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| Masonic
Too Far. Too Fast. Too Soon.
Well, it was bound to happen to the 80’s just as it
had to the 50’s, the 60’s and the 70’s -
kids too young to remember the era the first time around embracing
it with the fervor of a dying sailor clinging to a piece of
flotsam in a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitable.
However, rooted as they are somewhere in Blondie country,
the Mason brothers and crew have not recycled - they’ve
re-invented the music of their formative years. Aside from
the obvious Blondie reference, the bits and pieces of the
Jesus and Mary Chain and earlier, organ driven punk have found
their way onto a disc imminently worthy of listen if not entirely
perfect.
The music is there, the songs are solid and the record sounds
great considering it was recorded in bits and pieces in various
living rooms across the city, but there is one major hitch:
the vocals. Leah Bogan comes off like Debbie Harry at the
slow end of a speed ball, sounding as bored as she usually
looks when the band plays live. Now, while I fully understand
the allure of detachment, it becomes the antithesis of sexy
when it sounds like she’d rather be anywhere else. I
mean anywhere. Like maybe out getting a pap smear.
Bouncy and catchy as all get out, but best accompanied by
a bowl of hash.
–Trevor
Wallace
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Pirates of Darkwater
S/T
2003
I feel like a rebellious renegade traversing through dangerous
waters. Yes, you too can pretend when you listen to The Pirates
of Darkwater. Austin boys Ryan Figg, Bryan Ritchie and Charlie
Ciernia charter new territories with this their first album.
With their military-style drumbeats and cultivated guitar
playing, they give listeners an insight into their dark treacherous
unconscious. Some of their songs contain barely audible screaming
in the background, which adds to their already dark, mysterious
sound. I love this album because I don’t think I have
heard anything like it before. It takes you by surprise and
lets your imagination run wild. My favorite song on the album,
“The Storm,” will blow your mind and give you
goosebumps. First written by Johann Friedrich Burgmueller
(1806-1874), the song was later interpreted by the Pirates
of Darkwater. Honestly, the song surrounds you and makes you
feel like a storm is encompassing you. Another great song,
“constructing a venn diagram between 1984 and war of
the worlds,” contains some really interesting marching
drums at the beginning. This band deserves some attention.
They deliver listeners a new take on old music. Plus, they
throw some original, highly creative thinking into their own
music.
Scheduled to play Headhunters on February 27 and the Backroom
on February 29, I recommend seeing this band play live. I
bet their live show is even better. If unable to make their
show, check out their website www.piratesofdarkwater.com,
or grab their self-titled CD. It will rock your imagination.
–Misty Sweet
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Book
of Knots
Arclight Records
The feel of this album is like potpourri. I can’t tell
if it’s potpourri like dried, scented flowers in a basket
on the back of the toilet in a Southern Living home, or potpourri
like “hey, we can mix some of my pot with his and hers
pot to make a salad joint.” One clearly stinks and the
latter, I’ve read, is often pretty good.
In other words, I can’t tell if I like the CD for being
a full eclectic slab of music or dislike it for being a piece
of referential beach wash-up. Book of Knots sounds like many
styles: the Pet Sounds LP, Fantomas, Faith No More, Gorillaz,
Neurosis, Bjork, Radiohead, Praxis, Black Heart Procession.
The CD is full of segues, stringing the songs together like
good sampling and ditties can do. And if you refer to the
bands I cited you’ll see that they all do similar things
on their CDs.
I’ll call Book of Knots a salad joint. There’s
a female lead vocal that pops up in 2/3rds of the songs. She
throws an adrift longing into the vibe, which lies in bed
nicely with the slow to mid-tempos, nylon stringed-acoustics
and samples about Pearl Harbor being attacked. A violin is
present often as well, which I think really sets the Neurosis
“Are You Lost?” hook in.
In the tackle box Book of Knots has many lures.
I enjoy listening to this CD. It’s spacey, heavy at
times, tips the hat at electronica gone by and deals with
seafaring lyrically. Trade routes, islands, harbors, and lost
crews all moor this CD to a Captain Hook/ Old Man and the
Sea ketamine dry dock.
The Book of Knots reminds me of more experimental metal, the
brand of which the Melvins should have already prepared you
for. More akin to a movie score, there’s way more than
songs going on here. The mood ranges from melancholy to dire,
or from Land Ho! to “Oh shit! My gums are bleeding and
I need an orange.”
This CD is like listening to the narcotic effects of drinking
too much seawater.
– Kevin Stack
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The Daylight Titans
The Invisible EP
What The Daylight Titans lack in minimalist packaging (black
and white cover art) for their second EP Invisible, they make
up for in rich and vibrant melodies. This Austin quartet’s
sound is best described as power pop. The Invisible EP is
intensely melodic and passionate, and it swiftly gains momentum
with each successive song. The Titans have found a way to
allocate equal amounts of fervor into both lyric and harmony.
It’s quite an unusual find. Lyrically the songs incorporate
a resounding sense of urgency. This urgency isn’t lost
in a muddled sound or botched verse—it doesn’t
blow its load early so to speak. Instead, its verse is intricately
entwined into all-inclusive harmonies that I have not taken
away from a CD in a while.
Andy Smith’s voice is nothing short of a warm embrace.
Add his lyrical backbone to the mix and the songs contain
sustenance—there is actually meaning to shoulder them.
It is an induction into a genre long gone. Smith’s vocals
house an emotional spirit, rich tonal undercurrent and cutting
enunciation I likened to that of INXS’s Michael Hutchence
on the Shabooh Shoobah CD from 1982. What can I say? It took
me back.
Robust, energetic and heavy on guitar—this EP is tight
and catchy as all hell. Veteran musicians Ronn Roberts (bass/vocals),
Clint Shay (guitar) and Grant Simpson (drums) complete the
quartet. I played Invisible on a continuous loop, hoping it
would rebuild momentum as the final track, “On the Other
Side of Ecstasy,” rounded the bend. And let me tell
you, it did. Their CD release is March 5 at Rockstars. –Marianna
M.
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