Wages - Shady Chamber

“Bring me the big knife so I can cut my neck again.”

The line opens “Eternal”, the dramatic lead track on Wages’ Shady Chamber. As the chorus repeats, “The pain is eternal”, things don’t look any sunnier.

This oft-melancholic EP focuses on the enviable falsetto of Nick Campbell. Backed with lush reverb, his lyrics and arrangements make Shady Chamber a solid release from the L.A. duo. Campbell draws inspiration from Elliott Smith's “spider-web thin vocals”, thankfully without coming off as another Smith-obsessed songwriter à la Blake Sennett or Jose Gonzalez. Among the forbearers of grandiose post-rock also heard in Campbell's voice and songwriting, Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós easily comes to mind.

Wages is described on their website as “music for escapists”. The other half of the duo is drummer James DeDakis, known for his work with Amy Ray, Arizona, Fan Modine, and Lovett. In Wages, DeDakis contributes keys and guitar in addition to his effective and efficient drumming.

Shady Chamber has a modern and vast quality to its production. Full of complex layers, the aforementioned reverb, and intricate guitar textures, the majority of the record was recorded at Seriously Adequate Studios, a small and trendy studio in Carrboro, NC. Alex Maiolo is the man behind the board at Seriously Adequate. In addition to Wages he’s also recorded Brian Paulson, Polvo, and The Love Language. Recently, Maiolo received praise for his work with Chapel Hill orchestral-folk darlings Lost in the Trees. Shady Chamber shares a kinship with this band’s massive and cinematic sound.

The EP was completed at Asheville's renowned Echo Mountain Studios, so its hi-fi nature should come as no surprise. One song recorded entirely at Echo Mountain is “South China Sea”, a hypnotic standout track every bit as exotic as its title suggests. Campbell is listed in the liner notes as playing the guzheng, a Chinese instrument played by plucking its twenty-plus strings and moving its multiple bridges. The instrument is featured prominently here. Campbell also uses the song as an opportunity to stray from his falsetto norm, showcasing his dynamic range and ability.

Tracks such as “Pull Through”, and the more uplifting “Unity”, bring to mind the mid-2000s release Fields from Swedish indie-folk group Junip. While Junip's epic and sweeping compositions occasionally felt forced in their attempts at Americana, Wages’ rustic undertones feel authentic. Owing to geography or not, Shady Chamber showcases Wages ability to beautifully construct songs and performances in a genuine and truly American fashion.

-Eric White

Wages

Shady Chamber

(self-released)

The Judas Horse - Holy War

The Judas Horse is something of a Western North Carolina indie-folk super group. Meghan Mulhearn, Linn Rogers, and David Lynch have all paid their dues in bands such as U.S. Christmas, Enoch, and Descolada. Holy War, their new EP on Inherent Records, benefits from the experience and musical proficiency the trio has developed in their respective projects. More than the sum of its parts, The Judas Horse has forged its own style on this release, blending the sounds of shoegaze and indie rock with the darker elements of Americana.

Throughout Holy War I am reminded of the wall of sound and droning atmospheric tones of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Spacemen 3. These shoegaze powerhouses utilize massive guitar pedal collections and lots of feedback and amp noises. The Judas Horse takes on this aesthetic with a more stripped down instrumentation that is completely sans percussion. Their songs rely heavily on hypnotic, pulsating, pedal-rich guitar work and steady driving bass lines. Mulhearn's entrancing violins benefit from an array of effect pedals, including a personal favorite, Blackout Effectors' Crystal Dagger Ring Modulator. While her technique obviously draws inspiration from Warren Ellis' bow-work with The Dirty Three and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the spacious role her instrument plays in the overall sound of Holy War is both stunning and unique.

This five song EP opens with the title track, a perfect introduction to the genre-collage that is to follow. Psychedelic swirls, cavernous reverbs, and delays are complimented by harmonious and doleful vocals. “Gambit” and the playful “Chess” are built around powerful guitar riffs, offering subtle hints of the 1993 post-hardcore classic Slip by Quicksand. “Realms” is a standout track that eventually dissolves into a noisy and artful tableau, brimming with bizarre phased-out chirps, clicks, and bounteous string swells. As Holy War closes with “Neighbor” the EP comes full circle, the ghostly vocals and rich sonic atmosphere coming closer to the feel of the opening track than anything found in between.

Fans of the members' various other projects will surely find this release intriguing and appealing. However, with strong recordings such as Holy War and 2010’s Pathfinder, The Judas Horse is likely to develop and expand on a fan base independent of their other bands. I look forward to whatever the future holds for these three and I hope I soon get the chance to catch some of these tunes live.

-Eric White

The Judas Horse

Holy War

(Inherent)

Lights And Motion - Reanimation

It’s a popular time for post-rock. The amount of buzz currently surrounding Lights & Motion's new full length, Reanimation, is nearly as dramatic and encompassing as the music itself.

"Reanimation will be acknowledged as one of the most important post-rock albums ever to be made... and if this was the last album we ever released on Deep Elm Records, I would consider our 18 year mission an overwhelming success," says Deep Elm founder John Szuch. It’s quite a bold statement considering that the imprint has released hundreds of records, including albums by The Appleseed Caste, Planes Mistaken for Stars, and The White Octave.

Lights & Motion is the music of 24 year old Swedish composer and songwriter Christoffer Franzén. Franzén, drummer for Not Without Grace, is the sole musician on Reanimation. Accordingly, he learned several new instruments during its creation. In addition to recording and mixing the album himself at UpSweden Studios, he also conceived the cover art. Lights & Motion is truly the work of an auteur. Mastering, the only aspect of Reanimation Franzén didn't handle himself, was completed by Maria Adolfsson at MA studios in Stockholm.

From the haunting orchestral swells of the opening track “Requiem” it is clear that Franzén aims to take the listener somewhere. He is largely successful. Clocking in at over an hour with 13 emotionally charged songs, this record is a lot to take in. However, it is very much a journey worth embarking on, full of climactic sweeps and dynamic progressions.

It's simply amazing that Reanimation is the work of a lone 24 year old. A vast and epic collection of vivid and unearthly landscapes, it is extremely high brow, both intellectually and emotionally. That said, the sounds of standout tracks like “Home” and “Drift” are soothing and accessible enough to please listeners not necessarily accustomed to grandiose post-rock.

The depth of feeling captured in these recordings is as evocative and Byzantine as any prime-time television drama. It's no surprise that Franzén's efforts have been co-opted by companies such as NBC. Drawing an analogy to a dramatic television series works for what Reanimation embodies. Recently, Alan Sepinwall authored a book called The Revolution Was Televised. In it he argues that we live in the golden age of television, in which shows like The Wire, Mad Men and Breaking Bad far surpass the thematic complexity of any full length film. Perhaps we also live in the golden age of theatrical music, a time in which artists like Lights & Motion are able to achieve new levels of sonic-emotional intricacy in the relatively compact format of a song.

Throughout this album, Franzén strategically utilizes ghostly, reverb-laden vocals. There aren't any discernible words until “Dream Away”, the final track. In the context of a long-winded instrumental record, this acoustic guitar and lyric-based effort is a bit jarring. Still it is a strong song, in its own way just as epic as the rest of the album. Franzén’s voice sounds extremely young, a tiny reminder that Reanimation is the brainchild of a kid in his 20's. As capacious and effective as this record is, we have likely only heard an introduction to what Lights & Motion has to offer.

-Eric White

Lights & Motion

Reanimation

(Deep Elm)

Accents - Growth and Squalor

TJ Foster and Benjamin Hemingway are known collectively as Accents. Usually described as indie-folk, their output is difficult to place in any one genre. Growth and Squalor, their full length debut, makes me think of a world-weary Decemberists combined with a less drunken version of The Good Life.

Foster, who sings the bulk of the material, has a fragile and desperate quality to his voice. Most of these songs revolve around an acoustic guitar and his lead vocal melody. These two key elements shape the bare bones of tracks later fleshed-out with multiple guitars, keys, drums, and harmonizing vocals. Considering that Accents is a duo, I can't help but wonder how different these songs sound live. Regardless, they certainly work on record.

Hemingway, primarily a drummer, brings movement and flow to the arrangements, utilizing the entire kit and providing plenty of dizzying fills and tom builds. He also knows when a simple and steady kick is enough, or when to drop out entirely and let the songwriting and acoustic guitar carry the weight. In addition to drums he is credited with bass, keys, and vocals.

These songs have a cohesive and tight sound, which is interesting considering that Hemingway and Foster were never in the same studio at the same time. The two first worked together in the band The Cast Before The Break. Hemingway produced their debut As Your Shoulders Turn on You, but eventually left and was replaced by Ryan Crosby. Foster continues to front TCBTB. He and Hemingway collaborated on Growth and Squalor over the course of one year. They assembled the songs in two separate studios, one in New York and one in Virginia. The two took turns recording, overdubbing, and editing these pieces in relative isolation. They do however get together for live performances, often accompanied by Lauren Alexander, who also adds some really cool backup vocals to this record.

Foster and Hemingway’s songwriting, while substantial and catchy, is vastly different from the epic sounds of TCBTB. Tracks like “The Fog”, “Alright With Me”, and “Around” could easily appeal to mainstream indie-rock or pop music fans looking for a more mature and authentic alternative to The Avett Brothers or Mumford & Sons. Though the lyrics are solid and consistent, the biggest strength of Growth and Squalor is the range of emotions each track expresses.

While Accents clearly have a handle on quiet, complex, and restrained songs, they also have enough gusto to let go and rock out a little. “Routine Movements” features a hooky blues run dressed as a raucous indie guitar riff. Growth and Squalor closes with the anthemic “Sorrow”, which as the name implies, isn't exactly an upbeat tune. The music strips down almost entirely to an acoustic guitar and vocals before a mass chorus begins chanting and the instrumentation builds dramatically once more, giving the album an appropriately climactic ending.

(The digital version of Growth and Squalor includes a hypnotic extra track called “Seeds.” Multiple voices harmonize intricately and precisely, creating a really cool effect. This song shows a different side of Accents, perhaps offering a glimpse into their future work.)

-Eric White

Accents

Growth and Squalor

(Deep Elm)

Holopaw - Academy Songs Volume I

Misra Records was kind enough to send us an advance copy of the upcoming album, Academy Songs, Volume I from the ever-evolving Gainesville, Florida project Holopaw. The cast of revolving members currently consists of front-man John Orth, guitarist Patrick Quinney, his identical twin brother and drummer Ryan Quinney, bassist Jeff McMullen, and multi-instrumentalists Jeffrey Hays and Matt Radick.

These new songs find Holopaw at their most polished. I am not normally a big fan of super slick production, but on Academy it is completely effective. Jeremy Scott of Brooklyn’s Civil Defense Studios set up recording equipment in a St. Augustine beach house. There he and the band lived, recorded, and found natural inspiration in the surrounding terrain. The peacefulness and wonder of the coast comes through in the songs. Scott captured Holopaw with incredible clarity and definition.

At its core, this record is the same marriage of organic, firm-footed indie rock and exotic electronics that has been Holopaw's signature for more than a decade. But on Academy the organic element is less focused on acoustic guitar. There is nothing folky about this release. The music is instead grounded by an extremely tight band, Orth's incredible vocal range, and songs that are catchy without being dismissible.

Much of the album is driven by Ryan Quinney's orchestral drumming, ethereal washes of cinematic keyboards, and reverb-laden pedal-steel guitar. Even the sparser tracks such as “Bedfellows Farewell” and “Golden Years”, which are reminiscent of Holopaw's earlier work, have a completely reimagined and modern sound. Throughout the album, lush backing harmonies seamlessly coalesce with Orth's vocal swells, channeling Robert Smith circa Disintegration. This is especially true on “Golden Sparklers” and “Dirty Boots He Don't“, two of the strongest tracks.

Many people may remember Orth for his involvement in Sharpen Your Teeth, the 2002 album from Ugly Casanova which featured Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Holopaw has, however, been a consistent source of artful and inventive indie rock since they formed in 2001. Academy Songs, Volume I is their most ambitious release yet. It is sure to resonate with a larger audience than their previous records.

Holopaw

Academy Songs, Volume I

(Misra)

Xylofaux - Circuitry

“The best things are simple. So simple it's stupid.”

Vocalist Kyle Tigges repeats this line like some sort of mantra on “The 1980s Victory”, the infectious fourth song on Circuitry, Xylofaux's sophomore release. This trio of indie rockers has found an eclectic groove and dynamic style that truly sets them apart. Keeping it simple, the rhythm section is tight, integral to their approach. Combined with straightforward guitar arrangements, it allows them to develop the instrumentation elaborately around each verse, chorus, and bridge. The result is a brimming and industrious record.

Initially, what drew me to this band was Tigges' unique vocal delivery. The way he turns a phrase is somewhere between The Weakerthans' John K. Samson and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie. However, Xylofaux successfully avoids a lot of the twee and elementary trappings of bands like Death Cab. On Circuitry they walk a sonic tight rope, with songwriting that is emotional yet mellow, music that is energetic yet delicate. The lyrics are solid and intriguing.

Tracks such as “No Such” and “Cold Hearted” prove that these guys have a real understanding of their instruments and are incredibly comfortable with one another. This comfort level exists because the band has been playing together for years. Though this is only Xylofaux's second official full length release, members Kyle Tigges, Blake Carr, and Andy Ross have been musical partners since childhood. They grew up together in Illinois, making music in various bands and projects before eventually making their pilgrimage to the Mecca of hipsterdom that is Brooklyn. There they formed Xylofaux.

There is a recurring element of genre blending on Circuitry. Even within songs, the band never sticks to one aesthetic long enough to wear out its novelty. There are moments when this record has a four-on-the-floor dance vibe. At other times it masters riff-heavy post-hardcore. You will also find traces of pop-punk, alt-country, and even hints of reggae, all blended into a foundation of lyrical and vivacious indie rock.

I can see Circuitry fitting perfectly into a record collection with Engine Down, Islands, or Les Savy Fav. I could just as easily see fans of Wilco, Built to Spill, or The Mountain Goats enjoying this album. There are a lot of different sides to this record, and thus a lot of nuances to appreciate.

-Eric White

Xylofaux

Circuitry

(self-released)