Disc Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
Mastodon - The Hunter
Mastodon
Album Title: The Hunter
By Sal Serio
Posted: Jan 2012
Label: Reprise
(2333) Page Views
This review may be a tad late, although perhaps not since we enter a new year, and upon reflection, 2011 was a milestone year for Mastodon. Not only did they utterly destroy the “follow-up to major success” curse with The Hunter release and it’s shorter power-punch songs garnished with lush space-rock numbness, but the Live At The Aragon album from earlier in 2011 is also truly essential. Especially if you saw the mind blowing Crack The Skye tour. Pick up the vinyl version that includes the DVD and it’s just like you rode the Tardis back to the concert!
Debut Hunter single “Curl of The Burl” makes for such a cool tune to hear on the radio. It’s catchy yet pretty challenging in it’s heavy-prog-meets-pop kind of way. It may be the most accessible thing Mastodon has done since their cover of ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid”. In fact, I hope big bands of the nu-emo-metal ilk take note, and add some out of bounds ideas to the formula. The Hunter, in it’s entirety, spins out of the box and is emphatically in your face.
Mastodon exists beyond all genre distinctions, off in their own ever evolving kick-ass time-tripping universe. I shudder with delightful anticipation of their next project(s)!
Mastodon Online
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The Adults - Karmic Relief
The Adults
Album Title: Karmic Relief
By Sal Serio
Posted: Jan 2012
Label: The Adults
(2541) Page Views
The Adults are the bar band you can’t ignore, not because of the deafening volume, but rather that the snarky wry humor and innuendo derail attempts at casual conversation. On the plus side, you could probably book them to play your ten year old daughter’s birthday party, and she would not cry.
For here lay some paradoxical yet pleasant musical ruminations. The fine guitar excursions by Pete Grennan and Jim Sheridan weave their way down Dickey Betts Boulevard and Jerry Garcia Lane, with a couple stops along Keith Richards Way. This be no retro mojo though, as there’s plenty for the Jeff Tweedy/Drive-By Truckers crowd too (along with their ten year old daughters).
A case could be made with the song “Slippin’”, with it’s laid back rhythms topped with a sort of Oye Como Va riffage and Mr. Sheridan’s Steve Wynn-ish nasal grin vocal. I propose the next Adults’ CD to be titled “Sinus Whimsy”! A different case (attaché?) could be made with “Would Be Good” where Grennan’s guitar took me straight to Shakedown Street where I Feel Like A Stranger at Terrapin Station.
Bringing closure to the proceedings is one of two intriguing instrumentals, the dreamy “Free Yourselves From This Madness” which is perhaps the main theme of these Connecticut prankster’s new album. Not taking things too seriously is a good thing, so The Adults find some time for the kids in us all.
The Adults Online
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DC4 - Electric Ministry
DC4
Album Title: Electric Ministry
By Jeff Muendel
Posted: Dec 2011
Label: Metal Blade
(3434) Page Views
DC4 has heavy metal bloodlines. The group came into being when Jeff Duncan of the band Armored Saint recruited Rowan Robertson, one-time lead guitarist of Dio, to join DC4. Drummer Shawn Duncan also played in Odin, a band who reached cultish fame by being featured in the documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years. So what do you end up with? Some strong heavy metal that skips the grunge and nu-metal attitudes altogether. “We made a point of making Electric Ministry a real guitar album. Back to our roots…” says lead guitarist Rowan Robertson. From the opening track, “Wrecktory,” to the closing song, “Translucent Life,” the album is chock full of catchy, powerful guitar licks, driving rhythms, and thoughtful, sometimes funny lyrics. But the hidden gem here is the lead guitar work of Robertson, whose playing continues to reflect the reasons Ronnie James Dio plucked him from obscurity at the age of seventeen to front his band. Electric Ministry is a great classic metal album, and DC4 is a group on the rise.
DC4 Online
Brittany Shane - Loud Nights on a Short String
Brittany Shane
Album Title: Loud Nights on a Short String
By John Noyd
Posted: Dec 2011
Label: Painted Lady Records
(3008) Page Views
Dancer, teacher, singer, Wisconsin native and Austin by way of San Francisco transplant Brittany Shane continues to make waves wherever she goes. Sharp spurs on well-oiled saddles, “Nights,” alights with succinct winks and sly smiles moving through loose ska-riddled jangle and intricate folk-ballad tapestries dressed in flirty skirts and cowboy boots. A vixen-singing wingman to life’s romantic roadblocks, Brittany coolly refutes opposing views in simple astute rhymes which, casually landing on top of top-notch back-up, brings, String,” sizzling common sense suited to each scene and situation. Recorded over eleven days during a Texas heat wave., the resulting product smolders and sweats without tipping into crazed rage or imbalanced challenges, traveling well-trod paths with subtle updates and hook-rattling passions, fiery pop-rock trots offering cantering life lessons.
Brittany Shane Online
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Joe Matera - Slave to the Fingers
Joe Matera
Album Title: Slave to the Fingers
By Aaron Manogue
Posted: Nov 2011
Label: W.A.R. Productions
(4050) Page Views
I’ve written about his work before and he never ceases to impress. Former Geisha guitarist Joe Matera has finished his latest EP, Slave to the Fingers. Matera’s six-stringed attack features a previously released single “Face Off” which includes winding solos and melodic rhythm and is an excellent showcase of just how talented Matera really is. The EP starts off with an intro that is the album’s stamp on the ear of the listener. Quick and to the point, the intro warms up your eardrums for the delectable music on the way. Title track “Slave to the Fingers” is as smooth as a baby’s rump as it trickles along with a catchy beat and sauntering ahead in a leisurely stroll. There is a quick fret pattern towards the later half of the song that could fit in any metal song, but Matera finds a way to weave it into a melodic pleasure of guitar goodness. My personal favorite is the fourth track on the 5 song EP, “Out of the Blue.” The guitar licks and tones he portrays in the song are something out of the classic 80’s rock we all love, like a twisted musical love child between Van Halen and AC/DC. Just as the entire EP, this song is all killer and no filler! If you love guitars and people who know how to rock them, do yourself a favor and check out Joe Matera’s Slave to the Fingers.
Joe Matera Online
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Paul Kelly - Songs from the South: Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits
Paul Kelly
Album Title: Songs from the South: Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits
By John Noyd
Posted: Nov 2011
Label: Gawd Aggie Music
(2846) Page Views
It’s hard to imagine after thirty years what Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly has left on his bucket list. Song-writer, world-traveler, occasional actor, recent author and crikey folk-poet chronicler of trains, love, cricket, history and gravy, Kelly’s 1997 compilation has just been updated and doubled in size. A muscular busker, kind-hearted huckster and homesick vagabond, Kelly’s tough but tender repertoire employ potent hobo bluegrass, swirling pub-rock blues and electric country-fried soul. Outback rascals, hopeless romantics and crusading criminals buffered in small-town joys and thick-skinned opinions inhabit family scrapbooks, honky-tonk hearts and upstart remarks. Coy references served in soothing cougar growls, “Songs,” showcase a writer’s eye for spirited lyrics, delivering the indescribable in nuance filled with exacting detail, an unblinking witness to foiled fates and unavoidable foibles
Paul Kelly Online
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Krown Vega - Dream All Everyday
Krown Vega
Album Title: Dream All Everyday
By Emily Genco
Posted: Nov 2011
Label:
(2607) Page Views
On their debut album, Dream All Everyday Krown Vega blends the pensiveness of Radiohead with powerful guitars in a throwback to the musical eras Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. Songs explore themes from living fully to pop culture.
At times, the Minneapolis foursome uses vocal distortion and dark guitar lines to amplify the message behind each lyric. The album features songs traditional in structure but also comparatively instrumental tracks like “The Natural.” Vocals are introduced at the four-minute mark of the eastern-influenced sonic statement 12 minutes in length.
Krown Vega Online
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Eli Lieb - Eli Lieb
Eli Lieb
Album Title: Eli Lieb
By Emily Genco
Posted: Oct 2011
Label: Eli Lieb
(2548) Page Views
Eli Lieb’s debut album succeeds where many fail. It allows the listener to assume an alternate persona – that of an everyday soldier. Lieb’s music helps audiences experience the quiet solemnity that accompanies coming to terms with life’s daily battles.
Lieb released his self-titled and self-produced album on October 25. On it he explores a variety of topics including desire, invisibility, disconnection and betrayal rendering it a highly accessible work for listeners. Lieb’s work straddles the intersection between orchestral instrumentation, club beats and pop vocals. Some tracks feature extended instrumentation. On “Red”, vocals are introduced 20 seconds into the song.
Fans of the pop genre will note many vocal similarities between Lieb and Isaac Slade, lead vocalist for The Fray. Though Lieb’s vocal style places him squarely in the pop genre, the incorporation of string sections on several tracks adds complexity to the music.
The depth of emotion on Eli Lieb is undeniable. Tracks like “Tight Rope” well with sadness and sincerity and represents a great success for Lieb. On it he strips away all club influences and lets soft piano lines, violin crescendos and the purity of his voice speak without any electronic distortion.
Tracks like “Tidal Wave” demonstrate a more pervasive electronic lean. “Undone” features autotune techniques similar to Bon Iver’s “Woods.”
Eli Lieb Online
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The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble - Mr. Machine
The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble
Album Title: Mr. Machine
By Emily Genco
Posted: Oct 2011
Label: !K7
(2136) Page Views
If Alfred Hitchcock was making films today, he would no doubt recruit The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble to write the soundtrack for one of his psychological thrillers. This October the German trio released their sophomore effort Mr. Machine. In their latest work, Brandt Brauer Frick stitches club-style percussion with classical instrumentation. The result: An album as spine-tingling as Frankenstein’s monster and equally complex.
Brandt Brauer Frick captures the feeling of walking through a fun house. Piano lines provide momentum and continuity. Dissonant clanging coupled with violin screeches also increase the album’s emotive power. Staccato keys and eerie turntablism create tension for listeners on tracks including “You Make Me Real.” Listeners may well find themselves glancing surreptitiously over their shoulders to make sure Psycho’s Norman Bates isn’t hovering over them with a knife. Such is the evocative power of the album.
Vocals on “Pretend” share stylistic similarities with those of Romy Madley Croft, member of the British indie pop band The xx. Layered over violin, piano and percussion, the vocal repetition creates an intricate soundscape sure to chill listeners.
The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble Online
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Venice Gas House Trolley - Venice Gas House Trolley
Venice Gas House Trolley
Album Title: Venice Gas House Trolley
By Emily Genco
Posted: Oct 2011
Label: Flowpoetry records
(2276) Page Views
On their May 2011 release Burst Open, Madison’s own Venice Gas House Trolley delivers an eclectic album that blends spoken word, experimental instrumentals and a sheer fearlessness to conceive traditional instrumentation in new ways.
VGHT benefits from Adam Gregory Pergament’s creativity as an artist. Pergament or Flowpoetry delivers commentary in a structure that ranges from narrative to lists of words. Three-time finalist for Best Artist in the Annual Madison Area Music Awards, Pergament spits with the consciousness of a Tom Waits who has mellowed considerably and now shares life wisdom in a jazz club.
Tracks like “Bomb Drop” reveal political commentary. Reverb and Pergament’s vocal dynamics add to the emotional intensity of the songs.
Venice Gas House Trolley Online
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Karsh Kale - Cinema
Karsh Kale
Album Title: Cinema
By Emily Genco
Posted: Oct 2011
Label: Six Degrees Records
(2150) Page Views
Listening to Karsh Kale’s 2010 release Cinema feels like playing laser tag on the beach of a foreign land. Spiraling synth lines and undulations in the album’s flow seemingly trace patterns with each tidal breath.
Fans of electronica will delight in in the echoing, ambient soundscapes Karsh Kale creates. Pulsating instrumentals and progressive grooves combined with globally inspired instrumentation allow Kale to fuse Eastern and Western musical themes creating a complex musical smorgasbord.
“Joy” manages to sound soothing while maintaining a driving beat aided by Vidhi Sharma’s ethereal vocals. By comparison, “Mallika Jam” features sonically darker instrumentation and presents listeners with a track that blends edgier elements of pop and dubstep.
Karsh Kale Online
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The Ghosts of Laura Palmer - The Funk’s On Me
The Ghosts of Laura Palmer
Album Title: The Funk’s On Me
By Geert Driver
Posted: Oct 2011
Label: SFP Recordings
(2166) Page Views
The Ghosts of Laura Palmer are back at it again. And this time, the funk’s on them.
Earlier this year, The Ghosts of Laura Palmer released their debut mix entitled, “Blackbird” (named for the Bay View, Milwaukee club of the same name). Also within the same year, the Ghosts were tapped to play high profile events including fashion shows, private events and more. The whirlwind year proved to be exhausting for the Ghosts as they tirelessly played live in support of their debut while still staying true to their roots and testing more and more analog tracks.
The response to the Ghosts’ debut and niche analog sounds overwhelmed the DJs behind the turntables. Ghosts Andy Gulotta and Mario R. Martin never expected the reaction. In fact, the reaction to the project shocked them. The pressure got to the duo as they canceled all their remaining Midwest dates for the year. But out of the ashes the Ghosts return with their second release in the same calendar year with a new model to release it.
Available October 31, 2011, “The Funk’s On Me E.P.” (SFP Recordings) is an extended play mix consisting of just five songs. Unlike the Ghosts’ full-length debut, the new E.P. will only be available digitally, and will be available for free download. But the concept behind the E.P. is more intriguing. According to the Ghosts, three more E.P.’s will be released over the course of the next year. Once all four mixes are released, the end user/listener will be able to join all 4 mixes as one complete long play mix. A model that has not yet been seen before within DJ culture, the Ghosts are on the cutting edge of whatever new trend they’re setting.
When asked what prompted this concept, as well as the decision to cancel all remaining Midwest dates for the year, Ghost Mario R. Martin said, “We canceled our dates because we want each set to be special. There’s nothing special about overexposure,” said Martin. “We play when we feel inspired and creative, and we refuse to be passé.” The ideology of the E.P. structure is even more interesting. Martin explains, “First and foremost we are fans of the music we play. And personally, I still make mixes for everything. If I take a road trip any longer than half an hour, there’s always a mix playing. I asked Andy what he thought of the idea of interchangeable mixes, so a shorter multi-track recordings could be sequenced by the listener, instead of by the artists. He loved it!” The result is a 5-track E.P. whose tracks are not separated. The intention is to have a set of tracks meant to be listened to together, and after multiple sets are available, they can all be burned to a single CD by the listener in whatever sequence they desire.
Some great artists make up the first E.P., “The Funk’s On Me.” The Ghosts live in a dichotomy between popular and obscure. By utilizing James Brown’s “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and Prince’s “Kiss,” the Ghosts serve up pop culture on an analog dish. Listen for the hisses and pops from the original vinyl. Then, the Ghosts delve into less widely known tracks like Tenison Stephens’ “Soul Control” (a staple in the Ghosts’ live sets) and The Girls’ “Mark My Words.” The real gem, however, is the disco track “You Can’t Run From Love” by Maxine Singleton. Spanning different eras and even genres, the Ghosts have released a cohesive blend of soul and funk. It might now be harder to catch a live set by the Ghosts, but if/when you do, you know it will be special.
Found on the back cover: “Dedicated to the promotion of soul, the freaking of the funk and of course, the shaking of asses.” Amen.
The Ghosts of Laura Palmer Online
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