If you think you have a musical GPS system in your head, then after the first listen of Vincent Black Shadow’s More Deeper you’ll probably pin them under Detroit or somewhere else in Michigan as I did at first. It was my mistake to assume that none of that exhaust emanating from VBS could be from Baltamont, Maryland. Vincent Black Shadow chooses to pay homage to horsepower by bearing the same name as a 1950s motorcycle, a badass vintage speed demon, and potential infringement aside, I believe VBS deserves this title. It just makes sense. There’s plenty of fuzzy guitar wailing, savage throaty vocals, and high-energy psychedelic acid rock to remind you of bands like Boris, Nebula, or Fu Manchu. Frontman Adam Savage also employs the lewdness factor of proto-punk veterans the Stooges. This band kicks out jams like MC5, and gets as furiously funky as Deep Purple, but with speed instead of weed (”Dome City,” “Restless,” “Pac Man Jones”).

Sadly, there are only nine tracks of rock ‘n rolly goodness on More Deeper, cut just short enough to make you crave more. I’m already itching to go see them play live This type of energy demands a better environment than my bedroom. The album was recorded live in the studio and on analog tape, so if you subscribe to all that is loud, dirty, and raw, then you will definitely be pleased with More Deeper. Sure, there are plenty of other bands who boast this super-charged vintage rock sound, but Vincent Black Shadow indulges in it and savors each moment. If you’re into major catchy and groovy hooks, VBS makes sure you get your fix, and sometimes they will beat the rhythm into your head like a brutal hardcore assault (”Volume One,” “Wooden Kimono”). This album is like getting drugged, mugged, and being driven through a tunnel of strobe-lights and razors…if that sounds like something you may not be into, you will be, just give it a spin. “OH YEAH!”

Vincent Black Shadow - Volume One

Vincent Black Shadow - Shamanix

Buy the record here

Welcome All To My Weird Awakening

It’s Getting to Me

Opening hooks are supposed to make you want to keep listening to a song, right? Traditionally, a good hook grabs the listener, forces them to keep listening, and as the song continues, lets the song become more complex while still holding the listener’s attention. Perhaps Lousy Robot operates in a sort of musical opposite land – the opening hook of almost every song from 2005’s Smile Like You Are Somewhere Else leaves fingers grasping to lower volume or skip forward. Unfortunately, even skipping minutes into any given track won’t reveal a single note of musical originality –this is music for people who need hand claps and maracas to let them know when to bob their heads.

“Welcome All to My Weird Awakening,” Lousy Robot’s first track, begins with the band’s standard attempt at a “catchy” opening; two chords from a fuzzed out electric guitar, a few deft string plucks, and, as symbols crash, someone shouts a muffled “yeah!” followed by “hit it!” As the album lurches its way between indie pop clichés and rip-offs of the Rolling Stones, it’s clear that lead singer Jim Phillips has a decent voice and a way with lyrics, unfortunately these are buried by the band’s painful musical choices. In his better moments, Phillips channels Kurt Cobain at age 36. But Phillips is usually overshadowed by Lousy Robot’s Frankenstein approach to musical innovation –all the worst elements of the last 5 years of indie-pop and 45 year-old British Invasion, jammed together to form a single blandly offensive album.

 Buy the record here

In support of their debut album ¡Gross!, Seattle’s Pleasureboaters have played in front of audiences all over the nation, receiving widespread acclaim and praise for their live show. Brought to us through Don’t Stop Believin’ Records, their group rings of post-hardcore classics, with sounds ranging from Quicksand to Sonic Youth, but while their reputation precedes them, the album itself seems too cluttered, tedious, and noisy to consider for casual listening. With vocals reminiscent of early Fugazi, guitar riffs and bass lines comparable to the simple, upbeat sounds of other post-hardcore/punk inspired bands like These Arms Are Snakes or Drive Like Jehu, theres just not much to make this band stand out among an ever-growing crowd.

Pleasureboaters live

Not to say that ¡Gross! doesn’t have some damn catchy moments. Though slightly repetitive, songs such as Leopard Print Babyware and Andolou offer some really cool intervals and energetic tones; however, the other songs on the record are overwhelming. The cliched and repetitive riffs become grating. In their efforts to achieve a new undefined sound they end up more like an incoherent mixture of groups from the genre.

If you see Pleasureboaters in your local show listings, consider checking them out for a loud, crazy, hopefully good time. I can see songs such as State of the Union and Elliptical Realism being highly energetic and crowd inspiring; however, most of the material on ¡Gross! isn’t grabbing enough to take seriously through speakers in a stereo or a pair of headphones. At least this time around Pleasureboaters prove that energy doesn’t always make up for mediocrity.

Pleasureboaters - Deck Hand Paterson

Pleasureboaters - Elliptical Realism

Buy this record (itunes)

Our friends from Nashville, TN the Nobility are going to be in town Sat. They’ll have their hands in many cookie jars that day. Early on they’re recording a session for next week’s show here at HYH, then it’s off to the Faster Mustache party where they’ll be playing with a swath of Atlanta favorites:

The Faster Mustache Party is Sat May 31 at Lenny’s

Bands:
The Extraordinary Contraptions - 7:15 PM
The Lasch - 8:30 PM
Night Moves - 9:45 PM
The Nobility - 11 PM

DJs: Beachtitti (DVA) and AustinIsNoRobot
Food: Jumbalaya, Kabobs, and other goodies featuring guest chef from Baton Rouge, Chef Rock Steady.
Sprints: GoldSprints-style head to head racing happening INSIDE THE BAR.
Racers: Come ready to ride! Registration happens on-site at 6 PM and closes at 6:30. Racing starts at 7.

It’s no wonder these guys can multi-task. The Nobility squeezed in five national tours since 2006, performing over 130 concerts everywhere from clubs and universities to libraries and schools.

See their outstanding song Halleluiah Chorus:
The Nobility - Halleluiah Chorus

The term “sludge” may imply a thick, muddy, gooey substance, but mr. Gnome’s Deliver this Creature is anything but cloudy or vague, as this Ohio two-piece sections out their niche with a hatchet instead of masking it in a thick fog. Comparisons to Isis and Pelican may be fair, but the sludge metal sound is just one facet to mr. Gnome. While it is hard to describe their sound without using the word “meets,” or by dropping several other band names into a blender, it’s important to note that mr. Gnome doesn’t borrow from others, nor does he cut and paste. mr. Gnome makes the whole much greater than the sum of its parts.

While the sludgy grindcore of Isis’ Oceanic (as its name implies) did make me feel lost at sea, drifting aimlessly, occasionally being tossed about by merciless waves. mr. Gnome’s Deliver this Creature feels more like a desert, but it’s anything but lifeless. It’s seemingly endless. It’s incendiary. The outcome is uncertain, but instead of plodding along wondering if you’ve covered any ground at all, imagine yourself blazing through it all in a fucking dune buggy.

This album has a dynamic pacing like that of the Melvins’ (A) Senile Animal, times two. It’s hard to find one boring or uninteresting moment on this album, although there are times where you might mistakenly think you’re dozing off to Fugazi’s the Argument (”I’m Alright,” “the Machine,” “Pirates”). mr. Gnome may be quick to play the Sandman and lull you into a narcotic hypersleep, but as soon as your eyes are closed, he’s yelling “wake the fuck up!” It’s hard to explain how something that sounds this dangerous can also be this delicate.

The album’s only misstep is the seemingly obligatory hidden track. Are tracks hidden when they just don’t fit? Does a band do this when they consider a song too “out there” to be included with the rest? I think this track is hidden because it sounds like spending a sunny afternoon in your backyard listening to windchimes, which doesn’t quite measure up after you’ve spent who knows how long in the desert on a dune buggy.

mr. Gnome - Pirates

Buy the record here

We imported some Danish dynamite, and it blew us away. If you enjoy the tracks included here, listen to our interview with Slaraffenland. Their US tour with Efterklang is going great. Try to catch them if they come near your town. You won’t be disappointed.

Slaraffenland - I’m a Machine

Slaraffenland - Polaroids

Slaraffenland - The Trick

Slaraffenland - Watch Out

Below is a zip file of all four of our session tracks for Slaraffenland
Slaraffenland Sessions

 

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This week Adam and Bradley review “Swimming” from New York indie staples The French Kicks, have a great live session / interview right here at Big Ralph Studios with Denmark’s own Slaraffenland, then finish with a review of “How We Lost” by Austin’s vanguard Windsor For The Derby. Of course we have our top 8 favorite music news stories which we give some kudos to Death Cab For Cutie and finish out the show with a track from “Make The Fur Fly”.

• The French Kicks - Swimming (Buy the record here)
• Slaraffenland - Have You Heard Sessions (More Free Live tracks posted ASAP)
• Windsor For The Derby - How We Lost (Buy the record here)
• Make The Fur Fly - No Surprise Demo (Visit their myspace here)

If you’d like to check out the songs we talked about in the On the Right Track segment of this week’s show. Follow the links below. All the songs we talk about in On the Right Track are free and available for download.

On The Right Track:

• Earlimart - For The Birds [Via Largehearted Boy]
• Cube - Concert Boy [Via VALERIE]
• The War on Drugs - Arms Like Boulders [Via Pasta Primavera]
• Windsor For The Derby - Maladies [Download Free Here]

Looks like we’ve been having some issues with the subscriptions. We’ll get down to the bottom of it sometime tonight, but for now you can still listen to the episode through the website.

Update: We had a link to an MP3 in ep24’s post. It was messing with the feeds. So if you download one song and it showed up as our episode. Try again. We’ve got everything fixed. Thanks!

 

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This week Bradley and Adam Visit with the Botticellis and The Black Angels. We Recommend The Flaming Lips’ Opus Soft Bulletin, Introduce a new segment called On The Right Track and finish up with Atlanta staple Club Awsome.

• The Botticellis - Old Home Movies [Buy The Album Here]
• The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin [Buy The Album Here]
• The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost [Buy The Album Here]
• Club Awsome - White Tiger [Visit them on Myspace Here]