Author Archives for Andrew McNally

The Creeping Ivies – “Ghost World”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A

Key Tracks: “Ghost World” “The Creeps”

An immediate comparison between the Creeping Ivies and the Black Keys or the White Stripes might be unwarranted, but tough to ignore – the Creeping Ivies are a guitar and drums duo, making loud and fuzzy garage-blues-punk that calls back to their idols. But that’s only a jumping-off point, because the Creeping Ivies harken back to an entirely different era of music. “Ghost World,” their second full-length, sounds more like an album that would fit right in at a dark NY punk club in 1979.

The Scottish band – consisting of Becca Bomb and Duncan Destruction (real names, I’ll continue to pretend) – use bluesy-garage rock to channel some of the more inventive 80’s punk. Becca’s wide vocals dominate the album, often booming over the guitar and drums. It’s almost impossible not to be reminded of Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and Exene Cervenka of X, two 80’s punk bands that often incorporated blues and jazz into their music. And like Styrene and Cervenka, Becca’s vocals determine the song, especially on trippier songs like the excellent “Ramona Wolf.” Alternately cool, standard and hollering, Becca’s vocals are disarmingly decisive, and go against the rather lackluster vocals of most other garage bands today.

While other blues-punk bands often use blues as the center of their music, the Creeping Ivies tend to gravitate more towards punk and, in the aftermath, volume. The garage and blues elements help to pump the songs up and differentiate them, but are background parts. Songs like “The Creeps” sound ripped out of a Cramps album, not from a garage somewhere in Tennessee. And it helps give the songs energy. Even if the album is bluesy, it isn’t moody or too into itself, like the Black Keys can sometimes get. Instead, it’s loud and fun, never taking itself too seriously.

So whether the Creeping Ivies would qualify more as “blues” or “punk” I think would go to the latter. Penultimate track “What Would Johnny Ramone Do?” brings forth angst about MTV and the radio while channeling, again, an idol. “Ghost World” packs a bigger punch than first expected, and sounds very original in the midst of some bands that are starting to sound too similar. It’s loud, fun, distorted, and over not too long after it begins. It’s an album for a couple different eras, as long as it’s turned up.

The album is available for streaming and purchase here. (Bandcamp has a money conversion)

If you like this, try: As mentioned, I was reminded of the Cramps, so the Cramps’ classic 1980 debut, “Songs the Lord Taught Us.”

-By Andrew McNally

Patton Oswalt – “Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time”

(Photo Credit: Indiewire)

Grade: B

Best bits: “Sellout” “My Prostitute”

There are two things that Patton Oswalt does best: self-deprecation, and total dismantling of some meaningless (usually reviled pop-culture) subject. He does both here – while mixing in some more predictable family humor. “Tragedy” certainly isn’t one of the best comedy albums, and it isn’t Oswalt’s best, but he sells all of his jokes and anecdotes and proves that he’s still at the top of his game.

The album starts with a great self-deprecating bit called “My Fitness Future,” which is just being skinny enough that he doesn’t have to attend his daughter’s graduation in a motorized cart (Bonus: after she graduates, he says has to go sit in A/C and “swap my folds,” which is one of the most guttural trio of words ever spoken). Self-deprecation is peppered throughout the album, although the second half is centered around longer stories about Oswalt’s younger days.

First, though, is a few stories about his daughter. Two bits are titled “I Am a Great Dad” and “I Am an Awful Dad,” channeling (probably unintentionally) Louis CK’s “My 7-Year-Old is Better Than Me”/”My 3-Year-Old is a 3-Year-Old” two bits. He offers stories about his daughter getting scolded on a playground and accidentally seeing “The Wolfman” on TV, and while they’re very funny, they’re a little more traditional than Oswalt is used to. The follow-up, “Adorable Racism,” where his daughter starts being extremely racist in a Starbucks, is a lot funnier, and transitions into the album’s funnier half.

“Creative Depression” is a wildly funny bit that examines Oswalt blissfully committing suicide in a grocery store’s Lean Cuisine aisle. The whole rest of the album is largely unrelated but all hilarious anecdotes. The special’s midpoint is a lengthy bit on the opinion on selling out, and how 44 year old Patton disagrees with 25 year old Patton – and includes a total dismantling take on Nickelback that makes them look, somehow, like heroes. The bit includes a story about the gig that paid him more than anything else, ever, and how it took a very questionable turn. It’s a funny story, and Oswalt’s selling of his own fate in the story is perfect.

Afterwards, he gives stories about attempting to buy fancy clothes, a sad 19th century gardener, trying to tell jokes in humorless Germany, and a very funny bit about the one time he picked up a prostitute in Atlanta. These stories are nothing more than reflections on Oswalt’s past, and do not have much of a comedic arc, but they’re all very humorous. The special has it’s faults – occasionally a little too dark, and definitely bottom-heavy – but it has glimpses of Oswalt at his finest, and his total confidence telling embarrassing tales anchors the album. Oswalt is one of the most original stand-up comics working today, and when he starts to really get rolling, he’s unstoppable.

If you like this, try: It feels painful to ever compare a comic to Louis CK, because it’s such a cop-out, he’s the best working today. But this album did feel very reminiscent of CK’s 2011 special “Hilarious.”

-By Andrew McNally

Cardinal Cardinal – “Distant Lover”

(Photo Credit: 6131 Records)

Grade: B

Key Track: “When I’m Not Alone”

On one hand, it’s a little tough to call something like Cardinal Cardinal a “side project,” when John Bradley’s primary band, Dads, only has one other member. But on the other hand, it is exactly what you would consider a side project to be – definably different than the main band. Dads have been steadily rising in popularity thanks to their often chaotic emo/punk music that mixes raging guitar and drums with deeply poetic lyrics. Cardinal Cardinal takes a wholly new approach, as an entirely acoustic EP that is focused on the opposite of what Dads seems to be – cohesive over chaos.

“Distant Lover” is very much just an offering – four songs and fifteen minutes. Bradley, working solo, is not trying to break down any barriers or reinvent genres. Instead, he’s simply showing an inspired, lighter side. Three of the four songs on the album are simplistic – they’re light and pretty, well-written and well-sung indie-folk songs. The only outlier is “When I’m Not Alone,” bolstered by a very unexpected tempo change.

Again, simplicity does not have to be a fault. Doing something that has been done can still be successful if you do it in your own way. And these songs are definitely Bradley’s. His voice and his equally poetic lyrics mark this EP. Just like the music of Dads, this album touches on losing loved ones and learning how to move on. It’s certainly sad, and the music reflects that. The acoustic nature of the album touches on sadness, not anger.

“Distant Lover” is only a few minutes long, but it’s promising to see Bradley come out of his element. This EP is inspired, a softer work that’s no less devastating. Dads have been trying to break out of the whole “twinkly emo” thing, and his might help that. Cardinal Cardinal’s debut is a reliable and memorable offering of some sad and relatable indie-folk.

-By Andrew McNally

Phooey! – “Hello, Doubt” & “End End End”

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(Photo Credit for both: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: Hello, Doubt: “Little Boy (Who Dreams)” “Not a Day Goes By” / End End End: “Laughter Guns” “Teenage Kids”

Let me start by breaking character for a minute and saying that I recently received an interesting submission for this blog. Nikita, a man slightly younger than myself and residing in Ukraine, sent me a link to the bandcamp page for his band, Phooey!, and asked me to review something on the more recent side. Phooey!, very much led by Nikita, has four times as many releases as years that the band has existed – 12 releases, including seven EP’s. Seven EP’s might seem troublesome for a young group, but each is drastically different than the next. Their only two full releases are an LP that is not on the more recent side of their discography, and a collection of cut tracks that are self-described as “very awful,” so I chose two of the EP’s – “Hello, Doubt,” released this past February, and “End End End” from August 2012.

“Hello, Doubt” is their most recent solo release (second to a split they contributed two songs to), an offering of six, though really five, songs that fall somewhere between indie-pop and punk. The EP’s first four songs are all guitar-heavy, fast bits of fun pop/punk. All four, although especially “Not a Day Goes By,” mix catchiness, volume and harmonies into enjoyable jams that immediately get stuck in your head. The last two songs are more calmed and laid back, with “Cheetah” as a partially acoustic track and “The Elevator Song” a quick outro.

“End End End,” meanwhile, has distinct punk/noisepop qualities to it, a far cry from the band’s original acoustic recordings. The EP is a fun kind of punk – like some of Japanther’s more recent albums. It’s fast and loud, without taking itself too seriously. And it has some lo-fi elements of muzzled vocals and fuzzy guitars, usually uncommon in punk (although growing in popularity). The EP is structured like a full-length album, actually having a distinct beginning of three energetic songs, a middle of two shorter songs that form an interlude, and three slightly longer and more developed songs to close out. It’s surprisingly cohesive for a band that seems to want to dabble in everything.

And dabble they do – the follow-up to “End End End” was a sadder and more twee-based EP, “Girl Songs,” coming out only a month later. So it’s understandable why the band is focused on EP’s – they offer samples of all the different ways Nikita wants to go. The music on these EP’s can be a lot of fun, the work of a man who enjoys experimenting instead of settling down. I can’t say where Phooey! might go next, and they might not know either. But these two EP’s are two quick and fun releases, and show the diversity that Phooey! is about.

Hello, Doubt is available here and End End End is available here.

If you like this, try: Since I guess this is a band review, I’ll just say listen to Japanther. They’re more experimental but there were remnants of their music on these EP’s.

-By Andrew McNally

The Chewers – “Chuckle Change And Also”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: B+

Key Tracks: “Burn it Down” “Teeth Lock”

The Chewers describe their music as “deliberately off-kilter,” a very accurate self-description. The band, consisting of Travis Caffrey and Michael Sadler, plays a unique brand of avant-rock. The duo channels avant-garde bands like the Residents, making somewhat minimalist avant-rock that’s bizarre but still a little rhythmic. Take this album song-by-song and it’s almost too weird. But take it as a whole and it’s a continuous and surprisingly consistent look at a theme of dissatisfaction.

What separates the Chewers from most avant-rock bands is their location. The band hails from West Virginia and record in Nashville. Avant-garde music doesn’t exactly have a usual base, but the Midwest hasn’t exactly provided many avant bands. What the band adds is a bluegrass/hillbilly aspect to what’s otherwise noise-rock. It’s a bizarre combination, surely, and one that reinforces what the band seems to be about. Both men play a variety of instruments, and the music is a healthy, low-key mix of bluegrass and noise-rock. The album’s 22 songs only add up to 46 minutes, meaning almost none of the ideas stick around too long and the album is constantly changing.

With the album constantly changing ideas, the theme of isolation is made more present. The music itself sounds almost dissatisfied, played in a way that sounds upset with itself. The band adopt a number of characters throughout the album, singing in a variety of voices. These characters are all angry or sad about something typical, often something small. It’s an interesting approach, that adds a surprising amount of cohesiveness that might not be noticeable at first.

But most of all, the two are clearly enjoying making their off-kilter music, which makes for a fun and diverse listen. Each song, even though many fall around a minute in length, is like a small adventure in that you don’t know what it’s going to be. Avant-rock should be wildly unexpected, and even though the Chewers are more melodic than most avant-rock bands, their mix of noise and hillbilly and use of one-off characters makes for a satisfyingly bizarre listen.

The album can be streamed and purchased on their bandcamp page.

If you like this, try: the Residents are one of the longest running bands ever, and their long career started with the avant-rock and Beatles spoofing classic “Meet the Residents.” I’d start there.

-By Andrew McNally

The Used – “Imaginary Enemy”

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Grade: C+

Key Tracks: “Revolution” “Cry”

Do you like the Used? If you do, you’ll probably like this, their sixth album. If you don’t like the Used, then this won’t win you over. The Used are one of the modern examples in music of sticking to a template. Songs from this album sound interchangeable with their 2002 debut, and any album in between. Fans know what to expect: some chaotic, occasionally violent songs, coupled with some slower, occasionally meaningful emo ballads. This album is a little more coherent than their past few offerings, and might by that logic actually be one of their better albums.

This album is more coherent because it takes itself as a whole, not as a collection of a dozen or so songs. The band takes a political agenda here, whatever exactly it may be. It’s a little more rooted in anarchist punk than what the band is used to. It’s often pretty vague, calls to action with group vocals, etc. But it only gets groan-y once, on “Evolution,” with the line “Call me a criminal / If thinking’s a crime.” Otherwise, the emo group goes via street punk, fed up with the current state and trying to inspire change.

The Used have always had a topheavy problem. Every single one of their albums has gotten off to a strong, energetic start for the first three to five songs, only to weigh it down with some questionable, usually overly conventional slower tracks. “Imaginary Enemy” is no different, although some of the slower tracks are better than normal. “Make Believe” and the title track are two that aren’t constantly upping the ante, but serve as reasonably likable album tracks. There are only a couple bombs, and they’re less overtly bad as they are just easy to get distracted from. The balance is still off, though, between the fast and the slow, and the album suffers from a poor tracklisting, as every other one has in the past.

The Used aren’t a band that is going to take big risks. Straying too far from their comfort zone would probably be a bad idea for them. So to see them move just a little towards a prominent theme and a little more direct punk sound is refreshing. While the album is still very imbalanced (and with a few songs that don’t fit thematically), it is better than the two stale previous efforts. The band has settled into being comfortable with the audience they have, and Used fans – and probably only Used fans – should be happy with “Imaginary Enemy” overall.

-By Andrew McNally

Daniel hales, and the frost heaves. – “Contrariwise: Songs from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland & Through the Looking​-​Glass”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Tracks: “Jabberwocky” “Contrariwise”

“Contrariwise” is, in a very loose term, a companion piece. The album was first performed (in my home state of Massachusetts) during a production of “Alice In Wonderland,” and was later released as an album. All but two of the seventeen tracks on the album are musical versions of Lewis Carroll’s poems found within the Alice works. The other two songs, “Contrariwise” and “(Push Them Into the) Wishing Well” were written by Daniel Hales, and co-exist in Carroll’s world. This album certainly isn’t for a commercial audience – it’s an ambitious and dense work that seeks to add more musicality to Carroll’s writing, and it’s largely successful.

Given that Carroll’s poems are often totally fantastical and even, at least in the case of “Jabberwocky,” total gibberish, you can’t exactly place this album under any one genre of music. At times it’s experimental, other times folksy, other times indie. The album’s one long song, “The White Knight’s Song,” feels like a 60’s folk song where the focus was on storytelling. “Beautiful Soup” is almost a ballad, while “Father William” brings guitars into a noisy ending, and “‘Tis the Voice of the Lobster” is almost a little psychedelic. Carroll’s words are usually reflected through the variety of music, although some songs are more straightforward. “Jabberwocky,” for one, leads off the album with a surprisingly straightforward indie ditty, but it is still one of the best songs on the album.

The band, in this iteration, consists of Hales on vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica and ukelele, James Lowe on bass, Ivan Ussach on drums and Anna Wetherby on viola. Daniel Kasnitz sings back-up vocals, and also credited are “the Looking Glass Creatures,” which happens to include Jeff Steblea. The band is swift throughout the album, often effortlessly switching between genres. The album, in many ways, feels similar to Steblea’s recent Mystics Anonymous, often blending straightforward indie/folk songs with more experimental works.

The band does a standout job at bringing Carroll’s words to life, and a great job expanding beyond their usual indie-folk sound into something more unpredictable. “Contrariwise” is a fun and ambitious album, if you’re looking for something like it. It won’t be something for everyone, but Carroll fans should take notice.

The physical and digital album and tracks are available here, and live videos, dates, merch and more are available here.

If you like this, try: As mentioned, the album loosely resembles the Mystics Anonymous album I recently reviewed, even having Steblea involved.

-By Andrew McNally

Grammer – “Awesome Knifes”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: A-

Key Track: “Quit (Your Job)”

“Twinkly emo” is a terrible name for a genre, but it’s impossible to ignore the almost meteoric rise of emo’s fourth-wave. (It’s practically founded this blog). Fourth-wave emo has risen like drug rock did in 1967, thanks largely to now-defunct bands Snowing and Algernon Cadwallader channeling Midwestern second-wave bands. Since then, pop-punk and punk bands like the Menzingers, Dads and Modern Baseball have fallen inline with the genre, as have more creative bands like the collective The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die’s discordant six minute songs about volcanoes. But bands like Grammer – properly from the Midwest – invoke a simpler, 2011 sound that’s somehow now a throwback to a throwback.

Grammer’s debut EP is five songs and roughly thirteen minutes, and really feels like the EP’s of the subgenre’s two origin bands. All five songs are midtempo and are grounded by those (ugh) twinkly guitar rhythms that dominated pretty much every song Snowing ever recorded. Opening track “Astronaww, Man” even sounds a little like Snowing. They seem to channel a few different specific influences throughout the EP. “Coy Wolf” matches Algernon Cadwallader in it’s harsh vocals ugly pairing over clean riffs. “Quit (Your Job)” sounds a little like Dads, with more of a chord-based punk sound. But this isn’t copying predecessors, because Grammer have their own sound. They’re a little grittier, and their lyrics about childhood and life eschew complaining for apathy.

The people in Grammer – Maxx on vocals, Dakota and Miles on guitar, Grady on bass, and Alex on drums, are good musicians and songwriters. This EP fits nicely into the ever-increasing qualifications of fourth-wave emo, without sounding like it’s trying to. It hints at indie and punk, and hints at some emotions and lyrics thematically different than most emo bands. And there are surprises – like the great false ending to “Cigarette Regimen.” “Emo” has become an umbrella term over the last year, for any sort of sad, poetic, relatable, twinkly, fast, slow, loud, soft combination desirable. Grammer are more straightforward than most, and “Awesome Knifes” is a promising EP for a proper, no-frills, Midwestern group.

The EP is available for stream and downloading here.

If you like this, try: It should be obvious here that I’ll mention one of two bands. So try any releases by Snowing, if for some reason you haven’t already.

Foster the People – “Supermodel”

(Photo Credit: fosterthepeople.com)

Grade: C-

Key Tracks: “Coming of Age” “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon”

It must be tough to follow up on instant success. Pop rock group Foster the People’s first album, “Torches,” had the inescapable singles “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Helena Beat.” Sophomore albums are usually difficult anyways, even without following worldwide hits. “Supermodel” tries hard to deepen the band’s sound, but it ends up being a mess of empty songs that aren’t nearly as dark as they want to be.

Foster the People, led by chief songwriter Mark Foster, wanted “Supermodel” to be a concept album about the ugliness of consumerism and capitalism – relatively dark themes for a catchy alt-pop band. And that may end up being part of the problem. Take the songs purely on a musical standpoint, and all but one of them are catchy pop tunes (odd man out being “Goats In Trees,” a spoken-word-over-acoustic-guitar song). It’s simply tough to imagine any sort of believability when a band that plays commercially friendly and high-grossing music is singing about the horrors of commercialism.

The album’s other problem is tripping out of the starting gate. The first three songs – “Are You What You Want to Be?” “Ask Yourself” and leadoff single and admittedly great “Coming of Age” all tackle the exact same vague subject of self-discovery. There’s a thin line between having a consistent narrative arc and just repeating yourself, and they fall in the latter. Had the songs been split up or diversified, the whole album might be stronger – it just lacks any momentum to start.

Musically, the album is also a little lackluster. They traded in the unique synth rhythms of their two big hits for a more straightforward guitar approach. It was an attempt to sound a little heavier – but it’s quite the opposite. It’s lighter than before, especially the acoustic songs. Only the memorable “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon” kicks the volume up at all (and is then followed by the aforementioned acoustic “Goats in Trees”). Using all-too-familiar guitar rhythms does nothing to separate Foster the People from their counterparts. Think of them like an alt version of Katy Perry – one of the biggest names in their genre, but one of the most unoriginal. Sophomore albums are notoriously difficult, and Foster the People have fallen victim. “Supermodel” will please most fans of the band, but other listeners will likely be turned off by the album’s repetition, boring music and lack of pairing between music and lyrics.

If you like this, try: fellow alt-pop group Fitz and the Tantrum’s great sophomore album from last summer, “More Than Just a Dream.” They didn’t change anything, just focused on a consistent and catchy album that isn’t too repetitive.

-By Andrew McNally

Skrillex – “Recess”

(Photo Credit: soundisstyle.com)

Grade: C

Key Tracks: “Try It Out” “Dirty Vibe”

Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.

Alright, that’s a slogan for a kid’s toy, but it kind of applies here too. “Recess,” Skrillex’s first official full-length (long delayed after all his work was stolen a few years back), has all the wobbles, but it never falls – there’s no bass drops. The EDM/dubstep mastermind practically invented a new form of music on his ubiquitous EP’s, but he levels out here and settles for more commercial dance music. Sometimes it works, usually it doesn’t. Too many songs on “Recess” fall victim to repetition, and could really benefit from some insanity.

“C,” in grade school terms, comes out to “average.” This is a very average album. The songs are catchy, easy to dance to, and forgotten the second they end. And it’s a shame, because Skrillex, aka former From First to Last singer Sonny Moore, was the leader of an EDM revolution only three years ago. “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” won Best Dance Recording at the Grammy’s, despite being one of the most chaotic releases of the year (and despite the voters of the Grammy’s not wanting to know what drugs their (grand)children were taking to his music). But this album feels safe, like a step back. It’s understandable to think that a full album version of the head-pounding and riot-ensuing music on his EP’s would cause seizures, but there’s a common ground that is almost never found.

There’s really only two great songs on the album – “Try It Out” and “Dirty Vibe.” The former is the leadoff single, and it’s a bridge between standard dance music and the typical Skrillex chaos. It resembles what dubstep has become – high pitches, inexplicably dancy, and shrill, just to the point of annoyance. The latter is the only song that tips on the side of chaos, maybe because of a Diplo guest spot. It’s the only song reminiscent of old Skrillex. It’s also worth noting two other great guest spots – Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos on the otherwise overlong and forgettable title track, and Chance the Rapper on “Coast Is Clear,” one of the more decent tracks.

Although “Recess” is a wholly listenable album, it is disappointing. Skrillex seems to have fallen victim to his own creations. It’s entirely possible that his early releases set a bar too high, one that, if matched again, would only induce violence. It’s also possible that Skrillex wanted to make a more conventional, dance club record. Either way, it’s a turn in a different direction, and one that his fans may not be overly excited to grasp for. Songs from this album – especially single “Try It Out” – will surely be played in clubs. But there isn’t much more here. “Recess” gets a little boring, and it becomes kind of a chore to finish each song. Fans of dance music in general might enjoy the album, but fans honed in more on Skrillex might not feel the same.

-By Andrew McNally