Music Review - Apparat - The Devil's Walk

It seems the autumn music is upon us. And the upcoming album from Apparat, The Devil's Walk, makes for a great addition to any fall music collection or playlist.

This album is reflective, seemingly filled with songs of longing for instant nostalgia, like telling stories of a party you went just a few nights ago as if they were the childhood we've all lost somewhere along the way. These songs, "Escape" immediately comes to mind, have such a mix of melancholy and upheaving redemption, it makes it difficult to say this album is morose. It's really enjoyable as a roller coaster of surface emotions, the type that don't want to delve too deep and spill over into true feelings.

As far as instrumentation is concerned, it's all programmed. This might turn some people off, but the orchestration and the way a melange of sounds is pulled together to form melody and structure is pure genius. Then there are the voices: lilting, lazy, stretching themselves out to the point where it seems each breath is held standing on the edge of a 200 meter drop, but caught just in time for the next lyric. "Song of Los" and "Ash Black Veil" are great examples of taking that voice, slowly pulled from the throat, and stretching it over beats and tones that are moving at a frantic pace so that the two, juxtaposed, form a balance.

This album is a brilliant piece for your autumnal listening pleasures. It comes out next week and everyone should scoop it up as soon as possible.

Where to find it:

• Amazon pre-order (for regular or special edition)
• You can preorder on iTunes
• The Apparat Website

RIYL: Mogwai, Toe, Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Special thanks to CJR for the hook-up on this one!

Music Review - Ichabod

Ichabod is the latest dark pop/folk-ish artist to escape the hallowed halls and pubs of the UK. With a dark sensibility and a straight-forward delivery, Ichabod's latest 7 song release, All My Beloved shows some branching out compared to earlier releases while staying at home with themes that are easy to relate to and a sound that harkens back a bit to late-80's/early-90's alt rock.

On previous releases, Ichabod was a one man show with occasional help on percussion. This album finds him joined by The Inglorious, a capable backing band which gives the music a fuller, less controlled sound. This becomes apparent on the second track, "Godzilla Love", a campy, call-response love song that where the instrumentation is free and flowing. The one negative I can find on these recording, though, is, whether due to haste or desire, occasionally the mix is a bit off. The snare sound for the drums is tinny and obnoxious. Additionally, some lead guitar parts are so far up in the mix as to make it difficult to hear the rest of the band.

It's sad that the songs aren't better produced, because they are truly brilliant. Lyrically, each song is a dark poem depicting addiction, love gone wrong, and a generally rough life as lived by someone with experience in the less than light side of life. Ichabod's voice pulls it all together in a way that makes the poor production, almost disappear. Almost.

To be honest, though, the darkness is of a type where brief glimpses of hope shine through. On songs like the title track and "Edmund the Martyr", we understand that the bottom has been reached, and at the bottom, clarity has finally been reached. This is not an album that leaves you feeling all is lost, more that mistakes have been made, but even through the worst mistakes, we can learn and move on.

Where to find this album:

• BandCamp
• MySpace

RIYL: Jeff Buckley, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Built to Spill