Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here

Cleveland ambient/drone trio Emeralds has moved on their third LP to a more melodic and meditative direction. The result is a warm and bright ambient-album which sonically approaches Harmonia, Brian Eno and on some of the longer cuts even Terry Riley and Tangerine Dream, as on the title track as well as 12 minute "Genetic". Emeralds' style of ambient sounds timeless, yet contemporary. Music is softly pulsating, yet does not need beats to convey movement. Sequencer rhythms co-exist and alternate with soft washes of synths. Synthesizer sound design is impeccable here and it often seems to suggest that if the rest of the so-called New Age music sounded as tasteful (or approached the slow hypnotic Riley esque trance as here) then the genre as such would not be as dismissible. Occasionally there is a bit of guitar, but whenever it plays anything that could be considered as a solo, it is melodic and unhurried. One of the finest works of ambient music this year.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffity - Before Today

LA eccentric Ariel Pink’s previous LPs Doldrums, Worn Copy and House Arrest were notable for its distinctive lo-fi sheen. As if Pink would’ve taken 60s garage-rock, psychedelia and 70s MOR pop, while playing them through the radio that only plays rather muddy and obscured frequencies. Even though released during 2004-2006, all three albums contained music recorded from late nineties to 2003. In reality, the 2005’s award-winning Worn Copy was merely a re-release via Animal Collective’s Paw Tracks label of an album initially unleashed two years prior. Thus, Ariel Pink’s situation was such that his ground-breaking lo-fi psychedelia was on record dated to him by about five years.

Meanwhile Ariel Pink, having played almost everything himself on records, assembled a backing band. And went on tour. Then started recording new songs. While the attentive listeners were busy wondering whether or not Ariel Pink could ever record a professional sounding album. And even if he does deliver an LP completely devoid of his lo-fi mystique, would he have the same impact without his deliberately poor sound?

Before Today, Pink’s first album with his backup band and sans lo-fi aesthetics, serves to give answers to these questions. One could presume that Ariel Pink’s distinctive 70s soft-rock perversion owes its sharpness and impact due to the deliberately muddy sonics. But what if that kind of material was recorded „as it should be“, would it then show the emperor naked?

Emperor Pink, however, is clad. Best lo-fi acts have always distinguished themselves from others by elements outside the basement sound. And talent. Pink’s melodic flair for songcraft is just as underrated as that of his mentor R.Stevie Moore. Earlier tunes such as „For Kate I Wait“ and „Hardcore Pops are Fun“ left no room for doubt that Ariel Pink is capable of crafting hummable tunes. Pink and comrades are generous with melodic gold even on this album.

And goes without saying that one should not overlook Ariel Pink’s perverse with and (self)irony that is evident in his song titles and lyrics. His soft-rock opuses even here go beyond the level of pure ear-candy – „Round and Round“ is just the kind of AOR anthem that is actually more in line with the aesthetics of Frank Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti album while „Beverly Kills“ is sophisti-synth-pop performed with a sarcastic grin on face, while being deceptively accessible, is nonetheless pretty elaborately constructed. „Can’t Hear My Eyes“ is the perfect pop tune that nonetheless belies Pink’s attitude that is incompatible with mainstream pop as such.

Generous with (self)irony on one hand and wildly eclectic – from garage rock to punk/grunge to soft-rock, while dropping references from the Beatles (as on „L’Estat“) to JM Jarre (as on the moody synth-instrumental „Reminiscences“) - Before Today indicates that Ariel Pink is a genuine post-modernist eccentric. Thus, he has not lost his edge despite cleaning his sound a bit. He has, however, delivered his poppiest and most concise LP to date.

Original review appeared in Estonian on June 2010 at the Postimees journal as an Album of the Week review.

The Most Serene Republic - ...And The Ever Expanding Universe

The Most Serene Republic is an indie septet from Toronto, Canada and ...And the Ever Expanding Universe is their third studio album. TMSR certainly does not sound like a standard indie band, both in terms of tone colors as well as varied influences. In their music, there are shades of prog, 60s pop, electronica, psychedelia, even classical chamber music as indicated by "Patternicity". This instrumental piece is clearly the highlight of the album, raising their penchant for orchestration to a new level. If TMSR really wanted to, they could easily transcend the trappings of indie rock and create something phenomenal. Hopefully this album points the way towards future development.


"Patternicity"

The Mars Volta - Octahedron

The Mars Volta call their fifth album Octahedron their "acoustic album". The music itself is rather semi-acoustic in terms of instrumentation. However, one can find less excess and more focus here in comparison to TMV's other albums. Experimentation seems meaningful and well integrated, for example the interesting free-jazz piano workout on "Halo of Nembutals". And some of the songs, like "Since We've Been Wrong", are well written, even beautiful. A modest opus by TMV standards, but good music does not have to be noisy nor bombastic. Sometimes less is indeed more.


The Halo of Nembutals


Since We've Been Wrong

maudlin of the Well - Part the Second

Boston multi-instrumentalist/composer Toby Driver's first band maudlin of the Well played progressive metal with touches of contemporary classical music. The band released three albums, until Driver disbanded the group in 2003, founding Kayo Dot instead, that continued in even more avant-gardist vein. Recently, however, no less than 87 fans donated enough money to make the fourth album. The band upped the result on the internet for free download.

Part the Second is undoubtedly more listener-friendly than Kayo Dot's Blue Lambency Downward. While that album was almost devoid of metal, then here one can still find elements like shredding solos or double bass drumming. But compared to early works the emphasis is more on what is played, instead of the volume it is played with. PtS also contains less woodwinds than BLD and more piano and strings. Where BLD sounded dark and difficult, PtS sounds more brighter, especially on the album opener with a cumbersomely long title. Toby Driver has earned his status as one of the most inventive composers of modern day progressive music.

Entire album can be downloaded from the official site of the band.

Zombi - Spirit Animal

Third album from the US synth-prog duo Zombi titled Spirit Animal adds guitar into their mix of bass, synths and drums. The ensemble has been compared to Rush circa Moving Pictures. Still, no trace of virtuoso show-off in their music, even though the duo is certainly proficient on their instruments. Guitar is just one instrument among several. Who does not like soloing for soloing's own sake, would certainly accept Zombi's work.

The record starts out strong. 14 minute title track is a masterful space-prog epic, sounding haunting and transcendent in its multi-sectioned structure, which sounds still coherent, held together by its gloomy mood. Other compositions are also well done, but not on par with the album opener. The album closer, the longest track "Through Time" (17 minutes) deserves attention for its particularly aggressive and apocalypcit synth-rock attack. Overall Zombi demonstrates that there is still some life in progressive rock.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Live in Tallinn, 14th June 2009

LA avant-gardist's crazy performance at Club Tapper

Eccentric pop musician and avant-gardist from LA, Ariel Pink, was warmed up by Galaktlan and his live group, who are rarely seen performing. One different aspect about their gig was the presence of a guest vocalist, Kadi Uibo, for one of the songs. Galaktlan's quartet played a short set, for approximately 40 minutes.

Shortly before 10pm Ariel Pink made it on the stage with his backup band Haunted Graffiti. The protagonist was dressed in drag (with red skirt and all), his stage movement was chaotic and coggling and his between song stage banter was mostly stream-of-consciousness type nonsense. Just by his stage presence, marked by special feel of drunkenness, it was clear that Ariel Pink is a truly eccentric musician type.

Pure garage rock

In case of musicians with distinctive (home) studio sound one always wonders, how will they sound live? In the five member performance of Haunted Graffiti, Ariel Pink's lo-fi pop-psychedelia gained a heavy garage punk exterior. The band could sound like an authentic obscure garage rock band from the 60s, while having little to nothing in common with today's neo garage rock imitators.

Some of the tunes in the live setting, such as "Trepanated Earth" acquiered at places a level of intensity compared to heavy metal, or at least Boredoms type noise-rock. It also seemed that Haunted Graffiti can easily out-punk most punkrockers, if they want to. In terms of dissonance, synthesizer sounds and improvisational implications there was also some affinity to krautrock. A rare rendition of the rarely performed "Life In LA", where the clarinets of the album version were replaced by kazoos, suggested Zappa style weirdness.

All of these stylistic nuance variations refer to the music critic consensus that in Ariel Pink's music one can recognize quite a bit of which has been intriguing and inventive for the last five decades in underground rock. It was particularly evident on this concert. Which was really long, over two hours, including many songs that Haunted Graffiti usually does not perform. And arguably this was even crazier than Ariel Pink's average gig.

How eccentric

This gig was a rare case in Estonia not only because of seeing an act at his peak live. But also because the public got the taste of how eccentric the best sort of underground-rock can get. A lot of contemporary acts seems so restrained, compared to the exuberant charisma imbuing from Ariel Pink's stage presence. Then again, imitating him would also prove itself as a pointless perspective. Because natural authenticity (which Pink had plenty) is impossible to copy successfully.

Some photos

"Interesting Results"

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Lord of the Underground: Vishnu & The Magic Elixir

Acid Mothers Temple, led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto in its various incarnations has become the flagship of Japanese neo-psychedelic rock during the last decade. Makoto is staggeringly prolific, to the point that one loses count of how many records he has put out. Nonetheless, Lord of the Underground: Vishnu & The Magic Elixir is a pretty good record. It consists of three tracks. The 15minute album opener "Eleking the Clay" sets the record going with its memorable Turkish psychrock guitar line, on which the band cruises powerfully propelled along by kraut-motoriks. "Sorcerer's Stone of the Magi" is a slower, folkier ballad and the shortest on the album (three minutes). Far longer, 25 minutes, is the duration of the third track, Ash Ra Tempel styled jam "Vishnu And The Magic Elixir". It begins slow and druggy and eventually develops in faster, noisier and weirder directions. A well done record in the area of cosmic psychedelia.

Kumu Night on 5th June - Emphasis on electronica and improv

This year's Kumu Night festival was more modest in terms of selection of artists. Still, good music was heard even this time. Although with less diversity than before. There was more emphasis on improvisational and electronic music.

Electronic music was presented slightly less and the quality level varied. Kosmofon with its vintage retro synths and four-four disco grooves created an 80s vibe in a good way. On the other hand, Data with its sterile synth-prog trappings (and extremely tasteless synth sounds) sounded stuck in its own time in a bad way. The Battle of Skweee, comprised of Mesak and Joxaren, brought us danceable, yet deep, bubbly electro.

Music based on improvisation dominated more and this varied more in terms of stilistic variations.

Estonians did free-er improv. Liis Jürgens shined with intriguing concoctions of sounds from harp, piano (played by Liisa Hirsch) and live-electronics. Electro-acoustic free-improv at its best. Rainer Jancis contrasted the song based nature of his All album with a dual-bass (electric + acoustic) quartet improv, sounding a little like a slightly jazzier the Dildos. Triophonix' psychedelic electro-jazz with its blend of acoustic instrumentation, looper and samplers was really enjoyable at its best, but near 3AM it could sound tiresome.

Two foreign bands however did kraut jams. Wooden Shjips (USA) was energetic and rocking, but all of their songs sounded the same. Also, they focused on the arguably least interesting flavor of kraut-rock: straight guitar-rocking, but more drawn-out.

The Finnish K-X-P, however, embodied the more adventurous aspects of krautrock: electronics and metronomic drum grooves. Their drummer could hold a groove very insistently and propulsively, but he also possessed a formidable playing technique. The rhythm formed as a solid backbone for K-X-P's technoid psychedelia that flirted with monotony, yet was never one-dimensional.

A good aspect about this event was improved sound quality compared to the last year. Not that the sound balance was absolutely ideal even now, but there was nothing ear-grating. Feedback was minimal to non-existent. Even this is an improvement.

Susumu Yokota - Mother

Mother is the most vocal-based albums by the prolific Japanese electronic musician Susumu Yokota. Featuring a whole legion of guest singers: Nancy Elizabeth, Kaori, Caroline Ross, also members from The Chap and Efterklang. Then again one should not expect a real pop/electronic symbiosis. Mother is in fact very ambient, even loungy in nature. For the more skeptic ear it may sound nice, but wallpaperish background. Which doesn't mean the album lacks interesting tracks. Instrumentation is quite varied for this bedroom electronica. The most unidimensional element may be the vocal frontline. Especially given that the most utilized vocalist is Nancy Elizabeth, who manages to sound the same practically everywhere. The tracks with others are more interesting ("Love Tendrilises", "Reflect Mind", "Meltwater", "Tree Surgeon"). The album closes with the pure piano-ambient piece "Warmth". The sole instrumental here. But what instrumental!

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Veckatimest is third album by US psych-folk group Grizzly Bear, that initially begun as Ed Droste's solo project, playing all the instruments himself on the debut Horn of Plenty (2004). By the time of Yellow House, the critically acclaimed second album (2006), GB had morphed into a full quartet.

Compared to other neo-indie folkers GB is more chamber like, baroque and less rural sounding. Their sound stands out for intriguing melodic and harmonic tricks, multi-part vocal arrangements, along with strings and even woodwinds. All of it sounds especially good on here. Each tune is different, some are folkier, others more psychedelic and others develop into directions on their own (like "Two Weeks" pure pop bliss). Some tunes sound brighter ("Cheerleader") others more melancholic ("Fine For Now"). Thus GB has balanced the material's eclecticism and cohesiveness. Grizzly Bear sound introverted, but expansive and beautiful.

Faust - C'est Com...Com...Complique

Faust is one of the most mythical groups from the German Kraut-rock scene, who released four studio albums in the seventies and then disappeared off the radar. Reappearing in the mid-90s. C'est Com...Com...Complique, their newest release indicates that Faust is not only one of the most innovative and influential German ensembles, but they are still on such a good level that younger neo-kraut performers have a good reason to envy them.

Here, their trademark mind-bending brain-searing psychedelic hypnotism and dadaistic weirdness are firmly in place. This time the band sounds particularly vital, the compositions particularly inspired and the experimentation sounds natural. The result is the best sort of avant-garde rock'n'roll, that isn't merely juxtaposition of intriguing, weird tones. But also includes a special kind of transcendence.

Take the opening piece "Kundalini Tremolos". It clearly is their best hypno-psychedelic epic track since the 1973 classic "Krautrock" from their fourth album. Therefore, Faust can still up themselves. Thus their activity for the last 15 years is not merely a nostalgia trip. Even as old and vintage performers, Faust is still a vital avant-rock act.

Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years

Dark Days/Light Years is the ninth studio album from the Welsh ensemble Super Furry Animals. The band arrived at the scene on previous decade as one of the most remarkable acts from the Welsh indie/pop scene, blending pop and rock with electronics, hinting at prog and psychedelia and creating more than a few memorable brit-pop melodies. This new album indicates that SFA is still a vital act today.

The record contains twelve tracks that last for an hour. Contrasting the previous album Hey Venus, a shorter and poppier record, this album contains longer songs as well. Some of them are almost like jams, based on riffs and grooves the band has played for the last couple of years.

Dark Days/Light Years begins with a psychedelic rock jam "Crazy Naked Girls", that itself starts with studio chatter and false starts. Almost as if hinting that this is an album that doesn't start right off. Indeed, first listen exposes the beginning of the album as somewhat uninteresting. As if the songs weren't memorable. The second song "Mt" stands out for a slide-guitar sound that sounds almost saxophone like (perhaps humorously hinting at their saxophone ban?), doubled by strings.

"Inaugural Trams" evokes contradictory feelings. On first listen it sounds like a silly throwaway novelty track with its childishly jovial mood and Nick McCarthy's (Franz Ferdinand) German declamations. Lasting for five minutes, it may seem like a joke that gets old fast. Still, it takes guts to compose something in that vein. Besides, SFA has always flirted with kitsch. "Juxtaposed With U" anyone?

And as it often appears in the case of SFA, is that the repeated listenings tend to do justice to their material. SFA is being uncompromisingly themselves, despite what may seem hip or trendy. This makes it somewhat difficult to understand their music for the average indie fan. But the more reason for the listener to dedicate oneself to the band. Thus, even the opening songs on this album open themselves after repeated listenings.

In any case, the record really gets it going from the fifth tune, the energetic blues rock jam "Inconvenience". Sixth track "Cardiff In The Sun" is the first really masterful composition here - Beach Boys meets krautrock, pop poured into the motorik groove and form, an everlasting memorable melody.

The album continues to flow smoothly - "The Very Best Of Neil Diamond" is another good example of eccentric pop, both in terms of humorous songtitle as well as the blend of soul groove and eastern guitar lines. Towards the end, a more rocking SFA emerges. English "Where Do You Wanna Go" and Welsh "Lliwiau Llachar"arre moderately fast rock songs that show that rock done SFA style is quite enjoyable. The album closer "Pric" however is a brilliant kraut-jam, if excepting the last four minutes of ambient techno that cool it all down. Despite their veteran-band status SFA still makes intriguing records.


Super Furry Animals - The Very Best of Neil Diamond

Handsome Furs live

28th of April saw the second concert in Estonia by the Canadian indie-duo Handsome Furs. Husband and wife band performed at club Juuksur as part of the concert series Odessa Pop.

Warm-up act was Mirabilia by ex-Dallas Holger Loodus (with Tanel Paliale - bass, Liis Jürgens - back vocals, FX and Madis Zilmer - drums). Mirabilia played pretty chamber-like indie pop that this time had a more acoustic flavor due to the absence of electric guitar.





The chamber-likeness of Mirabilia was a contrast compared to the intensity that soon was unleashed on stage by Handsome Furs. The duo played heavy music marked by wailing guitar and sharply pulsating beats and synths. HF's music was rather physical, as one could tell by their stage presence. The band lived into the music so much that sweat was pouring in creeks.

HF's performance was powerful and uncompromising. Even perhaps too much. The duo played with the same intensity throughout, except for one tune that saw the male part ditching his guitar. Inevitably, this makes their repertoire a bit samey. Then again, it is evident that they believe in themselves and enjoy being on stage.

The contact with public was good. As immediate communicators, they often threw compliments about how fantastic the public is and what a cool place to play Juuksur is. Despite their concentration mainly on the intense rocking, Handsome Furs is one of the most exciting acts in today's indie scene. And as one could tell, the second encounter with Estonian public was mutually pleasing.

Shogun Kunitoki - Vinonaamakasio

Vinonaamakasio is the second album from the Finnish psychedelic post-rockers Shogun Kunitoki, who also performed in Estonia in 2005. Shogun performs retro psychedelic instrumental music with hints of krautrock and minimalism. They mainly use vintage electric organs as well as archaic tone generators and ring modulators. There are many bands with krautrock influences in today's music scene. Then again, the band sounds interesting compared to the others. Unlike making long monotonous guitar jams or emulating the old sounds (done with more awkward technology) on the computers, Shogun stands out for the hypnotic analog organ sound that sounds a bit rough and gritty, but nonetheless human and warm. Then again one could expect more from the band in terms of composition. Still, hopefully the band manages to develop in more interesting directions.

Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian

Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian is sixth studio album from the electronic musician Scott Herren under Prefuse 73 moniker. Prefuse 73's work (the moniker, by the way refers to jazz fusion before 1973) is underground hip hop laced with experimental techno leanings, where MCs are just one of the crazy textures among many, rather than a focal point. On this new album there's even more electro and the album is mostly instrumental. For those who like the late J Dilla, Prefuse 73's work is kind of like a more electronic and digital version of what Jay Dee did. The album contains 29 tracks and lasts for less than 50 minutes. Most tracks are short fragments. Therefore it is a record to be listened from start to finish. Prefuse 73 is certainly recommended for music fans sick of hip hop in its conventional stereotypes, but nonetheless open to the notion that even in the hip hop idiom it is possible to create something exciting and inventive.

Seeland - Tomorrow Today

Seeland was formed in 2005 by Broadcast's founding member Tim Felton and Bill Bainbridge from Plone. Influences: space-age pop, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Joe Meek and sixties eccentric library music. In other words, one can expect from this group, now a trio with bassist Neil McAuley, kind of a retrofuturistic indie pop with electronic tendencies. Almost like Stereolab, but still in its own way.

Tomorrow Today is the first full length album following a single and an EP. The record combines 60s psychedelia, 80s new-wave and modern indietronica and the result is a charming, a bit of naive avant pop work. There are several strong songs here, the most likely candidate for a single is "Burning Pages". Experimental, yet accessible. Modern, but harking back to past. Mechanic, but warm and natural sounding. This is Tomorrow Today by Seeland.

Asobi Seksu - Hush

Hush is third studio album by the NY-based shoegaze group Asobi Seksu (japanese for "casual sex"). The first two albums were more in the vein of MBV styled noisy guitar pop. Then the band shrunk to a duo - Japanese chanteuse Yuki Chikudate and guitarist James Hanna - and grew sick of guitar noise. New album is more centered on atmosphere and melody. The result is more similar to Cocteau Twins, despite how much the critics can see Asobi as the new MBV. For those who regard all neo-gaze bands as mere copies of original shoegazers, Hush won't convince them. Otherwise it is a fine atmospheric dream pop. Softer approach pays off, considering how quickly the possibilities of making noise become exhausted. This new album is certainly less guitar-centric, showcasing instead the tasteful layers of synthesizer. Hush may not be a genuine masterpiece, but it's certainly more masterful than, say Pia Fraus.

Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country

Tim Hecker is an ambient composer from Montreal, Canada and An Imaginary Country is his sixth studio album. Arguably one of his more accessible albums, this one's nonetheless a good indicator how to compose ambient-music that is more than a dull wall paper, something that absorbs the listener. Like Fennesz, one can detect the integration of noisy surface and melodic undercurrents. Unlike him, Hecker does not submerge the melodic elements under the noise, but allows the white noise to float above them, like nebula. The listener perceives the textures created by mellotrons, synthesizers and occasionally guitar and piano as well, as nebulous and hazy. The result bears some affinity to what shoegazers have achieved, but firmly in ambient vein. The album opener "100 Years Ago" and the album closer "200 Years Ago" contain a theme based on dramatic and memorable mellotron line that gives the album a bookend effect. Between the bookends there are ten more compositions that are good examples of the best sort of ambient-noise music.

BF - Klob

Estonian fusion band BF has taken an ambitious approach on their new album Klob: to combine studio and live recordings as well as composed and improvised materials into a complex avant-rock work. The results are mixed. Weakest spots come across as random noodling, confirming the notion that free-improv is difficult to do well. Another matter is composed material. Particularly successful are the two compositions with brass section: "Jaanalind Diana" bears affinity to Phlox' "Rebimine+Voltimine" album thanks to that band's reedman Kalle Klein's soprano saxophone lines (intertwined with trombone). The horn theme of "Vapper Tinasõdur" is simply gorgeous.

While the improvised material is anything but easy listening, there are moments. For example, the intensity during the beginning of "Korrektor" that resembles Fred Frith's avant-rock power trio Massacre. Or the chaotic trombone and backward sounds during "Kadunud Päev". Klob may not be a masterpiece, but it's often an intriguing record. And its cover artwork is superb.