School’s Back In Session
Alright, OK, settle down. I said settle down people! You there! Yes, you in the back. Spit that gum out & tie those shoelaces. Summer’s over you bunch of slackers. That’s right. Labor Day’s come and gone. All you scapegraces, ne’r-do-wells and hooky-players have more than a little catching up to do. Let’s start with the EPs, shall we? Open your books to page seven, and let’s review a little of what’s happened while you were off watching “Ponyo” and debating health care:
First off, let’s take a look at the lovingly hand-made Demo EP from On the Stairs. Penned in magic marker, burned to a plain, store-bought CDR and wrapped in folded-up paper shopping bag, this may be the very definition of “DIY.” Don’t be too quick to judge by appearances though, this is anything but an “amateur recording.” In fact, calling it a “Demo EP” even seems somehow unfair. Rather, wrapped in a warm, fuzzy glow of analogue tape-hiss, the disc suffers from nothing but the teasing brevity of its four short tracks. But oh, what a four tracks they are… The haunting keys and dark, poetic lyricism of the EP’s centerpiece, “King,” will dig themselves down deep into some corner of your brain. There, the song will slowly bloom into a kind of slow-motion silent movie in black and white, one you’ll watch over and over and over, attempting to anatomize its significance. Others, like closer, “I Know” will be content to simply charm you. You’ll be stuck whistling it for weeks, guaranteed. The quivering saw that opens “Chosen” will quiver through your ears and right down your spine by the very same token. And while you’ll notice that singer/songwriter Nate Clark’s voice may bear more than a little resemblance to The National’s Matt Berninger, it suits the music so snugly that you’ll comfortably disown any need for comparisons and the like. In the end, you’ll just end up frustrated at the number of times you have to get up, walk over and restart the thing. I can tell you from experience, my play-button finger is plum worn out. Hopefully we wont have to wait long for a full length.
Find On the Stairs at www.myspace.com/onthestairs.
Next, in lieu of 3rd period Geometry, we’re going to instead take a look at another EP you may have missed. Remember, this will be on next week’s quiz, so pay attention.
The Datura Blues appears to be a band only in the loosest sense. Incorporating members from all up and down the west coast, including members of Church, Firs of Prey and other groups, DB self-identifies as more a “collective” of musicians collaborating in sound-craft of a dramatic and dense variety. It’s likely no coincidence that, upon reading their bio, you might feel as though you’re being recruited for some kind of cult. Combining elements of punk, noise, world, free-jazz and post-rock influences means DB is as much a socio-political lifestyle/aesthetic as it is music. Is it as it Is, Brother? contains an appropriately swampy mix of found sounds, field recordings, chantings, strange voices, in addition to a broad array of instruments. Equally broad is the musical territory covered in just 5 songs. At times, you’d swear you were listening to a lost collaboration between Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Comets on Fire, and Confusion is Sex-era Sonic Youth. Opener “Crows…” takes you from a soulful southern gospel choir to a haunted Stonehenge Gregorian chapel chant in 4 minutes flat. The following, companion track, “…and Other Rodents” cranks up the ‘rawk’ as bright horns blare, layers upon layers of guitars overlap, screech and leer, and drums pound. Yet even in the midst of their most chaotic tracks, somewhere at the core of Is it as It is, Brother? is a firm, undeniable structure. Datura Blues succeeds with noise rock where so many fail because they achieve balance in composition without being pandering or getting all yawny on you. If they can manage to hone, focus and sharpen their sound-craft for their next release, they may just have a noisy, gritty masterpiece up their collective sleeves.
Find Datura Blues at www.myspace.com/daturablues.
Class dismissed.
