Well honestly, the title says most of it. This album is a pretty large shit stain, but cleans itself up quite nicely. It is one of those albums that when seen in a record store, you can’t even think of ever taking it seriously after reading their name and ever buying it. Even the cover is boring, but slightly cool! My first listen, I could not put my finger on how to classify this band, because their music is just so fucked up and confusing, but after a second round, I started to understand the craziness this album beheld. The first song gives a large tribal feel with the beginning beat, but then you are thrown off track with strange tribal vocals, but then in relief, there is a synth playing beautiful chords in the background. But do I like it? That was the question I had to ask myself again and again. I guess it’s safe to say that PSY has made their own unique sound containing rebellious punk, tribal, rock, and alt techno with some selection of French vocals here and there. I had to admit, one song, “Decadense” was stuck in my head for some time. If you’re into really intense music that’s full of life and confusion, Paris Suit Yourself’s My Main Shitstain could be something to look into. (Big Dada www.bigdada.com) Nicholas Van Doeselaar
KEN mode: From the Heart of St. Vital on
By Marc Evans
In case you have literally or figuratively been living under a rock, the name KEN mode has affectionately been hammered into your cerebral cavities. For a decade plus, this Winnipeg trio has been executing their wartime strategy with eerie precision. Gearing up for a relatively massive touring cycle in support of their fourth full-length album, I sat down over a lovely cup of Lavazza with drum ogre Shane Matthewson.
Stylus: Damn this coffee is great, good call. Can you sum up the timeline of the band for those not in the know?
Shane Matthewson: Well, we formed in the heart of St. Vital in 1999. At the core we are two loser brothers [Jesse on guitar/vocals] who refuse to quit because it’s all we know at this point (and we love doing it, and all that good stuff). Our first “studio” album was recorded in late 2001 but didn’t come out until 2003. Since 2002, we’ve been touring whenever our busy work and school schedules have permitted. We’ve been touring and putting on our own shows locally for a long time now, so I suppose people might say we’ve ‘paid our dues.’ I see it more as we just didn’t quit! [Laughs] Our newest album Venerable, which comes out March 15, is our first with our new label Profound Lore Records. We’re really excited to be working with Profound Lore!
Stylus: Speaking of Profound Lore, which happens to be one of my favorite labels right now, what sparked the change from Escape Artist, to your own label Arctodus Records, to now one of the hottest forward thinking aggressive labels? Continue reading “KEN mode: From the Heart of St. Vital on”
Parts & Labor – Constant Future
Parts and Labor’s sixth noise-rock album bursts into 12 electric-led and thunderous battles – and all of them sound like richly illustrated tales of victory. With 10 years behind them, Parts & Labor have definitely found a structure they like. Lack of variation works in their favour here: these songs are narrated by clear electric guitar melodies riding on top of drums pounding and kicking sound higher and higher until you’ve got a personal hurricane in your headphones. Dan Friel and B.J. Warshaw’s harmonies are magnified and deep, lending an almost religious and kingly feel to this record. “Echo Chamber” has a vaguely Irish intro, quickly punctuated by measured shots of pummelling drums. “Bright White” is pretty unremarkable with its constant fuzziness, but “Pure Annihilation” has no shortage of hooks. Definitely a must-listen for fans of Japanther, Obits, and Dan Friel. (JMZ records, www.jmzrecords.com) Adrienne Yeung
Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip
Austin’s Ringo Deathstarr has it tough. Before opening the case, I had already judged the bejeezus out of them. What a stupid name. What a stupid, stupid name. First hint to them: get a different name. Second hint: keep doing everything else the same. Any band that manages to essentially replicate My Bloody Valentine’s sound without sounding trite has me listening intently. It’s pretty common knowledge now because of the good old interwebs how Kevin Shields managed his groundbreaking guitar effects that propelled his band to eternal alt-music stardom (that’s what they called indie music back then, kids), and Ringo Deathstarr’s guitarist Elliott Frazier has spent his time tweaking knobs and placing speakers and whatever else you have to do to get that sought-after sound. The guitars sound exactly- exactly- like Loveless-era MBV. So do the drums and female vocals. Does this make the band as good or as groundbreaking as My Bloody Valentine? Good lord, no. No no no, no, an emphatic no. Lemme rephrase: NUP. I hate to make this review a straight side-by-side comparison to MBV, but Deathstarr’s asking for it. Look at what they’re playing! They want it. They want everybody talking about them to be forced to, even in passing, reference MBV. Even if you’ve never heard of My Bloody Valentine, somehow those words will escape past your lips if you’re talking about Ringo Deathstarr. So, here you go Ringos. You versus one of the best, most groundbreakingest groups of the last 30 years. Ahem. So, where MBV used their guitars in a nuanced, sophisticated way to create atmosphere, tension, rhythm and melody all in one, you, harnessers of this awesome power, have bent it to your own hipster-happy devices. You’ve used it to make poppy jams about getting really high and ex-girlfriends stealing your cardigans (“I’m So High,” “Imagine Hearts,” respectively, if you couldn’t figure that one). That being said, I still don’t know what the hell MBV were singing about. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t about getting high, even though Kevin Shields has been higher than your hipster brains could handle, for the last 15 years. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Don’t spill any on your cardigan though – such a disaster would probably spawn at least another EP’s worth of material. This just makes me want to listen to Loveless and scowl at this album. Wait, why am I putting it back in the CD player? Why has “I’m So High” been stuck in my head for the past week? Oh, goddamnit. (Club AC360, http://www.myspace.com/ringodeathstarr) David Nowacki
Major Organ and the Adding Machine – Major Organ and the Adding Machine
This Major Organ album is quite possibly the most confusing and alienating record born from the great womb of the Elephant 6. Suspected fathers from bands Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, Apples In Stereo and Olivia Tremor Control came together and… made… this! It’s definitely a pop-album, one slathered in sounds reminiscent of the “Combinations” from OTC’s album Black Foliage; spliced-up tape pieces, pastiches of perverted pop, “non-music” to some (or perhaps to most). Those who dislike the weirdness of OTC’s splintered weirdo songs or NMH’s bent carnival music would best ignore this; you won’t find what you want here. Here are a lot of songs, many ideas of songs, buried under electronic gauze and hazy shards of broken sounds. Anything that makes a noise is an instrument. It’s very strange and it’s very, very beautiful.
This reissue tacks on 8 bonus tracks, including the Christmas compilation contribution, a cover of “What A Wonderful World” (pretty tough to muck this one up) and a DVD of the same name. It’s a short film starring E6 luminaries, weird costumes, homemade creations and two cute kids plunked down in one of the weirdest situations committed to video. Both the album and movie are whimsical and childlike, expression without fear of rejection. That kind of innocent experimentation yields a bushel of aural happiness. And it’s a great bonus for the CD-buying consumer. There’s a lot of gold that there well, you just gotta go deep ’n’ dig. (Orange Twin, www.orangetwin.com) Patrick Michalishyn
Balanced Records: Complex yet Simple
By Victoria King
2011 marks the ten-year anniversary for Balanced Records, the Winnipeg-based mega-project. Starting off as an informal collective of local DJs as an outlet for just getting their stuff out there, Balanced now ranges from electronic to world, dubstep to R ’n’ B. Stylus enjoyed a great vegan lunch at Mondragon with manager Adam Hannibal and president Spencer Kuziw to talk about the past, the present and downloading.
Stylus: Right off the bat, the ten-year is now. What was the goal when you started off?
Adam Hannibal: Well, the ten-year mark is something we’re very proud of. Originally, we just wanted to put out music and we didn’t have any specific direction, just to release Winnipeg artists, promote parties and our own music. No one really had a background in the business side of music. Initially, the goal was just to get our music out there and see how it went. That was the first couple years. We only released local music. In the last five years we’ve broadened to reach a lot of artists from all over the world and from different genres. Now, we’re actively trying to get our music distributed and land as many deals as we can for our artists.
Stylus: As far as competition in opposing markets, how do you guys see yourselves measuring up to major labels in Canada and internationally?
AH: We’ve found a lot of partnerships with other labels that haven’t been so much competitive as much as ‘win-win’ situations. In electronic music there is a big remix culture, meaning that artists are getting together and collaborating to remix their music or vice versa. They might release some of our music and we’ll release some of theirs. It’s a healthy cooperative direction. Part of it might be that we are in Winnipeg and not necessarily in their ‘territory.’ Or, they might recognize that we are unique and so are they, so we may as well collaborate.
Spencer Kuziw: Agreed. We’re still releasing physical media and a lot of people come to us because they want to be released that way. Five years ago, for example, there were a lot of labels that Adam and I worked with where we might think, “Wow, that’s a crazy label. I can’t believe we’re dealing with them.” Yet now, I think releasing vinyl has definitely elevated our stature for sure – for example, our 7” vinyl Juno record. Those are still near the top of vinyl just because that’s something we’re doing that a lot of people haven’t done. It has certainly elevated our stature. Continue reading “Balanced Records: Complex yet Simple”
Autumn Defense – Once Around
They better have a defense for the other three seasons. The Autumn Defense’s is the fourth album from Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone, which makes them a side project of the famous indie band. All I have to say is, why not stick with playing in Wilco and leave side projects for musicians who actually have something interesting to contribute to the music community? At times, Once Around sounds like it’s trying to emulate sixties pop/rock. The result is stale, ignorable, commercial pop music that one mocks when it frequently appears as background music in the latest formulaic romantic comedy. I will say that this is NOT the worst music I’ve ever heard. The title track starts out with Wilco’s signature picking on acoustic guitar and the drums focused on tom, bass and hi-hat. However, the song’s uninspired lyrics: (“You are my only one / When it’s said and done / My heart beats one by one”) and bland pop vocal styling are the ultimate downfall of this album. (Yep Roc, www.yeproc.com) Kyra Leib
Lia Ices – Grown Unknown
Brooklyn’s Lia Ices is moving up in the world. Since she released her first album Necima in 2008 on relatively unknown label Rare Book Room, she’s been signed to Jagjaguwar and even coaxed indie’s hottest sensitive cabin-dweller, Justin Vernon, onto her album. So what’s all this, then? Who is Lia Ices and why should I care? Well, the short of the who is easy enough. She’s that sorta-weird singer-songwriter lady. You know the one, Kate Bush birthed her in the late eighties and she’s floated around since under various forms and aliases. Lia Ices is a pseudonym, and I suspect this might be that offspring’s latest incarnation. Mz. Ices certainly can’t be faulted for lack of trying – Grown Unknown is intricately crafted, and quite pleasant to listen to. She incorporates all sorts of instruments and styles, often in the same song, while always remaining in the comfortable singer-songwriter suit. The album plods along, and you might occasionally nod your head, or find yourself impressed at the unexpected stylistic flourishes, but it’s rarely enough to compel you into investing yourself in the album. In fact, it wasn’t until the eponymous fifth track that I was truly drawn in. It seems like she found some extra creative spark halfway through the album, and she fortunately runs with it. The creativity peaks with “Grown Unknown” and continues for the rest of the album, but tapers with each passing track. When she can muster enough of this energy to sustain an entire album, it might be a classic, but for now, all she’s mustered is an occasionally intriguing but generally sort of boring effort. (Jagjaguwar, www.liaices.com) David Nowacki
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers: Flugelhorn and Folktales
By Adrienne Yeung
This may be their first full-length album, but Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers are no newcomers to music in any sense. The classically trained sextet combines elements of jazz, pop, and gypsy folk to create an old-world influenced, complex, and orchestral sound that’s incredibly rich and gorgeous. They released their self-titled EP in August 2008, and performed hit show The Wild Things at the Fringe Festival last summer. Stylus joined lead vocalist Jesse Krause and keyboardist Darren Grunau for breakfast at the Ellice Café to chat about their new album Hans My Lion, which was released March 15.
Stylus: How would you guys describe your sound?
Darren Grunau: Big band burlesque?
Jesse Krause: BOLD big-band burlesque.
DG: Yeah, get some more ‘b’s in there!
Stylus: Hans My Lion, the character, was born from a human mother, and is very isolated and angry at the world. How did you think him up?
JK: Hans My Lion is based on Hans My Hedgehog, a German folk tale that was collected by the Brothers Grimm. Yeah, it’s a very similar story but with a hedgehog instead of a lion. He’s not ostracized for anything that he’s actually done, but Hans My Lion does something bad in the middle of the album that forces him to leave.
DG: Hans My Hedgehog rode a giant rooster! You know, just a point of interest. Which Jesse neglected to include in the album!! Continue reading “Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers: Flugelhorn and Folktales”
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers – Hans My Lion
Don’t get me wrong: There is a distinct lack of hose and medieval gallivanting on this album, but nevertheless, what Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers’ first full-length album immediately brings to mind is a dark and obscure folk tale with origins somewhere in the 10th century. What does this sound like? Dark and jazzy, salacious and circusy, ravenously passionate pop. The classically trained sextet behind this sound commands instruments such as glockenspiel, guitar, accordion, keyboard, cymbals, violin, trumpet, and saxophone that burst into musical richness inside your brain. Lead vocalist Jesse Krause’s elastic voice growls low and rough at times, but in the next second swoops quivering up the scales. The poetic lyrics are a joy to read. “Nurse” is lewd, dark, and juicy, and contains one of the best moments on the record – a rare moment free of instruments that’s like suddenly being alone in a room with Jekyll who transforms into grinning Hyde. Here, Krause sounds lasciviously desperate and menacingly violent before breaking into full-blown mania. This album is busy – a massive understatement – and it’s sometimes hard to tell where songs begin and end. Listening to this will make you want to run out of your apartment to dance in a fire with woodland animals, caring only about the moment.That’s the spirit of Hans my Lion, and he lives whenever you do. (Head in the Sand, www.headinthesand.ca) Adrienne Yeung