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