Comments: Disappears is a band to keep your eyes on. It’s cool to see they are signed to Kranky Records, which has put out great discs by the likes of Deerhunter and Atlas Sound. I’d compare them to the former due to their light proto-punk sound and lo-fi prowess. The first few songs really caught my attention and the basis for such a comparison grew as one song switched to the next. Consider the jam-out on “Pearly Gates.” Not as epic as Deerhunter’s “Nothing Ever Happened,” but fun as fuck. These kind of jam-outs are more common on here than I anticipated. The only aspect of the record that I think could be improved upon would be vocal volume. Another thing I like about this band is that they portray a real sense of confidence. This sort of goes with what I said before. They don’t seem afraid to just rock out. And it’s not like they are rocking out with no sense of direction. “Old Friend” has some shouts that recall Thee Oh Sees. (A positive). The last song, “No Other,” is a winner. Good line: “when’s this gonna end? How’s it gonna be? Immediate death or slow and painfully?” OK so: while this album doesn’t necessarily stick out in the grand scheme of CD Reviews, I’m glad I ran into it.
A great review as usual from Anthony, but seriously a 7?! I have absolutely no problem with him dishing out sevens I just do not understand how he comes up with that grade when 90% of what he said was above average. I was expecting more of an 8, considering a 7 usually means average, ohh well. I agree with him that some of the tracks are weak and could definitely use some truncating. Also I dig the appreciation for “Someday Soon,” indeed a fantastic musical/lyrical moment and one of the better album openers I have heard.
Harlem, you know that really awesome band from Texas who Chris and I saw at Great Scott just short of a month ago, will be back in these parts in a couple of months. July 14, to be exact, at the House of Blues. No, no, no. I know what you are thinking. They couldn’t even draw a sold-out GS crowd, so any chance of them headlining a 1,000 capacity venue seems moot, don’t you think? Right. They will be opening for the perfectly average hard-rock/blues outfit Dead Weather. Fellow KLYAMer Matt will be presumably in attendance and he’ll be in for a treat. In a summer void of great concerts, I’d probably go to this one. BUT it’s $29 bucks and $29 for a quickie set from Harlem (fuck they only played 25 minutes at GS as headliner) is a bit much.
This is footage from November 2009. I just found it today. It is great and has three parts. The first, below, features both songs (“Tiny Sioux” and “Plenty of Room”) off of their new single. Be sure to watch!
Set-List: 1. Alice & Friends
2. Death of Me
3. Unknown
4. Tiny Sioux
5. Plenty of Room at the Bottom
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6. Necro
7. One Foot in Front of the Other
8. Dave
9. Talk Amongst Yourself
10. Hole in My Head
11. Jackie Wood
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12. Stay
13. Dave
14. 2012
15. Unknown
Band: BLK JKS Release: 6/2010 Label: Secretly Canadian
1. “Iietys” – C 2. “Bogobe” – C+
3. “Zol!” – A-
4. “Paradise” – B–
5. “Mzabalazo” – B+
Comments: Direction. It’s something BLK JKS had in their excellent debut track “Lakeside,” but is something that this release is lacking. I liked how “Lakeside” was short and immediately catchy. Going the route of six minute aimless tracks isn’t a viable route for most bands. “Iietys” is a tough listening journey with spurts of neatness, thanks in large part to a solid beat. Besides that, though? Too long. Even the experimentally inclined “Bogobe” is backed by a bare-bones bass-line that makes it borderline enjoyable. The Carribean flavored title track is absolutely outstanding in comparison to the first two. Think early 2000s Animal Collective intertwined with African tribal shouts. “Paradise” is a bit too maniacal for my tastes and wears its harder rock influences on its sleeves. Comparatively, though, it’s got a fine flow…something much needed when length is taking into account. Despite the craziness of the final tune, I find it pretty good. There’s a lot of layers in it, but like its two predecessors is relatively easy on critical ears.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 