Album Reviews

EP Review: Barouche – Volume I: The Expedition

Barouche Volume I The Expedition cover
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Ross Jenkinson is London multi-instrumentalist who has just released a brilliant solo EP under the name Barouche.

The EP starts off with ‘Plot a Course’, a groovy latin-esque number that makes me think of Santana. I’m not usually a fan of much electronic music, but second track, ‘Across the Breeze’ is charming, in a similar style to Panda Panda. ‘If We Could but Rest…’ is another fun upbeat number, delightfully danceable with its offbeat drumming.

Two tracks remind me of darker post-metal like Cloudkicker. ‘The Demons are Shouting’ is tight, angular and djenty, whilst ‘The Better Angels’ is looser, with a deliciously dirty guitar tone coupled with sloshy cymbals.

In fact, those cymbals led me to a personal “Sherlock Holmes moment”. When listening through headphones, I noticed that the hi-hat cymbals were coming through the right hand earpiece. After messaging Jenkinson my suspicions were confirmed – he plays left-handed! Maybe I should pursue a career in detective work…

One key advantage that Barouche has over many other post-rock acts is that the music is tight and concise and not sprawling and slow building. As much as I like music with long build ups, I tend to play that stuff in the background. But I remain attentive to Barouche’s music because it’s short and exciting. People have short attention spans. This is why best-selling pop songs are short and repetitive. And why Barouche will be more palatable than other instrumental projects for many people.

It’s always impressive when someone can create a full musical project on their own. The likes of Lights & Motion and Cloudkicker have shown that it’s possible to still do a Mike Oldfield. And now Barouche has joined their ranks. The range of music is refreshingly experimental, covering different styles and exploring different musical flavours and colours. Jenkinson has displayed an impressive assortment of abilities in his arsenal, recording everything himself using both standard instruments and computer programming.

This collection is Volume I, showcasing a range of sounds and styles. Barouche will continue to flesh out these ideas with future releases, taking each sound in different directions and letting them evolve. If The Expedition is just a taster, then I’m excited to hear the music still to come.

You can download Barouche Volume I: The Expedition from Bandcamp here.

Keep on eye on that page. An ambient/noise record is due in a few weeks, with a  “Big, Happy, Rock” EP to follow shortly after. By sounds of things, Barouche won’t be slowing down any time soon.

Barouche      Facebook

Joseph James

Album Review: Faith No More – Sol Invictus

Faith No More Sol Invictus vinyl album cover
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Faith No More are an anomaly.

Sure, they’re a rock band. But they’re also more then that.

They can funk it up like the Chili Peppers, or skank it up like the Wailers. They’re so odd and avant-garde that one never quite knows what to expect. Little wonder, then, that they inspired a wave of bands that collectively spawned the nu-metal genre.

You are as likely to hear them covering Lionel Richie on an easy listening radio station, as covering Black Sabbath on a hard rock station. And when I saw them play at Westfest back in March they closed their set with a Bee Gees cover.

That set was great. The band exhibited their bizarre humour by wearing a uniform of white linen, with a white backdrop behind them and hundreds of bouquets of flowers carefully arranged onstage. And as great as it was to hear all the old classics, the songs from the then-unreleased Sol Invictus still stood out as strong enough to slot in among the other songs.

Faith No More playing at Westfest in Auckland. Photo taken from Faith No More's Facebook page

Faith No More playing at Westfest in Auckland.
Photo taken from Faith No More’s Facebook page

It can be scary for fans when bands reform. Will they live up to the standard of their glory days? or are they has-beens who have decided to give it another go for the money? After seeing them play earlier this year, I could tell that Faith No More thankfully still have the goods.

They’re hardly covering new territory with Sol Invictus. It’s merely a continuation of Album Of The Year. This is surprising in some ways, considering that almost 17 years have passed since AOTY, so you could be forgiven for assuming that their sound would change over such a long period. Take Blink 182, for the sake of comparison. Their Neighborhoods  album that the released shortly after they reunited didn’t sound like old Blink 182, it sounded like Angels and Airwaves and +44, projects that the respective members had worked on during their split. The band members hadn’t stayed stagnant, so their musical styles had developed over time. Likewise, the FNM members have kept busy during their time apart – working on side projects, touring with other bands, scoring movies and starting record labels – but this doesn’t seem to have affected their sound and style.

‘Motherfucker’ was a bold choice for the first single – unlikely to garner much radio play because of the swearing, but provocative enough to cause publicity buzz elsewhere. However, second single, ‘Superhero’, wasn’t anti-commercial like the first, with the first preview initially being hosted on the Marvel website. Obviously Marvel are synonymous with superheroes (after which the song is named), but they are also the ruling kings of Hollywood, (along with Disney).

These two tracks were good choices as singles though. They, along with ‘Matador’, are the standout songs on the album.

‘Motherfucker’ is built upon a repeated drumbeat and chanting. Mike Patton’s soaring vocals cuts over the mantra. It’s so silly, but contagious. Its sinister, but ridiculous enough that it can’t be taken too seriously.

Likewise ‘Superhero’ seems cartoonish with its “HEY, hey, HEY, hey” like the “Gabba gabba hey” part from the Ramones ‘Pinhead’, but then ominous enough to stay grounded.

Patton sings, screams, shouts, growls, whispers and croons. His voice really is an instrument, with a reported six octave range. He uses different types of microphones and effects just as a guitarist uses pedals to change-up the sound.

Refusing to be pigeonholed, Sol Invictus sounds diverse yet familiar. It’s uncommon enough to have rock music led by piano and not guitar, but FNM have deliberately cultivated their own recognisable sound. Part operatic, part spaghetti western, with plenty of avant-garde and slick, dark rock to boot. There are definite nods to earlier albums, almost to the point that the album seems too same-y, but at 40 minutes long, the album is too short for repetitions to bore.

Trying to analyse it too hard is futile to attempt. I’m sure that there is some social commentary going on somewhere, but I couldn’t specify what exactly. The whole thing feels like a big in-joke from the band. Is this a magnum opus that they are proud of, or a social experiment to see what they can pass off as art to sell to the mindless masses?

Sol Invictus has grown on me with each listen. It’s weird, slightly unhinged rock music played by talented musicians. It’s the same Faith No More, just as they left off. If you’re a fan, then you’ll know what to expect, and you’ll probably like listening to more of the same. I wouldn’t call Sol Invictus vital, but it’s certainly not a disappointment.

Joseph James

Album Review: Gilmore Trail – The Floating World

Gilmore Trail The Floating World album cover
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I love post-rock music, be it the cinematic like Lights & Motion, heavy like Cloudkicker, slow-building like Mogwai, primal like Jakob, or sample infused like Maybeshewill. The reason I love post-rock is because with the exclusion of vocals, bands are freed up from the conventional verse/chorus/verse structure of modern song writing. The focus is on the music, and what can be achieved without boundaries set in place. Rather than using lyrics to send a message, musicians can create lush textural soundscapes that play on the listener’s emotions and evoke memories, feelings and places.

Sheffield based quartet Gilmore Trail are no exclusion. Named after a popular Alaskan track traveled to view the Northern Lights, Gilmore Trail capture a sense of grandeur and wonderment. The Floating World is their second album, due out on the 16th of May.

Gilmore Trail The Floating World press photo

From the sparse piano chords that open ‘Memories of Redfern’, through to the last lingering note of ‘Dusk’, Gilmore Trial ushers the listener into an exciting new world.

Title track ‘The Floating World’ is serene. I imagine it would be the perfect soundtrack if I was on the actual Gilmore Trail, isolated in Alaska and staring up at the mysterious lights in the cosmos. The song starts off by capturing the feeling of being remote in an icy wonderland, interrupted by roaring later on, like a storm blowing through.

Highlight track ‘Ballard Down’ is a 10 minute beauty that begins with gorgeous bass tone, eerie guitars and tribal drumming. After a few minutes clouds start to gather and rain falls softly, signalling a searing new segment in the piece. The one song contains many different moods but they flow seamlessly.

Gilmore Trail have spent time exploring the different timbres of the instruments used in this album. For example, during ‘Waveless Shore’, drummer Sam Ainger creates contrast by using a flappy, de-tuned drumhead in one section, and switches to a tightly strung skin the next. The samples are also used well, subtle yet effective. Many are recordings of the weather, like wind channeling through a valley, or the rainfall mentioned before. These add to the nature-inspired themes throughout the music.

The Floating World is epic, to say the least. It’s long and expansive without sounding repetitive, conjuring the vastness of nature and the power of the elements. Like nature, the music is powerful: at times peaceful and lightly glimmering with hope, at other times crushing and potentially devastating.

I’ve only given The Floating World a handful of listens so far, but once I get a copy of the album I’ll no doubt revisit it often.

Joseph James

EP Review: Macatier – This Boat Is Definitely Sinking

Macatier This Boat Is Definitely Sinking cover
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I’m still on a high after seeing Frank Turner play in Wellington recently, so it’s fitting that I write about another English singer with a folk-punk sound.

Dan Brown comes from Surrey, England. He performs under the moniker Macatier, and he has recently released a new EP named This Boat Is Definitely Sinking. 

Brown defines his style as “upbeat acoustic”. I’m going to lump him in with folk-punk because acoustic and folk go together, and because he has opened for bands like Brand New, Saves The Day and The Xcerts, making him a member of punk circles… or close enough anyway.

The twangy ‘Thousand Yard Stare’ is a real stomper, deliberately picked and strummed with a real purpose.

The intro to ‘Panic Attack’ sounds like a warped acoustic “Kashmir”, before transitioning into an upbeat ditty. ‘Panic Attack’ was my personal fave, with plenty of dynamic changes, and an interesting rounds-style outro.

‘Swimming To Canada’ has been picked as the lead single. I’d actually say that it isn’t even the best song on the EP, but after a few listens the song got caught in my head, so maybe it wasn’t such a bad choice. It is certainly the catchiest song on the EP, with the stop/start strums syncopated against the chorus.

The aptly named ‘Sleep Song’ is slower and stripped back, as one would expect from the title. Almost being a lullaby, it’s the least memorable song. That said, the effects are nice (it could be a slide guitar) and the “ba da da’s” at the end seem like a nice way to send us off.

I couldn’t comment on how the EP was recorded, but it sounds pretty raw and unpolished, as you may come to expect from an indie artist. However, if you listen carefully you may pick that the songs haven’t been recorded in one take. There is the inclusion of drums, layered vocal tracks, and added guitar feedback. It begs the question: if you are going to try some tricks to make the recording better, why not try others? I know that I argued for the opposite in my recent Gary Clark Jr review, saying that he lost some of his bluesy feel because his album was mastered too cleanly, but having a quality recording and accurately capturing an authentic vibe aren’t necessarily prerequisite of each other.

If a British singer playing rough-around-the-edges punk-styled songs on an acoustic guitar sounds like your thing, then give Macatier a go.

You can stream/download This Boat Is Definitely Sinking on Soundcloud.

Macatier:     Facebook      Twitter      Blog

 

 

Joseph James

EP Review: Name UL – Summit

Name UL cover Summit EP
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I’ve mentioned Wellington based rapper Name UL (real name Emanuel Psathas) on this blog a few times now [Freddie Gibbs, Jurassic 5]. But both times I’ve glanced over his performance and instead focused on the main act. Dismissing talent this good isn’t really fair, so I’ve decided to review his 2013 EP, Summit, to make up for it.

Summit is a banger. It only features three tracks, but those tracks were enough to make me sit up and pay attention.

…”but I ask questions and what perturbs me is that you don’t get answers, nobody wants to talk about it, this event which changed the entire history of our Country, why aren’t  allowed to discuss it? Why aren’t we allowed to ask questions? The moment you do you get a reaction like he gave me, ‘how dare you….how dare you question your government?”  – Jesse Ventura

‘Generation Why’ begins with a sample from a Jesse Ventura interview on Fox news, discussing the topic of questioning the government. This phases into a high-pitched scat hook accompanied by some monstrous drumming courtesy of Nick Gaffaney. I’ve gushed about Gaffaney’s abilities a few times when I’ve seen Cairo Knife Fight open for Shihad in the past [2010, 2014] and his work here is no less impressive. His drumming, along with some almost-industrial accompaniment,  really help to drive the song forward. Name UL urges his peers to critically question things happening around them and to speak up about important issues.

The next song also begins with a sample, this time discussing the feelings of depression, providing the name ‘Shipwreck’ for the song title. Leroy Clampitt provides ghostly backing vocals while one of my favourite musos, Adam Page lets loose on the saxophone, threading throughout and adding his smooth solos to uplift a song that would otherwise seem quite dark. If the first song was big picture – asking questions and trying to make sense of the world – then this second song addresses the same kind of topics on a personal level.

‘Eclipse’ features shimmering, ephemeral synths juxtaposed against abrasive lyrics. The track features music from Wellington  drone duo The Shocking and Stunning and vocals from British electro artist Xela. This song is where Name UL really shines. His rapping is urgent and venomous, poised to spark a revolution..

I like the Summit EP for a number of reasons. I love the aggression and the political undertones reminiscent of punk music – that justified anger for a cause. I like how Name UL has chosen to collaborate with a variety of skilled musicians who noticeably impact the overall sound. I like how he is playing with ideas and unafraid to find new sounds, and how his lyrical content reveals some reflective thoughtfulness.

The EP only has three songs, which seems unusual in a world of hip hop that is jam-packed with long and convoluted mixtapes. It’s quality over quantity, concise and effective. Every song gets introduced with a sample that sets the mood. Together they help create a cohesive theme throughout the EP of inviting the listeners to become more socially conscious. I’m a sucker for that punk approach of speaking up for change, and Name UL has won me over by inciting his listeners to wake up and think.

Summit is available for free download at Bandcamp here.

Joseph James