All posts by G. Gordon Gritty

Atlas Sound, Bradford Cox, CD Review, Music

CD Review: Atlas Sound – “Parallax” [2011]

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Release: 11/2011
Label: 4AD

1. “The Shakes”- A
2. “Amplifiers” – A
3. “Te Amo” – A 
4. “Parallax” – A
5. “Modern Aquatic Nights” – A
6. “Mona Lisa” – A++
7. “Praying Man” – A
8. “Doldrums” –A
9. “Angel Is Broken” – A+
10. “Terra Incognita” – A 
11. “Flagstaff” – A-
12. “Lightworks” – A++

Comments: Bradford Cox shall go down in the musical history books as not only a top shelf musician, but as a trusted source of inspiration, musically and not. When I listen to Bradford (as Atlas Sound, as Deerhunter, as Ghetto Cross), I often can’t quite get a grip on what he is conveying, but I know it’s surely meaningful to him. His music creates distinct settings that bring back childhood memories and perhaps other fictitious and dream-like settings. This is particularly true for Parallax, which to date might by the man’s most grandiose work. There’s simplicity in the guise of complexity. Wait, well let me explain. Every song is layered with instrumentation that you might not realize upon first or twentieth listen. This isn’t too important. What’s important is that Parallax is affectionate. It’s not as heavy or ambient as some of Bradford’s earlier work. It’s right there in the middle. The tracks that really stand out to me on Parallax slant towards heavy. These are some of the finest songs that I’ve heard in the past couple of years. “Walkabout” from Logos was my favorite song of 2009. Naturally, I’m interested in finding an Atlas Sound successor to that sort of brilliance. I’ve found multiple successors on Parallax. The first is “Mona Lisa,” which was previously recorded as part of the Bedroom Databank. The version on this record features Andrew Vanwyngarden of MGMT (piano/vocals). There’s such a cozy vibe to this song. Perfect for autumn. A glass of bourbon and walk through Boston Common/Central Park/equivalent to your area. Next is “Angel Is Broken,” which sounds a bit like The Best of Bradford, if there was such a thing. I am particularly fond of the transitions from the verses to the chorus, the “aahhhh-ahhhhh” and the line “you’ll be a lot like…me!” The final song that I’m going to discuss is the final song. This is “Nightworks”. I love the clangy guitar and the Left-Right percussion. The harmonica. The bass line. The build-up to the finale. The song is way affirming and exudes positiveness. “Everywhere I look there is a light and it will guide the way.” The other nine songs that I’ve neglected to mention each have outstanding attributes and will surely have you coming back for more. I’ve listened to this album several times in the past two days and I’m sure I’ll keep going at a similar pace. Parallax will be remembered as one of the most engaging albums of this year, decade, and whatever else.

Grade: A (95)

Music, Song Review, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall

KLYAM Song Reviews: Mid-Autumn Edition

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Black Keys – “Lonely Boy” – Not the first “Lonely Boy” (King Khan & BBQ Show, among recent others, had one), but we’ve certainly have one heck of a memorable tune here. From the guitar riffs to steady drum beat down to the catchy synthesizer, this might be the most intriguing pop-rock song I’ve heard in a few years. I doubt it will make itself to Top 40 airwaves (with its definitive rock and roll edge…damn ‘electro-rock’ these days), but it certainly should keep fans — devout and marginal (like myself) — happy.

Ty Segall – “Spiders” – This is a song that surely makes noisy sound quiet. In an interview with Prefix earlier this year, Ty said he wanted to do a noise rock record. Whether this is literally the noise rock 7″ that he was hinting at or whether it’s a piece of a larger puzzle is something I guess we’ll have to figure out later. 

Thee Oh Sees – “The Dream” – Like a whole bunch of Oh Sees songs, this one keeps you on your toes. It’s a classic mix of throwback pop and distortion. The great thing about Thee Oh Sees and just mentioned understudy Segall is how well they engage listeners throughout the course of a song. Thee Oh Sees tend to go the long route, Segall prefers the short. Random screams here, random guitar clinging there, EXPLOSIVE finish; it’s all awesome. Random to only me and you…maybe.

Bad Sports – “Just Can’t Be Friends” – A nice power-pop/punker that will tickle your fancy if you’ve been digging fellow current Dirtnap bands like White Wires and Steve Adamyk Band and older stuff like Exploding Hearts. Simple and catchy. Typically, just how I like it.

The Energy – “Thinking Cameras” – Not as fast as ‘hardcore punk’, but it punches just as hard as that form of music. This is in your face punk rock. You better wear protective covering because the raw energy (pun sort of intended) on display here might just melt your clothes.

No Pilot – “Energy On” – This is a highly dancey noise/electronic offering coming via one-man band in France. With several layers of effect laden guitars and natural hand-claps as percussion, it’s easy to get lost in the music. That’s exactly what makes it so impressionable. 

EP Review, King Khan, Music

EP Review: The King Khan Experience [2011]

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Band: King Khan
Release: 10/2011
Label: Scion A/V

Comments: Here we are once again. Entering into the mysterious kingdom of King Khan’s supreme genius. For all those who’ve been following Khan, it’s quite a trip in itself keeping up with his propensity to try new, seemingly crazed musical ideas. In the past two years alone, we’ve heard him as part of the psycho-gospel “super-group” Almighty Defenders, the Bollywood pleasing Tandoori Knights, and (most recently) Khanwood Clarke. There have been other collaborations here and there that I didn’t just mention and how could one forget the two bands that have consumed most of Khan’s adulthood: the Shrines and the King Khan & BBQ Show. Well, as it turns out, this experience – The King Khan Experience — is a Shrines impostor or synonym. Khan’s got the provocative lyrics, raspy and soulful vocal stretches, ubiquitous organ, and guitar clang and twang that we’ve always known and loved. Nothing audible on this Experience is particularly innovative in comparison to The Supreme Genius, but that doesn’t mean this is a throw-away Experience. It does turn out that the first few cuts made available for download pre-release are the best. The psychedelic, yet magnificently clean “Come Levitate With Me” is sort of how you’d imagine a song with that title to sound. “I Got Love” is one of my favorites from this batch, asking the apropos “I got love. Baby, what you got?” Add a wah-wah solo to the mix and there you have it. There is a little deviation from what we’ve heard from “official” Khan on “Are You Serious?” which comes across as a mockery of budget recording, with Khan making an impromptu vocal overdub on top of a bottom-shelf wah-wah riff. The best thing of all on here is “Hammer Ich Vermisse Dich,” a German cover of Jay Reatard’s “Hammer I Miss You” which includes a children’s chorus singing “Hahhh-merreeee ichh vermissee dich”. Brilliance on Khan’s part for thinking up that. At any rate, it’s a tad difficult evaluating this EP beyond what can be heard. Whether Khan was fudging around with Scion on this thing or whether it was a genuine musical effort (the ‘Tard cover puts a skeptical spin on this school of thought) is besides the point. Khan’s having fun, so we’ll let him. Can’t imagine this holding any weight in the category of greatest things the Indo-Canadian has ever done.

Food, Random

“The Best Damn Soda” – Squamscot Beverages

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Squamscot Beverages is taking the world by storm, one person at a time. One wise drinker commented, “best damn soda I’ve ever had. No joke.” No joke, indeed. They’ve got more flavors of soda than you’ve got fingers and toes. Located in picturesque Newsfields, NH, you ought to stop by for some hand crafted soda made by locals for all to drink. I tried the Lemon Lime and it makes Sprite look like something your sister’s cousin made for a fifth grade science fair. Exactly.

Visit: HERE

Bloodshot Bill, King Khan

Bloodshot Bill Back In USA In 3 Weeks; Tandoori Knights Touring

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Remember when you first heard of Bloodshot Bill. You went to his website and saw that damn counter at the bottom of the page saying he wouldn’t be back in US of A for another 669 days or something like that. You thought, “Damn, it’s going to be a long while ’til I see this dude live.” Well, 669 turned into 400 turned into 100 and is now sitting at 21. Yup, after five long years, Bill will return to America. First for the special Norton Records 25th Anniversary show in NYC on November 13 and then for a three week tour accompanied by King Khan via Tandoori Knights. Find the dates HERE and watch a video below.

Music, The Walkmen

The Walkmen Recording New Album

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The Walkmen are back at the recording thing again. They’ve apparently recorded 15 songs and might just finish the thing by November. In customary Walkmen style, they’ve been road-testing the new batch of songs. It’s never a good idea to get too excited about these new ones. As we know from past experience, the end products of these new live songs are certainly subject to change. At any rate, big fans over at the Walkmen Forum (accessible through here) are buzzing about the new songs. I believe you can still download their Austin City Limits set (new songs included, of course) in one of those threads. So how exactly are the new songs? See for yourself, but I will say they are over the place. We’ve got something that wouldn’t be exactly out of place on Lisbon tentatively [on the internet, anyway] titled “In The House You Made”. It’s a stripped down, fairly slow one, with a very strong finish! Another is “Love You Love,” which is heavier, but can’t quite say I’m much of a fan of it. Back to the basics with “Southern Heart,” just good ole electric guitar. “I’m Not Your Heartbreaker” is where it’s at. Sounds at first like some quasi-Bows and Arrows shizzle and has one of the catchiest choruses we’ve heard since You & Me. Finally there’s “Radio City,” which is a pretty funny song. It reminds me of The Recoys. Ham’s vocal delivery is as spirited as it was back in the ole ‘garage’ ’98 days… “Song of the Paper Dolls” kind of thing. Well anyway, I look forward to hearing more news come out about this album.