CD review - The Tony Castles, No Service (2010)

The Tony Castles are best described as dream pop, with the requisite exploration of sonic texture. But on their upcoming EP, No Service, a mere 5 songs can't help but venture out of that garden. Although the songs vary, they manage to cultivate an altered consciousness feel across the whole EP.

The title cut, No Service leads off with a choppy, ska wave feel which slides into a cleaner dub groove. But then it drifts into more of an experimental sound as the music takes on a twisted soul-pop feel. The vocal style follows along with those changes, channeling Beck's falsetto funk-soul during the soul pop section. The balance between the anxious ska and laid back soul ties the song together.

The single, Black Girls in Dresses also has experimental element. The looped bass groove, keyboard fills, and simple strums are indie pop, but it takes on a dreamy lassitude at the ends of the verses. The lyrics are jumbled to fit the mood, from the black girls of the title to the crap car that the singer bought. The synth lines are catchy as the song slides away. This sounds a little bit like Tom Tom Club, but more laid back.

If Black Girls in Dresses is dreamy, then Dream Job is sonically less restful. Stabbing synth jabs, a lurching bass part, and a weird falsetto vocal give this all the "experimental" cred it needs. Again, this reminds me of Beck.

I was captivated by New Brain. The combination of a faux funk disco bass line, drum machine snare riffs, and languid guitar strums builds a casual indie groove. The bridge moves into a more psychedelic feel that reminded me of Dr. Phibes and the House of Wax Equations. I would have loved to hear this spin out into more heady realms.

The electronic groove of Adequate Sheen anchors a pop sensibility. The synth pop feel builds into a breakdown section that opens up a call and response between a processed bass and distant jangly guitar. After revisiting the synth pop space, the song hits the breakdown again, but this time it wanders further afield into jam band psychedelia.

No Service is a very promising debut. The Tony Castles are currently out on tour with Jamie Lidell and later with Tom Tom Club. No Service is due for release on September 21 (Famous Class Records). I'd pair this with a sweet raspberry daiquiri: familiar, but with a twist.

CD review - Guster, Ganging Up On The Sun (2006)

Outside of their music, Guster is almost as interesting as the songs they play. Their on-stage stunts have been legendary (e.g. opening for themselves as a different band), their environmental activism (Reverb) has reached out beyond greening their own tours, and their grass roots connection to their fans is strong.

Much of this had registered, but I had only heard a few songs over the years. Ganging Up On The Sun is the first Guster album I've heard all the way through and their music shows a diverse range, with a balance between the revelatory and the facade of cool detachment. There are plenty of familiar sounds, like the pseudo-ska beat of the Police, Beach Boy style harmonies, or Chris Isaak's moody reverb soaked guitar. None of these touches rise to the level that they could be called influences or even original sources. They are just descriptive tools for a band that hasn't pigeonholed their musical style.

Ganging Up On The Sun also bounces between perspectives and moods. There's the mournful rootlessness of Lightning Rod, with its sense of alienation and anomie. Here the simple acoustic core of the song creates a pretty frame for the sad lyrics and soaring harmonies. Satellite is also moody, but it's detached. There's not enough engagement to call it introspective. The veneers of instrumental parts create a smooth, impervious feel. These contrast with the jaunty pop bounce of Manifest Destiny or the uptempo indie folk shuffle of The Captain.

Throughout the album, many of the songs have a moderate complexity. For example, in the driving indie rock of C'mon, it throws some brooding, pessimistic lyrics against an optimistic musical delivery. The overall effect is one of turning a corner and breaking out of a depressive funk.

The dark lyrics of The Beginning of the End work well with the strong rocking frantic beat:

We're not sentimental, we're just oil filled machines
Trying not to say the things we mean.
You gotta show us a little love

This is a stark contrast to the many of the more reflective songs of the album. Despite the curves and hills covered by Ganging Up On The Sun, though, Guster never loses their musical way. That's why it's a satisfying album. "Hang on, hang on, there's a twilight, a nighttime and a dawn." I'll pour a glass of Traquair House Ale and wait for that dawn to come.

CD review - Working For A Nuclear Free City, Jojo Burger Tempest (2010)

Jojo Burger Tempest, due out October 12 from Melodic, spans two discs. The first is a collection of shorter cuts (most run under 4 minutes). The second is a rambling 30 minute title cut. Post-rockers Working For A Nuclear Free City scatter a mix of indie rock and electronic across the project, with elements of retro-spiked experimental rock.

Guitarist Gary McLure explained the wide ranging scope, saying,

“We made so many different tracks, that for the listener to understand the last year of our creativity, 10 tracks just isn't enough. I think that, like it used to be, an album should be a document of what a band has been doing over a certain period of time. And almost everything should be included. Like it or not.”

This is a poor philosophical position. It often leads to the ugly compromise of a band releasing weaker material just to fill out an album. Great artists have weakened their legacy by prolifically releasing everything they do, regardless of quality or context. Prince, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, and even Pablo Picasso have fallen victim to this. This kind of historical record can work; Pete Townsend's Scoop showcased a collection of demos, outtakes, and experiments. But it was successful because of the filtering done to select the material and set a context.

So how does this philosophy work for The Jojo Burger Tempest? Fortunately, the songs on disc one are fairly good. Still, for the amount of time they filled, it would have been better to release fewer songs and take more time to explore the musical themes in the remaining songs. Do A Stunt steps through a set of smaller pieces that shift mood and feel. With a vibe like Yes arranging a Frank Zappa composition, it's a microcosm of the whole album. Electronic bits, rock based rhythmic drive, and interesting progressions all come together. But at 2:44, the musical ideas are hinted at rather than fully explored. Similarly, Pachinko is a bubbling electronic groove with a nice driving bass. The bridge feels expectant before it slides back into the starting part. The club vibe is nice, but it really needs more room to stretch out.

Along with the instrumental pieces, there are some well balanced indie rock numbers.

Working For A Nuclear Free City, Silent Times - on PopMatters


Silent Times (download on PopMatters) is full of satisfying details. Shimmery keyboards slide behind jangly guitars and a warm, melodic bass. The vocals almost sound like the Byrds, but the reverb and slight detune give them a murkier, indie rock feel. In this case, the song has plenty of time to exploit its verse-chorus structure. Little Lenin fuses an electronic intro to a repetitive progressive rock feel, all tied up with a similar indie rock vocal.

The weakest link on the album is the long form title track, The Jojo Burger Tempest. This random collection of song fragments cements a number of homeless musical ideas from the sessions with a bit of sonic collage. It's an artistic statement that may work for some listeners, but doesn't really hold together. There are plenty of interesting bits within that could have developed into good songs.

The Jojo Burger Tempest has its moments, but pins its listeners between short attention span songs and a meandering second disc. Maybe this would pair best with a sampler tray from your favorite brew pub.

CD review - Blood Red Shoes, Fire Like This (2010)

Fire Like This rolls relentlessly like a juggernaut. Blood Red Shoes have infused this album with a rollicking energy that grabs the ear and won't let go. It's a blur of post-punk, indie rock, and edgy hard modern rock. The rhythms are heavy and crunchy, accented with angular guitar lines, and permeated with a rich vein of discordance.

This all becomes evident from the start of the opening song, Don't Ask. The insistent driving beat is accompanied by a pounding guitar. This beginning is the anxious post-punk chorus. The verses are a more modern Arctic Monkeys alt rock Brit pop. The two parts fit together smoothly. Then the bridge shifts the balance by kicking in a hard rock grunge. This turns out to be a standard tool for Blood Red Shoes. They delight in using a contrasting bridge to force the listener to rethink the song a bit. This perspective shift is a great tool for adding depth to their material.

What's most amazing is that Blood Red Shoes is just two musicians: guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell. While the album does have some overdubs, there's a raw energy offset by richer complexity. This contrasts with similar bands like the White Stripes, which balance more to the raw energy side.

My favorite track is It is Happening Again, which has a more progressive rock intro then slides into another angular post punk guitar riff working against a driving, heavy rhythm. The drums switch effortlessly between the straight rhythm of the intro into the subtle syncopation and speedy fills of the chorus. Once again, the bridge takes us somewhere else. It's a chromatic, drifting wander through a hard to predict series of chords.

As a contrast, When We Wake starts tentatively with a simple melodic riff. Heavy syncopated drums build underneath. The song builds with repetition to a grungy rock:

In the end, is this all we can ask for?
Breathing every day and night just waiting
Broken in pieces

The build and Edge-like guitar riff give this a U2 vibe.

My favorite song is Count It Out. What? I've already named a fave? I don't care, this is my other favorite. Again, this features a riff driven guitar, relentless drum, and a longing vocal. The drums develop more complexity and the chorus is amazing: a wonderfully grindy guitar line that stretches high at the ends of the lines. It sounds like the Smithereens meet Nirvana. This time, the bridge goes for a jangly punk guitar feel before diving back into the chorus.

I could keep picking favorites or just tell you to get Fire Like This when it releases on October 12 on V2 Records (it's already out in the UK). I've been too caught up listening to the album to pick anything special to drink.