octahedron is the equivalent of the mars volta saying ‘if you didn’t get it the first time, we’ll say it again, but slower.’ yet, even if they’re dumbing things down a bit, this is the most interesting they’ve sounded since frances the mute. they’ve withdrawn towards a kind of accessibility here with much slower songs and through employing more conventional song structures. the album even follows a structure, complete with rise, climax and falling action; however, the mars volta’s inaccessibility never really stemmed from their complex structures, or lightning-speed riffs, rather, it was their abandonment of the dub-laden grooves from their first record that made them sound rigid and boring. 2008’s the bedlam in goliath while they might not be back to their rhythmically-challenging, groovy selves, octahedron proves at the very least that the mars volta are capable of being interesting when they’ve been forced to change and rethink things.
so, while day four wasn’t the last day of the NXNE festival, it was for me. day four would not prove to be as jam-packed full of bands as the previous two days, mostly because i was tired, and because while a few of the events piqued my interest, nothing really stood out (although i would’ve liked to have gone to the silver dollar room that night, as i heard from various sources that it would be nuts).
yessir, saturday was solely about the sonics. these legendary proto-punk/garage rockers were in town, and played the young and dundas square stage. while their stage banter was just about as embarrassing as watching your father trying to make jokes for a similarly large group of people, their music was nothing but on-point, brimming with the same level of testosterone-fuelled intensity that has been distilled in their infamous catalogue. they got off to a rough start, as the bad jokes and the “you’re our favourite audience, ever!” comments wore a bit thin, but they were easily forgiven and only slight blemishes on an otherwise pristine set. screaming through everything from “strychnine” to “psycho” and even “louie, louie,” the sonics easily hit all the right notes (pianist/vocalist gerry roslie and guitarist larry parypa were both particularly good), and it was an awesome way to end my first NXNE experience.
according to saxophonist rob lind, the sonics will be heading into the studio this year to record a new album! it’d be really cool if they took that opportunity to maybe work with some of the people they’ve influenced over the years, mark arm and iggy pop come to mind as obvious choices, but i bet someone like jack white would jump at the chance.
yesterday started off with a trip to sneaky dee’s to catch a performance of atlanta’s coathangers. i was welcomed by a free glass of rum and coke and the catchy, playful tunes of the all-female band just starting into their set. their songs are all pretty silly and irreverent, but that’s not to say that they shouldn’t be taken seriously; rather, their tightly-wound post-punk practically demands it—they screech and harp at some of the most mundane topics imaginable— making them all the more endearing when they yell “STOP STOMPIN’ AROUND!!!/ STOP STOMPIN’!!”
[note: i'll add more to this later. the end needs to be fleshed out a bit more.]
prior obligations and a lack of interest in any of the bands (aside from jaguar love and patrick wolf) that played on wednesday night kept me from exploring what NXNE had to offer on day one.
on day two, however, things got off to an early start as i headed to NXNE HQ to pick up my wristband around noon. there i got to see alan cross hold a panel discussion for his “explore music” show. the panel consisted of some guy from vice records and cole alexander from black lips, who was entertaining to say the least. their discussion revolved around a rather beaten-to-death topic — “the state of the music industry”— but nevertheless it was cool to see alan cross do his thing, and quite entertaining to see his lack of control over the hyperactive alexander.
watching jarvis cocker’s commanding performance of “cunts are still running the world” to a thrilled audience at the 2008 pitchfork festival, one thing becomes clear: he has emerged post-pulp as a formidable live act. enter, further complications, an album recorded with producer (or whatever he does), steve albini, shortly after cocker’s appearance at the festival in chicago.
while his first solo disc, jarvis, might’ve been more stylized (perhaps the result of cocker co-writing a lot of the music with richard hawley), further complications is much more in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll— surely an impulse to encapsulate that kind of vitriolic energy his recent performances have been known for by employing a more live-off-the-floor approach to recording (ala albini). in a sense, cocker has pulled a grinderman; he’s offering a dirty, sweaty, bearded album, but unlike nick cave, his song-writing isn’t up to snuff, making further complications sound unfinished as much as it sounds raw and relentless. cocker’s boisterous persona can make up for the lack of good songs here, but it unfortunately can’t carry the album on its own.
once again big business have made an album that turns metal on its head. the band has pushed themselves further into unfamiliar territory by bringing a third member, guitarist toshi kasai into the fold. kasai helps disturb the back and forth between bassist jarred warren and drummer coady willis, and his wailing leads accentuate the already driving and thunderous music. while warren and willis remain the principal songwriters, kasai’s influence is easily heard: the band is no longer just a simple sludge-metal outfit, they’re drawing from a much wider range of musical influences that bring the theatricality of prog together with the blistering urgency of punk, all under a mighty heavy hailstorm of some excellent sludge riffs. uber-fans may be put off by willis’ clean vocals, but the fact that they sound like an odd choice make them all the more necessary for such an idiosyncratic act to remain true to themselves.
in what sounds to be a project forged in the murkiest of bongwaters, omar rodriguez-lopez has released another noodly solo album, but this time he has enlisted the help of some fellow voltas as well as hella’s zach hill and jon hischke; however, like most of the mars volta’s (and mars volta spin-offs) output since 2005, there are only a few songs on this release that are really worth investing time in.
the main problem here is that this group doesn’t do much to unseat the listener’s expectations of how a meeting between rodriguez-lopez and hill might sound. often chaotic, complex and overwhelming, there are only a select number of times where the band sounds like they’re playing together. hill is an incredible drummer, but does not make an excellent foil to rodriguez-lopez for the simple fact that they sound like they’re playing over top of one another. blaming hill for the lack of synchronicity on the record would be unfair though, after all, he’s more than proven his ability to compliment other performers’ styles as a frequent collaborator with the likes of marnie stern, and more recently, no age. even though cryptomnesia is a rodriguez-lopez solo effort, he rarely seems to be at the helm of things, nor are his contributions the most interesting. in fact, hill and hischke provide the most pivotal moments on cryptomnesia when they are left to their own hellish devices. the standout songs are few and far between here, but when they’re good, they’re very good, which makes it all the more upsetting to hear how terrible the rest of the album is.
animal collective/grouper @ sound academy – may 16, 2009
i wasn’t planning on going to see animal collective last night, but a couple of friends of mine offered me an extra ticket of theirs last-minute, and i decided to go against my better judgement. it’s been well documented that i’m not the biggest fan of animal collective’s more recent work, but i thought the concert would be a good opportunity to see how the songs from merriweather post pavillion held-up live, and a chance to expose myself to a side of the band i had never seen.
grouper opened, and while i like her music, i don’t think she was well suited as an opening act. she has the psych-folk element to her music that makes her a logical connection to the headliners, but last night’s audience was made up of people wearing keffiyehs soaked in LSD who had no interest in droney psychedelic music with no beat to it. also, the abysmal sound at the sound academy made grouper’s set a little more unbearable than it would’ve been otherwise— a fact made clear by the large hissing noise emanating from the PA system that was audibly distinct from the effects grouper was employing on stage. those factors didn’t help anyone who actually tried to enjoy grouper’s set, as anyone disinterested with her performance carried on as if nothing was happening. medium sized venues like the sound academy just don’t have the same kind of intimacy required for an act like grouper. i could see a band like high places having a better chance in that kind of setting.
animal collective took the stage shortly after grouper, and started things off with “chocolate girl,” a song that i was unfamiliar with, but one that helped set the mood for the evening quite well with its throbbing bass and avey tare’s often explosive vocals. i had heard that animal collective were playing some of panda bear’s songs on tour, but i was nevertheless surprised when “comfy in nautica” was played next. that moment was probably a personal favourite, and it was well received by others as well, but nothing could compare to the utter frenzy that took place when people heard the opening bars to “my girls.” overall their set was pretty diverse and not too MPP-heavy. it also stayed at a pretty constant pace, with minimal amounts of psychedelic noodling. frankly, they could’ve jammed away all they liked if they had simply ditched the “trippy” visuals that bombarded the audience at every opportunity. while i certainly enjoy the visual component of concerts, the 4:20/dorm room wall poster styled kaleidoscopic lightshow hurt their cause more than it helped. it felt like they were catering to the drug aesthetic more than necessary. yes, i know you’re a psychedelic band, you don’t need to show me.
it was unusual being at a concert for a band i really didn’t care for, but i enjoyed myself more than i thought i would. i also found it interesting to witness the different groupings of “stans” varying from the utterly devout, the plaid indie rocker, to fans who only cheered for the MPP songs (not sure where i fit in there). on a related note: this experience didn’t shed new light on the MPP material, however, it did make me more curious to mine more of animal collective’s older records.
i first heard angel deradoorian’s gilded vocals in dirty projectors, where she provided much of the supporting vocal gymnastics to dave longstreth during this performance of their songs from rise above, an album that reimagines black flag’s damaged through varying disparate genres. having not been quite acclimatized to longstreth’s unique vocal style, i clamoured for the moments when deradoorian and her accomplice amber coffman joined in accompaniment. now, long after having grown accustomed to longstreth’s delivery, as well as having devoured the brilliant rise above, i’m ready for anything related to dirty projectors. mind raft is the first ever solo offering from deradoorian, and a promising glimpse at what is to come from this talented singer. on her own, deradoorian’s music is much more laid-back and folksy, but what’s consistent here with her work in dirty projectors is her unyielding voice and r&b-inspired vocal style, which are most apparent on the song “you carry the deed.” i like EPs because they’re more informal as introductions to an artist than full albums, and deradoorian takes advantage of that by releasing a work that sounds unpretentious in its simplicity yet one that is wholly realized in it’s potential to whet one’s appetite.
(this audio for this video is very quiet, but it’s well worth turning up)
