Arp of the Covenant - S/T

published at www.allaboutjazz.com

Somewhere between electro-jazz and avant-prog-rock rests Minnesota’s ARP of the Covenant. The trio’s self-titled debut marries electronic and acoustic sounds, eschewing categorization, at times proving to be a rather exciting glimpse at what this band is capable of. Other times… not so much.

The band, as its name would suggest, is wholly obsessed with the ARP synthesizer—a 1970s-era analog synthesizer—and, it seems, any other synthesizer, keyboard or laptop; anything electronic capable of sound manipulation. Led by keyboardist and electro-geek Mark Siegenthaler, the trio is rounded out by drummer Nick Ziealinski and bassist Brad Townsend, who also employs the occasionally pitch-shifter or other sonic manipulation voice to further thicken ARP’s electro-acoustic stew.

“Bad Alternator,” powered by Zielinski’s proactive drumming, sounds more like Sacramento’s instrumetal (that’s not a typo folks) trio Hella—one of many amazing projects spawned from the polyrhythmic and tireless wrists of drummer Zach Hill. Zielinski, Townsend and Siegenthaler seem to be in a race with one another; Zielinski is the frontrunner but Siegenthaler does his best to push aside, try to hold back, or trip up the drummer—anything to gain a competitive advantage while Townsend lays back, laughing at the two’s utter tomfoolery.

Such an exciting track, such energy; such a disappointment, then, that “Bad Alternator” is followed by a subdued cover of the Eurythmic’s “Jennifer,” silencing any notion that Arp of the Covenant is going to be a caffeinated workout of a record.

“Jennifer” exposes one of this record’s sonic failings. ARP has an incredible sense of dynamics, switching from progressive sounds, that could push the best PA to its limits, to severely subdued and almost inaudible mood pieces. This reworking of the Eurythmics’ 1983 release isn’t bad, but probably should have been placed deeper into the album. Slow and unmoving, “Jennifer” kills the excitement generated by “Bad Alternator.”

“Arp of the Covenant Theme Song” is a sci-fi movie soundtrack, starring evil robots whose every move is accompanied by the painful cry of Moogs and other organs. “Blow By” is punkified King Crimson, while Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” loses all sense of structure for awhile, becoming thin electro-glitch. Again, moments of this tune are barely audible and, even on a good stereo and/or headphones, require a drastic turn of the volume knob. Despite this, “Stripped” does turn out to be a stellar track, as ARP builds the momentum up again, with Zielinski really letting his drums loose around the keyboardist’s repetitive groove—Benevento-Russo Duo certainly comes to mind here.

The band’s reworking of Sigur Ros’ “Untitled 1” is as thoughtful as the original, though left slightly barer than the composer’s vision.

ARP of the Covenant’s strong dynamic sense helps and hurts them. Slow, shallow moments sometimes lead to waning interest, but you can’t fault a band for having the wherewithal to take on a track like “Untitled 1,” an unheralded gem if there ever was one. This is a band worth checking out, and one capable of much more than what they expose with Arp of the Covenant.

SA Bands

I'm in love with three bands from San Antonio. Here they are.

Sohns
www.myspace.com/wearesohns



I had to double check the names on the lineup to make sure there wasn't a female fronting this band. Converge-y, kinda got a Hydrahead thing going on as well. Loads of Snapcase influence - gotta love that. Sohns have a 3-way split with two other bands on this list and a show at Rock Bottom Bar in San Antonio early next year opening for Planes Mistake for Stars.

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy
www.myspace.com/grasshopperliesheavy



Great album artwork right there. This band has the whole Pelican, Isis, Rosetta instrumetal thing going on. Super fucking epic, drivin by monstrous drumming and Mastadon-like riffage. Brutal and heavy. Got these guys playing in Austin on December 14th and I can't wait to check out this music live. This band is a few big shows and tours away from a big deal and loads of much-deserved national attention.

Make Your Own Maps
www.myspace.com/myom



Make Your Own Maps are akin to Refused, (International) Noise Conspiracy and similar dancey agro-punk bands. The band site everyone from "governments being ridiculous" and Noam Chomsky to the Weather Underground and Anthony Bourdain as influences, but I swear "What It Means to be a Waitress" is the hidden song on Shape of Punk to Come - isn't it?

The Artillery ... or, "A Helping Hand."

I find myself compelled to help out some of the younger bands that I help book shows for by reviewing their CD, writing brief press quotes, bios etc. etc. Press releases. Whatever I can do to help. The Artillery are some good kids, who play a lot of shows, and overall bust their asses for their music. The bands debut CD Fear is In isn't groundbreaking by any stretch, but it is a solid first effort.

So I reviewed it for Decoy....

RIYL: Alesana; The Red Jumpsuit Aparatus; Underoath; Thrice

Fear is In is the debut EP from Austin, TX’s The Artillery. Ok, so they’ll tell you they’re from the suburb of Round Rock (home of Dell Computers) but outside of Austin, who cares? Culled from the same crop as such uber-popular acts as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, LoveHateHero, From First to Last and Alesana, The Artillery are one of many bands trying to define their style and not get lost in the big league shuffle. Luckily these boys are young enough that redefinition (and the success contained therein) is still within sight. For now, Fear is In serves as a solid introduction to a band destined for bigger things.

“The Hunt” has a hook that digs in without a second to bear. But all too quickly The Artillery tarnish what shine they showed in those opening salvos by letting vocalist Dean Barry scream his little heart out. With such a sweet voice and strong sense of melody, Barry would do well to put the adolescent screams away and focus on his strength – the ability to belt out a panty-dropping melody.

Case in point: “Make it Reality.” What a classic pop song, written with far more maturity than these 19 year olds should be capable of. One listen to this track and it’s clear that The Artillery is just a few short steps away from radio takeover. “Tall Tale Night” is equally as impressive but at a slower tempo than where The Artillery’s strength lies. It’s the up-tempo, bordering on dancey numbers that allow The Artillery do what they do best – groove.



“Other Side” has hints of Thrice while “The Smell of Death” is prototypical screamo and hopefully a sign of the band’s past and not their future. It’s hard not to write about this band and simply make comparisons to other bands. The fact of the matter is they just haven’t done enough to set themselves apart from the vast number of other bands playing the same youthful and derivative style of pop punk.

Throughout Fear is In there’s a reoccurring theme of determination, strength through struggle, and an unwavering will to overcome all obstacles. “These tears may be made of blood,” Barry laments on “The Tempest.” “But that doesn’t mean give up.” More than just encouraging lyrics, these words double as the band’s personal philosophy, no doubt.

In a town that quickly swallows lesser artists, The Artillery has plenty of hype surrounding them and plenty of drive… driving them – two big things a band needs to make it out of this city alive. Now they just need one more thing every band destined to go places needs – a van.