Childhood Friends
Key Party
Independent; 2008
Remember Art in Elementary School? There were lots of crayons, finger-paints, bottles of glue, containers of glitter, scraps of material, and so much more – a cornucopia of crafty items seemingly so diverse that a good teacher could never run out of worthwhile projects to create for his/her students. But then there was the day when students where instructed to take out a piece of construction paper and then combine all of their favorite colors, textures, and sundry items onto that paper to create a collage. Sure, there were some creative pieces that arose from such an event, but more often than not, a mess was made instead. And as callous as such a metaphor might be (I mean, who would want to be compared to an Elementary Art project?!?), it seems that Childhood Friends took a similar approach to the creation of their third album, entitled Key Party. The album combines fuzzy, distorted guitar lines with dark synth lines and then places some off-kilter, often-off-key vocals atop the instrumentation. The entire project is frustrating and fractured, in that, as the band seeks to experiment voraciously and admirably with the boundaries of rock, gothic pop, and trip-hop, they fall down into an ambitious puddle of their own making. In the end, the record comes across as the result of two talented musicians who bit off far more than they could chew in terms of genre-hopping, resulting in an unflattering collage of musical elements that simply don’t sound as if they belong on the same canvas.
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In lieu of providing some random sentences that express my thoughts from the prior week, I’m going to actually post some pictures that I’ve taken over the past few weeks. Enjoy!
Blanco Blast Tower
(L-R) Ross (Pioneering) & Brandon (Handicrafts)
(L-R) Sam (Trading Post) & Tim (Trading Post)
The Beautiful Blanco River
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Microtia
Distance is Oval
Exigent Records; 2008
The death of rock music has been heralded for quite awhile, and occasionally, the obituaries are spot-on with their observations. There are a great many bands with high aspirations whom have taken the classic elements of rock and tossed them out the window in hopes of stretching those familiar sounds beyond the formative norms and bounds. But there are also a great number of bands who have ruined rock music, whether purposefully or not, by denuding the music of its bravado and disemboweling it of its power and strength. Luckily, there are groups like Portland, OR-based Microtia out there, still plugging away, still churning out strong power chords, and still pounding away fervently on the drums. Microtia’s debut EP, Distance Is Oval, comes complete with six tracks that call to mind the vocals of Stone Temple Pilots and the rocking tones of Queens of the Stone Age. Admittedly, it’s not the most technical rock out there, but songs like “Architect” and “Sleep Eater” pay hearty homage to the big rock sounds of the ‘70s and should satiate any listener’s need for some unabashed, no-frills rock bombast.
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Ponytail
Ice Cream Spiritual
We Are Free; 2008
Honestly, after writing reviews for 2 years now and being an active and conscious music listener for 15, it can take a lot to really impress me. Sure, there are acts that I hold up as being definitive examples of “my” music, the bands around whom I center my tastes and preferences, but I’ve had to learn how to turn off my inner fan boy in order to critically examine their music as best as possible. Thus, I’d like to think that I possess a fairly dense filter through which music passes before it breaches my personal “Wow” pantheon – the music must be creative yet classic, risky yet realistic, arty yet accessible. And without a doubt, Ice Cream Spiritual from the crazy Baltimore outfit Ponytail fits the bill and even more. Led by the indecipherable, indefinable, yet unmistakable caterwauling of Molly Siegel and produced by the inestimable J. Robbins (of Dinosaur Jr.), this release is packed to the gills with a rich, deep, and heady blend of punk furor, art-rock prowess, and experimental glee. The album glistens with the idealistic promise of youth, yet maintains a pounding, driving level of frustration throughout each and every track: guitars and voices ring alternately from echoing, reverberating peaks to raw, rough-and-tumble valleys. The premier tracks on the record are easily the boisterous 7-minute “single” that is “Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came from an Angel)” and fun and flighty “Die Allman Bruder.” Fans of Deerhoof and any project from Carla Bozulich will love what they hear on Ice Cream Spiritual – Ponytail is not to be missed.
Fun Ponytail Material!
“Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came from an Angel)” single
“Die Allman Bruder” video
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