Vaudeville

"Ray Charles looking for a star/ But wishing on a plane again"

I have to tell you, I stumbled on a big ol' chunk of gold with this album.  As always, I'm really hesitant about new hip-hop.  Bad hip-hop is very bad, so I try not to branch out too much with hip-hop unless I have a recommendation or a review or something of the sort.  Well, D-Sisive had none of that: he's an independent hip-hop artists, has no reviews for his album whatsoever, and hasn't been on the scene very long.  I have to say though, I could not have been happier with picking up D-Sisive.  He is easily, without question, one of the best new rappers I have come across since Lupe Fiasco.  His style is incredibly interesting, mixing a flow like that of Slug from Atmosphere, but at the same time he has a sort of quirkiness like Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes.  In addition to that, D-Sisive manages to have a sort of uncertainty behind his music; several of his songs have an eerie undertone which really sets him apart.

"Vaudeville" is the newest album in a surge of creativity from the Canadian artist.  After his mother died, D-Sisive had a bout with depression and didn't make anything for six years.  Surprisingly enough, after listening to The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice," he was inspired.  Since then, he's signed with URBNET Records and has released one EP and three LPs.  Suffice to say, he's had an explosion of creative juices.  While D-Sisive's sound may not cater to the pop culture hip-hop listener, he will definitely appeal to any hip-hop listeners who sway in the direction of independent or underground artists.

"Vaudeville" starts off incredibly light hearted with an almost fairy tale like beginning which consists of a little girl reciting a little poem.  D-Sisive then continues to sing a short melody and then transitions into his rap.  What makes "Vaudeville" so eerie is that it doesn't stray toward hard or soft rap in any particular way.  What he does a good job of is maintaining a steady tightrope act between comforting, heart-felt songs and raw, aggressive, almost angry songs.  At the same time, D-Sisive could easily emerge onto a pop culture scene with some of his more upbeat songs, "Ray Charles" and "West Coast" among them.  Now thinking about it further, there's no way I can really pin any sort of mood to "Vaudeville;" "Ray Charles" really gets you tappin' your toe, where as "Riot" is most definitely a fight song; "The Night My Baby Died" is an expressive, angry lamentation where as "I Love a Girl" is uplifting and love inspired.  D-Sisive is a master of expressing emotion and his flow is definitely the beginnings of greatness.   He carries himself with confidence and while not every song is gold, he's confident in what he brings to the tavle and his lyrics never suffer.  Each and every song has great content and the entirety of the album is a joy to listen to.  I know I won't be able to put him down for months and will definitely be a frequent visitor to "Vaudeville."  If you were to consider any of the recommendations I've made so far, consider this one.  D-Sisive is easily the best independent rapper I have ever stumbled upon and is an artist every hip-hop listener should have in their library.  Take a listen here.

Electric Sunset

"Soda"

Alright, almost caught up.  This time I'm bringing you Electric Sunset's self-titled album, a solo venture from Nic Zwart.  Zwart formerly played with Desolation Wilderness, but decided to branch off and self-produced "Electric Sunset" out of KP221.  The overall feeling of "Electric Sunset" is incredibly light.  Each track carries an overload of ambient sounds on top of a mellow rock and roll sound.  The entire album is fairly moderate paced, only picking up and slowing down on a few tracks.  Unfortunately, Zwart doesn't dive into varying tempos enough and a majority of the album seems to blend together.  Some beats from certain songs even produce a bit of deja vu (which is a big no-no in my book) and the auto-tune and voice alternation begins to take its tole over time.  However, the negative points aside, there are some very strong moments within "Electric Sunset."

"Soda" comes midway through the album and definitely breaks any monotony the listener might have been experiencing.  Whereas most of the album consists of long, flowing melodies and echoing vocals, "Soda" is a bit more pointed and warped.  A background bass beat produces a constant staccato through the song which not only provides for a more funky rhythm than on the rest of the album, but really contrasts Zwart's floating lyrics.  What "Soda" does for the album is something several other songs should do.  It lacks drawn out ambiance, yet still manages to sound uplifting and light hearted throughout the entire track.  In "Morning City," while paralleling the overall sound of the album, the vocals here seem to match up with the instrumentals better than in any other track on the album.  The sound is also very reminiscent of The Shins with this particular track. 

As a whole, "Electric Sunset" could stand to switch it up a bit.  "Soda" is a great example that Zwart has the potential to do so, it is just a matter of actually doing it.  Luckily, this is a debut album, so there is time to iron out the kinks and experiment a little bit more with the direction he's trying to go.  Aside from the monotony that at times really plagues this album and the ambiance that can be overwhelming, the overall sound is creative and manages to work together to form a successful electronica album, something that is definitely a firm stepping stone in Zwart's solo career.  Take a listen here.

Signal EP

When you're on a roll, why stop, right?  Alright, well, I wanted to toss out an album that I've been listening to of my own accord outside of KVCU.  Thankfully, it should be a pretty short review since the album is only five tracks long.  Informant's "Signal EP"  was recommended on a website I visit, so I thought I'd check it out.   Now while the album's genres are a bit all over the place according to the album's details (ranging from Dance Grim to Progressive House to Chillwave), it can satisfactorily be grouped into the House genre.  The album definitely has some unique and interesting parts to it, while still incorporating some common elements seen throughout the dance music scene.  Tracks like "Heavy Roller" are almost reminiscent of Dream Theater, while at other times sounding a bit like Deadmau5 or even Infected Mushroom.  However, other tracks go a little lighter on the bass and crank up the ambiance, such as "Foundation" which hearkens to a more trance like vibe, sounding a bit like some of Tiesto's work.

Informant tends to fade a little bit towards the end of the EP when rock is incorporated into some of the songs.  Both "Moment (Interlude)" and "Ultraviolet" incorporate a little bit of rock and while there are some heavy power chords, they don't carry the same sort of hype or magnitude that previous tracks did.  When I first started the album, I was surprised by the electrifying energy it had.  Unfortunately, it seems that only the first half of the album carries this weight and the second half, while making a valiant effort, trails off a little bit.  It almost seems as though Informant's creative juices were running a little dry and the last few tracks were merely "okay" rather than "great."  

While the album is short (as is expected with an EP), Informant manages to show us a great deal of creativity and inspiration.  This is done not only by creating unique sounds, something that is hard to do with dance music, but by incorporating popular house themes without seeming redundant.  While the latter half of the EP isn't nearly as exciting as the first half, the first half really is quality house music.  Luckily for Informant, it's an EP and they'll have time to iron out any wrinkles come the release of an LP.  I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who's a fan of house or electronica and is looking for something fresh.  It took a bit of searching, but here's where you can take a listen to the album.

King of Hearts

"It's the ind of the worl, baby, so let's have fun"

Alright, once I crank this one out, I'll be half way to being caught up.  While KVCU has been giving me new albums every week, I haven't gotten any hip-hop until last week when I picked up Camu Tao's "King of Hearts."  I was skeptical because I'm pretty picky about my hip-hop and am very critical of what is and isn't good hip-hop.  When I played "King of Hearts," it was definitely something different, not exactly what I was used to.  While some tracks do have that typical hip-hop feel, other songs definitely seemed to stray towards a more punk-pop feel.  "Be a Big Girl," the albums opening track, in particular has Tao singing rather than rapping and has a very bubbly, upbeat, synthesized beat.  Since this is the overwhelming feel for a majority of the album I started to get worried that I wasn't going to get a genuine hip-hop album.  Just as I was thinking that, along came "Ind of the Worl," a track that not only has a powerful bass line, but also has some impressive rapping skills as well as lyrics.  Now while these tracks are seemingly sparse on the album as a whole, when they do pop up they're impressive.  "Major Team" manages to carry a bit of grunge into the album to balance out the pop feel with some quickly spit lyrics and a very swanky beat which really helps to round out the album.

Right as I was about to finish "King of Hearts" I ran into the last track on the album "Kill Me."  Now, up until this point I had a feeling that something was bit off about the album as a whole;  something about it felt unfinished.  With "Kill Me" my suspicions were nothing but proven.  The track consists of a capella rapping and singing, all of which sounds really disorganized and mindless.  Certain parts sound like a jam session of voices, most of which have little to no harmonizing abilities and are incredibly off key; I was prepared to tare this song a new one.  However, had I not been a part of KVCU and was forced to do my research for their reviews, I would not have found out one crucial fact about this album.  After two years of battling lung cancer, Camu Tao passed away on May 25th, 2008.  The album was originally supposed to be released last year, but was postponed until August 17, 2010.  After Tao's death, several collaborators and friends made an attempt at finishing the album, but without Tao's insight, didn't want to change anything they were uncertain about.  Collaborator and friend El-P says that while some “songs are bare… a lot of them are just what he wanted.”  This respect for Tao by his collaborators is what produced "Kill Me."  With this knowledge and listening to the track again, there's a certain rawness that really draws you in; its almost as if you're listening to a ghost, unable to really know what the track was originally meant to be, only exposed to the nakedness of the song. 

"King of Hearts" will definitely take new listeners a few times through to get used to Camu Tao's style.  The way he merges pop-punk with hip-hop is interesting to say the least.  However, in taking this direction he creates a multitude of unique and interesting sounds.  After having read up on his death, it is clear that Camu Tao inspired and touched several other people in the music industry.  He certainly will not be forgotten in the music world and with a track like "Kill Me" really heightens the awareness of our own mortality, but also that of the artists we listen to on a day-to-day basis.  Take a listen here.

Familial

"As I gave into temptation"

Alright, alright, this music is trying to bog me down, but I'm not going to let it!  Time to write a review!  With his debut solo album, Philip Selway (better known as drummer for Radiohead) manages to venture into a completely new world, transitioning from drummer to guitarist singer-songwriter.  When I first picked up Selway's debut solo album, "Familial," I was a little hesitant.  Now, maybe I put too much emphasis on cover art, but that family in the picture looks creepy as hell, so I was hoping the music wasn't gross like their faces.  Ehem... Suffice to say that when I played the album, I was pleasantly surprised.  Selway's opening track, "By Some Miracle," starts off with a whispering beat count and a slow steady combination of simple guitar lines, soft vocals, and a plethora of hushing percussion.  The resulting feel is incredibly relaxing, yet for some reason has a tinge of darkness interwoven.  Selway's overall sound is like a less subdued version of Iron & Wine, yet his guitar styling is similar to that of Rob Blackledge, a guitarist singer-songwriter who emphasizes sliding and hitting the body of his guitar.

My favorite track of the entire album follows immediately after, "Beyond Reason."  The track has a sort of tribal drumming layered beneath Selway's eerie lyrics which shift to a slightly higher octave for this song.  Coupled with clapping and synthesized humming, the atmosphere is calming, yet unsettling at the same time as Selway sings of dealing with anxiety and frustration with lyrics such as "You're out of your mind, fuses are blown, you're not receiving/... Go and find a place to let it all out/  Count from one to ten, start over again."  Selway manages to incorporate other musical sounds across his album, such as a jazzy feel in the beginning of "The Ties That Bind Us," a more folk sound from "A Simple Life," and a lyrical feel from the concluding song of the album, "The Witching Hour."

Overall, Selway's album is an impressive product given his musical roots from Radiohead.  The direction he takes, while not entirely void of influence from Radiohead, manages to separate itself enough that a shining solo career isn't out of the question for Selway.  The guitar segments of every track sound polished and incredibly natural given his playing style.  Selway's voice is soft and relaxing, much like that of Samuel Beam from Iron & Wine, yet still manages to have a bold presence.  I would definitely check out Selway's album "Familial" if you're a fan of Radiohead.  While it shouldn't be considered a Radiohead side project, it's still an interesting, relaxing side-venture that manages to strengthen Selway's footprint on the musical world as a complete, individual, creative artist.  Take a listen here.

All Delighted People EP

"You little boy, you little boy..."

Boom, boom, boom with these reviews, eh?  I'm pretty excited about it, I have to say.  I got another two albums today, so at this rate I should have at most about four reviews a week from the radio station.  Let's just hope I can find enough time to review all of them.  I've been listening to another album outside of what KVCU has given me, so I'm going to try and squeeze that in somewhere as well.  The album I'm about to review, however, is something I got really excited about once I got my hands on it: "All Delighted People EP" ("ADP") by Sufjan Stevens.  

Now, I never really got into Sufjan Stevens, but I do have his highly acclaimed "Illinoise" (2005) album.  That being said, I'm familiar with his style and the orchestral magnitude he can have at times, something that also rubbed me the right way.  "ADP" is no different from the feeling I got from "Illinoise;" it may be significantly shorter in terms of its track list, but Stevens has finally given his listeners what they've wanted.  Not since 2005 has Stevens released a song-based full length album.  In 2006, Stevens released "The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinoise Album" which, as can be discerned from the title, was just a bunch of extras that weren't on "Illinoise."  In 2007, he released "Songs for Christmas" which was a compilation of Christmas songs Stevens had written from 2001-2006; a new album, but not really, you know?  Christmas albums don't count.  In 2009, he released "The BQE" which was just recordings of his live shows, so, still, nothing new.  Finally, come 2010, Stevens is releasing not only "ADP," but is also releasing "The Age of Adz" on October 12th of this year, which will be an LP.

While "ADP" isn't officially his first full length song-based album in five years, it shouldn't be over looked by listeners.  Stevens focuses the album around two different compositions of the song "All Delighted People," one that is heavily orchestral and one that is a classical rock version.  Each song, while exactly the same lyrically, has a vastly different feel from the other.  The orchestral version has an epic grandiosity to it when the strings section backs up Stevens' vocals; the classical rock version, with the help of horns, drums, and a guitar backing up Stevens, on the other hand feels a bit more down to earth. 

Outside of those two complimentary songs, the overall feeling of the album is wrought with emotion, especially in "The Owl And The Tanager," which is my personal favorite on the album.  What's interesting about this song is that it's a reworked version of "Barn Owl, Night Killer," a song Stevens typically only plays at concerts.  Stevens' vocals have a sort of weightlessness to them as he sings about death and hardship on top of a steady guitar line.  The trickling of the piano elevates the weightlessness of Stevens' vocals and heighten the idea of despair in the song.

Overall, Sufjan Stevens really delivers with "ADP" and listeners can only expect more great stuff upon the arrival of "The Age of Adz."  By finally giving his fans what they've been waiting for for over five years, Stevens clearly has a recipe for success with "ADP" already skyrocketing up to #27 on Billboard's charts and already getting relatively good reviews across various sites.  While it isn't a full LP, if "The Age of Adz" is made up of the same sort of stuff that "All Delighted People EP" is, there's no reason listeners should fret.  Let's just hope it's not another five years of creative crisis before his next release.  Take a listen here.

Major Organ & The Adding Machine

"Your Moonpie Eye!"

Alright, I finally got my hands on some more albums and I'm assuming I'm going to have more coming to me more regularly.  I have a cubby set up for me at the radio station and got two new albums this week.  Woot!  The first album I decided to take a listen to was "Major Organ & The Adding Machine" by Major Organ And The Adding Machine.  While this isn't typically my cup of tea, the people who supposedly have had a hand in it are people whose music I have enjoyed and so I decided to tough it out.  "MO&TAM" is undoubtedly inspired by drugs; I don't care what anyone says, there's no way hallucinogens didn't play a role in the creation of this album.  The first thing the cacophony of noise brought to mind for me was The Beatles' "Revolution 9" off "The White Album."  Several of the songs consist of a tumultuous whirlwind of chanting, clanging, sirens, musical instruments, and buzzing.  Oh, there's some singing in there too.  While I found most of it hard to listen to, (much like I find the nearly eight and a half minutes of "Revolution 9" hard to listen to), it did have its bright spots that were masterfully arranged.  Maybe it was the pleasant change from chaos to peacefulness, but certain tracks sounded like some of the best compositions I had ever heard.

The stand out song for me on the album has to be "Dance On The Telephone Poles" which slows down the pace of the album and manages to create a very harmonic melody, something that is incredibly refreshing; however, being the twenty third track on the album, its appearance seems to come a little late.  While contributors to the album have managed to remain anonymous for the most part, certain artists have been identified, such as Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal whose influence is without question on this track.  Other prominent indie artists such as Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel and Will Cullen Hart of Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System also have been identified throughout the album.  Jeff Mangum's standout vocals are noticeable throughout the album on tracks such as "Moonpie Eye Sensation," "Life Form (Transmission Received)," and "Madam Truffle."

The album was originally released on June 19th, 2001, however, Major Organ And The Adding Machine have decided to make an independent, self-titled movie due to release on September 14th, 2010.  "MO&TAM" is to be used as the OST for the movie with seven brand new tracks tacked onto it.  The film's trailer, without question, seems to only further the hallucinogenic influence in the making of the album.  Other influences can also be seen in the trailer such as several British influences ranging from Monty Python, The Beatles films, and old British satires involving a police man and a gorilla chasing one another.  

As a whole, the album is... interesting.  Based on what I've seen from the trailer for the movie, "Major Organ & The Adding Machine" will more than run parallel to the direction the movie will take the viewer.  While some tracks may be hard to listen to, there are also glimmering tracks that all listeners can really value.  However, some of them are incredibly short (such as "Swimming, Laughing, Playing" which creates a dark, calming atmosphere, yet only lasts a mere forty-nine seconds) leaving hardly any time for listeners to appreciate the well thought out composition and melody.  The rapid change of atmosphere and timbre may confuse some listeners, but others may appreciate it.  At some points "Major Organ" can be incredibly relaxing and of the utmost enjoyment; at other times, it can be one nasty trip.  Take a listen here.