Thursday, January 17, 2013

Vol. 4 Episode 2



I have found out that there will be a 7" single released for the new Veronica Falls album. They are also going to put out a second covers EP through Rough Trade. This will be limited to 300 vinyl pressings but will be available on CD too.The box set for the Death Cab For Cutie Barsuk Years has been pushed back about a month. 

I am waiting to hear information about the new Golden Grrrls and Weekend albums. Also waiting for more information about Man or Astro-Man? single Vol. 3 and forthcoming album. 

Here we go...

This is the first release from Poliça. It was released in early 2012. I avoided this album because it was pushed so hard by internet and radio. It wasn’t until I heard the track that was included on 89.3 The Current/Local Current CD that I had any interest (This does mean that they are a Minnesota band). The song Wandering Star was included on the disc. Then, last fall when The Current put out Live Current Vol. 8 they included the track The Maker. That was the track that made me buy the album. I did not actually get the album though until 2013 (I had to hear the two tracks a few more times before I made the purchase). I have been very happy with the purchase too. If you get the album get it on vinyl as you get the download of the album plus a remix EP included with the download. These remixed tracks are not included with the CD.

The group is made up of two drummers, a bassist and a vocalist/keyboardist/programmer. The one thing that I don’t get about the group is that the vocalist uses auto-tune on all of her vocals. She has such a pretty voice and good control of her voice that she doesn’t need it at all. I can understand the echo that she uses though. It gives it that electronic/space feel that they are going for.

The singer had this to say about the name of the group, pulled from Wikipedia, “According to Channy Leaneagh, Polica is Polish for "policy", and she sees it as a reference to an unwritten code that guides the members when they play together, as well as its work ethic. The name appears to be a loose derivation, as there is no "ç" in Polish alphabet. There is a similar word "polisa", that literally means "insurance policy" in Polish, in particular – the contract document itself.”

There have been a few tracks that the radio has been playing. I don’t think that there has been an official single released though. The first track, Amongster, from the album has always hit me. It starts off with a super distorted saw toothed wave that rips at your hearing. The bass kicks in and punches you in the chest. It is a slow song but hits hard. The vocals swim over the top of all of this in outer space like beauty. It is a great song that deserves a chance even if you are not a fan of distortion.

The second track, The Maker, is the reason that I bought the album. The electronic bass line is simple and pulls you in just on its simplicity. It is a three note progression that floats between the set so easily. Then the bass guitar kicks in and makes the song so beat worthy it is ridiculous. The double drum kit gives the song the climax that it needs at the end. The vocals float over the whole thing like the ebb and flow of the ocean on a beach. It is hauntingly beautiful.

The last song that has been played on the radio is called Wandering Star. This song has the pace of Amongster. It is slow but not super slow. The vocals are pretty much the same as the whole album but the bass guitar pushes artistic boundaries of what has become the norm for rock music. It is refreshing to hear a bassist that can and does play to the best of his ability.

This is a very good album and I would recommend it to any one who is interested in electronic, shoegaze or R&B.

This EP came with the vinyl download for the album Give You The Ghost. There are five remix tracks in this EP. You can download the EP from the likes of amazon.com and get an additional remix of The Maker. There is a remix of Amongster by Exitmusic that has this super low bass note that lingers. It is a very amazing sound if you have speakers that can handle it. This is one of my favorite tracks from the album. This remix simplifies the drum track with electronic drums. The addition of the bass line helps the song too.

There are also three different remixes of Dark Star. The first is done by Hype Jones Beastmode. It is really a dub step version of the song. I am a big fan of dub step remixes. This version does not hold back and kicks hard when it drops. This version makes use of a really cool oscillating distorted wave that you can feel as it goes through the chord changes. The second version, remixed by Marco Hawk, is a classic 90s style dance track. It is a four on the floor beat. This style is what I use to love from techno in the 90s. It is cool but now cliché at the same time. The third version of the track is actually the radio Edit version of the song. This version is really just a cut up version of the song. The album version is five minutes long where as this version is only three minutes long. There is also the addition of horns in the song making this version somewhat more appealing to the general public.

The last song in this remix EP is called Lay Your Cards Out remixed by Alluxe. This remix has a big bass drum hit that sounds very cool. The snare on the other hand leaves something to be desired. I also love the strings that have been added to the track. It is a pretty remix that has become popular with the new indie music scene. Reference the Radiohead remix series TKOL 1234567.


This is the fifth album from Pinback. It was released in 2012. I wasn’t really sure about this album. I hadn’t heard any thing from the album when it was released. I decided to take a chance with it on the merit of their fourth album, Autumn of The Seraphs. This album is not as good as Autumn but still a good album on its own. There are elements of style that I now understand are their sound after listening to this album. I think this album has a little bit of growing to do for me before it means as much as Autumn has come to mean. There were a couple of different color variants for the vinyl release. I did not get either of them. I did get a copy of the album on vinyl though and am happy with that much. I am sure that you could get copies of the color variants on Discogs.

There were three singles released from this album. The first is the first track from the album called Proceed To Memory. The song title relates directly to the album title which points directly to the computer world that we live in. The song is very smooth with a slow build that brings tension to the song. It is very nicely done. The song is about human memories that fade with time until all you have is the memory of having the memory but not knowing what the original memory was. It is a sad idea really.

The second single released from the album is called His Phase. This track has a different sound than I am use to from the group. There is a slight change in the guitar sound. It kind of reminds me of an R.E.M. guitar sound. It makes the song come off with a slight country sound. The lyrics are still splendid and obscure.

The last single released from the album is called Sherman. This track has a great stutter drum beat. The first part of the song seems to be about digging yourself in and holing up for the long haul. This is interesting as it reminds me of WWI. The second half of the song talks about going back and changing your mistakes. They are both interesting ideas but I am not sure how they relate. It is still a very good song though.
 
This is Tender Trap’s third album. It was released in 2010 through Slumberland and Forutna Pop! Some of the members of Tender Trap were in a previous band that I really like called Heavenly. It has been said that this group is a return to the sound of Heavenly. I agree with that sentiment. The songs have an intelligent pop feel that their first band had. I hadn’t been looking for music from this group but when I was scanning through what Slumberland had to sell I came across this and the single that was released to support it. I was at the shop to get something else but how could I say no to the potential of more great music from members of Heavenly.

The single released from the album is called Do You Want ABoyfriend? I reviewed the single in the end of the year post for 2012 (Vol. 3Episode 50.5). I had this to say about it, “The vocals are just as clever as what is found in Heavenly I found and the vocals were there too. The same vocalist for both bands is the reason for this. This group is only a three piece where as Heavenly was a five piece group. The single, Do You Want A Boyfriend?, is a funny and clever track listing off the things that a girl would want in a boyfriend.” I still believe this about the track.

The album as a whole is fun female punk. This is like an updated version of Heavenly. I will be looking for more music from their catalog in the future.


This is an EP that was released through Target stores to promote the Skelanimals line of Halloween Merchandice. The EP was released in 2009. I reciently found a copy of the EP for sale on amazon for a fair price and still sealed. Not sure where the third party seller got the copy but I am not complaining. The EP contains five tracks that can be found on their other albums plus a track that can only be found on this EP called Keep The PartyAlive. It also contains a video for the song Dance Or Die and the Skelanimals Halloween animated short. The song is very thin compared to what they are producing today. It is probably mixed to appeal to the children that they are trying to sell to at Target though.


That is all for now...
 

No comments:

Post a Comment