Dan reviews EVERYTHING

Joe Wilinski – Bitchin’ Belltower presents On The Outside: A good friend for almost 9 years now, Joe and I have had plenty of time to exchange musical ideas, and I’m always looking forward to his new solo efforts. The new Bitchin’ album features a rather shocking discovery of Joe Wilinski’s upper vocal range, and the results could not be more awesome. Joe told me a few days ago that he hit a High C at a certain point in his album, and I absolutely refused to believe it…then I listened. Not only does he nail a C, he convincingly hits a high D just a few tracks later. Unbelievable. His new vocal style suits his music MUCH better, and I think his last track (Head Down) finds him at his most natural and comfortable. Definitely a huge step for Joe, probably the hugest of the bunch.

Oryx and the Crakers – A Long Night’s Journey into Day: LOVE this track. Adorable melody, awesome drum solo, but I really can’t say enough about the lyrics. At first glance, they seem like pretty standard happy indie lyrics, but I think there’s a lot more to them, intended or not. Little hints of just about every emotion are sort of pleasantly obscured by a good dose of humor and fun.

S.A. Bach – Off Days & Days Off: I really, really like this collection of songs…it was especially impressive because I have a VERY hard time getting into male singer-songwriters (sorry, I just don’t find the male voice all that interesting on its own). What really got me here were the lyrics, although I suppose there isn’t much else to comment on (guitar playing: good, singing: good). It doesn’t get much more relatable than unrequited love or questioning the existence of God…what I didn’t expect was a great sense of humor and plenty of sarcasm. I really like how his stuff drifts between poetry and music, so you find yourself appreciating different elements at different times.

Jimmy K – Find a Way: Can’t think of a whole lot to say about this one, except that the production is fantastic and Mr. K certainly has his pop stylings down. Great, pleasant voice and overall a really nice and marketable sound.

The Killer Meteor – Iller Greedier: Awesome. I’ve been trying to think of ways to articulate exactly how I see Ed Mellen’s insane experimental hip-hop…no luck yet. This album is merely more proof that Ed is a kung-fu-fighting alien in a human outfit...as if we needed more proof. I enjoyed reading the lyrics on their own as much as listening to the music…the words are too dense to pick up on first listen. I would definitely have to single out “Concrete Faceplant” as the highlight; demented, hilarious and even a bit…romantic? Already listened to this record several times.

Beru – Fire Eyes Alive: I’ll go ahead and say this: “Fire Eyes Alive” is my favorite album of Record Time V. And strangely enough, I can’t really think of a whole lot to say about it. This project is the pseudonym of Jessica Nicole Collins, and yes, it’s a reference to THAT Beru. I haven’t listened to music like this in a while, but it reminds me a lot of Ulver and a strange band called The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud (who only play shows in castles)…so maybe it’s just bringing back fond memories of my favorite bands from high school. Either way, I could really see myself getting into this record, and hopefully can get a hold of more of her stuff.

Nicholas Willy – Bittersweet: Since his single last time, Nick has decided to try out a different vocal style…I think most people would have a hard time comparing it to anyone but Bob Dylan. This is Nick’s 2nd song ever, as far as I know, and he’s definitely progressing in his guitar abilities and songwriting. Lots of potential…just gotta keep writing!

Alexandre Maxine – Progress: Definitely some of the most legit artwork of the bunch. The mixes are nice and dense, just the way I like it…never a shortage of things to listen for. Probably the most interesting thing to me about this record is the choice of samples…lots of REALLY aggressive drum sounds against mostly beautiful pads and vocals…very cool. Especially the bass drum samples; most of them have that nasty (in a good way) bit distortion you’d hear in way more aggressive hardstyle or gabber music (my favorite kind of electronica, since I’m not huge into subtlety). Bonus track is lots of fun too.

Reality Calls – A Collection of Samples – One thing I’ve noticed from Jason McDowell and Stephanie Belesky over the past few Record Times is the unbelievable tightness of their sounds. Every note is DEAD ON in timing, pitch, everything. Some people aren’t into that kind of thing…I’m WAY into that kind of thing. I’ve been informed that this time around it’s a full-band effort, and I think it’s really taken the music to another level. I’m not sure who in the group writes the vocal melodies, but I have to specifically commend him or her…I think these songs have some of the best and most natural vocal melodies of the bunch. Melody-writing is probably the only skill in music you can’t really learn…you either have it or you don’t…and as such, it’s one of the highest compliments I can give people. Awesome work. Really loving “Sparrow” in particular.

Fractious – Fractious: Barney Brown and Layla Vandenbergh have been kind enough to bring Record Time all the way over to Europe for us (Cambridge is it?). I had a really hard time figuring out a genre for this record; I have a feeling the sound of Fractious is the combination of a whole lot of artists I’ve never heard before. I really enjoy how they managed to keep a cohesive sound while giving each song its own character. Love the lyrics, and as soon as I’m finished with these reviews I’m going to figure out what the hell a Bentobox is.

Matt Covello – Pomegranate: Matt Covello can sing. He’s the vocalist for Boston rock band Kings of Push (which also features Joe Wilinski on drums!) and he’s simply on another planet as far as rock vocalists go. He’ll probably have a hard time getting away from Chris Cornell comparisons, but I doubt I could find anyone who would consider that a bad thing. “Pomegranate” is easily one of the most ambitious RT debuts, as he is both sticking to a Middle Eastern sound throughout and writing within a narrative concept (which I would really like to know more about!). Only complaint is how restrained he is on this album, although “Infidel” shows pretty clearly what the man is capable of.

Andrew Miller – Wreckless Imitation: This is the first heavy stuff I’ve heard from Andrew, and I’m REALLY impressed by how great it sounds (I really need whatever Andrew and Logan use for drums). Nice to hear someone using good old odd meters rather than polymeters (sorry, but Meshuggah owns the market as far as I’m concerned). Definitely needs vocals eventually, but the music kept me interested on its own as well. Really impressive RT debut.

Meghan O’Connell – Wake Up: Though she probably didn’t mention it, I think Meghan would prefer you to be on some sort of substance while listening to her track. A few weeks ago I found a self-hypnosis video on YouTube, and the opening spoken word section of her track is almost identical to the type of thing I was hearing on the video, especially that crazy delay. Definitely impressed by the music once it finally kicks in…I have a feeling it’s mostly loops but they were well chosen and great quality samples.

Logan Bradley – The Gnashing: When I use the word “genius” (and I don’t necessarily want to use it here), I’m specifically referring to people whose creative processes I absolutely cannot figure out or dissect when listening to their work. Logan is one of those kinds of people; I honestly can’t figure out how he makes music like this. It’s not just the riffs or vocals or rhythms, it’s the actual sound; Logan seems interested in creating a completely unique musical world, which fits very nicely with the concept and story behind “The Gnashing” (the sequel to RT4’s “Before There Wasn’t"). This is obviously not for mass audiences, but those of us with an appreciation for genre-bending metal will find plenty to explore in this record.

Osmin – Sosa: Really glad Oscar decided to embrace his weird side with this one. Though I only know him through Facebook, the guy has a killer taste in, and knowledge of, music of ALL kinds (Oscar, I pay close attention to anything you post). This album shows some huge progress on the recording side of things. Plus, real strings? Unheard of on weeklong albums. Some great electroacoustic weirdness on “Mafalda”…not sure if Oscar minds being compared to the Mars Volta, but there are a few similarities which seem hard to deny. “Cauliflower Ears” sticks out for me...no pun intended!

Eric Putnam – Retro: Eric is a former roommate of mine, and a heck of a bass player. I like “Retro” because I see a lot of potential. Eric is really developing a personal style, and I think this is a great jumping-off point, in terms of both the composition and recording side of things. I think this kind of music really needs high quality production to really come through…now that he’s had a chance to try out some new techniques, I think his stuff can really take off from here.

F.E.A.R. – Untitled: This is a project by Dennis Ohlson, who I chatted with briefly a few nights ago. This is good stuff. One thing I really noticed was how great the samples are here…not just high quality sounds, but sounds that fit really well together and create a very unique little world. It’s also a pretty big deal to make dark industrial music without sounding like some era of NIN, so extra points for that.

Dan Waldkirch – My Business: Terrible, inconsistent, pathetic album about a lonely nerd who can’t get a job or a girlfriend! The guitars are too scratchy, and the cymbals are too crashy! BOO!