Black Moth Super Rainbow: "Jump into my Mouth and Breathe the Stardust"

“PR people have said that I’m killing my band.”
– Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow

Since their group’s inception five years ago, the members of Pennsylvania’s Black Moth Super Rainbow have mostly kept to themselves. Over the course of three full-length albums, one split album with Austin guitar oddball The Octopus Project, and a new EP, Drippers (released on Chicago’s Graveface Records), few publicity photos have surfaced, and those that you’re likely to find have been carefully selected, with nary a glamor shot to be found.

The members go by names like Tobacco, Power Pill Fist, and Father Hummingbird. They’ve only done a handful of interviews, and though they’ve been hand-selected to tour with such high-profile acts as Aesop Rock and The Flaming Lips, their live shows keep stage banter to a minimum, instead allowing creepy, homemade animation to act as a spotlighted face.

When they do speak, Tobacco speaks for them. For our purposes, it’s his show, though one would be foolish to doubt the talent and input of his band-mates; just check out Power Pill Fist’s latest offering, Kongmanivong, also from Graveface, if you need evidence. But even with such scant information available, this is not a James Ellroy-novel, late-night parking-garage kind of meeting.

“It seems like now I have to do interviews to get the message across that it’s not important that we do interviews,” says Tobacco on the subject of the band’s built-in ambiguity. “I didn’t start making music so I could pose for pictures and talk about myself.”

But fans of the band are left with few context clues to patch together the enigma. Though there were some distinct vocal sections on the band’s 2005 debut, Falling Through a Field, the group has since abandoned words for eerie, distorted, voice-like patterns that bring to mind a Speak ’n’ Spell that needs new batteries or Peter Frampton’s amazing talking guitar.

“I never wanted to sound like something from the past, but maybe something that could have existed in the past — or any time, really."

“I feel like a lot of bands use vocals to showcase a singer,” Tobacco says. “I prefer the way that colorful, almost-human sounds can be interpreted by the listener. You’ll come up with your own lyrics, and that’s a lot more powerful than anything I could come up with.”

This impressionable dynamic inherent in Black Moth Super Rainbow’s songs could be what lends its music such an unnerving air of surreal, childlike nostalgia. Without lyrics, interviews, magazine covers, or trading cards, the group’s fans are left with nothing but strange, new sounds and their imagination — two things decidedly lacking in today’s music industry.

The music feels like childhood, but it sounds fresh, modern, and anything but “retro.”

“I never wanted to sound like something from the past, but maybe something that could have existed in the past — or any time, really,” Tobacco says. Like unexpectedly waking up in a sunny field and shaking off the last bits of a strange dream, there’s a hint of what was, but nothing is overt.

Points of comparison fall far short of doing justice. The music sounds electronic, but also organic and natural, as if it could have grown out of the forest floor. It’s happy and danceable, but with a thick, creepy, candy coating. It’s “trippy,” but there’s something much more subversive going on than mere hallucinogens.

But that sound is constantly changing. The band’s last album, Dandelion Gum, favors laid-back, organic melodies over the percussive dance-floor crush of previous albums. “There’s always a plan for an album,” Tobacco says. “Then it changes, and it keeps changing until something resembling an album exists.”

Likewise, the members of Black Moth Super Rainbow seem to shift shape at will and have their own intents and purposes. Their albums come together organically over time at the random whims of an oddly named group of forest dwellers.

“My new solo record, as Tobacco, is the only thing I’ve made that I’m happy with right now,” the front man says. “So that’s where you’ll find me these days. I like change, so if there is another Black Moth Super Rainbow album, it’ll probably be a lot different.”

The Singularity is the second full-length album from Divinity, a Calgary-based extreme-metal quintet that combines machine-gun beats, impossibly fast harmonizing guitar scales, Meshuggah-ish syncopations, and alternately death-metal and epic vocals (akin to Strapping Young Lad).

Like the band's first album, The Singularity was self-released before being picked up for European and American distribution.  The wait between release and distro was much longer this time around, however, due to Nuclear Blast (seemingly) inexplicably dropping the band after its debut.

This one is a thoroughly crushing and assailing effort, and it should appeal to many metal fans on the "extreme" end of the spectrum.  It would be great to hear more moments like the start to "Embrace the Uncertain," when a melodic piano intro and synth accent lead into metal chaos, but it's hard to argue with The Singularity as it is.

Divinity: "Monsters Are Real"

Dreamend: So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite (Graveface)

Dreamend is the work of Ryan Graveface, the man behind Graveface Records and the guitarist/bassist of Black Moth Super Rainbow.  Unlike the solo efforts of BMSR staple Tobacco, though, the sounds of Dreamend are markedly different than Graveface's "full-time" band.

Graveface has been releasing solo material for the better part of a decade, and So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite continues the direction of his 2008 album The Long-Forgotten Friend, which had the least emphasis on shoegazing guitars.

Melodic, bluegrass-infused instrumentals and singer/songwriter pieces comprise the majority of this one, again using banjo, bells, guitar, organ, and overdubbed vocals to establish a warm, low-key vibe.  A companion album is expected in 2011, and it will be interesting to see how that complements this one.

Dreamend: "Magnesium Light"
Dreamend: \"Magnesium Light\"

The Budos Band: III (Daptone)

Self-described as "afro-soul," The Budos Band is one of the instrumental staples of the Daptone roster.  Afro-beat, heavy funk, and soul are the tentet's main influeces, as deep horn grooves, wailing organ riffs, and funky percussions pave the way for dance-floor gyrations.

Like its predecessors, III delivers more danceable Budos jams with a few slow-tempo numbers mixed in for good measure.  Bouncy bass rhythms, guitar hooks, and flute solos all complement the baritone sax and other horned members of the front line.

III doesn't tread much new ground for The Budos Band, but it's another solid entry in the band's catalog.

The Budos Band: "Unbroken, Unshaven"

Street Sweeper Social Club: The Ghetto Blaster EP

When Tom Morello and Boots Riley released Street Sweeper Social Club's debut last year, it was the closest thing to Rage Against the Machine to appear from Morello since the political rap-rock group disbanded.

Riley's sociopolitical lyrics — a staple of his work in The Coup — made the comparison pretty apt, even if he didn't have the same fiery urgency as Zack de la Rocha.

However, with a stated mission to make "anthems for the revolution," the vibe has been one of partying mixed with anti-establishment messages (like "every banker is a fucking thief" in "Everythang").

The Ghetto Blaster EP is not as overly anthemic as the self-titled debut, and it feels like a stronger rock effort.  But the release is being pushed with a few radio-hit cover songs, most notably an uninspired hard-rock take on MIA's "Paper Planes."  It's strange that the band would be pushing this as a single so shortly after the original left the airwaves, but it's stranger coming from Morello and Riley, who have established musical voices.

A rendition of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" is better, but it lacks the power or immediacy of a cover like Anthrax and Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise."  But it does have a killer dueling harmony from Morello's overdubbed guitars midway through, and we can only hope that SSSC captures this full potential going forward.

Street Sweeper Social Club: "Ghetto Blaster"

Honorable Mentions

Lost in the Trees: All Alone in an Empty House (Anti-)

Guillermo Klein: Domandor De Huellas (Sunnyside)

Memmaker: How to Enlist in a Robot Uprising, deluxe edition (Artoffact)

Negura Bunget: Virstele Pamintului (Aural)

Yaotl Mictlan: Dentro del Manto Gris de Chaac (Candlelight)

The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade

A spinoff of treasured "power-violence" hardcore group Man is the Bastard, The Bastard Noise is approaching its 20th anniversary of creating noisy electro-doom brutality.

To its credit, The Bastard Noise continues to push boundaries, and for this split release with hardcore/punk experimentalists The Endless Blockade, the group utilizes the trademark drum-and-bass style of Man is the Bastard in combination with its far-out sounds.

Death-metal growls and demonic shrieks cover doom riffs and crushing bass chords, which quickly shift into progressive leads. Squealing, whirring electronic sounds further the ominous style — one that fans of the genre surely will love.

The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes. In "Deuteronomy," the marathon jam, hardcore/punk aggression gives way to circular, high-pitched effects and sludge breakdowns.

The first remix, "Advanced Directive," is an interpretation by Noah Creshevsky, a peerless patchwork composer/re-arranger who just released his own disc of inspired creations. The result, to say the least, is wild.

The Bastard Noise: "Mutant World of Shame / Underworld"
The Bastard Noise: \"Mutant World of Shame / Underworld\"

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers)

Continuing his life after Roc-A-Fella Records, former freestyle star Freeway now makes his debut on Rhymesayers, a fitting new home — if only temporary before a move to Cash Money.

Fellow Rhymesayers standout Jake One provides a funky, malleable backdrop for Freeway's fiery delivery and lyrics that are alternately personal and light in content. And though Freeway deserves his accolades, Jake One's production is the MVP of this collaboration.

Jake One's capabilities are on display from the get-go, as the party jam "Throw Your Hands Up" follows a soulful R&B intro track. A few tracks later, "Never Gonna Change" presents one of the most unique tracks on the album with a shifting rhythm (4/4 to 3/4 and back), glockenspiel, harmonized backing vocals, and sampled strings.

If you dig the music, be sure to pick up a physical copy. The Stimulus Package comes complete with awesome monetarily themed packaging.

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"
Freeway & Jake One: \"Know What I Mean\"

The Souljazz Orchestra: Rising Sun (Strut)

Ottawa's Souljazz Orchestra, now with a quartet of expertly delivered albums, is much more than just another Afro-jazz ensemble.

With just six core members, the group uses its newest full-length — its first all-acoustic effort — to twirl through funk, Latin, African, down-tempo jazz, and big-band bits.

After a stirring piano-led intro and the full-blown Afrobeat of "Agbara" (heard below), "Negus Negast" vies for the title of album's best with a grooving marching-funk foundation that supports a dazzling Asian flavor.

Rising Sun is challenging but accessible, and it never loses sight of its inherent mission: to get listeners moving. When 2010 comes to a close, this should stand among the best jazz-crossover discs of the year.

The Souljazz Orchestra: "Agbara"
The Souljazz Orchestra: \"Agbara\"

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire)

A translation of the phrase "land bad," Mako Sica has more than a nominal Native American influence; the trio's distant vocal reverberations and dirge-inspired tunes recall the spirituality of America's original inhabitants.

Between the vocalizations of Brent Fuscaldo, the melodies of guitarist Przemyslaw Krys Drazek, and the rhythms of drummer Michael J. Kendrick, Mako Sica maintains a strong balance of abilities — with a brooding combination of jangly guitars, reverberated vociferation, and instrumental dynamics.

Though this is just the trio's debut, Mako Sica already has been featured on NPR's acclaimed world-music program, Radio M — and it won't be the last time if the band continues what it started on Dual Horizon.

Mako Sica: I'Itoi
Mako Sica: \"I\'Itoi\"

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch)

Beholden to the traditions of Americana and early African-American folk, the string trio Carolina Chocolate Drops continues blurring the lines of old and new.

On Genuine Negro Jig, the group's fifth album, a few original numbers and a trove of traditionals take root in banjo, fiddle, and percussion. Three-part harmonies shimmer on the famous folk tune "Trouble in Your Mind," and simplicity shines on gripping renditions of "Why Don't You Do Right?" by Kansas Joe McCoy and "Trampled Rose" by Tom Waits.

Most surprisingly, Genuine Negro Jig includes an enjoyable rendition of "Hit 'Em Up Style," an unintentionally farcical pop hit by Blu Cantrell, a multi-talented producer who is best known as an early-2000s one-hit wonder. Easily the most mainstream cut on the disc, the song (reenacted with beat-boxing) describes the shopping-spree revenge of a woman who gets back at her unfaithful man by snatching his credit cards.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (excerpt)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: \"Hit \'Em Up Style\" (excerpt)

Honorable Mentions

Dday One: Heavy Migration LP reissue (Crosstalk Int.)

The Seven Fields of Aphelion: Periphery (Graveface)

V/A: Next Stop Soweto: Township Sounds From The Golden Age Of Mbaqanga (Strut)

Instrumental(-ish) Boston group Irepress has completed its sophomore album, Sol Eye Sea 1, which will be released February 17 on Translation Loss (a new song can be heard here). The group's mathy, melodic, chugging, epic songs can be heard on a five-week US tour that begins March 4.

Les Claypool has announced a four-week traveling mini festival, scheduled to begin in early March, that is officially titled The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest. The fest's outstanding lineup is different depending on the city; guests include Secret Chiefs 3, Saul Williams, DeVotchKa, Yard Dogs Road Show, O'Death, and The Mutaytor.

And speaking of Secret Chiefs 3, the incomparable Indian/surf/metal group has a concert DVD being released in March on mastermind Trey Spruance's Mimicry label.

Hardcore trio Young Widows has announced a major list of tour dates that run from February through April. See the list here.

Dan Deacon has announced a six-week tour, starting April 3, that will feature a full ensemble in support of Bromst, his new album due March 24 from Carpark.

Marking its final recording with long-time member Reed Mathis, the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has made a new studio album, Winterwood, available for free downloading on its website.

Next Tuesday, February 3, Tibet House US hosts a benefit concert and dinner at Carnegie Hall. Performers include Philip Glass, Antibalas, Keb' Mo', Vampire Weekend, The National, and more.

Nile linchpin Karl Sanders has another solo album in the works, this time to be released through The End Records. Titled Saurian Exorcisms, the album will be out April 14. Some awesome preview tracks are already posted on Sanders' MySpace page.

Despite comments from main member Tobacco that the group was on indefinite hiatus, dreamy hip-hoppers Black Moth Super Rainbow have a new album, Eating Us, that will be released on May 26 via Graveface.

New York jazz group Dred Scott Trio has a live album being released via Ropeadope on February 3.

Hardcore group Pulling Teeth has a new album, Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions, that takes a crushing and despairing direction. The album is available today to preorder from Deathwish Inc. and its official release date is March 31. Hear a preview track, "Foreshadowing," here.

Grindcore group Agoraphobic Nosebleed will release its fourth full-length album, Agorapocalypse, through Relapse on April 14.

Tipsy: Buzzz (Ipecac)

Built around the lounge-heavy mixture of cut-and-paste artist Dave Gardner, Tipsy has a new live lineup that recreates the quirky film noir / spy thriller / Hawaiian electronica of its albums.  The group's new album, Buzzz, is another engaging stylistic union that doubles as perfect background music.

Tipsy: "Reverse Cowgirl" (sample)
Tipsy: \"Reverse Cowgirl\" (sample)

Zak Riles: s/t (Important)

As a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter in Grails, Zak Riles is responsible for much of the band's worldly acoustic sound.  With his self-titled solo album, Riles releases similar acoustic instrumentals of beauty and melancholy – some of which were worked into Grails songs — but without the group's heavy psychedelic bent.  Riles' album also includes pretty numbers that might not fit into Grails' repertoire.

Zak Riles: "Sand/Silk Road Origin"

Black Moth Super Rainbow: Drippers EP (Graveface)

In what is likely its last release for a while, Black Moth Super Rainbow presents the Drippers EP before taking an indefinite hiatus.  The group's synth-heavy, effect-laden psych hop is detailed here with a few new tracks, rarities, and a remix.

Black Moth Super Rainbow: "Happy Melted City"
Black Moth Super Rainbow: \"Happy Melted City\"

Peter Brötzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Brain of the Dog in Section (Atavistic)

German free-jazz reed player Peter Brötzmann has a tight relationship with Chicago's experimental scene — so much that he leads a group aptly named the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.  On The Brain of the Dog in Section, Brötzmann makes squealing, noisy improvisation with Windy City cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm of the Vandermark 5.

Past Lives: Strange Symmetry EP (Suicide Squeeze)

When the Blood Brothers ended its ten-year reign of mathy post-hardcore, high-pitched vocalist/keyboardist Johnny Whitney and frenetic guitarist Cody Votolato joined with Jay Clark of Pretty Girls Make Graves to form Jaguar Love.

Past Lives is the other prominent Brothers — vocalist Jordan Blilie, drummer Mark Gajadhar, bassist Morgan Henderson, and former guitarist Devin Welch.  This debut EP is more focused on indie rock and dance beats than the Blood Brothers' catalog, but it shows promise for the group's future as it gains cohesiveness.

Ben Weinman

- Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman has posted 40 streaming minutes of his August performance at The Stone, John Zorn's New York club. His guests included ex-Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, jazz drummer Dan Weiss, and "Asian Steve."

- The Graveface Records Day of the Dead showcase in Chicago this weekend features the last Black Moth Super Rainbow show for quite a while.

- PETA has posted an interview with Justin Pearson of The Locust about vegetarianism and veganism.

- MTV Iggy has posted a clip of Andrew Bird and Yo-Yo Ma jamming.

- Mastodon has released the track listing for Crack the Skye, the group's album with lyrical content about czarist Russia due in early 2009.

- In response to news about a two-bit neo-nazi plot, the East Coast Avengers have posted "The Day Hope Died," a song about what would be a horrific assassination of Barack Obama.

- On a brighter note, fans of avant-garde and experimental music in Oakland will be treated to a five-dollar election-night concert of improvisation curated by Carla Kihlstedt of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and 2 Foot Yard. Performers include Fred Frith, Shinichi Iova Koga, Michael Mellender, Moe! Staiano, and Ava Mendoza.

- Critters Buggin has announced a New Year's Eve show with Garaj Mahal at the Capitol Theatre in Olympia, Washington.

- Sitar-infused pop rockers Elephant Stone have uploaded six new songs from their upcoming album.

- According to bassist John Paul Jones, there are plans for a Led Zeppelin record and tour without Robert Plant.

Ravish Momin

Thursday, October 30

GWAR, Toxic Holocaust @ House of Blues

What would a Halloween weekend be without GWAR? Chicago gets an early treat on Thursday as the satirical blood-and-guts metal band hits the House of Blues. One-man speed-metal outfit Toxic Holocaust opens with a high-intensity set of thrash riffs, push beats, and mini rock solos.

On an awesome side note, ALARM head honcho Chris Force once opened for GWAR with his punk/hardcore band No Way Out (not to be confused with multiple bands currently active with the same name).

Friday, October 31

Ravish Momin's Trio Tarana @ The Velvet Lounge

Compositional and inventive New York percussionist Ravish Momin spends Halloween in Chicago with his Trio Tarana, which joins him with violinist Sam Bardfeld and oud/saz player Brandon Terzic. The group's incredible sound is one of Indian rhythms, modern and traditional fusion, and big, complex beats that keep listeners' heads banging.

Momin was born in India, but his multi-cultural influence extends beyond his homeland and his residence; his style touches upon elements of African and East Asian music, and his percussive endowments include a list of instruments a mile long. For this Velvet Lounge performance, the Trio Tarana is joined by Chicago heavies Tatsu Aoki (bass, shamisen), Greg Ward (alto sax), and Doug Rosenberg (woodwinds).

Halloween parties

Halloween falls on a Friday this year, so we'll be hitting up some parties. Now if only we could decide on some costumes. (Björk? The Tron guy? A sexy laser beam?)

Saturday, November 1

Graveface Records Day of the Dead showcase @ The Abbey Pub
w/ Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dreamend, Hospital Ships, and Kid Dakota

Promoting its upcoming Drippers EP, Black Moth Super Rainbow brings its synth-heavy, effect-laden psych hop back to Chicago for the second annual Graveface Day of the Dead showcase. Labelmates Dreamend, Hospital Ships, and Kid Dakota round out the show with pretty pop/rock creations. Costumes are encouraged!

Sunday, November 2

Zü, Yakuza, The Rempis Percussion Quartet @ The Empty Bottle

Italian art/noise/jazz/punk trio Zü spends the first of two nights in Chicago at the Empty Bottle, possibly the city's most fitting venue for the group's weird mélange. Zü's collaborators range from Hamid Drake to Mike Patton to Dälek, and it gets a few interesting openers here: jazz-metal locals Yakuza and free-jazz mainstays The Rempis Percussion Quartet.

Sleeping

As daylight savings time ends, we'll be getting an extra hour of sleep. Though this should be rather universal for regions that practice DST, this is especially important for music editor Jamie Ludwig, who is known to run on 3-4 hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, this also means that it will soon be dark at 5 p.m. Bogus!