Jun 2007
Emerging artist: Battles
28/06/07 12:47
By SAM LADACH-BARK
Math rock: a genre making a comeback in today's electronic scene fueled by rhythmic drums, erratic, dissonant guitars and dense, unpredictable keyboards.
The term was coined in the '80s to describe noise-rock's complexity and frequent change in tempo. It was the goal of math rock's innovators to put a confusing twist on rock, punk or pop. You know you're listening to match rock when there is something familiar to a beat, but somehow it's off.
It's never been a classic genre, but it lives on in the American rock group Battles. Their sound is a mish-mash of classic beats with a few ear-stretching innovations of their own. The setup: three guitars, two keyboards, a drum kit, two laptops, one vox and four amazing multi-instrumentalists. It's sometimes tribal, other times electronica, but always stimulating.
The band's first official record, titled EP B/C, was released in February of last year. It was a modest, 10-track compilation of songs they had fleshed out since meeting in 2005. Random bleeps and bloops accompanied by off-tempo drums and guitar make up this deliciously different debut on the underground music scene. Often it feels as if music like this, that lacks a clear direction, could only have been created on the spot, never to be re-mastered again. Perhaps it's this feeling of unleashed rock that drew them into the indie limelight after the release of their first proper, full-lenth LP Mirrored on Warp Records.
The title befits their style. One instrument mirrors another with slight variations. Unlike previous work, Mirrored also features vocal distortion. "Atlas" and "Race-In" are wonderful examples of this off-color squelching, which adds much-needed vigor to the group's sound.
On tour now with a veritable arsenal of equipment, they're actually able to reproduce their sound quite well. At their Austin, TX show, they blew the fuses halfway through "Atlas," only to hear the crowd chant the ending to a drum beat (the only non-electronic instrument on the stage). A few minutes later, the power returned and their energetic performance continued into the night. They will be hitting 31 more clubs across the U.S. and UK until their tour ends in early November.
If you want to wet your appetite with some new and innovative rock, check out Battles' new record. Only you can be the judge of whether or not this tempo twist is your flavor or not. Check it out here.
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Bjork is back with her sixth sensory album
19/06/07 12:29
By SAM LADACH-BARK
There are many things that are so unforgettable about Bjork.
While many of you may recall the swan dress or her Olympic stadium-size apparel, I remember the first time I listened to Homogenic. Or the music video for "It's Oh So Quiet." Or the shiver that ran down my spine after hearing "Oceania."
The sweet, petite Icelandic girl with a voice like a lion -- there is no turning back once you've fallen in love with her voice. If you own one Bjork album, you own them all.
Her sixth full-length album and followup to 2004's Medulla is titled Volta. Musically it's rather minimal, similar in fashion to early Bjork, a la Debut. Of course her blistering vocals take center stage. but in a few tracks they're featured opposite Antony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons.
Overall this album has a playful aura, but it's not without a heart-wrenching epic track. The opener, "Earth Intruders," became Bjork's second-ever single to enter Billboard's Hot 100 list. Within it we find marching drums and pulsating synthetic beats set against weaving screams signifying her dominance over mortals with twigs and branches. Similar to this new, playful power is "Declare Independence" and its screeching guitar and army of Bjorks screaming, "Raise your flag . . . higher, higher!"
While this new style is fun, it won't be the most memorable. Stealing the show three tracks deep is "The Dull Flame of Desire," featuring Antony Hegarty. It's a duet about passionate, speechless eyes, with Antony's soft, wavering voice perfectly complimenting Bjork's vocal strength as the song rises in intensity. Like many other tracks on Volta, trumpets and other horns paint a sleepy landscape. Similarly, "Wanderlust" uses horns as the backbone for a spine-shivering ballad about being lost in an endless sea. The horns on Volta are what the harp was to Vespertine and the Icelandic choir for Medulla.
While it's almost expected that Bjork display new styles with each release, Volta is not without hints of the past. The random bleeps and bloops of "I See Who You Are," intertwined with doleful trumpets, bring listeners back to Homogenic. And the crystalline sounds of harp chords on "My Juvenile" are reminiscent of Vespertine.
While it lacks the overall strength of previous albums (Post and Homogenic come to mind), Volta is certainly a must-have for fans. Bjork has always been consistent in her search to make every album stand alone. Volta is no exception, and many tracks bring her playful intensity to a new level. Go here to hear.
Grade: B