CD review - Asobi Seksu, Fluorescence (2011)

Last month I reviewed Asobi Seksu's single, Trails. I loved Yuki Chikudate's ethereal voice and the experimental post punk groove. This got me excited to hear their upcoming album, Fluorescence, due out February 15 (Polyvinyl Records). The new album delivers on the promise. Asobi Seksu shimmery sound is rooted in a dreamy mix of indie guitars, synthesizer swirl, and post punk pop. It's a tightrope balance of retro and modern elements.

Trails was a good choice for first single, since it's the strongest track. But the other cuts pull their own weight. The lead off jungle drumbeat of Coming Up kicks off Fluorescence. The indie guitars and synth pop sounds blend well, especially in the dappled sunlight bridge interlude.

Another favorite track was In My Head. It has a subtle, busy mix of elements. The sound is retro pop dreamy, but the arrangement is fairly tight. The many textures of guitars make this track: rising swells, staccato picking, sweet little fill riffs, and alternating waves of clean strums. The mix is dense, yet sounds effortless. Chikudate's sweet voice is key to this as well.

The long Leave the Drummer Out There is one of the more interesting tracks. The lyrics are simplistic and repetitious, but the song takes simple layered parts to build a thicker sound. The achingly beautiful vocals have sparkly echoes. The surprise is when the song seems about to end, but instead transforms into a softer sounding laid back interlude. The vibe shifts again, though, as it builds into a post punk, power poppu groove that flickers with psychedelic bits of guitar.

Asobi Seksu's melange of indie rock, synth, post punk, and dreaminess is a potent cocktail. While Yuki Chikudate's singing is a defining part of their sound, the rest of the band's contribution is just as strong. Fluorescence is an absolute treat.

Polyvinyl Records is releasing Fluorescence on CD, black vinyl, and transparent pink vinyl (limited press of 1500).

CD review - Praxis, Profanation: Preparation For a Coming Darkness (2008/2011)

Bill Laswell's band Praxis has a new/old album out. Profanation: Preparation for a Coming Darkness was originally released in Japan in 2008. Bankruptcy of their old label prevented the album's timely release in the US. While die hard fans have already scored the Japanese import, Praxis is sweetening the deal on the new version by including two new live tracks, Wedge and Subgrid. Subgrid sounds like a stretched out version of the tweaky Undercurrent from Zurich.

Praxis' music is an experimental blend of genres, where heavy metal is fused with funk, turntable scratching and electronic riffs coexist with hard rocking, anarchic guitar, and dub style breaks can show up any time. This comes from a changing group of players around a solid cadre. Bill Laswell contributes the driving bass line, of course. Drummer Brain (Godflesh, Primus, recent Guns N' Roses) lays out frantic, dense drum work that plays well with Buckethead's shred heavy guitar work. Buckethead's ability to shift gears from straight ahead metal to WTF contributes strongly to the experimental nature of Praxis' sound.

Profanation also includes collaboration with artists like the late RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ, Iggy Pop, System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian, Mike Patton, Doctor Israel, Wu-Tang protégé Killah Priest, Jamaica-born toaster Hawk, and long time Praxis player Bernie Worrell.

This crazy mix leads to a wild ride of songs, including the metal/electronic/toasting groove of Worship. This track starts off with a Black Sabbath style riff and Jamaican vocal. It's a cool, headbanging groove, with a mix of Metallica and Rage Against the Machine underlying the stiff funky vocals that Hawk lays out. The political message is defiant and even more relevant today than it was three years ago.

The gem on Profanation is the single, Furies, which takes a laid back, sparse rock grind and pairs it with a glitchy, electronic treatment. Iggy Pop's beautiful, stilted crooning shifts between lazy, complacent verses and punk sneering choruses.

Jesus is a playboy and the world's on fire
Cause the Furies are loose

Buckethead reins himself in here which serves the song well.

There's plenty of funk spread out among the metal on the album, but Revelations Part 2 is my favorite bit. It's got a good P-Funk, jam vibe, but RAMM:ΣLL:ZΣΣ's Gil Scott-Heron style prose poetry sells it: "I was reading the bible backwards and upside down as usual...". The funk is leavened with a little electronic beeps and boops, along with some Zappa-esque guitar.

The studio section of Profanation closes out with the dub exploration of Babylon Blackout and the affirming sound of Buckethead's loose jam, Endtime. Each of these helps reset the mood and prepare the listener to slide back out of the album.

Like other Praxis albums, the effect here is like trying cocktails from a slightly different dimension, "What IS that? And why haven't I had it before?". This new version of Profanation: Preparation for a Coming Darkness was released in the US and Europe on January 25.

January singles

Here are a few recent singles that crossed my inbox and grabbed my ears.

Quiet Lights - No More Canyons (7" disc and digital download, due out Feb 15, 2011)
Hazy swells of dense sound build during the start of No More Canyons until the thundering wall of guitars avalanche onto the track. It's moody post rock, with a dreamy vibe. Echoes of Sigur Ros reverberate through this cathartic track.

Quiet Lights is releasing the track digitally and on vinyl (backed with Break Trouble Wait) on Feb 15. Download it here.

Alex Winston - Sister Wife (Sister Wife mini LP, due out 3/2011)

The pure innocence of early '60s girl groups (the Ronnettes, et al.) coupled to modern rhythm sound of today's pop. The lyrics add a touch of subversion as they tackle polygamist jealousy. The bouncy pop vibe is fresh, even as it refers back to Motown. Alex Winston is charming and her voice is beguiling.

Keep an ear out for the upcoming Sister Wife mini LP (HeavyRoc) due out in March. Download it here.

Amanda Palmer - Map of Tasmania (Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, out now)

Uke strumming, genre hopping Amanda Palmer continues her solo hiatus from the Dresden Dolls. Her new album, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under just came out January 21 and the first official video is for Map of Tasmania. While the song is billed as a fight for pubic hair freedom (the title is a slang Australian reference), the tongue in cheek video is a playful romp. Informed by Lady Gaga and Madonna before here, Palmer takes it over the top in a sillier direction. "They don't play this song on the radio..." No, and they won't show the merkins (pubic wigs) either, but that's what YouTube is for.

The dance beat, attitude, and, yes, ukulele all make this a fun video.

Concert review - Jonathan Coulton with Paul and Storm

22 January 2011 (Soiled Dove Underground, Denver CO)

Jonathan Coulton and his perpetual openers, Paul and Storm, have stumbled onto a perfect chemistry. Paul and Storm create the wise cracking, comedy shtick that loosens the crowd. Then Coulton comes out and adds depth with his technical playing ability and thoughtful lyrics. The balance is perfect.

The Soiled Dove seems to be Coulton's favorite venue in Colorado. It's an intimate venue, with reserved seating and an old style cabaret feel. This room is another factor in what makes Jonathan Coulton's show work so well.

Paul and Storm

Paul and Storm are regular contributors to the Bob and Tom Show and a host of other internet and radio outlets. Comedy is a tough business. Once someone has heard the joke, it's harder to get a good laugh out of them again. Musical comedy seems even tougher: it's either stretching out a single joke or creating a related series of jokes. Paul and Storm have thrived in this world for a some time, as part of a capella wonders, Da Vinci's Notebook, and now as a duo.

Last time JoCo was here, Paul and Storm opened and were hysterical. Even with many of the same songs and jokes, they killed again. Part of this was that much of the crowd was already primed to participate. So, during their usual opening song, Opening Band, the crowd was prepared to throw panties (and one pack of 'tan peas') on cue (see 1:46).

They breezed through favorites, like the Gregorian chanted Nun Fight and a set of one sentence songs. They also pulled out a couple of newer pieces, including I Will Sing a Lullabye and Frogger! The Frogger Musical. Throughout their set, they kept a loose, improv feel, riffing off the audience and pushing what turned out to be their new catchphrase, "_____ is the name of my ___________cover band". So, in response to the Opening Band panties, one commented that "this is like Panty Christmas for us", prompting the response, "Panty Christmas is the name of my Spice Girls cover band."

They closed with the perennial favorite, The Captain's Wife's Lament. That it's just an extended setup for a juvenile punchline didn't matter. The crowd's pirate participation took it over the top.

Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton's first job when he came out was to battle the remaining pirates in the audience to take control of the show. Within a couple of songs, (Millionaire Girlfriend, Shop-Vac, and IKEA), he had us on board. Part of the difference from Paul and Storm is that Coulton creates a more personal connection with the audience. His humor is more sardonic, but he can also mix in deeper themes with the laughs.

His flow of songs smoothly moved the audience through a set of moods. His version of Code Monkey was more wistful, emphasizing the pathos at its heart. This led into Big Bad World, continuing the focus on socially inept characters. Just as that mood started to inch towards being too heavy, he riffed on the idea of celebrities suffering from the horrible crushing burden of fame to set up Tom Cruise Crazy.

Aside from all the favorites, JoCo pulled out some songs from was an upcoming album (produced by They Might Be Giant's John Flansburgh). Coulton was apologetic about sharing new songs instead of playing more of the older material, but the crowd was eager to hear the new tunes. They ranged from the passive aggressive Alone at Home to the poignant Now I am an Arsonist. Down Today featured Coulton playing the ukulele, but getting a blues guitar feel.

Another treat was Soft Rocked By Me, from his old Thing a Week set. The subtle humor was nice, but the treat was the medley of songs referenced by Paul and Storm, from Gordon Lightfoot to Alanis Morissette. We all learned that Bob Seger is the eye at the center of the soft rock storm: everything kept coming back to Like a Rock. The sing along ending was priceless, ending on Hey Jude: "Na-na-na na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na like a rock!"

This was my second time catching Jonathan Coulton live and this show had a different vibe from the last one. Not better or worse, just a different flavor from the range that he can offer. Sip a homebrewed beer and revel in the taste you got this time.

More photos on my Flickr.