Genres

Live Review – Thundercat at San Fran, Wellington

Thundercat San Fran Wellington
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Thundercat

w/ Orchestra of Spheres and Thanks

San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Thundercat is the stage name of virtuoso Stephen Bruner, most famously known for his work playing bass with acts such as Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Suicidal Tendancies and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. None of these are acts that I listen to often, including Bruner’s own music,  but I knew that it would be foolish to miss this show. Why? Because Thundercat has a reputation for being insanely good at playing the bass guitar, and with that much talent, the show promised to be good regardless of what he played.

Thundercat songs are smooth, soulful R&B styled tunes sung in falsetto. Bruner played his six string bass like a guitar, eliciting mellow tones that juxtaposed beautifully against his high singing voice. Jazzy, bluesy, and eccentric all in one, the vibrant fusion songs pulsated and writhed as the three musos onstage played off each other. They would coast along nicely, before breaking loose into chaotic tangents and solos that showcased the talents of the trio playing.

Thundercat San Fran Wellington, Ben Stewart Photography (2)

Image: Ben Stewart Photography

Bruner was at home on stage. He wore an unassuming black tshirt and pants, with a red five panel hat showing a Japanese flag on his head, and white Birkenstock sandals and long grey socks on his feet. He would approach the mic for banter, pause, and just giggle to himself before gaining composure to say something. He discussed the merits of drinking water, having recently sworn off alcohol. He also dedicated a song to Peter Jackson, commenting on the Lord of The Rings installations he had seen at Wellington Airport. “What would you do if you actually saw an eagle that big?” he asked, before giggling and answering himself: “Die. Just die”.

He would hunch his shoulders forward and grimace with his eyes closed as he played. Hands like thick legged spiders scurried up and down his fretboard with finesse, churning out the groovy dancing melodies. He usually either bobbed up and down on the spot, or did a stationary strut, like a cocky rooster nodding it’s neck back and forward.

Thundercat San Fran Wellington, Ben Stewart Photography (1)

Image: Ben Stewart Photography

Like Mitch Mitchell (of Jimi Hendrix fame), drummer Justin Brown not only held his own, but sometimes overshadowed his frontman. Having two snare drums allowed him to play both open handed and cross handed with ease, not that having just the one snare would have slowed him down at all. He coloured the sound with lightning quick fills and busy ghost notes, tirelessly playing with unmatchable energy and talent. The one slip-up I noticed was met with applause, as he lost grip of his drumstick and dropped it, only to pick up a spare and continue without missing a beat. As a drummer myself, I rate Brown as one of the most impressive drummers I’ve seen live, on par with The Mars Volta’s Thomas Pridgen.

Dennis Hamm rounded out the sound on the keys, giving more treble to a mix dominated by low-end. His spacey effects added to the swirly cosmic sound. The three were clearly well rehearsed, but you could tell that they had flexibility in their playing, because now and again Brown or Hamm would play something that sent Bruner into small fits of laughter over how monstrously talented they were.

Thundercat San Fran Wellington, Ben Stewart Photography (3)

Image: Ben Stewart Photography

 

I attended the sold-out show expecting to be impressed by some slick playing. Well, I got that in spades. Awe-inspiring, mind-blowing – choose a hyperbole and it probably applies. I expected to see a world class musician show me his skills. Not only did I get that, but he had a world class drummer and keyboard player to match.

Joseph James

 

Thanks to Ben Stewart Photography for supplying the photos. Go ahead and like his Facebook  page to see more.

The above video was uploaded by In The Nick Of The Rhyme, another new Wellington  based music site. As you can see, Thundercat kept punters happy by playing some Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus material.

ALBUM REVIEW: COMPASS & KNIFE – THE SETTING OF THE OLD SUN

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Like any other genre, post-rock encompasses a vast array of spin offs and variations.  From the math centric to the ambient, the challenge for those of us with a need to categorize falls in the realm of discovering the correct word to depict both what we hear and how it makes us feel.  I’ve never necessarily been a fan of sticking genres labels to bands since the process seems to be fairly relative from person to person.  One listener’s post-rock is another person’s indie.  However, without descriptors an album review renders itself pointless.  Fortunately for me, Seattle’s Compass & Knife is incredibly proficient at getting right to the point.

Compass & Knife’s newest release, The Setting of the Old Sun, is skillfully written, masterfully performed, and down right good.  The quartet of polished musicians take little time to introduce themselves musically and for those looking for a straight forward, what you hear is what you get record, The Setting of the Old Sun is perfect.  From short ambient intros and bridges to uptempo, in your face choruses, the guys of Compass & Knife deliver a fantastic array of musicianship that is easily digested yet intriguing enough for more than one listen.

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The eight song, almost entirely instrumental album was released on November 17th, 2015, and in a short amount of time was able to garner enough respect to receive some album of the year recognition.  These accolades are absolutely deserved and appropriately administered as it’s blatantly obvious real thought and care went into the production of this record.  What makes this even more impressive is the fact they self-produced and self-recorded this album.

Some listeners might not take the time to explore the production notes of this album, but as someone who produces and records his own band, I can attest to the challenges and frustrations this process presents and am always curious to see who was behind the board.  When self-producing and self-recording, not only will your band be on trial for it’s writing aptness, but your ability to capture your band’s sound and present it as a finished product will also face relentless scrutiny.  While this approach is extremely fulfilling it can also be painstaking.  I don’t know how many times I’ve mixed my own music until my ears could no longer discern one guitar from the next.  When revisiting the final product months later, I’ve found myself wishing the snare was a decibel louder or that I’d cleaned up some mids in the guitars.  Thankfully, bassist Austin Patterson and guitarist Jordan Brokaw did a fantastic job producing and recording The Setting of the Old Sun and should be sleeping very well at night.

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The Broken Bow Sessions – Click Here to Watch

While each song is worthy of attention, the album’s finale, “Drowned in Desire”, clearly surpasses it’s predecessors.  Compass & Knife saved the best for last and exceeded my expectations by putting together an incredibly well thought out, well executed music video to showcase both their musical prowess and their conceptual capacity.  As we enter into an era where anyone can shoot a music video on their iPhone, it’s absolutely motivating to see a band put together an impressive visual to accompany their music.

Instrumentally based music is inherently open ended and it’s usually up to the listener to piece together their own storyline since no lyrical content exists to steer the narrative.  While “Drowned in Desire” can still be interpreted as the listener chooses, the music video adds a deeper dimension to the song that made me appreciate and enjoy the song even more.  And, once again, the fact that they filmed and edited the video themselves will forever keep Compass & Knife at the forefront of my list of remarkable, noteworthy DIY bands.

https://youtu.be/16YPo7hOJNU

For anyone looking for a great album to put on the stereo while working, or for a soundtrack to accompany a road trip, I highly recommend Compass & Knife’s The Setting of the Old Sun.

C.J. Blessum

Album Review: Ignite – A War Against You

ignite war against you
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This album caught me off guard at first listen. I thought that Ignite were punk, bordering on melodic hardcore. But the first song “Begin Again” is straight up glam metal.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that this is a bad thing. It was just unexpected. Throughout A War Against You We hear soaring harmonies and bombastic riffs that are fun and infectious. Like a more epic Pennywise with searing guitar solos, which makes sense, seeing as vocalist Zoli Téglás also fronted Pennywise for a few years.

It’s been a decade since Ignite released Our Darkest Days (2006), so it is understandable that Ignite would have changed their sound since we heard them last. That said, it isn’t a complete departure from the Ignite we know. They have the speed and urgency of punk, crossed with the listenability  of stadium rock.

The band borrows from a range of genres to fuel their political charge. “This Is A War” commences with an intro riff that has filthy grungy guitar tone, before breaking into a fast gallop. “Oh No Not Again” musically gives a nod to Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” whilst delivering a message of unrest. Téglás’ vocals are as much power metal as they are punk rock. There is even a bit of a European flair brought into the OC punk band’s mix, with the album closing ballad “Work”, first sung in English, and later repeated in what I presume is Téglás’ native tongue of Hungarian.

Thematically, A War Against You is a war cry against war. Téglás addresses the very topical plight of refugees worldwide, something personally relevant to him and his family, who immigrated to America in the early 1960’s. There is also a definite eco-warrior buzz going on. Despite the serious topics, the music is still positive and uplifting, thanks to the vocal delivery style.

A War Against You is anthemic Cali-punk with both blistering attitude and soaring harmonies. And as odd as that sounds, it works.

For fans of: Rise Against, Nations Afire, Pennywise, H2O, Strike Anywhere

Joseph James

 

EP Review: Daniel Amedee – Everything Will Change

Daniel Amedee Everything will change
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Something caught me off-guard when I first listened to Daniel Amedee’s forthcoming EP, Everything Will Change. The opening riff is almost identical to one my band wrote for a song we played at Rockquest (a battle of the bands for New Zealand highschool students). While this is by no means an indicator of quality, it made me like the song due to its familiararity.

And to be honest, the entire EP is likable. It’s fairly low-key, but with interesting touches. I can’t tell what it is, but there is an ambient effect that reminds me of a chorus of birds during the first song. And there are other subtle touches hidden within the other songs – the reverberating glockenspiel in the chorus of “Let Love Out”, the trashy cymbal punctuating the verses in “Love Is Not Gone”, the lovely percussive beat in “Swimming Through The Unconscious Disconscience”- small elements that enhance the overall feel.

 

daniel amedee 4 llamaryon Everything Will Change

Photo credit: Llamaryon

 

I love the deep bass that gives a warm tone to the songs. The opening title track features a drone that sounds like didgeridoo. It is clear that Amedee has put plenty of thought into how he uses rich timbres to colour his sound.

And that is what I think makes Everything will Change so endearing – the warmth and the obvious human elements. Amedee’s voice isn’t perfect, often wavering at times, but his singing style is both haunting and earnest. With a message of hope, and a reassuring feel, Amedee’s music is an affirming listen.

 

Joseph James

 

Everything Will Change release date: February 2, 2016

Daniel Amedee:     Website      Facebook     Twitter     Instagram       Soundcloud

 

 

Live Review: AC/DC at Westpac Stadium, Wellington

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AC/DC Rock or Bust World Tour

w/ Villainy and Shihad

Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Saturday 12 December

Shihad

Shihad have played the same set the past three times I’ve seen them play (Riwaka, and twice at Homegrown), drawing extensively from their latest album, FVEY. It was refreshing to see them play a more varied set this time, playing the more well known hits from throughout their catalogue. Although it was only half an hour long, there was no filler, and the crowd welcomed their boys home accordingly.

I remember on one drunken night during my teenage years I bumped into Shihad’s Jon Toogood in Courtney Place and began fangirling because he fronted one of my favourite bands. I remember asking what it was like opening for bands like Faith No More and AC/DC, with Toogood gushing about how it was such a surreal experience.

From how he was carrying on tonight, nothing has changed. He and drummer Tom Larkin had been suspended back in school for writing “AC/DC Rules!”graffiti in the school bathroom. And over two decades later, he still stands by that statement.

And the statement appeared to ring true from the moment the Aussie rock veterans came onstage. There was a cool animation on the screens showing astronauts landing on the moon, before an explosion sends a meteor through space. The crashing of the meteor and some pyrotechnics cued the start of the set, with the rockers kicking things off by playing title track “Rock or Bust”.

Technical Issues

Unfortunately things did go bust. The sound was pretty bad, and they actually stopped altogether to work out the difficulties after the second song. It wasn’t explained exactly what was happening, but we were left to wait in the cold wind and rain for over half an hour. Presumably some rain had affected the electrics? Frontman Brian Johnson explained that they didn’t want to proceed without things being perfect, but the wait was excessive. People even started booing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJkjVMk_oE

Back in Black, back on track

Finally, after a very long and wet wait, the band came back onstage to play their set. It’s hard to tell if the set was shortened due to the delays, but they covered nearly all the big hits that I expected them to play.

The show was as grand as you’d hope. The large devil-horned stage had neon scaffolding, screens on either side, and a wall of Marshall amps set up behind the band. Although they were used sparingly, the pyrotechnics added a great explosive touch, complemented by the many lights on and around the stage. Even the crowd supplied lights, because in the swaying sea of drunken bogans were thousands of flashing red devil horn headbands. The stage props also added to the fun. First a large bell was lowered for “Hells Bells”. Next we had a large inflatable Rosie, suggestively dressed and shaking to her song. But the best was the many cannons rolled out for the encore of “For Those About To Rock”, firing when Johnson ordered for a salute.

AC/DC is the band that has released the same album twenty something times, so you know what to expect. We had Angus hopping around in a schoolboy uniform, and Johnson screeching into the mic. The drums were basic but effective, and as much focus was placed on the showmanship as on the musicianship. Cannons were fired and solos were played. Fireworks and pyrotechnics added to the fun, and at the end of the day, despite the technical delays, we got the extravaganza that we’d come for.

Joseph James