Radiolab - Radiolab
Last Updated on Friday, 07 June 2013 20:29
Hailing from Frederick in Maryland, Radiolab are producing extraordinary and unconventional music that doesn’t easily fit into any well worn genre. Dane Di Pierro & Meghan Redding (the duo who comprise Radiolab) use film samples and dense layers of synths and guitar. In an attempt at describing the impossible they claim to (synthesise something original from the noise in our hearts and minds). I’m not sure about that but the second album called erm…Radiolab is the band’s latest offering and is now available on Aurovine.
‘Conspiracies’ the album’s opener has an almost ‘baggy’ Stone Roses sensibility underpinning a psychedelic vibe. The sampling provides an Orb or DJ Shadow pastiche but it is eminently danceable.
The songs are very much bass and percussion driven with a spacey atmospheric layer floating around. I love the DIY feel as though the genuine excitement of experimentation is delivered unashamedly. This is evident on ‘Quiet’and ‘The Objectivist’. I’m a big fan of gratuitous experimentation and Radiolab deliver in large handfuls.
The playing is sometimes intentionally loose and laid back but (and i stress) in a really good way - reminding one of early Guided By Voices and Galaxie 500 in some respects.
‘Thoughts’ conversely is a nicely constructed pop song. When i say pop song – what i mean is – a Sonic Youth like definition of pop song.
What quickly becomes apparent is that inspire of the experimentation and soundscape exploration there is an underlying sense of melody surfacing throughout the album – ‘Spider Kiss’ is a great example with a crazy but satisfying synth riff towards the end.
On ‘All Things’ another extremely cool bass line supports a more laid back and straightforward track whilst ‘Emotive’ is also a more straightforward acoustic ballad.
The album closes with ‘Existential’ – again a sample laden laid back opening. At around 5:30 the track returns to the experimentation of some of the earlier tracks and it is this direction that defines this band as one to watch.
Rating 4/5
Article by Ken Foster (Courtesy Aurovine.com)
Hibernal - The Machine
Written by Ken Foster
While Floyd's Welcome To The Machine parodied the music industry (when it was an industry), Hibernal look at the broader corporate world complete with extensive narration. With Progressive Rock & Post Rock being 2 of my personal addictions you'd have thought this album couldn't go wrong but fact is I hate narration. Ever since War Of The Worlds my finger has been hovering above the fast forward button to avoid narration on any album. Fact is i want to create my own mental images without the help of a Queens English trained voiceover professional.
OK, so putting the narration aside, what about the music? Maybe Mark Healy the solo composer and instrumentalist that is Hibernal, thought an instrumental album needed the diversion of spoken word but I'm not so sure. On 'An Open Door' the album starts to gain some traction before 'Home' continues with the irritating accompaniment. If you want the full background to the plot by all means trawl through the first 4 tracks, but if you are in a hurry (and want to avoid the 'Gattaca' meets 'Falling Down' scenario) skip straight to 'Losing Touch' the 5th track which has only a briefly interrupted 7:28 duration and finally starts to show some of the album's promise.
Half way through the album and I'm thinking this would work better as some kind of Audio-Visual project. Even a film.
Check out Losing Touch and The Coldness. If these tracks engage you, then by all means go for a start to finish experience. For me it doesn't quite work even though there are moments of beauty (particularly on 'The Coldness') and I am intrigued enough to keep tabs on Hibernal for the future.
Rating 3/5
El Doom & The Born Electric - Fire Don't Know
Written by Ken Foster
Kick Ass prog is the strapline and whilst a handle to grab, this isn't typical prog by any stretch. More like the bastard offspring of The Mars Volta and Nick Cave.
Don't be put off by the initial underwater echo effect vocals, as Fire Don't Know builds with twisted, complex guitar runs into a stunning crescendo of glorious noise. El Doom is the Norwegian artist/producer/ founding member of The Cumshots and Thulsa Doom.
Just a Facebook page with no website apparent. Influences cited as Rush, Thulsa Doom and Soundgarden this is a re-invention of prog that could see it entering the vocabulary and cease being the elephant in the room.
A second track It's Electric is also available and equally fresh. Check them out at the Facebook page.
Rating: 4/5
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