From the Professor's Page: Halftime musings

Would you believe it, the first half of 2013 has already passed us by! At such a mid-way point I think it pays to reflect on all of the musical gifts we have been given thus far. We have had ripping new albums from veterans (Nick Cave, Black Sabbath, Tricky) and newcomers (Palms, Pillowfight) alike. It is at this juncture that Eclectik Electrik would like to highlight some of the best new songs we have had to gorge ourselves upon in no particular order. Click the title of any track to link through to the video/audio for your enjoyment. - Prof Ric.

Tricky – Parenthesis (from False Idols)

Tricky branded his latest album, False Idols, as a return to his roots. The track Parenthesis embodies that notion more than any others off his his record. The contrast between Tricky's own lackadaisical delivery and the aching falsetto from Peter Silberman of The Antlers would not be at all out of place on Maxinquaye. The funny part? It was their song first, Tricky just co-opted it for his album.

Tomahawk – South Paw (from Oddfellows)

Even though 'Stone Letter' was the early, radio-baiting release from Oddfellows 'South Paw' blows it out of the water at its own game. Infectious melodies, manic energy, and lyrics about some shit hanging off someone's lip. Tailor made to whip a crowd into a sweaty frenzy and throw their limbs around wildly. Gloriously daft and catchier than hyperherpes.

Rob Zombie – Ging Gang Gong De DoGong De Laga Raga (from Venemous Rat Regeneration Vendor)

You could never accuse Mister Zombie of being too deep or intellectual for most metal fans to understand. Rather than rehash more stories about sexy monsters and evil sexy monsters Rob has embraced the nonsense on 'Ging Gang Gong …'. Channeling the holy ghost of Butthole Surfers he even bails on his own song with an off-hand “Ah fuck it”.

Iron & Wine – Low Light Buddy ofMine (from Ghost On Ghost)

Sam Beam has been accused of being many things over the years – bleeding heart folkie, troubadour, anachronism – but late-night jazz groover has never been one of them. Well, 'Low Light Buddy of Mine' from Ghost On Ghost sure makes a good argument for yet another label. The track is dark and impossibly cool with a subtle funk coaxed out from the shadows.

Pillowfight – Lonely City (from Pillowfight)

Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura struck gold with singer Emily Wells and their Pillowfight collaboration is one of the most enjoyable records of the year so far. Among all the future-retro-soul you will find 'Lonely City', the blushing heart of the album. Wells delivers the right level of intensity with her breathy drawl and the buy into the sense of abandonment that she is singing about.

Jamie Lidell – Why_Ya_Why (from Jamie Lidell)

Make no mistake - this is a silly song. The big squelching beat, the seasick piano, the ramshackle horns, and Lidell doing his best Andre 3000 impersonation. Ok, so this song won't be to everybody's taste but I have always preferred Lidell when he pushes the envelope of good taste and allows himself to act a bit goofy.

Foals – Inhaler (from Holy Fires)

Full disclosure; when I heard this song on the radio one day, my first thought was “Since when did Deftones sound like this?”. Imagine my surprise when I found it was from critically acclaimed indie rockers Foals. Listening to the song it is clear that singer Yannis Philippakis has been studying his copy of White Pony very closely. This track positively soars and is one of the highlights of 2013 even though the single was technically released last year.

Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood – ColdMolly (from Black Pudding)

I'm a Lanegan nut. No two ways around it, I'll give anything he does a go a probably enjoy it. He is one of my favourite musos and I would follow him to the ends of the Earth. What makes Black Pudding such an interesting listen is that it is a vanity project for Lanegan - he gets to work with one of his favourite musos, Duke Garwood. 'Cold Molly' harkens back to the skeletal funk workouts of 2004's Bubblegum.

Sound City Players – Centipede (from Sound City: Real to Reel)

Dave Grohl's Sound City documentary (and by extension the soundtrack) is a star-studded affair which makes it hard to pinpoint a highlight. Still it is always a treat to hear Homme work with Chris Goss of Masters of Reality, their two voices trade lines effortlessly. 'Centipede' starts out mysterious and acoustic until the heavy metal overtures explode all over the place.

Blood Ceremony – Witchwood (from The Eldritch Dark)

70s style throwback rock has become quite the fad as of late but few do it as well as Canada's Blood Ceremony. They offer up a thick brew consisting of Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, and Jefferson Airplane that smacks of authenticity and genuine homage to the genre's greats. Their secret weapon is the commanding presence of singer / flautist / organist Alia O'Brien who bewitches all over the opening track from The Eldritch Dark.

Black Sabbath – Loner (from 13)

For their monumental comeback album, the current incarnation of Black Sabbath have done everything to remind the people what has made them so important to the heavy metal genre. This unfortunately means many long, drawn out tracks that lack energy. 'Loner' is not one of them. It is driven by a Tony Iommi instant classic riff and bears more than a passing resemblance to 'NIB'. I can see this one being permanently added to their setlists in the future.

Melvins – Black Betty (from Everybody Loves Sausages)

When a band like Melvins decide to do a covers album what the hell can you expect? They have made a career out of their unpredictability and sense of humour so when they decide to bust out a relatively faithful rendition of blues standard 'Black Betty' its hard to know how to react. Luckily the song kicks ass so I guess we should just enjoy it for what it is.

Mad Season – Slip Away (from Above: Deluxe Edition)

Ok, so this one is a bit of a cheat. Mad Season broke up in 1999 after releasing their only album, Above. 2013 saw the release of the expanded edition which included, among other things, this delicious wee song. 'Slip Away' was written for the second record that never came to pass but sees the light of day anyway. Mark Lanegan (the only possible replacement in the group for Layne Staley) brings his infinite gravitas and Mike McCready does his best David Gilmour tribute.

Queens of the Stone Age – If I Had aTail (from …Like Clockwork)

Taking a look a the track list to …Like Clockwork I found it very unlikely that a song called 'If I Had a Tail' would become a fast favourite of mine. Luckily I was proven wrong. The slinky groove carries the extended food chain metaphor and drives it home making it one hell of a ride and one of this year's best. That's what I get for judging a book by its cover.

Portugal. The Man – Purple Yellow Redand Blue (from Evil Friends)

With the help of producer Danger Mouse, Alaska's Portugal. The Man are poised for big things. The entire Evil Friends album is screaming for wider attention and the song 'Purple Yellow Red and Blue' flat out demands attention. A cynic might call it the best MGMT song that MGMT never wrote but none of that changes the fact it is downright fun. “I just wanna be evil” is destined to be a crowd favourite singalong.

Jim James – State of the Art (from Regions of Light and Sound of God)

My Morning Jacket front man finally took his first proper foray into solo territory this year with Regions of Light and Sound of God. Inspired by the novel God's Man, this album sees James playing around with a few ideas that would never fly with The Jacket such as new wave and throwback soul. This track seems to lay out his manifesto for making music and sets the tone for the record.

Puscifer – Breathe (from Donkey Punch The Night EP)

Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer project just keeps going from strength to strength. This EP follows on from 2011's Conditions of My Parole and keeps us fans hungry for more music. Of the two original tracks on Donkey Punch The Night, 'Breathe' has the grander sound to it. This tracks seem to be tailor made for wigging out crowds at one of Puscifer's legendary and clandestine live shows. 

As fantastic as this year has been to us so far we would be foolish to not consider what is still to come. If the idea of new music from Nine Inch Nails, Franz Ferdinand, Cedric Bixler-Zavala (AKA Zavalaz), Janelle Monae, Deltron 3030, Gogol Bordello, MGMT, and Arctic Monkeys (just to name a few) doesn't get your pulse racing then you should check you are still alive.- Prof Ric. 

Album review: Bosnian Rainbows - Bosnian Rainbows

Story time: Last year Omar Rodriguez-Lopez announced that he was playing a solo show in my country. Being that I live in isolated little New Zealand and it was his first one ever here outside of The Volta I leaped at the opportunity. Since this is when Mars Volta were still a functioning unit and that I was familiar with some of his solo records I knew better than to expect any single thing from the show. To this day I'm not quite sure of what I experienced - although I'm pretty sure it involved an oddly alluring Mexican woman howling and sniffing her armpits. When it was revealed that this new unit, Bosnian Rainbows, were to release and album I was still entirely unsure what that would entail. The below review is my attempt to get my head around this odd release.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (At The Drive In, Mars Volta) is a voraciously prolific musician. Since 1996 he has released no less than three dozen records under various guises. When news broke earlier this year that Mars Volta, his brainchild for the past decade, was in a state of permanent hiatus it only stands to reason that it would not take him long to build a new musical outlet. That new outlet goes by the name Bosnian Rainbows and it features an interesting arrangement of Rodriguez-Lopez's former collaborators and a foray into a new sonic identity.

For Bosnian Rainbows, Omar is joined by ex-Mars Volta drummer Deantoni Parks, Le Butcherettes' singer Teri Gender Bender, and Nicci Casper on bass and synthesizers. Stylistically, Bosnian Rainbows brings in some more orthodox elements to Omar's palette than we are used to. He appears to be drawn to these damaged siren types (see Juliette Lewis' excellent Terra Incognita as a precedent) but he draws such great performances out of them you can hardly blame the man. If anything Omar is taking a more backseat approach to this band which explains the change in tone. He has been known to be a bit of a tyrant in this regard so it will probably do him and all of Bosnian Rainbows a favour in the long run by being less “hands on”.

Without meaning to belabour the point, Bosnian Rainbows is the most pop-centric release of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's career to date. 'Worthless' could stand on its own two legs in a world where Florence and the Machine has been carving up the charts for years. These easily digestible tidbits are offset by the rattling terror of pieces like 'I Cry For You' with TGB in full banshee mode. They are not afraid to pile on the creepy, they have just carefully chosen their moments to do so. 'Turtleneck' plays out like a psychedelic duet between kindred spirits; sweet, supple, and adrift in kaleidoscopic chords. The gentle veneer doesn't last too long before the menacing middle section tears its way forwards and Omar gets to exercise his prodigious guitar chops.

Some of these songs are big hitting numbers which unfortunately leaves some of their meeker peers in the dust. 'Morning Sickness' leaves practically no impression and if it weren't for the bizarro world Blondie vibe of 'Torn Maps' it would share a similar fate. Another thing that might strike you as unusual is how short the album is. Lengthy prog rock overtures have been eschewed in favour of brevity – the eleven tracks herein clock in at under fifty minutes and one two songs break the six minute mark. By the time 'Mother, Father, Set Us Free' has shimmered out of earshot you might be left wanting by the silence that follows. That feeling of separation is an important motif for the album; even the best if things comes to an end eventually so we have to enjoy the here and now. For Omar Rodriguez-Lopez the here and now is Bosnian Rainbows.

Rating: A-

Recommended tracks: I Cry For You, Worthless, Turtleneck

Album Review: Palms - Palms

For post-rock / post-metal / heavy-gaze / metal-gaze / whatever-you-wanna-call-it fans 2010 was a dark year. The lingering high from the release of Isis' Wavering Radiant album from the year before was brought crashing back to cold reality by the news of the band's breakup. Vocalist, guitarist, and key songwriter Aaron Turner set himself immediately upon other projects – and there sure is not a lack of those. Since the separation he has been attached to the likes of Greymachine, The House of Low Culture, Jodis, Mamiffer, Old Man Gloom, and Split Cranium. But what of the other members of Isis? Messirs Jeff Caxide, Aaron Harris, and Bryant Clifford Meyer were just as responsible for all of those enthralling records as Turner was. These three have been remarkably quiet on the new music front up until now. Their new vehicle travels under the moniker of Palms, and their self-titled album is out through Mike Patton's Ipecac Records.

So what makes Palms different from Isis? First and foremost their vocalist is sure to get them a little extra attention, being none other than Deftones mastermind Chino Moreno. Chino's narcotic wails are a perfect partner in crime to Palms' intoxicating dynamics. The line-up might have changed but some things never do. Rather than reinvent themselves right out of the gate, Palms stick to what they are good at and the album reflects that perfectly. It is divided into six tracks (though with this style of music, the word 'suites' is probably more appropriate) with the average length being about seven minutes. In that time you can expect blissed out waves of guitar, liquid bass grooves, and tonnes upon tonnes of reverb. If anything this album is less hard-hitting than Panopticon or In the Absence of Truth. Those records had seismic levels of heaviness sewn into them whereas Palms opts for a lighter, dream-like quality. Song like 'Patagonia' and 'Shortwave Radio' sounds more like an expanded rendition of Moreno's own Team Sleep project than the band who split albums with Melvins.

Palms end their set with the serene 'Antarctic Handshake'. Just when you have to question the validity of putting your gentlest song on an oddly gentle album right at the end the track is slowly invaded by the unnerving rancor of white noise – a radio-static hum that casts the final few minutes of extended guitar chords in a slightly more dangerous light. The question that has to be asked by the end of the album is have they done enough to differentiate their current work from their classic? If you are a big fan of this style of music a better question is are you going to be satisfied with more of the same? The work of Isis still sounds as fresh and powerful today as it did when it was released so a new addition to the catalogue, albeit with some differences in tone and personnel, is no bad thing. Hopefully with a second album Palms can step further out of their own vast shadows and delve deeper into this new fledgling identity.

Rating: B-

Recommended tracks: Patagonia, Antarctic Handshake

Album Review: Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

For the best part of decade Alaska's Portugal. The Man have been adrift in the endless wastelands of indie and psychedelic rock. Some of their past obscurity is, I'm sure, indebted to their frankly daft moniker (it in fact refers to the idea of summarizing up an entire country as a single individual. I would like to think that New Zealand. The Man would be both personable and scruffy looking, perpetually holding a beer in one hand). For album number seven, the aptly titled Evil Friends, these crafty rockers have enlisted the secret weapon that many acts have been using to test the waters of commercial and critical success. That weapon is producer savant Danger Mouse. Hey, if its good enough for James Mercer, Sparklehorse, Cee Lo Green, and The Black Keys then its good enough for anybody. Danger Mouse not only has his own inimitable style but he also has a great talent for coaxing new sounds out of whoever he is working with. The band's natural propensity for trippiness is tempered by a real focus on song-craft.

However no such close encounter with future fame has changed P.TM. Their trademark snarky humour and disheveled charm remains intact, just packaged in a more accessible format. 'Creep in a T-Shirt' is an excellent example of this rebooted attitude; wonky guitar riffs clattering off the even wonkier piano and the whole hot mess is anchored in John Baldwin Gourley's idiosyncratic vocals. It feels a lot like stumbling out of a dense post-prog haze – like a hangover that makes you feel inexplicably good about yourself and the universe in general. Everything comes to a euphoric head on 'Purple Yellow Red and Blue', a paisley-hued singalong that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve. It is seriously like overdosing inside of a mirrorball and the repeated refrain of “I just wanna be evil” will stay with you for days.

But there is still plenty of joy to be found between these two poles. Spirited roof-raisers such as 'Holy Roller (Hallelujah)' and 'Atomic Man' get the blood pumping and generally make quite a scene. The song that really stands out as not quite belonging there is the introspective album closer 'Smile', but final tracks do have a habit of turning down the intensity a bit. Taken as a whole though Evil Friends can appeal to fans of Broken Bells and MGMT and much more besides, making this a perfectly palatable record. Like it or not the Danger Mouse name brings a lot of legitimacy to an associated artist and helps them reach a wider audience. Portugal. The Man are ready to reap these benefits. This is a fun album all around. Sometimes its good to throw off the shackles of the daily grind and lose yourself in a joyous sonic fantasy, and that is exactly what Evil Friends provides.

Rating: B+

Recommended tracks: Purple Yellow Red and Blue, Creep in a T-Shirt

Review Wrap-Up: May 2013

Hello music fans. It's time for another one of my world-famous, grab bag album review wrap-ups. On this month's list we have a diverse array featuring trip-hop icons, retro doom enthusiasts, grunge survivors, and Christopher Lee. Yes, THAT Christopher Lee. Without further ado; the music. 
- Prof Ric.

#1: Tricky – False Idols

As one of the founding fathers of the erstwhile “trip hop” genre, Tricky (aka Adrian Thawes) has been peddling his brand of minimalist hip-hop for nearly twenty years across ten albums. Tricky has returned to his roots on many levels, including resurrecting the haunted sprawling vibe of Maxinquaye on his new record False Idols. By now it is no surprise to anybody that Tricky himself doesn't feature too heavily on this album - prefering to take the role of band leader than lead singer. Still, his breathy drawl is as mysterious and engaging as ever, and holds the narcotic anthem 'Is That Your Life?' together as he drags in lines from 'Kingston Logic'. The main thrust of the album is that even though trends and styles have changed immensely since the mid 90s, Tricky hasn't. The clattering beats of 'Bonnie & Clyde' are him all over and the contrast between the wounded falsetto and cronking guitars on 'Parenthesis' recalls some of his greatest work. There are no concessions to modern electronic music. No drum n bass. No dubstep. Just the reigning king of downbeat. Tricky always gets the last word, “Nothing's changed / I still feel the same”.

Rating: A-

Recommended tracks: Nothing Matters, Parenthesis, Bonnie & Clyde

#2: Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control

Uncle Acid are a retro-doom rock band hailing from Cambridge, England and they are here to frighten your children and poison your livestock. As with many throwback acts their influences are readily felt; shades of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, along with the VHS horror-show vibes of White Zombie. What do all three of these bands have in common? An obsession with the occult. Uncle Acid take that idea – dose it up with a splattering of vintage LSD - and run with it. After the punishing slog of epic opening track 'Mt Abraxas', 'Mind Crawler' explodes in a shower of smoking guitar amps. This vitality and the ability to switch tempos on a dime helps them stand out from the increasingly passe doom crowd. The atmosphere is uniformly thick with grime but 'Death Valley Blues' toys with a tripped out Beatles stomp, leaning heavily on their psychedelic tendencies. John Lennon would be proud. Proud, and scared, and zombified. While many hard rock album bandy around a ballad or two just to water down the bravado, Mind Control chooses instead to venture into hippie jams such as the buzzing 'Follow The Leader'. This album is not about reinventing the wheel but the wheel you get is damned fine one regardless.

Rating: B-

Recommended tracks: Mind Crawler, Death Valley Blues

#3: Alice In Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Aside

There is nothing that music fans hate more than the idea that there is a lesser, unauthentic version of their favourite band out there. If a key member dies, most would rather that everyone just call it quits. Imagine everyone's surprise when Alice In Chain's 2009 comeback album Black Gives Way To Blue was actually really good! When it comes to Alice In Chains you tend to get exactly what you expect: down-tuned guitars by the bucket load, ominous sludgy grooves, and those oddly soulful vocals. Current singer William DuVall continues to silence the critics. He is no Layne Staley but he more than holds his own here. Tracks like 'Hollow', 'Stone', and the grunge requiem 'Hung on a Hook' are a great showcase for this group's well-earned second coming. In case you were wondering the album's name refers to the Christian-bating title track. It mocks Creationists, Fundamentalists, and even the causal believer with biting lyrical indictments. “The devil put dinosaurs here / Jesus don't like a queer” is sneered like the ridiculous slogan it is. Ridiculous title aside, this album is a solid outing for the band nobody thought could recover from the death of their iconic singer.

Rating: B

Recommended tracks: Hollow, Hung on a Hook

#4: Christopher Lee – Charlemagne: The Omens of Death

Christopher Lee: thespian, Sith lord, white wizard, metal head? At the tender age of 91Lee has just released his second heavy metal album, a sequel to 2010's well-received Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross. It too took many listeners by surprise and sent imaginations running wild. If the world of metal can entice such an iconic actor into their ranks then who could possible resist its charms? With such a powerful, recognizable voice, such almighty subject material this album was always going to be ridiculously epic. Lee obviously handles the numerous spoken word sections that carry the story forwards but he also sings in a more traditional fashion as well, along with a series of guest vocalists. The arrangement of the music is managed by Richie Faulkner (ex-Judas Priest) so this is no flight of fancy, all parties involved are deadly serious. Think of Charlemagne as an opera with guitar solos and power metal touches. That kind of pomp and theatricality suit the tale of the original Holy Roman Emperor down to the ground. Unfortunately outside of the novelty (and it is a doozey) there is little reason to come back to this album. This will not go down in history as the greatest record of all time but, given the age and reputation of the man in charge, it will be remembered as one hell of a historical curiosity albeit a highly camp one.

Rating: C

Recommended track: Judgement Day