The Bad Plus: "My Friend Metatron"

Jazz trio The Bad Plus has made a name for itself by reinterpreting popular rock songs and jazz standards in addition to hammering out energetic originals. Unlike its earlier albums, the band's most recent full-length, Never Stop, consists entirely of Bad Plus compositions. Its unorthodox, avant-garde approach to creative endeavors can be traced back as far as grade school, as this story from drummer Dave King demonstrates.

The Pine Wood Derby
by Dave King of The Bad Plus

In the autumn of 1981, I participated in a Cub Scout event horizon called the Pinewood Derby. Little cars made of pine that had to be assembled from a kit by you alone, not you and your dad.

You were given a block of pine about the size of a walkie-talkie and wheels. You had to carve it in a shape that would allow the car to go fast down a track. You also had to paint it and detail it with racing stripes or personal flair concepts.

I believe there was a manual that was handed out to guide you in the possibly unfamiliar discipline of aerospace engineering. I didn't read it because I don't think it actually existed, and my dad refused to help me because he FOLLOWED THE RULES. I pleaded to my parents that I was sure kids were receiving help on the design and carving front because, like any awkward kid, you are aware that your peers that sort of "have it together" are receiving mysterious guidance and LOVE from many sources not as readily available to you. The Cub Scouts is actually an organization wholly devoted to shining a bright light on these deficiencies and dispensing the insecurity thusly.

There were, by my memory, about 75 children dispersed in roughly six separate "dens." That means 75 cars racing in organized heats starting within each den and concluding in a race between den winners.

Looking around at all the other cars, it became apparent that not only did every kid either have help from dad or had some sort of earthy, preternatural understanding of engineering rivaling Alexander Calder. My car, on the other hand, looked like a loaf of old banana bread that had been pecked at by crows.

I think I might have had access to a steak knife to do the carving, and the paint job was lipstick. A slutty shade of red that gave the car a John Waters kind of dark sexual energy, which, thinking back, might have done a bit better in a slightly less "square" environment. The flat-out earnestness of the scouting movement is truly an astonishing thing to witness with worldly eyes, I assure you.

The races began with a fervor known only to grizzly bears at the conclusion of a mass salmon gathering.

OK, SO I PLACED LAST IN EVERY RACE. I think the den masters (aptly named, when witnessed putting up tents and handling jack knives) kept me running in every possible race in either an attempt to get me to place at least second to last, or to enjoy my humiliation with a soul-smoldering darkness known only by serial killers and jazz critics.

Alas, when the night was over and the ribbons were handed out in a celebratory manner only known by the winning team of the fucking Super Bowl, I sat holding my lipstick car. The personal-flair googly eyes that I had affixed to the hood were slipping and looking a bit like Cookie Monster's after he went on a low-grade speed wreck with Hunter Thompson across the hills of Vail. The fallout of the defeat began surrounding me like nuclear winter.

This sounds melodramatic, but here's THE KICKER. It turns out that the Scouts have a microscopic socialist feather in their rule cap that I wasn't aware of. EVERYONE MUST GET A RIBBON FOR SOMETHING.

What do we give to Dave King?? What could his ribbon say?? He was dead last in every heat! He redefined loss single-handedly in one nippy Minnesota autumn eve!! What can we inscribe for this child of RULE-FOLLOWING FOOLS!!!

In front of a crowd of hundreds, I approached the podium dead-last and late into the night………………… "DAVE KING …………………. MOST WHEELS"

THE END

As usual, ALARM leaves no genre unexplored in our list of this year's overlooked gems.

Sigh: Scenes from Hell (The End, 1/19/10)

Sigh: "The Summer Funeral"

With a history of fusing other revered genres to a doomy combination of black metal and thrash, Japan's Sigh used its eighth studio album to deliver symphonic, epic metal that calls upon classical instrumentation to top its rock foundation.

Brass, woodwind, and string instruments — as well as organ and piano — accent as well as lead sinister melodies that take surprising turns through fanciful themes. Raspy, menacing vocals coat each track, resulting in a dramatic presentation that isn't much at odds with its complex backdrop.

RJD2: The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections, 1/19/10)

RJD2: "Games You Can Win"

Following a divisive album that saw the introduction of poppy, soulful vocals, producer RJD2 returned with something of a split release — an album that leaves no shortage of accessible, vocal-driven tunes but that emphasizes some inventive instrumentals.  Whether or not you dig the soulful RJ, there's no doubt that the music on The Colossus is some of his best to date.

Chicago Underground Duo: Boca Negra (Thrill Jockey, 1/26/10)

Chicago Underground Duo: "Spy on the Floor"

For 15 years, the Chicago Underground Duo (and Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra) has been an avant-garde jazz outlet for prolific Chicago musicians Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217) and Chad Taylor.  Boca Negra is an interesting dichotomy, as spiraling vociferation leads to upbeat grooves, shifting piano chords, harmonic electronics, and ambient samples.

Algernon: Ghost Surveillance (Cuneiform, 1/26/10)

Algernon: "Broken Lady"

The brainchild of guitarist Dave Miller, Algernon walks a thin line between melodically driven post-rock and instrumental unconventionality.  Ghost Surveillance places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined Miller's style. Noisy, circular rock riffs transform to tranquil, wandering passages. "Timekiller," the album's fourth track, is a beautiful, buoyant number — and one of the band's best creations to date.

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: Into the Wind (Ubiquity, 1/26/10)

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "East"

In the hands of a marvel, the guzheng — a gorgeous Chinese zither — resonates with tactile beauty as its many strings are plucked with precision.

Bei Bei, a native of Chengdu, China, is one such musical technician. And this collaboration with Shawn Lee, a prolific producer who can man as many genres as he sees fit, is undoubtedly one of the year's finest albums.  Together, the two use Into the Wind to navigate through funky down-tempo jams, Kung-Fu flavor, hip hop, soul, and driving grooves.

Daníel Bjarnason: Processions (Bedroom Community, 2/1/10)

Daníel Bjarnason: "Bow to String I: Sorrow Conquers Happiness"

Best known as a conductor and arranger for indie groups such as Sigur Rós, composer Daníel Bjarnason also holds a lofty classical résumé. Processions, his proper debut, is, at many points, a challenging classical work.  Powerful cellos scale and race with crackling percussions before settling into gently bowed and pizzicato string accompaniments; easily half a dozen strings battle for dominance in a sorrowful, harmonic piece that resonates long after hearing it.  Undoubtedly, Processions is a daring and original debut.

Shining: Blackjazz (Indie Recordings / Distribution, 2/2/10)

Shining: "Fisheye"

Beginning as an experimental acoustic jazz ensemble, Norway's Shining — the brainchild of saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby — transformed to a progressive jazz-fusion outfit before delving into its darker side for a collaboration with black-metallists Enslaved.

Blackjazz pushes deeper into the band's dark recesses, forging a progressive industrial sound for the young century.  Big, complex rock riffs, twisted through gnarly distortion, form the foundation and support a mass of frantic, whirring synth lines and gut-wrenching black-metal screams.  In all, Blackjazz is a new epic — and perhaps the best metal album of 2010.

Pillars and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park, LP + download (Endless Nest, 2/9/10)

Pillars and Tongues: "The Center of"

With just three members, Pillars and Tongues manages to craft powerful folk abstractions and interwoven, trance-inducing vocal dynamics. Both composed and improvisational, these shifting forms evoke spiritual vibes in their soulful essence, heavenly harmonies, and repeated patterns.

Dessa: A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree, 2/9/10)

Dessa: "Dixon's Girl"

The only female member of Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree, Dessa is a spoken-word vocalist, singer, and MC whose awaited full-length was finally released earlier this year.

On A Badly Broken Code, her true solo debut, Dessa's vocal diversity is matched by its underlying music, ranging from hard-hitting beats and rhymes to lilting harmonic overdubs.

The Bastard Noise / The Endless Blockade: The Red List (20 Buck Spin, 2/16/10)

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

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.  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.  The Endless Blockade contributes three tracks to the release — one 14-minute epic and two avant-garde remixes.

Freeway & Jake One: The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers, 2/16/10)

Freeway & Jake One: "Know What I Mean"

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.

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch, 2/16/10)

Carolina Chocolate Drops: "Hit 'Em Up Style" (Blu Cantrell)

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.

Mako Sica: Dual Horizon LP (La Société Expéditionnaire, 2/16/10)

Mako Sica: "I'Itoi"

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.

High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine (E1 Music, 2/23/10)

High on Fire: "Snakes for the Divine"

Stoner-metal trio High on Fire has built a devoted following over the past dozen years as fans fell in love with Matt Pike's gruff vocals and thunderous guitar riffs. On Snakes for the Divine, Pike uses his throat to channel Lemmy Kilmister; meanwhile, the band has picked up its pace and crafted an album that isn’t as outstretched. Hard-hitting riffery leads an effort that, though diverse at times, may be the band’s most driving release.

Jaga Jazzist: One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2/23/10)

Jaga Jazzist: "One-Armed Bandit"

Five years have passed since we've heard the powerhouse melodies of Norway's Jaga Jazzist, the post-rock/"nü-jazz" conception of brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth.

One-Armed Bandit, immediately the group's best album, resembles symphonic prog rock, arguably a few steps removed from parts of Frank Zappa's expansive catalog and closer to countryman Jono El Grande's diverse and theatrical style.  This album, however, is much more cohesive than either of those comparisons suggest, and at times it is nearly overwhelming with grooves and harmonious refrains.

Rob Swift: The Architect (Ipecac, 2/23/10)

Rob Swift: "The Architect"

Turntablist/DJ Robert Aguilar, formerly of the X-ecutioners, has long utilized his love of jazz, R&B, and other musical movements to create compelling hip-hop instrumentals while displaying his tight beat-juggling skills.

The Architect is Swift’s foray into the classical world. In addition to a multitude of sampled styles and sounds, classical cuts comprise a substantial chunk of this Ipecac debut. Rearranged strings, organ, and horns often make the foundation of a given track, occasionally evoking high-tension Italian Westerns, as Swift’s scratches dance atop banging beats.

Rotting Christ: Aealo (Season of Mist, 2/23/10)

Rotting Christ: "Aealo"

For more than 20 years, Athens' Rotting Christ has traversed different directions on the metal path.  With its previous release, Theogonia, the group released a striking, original album that fused its dark sound to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors.

Like its predecessor, Aealo features female Benedictine chants, lingual pipes, and a medieval feel. Combined with dueling high-pitched harmonies and powerful guitar work, these new elements highlight an album that should be among the most original metal releases of the year.

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: Ali and Toumani (Nonesuch, 2/23/10)

Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté: "Ruby"

As two of Africa's most internationally renowned musicians, guitar legend Ali Farka Touré and kora phenom Toumani Diabaté have displayed impeccable abilities while integrating the styles of other cultures into their ethnic sounds.

Each Malian, the two collaborated for the acclaimed In the Heart of the Moon in 2005, shortly before Farka Touré's passing in 2006. Fortunately, the two set aside time to record new material before touring for In the Heart of the Moon, and the result is another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release.

Throughout Ali and Toumani, Farka Touré roots each creation in melodious African-blues pieces. Diabaté's virtuosity accents each track in the form of fanciful scales, which at times evoke classical harpsichord passages, perhaps most notably on "Sabu Yerkoy."

Fang Island: s/t (Sargent House, 2/23/10)

Fang Island: "Sideswiper"

Mostly comprised of ex-Daughters, the good-time rock quintet Fang Island was one of the most quickly ascending bands of 2010, jumping onto tours with The Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots following the release of its first full-length album.

The self-titled release is chock full of palm-muted and speed-infused indie-prog anthems, with über-layered vocal harmonies to go with a triple-thick guitar assault and distorted-bass bludgeoning.  It's one of those rare releases that feels absolutely radiant and thrashing at the same time.

B. Dolan: Fallen House, Sunken City (Strange Famous, 3/2/10)

B. Dolan: "The Reptilian Agenda"

Going way back with Sage Francis, rapper B. Dolan is a like-minded MC and slam poet whose style isn't terribly dissimilar to that of his long-time friend. Fallen House, Sunken City is Dolan's second full-length for Strange Famous, and it's full of the sociopolitical themes (if often in quick blasts or asides) and contentious delivery for which he's known.

In addition to some seemingly personal lyrics, Dolan takes passing shots at big business, taxation, the pharmaceutical industry, the concept of ownership of natural resources, the Israeli razing of Palestinian developments, and, among many other things, the so-called New World Order — dropping clips of Dick Cheney and George H.W. Bush in "The Reptilian Agenda."  On top of Dolan's socially conscious rhymes, A-list production by Alias makes this one of the year's top hip-hop releases.

Archie Bronson Outfit: Coconut (Domino, 3/2/10)

Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"
Archie Bronson Outfit: "Shark's Tooth"

With its warbled vocals and driving percussion, British psych-rock trio Archie Bronson Outfit is like a more adventurous Wolf Parade — as comfortable burning up the dance floor with clean, bouncy riffs as it is turning up the reverb and rocking in a garage.

Coconut is the band's first LP in nearly four years, and it kicks off with a crunchy, swirling guitar line and a hypnotic bongo-laden beat. Produced by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Coconut gets spaced-out and drone-like at times, but it always offers a hint of pop accessibility amidst the static and haze.

Do you ever wonder what a stunt driver does during his quiet time at home? Well, you might not have to anymore, thanks to the arrival of Never Stop, the seventh studio album from The Bad Plus.

On “Bill Hickman at Home,” a dreamlike New Orleans blues piece that crawls at a snail’s pace, the piano peels away from the rest of the music as notes warp out of pitch, and the hard-driving, progressive jazz trio imagines late stunt driver / car-chase choreographer Bill Hickman “drinking a glass of milk and playing solitaire” — at least that’s what pianist Ethan Iverson, who wrote the tune, was picturing. And if that seems like a rather absurd setting for an action specialist like Hickman — who is most well known for his work on the iconic (and emphatically masculine) chase sequences in the films Bullitt and The French Connection — it’s precisely the kind of cheeky, off-angle perspective that The Bad Plus has become known for.

The band’s first long-player to consist entirely of original music, Never Stop should, if not silence, at least give pause to anyone — fans and detractors alike — who has up to this point focused on The Bad Plus’ well-documented affinity for reinterpreting rock and pop standards as jazz instrumentals.

“The populist conception of The Bad Plus as ‘the band that plays Nirvana covers’ might help fill seats, but it’s fundamentally incorrect.”

After six albums, Iverson says that the decision was an “obvious” one to make. And whether or not the album succeeds at steering attention to the band’s compositions — which Iverson calls its “lifeblood” — it at least allows for The Bad Plus to finally stand and be judged on its own merits. Arguably, after making waves for covering “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Iverson and his band mates — drummer David King and bassist Reid Anderson — could have freed themselves of a ton of baggage a lot sooner by putting out an all-originals album as the follow-up to their 2003 major-label debut, These Are the Vistas.

Iverson readily admits that covers have been profitable, but he seems to understand that the attention they’ve attracted cuts both ways. “The populist conception of The Bad Plus as ‘the band that plays Nirvana covers’ might help fill seats,” he says, “but it’s fundamentally incorrect.” He also stresses that original compositions have always made up “about 75–90%” of the group’s repertoire. So if The Bad Plus has been guilty of capitalizing on rampant misconceptions on both sides of the rock and jazz divide — and of pandering to listeners’ most pedestrian instincts by making showy gestures with obvious, overplayed hits — then Never Stop makes the statement that the back catalogue is worth reexamining. And because it comes from a band that has (intentionally or not) relegated its own music to B-side status, Never Stop is a tribute of sorts to the value of the proverbial deep cut.

Stripped of the band’s most tried and true gimmick, Never Stop reveals what The Bad Plus could (and should) have exploited as its “gimmick” all along — namely, the idiosyncratic writing style of all three band members. Iverson explains that he, King, and Anderson all write alone before presenting complete compositions to the whole band. At that point, he says, there is “lots of room for everyone to have their say” in how the arrangements take shape.

For Never Stop, released in September on E1, King and Anderson contributed three tunes apiece while Iverson contributed two, and longtime fans should be able to distinguish each composer’s hallmarks — in Iverson’s words, King’s “meta-metric and prog-rock rhythm concepts,” Anderson’s “wonderful command of melody,” and Iverson’s “jazz surrealism.” Iverson considers the title tune, an Anderson composition, to be “pure pop candy,” while he describes King’s "The Radio Tower is a Beating Heart" as “post-Albert Ayler ecstasy followed by a wild minimalist groove.”

If much of Never Stop revisits familiar territory, that’s partly because, according to Iverson, each band member came to the band with his writing style more or less fully developed. “I'm pretty sure all of us knew what we did by the time the band was formed,” he says. They’ve also focused on refining their approach rather than attempt to reinvent themselves. “Hopefully,” Iverson adds, “you get better over time. But the voice is the voice, really. I don't know if I've ever really written anything better than ‘Guilty’ on Vistas. But ‘Bill Hickman At Home’ has some of that same surreal blues feel, only a little more complicated and worked out.”

Unsurprisingly, some of the album’s most affecting moments occur when the band turns the bombast way down. At their best, Iverson and company certainly have a knack for musical muscle and bravado. But, much like the imaginary Bill Hickman that the band immortalizes on the aforementioned tune, the more subdued aspects of The Bad Plus are appreciated more easily away from the glare of flashy stunts.

Nick Cave has been a cult icon for 30 years, from his days fronting The Birthday Party through the 14 albums he has led with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. With the help of the dynamic Bad Seeds, he has championed a dark and unparalleled brand of alt-rock, and in 2007, he launched another lauded project, Grinderman, with the aid of longtime Seeds.

Marked by raw lyrics and impassioned vocals, the garage-rock side project now takes a sharp turn for its second album, presenting a much more sprawling, diverse recording. Layers of effects, noise, and backing vocals build each song into colorful stories of weirdness and absurdity, and all together, the album is a much greater studio labor than the twisted rock ballads of its predecessor. With 2, Grinderman has come into its own as a full-fledged group.

Grinderman: "Heathen Child"

The Bad Plus: Never Stop (E1)

Built around piano, bass, and drums, the hard-hitting jazz trio known as The Bad Plus is beloved for its inimitable originals as well as its radically re-imagined covers. Now, after an entire disc of covers, the trio follows with its first full release of original tunes.

The instrumentation never shifts, but Never Stop embodies the assorted tastes that have been reflected in the trio’s cover selections — all filtered through a powerful jazz style.  And though the explored territory isn't particularly new — other than perhaps a few more accessible melodies and straightforward beats — Never Stop contains some of the group's finest songs, including "The Radio Tower Has a Beating Heart," "My Friend Metatron," and the title track.

The Bad Plus: "My Friend Metatron"

Buke & Gass: Riposte (Brassland)

Take an altered baritone ukulele (the “buke”) and a guitar-bass hybrid (the “gass”) and run them through thick, fuzzy distortion effects. Add homemade foot percussion and the strong, über-melodic pop vocals of Arone Dyer (the buke-ist), and you get the shockingly effective duo dubbed Buke & Gass.

Listening to Riposte, the pair’s debut, is a great pop-rock experience, but seeing it come together on stage is something else.  The material gets a bit sugary at times, but between the duo's unique sounds, potent harmonies, and unconventional riffs, it's hard for Buke & Gass to do much wrong.

Buke & Gass: "Medulla Oblongata"

MF Doom f. Big Benn Klingon: Expektoration (Gold Dust)

Following an early and disillusioned career on a major label, Daniel Dumile birthed a Doctor Doom-inspired alter-ego — MF Doom — who blew up the indie-rap circuit while garnering critical acclaim.

The villainous persona spawned a few more characters and collaborations in the form of Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah, Metal Fingers, Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse), Madvillain (with Madlib), and more.  No matter the name, however, Dumile's voice and delivery are spotted anywhere, delivering lyrical gems via a slightly garbled voice.

And despite the controversy surrounding his stand-in "Doom imposters" (who sometimes take Dumile's place on the road), Doom can kill it live — a fact that was first documented on the 2005 live album, Live from Planet X.

Expektoration (an alternately spelled word for the act of expelling sputum — or, in a sense, spitting) chronicles more of the Doom solo catalog, albeit much from the same era as Live from Planet X.  Split into two acts with an intermission, Expektoration mostly pulls from MM..Food, Madvillainy, and Operation: Doomsday, all of which were released between 1999 and 2004.  The sound quality is befitting a live album, but the album is worth hearing to experience (or re-experience) Doom's on-stage command.

MF Doom: "Beef Rap"

Blonde Redhead: Penny Sparkle (4AD)

It's been 15 years since Blonde Redhead's low-fi debut, and though the band's output has slowed since 2000, each successive album has marked a new chapter in the dreamy, experimental indie-rock trio's career.

Penny Sparkle is no exception.  The album was recorded with Van Rivers and The Subliminal Kid, a pair of hot Swedish producers who have worked with Fever Ray and have translated Blonde Redhead's trademark sound onto an electronic canvas.

As in the past, the trio's backing music remains its strength on Penny Sparkle.  Guitarist/vocalist Kazu Makino establishes the mood with another round of soft, often somber vocals, but it's the production that shines here.  Unfamiliar listeners may enjoy Penny Sparkle, and preexisting fans will appreciate Blonde Redhead in a new way.

Blonde Redhead: "Everything is Wrong"

Honorable Mentions

Azure Ray: Drawing Down the Moon (Saddle Creek)

The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream (Blue Horizon)

Black Milk: Album of the Year (Decon / Fat Beats)

Black Mountain: Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)

The Black Pacific: s/t (SideOneDummy)

Blue Cranes: Observatories

Cloud Cult: Light Chasers (Earthology)

Leonard Cohen: Songs from the Road 2xCD (Sony)

Dungen: Skit I Allt (Mexican Summer)

Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot)

Lobisomem: Onze Pedras (Tall Corn)

Masters of Reality: Pine / Cross Dover (Cool Green)

Steve Reich: Double Sextet (Nonesuch)

Jason Simon: s/t (Tee Pee)

We Love: s/t (BPitch Control)

Thursday, April 16

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Dub Trio, Cheer-Accident @ Bottom Lounge (Chicago)

What a great way to celebrate the passage of Tax Day. First, indefinable prog collective Cheer-Accident opens for its hometown with a mix of rock, pop, chamber music, and noise.

Second, dub-metal instrumentalists Dub Trio rework their own punishing riffs and grooves for live variations, channeling dancehall sentiment through dropped-D rock.

After that, "rock against rock" avant-gardists Sleepytime Gorilla Museum close the night with an adventurous combination of metal, theatricality, homemade instruments, and philosophical themes.

Congrats to ALARM reader J.D. Romero, the winner of two free tickets to this show.

Friday, April 17

The Bad Plus @ Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago)

Jazz trio The Bad Plus has made a career out of going against the grain. Genre purists have derided the band's infusion of rock structures, which helps create a hard-hitting jazz sound around a lineup of piano, bass, and drums.

Along the way, the group has built the reputation for deconstructing covers and reappropriating them into unique forms. Now The Bad Plus tours in support of For All I Care, its first all-covers album that includes a guest vocalist and a few classical covers.

Kid Koala @ Zentra (Chicago)

Loaded with samples that span the 20th century, DJ/turntablist Kid Koala employs a cross-genre sound that's impossible to pin down. For this stop through Chicago, he performs a DJ set at a local nightclub that may or may not hold a large contingent of bros.

Saturday, April 18

Qwel @ Reggie's (Chicago)

Chicago rapper Qwel lays unpausing flow and societal topics over melancholy production. Here he gets opening support from Galapagos4 labelmate Robust, who also opens at Reggie's the night before for Kool Keith and Kutmasta Kurt.  Doomtree rap-collective member Dessa — a guest on the great new album by P.O.S. — also opens.

Here's a list of tours on our radar, including dates from The Bad Plus, Fucked Up, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, P.O.S., Secret Chiefs 3, Young Widows, and more.

Follow each artist's link to see current tour dates.

The Bad Plus: March 5 – April 17
After a few one-off shows and a short stint in Eastern Europe, the rock-infused jazz trio begins a month and a half of spread-out dates in major North American cities. Accompanied by vocalist Wendy Lewis, the group is supporting the release of its first all-covers album, For All I Care.

Dan Deacon: April 6 – May 17
Electronic artist Dan Deacon takes a six-week jaunt across the US and Canada with a full supporting ensemble to perform the electro-acoustic works of his new album, Bromst.

Don Caballero: Feb. 3-28
Led by drummer/instigator Damon Che, these rock instrumentalists began a US tour last week that will hit major cities from coast to coast. Since being recreated, the group (with Che as its only remaining original member) has emphasized a heavy rock sound, continuing with its most recent album, Punkgasm.

Fucked Up: Jan. 27 – Feb.
Closing out its three-week US tour, Fucked Up plays a few Midwest dates before culminating with two Valentine's Day shows in Chicago and a recently added gig in Michigan. The shock-value cross-genre punks then take a breather before traveling to Europe in late February.

Irepress: March 4 – April 11
Heading out in support of its sophomore album, Sol Eye Sea 1, this (mostly) instrumental Boston group treats rock clubs to mathy, melodic, chugging, epic songs.

The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest: March 4-28
This four-week traveling mini festival features an outstanding lineup of Les Claypool, DeVotchKa, Saul Williams, and Secret Chiefs 3 in many cities. Some dates include the Yard Dogs Road Show, O'Death, and The Mutaytor. Tickets are a bit pricey but should be worth every dollar. Claypool is supporting a new album, Of Fungi and Foe.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: May 1-23
This new project from Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel makes its debut US tour in support of its excellent first album.

P.O.S.: Feb. 5-28
With what should be one of the year's best hip-hop albums in tow, Minnesota's P.O.S. kicked off a three-week US tour in Montana last Thursday. His jaunt runs through the West, the Midwest, and the East Coast before returning to Minneapolis.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum: April 9-20
This theatrical art-metal group takes a short Midwest and East Coast tour between albums, getting a fabulous opener in Dub Trio for five of the dates.

Young Widows: March 13 – April 7
After a stretch of European performances, Louisville's Young Widows will have spent the better part of two months on the road, punishing crowds with a rhythmic heaviness and inspiration from forerunners such as The Jesus Lizard.

P.O.S.

P.O.S. has saved hip hop. Minneapolis rapper Stefon Alexander, a.k.a. P.O.S. or that guy from the punk band Building Better Bombs, has made what is likely to be the best hip-hop album of 2009.

Never Better draws on Alexander's background in punk and rock music (he plays most of the live instrumentation on the record), making this is a record that categorically defines the indie in indie rap.

Freezing weather, bold racism, wheezy lungs, and zero-balance checking accounts create an unlikely backdrop to this strangely positive album, all delivered through Alexander's dynamic vocal cadence.

Read the extended review of Never Better by ALARM founder/editor Chris Force.

P.O.S.: "Goodbye"
P.O.S.: \"Goodbye\"

The Bad Plus: For All I Care (Heads Up)

Drawing inspiration from both Igor Stravinsky and Nirvana, veteran jazz trio The Bad Plus wields its chops with considerable force and eloquence.

The group’s live and recorded covers, often sprinkled throughout fantastic originals, showcase its broad musical palette. That holds true with For All I Care, the group's first all-covers release.

The album contains two firsts for The Bad Plus: renditions of classical material and the use of a vocalist (alt-rock vet Wendy Lewis). Lewis nails the material’s vocal melodies with stunning power and exactitude, allowing the group to explore other sonic colors.

Nirvana's "Lithium," The Flaming Lips' "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," and György Ligeti's "Fém (Etude No. 8)" stand out as particular highlights.

The Bad Plus: "Lithium" (Nirvana cover)
The Bad Plus: \"Lithium\" (Nirvana cover)

Kevin Hufnagel: Songs for the Disappeared (Nightfloat)

Whirlwind guitarist Kevin Hufnagel, one third of math-metal trio Dysrhythmia, issues this beautiful, melancholy collection of tunes centered on acoustic guitars and percussion.

Musical themes come and go as quickly as Hufnagel works his frets, tossing around swaths of Spanish and Gypsy guitar before reverting back to haunting rock melodies. Prepared guitar (similar to prepared piano — placing objects between strings) gives tracks like "Hunter/Hunted" a distorted, effected, and percussive feel, making use of a simple method to create relatively rare sounds.

Kevin Hufnagel: "Hunter/Hunted"
Kevin Hufnagel: \"Hunter/Hunted\"

Marco Benevento: Me Not Me

Following last year's solo debut Invisible Baby, keyboardist Marco Benevento (The Benevento/Russo Duo) returns for another studio effort, this time mostly of covers. Benevento's handful of originals have a fuller treatment this time around, employing the type of layered, post-jazz instrumentation that highlighted Invisible Baby.

The cover material is especially interesting for those familiar with the original versions. Led Zeppelin, Beck, Deerhoof, Leonard Cohen, and more are remade, with the pretty piano of Cohen's "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" standing as one of the disc's best moments.

Marco Benevento: "Twin Killers" (Deerhoof cover)
Marco Benevento: \"Twin Killers\" (Deerhoof cover)

Zombi: Spirit Animal (Relapse)

Influenced by the work of Goblin and other 1970s horror soundtrack artists, ambient and cinematic acoustic/electronic duo Zombi showcases a sound that fits these films and any number of other retro soundtracks.

On Spirit Animal, the duo's songs are a bit more focused on modern rock sounds, and they certainly pack a punch. The album doesn't tread new ground, but existing fans of the genre are sure to love it.

Zombi: "Spirit Animal" sample
Zombi: \"Spirit Animal\" sample

Sabertooth: Old Days & The Island (Arena Rock Recording Co.)

Not to be confused with the Sabertooth that frequents the Green Mill, Chicago's storied jazz venue, this album is built around the gentle neo-folk songs of Nicholas Marshall. Far from the over-hyped indie folk and freak folk that have saturated the blogosphere, Old Days & The Island excels with lasting melodies, genuine vocals, occasional strings, and distant effects.

The Bad Plus: For All I Care (Heads Up International)
With a penchant for reworked rock songs, this hard-hitting jazz trio issues a new album full of covers. Three of the disc's tunes are classical pieces; the rest are rock/pop and include vocals, a first for the group.

Powersolo: Bloodskinbones (Crunchy Frog)
A pair of oddball Danish brothers, dubbing themselves "the Railthin Brothers," create eclectic, off-the-wall rock creations as Powersolo. This full-length follows their recent X-mas single Beam Mig Op, Jesus.

Zu: Carboniferous (Ipecac)
This experimental Italian trio combines sludgy alt-metal with complex rhythms and free-jazz freakouts. If it's possible, Carboniferous presents the group's accessible side for one of the winter's better albums.

March

Kylesa: untitled (Prosthetic)
With a new disc for Prosthetic Records, Georgian stoner-metal squad Kylesa issues its first full-length since Time Will Fuse its Worth from 2006.

Dan Deacon: Bromst (Carpark)
Electro-spazz solo artist emphasizes live instrumentation for this anticipated follow-up.

Jerseyband: untitled (self-released)
It's a downright travesty that this East Coast septet is unsigned. Horns + math metal = 100% awesome.

Spring

Mastodon: Crack the Skye (Warner Bros.)
Even when Mastodon issues a dud, it's better than 95% of all metal albums. Here's hoping that it's a return to the form of Remission.

Summer

Mondo Cane: untitled (Ipecac)
Mike Patton's orchestral Italian pop covers. Enough said.

TBD

Coalesce: untitled (Relapse? Hydra Head?)
This previously defunct hardcore outfit doles out crushing grooves, mathy rhythms, and the trademark tracheal attack of vocalist Sean Ingram. Following the outstanding Salt and Passage 7" from late 2007, the group unveils a proper follow-up to 0:12 Revolution in Just Listening from 1999.

Coliseum: untitled (Relapse)
These Louisville hardcore/metal staples Coliseum continue life as a three-piece with their sophomore effort for Relapse.

Converge and Supermachiner: untitled (Epitaph / Deathwish Inc.)
This isn't a joint release, but they're worth mentioning together as Supermachiner is a semi-ambient side project from Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou.

Crudo: untitled (Ipecac?)
Mike Patton and Dan the Automator, who were the heart of the Lovage album released in 2001, unite as Crudo for what should be one of the better hip-hop efforts of 2009.

Fantômas: untitled (Ipecac)
The brainchild of Mike Patton, Fantômas resurfaces after a four-year hiatus with another unpredictable release. The music could be anywhere between incongruous genre spasms and ambient dirges, but Rock-a-Rolla magazine says that it might be an electronic record.

Garage a Trois: untitled (Telarc)
Beautiful groove rock from vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon, drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist Skerik, and keyboardist Marco Benevento.

Isis: untitled (Ipecac)
These purveyors of epic, accessible heaviness have gotten progressively more melodic. Whatever this new album sounds like, it should take another step forward while remaining heavy as hell.

Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians 2 & 3 (Indirecto)
The famed jazz/jam trio continues its experiment of meeting for brief writing sessions, testing out that new material (and only the new material) on the road, recording the material, and then repeating the process.

Secret Chiefs 3: Book of Souls (Mimicry)
The long-awaited follow-up of Book of Horizons from this incomparable Indian/surf/metal ensemble. It has to happen this year…right?

1. Books to Give for the 2008 Holiday Season

Covering politics, comic books, nude self-portraits, futuristic architecture, and humorous basketball profiles, ALARM lists five awesome books as gift ideas for your musically, artistically, or culturally interesting friends.

2. Commentaries on the Golden Path: The Allure of Belonging to America

Columnist Andrew Williams analyzes his love of American creations and how they often conflict with his sociopolitical ideology.

3. DIY Venue Spotlight: The Dayton Dirt Collective

ALARM's ongoing series exploring the best grassroots, non-traditional music venues profiles The Dayton Dirt Collective, a punk/experimental establishment situated near a local porn shop and church-supply outlet.

4. Lollapalooza 2008, Day 1: A Diverse Collection of Garbage

With pie chart in hand, publisher/editor Chris Force breaks down the whack hip hop, corny music for alt-jocks, sleepy singer/songwriters and more from Day 1 of last year's Lollapalooza.

5. Q&A: East Coast Avengers Discuss War Obsessions, 9/11, and Fox News

Following national notoriety for the release of "Kill Bill O'Reilly," politically outspoken hip-hop trio East Coast Avengers spoke with ALARM online editor Scott Morrow just before the historic 2008 election.

6. Q&A: God of Shamisen's Shredding Cultural Collisions

Led by Tsugaru-shamisen master Kevin Kmetz, Santa Cruz's God of Shamisen creates cultural collisions in the form of shredding, Japanese-infused progressive metal.

7. Q&A: Grails Guitarist Discusses Creating Album Art for Doomsdayer's Holiday

Fusing Indian music, 1970s film noir, and psychedelic sounds into heavy acoustic and electric rock, Grails is a wonderful anomaly. Publisher/editor Chris Force recently spoke with guitarist Alex Hall, who created the artwork for the group's new album.

8. Tim Fite: Tears of a Clown

Genre-defying folk rapper Tim Fite discusses the making of his most recent creation, Fair Ain't Fair, an album of violent regrets recorded during one of the lowest emotional points in his life.

9. Tinariwen: Malian Rebel Rock and Roll

Members of the nomadic Tuareg ethnic group, Tinariwen sings of independence from the Malian government. And despite a lengthy international touring schedule, the group's songs still tell the stories of its home — bleak tales of survival and cautious hope, desperation, and escapism.

10. The Top 10 Cover Songs by The Bad Plus

Hard-hitting jazz trio The Bad Plus knows how to pen pieces of proprietary gold. But its three members are also known for their genre-leaping renditions of rock songs, propelled by the chops of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King.

11. The Top 10 Parts of The Shape of Punk to Come

Just prior to an acrimonious breakup, Swedish hardcore group Refused released its magnum opus, The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts. It was as much an assault on capitalist philosophy as it was a striking stylistic evolution, and it did its best to advance hardcore in the way that its titular influence, Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come, did with jazz.

12. The Top 10 Songs by Faith No More

Faith No More didn't revolutionize the rock landscape, but for much of its tenure, its members created some of the genre's best mainstream songs while courting radio success. Along the way, Mike Patton and crew peppered other styles into their expanding repertoire, wedging lounge sounds, incoherent squeals, and even an angelic choir into songs that ran alongside pummeling rock tunes.

The Bad Plus

Infused with the energy of a hard-rock outfit, The Bad Plus wields its jazz chops with considerable force. In anticipation of the trio's forthcoming covers album, For All I Care, ALARM has an exclusive MP3 streamer of "You and I Is a Comfort Zone," an original song that will only be included on the album's vinyl edition.

And in contrast to that usual rock energy, "You and I Is a Comfort Zone" is one of the trio's most melodic, straightforward numbers. Listen to the track below and catch a preview of our interview with pianist Ethan Iverson that will appear in ALARM 34 in January.

The Bad Plus: "You and I Is a Comfort Zone"
The Bad Plus: \"You and I Is a Comfort Zone\"

Q&A preview

Cover songs have always been a part of your repertoire. How much have the covers helped the group's popularity outside of jazz circles?

It definitely has helped. As a lifetime jazz listener, I've always liked hearing jazz musicians play covers. It's such an incredible gateway to learning about what a musician is up to — especially an instrumental improvising musician — if you know the tune already.

And of course, this isn't just a jazz tradition. Mozart, Chopin, List, and even Bach would take popular tunes of the day and make variations on them.

The second that Bellini wrote a popular tune in Europe, Franz List would make a paraphrase of it to play for his audience, so that they would know the tune and he could show off what he could do with it. So it's a really grand tradition that way.

We've always been interested in a clear statement of the song, on some level, even if we're sort of destroying it.

You (Ethan) were quoted as saying, "It never occurred to me that rock would be part of the solution." How have rock elements shaped the band's existence?

I think that everybody in the band — we're very concerned about a band identity and the three of us being equals. But a question like this probably gets even more to how each of us feels about this stuff in terms of our own personal development.

I didn't really grow up listening to a lot of rock music. Of course, on some level, I was surrounded by it; you can't grow up in America without some basic knowledge. But in a way, I was just the ultimate music geek, just amassing my jazz records or classical records and not really interfacing with popular culture.

It wasn't until really working with [bassist] Reid [Anderson] and [drummer] Dave [King] that there was this sort of revelation to me, like, ‘Of course, jazz needs to remain music of the streets, on some level, to be truly successful,' and this was the way to do it.

I wouldn't be able to do it, probably, with people other than Reid and Dave, who are so dedicated to rock music and are not at all tourists. I, admittedly, am a bit of a tourist, but it's in their lifeblood, so it works out.

On For All I Care, vocalist Wendy Lewis joins you and gives spot-on renditions of the songs' original vocals. How much does having Wendy handle vocal lines free you on piano and Reid on bass?

We've always been interested in a clear statement of the song, on some level, even if we're sort of destroying it. I don't know how much it really freed up me and Reid, but it certainly gave us the opportunity to explore more colors at times.

- Scott Morrow