Seven Words You Can't Say in Kindergarten [maybe NSFW]
RE: Creationism, intelligent design, etc. Save it for church why don't you? Remember that place? It's God's house. Why, in Sunday school, you can teach kids all sorts of cute fairy tales! Here in reality, on the other hand, evolution—a scientific theory which has about a shit ton of evidence to support it—is what we subscribe to.
Evidence...? I see you're a little confused, my little faith-based friend. Evidence is what people who care about the truth use to support what they believe in and usually consists of things that can be observed and that follow logic and stuff. Shhhh. It's OK. I know it's a lot to take in. You just go on back to pretend land now. (Eat some body of Christ. You look famished!)
I'd much rather discuss a different sort of evolution, anyway. Broadcast, a rock band from England, is set to release their third album, Tender Buttons, on Warp Records September 19th (the 20th in the US). And in the spirit of Karl Rove, the CIA, and matters of national security, the album has been leaked recently. So I've taken a few listens and would like to offer my first impressions to you. Quickly, before there's a cover-up.
For a band who, according to at least few short-sighted individuals, started out as a mere imitation of Stereolab, Broadcast's sound has progressed rather nicely. From the spacey 60's sound of The Book Lovers EP back in '97 to the more electronic, even spacier (dare I say otherworldly) debut album, The Noise Made By People, to their great follow-up album (and best record yet), 2003's Haha Sound, they've been honing their sound ever closer to that wonderful line between synthetic and organic.
It's this balance between warmth and coldness that's kept me interested in the band over the last eight years. Unfortunately for me, with Tender Buttons Broadcast has tipped the scales heavily in favor of an electronic sound. Turns out they are down to two members and the amazing drummer featured on Haha Sound is not one of them. And so goes the aforementioned warmth that was provided by a terrific acoustic rhythm section. What the new album is lacking is what previously gave the buzzing and the bleeps a place to live. Sure there are still some guitars in there. One or two tracks even feature live drums, or maybe what I'm guessing are leftover drum tracks from the sessions of the last record. And one track, the sad and serene “Tears In the Typing Pool,” is mostly guitar strumming and Trish Keenan's lovely vocal melodies. Still, the majority of these tracks feature simple drum machines and square wave synth sounds, a combination which reminds me at times of early Lali Puna or, more accurately, a little group called Tree Wave. Trish's vocals do help a little, of course, but her voice can be pretty cold—almost icy at times. To make matters worse, the band has thrown in a lot more of the digital distortion they're so fond of (see roughly any Autechre record from the 2nd half of their discography).
Don't get me wrong—it's not as if I dislike electronic music. And I don't think this is necessarily a bad album (in fact, it's been growing on me), but I suppose I'm just slightly disappointed by this new direction. It almost feels like a step back in a way. Maybe this is a progression and I'm being too close-minded. At any rate, if this is the sound of progress, I'm not sure I'm ready to move on.
MP3 - Broadcast: “Corporeal”
Closer to home, in a town to my north called Baltimore, there is a band called Wilderness. They released their self-titled debut album, which incidently happens to have been recorded in my backyard (no—not my actual backyard), on JagJaguwar back in July to some critical acclaim. They're being described as sounding like Johnny Lydon fronting Explosions In the Sky or Savage Republic; even the label says so. I can hear the Explosions connection, in those soaring guitars and in the rhythm. But instead of all the snare drumming of EITS, you get lots of tom. The Lydon thing, with vocals that are more bellowed than sung, is there too, and it almost turned me off to this band. On my first listen, I found myself thinking um...you gonna keep doing that? I got over that, though. This record is awesome.
MP3 - Wilderness: “End of Freedom”
Getting even closer to home, there is my new favorite DC band. They're called The Antiques and I'm predicting that they're gonna be huge. OK, maybe not huge, no one can predict that, but they certainly have what it takes to make some noise.
I first heard of them back in January, when I met Gregg (guitar, vocals) and Theresa (keyboards) at a show at 611 Florida. Months passed. I then learned that a friend of mine (John Rickman - Eggs, EBSK) joined the band on drums. This piqued my interest a bit, and I always try to do my best to support my friends' projects, so I made it a point to catch one of their shows. Unfortunately, it wasn't until a few weeks ago when they played a show on the back stage of the Black Cat that I finally really heard them.
And whoa. I've slept on this band way too long. How many shows had I missed? Why did it take me so long to come out and see them? This is what was going through my mind. The show they put on was just great. I was hooked from the first few songs. I'm not sure how to describe their sound, but comparisons have been made to bands like the Smiths and Felt. The guitar is jangly and tremelo-y and the vocals low and almost monotone. The rhythm section is adept—very active basslines and some incredible drumming. [When everything else dropped away during one of their songs at the show and left the bass and drums to do a sort of solo, I almost freaked out and ended up giving a yelp of approval.] The organ sounds of the keyboards compliment everything else nicely, filling out the sound a bit. Man, it's so exciting to hear a band at this stage. They only have a few singles and demos out and have just been playing shows here and there, right around town. Word is they're finishing up work on a new EP which features the updated line-up. Best thing to do is try to catch them live. The recordings I've heard so far don't quite do them justice. Still, check out one of my favorites so far, from their split single with Unlucky Atlas, and take a look at their website and MySpace page for more.
MP3 - The Antiques: “There's Nothing To Explain”
