Tera Melos have a weird vibe, like, I'm
not sure if I should compare them to Marnie Stern or Health or Animal
Collective. Catchy sampler-meets-guitar, double-tapped, post-garage
noise stuff. They've released things through Temporary Residence Limited
(label-mates The Books, Pinback, Mono, and Young Widows contextualize it a bit) and they've been doing
weird, loud, quasi-pop for the better part of a decade. Their songs seem at once innocuous and possibly laptop-ed, then some abrupt, explosive guitar will remind you that loud noises are a thing. For instance, puzzle over "Weird Circles" below. I don't know
how they pull it off with live instrumentation, but we'll find out together at the
Tralf tonight (622 Main St., 8PM, $10), with the equally nebulous
sonic cartography of FANG ISLAND.
Are there any Scott Pilgrim fans out there? How about any old-school 8-bit Nintendo fans? If you have a soft spot for Legend of Zelda or have ever spent 80+ hours playing Final Fantasy to its completion, Anamanaguchi is the perfect band for you. They mix fast, instrumental power-pop music with the nostalgia of old video game noises for a high-energy 8-bit experience. On recordings, the band's music is mostly 8-bit, but live, the NYC four-piece brings guitars, bass, and drums into the mix for an analog/electronic hybrid experience. The band recently wrote and performed the soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game, based off of the popular movie and comic books of the same name. Anamanaguchi have a knack for ear worms - the song featured below, "Another Winter," is a particularly good example.
They are performing tonight as the opener for the excellent indie rockers in Fang Island. The show is at the Tralf, it starts at 8:00pm, and tickets are $12.
Brooklyn based trio Fang Island describe their music as "everyone high fiving everyone". It's an apt comparison, as their new album Major swells with the ebullience of an early Weezer album on Prozac. They're bringing their catchy riff-a-thon to The Tralf tonight with chip tune artists Anamanaguchi, a four piece whose name is the reason copy and paste was invented. It's nice to see The Tralf booking younger bands, as it's one of the nicest sounding venues in town and deserves more attention. Be sure to show up early to catch local up and comers Fourwalls, relative newcomers to the Buffalo scene with a pretty accomplished blues sound. Doors are at 7:30, show at 8:30. Tickets are still available, so buy them. I just noticed there are four hands in the picture above, creepy.
2010 seems like it was ages ago musically, and remembering
what those 365 days had to offer isn’t so easy even though fewer than two years
have passed. There aren’t many sonic
events that stick out in my mind from 2010, but one thing is certain, it was
first time I heard Fang Island. As the
band said of their sound it was ‘everyone high-fiving everyone’, and the
relentless assault of guitars and drums delivered the goods. It was a devastating record in a very
positive way, putting the pedal to the metal from the outset and never letting
up. So after making such a definitive
first step the Providence, RI natives, named for an Onion article about Donald Rumsfeld’s fictional lair, had a tall
order on their sophomore LP Major.
Some things have remained much the same for the trio this
time around. The guitar riffs are still
powered by jet fuel and they’re instantly memorable. Fang Island have a knack for taking the
wailing, indulgent solos that were commonplace when Poison and Mötley Crüe
ruled the airwaves, and distilling them into easily listenable, hard hitting
pop jams.
The big difference with Major,
as opposed to the band’s debut, is the movement towards a more prog/math rock
sound. Whereas their debut promised and
delivered ‘nothing but your favorite hooks back to back’, this time around
everything has gotten quieter. Two years
ago this was a band all about the surge of adrenaline that unhinged rock ‘n’
roll can provide, but here it just seems pedestrian. Take for instance the gentle synths of
opening track ‘Kindergarten’, or the long buildup of ‘Make Me’ which never
leads to any payoff. Fang Island isn’t
as punishing on Major, and that is a
shame.
The few bright spots of the record, ‘Regalia’ and ‘Asunder’
mostly, aren’t enough to save things.
Unfortunately the sophomore slump seems to have struck Fang Island. A couple of years ago their potential seemed
as limitless as their musical scope, but now, that’s not so true. After a debut that launched them into the
stratosphere Fang Island have come back to Earth.
Right now, you are probably slowly melting from the heat. Don't worry, they say slowly transitioning into a pile of goo is good for the skin, plus you can be more like Alex Mack, and who doesn't want that. I for one love the heat, rather I love sitting in this air conditioned room while I hear about how hot it is from the rest of you. However, I have to be as comfortable as possible because I am hard at work discovering new songs for you to listen to this weekend. You're welcome!
Woods - "Cali in a Cup:" Having left behind the low-fi sound of their earlier releases, this new track benefits from the enhanced recording quality. Aside from the change, this is a fairly standard Woods song, easy paced and catchy. This is the first single off Woods' forthcoming album, Bend Beyond,which is set to be released on September 18.
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DIANA - "Born Again:" A Toronto group whose roster includes members of Dan Bejar's Destroyer project, "Born Again" echoes the smooth style of the most recent Destroyer LP. Mellow with female vocals winding over an atmospheric groove, this track is a great introduction.
Fang Island - "Seek It Out:" Fang Island specializes in stirring riff heavy songs sounding vaguely like the soundtrack to a game of Dungeons and Dragons taken to a fever pitch. That said, it is still good fun. "Seek It Out," is the newest song off their forthcoming album, Major, which will be released on July 24.
Blur - "Under the Westway:" Despite Damon Albarn's recent threats that Blur and Gorillaz were done (which would have been a serious bummer), Blur released a new song this week. "Under the Westway" is a strong return and hearkens back to some of their best work of the 90s'. A minimal, piano-driven lullaby that leaves me wishing they would release another album. It has been 9 years, please?
Kanye West w/ Pusha-T - "New God Flow:" So, apparently everyone is putting Pusha-T on their track this Summer. You already heard the new The-Dream song, and now a new Kanye West track featuring the Clipse member. "New God Flow" is a ferocious song with both rappers in good form. The track can be streamed on Kanye West's website.
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