Murder By Death "Red of Tooth and Claw" Review

When one hears the band name Murder By Death, one might assume they are a death metal band hailing from Eastern Europe and covered in ridiculous black face paint; or maybe they are some lame screamo band in tight black jeans and guy-liner. But few would think the band, which got their name from the 1976 Peter Sellers comedy, would play stripped down, whiskey soaked alt-country.

It’s fitting that the band took their name from a film, as everything about them feels very dramatic and theatrical. Their songs tell stories that are typically told on the silver screen not rock albums. Zombies, pirates, bar fights, prison breaks, and, of course, the devil made up the band’s previous albums, and Red of Tooth and Claw follows suit with it’s tales of murder, lust, revenge, and, of course, the devil. According to singer/guitarist Adam Turla the album is a “Homer’s Odyssey of revenge, only without an honorable character at the center.”

The album begins with the slow-burning “Comin’ Home.” The song is a strong showcase for Adam Turla’s increasingly deep vocals. On 2006’s In Bocca Al Lupo, Turla drew comparisons to the late, great Johnny Cash, but on this new record, he goes even deeper and lower than the Man in Black. Next up is “Ball & Chain,” which in any other band’s hands would have been a simple relationship song, but instead is a sprawling, driving epic that straddles the line between love and lust.

One thing that separates Murder by Death from their peers is cellist Sarah Belliet. Her cello adds depth and moodiness to even the simplest of songs. She also adds to the cinematic feel of the band, as her strings often bring to mind western film scores, especially on the album’s centerpiece “Theme (for Ennio Morricone).” This is no coincidence, as Ennio Morricone is a famed film composer mostly known for his work on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Once Upon A Time in the West.

The album closes with the almost doo-wop “Spring Break 1899,” which tells the story of a murderous scoundrel headed south for Mexico in search of salvation. Musically and lyrically the song perfect wraps up the album, and ends it just as epically as it began.

Perhaps next time you are in the mood to watch a film, you should close your eyes and listen to Red of Tooth and Claw instead. You’ll find the experiences much the same.

Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend" Review

Originally on Sophiezine.com on February 15th, 2007.

Ahhh… Internet hype. How many times do you have a read glowing reviews of a band on various music blogs only to find the band actually sucks? Too many. And unless you’ve been living under a rock (or don’t read online music publications), you have no doubt seen such reviews of Vampire Weekend. Thankfully, these guys don’t suck.

Much of their hype was due to their phenomenal online demo they put up last year. That hype got them signed to XL Recordings, earned them opening slots for some indie rock giants, and even a performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

The band's self-titled debut is almost identical to that demo that made their name, only with one extra song and fuller arrangements; not that that’s a bad thing. The record is tight and cohesive, fun and catchy, and a plethora of other positive adjectives.

The band’s afropop/new wave/preppy indie rock sounds undeniably fresh. There isn’t a single band that comes to mind that sounds even remotely like Vampire Weekend. But that’s not to say they are too strange or weird for the casual listener. Everything is simple, straightforward, and instantly likable. The opener “Mansard Roof” sets an upbeat atmosphere that carries on throughout the disc’s run time. The collegiate “Oxford Comma” comes next, and is undoubtedly the best song on the record. The lyrics are not only easily relatable, but also perfectly capture what the band seems to be about. The rest of the record goes by in a flash, and without any weak tracks or filler.

Despite how good this debut is, it’s not without its faults. The album is short, ridiculously so. Coming in at only 34 minutes, it almost could have been an EP. And during those 34 minutes, there is very little variety. Every track sounds similar to the last, and few tracks have much to distinguish themselves. The band figured out what they do best, and stuck with it, which in its own way could be admired.

Vampire Weekend seems to have lived up to much of their internet hype, and in many cases, exceeded it. Their self-titled debut is sure to propel them far beyond pretentious indie rock blogs.

Evangelicals "The Evening Descends" Review

Originally on Sophiezine.com on February 12th, 2007.

Evangelicals’ frontman Josh Jones is not a normal person. His strangeness is apparent from the moment you first see him, talk to him, and especially when you hear his music. If you were to see him on the street, you might assume he is homeless. Bassist Kyle Davis is by no means normal either. His lanky frame and hipster-to-the-extreme fashion sense certainly makes him stand out in a crowd, and he seems to have been put on this earth to do nothing but to be a rock star. But perhaps the strangest part of Evangelicals is drummer Austin Stephen’s apparent normalcy. He just seems like a regular dude and doesn’t really fit in with the band in the slightest, yet at the same time, he fits in perfectly.

The Norman natives released their debut album, So Gone, back in 2006 on Misra Records. But last year, when Misra manager Phil Waldorf was hired by Jagjaguwar to head up their new imprint, Dead Oceans, he brought Evangelicals with him; thus thrusting the band into the indie-rock big leagues.

The Evening Descends, the band’s first release on Dead Oceans, improves upon So Gone in almost every way imaginable. The songwriting is significantly better and more varied; the production is cleaner and crisper; and the overall sound of the band has simply been refined.

The album begins with the schizophrenic title track that jumps from orchestral pop to stripped down pyschedelia to a funky dance number in a scant three minutes. As the album progresses, sounds zoom in and out, up and down, and everywhere in between. At first, everything seems too dense and nonsensical, but with time the melody reveals itself and the album’s catchiness shines through. By the end of the 43 minute run time, it’s difficult not to sing along with Jones’ every word.

Samples are used throughout the record and provide even more depth to an already deep musical landscape. Most of the samples blend in perfectly, but the “splat” sound in “How Do You Sleep” is one of the most unexpected and unexplainable things I’ve ever heard on an album, not that’s it’s necessarily a bad thing.

The band pulls from a wide variety of influences and wears them on its sleeve, yet manages to create a sound uniquely their own. The synthesizers of “Party Crashin” bring to mind 80’s new wave, while “Here in the Deadlights” is reminiscent of post-Waters Pink Floyd. Comparisons to British shoegazing band Slowdive can also easily be made.

On “Bellawood,” Jones repeats the phrase “Strange things keep happening.” If he’s talking about listening to The Evening Descends and the band in general, truer words have never been spoken.

Top Twenty Movies of 2007

1. No Country For Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Hot Fuzz
4. The Bourne Ultimatum
5. Knocked Up
6. The Darjeeling Limited
7. Zodiac
8. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
9. Eastern Promises
10. I’m Not There
11. Ratatouille
12. Superbad
    
13. The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
    
14. 3:10 To Yuma
    
15. Charlie Wilson's War
16. Juno
17. Sunshine
    
18. Grindhouse
    
19. Reign Over Me
20. Margot at the Wedding
    

Top Twenty Albums of 2007

1. Bishop Allen - The Broken String
2. Minus The Bear - Planet of Ice
3. Portugal. The Man - Church Mouth
4. Student Film - Sleeping Giant
5. Patton Oswalt - Werewolves and Lollipops
6. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. Coconut Records - Nighttiming
8. Nurses - Hangin' Nothin' But Our Hands Down
9. El Paso Hot Button - When I Needed Sympathy
10.Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
11. David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
12. Blonde Redhead - 23
13. The National - Boxer
14. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
15. Vampire Weekend - Blue CD-R
16. The Neighborhood - Our Voices Choked With Fireworks
17. Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
18. Aqueduct - Or Give Me Death
19. Cheyenne - The Whale
20. Fall of Troy - Manipulator

Top Five Oklahoma Albums of 2007

Originally in The Oklahoma Daily on December 7th, 2007.

There is no question 2007 has been a great year for Oklahoma music. Though powerhouses like the Flaming Lips and the Starlight Mints didn’t release albums this year, many lesser-known bands put out exceptional efforts.

5) Subatomic Pieces
“Hold Out For Science”
Little Mafia Records

The 90s vibe of “Hold Out For Science” is certainly nothing revolutionary but the songs are so well-crafted and catchy that it doesn’t matter the slightest. Chris Harris’ deep vocals anchor the album and are reinforced by multi-layered harmonies, fuzzy guitars and simple, yet charming, lyrics.

4) Aqueduct
“Or Give Me Death”
Barsuk Records

“Or Give Me Death” manages to sound both happy and melancholy, sarcastic and sincere and poppy and experimental at the same time. It’s a strange little piano-based record anchored by frontman David Terry’s wit and strong songwriting. Plus the album includes a song referencing “The Princess Bride.”

3) The Neighborhood
“Our Voices Choked With Fireworks”
self-released

The Neighborhood have been together only three years but their self-released debut album evokes a mature sound that would imply decades of music playing. “Our Voices Choked With Fireworks” covers the spectrum of accessible indie rock and seems to work from a wide variety of influences. It’s hard to keep from bouncing your feet when listening to the record’s strong, driving rhythm. If Radiohead decided to make a more straightforward pop record, it would probably sound like The Neighborhood’s debut album.

2) El Paso Hot Button
“When I Needed Sympathy”
Little Mafia Records

One-man-bands are typically too much of a gimmick to ever be taken seriously. This was mostly the case with El Paso Hot Button’s (real name Mickey Reece) first two records. They were fun, but really only existed to help you learn the songs before experiencing Reece’s awesome live show. This is not the case with his newest full-length, “When I Needed Sympathy.” It is simply a great record, and if you didn’t know otherwise, you’d think it was a full band.

1) Student Film
“Sleeping Giant”
Little Mafia Records

In recent years, Oklahoma has become known for its indie pop so it’s no surprise the best Oklahoma release of the year falls into this category. That’s not to say Student Film sounds like their indie pop peers. Instead, it has taken a more rhythmic approach that is dark and moody, but fun. Nearly every song begs to be sung along with at high volumes.

As great as 2007 was for Oklahoma music, 2008 seems to be shaping up to be even better with new releases on the horizon by the Evangelicals, Student Film, Colourmusic, Klipspringer, Red City Radio and Stardeath and the White Dwarves. For now, stay tuned and let these records from this past year feed your addiction.

Strata

Originally in The Oklahoma Daily on December 7th, 2007.

Rock music isn’t really known for being the most literate and intelligent of activities. After all, it’s “sex, drugs and rock & roll,” not “poetry, politics and rock & roll.” But that’s not the case for rock band Strata’s frontman Eric Victorino. In addition to the band, Victorino has also put out a book of poetry. But tonight he focuses on his musical side when Strata performs with Team Sleep (led by Deftones frontman Chino Moreno), Sonny Moore (formerly of post-hardcore outfit From First to Last) and Monster in the Machine at the Conservatory in Oklahoma City.

“This tour might be my favorite tour that we have ever done, just with the bands we are with and the kids that are showing up,” Victorino said. “A lot of kids are showing up for us, but more importantly, Team Sleep’s audience seems to be really appreciative of what we are doing as well.”

Strata recently released its second full-length record, “The End of the World,” after a three-year gap. Victorino said the band had a lot to work out during that time.

“It was an interesting process of us trying to find ourselves again,” Victorino said. “We hadn’t put out a record in a while, and we spent all our time touring without really worrying about what the next step would be until we got home.”

It took the band about a year to work things out and determine its next musical step. Luckily, its record label, Wind-up Records, was on board to follow the band’s decision.

According to Victorino, Strata placed more emphasis on lyrics on “The End of the World” than they ever had before. This is particularly true on the overtly political song “The New National Anthem.”

“It was exciting the day that song was formed,” Victorino said. “We wanted to take a step to having some sort of a stand and be more coherent... At the end of the three and a half minutes, if you don’t know what our songs are about, then we are doing something wrong.”

It was during the creation of “The End of the World” that Victorino started his poetry book, “Coma Therapy.”

“During the time we were making the record, I was kind of freaking out and needing to do something on my own,” Victorino said. “I wanted something that didn’t have anything to do with music or record deals or touring or anything. But it still needed to be art, and I am a crappy painter, so I started writing.”

Despite the fact that Victorino originally wrote “Coma Therapy” to get away from music, parallels can be made from the book to “The End of the World.”

“I think it kind of became a companion piece to the record.” Victorino said. “I think if you know the songs really well, you can read the book and know what stories they came from.”