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23 August 2005

Rahim, Jungles (Frenchkiss) Rating: 7
I like you Rahim. As far as whys go, I can't be sure. Maybe it's your band name. It's easy and suits your cavalier hustle quite well. Maybe it's because I get a snaking feeling that you guys would absolutely shockshake live. The clamouring dual vocal offensive matched with the nifty guitar riffing is guaranteed to kick kids' asses on the dance floor. I imagine jumping jacks and cartwheels and suspiciously well-choreographed dance training of varying degrees of difficulty. Jungles begins with a whistle blow for shit's sake. But really, where do you three get off creating so many occasions for domestic humiliation? I don't even want to think about all of the spouses/roommates/parents/poltergeists that will have to witness the fist pumping acrobatics your EP will spawn. In bedrooms across the universe crooked faced Rahim cohorts will be clapping along to "One At A Time" and "Gasoline" celebrating the demise of Q and Not U. Now that I think about it, maybe you've ensnared my esteem because you name songs after medieval catapults (see the propulsive "Trebuchet"). But it really must be because you've somehow managed to scrounge some residual excitement off the dance-punk floor. Rahim, prince of thieves, in the crowded hardcore-lite scene you've stolen my heart. I love you Rahim. [Amazon]
      — Liam Colle

Giles, Giles (Victory) Rating: 3
Remember that strange period in the mid-to-late '90s when the cool kids decided that techno was the next big thing? Didn't matter what it was; the pop culture arbiters crammed everything from Big Beat to Trance to Acid House right down our collective throats, labeling it all electronica and giving themselves a big, hearty pat on the back. Of course, most folks didn't hear the difference either; they heard electronica, they thought techno, and that was the end of that. Giles -- the side-project of metalcore outfit Between the Buried and Me frontman Tommy Rogers -- sounds like it was produced by one of those people. It's an odd mish-mash of different styles, having no real cohesion or structure in its madness; it often sounds like it was produced by someone whose only real exposure to electronic music was limited to the soundtrack for Hackers (which, admittedly, probably isn't too bad of a primer). It's perhaps best described as basic hard techno with some minor flirtations with industrial, but there's no real flair or style to the work, and the songs are a bit too short to be able to maintain a comfortable groove to. Generic, forgettable, and lacking technique, I couldn't see this being spun at any club or party with regularity; it's electronic ADD, really only suited for video games and ESPN promo spots. [Amazon]
      — Joon Kim

KingBathmat, Fantastic Freak Show Carnival (Stereohead) Rating: 5
"Roll up and join the queue / To the Fantastic Freak Show Carnival," beckons John Bassett on the title track to his latest release as KingBathmat. Perhaps Bassett wishes his summons could be an invitation to escapism like the Beatles song to which it alludes, but the claustrophobic, deteriorating environment of his music isn't easy to run from. Fantastic Freak Show Carnival's psych-arena rock -- big, blunt Bends-ian chords cuddled by extravagant ELO harmonies -- feels haunted from the inside out. Bassett (who performs all instrument duties on the record) has a flair for wicked hooks, which rear their infectious heads periodically: the electrifying "Ghost in the Fire", the ballad "Sweet Iris", and "King's Ransom", which contorts like prog and thrills like power pop. While KingBathmat's music is beautifully moody, it also tends to be overly indulgent at times: The 11-minute closing track "Soul Searching Song" comes off like King's X tackling 2112. Simply put, Bassett's better left to the shorter, poppier stuff. Like all freak shows, this one's got some fantastic stuff if you can get past some of the squeamishly decadent.
      — Zeth Lundy

Team Sleep, Team Sleep (Warner Bros./Maverick) Rating: 6
Deftones' Chino Moreno ventured into new territory with his side project Team Sleep. And if you were to measure the album by "Ataraxia", then you would find a highbrow rock album that is rid of the wails, screaming and over-the-top aggressiveness found on the Deftones catalogue. Moreno has refined the pipes to reveal something richer and elegant, bringing to mind a less electro-based Depeche Mode. "Ever (Foreign Field)" however falls off the mark immediately with the trip-hop beat rubbing Moreno's delivery wrong. Moreno tries to save the tune by bringing it into a dreamy, lullaby Smashing Pumpkins feel as does the bombastic, theatrical, quasi-Cure oeuvre of "Your Skull Is Red". And it seems to work for both, although the latter is far heavier. "Blvd. Knights" is another good attempt but tends to revert back to Deftones turf while "Our Ride to the Rectory" is another melancholic, synth-tinted dreary but solid ditty. Others are just self-serving miscues, particularly "Tomb of Liegia" and the sonic sludge and idleness of "Staring at the Queen". One bright spot later on is the concise and focused "King Diamond". And just when you think it's dead in the water the second half of "Live From The Stage" energizes the record again. [Amazon]
      — Jason MacNeil

The Myriad, You Can't Trust a Ladder (Floodgate) Rating: 4
Most bands copying Radiohead (Muse, Ours, etc.) stick to The Bends, mainly because the more recent albums are too difficult to emulate. The Myriad can't even copy The Bends satisfactorily. They hide the fact that they're a Christian band pretty well until you read the lyrics (Internet searches showed me the light), but they can't hide the fact that many of their songs are bland and sound the same. A couple of tracks ("The Last Time", "Perfect Obligation") are radio ready. Their choruses stick with me, but that might be because so many lyrics are repeated so often. Nothing is terrible here. This is paint by numbers modern rock music. So if you like your tree trunks brown, leaves green, and suns blindingly yellow, check The Myriad out. Otherwise, wait around for someone to color outside the lines every once in a while. [Amazon]
      — David Bernard

.: posted by Editor 6:43 AM