Track Review: "Icicle"

Artist: Kevin King (of Maura)

Release Date: February 13, 2012

Label: Independent

Note: This review is part of a series of single reviews by Ryan coming out this week leading up to a show on Friday June 21 at the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA, which will feature performances by all the bands reviewed. 

Kevin King, frontman of the band Maura based out of Somerville, is doing an acoustic solo set at the Lilypad. When I contacted him, he advised me to review the song “Icicle,” as it is the best representation of the sound his performance is going to have. The song has the familiar sound of a folky singer-songwriter that conjures imagery of relaxing in a coffee shop on a rainy day. The guitar chords, repetitive as they may be, reach beyond the normal scope of this style into the region of jazz tonalities, giving the song a warm feel. The lyrics, poetic and thoughtful, seem to take the forefront, as the same melodies and chords are repeated for the majority of the song. While this works in many cases, the energy of the song is largely stagnant, with the exception of an additional voice, a beautiful soprano, late in the song. I would love to hear King put more emotion in his performance, which could be achieved by simply exploring a broader dynamic range or exaggerating the shape in his lines. Overall, the song is warm and comforting, while maintaining a certain thoughtfulness.

- Ryan Noss

Feather Weight Soul Tape

Artist: Robin Mitchell
Release Date: April 28, 2013
Label: Independent


Summer time is near and feel-good music is beginning to fill the air. You may want to lean towards the upcoming, feel-good release if you find yourself pleased with innovative genre blending. Feather Weight Soul Tape takes aspects of indie music and branches from that to dream-pop and moderately psychedelic territory. Over all of this though, the album is coated with acoustic guitar, electronic sounds similar to that of , and very on point vocals. The album sticks to a airy pop influenced style yet throws in some spice here and there, keeping it fresh and funky.

Consisting of 6 tracks, Feather Weight Soul Tape is a rather quick listen, clocking in at 19 minutes, 16 seconds. Mitchell, who recorded all the songs on this album in his basement, kicks off the album with an extremely catchy instrumental called "Purple Tide (intro)." Although under two minutes long, this opening track displays some of the most creativity on the album. From the extra-terrestrial sounding synths to the foundation that is the tight knit bass line, "Purple Tide" plays not only as an excellent starting point, but and excellent lead into the second track "Wide of the Mark." This track sees the albums first exposure of words, and they are pretty powerful ones at that (see: "and I wonder, do my good parts outweigh my faults?"). Electric guitar too can be heard for the first time on the album, complementing the main melody. If you're looking for some grooving time, this has the most to give off the entire genre-hopping album.

"Summertime," the third track on the album shows a fun side of beach pop. This track sounds a lot like something that would come out of a combination of Dion and the Belmonts and "Twistin' by the Pool" era Dire Straits. "Summertime" displays arguably the most indie sounds off the entire work, which would work a whole lot better if the lyrics didn't seem to be a jumbled up narrative with excellent harmonization. A recurring theme for this album the third track displays is the rip-chord endings when the songs just seems to fall off to an abrupt finish.

Return of the extra-terrestrial synths in the beautiful duet "Nothing Personal," the fourth track on the album in which Mitchell brings in Chloe Newnham. The wobbly lick that is used as the songs staple almost seems to have been torn from the Nintendo game Animal Crossing, it has a deliciously unique sound that you hardly ever hear. One of the strongest parts of Feather Weight Soul Tape is the recurrence of certain sounds placed in different environments. Sounds that Mitchell used as a hook in "Nothing Personal" are seen frequently on the album and strongly in the album opening track.

Following suit of the second song on the album, "Trapped in its Teeth" is a moderately upbeat ballad with heartfelt lyrics and a twangy guitar rhythm that would sit well on a Ukulele. The song tells a story of a man who is feelings stuck within where he currently is and is not satisfied with the lack of seclusion. Along with this is him trying to show his love-interest he "exists."

Continuing this tale is the album closing track "Homecoming." This song is written almost like three separate letters. Starting with Mitchell seemingly returning to his hometown after a long absence. Followed by him telling the city he loves it wasn't replaced by another, and he still loves it intently. Feather Weight Soul Tape's final track concludes with a letter of his leaving even though he still feels for the location, and he says he will return. It's a power ballad with the same looping organ pattern over again that drags on and on. For the impact that the lyrics put off, the instrumentation on the track is rather lackluster, and leads to a disappointing dead stop to the album.

All in all, Mitchell put out a pretty mellow album for us to begin to bring in summertime with. The album covers much ground in its just short of 20 minute run time without going too far astray for the message he is trying to convey. Vocalization on the album is beautiful and an extreme highlight of the piece all together. Don't go into this expecting the next big indie-pop sensation, but more so go into it for some easy listening, floaty feeling and dreamscape creating tunes.

- Woocci

Deertree

Artist: Deertree
Release Date: April 1, 2013
Label: Independent


Deertree is the folk solo project of Thom Koehly, and his eponymous debut is charming; a quaint folk album that doesn't push too hard in any one direction, but rather sets a gentle and nurturing mood. Deertree tells a bleak but beautiful tale of a lost traveler and ensuing loneliness conveyed through a variety of colorful vocal harmonies and warm guitar tones. With tracks flowing from one to the next perfectly, this album feels less like a collection of individual works but rather chapters of the same novel. Along with similar lyricism, most of these songs share very similar chord progressions. Not to call the songs uninspired, but they all sound quite similar to one another (especially “Walkin I,” “Everything or Nothing,” “Jeneher: Trying to Reach the Sea,” “Barefoot Pilgrim,” and “Walkin II.”) It unifies the songs in a way that can get tiresome with repeated listens, but keeps the album feeling like one larger story..

Droning guitar playing is another factor in the similarity of these songs. Often times progressions move slow and timidly, but nonetheless precisely move from chord to chord. There a good few songs that break the mold; tracks like "The Little Boy Lost" or "Jeneher: Trying To Reach The Sea" have much more interesting features. "The Little Boy Lost," the opener, sounds straight off of Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. This isn't to say that it’s not interesting or creative, just that it sounds extremely similar on account of the guitar playing and strong falsetto vocals. Koehly uses a large range of vocal styles on Deertree, ranging from low raspy tones on "The Morning Lights" to the enchanting harmonies in falsetto on "The Little Boy Lost” which, unfortunately, is the only track where Koehly shows off his impressively tender upper range.

Koehly's elusive lyricism brings forward themes of loneliness, loss of purpose, and hopelessness. Fantastic moments appear abruptly throughout this album. For instance, as "Everything or Nothing" bursts into a 3/4 explosion at 4:09, Koehly sings "everything was still nothing." Coming from the previous sections of the song, this is quite impactful. Another example is "The Morning Lights" where 3 or 4 part harmonies come in belting "I'm not dying! I'm not dying! The lazy day is over. I can." For all the moments where there are meaningful lyrics, there are many moments where his singing can't be understood or is just inaudible. It's either his singing or the mixing that gets in the way of hearing his lyrics, which are vital for this album's enjoyment.

The instrumentation and aesthetic, unfortunately, don't hold up amazingly after repeated listens. Koehly depends too much on mood and feeling at times, causing some tracks to get rather bland after a few listens. Instead of finding new things interesting, it becomes easier to find mistakes or unfavorable moments. The chord progression used on many tracks can become tired and the toy piano (which, granted, is used infrequently) loses it's charm after a few listens. That being said, the album is still a good listen but it doesn't hold up well under a magnifying glass.

Deertree is the story of a lost traveler unsure of where he's going or what he's doing. Everybody questions themselves during their life as to what they're doing or where they want to be. At some point in their lives, everybody misses their family, can get homesick, or gets lost altogether. Deertree relates to the scary pictures of uncertainty drawn on life's canvas. This album is going to go over well with a lot of people, I'm sure; Koehly's voice is beautiful, and his guitar playing is moody as anything. If you've ever liked anything in the new era folk-pop genre (Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens) I recommend this album. If you don't, I wouldn't stay away but don't expect anything that'll crack your top 10 for the year.

-Owen Bolas

Now We Are All Sons of Bitches

Artist: Patron Saint of Bridge Burners
Release Date: March 23, 2013
Label: Independent


The newest release from Patron Saint of Bridge Burners is a heavy one. Not in terms of sonic power or distortion, but on an emotional level. The whole album is based around the detrimental effects of war and violence on not just the victims, but the civilians on the "winning" side. The album's title comes from a quote by Kenneth Bainbridge, the physicist that helped the atomic bomb come to fruition. Seconds after the first test Bainbridge turned to J Robert Oppenheimer and said, "Now we are all sons of bitches." Thematically, Now We Are All Sons of Bitches follows this quote in each song. The whole experience laments violence and war, but also considers the role we play in its encouragement and rejection. As the title track says, "We are as the soldier with their guns, we're to blame for the slaughter of our daughters and sons."

"Martyred" is about burning a photo of a deceased soldier. It brings up the point that not every warrior is a hero and that we should not celebrate someone just because they carried a gun. The song has accompanying strings and lush guitars that contrast the rest of the album where sparse guitar and syncopated drums take the forefront. "Untitled (The Sound + The Fury)" is less poignant lyrically but has several great metaphors based around waves and lightening eroding a landscape. The song burns out on slowing drums and then a violin and cello duet. "Need Somebody" oddly features a blast beat and overwhelming guitar clatter that nearly drowns out lyrics about stormy seas and submissive people. "Heaven's Gate Away Team (Do the Hale Bopp)" is about the ritual suicides encourage by Marshall Applewhite based on the belief that a space-ship was tailing the Hale-Bopp comet. The title comes from the patches the dead wore reading "Heaven's Gate Away Team." "Symphorophilia" is a contemplation on death and grieving. The author states he wants to die instantly after notice because he worries that he will die a mentally violent death. This track features a slide whistle wildly chirping along out of tune in the background. "Turbulence" begins with a light ambient drone which fades out to be replaced with a poorly lead drum and guitar combo that continues to play for a minute despite failing to line up in any logical way. "Knife Wound" is a song about the disappointment created by the end of a war in which a combatant feels he hasn't been fighting for a worthy cause because he feels more relief in coming home than making his country proud. It is a logical pairing with "God Damn Us, Every One" as it deals with similar themes and issues. "The Spirit of Oklahoma!" is a description of the destruction and loss created by the atomic bombs dropped in WWII. The singer describes the violence caused by the explosion. The song then shifts to "landmark" crimes that have been committed in America. It then compares the human race to an atomic bomb, as a machine created to "rip flesh and bone." "I'll Take You With Me" is a spoken word description of a un-manned drone attacking, described with the metaphor of a vulture to whining flutes and an angelic chorus. The narrator describes how the "bird" takes the kills back to its nest to feed its "young."

Now We are All Sons of Bitches is one of the most sobering listens of 2013 and is highly recommended. 

-Justin Healy

Track Review: "This Human Joy"

Artist: Ajimal ft. Emily Holie
Release Date: March 25, 2013
Label: Pop Sex Ltd



"This Human Joy," the second track that has been released in anticipation of Ajimal's upcoming Childhood project, is a fragile folk piece that could be described as something halfway between the orchestral folk popularized in the first decade of the 2000s and Jeff Buckley circa Grace. Such comparisons as the latter are obvious, but the lush instrumentation of "This Human Joy" and the vulnerably beautiful falsetto in which Ajimal sings it make them impossible to avoid. Although the song still would have been powerful if it were simply Ajimal sitting down at the piano, the tender harp flourishes added at the first refrain keep the track from being just another soft-rock throwaway. With ethereal harmonies and sweeping strings to spare, "This Human Joy" slowly grows from the aforementioned bare-bones sound to a triumphantly contained climax that sounds like Sigur Rós-- had they decided to ditch post-rock for a more straightforward chamber pop sound. There is something to enjoy for casual and critical listeners alike in Ajimal's latest, but it is the unique grandiose of the track and the organic quality of the lead vocal that makes the wait for Childhood all that harder to endure.

-Matt Gill