Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Music Review - Bird


As we usher ourselves into new realms of music distribution, we need new monikers. For example, Liverpool's Bird have released 4 songs, so to speak, so I would call such a collection an EP. However, they are just on SoundCloud, not in an organized form. I think I like this, but let's focus on the music.


Lilting vocals from a female singer are the most noticeable features of Bird at first. These vocals are very reminiscent of mid-90's alt-rock vocal styling, with a touch of femininity splashed over a clear sensuality of power. This power emanates from the progenitor of the band, Adele Emmas, who gathered musicians for the project in order to give music to her words.


And the musicians responded. Playing what seems to be atmospheric styled dream pop, Bird brings together the ideas of alt/rock with the slow, folkiness of modern indie rockers. In songs such as "Tides" the guitars compete without overbearing each other or the listener. The bass and drums work together to form a cohesive unit, perhaps a bit understated in most songs, but providing a driving (if simple) churn to move the melodies along to. With other instrumentation added as needed, the "dash of this, pinch of that" approach allows the vocals to fill spaces that might otherwise be left vacant. Put all together, the sound is sexy and exceptional, although it harkens back to a time when this sound was underground and a bit more common.


Bird stands out on the basis of their willingness to not lock down on one style. They range from raunchy slow-churn blues ("Wanna be your dog") to choir-esque atmospherics ("Phantoms") with stops in between. If these four songs (which I will call an eponymous EP for lack of a better word) are a good indication, I think we have a lot to look forward to from Bird.


Where to find them:



RIYL: PJ Harvey, Concrete Blonde, Tanya Donnelly

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Music Review - ††† (Crosses)


It's been a while, but it's summer and I've been busy busy busy. So to make up for it, I bring you the latest solo effort from Chino Moreno, best known for his work with hardcore band, the Deftones.


I wasn't sure what to expect from †††, the name of this project (heretofore referred to as Crosses). Moreno is well known to experiment when outside of the Deftones umbrella, and this is no exception. While still tinged with guitar riffs and lyrics that follow the dreamy ghost story of Moreno's style, these five songs have a much dreamier and ethereal quality. Vocals are clear and concise with unquestionably straightforward poignancy. The music, while mostly electronic, doesn't overtake the lines of the main melody or overbear the vocals.


This nice part of this EP is that Crosses retains all the lyrical workmanship of the Deftones with a much less emotionally wrenching sound to bring it out. Sometimes, the lyrical message gets lost in Deftones songs, but with Crosses the vocals drive the music. A good example of this is "†hholyghs†" (yes, the whole '†' in the title of everything is a little ten angsty), where the emotion of the vocal pulls out the heaviness and softness alternatingly, making this a great, anthemic tune.


Listening through, this EP has been a great release with enough energy to pep a listener up, but no so much aggression so as to make the listener want to jump in the pit.


Where to find it:



RIYL: Deftones, Nine Inch Nails (especially Ghosts), The Crow - OST