Always good to go digging back through the back catalogs on a sunday night. Now you well informed math wizards and wizettes may already be knowledgeable about this incredibly solid album. Meadow Saffron hail from Germany and play a gloriously tasty math rock cocktail that in structure plays as post-rock. The cherry dazzle to this here release is deff. the well done vocals that are all over this beast. The rhythms are also top notch as well. Enjoy and Smile.
Ah yes and I failed to mention I'll be starting a new section here in a bit. My 7 and 9 year old daughters are going to be guest reviewing some classic math rock tracks. I can promise that it will be incredibly hilarious and possibly a little eye opening. More info to come.
A few years ago I heard an NPR interview with Chris Thile, discussing the album he wrote in the wake of a relationship that had ended. I knew nothing of him, or Nickel Creek, or his new band, Punch Brothers. It was an insightful interview, and I picked up and loved their debut album, 2008s Punch. Then, as I do, I sort of lost track of them, hearing a few things but not picking up their follow up, Antifogmatic, or searching them out for news or upcoming shows.
Then in February, I see a review for their third album, and a link to the first track, Movement and Location, and I got my socks knocked off, put them socks back on and they just clean got knocked off again. Punch Brothers have moved way beyond the bluegrass/ folk/ classical style I remembered from Punch and have gone into truly outstanding territory. They are a standard bluegrass outfit: mandolin, guitar, upright bass, violin and banjo and utilizing 4 part vocal harmonies. The pop sensibilities of the group have come to fruition, while never hiding the roots and skills that each of their 5 members have. Hearing them do an instrumental version of Kid A is especially interesting, seeing how an acoustic outfit would pick apart and preform such an electronic track; Who's Feeling Young Now is full of swagger; and I must post the video for Movement and Location for all you Swordsers. It is a doozy:
OK ya'll. This one is a fucking godsend if you are unfamiliar. So, the Swords are renowned for Acerolas fantastic tastes and knowledge of all that is math rock, but so far in our coverage of all that is badass, Ebu Gogo has escaped our radar. And it is easy to forgive: the epic trio of Justin, Gavin and Brendan (all original members of the futurerock band Gruvis Malt), upon reaching a permanent hiatus with the band they formed as teenagers, decided to get together as a trio and write music that went back to their roots. What inspired them as musicians? What did they love to listen to, and what musical themes made practicing a fun exercise, instead of the soul-crushing perfectionism that came with a major labels demands? They found that release in Ebu Gogo, a band dedicated to oldschool videogame soundtracks, 80s movies and classical motifs. The results were staggering. Their two albums, Chase Scenes 1-14, and their follow-up, 2008s Worlds, are epic instrumental albums of insane musicianship, melodically intertwined bass, drums and keyboard that shine in all dimensions.
Chase Scenes was a hell of a debut, but in Worlds, they found a flowing videogame theme that made the album something special. There are recurring themes, such as the four part Waterworld suite that spans across the album; nods to the always appreciated Training Montage from countless 80s classics, and the wonder that is H.U.G.S.
Besides H.U.G.S., nothing says Ebu Gogo better than British Knights in Miami, which has one of the most badass breakdowns of all time. Oh god do i love how the drum and bass respond to Gavins keyboards at about 1:13. That shit is just the tightest breakdown of all time. Enjoy, bitches.
I went to a friends house tonight, and connected musically with a few people, two of which were Dre and Brian/ Eric/ Dan, out of Denver Colorado, and the bunch of us got to talking and sharing all kinds of music. They did not have music available, but looking through my iPod they knew a lot of stuff that i had on there, and we started listening together and i branched off a bit into things they hadnt heard. Along the way, the two of them said that their biggest recommendation to me was Dosh, specifically his album The Lost Take. I have just now downloaded it and heard the first few songs and it is hitting home; certainly something i will be digesting heavily soon. Melodic, sweet electro pop so far, with a multi-instrumentalist at front and center, alone, creating sonically great things, as far as production and quality is assumed. Cool stuff so far; heres the first track that comes up on youtube:
This is a track from his 2008 album, Wolves and Witches; its 2 musicians preforming a whole lot of amazing live looping together, just kicking so much ass. More to come; enjoy The Lost Take.
