Listing Ships - 100 Gun Ship EP

[American Steam Company, 2011]

Listing Ships' demo Maiden Voyage impressed many local critics earlier this year and now we're presented with The 100 Gun Ship EP which is basically an extended version consisting of three new songs and a remix. The opening track is perhaps the band's most immediate song yet, starting with a driving bassline before a beautiful cacophony of synthesisers and bending guitars cloud the air. “Then Venice Sank” is the closest thing to krautrock that a band from our fair city has produced for some time; an urgent, shifty bassline once again providing the perfect anchor for the guitars and synthesisers to wander off in all directions. “Melusine Romance”, as the title may suggest, is the loveliest song the band has released so far and serves to prove that there is plenty of room for tension in romance whilst also demonstrating that the band is becoming masterful at their craft. Another excellent release from a band more than fulfilling their early promise.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 16]

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue16.pdf

Borderville - Metamorphosis

(Self released, 2011)

No-one asked them to but Oxford's chief cabaret band has gone and created a soundtrack to Kafka's The Metamorphosis. Naturally, Borderville's interpretation of the novella is more Freddie Mercury than Philip Glass. “Open the Door”, with its nods to new-wave, is fast-paced and fun, “Capitalypso” is dementedly bombastic, “Anchor” and “As It Is” are pretty and lilting, “The Human Way” is trance-like and in-between there are plenty of surprises, both pleasant and otherwise. The overall effect is knowingly incongruous to the subject matter but that doesn't mean that it always works, at times coming across like Monty Python does Kafka. This is no doubt an album that would benefit from the inevitable theatrics of the band's live show, an element which is palpably missing for the most part (album highlight “Uneasy Dreams” being a notable exception). So for a musical adaptation of a much-misunderstood novella, Metamorphosis is an ambitious and surprisingly accessible starting point to the much-misunderstood Borderville.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 16]

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue16.pdf

Von Braun - Folk Devil EP

(Big Red Sky Records, 2011)

Folk Devil EP, the long overdue debut-proper from Von Braun, is an excellent showcase for one of the best bands in Oxford - one that finally captures the band at their nervous, twitchy best and touches upon the reflective, melancholic side of their sound. Previous demos seemed to over-compensate for the band's lack of a bass player by being bass-heavy to a fault. The results, while fine recordings by anyone else’s standards, were slightly underwhelming given the energy of their live performances. Now, under the patronage of Martin Newton's Big Red Sky Records, the band have been able to record their songs completely live in an unused factory to faithfully capture the essence of their sound.

Starting evocatively with the chimes of increasingly distant church bells, as if the band are leading us away from a world of civilisation, they launch into “Folk Devil,” a song that deals with the implications of being led astray by those things that your family warn you about. The result, in Von Braun's ambiguous world, is to be left “[lying] there, struggling to breathe.”

Live favourite “The End of Ecuador” is the song that best demonstrates the band's way with a catchy, urgent melody. There's an underlying sense of romance to the song, particularly in the exchange of Dave Anderson and Adam Bates' voices in the chorus, singing over one another in contrastingly crazed and melodic fashions. Few bands could or would dare get such mileage out of a lead guitar part consisting of four notes but the simplicity of it, bouncing above the fast-shifting minor and major chords, is what makes the song great. Other local bands would do well to take notice.

“Arronax” is joyous white-boy funk that references 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the chorus to illustrate a kind of oceanic nightmare, albeit one that the band seems to be revelling in. The EP ends in understated fashion with “Mr. Seaweed”, a beautiful song featuring a solemn, finger-picked guitar, close vocal harmonies and, as we've come to expect by this point, oblique lyrics. I can only assume that the “Mr. Seaweed” they are speaking of is not the character from Spongebob Squarepants...

But you can never be too sure; Von Braun's lyrics are full of allusions to literature, film, history and culture so any real-life emotions are implied through the guise of these references. Ute recently described how mishearing the line “You are not Annie Edson Taylor” in “Folk Devil” inspired their own “Innocent Tailor” and it's certainly true that Von Braun's lyrical turns-of-phrase worm their way into your subconscious, regardless of how obscure the words may be (seriously, you'll soon find yourself unable to stop singing the chorus: “Oh Arronax, take me back to the Nautilus”).

The Lynchian worlds that Von Braun portray in their lyrics lend the band an air of mystery, an air that is reflected in the curious musical worlds that they create. While it is true that on “Arronax” and “Mr. Seaweed” the Pixies link is hard to ignore (particularly those Joey Santiago guitar bends), it is now only a reference point – the band have long outgrown the Pixies comparisons that were probably the bane of their early career. Yes, Dave Anderson's pained yelps and impassioned delivery recall Surfer Rosa-era Black Francis but Anderson is now his own monster at the microphone. In fact, Anderson's wild outbursts and Bates' flat, melodic delivery work beautifully together as contrasting forces as well as for the close harmonies which are key to Von Braun's dynamic.

The sympathetic way in which these songs have been recorded has ensured that one of the most exciting live bands in Oxford have an EP that captures that same live energy. Drummer Gary Atkinson, who continues to channel Keith Moon, is Von Braun's secret weapon, giving their songs a wild, driving power. The inherent chemistry between the three musicians is the result of five years of playing together which in turn has ensured that the song-writing is tight, efficient and never clumsy (unlike this sentence). It's been a while since a set of songs has stuck with me for so long, repeating in my mind and giving me so many points of interest to return to. Until the follow up (which is due out in February) this is the best EP released by an Oxford band this year.

[Originally published on Music In Oxford, 17/11/11]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/11/17/von-braun-folk-devil-ep-big-red-sky-records/

Five Will Die - Worth and Soul

(Self-released, 2011)

There are few more commanding ways to start an album than by screaming “BOW DOWN!” in the way that Five Will Die guitarist Daniel Howard does on Worth and Soul's opening track “Wrecks of Men”. But when 'singer' Andrew Forrestal takes over with his rumbling, vomit-crusted roar, it becomes clear that we've not yet scratched the surface of the ceremonial death-march that is Worth and Soul.

First things first, it must be said that we’ve been a bit slow on the uptake with this one. Cork’s Five Will Die have been around since 2005/2006 but this, their second album, has slipped through our fingers for two months since the release date which has been partly down to ignorance and partly to sheer laziness, so apologies. Having recently witnessed one of the band's live shows it was immediately obvious that Five Will Die had a clear musical vision – namely of grinding you down with oppressive, gloomy riffs and then to freak you out – but how well that would translate onto record was yet to be seen.

After scooping around the internet for more information on the band, the consensus seemed to be that they were more of a ‘live’ band and that their previous releases had somehow failed to capture the essence of their live sound. But here Five Will Die seem to have succeeded, balancing their instrumental punch and the brutal vocal interplay between Howard and Forrestal to tremendous effect.

But the thing that sets Five Will Die apart from many of their peers, both live and on record, is the way that their sludgey, mid-tempo onslaught gives way to moments of quiet introspection (“Wrecks of Men”, “Sons of Horus”, Blame the Martyr”). Indeed, the melodies in their songs are also pleasantly hard to second-guess, developing and progressing in unusual ways to create paranoid, intoxicating atmospheres. This is reflected in the philosophical nature of the lyrics (thankfully the album contains a lyric sheet, otherwise I'd have been pretty lost trying to decipher words from Forrestal's chainsaw-delivery). Any talk of 'demons' in the lyrics are purely of the 'inner' kind and the songs are all the better for being devoid of metal clichés.

If there was a criticism to be lumped at the album it would be that the track-listing groups the songs together in great blocks; even though there are great riffs in every song, when you're confronted with a voice like Forrestal's you tend to blank everything else out. Saying that, “Blood and Soil” does a good job of breaking the album up by being shorter and faster than the other songs and the spoken-word section in “Great Minds and Fools” is a welcome addition but the album can be hard to sit-through in one sitting, especially if you're already on a downer.

However it's ultimately a testament to their single-minded bludgeoning-instinct that the onslaught is never-ending. Five Will Die's live sound has been well-translated on Worth and Soul so now the experience can stay with you long after the tinnitus has worn off. Now, bow down.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 15/11/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/f/five-will-die-worth-and-soul-cd-2011/

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - The Ripper At The Heavens Gates Of Dark

[Riot Season, 2011]

There are many uncertainties in life but you can always be sure that Acid Mothers Temple will continue to crank out album after album of claustrophobic, psycho-psychedelia from atop their Japanese mountain retreat, like crazed astronomers sending out distorted signals into the vast expanse of space. If you're familiar with the band at all (and if not just re-read that opening sentence) then you know the drill by now – this is shamelessly retro, trippy stuff, put down on record with reckless – almost maniacal – abandon.

On opening track “Chinese Flying Saucer” the guys lock into a series of Led Zeppelin-style grooves and ride them out for twelve minutes while bass-playing singer Tsuyama Atsush yelps like Robert Plant intermittently. After that exhaustive trip, the brief “Chakra 24” is a moment of inner calm and and tranquility; gently bluesy acoustic guitars form a melody while the constant, earthy drone of a sitar, drenched in reverb so that the twang rings out forever, lingers reassuringly in the background. Again, this is kind of a spiritual cousin to Led Zeppelin's “Battle of Evermore” although without any sense of urgency - Atsush scats care-free somewhere in the midst of the mix.

“Back Door Man of Ghost Rails Inn” runs the gamut of 'out-there' late sixties, early seventies bands, sounding like a hoarse Jim Morrison fronting The Grateful Dead whilst running through “Paint it Black” with Ravi Shankar. “Shine on You Crazy Dynamite” is a 22-minute freeform jam with a distinctly grind-house, B-movie horror feel provided by the organ, subtly funky bass and the babyish, improvised freakout vocal stylings of Atsush. Album closer “Electric Death Mantra” is a slowly lurching, typically 'Indian' raga, based around a cyclical sitar riff. As the song speeds up to a frantic pace it implodes.

And so ends another sonic chapter in the topsy turvy tale of Acid Mothers Temple, although by their standards this is a pretty laid-back outing. The accompanying press release makes a point of mentioning that the album was recorded in the aftermath of this year's disastrous Japanese earthquakes although you wouldn't know it to listen to it - as if no tremors could penetrate the mountaintop hideout of these curious monks. As per usual the main reason to come to AMT is for the genuine authenticity with which they deliver their sonic workouts so as long as you're not expecting anything new then you're in safe hands with these Acid Mothers.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 09/11/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/a/acid-mothers-temple-the-melting-paraiso-ufo-the-ripper-at-the-heavens-gates-of-dark-cd-lp-2011/

[Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website, 09/11/11]
http://www.roadburn.com/2011/11/album-of-the-day-acid-mothers-temple-the-melting-paraiso-u-f-o-the-ripper-at-the-heavens-gates-of-dark/

Aun - Phantom Ghost

(Denovali Records, 2011)

Taking Aun’s Phantom Ghost at face value you could probably do a fair job of predicting the sounds within. The cover image is an out-of-focus picture of two young girls in white gowns; one sits looking at something out of sight while the other stands, almost hovering, in the foreground. I’ve not listened to a second of it yet and already Phantom Ghost has me on edge, expecting a spooky old time. A few seconds after pressing the play button it sounds like the girl on the album cover is singing, alone in a dusty village church accompanied by the spirits of those who rest in the graveyard outside.

If album opener “Phantom” is the ghostly apparition that intrigues you to come closer for a better look, “Out Of Mind” represents the jolt of being dragged by the spectre into the spirit world. Bombastic programmed drums, swirling guitar textures and airy synths create an expansive atmosphere that is palpable and eery, while enigmatic, barely-audible vocals repeat the song’s mantra throughout, sounding like a language that can’t be comprehended by the living. The initial rush of adrenalin is soon affected by the sinister synths which weave in and out of the song, supplementing the off-kilter melody and adding to the overall sense of unease.

As the album progresses it is the synthesisers that form the real backbone of the material with only occasional guitar or vocal punctuations. The French vocals at the end of “Travellers” help to make the explicit connection to French sound-smiths Air whose influence, along with the likes of Cocteau Twins, Future Sound of London and Boards of Canada, can be felt throughout this ambient album.

Aun also prove that you don’t need a down-tuned guitar, a Fuzz Factory and a Neanderthal singing some nonsense about Satan to create a feeling of foreboding doom. “Orga II”, with its crackling, stuttering percussion, repetitive, bubbling bassline and Angelo Badalamenti-esque synthesisers, evokes a sense of being stuck in physical and mental limbo, while the album as a whole feels like a metaphysical journey through the aforementioned spirit world, stopping fleetingly at familiar milestones along the way.

Some people might not appreciate the amount of work that goes into producing ambient music like this – in many ways it’s a far more complex art than most other musical forms. But it’s a tough balancing act that involves many factors – use of repetition, length, variation, melody and the absence of it. Too often purely ambient, atmospheric artists can burrow too deeply into their little worlds leaving the rest of us looking in wondering what we’re missing. When Aun get the balance right, like on the My Bloody Valentine homage “Out Of Mind” or the powerfully evocative “Orga II”, they create music of real emotional weight. However songs like “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and “Light Years” tend to outstay their welcome without offering us much more than a pretty diversion. I came to this album and this band with no prior knowledge of them and I came away just slightly underwhelmed but pleasantly surprised by what the band was doing. Your best bet is to let this album wash over you and either shake it off or bask in its otherworldly embrace.

[Originally published on the Sleeping Shaman, 02/11/2011]

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/a/aun-phantom-ghost-cd-lp-dd-2011/

Deer Chicago - "Lantern Collapse"/"Rolling of the Ocean"

(Self-released, 2011)

Deer Chicago frontman Jonny Payne (he should have been a punk-rocker) will no doubt have been sad, as many local music fans were, at the news of Winchell Riots calling it quits. Even if the Phil McMinn show didn’t have a direct influence on Deer Chicago’s sound then we can safely assume that the two songwriters have a similar record collection. Moreover, both songwriters rely upon a glacial, emotive, and deceptively simple post-rock framework to build pop songs which allow their lofty, urgent and vowel-heavy vocal deliveries to take flight.

That’s a rather roundabout way of saying that the two bands are quite similar. But fortunately Deer Chicago have just enough of their own stuff going on to give them their own unique charm. ‘Lantern Collapse’ is a very well written song, even if it doesn’t reveal itself immediately. On repeated listens the vocal and bass melodies subtly weave their way into your head while the surprising powerhouse drumming manages to avoid drowning-out the elegant majesty of the shimmering guitar or undermining the soft, thoughtful bass-line. The unexpected explosion of distortion in the chorus is a welcome addition too, adding a splash of colour to the otherwise autumnal scene that the song evokes.

‘Rolling of the Ocean’ follows in a similar fashion, albeit at a faster pace and with a glockenspiel solo for good measure. Lyrically, both songs risk becoming parodies of typical indie fodder (oceans and distant, flashing lights) but the sentiments accrue a hint of poetry in the spacious musical backdrop. Truth be told, ‘Rolling of the Ocean’ is the lesser of the two tracks, sounding like a rehash of the title track, although one can imagine a place for both songs in the live setting where Deer Chicago have become an increasingly appealing local prospect.

On one hand, there’s nothing on offer here that you won’t have heard before, and you will either want to get in on the Deer Chicago action or leave them well alone. But if you spin that around, Deer Chicago do what they do very well and their songs are well written, structured and executed. As far as the local indie pack goes, these boys have earned their spot as one of the bands to watch. Considering Deer Chicago formed on a whim it’s all the more impressive that they’ve turned into the hardworking band they now are, honing the emotive sound of their early material to create the focussed, craftsman-like music that the humble three-piece now makes. Perhaps the Phil McMinn-shaped hole in the local music scene could soon be filled by a Jonny Payne-shaped one.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 01/11/2011]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/11/01/deer-chicago-lantern-collapserolling-of-the-ocean/