A pretty good showcase of their riffwork. Catchy? Yes. Different? Yes. Awesome? Fuck yes.
I don’t know if I’ve made it clear yet about how good this band is, but I figure if there was an album to pick, this would be it.
Hot Snakes re-unites the Reis/Froberg duo of Drive Like Jehu and Pitchfork fame. Citing the length of songs as the reason for disbanding Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes as a band took a drastic turn to making music that sounded more ‘rock and roll’ yet still outdoing most bands through John Reis’ GOD tier riff work. Thunder Down Under is a live record made especially for Triple J, showcasing some of the band’s best work before they disbanded in 2005 (not to worry, they reunited in 2011). It’d be pretty safe to call it a ‘best of’ album in a way. The live recordings also add a new strength to a lot of the tracks making some of them sound loud and raw, like you were at one of their shows.
This album should be a pretty good entry point for anyone looking to get into the band or try out some fantastic modern rock (what I feel is a dying genre). Thunder Down Under has live versions the best tracks from their last two albums and two songs that (I imagine) are B-sides or from EPs. The tracks involve clever and rhythmic drumming layered down with some catchy, near hypnotic riff work with Rick Froberg’s signature high toned yelling. Many different styles are employed from song to song, including furious, almost hardcore riffs, some heavy blues type riffs and then some indie rock tracks which will have you dancing around the place or headbanging inappropriately in lifts or busses. I recommend this based on the fact that most people who’ve heard it (namely rock/indie enthusiasts) get a certain spark in their eye that you get when you see an unusually pretty girl. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that people want to have sex with this album. I’m pretty confident in that statement.
The opener for Entrench. Give the rest of the album a listen on the bandcamp, there'll be a link at the end of the page. That said, you cannot deny the wicked guitar work! YOU CANNOT!
The captains of insane Canadian noise metal, KEN Mode, have returned to plunder your booty with their highly anticipated album, Entrench. Ok, so by highly anticipated I’m pretty sure I’m only referring to my opinion – but then again this is my blog so suck it, I’m still right. What we get in this album is some impressive technicality delivered with a certain callousness that grips the listener with the urge to bang heads and break everything with the same ferocity as a stampede of pissed off rhinos.
The album reflects on their old work in many ways, combining the brutality of their older albums with the polish and diversity of their newer albums. The use of spoken verses defined and set a tone on their first album and they’ve chosen to incorporate that often in the new album amidst the usual chaotic howls. The instrumentals are fiery, rapid and incredibly constructed much in the same way that a lot of tracks off their second album were, and it’s all brought together with the same polish that the last three albums had which results in a berserk, yet crisp sound. What’s fast and aggressive on the track is done perfectly with a certain respectable technicality to the instrumentals. The bass tone is visceral and roars like the exhaust on a motorbike. There are moments where all the instruments start playing in absolute sync to create a furious onslaught of musical perfection. Other moments are incredibly heavy, ‘No, I’m In Control’ can only be described as bass induced carnage (I think they used two bass guitars on the track along with some lead guitar layering), every note unleashed bellowing with a well toned thunderous growl.
If I have one criticism of the album, I believe it felt a bit too short. If I had two, it'd be that the album was a bit too short and the 'prog rock' tracks weren't executed as well as their heavier stuff or even previous attempts at prog. Otherwise, they’re back in fine form. Entrench is full of mind-blowing math riffs, bass heavy tracks and powerful, well timed drumming. Plus there’s a cameo by Dave fucking Verellan from Botch. And it’s good. What’s not to like?
Also Jesse from the band sent me the lyrics for the album. I'm asking on their facebook if I can put them up but I aint gonna do it unless they're cool for it. Please don't stalk me all you randoms.
http://kenmode.bandcamp.com/album/entrench
EDIT:
Yeah I'm chucking them up. Doubt anyone's gonna mind but they're more than welcome to say if so.
All the legal hoo hah should be in the starting thing - all lyrics belong to ken mode, not myself etc etc
Guilty
Parties: Jesse Matthewson - Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Piano, MicroKorg ●
Shane Matthewson – Drums ● Andrew LaCour – Bass, Vocals ● Piano on
‘Counter Culture Complex’ by Andrew LaCour. String orchestration on
‘Monomyth’ by Andrew LaCour. Strings on ‘Monomyth’ and ‘Counter Culture
Complex’: Natanielle Felicitas – Cello, Michael Scholz – Violin, Carolyn
Scholz – Viola, Julian Bradford – Double Bass. Additional vocals on
‘No; I’m In Control’ by Tim Singer, ‘The Promises of God’ by Dave
Verellen, and backing vocals on ‘Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick’
and ‘Daeodon’ by Adam Dyson. ● All songs by KEN mode, except ‘The Terror
Pulse’, by KEN mode and Chad Tremblay. ● All lyrics by Jesse ●Produced
by Matt Bayles and KEN mode. Recorded September 2012 @ Private Ear
Studios in Winnipeg, MB, Canada by Matt Bayles ● Mastered by Ed Brooks @
RFI Mastering in Seattle, WA ● ’cloudghoultrillghost’ sculpture by Ben
Bonner. Photography by Ryan Klatt. Layout and design by Randy Ortiz. KEN
mode logo by Aaron Turner ● www.ken-mode.com / www.facebook.com/kenmode /www.twitter.com/kenmodenoise / www.kenmode.bigcartel.com / www.kenmode.bandcamp.com● Band: kenmode@shaw.ca● Management: Josh Eldridge josh@conspiracypr.com● US, Australia, South America Booking: Erik Jarvis Erik@tonedeaftouring.com● Canadian Booking: Adam Sylvester adamsylvester@theagencygroup.com ● European Booking: Nanouk de Meijere nanouk@avocado-booking.com
● KEN mode uses Orange Amplification, Bare Knuckle Pickups, Levy’s
Guitar Straps and Gig Bags, Vater Percussion Sticks, and Paiste Cymbals ●
All songs copyright KEN mode
Counter Culture Complex
“Poor
baby boy, is that a negative spell honing in like a loaded black cloud
set to burst? Hang in there for just one minute while I trivialize your
emotion, your motivation, your hopes, your dreams. You cannot feel ire,
you will not shed tears. A lesson to learn: as long as there's pain, as
long as there's fear you should feel ashamed of every instance of
indignation you’ve ever felt. As long as you are male, you don’t deserve
this un-fulfillment. Your pigmentation disallows your choler.”
I’d
like to thank you for the speech you’ve delivered from your
condescending high-horse, like you’re the only one that’s lived;
traveled; experienced destitute from an elevated Maslowian bubble.
You’re smarter than this, and human psychology is more complex than you
prefer to credit. But I won’t argue. I’m not seventeen anymore.
No; I’m In Control
Help
me limp through the hour where the last remnants of my sanity are
plagued by the burden of consequence. Encourage focus from chaotic
despair; focused indifference; focused repudiation. Frustration, not
chaos, reigns. I am the weapon to usher in your destruction: I am
control; I am command. This is for the survival of the fittest;
repercussion be damned –a tradition of bridge made ash. Let’s break this
situation down like an old world primate; driving the point home more
poignantly: this simply will not stand. My brain turns to a dry porous
sponge as the broken record skips; reminders of just how loathsome
you’ve become. No; I am in control.
Your Heartwarming Story Makes Me Sick
I
fail to see the humour in having a pulse. Your insipid hopes and
dreams will only serve as a further catalyst to an ageless resurgence,
and reminding me ad naseum drives the point home stronger than ever. I
refuse to be sorry for denying a spoon fed a destiny that simply cannot
fit. I hope you enjoy slaving away for someone else’s dreams just so
your wife can have a bigger house. If this is your fairy tale, then your
heartwarming story makes me sick.
The Terror Pulse
I’m
not playing. Logic keeps me bound; keeps the pieces in check, and every
beginning has its orchestrated conclusion. This is a lack of everything
that was claimed to have stood for. A lack; skittering and
unapologetic: within the eye of the storm, taking refuge in small
comforts; easy answers. Playing Judas and shirking accountability. A
serious lack. That was wrong, it wasn’t okay and no, I’m not okay. This
is goodbye to the man you once knew. Or did not; it doesn’t matter
anymore.
The Promises of God
I
thought I’d learn, but I’m an idealist. I thought I’d wait, but I
deserve it. How about we go out of our way to complicate the process?
There’s a certain thrill to this strategy, no matter how idiotic it may
seem. Let’s blur the lines until the flames drown in wax and there’s
nothing left to give/take. I want it: all. This close to dawn I'll
relinquish to a single word. I refuse to live like I'm alone given this
framework. Give me a sign that I'm not simply being absurd. I've
stumbled through years on broken time to reach such conclusions. These
are the promises of god.
Romeo Must Never Know
The odds are not in our favour. There’s little hope left.
What
optimism existed has been strangled to the very last breath.
Shuddering on strangers floors at 5 am; focus a shattered mess near the
litter box that this apartment’s aroma resembles far too clearly;
allies become foes in the blink of an eye.
But This Won’t End.
Augment me. Cut out the poison; detach from chaos; pacify desire; quell instinct;
But don’t Quit.
Too many hours logged, too many miles conquered, too many grey hairs.
Too much love to let go.
Secret Vasectomy
I
feel like something profound and meaningful should be espoused from
this platform; words wise beyond their years - a message of some purpose
or consequence. There is nothing. I pretend to dig deep, but the words
are passionless, derivative…the sentiment is painfully hollow. Slumped
over in a chair once hoped forgotten, facing enemies passed as quick
fixes to greater, deeper set issues. Suitable diction proves elusive –
as my mind dances like a mongoose ‘round a cobra - but I’ll bury broken
muses; my own hidden Burgess Shale. Pull up another black hood, warming
my cold weathered hands, curl up in lose fit flannel and self-preserve.
Figure Your Life Out
The
procrastinator. It’s far too easy to hide behind abundant distractions
and coyly whittle away at the hours with hollow preamble these days.
Trade one uphill battle for another. Old injuries strain deep as my
hunched shoulders and neck, slightly askew, peer forth awaiting just one
word, a solitary notification: Am I alone? Is someone there? Tongue to
teeth; feet curled beneath a finely crafted adjustable chair; time,
seemingly irrelevant: this is my black hole. I am lost to possibility;
equally terrified and delighted. Figure your life out.
Daeodon
Staring
at a blank slate; reaching out for nothing, expecting nothing, wanting
nothing, but cycling through the process consistently and obsessively in
an attempt to avoid any kind of forward motion. I wish I could tell you
why, but I'm unaware of the motivation. I don't want help; I don't want
to move. The act of physical combat is the only thing that remotely
excites me enough to leave my quarters day in and day out. Stereotypical
enough to laugh at the concept that the only temporary relief to this
weight is the adrenaline rush from having the life choked from your
body. Get me on the road, so I can live again.
Why Don’t You Just Quit?
Have
to keep my words close; keep them safe and succinct. So much has
changed, but I can’t tell just how thoroughly. Maybe this ice age is
reaching its twilight and we’re reading too far into the damage done -
maybe there is still hope; maybe this is ridiculous.
Expression
is suicide, admittance: sure death. Granite to steel, familiar bookends
to this chronically distorted heightened perceptive state. I hate this
hell; this is weakness, this is forfeit.
Monomyth
For Morgan Kemp…RIP These are not skies for dreamers. I can hold my breath, but I’ll die here waiting.
Elements of Blues and Rock to create something that's not quite BluesRock. Pretty well constructed song I'd say.
So a couple of months ago, what with my distaste at everything that had been released this year, I went back and started properly listening to The Pixies as opposed to only hearing ‘Where Is My Mind’ on the radio and thinking, “yeah! This is ok.”. Anyway, fun facts! In many ways they were the backbone for a lot of the better acts of the nineties. Other artists including Kurt Cobain and David Bowie also give them a pretty solid rep. I’ve listened to Doolittle to find out why.
One of the things The Pixies (are said to) have pioneered lay in their song structure. Songs in many instances would keep calm/quiet but then explode into full force with all instruments going guns blazing and Frankie Black screaming, wailing or howling over the top of it. “Tame” is a brilliant example of this, even though it’s one of the more abrasive tracks on the album. Outside of this, all the songs are pretty differently structured and the only two similar sounding songs would be “Debaser” and “Gouge Away” but that’s still a stretch. Also, beside the point. All the songs sound fantastic in their own way. “Wave of Mutilation” is calm, happy and surfy, “Hey” is bluesy and soulful and “Crackity Jones” has this speed and insanity that lies similar to hardcore punk. I haven’t even described every track yet, but it’s incredibly versatile without getting too experimental or just plain weird.
The instrumentals aren’t anything too brilliant though, and as a musician you’ll notice this. The guitar, bass and drums is pretty simple in most instances but it all sounds good by use of clever tone and the correct timing of when to use a certain instrument over playing everything at once or resorting to wanky solos.
Anyway, it’s one of those albums that everyone recommends but everyone’s too lazy to listen to it. Just do it, they don’t say you should for no reason. Heck it was good enough for Cobain and that dude married that walking Chlamydia farm Courtney Love. You gonna put yourself a rung down from a guy who dated Courtney Love?
(Disclaimer: Cobain was an ok guy and I’ve got nothing against him. Sorry if I’ve offended any Nirvana or Kurt fans in general. Hole fans though – seriously? Love is incredibly self centred. The only reason she didn’t name the band after herself is because the record label wouldn’t let the words ‘Filthy’ and ‘Aids Ridden’ into the title.)
I don't even know what to say. The vocal build-up just seals it.
I got my mits on this album expecting it to be a Dad-pop dagfest. In some ways it is. In some, more accurate ways, this turns out to be a showcase of well to brilliantly written songs. The critics love it. Newspapers hail it as the biggest comeback in EVER - this being Bowie's first number 1 in 20 years. I hail it as a damn solid record and if anything the way each song is structured is the reason for this.
Running through it track by track, the album holds a range of styles. The musical style on each track is impressive - not only is it jam packed with bass hooks, guitar licks, horns, percussion, piano, drum rolls that each encompass a different style, Bowie's wicked vocal range commands the already impressive music.
The variety of song structure on the album is awe-inspiring and a real tribute to music. No two tracks sound the same on the album, and some of the subtleties that add to the music such as low tone on an electric guitar or an acoustic strumming underneath a louder track, really gives the listener something to keep an ear out for. You'll find that the best tracks on the album will have a real climactic feel to them - they'll start relatively simple but by the end of it there'll be a shit tonne of extra noise involved, practically like a pop/rock orchestra. The best part about every song with this build-up is really, stupidly flawless in the delivery. I want to pull it apart, but I can't.
It's a bit hard to say anything more than that. I'd say that it gets a wee bit monotonous at points - namely after the first couple of tracks it goes into a dip of weaker songs. However, I haven't listened to the album enough to say that these won't warm on me in the same way other bands have. Even then the final four songs are all very good and wrap up the album, leaving the feeling that the wait was worth it. Welcome back Bowie.
I understand that maybe you won't have enough time to check out the whole thing in one sitting, so i recommend checking out parts two and three on youtube. If my maths is correct, which it undoubtedly ISN'T - skipping forward to 24:32 or 30:24 on this should take you there.
I’ve been spinning this non-stop since I got my hands on it, only taking breaks to kick myself for missing Boris when they came to Sydney last year. Effectively a 43 minute song separated into 5 tracks, Japanese Doom-Drone-Stoner-Prog Metal band Boris’ Feedbacker is a solid mix of many of those elements to create a incredible, loud and diverse power-ballad riddled with atmospheric, sometimes bluesy riff work, rhythmic drums and climatic song structure.
Part 1 is the slow, drawn out introduction. Staying true to the drone genre, the guitars opt to make more of a humming noise for atmospheric effect rather than using a standard melody. it succeeds with this effect and prepares the listener for the rest of the song (or album, depending on how you want to look at it).
Part 2 is the build-up to the rock part of the album. Starting off slow, the instruments progressively get busier and busier until howling guitars and dark, heavy riffs create climactic moments spun between calm vocals that progress to a rock music yell.
Part 3 would be the hard rock/metal track on the album. The drums are thunderous and the harmony between the booming guitars and shouted vocals create an atmospheric hard rock feel, effectively creating the true climax of the song/album.
Part 4 is where the drone/ambience kicks in after the fury of the previous track, effectively winding down the listener for the quieter finish. Plenty of fuzz, screeching guitars and noise to pick up on.
Part 5 is the finale. A short track, it rolls back with the familiar, calm riff from part 2 with some crossover ambient guitar screeching trailing over from the previous track, effectively closing the 5 part song that is Feedbacker.
All and all it’s a very solid track(s) for anyone who appreciates progressive music. The vocals are conventional enough for rock listeners to enjoy, while the combination of both blues rock riffs with the careful song structure of progressive metal draws in anyone who likes music that radiates passion. The drone and ambient parts stay true to the genre and make for a well placed bridge to the end of the song too without fiercely alienating the listener or breaking the feel of the song. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
The song is warped. The hooks are fantastic and the overall bassiness puts me out of my own brain.
Haven't stopped listening to it since I found it.
I wouldn’t usually plug an artist in two reviews so close to each-other, but this is an EP that has to be listened to for any house/techno enthusiasts. I don’t even bother with electronic music generally, but I’ve been spinning this non-stop for days since I got it and it gets more amazing every listen.
With deep bass hits strong enough to wrack your bones, Andy Stott’s We Stay Together EP is a fantastic mixture of dub beats, odd synths and pulsing rhythmic tracks which creates one of the most powerful electronic releases I’ve heard to date.
As I said in the previous review, Andy Stott seems to have a mastery of a very strange, almost otherworldly synth sound with a kind of ringing metal percussion sound to it without it being ‘nails on a chalkboard’ tinny. The variety of music he creates is relatively vast on the EP as well, showcasing a lighter and nearly ambient song with the opener: ‘Submission’. The rest of the album is a vast breeding ground for interesting electronic sounds, with all sorts of subtleties in the songs that will make every listen have something new to pick up on. The sound itself almost demands movement. I find it impossible to sit and listen to Cracked or Posers without bobbing my head, and even then the general depth of the bass and drums on the rest of the tracks seem to draw some movement out of me. In most cases I’ll be motionless or zombefied in my work cubicle or lying in bed and as soon as the EP comes on I’ll be shaking my extremities above my personage as if I have no issues in general (yeah that was a ‘hands in the air like you just don’t care reference. Points to you if you got it).
But yes – listen to it. It’s very involving house music. The best of what’s on the EP almost leaves you hypnotised, every beat hitting you like a hammer to a nail. Should Andy Stott ever come down under, I’ll be there to witness what I’d believe to be one of the most fantastic house artists of our time.
Andy Stott - Posers
Runs for: 5:07
Really solid build-up in the track and the droning sound running throughout it is beastly.
Really nice groove to this track. Besides that, there's a lot going on beat-wise which makes it an interesting listen.
Atoms For Peace is the product of the collaborative efforts of several heavyweights from the modern alternative rock industry. With members coming from bands with differing styles such as Radiohead, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Beck/R.E.M., an electro act wouldn't necessarily be the first thing that a listener would expect - save for this band being driven by Thom Yorke's apparent desire to release another electro CD. The release of the band's first album 'Amok' presses the question: will each musician accentuate their strengths, or limit themselves for the sake of a less chaotic album?
From the word go, the listener is going to be hit by two things, the synth and the drum beats. The beats are pushing forward this powerful and unique rhythm and the synth work is impressive, with every note creating electronic eargasms due to unknown new sounds and clever volume control being used at every note. The other instruments are dwarfed by this unfortunately.
The guitar parts are very soft and find themselves overwhelmed by the beats and the synth. Honestly, a lot of the song structure would benefit by giving some of the guitar parts more of the limelight. The same goes with the bass – it’s subtle and pleasing to the ear (they have Flea from the chilli peppers on bass for Christ’s sake) but subtle to a point where it nearly goes unnoticed. It’s apparent that what they are trying to do here is create and perfect a certain electro sound. Sure, they do this, and it’s a pretty decent sound, but one that needs to be less drum and synth oriented and let the other instruments do something. On top of all this, Thom Yorke’s voice doesn’t change much, opting to go for an airy howl over the top of the music. There are definitely parts in songs that could have been improved by vocal variation, a deeper voice close to a hum for the bassier moments, but it almost never changes.
There’s definitely something of interest here. The synth parts are really impressive, and the drum beats are active, snappy and drive the songs harder than the other conventional instruments. However I’m going to forever be dreaming about what 'Amok' could have been if it didn't rely so fiercely on drum and synth - and had let the bass, guitar and vocals shine.
