Our Great Golden Man

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Our Great Golden Man revels in noisy self-expression. What sets them apart is the element of surprise and seeming chaos they inject into their Salem, Oregon thrash. Guitar timbres tumble from clean to distorted, and when you expect growling or screaming from the vocal department, you get semi-shouted singing that actually has melodic shape. it's a nice distinction.
The band have been friends since high school, and three of the members are currently enrolled in college. They want to make a living doing this, so lets give them a hand.
Their sound is highly diverse, while at the same time encompassing all the prevailing trends at work in the sounds of good bands, namely, high rhythmic diversity relating to phrase structure, changing guitar tone coloration and a sprawling-yet-tight sense of organization in relation to the form. They have a very confident sense of ensemble, which shows through in the execution of all the myriad transitions, time, and feel changes these guys pack into a small space. Everything is tied together by a highly imaginative approach to songwriting, which seems to be the key to pulling it all off.
The band formed in 2008, two of the members having played together in a previous band. Knowing one another as friends has probably been key in terms of their rapid growth, as the songs they have released so far are tightly constructed. This would probably translate even better live, as I could easily see myself slam-dancing to this at a show.
In their friends I see the Locust listed, and I can definitely hear elements of that type of thinking at work in Our Great Golden Man's writing. This band seems to prefer a more relaxed pace however, as the oppressive tempos are largely absent here, and the fracturing is, as stated before, achieved as much by timbral (clean-to-distorted) changes as by rhythm. One thing that is interesting about the rhythmic approach is the way they change accompaniment styles seemingly with each new phrase.
Musically, this translates into a style of expressiveness that ties the music to the words in a highly emotional unity. You have to hear it to truly understand. As the singer delivers his lyrics, the band seems to comment on and draw out the feelings expressed by actualizing the sentiment in the music. The songs seethe and recoil, shimmering with life. The result is similiar to the songs of the nineteenth century composer Hugo Wolf. His accompaniments were so richly imbued with the internal life of the texts that you don't need the libretto to get the gist of the lyrical intent. That's the kind of thing at work here. The band has plans to expand their touring/fanbase area, but don't expect them out here on the East Coast any time soon, as they need to become more exposed in the area near the Pacific Ocean. As tight and inventive as they are, I see a bright future for them, and think that people, given exposure to their sound, will be won over.
Check 'em out at www.myspace.com/ourgreatgoldenman

Global Crash

Hello again and welcome back. This next review is about the music of an old friend of mine who goes under the moniker of Global Crash. This music is what would be categorized as "electronica". Unfortunately, I am not a fan of that term. At all. But you get what I am driving at. This man's conception is highly eclectic, encompassing a wide variety of styles ranging from trance to progressive house and breakbeat techno. It strikes me that the trance ethos pervades the whole thing, because of its overall hypnotic quality and broad rhythmic structure. Sonic events, once unfolded, will persist in the airspace for a while. Usually there will develop a matrix of sorts that will be comprised of a few of these sonic events. From that point on this grouping will be subject to myriad subtle nuances in terms of rhythmic structure, timbre, etc., that will eventually move the grouping to another place entirely, securing a type of "perpetual development", eventually arriving at a new point of departure. On and on this process persists, creating broad canvasses painted with large strokes.
The resulting picture is one of zen-like simplicity, seeming at times to revel in the sake of its own existence, existing solely for itself, quiet, introspective.
The area where Global Crash and its creator Paul Holder reside is near the ocean. I have spent alot of time living near the ocean and something about this music makes the same impression on me, one of deep, unfathomable space, uniformity of space, timelessness. There is a sense of gravitation, the feeling of looking out into the ocean late at night and seeing no clear division between land and sea, only a black, endless uniformity. Standing too long staring, one feels the pull of the tide, as though it might suck you into its void, string you out in its limitless blackness. This is the type of impression Global Crash has on me. As if I might possibly get caught up in its aural net and sucked in by its subtle, imposing gravity.
I do not want to give the impression that this music is dark or negative in any way, as there is nothing "evil" about it. The forgoing bit of exposition is simply an attempt at describing the overall effect of this musical impression. It is "quietly active", and pulses with a life all its own. One could possibly dance to this music, but it possesses such a contemplative, meditative quality that it seems better suited for those types of activities. It would translate even better live. We feel that this would be great "cool-down" music at a rave or something similiar, as its broad rhythmic conception, though supported by traditional "techno" drum sequencing, is so gradually paced that one never feels frantic or jumpy, but rather lulled.
For the sake of disclosure let me state that Paul and I went to high school together. We skateboarded and also listened to a lot of similar music. Among the shared interests musically was Skinny Puppy, Ajax, Ministry and many others. But in the foregoing list it is clearly seen that seeds were planted.
Global Crash eschews traditional musical norms. In response to my round of questions, I was given to understand that he considers himself to be more of a sound engineer than a musician, but I feel that the proof of his intuitive musicianship indicates that he is more of a "musician" than he may realize.
In my questionaire, which was posted as a seperate blog on Myspace, I inquired as to musical schooling. The answer I received was most telling, which pointed out a mentality that has confronted my very existence forever. The fact is, that as much as I am glad to be "trained" in this art, too many academic musicians ruin the experience with their snobbery. It was put to me that Paul was told that his style is not real music. As if being knowledgeable confers upon one the right to DECLARE what is valid in art. How is this not real music? It is sound organized through time, hence music.
The production is of a type I have heard referred to as "continuous mix", meaning that there is no break in the songs, no silence between tracks, so those interested in specific track divisions and the like need to pay real close attention to the track numbers. It seems to me that this relates to the type of production that occurs live, and also supports the broad rhythmic conception nicely. The primary instrumentation is keyboard/drum machine, with enough sampling and secondary instrumentation thrown in to provide variety.
Paul's long-range plans for Global Crash are to keep expanding, to continue on for as long as possible, distributing his music himself until he finds a bigger outlet. His other goals are to do soundtrack music for films, etc. He is also interested in securing a DJ gig at a club and doing live performances for fashion shows, art exhibits and the like. Anyone interested should look him up.
check him out at: www.myspace.com/globalcrashmusic , also at www.facebook.com/home.php/pages/GlobalCrash/34560838866.

Lolita Black

Back in 2003, a guitarist and drummer were jamming together, writing dark, punk influenced heavy rock. The drummer was female, and as the guitarist watched her play her drums with a severe intensity, he thought to himself, "Lolita Black!" Thus was born one of the great up-and-coming bands in Providence, Rhode Island.
Lolita Black are a four piece, comprised of Bob on guitar, Kaleigh on drums, Jacob on bass, and Jessika on vocals. I had the pleasure of watching them at AS220 this past May opening for The Chinese Stars, and they killed. Straight out. Their sound is a throw back to oldschool riff-based rock, tempered by a thoroughly contemporary sensibility. Jacob and Kaleigh have the bass/drum nexus locked down tight, and from my memory banks I can still recall that Kaleigh beats the holy hell out of her drumset, playing with focus and conviction. Her sense of time is dead solid, and her phrasing is straightforward and right on top of the beat. As much as everyone is in love with Gabriel Serbian,(and rightly so), hearing good straight-up thrash can be refreshing, especially when the drummer in question possesses a time sense as solid as she does. I personally feel that she will be inspirational for many young women who want to rock out as hard as they can. She plays as though exorcising something dark and evil.
That's actually a great word to use in relation to this band. Not literally, but in a Geezer Butler/Bill Ward kind of way. Think of Black Sabbath, and songs like Children of the Grave or War Pigs but with more thrash, and you can start to get it. However, the presence of a female vocalist completely changes the texture. Jessika has a great vocal tone for the music they play, and tons of attitude. She seems to vocalize from her chest voice and head voice equally. Her chest voice adds a fullness to her tone, giving it a dark and rounded quality. When she changes registers, as in "Hollow", the quality of her tone becomes more biting and urgent. No matter which aspect of her range she is using, she acquits herself nicely, really bringing out the drama as though tortured by some long-held misery.
In some ways, however, Bob is the real revelation. Those "in the know" are already acquainted with his stage presence and crushing intensity as the frontman for DropDead. But, the world now has the chance to discover him as a guitarist. Maybe this was known already. I do not know him personally, so I cannot say. At any rate, his riffs are tightly constructed and rhythmically "in the pocket". He has absorbed a lot of great influences, and it shows through in his approach to riff writing. Not that his playing is derivative in any way (which it isn't), but his personality as a guitarist displays a deep knowledge of the tension and release necessary to any good music making. Also, he has a muscular right hand that pushes slightly ahead of the beat, heightening the intensity.
This brings us to Jacob. The bass player is always the "hidden weapon". With out a solid bassplayer, a great band will totally fail. Unless it is Arab On Radar or Yowie or some such, but that is a different style altogether. The style that Lolita plays in necessitates a tight bottom end, and in Jacob such is to be found. He has great rhythm and a fat, fuzzed-out tone. As I stated, he locks in with Kaleigh to form the "undernet" of the rhythm section, nailing all the downbeats with precision. He also locks in with Bob and glues the bridge between guitar and drums nicely. When doubling the guitar riffs, Bob and Jacob are seamless in their unison playing.
Though he has fronted DropDead for close to twenty years, Bob stated in response to my barrage of questions that he wants Lolita Black to stand on its own two feet, and he doesn't "see the need to use the DropDead name as a launching point". With songwriting this solid, there will be no need for such associations. On top of that, Lolita sounds nothing like DropDead.
As of this writing, the band has just finished its first release, entitled "Inside The Wasteland", which I was given to understand is in the vicinity of 23 minutes. I have only been fortunate enough to listen to the songs on myspace (about 50 times), so I am looking forward to picking up a copy of the album. They are also in the process of printing shirts and pins, and have some shows lined up for the coming months. I didn't verify, but listings could probably be found at Lots of Noise (www.lotsofnoise.com), which contains listings for most of the goings in the Providence area. Support this band!! They are going places.


Check 'em out at: www.myspace.com/lolitablackprovidence

Bring Me The Head Of Orion

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Bring Me The Head Of Orion offers a musical experience as large as the state itself. This music contains a sprawling, open-ended quality that confounds expectations by being simultaneously evolutionary and completely static. The formal architecture is built on simple, clear cut melodic ideas and a minimalist type repetition that moves from idea to idea with a refreshing clarity. Depending on your point of view, you might consider the sonic result to accompany the beginning of the world or its end. As or myself, I relate more to it as a soundtrack to the eschaton, and frankly would be worried as to what type of world would produce these sounds from its point of origin.
This musical unit is one man. According to information I was made privy to, this project started in September of this year, after a run in a string of bands. Feeling the need for unfettered self-expression, Orion was born. The gentleman in question is driven by a type of mysanthropy which expresses itself in the music, a "deep-seeded" disgust for humanity in general.
The music itself is entirely instrumental, devoid of lyrics. There is a curious "symphonic" quality that runs through each of the songs, a sort of digital post-tonal "orchestration". The pacing of the songs is quite gradual, each unfolding within the confines of its sonic space with a quiet self-confidence, requiring the respective listener to actually listen to the music itself. What novel thinking, that music should be listened to.
Godflesh and Sunn O))) were listed among the influences called upon in the production of this work, and we can see the connection. The riff work itself calls to mind Streetcleaner at times, and the pacing of the songs definitely drives home the Godflesh association. Where Orion differs from Godflesh specifically is in its orchestral quality, and the fact that the architecture has a "sectional" feel at times, with each idea in a particular song being self-contained while giving impetus to the next. As I stated before, evolutionary yet static.
An example of this is track two of the demo, named "contagion Rite". The song begins with a distorted, ambient, lower register tonal wash that is accompanied by a repetitive figure of keyboard squelches. This gives way to a two part interplay between keyboard and bass with a highly minimalist drum beat, which eventually coheres into a more consistent beat driving the bass line. Eventually, after some melodic and rhythmic development in this section, everything dissolves into guitar and keyboard drones, which then coalesce into a more "metal" type feel. This last eventually dissolves into cadential keyboard figures, and the whole thing ends. Mind you, this whole process, which has been so imperfectly explained, expands for over eight minutes, and unfolds in that mood of slow and deliberate self-confidence described above. Your undivided attention is definitely required.
Overall, there is an intersting balancing of textures and solid architecture. At times it feels like a more somber version of the Residents, especially in the choice of keyboard timbres. Albeit, a version of the Residents in which all the playfullness has been exchanged for sober ruminations on life and death.
One of our personal favorite aspects of this man's vision is in the use of drums. There is an elemental, "on the beat" quality that suits these proceedings perfectly.
One might even go so far to say that the "primitivistic" quality of the drum beats forms the entire backbone for each of the songs. A more overt style of drumming
would interfere with the proceedings. This should make for some interesting discussions amongst the Gabriel Serbian fans in the world. We know it did for us, as we are big fans of The Locust. At times the drums fall out completely, which induces feelings of severe entropy. When the drums come back, so does the sense of forward motion.

check em out at: www.myspace.com/bringmetheheadoforion

These Modern Times

In the spirit of the times comes These Modern Times, a group composed of Swedes and Yanks. Hailing from Sweden and The United States simultaneoulsy might be a geographical impossibility, but now thanks to the advent of such technologies as Skype, international communication has a decidedly local flavor.
This is the deeper purport of the name. The world wide web has made this band, a sort of sonic cyborg in which technology has fused with human beings to allow information to flow across oceans, cultures, and lives.
First conceived in the winter of 2007-08, after a chance meeting between Carly and Ola in a jazz cafe located in the beautiful nothingness of Second Life, the core of the group is composed of three Swedish men and one American woman. And yes, the men are all beautiful in that roguish model way so naturally peculiar to Swedish men that would probably attract me as well if I were a woman or a gay man. Carly is pretty hot as well.
Lead singer and guitarist "Lars" has a nicely rounded vocal tone that gently underscores the quiet beauty of the proceedings. Overall the songs are nicely written, with each part unfolding logically into the next. I sense the possibility of a bright future.
The one area where some necessity of improvement is perceived is within the ensemble. Not being physically present with one another seems to obscure the rappour at times, and the downbeats do not always line up completely. Ultimately, however, these "feel" to be nothing more than growing pains exhibited by a group of obviously talented musicians learning to collaberate in a new and cutting edge environment.
Apart from the core of the group there are three other auxiliary members listed as "talented friends and inspirations". Their presence nicely enhances the group by providing more "orchestral color" of the type utilized by bands like Belle and Sebastian, with whom they seem to share certain aesthetic sympathies. This will definitely appeal to fans of Tigermilk, etc.
As of this writing, the Myspace page has a player containing six songs. Two of the songs so far posted deserve, in our opinion, especial mention. The first, La Vague, is an experimental work composed for what sounds like two basses in different registers playing melodic figurations underneath Isabelle, who is reciting something in French against sounds of the ocean lapping against the shore. All in all, it creates a very delicate and introspective atmosphere. And no, we are not even remotely fluent in French.
The second "standout" track is the last on the player, "Ysabel". In our opinion, this is the strongest and most clearly defined of the set. It is a song of lost loves, a lament for what may have been. Ah, the sweet sorrow of a woman's love.
The layering of guitar parts, bass and Lars voice with Carly on backing vocals is poignant and haunting. The song itself is nicely streamlined and moves towards its own destiny with a clearly defined internal logic.
As of the present moment this band has no other form aside from its incarnation online. It would be very nice to see this collaboration come to true fruition. However, this would more than likely require Carly to go to Sweden, as EVERYONE else is Swedish. Did we mention that already?
In short, while definitely needing some more time to mature and cohere, this "e-band" has great potential. As they grow and become even more tightly defined in terms of their collective vision and voice, they will acquire more and more interested people.

Check 'em out at: www.myspace.com/thesemoderntimesmusic

Recumbents

When one thinks of the state of Colorado, many images come to mind. Skiing, rock climbing, and any other type of nature type activities. One also thinks of film festivals and Robert Redford. One, however, does not think of abrasive, noisy, punk influenced underground rock. Even Jello Biafra had to move to San Francisco to get the Dead Kennedys going.
Well, things have obviously changed. Meet Recumbents. Their name is defined in the dictionary as: 1. lying down; reclining; leaning; 2:inactive; idle 3 :Zoology,Botany. noting a part that leans or reposes upon its surface of origin-adjective 4:a recumbent person, animal, or plant etc.-noun.
When looking at the various definitions for this word, one repeatedly encounters the idea of "non-uprightness", a sort of debilitated type of existence, inertia, etc...
This is a perfect example of a bands' name suiting the sonic image they project. There is a sense of alienation, unease and futility. In an email exchange prior to this attempt at exposition, the Swedish group Brainbombs was listed as an influence. This is felt to be only partially accurate. There is the similiarity of riff mono-mania at work here, of driving the same guitar part into your brain. But whereas the Brainbombs are infamous for their highly x-rated and down right nasty lyrical exhibitions backed by a feeling of drug induced schizophrenia, the Recumbents appear more suicidal. This is not a put down but more an attempt at poetic interpretation.
Their musical exhortations are definitely American. There is a certain understanding American bands seem to have. Think of the MC5, think of Iggy and the Stooges, Mars, DNA, etc....This is not to say that other countries do not produce good rock bands. This is obviously not so. But other countries have their own types and ways of rocking out. What is being presented here is the "American" rock flavor.
Recumbents are a two piece gender combination. To quote from The Holy Dedd Foxx: "I play guitar... sing the dude parts... She (Kitty Genovese) plays drums (which you mostly can't hear...) makes some noise, and sings the girl parts. Live, she sometimes also plays a crappy casio keyboard and some back up guitar." Also according to The Foxx, the fact that the other half of the band is a woman is "pretty damned exciting."
In short, they rock. For a two piece they accomplish a lot, even in the limited environment of a 3-song myspace demo. There was, reportedly, an actual hard release that was felt to be out of line with the bands "studio intentions" and so quickly ignored by the band. The player has been active since last October.
They excel at stomach-churning riffs, especially the Harshest Buzz, with its unwinding spring quality, and endless seasickness, entropy and self-loathing. We actually felt somewhat nauseous for a moment and conveyed this info to the band, which induced much mirthfulness and merry-making into the proceedings. Oh, how we laughed.

Check 'em out at www.myspace.com/recumbents

part two: on arab on radar

It is in Arab On Radar's sound that the real interest lies. Discordant and very trebly, repetitive with no real melody in the vocals, just a high pitched, jerky speaking/yelling style. But yet it is somehow the most impressive sounding thing ever.
There is real benefit to be had from repeated exposure to this music. The entire recorded output for the band is somewhere in the vicinity of two hours, and a dvd was recently released on the three.one.g label.( This label is also responsible for recently re-releasing two albums of Arab's own music as well as music by the Chinese Stars, a later group comprised partly from members of Arab. This band is currently quite active in Providence and elsewhere.) There are four discs of Arab's music in total. The names for these are "The Stolen Singles"(3.1.g.), "Queen Hygiene 2/Rough Day at The Orifice"(3.1.g), "Soak The Saddle"(Skin Graft), and "Yahweh Or The Highway"(Skin Graft).
The above discography is chronological in an historical sense. That is to say that two albums are re-issued and one cd is not even an album in the proper sense of the term, but literally a collection of all the bands individual singles, like 7 inches and whatnot. This disc is of course "The Stolen Singles."
From the outset one is hit by a sense of the unexpected. The music is forceful and thoroughly unique. Hypnotically repetitive and timbrally jarring, the music presents a "rock-n-roll" experience unlike any other, sounding more like the accompaniment to a nervous breakdown than traditional rock music. Each guitar locks in with the other, each playing specific repetitive patterns that counterpoint the other. These figurations bear little resemblance to the root-fifth-octave power chords that so completely dominate most rock styles. Instead we are confronted with
angular, repetitive lines of a highly fractured rhythmic quality. At times these lines take on a quite hypnotic aspect. This last especially calls to mind the last track on Soak The Saddle, with its broadly concieved, quasi-glissando that climbs and falls gradually, breathing like a giant bellows. This broad, arcing line is offset by a higher pitched faster line that repetitively snakes back on itself. The oblique and subtle rhythmic interplay between these two parts develops a specific rhythmic matrix that is fulfilled by the drum part, which accents the two lines in such a way that at first appears to be contrary to all logic but after repeated exposure reveals itself to be the perfect logical extension of the guitaristic proceedings. The subtle intricacies of rhythmic interplay between the two guitars is highly intriguing. Very clear repititions contain subtle shifts that seem to demarcate sectional changes, endings and the like.

This band existed in a state of artistic innovation. This music is not for those with narrowly defined sensibilities, as a broad concept of the POSSIBILITY of music and an ability to let go of preconceived notions, no matter how thoroughly grounded they may be in perceived academic erudition and acceptability is absolutely necessary. To maintain such an attitude in the face of ones learning requires the necessity of acknowledging the facts of history, and these facts dictate that in almost all cases theory has followed, not lead, practice. Today's movement begets tomorrows reflection.

Go to Arab on Radar's myspace page:

www.myspace.com/arabonradar

Part One: On Providence and noise rock

So this is my first blog, first "e-communication." I'm not sure about protocol or methods of procedure, but I figured that just putting fingers to keyboard would be a good place to start.


First, a bit about myself. I am a 32 year old father who's abiding passion in life is music in its many forms and facets. I am a New Englander by birth and a musician by combination of whatever factors imbue ones life with any sense of interest.


In terms of geography, my home base of choice would have to be Providence, Rhode Island. This is primarily due to the fact of the music scene and the type of music it produces.


For the uninitiated, let me explain a little about the "biggest Little." Rhode Islands' size is, in terms of community and transportation, its biggest advantage. Musicians who come here to perform at the Living Room or AS220, to name a couple of venues, are often seduced by the sense of support and intimacy that permeates the arts community. This, coupled with the unabashedly liberal demeanor of RISD and Brown University serves to produce a D.I.Y./indie scene that is insular and fairly self sustaining.

For the sake of disclosure and to imbue the current proceedings with a bit of transparency, let it be known that the current typist is not a key player in this scene. We have actually missed out on a lot of goings on over the last few years due to the fact that our own trajectory through this life has led us out of the state, during a period of time that was crucial in relation to the current aural unfoldings. That said, it must also be understood that we have had some inkling of an idea due to the fact that we were around when things started heating up and do possess an unabashed enthusiasm for the quality and type of sounds produced in this particular environment.

And what is the nature of this sound? Well, "THE MUSIC SCENE", in sum total, in the context of R.I., comprises most of the styles and forms known to man. Classical, country, rockabilly, jazz, bluegrass, blues, hardcore, hip-hop, metal, thrash, deathmetal, grindcore, etc... all seem to have some place in this state. What is being touched upon in this current word-lumping is a type of "post-punk" sonic assault that is particular to Providence: NOISE ROCK.

From what I have been given to understand, the noise scene is in decline. The geographical center of this scene, located somewhere near/within the west end of town, was rocked by a series of loft closings sevral years back and currently exists in a somewhat hush-hush state, requiring some doing on the part of an interested person to uncover venue locations and the like. Addresses for show listings are generally posted as "you know where", "ask for directions", etc... leaving one to assume an attitude of elitism in relation to those involved.

Actually, this is not so. This secrecy is due to one thing: fear of scrutiny from the outside world, which leads to police harrassment and ultimately the shutting down of show venues. So, the end result is that a wonderfully rich scene of left of center types operates in a type of void, driven by the desire to simply survive.

And what of the music itself? In a nutshell, this style/aesthetic is fairly varied in and of itself. We are, however, of the opinion that one band stands above all others as defining the essence and nature of this aural experience: ARAB ON RADAR.
Exactly who is this group? Well, the band itself had two distinct line-ups, the first being a traditional five-piece arrangement of drums, bass, two guitars and vocals, the second line-up sans bass.
Aurally, one enters a new sound-world. When the music starts playing, ones sensibilities are consistently and constantly assaulted. Incessantly. Without pause.
There were and continue to be many great bands in Providence performing in the style known as "NOISE." Pink and Brown, Vincebus Eruptum, Olneyville Sound System, Daughters, White Mice, Tinsel Teeth, Tiny hawks, Made IN Mexico, Chinese Stars, Athletic Automaton... to name but a few. But Arab On radar are still the greatest.

Go to Arab on Radar's myspace page:

www.myspace.com/arabonradar