Agalloch's Glorious Return

Yes, the wait is finally coming to an end, my friends. Well, that is if you're one of the people that hasn't already downloaded the leaked copy of 'Marrow of the Spirit' by now. Four years is a long time to be patient for new material so I suppose I can't blame those of you who have. But anyway the physical real life version of Agalloch's fourth full-length release is November 23rd, which is only seven away for those of you who like math! Chances are you've been tempted to give in and just download the album already but it appears your patience has paid off. NPR is currently streaming the entire album on their website up until its official release. Now, don't you feel glad you waited a bit longer? I'm currently listening to it as we speak. It's a dense and stunning piece of work to take in as the final minutes wind down. I can hardly wait to spend even more time with this in the coming months since Agalloch albums always get better and better the more you hear them...but enough rambling. Enjoy, folks!

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/09/131192147/first-listen-agalloch-marrow-of-the-spirit

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- s/t

Band: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Album: Self-titled
Year: 2009
Genre: Indie/Noise Pop/Shoegaze

Here's a band that may have flown under your radar last year. Pains is one of those indie bands that are reintroducing a nostalgic type sound, in this case it's the late 80s/early 90s sound of bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, and channeling it into the modern age. What we get is a surprisingly refreshing and energetic rendition of the noise pop/shoegaze bands of yore, but with a "poppier" bent. This is not a bad thing. The songwriting in this band is simple but genuinely charming and perfect for singing along to. As soon as I heard it I instantly new I'd found a standout from the crowd. I'm seriously not kidding about their songwriting either. Every single song on the album could potentially be their single. So if you're into the kind of music that I've described and are looking for a happy record to spin when the mood strikes you then don't miss out on this one again.

Colosseum- Chapter 1: Delirium

Band: Colosseum
Album: Chapter 1: Delirium
Year: 2007
Genre: Funeral Doom Metal

Although this deserves more said about it than I'm going to give, I'm feeling brief today. This is the debut album from Colosseum, a Finnish doom metal band, more specifically playing in the funeral doom style, and atmosphere is their forte. The blue and black colors reflected in the artwork perfectly display the kind of mood that is prevalent throughout the album. It's melancholy, apocalyptic, and personally I imagine a solitary path through a dank forest with a steady rain pouring down through a canopy that's layered in fog, which pervades and entwines between the trunks of the trees, the colors around you being exactly like that of the artwork, giving the impression of being in a dream. Of course being a funeral doom metal album it is full of skull-crushing riffs that are heavier than lead, guttural growls that don't sound like they're coming from a human, and on top of it all there is the magical and enraptured sprinkling of synth-work which really pulls all the elements together to give you the aforementioned atmosphere I described, coming across in an almost symphonic dirge at times. In short, if you are a doom metal fan you can not go wrong in checking these guys out. They have since released a second album and a TBA third album (which has no current release date).

On a sad note, the lead singer of the band, Juhani Palomäki, died in May of 2010 and that's an extremely heavy blow as he had a very recognizable and distinct voice in my opinion and it's sad that he will not be around to continue making great music. May your soul rest in peace, brother.

Crystal Castles & Robert Smith – “I’m Not In Love”

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If you're a Crystal Castles fan, or a Robert Smith fan, or a Cure fan, chances are you've probably never imagined an actual pairing between them. I know it never crossed my mind. So imagine my surprise when I learned that the Crystal Castles song "Not in Love" from their 2010 album was remixed to include the one and only Robert Smith performing the vocals. Wait, seriously? Yes, seriously. And by the maker, it's probably the most endearing combination I've heard since...since...I have no idea. It's up there though, I think it's that good. So do give your ears some love and download (or just stream it if somehow you're not already salivating at the mouth) the song, which comes via the good folks at Stereogum.

Oh, and here's the original song for reference.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

Artist: A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Album: Ashes Grammar
Release Date: 2009
Genre: Dream Pop/Ambient/Shoegaze

With as much music as I tend to listen to these days it's rare that a single artist not only stands out to me and causes many repeated listens, but drives me toward addiction, elates my soul and accordingly launches themselves to the top of my current favorite artists so quickly. It happened earlier this year after being introduced to the wonderful St.Vincent, and now I feel that the process has begun anew with my new favorite Dream Pop/Shoegaze outfit hailing from...you guessed it, Philadephia (you were thinking Glasgow, weren't you?).

What causes this band to stand out for me is, like any great band, a combination of cohesive elements. First and foremost there are the vocals. Light, airy, dreamy (naturally), and harmonious, they drive the majority of the melodies on the album, sometimes without even needing to utilize lyrics, such as the "ah ah" moment in the song "Shy." Jen Goma and Annie Fredrickson are the two women behind the mic if you're wondering. While they definitely take vocal cues from dream pop bands of yore, they're in no way copycats. They simply use that inspiration and make it their own. It's both nostalgic and refreshing. In addition to said vocals, there's of course the instrumentalists who bring a wide array of sounds to the table. Although the band does use guitar in many songs, it's not the instrument that's solely responsible for creating the soundscape. When it does take the lead, such as in "The White Witch", it can be very uplifting. Or sometimes the guitars become full of fuzzy distortion that calls to mind the classic shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine. But more often in this album you have the keyboards and electronic sounds dominating. I think this attribute also plays a large role in causing the album to sound very modern and work as successfully as it does.

But above it all, it's the songwriting that makes this record pure gold in this listener's opinion. There are hooks everywhere, atmosphere aplenty, and a good amount of depth that will keep you coming back for more. The album also flows extremely well, each song bleeding into the next, making for a satisfying experience. So if you're a fan of this genre or even if you're not and have been itching to find something new and different in a music world saturated with the mundane, I heartily suggest you give this album a try.

Recommended songs: "Shy", "Nitetime Rainbows", "Passionate Introverts (Dinosaurs)", "Close Chorus", "The White Witch"

http://www.myspace.com/sunnydayinglasgow

Boris

August 28th, The Glass House, Pomona



Boris has been one of the quickest bands to rise in my personal listening rotation since finally getting into them a couple years ago. I was aware of their existence for some time but it wasn't until I picked up Pink that I understood just why they are so revered by fans all across the musical spectrum. Pink's carefully blended mixture of styles won me over from the first calm and droning moments of "Farewell" to the feedback laden outro of "Just Abondoned My-Self". I've also acquired Smile and enjoy it nearly as much, so it was with great anticipation that I journeyed to Pomona to see them in a live setting.

The Glass House has been home to some of my favorite shows in recent memory and I saw no reason why that trend couldn't continue here. Being right on top of the stage for them was a must. The spot was secured due to the early arrival and it was then time for the opening bands to do their business. First up was Helms Alee. Not the worst band in the world. The mixture of sludge, stoner doom and post-rock was interesting enough but the songwriting was too all over the place for me. Thankfully the drummer was very talented and became the highlight of the band's set and was a joy to watch tear across her kit. Next up came Red Sparowes, a band that I had already spent some time with in the past. The album I heard was rather forgettable and average post-rock with elements of metal thrown in. Still, it's not often I see post-rock live so maybe they would sound better here. To my dismay, they never really took off anywhere and just kind of played and didn't excite me or anyone in my party. No matter as Boris were set to erase any memory of the previous two acts.

One of the things that caught my eye as they were setting the stage for Boris was the enormous gong positioned behind the drummer. After checking out multiple pictures from past Boris shows online, I can confirm that it has been there many times before. The band took the stage along with one extra live member on guitar, but he sadly seemed less involved physically because of where he was on the stage, although his sound contribution was no less vital I'm sure. The first song was the infamous opener on Pink, "Farewell". The amount of sound this band puts out is enormous. The guitars were beautiful, whether lightly strumming notes at the beginning or playing the long sustained heavy notes during the rest of the song. An extremely positive start to the night. The band didn't really talk between songs being Japanese and all. But that didn't matter. The goods kept on coming, despite only being familiar with about 1/4 of their material that was played. More delight was had when some of my other favorite songs were played, namely the title track from Pink, "Statement", and "Untitled" from Smile. The set was also balanced quite well too. When the fast material needed to happen, it happened. And the slower numbers were placed in just the right spots when a slight breather was needed. "Untitled" was the closing song and one of the best possible choices I think, and it was definitely one of my personal highlights from the night. And yes, the gong was hit multiple times by the drummer at the end of the song upon repeated request from the crowd. Who doesn't love the epicness of the gong? Afterward I walked away knowing I had just experienced one of the best concerts I've ever been to. And I think I can break it down into four distinct reasons. The first one is that the band was just damn fun to see and hear. The second is that the songs I did know were executed brilliantly live. The third being that I am now interested in checking out their other albums even more so than before, given the delicious sampler of their material on display. And the fourth and final reason is that they have given me every reason to want to go and see them again next time. Come back soon, Boris!

Official Website: http://homepage1.nifty.com/boris/
Band's Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/borisdronevil

Au Revoir Simone

July 8th, The Echoplex, Los Angeles



There's nothing quite like the anticipation of going to another show, especially when it's been more than a couple months since last I went to one. This time it was the charming ladies of Au Revoir Simone. The place: The Echoplex. A literal off the beaten path location that will probably only be found if you're actually looking for it. It has a bigger brother in The Echo, which is above it I believe, but The Echoplex can only be accessed by going down under a tiny bridge. Anyway, the parking for this venue is free so as you can imagine I was thrilled by this revelation. It's a very dark environment with black walls and sparse atmospheric lighting. It's got an interesting shape to it that I was struck by. It stretches all the way back from the stage to the bar. At least 50 feet or so. I definitely like it, especially because of how open spaced it felt.

When Allie and I arrived the opening act, George Sara, was already into their set. They really helped create an interesting mood, at least initially. The music was an interesting mixture of live string instrument performers and George Sara on his electronic setup. Fairly unique but ultimately I was only impressed by a couple songs before it grew tiring and monotonous. After George Sara came Alexa Wilding and her acoustic guitar. Nothing more, nothing less. She played a handful of folk songs that were decent enough though I'm not sure how much I enjoyed it at this particular show. It seemed slightly out of place amongst the electro leanings of Au Revoir Simone and George Sara's performance just before. But it was a nice breather and contrast falling between both of them. So it wasn't all that bad. As I said, either the music wasn't that great or I wasn't really in the mood that night for listening to soft folk songs, as endearing as they might have been. Although it was probably a mixture of both of those feelings. Needless to say, all I could think was, "Bring on Au Revoir Simone!"

Not long after Alexa Wilder ended the three amigas of Au Revoir Simone came on stage and took their positions behind their respective keyboards (one for each of them). I couldn't help but notice they were all dressed classy-like in their dresses and it very much fits their music style and personality. Things started off with "Another Likely Story" followed by "Sad Song", the latter of which was the only song from their debut album. This was fine by me because "Sad Song" is currently the only offering from that release I'm familiar with. The rest of the evening consisted of songs from their 'Still Night, Still Light' album that was released just last year, in fact it felt like they played nearly the entire album's worth of material. They were all lovingly reproduced with the usual slight differences that a live setting will bring. Going into the show I thought perhaps the charm wouldn't be as apparent live but I was proven wrong. There wasn't a lot of movement on stage given their necessary positions behind the keyboards but it wasn't a problem. The lights they used during the performances were also extremely complimentary, especially by the time the "psychedelic portion of the set" came around, as stated by one of the members, including lots of drug-induced color effects on the screen behind them. Overall, there's not much else I might say other than that I received exactly the type of show I hoped to get from Au Revoir Simone, and then some. I highly recommend getting to see them if you're a fan as you will have a fun time as I did. After all, if a fan of black metal (me) can appreciate their talent and charms then I think just about anyone has the potential to be wooed as well.

Official Website: http://aurevoirsimone.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/aurevoirsimone