Dog Blood

Next Order

Boysnoize Records & OWSLA/Big Beat

The video to this excellent song, which is my first exposure to dubstep, is very trippy, and fun to watch. A guy has a very interesting trip involving astronauts, the streets, pretty women, and helpful strangers. The audio is great  for dancing.  Another good move by Boys Noize, and fun, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6vwuS6oy8I 

Andrea Weiss

Boys Noize featuring Snoop Dogg

Out Of The Black

Self-Released

I’ve already, in my full review of Boys Noize’s excellent album Out Of The Black, made my distaste known for Snoop Dogg’s lyrical stances. So this review focuses on the music and rapping. Snoop Dogg is a great rapper. I like his laid back style, and his matter-of-fact take on what he’s into. Boys Noize’s music perfectly complements Snoop’s rapping, laying down a jagged, humming, and very melodic bed of sound that augments the rapping perfectly. If you like The Dogg, take my viewpoint on his lyrics with a grain of salt and check out this track, one of the best on Out Of The Black, and get dancing to it. http://boysnoize.com/

Andrea Weiss

Scott Walker

Bish Bosch

4AD

Continuing what he started on The Drift, Walker proves that he is like no other operating outside the mainstream, and indeed, most of indie rock.  Bish Bosch, with its dark ominous music and lyrics, nevertheless manages to be more positive than The Drift, simply by taking a more cerebral approach to dysfunction, bodily functions, history and his fascination with dictators like Attila The Hun. 

The album’s title comes from Hieronymus Bosch, whose painting Garden of Earthly Delights, also sets the tone and mood here.  The music is harsh, abrasive, sparse, haunting, does evoke hell, heaven but also in a twisted way as in going through hell to get to heaven. 

While this album is not for the faint hearted, or those accustomed to more conventionally structured music, those that do brave it will find very complex things going on. It’s make one think and feel dread, but also relief that however bad everything is now, it will get better.  http://www.bishbosch.com 

Andrea Weiss

Avan Lava

Sisters

A bisexual love triangle told in 4:55 minutes. The song is erotic and loving, and the video is even more so. I prefer the uncensored version of the video for that reason.  The song is on Avan Lava’s Flex Fantasy EP, and the EP is great all the way through. The title of the song and the clip that accompanies it isn’t meant to be taken literally. Sisters as in best friends, and maybe in the feminist way as well.

All the shots of two hot women in and out of bed, partying or just having quiet times with each other captures love honestly and naturally. This is why you can feel for the woman who is the odd person out when the other is with her boyfriend.  She should ditch him and stay with her girlfriend who gives her much more than the guy could. But don’t ditch the song, which is gorgeous. A mid tempo groove that gets under your skin, it lingers long after the song is over. It’s cool, and the video makes it even cooler.  

http://flavors.me/avanlava#_

Andrea Weiss

Philthkids

Sweatpants EP

Loose Squares

This is friendly fast techno, light, nimble on it’s feet, from this Canadian group.  “Sweatpants,” is the most frenetic, it skitters around the dance floor, and indeed any floor.  The first few beats of “Push” remind me of Devo’s “Whip it,” before “Push” goes careening off in other, much different directions.  “Doggs,”  the last track, is built around a single line, “This goes out to my Doggs,” and is the most mellow of the three tracks.  It’s also fun, even sweet, the way this line is delivered, with flowing music that’s built around it.  The Kids are more than all right, as this EP gets you moving toward whatever you want or need to do. http://www.loosesquares.com                                                                                               
Andrea Weiss

R. Ring

Fallout And Fire

Misra Records

This 7-inch single, on vinyl from Misra and a download at iTunes, is rocked up folk, one of my favorite types of music.  It’s a male/female duo -- Mike Montgomery from Ampline, Kelley Deal of the Breeders, and knitter extraordinaire. They play their guitars in swirling, almost psychedelic ways, or loud, straightforward and hyper-melodic, and either way make music thrilling to hear.

“Fallout and Fire” is Kelly’s side, or rather, if you’ve seen the artwork for this single, the “orange” side, as in the fruit, as much as the color.  This is where the guitars are straightforward, and hypnotic, as is Deal’s sweet singing. No drums, and the song doesn't need any, as it has enough of its own rhythmic pulse to drive it.

“See,” Mike’s side, or the “banana” side, does have drums, by Kristan Svitak of 1031 Skateboards, and his drumming is nice and frenetic.  Here is where the guitars grind and swirl, in a short, sharp blast. But Mike’s vocals are the calm in the storm, reassuring and resolute.

So what do these songs mean? Mike says, “There's enough imagery there for you to extrapolate whatever meaning suits your mood as you're listening. It's no fun if we spell it all out!”  So, my thoughts, “Fallout” first. Maybe it's about nuclear fallout, maybe Kelley’s waiting for the right moment to start shooting, or she might really want to get away badly from something, or someone.  In “See” Mike is taken away, as is his friend, to wherever, for whatever purpose, and willingly. Or it could just be a memory of a dream.  But these songs are not dreams, they’re for real, and really good.  http://rringband.com  http://misrarecords.com/artists/r-ring/ http://www.1031skates.com/

Andrea Weiss

Escape From Chicago

Loose Squares Comp, Vol 1

Loose Squares

This techno comp begins and ends with songs that are mellow and jazz like.  Good to chill to. In-between there are a lot more styles, like DJ Godfather’s “Bring It Back” disco reminiscent of Donna Summer’s “I need Love.” That’s track five.  Then you have track eight, LV and Mumdance’s somewhat prog sounding “Steak Night.” The whole middle of the album is great to move around to, and the comp as a whole is fun to listen to. A good sound track for doing whatever you want or need to do. http://www.loosesquares.com

Andrea Weiss