Brain Tentacles : "s/t"

Ok, I'm prepared for some jazz freak out prog. Not sure if I am in the mood for it, but prepare to experience it. The press released compared this to Jorn Zorn and Mr. Bungle, so that raises the bar. The intro to "Fruit Cake" has that kind of zany groove. The mix is rougher around the edges. The first song that really commits to heaviness aside from a few punches here and there is "Cosmic Warriors Girth Curse". The vocals are screamed in a husky sludge like manner with the sax holding down a melody as they continue to drone on the pounding. This is also the first song that really connects with me. "Hand of God" finds the horns taking a more oppressive role before following the bass.

They throw caution to the wind with the reckless angular jazz rock of "Gassed". This has more of a burly Amp Rep like feel as I could hear the Butthole Surfers or the Melvins treading these waters. They blare into the more spastic grind of "the Spoiler" which finds the sax fighting to ease some of it's rage. "The Sadist" is more focused than the casual jam of "Sleestack Lightning". It's not until "the Sadist" locks into the more swinging groove that it finds it's feet. The darker mood of "Fata Morgana". "Peace In War" is the polar opposite to the cool calm collected groove of the previous and instead indulges in a more scathing temper tantrum. Scathing temper tantrums are over crowding my in-box and are a dime a dozen so not as impressed.

They go back into the more Morphine like place with the twelve minute pulse of "Palantine". At the three and a half minute mark when it begins to evolve from this and build the intensity, it's done in a very tasteful manner and not a childish outburst. Though the fade out at the five minute mark seems a little premature as the song opts to morph into some Jerky Boys shit. I'll round this album up to a 8.5 as I enjoy the moments that they do hit which balance the somber grooves, it's when they fall into the dumb metal pitfalls that they lose me, but they keep things cool more often than not. Relapse drops this album September 30th.

David Bowie : " Black Star "

This is the Thin White Duke's 25th album and it's  being released on Bowie's 69th birthday. The lead single and title track opens the album, finding Bowie in a darker and more surreal place than his last album. There is a very experimental ambiance to things that will delight fans of his Brian Eno years. His collections of musicians  ranges from LCD Soundsystem to avant garde jazz , with the jazz contingent weighing more heavily. "Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" finds the pace picking up in a manner more akin to the  "Black Tie White Noise" era. Bowie's croon is much stronger on this one with an often effortless blend into his head register for a not here and there. Sax dominates the song, but this is not the first time that has been the case with him. A very Cure like guitar opens "Lazarus" which is also the title of a musical he co-wrote. This song glides on much cooler waters, in someways similar to Morphine. It's much more focused in its smoldering groove than the previous song.It is hard to tell if  age has brought an almost fragile quality to Bowie's voice or if he is singing from a more vulnerable place as at this point in the album he has really yet to belt it out, which he does do in a few places on "the Next Day". Or is it a mixture of both and Bowie just making the most of what he has to work with at 69 and making the most of it.


The guitar take on more of a rock tone, while the drums have more of a break beat to them on "Sue("Or in a Season of Crime" .  Bowie's voice carries more of the ghostly quality had on the title track. The song writhes in the cauldron of atmospheric jazz inflected rock, with a very subtle build to it. The staccato guitar line creates a drone as it remains locked in place as electronic weirdness unfolds around it. The song swells into something almost heavy in the same way the organized chaos of Swans can be heavy. In referencing Swans, Morphine and the Cure in this  review  it is actually more proof of the influence Bowie has had on those artists and how it is reflected back here. Don't think that "Girl Loves Me" is going to be a conventional love song as it defies genres. It's has the kind of groove that would not have been out of place on"Scary Monsters". He asks " where the fuck did Monday go" through the song in an odd sing song fashion and refuses to conform to big hooky choruses that might have colored some of his earlier work.

There is a lighter mood and a somewhat more conventional sense of songwriting to "Dollar Days" , which recalls some of the more ballad like moments on "Outside". Which also found Bowie using a similar vocal tone. The sax solo walks all over the song , but somehow it works . The first thought that hit my mind in the first few notes of "I Can't Give Everything Away" was that it reminded me more of the "Never Let Me Down" album. Bowie has always been two steps ahead so he is catching up with himself here. Like the song before it, there is not as much experimentation on this one. The electronic elements sound like they could have come from "Earthling" and have more of a Bowie stamp to them than if he was trying to emulate the edm of today. Right before the three and a half minute mark on this one there is some really beautiful guitar playing, before it rips of into an impressive jazz solo, it was good to hear this guitar player cut loose. I think this is a slightly better album than "the Next Day" which I gave a 10 so that means this has to get a 10 as well.

Crystal Bright & the Sliver Hands : " The Absolute Elsewhere"

I caught this Greensboro oddity at Dragon-con, so made it a point to hunt them down. They released this album back in May. Rather than try to describe to you what they have going on I'll just dig into the album. Its gypsies on the high seas right from the start. Lead singer Crystal Bright, has a not only a dramatic persona, but a fine set of pipes that she handles with the clarity and precision of any Broadway singer. A New Orleans tinged use of horns keep them from dipping into the same waters as early Decemberists.  Despite not singing about murder and rape they are more often than not darker than the Decemberists, especially on a song like "October" where a sultry New Orleans jazz tinged smoke that comes off Brights voice emoting from a similar place as Siouxsie Sioux.

There is a more circus like Klezmer to "Forest of Dreams" which ebbs down into a creepier section. Lyrically their is a hint of  Lovecraft on this one. They take a more light hearted approach to looking at the demons of your dreams on "Engastrimythe". The jazzy swagger still explores a wide range of dynamics with the ease of a prog rock band.  Their flirtation with fantasy continues on "Sirenuse" which goes from being a jazzy torch song to a elegant cabaret climax. her band has not shortage of chops, if you could imagine Rasputina partying with a more chilled out Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, you would be getting closer.

"Fall of the Seraph" finds Bright's voice drifting upward into a more delicate soprano as she sings about how rage is consuming a fallen angel. The Spanish "Lowering the Moon" is a smooth transition into bolero. Its not my favorite flavor on this album, but is well executed. 'Earth Above My Roots" goes back into the bands more eccentric vein. This sometimes finds the songs wandering off into more esoteric forms like the ballad "Crescent Moon Bear" which is mainly hear voice set against a dramatic yet slightly free-form piano piece. Then the second half of the album begins to go into a Tori Amos like piano heavy direction. At times this causing the songs to rely heavily on her voice. "Torment" starts like this , but the pay comes midway through as the rest of the band joins in to build the song up. "Choke" finds more vitorol in it's lyrics with a groove flowing underneath it. This finds the band back in the darker place. I'll give this album an 8.5 and see how it grows on me when they are on they are on their own plane, it's just the albums third act that gets mired down in abstract piano ballads that "Lion Heart" does better than even Tori Amos while we are being honest. If you like music that defies the genres of time, then this is for you.

Up From the Underground: Liquid Casing-" Seperate/Divide"

This Texas quartet whips up an interesting blend of  jazzy post-hardcore. With a  guitar tone  best served generously dipped in reverb.  The guitar playing is smart, driving  the songs but  spacious enough to allow things like sax to come and create a very David Lynchian soundtrack to long night of  drugged delusions in the desert.

Liquid Casing forsakes convention a kick out the jams, not in the Mc5 manner but as in a free flowing jam band, like on the song ''Alambrista". If you had to slap a more modern label on this I'm sure post- rock could apply as the guitar takes to those types of swell. The sax tends to sit where a guitar solo should.

The raspy vocals often feel too rock n roll for the spastic grooves dancing around them, even when things get heavier like on " Finger Tip Armada" , for these guys heavy is more of a matter of sonic intensity. The more hypnotic grooves summoned up on " The line which divides" shows their more satisfying darker side. The Saxophone layers melody over the restless water creating an excellent juxtaposition in dynamics. This type of focus seems to not retain the same solidity when the guitars are looking to work around the vocals , even in cases where they are less intrusive like the ten minute " For a Memory Erased".

Jazz influence abounds on this album, which make the progressive elements seem more natural, since progressive rock has always been more of a marriage between jazz and classical than having anything to do with rock when you think back to bands like King Crimson. Here like that era of prog, the rock element is more of a dynamic by-product.

There is a Pinback styled groove to "Non-Linear Solution" that creates a prevasive backdrop for the sax and lets the bass player show their chops. The album ebbs and flows into more introspective landscapes with "Check Points and Borders". The vocals here, are a much lower register version of where Mars Volta used to go, as they relax into more of a croon. After the keyboard crescendo of that song arises a more 70's prog boogie in "An End to a Means", the bassist has room here to take some liberties and turn fills into almost a solo but it is done in a tasteful manner .

The closing number "Riot Path" doesn't start off with the Moltov being slung like it's name suggests, instead with a drugged sway, that lulls you into the reverb injected guitars. I think my favorite vocal melody on the album lies on this song , and makes me wish this sort of thing had been employed more through out the album.

 If you are looking for organic sax fueled prog , this is your ticket. I'll give it an 8 out of 10, excellent just wish the vocals had figured out where they wanted to go before the last couple of songsm but would expect this band to hit big on the festivals stages,