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popular culture, lasted all weekend
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Divided We Stand
Nitro, 2003
TSOL were the Damned of California punk. They were there at the start, constantly changing their line up and constantly changing their sound. They started out as political hardcore and moved through death rock, paisley underground psych-pop and then got a bit roots rock. Which is a good chronology of the musical trends in LA from 1980 to 1986. But in 1987, three feet of backcombed goodness sprouted on their heads, complete with bandanas and aviator shades. And as a hair metal band, they burnt off their credibility without picking up the party audience.
So here's reformed version, hopping on the pop-punk bandwagon. No big deal, except for this; that paisley underground record, Beneath the Shadows, is one of the best overlooked albums of the 80s, and this record has a reworked song that got cut from Shadows, and a few songs that fall in the same mode. The tracks Shine and Again. They've got the same unique blend of dramatic piano, buzzsaw guitars, and minor melodies. They're really good.
posted Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Review:Kaito
band red
SpinART, 2003
Kaito, like Elastica and the Breeders, has a talent for making jagged guitar noise that comes out sounding poppy. I can't tell if they're harder than those bands, or just unfamiliar. The vocals are less legible, but all those syllables sure are catchy, whatever they're saying. They put harsh, dry sounds and just-off harmonies on top of simple song structures. It's more pleasant than they intend, since the album closes with three minutes of drumsticks clapping monotonously. A bare synthesizer glurps over of some of the songs. For another band, those squiggles might bring an air of post-punk desolateness, but for Kaito, it's candy coating. They get honest mileage out of the loud-soft guitar formula. It should be broke, but they keep it running and put in some mismatched parts that are charming.
"Should I" is the pop hit. "Try Me Out" layers dissonance atop of a singalong hook. "Anomy" has a punky thrash. "Driving Manual Auto" mixes an addictive cuckoo clock guitar riff with every loud-soft contrast in the alt-rock book. "Moi" has French lyrics and Stereolab synth gurgles.
posted Monday, February 02, 2004
Review: The Distillers
Coral Fang
Sire, 2003
I want to like this record more than I do. It's got some gossip about it- singer Brodie was married to the leader of Rancid, but they've broken up, and here is a Warped Tour version of Shoot out the Lights. And here's a chance to add some real feeling to what's become the most annoying and predictable segment of the punk planet. And they've got Gil Norton, producer of most of the Pixies albums, pushing their sound forward. He brings out a pristine hyperness. But, the Distillers song recipe has never quite worked for me. Brodie's scorched singing falls short of being appealing. She's convincingly weathered and strident, but plain, and her lyrics are predictable. The band is breaking away from their generic skatepunk sound, but I suspect that Norton has a lot to do with the increased dynamics. And the record closes with a 12 minute noise jam. The Dishes pulled this off (and stuck it at the front of their last record.) But I wish bands that can write concise songs would stop doing this. Or make it a hidden track or whatever. Next time, the Distillers might break away from the pack. They're beginning to distinguish themselves. The best tracks here are very good. The rest isn't.
This is a record full of homages to "Debaser", "Tame" and "Wave of Mutilation" that rise above imatation. Any band that can convincingly evoke the heavy parts of Doolittle is a fine band in fighting shape. Coral Fang gives us a Distillers worth listening too even if you can't ollie. Skatepunk is not a crime.
Recommended? The short ones, of course: 1, 2, 3, 5. Indecent: 7.
posted Sunday, February 01, 2004
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