if others wanna be haters). I highly recommend checking out either this compilation or a similar one for any of the above reasons but most of all because these songs are fun and as the beautiful digipak packaging tells us, its also in "Super Stereo".

Favorite Tracks: Marie Laforêt - Marie douceur, Marie colère (Paint It Black), Eileen - Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher (These Boots Are Made For Walkin'), Violaine - J'ai des Problèmes Décidement, Liz Brady - Partie de Dames, Stone - Fille ou Garçon (Sloop John B), Christine Pilzer - Dracula, Adele - J'ai Peur Parfois, Patricia - Mes Rêves de Satin, and Brigitte Bardot - La Fille de Paille

Album a Day: Lower Dens - Twin-Hand Movement

Lower Dens
Gnomonsong Recordings
(2010)

Time is of course fleeting, thus it should come as no surprise that music, one of two prime temporal arts (the other being cinema), is the representation of fleet. So sometimes what time needs is a moment to exist in the now while having the ability to reflect on the past and always looking to the future. This is a feeling I experienced while listening to Twin-Hand Movement, the debut album from Jana Hunter's new band Lower Dens. The first word that came to mind while listening to this album was delightful and yet I feel like to say delightful underscores the casual intensity of the songs put forth.

Each track have great movement that flows well with the previous one while existing on its own. There are more broad moments such as the opening track "Blue & Silver" or "Completely Golden" that contrast nicely with more intimate songs like the soulful "Truss Me". "Truss Me" is actually one of my favorite tracks on the album as it really displays what Jana Hunter is so good at and that's creating something that has heart but is also incredibly haunting so as to stick with you and in that sense those fleeting feelings create memory.

Lower Dens is able to layer a variety of sounds through precise musicianship that doesn't require any masturbatory moments and so everything feels very deliberate and thought out. The result is a blend of post-punk, folk, goth rock, blues, and shoegaze that allows the listener to go to a place of intense mood that I would say is influenced by the music but not pushed. I personally went to a very zen place while listening to Twin-Hand Movement but I could see this album being great for a variety of situations.

The production is really great on this album and allows the listener to exist within the aural construct that the band has created. Clearly a lot of care was put into every detail of this album from production to song-writing to even Jana Hunter's beautiful photography for the cover art and it doesn't go unnoticed.

To me one of the recurring themes of Twin-Hand Movement is an awareness of the function of time. No moments are wasted but none are glorified either. This is to say that each second of this near thirty-nine minute album is appreciated with no fat simply for the sake of padding out a song as is shown with several tracks around the two-minute and thirty second mark and others as long as six and a half minutes. So this allows each song to develop as it needs to. In that sense the songs come off closer to compositions but with a pop edge to them, like Mogwai meets The Cure.

Though there is something very understated and subtle about this album I think that it will be one of my favorite of 2010 (or perhaps because of those reasons). I highly recommend checking it out, maybe brewing yourself some tea, put on a low-light, get comfortable and just chill out. This is also an album that is probably worth investing in the LP version and hearing it on vinyl.

Favorite Tracks: Blue & Silver, A Dog's Dick, I Get Nervous, Plastic & Powder, Rosie, and Truss Me

Album a Day (Single Edition): Dntel - (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan

There have been countless numbers of bands that only release one record, but only a few have really reached the cult-like status of The Postal Service who gained a bevy of praise and adoration for their 2003 album Give Up. To date that album, three singles, and a few random covers and remixes has been the only material released by the collaboration of Jimmy Tamborello and Ben Gibbard under the banner of The Postal Service. However, that is not all the material made as the two first collaborated 2001 on Tamborello's indietronica project Dntel with Gibbard providing vocals for the song "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan" that would first appear as part of the album Life Is Full of Possibilities and later as its own six-track single (which conveniently we are discussing here today).

"(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan" is perhaps actually my favorite collaboration between the two, which isn't to take anything away from the later Postal Service work but rather just an indication of just how good this song is. Aesthetically the song has this interesting mixture of complex, almost avant-garde, programming mixed with a strong pop sensibility. Though the strong hooks of Gibbard comes as no surprise given his long-time involvement as the vocalist for Death Cab For Cutie, Tamborello is no stranger to popular music with his work in another electro band by the name of Figurine and his years served as a DJ and Music Director over at KXLU. What is surprising is how early the styles of Tamborello and Gibbard gelled together to form a beautiful song which Tamborello has said was inspired by a dream Gibbard had about Evan Dando of The Lemonheads and Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power.

Jimmy Tamborello's song construction shows a great understanding of musical arrangement that builds slowly, sustains something captivating, builds to a crescendo, and fades away leaving the listener in a state of a zen-like emotional tranquility that is only amplified by Ben Gibbard's deeply understated emotional vocals that are beautiful without overpowering any other element of the song and carrying the viscerally intriguing lyrics that shape every notion of a dream-like state.

Fortunately the title track isn't the only gem on this single with four diverse remixes and a b-side. Each remix has its own distinct style with only of the tracks solely containing the original vocal track. Its so interesting to hear the guest vocals provided by Kings of Convenience vocalist Erlend Øye on the "Spilled My Drink Mix" by Matthew Patterson Curry's Safety Scissors. It's rare to find an artist that allows a song to be taken as far out of the original context as to both have a remixer and new guest vocals but the end result is really pleasant and reminiscent of Norwegian electro-act Röyksopp. There is a very casual/lounge nature to this version that allows the listener to sit back and drift off the sleep that results in the original version of the song. Øye's rendition of Gibbard's lyrics paint a slightly different picture that sounds closer to a narrator of a scene rather than participant, which is a really curious contrast to the original vocals. Perhaps this creates a scenario in which Gibbard is singing from the perspective of Evan and Øye is something more of a watcher or spectator.

That remix and the following one by Barbara Morgenstern are easily my favorite two on the disc perhaps if nothing else because of the additional guest vocals on each. In the case of the latter remix Gibbard's vocals are still present, though appearing the form of a duet with Morgenstern herself, who starts off the song with her vocals that match Gibbard's vocals in beauty and sincerity. I'm always a fan of hearing female covers of originally male vocals and vice versa but to take both voices to create a duet puts this version of the song in to a whole new spectrum for me. In this sense you feel like Gibbard and Morgenstern assume the roles of Evan and Chan. The remixed music here is much more minimal, really highlighting the strong vocal work of both musicians while retaining Tamborello's original musical intentions.

The last two remixes by Superpitcher and Lali Puna are both interesting in their own right with Superpitcher retaining Gibbard's original vocals and essentially making an extended club mix while Lali Puna is the only version to remove the vocals completely and focus on re-imagining Tamborello's music. Both of these songs are good but have a difficult time following the first three tracks which are each just amazing different versions of the title track. But while not as strong both remixes do have their place on the CD with Superpitcher's version providing a track that is more club accessible and Lali Puna having the only remix on the CD that retains a sound so close to the original track while still making a distinct remix that is very well executed.

I'm glad that Dntel decided to end the single with a b-side that continues to showcase Tamborello's talents with the b-side "Your Hill". I love that the song starts off with a fantastic accordian that is just absolutely endearing. Again, Tamborello's song construction shows great intelligence capturing the listener early and then building layers to a point where the listener has gone on an entire journey by the time the song is over. Tamborello also shows off his own vocal work (though it takes about half the song to appear) in a way that is refreshing and reminds me of the same impact when Tom Jenkinson (a.k.a. Squarepusher) decides to pull out his own vocal talents. "Your Hill" is a great finisher as the single initially drew on the popularity of Ben Gibbard's Death Cab For Cutie acclaim but hopefully entices the listener to further explore Dntel even if The Postal Service never returns.

Favorite Tracks: (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan, (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Safety Scissors Spilled My Drink Mix featuring Erlend Øye), (This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Barbara Morgenstern Remix), and Your Hill

Album a Day: Cylab - Cut & Coil

It's hard to believe that Cut & Coil is only the third album from the transcontinental Cylab (though fourth release if you factor in the remix album Disseminate). Each release from this band shows more and more solidification of sound and style and no doubt this brand new album is their most mature work to date. Cylab, first conceived in 1999 by New York City's Percy Trayanov, began to grow to with the addition of vocals by one of my favorite vocalists Severina Sol, who of course you know as a former member of Diva Destruction and more recently as one half of my favorite new band, The Break Up, in addition to her contributions to Fockewolf and early-Atomica. Unfortunately, Cylab's first album, 2004's Unparallel Universe missed most radars, but the band began to gain notoriety for their remixes of Christ Analogue, Agonised By Love, and Collide and finally topping things off with their 2006 self-released sophomore album, Satellites and companion remix album, the subsequent and aforementioned Disseminate. Are we all caught up now? Good, because as good as any previous Cylab material is, Cut & Coil blows it out of the water. There are a number of things I love about this album but what really stands out the most to me is that I think Trayanov and Sol (with contributions from drummer Dre Robinson, who joined the band after his own work on the brilliant Skinny Puppy album Greater Wrong of The Right and just around the time of Satellites) have finally established what exactly the Cylab sound is. Though the post-apocalyptic trip-hop-induced-industrial was evident on previous albums, that sound here feels like an all-out attack, a declaration of war that will not stop until it has skull-fucked everyone in sight. Believe me when I say that Cylab ain't fuckin' around and every listener should enlist in the Cylab army while they're still recruiting. Ok, enough with the war metaphors because in addition to being a hard-hitting album it is also full of heart, mystery, and is sexy as hell, though none of this should could as a surprise as the potential was always there, it's just that the result is finally here kicking down the door (I guess that could be another war metaphor but I swear its my last). A large part of that confidence is displayed in the diversity of the album with elements of industrial, trip-hop, EBM throughout, and then individual songs each having their own thing going on that allows the album to hold consistency while giving each track the ability to stand alone. A great example of this would be a track like, "Trigger" which feels like the rest of the album, has a very punk-rock feel to it that isn't really present anywhere else, but doesn't seem out of place, rather just another movement in the album. I also love that Trayanov demonstrates his classical-piano background on "Cocoon". His piano talents are as beautiful as Sol's vocals and I would love to see the two of them either infuse more of this into the Cylab work or even pursue a side-project that shows off different interests of the same members like Estampie for Qntal or Tanzwut for Corvus Corax. Once again Sol's vocals here are as haunting as ever and Sol's stock is quickly rising with strong showings this year in both Cylab and The Break Up. Severina has really demonstrated her own ability to retain her style and essence while being able to lend her vocals to a range of different sounds. This puts her in the great position where hopefully more bands will begin to contact her for guest vocal work, something she has not been a stranger to in the past with more recent contributions to Hatesex, Caustic, and Embodi. I would love to her Sol work other talented vocalists like Iris' Reagan Jones, Seabound's Frank Spinath, or even similarly-styled Collide/The Secret Meeting vocalist kaRIN. Content-wise I think Cylab also continues to stay strong as the songs here mix science fiction with universal themes of spirituality and rebirth. The band looks forward with new sounds like the previously mentioned "Trigger" and "Dragonfly Dream" while referencing the great work they did on their previous album with the track "Spheres". All of this in addition to really cool album-artwork that really pops, slick production, and hard-work will only help Cylab push the boundaries of what is possible for this band, which I think as hard as it may be to believe given how good this album is, only can go up in my opinion. Favorite Tracks: Skin, Dragonfly Dream, Shifting Time, Red Blood Clay and Dust, and Trigger

Album a Day: !!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It?

When I think of the Sacramento-native !!! (this is the place in a review where they normally tell you how to pronounce the band's name) my mind immediately goes to "dance epic". Now this can be taken a number of ways: on the one hand you can take this words in tandem to mean that the music of !!! is a "dance epic" in the same vein as a "rock opera" but much more like"Thriller" or Xanadu. On the other hand we can simply break down that the music is epic and you happen to be able to dance to it. The former referring more to a planned act of something conceptual and the latter being a series of descriptive yet seemingly unrelated adjectives. To this analysis I say that all of the above is true and exemplified so well in this brand-new album, Strange Weather, Isn't It? from the dance-punk nightmare of !!!. First formed in 1996 from an amalgamation of other local Sacramento bands such as Black Liquorice, Popesmashers, and hardcore-act Yah Mos, !!! would eventually release four albums between 2000 and 2010 starting with a self-titled album and inevitably winding up here with what I would say is perhaps their most mature work to date. The band has continued strongly with their signature blend of funk and electro-pop fused with elements of punk and hardcore (its ok to tell me that those two genres are the same but others may punch you in the solar plexus for that statement). What I'd say is different between this album and previous ones is that I think !!! continues to just own it more. That is say that while previous albums may feel like a track playing in a club, I would equate this album much more to the down-the-street-strut of Tony Manero. To me Strange Weather, Isn't It? elicits a very visceral reaction that not only makes me want to dance but rather boogie with the cosmos or simply melt away into a montage of the Big Bang (I can't help if my visceral reactions mostly have to do with space). I love this album and the continued quirkiness of the band. I love that there's a very poetic quality to !!! but less W.H. Auden and more Jack Kerouac. Sonically the eight-piece ensemble is able to create an album that is very layered as is demonstrated on the uplifting "Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks" but comes off as very bare and minimalist as exemplified on the more down-tempo "Hollow" that allows the listener to crawl somewhere between the cracks of the music like having a cave amongst the layers. "Hollow" is one of my favorite tracks as the song, like many of the songs on the album, not only takes from a place of those great decades of funk but also has a very 90's sensibility to it not only with the sampling but the pace of the music as well. The other previously mentioned track "Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks" also has that sensibility, reminiscent of the Sting's "Shape of My Heart" but jazzed up and mixed with a bit of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher". My favorite track on the CD may be the much more disco-flavored "Even Judas Gave Jesus a Kiss" not only for its obvious tongue-in-cheek blasphemy, which I'm always a fan of, but to look beyond that silliness you see a genuine song questioning aspects of Christanity, history, and how that relates to much more modern concepts. !!! has the ability to make you smile and think all while sticking their tongues out in a playful yet punk kind of way, which is why they have continued to be successful with one of the more intense dance albums I've heard in quite a while. Favorite Tracks: Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass, Hollow, Even Judas Gave Jesus a Kiss, Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks, and AM/FM

Album a Day (EP Edition): Ascension of The Watchers - Iconoclast

I first heard Ascension of The Watchers back in 2005 with the release of this first EP, Iconoclast, and was completely taken aback by this beautiful melodic debut collaboration from two of the music scene's icons of metal/industrial, Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory, G/Z/R) and John Bechdel (Prong, Fear Factory, Ministry, Killing Joke, Murder Inc., False Icons). Ascension of The Watchers first started in 2002 during a Fear Factory sabbatical when Fear Factory leader Burton C. Bell left the craziness of Los Angeles to visit touring-mate and friend John Bechdel at his home in rural Pennsylvania. Bechdel and Bell and discussed collaborating on something together but Bechdel was under the impression that Bell would be bringing full songs ready to go. Instead Burton showed up with a guitar, some basic ideas, and a desire for a true collaboration between the two. The end result is this fascinating 2005 EP that genre-wise is somewhat hard to categorize but mixes elements of goth, shoe-gaze and ethereal with just good old fashioned singer/songwriting. The EP is a very spiritual journey and has a breathtakingly peaceful quality that can best be attributed to the band's surroundings in the aforementioned rural Pennsylvania. I grew up in Western Massachusetts and spent my undergrad days in upstate New York so I can attest to the serenity that one feels, especially in comparison to the mental fog that can get created when you're in an area like LA for too long in addition to the constant touring that both men have participated in for so long. I've been a Fear Factory fan for a long time but this side of Bell really shows off some of his other talents including passionate, beautiful vocals that compliment very understated lyrics. The lyrical content of this release is very poetic but is configured in to the music as an element rather than the focal point which to me helps showcase the intoxicating arrangements. The album name Iconoclast traditionally refers to the deliberate destruction of a particular religion within a society by the society itself, usually to make way for new modes of belief. I think that are probably a few things the band may be referring to here but to me I get this sense that is symbolizes the tearing down of the type of music and way of life that Bell had become accustomed to and even a symbol for to make way for this EP which I think reads as a rebirth for Bell. For a man that certainly was burnt out from Fear Factory at the time, you certainly wouldn't know it from this mini-album which is just full of passion and in Bell and Bechdel's own words is very heartfelt. I love that all of the songs tend to lean on the long side as they really have time to develop and fester, especially the last track, "Quintessence" at just over ten minutes and without vocals. This song reminds me a lot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and shows a very experimental side of the band that contrasts nicely with a more folk-pop song like "Moonshine" (my favorite song the album). All of the songs would be slightly redone, extended, remastered, recorded, etc. for the bands much more wide-spread full-length 2008 release Numinosum but I love the raw nature of the recordings on this release. The newer versions are good but I have a certain affinity towards these early recordings like being in on Bell and Bechdel's process. This self-released EP comes in a beautiful foldout digipak adorned with really haunting yet serene photography by Burton C. Bell and also features an interactive program that has the bands bio, a short interview and a music video for "On The River". The music video is fairly simple with one sustained scene of Bell and Bechdel in a boat on a river presumably near Bechdel's home with the camera in between the two just spinning around and catching both men contemplating and Bell singing along. This isn't an amazing video but serves the song well in creating a dizzying quality like spinning around in circles until collapsing on the ground with the giggles. The short interview is a highlight of this release as Bell and Bechdel discuss the origins of the band while signing AOTW posters (which are great and have the band's killer icon). There's a very casual element to the interview that matches the colloquial quality to the album. This EP is a rare find but if you spot it then I highly suggest adding it to your collection. Favorite Tracks: On The River, Moonshine, and Quintessence

Album a Day: The Break Up - The Break Up

The Break Up is easily one of the most exciting bands I've heard in a long time. Formed officially in 2007 ,the duo of Shane Allen Hall (who many in the NYC and Seattle club scenes may know as either Blix Krieg or Terra Hymen) and Severina Sol (Cylab, Fockewolf, Diva Destruction, Atomica) began playing live shows in 2009 before the official release of any album. Though it took about three years to release The Break Up one could argue it took about a decade with Hall and Sol first jamming together in the earlier part of the 2000's. Perhaps this is the formula all bands should take as this self-titled debut release is really amazing. At just under and hour this album feels like a journey that is much longer (though never boring). Hall does a great job of mixing elements of darkwave, synthpop, and electro-industrial to create a very unique sound that really transcends any particular style while still retaining something that sound very familiar. Of course all of this is complimented so well with Severina's vocals which are really so diverse that they have worked well for a number of styles. As much as I love Sol's other projects, I feel that The Break Up really flexes her vocal muscles while allowing her to experiment with a variety of emotions. This might be the most impressed I've been with Severina's vocal range both technically and stylistically. Throughout all of that Severina's voice always retains a very haunting quality that stays with you long after the music has ended. I think a lot of this can also be contributed to Sol lyrical talents. I first met Severina around the time of the first Cylab release and can tell you that she is a very spiritual person with an affinity for mystical (one of the things I adore about her the most). I think that side of her really shows on this album especially on a song like "Trapeze". My favorite line from the song has to be "I dream in galaxies and dance amongst the stars". The beautiful imagery here is so poetic. If Sol were to ever write a book of poetry I would be the first in line to read it. I had never heard any work by Shane Allen Hall up until this album but with this release he has propelled himself to the top of my list of favorite song writers. You can tell that there's just a lot of effort and attention to detail that he puts in to his work. I sometimes understand the point that critics make when discussing the lazier points of electronic music because it is fairly easy to create a few beats and just sort of let them go but no one can make that argument about Hall. His music has great movement to it, nice little moments in the synths that create personality, and there's both appeal for the clubs or just sitting at home and bobbing your head (something I did constantly while listening to this album). Critics have pointed to The Break Up as having a very retro sound, which I would somewhat agree with but adding in the caveat that Hall and Sol not only embrace a sound that never should have gone away in the first place, but add something very cutting edge to it. I would never accuse this band of looking back as I think they have nowhere to go but up and forward. Certainly the band's sound is reminiscent of 80's band like Berlin, early De/Vision, and Rational Youth but I think you'll find elements of The Dreamside, The Crüxshadows, Grendel and IAMX as well. It should come as no surprise that the production on this album is really tight as the duties were handled expertly by fellow Seattle musician Jasyn Bangert (God Module). The album flows really nicely with a great range of sound from the more subdued tracks like "Black Ocean" and "Tread Softly" to clubbier singles like the intoxicating "Who's Crying Now" or the militaristic "Guillotine". You also just really have to appreciate the pageantry that Hall and Sol put in to their visual style with a mix of new romantic, victorian goth, and just plain class. I wish more bands would take the time to look as incredibly sexy as both Severina Sol and Shane Allen Hall do as it not only sends the message that we care about our live shows, we care about our fans, but we have musical skills to back it the fuck up. I highly recommend you pick up this disc and keep an eye on where this project is going so if nothing else you can be elitist and say you heard them way back when. Favorite Tracks: Who's Crying Now, Addict, Trapeze, Tread Softly, Guillotine, and Requieum

Album a Day: Within Temptation - The Silent Force

In 2004 Dutch symphonic band Within Temptation released this junior album, The Silent Force. According to lead singer Sharon den Adel the title was taken from a book by Dutch poet/novelist Louis Couperus and the majority of the album takes from said book. Though I do love the most recent work of Within Temptation, I think that this album still stands as my favorite. I had heard Within Temptation sitting in my buddy Kilean's place listening to albums and watching PAL DVDs that he managed to get a region-free DVD player for, but this album was the first one of their that I owned and really took the time to make my way through. There's so much heart on this album that this is a perfect album to share with someone you love for all the emotions involved. Sharon den Adel's vocals are so passionate but not just one note. In fact the entire band really knows when to play up the heavier guitar moments and throw in an entire orchestra and when to sit back and just let the vocals and a piano (or keyboard anyway) do their job. Really there are no bands doing exactly what Within Temptation does, though there are plenty that try. One of my favorite aspects about this album is not only in the hooks of the songs but also the positive message on a song like "Stand My Ground". Its interesting that when you see Within Temptation play live you get the sense that this is somehow a fantasy metal band like so many that are out there but I think this album is very much grounded in reality making it all that more accessible. The album has solid production that lends itself well to a myriad of sound that at times can include the six regular musicians in the band and an orchestra. In fact the addition of an orchestra is really amazing. A number of bands such as Metallica and Wolfsheim have used orchestras before but usually when performing a special version of an existing song, here Within Temptation finds particular moments to deploy the Ego Works Session Orchestra to enhance songs rather than take focus away from the music. Within Temptation is generally good about finding a balance between spectacle and substance. My only complaint about this album is that there a variety of different versions with different bonus tracks and so its difficult to hear all of them without spending a fortune to buy each different one (especially when most of them are imports. My version is the UK version which includes the bonus tracks, "Destroyed (Demo Version) and "Jane Doe". "Jane Doe" (written by Guus Eikens of Orphanage) feels much more like a classic Within Temptation song which is to say more of a metal edge and the addition of more distorted vocals that the band used to employ. Its fascinating how many singles are on this album and really how many of the songs have become staples of Within Temptation's live show with various versions appearing on other releases including the band's live CD Black Symphony and later acoustic session An Acoustic Night At The Theatre. I think this really speaks not only to Sharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt's lyrics, or the music that backs it, but also the bands connection with the fans that make the songs so popular. If you watch the live DVD from the tour to support this album you can see so many people singing along to songs that hadn't been out for that long but as if they had been for years. I also love the artwork on this album as there's something minimalist but very powerful about it. This is a great album and a must have if you are a Within Temptation fan or fans of similar music. Favorite Tracks: See Who I Am, Jillian (I'd Give My Heart), Stand My Ground, Angels, Memories, and Jane Doe

Album a Day (DVD Edition): Einstürzende Neubauten - Palast Der Republik

Einstürzende Neubauten loves their fans. I mean truly its difficult for any band to stay together three decades and retain such control over their music so Neubauten turns to the fans for support and in turn reward them. One such reward would include a 2004 "supporter-only" concert (in reference to the band's initiative to put out work without a label but rather the financial backing of their fan-base via donations) at Berlin's Palast Der Republik, an iconic building that housed, amongst other things, the East German Parliament, though this rather be a skeleton of the former building which was in the process of being torn down (a beautiful reference to Neubauten's name which literally means Collapsing Buildings). A video of the show was recorded and released as an exclusive supporter's only DVD and would not be released to the public until 2006. It's a good thing too because this is a great DVD for an Einstürzende Neubauten fan. If you haven't seen a Neubauten show then you are missing out. The band is widely recognized for their unique use of industrial machinery, products, waste, etc. in their music making and all of that is on display here with garbage cans, power tools, sheet metal, PVC pipes, and even the building itself. As the show goes on the usage only becomes more creative with highlights including a moment where a series of beer can boxes filled with who knows what and tied together by string is dragged around the building by one of the band members as part of one of the sequences of "Grudstueck". My personal favorite moment is when the band uses an air compressor with a mobile made of bottles, a device that was explored in depth on the album Perpetuum Mobile. The song selections are really solid with a mix of iconic older tracks such as "Haus Der Luege", "Armenia", and "Sabrina", newer songs like "Youme & Meyou" and the epic "Perpetuum Mobile" and then the highlight has to be the middle of the performance which includes "Grudstueck" movement from the 2nd supporter-only album. Another innovation and show of love towards their fan-base is featured on several songs where the band is supported by a 100-piece chorus made of their supporters enlisted directly from their website. One of the things I love about Neubauten has been their ability to take experimental music and make it accessible. That whole idea translates very well to this DVD because you get a mixture of concert and performance, like watching Stomp. Its easy to watch this DVD over and over again to notice all the different ways in which the band is creating sound. In fact a DVD like this should be mandatory for any kind of college sound program, especially for foley artists and experimental musicians. But even if you're not super in to experimental music this is a fun show to watch, chill out to, and just enjoy the pioneers of industrial music dressed up in nice suits showing you don't have to be rich to make music. The DVD also includes two bonus tracks that are part of the concert but for some reason omitted as part of the main DVD movie ("Die Befindlichkeit Des Landes" and "Redukt"). The video of the show could be slightly better but the sound recording is phenomenal. Favorite Tracks: Haus Der Luege, Armenia, Youme & Meyou, Perpetuum Mobile, Grundstueck, Was Ist Ist, Sabrina, and Redukt