Crossing Over: My Review of +++ (Crosses)

Chino Moreno & Shaun Lopez of +++

For clarity, I state up front that the name of this band is the cipher "+++", and you pronounce this as "Crosses".

A great part of my youth in the '80s was spent listening to metal bands like Slayer, Napalm Death, DRI, and others.  In the '90s, it seemed like metal was making an innovative comeback with bands like Korn.  In 1996, I remember sitting in my car in a parking lot in the tiny Arizona town of St. Johns with a Kelly Morales (now the bassist of Arizona metal band, Dead Light Shines).  Kelly was in high school and one of the only other people into obscure metal in this cow town.  In the tape deck was a mix tape sent to me by my brother Tony, another metalhead, living in Utah.  For the first time, we both listed to "Root" by The Deftones.  It blew me away - it's progressive changes from soft to raw, unlike any other thrash band I had heard up to this point.  The aspect that I liked the most was Chino Moreno's voice.  At one instant, his vocals sounding like he was gargling glass shards and bleach, and the next taking on a sultry, breathy "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" vibe.  It was different, but it fit.

Deftones remained a favorite of mine for many years afterwards.  In fact, "Change (In the House of Flies)" remains one of my favorite songs of all time, transcending the metal genre and veering into '80s-style gothic and shoegaze.

That is why I was so excited to learn of Chino's new project, along with longtime friend, Shaun Lopez - a project called cryptically +++, with an album with the same designation.  This would be a departure from Deftone's signature sound and a foray into ambient, trip hop, and witch house (one of my favorite new genres) with Chino's voice as the centerpiece.

I have to admit - the idea of this album is much better than the finished product.  Don't get me wrong.  There are many things that are really good about this album.  I wanted so bad for this album to grab me, to seize me and not let go.  But frankly, I can scarcely get through all fifteen songs in one sitting.

As with most ambient music, this album is better left playing in the background during, say, a dinner party, lightly decorating the background than actively sitting and listening to it.  There are some songs that have already found their way onto all of my mix playlists as of late - like "Bitches Brew" and "The Epilogue",  These are great songs.  The whole album feature's Chino's suave Marilyn Monroe voice, and the beats are hypnotic and mellow.  There are several other good songs like "This Is a Trick", "Trophy", "Nineteen Eighty Seven", and "Prurient".

But ultimately, it has been so long since my last review, because I was trying to give this album a fair chance.  And it was just hard to get through.  Best just download the tracks I mentioned above.

The Best Band in the World - Review of Silversun Pickups' "The Singles Collection"

Silversun Pickups

Is it really time for a greatest hits album??  It seems just like yesterday that I was reviewing Silversun Pickup's third album, "Neck of the Woods".  Do I really need to buy a greatest hits album when I own every album, every EP that this band has released.  Yes.  Yes, I do.  And why?

Because this band is the best band to come out in the last ten years.  No lie.  They are that good.

The pounding basslines of Nikki Monninger, the unrelenting drum beats of Chris Guanloa, all given texture by the eerie keyboards of Joe Lester, all cemented together by the flawless guitar-work of Brian Aubert, who sometimes sings softly in a strangely calming and lilting voice, and then sometimes reverts to screaming with rage.  The darlings of the shoegaze set, this music switches from ethereal and dreamlike in one instant to explosive and raw the next.  These are musician's musicians.  I have spent countless hours on YouTube, watching their live performances, amazed at how technically precise they are, whether in an arena before throngs of fans, or small intimate acoustic sets.  These are musicians who cherish their craft, and they are oh, so good at what they do.

"The Singles Collection" starts aptly with "Kissing Families", one of my favorite songs off of their first EP.  Driven by the rhythm guitar, this song has a haunting cello solo contrasted with the final verse being screamed in a way that would make Pixies' Black Francis proud.  This song was my ringback tone for a long time, at least a year.  The collection then switches to their hits from the first album - the ubiquitous "Lazy Eye", which was my first exposure to this group from California, and the catchy "Well Thought Out Twinkles".

With their second album, they started to find their ground, and the songs represented have the otherwordly, layered sound that they are known from - starting with the angry, plaintive "Panic Switch" to the jubilant "Substitution" to "The Royal We", which I think is one of the greatest pieces ever written.

The collection then bridges to the third album, which contains two of my favorite songs by this group.  "The Pit" with its groovy EDM beat.  The way Aubert combines his spooky guitar strumming in conjunction with Lester's keyboards is delicious.  The song ends on an emotional high with Aubert's expansive falsetto crashing above the other instruments.  "Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)" is probably, hands down, my favorite song by Silversun Pickups.  The lyrics are stark and relevant to my life.  I love how the bass drives us mercilessly though the verses, and how the chorus is pounding.  Then the song dissolves into a wash of shoegaze noise that would make the Cocteau Twins proud.

The only new song on this collection is "Cannibal".  The band continues with their heavy usage of electronica, like they did on their last album.  The beat hits us with one crash after another in accompaniment to distorted guitars, all falling into place and rising in crescendo to a fever pitch, creating a master pop song.

For those who have not been exposed to Silversun Pickups' music, this collection is a good place to start.  My only disappointment is that they included none of the songs from the "Seasick" EP, which in my opinion is some of their strongest work.  Still, this is a good place to start.

Mirror, Mirror, Lucius Is the Coolest One of All

Lucius

So this review follows my recent penchant for mid-'60s inspired pop music.  New York's Lucius follows in this vein, similar to other bands I have reviewed, like The Head & the Heart, except better.  Their debut, "Wildewoman", is a strong introduction into the music community.  Turn on your lava lamps and get your groove on, because this album will find an immovable niche in your brain.

Their ensemble is led by two female singer/ keyboardists - Jess Wolf and Holly Laessig.  The two create some deep vocal harmonies that are, again reminiscent of the '60s.  In their videos, they seem to cash in on this kitsch, wearing their hair and clothing like they did in that era, even dancing like they did then.  Does anyone remember The B-52s?  In the videos, there seems to be a common theme, that each singer is a reflection of the other.  Their resemblance is uncanny, but they way they mirror each other and compliment each other in the music works very well.

This record begins with the title track, "Wildewoman", that recounts the description of some fiery woman, sounding very much like it could be sung by The Everly Brothers.  The second track, the main single called "Turn It Around" sets its groove with some funky keyboards and a clapping rhythm.  Their voices shimmer like light on the water.

Some of the songs take on a bit of the swampy delta blues as in "Go Home" and "Nothing Ordinary".  Some songs are shimmering pop gems like "Hey, Doreen", "Until We Find Love", and "Don't Just Sit There".  Other songs are breathy and subdued, suggestive of Bon Iver or Iron & Wine, like "Monsters" and one of my favorites, "Two Of Us On the Run".  Perhaps the song that stands out the most of all and best reflects this particular set of musicians is "Tempest".  If anything, at least check this out.

I highly recommend Lucius.  If you are looking for something different, something out of the mainstream, then this is the band for you.  It would be better if you wore a beehive while gyrating to their sounds.

Sweet Distortion: Retro Review of "The Jesus & Mary Chain's "Psychocandy"

The Jesus & Mary Chain

After a year or two of moping to sad synthpop like Depeche Mode, in early 1986, I was ready to get back into rock.  I wasn't ready to foray back into metal; I wanted something different.  That's when I came across "Psychocandy" by The Jesus & Mary Chain.  This album was perfect for a kid who spent his lunch money buying used paisley shirts from the thrift shop.  The whole album had a '60s vibes, similar to The Shangri-Las or The Ronettes or any of the stuff Phil Spector was producing back then.  "Psychocandy" was a great album and became one of my favorites.  The vocals were soft and breathy.  The guitars were full of feedback and distortion, creating a foggy and dreamlike feel - dark, depressed, moody.  Perfect for a 16 year-old self-styled poet.

The Jesus & Mary Chain weren't necessarily the first.  There were bands like Felt who had a similar style.   But they certainly were the most influential.  There were many bands who came along who imitated their sound - The Primitives, The Stone Roses, and even Mazzy Star.  The Jesus & Mary Chain laid the whole foundation for the shoegaze scene that would start soon after, an influence that continues into our day.  They entered public consciousness again when their song "Just Like Honey" played during a pivotal scene in the film "Lost in Translation".

I had  not owned this album since back in the day, so I recently downloaded it.  Of course, the whole album is great.  But I seem to be a child that has been spoiled by digital quality.  The production value of the engineering is not so great, making it hard for me to listen to it at times.  Maybe this is petty, but there are some pretty great songs here, and I can't add them to any mixes I make because the recording level is incongruous with other songs I am listening to.  Perhaps this grittiness and messiness was always part of their appeal.  So the album has to stand on its own.

Like I said, there are many great songs here, one barrage of sweet distortion after another, from "The Living End" and "Taste the Floor" to "Never"Understand" and "You Trip Me Up".  Of course, most people remember "Just Like Honey", but my favorite song will be "The Hardest Walk".  It takes me back to my teen years.

There is a new album and a tour.  But honestly, I could not get into The Jesus & Mary Chain beyond their debut album.  It is nice, though, to know that they still blowing out speakers on a stage somewhere.