Category Archives: alternative

RELIENT K – Is For Karaoke

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What was the deal with everyone and their dog putting out covers records in the summer of 2011? Within the space of a few months there were a bunch of really high-profile covers albums released, and pop-punk/alt-rock band Relient K added themselves to the ever growing list with the release of their ‘Is For Karaoke’ EP.  A few months later, with the addition of some new artwork and a further seven tracks, that EP became an album.

Of the fourteen covers featured on the full-length release, the most interesting  is a take on ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’, which replaces the pop tones of Cyndi Lauper’s original with lots of muted punk-pop guitar chords.  The Wallflowers’ ‘One Headlight’ has a hint of Relient K’s own style too, as they turn up the guitars a little, but since they don’t stretch the boundaries any farther it’s a case of “play it once, file it away, forget about it”.  For everything else, though, it’s as if somebody’s clicked the off-switch on “creativity” and Relient K work their way through the rest of the tunes just  about as faithfully as they can muster.

If you’re going to listen to Relient K play works by Tears For Fears, Tom Petty and Toto with a workman-like, almost Karaoke disc clarity, surely your time would be better spent with the originals?  Even the band’s more left-field choices – ‘Interstate Love Song’ by Stone Temple Pilots’ and ‘The Distance’ by CAKE – have no real imagination behind their reconstruction.  In the case of the latter, they’ve even reproduced the trumpet sounds as closely as possible… Matt Thiessien’s vocal doesn’t have the slacker cool of CAKE’s head honcho John McCrea but, to give credit where it’s due, John Warne’s bass sound is quite cool.

Elsewhere, you can experience tunes by Weezer, Third Eye Blind and Nada Surf played without any sense of adventure; and there’s even opportunity to hear ‘Doctor Worm’ without any of the quirky, nasal charm which makes They Might Be Giants so distinctive.  For those who are still interested by this point, tunes by Gnarls Barkly and Justin Bieber are handled just as (un)imaginatively, while the bulk of Toto’s ‘Africa’ could possibly even be a karaoke disc, just with some extra guitars thrown over the chorus.

‘Is For Karaoke’ may be well played, but most of it is played so straight, it serves no real purpose.  It’s not bad – just hopelessly unimaginative.  Relient K have recorded some great tunes in the past (with ‘Come Right Out and Say It’ being a pop-punk classic), it’s such a shame they couldn’t stamp some of their own style onto this selection of cover tunes.   Still, for its faults, it’s still preferable to that Puddle Of Mudd covers record.

October 2011

MISHKIN – Row Away From The Rocks

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This Leeds-based metal influenced outfit have already gained a fair amount of accolades for a DIY band. Regular live shows and sheer hard work eventually scored them support slots with Sepultura, Enter Shikari, hed (p.e.) and the mighty Skindred.  They’d also completed a couple of headlining tours in China.  They already have an EP under their belt, but 2011’s self-released ‘Row Away From The Rocks’ takes things up a notch, with the band getting exposure on the Kerrang! and Scuzz music channels.

At first, there’s a strong feeling this EP is to be a full-on metal fest, since the vocals tear straight out of the speakers before the band are even out of the starting blocks.  But soon, it becomes obvious that beneath the aggressive edges, Mishkin is a band with varying influences and a few more alternative elements lurking within their sound than first impressions would suggest.

The lead track – and single release – ‘Good Day To Die’ packs plenty of hard riffs into four minutes.  The twin guitars of Ali Epstone and Jimmy McGregor adopt an almost groove metal stance, providing a downtuned, relative tunefulness which provides a small amount contrast to the unavoidable heaviness.  While the chugging guitars and double bass drums are the most obvious features – each one competing for your attention – what’s most impressive is the sense of melody constantly bubbling beneath the surface, awaiting its opportunity to escape.  Sure, the verses are given maximum drive via Bradie Nixon’s drumming, but by the time the chorus appears, vocalist Ben Davy really comes into his own.  During the choruses, he moves away from a hardcore shouting style and finds a melodic voice which takes its cue from a more alternative style of hard rock.  In all, an impressive opening track.

‘Waiting For The World To Change’ could, at first, be the work of an entirely different band.  Opening with a gentle musical backdrop, with electronic drum loops and emotive vocals, the style of alternative rock is very much more in the style of ‘Make Yourself’ era Incubus (never a bad thing).  Davy has a real presence – even if there is a hint of auto-tune, maybe – and as the track builds, each of the band members offers something great.  Dave Jackson’s bass is often melodic, but there are moments where he throws in some fantastic rattling bottom end, while both guitarists’ work is more than commendable – particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of a fairly old school guitar solo within such an “alternative” sounding number.  ‘On Your Sleeve’ continues in a similar vein, though perhaps with some heavier riffs in tow.  As with parts of ‘Good Day To Die’, there’s more interesting stuff to be heard beyond the main riffs – in this case, there are multi-layered guitar parts and more old-school solos, while occasional harmony vocals are on hand to add a degree of smoothness.  Unlike the earlier tracks though, this one doesn’t possess so much of a hook.

‘Violation’ is incredibly heavy in places.  Extensive use of double drum pedals and staccato riffing opens the piece at full bore, and as such, it comes as no surprise as to how these guys got to open for Sepultura.  There’s still time for more obvious melodies to creep in during a pre-chorus, but more often than not, it backs away coyly.  While this isn’t likely to appeal to such a wide audience as ‘Waiting For The World’, it’s a great piece of metal, and certainly gives Nixon more of a chance to show off his talents.

Mishkin’s melding of Incubus-style alt-rock and downtuned metal riffing is not always unlike that of Aussie djent band Circles, but there’s often a clearer divide between the metal and alternative grooves. The fact that Mishkin’s work is either rather heavy or alternative would suggest that there are band members insistent on pulling in different musical directions.  This kind of tension can create good music, and while Mishkin have plenty of opportunity to expand on that technique over time, ‘Row Away…’ already sounds like the work of a very accomplished band.

September 2011

LIGHT FM – Buzz Kill City

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You may not know the band’s name, but Light FM had already gained a cult following and plenty of accolades, including tours with Billy Corgan, Grandaddy and The National, as well has having had their music featured on many high profile US TV shows.

A few songs into their second LP ‘Buzz Kill City’ it should be easier to spot why this band have had their music so readily accepted for TV. After all, the alt-rock guitars are wonderfully insistent, some of the hooks are catchy, the vocals in turn containing the kind charm needed for the band’s chosen subgenre often oozes. But it’s not so cut and dried, since ‘Buzz Kill City’ is not an easy record to listen to. Light FM seem intent on pummelling the listener as often as they can, with layers of sound – and some very obtrusive keys. In fact, most of ‘Buzz Kill City’ is hard work all round; not necessarily the work of a band who deserve such media-related attention. However, frontman Josiah Mazzaschi is a cult producer with his own studio and as such has put him in contact with various more established acts, so maybe that’s helped get his music on TV…? [Mazzaschi’s previous credits include work with Rilo Kiley, William Reid and Harper Simon. Having Rilo Kiley and a member of Jesus and Mary Chain on your CV really can’t hurt…not to mention a descendent of the legendary Paul Simon. Earlier in 2011, he also produced an EP by Y Luv, reviewed here.]

‘Buzz Kill City’ has an opening number -‘Mercy’ – which has great guitar driven riff. It comes very well suited to a nasal vocal which in delivery is reminiscent of Billy Corgan, if not in tone, then certainly in the way Mazzaschi stretches the syllables to make them scan. There’s a great, great energy at play here which, sadly, is spoilt by what the band refer to as “bleepy bloopy” synths. Very few things are improved by keyboards which sound like an 8-bit computer game soundtrack and this is absolutely no exception. Looking beyond the synths, the vocals have a familiar charm and the drums are really solid. The lead guitars never break into anything particularly imaginative, but still manage to maintain a degree of fuzzy power. During the crescendo at the end of the song, luckily there’s enough going on within Light FM’s musical chaos to drown out those synths!

The nasty keyboards could be overlooked had they only appeared on ‘Mercy’, but it appears they’re an integral part of Light FM’s core sound. They drone and bleep across various other tracks, killing most of the potential charm within as they relentlessly go about their business. The stabbing keys which sit at the heart of ‘Last Chance’ may not be as intrusive, but they’re still a little annoying. Looking past those, this track is a brilliant piece of indie pop, with a simple yet infectious chorus. Its verses have some fairly noisy guitar lines which occupy more space than the aforementioned stabbing keys, while vocally this number has a twee nature. Hints of Pains of Being Pure at Heart make the band sound a little more playful than before here, though Light FM never quite reach The Pains’ all-round class, despite this being a strong-ish effort.

‘Homeless Love’, at first, plays with a huge influence from early 80s synth pop, and then some very unsubtle drums and guitars hit the listener around the head. Not to be outdone, the keys get louder, adopting an atonal squeal that’s almost completely unnecessary. Hidden amongst the messiness, there’s a well written piece of indie-pop struggling to get out, but you’d need a lot of patience to listen to it past those synths – which by this point are distracting to the point of painful. ‘Ode To Hollywood’ contains a pleasing drum line at the back of an arrangement which mixes alt-rock with hints of new wave. It doesn’t expand too much upon its initial mid paced amble; as such a stronger chorus is very much needed here. A thirty second burst of guitar noise thrown in near the end (clearly in the spirit of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo) just doesn’t cut it in the interest stakes.

Much better is ‘Kill The Landlord’, a number which takes a familiar lyrical subject and places it against an even more familiar drum part. It’s funny, no matter how many bands directly lift the big drum intro from ‘Be My Baby’, it still has a sound which, after so many decades, is capable of thrilling the listener. Across three and a half minutes, Light FM settle into a great indie pop number which, surprisingly, even finds a suitable use for those ugly keyboards. Instead of bleeping and squalling in a way which jars, Savannah Wheeler unleashes her inner Greg Hawkes and lays down a quirky keyboard line; one carrying a strong influence from The Cars and the 80s new wave. Also quite enjoyable is ‘$5 Paradise’ – a piece of new wavish pop which marries those keys with some pleasing rhythm work and an even better ringing guitar solo.

Overall, Light FM’s tunes are hard work. There arrangements are so in-your-face and distracting it’s really hard to see how their compositions could have ever been embraced by so many TV shows. ‘Buzz Kill City’ ought to be far more enjoyable than it actually is… It’s not a dead loss by any means; when Light FM softens their sound, there are sparks of something more tuneful and well-rounded. It’s a pity that just doesn’t happen very often.

September 2011

THE REMINDING IDEAS – The House Of Weather

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The Reminding Ideas are not interested in pleasing others with their music. The pairing of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Michael Magnum and multi-instrumentalist Matt Soule claim not to care for any musical boundaries.  Without those boundaries many often follow, the possibilities should be wide-open.  Realising this, The Reminding Ideas have strived to create a distinctive sound; one they could call their own.  At least fifty percent of the time, they’ve not even managed that, since huge chunks of ‘House of Weather’ resembles some of Radiohead’s post ‘OK Computer’ output – only badly arranged and played by amateurs.

‘Vegetables’ is a number with a sound that’s very characteristic of most of The Reminding Ideas’ works.  It begins with a lone voice, before a programmed loop chimes in.  The first thing you’ll notice about said loop is that it comes loaded with a jarring offbeat…although that’s not as jarring as the clumsy splicing at its end.  We have to assume The Reminding Ideas have chosen to present the programmed element this way on purpose – and if so, it certainly pricks up the listeners ears (at least, the first time it’s heard).  However, whether this is a good or bad thing will solely be decided by the individual.  By the time the alternative rock fuelled guitars kick in, it all starts to take form.  The music has a presence and Magnum’s lead vocal sounds more settled, but soon it becomes evident this is all style and no substance.  ‘August’ begins with a cold electronic basis, over which Magnum adds a slightly haunting melody.  On first listen, you’d hope for it breaking into something crashy.  No such luck, though… Instead the tune ambles along, punctuated by a repeated piano chord, over which Magnum offers more long vocal notes.  Magnum and Soule then wander along for about four more minutes in search of an actual tune, teasing the listener; occasionally they threaten to do something interesting…yet never quite manage it.

‘The Remaining Idea’ has an extended instrumental intro, with a well placed piano motif.  The piano chords are played against a really leading bassline.  It’s one of The Reamining Ideas’ better musical ideas, but it’s still made a little unnerving by an off kilter rhythm track.  The lead vocals are almost there as an extra piece of instrumentation, but don’t add much to the overall piece; while the backwards loops and guitar feedback at the end sounds like an afterthought.  It’s almost as if Magnum and Soule had no idea how to bring this particular piece to a close.  By the time ‘This Is Where We Breathe’ appears with haunting vocal passages (subject to huge amounts of post-production), stabbed piano and a drum loop – things are sounding rather familiar.  You’ve already heard The Reminding Ideas have a good stab at this previously.  Seemingly, having no boundaries brings its own boundaries.

‘Swarm of Bees’ is the only track worth spending any real time with.  The electronic loops have a reasonable bottom end, while Magnum’s lead vocal sounds more natural.  The real drums have a solid live sound and the guitars bring a great crashy indie-rock sensibility when they’re present.  The second half of the track features extensive use of looped vocals in places and generally, it’s still not too bad.  Having said that, this is the kind of thing you will have heard on any post-millennium Radiohead record, so…uh, it’s not really worth getting excited about.

A couple of The Reminding Ideas’ musical structures just about work – in a fashion – but most miss the mark completely.  None of songs have instant choruses (or in most cases any hooks at all), but unfortunately, none of the tunes will stick in your head either.  ‘House of Weather’ is an avant-garde record for those not adventurous enough to listen to anything truly avant-garde.  This is avant-light – the kind of music created for those who think Radiohead and The Flaming Lips are somehow groundbreaking. You may find a flicker of an interesting idea here on occasion, but with so much genuinely great music out there waiting to be discovered (be it commercial and hook filled, properly avant-garde or whatever), life’s just too short for The Reminding Ideas and their wanton self-indulgence.

September 2011

KURT SHANKS – Seven Flights Up EP

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Kurt Shanks is a singer-songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand.  He was previously the bassist with the band Stellar*.   His debut solo EP ‘Seven Flights Up’ isn’t a release that’s easy to pigeonhole since its five numbers cross different musical boundaries, but the core of his sound is most often rooted in alternative rock.  If you’ve been looking for someone with a bit of edge, look no further, since Kurt’s debut EP has moments of sheer brilliance.

The EP’s title cut isn’t far short of being absolutely immense. The drum sound is big, which alone grabs the attention.  The drums collide with muted guitar strings played in a seventies cop show style and then – BANG! – the bass kicks in…and its rolling nature has the potential to crush everything in its path.  Occasionally the guitars break into shimmering chords and a little organ fills out the sound, but most of the presence comes from the dominant rhythm section.  Shanks’s vocal is a little breathy, but somehow he maintains a presence within the barrage of sounds.  These elements would have made a great arrangement alone, but Shanks tops everything off with a semi-aggressive guitar solo full of wah-wah and blues rock tendencies.  In just under four minutes, ‘Seven Flights Up’ rewrites the book on how to make an impression.

Unsurprisingly, a couple of the following numbers veer rather more towards the ordinary, but are still good in their own way.  ‘We Shall Have Another Day’ is musically much safer, but on the plus side, comes with a bigger hook.  It’s a decent piece of jangly pop/rock, where Shanks blends tuneful electric guitar work with mandolin, with the end result sounding very radio friendly.  ‘Where Would You Go’ has a more 80s feel with its use of synths and muted chords, while Shanks’s softer vocal has a hint of Karl Wallinger and World Party.  While a world away from the opening track of this EP, it’s still very strong.   These two numbers are the ones which showcase “Kurt Shanks the songwriter” as opposed to “Kurt Shanks the musician and arranger”, and since they demonstrate a different side of his talent, they still have a very welcome place here.

‘Shoot To Kill’ is a little unexpected, casting Shanks in the role of a trashy rocker.  Here, he spouts anti-religious lyrics against a rousing arrangement which pulls together the best elements of The Replacements, Coyote Shivers and a pinch of glam (in a Beat Angels/Ryan Roxie style).  His band is tight, with a heavy focus on the guitars, pulling together a hefty twang and crashy chords.  Disposable it may be, but it’s hugely enjoyable, especially with Lani Purkis’s shouty backing vocal.  For trashy rock, this scores very highly indeed.  The EP finishes of with a short acoustic tune which mixes acoustic guitars and mandolin, over which Shanks’s voice is deep and soft.  It’s a number which sells itself a little short, since it ends just as you think it’s going for a chorus or climax of some sort.  It’s the EP’s filler, but it winds things up nicely.

In approximately fifteen minutes, Shanks demonstrates a variety of styles, and while it’s his more aggressive tones which prove to be the most thrilling, he pulls off each style with relative ease.  While a bit of a mixed bag stylistically, everything on this EP is well played and really well produced, making ‘Seven Flights Up’ a fantastic release overall.

August 2011