Salem - "Red River"

It's been 10 years since "witch house" pioneers released their fantastic debut album King Night.  With little fanfare, they released their sophomore record Fires In Heaven last week. Now a duo, the band hasn't so much expanded their sound but rather have streamlined it and made it even more razor-sharp. Single "Red River" is a particularly menacing track with funeral-like trap beats, guttural vocals, and icy synths.

  
 

Album Review: oOoOO - Without Your Love

oOoOO
Without Your Love
Rating: Grrrr

San Francisco based producer oOoOO, otherwise known as Chris Dexter, emerged back in 2010 and was immediately lumped into the burgeoning "witch house/drag" scene along with acts like Salem and White Ring. Of course like most over-hyped micro-genres, witch house faded almost as quickly as it exploded, leaving a lot of associated artists either floundering, breaking up, or moving on to other things. oOoOO wisely used his earlier EPs as a springboard to morphing his sound into something less restrictive, embracing everything from ambient, downtempo, trap, experimental techno, to even adding vocals to his tracks. Without Your Love is a fairly dark journey, the viewpoint being that love is a tempestuous place, full of trials and pitfalls, and is barely worth the time and effort. This suite of tracks never feels too oppressive, however, allowing some moments of beauty and light within its haunted shadows.

Opening with the duo tracks "Sirens" and "Stay Here," Without Your Love gets off to a texturally rich start. Manipulated vocals flow in and out of atmospheric washes of synths and samples during "Sirens" before merging into the dark, cavernous beats and lonely vocals of "Stay Here."



Throughout Without Your Love, Dexter shows remarkable dexterity in his production style, tying all the strands together seamlessly without ever seeming heavy handed. Whether it is the DJ Screw-like beats of "The South,"



lonely electronica of "On It,"



or found sounds of "Crossed Wires," the album is a cohesive collection that never fails to impress.

While there is an always present darkness lurking within the shadows of the record, Dexter is not afraid to let a little light in on occasion, offering up some of his most breathtakingly beauty compositions. Title track "Without Your Love" showcases a lovely synth melody along with a heartbreakingly tender vocal,



while closing track "Across A Sea" is a melancholy piano led ballad that ends things on a somewhat hopeful note.



Initially, I kept my hopes low for this debut record, worrying that Dexter would stick to his former sound that had basically faded into obscurity. Thankfully he didn't tread water, building from his sound into something more poignant and moving. While Without Your Love is not going to be in the running for the most "up" record of the year, it is an amazingly produced record that is both intoxicating and challenging.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Oldie but goodie from the late lamented Mclusky. Kick ass song.



I will admit I hated Neon Indian's first album, but the new one is such a massive improvement I am willing to give him a second chance. Love this song and the futuristic video that accompianies it.



One of the standout tracks off of Zonoscope gets an in-vogue post-apocalyptic video mashed with Planet of the Apes.



Love this beautiful R&B midtempo number from OFWGKTA associate Frank Ocean.

Frank Ocean - Thinking About You (music video) from High5Collective on Vimeo.

Another video from Frank Ocean with one of the strangest videos that really has nothing whatsoever to do with the song. Pretty song though.

SALEM - KING NIGHT from Theo Wenner on Vimeo.

Ominous video to a typically ominous track from witch house purveyors Salem.



Slightly, and by slightly I mean bat-shit-crazy, weird video from Animal Collective's Avey Tare.

Balam Acab: Wander/Wonder

Balam Acab
Wander/Wonder
Rating: Grrrr

It seems the past couple of weeks has been all about the second albums from members lumped into the chillwave genre, most shedding that genre entirely while others making slight changes to their sound, but all to very lackluster effect. This week seems to be the change over to witch house, the much maligned genre that appeared out of nowhere and then faded out just as quickly. The hallmarks of witch house included torpid tempos, ghostly backing synths, manipulated vocals/samples, and hints of Southern rap. Balam Acab, 20 year old instrumentalist Alec Koone, was lumped into the witch house category (his debut EP See Birds contained many of the witch house elements, but never truly felt like it belonged along the likes of the notable bands such as Salem and oOoOO) but has since forged his own path ahead.

Wander/Wonder does retain the witch house template (glacial BPMs, icy keyboards and textures, and a reliance on pitch-shifted vocal samples), however, Koone is not as interested in creating a sense of dread as are most of his contemporaries. Instead, we see a studied variation of almost classical tones with Eno-esque ambient leanings. Most of the tracks are also steeped in a liquidy atmosphere, from the album cover art of an ocean fissure to the overall sound quality of the album, sounding like it were recorded deep in a diving bell. First track "Welcome" burbles and gurgles like ships emerging from a watery grave, lurching forward with industrial tinged percussion and the haunting, almost operatic vocal sample.



These classical touches appear all over the record, moving in a different direction from most electronic music these days that too readily rely on more R&B samples. "Oh, Why" is a gentle, pastoral track featuring lovely harp interludes unified with a child-like pitch shifted vocal.



Closing track "Fragile Hope" effortlessly blends all these elements together into a gorgeous tableau. The sonics are so textured you can almost feel the water dripping onto your skin.



Koone provides only slight hints at what he wants you to feel for or take from his tracks. The titles are minimal and vague, giving only slight signposts for the journey. He chooses to let his music speak for itself. "Now Time" evokes feelings of floating underwater, allowing time and space to cease.



That's not to say that Wander/Wonder is all background music. The tracks are so sonically dense it truly immerses you in its insular world. If ever an album called for headphones it is this. "Apart" expertly juggles several different textural elements, the scraping, off-kilter drum loop, dripping background effects, and pitch-shifted vocal, all working together to create a true whole.



"Expect" uses heavenly vocals interspersed with chiming harps and buzzing synths lull the listener into a false sense of calm, before the drum machine kicks in to what is probably the only semi-frantic moment on the record.



Wander/Wonder defies expectations because it truly showcases an artist unwilling to be pigeonholed into a genre. Had he just released See Birds II it is likely he would have faded into obscurity, instead of taking a huge leap forward with his sound, and releasing one of the most striking records of the year.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Been a long, stressful week. Glad it is Friday; I have the new Wild Beasts' album Smother on my iPod, and a roundup of videos I enjoyed this week:

WILD BEASTS // ALBATROSS from dave ma on Vimeo.

Speaking of Wild Beasts, this is the first single and video from their new album, and it is a beautiful song with an equally striking video.

Austra The Beat & The Pulse from The Glitoris on Vimeo.

Sort of NSFW clip from Toronto electronic artist Austra. I'm really digging the electro-goth vibe of this single.

Julianna Barwick - Envelop from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

Although I felt Juliana Barwick's album was a bit too insubstantial for me, the songs come alive when paired with visuals. This strange, experiemental VHS video really highlights the ethereal nature of Barwick's work.

The Coathangers - Hurricane (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO HD) from Studio 8 on Vimeo.

Gritty clip from the Atlanta based punk-poppers The Coathangers. Sort of feels like a sleazier Sucker Punch, only much much better.



Salem take Britney Spears' single "Til The World Ends" and drag it out to almost unlistenable lengths. Of course, I love it. Video is kinda sorta NSFW.



I am definitely on an Austra kick. Here is another video from their upcoming album.

Manchester Orchestra - "Simple Math" from DANIELS on Vimeo.

Although I am not a huge fan of Manchester Orchestra's music (it's a little too Coldplay meets Elbow wishy washy), this video is really spectacular. As the driver of a car gets in an accident and scenes from his life pass before his eyes.



Crying over spilt milk, literally. Very funny video from Denmark's Whomadewho.



The track itself is just decent, although the addition of vocals from my beloved Roisin Murphy makes the track much more so. Strange video, but I like it.

Videos of the Week

Just the latest videos that have been grabbing my attention:



Explosions In The Sky have been around awhile but I have never really been that into them. For some reason, they all of a sudden clicked for me. Their new album is phenomenal and I love this lead track.



Stunning visuals in this video from Hooray For Earth. Same director did Bath's video for "Lovely Bloodflow."



NSFW video for the witch house progenitors.



Beautiful video to go with a beautiful song.

Clams Casino : "Gorilla" from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

Great, dense track from Clams Casino. Video uses old footage of David Copperfield, which becomes more and more bizarre as the video goes on.

Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise - Free Music Videos - Top Songs

Video for Beastie Boys new single "Make Some Noise."



My favorite song on the otherwise just ok debut from Holy Ghost! This video has the duo's fathers playing them. It's a pretty great clip, which sort of borrows from the feel of their shot by shot cover of the New Order video for "Confusion," from their last single.



Fun video from rapper Wiley. Very inventive.

Videos of the Week

Here are the latest videos that are making me do a double-take:



A fan made video of a new song from Sufjan Stevens. I really love the lyrics to this song.

"And I would say I love you
But saying it out loud is hard
So I won't say it at all
And I won't stay very long

But you are life I needed all along
I think of you as my brother
Although that sounds dumb

And words are futile devices"



Live performance from Antony & The Johnsons. Swanlights is not my favorite album of theirs, but there are such moments of beauty on it, I can't outright dismiss it.



I dare you to watch this video and not smile.



You cannot pigeonhole James Blake. Earlier this year, he released a lovely IDM cd that seemed to indicate a brilliant new electronic producer on our hands, and then he releases another EP that is all piano based songs. including this cover of a Feist song. I have no idea what he will do next, but I eagerly anticipate it.



Another video from Antony & The Johnsons. This is for my favorite song of the new album. Haunting and beautiful.



I have been really getting into the witch-house genre, which is a really stupid name for a type of music. It basically marries frenetic hip-hop beats with goth/shoegaze textures. Improbably it works. Salem are one of the stars of the genre, and this track sounds like Elizabeth Fraser went to bed with My Bloody Valentine and DJ Screw.



Robyn performing on Swedish television.



The extremely dark Banksy created opening to The Simpsons. Apparently, it was even darker at one point.

Non Sequiturs

Met up for lunch with a former PoGo colleague who is now working at the same lawfirm as me.  Was a really nice day and we were able to eat outside on the patio at Vickery's.  While I was not happy to hear she was laid off at PoGo back when they merged with Bryan Cave, it did give me some peace knowing that really anyone in this market is liable to fall from the cuts.  And it was equally if not more heartening to see that she, like me, also landed on her feet.

At lot of people I know were understandbly confused why so many were enraptured by the rescue of the 34 Chilean miners. It really had no effect on us here in the States, or for most of the world for that matter, but I think, considering the horrible things generally we have had to put up with lately (all the horrendous political ads), and specifically all the awful things we as gay people have had to endure in the last few months (DADT, gay marriage opponents, gay teen suicides, etc, etc.), it was nice to see a story with a positive, healthy outcome.

This cracks me up.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Head

"And I forgive you even
As you choke me that way
With the pill or demon and the shrouding ?
Under conversation
In tremendous weight of
A crowd of ages outside
Dressed for murder

I'm not fucking around
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not fucking around"

Sufjan Stevens
"I Want To Be Well"

"The spirit was gone from her body
Forever and had always been inside that shell
Had always been intertwined
And now were disintwined
It's hard to understand"

Antony & The Johnsons
"The Spirit Was Gone"

"It's hard to remember
What we did last November
It's hard to forget
What we haven't done yet

It's easy to let go
Of everything you know
And say goodbye
To all those guys"

Salem
"Redlights"

"Have you ever seen
Two lions wearing meat?
Eagles too quick to creep
One ends up in another's teeth
It wouldn't be this way
If they were eating leaves
Oh how I always pray
I was one of your sheep

I'm a lion babe
Feeding off the sheep their graves
Off the leaf's and blades
I wouldn't have it any other way
I'm a lion babe
See me livin in the shade
I have everyone afraid
Roamin' free so no one's safe"

Gonjasufi
"Sheep"

Appealing Things

Cooler weather
Getting my urge to return to the gym after a month off
The Magicians
Cut The Rope
Gonjasufi
James Blake
Figuring out Ableton Live
Darkstar
Bassnectar adding a second show
Getting a maybe instead of a no

Annoying Things

People in general
People who can't drive a car and talk on a cellphone at the same time
Too many concerts, not enough time or money
Being ridiculously sore after working out for the first time in a month

Salem: King Night

Salem
King Night
Rating: Grrrr

John Holland, John Donoghue and Heather Marlatt, the trio that make up Michigan/Chicago's Salem, have been building hype over the past couple of years with their tales of prostitution and drug abuse, spooky artwork, and countless EPs, singles, and remixes.  They have been clumsily lumped in with a few other acts in a niche-electronic genre, sometimes called witch house, drag, or haunted house, which basically takes the elements of 4AD label goth and merges it with the hip-hop beats of the dirty South.  On paper it sounds like a car crash, but somehow the disparate elements seem to work together.

It helps that Salem have three distinct personalities in the band, and each brings something different to the table, which allows their debut album King Night to flow seamlessly, yet provides enough variation that the listener is not bored.  Defacto leader John Holland has the more distinctive sound to his pieces.  His are the more formal, hip-hop based tracks, his voice heavily treated, his mollasses slow delivery struggling to keep up with the jackhammer 808 beats. 





John Donoghue leans more to experimental, audio assaults, keeping any type of vocals buried deep in the mix, almost as an additional instrumental touch.





While Heather Marlatt provides an almost ghostly Liz Frazer via MBV aesthetic to her goth-shoegaze tracks:





And when they all come together, as on the tracks "Sick" and "Killers" the effect is immediate and bracing.





Although they have dissimilar sounds, the closest comparison I can make to Salem would be Crystal Castles, who came out the gate with such a signature sound that I assumed it would be almost impossible to show much progression.  Thankfully, Crystal Castles has enough flexibility and talent with their sound to make something similar yet different on the follow-up.  I'm hoping that Salem follows that path, and doesn't succumb to being just a footnote in the hyper-changing electronic music field.  As it stands, King Night is a fascinating and involving debut, and it has lifted me from my end of the year music doldrums.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.