sageturk
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rating 7.3
summary Drone-rockers newest album balances one with a tad too much of the other. Which is which depends on your taste.
This two person review is by Sage T. and Ethan E.
ST: Today we are pondering the inconsequence of choice in a chaos driven universe - oh and reviewing Kensington Heights by the Constantines.
EE: Wow man....you feeling ok? You seem a little....uh....fatalist today.
ST: Oh, it's nothing... I just got that new apple genius and it put up a playlist based off of this new Constantines album -
EE: Uh oh...i'm guessing alot of artists with "black" in their name -
ST: The Black Angels, Black Mountain, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.... the Black Crowes.... yeah, you could say that.
EE: What, no Black Keys, Black Eyes or Black Dice?
ST: No...but it did give me the Black Kids...that was weird.
EE: wow. agreed. So that's alot of blackness - this genre is called what? Black Rock?
ST: No, that's Lost. Probably Drone-Rock, althought some probably would see that as a negative - even though there's alot of truth to it. These are deep depressed sounding guys playing with the fuzz and feedback turned to 11, churning out rhythms that lumber on with the intensity and directness of a freight-train. This is drone in the best way possible...stomping into your brain on a level much more subliminal than simple hooks or pop-radio lyrics.
EE: Well, these are the guys who used to perform nothing but Neil Young covers under the band name Horsey Craze.
ST: haha...you're right. And yet, even though itunes gives me blackness, Kensington Heights isn't really depressing. Unlike Nick Cave (to whom they've been compared), the Constantines aren't morbid poets - their music just paints hard strokes over a soft canvas. Look at these lyrics from Hard Feelings
We've been told pleasure kills
But don't get nervous
You can tell
You can tell by the way we walk
We got hard feelings
You can tell by the way I talk
You can tell by the way we walk
We got hard feelings
(Some people's love is strong enough)
EE: Yeah, you wouldn't see Cave...well...caving like that. He'd stop at the hard feelings part and not allude to something as rosy as "love conquers all". So is that what you're saying...that the Constantines are somehow fake? Puttin' on a tough guy act...but really just chocolate under the hard candy shell? Hiding what softies they really are?
ST: Oh no...infact, i'd say if there's anything to be said it's that they don't hide it enough. Kensington Heights reveals a particular love of the ballad - and more than a few of them are a bit too sweet - like orange juice after the caustic toothbrushing of fiery rockers like "Trans Canada" and "Brother Run Them Down". Put most any one of the songs on this album in a playlist, and you've got a good listen....taken all together the gear shifts can be a bit jarring.
EE: I see it as a strength though. I've always felt what sets the Constantines apart from their Black-named brethern is their restraint. Sure, they can rattle a set of speakers with the best of them, but they know when to hold back, or when to tone down the gloom n' doom. It's like their song "New King" - totally minimal, organ, eventual drum beat, and Steve Lambke's voice (and some female backup) conjuring the spirit of Bob Dylan - or Jacob Dylan at least.
ST: And to me it seems a bit calculated...throw in some Conor Obert tremer in the voice, keep it "raw" and suddenly it's 'poignant'. It's not a bad song - it's actually pretty good on it's own, but it's nothing compared to the marrow deep passion when Lambke's belting it to the rockers so forward moving, so unstoppable, his voice seems like it's just trying to keep up.
EE: Well, though i'll disagree about New King....it's one of my favorites on the album, there are a few clunkers, especially in the second half...especially closers "Life or Death" and "Do What You Can Do". Instead of a bang they go out with a whimper and it's a shame...someone should have gotten these guys the memo that the album as a concept is dead - no reason to force 12 tracks onto something that only needs 10.
ST: And there are a solid 9 songs on here that give a much needed ass kicking to all the precocious indie-rockers trying to find new ways to add bleeps, bloops, and dance beats into their rock n' roll. So yeah, 9 outta 10 aint bad.... 9 out of 12 though... it isn't terrible... it's just not a slam dunk.
EE: So there's the album review...now what about the inconsequence of the universe or whatnot?
ST: Oh...were we gonna talk about that? I'm listening to New King again and thinking maybe the universe isn't that bad after all.....
EE: heh. i knew you'd snap out of it.
Rock Band Mog Request 2 - accepting requests till sept.31, 2009
Hey everyone...it's time for another ROCK BAND MOG REQUEST (cue wicked guitar solo a la' Wayne's World).
Incase you missed the first one, the point is that if you love Rock Band, you want more than anything to get your favorite songs in the game (and lesser known bands some deserving exposure). And with Mog's ever growing power of musical...ahem...persuasion, we can band together to make it happen.
However, we have to be smart about it - thus when posting comments follow these 3 simple rules:
A) You can only request 2 songs (this seems harsh, but one thing most Rock Band lovers fail to exhibit is restraint. So pick well!)
B) One of the two songs must be from an existing band in the game, the other can be a new band.
C) You must provide easy access to a preview of the song. This can be a youtube link, or a link to the song on your mog page, but we must be able to listen to it FOR FREE (no rhapsody links)
LAST REQUEST WINNERS
these two songs were the winners of the last request round and are being presented to Harmonix as we speak.
new band: I believe in a thing called love - the Darkness - incredible vocals, incredible guitar solos, incredible song
old band: Width of a Circle (santa monica '72 version) - David Bowie - and instrument orgy...pure heaven to play on everything.
Ok! Get commenting!!!!
notes: Remember, be smart with your requests. Songs missing clear vocals/bass/guitar/drums are less likely to be considered by Harmonix. Songs that contain offensive lyrics or subject matters also less likely to be considered. The less obscure a band, the less a chance to get it in (but still try ;) ) Sorry, but don't even request bands with shaky licensing track records (Beatles, Zepplin, Metallica). The winners are chosen by myself and an elite panel of top moggers. no purchase necessary.
rating 7.5
summaryLike Nick Cave mixed with Greg Dulli, raised on uncompromising doses of Christianity, Edwards music is a pregnant storm cloud full of apocolyptic doom.
"And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." - Matt. 24:2
Toward the end of what is essentially the title track "Not One Stone", Wovenhand lead singer David Eugene Edwards cries over a chugging cacophony as murky and vivid as Revelations itself - 'Not one stone upon another will stand..not one stone upon another will stand'. Sweat slicked and soaked with emotion, Edwards powerful prophesying leaves one shaken and terrified - we should not fear that there is no God...we should fear that there IS.
For those leery of "Christian Music", make no mistake - this is not the Christianity of feel-good emotional hospices with pithy names (The River, The Rock, Cross Your Heart - Hope to Live [this one is real, i've seen it]), this is the Christianity of Dante, of Puritanical Preachers whose hearts are so steeped in the fear of hellfire they practically breathe flame. These are the words of Apostles, sawn in half, crucified inversely, skinned alive, so terrible were their truths - so convincing were they of man's inescapable doom: to look upon the face of God and wither in His perfection. This is the music of Wovenhand, and Edwards understands what most religious acts do not - the brightest light can only be seen against the deepest black.
Once a side project of 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand has become the de facto band for Edwards, this brand of dark proselytizing his new-found life calling. Whether or not it's preachy has less to do with the message than the delivery (if you can pick up the lyrics through the haze, good for you), what's more important is that it's never fake. Too often religion is worn as a fad, paraded as a trend, and taught like a story. Edwards religion is in his bones and seeps from his skin. If it wasn't so frightening, it may actually make a convert or two.
However, there is one mis-step, and it's a doozy - track 7, "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" is a smaltzy, boozy love ballad that I can only hope is ironic. It's simply painful to listen too. Oh well. I guess even Edwards has to take a break from the bleakness every once and a while.
Ten Stones - the good news has never felt so bad.
Comments
You got me at "Nick Cave mixed with Greg Dulli" and then lost me at "uncompromising doses of Christianity" and then got me back at "this is the Christianity of Dante." Nicely written post and the track has me interested!
I wonder if a MOG post of Christian Music for those leery of Christian music isn't in order to smash some of those preconceptions.
Tjay,
I'm with ya %100 percent.... christian music, as a genre, is insufferable. However, there are a few bands out there like wovenhand that are obviously inspired or informed by christianity yet don't beat you over the head with it. Another one of the top of my head is the Castanets. You'd never know they were christian music unless someone, like me, mentioned it....then you listen again and go...oh, yeah...it all makes sense now.
Hmm...now i'm thinking it sounds like an interesting challenge.... you might just get that mog post you asked for...
stay tuned.
Well, and Low -- who are Mormon, and have Mormon imagery in their music, but have staved off Mormon labels for the most part.
And Surjan Stevens, who has LOTS of Christian stuff all over hi searly releases.
And the Danielson Famile, who are decidedly Christian.
And I'm a fan of all of the above.
Wow! It's like I'm a Christian all of a sudden... ;)
Comments
wow, this is like a dream come true post for me. Love the game and have always wanted to be able to have a chance to pick out a song or two to be in the game. I used to post songs on the Guitar Hero boards and was rather happy to see some of the music I suggested used in the game. Now that I have said too much, here are my two songs.
New Band -
NOFX - The Decline
One of the most epic punk songs of all time in my eyes. It clocks in at around 18:20 and has something for everyone when it comes to rock band. I thought playing this as a final song would be so cool, mostly because of how the song switches up tempo over and over. The youtube video is broken up into three parts, here they are.
as for an existing band, gotta go with the Strokes. I feel they have a sound that is great, and you can not help but air guitar when one of their songs come on. My pick would be Someday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8CqkUrKFDk
Thanks Rawk! tell your friends to post..the more worthy submissions we get the more likely we are to submit more than just two requests. Sweet submissions!
Radiohead Paranoid Android
and Weezer El Scorcho