TOPAZ RAGS - "Capricorn Born Again" LP (NNF)

 
  The always mysterious Topaz Rags bless us again.This time with eight lush, lucid, and full bodied lullabies in the form of a full length LP.Those who were lucky enough to grab their California Ash cassette a short while back, know how good this group is in a long-form medium.On Capricorn Born Again, their heavily jazzed-out psychedelia is murkier than ever, but we also the band with their best recording quality to date.Everything is in it's place, and it all seems to float just above you like a dense cloud of purple smoke.A good portion of this could pass for a long lost Portishead demo tape, that's seen way too many plays.With it's subtle female vocal hymns tucked away in the background, and fair share of hypnotic jamming, this record gives off more than enough dreamy turned druggy vibes to bounce around in your brain.There are some greatly unexpected moments of pure free-jazz teetering, that keep this from being just another cave-pop journey into nothingness.
 
  As Capricorn.. begins to turn it's haunted pages and it's story unfolds, as do it's musical talents and artistic focus.Things never go too quick, nor too slow, and the broken ragas only seem to outgrow themselves with each new movement.Broken piano arpeggios creep and crawl over the slithering bass, and hair-raising trumpet cries, weaving a dark and somewhat horrific web at times, from which their ethereal and damaged croons are left to dangle.Something this mind controlling only comes along once in a great while, and I'm sure glad I was around to see it.Phenomenal.

KAYO DOT - "Coyote" 2xLP/CD (Hydrahead Industries)

I have to admit,this review may be a bit biased,seeing as Kayo Dot have been an big obsession of mine since their birth as a band.I really love them to death,and this record is totally mind blowing and all,but instead of the rant/rave torture...I will just give you the facts.DEAL?

Coyote is the fourth looong player from songwriter/composer/overflow of talent - Toby Driver and his main vehicle,KAYO DOT.He somehow found time in between writing an equally amazing new Maudlin of the Well reunion record(woah!)to write this entire beast of an album.Always evolving musically(as well as aesthetically),Driver has once again brought together a fantastic group of players to accompany him on his quest for a new genrea.And they sure have found it with this one.Guests spots include former member Terran Olson,trumpet man-Tim Byrnes of counterpoint-jazz troupe Friendly Bears and avant-composition act Hazel Rah.Although Driver is the main brain behind all of this,these songs show an obvious chemistry between these folks.On stage they possess an energy and unspoken confidence that most bands can only wish to adopt.It is as overtly exhilarating as it is inspiring.A perfect blend of that old "what's going to happen next? " and "Oh,I remember this..".Comfy terror?Sure.

The songs on Coyote take some semi-obvious cues from the Blue Lambency Downward era,heavy on that loose and rhythmic,blackened free-jazz-flutter they do so very well.Kind of like Ornette Coleman jamming with Dirty Three covering Return to Forever jams,in a decade yet to happen.Blue..had an unmistakable drum tone(Charlie from Behold the Arctopus) that carried the whole thing along so perfectly.This recording may have a different drummer,but he pushes the music in all direction with totally unique chops and unbearable precision,without being flashy or overbearing.Toby Driver's got this unintentionally patented guitar tone that washes over his Scott Walker-like croons and wails with such ease.Odd chords whirl around him,with a heavy reverb and delay treatment,bouncing off each other to no end.It's so far beyond cohesive that it could only work for them alone.These songs are much more than just abrasive music and clever words,they are chock-full of beautiful brass and string arrangements,orchestrated guitar compositions,and gloomy-yet-dreamy baroque jazz ballads.There are some not-so-obvious goth references being knocked around here at times,and it's just another element to add to their already massive sound collage.This is a perfect album right down to the song order.Easily their most prolific work to date,and that says ALOT for this band.

I could go on about this for an eternity,so if you dig Maudlin of the Well, City of Caterpillar, Red Sparrowes, Dysrhythmia and the epic prog-bliss dudes alike,then you are just starting to get the idea."Far beyond expectations" is their thing,and they have absolutely done it again with Coyote.Another brutal epic under their belt,and already my vote for record of the year.They are recording a new EP as I type this.Out this summer on Hydrahead.

CHILD ABUSE - "Cut and Run" LP/CD (Lovepump United)

Ok,I just read a review of this by some numbskull comparing them to Slayer!?!Actually the quote was something like "Not quite the Slayer of their sound"..WHAT does that even mean?First,Slayer IS the Slayer of their "sound"..Did you listen to more than 2 minutes of this?It's only 29 fucking minutes,dude!Ugh.Stop writing reviews,and stick to bad weed and shredding air guitar to Slayer jams in the mirror,in your skid-marked undies.But no later than 9pm,or Grandma will be pissed.

However,I actually DID hear this all the way through,a few times now.These boys have given us another brain melter of a record.If you are familiar with their past releases,you know the what kind of monster this might be.If you are green to these 3 lunatics,then yer in for a terrifying,yet oddly compelling half hour doom ride.Not unlike their first full-length,this thing scares me to death with each listen.More of that blown out-thrash-jazz treatment,only this time around things are much uglier.If this band is even capable of death,their headstone might read "distort the world" or "fuck you/kill everything"- Cut And Run is chock-full of their patent grinding bass rumble,razor sharp synth- confusion,and insane drumfuckery we've come to love and fear.This is prog-rock for intelligent scumbags,and free-jazz for short attention spans.The vocals come in the form of guttural growling,grunts,moans,and agonizing howls.Six songs of death and dying and much,much worse.For christ's sake,they are called CHILD ABUSE.If you think your favorite band is "brutal" or "tech",these dudes just called you a pussy to your face.Fits nicely along side of your Wolf Eyes ,Burmese, Health ,Lightning Bolt, and Tarantula Hawk albums.Another dirty gem from Lovepump United.

Zs - "New Slaves" 2xLP/CD (Social Registry)

Finally.The always shape shifting Brooklyn jazz-attack known as Zs has finally released their 3rd proper full-length.It's called New Slaves,and it's a KILLER record on all fronts.If you've been following their work as closely as I have for the last 6-7 years,you will know that they are notorious for their random lineup changes,genre bending skill,and ability to do just about anything they want to.Ever since The Hard EP,they have taken a certain path,one that just continues to soak itself in treble and distortion and continually reinvent itself.Such is the case for the majority of New Slaves.This is a harsh and intelligent,post-everything attack on the senses.

The title track is a 20+ minute workout of dynamic and harmonic free-anything bliss.It's precise and loose at the same time,and rarely repeats itself.Amazing riffage coupled with Hilmer's squeaky sax assault and those drums!Aye,I never want this to end.Some of the tracks are blatant segues to setup the next epic.Frantic drum and feedback workouts that wash into low-end rumbles."Acres of Skin" is a thudding piece full of counterpoint hand claps,and some killer bent-guitar string fuckery.Total metallic interplay.The last 60 seconds are mind melting to say the least.The last 3 tracks on the album are "personal pieces",in which each member of the band is doing their own thing entirely.There are some really beautiful moments throughout these.Most lean toward the more subtle,ambient side of the band,and rely on the silent parts more than music itself.Overall,this is surely their most impressive and personal work for me.Hypnotizing to say the very least.This will be in my player for quite some time.Apologies to my neighbors in advance.Thank you for Zs.

(MOSTLY RELEVANT)NEW RELEASES FOR MAY/JUNE!

MAY:,

Holy Fuck "latin" (XL),

* Indian Jewelry "totaled" (We Are Free),

Japandroids "no singles" (Polyvinyl),

The Dead Weather "sea of cowards" (Third Man),

* The National "high violet" (4AD),

Thee Oh Sees "warm slime" (In The Red),

Woods "at echo lake" (Woodsist),

* Zs "new slaves" (The Social Registry),

Daniel Higgs "say god" (Thrill Jockey),

Harvey Milk "a small turn of human kindness" (Hydra Head),

High Places "can't feel born" (Thrill Jockey),

Beach Fossils "self titled" (Captured Tracks),

David Cross "bigger and blakerer" (Sub Pop),

Kurt Vile "square shells EP" (Matador),

* The Ponys "deathbed+4" (Matador),

* Tobacco "maniac meat" (Anticon),

Ty Segall "melted" (Goner),

Wild Nothing "gemini" (Captured Tracks),



JUNE:,

Active Child "curtis lane" (Filter),

Born Ruffians "say it" (WARP),

Land of Kush's Egyptian Light Orchestra "monogamy" (Constellation),

Melvins "the bride screamed murder" (Ipecac),

Television Personalities "a memory is better than nothing" (Rocket Girl),

* Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "before today" (4AD),

* Blitzen Trapper "destroyer of the void" (Sub Pop),

BLK JKS "zol!" (Secretly Canadian),

Here We Go Magic "pigeons" (Secretly Canadian),

* Ratatat "lp4" (XL),

* The Pains of Being Pure at Heart "say no to love" (Slumberland),

Yo La Tengo "here to fall" (Matador),

Oval "oh" (Thrill Jockey),

Chain and The Gang "i've got privelege" (K),

Cold Cave "life magazine remixes" (Matador),

* HEALTH "disco2" (Lovepump United),

Jeff Magnum "live at jittery joe's" (American Dust),

* Psychic Ills "catoptric" (The Social Registry),

Wovenhand "the thrashing floor" (Sounds Familyre),

* Animal Collective "oddsac dvd" (Self Released),

Cap'n Jazz "analphabetapolothology" (Jade Tree),

Torche and Boris "chapter ahead being fake" (Hydra Head),

Wolf Parade "expo 86" (Sub Pop)

LITTLE WOMEN - "Throat" LP (Aum Fidelity)

Broolyn's Little Women are back with a KILLER new LP entitled "Throat".This group just keeps getting better and better.Not too far off from the "Teeth" album,this one also delivers in a BIG way.There is rarely a second of silence in the world of Little Women.They are constantly taking their precision jazz/no wave/rock whatever to new territories at every turn.An equal blend of controlled chaos and composition,Throat is a bit more mature than Teeth.This can be compared to early Lighting Bolt,DNA,or Flying Luttenbachers,for the sake of reference points...but LW have style all their own.Blending wild jazz elements with treble-soaked guitar shred and a pummeling drum force to boot,this is far beyond the common free-jazz/improv album.I think FREE-EVERYTHING is more suiting.There really isn't one style to pin to this band.Their brass section is tighter than ever,and they seem to be more comfortable playing together here,or playing off of each other rather.Chemsitry,maaaaaaan.Yea.

Throat is a very precise and well planned piece of music.Travis (alto sax) has apparently left Extra Life(also incredible) to do Little Women full time,so you know this isn't some flash in the pan weirdo Brooklyn shit,that won't matter in a month.Little Women are the real deal.The Teeth lp is awesome,too.Check them out.On tour soon.

Zs - "Acres of Skin" : live from a backyard in Austin,TX.

ZS from TERROREYES.TV on Vimeo.

Brooklyn's avant-jazz-noise-free thinkers,Zs performing "Acres of Skin".The song will be on their upcoming full length "New Slaves" out May 11,via The Social Registry.With some fairly recent lineup changes,Zs now brings us their harsh noisy skronk attack in the form of a 3 piece(guitar,sax,drums).With an additional guitar,and minimal synths/electronics for the stage setting.They have dazzled listeners with their awesome free jazz-prog-chamber-noise epics for over 6 years now,and with each release they show us a completely different vision.No two records are alike.Since "The Hard e.p." they seem to be working toward a more metallic,loosely calculated,and guitar heavy sound than the wild jazz styles they are so well known for.Ditching the sheet music altogether,and working with a very minimal,stripped down arrangement.Their music is precise and razor sharp,robotic and organic at the same time.Have you ever tasted the tip of a battery?Enjoy.