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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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CD Reviews
Wednesday 07 February @ 14:53:44 |
  MC/VL
Stance
Self-released
myspace.com/mcvl
Mighty Clyde and Vicious Lee might not have an original bone in their bodies. They aren't treading any ground that hasn't already been covered by The Beastie Boys and Run DMC, but for anyone who feels like those bands gave up their body rockin' and metal guitar-sampling tactics too early in their careers, MC/VL are ready to drop a love letter to the gloriously banging electro '80s as a kind of Valentine's Day hangover.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that opener "Cold Check It!" is an outtake from Paul's Boutique, and where the Beasties stopped "Finger Lickin' Good" in its tracks with a Dylan sample, MC/VL drops Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" into "Monkeyshines" to much the same effect. The Beastie Boys sampled AC/DC's "Back in Black" for their first single, "Rock Hard"; MC/VL cribs "Thunderstruck" for "The Guarantee." Tag team rhymes? Check. Geeky white boys in matching adidas tracksuits? You got it.
On Stance, the pop culture references come fast and hard: Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Robin Yount? Check. Mary Todd Lincoln. Yup. And how many bands can boast back-to-back tracks that share titles with great works of fiction ("Moby Dick" and "Ulysses")? Of course, "Moby Dick" is so-named because it samples the Led Zeppelin song, but therein lies MC/VL's particular kind of genius, one which it shares with the Beasties: an ability to straddle the line between booty-moving and intellectual stimulation. Like Girl Talk's Night Ripper mix from last year, half the pleasure comes from tracing the lineage of the samples (listen for Tegan and Sara) and the other half comes from blasting it out of your car stereo. MC/VL have no illusions about their originality, and that makes all the difference. Immature artists copy, mature artists steal. You'll have to figure out which this is a case of for yourself.
MC/VL are throwing a CD Release Party for Stance on Fri., Feb. 16 at the Triple Rock Social Club with Thunder in the Valley, Pretty Boy Thorston, His Mischief and Falling Angels. 9 p.m. $6. 21+. 629 Cedar Ave., Mpls. 612-333-7499. STEVE McPHERSON
Menomena
Friend and Foe
Barsuk Records
menomena.com
Go buy this record. Got it? Good. Now let's try to understand it. Any discussion of Portland, Ore., trio Menomena has to begin with Deeler, the computer program created by singer/guitarist Brent Knopf to funnel the band's creativity into a democratic process. Rather than bringing completed songs to the table, the band creates loops within Deeler, building them up, paring them down, re-assembling them and then basically learning to cover the song they've created. This is in no way a transparent process on their latest record, Friend and Foe. Drums crash in for a measure and then evaporate. Tiny, spiky bits of baritone sax rub uncomfortably against guitar or vocal melodies for a handful of bars before being abandoned. Strange, truncated bits of backwards sound form the bedrock of entire songs. It's an approach that could easily result in a disjointed record with little interest beyond sonic experiment, but instead, Menomena have managed to make the first great record of 2007.
This is mostly due to their tremendous melodic sense. Much like the instrumental bits, the lyrics are notable chiefly for their sonic impact ("Cover your ears / cover your eyes / cover your mouth / Silence, blindness / Tasteless violence / Air aid," goes the chorus to the most bracing track here, "Air Aid"). It's the melodies that will torment and haunt you, forcing you back to this record time and again while other worthy albums languish in a stack on your desk. You'll be powerless to resist and you'll find yourself humming the verse to "Wet And Rusting" in the shower, whistling the massive chorus to "Boyscout'n" at work. The tracks have an almost bionic feel, like organic matter grafted onto cold, hard steel, the rhythms and melodies bent to a single task.
Let's dissect "Air Aid" in a manner that could be applied to any track here. The drums are simply massive--like John Bonham, "When the Levee Breaks" massive. The bass stutter-steps in underneath, shadowed by a growling guitar and so far, so funky. But an echo-laden piano part comes in on the repeat, laying malevolent overtones against the song's rhythmic spine: aggression meets uncertainty. This is the song's first 30 seconds. The piano makes way for the vocal line, which quavers uncertainly between uplifting and upended while a chorus of voices builds under each repeat, brightening the corners even as the return of that piano line undercuts the sunniness. The third time through, a baritone sax comes in, responding to the bass line and dirtying the waters while an almost inaudible vibraphone injects a tinkling doubling of the melody. Push, pull. Push, pull. The pre-chorus suspends the forward progress of the song before it lurches back to life on the repetitive, incantory chorus melody. By the time the snare drum gets doubled up by handclaps the second time through, Menomena has you and they're not going to let you go.
This kind of complicated, Lego-style construction underlies all the tracks here, and the end result is an album that can be called formulaic in a complimentary way. As with John Cage's experiments with chance operations in his compositions, Menomena have found a way to take themselves out of the creative equation to an extent and, like many great records, what Friend and Foe does most successfully is remind you what music is capable of when it sets its own rules and then plays the game to its limit. It's precise, visceral, thoughtful, sloppy, fragile, powerful, lo-fi and hi-fi and often all at the same time. STEVE McPHERSON
The Original Mark Edwards
The Doom Loop
Princess Records
omehome.com
In an era of music that gets hyped up, buzzed about and then forgotten six weeks later, Mark Edwards is proving his ability to stay afloat above the din. After his previous project, the Domo Sound, caved in under the pressure of being branded the Next Coolest Thing, Edwards took a step back from the limelight to create an intricately-woven solo endeavor, 2004's full-length Rewind Tomorrow. Released under the performing name The Original Mark Edwards (OME), the disc was overflowing with loopy effects, beeping keyboards and dreamy vocals, evoking many a comparison to the Flaming Lips. Like a pro, he didn't let the praise go to his head; rather, over the past three years he has crafted a follow-up album that not only shows his staying power but also documents an artist who is continuing to grow as an inventive and (dare I say) revolutionary figure in the musical world.
The most obviously remarkable thing about the new OME album, The Doom Loop, is that it comprises the work of one man. Layers upon layers of vocal harmonies and droning keyboard parts mesh with guitars and drums to create such a plush, atmospheric sound that the idea of it being created by one person seems ridiculous. Immediately, the mind rushes to explain how OME has accomplished this feat and to try to imagine what his live shows must look like: Does Edwards run circles around the stage, madly banging cymbals and pushing buttons, with instruments strapped to his back à la The Music Man? Perhaps he hides several band members underneath the stage, ready to spring out of a trap door at a moment's notice?
Once the listener has moved past the novelty that such a complex one-man band exists, there are a multitude of other fascinating elements that make the album enjoyable to play again and again. The opening track, "Waltz and Paranoia," demonstrates OME's talent for twisting time and feel, as he transitions seamlessly out of an ethereal intro and into a downright rocking pop beat, and his voice snaps from sweet crooning to Britpop snarl at a moment's notice. The title track plays like a lesson in hook writing, while the droning "Wax on Hats" is beautiful for its subtleties; like his sonically similar predecessors (The Flaming Lips, Beck), OME's main talent lies in building up a great big sound and tearing it all back down into nothing, and it's the use of dynamics that makes OME a true master of his craft. ANDREA MYERS
Trampled by Turtles
Trouble
Banjodad Records
trampledbyturtles.com
Duluthian bluegrass quartet Trampled by Turtles are full of surprises. The first time I saw the group perform live, I was taken aback by their powerful output and shocked at how four seemingly normal-looking guys could transform bluegrass into something more like a mixture of punk and metal, with the banjo and mandolin played so aggressively that each song bended into new sonic territory. Seated in a row of chairs and mostly looking down at their instruments, the band plucked their string instruments so wildly that it caused the whole room to rattle and jump in unison-not quite what one would expect from a traditional bluegrass show.
What is even more amazing, however, is that the Turtles have been able to capture that same live energy in their recorded material. Each release has become a clearer interpretation of the band's unique sound, and this year's Trouble features some of their best work yet. Produced and recorded by Rich Mattson and featuring a few special guests (fiddler Ryan Young, drummer Eric Pollard and the ubiquitous Jessy Greene on violin), the disc alternates between sweet country crooners and breakneck barn burners, and it's everything you'd expect from a group who is mastering the art of balancing between traditional and groundbreaking string-based music. "Valley" kicks things off with a lilting melody about coming to terms with life's uncertainties: "There's peace in the valley, just give it some time / You do all you can with your two good hands / Then you walk away," sings Dave Simonett, showing that his lyrical ideas have grown with the development of the band. Just when it seems that the disc has pushed and pulled the band in all the right directions, the Turtles finish things off with the distorted and heavy "Who's Calling?" and the pensive and stripped-down "Last Page," leaving the listener hungry for more from this increasingly inventive band.
Trampled by Turtles will release their new disc during a special 2-night show at First Avenue on Feb. 16 and 17 in partnership with local environmental and social nonprofit agencies. With The Kissers and Pert Near Sandstone the first night and Ol' Yeller and Charlie Parr the second night. 8 p.m. $12/$14. 18+. 701 First Ave. N, Mpls. 612-338-8388. ANDREA MYERS ||
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