Mike Patton - The Solitude Of Prime Numbers OST

(Iepac Recordings, 2011)

Reviewing the soundtrack to a film that you’ve not seen presents a number of problems to the objective writer. Film scores need to be approached in a different way to ‘normal’ pieces of music because they are created to evoke specific moods, utilise a wider variety of instruments and often carry a narrative along a certain path. Sometimes the power and depth of a piece of music is indelibly tied to the images it was inspired by and some of the most iconic film scores of all time instantly bring images to mind.

Enter Mike Patton and his soundtrack to a film about prime numbers and we’re more befuddled than usual. Of course most alternative music fans will be familiar with Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Fantomas et al), a man whose versatile voice has been lent to everything from renditions of 1950s Italian show-tunes to the infected characters in the Left 4 Dead games. But some of Patton’s more casual fans might be surprised to find out that he is also an accomplished musician and composer in his own right having scored two previous films: 2008′s orchestral A Perfect Place and 2009′s hyperactive Crank: High Voltage.

All of this suggests that it’s probably unwise to attempt to second-guess Mike Patton because some of the music on The Solitude of Prime Numbers seems to take inspiration from the jaunty-yet-melancholic film score works of Jon Brion (particularly the I Heart Huckabees and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtracks) but Patton lends proceedings a dramatic, minor feel on pieces like “Radius of Convergence”. Indeed some sections of the album are quite tense and pensive, consisting mostly of sparse piano and strings, with some moody, woozy progressions sounding like the soundtrack to an unreleased David Lynch film.

Patton also introduces several recurring musical themes (“Calculus of Finite Differences” and “Abscissa”, “Twin Primes” and “Isolated Primes”) which give the collection a sense of cohesion when listened to from start to finish and which no doubt establish recurring themes within the film itself. It also suggests that Patton has become something of a sophisticated composer, recognising that familiarity and repetition can serve a purpose beyond pushing the listener. However the fact that this soundtrack was made by Patton is ultimately quite irrelevant – even ardent fans of Patton’s work might not be able to tell that he had made this record if they listened to it blind, so to speak.

And therefore there is little point dissecting it with Patton in mind – it’s a thoughtfully made, if slightly dull soundtrack which will probably be of little interest to anyone who isn’t a hardcore Patton fan, or a fan of the film. There are no conventional ‘songs’ here for you to get your teeth into and the music isn’t quite compelling enough that you’ll want to blast it for its instrumental qualities. Final track “Weight of Consequences” summarises the album’s extremes, beginning with a lengthy ambient section before closing the album as it started with a light, breathy section with Patton singing “la la la la” over shifting minor and major chord progressions.

It came as a bit of a surprise when I finally got round to watching the film’s trailer that the music was more compelling than the film appeared to be. From the title I assumed the movie was some art-house film or a maths documentary but it comes across like a tarted-up romance and so it’s hard to reconcile the two forms. Perhaps this is one of those cases where the film and the score are better off left to their own devices. Given that the film is about isolation and solitude, this is a strangely fitting arrangement.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 29/10/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/m/mike-patton-the-solitude-of-prime-numbers-ost-cd-2011/

Little Fish - Wonderful

(Estupendo Records, 2011)

‘Wonderful’, the debut single from Little Fish’s (Fishes?) second album, is a pleasant surprise in every way imaginable; it presents a more mature, catchy, and personal side of the band who sound more accomplished than they have before with the addition of an organ player who gives the band an almost spiritual lift on this song. Juju has never shied away from giving her a voice a bit of the old Patti Smith treatment but now she sounds comfortable with her voice (think Smith on ‘E-Bow the Letter’ rather than the yelps on ‘Gloria’). Some may say that ‘Wonderful’ is a ‘safe’ record as it deviates from the band’s more garage rock background in favour of a more commercial sound but it demonstrates the band’s ability to make a personal sentiment seem universal. Fantastic stuff from a band that are clearly still on the rise.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 15)
http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue15.pdf

Secret Rivals - Make Do and Mend EP

(Kittiwake, 2011)

Secret Rivals are likely to divide opinion if you’ve never heard them before. A painfully ‘indie’ band, the guys have their influences emblazoned on their foreheads and dance excitedly back and forth over the line between being inspired by and being derivative of their influences. For example, “These Are Only Obstacles” pretty much IS an early Idlewild song mixed with some Blink-182 guitar melodies and vocal interplay while “Blisters” could be an Interpol song if you took away the boy/girl dynamic. On the plus side the songs are chirpy, upbeat and full of energy which makes Secret Rivals a welcome change from the droller indie bands that the city has to offer. On the downside the affected, mockney vocals become tiresome after the first two songs. If you like twee, earnest indie pop in the new-millennial mould then Make Do and Mend will surely melt your heart.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 15]
http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue15.pdf

Windhand - S/T

(Forcefield Records, 2011)

If you’re here then there’s a pretty good chance that you are (at the very least) familiar with a little-known band called Black Sabbath. Some of you may even own a few of their records. Others of you may have even been inspired enough by them to start a band of your own (and rewrite their songs under different names). So let’s just face it, Black Sabbath are fucking awesome and they are probably one of your favourite band’s favourite bands. But very few bands have been as shamelessly, repeatedly and, for the most part, poorly emulated as those Brum doom lords. Which is why Windhand are such a breath of fresh air.

At first glance you might be confused because Windhand are clearly unashamedly Sabbathian in the same way that many other heavy bands are. The difference is that Windhand do Sabbath with such unadulterated and unapologetic rock swagger that they somehow manage to make the sound their own. They also make you want to jump out of your chair and start stomping around the workplace punching co-workers as you go by in a mindless haze. Or maybe I just hate my workmates. Regardless, the Richmond, Virginia band, who first piqued the interest of the stoner and doom community last year when they released their excellent two-track “Practice Space Demo”, have now released their self-titled debut which sees them continue in much the same fashion.

In fact the album is book-ended by the same two tracks from last year’s demo, albeit in their re-recorded and fuller-sounding forms. And the new songs don’t deviate too far from the formula of those first tracks: Big Muff-enhanced riffs forging singular paths into the next Big Muff-enhanced riffs with the occasional guitar solo to create an opportunity for listeners to swing their heads round and round and get lost in the psychedelic landscapes the band forge. Structurally the songs are simple and uncluttered; the pace is pleasantly slow, Ryan Wolfe drumming lazily (in a good way), waiting for the right moments to throw in the occasional fill.

But what really makes Windhand stand out is singer Dorthia’s vocals which float omnipresently over the primal, molten riffing below her like a toxic vapour. On first listen I thought the singer was a man with a Perry Farrrell/Ozzy Osbourne-by-way-of-Mike Scheidt style delivery but further spins revealed the inherent and unique femininity in Dorthia’s warm voice. Even more impressive are her vocal melodies which are memorable and instantly familiar, particularly on “Heap Wolves” where the vocals weave in and out of the riffs in the way that Layne Staley worked his way around Alice in Chains’ twisted melodies.

Featuring former members of Facedowninshit and Alabama Thunderpussy, Windhand always stood a pretty good chance of being a good band and the “Practice Space Demo” certainly fulfilled that early potential. With this full-length they’ve carried along the same path and expanded their repertoire. What the band needs to do now is offer more in the way of variation to prevent them from becoming yet another in a long list of Sabbath clones. For now though, Windhand are an awesome all-conquering beast who you should seriously consider investigating.

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 01/10/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/w/windhand-st-cd-2011/

Noothgrush - Live for Nothing

(Southern Lord Recordings, 2011)

San Jose’s lovable sludge slackers Noothgrush are a difficult band to follow – in their seventeen year career they’ve released a handful of demos and split 7 inches, a rarities collection and one album, all of which are pretty hard to get hold of due to their limited runs. For a band that came from the same Bay Area scene as Neurosis and Sleep and who shared the stage with the likes of High on Fire, Grief and Burning Witch they ought to be far more-well known. But because Noothgrush very rarely toured and broke up a bunch of times due to a combination of conflicting interests and their own apathy they’ve become that rarer of beast; they’ve become a cult band.

Live for Nothing is Noothgrush’s first, widely-distributed release – a collection of two radio broadcasts the band did in 1996 and 1999 respectively. In the grand scheme of things this means that the recordings capture the band during their heyday and as such the tracklisting contains very few surprises for fans of the band. Like their previous compilation Failing Early, Failing Often, Live for Nothing encompasses the majority of Noothgrush’s early material, sharing eight of the same songs. Die-hard fans of the band may wish that their cover of “The Imperial March” was represented in all it’s live fury here but for newcomers (and they are presumably who this record is aimed at) it serves as a concise introduction to a band whose material has rarely been collected in one place.

More importantly this record captures the band at their live best. These recordings were made soon after many of the songs were recorded and released so these hateful, slow, bilious performances feel like they are being freshly spewed onto the tape reels. Kicking off the collection in brutal fashion is “Sith” and immediately newcomers should be able to identify Noothgrush’s extremely subtle ear for a sludgey guitar melody, a facet that distinguishes them from many of their contemporaries and aspects of which you can hear in the bands that were subsequently inspired by them (Cough and Unearthly Trance for example). It probably won’t take too long for you to pick up on their Star Wars obsession too.

To Noothgrush’s credit they managed to keep these two set-lists fresh and varied. On paper, an eighteen song sludge compilation could be an arduous thing to sit through, particularly if you are not familiar with the band in question or the genre, but although Noothgrush’s songs are slow, for the most part they are relatively short and songs like “Derrell’s Porno Song” fall more into the category of stoner rock giving listeners a moment to groove along before returning to a Neanderthal head nod. Another point of interest is the band’s awesome cover of Celtic Frost’s “Procreation (Of the Wicked)”, giving Sepultura a run for their money in the cover-version stakes. “Hatred for the Species” is simply a badass tune that should be playing in the collective subconscious of doom and sludge fans across the globe.

In this live setting the band also gets to demonstrate their sense of humour; after playing their 11-second song “Evazan” which consists of the lyrics “He doesn’t like you/ Sorry/ I don’t like you either”, Gary Niederhoff introduces their “other short song” before launching into the longest song here, the nine-minute behemoth “Erode the Person.” The song creeps along so slowly that you have time to make a cup of tea and research who “Evazan” is (yep, another minor Star Wars character) before the vocals kick in.

As is to be expected from recordings from college radio stations in the mid to late nineties, the sound quality isn’t as great as they would be if they were studio recordings – for example, Chiyo Nukaga’s drums are sadly low in the mix for the first session for KZSU in 1996 whereas in the latter session for KFJC the drums are more audible but at the expense of the guitar level. But nonetheless both sessions archive a legendary sludge group in all their live glory and ultimately this compilation may prove to be the closest many of us will ever get to hearing the band in a live capacity. For that reason alone this is an excellent collection that should be cherished.

It’s a shame that other commitments got in the way of Noothgrush’s progression because these recordings suggest a band that could have been as beloved and well-known as contemporaries like Eyehategod, Buzzov*en and Sleep had they kept ploughing on. But their up-and-down history just adds to the band’s wonky, sludgey charm. Thankfully the band seem to be active again with some festival slots already under their belts and a handful rumoured for the near future so it seems that, for now, the Noothgrush Saga continues…

(Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 26/09/11)
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/n/noothgrush-live-for-nothing-cdlp-2011/
(Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website's Album of the Day, 27/09/11)
http://www.roadburn.com/2011/09/album-of-the-day-noothgrush-live-for-nothing/

Little Fish - 'Wonderful'

(7"/Download)

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Little Fish during the past few years. After signing to hit-maker extraordinaire Linda Perry’s Custard Records, the band recorded an album in Los Angeles, toured with the likes of Alice in Chains, Spinerette, Blondie and Hole, and played at Reading Festival and on their own tours across the UK. Now, having parted ways with Custard Records, the band has returned to their Oxford roots to record their next album in Gaz Coombes’ basement.

Some may view this change of circumstances as something of a sophomore slump, but whatever the story behind the separation may be, ‘Wonderful’ shows no signs of a band struggling to carry on. In fact the band seems more comfortable than ever, perhaps bolstered by the addition of Ben Walker on Hammond organ, who gives the band an almost spiritual lift on this song. Musically, ‘Wonderful’ deviates from the garage rock furore of old, in favour of a more mainstream sound, a more relaxed mood and a more personal message.That’s not to say that the band are slouching – the chorus has enough victorious pomp about it to get crowds jumping and singing along, and those who are fans of the band via PJ Harvey will find plenty to like about ‘Wonderful’. Concerning a period in singer Juju’s life when she was told she would never be able to sing again, Juju almost overcompensates here, taking her Patti Smith-isms to new levels, although now she sounds more like the mature Smith on ‘E-Bow the Letter’ than the young one on ‘Gloria’.

So, an interesting new step in Little Fish’s career then, but by no means a revolutionary one. Juju’s voice has always invited comparisons to Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, so it would be nice to see her flourish into a more idiosyncratic singer on future releases, to give fans and critics something more unique to love about the band. But as far as Oxford bands go, Little Fish have the potential to go far indeed. Don’t be surprised if you hear ‘Wonderful’ a lot in the coming months.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 29/08/11]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/08/29/little-fish-wonderful-7download/

A Death Cinematic - Your Fate Twisting, Epic in its Crushing Moments

(self-released/Simple Box Constructions, 2011)

Your Fate Twisting, Epic in its Crushing Moments, the latest release from mysterious one-man-band A Death Cinematic comes in some of the most impressive packaging we've seen in some time. Completely hand-made by the man himself through his own Simple Box Construction company, the care that has gone into the packaging is charming and interesting – extras include some water slide decal skulls and a unique piece of Japanese kozo paper with a poem to accompany one of the tracks. Limited to 50 copies one can't fault the effort but it's a shame that not quite as much attention was given to the music on the CD.

Title track “Your Fate Twisting, Epic in its Crushing Moments” is twenty-two minutes of guitar improvisation based around the same progression of notes with very little in the way of variation. Unlike the title of the song there are no twists, except at the eight minute mark when I thought the song had changed gear completely with some strummed guitars. But false alarm! It was the music player on the Simple Box Construction website - another song had started playing automatically. Back to the song at hand, and not much has changed and although the crushing repetition does evoke a pleasant and familiar sense of melancholic inertia, it doesn't really need to drag on for quite so long.

“In the Tumbling Dawn Light, Their Eyes Fall Frozen Through the Mist and Rain” is brief, comparatively, at only nine and a half minutes long, and is altogether more measured than the title track and fares far better for it. There is still a loose feel to the whole affair but there seems to be less improvisation going on as layers of clean guitar wash atop one another before disappearing. One must assume that A Death Cinematic name their songs after the moods that they create because the song is evocative of mist and rain. The accompanying poem also lends the song poignancy as it contains the line “a man at the gallows/ a man at the gates of the abyss.” It’s refreshing to see a musician indulging in a spot of multimedia artwork but at times it seems like A Death Cinematic are more interested in producing a soundtrack for the packaging that they’ve created than they are in the music itself.

It would be easy to label this release as post-rock because it does share many characteristics with the genre: sprawling, ambient instrumental music; use of digital effects and loops; melancholy moods; long, cumbersome track titles. But the music also strikes us as having a close affiliation with jazz, perhaps in the spirit of improvisation and impressionism that the songs clearly embrace. There are also hints of wilful, trying artists like Vincent Gallo, a link that is made by A Death Cinematic being as brilliant as they are frustrating. Unfortunately, on this release the impressive packaging overshadows the music that it holds. You would have to be in the right mood – or stoned – to listen to it for the entirety of its thirty-minute or so duration without getting bored or hoping for some diversion like the one I accidentally encountered during the title track. The music here is enigmatic like the artist that created it but like the artist that created it the music is also anonymous, and lacks personality. Still, bloody nice packaging…

[Originally published on The Sleeping Shaman, 25/08/11]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/a/a-death-cinematic-your-fate-twisting-epic-in-its-crushing-moments-cd-2011/