Love Like Fire

Female-fronted and full of fire, San Francisco’s LoveLikeFire are a refreshing blend of late-90s keyboard-driven indie pop (Vagrant Records style – Koufax, The Get-up Kids, etc.) and uber-hip Williamsburg rock (think Yeah Yeah Yeahs or We Are Scientists). An Ocean in the Air is LoveLikeFire’s latest offering, and shows that this band is not far from indie stardom, so get on board this bandwagon now.



LoveLikeFire come out swinging, literally, with “Unlighted Shadow.” Over lightly swung rhythms and church-worthy organs, vocalist Ann Yu shows off her powerful voice, demanding attention and forcing you to keep listening for the remainder of the album.

Yu’s choice of vocal melodies on “Wish You Dead” are intriguing to say the least, with the track overall recalling the post-Joy Division stylings of The Stills or current critical darlings The National. Part march, part-waltz, “Broken Shapes” is heavy on the chill factor, allowing Yu to truly shine, wearing her vulnerability like a badge of honor.

Driven by a fuzzed out bass and guitarist Ted Parker’s Minus the Bear-ish leads, “SOS” is pure pop poetry, a proclamation to revel in positivity – the type of song that can do no more than make you smile. With the addition of Yuan Zhou’s cello, “Skin and Bones” is LoveLikeFire’s most adventurous undertaking and a complete and total success – more melancholy Brit-rock (Blur, Pulp) than the band's previously pop-driven offerings.

The acoustic “I Will,” while still an interesting listen, dampens much of the high energy indie rock displayed earlier on Ocean, though. But hey – it’s the last track and you can skip it if you feel like it (which is what I do).

Seven songs deep, An Ocean in the Air shows that LoveLikeFire are just a few watts away from true buzzworthy status.

www.myspace.com/lovelikefire

It's a sign ... Dramarama "Anything, Anything"

It must mean SOMETHING. I was listening to my band's cover of "Anything Anything" by Dramarama earlier tonight. Then at roughly 3:45 this morning, still rummaging through the bowels of the internet and watching "120 Minutes" on VH1 classic, I was delighted to hear the opening chords of... "Anything Anything." Coincidence or sign?



Compare it to the original ... tell me what you think.



And this version by The Distance, who, coincidentally, my band had the opportunity to open for earlier this year. Neither band played their versions of this song.

African music

I've just discovered this incredible blog for African music fans. Awesome Tapes from Africa.

This stuff is driving me nuts lately... there's so much remix potential here... these tracks are begging for Westerners hands to drop some psych-noise drums, some Dub Step bounce, some distorted depravity. Those vocals speak to everyone. This site collects tunes from cassette tapes featuring African musicians - cassette is still the preferred medium in Africa, especially Ghana, where many of these tracks come from. Impassioned vocals, polyrhythms that give the drummer in me a big stiffy - there isn't much more I can say about this music.


Moolobali - "Joulaou" .mp3

I mean, seriously that's such a fascinating rhythm, it's hypnotic and spiritual. The direct descent of this performance is John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." You can't argue with that. The repetitive theme, the impassioned vocals so reminiscent of Coltrane's best performance, a one-on-one conversation with God herself.


Miriam Bagayogo - "Miniyan Ye Koloni Mme" .mp3

Blues anyone? C'mon, this is right up there with Mississippi John Hurt or some Muddy Waters shit. This is African Blues - the third cousin twice removed of American Blues. Can we not say listening to this that American blues is a direct descendent of the same African tradition that birthed this music. Can we also not say then the capoeira and bboying are distant cousins also??

Interesting in searching for more on Miriam Bagayogo, I came across this gentleman, Issa Bagayogo, I assume a descendent> Son, perhaps. Similar to M. Bagayogo's vocal tradition, but with a decidedly "New Age"-ish backing track. This is Patchouli pop, I call it. Only one track to hear, and while Issa proclaims his music to be "Afro-beat" it most certainly is not. What it is, is the type of music that gives "World Music" a bad rap.

Hang on a second while I get something of my chest... cough... excuse me... UM.... THIS GUY HAS A MYSPACE?!? Say what you will open this lovable online community cum monster that Tom has created but Jesus Christ. Issa Bagayogo has a vehicle through which to share his music with the world. You GOTTA give props for that, seriously!

One more...

Souley Kante - "Bi Magni" .mp3

I was unsure if I was going to feature this track for a second, but only a second... well more like 2:30... essentially the midpoint of this jam band inspiring jam track. The bass solo at this point in the session dissects the rhythm with a certain level of insanity. That might not even be a "bass" in the Western sense but some other African bass-like instrument I am at this point unaware of.

And on a final note: I'm really digging this shirt.

Really digging it. Man the information is out there... diamonds are crippling Africa. It's a new form a slavery - we keep the entire continent in a perpetual state of war, because people in constant states of chaos are easier to control. Chaos creates fear and fear creates dictatorships.

Finally, for a laugh:

Ata Kak... ;) ... this guy is huge in Ghana. HUGE.

Sometimes Pop Punk Gets the Best of Me....

As summer ends throughout most of the country, it’s nice to have a record and a band that reminds us of all the great things summers mean – fires on the beach or afternoons on the lake, young love and summer crushes, and anthems that stay with you from May to August, fueling your late night sing-a-longs. The Dangerous Summer not only references the third season by name, but recalls its adventures in lyrics of hope, new beginnings, and those all-too-tough endings.

“Oh God it’s almost summer,” vocalist AJ Perdomo announces on the opening “I Would Stay.” Listening to this record you can’t help but think of high school seniors packing up and leaving town for their first semester of college and the adventures contained therein. No surprise that the four members of this group are of that age group, 17 and 18 year olds who know nothing but hope, whose adventures, stories and tragedies are yet to be written.

“The Permanent Rain” is the anthem for every kid who has ever dreamed of a life on the road, living in a van with your best friends, making music and living in exile, a song for every guitar hero and hopeless romantic to sing along to. Perdomo’s vocals are impassioned and meaningful as he confesses, “I want to make you proud, but I really don’t know how.”

The dual vocals that close “Here We Are After Dark” recall the best moments of Jimmy Eat World – a band that always seemed more mature than their peers, as is the case with this fresh faced foursome. “Home” tells the story of a lover leaving for the west coast, every east coast boy’s nightmare. “Disconnect” is that east coast boy driving “a thousand miles out west” in search of love.

“Of Confidence” closes the record. Perdomo sings, “You're making this a story you hope will never end,” as he relays the tragedy of crushes who become lovers and the awkwardness that ensues. Fading out with the requisite gang vocals, The Dangerous Summer pull out every trick needed to make a classic pop record.

For a Maryland band, The Dangerous Summer certainly knows the sound of California sunshine. Sugary pop in all the best ways, If You Could Only Keep Me Alive breathes life into a stagnant scene. Shocking these youngsters are just that, as they approach the craft of songwriting with a maturity lost on many of their peers. More Third Eyed Blind than Cartel, more Phil Collins than Gerard Way, The Dangerous Summer hit a home run with If You Could Only Keep Me Alive, their Hopeless Records debut.

Albert Ayler Documentary at Alamo Drafthouse

My Name is Albert Ayler is a documentary that needed to be made. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collins, the film is a spellbinding look at one of jazz' most misunderstood geniuses. With contributions from drummer Sunny Murray, Mary Parks, Don and Edward Ayler, and a host of Scandinavian musicians influential upon Ayler throughout his career, My Name Is Albert Ayler captures the beauty as well as the turmoil of Ayler’s short and sordid, controversial but significant life.

Loved or hated by peers, critics and jazz audiences of his time, Ayler is today seen as one of the most forward-looking artists in jazz, a true innovator who approached his instrument like none before him and none since. My Name is Albert Ayler does much to evoke sympathy for the artist in question, further advancing the image of Ayler as jazz prophet.

Using interviews conducted with Ayler between 1962 and 1970, Collins allows Ayler himself to narrate his documentary. Ayler’s voice is a shock to hear in that it is soothing, unobtrusive, a striking contrast to the feelings his music might evoke. Sounding like a sage or mystic storyteller, constantly weaving metaphors and mantras into the narrative; the saxophonist sounds clearly in tune with his art, fully aware of the forces and energies that affected his music even as he was constantly struggling with the extremes of adoring praise and biting criticism of his peers.

Sunny Murray, the drummer on Ayler’s Spiritual Unity (ESP, 1964), provides a bulk of the interview commentary on Albert and his life. Don Ayler, older brother who recently passed away, also has much to share about his younger sibling's life, adding illuminating commentary about the effect of Parks and Ayler’s relationship on the saxophonist’s family and friends and expressing his feelings about the Albert's departure from his own band in 1967. Mary Parks agreed to contribute interview material but only via phone rather than in person—apparently, the film suggests, to “enhance the sense of mystery” surrounding her relationship with Ayler.

Just seeing Ayler perform, most of the live footage taken from a Swedish TV performance, is in itself an extraordinary experience. Until now, Ayler had existed as little more than enigmatic voice, heard but never seen. My Name is Albert Ayler changes that for good.

Visit the film's website for more information on future screenings of Kasper Collins’ rare documentary.

Visit Albert Ayler on the web.
Albert Ayler at All About Jazz.

Pianist Steve Lantner

Steve Lantner’s current run of creative output may be below the radar, but the quality of his recordings is off the charts. His debut as bandleader came in 1997 alongside longtime cohort/violist/violinist Mat Maneri in an adventurous set of duets that had Lantner playing both acoustic piano and a synthesizer set ninety degrees apart [Reaching (Leo)]. Lantner furthered his exploration of microtonalities on Voices Lowered (Leo 2001), where he played two pianos tune ¼ pitch apart alongside Joe Maneri and Joe Morris playing electric violins. Notably, the multi-talented Morris’ first recording as a bassist—a debut Lantner prefers to take no credit for—came just one year later on Saying So (Riti, 2002).

A graduate of the Berklee College of Music and subsequent student of Joe Maneri’s at the no-less-esteemed New England Conservatory, Lantner’s What You Can Throw (HatOLOGY, 2007) sees the avant-garde pianist teamed again with drummer Luther Gray and Morris. On it—the Lantner/Gray/Morris trios third together—Lantner and co. perform the works of Anthony Braxton and Ornette Coleman as well as their own tunes, primarily at the suggestion of Hathut founder Werner Uehlinger. “[He] expressed an interest in hearing me play some compositions from musicians I admire,” Lantner says. “I’m really glad that he suggested it, because it got me to do something I wouldn’t have otherwise done.”

This piece is titled An Introduction because Lantner’s story clearly isn’t written yet, with just five records as a bandleader under his belt. Undoubtedly there are plenty of fascinating releases to come. Lantner and I originally spoke in January of 2007, back when What You Can Throw was slated for a spring release by Hathut. With the record put on the back burner by the label so, too, was the interview. Lantner is both engaging and possessing of interesting insights.

All About Jazz: What was the recording process like for What You Can Throw? Did it differ from previous recordings in any way?

Steve Lantner: The biggest difference for this recording was that we did a few things with other peoples’ music, so we had to devote a certain amount of time on those pesky things like not screwing up the head. The most challenging in this regard was Braxton’s “Composition 23J,” just because it’s Braxton.

AAJ: Describe if you can your relationship with Joe Morris, and Joe and Mat Maneri.

SL: Joe is a very good friend, and it is largely through his encouragement that I was able to incorporate all of my musical abilities into my playing. It was my experience playing with the Maneris that, due to their very personal vision, I had to limit myself to fit their sound. Joe Morris’ attitude is, “Play it all.” It’s a much more enjoyable experience as a musician to feel like, if you can play something and you enjoy doing it, it must be valid to your artistry. It makes life that much simpler.

AAJ: With regards to Joe—the guy seems to be the man that everyone wants to work with. In the past couple years he seems to be popping up on all sorts of albums, including a handful of your own records. You’ve been working with him for years—do you take any credit in this resurgence in his popularity?

SL: Joe is one of the hardest working musicians I know, and I have the greatest respect for him. What I love about his bass playing is that it offers nothing but possibilities. He swings like mad, and is always listening and supporting. It is true that his bass recording debut was on my CD Saying So (Riti, 2002), but he’s too fun to play with for me to take any credit for the demand he may enjoy.

What I very much look forward to is a chance to play more with Joe the guitar player. People have been focusing on his recent activity as a bass player, but he has a number of things coming out soon, including the release of a four-CD set of duets with Anthony Braxton that people will definitely want to hear.

AAJ: That sounds amazing. You’ve worked with and without a drummer. You’ve also augmented your classic trio with horns. Paradise Road (Skycap, 2006), with Allan Chase, was my first introduction to your playing. That’s just a superb record. I remember I wrote you were “Like a fast talker eager to make [your] points felt just as much as heard[.] Lantner weaves his topics of conversation in, out and around the loose rhythms.”

As far as working with horns or without, do you have a preference? Do you know going into a recording session what form you want the ensemble to take and what players you want involved?

SL:Every combination of instruments changes my playing to some degree. When I play with a rhythm section, I tend to thin out the texture, so as to allow the sound of the other players to come through. Adding a horn to my trio allows me to shape the music from behind the primary focus. Playing without a rhythm section allows me to use the full range of the piano without the fear of getting in anyone’s way. The way I play in a duo with Allan Chase is very different than how I play with the trio, in that I play a lot more piano.

It usually takes me so long to organize a recording that I tend to know well in advance what instrumentation I’ll be using and what qualities I would like my music to impart. I have now produced two recordings of my trio with Joe Morris and Luther Gray, as well as two with the quartet that includes Allan Chase. While I am happy with all of this work, there is always something I’d like to improve. It is a constant effort to get closer to an unattainable ideal.

To read more, click here or visit AllAboutJazz.com

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.

Oh bands

Tonight I watched a band from Fullerton, CA - yeah I totally gave you a link - get brutal at Red7. Oh these bands - Belay My Last are nothing more than brutal breakdown after brutal breakdown, chug after chug, fuck you after fuck you, pig squeal upon pig squeal. I mean - they're really not that far rem0ved from Slipkont. These kids just sport tight t-shirts, Nike Dunks, and plugged out ears over Halloween masks. I honestly don't see the different. It appeals to the same meat-head, suburban attitude. Meaningless. Completely meaningless.

Fullerton - basically Los Angeles. What these "big city" bands don't understand is, you're ability to draw 500 kids in LA, your ridiculous myspace "friend" collection and the fact Joe Douchebag in Hotlanta said he really wants to see Belay My Last - none of these translates to an actual draw.

I will say this. Belay My Last had some wicked merch:


I mean, come on. Black hoodie with a green and gery skull / cross combo. That's wicked.

There seemed to be some beef going on between Belay My Last and headliner The Demonstration. I can't tell exactly and so I hate to speculate - but something tells me this was a tour put together by an overzealous booking agent and/our record label. At the end of the day, The Demonstration is no different than Austin's owen At All Cost. It seems, much like the Cost gets plenty of grief and shit on the road, The Demonstration are not the most beloved band outside of the North Carolina coast. Dragonforce meets Disturbed meets Drop Dead, Gorgeous, The Demonstration is cliche to the max, a total joke and nothing more than an amalgamation of everything hip in the underground metal scene. Just like a riptide, we'll suck you in - add this to the list of absurdly cliche and overall lame lyricism.

Come on guys - everyone saw straight through everything you do. Give it up. You, my friends, are a prime example of everything that is wrong with myspace and subsequently the internet in general. You shouldn't be on tour? Why?