Hemispheres – A Free Post-Rock Compilation From A Thousand Arms

Hemispheres

A Thousand Arms have released another great new free post-rock compilation Hemispheres, to follow on from the awesome Open Language compilation released last year.

Open Language was split into two parts, with Side A representing American acts, and Side B featuring international artists.

Hemispheres follows this theme, with Side A representing the Northern Hemisphere, and Side B representing the Southern Hemisphere.

I’m quite excited to see a few New Zealand acts represented on Side B (Kerretta, Sora Shima and Into Orbit). Not a bad selection to showcase our homegrown talent to the rest of the world!

Here’s the track listing:

Side A: Northern Hemisphere

Old Solar – Summer Solstice

RLYR – Slipstream Summer

Au Revoir – Reverie

Eupana – The Night the Stars Fell

The Great Cold – EOS

Malämmar – I

Of the Vine – I’m Morrissey, I’m Dead.

Spurv – Passacaglia (fugler med ord i nebbet)

Sleeping Bear – Emerged

Mountain – Mondo Kane

Glories – Bravo Sierra

Ranges – Kingdom

Caspian – Sad Heart of Mine

Appalaches – Milsai

Build and Release – St Helen pt. 2

Meniscus – Overhang

Antorchas – Stalingrado Fosa Comun

Hélices – BrvdxTripp

Kjjjjjjjjj – Grrrrrrrrr

Kerretta – Ossein Trail

Under The Big Bright Yellow Sun – BERTAHAN *Angelic Version (Jeruji Cover)

Mesozoic – The Turtle

El lenguaje como obstáculo – Adonis Minos

Hashshashin – Levitation

Fourteen Nights At Sea – No Capital

Sora Shima – And Behold a Pale Horse

We Set Sail – Forgotten Shores

Kalouv – Da Bravura, Inocência

Into Orbit – Unearthing

Hello Porkins – Melon Felon

blienvesne – Definitivamente ellos no son los dueños del viento

Bear the Mammoth – Molly

CJ and David have once again outdone themselves with this collection. 36 great tracks from all over the world, lovingly chosen and presented in a great wee package.

So head along to https://athousandarms.bandcamp.com/ to download Hemispheres and discover your next favourite new band!

Joseph James

Live Review: Tortoise at San Fran, Wellington

Tortoise

w/ fFolks and Hiboux

San Fran, Wellington

Saturday 3 December 2016

I arrived at San Fran just in time for local act Hiboux, who set the mood beautifully for Tortoise. The five piece act played mesmerising rock music that had me moving, and even had a camera crew documenting their set (which didn’t help my confidence when taking photos – my entire camera is only a third of the size of many of the other photographers’ lenses!) I loved the atmosphere that they created, and bonus points for including saxophone in a few songs.

Hiboux. Bern Stock (L) and Lester Litchfield (R)

Watching roadies set the stage for Tortoise was an interesting affair. They carried item after item onstage and arranged the instruments accordingly. I was excited to see two drum kits facing each other at the front of stage. Funnily enough the kits were different brands (Pearl and Sonar). Does that mean the band has two different endorsements with drum companies? A a large vibrophone sat on the right of stage, and on the other end of the stage sat something that looked like a trigger pad crossed with a piano.Selections of guitars and basses stood in formation along rear, and a number of synths, sequencers and other electronic things sporting dials filled the spaces left.

Tortoise boasted some very talented players. And not only was each muso talented, but they all took turns playing different instruments, like Sufjan Stevens’ band. I wonder what this looks like at band practice when they are writing new material? How do they decide who plays what for each song when they don’t have set defined roles?

I think I figured out the answer to this from observing the band play. For the most part, the Santa-looking Doug McCombs ties the songs together with his bass guitar, while Jeff Parker sets the melody on guitar. This leaves the three other members free to share their time between percussion and synths.

I am a drummer myself, and I loved being able to see two drummers playing off from each other right at the front of the stage, rather than having someone hidden away at the back in the shadows like we usually see. I remember being captivated by Genesis DVDs as a teenager, watching Phil Collins and Chester Thompson become one when both sat down behind their kits. I’ve seen a number of bands use two drummers in the past (Bon Iver, Death Cab For Cutie, Shihad, Incubus and The Roots spring to mind) but never in a revolving sense like Tortoise.

John McEntire is the groove master, sitting in the pocket and playing incredibly tight, uncomplicated beats, using the butt of the sticks on the snare. He takes the throne when the song needs something simple to lock in with McCombs. He also grimaces and looks like he is in pain while he plays. John Herndon, however, doesn’t merely play the drums, he beats them into submission. He is the monster, unleashing his frenetic energy to add busy percussive flavour to the mix. Dan Bitney sits in the middle, complementing everyone as drum duets form. He adds those extra elements that one drummer cannot offer with four limbs alone.

Tortoise play exciting music. Exciting because of how interesting and experimental it is. Gone is the verse-chorus-bridge type structure that we are accustomed to. Gone are the vocals. Why have a singer when you can have three drummers and vibes? Songs grew and layered in ways that are unique even within post-rock circles, with subtle frequencies taking turns to flash themselves at us.

It was a marvel to watch interactions between band members. Two drummers would become one, with bass slotting in perfectly. Members would casually move around the stage, playing a game of musical chairs. I would watch how they split their time. Someone would adjust a dial and set the right effects, then add some colour using mallets on the vibes, then shake a tambourine or shakers, and finish off strumming on a guitar. And that’s all within one song!

Set list

Odd socks

Tortoise are stunning. Visually, they put on a brilliant show. Not because of lights and screens – but because of how they arrange the stage and share responsibilities. And musically, they create sounds that are so unconventional and intriguing that one cannot help but listen with amazement. I caught myself grinning many times throughout the set. Grinning at the sheer… weirdness… talent… brilliance…? I’m not sure what exactly, but I cannot recommend seeing Tortoise highly enough.

All photos and words by Joseph James

EP Review: 10 Waves Of You – Sail

Album Review: 10 Waves Of You – Sail

The soft sounds of the tide lapping against the shore greets us at the start of this album. Hardly surprising, with an album entitled Sail. While 10WOY’s 2015 album Fields Of Venus was a collection of space sounds, this album is unmistakably naval inspired.

Hailing from Vigevano, Italy, 10 Waves Of You is the solo project of Luca Crivellaro. It seems that I listen to as many one-man projects as I do full bands these days, and I can’t help but be impressed at the sheer skill and versatility that artists like Crivellaro exhibit.

Reminiscent of relaxing on a sailboat, this is music to have when you have nothing better to do than lie back and soak up some rays. “Sail” is the smooth neo-classical piano led introduction, and “South West Wind” contains more body. Soft piano playing upon gentle swells sets the relaxing mood. Some nice delayed guitar adds complexity whilst keeping it calm. The drumming is tight, with a short echoing tail.

“Sunburst” ups the ante – ever so slightly – with more over driven crescendos and crashing cymbals – and “Round Window” follows suit by bringing in more rock components. The end of the last track almost sounds like whale song, with the slow whining sounds made by guitars.

Part of the attractiveness of this release is the deceptive simplicity of it all. It builds ever so slowly across all four tracks, but without resorting to crescendocore clichés. Delicate waves pile atop each other, slowly bringing in a tide of relaxing atmosphere. Contrary to the more aggressive and unnatural previous album Fields of Venus, Waves is calming and just floats along with tranquil excellence.

It is clear that Crivellaro has placed careful thought upon which tones to use to recreate the sounds in his head. Silky pads set the mood, high-pitched strings politely ask for your attention, and tight percussion binds the songs together. The sounds all layer and marry beautifully, inviting you to feel warm sunlight on your arms, taste salt spray on your lips and hear the distant cry of circling seabirds.

Clocking in at just less than 20 minutes, this album offers a small taste of lush textural brilliance. Serene and evocative, I can imagine it as the perfect soundtrack for a calm day on the sea. Crivellaro joins the ranks of incredible multi-instrumentalists who can single-handedly bring the music in their heads to life, and I thank him for it. Waves is one ambient work worth taking note of.

10 Waves Of You Links:

Joseph James

Album Review: Blueneck – The Outpost

I fell in love with Blueneck as soon as I heard them. I heard their song “Man Of Lies” when I was listening through the mammoth Post Engineering compilation that came out last year. That was it – I was hooked. I looked up Blueneck’s Bandcamp page and purchased their catalogue.

The Outpost (Denovali Records) is Blueneck’s sixth studio album, and latest since 2014’s King Nine. It is also well worth a listen.

The Outpost was first planned as a side-project from singer-songwriter Duncan Attwood and guitarist
Rich Sadler, before it became truely realised as a full Blueneck release. How did the two of them come up with such an expansive sound? Herein lies some of the wonders of digital instruments. And although I usually prefer “real” instruments above their electronic counterparts, I must admit that Blueneck do a stellar job. Everything works together in cohesion to complement each part that makes up the ambient soundscape.

I’d appreciate slightly less autotuning, but Duncan Attwood’s vocals are standout and enhance the tender ballads dramatically. He borders on whispering at times, just loud enough for you to hear the hurt. His melancholy is almost tangible in “Hypnos”.

Image: Stewart Black Photography

Opening track “From Beyond” features a drum track that reminds me of Phil Collins’ signature hit “In The Air Tonight”. Like in Collins’ song, the drum track helps to build suspense as we escalate into a climax. The song slowly transforms into a synthetic, industrial feeling track, with autotuned vocals, heavy reverb and a tortured screaming crescendo. This well-crafted masterpiece sets the tone for the album beautifully.

Next up is lead single “Ghosts”. It takes me back to when I first heard “Man Of Lies” and reminds me of why I first fell in love with Blueneck. Like “From Beyond”, this track just gets better as it progresses. The catchy chanted bridge leads into a gorgeous high-pitched guitar riff, before dynamically reverting back to the sparse piano mantra that first tied the song together.

An underlying tension boils beneath many of these tracks, coated with an ethereal glossy veneer. I love how Blueneck walk the line so well – balancing the calm solemnity with the awesome distorted moments. One great example is the during the spacious bridge in “The White Ship” that leaves us hanging. It’s so empty, but full of promise, because you know that this ambient segment is going to end with something huge.

We hear everything you’d expect to hear from most major post-rock releases: swirling riffs, big swells, crashing crescendos. There’s great guitar playing and brilliant drumming, as well as the haunting vocals which are rare to find within this genre. But somehow this album seems to pack more than the sum of its parts. Something is immediately enticing and accessible, despite the depressing nature of the lyrics, and the longer playtimes of half the tracks.

The Outpost is an incredibly moody album. There is such stunning beauty in the music, topped with Attwood’s mournful vocals. If you like eerie post-rock drawing on electronica and saturated in feeling then I suggest you give Blueneck a listen.

The Outpost is out via Denovali Records on 25 November