Review: Kurt Travis- Wha Happen? EP (2012)

Band: Kurt Travis

Release: Wha Happen? EP

Genre: Indie/Acoustic

Label: Doghouse Records

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kurttravismusic

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wha-happen-ep/id489993126

FUCKING CASSETTE: http://kurttravis.merchnow.com/products/136803

Tracklist:

1. 25 New Ways To Regress

2. Time To Make A Plan; Not Getting Any Younger

3. Wha Happen?

4. My Favorite Things

5. Lets Remember Time

6. How Are Things

Review: 7.8/10

It seems you can’t keep a good singer like Kurt Travis down these days. After releasing the epic A Lot Like Bird’s debut Conversation Piece, he comes out of left field with a solo EP entitled Wha Happen? It’s very different from any of his past bands, as it’s a very mellow endeavor that focuses on his vocal talents with minimal instrumentals.

On the first track “25 New Ways To Regress,” Kurt goes for a very easy-going, indie feel that is largely absent from anything he’s done so far. Hand drums, maracas, and acoustic guitar combined with his off-beat personality give this EP a full set of legs to stand on it’s own. Being that he’s been in so many weird bands up to this point (A Lot Like Birds, No Not Constant, Dance Gavin Dance, O! The Joy, Five Minute Ride), no one could imagine him not going for a original and experimental sound. Also, props to the Doug theme song with his “dat-dat-dat’s.”

The title track “Wha Happen?” is the most structured song of them all, depending on your views on what structure is. It’s a fairly easy going acoustic track that is catchy, infectious, and a stand out track among anything he’s done so far. Going way left field, “My Favorite Things” is a really spacey song that (obviously) showcases his vocal talents. There aren’t any real instruments here, but his dual delivery provides all that you need. Speaking of the dual delivery, although it sounds great on record, it will leave something missing from his live shows.

The shining moment on the EP is the time old classic of saving the best for last. “How Are Things” is a softer spoken acoustic track that utilizes his vocals to a level that hasn’t really been seen before. The voice just carries and flows over the track like silk upon another layer of silk. This is the treat for his true fans that delve and take the time into listening to this off beat release.

Fingers crossed for more from Kurt Travis later in the year. Be sure to catch him on tour with Never Shout Never, Koji and Renne and the Translators April 27^th through May 17^th and with his band A Lot Like Birds with I Set My Friends On Fire, Greeley Estates and A Bullet For A Pretty Boy on March 17^th through April 25^th. 

Review: The Drizzle- The City Is Bleeding EP (2011)

Band: The Drizzle

Release: The City Is Bleeding EP

Genre: Rock/Indie

Label: Play Recordings

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Drizzle/137383529660919

Tracklist:

1. Breathe

2. City Is Bleeding

3. Cold

4. Fake Love

5. Years Of Falling

Review: 4.8/10

Well, you can’t win them all… So is the case of The Drizzle’s debut EP The City Is Bleeding. With a droning attempt at a melodic approach, they fail. All aspects actually have talent, it’s just that said talent is thrown together and sounds like a jumbled mess. The vocalist definitely should work a little bit and find his actual tone instead of switching between monotone dull singing and trying to do too much too soon. If you listen to the song “Breathe,” you can hear for yourself. Little parts of the singing sound god, but most come off as lacking.

When the vocals come out great, the instruments turn around and fuck it up, such as the case of “City Is Bleeding.” I liked the vocals and I think they would have matched a indie sort of background, not the horrible attempt at rock they tried here. The guitars are minimalistic and boring and a drum machine could do a better job. Again, the singer should really build more off of this tone and expand.

“Cold” is the first decent song on the EP. A little bit of an electronic sound is thrown in, and they achieve the indie part I was griping about in the previous song. All I can say is that this song can use a little bit fine tuning and a good producer and they can go places.

All in all, not a very impressive EP. Though I will keep my eye open for their future projects because over time they might make a comeback worthy of a good score.

Review: Hope I Die Virgin - Is Forever No Way (2011)

Band: Hope I Die Virgin

Release: Is Forever No Way

Genre: Ambient/Psychedelic/Indie/Shoegaze

Members: Martin, Svein, Anders, Jon

Label: Fysisk Format Records

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hope-I-Die-Virgin/166507626747307

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Panther Streams

3. Acid Lake

4. Anders Giæver (Interstellar Duke)

5. Cogs

6. Wolf Head Dress

7. (Soon) Into Heavens

8. No Dwelling

9. At Crude Garbage Falls

Review: 9.3/10

Lately I’ve been paying attention to more bands lately that venture in the ambient spectrum, and Hope I Die Virgin is one of those bands that have been taking up my ear time. Shoegaze psychedelic indie music is slowly taking over my life. Is Forever No Way is very soothing and is one of those albums that you can switch on while driving a long distance without any need to switch tracks.

On the first song “Panther Streams,” they instantly set the mood for the entire album. It’s an earthy tune that captivates your attention and is sure to keep it. The guitar hangs high above the soundscape and minimalist drumming provides the foundation for the listener to enjoy the song as a whole. I really like the Martin’s voice, and if these guys hit it big, he will be one of those singers that people will instantly recognize.

“Acid Lake” is where the psychedelic elements start to set in. The keyboard sounds are a little fuzzy, yet sharp at the same time, the guitars backing up the keyboards, and the singers voice all combine to give you a truly unique experience. The cool bass part at the two minute twenty second mark is pretty cool as well.

My favorite track (and one I would love to see a music video of) would have to be “Wolf Head Dress.” Martin takes a slightly more serious tone after the spacey synthy intro, which is backed up by the bass and drums. The soundscape sets itself low on the ground until Martin picks up his voice and the instruments follow suit.

This album is for those who are open minded to new things. These guys have a completely unique sound and are definitely worth your time checking out. 

Review: The American Scene- By Way Of Introduction (2011)

Band: The American Scene

Release: By Way Of Introduction

Genre: Indie

Members: Charles, Matt, Chris, Dave, Zac

Label: Pure Noise Records

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theamericanscene

Buy the album here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/by-way-of-introduction/id417784540

Tracklist:
1. By Way Of Introduction
2. Did You Hear About Your Friends In California?
3. Last Chopper Out Of Saigon
4. Home
5. Marty Mcfly, Nostradamus, and I
6. Killed Off In The Second Act
7. Another World Beater
8. This Is Rebirth
9. A Million Minutes In The Making

Review: 8.4/10

The American Scene is a band from Berkeley, CA that’s only been around for a short time, but have already released the album By Way Of Introduction under Pure Noise Records on March 8^th, 2011. If you’ve heard of Razing Alexandria then you may already be familiar with the Vincent brothers, who are in both bands. Just like Razing Alexandria, this band is mostly vocal driven with the music flowing with the vocals instead of the other way around.

“Did You Hear About Your Friends In California?” is a indie song with a slight pop punk feel that deals with watching someone, probably an ex, from afar that you still have feelings for, but you feel that they are wasting time with the person they are with. As evidenced in the chorus lyrics “I traded best friends in for distance and a sense of something real/But, I could never change the way you make me feel/I'd rather bury myself alive than watch you/bury yourself in someone else's wasted time/'cause we were never wastin' time.” The guitars keep the melody of the song, during the chorus the crashes are used a lot, but the mix of the sound puts them in the background instead of being prominent in the front.

“Killed Off In The Second Act” is my favorite song off of the album. The lyrics are very powerful and they seem to have an underlying meaning to what’s actually being said. As my interpretation of the track, it’s about how the singer is reminiscing about his past, but not about the good things, but instead of thinking of good things, its about of the bad things and using drinking as an escape from it all, as shown here,“I spend days on end thinking about people who've got better things to do/And my nights with my head spinning making my old friends brand new/21 has made it damn hard to believe that this could ever be enough for anyone.” Other than having the guitar as the main driving force like the last song, the drums is the instrument that keeps the momentum going.

Overall, this album is vocally driven. By that I mean the instruments stand behind the vocals the entire time and don’t really take any sort of prominent role. But as a huge fan of Razing Alexandria, I can say that this isn’t such a bad thing. You really have to sit down and listen to the lyrics more closely to get the full effect of this album. 

Review: Dead Leaf Echo- Verisimilitude EP (2011)

Band: Dead Leaf Echo

Release: Verisimilitude EP

Genre: Indie/Electronica/Atmospheric

Members: LG, Ana B., Christo B., J. Parker

Label: Custom Made Music

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deadleafecho

Buy Here: http://deadleafechonyc.com/shop

Tracklist:

1. Half-Truth (Fryer Remix)

2. Act Of Truth (RxGibbs Falling Away Dub)

3. Half-Truth (Elika Remix)

4. Woolgathering (Mark Van Hoen RMX)

5. Half-Truth (Spry! Remix)

6. Act Of Truth (DLE Remix)

Review: 9.2/10

The new Dead Leaf Echo release Verisimilitude  EP is actually a remix EP of 3 different songs from their previous release Truth EP, with the song Half-Truth remixed three times, Act Of Truth two times, and Woolgathering once. They are a atmospheric minimalist indie band, and this remix EP brings their music into new territory not previously explored, such as new wave and electronica. Since it is a remix EP, I will not delve too much into the lyrics and just focus on the music.

The first song Half-Truth (Fryer Remix) has a sort of spacey and otherworldly vibe to it. The vocals go back and forth between an echo and overlaying the track. Really touching song here and the overall style is excellent. Half-Truth (Elika Remix) is a more digitized version than the previous remix and it also has female vocals. It’s also more minimalized than the previous remix as well, opting for easy to access sounds without trying to go out and create a broad soundscape. Woolgathering (Mark Van Hoen RMX) is a gritty, creepy sounding track with fuzzy overtones and echoed vocals. It doesn’t ever really pick up the tempo and drags along (not saying that as a bad thing here) at the speed of molasses. Near the end, it throws an orchestral element and brings a sort of epicness to the track. Half-Truth (Spry! Remix) starts out promising enough and matches the rest of the album, but then goes into this repetitive thing with a faux-orchestra that reminds me a little of the water palace from Secret Of Mana on Super Nintendo.

I give this remix EP a high score because it’s a dreamy experience with a well executed atmospheric soundscape that few bands can pull off. The only letdown I had was the track Half-Truth (Spry! Remix). I look forward to what this band will do in the future.