Adebisi Shank: This Is The Second Album From A Band Called Adebisi Shank (Sargent House)

Adebisi Shank: "Micro Machines"

Released to European acclaim in 2010, the aptly titled second album from Irish electro/math rockers Adebisi Shank has now achieved North American release thanks to the peerless Sargent House.

The record label / management company describes the trio as a blend of Fang Island’s shredding riffs with Battles’ electronic quirkiness and rhythmic playfulness. That description isn’t off the mark, but readers won’t get a sense of the band’s real abilities until they hear its hyper-melodic, polyrhythmic, and — most importantly — jubilant songs in full.

Over 40 minutes — a self-described "double album" given the band's riff-intensive style — Second Album delivers a maelstrom of zany electronics, unusual distortions, and triumphant, rapidly ascending scales mixed with vintage synths, marimba, horns, and other accoutrements.  This is all packaged between and around gloriously catchy and powerful rock riffs.

It's a manic and buoyant sophomore effort.  Simply put, Adebisi Shank is a revelation.

Trap Them: Darker Handcraft (Prosthetic)

Trap Them: "The Facts"

Originally conceived as a side project to Backstabbers Incorporated, riotous hardcore quintet Trap Them became a full-time endeavor half a decade ago and has been perfecting its sound ever since.

For Darker Handcraft, its third full-length album and first for Prosthetic, the band continues expanding, ever so slightly, its grindcore style to present more assailing D-beat rhythms and impossibly heavy sounds.  The production, again courtesy of Kurt Ballou, draws understandable parallels to the producer's main gig in Converge.  But Trap Them's low tunings, dark chord progressions, and noodling high-string riffs are more responsible for the comparison, even if Trap Them is less about diversity and more about straight-forward fury.

This time around, vocalist Ryan McKenney has a crisper but equally brutal delivery, often recalling former Refused front man Dennis Lyxzén.  It might be one of the album's best evolutions — outside of "Drag the Wounds Eternal," the melodic, mid-tempo penultimate jam.  In all, Darker Handcraft is top-notch modern hardcore, meshing punk and metal with equal aplomb.

The Dead Kenny Gs: Operation Long Leash (Royal Potato Family)

The Dead Kenny Gs: "Devil's Playground"

Fans are long used to seeing the names Skerik, Mike Dillon, and Brad Houser in the same sentence.  Together, the three multi-instrumentalists comprised three quarters of genre-hopping groove merchants Critters Buggin (along with percussionist/keyboardist Matt Chamberlain); Skerik and Dillon have worked in Garage a Trois and a few outfits with Les Claypool, and Houser has again joined forces to create The Dead Kenny Gs, a trio of musicians who "listen to Bad Brains and Art Ensemble of Chicago."

Operation Long Leash is the group's second album, and though it isn't freewheeling punk jazz, it shares that marriage of rock aggression, funky hooks, and left turns.  Call it heavy acid swing — or something completely different — but it shares just enough elements with the trio's previous projects while exploring new territory.

After a cohesive, rhythmic blend of dueling saxophones, Dillon's glistening vibraphone, and freak-out effects, the middle and tail end of the album get into more heavy rock grooves, including distorted bass on "Black 5" and pounding tom hits and sax bleeps on "Sweatbox" — which quickly transforms into a jazzy jungle groove.  The thuds soon return for more of the album's wildest and loudest sounds, almost resembling some of Zu's most recent "sludge jazz" album.  From there, the soothing outro of "Jazz Millionaire" proves that The Dead Kenny Gs' moods can swing as much as its music.

Mamiffer: Mare Decendrii (SIGE)

Mamiffer: "We Speak in the Dark"

Led by pianist and graphic artist Faith Coloccia, Mamiffer is a project born from the ashes of a similar if more loosely structured group, Everlovely Lightningheart.  With a rotating cast of guests and permanent members — now including ex-Isis front man, Hydra Head honcho, and SIGE partner Aaron Turner — the group surrounds down-tempo, minor-key piano melodies with eerie, ambient soundscapes of assorted instrumentation.

Though strings, guitars, drums, and slowly unfolding vocals are all regular elements of the group's music, Mare Decendrii — its sophomore full-length — amasses another collection of semi-decipherable sounds.  There are moments of minimalist classical beauty and others of echoing tangents to post-metal, as is the case with the sprawling 20-minute track "We Speak in the Dark," a microcosm of the whole.  It begins with minutes of building dissonance before a lead piano/string line turns into emotive vocal harmonies and a churning post-rock passage with a nearly Nine Inch Nails melody.

And though the album's breadth and reach are to be expected from what Mamiffer has previously delivered, it's fueled further this time thanks to guest spots by violist-and-vocalist duo Eyvind Kang and Jessika Kinney, bassist Don McGreevy (Earth), bassist Brian Cook (Russian Circles), violinist Timb(a) Harris (Estradasphere), drummer Aaron Harris (Isis), and many others.

Honorable Mentions

Antonionian: s/t (Anticon)

Disco Doom: Trux Reverb (The Static Cult Label)

Does It Offend You, Yeah?: Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You (The End / Cooking Vinyl)

KEN Mode: Venerable (Profound Lore)

J. Mascis: Several Shades of Why (Sub Pop)

Mi Ami: Dolphins 12” (Thrill Jockey)

Sin Fang: Summer Echoes (Morr Music)

V/A: Those Shocking, Shaking Days (Now-Again)

New Lows: Harvest of the Carcass (Deathwish Inc., 1/18/11)

New Lows: "Anguish"

In the early 2000s, members of New Lows were cutting their teeth in Think I Care, playing in Sheer Terror’s tradition of Celtic Frost-worshiping hardcore punk. After the demise of Think I Care, New Lows appeared with an ugly, punishing demo and a similarly aggressive seven-inch record.

The band recorded an LP with CC from Mind Eraser that was initially shelved due to inner turmoil and a near breakup. However, New Lows resumed activities as a band, and Harvest of the Carcass, its proper debut, now sees the light of day, taking the Boston metalcore tradition into a raw and primitive place.

New Lows plays in a style that recalls the crushingly heavy and simplistic late-1980s punk/death-metal hybrid of bands like Asphyx and Bolt Thrower. Bands affiliated with the hardcore scene, like Ringworm and Merauder, have been blending these sounds since the early 1990s. Recently, several hardcore bands have risen to prominence with sounds that are much more death metal than they are Bad Brains. This new crop of bands includes New Lows as well as Nails, Harms Way, and Mammoth Grinder.

That’s not to say that New Lows predominantly is a metal band. It often employs a syncopated NYHC feel that seems descended from Madball. It also structures songs in the “fast part, slow part, mosh part” style typical of hardcore bands, instead of composing in the winding epics of death-metal bands.

Still, New Lows does not write songs that exist only for the heavy mosh at the end. It creates a haze of bludgeoning rhythm, and its chromatic sense of melody traces lineage back through Sheer Terror and Celtic Frost. Many parts are surprisingly hummable despite the abrasiveness of this release. Metal and punk have been trading secrets with each other for more than three decades at this point, and New Lows uses this musical melting pot to create a statement on hostility.

The LP is often a stumbling block for hardcore bands, as the longer and more-polished format tends to diminish the immediacy that bands put forth on demo and EP recordings. Some bands overshoot their boundaries on an LP, and others have simply run out of ideas when the time to record a full-length comes. Fortunately, New Lows has successfully retained the purposefully reptilian sound that initially garnered the band its underground success. Harvest of the Carcass even contains re-recorded versions of three older songs.

The band also reuses rhythmic patterns from its past on these newer songs. The vocal pattern from the 2007 demo’s standout track, “Lucifer Crucified,” appears on both “Harvest of the Carcass” as well as “Last of the Rats.” Rather than coming across as a recycled idea, this seems more like a thread that ties New Lows’s discography together. The whole of this music becomes a haze that impedes higher-level thought and encourages acting on instinct.

This week, we spoke with Neal Becton, owner of Som Records in Washington, DC. The small, well-curated record store is a staple in the DC community, and Becton is the force behind a number of events like the annual DC Record Fair and the monthly Brazilian Rhythms party. Having made three trips to Brazil primarily for the purpose of digging crates, there's no question that Becton is committed to his craft, and Som's diverse selection reflects his unequaled passion for music.
 

Neal holds The Beatles' Revolver

What can someone expect when visiting Som for the first time?

A small but tight shop with the best selection of used vinyl in DC. Being fairly small forces me to curate instead of just throwing everything out in the bins. I dig for records four to five days a week, so there's always new stuff in here. I do sell new releases and touch a few genres that the other local stores don't touch.

What was your motivation for starting a music store?

I started as a record collector, then became a DJ, and finally a store owner. Records started taking over my apartment, so I figured I better open a store to make some more room.

What is your background in music?

None, really. My parents both had pretty big record collections (various genres), and I started going to concerts when I was 15. I went to lots of shows growing up in Atlanta, and then once I got to college (University of Georgia), I went to see bands almost every day of the week. My friends were all in bands. I went to my senior prom as a roadie.
 

Minsker holds Moondog's Moondog and His Friends

What is the musical community like in the DC area?

Hard to put it into a few sentences, but DC has a large and varied scene. Punk, hip hop, electronic, bluegrass, whatever — it's all here. Even though I didn't grow up in DC, I have been in the city for 21 years and have seen quite a few shows here. Being so close to Philly and New York, we sometimes get overshadowed, but I think that DC can hold its own against any city in terms of quality and variety.

What is the DC Record Fair?

It's a two- or three-times-a-year record show that we started putting on in various venues a few years ago. We get quality dealers from all over the East Coast, serve alcohol, and get local and national musicians to DJ the event. We've had Kid Congo Powers, Geologist from Animal Collective, Ian MacKaye, and Eric Hilton from Thievery Corporation DJ and buy records there. The next one will be February 13, 2011.
 

Kid holds The Ventures' The Ventures in Space

Tell us about the Brazilian Rhythms party.

It's a DJ night that I started over three years ago. I've been collecting Brazilian records for over 15 years now, and I've made three trips to Brazil mainly to buy records. Once a month (third Thursdays at Cafe Saint-Ex), I dig deep into my collection and do a whole night of samba, MPB, funk, bossa, and forro all on original vinyl. We get lots of Brazilians coming out, and everyone dances 'til the lights come on.

What are the current records on your “This Week’s Treasures” wall?

Looking at it right now we have Throbbing Gristle, Kyuss, The Homosexuals, Audio Two, Sam & Dave, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, The Clash, NO-Y-Z, Bola de Nieve, Hank Mobley, Chuck Brown, The Family, Bobby Bland, Grupo Gente, The Erotic Drum Band, Serge Gainsbourg, and some group called The Beatles.
 

Habib holds Black Lips' Let it Bloom

Which albums has your store sold the most over the past month?

Big sellers lately include the Black Angels, Beach House, Broken Bells, Ariel Pink, Flying Lotus, and Arthur Verocai. In the used section, it has been jazz and classic rock running neck and neck of late, with reggae running a close third.

Any big future plans for Som?

We plan to find (and sell) as many good records as we can. We would love to expand someday, but part of me likes the small but tight setup that we have now. All killer, no filler!

Photo credit: Sarah Pietlicki

Dick’s Last Resort is sort of a hybrid of Hooters and Chuck E. Cheese. Not many establishments can boast an assortment of long-abandoned brassieres hanging from the ceiling AND be the perfect place to host your child’s next birthday party.

I would have no reason to be here except for the restaurant’s proximity to my friends’ offices on the south side of the Chicago River.

When my friends called me en route to Dick’s asking if Bad Brains would ever play at the chain restaurant, I thought that perhaps their happy hour had become a little too happy.

HR had played across town the night before on a solo tour for his latest release, Hey Wella (DC Hardcore), but there was no way that the hardcore icon would play a seafood chain where patrons are encouraged to don bibs and two-foot-tall paper hats (those of us there for the beer were not subjected to such bizarre headwear).

But to my surprise, I was completely wrong. In the midst of half a dozen birthday parties, an all-out prepubescent food fight, and several tables of white-collar workers enjoying an after-work bucket of peel-and-eat shrimp, HR and his band, jokingly calling themselves “Good Brains,” took the stage.

Beginning with the title track from the record, “Good Brains” played an impressive half-hour rock/reggae set to its entourage, three loving fans in the first row (us), and a handful of mothers who looked vaguely concerned while their children, who will not understand how awesome this was until they get into punk rock in 5-10 years, watched on with blank expressions.

A nice girl celebrating her friend's birthday offered to take pictures at my request (thanks, Sarah!).

In the end, fun times were had by all, and I learned a valuable lesson: don't be so quick to dismiss that bar band at the local shrimp joint.  You never know what you might miss.

- Jamie Ludwig

HR: www.myspace.com/hrofficial
DC Hardcore: www.dchardcore.com

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez: Old Money (Stones Throw)

Mastermind guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez issues another solo album between releases from The Mars Volta, but this one was hinted to be (and sounds like) the material that was originally intended for The Bedlam in Goliath.

The result is something very different from the ambient, noisy, experimental pieces that often show up on his solo releases. Old Money is accessible and centered on rock, sounding spacey, funky, progressive, psychedelic, a little jazzy, and a little Latin.

Though instrumental, there is an obvious theme on the album that pertains to massively rich international figures and industrialists from the last three centuries. Song titles such as "How to Bill the Bilderberg Group" and "Family War Funding (Love Those Rothschilds)" take a swipe at ridiculous wealth and the undue influence that it brings.

Jamie Saft: Black Shabbis (Tzadik)

Returning to his metal roots, multi-instrumentalist and dub maestro Jamie Saft concocts a disc full of heavy Jewish tunes. Likely best known for his studio contributions for Bad Brains and the Beastie Boys, Saft recently released an acoustic jazz trio CD with John Zorn and wrote the theme to Murderball, a documentary about paraplegics who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs.

Saft also recently recorded an effects-laden tribute to Merzbow (titled Merzdub), and those types of sounds show up in spots on Black Shabbis. This album also mixes a touch of Ennio Morricone-inspired guitar into a pot of Pantera-fueled riffs, death-metal growls, über doom, and otherworldly organ.

Diagonal: s/t (Rise Above)

Hailing from Brighton, this UK septet dishes out 1970s-style progressive rock with touches of jazz and garage rock. Organs, piano, synths, woodwinds, and classic-rock vocals augment elongated jams, creating multifaceted rock-outs.

If you didn't know any better, you might think that the group's press photos (and recordings) were 30-40 years old. If you've searched for modern takes on the era of Mahavishnu Orchestra and King Crimson, pick this up.

Diagonal: "Cannon Misfire"
Diagonal: \"Cannon Misfire\"

Ephel Duath: Through My Dog's Eyes (Earache)

After more than a year of waiting, Italian prog-metal outfit Ephel Duath finally releases its follow-up to Pain Necessary to Know. Always centered on the skilled fretwork of guitarist Davide Tiso, the band recorded much of Through My Dog's Eyes with a guitar/drums/vocals arrangement, and now even long-time vocalist Luciano Lorusso George has left the group for financial reasons.

Tiso's meandering, alternately high-pitched and down-tuned riffs have always been a musical highlight for Ephel Duath. Given its current configuration, they may have to continue carrying the band unless it expands its instrumentation once more (á la the jazz-influenced 2003 album The Painter's Palette).

Cotton Jones: Paranoid Cocoon (Suicide Squeeze)

Paranoid Cocoon is a breezy folk-pop recording from former Page France frontman Michael Nau. The casual tone and lightly dancable groove make us long for lazy summer days, which, in Janauary in Chicago, never seemed so far away.

Cotton Jones: "Blood Red Sentimental Blues"
Cotton Jones: \"Blood Red Sentimental Blues\"

The Sword

Friday, November 7

The Sword @ Bottom Lounge

Chicago's new version of the Bottom Lounge includes two bars (one with a tiki theme), an eating area, a large performance area, and a second-floor deck. The recently reopened venue might need every square foot to contain the massive stoner metal sound of The Sword, which hits the Windy City between tour dates with Metallica and Down.

Umbrella Music Festival w/ Bik Bent Braam @ Elastic Vision Gallery

Dutch pianist Michiel Braam convenes a Chicago version of his Bik Bent Braam orchestra, a localized edition of the 13-piece group that he began more than 20 years ago. On record, the group's sound is one of jumpy, horn-heavy jazz that mixes old-time foundations with freak-out solos.

Saturday, November 8

O'death @ The Empty Bottle

Touring in support of its new album, alt-country five-piece O'death stops in Chicago for a pair of shows. That new album, Broken Hymns, Limbs, and Skin, covers diverse stylistic swaths that range from punkish bluegrass to bittersweet ballads and droning Pentecostal chants. The group also plays at Chicago's Hideout on Sunday.

David Boykin Expanse; David Boykin Microcosmic Sound Orchestra @ The Velvet Lounge

Interstellar jazz saxophonist David Boykin pulls double duty at the Velvet Lounge, where he lays freewheeling grooves and solos in a pair of sets with his eponymous Expanse and Microcosmic Sound Orchestra. The Expanse combines free passages with hard bop, over which Boykin spouts unorthodox rhymes; the Microcosmic Sound Orchestra provides inspired improvisation.

Fun Fun Fun Fest (Austin) @ Waterloo Park

How many huge music festivals can Austin hold? Chicago has its share of major festivals, but Austin keeps cranking out the multi-day madness with the Fun Fun Fun Fest.

The lineup includes festival regulars but strong ones at that; if you're in Texas, head down to see Bad Brains, The National, Atmosphere, Young Widows, Trash Talk, Deerhoof, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Black Heart Procession, Dr. Octagon, Dan Deacon, Tim Fite, Bishop Allen, Dengue Fever, Cro-Mags, Parts and Labor, Minus the Bear, and more.

In the world of Mike Ladd, reality is far stranger than fiction. The Boston-bred MC/producer/spoken-word poet is the merry prankster of underground hip-hop, a sonic jester gleefully melding dystopian imagery with lo-fi hardcore, dub, and retro soul to create party music for the year 2032. His lofty concepts have documented the simultaneous death and rebirth of hip-hop in his operatic Infesticons and Majesticons projects. His 2005 release Negrophilia (Thirsty Ear) took its title and inspiration from the writings of Petrine Archer-Straw, whose work examined the sociological impact of African American Culture in 1920s Paris. On Nostalgialator, reissued early in 2008 on Definitive Jux, Ladd constructs a virtual time machine. The titular Nostalgialator travels simultaneously between the past, present, future, and after future. If it sounds overwhelming, consider it Kurt Vonnegut for the hip hop set.

Co-produced and engineered by Brooklyn’s Scotty Hard (Wu-Tang Clan, De La Soul), Nostalgialator was originally released on Europe’s !K7 Records in 2004. The album’s frenetic, overstuffed soundscapes recall a society overthrown by technology, where the only recourse is to celebrate the past. By revisiting the influences of his formative years, Ladd creates a future sound with the first half of the album, jamming in a space-funk rebellion that echoes early Parliament Funkadelic. “Wild Out Day” finds Ladd rhyming in hyper-drive over a caustic Bad Brains-style drumbeat. The album’s B-side slows down considerably and Ladd’s stream-of consciousness wordplay comes to the forefront. On the closing track, “Sail Away Ladies (Traditional),” Ladd ventures into distant, unrecognizable territory with a smooth ballad crooned over dreamy, sci-fi instrumentation.

The heady days of the early nineties are a touchstone of inspiration on Nostalgialator, evoking Check Your Head-era Beastie Boys with the live instrumentation and digitized vocals of “Troubleshot” and “Housewives at Play.” “I was thinking about the stuff I love and still love from the late ‘80s and early ’90s during recording,” says Ladd. “Bands like Ween, Dinosaur Jr., and Pavement were major influences.”

Despite the genre hopping, Ladd’s music is rooted in hip hop, and the sonic deconstruction of Nostalgialator reflects a man striving to take the next evolutionary step. “As I’ve watched the history of hip hop unravel, I realize it’s like a lot of social phenomena. There are key players, but it is really the movement en mass that changes the world. I’ve always stayed real to me and been honest about who I am in my lyrics and sound. Any diehard fan of my stuff deserves a medal. I am deeply grateful, even if I don’t check my MySpace enough.”

With his move to Paris in 2003, Ladd married and became a father, but does not consider himself an expatriate. “You find yourself defending the States more than you ever imagined, and I think this happens to a lot of Americans in France. I’ve almost become patriotic,” muses Ladd. “I see myself as a post-futurist. A post-futurist accepts that they are living in a society in which our science fiction is constantly trying to keep up with our non-fiction.

Bad Brains: Build a Nation

With the Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch on board as producer, these DC hardcore legends returned to the studio, for the first time in over a decade, to recapture their successful punk and reggae blend.

Reminiscent of their seminal early ‘80s records, Build A Nation opens with “Give Thanks and Praises,” which moves back and forth between head-banging and frantic hardcore riffs. “Jah People Make the World Go Round” keeps true to the original hardcore format (which they helped create) with fast verses — made more intimidating with Yauch’s bass-line production — and breakdown choruses. Several relaxed reggae tracks give the album a unique pacing.
Megaforce: www.megaforcerecords.com

Big Business: Here Come the Waterworks

After completing (A) Senile Animal with their other band, the Melvins, and finishing an exhaustive touring schedule including double sets every night, this Los Angeles duo released one of the year’s earliest masterpieces.

Taking cues from Queen, singer/bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis created a hard-rock epic. The journey begins with the tremendous “Just as the Day Was Dawning,” ends with the sludgey instrumental “Another Beautiful Day in the Pacific Northwest,” and pummels listeners with swampy, energetic bass riffs and explosive drum beats every step of the way.

Produced by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Built to Spill), Here Come the Waterworks is a heavy hitter.
Hydra Head: www.hydrahead.com

Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth

A powerfully crafted album, The Undisputed Truth is the year’s best hip-hop release. There were other solid efforts (I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead by El-P) and a plethora of great singles, but The Undisputed Truth deals with, in great balance, the three elements of angst-fueled music: righteous and rebellious lyrics, the inducement of fist pumping, hand throwing, and head banging, and enormous egos that carefully bob from insecure to forcefully inflated.

The album opens with a thumping beat on “Watcha Got,” and the opening lyrics “I came in the door, 1984” are likely to become this generation’s “bring the motherfucking ruckus” as rapped on Wu-Tang Clan’s “Bring Da Ruckus.”
Rhymesayers: www.rhymesayers.com

Exploding Star Orchestra: We Are All from Somewhere Else

The inaugural Exploding Star Orchestra album is the brainchild of Rob Mazurek, a tireless composer/cornetist/collaborator and the man behind Thrill Jockey’s Chicago Underground collective. With a stellar ensemble, his work on We Are All from Somewhere Else is a dense, serpentine concoction of cross-metered jazz.

Looping rhythms, typically played by upright bass, vibraphone, and brass or woodwind instruments, set the foundation for runs and improvisations by Mazurek and the other players on trombone, saxophone, flute, clarinet, and piano. At times, the album is evocative of composer Leonard Bernstein’s work. Its compounded melodies and droning roots make We Are All from Somewhere Else one of the year’s finest albums.
Thrill Jockey: www.thrilljockey.com

Grinderman: s/t

A side project for Nick Cave and Bad Seeds members Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey, and Jim Sclavunos found the foursome embracing rock ’n’ roll at its rawest, resulting in an album akin to The Stooges or Cave’s The Birthday Party without being merely a revival act.

Whether crooning or screaming, even at age fifty, the sound of Cave’s voice is enough to inspire listeners to do naughty things with the one they love, or at least the one they lust. The snarling “No Pussy Blues,” with Ellis’ wild psychedelic guitar fills, is infectious and unforgettable.

Fun and intelligent rockers such as “Honey Bee (Let’s Fly to Mars)” and “Depth Charge Ethel” are balanced by the more subdued “Man in the Moon” and silky “Electric Alice.” Hopefully, the success of Grinderman’s debut will lead to a follow-up in the not-so-distant future.
Anti: www.anti.com