Wilderness

This Baltimore band has taken me probably longer then any other to process. When I first heard their debut a few years back I immediately connected with their post-rock influenced sort of experimental/art rock sound, but then the vocals came in. James Johnson's sort of howling talk/singing is not pretty, and I hated it at first, but it can be if you let it, quite moving. There is a raw emotional intensity that exudes out of this group that not many can imitate. Their new album entitled "(k)no(w)here" was created as a companion piece to visual artist Charles Long's installation at this year's Whitney Biennial. I don't know who that is or what that means really, but I plan to find out. The album aside from being one long progression, where each song flows into the next, is basically more of the same. But when you already have a sonic styling that is so uniquely yours, consistently stretching the boundaries of music, why change it? They are truly a band you can't really describe, you just have to listen:


***another blogger pointed me to this video of the Charles Long installation, would have been a great show***

Saxon Shore

"The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore" was the title of the band's last post-rock opus, which definitely caught the attention of many sigur ros, mogwai lovers like myself. A little while back I was told by a friend to check out a new song that they had posted on their myspace page called "This Place". Apparently they are very close to releasing their new album which will be called "It Doesn't Matter" and if "This Place" is any indication its gonna be one to look out for. If for no other reason you should listen to "This Place" because it is first time Saxon Shore has added vocals to the mix, which are beautifully voiced by someone named Caroline (don't know her last name as of now). As far as I know this may be the only song on the album to include a singer, but I for one hope its not the last. Listen here

Frontier(s)

If you remember the band Elliot, then you remember the wonderfully complex 90's rock rhythms of their record "False Cathedrals", which for me is one of those timeless gems that I have listened to constantly, well after the band called it quits. The vocals, which are both harsh and hauntingly beautiful, were provided by Chris Higdon, the creative centerpiece for the group. Ever since they left the scene in the early 00's I've been secretly hoping they would resurface in one form or another, and I am excited to announce that Chris now has a new band called Frontier(s). The group is only in the beginning stages, but has some very nice demo tracks on the net. While the group seems to be more straight forward hard rock then Elliot, there are hints of the same genius, and that is more than enough for me. I couldn't find any music to embed, but here's their myspace.