Thrice-the Illusion of Safety

Thrice are a band i've known about for quite a long time, but have never really gotten into until now. i am an idiot; this band rules. "The Illusion of Safety" is the first album i purchased from this band, and it's a good place to start. At this point, the band was still "post-hardcore" or whatever genre they were. Basically, they were heavy, but not, ya know, Slayer or Converge. Heavy with melodic and catchy elements.

This album starts out with the incredible "Kill Me Quickly," which exemplifies the band's mix of heaviness and melody, their technicality, and their songwriting ability.  Other highlights for me include "Deadbolt," "Where Idols Once Stood," "Trust," and "The Beltsville Crucible." 

i ordered this album from a seller on Amazon and wound up with black vinyl, which i'm assuming is the most common variant. i believe the album is also available on gold vinyl, and perhaps other colors, as well. This album, along with "Identity Crisis" and "Beggars," are Thrice's most common, and thus, a good place to start your vinyl collection. "Vheissu," "the Artist in the Ambulance," and "The Alchemy Index" are out of print, so keep your eyes peeled for deals on these albums.

Soundtrack to 2010

This is not a Best-Of. This is a list of albums i discovered/re-discovered/enjoyed over the course of the past year. Feel free to post your soundtrack to the year, either songs or albums, in the “Comments” area.

Converge – Axe to Fall:  i've been a fan of Converge since Jane Doe and this album continues the lineage of excellent albums released by Converge. This band is worthy of the hype and the praise they receive. They sound unlike any other band in the bloated metalcore/hardcore/whatever the heck genre they want to be.

Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come: i have to confess that i had not heard this album until early this year, and boy was i dumb to sleep on this. A legendary album in the punk/hardcore genres, and for good reason. Refused bring in jazzy and electronic  influences and meld them with punk beats and hardcore attitude to create a masterpiece that influenced your favorite band.

Between the Buried and Me – Colors/the Great Misdirect: i can’t pick between these two albums; both are incredible examples of progressive metal/every-damn-genre of music melded together to create an excellent piece of art. Colors plays as one long, complex piece of music, and the Great Misdirect just slays.

Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown: Although not the band’s best album, it is still much better than most other contemporary pop/rock bands. Just a fun, emotional American rock and roll album.


Harvey Milk - A Small Turn of Human Kindness: Worlds apart from the party rock of Kings of Leon, we have a funeral rock album here. One long, slow, sludgy song with depressing lyrics and dirty guitars, start-stop drumming, and straight-from-the-gut moan vocals. A must hear.

Jimmy Eat World – Clarity: The pinnacle in independent guitar rock albums, this collection still holds up after all these years. Hear it if you haven’t yet.

mewithoutYou – Catch for Us the Foxes: Thanks to Gilead Media’s vinyl re-press of this album, i was finally able to listen to my favorite album by my favorite band on wax. Brimming with songs of spiritual and emotional turmoil, longing for GOD and love, and more literary allusions than your college literature class, this album is another example of a must-hear, if only because it doesn’t sound like anything else.

Thrice – Illusion of Safety: My friend once called Thrice “the most talented band,” and this album tends to back up his claims. This is post-hardcore/punk/whatever the kids call it done very well. The band mixes heaviness with catchiness and technicality better than most. Thoughtful lyrics and themes only add to the beauty and power of this album.

Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde: My favorite album from Dylan; legendary for a reason.

the Smiths – the Queen is Dead: You could really put any Smiths/Morrissey album here, as i love everything they’ve done. Another example of incredible lyrics and songcraft. Emotional, humorous, depressing, beautiful.

Other bands i'm digging lately:
Between the Buried and Me
the Number Twelve Looks Like You
Fear Before the March of Flames
the Chariot
Copeland
Thrice

Baroness-First/Second Re-press

Baroness is a band that is unique in the heavy music scene. They are sludgy, metallic, and have obscure lyrics, but i can't really say that they fit into any sort of genre very easily. They have the sludge elements, but aren't as heavy as Harvey Milk, Salome, or Electric Wizard. They have speedy, technical parts, but don't sound like Atheist, Cynic, or BTBAM. They have a singer who does all the artwork, but so does Converge. They're from Georgia but they don't sound like Mastodon, Norma Jean, or Kylesa (well, maybe Kylesa and Baroness sound a bit similar). Anyways, i dig this band, despite the inability of their music to be easily categorized. And whose idea was it to use words to describe music in the first place? We have adjectives and adverbs and an abundance of both, but at the end of the day, one still has to listen to the album or band in question in order to know how he or she feels about the style and substance of a band or artist.

So, after all that verbage, we have Baroness, a band whose name serves to exemplify the large, heavy, and expansive style of music that they play (see, here i go with those words again). To my trained ear, these albums sound heavier and fuller than their later "Red" and "Blue" records. John's vocals are more guttural and raw than the restrained screaming (?) he does on the band's later albums. And the songs are all heavy. There are no acoustic interludes as there are on the full-lengths. Perhaps this is due to the fact that these were originally two EPs which were combined on this Hyperrealist re-press. Of the two individual EPs, i think i slightly prefer "Second," but again, both are worth repeated listens. i think that my favorite track of the compilation is the opener to the second side, "Red Sky."
 
The vinyl and packaging are beautiful. John Baizley's art is sehr gut, and the gatefold looks top notch. The release was (is?) available in either olive green or red vinyl. i went with the green, which looks incredible. Marble accents in the vinyl finish off an astounding layout design for this release. If you didn't listen to this album at all, it'd still be a nice piece of art to own.

Of course, records are for music, dummy, and the music here is astounding. It's Baroness, numbskull; of course it's good! Pick this up now through Hyperrealist or kick yourself later.

the Chariot-Long Live

If i were tasked with reviewing each album by the Chariot in the number of words contained within the album's title, an attempt might run as follows:

Everything is Alive, Everything is Breathing, Nothing is Dead, Nothing is Bleeding: Feedback; double-bass drumming; chaotic metalcore; killer debut album; better than most.

Unsung EP: Pretty OK

The Fiancee: Weird; excellent.

Wars and Rumors of Wars: Songwriting is better; heavier; grand.

Long Live: Their best.

i have not been tasked with this job, though. Instead, i could ramble on about Long Live. Brevity, however, has been a hallmark of this band from their beginning. Heck, their entire discography  would clock in under 3 hours for four albums and an EP. Still, after this album, i hope the Chariot stays around for a long time.

i like to think that this album, Long Live, contains the best elements of their previous work, refines them, and produces a messy, beautiful, weird, emotional, and heavy album which is a unique listen to say the least. We have the feedback and chaos of Everything, the weird instrumental/interlude parts which were featured heavily on Fiancee, and the songwriting of Wars. Still, Long Live is its own beauty and beast.

Some of my favorite tracks include "The City," "Andy Sundwall,"  "David De la Hoz," "The Heavens," and "Robert Rios." Of course, each track is incredible in its own right. To my ear, Josh has really improved his lyrics, the band have improved as musicians, and the random snippets of sounds serve to elevate the songs, not just to be weird for the sake of it.

Overall, i cannot claim to be unbiased; i have been a fan of the Chariot since the debut album. Many people will simply write the band off as unorganized noise. When one looks beyond the initially grating and perhaps unpleasant (to some) style of music this band plays, however, one can find great art.

Long Live is to be released on November 23, 2010. Unfortunately, no vinyl release is planned at this time. However, the band has mentioned that they are working on songs for a 7", so hopefully we can get them on wax at some point in the near future.

Bob Dylan Collection

Top, left to right: Another Side of Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde 2xLP
Blonde on Blonde CD
Blood on the Tracks
Middle, left to right: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
Modern Times 2xLP
Slow Train Coming
Bottom, left to right: Bringing it all Back Home
Desire
the Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
I'm Not There Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

As i mentioned in my last post, Bob Dylan is one of my favorite artists of all-time. Again, as is the case for a lot of the bands i listen to, i was into the artist before i was into vinyl (really, before i had a turntable), so much of my collection is on CD. Once i started getting into vinyl, one of the first purchases i made was Bob's "Greatest Hits" LP for $3. Good purchase. After that, i bought a bunch of CDs with a gift card i received last Christmas. Then came "Another Side" and "Blonde on Blonde" and on and on. Of course, Mr. Dylan is one of the most prolific artists of all time, and collecting all of his official releases (not to mention bootlegs, live shows, etc.) is quite a hefty task. Perhaps one day in the future i'll have the privilege of having them all. For now, i can listen to "Blonde on Blonde," "Blood on the Tracks," and "Another Side..." until the grooves wear flat and produce nothing more than muffled tones of poetry and still be content. Picking a favorite album will still be difficult, though. 

Bob Dylan Show Review

November 6, 2010

Gordon Field House- Rochester Institute of Technology

 

Set List

Although i attended RIT (don't even ask me about it; the school is terrible, but somehow has a good reputation), i never went to a show there (still kicking myself about missing the mewithoutYou, Thrice, and Brand New show a few years back, but alas...). i should mention that i have grown weary of going to shows, as i find the crowds more and more annoying. i tire of people pushing their way to the front, blocking your view, pushing and shoving, fighting in the pit, etc. It's just not as fun now that i am a little bit older. Thus, i have only been to four shows this year: Coheed and Cambria (2x), Maylene and the Sons of Disaster (with Saosin?!), and now Bob Dylan. i think my girlfriend and i may have seen Lovedrug, too, but we left early due to boredom. i can't remember which year that was, honestly.

 

My girlfriend purchased a pair of tickets to see Bob Dylan for my birthday, which was a pleasant treat. Mr. Dylan is one of my favorite artists, and GOD willing, i will post a picture of my collection of his recordings soon. 

 

The line outside the venue was long (much bigger than i had anticipated, but it IS Bob Dylan, so i guess i should have expected it). It was also very cold; jackets would have been a good idea, as November in New York is always crappy and this night was no exception. So, we stood in line and waited with some friends for a good twenty minutes, but the lines did move relatively fast. Once inside, we found an awesome spot to stand along the walkways, such that we had a direct and elevated view of the stage. i didn't feel like going into the "pit," as we were seeing Bob Dylan, not Converge; there would be no moshing.

Once the show started out with a rendition of "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," i knew we would be in for a good night. i'm not a great fan of that particular song, but i love "Blonde on Blonde," so i was hoping he'd play more material from that album; he did not. He did, however, play my favorite song, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," albeit in a re-arranged form which made it hard to recognize. In fact, he played quite a bit of material from "Highway 61 Revisited," another favorite album of mine. One thing that was immediately apparent, however: this was not to be simply a recital of the album versions of his songs. Instead, every song took on a new life and sound of its own this evening. Having never seen Bob, i've heard this is one of the draws of seeing him: hearing how old familiars will be re-invigorated by a man who's been writing music for over 40 years. 

 

Bob and his band played a good mix of old and new material, which was a nice surprise. i'll admit i am not too familiar with Mr. Dylan's more recent work, although i do listen to "Modern Times" (and "Christmas in the Heart!") fairly often. One criticism of Mr. Dylan these days is that his voice is gravelly, weathered, and worn. However, i find it to be quite unique and an honest representation of emotion and passion. Of course, i like mewithoutYou and Harvey Milk, so apparently i don't care if your singer can even sing; i just like the lyrics.

 

The crowd for this event was quite boring, but i don't really know how they should have reacted to the performance. Again, it is not metal or hardcore where there would be moshing, nor is it rap or dance where there would be dancing; it is folky, rocky, Americana. i did see a few couples dancing along to the more-upbeat numbers, which was nice, but other than that, we all just sort of stood around.

 

After the last song, "Ballad of a Thin Man," the crowd began chanting for an encore, and Mr. Dylan returned to play "Jolene" and the obligatory "Like a Rolling Stone." Overall, it was a fun night of remembering the past triumphs of a great musician and writer, and of celebrating his continued relevancy and passion for performing, one that is nearly unrivaled, even among his peers who are less than half his age or even younger. He is a man who has seen it all, written about it, warned us about it, and whose voice is still as important today as when it was singing those politically-charged songs in the early 1960s. GOD bless you, good sir. 

MP3 Download Codes are a Good Idea

As someone who works in an office for eight hours a day, five days a week behind a desk and a computer, i have a lot of time to listen to music. Due to the nature of my work (data entry/analysis), i spend a lot of time alone and need to focus intently, and i find that music helps me to do so. Now, even though i have a large collection of CDs (113 at last count), i still would like to listen to the nearly 200+ vinyl albums at work. Now, as a pseudo-neo-Luddite (?), i would be fine dragging in a turntable and slamming that onto my desk to enjoy a record or two at work, but i feel as though this move would not go over well. Thus, i am left to enjoy my records as mp3s played in Windows Media Player at work. Although i love the sound quality of vinyl and generally avoid mp3s as a general rule, i do enjoy being able to hear the records i paid $20 or more for outside the comfort of my cozy living room and its turntable, albeit in an inherently inferior form. i am of the opinion that muffled, scratchy, poor-quality music is still better than silence.

This being said, i quite enjoy it when a record company understands this and includes a coupon for a free download of the vinyl record you purchase. Deathwish and Saddle Creek are two labels that seem to include these coupons with all of their releases, wish is very, very awesome. The best download offer came with my copy of Minus the Bear's "They Make Beer Commercials Like This," which included 3 free downloads!
Unfortunately, the majority of the releases i purchase are either too old to even have seen the arrival of mp3s, leaving me to go without while on the job or to seek out an illegal mp3 copy of the album through the powers of the internet. i have mixed feelings about this manner, as it is still illegal, but i did purchase the album, so i feel as though i should have the right to hear it whenever i want to, but that is probably just my materialistic sense of entitlement as a result of living in America all of my life rearing its head. i don't know. i could also purchase a USB turntable, but i am opposed to doing so, mostly because i am cheap and like to use my dad's 30 year-old Technics table. Perhaps one day. For now, hand over the oil-burning lantern and the hand-pushed plow and get out the vinyl, baby.

Favorite re-issues/re-presses/re-releases of 2010

Not everything is new. Some things are old. Some old things are new and vice versa. That's the way life goes. A circle of re-packaged and "re-imagined" products designed to squeeze a few more dollars from your pocket. Usually, these things contain some bonus material to further entice you. Here are the five albums i was suckered into buying (again?)

 Morrissey: Bona Drag - This one, the most puzzling, is probably my favorite. Let me get this straight: you're re-issuing a collection of b-sides and singles in a new format with a new (worse) cover as a double LP? i'll bite. i am a Morrissey fan deep down and this collection of songs contains many of my favorites. i'm not even sure if this is available in the states; i had to get it from old England, but it was worth the wait and the conversion to the Euro. If you don't like Morrissey, you won't like this; if you do, you'll love it.

Copeland: In Motion - Just in time to have seen this band come and go, Academy Fight Song is pressing this album (my favorite by the band) on vinyl for the first time. i love what AFS did with "Beneath Medicine Tree," so i can't wait to see how they do with this release. The pre-orders go up on Monday the 15th of November at noon.





mewithoutYou: Catch for Us the Foxes - This is my favorite album by my favorite band. i was into the band when this album came out, but not into vinyl, so i missed out on the original press. i kept scouring eBay for an original copy, but had no luck. Fortunately, Gilead Media announced a re-press this year and did not disappoint. 180g, transparent red vinyl with my favorite album pressed on it? Yes please! If you have not heard this album, please do so at your earliest convenience. It is a unique and memorable album brimming with truth and honesty.

 Harvey Milk: Harvey Milk (The Bob Weston Sessions) - After checking the Hydra Head webstore (via Blue Collar Distribution) every day for a good three months, i was finally rewarded this week when this record went on sale! Available in three different colors of vinyl, i ended up choosing the aqua color. Although i have the tour press of this record, i wanted to see what Hydra Head could do with a "proper" release of this record (as they called it). Hopefully this means that the audio quality is improved and there are some sort of liner notes associated with this thing. Perhaps even lyrics? It'd be nice to know what Creston is howling about in some of these songs. Anyways, this is on sale now and is supposed to ship the last week in November.

Refused: The Shape of Punk to Come - Finally, the legendary album by Refused saw a re-issue on vinyl which included some bonus stuff and a concert DVD. What can you say about this album? If you like hardcore/punk, this album is something you are already familiar with, whether you know it or not. This album influenced everyone. If you haven't picked it up yet, you're an idiot. Really, though, just listen to it and know where your favorite bands started out.

Best of 2010

Well, we still have a month left in the year, but for me, i have already heard many good releases which i would like to mention and bring to your attention in case you somehow missed them:

 Harvey Milk: A Small Turn of Human Kindness - Well, we all know i love LOVE this band and this album is another reason why. It is slow, sludgy, heartbreaking, spiritual, secular, bluesy, metallic, droning, a dirge worthy of the funeral for a forgotten man. It is my favorite album to come out this year and i cannot wait for it to come out on vinyl next January.

The Chariot: Long Live - Another one of my favorite bands. Honestly, i didn't think this would be that good, as they just released the killer Wars and Rumors of Wars last year. Boy, was i wrong wrong WRONG. This album is weirder, heavier, more memorable, rawer, more emotional and just all-around better than anything this band has done previously, and i've loved everything they've done. Not available on vinyl yet. Heck, it's not even released yet, but it leaked about a month early (yes, i did pre-order, too). Buy this when it comes out on 11/23/2010.

 Intronaut: Valley of Smoke - A sludgy, proggy, experimental album that caught my attention and forced me to listen. Just an all-around good album that plays long and is strong throughout. Available on vinyl from Century Media.

Salome: Terminal - Yet another sludgy, doomy metal disc that caught my attention. Only a trio, but heavier than a whole orchestra of metal musicians pounding away with sledgehammer fury. Kat's vocals rival that of any male metal singer and her lyrics speak of spiritual struggles and humankind's failings. An awesome disc that needs  the vinyl treatment.

Torche: Songs for Singles - Torche take their "stoner pop" sound and bring it up several notches from their already masterful take on it, crafting an entertaining and solid disc that should bring in new fans and keep old fans sated. Another trio that rocks harder than they should. The vinyl is available in several different colors and a cool letter-style package. i previously reviewed this album here.





Those are my top 5 albums for the year of 2010. i didn't get a lot of new releases this year, but these 5 made me stop and take notice, forcing me to purchase and enjoy repeatedly at high volumes. If another release makes me do this between now and 2011, i'll be sure to let you know!

Between the Buried and Me-the Silent Circus

 The last piece of my Between the Buried and Me vinyl collection is "the Silent Circus," the band's second album. i was able to win this in an auction on eBay a few weeks ago and received the record in the mail the other day. The packaging for this album is very sparse and basic, consisting of a cardboard sleeve and a (seemingly) photocopied lyric sheet. The vinyl is a beautiful gray-green color with rainbow colors mixed in.
 
The album begins with the schizophrenic series of "Lost Perfection," parts A and B. These songs mix together metal, hardcore, southern rock riffs, a brutal breakdown, a hand clap/drum interlude, and vocals that remind me of a velociraptor. These songs kick the album off with a kick to the head, mixing brutality and creativity.

The third track is "Camilla Rhodes," a song which lyrically speaks about the role of image and how it affects our world, where style is emphasized so strongly. Although the song explicitly uses the context of sexuality in the music industry, the main message is applicable to all ares of life and is just as relevant, if not more so, today as it was when BTBAM recorded this song. A sweet breakdown is featured in this song with some bendy, slidey bass work and rapid double bass action. Another really strong song that continues the flow of great songs to start this album.

Next is the legendary "Mordecai," a staple in the band's live repertoire for years. i love the first two seconds of this song with the double bass and clean guitar stabs, just before the ensuing chaos is unleashed. The frantic pace of this song continues while Tommy wails "Why should i sit in your chair and satisfy your standards?!"
The tempo then slows, ever so slightly, for a continued heavy assault. Finally, a bit of relief is thrown our way when the guitars go quiet and the vocals follow suit. The song then builds to its epic conclusion, showing Tommy's abilities to actually SING and the band's ability to match his moods and whims. A guitar solo takes us out and keeps us amazed. An awesome, incredible song. "Keep the notes coming."

"Reaction" changes things up, bringing in quiet guitars and keyboards with simple, yet effective, clean vocals which speak of dreaming and sleep. A nice interlude and another example of the band's ability to play different styles of music and to play them well.

"(Shevanel, Take 2)" is a song from way out in left field, perhaps even out of the ball park. It is a quiet, soothing, and powerful acoustic and clean guitar-driven song. Another strong point on the album.

After this period of rest, the band goes in the complete opposite direction with "Ad a Dglgmut," a noisy song written in honor of noise and its beauty and use in music. In fact, the beginning of the songs features vocals which are basically just noises, not words. For once, our parents are right: it IS just noise! Anyway, just to through our parents off, the band throws in a pretty part in the middle singing that "it all makes sense: we're capable of beauty" which is preceded by an incredible guitar solo. Then, we get more noise and pummeling to end the song. Yet another highlight (!).

 Keyboards and electronic blips bring in "Destructo Spin," an opinionated song about George W. Bush. Musically, it is another pummeling piece. i would still call this a good song, but it doesn't really stand out to me.

Up next is "Aesthetic," which features a really interesting start-stop introduction. This rhythm continues for a bit into the song before the band decides to change it and make things even more chaotic and technical. The lyrics speak of the band's love of music and how they will play until they die. i love the passion the band has.

"The Need for Repetition" starts out slow and heavy, with Tommy doing his best death metal vocals. The guitars do an interesting dual-direction sliding riff which sounds pretty cool in this song. The tempo then increases and keyboards creep in underneath to take the song towards its end. A clean guitar interlude is then thrown in before one last blast of chaos and brutality. The clean guitars and keyboards return before noisy guitars, bass and feedback take the song to its conclusion. There may or may not be a secret song to end the album. It's a secret.

"The Silent Circus" is not silent, but it could be a circus of daredevil drumming, gymnastic guitars, backflipping bass, and violent vocals. Yes, my description is silly but the album is not. Listen to it. Be amazed. Thrill at the risks the band takes! Marvel at the songsmanship! Hear the human rubber bands stretch conventions and genres to create a fascinating mixture of melody and morbidity! "The Silent Circus" is coming to town!






 

Between the Buried and Me-Alaska

As you may or may not have noticed, it is BTBAM week-ish time here on the b-side. Today we have their album "Alaska," which, in my mind, is the album where the band moved from a technical metalcore sound to the more random nature of music they currently play. My copy of "Alaska" is on clear vinyl, as it was the most available for purchase at a reasonable price. 

The album begins with a highlight, "All Bodies." The song itself is unrelenting and technical, recalling "the Silent Circus." The next track, the titular "Alaska," features a guitar player's dream of an intro, with sweep picking galore. The lyrics are written in a stream-of-consciousness style which shows a uniqueness in Tommy's writing. i always enjoyed his lyrics, as they are straight-forward, but at the same time, not overt or simplistic, leaving room for interpretation. This song is another favorite of mine.

The third showcases the band's myriad influences, featuring many different brands of metal, hardcore, whatever thrown together in a convincing and downright listenable manner. "Croakies and Boatshoes" is a song lampooning, in my opinion, the party culture and clique mentality of my vapid and meaningless generation. The song really stands out to me due to Tommy's use of near-pig squeal vocals throughout parts of the song. Another favorite is the breakneck speed of the double-bass drumming underneath the music. Then things slow down, bringing in a sludgy feel to the song, before picking things back up and building to the end.

The epic "Selkies: the Endless Obsession" follows. There is a reason that this song is one of the band's most well-known and loved songs: it rules and shows their instrumental and songwriting talents. An off-time keyboard and guitar riff start the song out, then we have a clean vocal portion before the band blasts in for more technical trashing which picks the speed up. We trash for a minute or two and then bring in a lone piano and some drumming. We get a nice reprieve with clean vocals and atmospheric guitars before an EPIC outro guitar solo. This song exemplifies many of the band's influences: metal, electronic, i don't know, alternative rock, and even jazz. It's the BTBAM amalgamation that we have come to know and love.

The instrumental "Breathe In, Breathe Out" follows. This is a short clean guitar number which serves as the (airy, spare, and refreshing) eye of the hurricane, to use a cliched analogy for a band which usually avoids said cliches.  

"Roboturner" starts out with a frantic scream and the band blasts in at full speed. The beating continues on for a minute and a half before slowing briefly, only to punch with the other hand, the few feet of flat track before the roller coaster car drops again, leading to a breakdown which would be at home on any number of metalcore releases, before giving out to a mini-bass solo. The band then slows it down for the ending, a nice break from the mostly-flat-out pace of the song. Still heavy, though. And, another bass solo!

 "Backwards Marathon" starts heavy and fast, speeds up and features Tommy spitting (i think) words like a madman. Then, the bands slows it down for Tommy to let us know that "it feels weird." Again, the lyrics stand out to me, as they are words i wouldn't think about using in a song. Not specifically poetic, but not obvious or cliched, either. The band then breaks it down for a Southern-metal sounding portion before bringing in the clean guitars and vocals for a beautiful and haunting refrain of "it's raining." The band then begins to bring in the guitars and build back up to repeat the intro to the song before giving way to another "pretty part" with a guitar solo(!). Another highlight of the album.

A second instrumental, "the Medicine Wheel," follows as track 8. This track is similar to "Breathe In...," but features drums, keyboards and bass, as well. Another airy, moody, organic piece that can easily be called "beautiful."

The ninth song on the album is "The Primer." Beginning the song is a great piece of guitar playing, which is then replaced with another piece of pummeling metal by BTBAM. Again, as with other songs, this piece moves between sections and parts, showing influences and originality at such a fast pace that you don't have time to figure out if they like Dream Theater, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, the Beatles, Converge, Bob Dylan, or Minor Threat. Or all of them. Or none of them. Either way, another ripper of a song which really shows off the guitar playing. In fact, the ending of the song features dual lead guitars and a vocal refrain of "2005: welcome to perfection!"

"Autodidact." Riffs and breakdowns, baby.  Also, weird, nearly-inaudible backing vocals at one point. Then, a quiet part with a galloping bass line which then descends and brings in the guitar. Keyboards, too. Full band roar for a while. Frantic drumming bleeds into a slooooww, HEAVY breakdown.

The instrumental, Latin-flavored "Laser Speed" closes out the album on a mellow note which belies the heaviness of this album: it's heavy, alright. Diverse enough not to be just another "metalcore" album, though, and a sign of things to come for BTBAM to be sure. Check it out!
   

Between the Buried and Me-Colors

After quite a long search, i finally found a copy of BTBAM's "Colors" on Amazon.com from a seller in Colorado. i received the record a few days ago and am still trying to process what exactly it is!  The record came on marbled blue vinyl , which looks really nice.

The album begins with a beautiful piano-based track which morphs into an almost Muse-ish alternative rock section complete with sweet keyboard solo, before the band takes the track and moves it into BTBAM's signature metalcore sound. The first two tracks "Foam Born" set the tone for the album, bleeding in to one another. The album plays as one long song with many different moods, sections, and themes. The piano intro serves as a sort of bookend, as the album ends with a lone piano playing.

"Informal Gluttony", track three, shows the band painting a lyrical picture of a city made of construction paper and corner tubes. Musically, it starts with a Middle-Eastern feel before melting back into metalcore. At this point, it is almost all heavy, except for a beautiful refrain of "feed me fear," which shows Tommy's abilities to go from growling and screaming to singing easily.

"Sun of Nothing" could be my favorite on the album. Lyrically, it tells of a man who feels as though he does not fit in with the world at large and decides that the best thing to do is to fly to outer space and crash into the sun. Near the end of his journey, the character begins to feel lonely and second-guess his choice, as he "never had it all that bad."  The middle section of this song stands out, as the band goes from their metal assault to an almost System of a Down-inspired vocal refrain of "floating away," to a quirky piano interlude with vocal scatting, back to a metal sound with nice guitar interplay. Later, a section of clean vocals and guitars declares that the protagonist is floating and that "[he] did love, [he] did laugh, [he] did live." The keyboards that seep in (and digitally-altered vocals, too!) add to the sci-fi feel of the story. The song continues to build back up to distorted guitars and louder drumming, before Tommy picks up again with his shrieking and growling. Crazed guitars take the song into the next track, "Ants of the Sky."

"Ants" is another highpoint in an album full of them. The guitars really stand out on the first portion of this track, as they play off of one another before giving way to a single piano, recalling the first track briefly before yet another epic guitar solo, which hearkens back to the song "Selkies: the Endless Obsession" from the "Alaska" album. The song continues on frantically before briefly giving way to a jazzy interlude, before the lead guitars come back in to remind you that this band rules. Said ruling continues on, and then, another change! Clean guitars take over for a bit of a reprieve from the chaos. Slowly, the drumming builds the song back up, and we are prompted to "sleep on... fly on." The song slows down and pummels you at this point, before going back to a clean guitar sound with clean vocals. Then, we get to the infamous "ho-down" part, which is unexpected and awesome (and features weird background conversations, like being in a saloon in the old West). Another guitar solo (!) leads us into "Prequel to the Sequel."

"Prequel" tells a story of a headless individual who grows branches. To me, and i could be way off, but i think that this song talks about accepting yourself and eschewing comfort, instead seeking out your own path, your individuality. This could serve as a general statement or speak more directly about the band and its place in the music world. The middle of the song features a polka-sounding part with keyboards sounding like an accordion, before the band picks up again. Vocals here are provided by a member of the band Fear Before (aka Fear Before the March of Flames). The song rages on before giving way to "Viridian."

"Viridian" allows Dan's bass playing to stand out, lest we forget that everyone in the band is a gifted musician; this is not just a "guitar band," and this track shows that.

Finally, we have "White Walls." Again, the song speaks about, to me at least, the lack of creativity in popular music today, drawing reference to Camilla, as in "Camilla Rhodes," a song from the band's "Silent Circus" album which speaks of the priority of image over talent in our world today. Musically, again, this song is driving, heavy, and intense. The lyrics then go on to provoke us to think of the legacy we leave, saying that most simply leave white walls when they die. An interesting subject to ponder as the album ends, as it began and continued, on a high note.

"Colors" is, obviously, a well-loved and highly-praised album, and it is for good reason. i don't mean to heap praise on a band that already has heard enough, but they are obviously doing something that speaks to a great many people and inspires them to strive to be better: musically, in art, as people, whatever. Any music or album that can do that, that can have that effect, is due whatever praise it may receive.










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Between the Buried and Me-the Great Misdirect

One of my recent favorite bands has been Between the Buried and Me. i never really checked them out until one day i saw their "Alaska" album on clear vinyl and decided to make the purchase. i do remember hearing a couple songs, such as the title track and the epic "Selkies: the Endless Obsession," but once i heard the entire album, i knew i had to hear more. My next purchase was "The Great Misdirect" on clear orange vinyl.

The orange vinyl really complements the artwork and aesthetic of the album in a way that is masterful. The album itself is a monster; i've had the album for a month and listen to it probably 4 or 5 times a week and i still am not sure what to make of it. i mean, it's good, but i can't say that i really know the album yet. "Mirrors" is a nice, soft start to the album which serves as a thematic link to the next song "Obfuscation." The second track is where we hear the classic BTBAM brand of metalcore weirdness, rife with technicality and musicianship. The song is catchy, too, with its refrains (previously in "Mirrors") of "Close one eye/step to the side." These two songs need to be considered some of my favorite BTBAMers. Track three "Disease, Injury, Madness" starts out heavy, continues heavy, throws in an awesome honky-tonk piano-driven middle section (complete with vocals by a horse), and ends heavy. It's a heavy song. The fourth track may be my favorite on the album: "Fossil Genera - a Feed from Cloud Mountain," which begins with a funny little keyboard number and features Tommy Rogers doing a clean vocal performance which still maintains the darkness of his best growling moments. This segues into a full-on BTBAM pummeling as the band does what they always do: showcase their spectacular musicianship, a combination of insane amounts of GOD-given talent and years of work and practice. The opening theme to the song returns in the middle of the song, which could easily be called "circus metal" if one is apt to label things in that silly way. Or, maybe, in the vernacular of the day, "circus-core." Either way, this song exemplifies as well as any in the band's catalog just why they are so revered: the willingness to create songs which defy easy categorization and a willingness to take risks, to be influenced by music other than metal/hardcore, and to create epic, epic songs.

"Desert of Song" starts as an acoustic track which serves as a reprieve from the three heavy songs prior to its place on the album. For this one, guitarist Paul Waggoner performs vocals for much of the song, with Tommy helping out. One standout on this track is the acoustic slide guitar which gives the song a country feel without coming off like the "country" that the masses consume today. This song hearkens back to the days of real country, a la Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard, but still maintains the band's own personal style. Indeed, this band does "sing with the few."  The song builds to a nice conclusion which brings the album back into "rock" territory without being pummeling and the "silence is broken."

The final track is the monstrous "Swim to the Moon," which comprises the entire D-side of the album. This is the one track i still cannot comprehend, as it moves through so many phases and moods. The song starts with percussion and xylophone before the band kicks in. i would say that this track really allows each member to stand out instrumentally, as there are myriad finger-breaking guitar and bass parts, a drum solo, and electronic elements which highlight Tommy's keyboards. It is about 2:30 into the song before the vocals even begin. Again, this song features a catchy refrain which ties together a song which otherwise goes in so many different directions. Honestly, i still need a few more listens to this song to fully comprehend what is going on musically and lyrically, but i know that i like it anyways.

If you have not heard "the Great Misdirect," please check it out. The album really shows that metal and hard music are not stuck in a rut, but rather that there are bands that are doing new things, growing and progressing, changing and re-defining just what it means to be heavy.

Converge

Not only is Converge one of the best bands in the metal/hardcore scene, but they are also one of the most collectible. Any of the band's releases is available in a myriad of different colors of vinyl, with the rarest variants of albums such as "Jane Doe" or "Axe to Fall" fetching anywhere from $50 to $150 dollars online. Fortunately, the band recently re-pressed "Jane Doe," "You Fail Me," and "No Heroes." Of course, this was only after i spent $50 on an original press of "You Fail Me" on white vinyl, but those things happen.

The first Converge album i heard/owned was "Jane Doe," which i bought on CD back in 2007 or 2008. Upon first hearing the  album, i didn't quite know what to think of it. It took several more listens to digest the layers of instruments and sounds being hurled at me. And to this day, i still can't figure out what the hell Jacob is screaming about. However, i can tell you that this album deserves all of the praise it receives; it is truly a new sound that still to this day has not been replicated by any other artist. Tell me that hearing a song like "Phoenix in Flames" is not a harrowing and frightening experience. Every time the opening riff of "Concubine" comes on, i know i'm in for a rewarding and challenging listen. i was able to snag a copy of "Jane Doe" on green vinyl from MerchNow for about $20, which is a great deal seeing how some sellers on eBay had this listed for $40 to $60. That's one thing about Converge i do not like: the band's catalog is quite prone to being "flipped" for exorbitant amounts on eBay or Discogs. That's out of the band's control, of course. If you are looking to collect Converge's albums on vinyl, be sure you have a lot of money saved up for the venture.

i also recently purchased the re-press of "No Heroes," which was supposed to be available exclusively on black vinyl. However, to my surprise, i received a copy on white vinyl! Reading on some vinyl message boards, i found that others received this surprise variant as well. It was a nice surprise from those tricksters at Deathwish.

Aside from "No Heroes," i also recently purchased the "On My Shield" 7" single. The song itself sounds like it would be right at home on "Axe to Fall," and the artwork for the 7" uses a similar color scheme as "Axe." The b-side features a laser etching which displays the band's logo as the main feature. i bought the green "retail" variant; there are two other variants which were available on the band's tour. 

It may be the cliche that if you collect records, you have a Converge collection, but i fit in both camps. The band is incredible, the artwork and packaging are always top-notch, and of course the many color variants allow one to indulge in his or her inner vinyl glutton fantasies. Definitely a band worth listening to.

Torche-"Songs for Singles" and "Torche"

Torche is a  band that i've recently started getting in to. i started out with their self-titled re-issue and was immediately hooked by the catchy dissonance of the opening track, "Charge of the Brown Recluse." They were sludgy, slow, and catchy, living up to their self-proclaimed (i guess) "stoner pop" tag. Now, we have "Songs for Singles," a record which showcases the songwriting of the (now) trio. The record begins with "U.F.O.," which is more of an uptempo song. This tricked me into thinking i was playing the record at the wrong speed, as i started it out at 33 rpm, which made the music sound "like Torche," but completely screwed up the vocals. When i played it at 45rpm, the music sounded like some sort of pop-punk band (or at least, the lead guitar line in the song). Anyways, this record plays at 45rpm.

In all, i enjoyed the entire record. The ironic and self-aware sticker on the cover of the record, wherein the band's drummer describes the record as "radio-rock bullshit" is not quite true, as this album is nothing like Godsmack, Distrubed, Stone Sour, or Nickelback, but a sound all its own. A note on the packaging is order, as well. The packaging has been slightly controversial as many in the "record collecting community" dislike the letter aesthetic that this record employs. Personally, i thought that the idea was different and interesting. i also thought that the use of red lipstick kisses to demarcate sides one from two was a new and fun idea. The whole aesthetic is tied together (in my case, at least) with nice white 180g vinyl, which matches the white cover and inner record sleeve.

As i said before, the only other Torche album i own is the self-titled album, which is a bit different from the content of "Songs for Singles." i've included pictures of both albums in my post today, as Torche has quite a reputation for the packaging of their albums (the legendary "Meanderthal," of course, set this precedent). The colored vinyl, as well, makes for a great aesthetic experience with each album.

If you enjoy stoner/sludge metal bands, you probably already know of Torche (i'm often late to the party). If you are not yet familiar, they are certainly worth your time.

Harvey Milk (the band)

The first "real" post i'd like to make concerns the incredible band known as Harvey Milk. They play a sludgy, droning, metallic, grindingly slow take on American blues and rock and roll. Their records are notoriously hard to come by (especially the 7" singles from their early days). However, thanks to the power of the internet and a little bit of disposable income, i've been able to obtain quite a few of these rarities. Below is a poor picture of the collection i've come to own:

 Top row, from left:
Courtesy and Good Will to Men (Grey, 2x12")
Courtesy and Good Will to Men CD (w/ bonus live CD)
Harvey Milk (Black Tour press, 2x12")
Life...the Best Game in Town (Grey 2x12")
Life...the Best Game in Town CD
Life...the Best Game in Town  2xCD (Japanese import)
Live at Supersonic 2008 (Yellow)
Second row, from left:
My Love is Higher than Your Assessment of What My  Love Could Be (Gold 2x12")
the Pleaser/Live Pleaser (Red and Blue 2x12")
the Singles (Blue 2x12")
Special Wishes (Red 2x12")
Third row, from left:
the Kelly Sessions CD
a Small Turn of Human Kindness CD
i Do  Not Know How to Live My Life 7"
i've Got a Love 7"
Pals Forever [Split w/ Hayride] (Clear 7")
Volcom Split with Wildlife (White 7")
Bottom row, from left:
the Martians "Low Budget Stunt King" CD (Note: Drummer Kyle Spence played in this group)
Anthem DVD/ 3" CD
Fiddlehead "Bleat" 7"  (Note: Drummer Kyle Spence played in this group)
Creston Spiers "Yesterday's Parade" (Clear 7") (Note: Creston is the lead singer of Harvey Milk)

Today, i've chosen to write about several of my favorite HM records and some of their highlights. i believe my first HM purchase was the "Small Turn..." CD, which is readily available from many fine independent record stores nation-wide. This record is the closest thing to a "breakthrough" experienced by HM thus far. Coverage on such venerable media outlets such as NPR, Metalsucks, etc.? Yerp. And for good reason, too. This album plays like one long song, a la "Thick as a Brick" or, more recently, "Colors." Of course, the media coverage doesn't prevent this from being anything different from the rest of HM's cannon: long, slow, sludgy dirges that feature Creston wailing as though he's performing a self-exorcism and there happened to be a tape recorder running nearby. The band plays relatively simple, yet incredibly-effective metallic-blues stomps to match Creston's raw fury. This is harrowing stuff, a real party record if you ask me. According to Hydra Head Records, HM's label home for now, this album will be pressed on wax in January of 2011, GOD willing, and i hope HE is, as this really will play well on my turntable.

Of course, any of you old HM fans know that the phrase "A Small Turn of Human Kindness" is not simply the name of the new LP from the band, but is also an instrumental track on the "My Love is Higher..." album, complete with an accompanying story in the liner notes of said album. "My Love..." is the first piece of HM vinyl i purchased, as it was the most readily-available. My copy of the album is a beautiful gold color. This album contends to be one of my favorite HM records. The songs are, as always, human emotion at its most-raw and the band is, of course, heavier than the headlines.

Another album of note is "Life...the Best Game in Town," released on Hydra Head records. The album continues the tradition of dirty, sludgy, slow rock, this time complete with artwork detailing the innards of the apartment of a drunk guy with poor hygiene habits (and an Iron Maiden poster!). Anyways, the packaging is awesome (Silt gray 180g vinyl and a double gatefold), the songs are great, and the band still rules. Songs of particular note include "Death Goes to the Winner," "Motown," "Roses," and "Goodbye Blues." As i'll probably say about all of the band's albums, it is one of my favorites (despite the fact that the band hates it, as evidenced in this gem of an interview: http://www.self-titledmag.com/home/2010/03/08/primer-harvey-milk-tear-their-discography-apart-from-the-shitty-blues-rock-of-the-pleaser-to-the-total-creative-bankruptcy-of-their-latest-album/).

Then, there is the black sheep of the Harvey Milk discography, "The Pleaser," which also includes a nearly-track-for-track live edition of the album, on red and blue vinyl, respectively (and a weird picture of the band at a picnic of some sort). The album itself is still depressing, dirty, and grungy, but instead of Buzz O. and the Melvins, Ozzy and Sabbath, this album is more ZZ Top and mustaches, Camaros and mullets than anything else the band has yet recorded. It's certainly a "beer" album and something to behold in its own right.

Finally, there are the elusive and rewarding singles. Of course, one could be resourceful and acquire the Relapse-records released (and aptly-named) "The Singles" double LP (my copy is on blue vinyl). This compilation collects all of the band's hard to come by (and damn expensive) 7" singles. My favorites include the Kiss cover "Easy Thing," the traditional "Greensleeves," and the original "i Do Not Know How to Live My Life."Again, though, every song is worth hearing for its intrinsic emotionally cleansing characteristic, at times making you feel like you are the worst person ever, at times making you feel close to GOD and your mother.

The b-side

Hello and welcome to on the b-side, a blog dedicated to the art and artistry of vinyl records and music in general. i've been collecting and listening to vinyl for about a year, but have loved music for as long as i can remember. This blog will cover everything from my search for rare records, deals i've found, my favorite colored vinyl and/or packaging, and a review or two of some of the records i've come to own over the past year. i'd also like to post some pictures of said records and allow you the reader to agree or disagree on my various assessments of the records i rate.