The amount of indie rock groups in the Bay Area music scene can be overwhelming at times. For some reason there is an unbelievable amount of 20- and 30-somethings who somehow find their way to starting an indie rock band. With this in mind, I swallowed my prejudices towards the genre and gave Geographer an honest chance. Fortunately for me, Geographer is great.

Geographer delivers two wonderfully indie songs with a level of musicianship that is scarcely found in the Bay Area indie rock scene. The first track, “Can’t You Wait,” begins with a four-on-the-floor kick pattern and an unbelievably catchy guitar melody. Shortly into the song come the lyrics. A sweet, full voice begins to tell a story with an engaging personal tone. The track builds, adding cello, keys, and layers of vocals which lead up to an incredibly catchy synth line/disco beat chorus. In indie fashion the song builds up and down on this same theme returning at the end for one last disco beat chorus. “Rushing In, Rushing Out”, the second track on the single, slows down the tempo slightly but continues on the same general path laid out by the first song. A sweet synth melody leads you through another personal and powerful vocal, filled out nicely by a steady and lush cello performance.

Geographer reminds me why I, and a whole lot of other people, fell in love with bands like Broken Social Scene. Geographer celebrates the release of their full length album at Cafe Du Nord on August 17 with Cotillion and Judgement Day.

San Francisco experimental trio the Bad Hand seems like the kind of group that’ll try anything once. On This Is No Time for Modesty, the band’s staple rock instrumental base of guitar, Rhodes piano, and drums gets invaded by a gaggle of other genres and sounds, resulting in an ambitious mix of kitchen-sink sonic collages with varying degrees of success.

The band certainly offers enough surprises to satisfy anyone bored with the verse-chorus-verse same-old same-old, as the musicians follow a slew of paths within the album and on the songs themselves. Just when you begin to brace yourself for an all-instrumental record, “Hell Bent” drops in soft, girly vocals; or dirgy grunge falls into good ol’ Southern blues on “Then He Tried to Kiss Me”; or an interlude of fart-like kazoo sounds (“Short Door”) creeps into the batch.

Some of the tracks that fail to catch on weave together so many melodic and genre-hopping fragments that they leave listeners with little to grasp onto. The occasionally rough mixes, as on the hard-rock mishmash “How to Know When” and on the tail end of the disjointed “South Door,” which awkwardly melds a church organ with Southern blues guitar, can make one wonder: Are these guys all playing the same song?

But the band is legitimately enjoyable when it tones it down a few notches and sticks to one groove, like on “En Attenant De Baiser,” a proggy swirl of fuzzy guitars and shifting time signatures that drifts into funky jazz percussion and discordant piano tinkers; “The Twist,” which melds a paced electro pulsing with rainforest flutes and romantic whispers; and the best track, “Lo Ha,” a somber acoustic tremolo piece blended with funereal violin for a chilled out and downright lovely ambiance.

Perhaps most admirably, This Is No Time for Modesty showcases a band with oodles of energy that, when focused, can traverse a range of music and still pull it off — most of the time.

Battlehooch’s debut EP OOF OWF has already garnered much-deserved respect within the Bay Area and beyond. It is a self-made wonder-work of psychedelic rock, funk, and unabashed nonsense. All four of the disc’s creations are heavily orchestrated movements featuring all manner of percussion, guitars, and driving bass, with some classy Zappa-inspired horns popping up whenever necessary. Vocals are present but one gets the feeling that the listener is less expected to sing along than they are to dance.

By Tyler Corelitz

It seems like only months ago that I first heard about San Francisco duo the Dodos. I felt cool for listening to what I thought was an extremely awesome, but relatively obscure band, that just happened to be playing in my college’s cafeteria. Now, after a year on the road, these Bay Area starlets are gaining national attention on the eve of their sophomore full length release, Visiter, which comes out March 18th on Frenchkiss Records.

The Dodos’ passion for their music is undeniable by the amount of energy they put off in their live shows, which the band has tapped as a major influence for Visiter. Live, it can be hard to tell who is driving who, as the airy vocals and finger-picked guitar of Meric Long mesh with the hyper-rhythmic drumming of Logan Kroeber. Maybe Animal Collective covering Mississippi John Hurt or The Velvet Underground with chops? This formula is showcased on their single “Fools,” as the song alternates between pulsing rim clicks, catchy guitar riffs, and undeniable vocal hooks; all of which can and will be independently stuck in the listener’s head.

As an album, Visiter is truly a nod to the talent of Kroeber, who bills himself as an experimental percussionist. While the experimental nomenclature — for a drummer — can lend itself to self indulgent beats and sounds, Kroeber shows maturity in his ability to play for the song. For the Dodos, this often means creating moments of immense space and tension, by simply alternating accents or textures to highlight Long’s guitar and vocals. This attention to detail can be heard at the end of “Fools,” as Long begins chanting “I’ve been, I’ve been silent,” the listener realizes that the drums have suddenly stopped, only to return in a beautiful pop build that climaxes over Long’s continued chanting.

Through a twist of fate I ran into the Dodos as they were about to film for super-hip French video blog La Blogoteque. As my friends and I followed them through the relatively deserted streets of San Francisco, clapping and singing into a BART station, I realized that I was standing very near to Long; not out of lust or for lack of hearing, but because the Dodos have managed to make music worth getting close to.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/27/08.

Touch My Rash, Doomed from the Start, Pissed-off frustration can be therapeutic, and San Jose’s Touch My Rash delivers the goods with a subtle sense of humor. Lead singer Colin Kutch affects a snarl that’s just punk enough, while the music is reliably simple, fast, and catchy. What healthier way to spend 28 minutes? (Bittersick Records)

Fluorescent Grey, Gaseous Opal Orbs. Though GOO’s shapeless, heavily experimental electronic tableaus are pretty far out-there, Robbie Martin’s sophomore disc as Fluorescent Grey contains his most accessible compositions yet — which goes to show that perception is everything. (Record Label Records)

Gemini Soul, The Nefertiti Experience. Jazz doesn’t get much funkier, or perhaps it’s the other way around. Gemini Soul’s smooth, groovy fusion (they call it “cyber jazz”) rests on the poppin’ fingers of bandleader and bass-master Andre Ajamu Akinyele. (Pearl Jazz Recording Label)

Killian Garnet MacGeraghty, Celebration Songs. Gun & Doll Show frontman MacGeraghty recorded imaginative, quasi-pop theme songs for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more, then threw them alongside a few non-holiday numbers. Even when repeated in five languages, his version of “Happy Birthday” doesn’t get old. (Mad Chatter Records)

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 2/6/08.

Sean Smith, Eternal (Gnome Life Records). Like the best poetry, Eternal engages from the start and expands with each pass. Built upon Smith’s Eastern-influenced acoustic guitar and sparing contributions from four fellow instrumentalists, the disc explores both the form and sound of music through seven joyous, contemplative tracks.

Chinese Bookie, Is That You Behind Those Foster Grants? EP (self-released). It’d be a shame if the best song on here were a cover, and while Chinese Bookie — née San Francisco’s Viola Keeton — does a wicked awesome version of New Order’s “Age of Consent,” this five-track electro-pop debut also features three winning originals.

The Hipwaders, Educated Kid (self-released). Kids’ music that doesn’t drive adults nuts is a trend to get behind. The Hipwaders have been at it since ‘04, even performing at Lollapalooza last year. Their third album offers a thoroughly tolerable batch of pop songs about behaving well with siblings, using the Dewey Decimal System, and falling asleep.

Liz Kennedy, Clean White Shirt (Jaggo Records). Kennedy’s supporters like to tag her as “Bonnie Raitt without the slide guitar,” though I wouldn’t be so rash. Whereas Raitt can’t quite move beyond her showy blueswoman persona, Kennedy sings from her piano bench with the subdued tone of an artist not seeking attention but earning it.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 12/19/07.

Johannes Wallmann Quintet: Minor Prophets (MooseWorks Productions). Wallmann recently moved west to direct jazz studies at Cal State East Bay, but Minor Prophets pays tribute to his former home of New York City with a breezy palette and an inviting, complex finish.

Please Quiet Ourselves: Please Quiet Ourselves (Mushpot Records). A promising pop mess (think broken-down Broken Social Scene) from seven Berkeley high school students. Some songs have yet to find themselves, but surprisingly many are downright glorious.

Michael J. Downey and the World: America (self-released). Perhaps little more than one man’s mission to front a band featuring four beautiful women. Though Downey’s lyrics reflect reputable morals, his songs soil adult-contemporary’s already beleaguered name.

Various Artists: Chaos Restored with Justin Martin (Buzzin’ Fly Records). Bedroom ravers rejoice: local talent Martin lays down a seventy-minute set of stylish European house featuring three of his own compositions (and one from brother Christian) plus selections by other producers here and abroad.

Deborah Pardes: Love and Discipline (Mentl Music). One of those unexpected treats that validates digging through the crates. Pardes may be neither hip nor happening, but proves herself a pro when it comes to the three pillars of singer-songwriting: lyrics, vocals, and composition.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 11/21/07.

Subtle, Yell&Ice (Lex Records). Remix albums usually suck. But not this collection of alternate takes on tracks from the acclaimed Oakland act’s 2006 release For Hero: For Fool, which oozes creativity from members of Why?, Wolf Parade, TV on the Radio, Hood, and the Notwist.

Company Car, Collars (self-released). Nicely mixed, relatively convincing post-hardcore with strong guitar work and a tolerable emo bent. For better or worse, it just might warrant a shot at a mainstream rock audience.

Six Organs of Admittance, Shelter from the Ash (Drag City). Medieval metal and folk pickin’ fuse via experimental rock on another interesting yet underwhelming release from the mostly-solo project of Comets on Fire’s Ben Chasny.

Citay, Little Kingdom (Deep Oceans Records). Frontman Ezra Feinberg spins instrumental gold on this sophomore Citay disc, which also features Tim Green (San Francisco’s resident post-rock Midas) on guitar, piano, and production. As beautiful as it comes.

Josh Fix, Free at Last (1650 Entertainment). It’s special enough that Fix can nimbly reproduce everything about the bombast and tenderness of Queen and Elton John. But a few bulletproof melodies make it no wonder he’s already more famous than you know.

]]> http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/11/local-licks-112107.html/feed/ 0 http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/10/local-licks-103107.html http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/10/local-licks-103107.html#comments Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:29:49 +0000 admin http://localhost/nascentmag/?p=78 Elliot Randall, Emily Jane White, Pinched Nerve, Minipop, and Project Greenfield

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 10/31/07.

Minipop A New Hope (Take Root Records). Don’t let the name fool you: Minipop’s music can be vast. The quartet is at its best on songs like “Ask Me a Question,” where conventional pop spills over its walls like a river cresting a levee.

Elliot Randall Take the Fall (self released). Close your eyes and forget you’re near the coast — Randall’s roots, rock, and country numbers come straight from the heartland. Keep ‘em shut and never realize he’s only 25 years old.

Emily Jane White Dark Undercoat (Double Negative Records). Folk music can be haunting in the hands of White, whose sparse songs — featuring only her balanced voice over guitar or piano — are as beautiful as they are troubled, especially the reverb-drenched “Dagger.”

Pinched Nerve Mission and Highland (self released). Pinched Nerve, under house arrest for crimes related to his painkiller addiction, sing-raps over demented lo-fi beats about the ills of apartment life in the ghetto: pigeons, trash, and “Scabs and Mice.”

Project Greenfield The Spiral Path (Greenfield Records). On this sophomore disc, five guys who’ve known each other since the ’70s careen between prog-rock, world, funk, and jazz like they can’t pick a favorite. And against all odds, they totally nail it.

IMEEM site

Hometown: Berkeley

Next local show: 3/2, Oakland Metro

Recent release: The Get Down, 2006

Believe us, we’d be the first to say we’re done with the whole dance-punk thing. On principle alone, we’re just tired of it. Because face it, most of the bands suck. We get it: You discovered Gang of Four. You have a stylish haircut. You think it’s cute to coerce indie rockers to dance. Done yet? Tempo No Tempo don’t escape the latter trap, needlessly bragging on their MySpace page that they sound like “the first time you danced in public and felt okay about it.” But what makes Tempo No Tempo different from the Rapture et al is that TNT are from Berkeley and obviously not interested in assimilating into the dying dance-punk masses.

How do we know this? Because, for one thing, they have normal haircuts. This is very important. Also, of course, there’s the music. Tempo No Tempo are equally familiar with Wire, Interpol, and the Strokes, crafting danceable rock music as opposed to exaggerated beats with pointy guitar parts. They also cite local post-rock heroes From Monument to Masses as an influence. This doesn’t manifest ostensibly in their tunes, but certainly can’t be a bad thing. It’s also promising that they include an acoustic song on MySpace: proof that TNT are looking more to establish themselves as a legit rock group with strong songs than to merely associate with a subgenre that has attracted so many substanceless followers.

Tempo No Tempo is a young band, formed by four UC Berkeley students in 2004. The songs they’ve churned out so far are promising — especially “Static,” which comes from their debut EP, The Get Down, home-recorded and self-released last year. Sounding both youthfully exuberant and strikingly mature, the song could catapult the band to much bigger things if heard by the right person. Over the last year, TNT has earned the attention of Pitchfork and local music mag The Deli Magazine, as well as an opening slot for LA group Ima Robot.

CONCERT NO CONCERT

-Tempo No Tempo play tonight, that’s right tonight, with fellow local groups Panda and Facing New York at the Metro in Oakland. More local bands should round off the bill. Only $10! Head over if you have the chance.

-For those of you who are busy tonight or outside of the East Bay, Tempo No Tempo has shows coming up at Epiphany’s in Santa Rosa (4/6), the Boardwalk Bowl in Santa Cruz (4/13), and Streetlight Records in San Jose (4/14).