Album Review: WOMEN - Public Strain

Originally published September 20, 2010 in Redefine Magazine.
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WOMEN
Public Strain
Jagjaguwar
B

The opening track to Public Strain, the sophomore release from the Alberta, Canada band WOMEN, may sound like it is straight out of a slasher film, but there is nothing frightening about this band. Instead of pounding beats that could lead up to a blood-gushing scene, the song "Can't You See," creates the tension of a desolate night with intricate distortion and calming vocals, in tune with sophisticated thrillers like those directed by Christopher Nolan. Much like Nolan's films, especially this summer's Inception, WOMEN plays with the idea of reality and mazes, making the listener fall into a dream-like state. Yes, the vocals are ghostly, but underneath that, there is beauty and complex guitar work. Hearing this album may put listeners in a haze, but it's all part of the experience.

WOMEN shows its ability to editorialize on this album. There is not as much clatter as there was on the band's 2008 self-titled debut. The group shows restraint and good judgment as to where in a song it is appropriate to add fuzzy elements. For example, "Penal Colony" is a track that begins with melancholy vocals, a straight-forward guitar strum and steady kick drum. There is some fogginess in the background, but the noise moves so harmoniously with the rest of the song that it is hardly noticeable. Rather than the noise weaving through the song and feeling like an annoyance, it adds warmth and it is not until the tail end of the song that the static grows and becomes solitary feedback.

There are a handful of tracks where the commotion is more apparent, and the group shines there as well. "Heat Distraction" and "China Steps" are livelier tracks with grating dissonance. The vocals remain muffled, but the guitar parts are interesting to follow. The obscure guitar playing stirs up psychedelic images of strings that are out of control as they are pulled and released, while their vibrations are magnified. In that same manner, the instrumental layers on "Locust Valley" create a maze that takes listeners on a journey through lush scenery. There are moments in the song where it drops down to a simple strum and the listener is whipped out of a dream state, but there are still hints of awe.

While there are some dark moods found in "Cant You See" and "Bells" -- an instrumental track resembling a dark church hymn -- the album leaves off on a nice bright note. "Eyesore" is a folky beach tune with amiable vocals and a sweet melody. The song leaves a cozy feeling, but it is still undeniable that the journey to feeling comfortable with WOMEN's sound was a long and perplexing trek. The band's music is comparable to other groups such as Thee Oh Sees, Wavves, and Vivian Girls, but WOMEN go deeper into a listener's head. The music seeps into more inner thoughts and turmoil, which will eventually leave a satisfactory feeling, but may be harder to appreciate.

Artist Feature: YACHT

Originally published March 1, 2010 in Redefine Magazine.
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For two months in early 2008, Portland-based electropop duo YACHT set up camp in a small town located in the desert of West Texas, away from the city lights, but at the threshold of a completely different type of lights. Known as the Marfa Lights, the inexplicable dashes of lights that appear every night in the sky of Marfa, Texas, impacted Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans, the two members of YACHT, in a profound way. On many occasions during their two-month stay in Marfa, the pair would grab a blanket, sit on the roof of their car, and observe the lights in the open desert. Not only did the lights go on to become the biggest inspiration for YACHT's latest album, See Mystery Lights, but they also changed Bechtolt and Evans' view of the world.

"We'd seen something truly rare, truly magic, truly unexplained, and yet evidently real," the pair explain. "Coming face-to-face with something like that changes you. It humbles you. It puts our microscopic human relevance in the grand scheme of this cavernous universe into perspective. We had long conversations about the lights and their implications to us as people. Although we're very different from one another, they affected us identically."

Bechtolt was the first out of the two to see the Marfa lights. In 2004, some people in Austin recommended that he make a stop to see the lights in Marfa while on his way to California. After seeing the lights, he drove to Los Angeles to play a show and met Evans for the first time; her band was also on the bill. Later on, while traveling together, they decided to check out the Marfa lights together.

The lights made such a lasting impression on the two that in 2008, they decided to rent a house in Marfa in hopes of producing some type of tribute to their experience. At the time, they were not sure if it would be in the form of music.

"We didn't entirely know why we had come to Marfa, except that we wanted to know what it was like to live alongside the phenomenon," they say.

The first thing that they came up with was an 8-minute compilation of mantras. Bechtolt and Evans decided to create the tribute around their own belief system after becoming interested in human rituals of esotericism and mysticism. Given pop music's tendency to feature repetitive elements, it was only natural for Bechtolt and Evans to mold the mantras into the tracks that make up See Mystery Lights.

While the songs do contain Bechtolt and Evans' thoughts on topics such as heaven, hell, darkness, and light, they do not come off as commanding. YACHT do not go off on rants; instead, they hone in on catchy one-liners , such as "It's not a place you go/ It's a place that comes to you," on the song "The Afterlife." The subtlety of YACHT's messages continue on in songs like "I'm In Love With A Ripper" and "Summer Song," where their mantras are concealed within hyper beats, metallic-sounding claps and clicks, and playful male/female vocal exchanges.

Bechtolt and Evans drew amazing energy out of the desert and Marfa lights. Whether it is the spiritual influence of the Marfa lights or the music's radiant, electronic characteristics, listening to the album is like watching the sky shift from night to morning and witnessing seasons race through time.

Considering that Bechtolt and Evans have a deep understanding of how to make a great dance song, it is no wonder they feel at home with being a new addition to DFA Records. Even before See Mystery Lights was released, YACHT toured with DFA Records' flagship band, LCD Soundsystem. While on that tour, Bechtolt wrote "Summer Song" as a love letter and salute to LCD Soundsystem.

"For us, DFA is like a golden key," Bechtolt and Evans say. "They have a kind of global recognition for being a label with excellent taste, and that vote of good confidence has given us access to all the tape decks, bedrooms, dance floors and parties of the world. People who never would have sought out YACHT have been presented with us, and have accepted us as part of the family."

In 2009 YACHT traveled all over the world in support of See Mystery Lights, including a U.S. tour with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and shows in South Korea, China, Brazil, Australia and Europe.

Being the type of people who embrace evolution, YACHT will undergo a new tour under the moniker of YACHT And The Straight Gaze; this time, they will tour as a 5-piece group. The Straight Gaze will be formed by three reputable musicians from their hometown: Rob Kieswetter of Bobby Birdman, Jeff Brodsky of Jeffrey Jerusalem, and D. Reuben Snyder of Rob Walmart.

Bechtolt and Evans have stated that they feel it is necessary to present YACHT in new forms about every six months, and this is not the first time that YACHT has presented a new incarnation of themselves. YACHT, which started in 2002 as Y.A.C.H.T. -- an acronym for Young Americans Challenging High Technology -- was Bechtolt's solo project. The now 29-year-old grew up in Astoria, Oregon and played drums in punk bands as a teenager. He became a member of another Portland electropop duo called The Blow in 2004, and for a few years was doing double-duty with YACHT. In 2007, Bechtolt began focusing solely on YACHT.

Evans, who was born in the UK and attended college in Los Angeles, contributed to a previous YACHT album, I Believe in You, Your Magic is Real, and officially became a member in 2008. Previously, she had played in various noise bands in Los Angeles and made a name for herself as a science writer, the latter of which she still does.

Bechtolt and Evans say that the transition from YACHT as a solo project into a duo was not a conscious choice, but also not totally easy.

"Collaboration is always difficult, as it requires some level of ego sacrifice -- we're no exception," they say. "However, we were lucky to have shared many powerful experiences together, most importantly the 'mystery lights.' Everything in the end has to come together, and when it does, it becomes larger than each of our personal egos or identities. It becomes YACHT."

Through their live performances, YACHT have become known as musicians who are more than just high-energy infectious music and dancing; the performances of their music also encompass visual elements. In hopes that their fans never see the same show twice, Bechtolt and Evans play around with video elements, song arrangements, and interaction with the crowd with every show.

"The visual elements are absolutely essential to our quest to radically shake people out of the preconception that the YACHT show is going to be like a 'regular' concert," Bechtolt and Evans say.

Likewise, YACHT can hardly be considered a regular band. Bechtolt and Evans see YACHT as a band, a belief system, and a business. One of the most eye- catching things on YACHT's websites and profiles on social networks is the text that reads, "YACHT is not a cult." Bechtolt and Evans find it necessary to repeatedly point out that YACHT is not a cult, as some people are quick to associate the term 'cult' with any group that expresses a belief system. But like the lyrics on See Mystery Lights, the band's websites also include statements about darkness, light, free thought, afterlife, and extraterrestrial intelligence. Bechtolt and Evans promote free expression and invite anyone to become a member of YACHT.

"There is something richly American and powerfully human about people who strike off to create their own religious or cultural identities, everywhere from starting hippie communes to having religious visions, and we really respect that tradition," the pair say . "We find it distasteful how the conservative religious mainstream condemns this kind of behavior, as we see it as true spirituality."

Despite what their detractors might say about them, YACHT have managed to take their powerful experiences with the Marfa lights and channeled them into dynamic dance music.

"We suppose that YACHT is attempting to forge connections between underground musical culture and underground spiritual culture," they say. "After all, both are motivated by the desire to create something more real, special, and rare than what is being presented by conventional organizations."

Show Review: Starfucker, Deelay Ceelay, Strength

Originally published in Redefine Magazine.
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Bottom of the Hill
San Francisco, CA
October 7, 2009

Whoever decided to send Starfucker on tour with supporting bands Deelay Ceelay and Strength must have had a secret desire to increase the population of Portland, Oregon. After experiencing a night of fun and high-energy music from the three Portland bands, even music fans that already live in a city like San Francisco, which has its own rich and legendary music scenes, could have easily been convinced to pack up their things and move to the city in the Pacific Northwest.

With funky beats and alluring vocals, Strength turned the venue into a disco. The music encouraged audience members to get their blood flowing and dive into a night full of dancing. The three-piece had a vintage rock aesthetic similar to MGMT, but it was much more vibrant. The night had just started, but the band created an atmosphere fitting for a wicked and sultry after-party. Even though the hustle would have been an appropriate dance to accompany each song, the music was in no way tacky. Strength utilized a shimmering synthesizer and drum machine with full force and made "Metal" and "Wilderness" delightfully hip dance tracks.

While Strength got the energy circulating in the room, Deelay Ceelay heightened the audience's senses even further. A fog machine made the venue hazy and the lights were lowered as the two members of Deelay Ceelay sat at their drum kits. A kaleidoscope of images, lines, and colors moved along to the music on a white backdrop on stage. Without vocals, the duo told a beautiful story that was more than just the fast, loud drums on stage. The darting images on the backdrop and the thoughtfully timed drumming gave a dramatic feel, as if the Earth's time as an existing planet was running out. However, looping piano lines added a peaceful tone, and songs such as "Tea Drinker" and "The Deelay Ceelay Natural Anthem" were calming and stimulating at the same time, making it hard for one to decide whether to dance or just stare at the pretty images. Either way, the absolute consciousness was revived as Deelay Ceelay closed out with a drum performance over T.I.'s hit "Whatever You Like."

Despite the fact that Starfucker are in the process of changing their name to PYRAMIDDD, the band showed no signs of an identity crisis. Three of the four male members did step on the stage wearing dresses and pearls, but it was all in good fun. Neither the band nor the crowd needed time to warm up. Without hesitation, Starfucker jumped right into the dreamy and zesty "Boy Toy," and the audience members happily danced around. The vocals were a bit fuzzy, but also full of joy, which allowed the song to move along swiftly.

"Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second" best showcased the band's dynamics and set-up. The instrumentation consisted of Josh Hodges on keyboard, guitar, and vocals, Ryan Biornstad on lead vocals, guitar, turntables, and laptop, Shawn Glassford on bass and keyboard, and Keil Corcoran on drums and vocals. Similar to "Boy Toy," the song was lo-fi, but the assortment of instruments and electronic elements made it danceable. Also, scattered drums, which Hodges and Glassford played, increased the excitement and left a more lasting impression than the song in its recorded form.

The majority of the set was made up of songs from Starfucker's latest release, Jupiter, including the cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun." Also off that album was "Dance Face 2000," a mostly all-instrumental track with a thumping beat. During the more jolting tracks, Biornstad fervidly bounced up and down. At other times, he stood still playing his guitar and singing with a blank stare. His subdued state looked a little creepy, but made sense with some of the songs' contours.

Starfucker ended with a two-song encore, but even after the band members left the stage, the venue was buzzing with energy. Collectively, all three bands proved that the people of Portland know how to throw a spectacular dance party.

Show Review: Arctic Monkeys, The Like

Originally published in Redefine Magazine.
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The Fox Theater
Oakland, CA
September 16, 2009

With songs like "Still Take You Home," which break the ice by stating, "Well it's ever so funny/ 'Cause I don't think you're special/ I don't think you're cool/ You're just probably alright/ But under these lights you look beautiful," one would get the impression that England's Arctic Monkeys are either fun, witty guys or complete jerks. Those familiar with the band's repertoire know that the former is true, and the countless number of wily remarks they make plays a big part in the equation that make their albums memorable. Likewise, performing as a five-piece, the Arctic Monkeys neither showed cockiness nor obnoxious behavior. There was some of the English lad-aloofness, but mostly, the band members were gracious, well-rehearsed, and simply confident.

Before the Arctic Monkeys presented the audience with a collection of songs off their latest album, Humbug, and fan favorites from their two other releases, Los Angeles' The Like launched into the night with a 30-minute set of sweet harmonies and sweltering swagger. The all-female band, dressed in '70s mod dresses, was an impressive balance of The Cardigans' pop sound and the edginess of Emily's Sassy Lime. However, "He's Not a Boy" and "Narcissus in a Red Dress" recalled the sounds of earlier times. The former encouraged the audience to clap along to the dreamy aesthetics of a '60s beach party, while the latter created an aura of mystery inspired by spy movie narratives.

Following The Like's set of delightful, danceable songs, the members of the Arctic Monkeys subtly walked on stage to a modest song intro and went straight into Humbug's "Dance Little Liar." It was a deceiving start, and while the song title suggests dancing, it demonstrated the more reflective moods on their new album. Much like England's gloomy weather, as well as the typical weather in the San Francisco Bay Area, the band appeared melancholy. About halfway through the song, the energy picked up, and without pause, the band followed with the more known and engaging "Brianstorm." Strobe lights also helped accelerate the pace, and the audience in the crowded theater enthusiastically started to move.

Before taking a break to address their fans, the band played two more songs off the new album -- "Crying Lightning" and "Potion Approaching." With snappy opening chords, the latter played with the emotions of those who were expecting to hear something from the band's first album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. However, as soon as the pounding drums started sounding like a death march, the somber sound made it evident that it was not yet time for the real dancing to commence.

For the first time of the night, lead singer and guitarist Alex Turner thanked Oakland and lightened the mood with his accent. "I've never been here in me life," he said playfully.

Throughout the show a few fans waved a British flag and the moment that every fan was waiting for arrived with a segment that included "This House is a Circus," "Still Take You Home" and "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor." Fans began crowdsurfing, and Turner provided some laughs by picking up a jacket from the pit and declaring that it was a gift for him to keep.

The biggest surprise was dropped with the performance of a Humbug B-side, "Sketchead." Turner said that it was the band's first time performing the song live, but it was not certain if that was in fact true. Nonetheless, the song was much like the post-punk, tongue-and-cheek tracks from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, which were performed previously. It was slightly dark in a vampire manner, but fun, fast, and catchy. The way Turner spitted out the word "sketchead" seemed as if it were a nice way of calling out somebody who he would normally describe using more profane words.

Another notable moment was the band's cover of the Nick Cave song, "Red Right Hand." In true Arctic Monkeys spirit, the interpretation was more intense and rushed than the original.

Whether a song was quick and fervent like "The View From the Afternoon" or calm and romantic, such as, "Only Ones Who Know," the band was always on point. The band members communicated well with each other, and it is obvious that they posses genuine passion and work ethic. On every song, they built up tension, leaving the audience hanging for a few moments, and then delivered with loud interludes before going back to a chorus.

The hour-and-a-half-set worked in the same suspense as each individual song. The band left the stage after "Do Me a Favour," as fans wondered if the encore would include the favorites "Fluorescent Adolescent" or "Fake Tales of San Francisco." Even though the show was in Oakland, "Fake Tales of San Francisco" would have still been appropriate, but it was not included in the set. Instead, the encore was composed of "Secret Door," "Fluorescent Adolescent" and "505." The crowd welcomed "Fluorescent Adolescent" with cheers and open arms. Always keeping fans on their toes, the Arctic Monkeys included a new section in the song, which seemed to stop time as Turner sang with a gentle croon. Leading into the nostalgic "505," the band delicately and humbly parted ways with an audience that would not have minded hours more of music.

Artist Feature: Nite Club

Originally published July 31, 2009 in Redefine Magazine.
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At the turn of the millennium, in a liberal arts school 45 minutes outside of Manhattan, there was a group of young, imaginative musicians which included artists like Regina Spektor and Dan Deacon, who were studying orchestral arrangements, modern composition and studio production while brewing shining careers in the indie and electronic music worlds. Also part of the all-star cast at the New York State University, known as SUNY Purchase, was Richard Spitzer, an Orthodox Jewish schoolboy with Cuban heritage, turned electronic music aficionado.

Spitzer, who graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2002 with a degree in Studio Composition and refers to French composer Claude Debussy as his "musical hero," not only studied alongside Spektor and Deacon, but was also involved in a number of impressive projects, including a drum and bass group called Flight Crew that opened up for The Roots. The school's strong do-it-yourself ethic enabled Spitzer to create cutting-edge electronic music one day and build classical piano arrangements the next.

"Our school was very diverse artistically, and eclectic," Spitzer says. "We had all walks of art there. It was very free."

Spitzer is now adding to his alma mater's prestigious reputation with My Tronic, his first full-length release in the United States, under the name Nite Club. The album, out on New York-based Tape Theory, is a beautiful culmination of Spitzer's history and love of electronic, indie rock, and hip hop music. The album's dance landscapes and moods are just as complex and compelling as Spitzer's background.

Before heading to SUNY Purchase, where he was surrounded by an array of artists who were all experimenting with the sounds of hip hop, electronic, rock, classical, jazz and pop music, a young Spitzer was exposed to a diverse world of music in his own home and neighborhood.

Spitzer grew up in Bayside, a suburban neighborhood in Queens, New York, in a home where music was always present. His mother, who was born in Cuba and lived there until she was 20 years old, and father, who Spitzer describes as a "Bronx boy," raised him in a strict Jewish setting where spiritual prayer and singing were common practice. Spitzer attended an Orthodox Jewish school, and while his mother, who was a music teacher, played Yiddish music on the family piano, she also introduced him to the vibrant music of Cuba.

"There was always dancing going on in my house," he says. "If someone would turn on the radio, it would turn into a party, like a cha-cha line for some reason."

While music was a big part of Spitzer's childhood, and he was encouraged to play piano by his mother, it wasn't until he was 13 or 14 that he actually started playing music.

"When I was a little baby, she would chase me around the house to try to get me to take lessons, but I finally learned on my own," Spitzer says. "My family was cool enough to embrace my playing at odd hours. I'd play in the middle of the night. I'd talk on the phone with people and play piano to them. And they kind of put up with it, so I have to thank them."

However, around the same time he was taking up the piano, Spitzer says his more rebellious exploration of music caused trouble with his parents. Behind his parents' back and against religious traditions, Spitzer listened to the brash and subversive sounds of Guns N' Roses and Dr. Dre. Upon finding the albums, his parents kicked him out of the house. Ironically, Spitzer's brother, who was a rabbi, also opened his eyes to contemporary music -- to bands such as New Order and Depeche Mode.

Unlike today, where a music fan can have trouble choosing what to listen to out of the millions of bands on the Internet, Spitzer recalls seeking out bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd simply because they had built-up reputations of being legendary. His loyalty to those bands grew quickly because his focus was not pulled in countless directions by over-saturated music scenes.

As a teenager, Spitzer was also drawn to the electronic sounds of old school jungle, house, and techno that were played on college radio. By the time he was 16 years old, Spitzer was not only attending raves, but performing at them. He had a band that started out playing a fusion of jazz and prog rock, but then transformed into a band that played live jungle at both illegal and legal raves. It was not unusual to see a 16-year-old at the illegal parties where there were no bouncers, but it was a bit surprising to see someone so young getting booked to play the legal events.

As Spitzer continued to DJ raves through college, the influence of electronic music embedded itself into many of his projects, including Nite Club. Following a 2006 EP released in the U.S. and a full-length album only released in Japan on Tokyo's Blackbudget Records, My Tronic was recorded in 2008 in Spitzer's home studio in Brooklyn. With strong pulses and fast dance rhythms, Nite Club stays true to Spitzer's days of performing live jungle. However, the soft vocals and reflective background moods are also likely to appeal to fans of bands like the Album Leaf, Mogwai, and Explosions in the Sky.

Whether it was the inherent hands-on atmosphere of living in a converted hardware store or just Spitzer's strong musicianship, the process of making My Tronic included more than just the click of a mouse and the drag and drop feature of a computer program. Spitzer mainly used an assortment of synthesizers to create the fuzzy melodies and beaming waves, but he also played guitar, drums, bass and xylophone.

By mixing in guitar and live percussion with more electronic aspects, Nite Club sounds more fitting for a dance party than for a video game. The music is fun and energetic, but doesn't take on the high-pitched tendencies of some synth-pop bands. "Change Your Love" and "Left Right" are examples of songs that provoke dancing, but are cinematic and carry a sense of sophistication. It is easy to tell that Spitzer has fun creating music, but is also very thoughtful about the songwriting process and delicate in creating the layers.

"I usually start with an atmosphere," Spitzer says. "I try to create a place or color where I can go. I try to stay focused and try to see how far I can manipulate things inside there. I always try to keep a balance... the whole goal of an album is trying to have a good proportion of sentiment and then release an energy at the same time."

While the album includes older songs from Nite Club's Japanese full-length, there is no point in the music were Spitzer's diverse influences clash. Everything flows smoothly. "National" and "BK Nights" conjure up images of old school breakdancing with their tenacious beats and short vocal segments that seem to stop time, but only serve to up the energy more. The vocals are kept fairly low-key and there are no MC chants, but Spitzer's timing is impeccable. His voice is lush, soothing, and seamlessly moves from relaxed tones to quick and sharp ones.

Also on My Tronic is a cover of "Good Life" by Kayne West, which Spitzer says he was inspired to do after listening incessantly to the album Graduation. Spitzer has received positive feedback from both non-West and fanatical West fans.

"What I want is just to be able to turn people on who wouldn't normally be into it," he says. "I was interested to see if I could take my passion that I had for the music and try to reinterpret it in my own way. It was kind of an experiment, but it was fun."

While My Tronic was released in April, Spitzer has yet to formally tour in support of the album. There have been a few Nite Club shows in the New York area and East Coast, but he hopes to tour the U.S. in the fall and Japan in the winter.

For live shows, Nite Club turns into a duo, with Steve Bryant -- also known as Cru Jonez -- on drums. Spitzer met Bryant while attending SUNY Purchase, where Bryant was also a member of the group Flight Crew. Spitzer handles the vocals, synthesizers, and computer, while Bryant keeps it bare bones with just a drum kit and no electronics.

Spitzer may be waiting until fall to tour, but he has been keeping busy with various other projects, including solo DJ sets, which he says are distinctly different from his Nite Club performances.

"I think there are different art forms," he says. "I feel like I'm learning when I DJ. When I play, it's more of an internalized thing. DJing [is] more like a dialog between me and the music that I love."

Spitzer has also been working with college friends as a member of a group called Vinyl Life, of which Phil Moffa, who did programming on one of the tracks on the new Nite Club album, is also a member. The members use a lot of analog equipment and draw inspiration from '70s music, freestyle, Chicago house, and the history of club sounds. The group will be releasing its debut full-length album on Tape Theory in August and will also be touring later in the year.

On top of that, thanks to past trips to Japan, Spitzer has had the opportunity to collaborate with Japanese electronic artists such as, Shigeo, a member of SBK and the Samos. Spitzer contributed vocals on tracks by Shigeo's newest band called Mold, and the band remixed Spitzer's song "Cape Navril," which can be found on My Tronic in its original form. Spitzer plans to work on more music when he visits Japan in the winter.

Being able to work with artists in Japan is not the only great aspect about visiting the country. During his live shows, Spitzer has noticed the fans' enthusiasm to learn about American music.

"They're so hip, and they've got their ear to the street as if they were here in America," Spitzer says. "They really do their research on artists, and they study the artists' influences. They're very well-schooled listeners."

Spitzer's tireless efforts to be involved in so many music projects seems to go back to his time at SUNY Purchase and the clash of cultures that he experience as a kid. It is surprising to hear that someone who wanted to follow in the footsteps of Claude Debussy was also involved in raves at the age of sixteen. But attending SUNY Purchase taught Spitzer how to approach music using his varied influences as well as looking at music more scientifically, he says. He also values being able to learn from his peers.

"I worked with so many great producers," he says. "I felt like I was always trying to get them to rub off on me somehow."

Spitzer's eagerness to learn and find new ways to mix genres and composing techniques has paid off, and it shows through the memorable songs on My Tronic. Around the release date, the album charted on the College Music Journal's Top 200 and broke into the top 20 of its RPM album charts.

"What I want to have is different people to come together -- [to have] different styles and fashions to come together and feel the music itself," Spitzer says. "I kind of think that there's this beauty in every style. That's my ultimate happiness."

Album Review: Tea Cozies - Hot Probs

Originally published July 10, 2009 in Redefine Magazine.
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Tea Cozies
Hot Probs
So Hard
A-

If the sound of blistering guitars on the opening track, "Boys at the Metro," doesn't get a listener's attention, the "hey!" shouts will make it clearly known that Seattle's Tea Cozies are not willing to go unnoticed. Following a 5-song EP, which received airplay on Seattle's KEXP and numerous Internet radio stations, Tea Cozies continue to deliver an enticing mix of '60s girl pop and swirling garage rock on their full-length debut, Hot Probs.

With sweet harmonies and 3/4ths of the band being female, Tea Cozies possess the raw sound similar to that of bands like Vivian Girls, but the energy is at a much higher level and more likely to provoke people to dancing. While there are plenty of angelic seesaw rhythms and cute lyrics, such as, "I had a boy and he had a bike and we got along real nice," vocalists Jessi Reed and Brady Harvey are also witty and sharp-tongued. Pop culture icons Steven Spielberg, Oscar Wilde, Fred Astaire and Mary Shelley find their way into songs among words of wisdom, which reveal, "Even pretty pages crack in old books/ You can't rely on your good looks."

The music arrangements are just as interesting to listen to as the lyrics. Tea Cozies have a standard rock set-up -- with two guitars, bass, drums, and the occasional organ -- but they manage to incorporate unexpected twists and turns into songs. "Like Luca Brasi" switches back and forth from an upbeat pace to a dreamy stride, which happens a bit sudden but still sounds seamless. The song, which is about a girl who is hesitant to go swimming while on a trip with friends, but is convinced to do so and ends up drowning, summarizes the band pretty well. However, unlike the girl in the story who did not listen to her instincts, Tea Cozies are very instinctive. The band members are loud and forceful when they feel the need and slow it down if they get the urge, which adds a lot of diversity to the album.

For every straightforward pop track on Hot Probs, there is one rocking garage or soothing psychedelic track to counteract the sugary goodness. "Corner Store Girls" can be best described as bibbity bop as images of bunnies hopping in meadows, bees buzzing in gardens, and couples rollerskating at the boardwalk come to mind. The song is followed by "The South Turned Him Sour," which contains rich and gritty sounds of roller derbies and hot rod racing.

Toward the end of the album, the music loses a bit of momentum as songs become slower and more psychedelic. There are some instances where the vocalists sound bored, but that could be mistaken with bravado. Even as the songs slow down, there is a strong aura of confidence, but it is never pretentious.

Album Review: Schleusolz - Running Out of Time

Originally published July 7, 2009 in Redefine Magazine.
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Schleusolz
Running Out of Time
Schokokontrol
C

Anyone who is going to listen to Schleusolz' debut album, Running Out of Time, should be prepared to take part in some quirky dancing -- as in the type of dancing that middle-aged men in Hawaiian shirts carry out at music festivals. Doing so is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that listeners should expect an unusual force behind Schleusolz' layered electro-rhythms that will induce much more than the standard head bop.

The Germany-based group scrambles sounds from all over the world and even what seem to be parts of outer-space. They channel a simplified version of Disney's Fantasia as if it were an '80s video game. Only a handful of songs contain vocals, but even the instrumental tracks seem to shout expressions. The music is hyper and soothing at the same time. This is what you would hear at a cheesy lounge bar, which is where the Hawaiian shirts would come in, but is overthrown by hipsters.

The members of Schleusolz self-admittedly describe their music as quirky and tongue-in-check in press releases. They say that they playfully poke fun at genres, with the desire to create the soundtrack to movies that can only be seen in the listener's mind. Some of the things Schleusolz toys with include swanky piano melodies, alien invasions, sitar, cowboy western, salsa and marching music.

The bizarre combinations may be off-putting, but there is something intriguing about tracks like "Running Out of Time" and "Neo-Liberal Coffee Bar." The former is fast and full of energy. The lovely beeping tones are interjected by moments of musical tension that would only enthuse a room full of partygoers jumping up and down. "Neo-Liberal Coffee Bar" is a tad more subdued, but also creates a zigzag of colorful images.

While there are a few songs that are majestic and memorable, others just pass by as ironic rather than entertaining. "The River of Love" has a western feel and imitates the sound of a cowboy swaggering into town as the sound of a trotting horse dominates. "Detroit Teenage Riot" is a collection of laser beams that come off sounding like a whiney conversation between the cosmos.

Even when sounds clash, the songs all contain enchanting warmth, but some need more focus. Fans of Tobacco (Anticon Records) will appreciate standout tracks, but as a whole, Schleusolz' Running Out of Time will not hit the spot for most.

Artist Feature: Hyperpotamus

Originally published May 28, 2009 in Redefine Magazine.
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Instead of renting a practice space or spending all of his time fine-tuning his sound in a garage, basement or bedroom like most artists, Spanish musician Jorge Ramírez-Escudero, better known as Hyperpotamus, chose to take his rehearsal sessions to a place where thousands of people could hear him. Before he ever played a proper show as Hyperpotamus, unsuspecting passengers of Madrid's underground metro system witnessed the development of a musical project that would soon move up the ranks to formal music venues and internationally-acclaimed festivals.

Public transportation terminals around the world all have their share of percussionists, violinists, dancers, and singer-songwriters with guitars. However, one man utilizing nothing but his voice, a microphone, and a loop machine to create a type of layered acapella music that can easily be confused for the works of a group of vocalists, is sure to turn heads.

With a self-released full-length album and appearances at 2009's SxSW, Ramírez-Escudero is now more likely to be seen performing in more conventional settings. He has since upgraded to using four microphones, but says that his days in the underground metro played a big part in making connections and exposing his music to people who normally would have not had a chance to hear it.

After being in a variety of bands as a drummer and pianist since the age of 15, which included a shoegazer post-rock group called Abner, a collaboration with an electronic musician named Strand, and an electro-rock band called Kodama, Ramírez-Escudero decided to free himself from the constraints of shady record labels and heavy musical instruments. He started a project that would be simple to tour with and set up wherever his heart desired.

With a vocal styling that combines beat-boxing and soulful melodies with unexpected wails, Hyperpotamus overlaps and loops the sounds he creates solely with his mouth to create full songs, simply with the touch of a loop station's foot pedals.

When one undertakes a project as different as that of Hyperpotamus, it's difficult to predict crowd reactions. Ramírez-Escudero reveals that while some people would take pictures of him, others simply laughed at his expense.

"You had your typical acne-ridden thugs who didn't really know what to make of what I was doing and gave me ‘that look.' But you learn to not really pay attention," he says.

Others were so moved by the music that they would ask Ramírez-Escudero to sing "Happy Birthday," or they would decide to express their appreciation through breakdancing. Eventually people started offering Hyperpotamus gigs, but one of Ramírez-Escudero's favorite memories is that of a drunken Polish woman who insulted those passing by because they were not stopping to listen and pay respect.

"Anything can happen, but that's precisely the thrill," Ramírez-Escudero says. "You're exposed to such an extent that you become 100 percent vulnerable. It's a public space, and you have to deal with it."

After dealing with a dishonest record label, Ramírez-Escudero says, he acquired the thick skin needed for performing in Spain's underground metro. In fact, Spain's tangled web that is its music industry is what prompted him to quit his band Kodama; the band released an album, but its label's founder pocketed the gig money that was supposed to be used for promotion. Ramírez-Escudero quit Kodama in 2006, while the rest of the band continued to work with the label. Days later, he could be found performing as Hyperpotamus.

Upon first listen, Hyperpotamus sounds similar to something out of an Animal Collective album. Sounds seem to bounce around a dreamy, vaulted atmosphere. However, unlike bands like Animal Collective, which are notable for their creative use of electronic sounds, Ramírez-Escudero uses vocal lines to fill in the spots where a piano melody or cymbal crash would usually be heard.

Describing a purely acapella musical project with no distorting guitars or bizarre electronic samples almost sounds archaic, but the twelve songs on Hyperpotamus' album Largo Bailón, which means A Long Dance, positively push the boundaries of experimentation.

With influences that include Michael Jackson, Fugazi, Belgium artist Jacques Brel, African and Cuban music, and Ukrainian choirs, the simplest way to describe Hyperpotamus is a jumble of vocal sounds. Although that is not to say that the music has no structure. The arrangements are complicated and timed precisely, requiring a very well-trained ear and strong sense of rhythm.

Ramírez-Escudero, who started playing piano when he was 5 years old, says that his songwriting process varies from song to song. Sometimes he will write something on guitar or piano and then convert it into vocal lines. Random street sounds are also forms of inspiration and may be translated into the songs in vocal form.

"Dinamo Dominó," the second track on Largo Bailón, actually creates the image of a bustling street in the downtown area of some hip city. The song begins with the soft repetition of the song title's two words, which sounds like the chattering of people in outdoor cafes. Other vocal layers are quickly introduced and start resembling the sounds of an upbeat man humming a sunny melody while walking down the sidewalk. About midway, the song slows down and dips to two layers with Ramírez-Escudero singing a few lyrics in Spanish. The song then expands back to its original multiple layers.

All the other tracks are just as interesting and engaging. Listeners could spend hours picking out the layers. Lyrics are not found on every song, but when they are present, they add a soft, sensual touch. "Sunshine Juice" is an example where lyrics in English dominate and are used to move the music along in a seductive way.

Ramírez-Escudero produced and recorded Largo Bailón in a friend's studio between April and December of 2008. He teamed up with childhood friend Julián Martin to mix the album and released it on February 28. It was completely self-financed and can only be purchased at shows and through PayPal on the Hyperpotamus' MySpace page. He is proud of his work and to have made the money to cover the album's expenses in just two months, without any label help.

"Being self-released, I have control over absolutely every tiny aspect of the album," Ramírez-Escudero says. "For better or for worse, it's my responsibility. I'd love to have someone else do the dirty work, but I reap all the benefits and I'm happy with that."

While he does not completely rule out the possibility of working with another record label in the future, he does not put any pressure on himself to strike a deal, he says. The whole point of Hyperpotamus is to have fun and not take everything so seriously.

In a live setting Ramírez-Escudero does a great job at showing how much he enjoys playing music. While he was in bands, he shared the spotlight with other people and it was easy for him to hide behind his drum kit. However, he looked very natural commanding center stage during his United States debut at this year's SxSW in Austin. One performance, which took place in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel, came close to showing what it would have been like to see Ramírez-Escudero perform in Madrid's underground metro. There were plenty of people gathered around the stage, but numerous passerbyers stopped in their tracks as soon as they heard the music and saw him moving from mic to mic, adding the vocal layers and controlling the loop station.

Even as he concentrated on monitoring the music through headphones, instead of monitors, he bounced around to the beats. His motions were part robotic and part gymnast as he stretched out his arms and swung his legs in the air.

"With Hyperpotamus it's just me. No props," he says. "So I better do something about it and quick. My shows have become more physical, nothing really thought-out or rehearsed. It's just what I'd do in the privacy of my home. No kidding."

While the songs are set compositions, Ramírez-Escudero says that he sometimes throws some vocal improvisation into the live mix if inspiration hits him. He also puts an incredible spin to beloved songs, such as, The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Ramírez-Escudero says that SxSW was an amazing experience and he was able to make connections with various people in the music industry, including someone that booked him a show set for August in Los Angeles. Although he has already toured in Spain, Portugal, Holland, Germany and Morocco, he is excited to return to the United States. He is also set to perform at a major festival called Bratislava this summer in Slovakia.

"In Spain, there comes a moment where my music just can't move on," he says. "Basically because there's no space or audience for my music. It's as if you have to excuse yourself for dedicating your time to making ‘non-profitable' music. ‘Get a real job,' they'd say, while in the U.S. it's much more understood and respected."

Ramírez-Escudero's love for traveling will certainly help him spread his music on an international level. Having an international banker as a father and being born in Japan allowed him to travel the world at an early age, before settling with his mother and brother in Madrid.

"Needless to say, you learn a lot about people, different cultures, and you grow up to be more of an independent and adventurous type," he says. "I love spending fifteen hours in a plane after having stopped at a German airport for a flight connection, a sausage, and a beer... then picking up a rented car and hitting the road to God knows where."

Artist Feature: Ceci Bastida

Originally published May 11, 2009 in Redefine Magazine.
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As a 15-year-old growing up in the turbulent border town of Tijuana, Mexico, Ceci Bastida began playing in a ska/punk band called Tijuana No! in 1989. Like most politically-conscious bands, their musical influences included The Clash, Madness, and Bob Marley. It was not until after the band's 12-year career and seven years of touring as the keyboardist and back-up singer for Grammy-winning artist and former Tijuana No! member, Julieta Venegas, that Bastida started opening her eyes and ears to a wider set of musical genres, which helped shape a promising solo career.

Now based out of Los Angeles, Bastida is working with a number of musicians and producers to fine-tune her debut, full-length album. Always an active songwriter, she is enjoying the fact that she now has full control over the music. After so many years of working with Tijuana No! as one of the main songwriters, vocalists, and keyboardists, she is stepping out of the ska/punk world and experimenting with different sounds. With Tijuana No!, songwriting was more of a collaborative effort among band members, which she enjoyed, but compromising was also a big part of the equation.

"If you are a band, you are set to work as a band, and sometimes you have to do things that you don't love," Bastida says.

Tijuana No! grew into a very influential band with lyrics focused on politics such as immigration issues and the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico. The music was primarily in Spanish, although there were some covers in English, and the band toured many parts of Latin America. At a young age, Bastida learned the dynamics of the music industry as one of the first women to have such a heavy influence on Latin rock music.

Bastida's solo work still has remnants of Tijuana No!'s punk aesthetic, especially in the way of powerful energy and passion, but the music is more refined and based on dance rhythms, crossing over into the indie pop category. She continues to sing predominately in Spanish; however, with a full rock band behind her and a mix of instruments, which include trumpet, trombone and Bastida on melodica, it is difficult to confine her music to one genre. Bastida also incorporates electronic elements into her music and on occasion collaborates with a handful of hip hop producers.

Although she writes her own music, Bastida works very closely with her band, she says. Since the band records and performs live with her, it is beneficial that they know the songs inside and out. The band is pretty much a set unit, with Dave Green on guitar, James Bairian on bass, Louis Castle on keyboard and trumpet, Argel Kota on drums, and Danny Rukasin on trombone. She has known Green and Kota for many years through their respective bands, and Green introduced her to Bairian, who also serves as the man behind the board during the recording sessions.

Bastida's album entitled Veo La Marea, which translates to I See the Tide, was recorded at Hangar 1018 in Los Angeles and produced by Bastida, Green, and a Los Angeles team called the Gifted, she says. It was set to be released last year, but the process of finding an adequate form of distribution has postponed the release. Bastida has been speaking with a few labels and has also considered releasing the album herself. After all, she did go the self-release route a couple of years ago with her 3-song digital EP, Front BC. There is no set release date for Veo La Marea, but Bastida is confident that 2009 is the year.

In the meantime, Bastida is taking advantage of the extra time and has been revisiting the collection of songs, she says. She is still recording at Hangar 1018, working with some new songs that might end up changing the album's original tracklisting.

"I decided that it was a good idea to continue writing even though the album was done," Bastida says. "I didn't think that because the album was complete, I should just stop."

Two of the new songs that will be added to the album are collaborations with Brooklyn producer XXXChange, who did a lot of work with Spank Rock. XXXChange sent Bastida the tracks and she wrote and recorded the lyrics. One of the end results is a dark, electro-pulsing, sultry song called "Controlar."

Adding even more variety to the album, Bastida also worked with Rakaa Iriscience, of the hip hop group Dilated Peoples, on a bilingual song called "Cómo Será." Bastida's enthusiasm for diversity truly stands out, and it is fortunate that her voice, which is almost raspy, but silky at the same time, delivers regardless of the type of music.

"I don't put pressure on myself to come up with a certain amount of songs, but I do think it's important to keep experimenting and see what happens," Bastida says. "But at one point, I'll stop, [if] I need to. You can revisit an album forever, work on it and always find things you would change, but it's also important to stop and move on. Once that happens, I'll continue to write, but with a different mentality, ready for something new."

Bastida credits her desire to experiment with music to her wide listening habits, she says. Compared to her teenage years, she now listens to more types of music, including everything from folk to electronic. At SxSW, she noted experimental musician Michacu and hip hop artist K'Naan as two of her favorite performances from the week.

While touring with Venegas, who she has been friends with for 20 years, Bastida started exploring and rethinking music, she says. She learned how to be a better musician technically, and after supporting Venegas from 2000 to 2007, Bastida started focusing on her own music.

"I was working on her music and I loved it, but I was missing that creative process," she says. "I needed for that part of my brain to be active again."

With Tijuana No!, the music's message was always more important than the technical musicianship, Bastida says. Therefore, her solo music has carried a different outlook.

"I didn't want everything to be perfect, but not messy either," she says.

Fans of Tijuana No! will recognize Bastida's voice in her solo work, but all of them may not like the new sound. Bastida says that there have already been a few fans that have expressed their discontent with her more upbeat music, but she does not let that affect her evolving sound.

"When you're younger, you kind of freak out and want people to like you," she says. "I'm glad that I don't sound like I did 15 years ago."

Some may not be able to get past the more polished sound, but giving the music an honest listen will reveal some definite edge. On the first night of SxSW, Bastida packed Flamingo Cantina with her magnetic set. Her stage presence, whether she was just singing, playing the melodica, or pounding a hand drum, delightfully hit the audience in full force, like a high-powered rocket. Trombone and trumpet helped lift and push the songs in unexpected ways, as members of her band added energy with back-up vocals. Even without a proper album release, many people in the audience sang along with the songs.

The performance was part of the Billboard en Español showcase. In hindsight, it was a bit unfortunate that Bastida was lumped together with solely other Latin artists who attract a small, distinct population of SxSW attendees. While Bastida sings in Spanish, her music carries a strong exuberant vibe that is capable of crossing language boundaries. Santa Monica's influential KCRW caught on to Bastida's music a few years ago, but she hopes more people will be open to her music whether they speak the language or not.

"I grew up in Mexico and all of my friends listened to bands that sang in English, and even though some of them didn't speak the language, it didn't matter; they still loved it."

Album Review: O+S - O+S

Originally published April 22, 2009 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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O+S
O+S
Saddle Creek

The self-titled debut album from O+S requires patience. It is not a quick and easy listen. The emotions are too thick for digesting in a hasty manner. The music is not ultra somber or serious, but listeners should prepare to spend time with the album while it grows and expands.

O+S is composed of longtime friends Orenda Fink (Azure Ray and Art in Manila) and Scalpelist (aka Cedric LeMoyne of Remy Zero), who both grew up in Birmingham, Ala. The project started with Fink’s musical artist residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Neb. For the project, she traveled from Omaha to Alabama to Haiti, collecting field recordings with the hope of sewing them into loops. LeMoyne joined to help with instrumentation and electronic landscapes.

While the end result does not utilize the Haitian culture in a revolutionary way, it is nonetheless a beautiful collection of soft, sleepy melodies. The calm rhythms and heavy bass are perfect for solitary late nights of reflection. Fink’s voice is chilling and refreshing. The music is lovely in a very simple, antique way, but it has its wear and tear.

“New Life” and “Survive Love” move at such slow pace that it is almost frustrating. They sound similar to Azure Ray songs but lack the dynamics that made the latter so charming. There are soft, little details in the background of each song, but one would be hard-pressed to pinpoint the origin.

Haitian vocal rituals are awkwardly placed at the beginning of “Toreador” and “We Do What We Want To”. Without knowing the story behind the field recordings, they sound out of place. They are not used in an interesting way and do not mesh well with the fuzzy beats and Fink’s whispering vocals.

However, the field recordings are not noticeable on most other songs, and the album’s highlights are the songs rooted in simplicity. “The Fox” has a sweet, humble sound, only utilizing guitar and vocals. Delicate humming and harmonies surround a story about love gone astray. “Permanent Scar” has more layers, but is a stunning track with great movement, staggering guitar and bits of sharp electronic sounds.

The O+S debut is a long road with a few bumps, but rich factors indicate that the uncertainties will clear with time.