The semester is winding down. Winter has arrived. The Twins may be contracted. Rasho Nesterovic may be the best player in the NBA. What does all this have to do with the analysis of a fresh batch of independent music in the much beloved and long absent rock ‘n’ roll round-up? Absolutely nothing. Let’s get to the music.
Centro-matic - Distance and Clime (Idol Records)
Singer/guitarist Will Johnson and the rest of his Denton, Tex. crew know how to crank out records. Distance and Clime is Centro-matics sixth full-length album in six years. Fortunately Centr-matic are too clutch to ever come up short in the quality department. Despite their staggering rate of output pretty much all of their songs boast memorable melodies. Distance and Clime is a pretty straight forward indie-rock record (scratchy vocals, quiet/loud dynamics, edgy guitars). None of this is particularly revolutionary to anyone who’s listened to the likes of Sebadoh or Guided By Voices, but it doesn’t make the tunes any less enjoyable.
Most songs boast nice piano arrangements and flit about in the same mid-tempo territory. Johnson keeps the proceedings intriguing by belting out abstract words (“For two days in succession I twisted capillaries deep in euphoniums across marching fields.”) that pretty much defy any attempt at making sense, but still work. Whatever he’s singing about, he sounds like he means it, and that counts for something.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Saturnine - The Pleasure of Ruins (Motorcoat Records)
NYC’s Saturnine seem content to re-write R.E.M.’s early period throughout their latest effort. Their strong commitment to jangle-pop of the Michael Stipe/Peter Buck variety never lets up over the course of the album’s 11 songs, but repeated listens find Saturnine enjoyable on their own terms, and not merely new-wave revivalists. Saturnine clearly have some guitar playing chops, probably superior to those of Mr. Buck, which means that a lot of the songs have nice guitar freakouts that R.E.M. never even really attempted to pull off.
The band’s consistently lean sound (guitar/bass/drums/old school synths) never grows stale because of the level of musicianship at work here. The songs bob and weave, never getting stuck in ruts. Pleasure of Ruins also boasts at least one future classic in the indie-rock canon in the form of “The History of Cleveland,” a paean to great bands gone by. (“Whatever happened to the guys in Husker Du? They should have been made superstars, I doubt they made much money.”) I take back everything I said, this isn’t like an early R.E.M. record, it’s even better.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Elk City - The Sea is Fierce EP (WARM)
Personal revelation time: it’s usually really hard for a band to win me over once I’ve decided they suck. NYC act Elk City had left me unimpressed on last year’s full-length debut, Status. I wasn’t in the market for a watered-down Yo La Tengo, and that’s what I thought they were. A quick listen to their new EP has proven at least one thing thoug: I am a very stupid man. I’ll have to rummage through the stacks to find Status now, because The Sea is Fierce has me strongly revising my take on the band.
Usually EP’s are not a good value. Who really wants to spend all that money on five songs? Elk City make it worth your while by throwing in some epic numbers (the opening “Take Me Out” hits the nine minute mark), and making sure the rest of the songs hold up in the quality department. Singer/guitarist Peter Langland-Hassan attacks his fretboard like a man possessed on the extended outro to “Take Me Out.” Few people outside of Sonic Youth and Neil Young have reached grander heights from channeling feedback than Hassan does here.
Singer/bassist Renee Lobue’s voice plays perfectly off of Langland-Hassan’s on throughout the EP and Elk City appear to be making a run at the coveted (albeit lightly contested) “best male/female indie-rock vocal duo title.”
Elk City stand out thanks to dark brooding vocals, a cool late-night vibe, and big pop hooks. Rarely are these three elements ever evident in the same band, let alone the same song. Hey, Elk City, thanks for making me look like a jack-ass for doubting you.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Aveo - Bridge to the Northern Lights (Red Tide Records)
Will the indie-rock onslaught from Seattle ever let up? Aveo looks to be the latest in a long-line of high profile Pacific Northwest exports based on the promise of their debut. Aveo dabble pretty heavily in Brit-pop territory on Bridge to the Northern Lights, their shiny guitar sound clearly indebted to the Smiths and similarly up-tempo-yet-wimpy-as-all-get-out bands.
Singer/guitarist William Wilson definitely knows how to emote and the band helps him exact maximum drama from his angst-ridden lyrical persona by playing incredibly tight throughout. There’s a tension at the heart of Aveo’s music usually not seen in bands whose sound leans toward the lighter end of the rock spectrum.
Be warned though, if exceedingly fey frontmen aren’t your bag, steer clear of Aveo.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Boylion - B, A, Select, Start (MOC)
I am obviously going to try really hard to like any band throwing old school Nintendo props in their album title, so Boylion let me down pretty hard. This is cloying emo of the annoying Saves the Day variety that makes me very angry. I am not 14. Granted that was a great time in my life and everything, but I’ve moved on. Hopefully Boylion will as well on their next release.
B, A, Select, Start is just too derivative and cheese-angsty to be worth listening to for extended periods of time. It’s hard-charging synths and spiky guitars are hyper fast and melodic (and identical) on every track though, so you can’t really hate them. Boylion know their formula, and do it well. If you are looking to pogo around your room and think about girls in study hall then this album is for you.
Rating: 4 out of 10
