Panther Moderns

     Panther Moderns offer up music of seeming simplicity that communicates a lot of emotion. Broadcasting from Providence, RI, the band has been performing as a unit for the past couple of years; its current lineup has been together for a little over a year.

     As a four piece, there is considerable room for Kate’s bass playing. Though often staying within the limits of doubling the root motion of the guitar part, her playing conveys a well-defined, large tone, which rounds out the bottom end nicely, coupled with a connected, legato feel that underpins the rhythm section. The rhythmic quality of her playing is solid, as well as the legato quality of her basslines; her rappour with the drummer, Peter, is immediately evident. The fact that she uses a traditional right hand style in this context is refreshing.

    Concerning the drumming, I find myself drawing the same conclusion as I did when I saw the band at Local 121; Peter is a man who favors understatement, and manages to compress a lot of energy in his playing. His focus seems to be on laying down the beat while helping to shape the proceedings through fills and accents played with musicality. This quality comes through even more forcefully live. His understanding of pacing and dynamics helps him communicate with the band in terms of building climaxes and the like.

     Way O’malley’s guitar playing conveys a lot of rhythm and phrase shaping, put forth in a manner that is somewhat off the beaten path of ‘traditional’ riff-writing. A good example of this is the last track off of the player on their PureVolume page, a song called ‘Yellow and Red.’ The verse riff is composed of two alternating two bar phrases. The second phrase is a little lower in register than the first. Aside from syncopating against the drums in a way that drives the beat, the riff is developed through the course of the song as the sections change; this development extends the emotional range of the song, and also complements Jane’s vocal line nicely.

     Jane is well suited to the task of fronting the band. She actually sings; in tune, and with a clearly articulated upper register that allows her to cut through the guitar line. The music geek in me is wondering if she has ever received any coaching, because listening to her closely reveals strong breath support during register shifts, full presence throughout the whole of her range, and good dynamic contrast. In other words, she sounds like she has some formal technique.

     The music itself has a classic metal feel to it, without being able to be pigeonholed very easily. The songs are primarily played at midtempo, the emphasis obviously focusing on songwriting. This band writes songs, musical miniatures that tell stories and color your existence with emotive life. My personal favorites are ‘Too Soon’ and ‘Yellow and Red’; the former contains something vaguely teasing and sexual about it, while still being loud and musical; Jane’s performance at the 121 only served to reinforce that notion in retrospect. ‘Yellow and Red’, on the other hand, contains something compelling. It is a beautifully written song, and the oscillating quality of the guitar part matched with the shape of the vocal line grabs your attention; Jane’s singing and the emotions conveyed keep that attention in check.

     While the songs showcased on PureVolume are good, the live version of the band blows the recordings away. The band informed me that the songs posted are lo-fi demo versions, so keep that in mind when listening. My suggestion is to familiarize yourself with the band through the recordings, and then expect the songs to sound even better live. In some ways, I feel like they were playing it safe when recording the demo. This is the only way I account for the difference in energy output. Maybe they’re more suited to the stage.

     The band has one recording available now, and is currently at work on an album at Machines with Magnets. Their website is: http://www.purevolume.com/panthermoderns

The Rest

The Rest are a seven piece from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

To say that this group possesses a lush, beautiful, emotionally complex sound is to do the usual thing and unintentionally deflate a profound musical experience with verbal expression.

That, in essence, is why reviewing music is so difficult. Musical expression is more fundamental and subtle than verbal expression. Music is the direct expression of our emotional states, the most direct there is. Words are words, abstract, innately intellectual, and ultimately inadequate for this job. But they're all we have.

Concerning The Rest, I have been moved to the edge of tears by the music this band creates. I have been musically involved for over twenty years, and yet there are times when a group comes into my life in such a way that the act of listening is one of rediscovery of the artform; in such moments my perception is born anew.

That is the best way I can describe the effect that this band has had on me.

My relationship with this groups music is confined to the few songs on the player, and yet there is such a rich vein of music to be had that it will be worth anyone's time to listen.

The first track on the player is a song called "Walk on Water (auspicious beginnings)."

The progression of this song is real intriguing, beginning seemingly in the past, with some longbowed tones on the cello and the vocalist, and ending on a note of modernist electronic production and rhythmically intense passagework.

The song is built out of a myriad of elements. The fact that they're a seven piece is quite in evidence here, due to the rich, orchestral quality of the music.
The songs have the flavor of oldschool craftsmanship, considering the way in which the band composes and arranges. There is a very contrapuntal quality to the writing, a real sense of linear development that adds so much personality to music that is already shining so brightly.

Simply put, this orchestra in microcosm is comprised of individuals playing at the top of their game, collaborating with the common aim of creating independent music that is lush and engaging. And they succeed so admirably. Listen to the climax just before the coda on "Coughing Blood"; the way the high point drops away to the strings, and the way they oscillate to the end, winding out like some dying mechanism, is stunning.

Active as an all male unit since 2003, after a time together they gained a female member, which gave them the "womanly touch we were missing."

Their influences from musical and nonmusical standpoints are vast, given the large number of members. Musically, their tastes encompass everything from "Tom Waits to Sigur Ros and everything in between." Extramusical influences include literature, art, photography and the like.

Their goals as a band include reaching as many people as possible and continuous growth as artists. With a pool of talent this large and a visionary scope this all encompassing, their potential seems pretty near unlimited.

Check em out at:

www.myspace.com/therestband
www.therestmusic.com

Sortiariae Mulier

Sortiariae Mulier is a band from Coppenhagen,Denmark.
Taking their name from a sixteenth century term for a certain kind of witch (Sortiariae Mulier- a woman who prophesies by lots, witch) is an immediate indication of the type of impression that this band conveys.

Coupled with this arcane terminology is the general aesthetic of the MySpace page.
Right in the upper left hand corner is a reproduction of a wood carving depicting what can only be hanging witches. Surrounding the hanging figures are various animals that appear to be familiars a figure in medieval costume sitting on a bench. The rest of the details on the page serve to reinforce the impression that the band gives off, which is one of black magic and doom.

In response to my usual round of questions, the band listed Pelican and Electric Wizard as influences. I can hear the influence of those bands distinctly. I also hear Black Sabbath, in terms of the riff style. Even the distortion has a Big Muff/Fuzzbox type of feel to it, and the band's whole vibe calls out to old school metal.

Sortiariae Mulier is a three piece, and know how to use the relative limitations of that configuration to create a massive, eneveloping sound. The absolutely seamless relationship between the guitar and bass is impressive. On every track of their player, the music is played with such focused rhythmic precision that the end result sounds like some sort of "basstar" or "guitass." I realize that what you just read is stupid, but it's the most succinct way I can describe the sound. Plus, "guitass" is funny in a juvenile way.

This band is something of a chameleon, managing to highlight different aspects of it's personality with each song, while still maintaining a cohesive aesthetic. The last song on the player, "Curled", almost reminds me of a heavier version of Alice In Chains. It has something to do with the shift in dynamics and phrasing that Paul, the guitarist/vocalist, uses, as well as the phrase structure in the riffing style.

My favorite song is "Rigor Dementia Mortis." There is so much attitude in the opening guitar part. Those muted, single picked notes phrophecy a storm. When I listen to it, I can picture myself bouncing around like a maniac at a show. My favorite part of the song is the constant oscillation between halftime and straight up four on the floor rock. The song itself is built out of simple elements, like the rest of the songs on the player. However, that simplicity is utilized for stunning effect, and that is the secret bit of magic that they possess.

Gyngor, the drummer, has a very subtle approach to his timekeeping. He has a deadon rhythmic feel, which allows him to be precise but completely relaxed. His beats are right in the pocket and attacked with precision, but his feel is so musical that it never sounds forced. He is also adept at playing expressively while giving Paul and Sonja (bass) plenty of space.
From their activity stream, I see that they have a couple of shows coming up in the near future. If you are a fan of doom rock with tons of bottom end, see this band. I guarantee it will be a blast.

Check 'em out at:

www.myspace.com/pauldamianc

Richard Jay

Richard Jay is a 16 yr. old musician from Midlands, UK. His music is richly layered and highly synth based. There is something about the end result that is such a throwback to me; it reminds me of good eighties pop music, but filtered through a modern point of view. The end result is music that is quite mature and well-constructed.

Richard seems to have two sides to his musical personality; that could have something to do with the two tracks available on his Myspace player. He has indicated on his profile page that he removed "a load of good songs", so I take it on faith that he has a much more varied output than what is present.

The first track, "Today", is a tightly constructed synth pop tune that shows off his compositional flare. The song is well-written as well as being danceable and infectious. I can imagine that this would be great live. There's so much life to the music that it starts to grab hold of your limbs and move you while you're sitting in your seat.

His ear for the finer details of solid and inventive mainstream writing is highly in evidence. The arrangement is meticulous, as is the production. The boy has gone to school on that list of influences he has written down on his MySpace page, and in the process has found his style; his voice sounds fully formed to me.

For a song that is just under four minutes, a huge amount of musical activity takes place.
His ability to build drama as a setup for the climax is in evidence in the section just prior to the last chorus. All of the prior elements come together transformed into something huge, creating the peak of the whole form. The interplay of voices and instruments possesses a contrapuntal quality, almost fugal in it's construction, before bursting into the aforementioned last chorus.

The fact that the drums drop out for that whole section and only resume their relentless forward motion with the commencement of the last chorus increases the sense of satisfaction we feel upon arriving.

This is terriffic modern earcandy. It's the only way to describe it. It's definitely pop music in the strictest sense of the term, but it has an oldschool sense of craftsmanship. This isn't redundant, disposable proto-musak, but a perfect example of mainstream writing. It's completely accessible and thoroughly satisfying; if all mainstream music possessed this kind of vision and scope, I might listen to the radio more frequently.

The other song on the player, "A Way", represents a more introspective side of Richard's style. On the whole, I am not quite as satisfied by this offering as I am by the aforementioned song. Overall, it feels too short; the song ends just as it's about to develop. On top of that, the style he has chosen never interested me completely.

On the other hand, his ability to construct a singable melody is in evidence here, along with his sense of pacing and knowledge of songwriting in general. I just want a little more substance. In other words, this feels to me like a fragment full of possibility that needs to be realized.

So, for those of you out there who are looking for some high quality pop music, you should avail yourself of the opportunity to check out Richard Jay. Due to his age, one might conjugate their feelings for this young man's music using a future tense, but from what I can tell, he has already arrived.

Check him out at:

www.myspace.com/therichardjay

P.S.- I don't normally do this, but Richard asked me to include this link. It's for a musician named Calvin Harris. From what I could glean, he is popular in the UK, and he gives a shout out to Richard, who he says is his friend. So, if you're up for it, check out this link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8208310.stm

Sarah Tolar

Sarah Tolar is a veteran of the New York music scene whose technical facility as a composer and singer has resulted in an engaging debut full of warm, masterfully written music.

A New York transplant by way of Colorado and California, Sarah brings an eclectic sensibility to her songwriting. While definitely taking cues from the mainstream of the jazz tradition, she is also influenced by folk music and talented songwriters like Carole King. The end result is music that is thoroughly American in it's aesthetic, but drawing from a wide array of influences.

The first track, "Early Morning Stillness," sets the mood for the album and conveys it's emotional landscape in a very palpable way. When the track begins, we are met with a piano, upright bass, and drums played with brushes. The constant, steady stream of quarter note chords in the piano somehow manages to impart the feeling of the title while at the same time driving the rhythm forward and balancing out the longer rhythms in the bassline.

When we arrive at the next section, and the rhythmic profile and dynamics of the whole band changes and intensifies, it leaves you with the impression of the sun breaking into the sky and pushing the darkness away. The whole effect is beautiful.

My favorite track is "Somethin'". From one point of view, it's a traditional American piano ballad; from another, it's a modern take on a traditional form of songwriting. In terms of instrumentation, the song is deceptively simple, containing only vocals, piano, and a drumset, lightly caressed with a pair of brushes. It's akin to "Early Morning Stillness," but even more simplified.

What the seeming simplicity of the arrangement affords is a space for Sarah's voice to convey the emotive content of the music with a high degree of expression. At the beginning of the track we hear the band, but sparsely. The piano isn't providing accompaniment at first so much as just underpinning the vocals with static harmonies. As the song progresses, the intuitive rhythmic interplay between piano and voice is compelling, playing with the metre in a very fluid way.

Throughout the song, Sarah performs a feat of vocal dexterity, by being simultaneously completely present and in full command while also appearing to be completely alone and in a mode of high introspection, thinking about her loved one. The song has a sense of timelessness to it.

As a singer, Sarah is also accomplished. Her technique is impeccable. She has a full, bright tone that speaks clearly throughout her whole range. Her voice is strong without being overpowering, and she expresses herself fully without any sign of force or strain. Her style is thankfully devoid of that element of excessive breathiness that sometimes creeps into the singing of some vocalists. All in all, she is a consummate professional.

"Big Blue Moon" is an album that will appeal to fans of contemporary pop/jazz who are looking for something other than yet another rehashing of standards. Solid writing combined with beautiful singing combine to produce a stellar debut by a musician who deserves a huge amount of attention. Sarah Tolar is going places.

Check her out at:

www.sarahtolar.com

Silas

Coming straight out of the "death metal state" of the nineties, is a band with a real first name and a ferocious, emotionally intense sound. Meet Silas.

This band revels in rhythmic dissonance; moreso than many bands around at the moment, these guys excel at writing complicated song forms. The music they create has a huge scope; the songs are incredibly ambitious in terms of the amount of material they encompass, and constructed in a thoroughgoing and convincing manner.

In response to the questions I sent out at the beginning of this current round of reviews, I was given to understand that this St. Petersburg Florida five piece has a diverse array of influences. One thing that intrigued me in the list was a mention of classical music and jazz.

The reason that I found this to be so interesting is that this is the first band in a year that I have found that is committed to the ideal of writing contemporary, uncompromisingly heavy underground music that listed these two genres as among the musics that inform their aesthetic and thinking.

The influence is there; it's undeniable. One of the first aspects of the groups texture that jumps out at you in this respect is the use of keyboards to emphasize the harmonic variation and clarify the bassline. When the keyboard is functioning in this capacity, it lends a deeply expressive quality to the music that heightens the emotional impact considerably.

Another aspect of their sound is in the use of arpeggios and scalar passages in the guitar parts. Many guitarists employ these devices; they are the essence of melodic structure and omnipresent, available in just about all styles of western music.

However, there is a particular way of deploying these devices that imparts a type of flavor in the hands of string players of a certain mindset. When played in this manner, the resulting phrasing is imbues with a particularly "European" aesthetic. This type of approach ended up becoming the "neo-classical" school of guitar playing, some of whose exponents incluce Yngwie Malmsteen and one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Randy Rhoads.

What I like about Silas' approach to this type of guitar playing is the way they retool the concept in the context of their style. Phrases are punctuated by lightning fast figurations and the passagework connecting sections is astonishingly intricate at times. One example that springs to mind is "When Triad MET-ALkoline", the second track off of the two track player on MySpace.

For a song that is just under five minutes, there is a massive scope to it. In the first twenty seconds alone, the amount of energy these boys emit is numbing. During the course of the entire 4:48, the sheer quantity of sectional changes and transitional passages is testament to this bands talent and work ethic. My favorite part of the song is the transition from the guitar solo to the final section , where the action has died down a bit and things are winding to their end. The solo crowns the climax of the song and provides the necessary release of all the energy that has been pooling. The whole last minute and a half is simply beautiful, and brings a powerful sense of closure to what has come before it.

All in all, I find that the deeper I dig into the current underground music scene, that more incredible bands I find. Silas is another to add to the list; on top of that, this five piece has developed a style rich in emotional expression and an approach to formal development that heightens the drama inherent in the lyrics. Listen to this band, they have something to say.

check em out at:

www.myspace.com/silasfl

PAS

Broadcasting from Brooklyn, NY, to all the known points in the universe, is PAS.

Originally a solo project begun by Robert Pepper in 1995, the project remained a one man band until 2004, when Robert met Jon "Vomit" Worthley at a Genesis P. Orridge lecture. In 2007, Robert met and subsequently started dating Amber Brien; together these two people have helped Robert to fill out and stabilize the group.

The current line-up is divided this way:

Robert Pepper - Keyboards, percussion, loops, various analog
Amber Brien - Drums, Percussion, Bass, Electronics
Jon "Vomit" Worthley - Guitar, Effects, Electronics, various analog

Amber is also trained in Taiko, the Japanese drum art.

Taking their name from a religious pamphlet, PAS (post abortion stress) is a group out to create music according to their particular artistic vision, which is one of aberrant beauty and abstraction; their name refers metaphorically to those who have been aborted by society, those whose point of view doesn't fit in the constraints of "normal" society.

This viewpoint fuels their creativity. Since their inception the band has been interested in making music from the fringes of perception, creating soundscapes that aren't defined by any particular conventions or viewpoints; the aesthetic underpinnings are defined by the notion that music can be whatever is perceived by the ear. It's a conception fueled by a love of life and art and a desire for honest artistic self-expression.

The compositions themselves are more akin to soundscapes than "songs" in the traditional sense.
There are no clearly defined melodies, no structural landmarks that give you any sense of traditional anchor. This is not music making with any sense of or desire for commercial viability, but sonic sculptures in the mode of pure art.

During my usual round of questions that always forms a necessary part of the act of creation for me in this medium, I was given to understand that painters and writers are a huge influence on the band. This bit of information was highly revelatory for me, as the music this band makes has a very visual quality to it. Terms like "sound collage" spring to mind almost effortlessly.

I would go so far as to say that this love of visual media is the main thing informing this particular musical experience. Listening to these ethereal, shifting compositions leaves me feeling like I was journeying through an alien landscape, taking in the shape of the land, the types of flora and fauna; at the same time searching for the inhabitants, but never finding another person, only knowing of their existence through bits of information, voices carried on the wind, and sounds of "civilized" existence.

The sense of being alone imparted by the music is not a criticism. On the contrary, as mentioned above, it is an essential element in the overall design. "Old Mirrors New," the tenth track from the album "The Lyre Speaketh," is a perfect example of this. The track doesn't begin in the traditional sense so much as cohere from nothing, the sounds of the piece gradually building until we find ourselves immersed in an ethereal soundworld.

As the piece unfolds, we hear some type of intoning counterpointed against wooden flutes, as if we are listening to the enactment of some solemn mystic rite. The accompaniment for this track has the quality of a hammer or a shovel, digging at very hard ground. This has the tendency of heightening the sense of ritual engagement that the intoning voices seems to impress on our consciousness.

The space in between these two elements is filled in with a very atmospheric type of sound, high pitched and quiet, more an intimation of atmosphere than anything else. This element has the effect of heightening the hallucinatory element of the piece, as if we are experiencing this scene under the influence of something intoxicating, or perceiving in a trancelike state.

For another example of the bands approach to music, let us turn to the title track on the album.

The effect of this piece has a more unsettling quality to it. Part of it has to do with the bassline, a ponderous, low-brass timbred affair that sounds like a whole tone scale, or at the least part of one, re-iterated at intervals with a quiet relentlessness. This is played against a repetitive figure on what sounds like a Koto, which in turn is played against a vague screaming sound. The overall effect is stunning in itself, evoking some alien landscape of foreign dimensions.

All this from a three piece. The amount of layered sound they manage to produce gives the impression of a much larger ensemble, but this is just indicative of their talent, and the focus they bring to bear on their vision. They are one of the most engaging groups I have encountered in some time, due to the idiosyncratic nature of their philosophical view of music and the way in which they realize this philosophy by their output.

In keeping with their deep interest in visual media, there are several videos available on their MySpace page.

As of this writing the band has four albums available. They are “Intro to Jesus”, “The Lyre Speaketh”, “Antarctic Tribe”, and “We Have Discovered Your Mother’s Body.” All of these are available at www.cdbaby.com or iTunes and various internet dealers.

Check 'em out at:

www.myspace.com/postabortionstress