Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

Well, its been a little while since I've written about anything, partly because I've been busy bits and also I couldn't really decide on what to write about. So, I thought I'd browse for something in my older archives, and came across this. And this is something I thought I couldn't really put into words without giving it a few spins once again.

You'd agree with me too if you listen to this amazingly mesmerizing, haunting, beautiful and.. "bottomless" record. Yeah, "bottomless". Its not the layered guitars, or the organic, thumping bass or the droning baritone spewing out cryptic passages or the steady drums behind that could be held accountable for this. Its all of them coming together to create something much more than just a simple song or an album. As if they've hidden their "message", if they have one, under so many delicate layers full of twists, turns and drops that after a while you just give up trying to "find" the message and are just happy to go along with what they take you through..

Alright, even after listening to this album so many times, I still can't put it into words! I might as well get on with the rest of this entry. Interpol is a post-punk revival band from New York, and this is their first album, released in 2002 and Paul Banks (Guitars, Vocals), Carlos D (Bass), Daniel Kessler (Guitars), and Sam Fogarino (Drums) are responsible for this. They've released 3 albums after this, and though all of them are really good, each in its own right, this is my favorite of them all, just for the fact that this was the first Interpol album I had heard and took me totally off guard.

In the simplest sense, Interpol write what seem to simple, somewhat catchy rock songs, with a hint of melancholic gloom covering everything. The guitars range from simplistic strum chords to tremolo picked fills. Both the guitarists work on and with each other. "Obstacle One" is a perfect example of this, showcasing the "efficient" manner the guitars go about their job. The drums do the job of setting up the tempo and the intent of the songs, sometimes just holding back ("NYC", "Stell was a diver and she was always down") and other times going strong in a straight forward way ("PDA", "Obstacle One"). One peculiar thing about the drums is that there is very little variation in them in each song. Everything else seems to move around the drums which "hold the fort" so as to speak. And the bass playing on the entire album is just fantastic. Its just so subtle and smooth, flowing and always moving around. Carlos Dengler is one of my favorite bassists and theres a lot to be learnt from him. :-P

The lyrics are just amazing. That is. if you listen to them very carefully, you'll notice that they are mostly gibberish with some intelligible phrases thrown in. But when you take a step back and listen to them along with the music and the emotions Paul Banks puts in along with his vocal delivery, you start to realize that they just might make some sense, albeit in whatever manner you see fit. And his voice is also something that is captivating in a gloomy, morose sort of way.

Well, thats the best I can do to describe this masterpiece of an album by a very awesome band. You have to listen to it now and take your shot at solving this cryptic crossword :-)

P.S. The bass on "The New" is simply awesome! :-)

Download it.

Myspace.

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Cryptomnesia - Primordial Oddity (2010)

Cryptomnesia

Pronunciation: krip-ˌtäm-ˈnē-zhə

Function: noun: the appearance in consciousness of memory images which are not recognized as such but which appear as original creations.

Now that I got that bit of confusion out of the way, my next pick of the many metal-based acts that I am going to be writing about, is the highly unique and diverse Progressive/Technical/Death/Instrumental/Epic band Cryptomnesia. Its not really a "band" as such, but just the project of one Jared Johnston, from Oregon, US. It may be a one-man project (for now), but believe me it sounds nothing like that!

The thing with most instrumental albums is that they have a certain theme and a feel they try to convey through the work in the album. Cryptomnesia's Primordial Oddity is no different, and it achieves this with utmost brilliance! The theme is essentially a Tolkienesque tale of an ancient race, depicting their rise and fall. Well, atleast thats what it feels like, with song titles like "Slaughtering The Innocent, They Ride", "Live Like A God, Die Like A God", "The Final Battle, The Machines Are Back", the whole album is almost like an opera, with the whole stage set up in your own mind.

If the above description confused you, its probably because its almost impossible to put it in words. The album just has to be heard, from start to finish, many times over, to understand and comprehend it properly and thoroughly. And the fact that it sounds brilliant makes you want to listen to it over and over anyway. There are many subtle elements in this epic piece of work that, it needs your complete, undivided attention to discover each one. Its (almost) like a good book or a movie that throws up something new every time you read/watch it.

Coming to the actual music, its a mixture of insane guitar work, thundering drums, rumbling bass, and an out-worldly synth section. I really don't know where to start. Jared is either an amazing musician and composer, or hes got a multiple personalities with each one doing its own thing in the album . No offense, but it just doesn't feel that this whole album could be the work of just one man. Each element, be it the guitars, or the drums, the bass, and the synth are so perfect, both musically and technically, that anyone would think there was a different guy behind each one. Yet, it comes together so well, with no single lapse in any of them.

Since I have to start somewhere, I might as well start off with the guitars. The guitar work is probably one of the best I've ever heard by far. The riffs are a mixture of fast faced tremolo picked sections, ultra-brutal and odd-timed breakdowns accomplished with amazing technicality. Add to that plenty of mind warping guitar solos, that are melodic and chaotic at the same time, and some amazingly beautiful clean sections thrown in. But probably, the best part about them is that they manage to sound epic, and stick to and convey that all important "theme" through out the entire album. In other words, theres no-nonsense about them. Coming to the bass, its another monster by itself. Deep, powerful and omni-present, it never takes away the attention from the guitars and drums while managing to be unique and standing out on its own. It has its own moments in tracks like "The Hammer Falls, Impending Doom" and "...For It Devours The Weak", where it goes off and carves its own "story" and comes back. And "absolutely insane" is the only words I have for the drums! I can't tell if they are programmed or actually played, but just the sheer technicality and the composition makes them unbelievably amazing. They are not present just for the sake of it but add their own bit to overall feel of the album.

If all that isn't enough, the synth and the orchestral arrangements interspersed throughout the album are another element that adds to the "epicness" of the album. Just listen to the opener, "The Grand Awakening", which is entirely devoid of guitars and drums. It sounds just like that, a grand awakening. The synth is just beautiful, at times intense, while also providing some "atmospheric" parts to the album. And also, worth noting is the great production on the entire album, handled by Jared himself again. Everything is heard crystal clear, and the guitar, bass and drum tones are exceptional and unique.

I could go on writing about this piece of art all day, but its an experience better understood by listening to it yourself. Mind you, its not your everyday "Operatic" or a "Melodic death" album you'd want to listen when you want to relax or have other things to do. If you ever have the patience, the time and the need to keep yourself engrossed with something vastly interesting and deep, I'd highly recommend this. Although it might take a little getting used to the whole pace and feel of it, stick with it and try to listen to the whole album at one go. I am sure its worth the time and attention it commands from you.

Myspace.

Download it.

And Jared himself has actually put up the album, in its entirety, for download, for free! :-) At this location. Ain't he just awesome.

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Second First Post

Heylo everyone,

Before I start writing about my next "finger-picked" band, I just thought I'd say a few words and also straighten things out a bit....nothing all that serious though. :-)

First of all, a big Thank You! to all who encouraged me and and left your comments and all. Thank You! and keep doing more of the same! :-)

And secondly I thought I'd elaborate a little more about what exactly I think is a... "great/very good" band in my books. These are just my opinions and are open to discussion via the comment box. :-P

Okay, the first thing you'd be noticing as more of my posts follow is that, I'll be focusing more on 3-piece, or 4-piece bands, and a little less on 5/or more member-ed bands, and probably nothing about whatever music that doesn't really come from a "real band". So, theres obviously gotta be people playing their own instruments and doing their own vocals and stuff like that. And, what basically I think is good musicianship, atleast in a band, is that each member is putting their heart into it, both instrument and composition wise.

Atleast, thats what I hope to write about - bands that'll keep the whole length/most of it, of their albums interesting, and not just lyrically or musically, but in every way they can. And thats not an easy thing to do at all! :-D

Alright, next post now!

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God Is An Astronaut - All is Violent, All is Bright (2005)

Okay, for my first entry, we have God Is An Astronaut (GIAA) from Ireland.

For those who are new to these guys, God is an Astronaut is a three piece band from Ireland. They play instrumental post-rock and "All is Violent, All is Bright" is their second full length album, released in 2005. What makes it so good? Read on...

First thing is the name itself, God is an Astronaut. Named after the ancient astronauts myths/legends, they are pretty thought provoking both in their musical direction and the titles of the "songs". GIAA is made up of Torsten Kinsella (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Niels Kinsella (bass, guitars, visuals) and Lloyd Hanney (drums, synthesiser). Yeah, the first two guys are siblings and don't be surprised by the "vocals" tag to Torsten Kinsella. If you watch any of their live videos, you'll find that the front man actually plays guitar, manages the keyboards and sings/hums the organ sounding stuff in most of the tracks. Pretty amazing if you ask me, because I always thought it was just a keyboard track until I saw their videos. The bassist and the drummer are just as good, if nothing else. And accompanying the tracks are awesome visuals that add to the entire experience.

This is first album I'd heard by them and was completely mesmerized by it. While their previous album and EP's were more inclined to an electronic sound, this album is mostly guitar/keyboard based. The instrumentation in this album is excellent and there are plenty of memorable moments. For instance, the opening guitar riff of the title track, All is Violent, All is Bright latches onto you in such a way that you'll be humming it for days after you've heard it. They create a dreamy, smooth flowing sound that just lifts your spirits up when you need it. There are also some some intense moments in the album, but they never go overboard with it, making sure the listener is captivated through out its entirety.

This album is perfect if you just want to relax after a long day, or in your car on a long drive. And being instrumental means that you can do other stuff like talking to people while this is playing. ;-P Download it or buy it from the GIAA website ASAP. Its totally worth it. Their other albums are worth checking out as well. And if you like, watch this video, it's one of the best I've seen!

Download it.

God is an Astronaut official website.

GIAA MySpace page.

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First Post

Hey all,

This is going to my blog about music that has inspired, influenced and motivated me to be a better musician in one way or another. I will be writing about a lot of bands with a variety of genres, but basically stuff that involves what I deem to be excellent/very good musicianship along with great/decent production values. And since I even play bass, you'll find that a lot of my picks will have some really nice bass in them too. :-)

While I will be reviewing or writing about the music, I will also offer the same for download, for free, through the very excellent file hosting service MediaFire, in a "*.rar" format . If you like what you are listening to, I 'd recommend you go to the artist's web-page and buy the music and support them. Primarily, my goal is to make good music reach everyone while also supporting the bands/artists that are making it.

I'll try keeping the uploads regular, atleast once a week. So, bookmark/follow my page to keep up with me. And of course, if you don't/do like what I am offering or if you have some general remarks or tips to give me, please do not hesitate to leave your comments where ever it says to leave your comments. 

Thanks for the read!