A Lull: Confetti (Mush)

A Lull: "Weapons for War"

Building off its early buzz for the single “Weapons for War,” Chicago quintet A Lull has drawn plenty of early attention for its debut album, Confetti.

Comprised of five multi-instrumentalists who each have a hand in its percussive style, the band unites assorted characteristics of contemporary indie electronica, with textured timbres, humming ambience, and melodic hooks building over pitter-pat beats and thumping toms. The vocals are equally as multi-layered and harmonized, alternating between soft pop refrains and “rat-tat-tats” and other percussive utterances over waves of deep, distorted low end.

Young Widows: In and Out of Youth and Lightness (Temporary Residence)

Young Widows: "In and Out of Lightness"

Now more than a few album cycles removed from its transition from post-hardcore outfit Breather Resist, Louisville's Young Widows continues coming more and more into its own.

The trio's last full-length album, Old Wounds, marked its arrival as post-punk powerhouse.  Its newest, In and Out of Youth and Lightness, displays another progression in the band's songwriting skills while also emphasizing the "quietness" in the genre.

Guitarist/vocalist Evan Patterson's reverberated instrument walks an eerie line between clean and dissonant. The rhythm section favors a ceremonial plod, often accenting select beats instead of playing straight through, but it's more than capable of mixing in urgent rock rhythms.  In between, there's a roomy silence, occasionally breached with a wandering guitar echo or backing vocal.

From the weird twang, Black Heart Procession vibes, and enveloping vocal harmonies of tracks such as "Right in the End" and "Lean on the Ghost," In and out of Youth and Lightness has plenty of new direction for familiar fans, but it's also an excellent jumping-off point for new listeners.

- Text by Scott Gordon. Read the full review here.

Atmosphere: The Family Sign (Rhymesayers)

Atmosphere: "Just for Show"

Back after last fall's double-EP release, Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere presents an album that is a true family effort.  Though its 2008 album was chock full of guest spots and featured DJ/producer Ant piecing together samples of live instrumentation, The Family Sign was built by a four-piece incarnation of Atmosphere, with previous collaborators Erick Anderson (keyboards) and Nate Collis (guitar).

Collis, in fact, is the surprise MVP of the album, with shimmering slide guitar and murmuring melodies that guide many songs.  Anderson plays nearly as vital a role, with gentle piano lines and chords that fill out what often was occupied by funky bass lines and horn cuts.

There are more singing and spoken-word passages than rap aficionados might like, but The Family Album isn't nearly as sunny or soulful as When Life Gives You Lemons…, and it feels like a much more cohesive and organic record.

Hauschka: Salon des Amateurs (FatCat)

Hauschka: "Radar"

Hauscka is the alias of prolific German composer Volker Bertelmann, who has released eight albums of neoclassical material since 2004 — with the most recent coming just six months ago.

His instrument of choice is the prepared piano, a piano that has objects placed on or between its strings in order to create unique, textured sounds.  Though much of his earlier material was in the John Cage school of prepared minimalism, his last album, Foreign Landscapes, was a more orchestral affair, and his newest, Salon des Amateurs, presents his instrument's version of techno.

This "organic dance" music shares similarities with fellow German outfit Brandt Brauer Frick, a trio that released a promising debut in November.  Bertelmann's range of timbres is narrower, but he achieves a lot via overdubs and guest spots by John Convertino and Joey Burns of Calexico, drummer/sampler Samuli Kosminen of Múm, and violinist Hilary Hahn.  Ultimately, Salon des Amateurs is much closer to Cage than techno, but it's another interesting cross-section that proves the potential of loops and short repetitions.

Garage á Trois: Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (Royal Potato Family)

Garage á Trois: "Shooting Breaks"

Originally a trio with 8-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, rock/funk/jazz hybrid Garage a Trois has morphed over the past decade to a quartet comprised of saxophonist Skerik and vibraphonist Mike Dillon (both of Critters Buggin, The Dead Kenny Gs, and many Les Claypool incarnations), drummer Stanton Moore (Galactic, Corrosion of Conformity), and keyboardist Marco Benevento (Benevento/Russo Duo).

The group's sounds have undergone just as much transformation, from entirely live improvisation to unified grooves. Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil is the group's second album since the addition of Benevento, and it again takes great advantage of his keyboard melodies.  However, unlike its predecessor, Power Patriot, this album pulls back a bit from the distorted rock grooves.

Nonetheless, the album's musical moods are what fans of Power Patriot might expect: slinky ("Resentment Incubator"), polyrhythmic ("Earl Harvin"), accessible ("Earl Harvin" again), raw ("The Drum Department"), cosmic ("Shooting Breaks"), and ever so eerie ("Swellage").  Recorded by engineer/producer Randall Dunn (Secret Chiefs 3, Sunn O))), Earth), it closes with an unexpected cover of John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13," a rendition that sonically embodies the album's title.

Fredrik: Flora (The Kora)

Fredrik: "Rites of Spring"

Each track on Swedish electro-folk trio Fredrik’s newest album, Flora, is adorned with a menagerie of small details.

On the third song, “Chrome Cavities,” vocalist Fredrik Hultin’s hushed intonations and a delicately clattering xylophone tiptoe over a sinister, tribal drum beat and jingling sleigh bells.  Later, on "The North Greatern," tinkling wind chimes, hypnotizing cowbell, and thundering mallet strikes conjoin over oscillating ambience.

Throughout Flora, a brooding force takes shape, often building to climactic heights similar to those of Sigur Rós. Whether laying on the heavy bounce of new-wave synth or sticking to more classical string-based melodic work (as on “Naruto and the End of the Broken Ear”), Fredrik deftly navigates varied terrain.

Honorable Mentions

Autechre: EPs 1991 – 2002 (Warp)

Between the Buried and Me: The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (Metal Blade)

Causa Sui: Pewt’r Sessions 1 (El Paraiso)

Classified: Handshakes and Middle Fingers (Halflife / Sony / Decon)

Figurines: s/t (The Control Group)

Howe Gelb & A Band of Gypsies: Alegrías (Fire)

Indian: Guiltless (Relapse)

Kreidler: Tank (Bureau B)

Femi Kuti: Africa for Africa (Knitting Factory)

Last Chance to Reason: Level 2 (Prosthetic)

Little Scream: The Golden Record (Secretly Canadian)

Low: C’mon (Sub Pop)

Agnes Obel: Philharmonics (PIAS)

The One AM Radio: Heaven is Attached by a Slender Thread (Dangerbird)

Panda Bear: Tomboy (Paw Tracks)

Red Fang: Murder the Mountains (Relapse)

Alexander Tucker: Dorwytch (Thrill Jockey)

TV on the Radio: Nine Types of Light (Interscope)

The Waitiki 7: Waitiki in Hi-Fi LP (Pass Out Records)

Zomes: Earth Grid (Thrill Jockey)

Young Widows: "In and Out of Lightness"

More than ever, Louisville's Young Widows is teaching listeners to appreciate the quietness in post-punk.

Consider, for contrast, the slobbering borderline silliness of Pissed Jeans, or any other band that draws on a ton of distortion. At first listen, Young Widows might seem to have something missing. The vocals lead the songs but aren't panicked or even immediately catchy. The guitars often walk an eerie line between clean and dissonant. The rhythm section — though hardly crude, if you're paying attention — often favors a ceremonial plod.

In between, there's a roomy silence, occasionally breached with a wandering guitar echo or backing vocal. But soon it stops feeling incomplete. That lurking silence, and the unresolved feeling that it creates, becomes the hook.

This was certainly in the mix on the band's 2008 release, Old Wounds. On the new In and Out of Youth and Lightness, Young Widows draws more tension and slow-onset unease from the open (but by no means peaceful or settled) space that's built into its songs. Appropriately, the best track on the album is called "The Muted Man." It's a portrait of self-repression and self-defeat. Evan Patterson's vocal delivery sometimes dodges the urgency of what he's saying, but the lyrics on this song suit his style perfectly: "Seal up the cracks in my voice, and swallow the pity like rain." It's moving in spite of itself.

Don't expect that kind of immediate impact throughout. This music isn't lacking or avoiding anything but instead embraces the fullness of uncertainty. Opening track "Young Rivers" and closer "In and Out of Youth" set the tone. The first shows you how big and foreboding the open space could be, as the band works its way into a chorus full of exhaustion and dread. "Youth" runs at a similar pace for seven minutes and leaves you to ponder the phrase, "These wild dreams are done."

Young Widows holds back a little less on a few of the album's tracks, getting downright lighthearted for "Miss Tambourine Wrist" and flailing angrily against the silence with the twisty, chromatic guitar work of "White Golden Rings." Still, you'd hardly put on this record just to rock out.

In and Out succeeds without giving listeners much to hold onto, not even the screechy jaggedness of noise rock or the hungry frustration that defines a lot of heavy music. In many ways, it's a tough record to get to know. There's something festering in there, and rarely does the band tackle it head on. It's a methodical approach — not avoidance, which only amplifies the feeling of unrest. From the weird twang and Black Heart Procession vibes of "Right in the End" to the enveloping "Lean on the Ghost," this album creates moments that beam your own confused, frightened humanity back at you.

Young Widows

Young Widows: "Future Heart"

Though not a strict departure from previous material, the new album by post-hardcore outfit Young Widows displays a different phase of the band's career. Calling it a “progression” might apply regressive traits to its first two albums, but In and Out of Youth and Lightness turns down the Cro-Magnon wallop and continues the band’s history of accomplished noise rock.

Its last album, Old Wounds, was a mostly live recording by Kurt Ballou (Converge, Coliseum, Pygmy Lush). In contrast, the new album was produced by the band and Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket) at The Funeral Home in its hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Guitarist and vocalist Evan Patterson joined us to answer a few questions about the band's songwriting process and what bands people should check out.

How do you describe your music?

I don’t, but if you were a clerk at a gas station, I would tell you that we are a rock band. That’s as far as I can go.

On the new album, there's a bit of a weird blues influence — less Jesus Lizard pummel and more of a Liars atmospheric vibe. What did you want to do new or different? What did you want to keep the same?

Music has to progress. There are no specific influences. The goal with this album was to find my voice, and that was wholeheartedly achieved. Lyrically, [they're] the heaviest and most affective songs that I’ve created. Old blues has that same effect on me. It speaks to me. The bridge between modern rock music and blues is a short one, and it’s inevitable that those characteristics will be riding in the same vehicle to achieve certain goals.

How do you write songs? Are songs brought in by individuals, or are they worked out through collective rehearsals?

Most the songs are created through one part — whether it being drums, bass, or guitar — [and] we jam the ideas until the song comes together. It can be a single rehearsal or 30 rehearsals, but the mood of the song is the deciding factor of if we are going to keep a song around to document or ditch it.

Based on the live recording, the songs on Old Wounds must have been fully worked out before they were captured. Did you do more writing “in the studio” with In and Out?

We don’t write any music in the studio. Maybe a minor change, but the songs are as close to complete as possible when entering the studio. Lyrically, the songs changed quite a bit in the studio. Our excessive stage volume doesn’t lend itself to being able to audibly hear the final outcome.

How would you compare the state of the band during your most recent recording compared to the past?

Open and focused.

What other current bands should we paying more attention to?

My Disco, Phantom Family Halo, Flying Horseman, Helms Alee, Cave, Kings Daughters and Sons, Bill Callahan, Mick Harvey. On that note, someone needs to do a piece on Crime and the City Solution.

Helms Alee will take its seamless male-female vocal blends and thrashing rock melodies to the stage with the impressive likes of Boris, Red Sparowes, and Young Widows for a fall tour.

The band will wrap up the tour with a live performance that it's calling Verellen Amplifiers Night in its hometown of Seattle. Helms Alee will then be back in the studio preparing a currently untitled and new album for Hydra Head, expected in 2011 and produced by Matt Bayles.
Helms Alee tour dates:

8/31/10 - Albuquerque, NM @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
9/03/10 - Louisville, KY @ Z bar (w/ Young Widows)
9/04/10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st Pub (w/ Young Widows)
9/05/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (w/ Young Widows)
9/06/10 - Brooklyn, NY @ Cake Shop (w/ Young Widows)
9/07/10 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop (w/ Young Widows)
9/08/10 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen (w/ Young Widows)
9/09/10 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Borg Ward
9/11/10 - Bismarck, ND @ Project Noise
9/16/10 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos

Stay Gold is the latest new beginning for Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, a melodic jazz-fusion group that has logged more than 15 years under its moniker.

This disc, however, may mark its biggest change — which says a lot, because the group morphed from an octet to a trio early last decade (and to a quartet in 2008).

Founding member Reed Mathis and JFJO mutually parted ways early last year, coinciding with the free release of Winterwood, a masterful affair that was Mathis' final contribution. Taking his place is guitarist and lap-steel player Chris Combs, whose addition is the most noticeable different between Winterwood and Stay Gold.

Though Mathis' multi-instrumental abilities are missed, the soaring melodies of keyboardist Brian Haas remain front and center, with the rest of the band offering eloquent accompaniment and robust grooves and beats. Stay Gold is another compelling chapter in the storied history of JFJO.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: "Stay Gold"
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: \"Stay Gold\"

David Karsten Daniels & Fight the Big Bull: I Mean to Live Here Still (FatCat)

Already championed by NPR, the pairing of neofolk songwriter David Karsten Daniels and big-band experimentalists Fight the Big Bull is a unique crossroads between two beloved genres.

Daniels, who lives in San Francisco, holds impressive vocal and instrumental chops, displaying a choir-tested voice and a music-composition pedigree. Fight the Big Bull, based in Richmond, Virginia, is every bit as talented, relying on a brass-heavy and woodwind-infused front-line to morph between any given sub-genre of jazz.

For this project, Daniels adapted poems from Henry David Thoreau to use in his sweeping style. Fight the Big Bull's work is crucial but unobtrusive, weaving flourishes and accents in and out without feeling forced.

Behind the creative lead of guitarist/composer Matt White, that natural accompaniment reflects a band coming into its own and growing more and more comfortable with others. The nonet is coming off a release with Sex Mob slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein, and this fall finds the group joining forces with Megafaun and Bon Iver as well as Karl Blau.

Guessing what each half of this collaboration has coming next should be as fun as actually hearing it.

David Karsten Daniels & Fight the Big Bull: "All Things are Current Found"
David Karsten Daniels & Fight the Big Bull: \"All Things are Current Found\"

Coliseum: House with a Curse (Temporary Residence)

The move of hardcore trio Coliseum from Relapse to Temporary Residence has come with a shift to minimalist hard-rock punishers.

A minute-long string intro notes that this is a "gentler" Coliseum, even if its sounds barely reappear. Ryan Patterson's gruff vocals and gnarled guitar still drive the band, but mid-tempo is the de-facto speed as push beats are nowhere to be found.

Tracks such as "Perimeter Man" hold similarities to Young Widows, a Temporary Residence labelmate that is led by Ryan's brother Evan Patterson, and tunes like "Isela Vega" vocally channel a bit of Nick Cave. Ultimately, however, the band's sound isn't fundamentally different, and fans should enjoy House with a Curse all the same.

Coliseum: "Blind in One Eye"
Coliseum: \"Blind in One Eye\"

Wovenhand: The Threshingfloor (Sounds Familyre)

Begun as a side project to 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand is now the primary endeavor of guitarist/singer David Eugene Edwards.

Focused on faith and a powerful folk aesthetic, Wovenhand has evolved into a full band, one that incorporates as many varied sounds (or more) as 16 Horsepower. In place of the latter's bluegrass, Appalachian folk, and forceful rock moments, however, are haunting chants, Native American influences, Middle Eastern motifs, and Medieval folk.

Agnostic or atheistic listeners may grow tired of Edwards' lyrical themes, and they can be a bit much at times. But the lyrics are personal and spiritual without being heavy handed, and they fit a style that channels otherworldly energy.

Wovenhand: "Sinking Hands"
Wovenhand: \"Sinking Hands\"

Honorable Mentions

Baths: Cerulean (Anticon)

Dave Douglas & Keystone: Spark of Being (Greenleaf)

David Weiss & Point of Departure Quintet: Snuck In (Sunnyside)

Diskjokke: En Fin Tid (Smalltown Supersound)

Fol Chen: Part II: The New December (Asthmatic Kitty)

Health: Disco2 (Lovepump United)

Super Chron Flight Bros.: Cape Verde (Backwoodz Studioz)

Stereogum has a streamer of "Half Kleptos," the second track from the upcoming album of El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez.

Stones Throw has posted a free MP3 of "One Beer (Drunk Version)," a Madlib remix of a rare Madvillain track.

Afrobeat star Femi Kuti begins a 24-date North American tour in New York City on June 3.  His newest album, Day by Day, was released last November.

Dirge-metal quartet Pelican is self-releasing its Ephemeral EP on June 6 on its Migration Media label, and the band is planning a split seven-inch with Young Widows.  Southern Lord will release the vinyl and MP3s of Ephemeral.

Minimalist composer Steve Reich won this year's Pulitzer Prize in music for Double Sextet, a 22-minute piece that was commissioned by Eighth Blackbird, an experimental and theatrical chamber/percussion troupe.

Following a trip to the US last winter, Australian ambient/minimalist/rock trio The Necks will spend May touring Europe.

Seattle music blog Ear Candy reported a rumor that Sunny Day Real Estate is reuniting to tour with its original lineup.

Black-metal quintet Nachtmystium will begin a mini-tour with doom pioneers Pentagram at the end of June.

Folk-rock four-piece The Avett Brothers have a new album, I and Love and You, set for release on August 11.  The album is being produced by Rick Rubin and follows a massive summer tour across the US.

2. "Old Skin" is a song from the great album Old Wounds.

3. Legit Midwest: beards, plaid shirts, and a wood-paneled club. I can smell the stale PBR.

See the video below:

Young Widows Tour Dates:

Mar 13 @ Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA w/ My Disco
Mar 14 @ Common Grounds, Gainesville, FL w/ My Disco
Mar 15 @ The Social, Orlando, FL w/ My Disco
Mar 17 @ Spanish Moon, Baton Rouge, LA w/ My Disco
Mar 18 @ The Mohawk, Austin, TX (The Austinist SXSW Party)
Mar 19-21 @ SXSW, Austin, TX
Mar 22 @ The Lounge on Elm Street, Dallas, TX w/ My Disco
Mar 23 @ The Bottle Tree, Birmingham, AL w/ My Disco
Mar 24 @ Halloween House, Indianapolis, IN w/ My Disco
Mar 25 @ The Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL w/ My Disco
Mar 26 @ PJ's Lager House, Detroit, MI w/ My Disco
Mar 27 @ Casbah, Hamilton, ON w/ My Disco
Mar 28 @ Sneaky Dee's, Toronto, ON w/ My Disco
Mar 29 @ Soundlab, Buffalo, NY w/ My Disco
Mar 30 @ Great Scott, Boston, MA w/ My Disco
Mar 31 @ VFW, Wallingford, CT w/ My Disco
Apr 1 @ Club Europa, Brooklyn, NY w/ My Disco
Apr 2 @ Talking Head, Baltimore, MD w/ My Disco
Apr 3 @ MAC ROCK Festival, Harrisburg, VA w/ My Disco
Apr 5 @ Cafe Metropolis, Wilkes-Barre, PA w/ My Disco

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.

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.