Author: Joseph James

Album Review: pg.lost – Verses

PG Lost
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pg. lost – Versus (2016)

Entry point: Ikaros
Personal highlight: Versus

Adding a vocalist is something that every instrumental band I’ve been in has had suggested at one point or another. I’m sure someone at a live gig has come up to pg.lost and said “great sound, where’s your singer?” This music easily lends itself to having a powerful vocalist soar melodically over the top of what’s there. People would buy it. With the right singer, I certainly would.

That being said, it doesn’t have a vocalist – the music must stand on it’s own legs (Hint: it does).

Synthesizers and electronic drums play a large part in rounding out the sound of Versus. Without knowing any background of why pg.lost called this album Versus, it could have easily been a battle between synthesized electronic music and the old school analogue of rock music. Thankfully the two realms don’t put up a fight – the balance between them is perfect in my opinion.

Melding rock music with electronic music can feel tacky at times – particularly with heavier music – yet here it has been handled with mastery. Every note feels deliberate, like a Hitchcock movie – the pauses are there to enrich the inevitable payoff.

The post-rock staples of drones and reverb drenched guitars are used more sparingly, supported by electronic drum samples and synthesizers Versus doesn’t suffer from being different.

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Yes, the songs are long with the shortest being over 6 minutes but they don’t dwell. There are slower tunes on the album but enough is happening for them to feel like a breather from the energy of the rest of the album, rather than an anchor to weigh it down. When the album does slow down it gets heavier and more guttural. When it speeds up, the synthesizers and electronic drums drive it along.

Versus features enough variance that you’re unlikely to get bored, it takes time to build yet doesn’t drag. This album has depth that suits itself to many listens in it.

I’d not heard of pg.lost until I’d heard Versus and now I think I’ll be doing some digging through their back catalogue.

Well pleased, do recommend. It fits in the category of “would be ecstatic if I wrote it”.

Peace
– Murray

Versus is released on September 16th 2016 internationally.
This review was originally posted on Murray’s site Relative Silence 

 

Live Review: Name UL and Drax Project – Choice(s) Release Show

Name Ul Choices Album Launch San Fran Wellington
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Name UL featuring Drax Project

w/ Eastern Bloc and Maxwell Young

San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington

Friday 2 September 2016

Name UL and Drax Project San Fran Wellington (2)

Image: Will Not Fade

Name UL (real name Emanuel Psathas) has been making waves in the local hip hop scene for years now, which is all the more impressive considering his young age. He has opened for some of the more notable hip hop acts to arrive on these shores for years now, including the likes of Jurassic 5, Freddie Gibbs, Schoolboy Q, Vince Staples and Earl Sweatshirt. And his work within the scene has paid off, landing him a song writing job in LA to start next year.

Thursday saw the release of Psathas’ first  full length, Choice(s), and Friday saw the album come to life at the San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington.

Name UL and Drax Project San Fran Wellington (3)

Image: Will Not Fade

This was it: two years of writing and recording finally coming to fruition. Sure, some of the songs were from older EPs, but most of this material was new. Was it going to measure up?

Short answer: yes. Yes, yes, and then some. Psathas actually admitted that he was quite nervous, but he needn’t have worried. Choice(s) debuted at number one one the iTunes NZ hip hop charts, and number seven overall. And it translated just as successfully live.  The audience lapped it all up with vigour – both new and old material. There was no mistaking that the new material hit the spot, judging from how enthusiastically everyone was dancing and grooving along to the music.

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Image: Will Not Fade

The set started with Name UL on the mic and DJ Heist Beats on the decks. People were singing along to the familiar songs like “My Side”. It sounded great. And then it got better. Matt Beachen from Drax Project joined in on drums, and then the rest of the Drax crew joined during the following song. The extra live instrumentation really added to the mix. How often do you hear someone ripping it up on a sax at a rap show?

I’ve only seen a few hip hop acts with live bands (The Roots, David Dallas with The Daylight Robbery), but I think that hip hop within a live band context is far superior to having a DJ or laptop providing the beats. With more happening onstage, there is more to watch and take in, as well as the extra layers of music building upon each other.

Name UL and Drax Project San Fran Wellington (7)

Image: Will Not Fade

I saw Immortal Technique – one of my more highly rated rappers -play San Fran years ago and his sound was horrendous. By contrast, last night Name UL was slaying the crowd with the most incredible sound and energy. It was also nice to hear Drax Project back on form under a different setting, after poor sound mixing marred their own otherwise-untouchable album release three months ago. They’re a diverse group of musicians who know how to adapt to different settings- progressing from crowd-drawing buskers to the next big thing, and casually adding hip-hop backing band to their résumé along the way.

I’ve only seen Name UL play support sets to dates. And he did well, but in those situations people had paid to see international headliners, not a kid from Wellington. The reception tonight was exponentially better than the lukewarm reaction I’d seen during those early instances. For this show, people were excited to be there – bouncing around and loving the atmosphere. And fair enough too – the sound was great, the tunes were fresh, and the addition of Drax Project helped to make the show even better.

Name UL and Drax Project San Fran Wellington (8)

Image: Will Not Fade

Two years of writing and recording, finally realised in a live context. I can see why Psathas would have been nervous playing a lot of untested new material. But all that work paid off, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the show was a complete success. Everywhere I looked during the set people were dancing, bouncing, singing and generally enjoying themselves – both on and off stage.

Do yourself a favour and check out Choice(s). And if you get the chance, catch Name UL live. Because if you don’t, the next opportunity may be when he’s selling out shows in LA.

Joseph James

NAME UL – CHOICE(S) OUT NOW  

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/choice-s/id1148581235?at=10lrHH&app=itunes

Apple Music – https://itunes.apple.com/nz/album/choice-s/id1148581235?ls=1

Deezer – http://www.deezer.com/album/13916774

Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Name_UL_Choice_s?id=Bjfxqeus6hxt2rm6efrhjwxcqdi

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/3C0O00SagxGcr4KFnCCuvj

Album Review: Lost In Kiev – Nuit Noire

Lost in Kiev Nuit Noire Cover
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For their second album, Parisian post-metallers Lost In Kiev have gone all out and released an epic, sprawling opus named Nuit Noire.

Following on from their previous work, [Motions, 2012, and a 2013 split EP with Zero Absolu] the band has chosen to add spoken word samples to their music. They stray from common post-rock convention however, by writing and recording their own tracks, rather than borrowing select soundbites and quotes from movies, as many of their peers would. Two speakers – one male, one female – narrate the haunting songs. I  find it interesting that the French musicians have chosen to include English speaking in their music, rather than using their own native tongue.

The concept story alludes to dark and mysterious nights, as the album title would suggest. I’ve never been one to pay much attention to vocals (which is half the reason that I love post-rock), but the vocal tracks do add to the overall mood and not only enhance, but complete the listening experience, like in Ranges track “If I Were The Devil“. I had an honest go of trying to listen to the stories, but found it rather difficult to hear a lot of it within the mix – even after playing with the EQ to try and boost the vocal levels. After acquiring a copy of the lyrics I had a better idea of the story. My interpretation is that two lovers have somehow become separated, and the woman must try to find her partner who has become lost in a spiritual realm.

The albums feels cohesive as a whole, and is all very dark and looming. I guess that goes without saying when the word “noir” features in the album title. The title track “Nuit Noire” features cries of desperation and despair, giving the song an ominous undertone that can be felt throughout the whole album. One of my favourite tracks is “Catalepsy”, which is set in a hypnotist/psychic’s room, and adds an intriguing dimension to the song.

The music is depressing, yet compelling. It’s typical post-rock/metal/hardcore but by no means clichéd. Think Dumbsaint  with snippets of spoken word that add to the setting. Eerie scenes are set, and the music rises and lowers as it takes us on an aural journey. Many brilliant moments can be found, but I’ll highlight a section in “Mirrors” where a  grueling breakdown with insanely low bass under-riding crunchy chugged riffs transforms seamlessly into spiraling guitar licks.

Nuit Noire starts strong with “Narcosis”, with sinister humming, tribal drumming and the mysterious vocal tracks. The album finishes with “Emersion”, featuring reverberating tapping, and a long deliberate build up, that lets loose towards the ends with rousing chanting and head-nodding riffage to send us off on a high. And everything in between those two tracks is stellar. If you love post-metal then make sure not to miss this incredible release.

Nuit Noire will be released through dunk!records on September 2nd. Pre-order the album here.

Links:

 

Joseph James

EP Review: lawoftheland – Dancing Explosions

lawoftheland Dancing Explosions album art
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Liverpool post-rock trio lawoftheland reveal very little about themselves. Rather than boasting an extensive bio, lawoftheland prefer to let their music do the talking.

The beauty of post-rock and associated instrumental genres is that often the music can lend itself to many possible interpretations. Whether the song is written with a set theme or not, the listener can appropriate the song to provide a cinematic backdrop to anything they choose to think of.

And it would appear that lawoftheland agree with this sentiment, because they disclose no story about themselves or their music. Their eponymous first EP featured one song that sampled a track from Prince EA regarding climate change, so that song is the exception, but the band state that they want their music to remain open to interpretation, hence the mystery about their background.

A nice ideal sure, but how seriously can we take a band who isn’t even prepared to promote themselves?

Well, I must say that they are worth taking seriously. They have seven tracks committed to record: four from their eponymous EP released earlier this year, this single, “Dancing Explosions”, and the two b-sides released alongside it. And all seven songs are great.

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I receive a lot of music submissions for review, much more than I can realistically sort through, so I tend to be very harsh with my first impressions when I select which releases I want to cover. Dancing Explosions took my fancy immediately, as I skipped through the track to see if I thought it worthwhile. Upon closer listening, (along with the previous EP) I discovered just how worthwhile this music is.

lawoftheland songs are constantly building. They seem to go through a process of taking the typical 7+ minute post-rock song and cropping it to showcase only most exciting parts. This trimming of the excess makes the songs leaner, with more to pay attention to. And the subtle details are rewarding once you notice them.

Close listening to “Dancing Explosions” will reveal different movements within the track which expose lovely new elements, such as the thudding tribal drumming on the toms for the middle third, and the stunning bass tone that really stands out during the outro.

“Second Nature” and “Departure One” are listed as b-sides, with “Dancing Explosions” being the single. I don’t see how anything it changes anything classifying the release as a single with bonus tracks, rather than an EP. Maybe there are plans to release a 7 inch?

Adding touches of ambient chatter throughout Dancing Explosions could serve to either create an enticing new texture, or fall further into the background. But regardless of how you perceive it, I don’t think it will detract from the listening experience.

So interpret the music how you will. Attach it to a fantastical daydream and let yourself get swept away absently by the swirling guitar, rollicking bass and charging drums. Or pay more attention to uncover hidden layers of twanging strings, bowing chords and a drums that eb and flow.

Either way, give lawoftheland a shot, and like me, you may find yourself very pleased that you did.

Joseph James

lawoftheland links:

 

Live Review: Jay Power at Meow, Wellington

Jay Power NZ tour
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Jay Power

w/ Spitfire

Meow, Wellington

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Last week when I interviewed Adelaide singer Jay Power I asked her to convince me that it was worth coming out to her gig on Wednesday night. She simply listed the musicians playing, and I could tell just from those names that the quality musicianship would be enough to make it worthwhile.

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Image: Will Not Fade

First up was Wellington trio Spitfire, bringing a spontaneous experimental vibe to the evening. They had loose points of the arrangements agreed upon to navigate their playing, but most of it was improvised. The three musos onstage were clearly having a blast, exchanging glances and bouncing ideas off each other as they worked together to evolve their tunes. Ed Zuccolo held the bass down and led the melody simultaneously with his signature mini moog set up. Drummer Myele Manzanza pushed the time signatures and messed around with the flow. His fills and flourishes were disarmingly fast, and you could see him cracking up as he tried new and interesting approaches to see what would fit within the song.  Justin Firefly Clarke rounded out the tunes on guitar, fleshing out the sound with plenty of whammy.

The hour long set was thoroughly enjoyable. The band clearly had a blast messing around onstage, and I was enthralled with the sheer talent in front of me.

Jay Power Wellington Meow

Image: Will Not Fade

Headliner Jay Power arrived onstage exuding confidence, rocking a fur jacket that would earn Macklemore’s respect. Not only did she look the part, but she had a powerful voice to match. It was one of the colder Wellington days in a long time, not that you’d think it with the warm vibes and live energy that Power and her band brought with them.

They offered up a great selection of groovy pop-meet-soul-meets-jazz-meets-funk numbers from Power’s recent  album The Missing, as well as a slightly tongue-in-cheek cover of Ginuwine’s “Pony”- “My guilty little pleasure”, as Power put it.

A sign with “No Scat

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Image: Cat Power

” written on it had been placed on the wall just side of stage, next to a stuffed dead wallaby. If I hadn’t been to Meow before I would have wondered if this were a deliberate placement. Nevertheless, Power acknowledged the sign, and then cheekily threw some scat into her next song as a sign of defiance.

Following on from the talent of Spitfire was no easy task, but Power and her band managed to keep the bar high as they delivered song after song.Her band members were impressively tight, considering that they had only just recently assembled for this tour. Their sound was crisp, and although they were all seasoned players, I was surprised at how well they had gelled in the the limited time they’d had to do so.

They played to a backing track, so I guess that they had no room for error. Power’s long time guitarist Mikey Chan provided guitar squeals and solos between riffs, and Hollie Smiths’ rhythm section of Darren Mathiassen and Marika Hodgson kept it flowing on drums and five string bass, respectively. And of course they all did an amazing job of support Jay herself, who wailed her way through the set with classy showmanship.

I had been somewhat hesitant to resist the call of my bed and venture out to a a bar to see some bands on a chilly Winter night. I’m so glad that I did though, because the sheer talent was outstanding.

Jay Power is also playing up North over the next few days. Details below.

Friday August 12 – The Old Stone Butter Factory Whangarei

Tickets available here

Saturday 13 August/ Sun 14 August – Bay of Islands Jazz & Blues Festival