PopMatters Music Short Takes

Botch, Unifying Themes Redux (Hydra Head)

Formed in 1993 and disbanding just before the decade mark in 2002, Botch unfortunately met their demise just a few short years before metal would re-enter the mainstream consciousness. Who would have thought that in 2006 a band like Mastodon would not only be on a major label, but would garner massive critical acclaim? While Botch were never able to fully celebrate the posthumous praise heaped upon their only two full length albums, American Nervoso and We Are the Romans, reputed metal label Hydra Head Records are at least making sure the records stay in print.

Unifying Themes Redux is one of a series of planned reissues and releases that look to keep this until-now-overlooked band within the metal consciousness. Unfortunately, this collection of early b-sides, compilation, and EP tracks are for diehard fans only, and hardly display the technical prowess and precision that would appear on the group’s subsequent long players. Much of Unifying Themes Redux is very much mired in the E-chord chugging hardcore of the early ‘90s. But there are flashes of humor and brilliance. “The Opera Song”, a cover of Carmina Burana‘s “O Fortuna”, and “Rock Lobster”, the band’s take on the classic B-52’s cut, highlight a group that was more than willing to look beyond the confining borders of the hardcore scene for influences. But these are exceptions, as the rest of the disc, in all it’s poorly produced glory, is merely slightly more intelligent takes on the same standard mosh grind that was pumped out of basements everywhere in the Nirvana years. But like a tease, the disc ends with fantastic “Sudam”. The instrumental track, blessed with decent production, showcases the forward thinking compositions and unrelenting energy that would mark the group’s future classic albums, which, thankfully, will be back on store shelves soon. [Amazon]

The Pack, Skateboards 2 Scrapers (Jive)

Maybe Elvis started telling us to stay off the Sam Perkins loaned blue suede’s just because the King was soulfully territorial and maybe Run DMC brought their Adidas adoration into hip-hop just because they looked down as saw three stripes and wanted to tell us about their favorite kicks. Whatever the reason is for the love affair between artists and their sneakers nonetheless the songwriting footwear fetish rolls on into 2007 with the Bay Area teenage hip-hop skateboard rappers The Pack.

The first single “Vans” mixes Bay Area hyphy with Dirty South Franchise Boys snap and is designed to roll around in your cerebral half pipe whether or not you think it’s a shameless sell out tune or just a song about a how much a teenager loves his Vans. If you can forget for a moment that “Vans” and the remix version sound shamelessly like a Vans commercial, you might have a good chance liking the song simply because it’s as silly as most shoe songs. The rap quartet exhibit average ability to flow above the novice beats of crew producer Young L.  Yes, you could easily accuse The Pack of being naïve footwear billboards and the debut EP’s sex obsessed skateboard theme wears thin long before the clubby joy ride grinds to a halt.

“I’m Shinning” takes a brief introspective (but still unoriginal) route, delving into the darker side of a rising teenage rapper, burrowing the paranoid chorus croon of Rockwell’s 1984 Motown hit “Somebody’s Watching Me”.  This tells me that boys’ female fan voyeurism predicament is gladly welcomed or fully loathed.

When I popped the disc in I was hoping for at least some attempt to tell us what it’s like to roll around in The Pack’s shoes for a day and not only hear a Van shoe history lesson backed by a bump and grind club crunk. A little bit of skate board park hip-hop journalism would be cool and interesting but might be too much to ask this pack of late-teen youngsters.  There’s definitely no Lupe Fiasco “Kick, Push...” storytelling going on here but if things don’t pan out there’s always the Vans Pro Tour. [Amazon]

Lovedrug, Everything Starts… EP (Self-released)

Lovedrug is frustrating to a critic, because they’re really hard to categorize.  They can wear the emo-rock mask as well as the Brit-born Coldplay-spawn personae with equal aplomb.  Frontman Michael Shepard’s voice is a quivering tenor that some casual listeners can either take or leave, but the music is nothing to split opinions on—it’s strong no matter who they’re sounding like in any given song.  This tour EP and forthcoming album teaser truly jumps all over the place: “American Swimming Lesson” sounds ripe for Trent Reznor to tinker with (or cover), and “Ghost By Your Side” sounds like Coldplay at their most rollicking (aka their least X&Y).  Though the album teasers are delicious, the EP-only stuff is ballsy: Lovedrug somehow gets the nerve to cover Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”, and—against all solid logic—somehow manage to invert the original by redressing it as a Tori Amos-styled piano ballad while retaining every ounce of catharsis.  Even the too-long closer “The Praxter” manages to walk a tightrope between Blood Brothers-infected cabaret rock and their own sense of tidal-wave guitar choruses.  Though this teaser may just be foreplay for the upcoming full-length, never has foreplay felt so good. [Amazon]

Echoes of Eternity, The Forgotten Goddess (Nuclear Blast)

Francine Boucher is going to be regarded as a metal goddess before long, which is no surprise, considering how the French Canadian-born singer happens to be very easy on the eyes, not to mention possessing a voice perfectly suited for melodic metal. Inclusion in Revolver magazine’s next trite “Hottest Women in Metal” feature is all but a lock, and you know Boucher’s band, Los Angeles-based Echoes of Eternity, is going to ride the lady’s coattails to fame. The only problem is her bandmates fail to hold up their end of the bargain. While Boucher croons in her sumptuous, tender voice (bearing an uncanny resemblance to Liv Kristine of Leaves’ Eyes), the other three members can do no better than a clunky backdrop that awkwardly sits midway between metalcore and nu metal, lazily relying on crunching riffs and lifeless arrangements. Aside from the mildly pleasing “Voices in a Dream” and “The Forgotten Goddess”, guitarist Brandon S. Patton is incapable of matching his singer’s grace, creating no cohesion between them. If anything, Echoes of Eternity’s reliance on the Mighty Riff sounds too American, devoid of the kind of dignified goth style Europeans like Lacuna Coil, Moonspell, and Theatre of Tragedy exude so well. Francine Boucher’s potential is boundless, but like the saying goes, it’s mighty hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys. [Amazon]

Lymbyc Systym, Love Your Abuser (Mush Records)

The first full-length album from the brothers Bell—Jared and Michael—is ambient, expressive, emotional, and thoughtful without one word being spoken. Whether it is the slow, rich, and reflective “Rest Easy/Age Kindly” that soars but never breaks through the clouds, or the intricate, winding title track, Lymbyc Systym can say so much with so little. Fans of Spiritualized, Mogwai, and Stereolab would lap up these tracks, despite the fact that no guitar is used, just keyboards, some programming, and great drumming. There is an adventurous thread through the record as well, especially on the deliberate, meticulous, and layered “Astrology Days” that resembles something from Radiohead circa Kid A.  Some numbers are quirky and challenging, including “Fall Bicycle”, which does take some time to get into. But a song like “Birds” turns one on immediately with its hooks, twists, and turns a la M83. Although there are 10 songs here, it is basically one joyful ride that goes up, down, up, sideways, down, and up again, exemplified by a mellower ditty named “Pittsburgh Left”. [Amazon]

The Penny Loafers, Quicksand (self-released)

Wow!  Just last year, the Penny Loafers, longtime a cappella also-rans from the University of Pennsylvania, were riding the wave of their previous album (the overwhelmingly mediocre Side A) into… well, into the arms of their long-time supporters, anyway.  A mere year following the release of that album, they have released another collection of covers called Quicksand, and you know what?  This may be it—this may be the one that puts them back on track toward some serious national recognition.  The choice of songs is even more off the beaten path than the typical Penny Loafers disc, the production has seen another bump in quality (in part, though not entirely, due to the engineering presence of a cappella all-star Bill Hare on two tracks) and the soloists do a mostly fabulous job of filling in for their mostly alt-rock counterparts.  Both Snow Patrol songs ("Chocolate" and “Run") sound fantastic, with soloists who mercifully eschew Gary Lightbody’s distracting vocal tics, the over-the-top production on Beck’s “Girl” is perfect, and somehow, they even make Coldplay’s rather dreary “Swallowed in the Sea” sound somewhat appealing.  Quicksand is not a perfect album—a perfect album wouldn’t need two tracks each from the aforementioned Snow Patrol and Kelly Clarkson, and a perfect album would have a true power-soloist or two (the lack of which is regrettably pointed out on the cover of Clarkson’s “Because of You”, the solo of which is on-key but nowhere near the necessary oomph)—but it’s cleanly tuned, smoothly polished, and unflinchingly pleasant.  With this sort of trajectory, the next Penny Loafers album could well be a classic. [Amazon]

Siiri Nordin, Me Too (Next Big Thing)

Me Too, screams the album title, and you can just hear Nordin screaming out along with all the other pretty girls with pretty voices for a release all her own. At least her smoky voice is well married to these jazzy pop songs, with their straight, acoustic, rootsy guitars and less melody than syncopation driving the compositions along. It’s nothing earth-shattering. But the first song, “Supersoaker”, is inexplicably six and a half minutes long—here’s something. Nordin must have ambitions above simple beauty, right, if she’s putting out songs with such heft? Unfortunately, it’s more a case of wandering repetition of a simple guitar line, without the improvisation of true jazz to sustain interest. “Black and White” incorporates tinkling shards of electronica, but they’re not a high priority—in the songs or for the listener. Nordin has an interesting history, the singer of very successful Finnish pop band Killer; but her debut is remarkably understated. It’s pretty and all; the only problem is, given the choice between Nordin’s easy prettiness and some more musically interesting offering from someone like Hanne Hukkelberg, there’s no comparison. [Amazon]

The Gentle Rain, Moody (Sunbeam)

Before tricking out albums by Radiohead, Bjork, and David Bowie, British producer and arranger Nick Ingman cut his teeth orchestrating records for genteel pop personas like Olivia Newton John and Sacha Distel. Young Ingman had a much stronger affinity for jazz and psychedelic pop, however, so these MOR gigs left his creativity unfulfilled. It’s no surprise, then, that this playfully subversive, commercially unviable affair resulted when, in 1973, he was first given complete creative control over a project. A team of crack sessions musicians tackling Ingman’s arrangements of hits by Stevie Wonder, Laura Nyro, the Beatles, and others, the Gentle Rain turned their material inside out, dousing these tunes in wonky Moog, smoky Latin percussion, and melancholic flugelhorn (courtesy of revered jazzman Kenny Wheeler). Truly chilling atmospherics and deft solos elevate this reissue above the status of kitschy mood music or beatdigger fodder. [Amazon]