Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu (SYR, 2011)

I know its difficult to remember but there was a time, long ago, when music described as experimental was just that: fragmented ideas, stream of consciousness, and just plain rambling. The ninth release from Sonic Youth's SYR label reminds me of the youthful exhuberance of musicians messing around.

Although most of the releases on this label have been for abstract, this one marries the two personalities of Sonic Youth. This is a nice blend for those who enjoy the avant garde and both early and later material from the band's three decade long roller coaster ride.

Although this is definitely "SYR Lite", this instrumental score to Fabrice Gobert's teen psycho-drama fits the juvenile and often confusing emotional landscapes the band began their career exploring.

Most of what we get here is various noodling interludes where Thurston heads somewhere with Lee wandering musically, Kim and Steve in tow. Even though that description doesn't sound too stimulating, I honestly enjoy the record.

I'm not recommending you race to your nearest record store to grab it but do check it out at some point. Experimental background music is a rather nice concept.

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Baptists- S/T (Southern Lord, 2011)

The debut 7″ from this Vancouver, British Columbia hardcore act is brilliant. These days, it is quite rare that I pay attention to, much less enjoy hardcore. However, these veterans of the scene (members of Sports, Ladyhawk and A Textbook Tragedy) formed in 2010 and quickly recorded four impressive songs. The demo was just collecting dust until they received an email from Greg Anderson of Southern Lord. Their reply was half-hearted because they assumed the message was a hoax. Thankfully, it was not.

Casual listening might lead one to think this is just for those stuck on 80′s / 90′s hardcore scenes. Upon further investigation, it is clear that Baptists are not simply dwelling in the past. Beginning with elements of Converge, Cursed and Neurosis, they add layers of grind, death and crust, amidst old school shrieking punk vocals and melodic guitar. All of this is enhanced by the technically gifted chugging guitar/bass riffs, and aided by the drummer’s punishing prowess.

These guys are no amateurs and the intensity and professionalism of this 7″ is exceptional. Baptists remind us of what some may forget here - Hardcore can be raw and aggressive enough to insight youthful primal anger, but it can also be intelligent enough to appeal to those with aged and refined tastes.

The only disappointing aspect of this recording is that, at a mere twelve minutes, it is over too quickly. This is an innovative and promising act with much potential to be tapped into. Once you give it a listen, I’m sure you too will be anticipating the full-length direction their creativity is taking them.

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This post originally appeared in an article I wrote for Adequacy.net

Vastum - Carnal Law (20 Buck Spin, 2011)

Two ideas strike me upon first listening to Vastum: the first is that they play genuine old school death metal but with a crusty doom-laden personality of their own. The second is that these fellows are actually cultured. Rarely in metal are we privy to such intelligent and passionate lyrics steeped in literary, psychological and philosophical themes.

Their sound has the visceral nature of classic acts like Grave, Carcass, Death and Autopsy. Carnal Law incinerates everything in its path, hammering away at your cerebral cortex. This record also forgoes the easy route of electronic machine gun drum synthesis, resulting in a methodical performance with an antiquated analog feel. The quintet features members of Infest, Saros, Amber Asylum, and Hammers Of Misfortune. Not surprisingly, three of the five members come from Acephalix, a San Francisco punk / metal band who’s name is derived from Georges Bataille’s Acephale, a splinter group from the surrealist movement of 1930′s Paris. Acephale, which means headless, was a secret society intent on creating a new religion. Many elements of Bataille’s writings are included in Vastum’s themes. They explore his notions of the gift, transgression, excess, eroticism and death. Another intertwining theme presented here is psychoanalyst Jean Laplanche’s writing on psychic disfigurement and his work with Freud’s seduction theory (the idea that hysteria and neurotic obsession are born due to childhood molestation).

As you can tell, this band takes itself seriously; maybe too seriously for some. I, on the other hand, feel it is long overdue that a band like Vastum come along and rescue death metal from the clutches of a scene insistent on juvenile subject matter and horror film samples. Vastum will prove that death metal is not exclusively for angsty, inferior-feeling teenage males with no self-confidence. This is death metal worthy of snobby literary elitists and it is music that could actually make you smarter.


This post originally appeared in an article I wrote for Adequacy.net

Hawkwind - Palace Springs (GWR, 1991)

Your captain is still dead. Those who dove into 70's heavy metal, at sometime or another, have come across Hawkwind, the band that everyone knows because Lemmy used to play with them. Later in Hawkwind's career, they had split up into two groups under the common name for a period of time. Nick Turner(sax,flute,vocals) took it in one direction and Baron Dave Brock(guitars, vocals) took the band in another. A lot of Hawkwind's later albums have been overlooked by younger hawkcadets, thus a reason for sharing the 1991 epic heavyness of “Palace Springs.” The album was originally recorded in 1989 and the first two tracks were done in a mobile studio, the rest were performed live during a tour of North America. “Palace Springs” is the wise work of Dave Brock's formation of Hawkwind. In this album they are joined by, the band's only front woman, Bridget Wishart and the return of lead violinist Simon House. The album is mostly the re-workings of songs from earlier albums such as “Void of Golden Light”, “Time We Left” and “Damnation Alley.” Hawkwind has always been able to be prophetic in the sense that they are very proper in the manner of communicating the changing of the celestial guards. Thick pulsating drone as a galactic battle of light and dark re-affirm the age old saga of human nature and all its glory and folly. Hawkwind has always been a link between hippie and punk cultures. As heavy, dark and socially conscious of the struggles of humanity appealed to the more distraught and down to earth, the synth layered psychedelic breath spoke to those whom found themselves escaping reality. Where ever you find yourself, there you are. “Palace Springs” will be an artifact found by distant space travelers and will explain our space in time. This is your captain speaking.

--Sean Dail

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact (4AD, 2011)

Gang Gang Dance is a band that has always been difficult to describe. Their attempts at an ethereal dance pop aesthetic have allowed them to carve a niche for themselves in an anti-genre.

With Eye Contact, they've raised the bar in an unbelievably challenging way. What pop act opens a record with an eleven minute track? They do. What begins with free jazz-like, seemingly improvisational percussion evolves into a blissed out post-punk dance party. "Glass Jar" is heavy on the synth and body rock, gesticulating hard but culminating into a very spiritual premonition that is Track 2. This sends us into the misleadingly titled "Adult Goth", a track that is more akin to an electro-Bollywood tinged afro pop cut by the ghost of Kate Bush than anything else.

"Chinese High" is another "club hit that never was" with global dancefloor intentions, a crunk synth dub number that still retains the 80's new romantic aesthetic. "Mindkillah" might be my favorite cut, a pounding hybrid of reggaeton and acid house mixed with some whiter than usual hollatronics, this is the most banging dance song I've heard in a while.

Another interlude is followed by "Romance Layers", a chill souled out bass-heavy funk track that sounds like it could be some dub b-side of a new jack R&B jam that you kind of remember but can't quite put your finger on because you were to busy rollerskating.

"Sacer" sound like an inadvertent tribute to Bjork in her Sugarcubes days. I find this incredibly romantic. These days there's a revivalist element to everything we hear but I'm pretty sure they're the first to remind us what a great and still underrated band The Sugarcubes were.

Blending with yet another interlude titled with unknown characters (witch house style), the closing track "Thru and Thru" treats us to the letting go of singer Lizzi Bougatsos and her near East Asian vocal homage, another acid-drenched number, this time with a no holds barred narrative of epic proportions.

Its only May but this might already be my album of the year. This is an effort that seems to be an insult to 80's nostalgiacs. Gang Gang Dance is far too creative to be lumped into that category that is all the rage at the moment. Some cerebral shake your ass shit. Dance but think about it at the same time. "Live forever".

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