THE SOUNDCASTERS – Unhinged
(Independent)
Unhinged? Awkward cringe.
When I was younger, I shared my friend’s garage with his impressive bong collection, and every Saturday I would be woken by the neighbor’s band. This takes me back there. The Soundcasters’ Unhinged is a 10-song release covering such subject matter as: sorrow, lost love, nocturnal needs, apathy and hate. Unhinged’s opening track, My Golden One, features Clint Morrow’s morose and atonal voice repeating phrases such as I’m out of my mind and Where have you been/ Where is my mind/ I wanna live/ I wanna die like mantras. Each song averages about 4.3 minutes, which seems excessive – largely due to uninspired lyrics which display the emotional and lyrical maturity of an emotionally stunted 12 year old. Personally, if the vocals were somehow removed, I would find this album relatively inoffensive and listenable. The verses of Inner Demons provide melodic vocals, contrasting nicely with simplistic guitar ornamentation before diving into a more driving rock chorus. The Soundcasters certainly aren’t the worst rock band I’ve even heard… they are simply consistent sounding dude-rock akin to musical oatmeal.
Aug 5, 2009
Hunz - Thoughts That Move
Hunz – Thoughts That Move
(Independent)
A record put out in twenty-eight days, far exceeds 10 years of output from 28 Days.
Hunz’s Thoughts That Move was constructed in twenty-eight days for the RPM challenge (a call-out to bands to partake in a sort-of Ready Steady Cook equivalent of record making… Ready Steady Rock!). Thoughts That Move comprises ten songs showcasing sparkly synths, glitchy beats and Hunz’s melancholy multi-tracked voice. The opener, ‘It’s So Light’, slaps me onto the dancefloor – denying expectations of an intimate exposure to Hunz’s inner sanctum, in favour for beats and bass. The driving beats continue with Soon, Soon – a popsong guaranteed to make the cool kids dance (and self-consciously interpretive dance in the breakdowns). Hunz has produced an album which glitters like a subdued ecstasy high. While I found the synth ornamentation a little over the top, and savoured the restraint of Enough to Make You Smile; Hunz could not have chosen a better title for this album… Thoughts That Move feels like experiencing the heady rhythm and ecstasy of the dancefloor through a filter of someone else’s thoughts. It doesn’t quite meet the expectations of a full album but given the time frame, Hunz promises treasures in the future.
(Independent)
A record put out in twenty-eight days, far exceeds 10 years of output from 28 Days.
Hunz’s Thoughts That Move was constructed in twenty-eight days for the RPM challenge (a call-out to bands to partake in a sort-of Ready Steady Cook equivalent of record making… Ready Steady Rock!). Thoughts That Move comprises ten songs showcasing sparkly synths, glitchy beats and Hunz’s melancholy multi-tracked voice. The opener, ‘It’s So Light’, slaps me onto the dancefloor – denying expectations of an intimate exposure to Hunz’s inner sanctum, in favour for beats and bass. The driving beats continue with Soon, Soon – a popsong guaranteed to make the cool kids dance (and self-consciously interpretive dance in the breakdowns). Hunz has produced an album which glitters like a subdued ecstasy high. While I found the synth ornamentation a little over the top, and savoured the restraint of Enough to Make You Smile; Hunz could not have chosen a better title for this album… Thoughts That Move feels like experiencing the heady rhythm and ecstasy of the dancefloor through a filter of someone else’s thoughts. It doesn’t quite meet the expectations of a full album but given the time frame, Hunz promises treasures in the future.
Marnie Stern – This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That
Marnie Stern – This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That
Marnie Stern fell into my heart like a turbo-powered, diamond-encrusted jet spilling beams of multicoloured lights on my heart’s interior valves. Stern’s hyperactively titled second album marks her inauguration as not only a Guitar Goddess but a psychedelic pop princess wielding her powers (finger tapping and relentless high-pitched, multitracked vocals) for the good of the people. Propelled by Hella’s Zach Hill, Stern’s second album thrashes and writhes; echoing the free and absolute being of a Dionysian Ritual. This Is It… truly showcases Stern’s talent and eccentricity – it is perfectly structured, unabating, strong and absolutely feminine. I want to live here.
Marnie Stern fell into my heart like a turbo-powered, diamond-encrusted jet spilling beams of multicoloured lights on my heart’s interior valves. Stern’s hyperactively titled second album marks her inauguration as not only a Guitar Goddess but a psychedelic pop princess wielding her powers (finger tapping and relentless high-pitched, multitracked vocals) for the good of the people. Propelled by Hella’s Zach Hill, Stern’s second album thrashes and writhes; echoing the free and absolute being of a Dionysian Ritual. This Is It… truly showcases Stern’s talent and eccentricity – it is perfectly structured, unabating, strong and absolutely feminine. I want to live here.
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