The Winner: World/Inferno Friendship Society.

Yep. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without grudges either.

Dearboy: Such Pleasant Words (And Music)

I’m a person of integrity and I try to act with it as much as I can. Sometimes I fall short of the mark, but I’d like to think such incidents are few and far between. However, I have said three times now that I would write something about Dearboy and haven’t done it. That changes today.

Myspace bands are frequently annoying, uninteresting and out of tune, but Dearboy is no ordinary Myspace Band. An eclectic four piece from various areas of Seattle, their line up consists of Kathryn Van Buren (Lead vocals, Guitar and Mandolin,) Jessa Lowe (Upright Bass,) Sasha Kool (Keyboards and Accordion) and Willa Goettling (Drums and Cowbell). I don’t know a lot about the bands history but do know that up until recently the band was a trio, with no bass. Jessa Lowe’s jazzy hand has been a welcome addition to their sound. And what a sound! Like an eastern European cabaret, Dearboy simultaneously glides and stomps their way around the room, commanding your attention with their romantic and rocking show.

I have had the privilege of attending four Dearboy concerts and each one I found quite entertaining. Van Buren has a beautiful and sultry voice and is backed by equally beautiful music. One of the more impressive things about this band is that their sound is as mature as it is, being that the members are high school juniors. Most high school bands sound like they’re from high school, but you wouldn’t immediately think that listening to Dearboy. The band’s best number is their oldest one, the song “Such Pleasant Words” which, while skillfully showing off their Gypsy Cabaret sound, also features an electronic interlude, revealing a usually unexplored techno influence.

Their music is strangely infectious, as I found myself humming their melodies for days after the first time I saw them live. Dearboy has a lot going for it-cryptic lyrics and gorgeous music, so really, what’s not to like? I find myself cutting this review short simply because I have few things to say about the band and all of them are good. If you have the opportunity to see them live, take it.

And here is your chance: Dearboy performs as a part of the 8th Annual SoundOff! competition at the EMP on Saturday Feb 14th. Here’s the link:

http://www.empsfm.org/programs/index.asp?categoryID=27

Also, Here’s Dearboy’s Mypsace:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=215891808

Just Die Already: Onry Ozzborn's Gigantic Ambition

Album: Die Already
Artist: The Gigantics
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Year: 2008
Label: Camobear

It took me awhile to notice, but Seattle has a fairly interesting and strong Hip-Hop scene. Blue Scholars, Cancer Rising, Grayskul… the list goes on and on. The point is it’s got some great stuff, my favorite thus far being The Gigantics debut release Die Already. To call The Gigantics a group isn’t quite right, as the ensemble is roughly 50 heads strong, so perhaps army is the right word. Assembled and produced by Grayskul’s Onry Ozzborn, Die Already is a veritable who’s who of underground Hip-Hop and beyond. The thing that drew me to the album was Aesop Rock. A surreal master of slippery metaphor, Aesop Rock steps in to wax his way around the room on the albums second and best track “The Explanation.” The track is also home to MCs Reason (Onry Ozzborn) and Eligh, the latter of which has become one of my favorite voices of the many that populate the album. Many of the MCs were completely unknown to me, but the presence of Aesop Rock and Mr. Lif (both of Def Jux records) were strong swings in the albums favor. Admittedly, not all of the MC’s are from Seattle, but that doesn’t really matter in the long run as they’re all excellent.

Listening to the album for the first time, it quickly became clear that all is not well in the land of the Gigantics. There is a gritty urban darkness lurking in this album, the human kind that makes the horror show antics of bands like Slipknot look downright childish. Social commentary comes in the form of the fourth track on the album “Biological Nothing” as Candidt raps about life as a G raising his son to be just like him “You don’t hustle, you don’t eat.” Knowing that it was commentary didn’t make it any less horrifying. The albums pervasive feelings of doom and gloom are a little overwhelming at times, especially on track 15 “Memory Loss” a song that wears its subject matter on its sleeve. Personally, I can’t think of anything scarier then Alzheimer’s, so hearing Count Draven (Onry Ozzborn again) and Pigeon John rap about it left me cold.

As previously mentioned, Onry Ozzborn of Grayskul is the man with the plan, producing and assembling the album. I’d like to call attention to that production, because it’s distinct. With the myriad of noises coming from god knows where, the album has a very solid sound that you’d never confuse for anyone else. Ozzborn’s production gives off a cold, crisp and stark atmosphere that will chill you to the bone. That, combined with the aforementioned bleak lyricism, is what gives the album its dark nature. However, there are moments of pitch black humor which left me snickering quietly to myself and a skit at the end that left me holding my gut with laughter. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but rest assured, it’s funny. This album has very few weaknesses and a whole load of strength. It shows off numerous talented MCs and that Onry Ozzborn can hold his own masterfully in the production world. This isn’t Party Hip-Hop, but in my book that’s a good thing. Seattle may have its flaws (Public Transportation) but its Hip-Hop isn’t one of them.

Freezing Over: Cage's Cold Woes

Album: Hell’s Winter
Artist: Cage
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Year: 2005
Label: Definitive Jux

I first heard of Cage on El-P’s “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” (the album that got me into Hip-Hop) when he guested on the track “Habeas Corpses (Draconian Love)” and all I knew of him was that he had a very nasally voice. On the track, El-P and Cage are futuristic prison guards in a totalitarian regime, discussing the beauty of one of their prisoners. This was long before I’d heard of Def Jux records or any of the artists associated with it. I liked the song but wanted to know who Cage was. As I discovered, Cage is a rapper with a past most angsty artists would give their right foot for. The man was abused by his father and stepfather, experimented with drugs and was confined to a mental hospital where he was misdiagnosed and put on incorrect medication. After being released, Cage became some kind of Horrorcore Rap wunderkind. Most of his material revolved around madness, drugs and horrible acts of misogynistic violence. Here in lies the problem. I really can’t stand misogyny in music and, reading his lyrics, Cage seemed to be one of the worst offenders. However by the time I found out about him, he had already released his second album “Hell’s Winter” on Def Jux records. Part of the album’s promotion was that it had no misogyny on it and so, with caution, I picked it up.

Well. This was not what I expected. Rather than a horror show of sickening lyrics and ridiculous antics, “Hell’s Winter” is a dark, introspective trip through the mind of a clear headed Cage. Instead of disgusting acts of violence we find ourselves in a group therapy session with Cage as he discusses all the wrongs of his life, ones he committed and ones committed against him. He isn’t looking to glorify drugs, abuse or violence; he’s trying to exorcise his own demons. And demons he has; on the second track “Too Heavy for Cherubs” Cage takes us back to his childhood where his father forced him to pull a tourniquet tight while he shot up heroin. Scared, Cage tries to escape from his father out the window but gets caught and beaten for it. One of the most frightening parts of the song are the moments where Cage, through a voice distorter, plays his father. Blockhead’s production features a lilting guitar riff that repeats over and over again throughout the piece. Sounding a bit childlike in its tone, the music makes the subject matter of the song all the more difficult to bear.

Speaking of production, Cage has involved some big name people in the making of this album as there is production from Blockhead, El-P, RJD2, Camu Tao, PaWl and DJ Shadow. You’d think that Shadow’s contribution to the album would be the greatest given his track record, (Endtroducing? Anyone?) But this isn’t so. The best production moments come from RJD2 on “Shoot Frank”; a synth piano chord progression over which Cage raps some of his most heart wrenching verse, and the El-P produced opener “Good Morning” which gets the album off to a rousing start with its bouncing bass lines, courtesy of James McNew of Yo La Tango. That’s another of the things that has greatly helped Cage’s credit in my eyes is the willingness of other skilled artists to work with him. The production crew aside, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys also appears on “Grand Ol’ Party Crash” and Aesop Rock (along with the rest of the Weathermen) makes an appearance on the Camu Tao produced track 11 “Left It to Us.”

The greatest thing about this album comes not from outside help but from the fact that Cage, an artist who seemed doomed to making the same sick joke over and over again, didn’t like where his career was going and changed it. Sure, there are still moments of violence and drugs, but rather than glorify them, Cage warns against them. Once or twice on the album he said things I found questionable, even gross, but this was the exception rather then the rule. Overall, “Hell’s Winter” finds a Cage transformed, shedding the Horrorcore elements to leave just the Rap Wunderkind behind. And that’s why I’ve been listening to him so much, because it’s surprisingly good stuff. It’s dark, sure, but it makes you think, something his previous work never would have done.

Enemies & Friends: Gogol Bordello vs World/Inferno Friendship Society

This came out of an argument with two friends of mine and I've determined to get y'all to help me resolve it. Here we go.


1. What:

G: Gypsy/Immigrant Punk collective from New York City known for hell-raising shows and excellent genre blending albums.

W: Cabaret/Circus Punk cult from New York City known for hell-raising shows and fantastic theatrical albums.

2. Front Man:

G: Eugene Hutz. Possibly schizophrenic mustachioed beast of a man from the Ukraine known for his heavily accented vocal delivery. One of the wildest front men I have ever witnessed.

W: Jack Terricloth. Possibly vampiric ghost of a man from New Jersey known for his brilliant lyrics and suave delivery. Reportedly, the greatest front man in the world.

3. Sounds Like

G: A never-ending celebration of the meaning of life, with Punk, Folk, Gypsy and Dub leanings.

W: A never-ending Halloween Party held in the heart of Berlin as the whole city burns, with Swing, Ska, Klezmer,Cabaret and Punk leanings.

4. Touring:

G: Gogol tours the United States constantly, giving you numerous opportunities to witness their bouncing shows.

W: Loves Europe and the East Coast to death, so If you live there you’re in luck, but if you’re like me and live on the West Coast then you’re never gonna see them again. Sad but true.

5. Most Well Known Song:

G: Start Wearing Purple. Featured in the movie Everything Is Illuminated, which also co-stared Eugene Hutz. A foot stomping romp through the village pub calling for your lady to Start Wearing Purple.

W: Cult band, so if you’re looking for a hit you’re not going to find one. But to the Cult? Tattoos Fade. Piano driven boot stomper reveling in the fact that nothing lasts forever. Sure to get you moving or your cigarettes back.

6. Greatest Strength:

G: Energy. They’ve got a never-ending supply of it and it could power New York for a thousand years if you plugged them in to the generator.

W: Musicianship. The Inferno blazes with dozens of fantastic musicians, the most notable of which are probably guitarist Lucky Strano -who is everything you could want in a Punk guitarist- and Drummer Brian Viglione -also of The Dresden Dolls. The horn section also burns up the room with their propellant blasts of sound.

7. Greatest Fault:

G: Friends with Madonna

W: Always in Europe, never on West Coast.

8. Example of Work (so you can hear them):

G: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello

W: http://www.myspace.com/worldinferno

9: The Winner:

This is the part where YOU comment with YOUR valued opinion. What’s it gonna be Merv? The Immigrant Punk Romp of Gogol Bordello? Or The Endless Soul of World/Inferno Friendship Society?

Team Sleep: Better Than The Deftones Any Day of The Week

Album: Team Sleep
Artist: Team Sleep
Genre: Experimental Rock
Year: 2005
Label: Maverick

Chino Moreno is best known for his work as the Deftones vocalist. The Deftones, while an excellent band on most of their albums, simply pale in comparison to Team Sleep. Formed initially as a collaboration between Moreno and guitarist Todd Wilkinson, Team Sleep is a mixing bowl of a band. But the point of an experimental band is to experiment, right? While the Deftones remain cemented in an alt metal sound, Team Sleep branches out to numerous genres and incorporates influences that would never find a home with the Tones. Another major difference is the lack of aggression in Team Sleep’s music. The Deftones have a lot of pent up fury. In contrast, Team Sleep is a far more chilled out project. But to keep comparing them like this is really quite unfair, actually. After all, Team Sleep has Zach Hill as their drummer, so the contest is over, Team Sleep wins.

On that note, Hill’s drumming, always good, usually ludicrously brilliant, is somewhat more contained here compared to other albums he has lent his talents to. This is not the kind of music that always requires Hella-like scatter pummeling, but regardless, Hill is in top form. But back to the sounds: Team Sleep initially struck me as a melding of the Deftones and Radiohead; mainly the latter’s more experimental and electronic albums. But that is a somewhat limited description as Team Sleep sounds like Radiohead as often as they sound like Massive Attack, My Bloody Valentine or Explosions in the Sky. Speaking of which, the guitar playing is really out of sight on this album. Wilkinson and Moreno duel over Hill’s drums or DJ Crooks beats to create spirals of sound that are sometimes time lulling in their beauty or soaring in their urgency. Moreno’s voice is unique, you always recognize him when he sings for better or worse. Some people really hate his voice but I’m not one of them. The elevating sound of some of the work on here is well complemented by his poetic vocals. But he’s not the only vocalist here. Indie stalwart Rob Crow (of Pinback) sings on four of the fifteen tracks. His voice is like a cool drink of water, flowing over the music, painting everything an even deeper shade of blue. The song “Our Ride to the Rectory,” my favorite of the album, features extensive vocals from Crow. Mary Timothy (of Helium) also stops in to lend her voice to a few songs, including the haunting “Tomb of Liegia” which could be a glitched up Portishead take, lost in time.

The strength of this band falls on the ensemble's ability to create music diverse in nature, but all falling under the umbrella of the “Team Sleep sound”. Chino Moreno’s band is something else as this one album outshines almost everything he’s ever done with the Deftones. Hopefully, their next album will be out soon as I’ve had this one for a long time and am starting to get antsy for more.

Amon Tobin: Brazil's Finest

Album: Foely Room
Artist: Amon Tobin
Genre: Electronica/Drum N’ Bass
Year: 2007
Label: Ninja Tune

I have a hard time conceiving of composing music. I love music, but the idea of laying down individual notes to make even just one piece is sort of incredible to me. After all, you have to have an idea of how any given instrument sounds corresponding to the notes, and that seems incredibly difficult. This is why Amon Tobin can’t be human. How do you compose music from samples? How do you compose music with a car engine? Or a bee buzzing? Or water dripping? Granted, there are real instruments throughout the album, but just as frequently there are non-instruments clanging, booming, screaming and ripping. Amon Tobin is an Electronica artist from Brazil and his latest album Foely Room is comprised entirely of field recordings. Armed with highly sensitive microphones, Tobin gathered sounds from all over the place with the intent of making the non-musical musical. He also recorded with artists such as the Kronos Quartet and Sarah Page for some actual musical samples. The entire album isn’t just a collage of random field recordings; every track is very musical. This is what impresses me. After all, how does someone in their head take a field recording of an engine rumbling and think “yeah, that’ll go great with some piano.”

It’s really stunning just how musical the album is. Every track sings in its own way. My favorites include tracks like “Keep Your Distance” which features a Les Claypool-esque Bass driving jungley drums and the epic “The Killer’s Vanilla” which features the Kronos Quartet at some of their finest. I remember one time I was sitting in a car while it was raining, listening to that track. It was night and a street light was shining through the windows, causing everything in the car to look like it was moving because of how the rain was running over the surface of the windows. It was one of the trippiest things I’ve ever seen in my life and the effect was dramatically augmented by the music. Another great track is “Kitchen Sink.” You know that joke about throwing everything including the kitchen sink into the mix? Well, it looks like Tobin did just that as this track sounds completely aquatic in its atmosphere. Tobin, along with Aphex Twin and Massive Attack, ranks among the best Electronica artists I’ve heard recently and you would do yourself a favor to get this unusual album.

New Year. New Name. New URL.

Well Folks, It 2009 and I've decided to change up some minor details like the name and URL of this blog. As you can see, now we are The Third Rail: Off Track Music Reviews and the URL is http://thethirdrailreviews.blogspot.com/. Happy New Year!

Everything is Not Going To be Alright.

Album: Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright
Artist: Ashes Divide
Genre: Alternative Rock
Year: 2008
Label: Island

I expected better from Billy Howerdel. First, a history lesson: Billy Howerdel was a guitar tech for TooL before he started collaborating with Maynard James Keenan to form A Perfect Circle. As the primary composer of that band, Howerdel backed Keenan’s unearthly vocals with equally celestial instrumentation. It seemed that the two of them created a perfect balance. Keenan’s performance is probably what drew most people to APC, but they stayed for Howerdel’s compositions. It seemed like he could do no wrong, creating everything from driving hard rockers to mournful symphonies of strings and guitars. Howerdel had a gift for the guitar, there is no question. The sound he made with an ax was like a bell tolling and its chords are what propelled me through my early high school years. After APC dissolved, I wondered what Howerdel would do next. Would he go back to guitar teching? Or would he form a new band? As it turns out, he did the latter, as Howerdel has returned to the music scene with his new band: Ashes Divide. While I knew that this new project wouldn’t be APC, I thought it had plenty of potential, and it saddens me to say that a lot of that potential is wasted.

Here’s the problem: the music feels recycled. With APC, Howerdel created some truly haunting soundscapes that would send shivers up your spine. A perfect example is “The Noose” from the APC album Thirteenth Step. The song builds slowly, beginning with just Howerdel’s chiming guitars. Then Maynards voice comes in and the atmosphere is set. It’s at one time one of the most beautiful and eeriest pieces Howerdel’s ever composed. With this new band, however, the normally haunting atmosphere sounds… too familiar. “A Wish” might have been a good song if it didn’t sound like I’d heard it before and better. The whole album has the feel of APC b-sides which Howerdel shelved for later use and never got around to until now. This kind of music, while great for APC-and me at the time I was listening to it-feels stale now, like a box of crackers you forgot to close properly. Another problem is Howerdel’s voice and lyrics. It would have behooved the man to get a better vocalist then himself for this new band, like he did with APC. Instead, we are subjected to Howerdel poorly trying to emulate Maynard James Keenan. Keenan was APC’s vocalist for a reason: he’s fucking amazing. Howerdel, it seems, understood this and tries to sing as much like him as possible, hoping for the same effect, but it falls flat.

What’s more, Howerdel is simply not the wordsmith that Keenan is. Keenan’s words are poetry, stories that draw you in and immerse you in a world dark yet fantastic. Howerdel by contrast sounds like a bored goth, spinning the same old woes of alienation, heartache and despair. In this area too, he’s trying to emulate Keenan and it’s just not working. I still like Howerdel and think that he has untapped potential to be more than he is now, musically speaking. Still, this album is boring, no bones about it. It’s not exactly bad, but it doesn’t live up to the expectations set forth by Howerdel’s previous music. Maybe next time.

Did You Kill Amanda Palmer?

Album: Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
Artist: Amanda Palmer
Genre: Dark Cabaret
Year: 2008
Label: Roadrunner

I’m completely brain-fried and trying to write coherently at some obscene hour of the night. Because when the itch gets a hold of you, you gotta follow it through to the end. Amanda Palmer is one half of the Dark Cabaret Punk duo The Dresden Dolls and responsible for some fairly iconoclastic music. Her voice, both musically and literally speaking, is unique. Her most recent release is her debut “solo” album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer? which is something of a departure from the Dolls, but what kind is hard to pin down.

The obvious question for artists with established bands doing solo projects is this: does it sound different from their usual work? In this case the answer is yes, this does not sound like a Dresden Dolls album, but it’s a subtle distinction. At first it might not be obvious, it’s still Amanda Palmer and there are still drums and piano, the only instruments of the Dolls, but when you listen closer, you realize that this album has much more orchestration then anything the Dolls have released. The Dresden Dolls are almost minimalist in sound compared to this album, which swoops and sings with string arrangements, augmenting the already powerful force of Palmer’s piano playing. It’s not just strings though. The sound is considerably bigger then the Dolls albums as you have much larger ensembles playing on any given track. East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys plays on “Guitar Hero” and the Born Again Horny Men of Edinburgh provide a great brass band backing on the song “Leeds United.” There are other guests, Zoë Keating (who provides many of the aforementioned strings), Ben Folds (who co-produced the album with Palmer) and August Strindberg (who stops in to talk about sulfur and iron). And there is something about the rhythm of the album that makes it sound different than that of a Dolls album. Maybe it’s because Brian Viglione (Palmers partner and drummer in the Dresden Dolls) isn’t on here or maybe it’s because Palmer has more (or on some tracks, less) to work with then just the drums, but this album feels slower in many places. Even the faster tracks have a different feel to them. It’s a really subtle, but important difference.

But despite the large orchestration, the guests and bigger sound, this album often feels lonelier than a Dresden Dolls album. This is probably the most difficult thing to explain. Maybe it’s the goal of the solo album, to feel bigger yet lonelier or maybe it’s just because Palmer’s without Viglione for the first time in while, whatever it is, it works to differentiate the album further. Some things remain the same though. Palmer’s voice is not your typical polished perfect pop star voice; it’s rough around the edges but also very beautiful. And that’s a good thing. It gives her a distinct presence in the world of music, which has enough pop princesses to begin with. So in the end will we ever truly know Who Killed Amanda Palmer? Probably not, but that’s ok, the world needs more mysteries.