Music Reviews

ADMIN

• November 03 2006
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Eric Gieselman’s East Coast Ear Candy
Slightly Stoopid Closer To The Sun
T.S.O.L. Revenge
Matisyahu Youth
Social Distortion “I like everything and anything by Social D.”
Rise Against The Sufferer & The Witness

CDs

The Black Angels
Passover
Light In The Attic
The Black Angels are amazing-I’ll tell you why I think that. This band plays fuzzed-out, hypnotic, dark rock music that goes well with late nights, black boots, and driving muscle cars. They fit well with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Warlocks, but stand out on their own with a vintage soulful sound that will have you in a trance.-C.C.

Giant Squid
Metridium Fields
The End Records
For years, the giant squid has eluded Japanese scientists-a torn tentacle here, a ghostly sonar bleep there. A few hundred miles off the Bonin Islands surrounding Japan, sperm whales can usually be found feeding exclusively on the giant squid; scarred whales show telltale signs of immense and violent struggles between the two creatures. Often the victor, sperm whales use the giant squid as a sort of “fast food” for their young offspring. For a creature like the giant squid (averaging up to 65 feet in length) to remain so elusive proves that our oceans are vast, wide, and undiscovered. The band Giant Squid is a hauntingly heavy indie-rock outfit fronted by a husband and wife guitar-playing duo who rise from the dark depths and into the highest tides to rock you.-Aaron Schmidt

Pharrell
In My Mind
Interscope Records
Pharrell’s new album is like a who’s who list in the world of glitz, glamour, and bling. Big names like Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Nelly, and Slim Thug signify to the masses that the clubs will be bumpin’ half the tracks on In My Mind for the next year. Interesting factoid: Pharrell is down with the skateboard world. He owns a skate shoe company called Ice Cream with pro skater Terry Kennedy at the helm. If you like to get down and dirty all up in the club, then this is what you’ll need to listen to on the drive over.-A.S.

These Arms Are Snakes
Easter
Jade Tree Records
This foursome from Seattle, Washington rides a fine line of excessiveness and minimalism. They do it so well that it’s hard to determine whether you should bang your head around or gaze down and tap your foot in silence. Post-apocalyptic indie math core is what you’d call this caustic mix of virtue and ruin. These Arms Are Snakes will take hold of your innermost subconscious, leaving you frozen in your tracks like a deer caught in a hunter’s headlights.-A.S.

Slayer
Christ Illusion
American Recordings
What can be said about the band that started it all? It’s a band that forever changed the face of heavy metal as we know it. Forged in a molten lava pit of evil in 1982, Slayer scared the masses with morbid tales of the devil, war, and governmental corruption. Well, not much has changed in 24 years as Christ Illusion is chock-full of songs about the devil, war, and governmental corruption. Christ Illusion is the original band’s first new studio album since Seasons In The Abyss came out sixteen years ago, and it’s one of the band’s finest albums to date, ranking right up there with Reign In Blood and South Of Heaven. Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, and original drummer Dave Lombardo are back at it, pushing the boundaries and scaring the masses yet again.-A.S.

Towers Of London
Blood Sweat & Towers
TVT Records
Brash, abrasive, and in-your-face punk rock has gloriously returned in the form of five snotty lads from London, England. You’d think that Towers Of London was a hair metal band from the 80s judging from the way these guys look on the cover of Blood Sweat & Towers. What you get on the album is fifteen tracks of pure “f-k it up” attitude and a sharp lesson on how to properly kill the pop scene. Destroying the current mind-set of new music, the Towers are here to stay and will be vviolently thrashing a hotel room in your hometown very soon.-A.S.

Three Quick Hits

Automatic Animal, In The Shadow Of Sound-Straightforward metal-rock from Santa Cruz. From the ashes of Santa Cruz’s finest metal band, Herbert, the new kings of NorCal rock are Automatic Animal.

Dirty Pretty Things, Waterloo-Always referred to as “the new band from the other guys in the Libertines,” Dirty Pretty Things should just be referred to as a raucous British rock group that will inspire you to trash a pub.

Sparta, Threes-Wow, a lot of new bands of old bands reviewed this month. Either way, Sparta is way easier on the ears than their other ex-bandmates band The Mars Volta-Threes is an album that needs to be heard!


DVDs

Queen: Under Review 1980-1991
Chrome Dreams/MVD
Focused on Queen’s amazing 80s world domination, a new installment in the Under Review series of rock-docs digs deep into the wonderful world of Queen, and also into the mind of the world’s greatest frontman ever, Freddie Mercury. With interviews, live performances, and new footage, Queen Under Review is a must-see for any fan of Queen.

Ultimate Sessions
Ira Opper
Ultimate Sessions is a compilation of classic footage from some of the most memorable surf video sections of the past 40 years. Shaun Thomson and Buttons at Off The Wall, Jeff Hakman at Honolua Bay, and Tom Curren at J-Bay are just a few of the moments showcased in the video. Perhaps its most striking attribute is how it shows the progression of surfing over time. Watching each session lends a clear scope that is sure to be captivating to any audience interested in the evolution of surfing. While the video doesn’t have any really huge waves or big airs, it’s full of idyllic waves that universally compose the dreams of every surfer.-Nick Jiampa


Peel: The Peru Project
T.J. Barrack and Wes Brown
Peel is a surf video infused with the beautiful but violent history and culture of the Peruvian people. This is a beautifully documented film with some amazing surfing as 2004 ASP Women’s Champ Sofia Mulanovich, Peruvian legend Magoo De La Rosa, and Quiksilver surfer Gabriel Aramburu reveal to Mark Healey, Randy Bonds, and small crew of travelers, the perfection that Peru holds. You get a lot in this video: theories about Peruvians being the first surfers, amazing footage of Machu Picchu, and the adventurous Hawai’ians and Californians confronted with the economic poverty, natural beauty, and perfect waves that Peru has to offer.-Nick Jiampa

Freakside: A Jamie O’Brien Film
Jamie O’Brien and Tim Reardon
Freakishly coordinated and versatile in all conditions, Jamie O’Brien is one of the world’s most spectacular surfers. So it’s no surprise that Freakside (directed, edited, and produced by the freak himself) is one of the most mind-blowing, ego-deflating, and envy-producing surf flicks of the year-a one-stop shop for any fan of radical surfing. Also, if you didn’t think Jamie had a sense of humor, just check out the hilarious North Shore redux scene-it’s classic.-Forrest Mack

Music Reviews

ADMIN

• January 16 2004
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All reviews By Chris Coté

What’s In Jason Bennett’s iPod?

Aceyalone The Book Of Human Language

Aesop Rock Labor Days

Aloe Blacc The Aloe Blacc Ep

Bill Withers Lean On Me

Black Moon Enta Da Stage

Blame One Chemically Imbalanced

Bob Dylan Greatest Hits

Bob Marley Legend

Common One Day It’ll All Make Sense

Coper And Diet One FTS Formation

Del The Funky Homosapien No Need For Alarm

Eric B. And Rakim Paid In Full

Gangstarr Daily Operation

Gravediggaz Six Feet Deep

GZA Liquid Swords

Jimi Hendix Are You Experienced?

Kool G. Rap and D.J. Polo Rated XXX

KRS-One Return Of The Boom Bap

Nas Illmatic

Wu-Tang Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

 

Pick Of The Month

Broken Social Scene

You Forgot It In People

Arts And Crafts

Ten people playing ten instruments is always a good thing. Broken Social Scene uses its ten people very wisely and creates songs that stick to your ribs–right next to your heart. Outstanding indie rock is hard to come by these days, but if you’re looking, look no further. With sounds ranging from a rawer version of The Sea And Cake to alaska!-like walls of sound–BSS might very well be your new favorite band. I can’t tell you what to like, but if you already listen to The Postal Service, Joan Of Arc, Polyphonic Spree, or even Jack Johnson–get this disc, you’ll be loving it.

RZA

Birth Of A Prince

Wu Records

Lyrical genius and brainchild behind the Wu just came back to bend your mind with a flow that only the RZA can produce. Birth Of A Prince starts strong with eight songs that feed your brain Wu-food. I never really made it to the end of the CD, but the beginning is worth the price alone. People often say that all the Wu stuff sounds the same, but is there anything wrong with that? All I know is that the RZA shits on Eminem, and this new album will show you why.

Saves The Day

In Reverie

Dreamworks

Evolution in music is often misunderstood. When a band goes through a metamorphosis, the fans don’t always get it. In Saves The Day’s case, it started as a semi-emo, pop-punk band. But on the latest album, In Reverie, the band’s transformed into an intricate, pop-fueled music machine that brings a variation of styles into each song. Hints of jazz, blues, funk, and dreamy pop come together with Christopher Conley’s beautiful voice to create a new brand of pop music. The song “Where Are You” is the standout rocker, and “In My Waking Life” is the prettiest. This album is Saves The Day’s best yet.

Amalgamated Sons Of Rest

Amalgamated Sons Of Rest

Galaxia

Three sorrow-filled voices blend together beautifully and sing songs over sparse guitars and brooding piano. Indie-folk hero Will Oldham (Papa M, The Palace Brothers) teamed up with Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia) and Alasdair Roberts (Appendix Out) to create an amazing album. Unfortunately for fans of this album, it’s a one-off project, and the Amalgamated Sons Of Rest could be lost on the sea forever. That’s why you must get this album and be enlightened. Goes well with candlelight, Cat Power, and The Dirty Three.

The Rapture

Echoes

Universal/Motown

The Rapture is a threesome of ultra-hip New Yorkers who you want to hate because they’re so much cooler than you. But you can’t he them because their music is so amazing. The Rapture has taken cues from bass-bouncy dance-funk indie rockers Gang Of Four, but created a New York sound that’s all their own. Up-tempo, danceable bass lines are a Rapture cornerstone, and techno backbeats covered with wild singing round out the sound. Echoes starts off sounding like The Cure, but then shakes your ass with some funked-up bass. Goes well with Radio 4 and !!!. Get this album to feel more hip.

Mandy Moore

Coverage

Epic

Mandy Moore is a sweet young thing. I admit that I like her more for her looks than her music, but after her latest offering–it’s obvious that her music is catching up to her beauty. While all the songs on her newest album are cover songs–they’re all performed with heart and soul. Mandy modernizes twelve 70s and 80s classics including “Senses Working Overtime” by XTC, “One Way Or Another” by Blondie, and my personal favorite, “Breaking Us In Two,” by Joe Jackson. While I will never get the chance to go on a karaoke date with Mandy, I can listen to this disc, close my eyes, and dream.

Rufus Wainwright

Want Some

Dreamworks

It’s not often that an album full of masterful orchestrations and angelic vocal styling slips under the radar and into your ear canal–unless of course it’s a Rufus Wainwright album. Want One is a finely tuned lush garden of sound that mixes the best parts of catchy pop with the beautiful parts of opera. Texture and beauty is the theme to this album, and Rufus delivers deep lyrics with meandering passion. Similar artists that come to mind are Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. Wainwright has brought a full symphony to the table, and the feast is glorious.

Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack

Lost In Translation

Emperor Norton

Lost In Translation was an amazing film that shows a short slice of life and the accidental relationship of two people staying in a hotel in Japan. If you haven’t seen the movie, you really should because it’s beautifully filmed, the characters are very real, and the story is simple yet draws you in like it was your own life. One great thing about the movie was the soundtrack that fit each scene perfectly. Songs from Squarepusher, My Bloody Valentine, Death In Vegas, and Air provide perfect background music for your life.

DVD

Punk And Disorderly

Josh Pomer

Punk And Disorderly is the latest from Josh Pomer–the man behind The Kill series and many other badass surf flicks. High-performance surfers pack this video with quality action. Barney stars as Roid and serves as your host, which is great. The Santa Cruz guys along with Dane Reynolds, Bobby Martinez, the Currans, and rest of the young rulers of the world are on here. New waves and different trips make this video a must-have (even though the soundtrack should be muted).

Dragging The Lake Video Magazine Issue One

Resting Bird Entertainment

The 411 of the rock world is back to rock you again. Dragging The Lake Video Magazine is the best way to see and hear what’s going on down in the underground of indie rock, punk, hardcore, and everything surrounding the scene. This issue features Coheed And Cambria, Recover, a Black Flag segment, A Day In The Life with Mark Hoppus of blink-182, live Cursive, Sparta, The Used, and a ton of other shit. It’s cheap and awesome, so get it and watch it.

Amplified Take Two

Double Vision Films

Amplified Take Two is the follow-up to last year’s Amplified. The best part of this movie is the Irons brothers ripping Hawai‘i like only they can. Shot mostly on the North Shore, this movie will be great to get you amped up to surf Backdoor. Best if viewed with your own soundtrack. Check out the tow-in section and shit your pants–Makua Rothman and Ryan Rawson are psycho.

Yoga For Surfers Two: Fluid Power Yoga

Peggy Hall

A few months ago, Taylor Knox told us about a video he was in called Fluid Power Yoga. He also talked about a few yoga poses that helped the body loosen up before a session. I took his advice, watched the video, and learned a few stretches and poses that should help me stay loose. For any surfer feeling tight or tired during their session, yoga can help, and this DVD is a good way to start.

e follow-up to last year’s Amplified. The best part of this movie is the Irons brothers ripping Hawai‘i like only they can. Shot mostly on the North Shore, this movie will be great to get you amped up to surf Backdoor. Best if viewed with your own soundtrack. Check out the tow-in section and shit your pants–Makua Rothman and Ryan Rawson are psycho.

Yoga For Surfers Two: Fluid Power Yoga

Peggy Hall

A few months ago, Taylor Knox told us about a video he was in called Fluid Power Yoga. He also talked about a few yoga poses that helped the body loosen up before a session. I took his advice, watched the video, and learned a few stretches and poses that should help me stay loose. For any surfer feeling tight or tired during their session, yoga can help, and this DVD is a good way to start.

Music Reviews

ADMIN

• February 10 2003
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What’s In Josh Hoyer’s Beat Box?

Hypocrisy Obsculum Obscenum

Carnage Dark Recollections

Mortician House By The Cemetery

At The Gates Terminal Spirit Disease

Slayer God Hates Us All

Moth

Provisions, Fiction and Gear

Virgin

I hate it when moths leave holes in my sweaters. For that reason, I wanted to mothball Moth after listening to it for the first time. Just kidding–the CD actually grew on me as I listened to it more and more. The recipe for their sound is an eclectic, straightforward, harder-hitting rock version of Modest Mouse meets The Flaming Lips, marinated in a Built To Spill and Guided By Voices sauce. Weezer fans might like some of the numbers. This CD contains lots of whispering and tiptoeing contrasted by bone-crushing rock chomps and voice raising. –AC

 

The Shutdowns

T-75

Theologian Records

What exactly does the title of this CD mean? Is it one of those subliminal license plate spellings like “PLYAH8R”? Or is it something to do with the girl tied up on the cover? Who knows? I bet it stands for a new strain of herpes–”Oh no, you got the T-75?” Anyway, The Shutdowns play punk-rock music. The kind of music that makes you get creepy and acquire a venereal disease. If you like fast rhythmic punk that sounds like Pennywise, then you’ll like The Shutdowns.–AC

Dan The Automator

Wanna Buy A Monkey?: A Mixtape Session

Sequence Records

It’s not surprising that Dan “The Automator” Nakamura’s name is rarely the seen alone on a CD cover. As the mixer/producer/mastermind behind projects like The Gorillaz, Deltron 3030, and Dr. Octagon, his knack for bringing out the esoteric alter egos of innovative underground rappers like Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and Kool Keith puts him predominantly behind the scenes.

Wanna Buy A Monkey is not just a conduit for Dan The Automator to demonstrate his exceptional skills as a producer, but in his own words, “This is a chance for people to get a look into my head.” This CD is an ingenious mix of hip-hop, featuring gems by Black Rob, The X-ecutioners, Dilated Peoples, and Bobby Digital, and spacey electronic pop, with tracks from Lovage, Tortoise, and Air. This CD combines some of the lesser-known music that Dan has been a part of, along with some of his personal favorites that he wasn’t involved with. This is truly a mixtape–there’s no need to skip songs. Just slip it in, kick back, and listen all the way through.–Stacie Perry

Charlie Parker

The Gold Collection

Deja Vu

This is not barely-audible-above-the-gurgle-of-espresso-machines-at-some-cliché-coffee-shop jazz. This is the kind of jazz that can, well, make you feel like you drank about ten of those espressos. Charlie “Bird” Parker is an icon. Rising to fame from Kansas City, Missouri, where he first picked up the alto saxophone, to the smoky clubs of Harlem, where he became the bebop jazz great he is, Parker is a legend like Bob Dylan or Woody Guthrie. His experimental and supposedly less respectable form of jazz music transcended the deep color lines of the 40s and 50s. Two years after his death in 1955, Beat writer Jack Kerouac, who was obsessed by Parker’s talent, would publish On The Road, whose spontaneous prose was a reflection on the spontaneous saxophone playing of Parker. Spontaneity is the essence of bebop jazz–bebop is something not easily explained, but when you hear it, you’ll feel it.–Tim Dowell

 

Satoshi Toomiie

Global Underground: Nubreed

Global

Satoshi who? Wake up! Right now, Satoshi Tomiie is one of house music’s hottest producers. When his hit single “Love In Traffic” first dropped in 2001 on John Digweed’s Global Underground: Los Angeles double disk, it threw a curveball to those who thought they knew what was on the cutting edge of house music. No one could’ve predicted that such a dark, moody, sexy, progressive sound would generate such a huge trend in the production of house tracks. This very song elevated Satoshi Tomiie to hero status among producers and DJs alike. This double CD is nothing less than spectacular. From African tribal drums and deep spacey grooves to sexual whispers and dark Indian chants, this CD will move you. But as Dom Phillips says of Tomiie’s latest masterpiece, “It’ll be good, it might make you emotional, but please–no tears!”–Pete Taras

Andrew WK

I Get Wet

Island Records

The cheesy portrait of Andrew WK on the back of the CD case, resembling a cross between Fabio and The Undertaker of WWF fame, should’ve given me an omen of the absolute crap to come. This CD is completely devoid of anything resembling musical talent–no, seriously. The only record I could come close to comparing it to is Hulk Hogan’s horrendous foray into the music world, Hulk Rules, but even that was more creative than Andrew WK’s first full-length album.

The format is: play some really bad music accompanied by a loud keyboard, then repetitively scream the words to the title of each song over the “music” (to use the term lightly). I made it through track number eight entitled “Party Til You Puke,” mostly because I was astounded by the fact that people actually buy this CD. At that point, I wanted to puke myself and turned it off. If you have any friends who own this CD, do them a favor and accidentally “lose” it for them. Their ears will thank you.–Stacie Perry