Category: Just The Bits

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Black Fortress Of Opium – Stratospherical (2012)


Black Fortress Of Opium
Stratospherical
2012

Black Fortress Of Opium have crafted a weighty work with Stratospherical. The record opens ominously with “Blood Diamond”. The song features dynamic guitars* and bombastic drums supporting Ajda The Turkish Queen’s haunting voice. We stay immersed in this Led Zeppelin meets Siouxsie And The Banshees world on “Afyonkarahisar Battle Cry”, this time adding mandolin and a melodic bass line to the mix. “Blind” brings lush vocal harmonies to the fore.

Stratospherical branches out a bit at its midpoint. “Right Around Here” parts the dark skies with an indie-pop arrangement that would be tagged as upbeat were it not for the subject matter. The melody and vocal treatment make Ajda sound like an in-tune Liz Phair. Tony Savarino drops a timeless guitar solo into “Southern Hymnal”. “Cherry Blossom” has a killer swampy guitar riff at its core. The acoustic “Get The Timing” has an open feel that stands out among the otherwise dense production.

The album closes with “This Dark Clovd”. The song returns to the same exotic place that launched Stratospherical. We leave as we came, awash in a sea of swirling guitars and enchanting harmonies.

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* Check out the cool “Paranoid Android”-esque guitar line at the 2:38 mark. Awesome.

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The Wrong Shapes – “A Thousand Foxes” (2012)


The Wrong Shapes
“A Thousand Foxes”
2012

Listening to The Wrong Shapes’ “A Thousand Foxes” is like eavesdropping on a private conversation. Bo Barringer’s crooning is intimately intertwined with Rachel Arnold’s harmony vocals. They are in the moment. Do they even know we’re here? Do they know we’re listening? The drum pattern flutters like an anxious heartbeat. The chiming guitars and looping cello make the whole thing feel like a dream. The enchanting music is at odds with the conflicted lyrics. So it goes as we look on, hoping we’ve gone unnoticed as the song fades away.

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The Sour Doo-Dahs – Blood Drive EP (2011)


The Sour Doo-Dahs
Blood Drive EP
2011

Blood Drive EP plays out like the soundtrack to some ’70s revenge flick. Open with a beat up old jalopy kicking up some desert dust as a scorpion draws the camera’s focus. Cut to the car’s interior where The Sour Doo-Dahs are blasting away on the radio. “It might not be a bad idea to get the hell out of here.” “The Hellout” is a fuzzed out garage/desert/punk jam of B movie proportions. It’s all rusted steel, gasoline fumes and tumbleweeds. “You” and “T.O.A.D.” round out the three song EP sounding like Nirvana on bad tequila and sunstroke. Sometimes that’s what it takes to be the last one standing when the credits roll.

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Butterknife – Do the Needful (2012)


Butterknife
Do the Needful
2012

Butterknife’s Do The Needful is an exceptional collection of emotionally unsettling power pop. It’s the sound of a relationship exposing its flaws. The songs have a humanity to them. So often songs of this genre become caricatures of themselves in an effort to aggrandize or diminish the virtues of romance. Butterknife manages to keep love’s bittersweet nature intact.

Musically, these songs are polished gems. A fine sense of song craft is on display from the opening snare hits of “$100” through the sea of guitars that carry away “This Was A Romance”. Butterknife can play it straight (“Coattails”) or off-kilter (“June 4”). For the 4:55 duration of “Restless” all of these elements come together in one damn near perfect song. Bittersweet.

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OldJack – “Take A Bow” (2012)


OldJack
“Take A Bow”
2012

It’s only fitting in the midst of all this Rumble mayhem to have a listen to OldJack. Last year the band had one of the most improbable runs in Rumble history.

When Dan Nicklin sings “Take a bow/Tell ’em they can’t count you out” you listen. He’s been there, after all. There’s an honesty to OldJack’s music that comes across in Dan’s voice. Behind it all, the band are their usual smoldering selves, settling into a verse groove that rides a “The Ballad Of John & Yoko”-esque bass line. OldJack wisely play to their many strengths on “Take A Bow”. Tasteful guitar leads and trademark backing vocals find their space. Just when you think you’ve got the song figured out, the band pulls the plug on the expected electric Twangcaster solo. In it’s place is an airy acoustic guitar section that sets up the big payoff: a wall-of-sound inspired middle eight. It’s the kind of sequence that reminds you of the unexpected places good songwriting can take you.

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The Rationales – “Radio” (2012)


The Rationales
“Radio”
2012

Well, The Rationales have done it again. The band went into Q Division with producer Ed Valauskas and came out with a top notch recording of a killer song.

The Rationales debuted “Radio” at the opening of the club it shares a name with. They were rightfully giddy in doing so. They knew that had a scorcher on their hands. The song is a blistering rock number, shedding much of the Americana that the band is usually tagged with in favor of a driving beat, fuzzed-out bass and jagged guitars. The Rationales continue to evolve as a band while maintaining a knack for writing a good hook. It’ll be fun to hear what they come up with next.

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Airport – Go Up (2011)


Airport
Go Up
2011

With Go Up, Airport have created a fantastic pop record. I call it “pop” for lack of a better term. This sometimes-rock/sometimes-Americana/always-melodic record draws heavily from both the FM and AM bands of the ’70s radio dial. The closest comparison I can think of is a rockin’ version of Jackson Browne with Teenage Fanclub harmonies. Check out “Yeah” and the damn near perfect “Knot Again” for a couple of examples. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. The title track has some Tom Petty twang. “Hate You” balances a biting verse with a sweet chorus melody that makes the medicine go down a little easier. The band hints at psychedelic pop on the verses to “Automatically Everything”. Locally, these guys are mining the same territory as bands like The Rationales and Eric Salt & The Electric City.* Like those bands, they’re doing it very well. Go Up holds its own with the best of ’em.

Oh, and the “Crimson and Clover” reference in “Comfortable” is one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time.

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* Go Up sports one member of Eric Salt & The Electric City, with another member having recently joined Airport for live shows.

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Emily Peal – “Bang Bang” (2012)


Emily Peal
“Bang Bang”
2012

What happens when Emily Peal covers Cher? Magic. Dark, dark magic.

Truth be told, this version has more in common with Nancy Sinatra’s stark cover than the original. Emily’s take thrives on the moments that slip through the cracks. There’s a tension to the sparsity that is undeniable. The mind can wander to some pretty dark places in between reverb-drenched arpeggios, places fully realized when Emily and The Band Of Skinny Men go off at the 2:37 mark.

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Eddie Japan – “You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone” (2011)


Eddie Japan
“You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone”
2011

Eddie Japan have put together one snappy little pop gem with “You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone”. If this song was a drug (and given the number of times I’ve listened to this one I can safely say it’s addictive*), I would imagine the listed side effects would be toe-tapping and spinning around.** It’s that kind of song: carefree in feeling with a devilish bent to the lyrics. Less moody and exotic than the typical Eddie Japan fare, “You Will Find Me Dead In My Comfort Zone” proves that good bands play to the song.

I’m impressed.

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* Using the words “safe” and “addictive” in the same sentence feels weird.

** Or maybe some enthusiastic head bopping.

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The Russians – Crashing The Party (2010)


The Russians
Crashing The Party
2010

The sky is bluer than you know.

I want you to love this record as much as I do. I want you to get all caught up in the weight and introspection. I want you to be washed away by the harmonies and the layers of guitars. I want you to hear a songwriter at the top of his game. I want you to understand what a great opening track “The Record’s Over” is. I want “Not So Loud” to end up on all of your mix tapes. I want you to groove to “Sober and Un-Upsetting” and “Make It Easy”. I want you to bask in the sunshine of “You Know”. I want “Talking To Yourself” and “Crashing The Party” to devastate you. I want “Lovesickholiday” to bring you home. I want you to listen to Crashing The Party. I want you to love The Russians.

I want you to be happy.

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