Grass is Green

gush gush gush gush.

I'll admit when our "Mr Troop of Echoes" drummer Dan Moriarty first brought their 2011 effort to my attention..I wasn't sold. A girl's allowed to change her mind right??!! Well now is your chance to learn from my mistake. High Energy extremely creative indie prog.  Seriously when these songs turn corners I want to pump my first and scream "GREAT FRICKEN IDEA" haha. This is going to sound maybe a bit off base but think of a youthful and excited version of Polvo. Really inspired rock music that is one hard animal to pin down. Sure they clearly love them some prog rock and math nastiness but the indie rock vibe is strong and blah blah blah. At this juncture just go to their bandcamp and get your knowledge on. This is music to be listened to..not explained. Let me shut me yammer.

grassisgreeen  

Polvo - Today's Active Lifestyles (1995)

Lets get this straight first and for most, Polvo did not invent math rock. If you really want to get into it a strong argument could be made for Bastro's 1989 album Diablo Guapo. Consider that Polvo formed in 1990 and the above mentioned argument is dead, I digress. This does not take away the fact that of the 90's Polvo remained one of the most creative and engaging indie rock/experimental bands around. oddly enough they were constantly compared to Sonic Youth which I find to be a rather large error in thought. What you can expect is the heart of an indie rock band, powerful eastern influenced angular guitars, inspired rhythmic song structures and some really tasteful vocals. As luck would have it Polvo also recently reformed and released new material, 2009's In Prism. With adding more progressive elements to the mix, Polvo has been surprisingly relevant in the 2000's. With many releases under their belts my personal favorite has always been Todays Active Lifestyles. It strikes a balance between their experimental side and their eastern leaning influences. While many groups of today draw inspiration from  them there are very very few groups that actually sound like them. I'd say The Joggers being one of the only in my approximation. (there are Joggers songs that actually lift entire chord progressions from them) If your unfamiliar or even if you have heard a couple times sit down and give them a hard listen. Its in your best interest.


Todays Active Lifestyles

In Prism

Cor Crain Secret

Exploded Drawing

Archers of Loaf - Icky Mettle

Talk about 90's indie rock Archers of Loaf were right in the thick of it. While never reaching the heights of some of their contemporaries they had a minor "hit" with "Web in Front". Whats nice is they were just angular enough to push through the pack yet still had the songwriting chops to be catchy, really a hard line to walk. With several decent releases under their belt they had cemented themselves as a fixture along with fellow Chapel Hill NC Alumni, Superchunk and Polvo. Some great throw back stuff here that holds its ground extremely well in 2011.

Icky Mettle

The Joggers - With a Cape and a Cane / Solid Guild

 Angular 90's garage rock with alternate tunings.  Owing much to pioneers and masters alike such as Archers of Loaf and especially Polvo, even still this Portland Oregon group most assuredly make songs that could only come from them. The best songs honestly have that sort of high energy missing occationally from other bands who use alternate tunings. Solid Guild their first full length really busts out the vocal harmonies in such a way that even the most hardened skeptic would be impressed. With a Cape and a Cane the group really break out furthering the guitar into middle eastern territory while also dialing up the speed when needed. All in all this is garage rock that has been twisted into some kind of jagged odd sounding beast. Its more than worth checking out and has remained a staple in my listening for years.   


 With a Cape and a Cane

Solid Guild