Live Review and Photos: The Adults at Meow, Wellington

The Adults’ second album, Haja, is one of the better albums to come out in recent months. Vivacious and upbeat, it combines energetic Sudanese percussion with emerging New Zealand pop and hip-hop talent.

I was wondering how they would pull it off in a live context, purely because the album featured a lot of contributors from around New Zealand and Sudan. Many songs on the record revolve around Sudanese Aghani-Al-Banat music, and the women who laid down those beats were unlikely to come all the way to Aotearoa for a few Adults shows. I also wondered what material they would play, seeing as there are two Adults records to draw material from.

Raiza Biza opened the night with some smooth hip-hop. He looked familiar, and then I realised that I recognised him from one of David Dallas’ Hood Country Club album release shows last year. He had a great chilled out style, and his backing music was musical – as opposed to just beats – with horns and all.

After a handful of songs Biza looked over to the door to the green room. “Jon, are you ready? Should I do another song?” he enquired, unsure of how long he should play.

“Keep playing, we want more!” a lady behind me yelled. Biza shrugged, signaled the DJ to start another song, and played a few more

The rest of the band came on after Biza’s set. Trinity Root’s Ben Lemi on drums, Steve Bremner on percussion, Emily Browning on guitar and vocals, Estere on roto toms, percussion, vocals and synth, and the main man himself, Jon Toogood on bass and vocals. A fairly star-studded line-up.

Biza stayed on for a few songs, taking on the rapping parts that he and Kings had laid down on Haja. Toogood was clearly stoked to have him on as part of the team.

I was pleased to hear the group faithfully recreate the Sudanese beats. Bremner and Lemi showed off their obvious proficiency on drums and percussion, with Estere adding roto toms, tambourine and maracas to the mix at times. Toogood complemented this by laying down thick bass, which came through loud and strong.

The mostly instrumental tracks “Haja” and “Like The Moon” were standout. They were able to mess around with the songs – due to the lack of verse/chorus structure – giving them the feel of fun extended jams.

Another highlight was lead single “Bloodlines”. “Oh, this is a good one!” a lady shouted as Toogood announced it.

“I hope so,” Toogood replied, “I thought it was good too. That’s why I’m here to play it.”

He appeared in a good mood – perhaps feeling slightly flustered and under-prepared for the first live performance of this material – but also clearly having fun, judging from his dancing as he immersed himself in the music. He joked along with the crowd as they shouted out, and made sure to direct positive attention to his colleagues.

The Adults is a supergroup, of sorts, and each member tonight proved themself a worthy addition to the band. Browning sounded great on guitar and could sing well, although could have used a volume boost. And Estere was the star of the night, spreading her talent across multiple instruments and leading most of the singing. She took on the parts written by Aaradhna and Ladi6 with ease.

They played the all eight songs from Haja, followed by “Nothing To Lose”, the lead single from the original Adults record. This was a brilliant way to end, with everyone dancing along to the strong, bouncing bassline.

A short break was followed by one encore, “Short Change” – a b-side I didn’t recognise that Toogood had co-written with Shayne Carter. Bremner played drums this time, freeing Lemi to come up to play lead guitar.

All up it was a fantastic gig. Lots of talent, lots of energy, and plenty of opportunities to dance. It didn’t feel fully polished – being the first performance of new material – but it didn’t feel lacking either. I would have loved to hear more, but they did play the entire album, so I can’t exactly feel cheated. If you get the chance to see the Adults play any of the rest of the dates as they tour New Zealand of Australia then I recommend you head along and have some fun.

Words and photos by Joseph James

EP Review: Toe – Our Latest Number

To me, Toe are about as close as you can come to a perfect band. They are incredibly talented musicians who create great compositions that appeal to just about everyone. It’s never a bad time to listen to Toe, no matter what kind of mood you’re in. I have a funny anecdote that I shared in my Masaki Hanakata review, which involved me introducing Toe to American teenage girls at a Summer Camp I worked at, resulting in them all chanting “Toe! Toe! Toe!” until I played some of Toe’s music through tinny speakers at the campfire.

Their new EP, Our Latest Number picks up where Hear You (2015) left off. In fact, I feel that the new song “Etude of Solitude” could complete a trilogy started with the 2015 tracks “Premonition” and “A Desert of Human”, following similar sounding guitar lines. “Etude…” is my favourite track of this EP, featuring split tapped poly-rhythms, sparing yet effective use of vibraphone, splendid drumming, and possibly even sitar?

We hear light, airy songs that sound simple, but are deceptively complex. The songs are very repetitive, looping around groovy motifs that gradually evolve. Precise poly-rhythms of noodly guitars sit above concise, dry drumming, loaded with explosive energy, yet exuding chilled out vibes.

Most Toe tracks are instrumental, and when they feature vocals the singing is usually diverse and unpredictable. Hear You had male and female vocals, stunning harmonies and even rapping. By comparison, the two songs featuring singing on this EP are relatively straightforward and calm.

Thanos would love this EP because it feels so perfectly balanced. The playing is busy, but the musicians know where to leave space. The music sounds so clean and articulate due to the fact that there are very little sound effects added to the playing . Most post-rock music is saturated in distortion, reverb, delay etc… so these songs sound fresh by comparison.

That is not to say there are no effects or synthetic sounds utilised. “F_A_R” has a weird sliding sound – almost like a robotic heartbeat – at the start of the track. I first noticed it as I was walking to work a few days ago, and I thought the sound was my headphone cord rubbing against my clothes. The track continues to employ interesting sounds from synths and sequencers to add texture.

It says something about the quality of the music when you love a band so much without knowing much about them. I have no idea what they sing about on their songs that contain singing. It’s hard to keep track of what they’re up to over social media, seeing as most content I find is written in Japanese. I can’t understand what their message is, so I simply let the music talk on their behalf.

The only downside of Our Latest Number is that it is too short, last just shy of 20 minutes. And on top of that, some tracks almost feel like rehashed versions of older songs (compare the drumbeat “The Latest Number” against “You Go”, from 2009’s For Long Tomorrow). But my complacency isn’t justified – I just crave more music from this outstanding band!

This is an immaculate EP, in keeping with their previous output. Essential listening for most math-rock and post-rock fans, and I’m sure just as appealing to anyone who doesn’t usually listen to instrumental music. Just press play, and bask in the music’s genius and clarity.

Toe links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toemusic/
Bandcamp: https://toe-music.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takaakimino/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mino_takaaki

Upcoming US tour dates:

September 07, 2018 – Washington, DC, US @ Black Cat
September 08, 2018 – Brooklyn, NY, US @ Warsaw
September 09, 2018 – Philadelphia, PA, US @ Union Transfer
September 10, 2018 – Allston, MA, US @ Brighton Music Hall
September 12, 2018 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club
September 13, 2018 – Chicago, IL, US @ Thalia Hall
September 14, 2018 – Minneapolis, MN, US @ Fine Line Music Cafe
September 17, 2018 – Seattle, WA, US @ The Crocodile
September 18, 2018 – Vancouver, BC, Canada @ The Imperial
September 19, 2018 – Portland, OR, US @ Wonder Ballroom
September 20, 2018 – San Francisco, CA, US @ Great American Music Hall
September 21, 2018 – Los Angeles, CA, US @ Regent Theater

Joseph James

Album Review: The Dark Third – Even As The Light Grows

You’d be forgiven if Auckland act The Dark Third haven’t popped up on your radar yet, but that is soon to change. Formed in 2013, they underwent a number of changes, before gaining relative success in 2017 by playing support slots for both Tortoise and Alcest when each of those bands played in Auckland. On August 19 they will release début Even As The Light Grows.

The Dark Third have created a hazy brand of music that eludes easy description by drawing on a range of styles including shoegaze, post-rock, prog-rock and black-metal. Their style reminds me of other dark post-rock acts that offer similar moody output, like Coma Recovery, The Swan Thief and Blueneck.

They name check prog-rocker Steven Wilson (of Porcupine Tree fame) as an influence and I can see why. The progressive styling, long songs, and focus on intelligent song crafting over sheer heaviness all bear similarity to Wilson’s own work.

With opening track “The dreams of Lesser Men” a harsh discordant intro segues into hotel lobby piano playing, before transforming into guitar picking. Light floaty segments bookend distorted feedback, but somehow all the parts feel connected. Daniel Hay’s singing sounds weightless and ethereal, but still powerful and emotive.

To me, this strength of this album lies in the second track, “These Things Are Not Inherent”. Primal thumping drums and bass heavy piano chords ground the song, while hypnotic singing draws us in. It’s like Killing Joke minus the aggression. And I can’t get enough of it.

The album repeats itself a lot – not in an annoying way – but revisiting themes across the album through use of reprisals and motifs. Maybe it’s just because I’ve listened to it so much over the past few weeks, or maybe it’s because many of the songs are fairly long, but I keep hearing segments and getting a sense of déjà vu, that the same chord progressions and melodies keep cropping up again. It’s a good thing though, showing that cohesive elements thread through each song to make the album feel like a fully developed package.

Another neat aspect of this release is that the band includes a wide array of instruments that eschew the traditional rock four-piece expectations. Piano, violin and saxophone all offer different tones and textures that defy expectations. When I think saxophone, jazz comes to mind. Well here, it is used in a completely different context. There are 13 layers of sax in “These Things Are Not Inherent”, which all pile upon each other to create a unique drone effect. And speaking of interesting instrumentation, the end of “The Regressor” turns industrial, sounding like a factory in action, with reversed sound effects.

It’s hard to articulate why I like this album so much. I had the same problem reviewing Coma Recovery’s EP earlier in the year. It speaks to me emotionally, which is hard to convey with words.

Even As The Light Grows is an album of polarities. Dark and light; heavy and soft; classic and fresh. The album art encapsulates their sound well: looking both serene and sharp at the same time. It’s like a good stout: dark, silky smooth and with layers of depth that stay with you long after your sip. Drink it all in and enjoy

Daniel Hay The Dark Third by Mandie Hailtree

Daniel Hay. Image: Hailtree

The Dark Third links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDarkThird/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarkthird/
Bandcamp: https://thedarkthird.bandcamp.com/

Joseph James

Album Review: Listener – Being Empty : Being Filled

Listener are a polarising band. Intensely poetic – with strong focus on vocal delivery – they either draw you in with their rich lyrically constructed worlds, or push you away with the non-conventional vocals. Maybe you’re already familiar with Listener. If you like other acts like La Dispute and mewithoutyou you should really check them out.

Half the fun is interpreting the lyrics. Both descriptive and cryptic, they can rip your heart apart or restore your faith in humanity. It all revolves around frontman Dan Smith’s impassioned delivery. His voice cracks with intensity. You can picture him on the cusp of collapsing into a teary mess. But he also has the ability to tenderly pick you up and tell direct truths that demonstrate beauty and hope.

Being Empty : Being Filled is Listener’s fourth record, a concept album that explores the lives of notable inventors. The songs were released over an eight month period across a series of 7 inch vinyl EPs and Youtube videos.

Listener delve into the lives of the inventors. Who are these people who the songs centre around? Maybe we know what they are famous for, but do we know about the lives that they lived? It is a fascinating concept. I wouldn’t even say Listener necessarily chose inventors that they look up to and admire. But no matter how useful the invention (ranging from cryogenics to denim jeans), each inventor still has a story.

The figures in focus range from groundbreaking scientists like Robert Oppenheimer (The Father of the Atom Bomb) and Nikola Tesla; to others who may seem mediocre by comparison, but are no less essential (such as Levi Strauss, and Moms and Dads). Good to see that they included some female inventors in their selection too (Stephanie Kwolek – known for kevlar, and Marie Curie – who studied radioactivity).

Dan Smith’s solo Still Life EP (2015) – the last Listener-affiliated release – was a stripped back affair. By comparison, Being Empty : Being Filled is a full sounding rock record. I was actually shocked by the opening chords of the album. It sounds surprisingly full, considering how in the past the music has taken a backseat to allow the vocals a chance to shine.

Smith’s vocals don’t take up so much of the spotlight this time, but he is still compelling. Energy, emotion and dynamic delivery are three critical factors that help us relate to music, and Smith offers it all in spades. He bellows cryptic lines with accusatory tones, maybe not in condemnation, but with enough passion to invite interest. Take this lyric, for example: “October is my favorite color”. What does that mean?

The brilliant music help to add gravitas to these stories of struggle and success. Victorious trumpets support Levi Strauss’ triumphant work ethic. Sparse, lingering notes recount the forlorn tale of Rudolph Diesel, who managed to create his engine, but separated himself from his loved ones in the process. In “Plague Doctor” screeching feedback and frenzied distortion transforms into electrifying, foreboding doom.

Layers of emotion and intensity overlap as the music syncs with the stories. I wouldn’t even say that the tone of the music matches the tone of the stories. I would attach feelings of hope and wonder with conceiving and raising a child, but dense, distorted chugging creates a sense of desperation in ” Little Folded Fingers”. And during “Manhattan Projects”, when we hear Robert Oppenheimer’s immortal line (“I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”) the melody is light and wondrous – followed soon by guitar chugging that mimics dropping bombs – but then offset by a lovely trumpet tune. But my interpretation of themes are subjective, and whether the messages and musical moods marry or not, they both offer engaging and compelling listening.

Being Empty : Being Filled is vastly different from Listener’s previous output because it feels more fleshed out. The music is intense and dynamic enough to match the vocals. Enough riffs to rock out to, enough intrigue to pique interest, enough poetic lyrics to keep you thinking, and enough pathos to make the album feel like an experience. I’ll award bonus points for exploring such a compelling concept as well. This album has motivated me to research some of the figures who Listener pay homage to with these songs.

Admittedly, I was already a Listener fan before this record came out, but I find it a vast improvement upon their previous output. Give it a listen. Even if you don’t like it, I’m sure you can admire the originality and creativity injected into it.

Listener links:

Website: http://iamlistener.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listener

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamlistener

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/listenerproject

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listenerfamilyband/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/listener

LISTENER 2018 AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TOUR (Tickets link)

Listener are coming to Australia and New Zealand thanks to Reverse K and Valhalla Touring.

Review written by Joseph James. Come say hi if you see me at the Wellington show.

Album Review: Tides Of Man – Every Nothing

I became friends with the guys in Tides of Man when on tour with Ranges last October. The two bands shared three dates on tour, as well as both playing the inaugural dunk!USA festival in Vermont. The day that I really got to know the guys in Tides was in Clifton, NJ. We got to the venue with plenty of time to spare, so after loading our gear into the venue we went on an adventure, exploring some nearby drains nicknamed “Gates of Hell”. Nothing like a shared adventure to help form a friendship!

That night I got locked backstage while the band played. It was during that set that I realised just how good the band was. I was already a Tides of Man fan based off their album Young and Courageous, but being able to watch them play that night, and the few nights that followed, added to my appreciation of the band.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this new album since then. I was lucky enough to hear some of the new tracks played live in America, and again at dunk!festival in Belgium this May, so I knew that the record was going to be great.

Technically, this record is excellent. Most of the guys moonlight as sessions musicians, so are clearly adept at their craft and know their way around a studio. Not to mention that they have already released three other albums with which they could refine their sound and gel as a group.

I’ve listened to Every Nothing on heavy rotation for a month now. It’s an album that ages with time. With Every Nothing they’re trying new sounds, new textures, new feelings. And it’s stunning.

Most people’s first introduction to the album will be through the track “Static Hymn”, seeing as it is both the first single, and first track on the album. It warmly beckons us in, enveloping us with swirling haze. There’s a lot going on without it sounding overly busy. At 2.40 the music launches into blast beats and drill picking, melding a new hybrid of sounds that I’m going to nickname hope thrash – both intense and inviting.

Exploring sonic textural possibilities has paid off, because Every Nothing sounds so warm! They paint moody atmosphere with every masterful stroke. I can’t wait to get a copy on vinyl to hear it in its full glory.

It must be mentioned that Alan Jaye is a brilliant bass player. He dials his tones in – from the in-you-face intro of “Everything Is Fine, Everyone Is Happy”, to the spacey feel of “Outside Ourselves”. The solo bass during the drop out of “Waxwing” hits the spot so well.

His rhythmic counterpart Josh Gould matches him with talent and diversity, with plenty of interesting moments like the distant percussion outro in “Mercury Fields”, the open/close hi-hat playing in “Mosaic”. One hang up I have is that Josh’s drum tones could cut through more at times when his bright washy cymbals dominate the mix. I can’t fault his playing, I would just like to hear it more clearly in certain sections.

Possibly the best example of this Josh’s playing can be found in “Outside Ourselves”. Saturated with feeling, and offering sweet melodies, it is one the leviathan tracks on the album. Josh shows off his chops with prog drumming, playing around the beat with subtle finesse.

“New Futures” is one of the standout tracks, boasting powerful drumming and defined guitar playing. I dig this articulate sound, picking up Lost In The Riots kind of vibes. Josh brings us in on drums, with crisp rapping on the rims and alternate sticking on the hi-hats. The guitars come in looped layers of delay.

I hear a new side of the band in piano ballad “Far Off”. Solemn, ghostly and ambient, it’s a song with strong gravitas. And, going off on a wild tangent: what do we hear in the background at 1.19 mark? A child shouting something?

The This Will Destroy You influences are noticeable in “Death Is No Dread Enemy”. It’s hard to tell how much is digital or analogue within the mix, but there are certainly elements that sound electronic/triggered and offer fresh new textures and timbre. A brooding, searing piece that fluctuates between introspective and intense.

There are many brilliant moments to be found throughout Every Nothing. There are too many to list, but some of my favourite moments include during “Old 88″, when the sadness and longing explodes into something raw and defiant; The outro of “Keep Telling Yourself” with plucking sounds that mimic a lullaby music box; And the piece in “Waxwing” that transitions from harmonic riffing, to a bass solo, to everyone coming back in full force after the drop-out.

Strong emotions arise when I think of Tide of Man’s music. Being overwhelmed with joy when dancing along to “We Were Only Dreaming” every time I’ve seen them play it; Having raucous, carefree laughter as we drunkenly ‘sang’ the lead melody of “Young and Courageous” to some uninducted French Canadians in the back of a van after dunk!festival; Experiencing bittersweet sadness as Joey put on Young And Courageous in the tour van as we drove through New York state the day that our bands parted ways.

Every Nothing replicates these feelings, spanning the emotional spectrum as the band explores both the meaningfulness and monotony of life. Tender, mournful moments sit alongside intense elated explosions.

It’s a grower of an album, for sure. Bound to blow you away at first, but also rewarding you with new discovered intricacies upon repeated listens. There’s an undeniable homeliness to the record, being so warm, comforting and familiar. But even though it is settling, it also tugs you along on an epic adventure filled with exhilarating danger.

Order physical copies of Every Nothing from A Thousand Arms:
https://athousandarms.store/collections/tidesofman

Tides of Man links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tidesofman/
Bandcamp: https://tidesofman.bandcamp.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tidesofman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tidesofman/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGu5lp7dVJNbsYCEjN2Mk_A

Words and photos by Joseph James

Will Not Fade

Content for music lovers

Live Review and Photos: The Adults at Meow, Wellington