Saw The Runaways today. Fucking fantastic. Reminds me why Joan Jett has been my hero since my early teen years. I'll hold off on my excitement until our new Stereotoid Does Film feature debuts this weekend. Oh yeah, we're about to start tackling films that involve music, did we mention that?

This week is pretty awesome. We've got more Nirvana courtesy of Apathy, welcome RonBurgandy as he gives us his first review, Occams reviews some Kraftwerk, and Xzyliac gets to review Murnau, a band featuring a Destructoid member! Sweet!



What is music? Why does a song that can make one cry make another plug their ears in disgust? How can just a series of various sound frequencies make our deepest feelings, fears, joys, and rage burst forth from the bowels of our existence like an angel ascending to Heaven or a bat out of Hell?

Why do I love Battles so much?

Album: Mirrored
Artist: Battles
Label: Warp Records
Released: 2007
Genre: .........um........
Sounds Like: ................yeah...........

Though not their first release, and though not made up of newcomers (the drummer John Stanier played with Helmet, of Unsung fame), the talented and experienced group's first full length release Mirrored is a tour de force of innovation and pure musical expression. Improvisation is the key here, as no two performances are the same. Whether played live, in a video, or right off the album, you will never hear the same thing.



Atlas is arguably the breakout track of the album, since it was featured in LittleBigPlanet, as well as in many of its commercials. The song combines voice filters, odd lyrics (which I didn't even know existed until about two minutes ago), and experimental musical structure to create a track that defies description. When I first heard the song, I wasn't feeling it.

Then I listened to it again, still not much, but it was growing on me.

Then again, and I was hooked.

Battles is one of those bands that break down the walls of you subconscious and demand to be heard over and over again. You know what I mean.

But, I must warn you, Battles is not for everyone. There are no meaningful lyrics here, no booty shaking, no suggestive themes, no stupid or boring riffs. Mirrored reminds us what music is supposed to be about: not money, not fame, not women (or men), not popularity, not (always) sending a message. Music is one of the most pure and special ways mankind can express themselves. Battles didn't plan on this album to make it big. They wanted to have fun and play their instruments. They wanted to express themselves through the tools of their instruments and their minds, and their hearts. At no point does Mirrored seem superficial or non-unique. There's always another layer to the onion, another angle to approach the song from, another feeling to experience. Unlike most music releases, Mirrored in no way feels like it's trying to be anything other than what it is. That's because the group behind it is not like any other group. They are a modern jazz group, and this is their masterpiece.

For years, bands would slowly take over my mind, I'll be obsessed with them for a while, and then they would sit on the back burner for me. As long as Battles keeps coming out with unique and intriguing music, I'm not sure if I'll ever burn out on them.

Favorite tracks: Atlas, Race:In, Race:Out, Tonto.

-RonBurgandy2010


Album: Murnau
Artist: Murnau
Label: Self-released
Released: April 6, 2010
Genre: Metal
*Sub-genres Sludge metal, progressive metal
Sounds like: Pre-Black Sabbath Black Sabbath, if you’ve ever heard any of their early demo stuff, Murnau sounds a lot like that. Recorded live in one take with some effective results.

Today marks a really cool milestone over here at Stereotoid. Today marks the day we review a fellow Dtoiders band. Specifically Dtoider Alex Riggen or ygro wok, who recently started a metal band by the name of Murnau. Alongside drummer Nick Pompou and soundfx specialist Mat Endress Murnau plays an experimental metal where everything is done as raw as possible. Recorded live, in one take, in what I’m assuming is some kind of badass sex dungeon.

The first that will immediately hit you is this album is not pretty. It’s a very ugly album that doesn’t hold back. The guitar, the drums, the fx, all give off a sort of hollow, cold, feel. When Alex’ voice comes into play everything takes on a very interesting new dynamic. His voice is actually pretty good and almost contrasts the ugliness of the rest of the album. We can argue whether this helps or hurts the album but one thing it definitely does do is express an impressive range which can both jump out at you like in the second track Answers or can be playfully subtle in the back ground in the fifth track Shadow.

As for the composition it’s really hard to describe as it’s never really very consistent throughout the entire album. It ranges from extremely heavy with downtuned riffs and beating drums to eerily calm with haunting high pitched riffs and almost sci-fi horror type sound effects. Nobody holds back in this album that is for sure and Alex has procured a top notch band to follow up on his riffs. Nick Pompou’s drumming is thunderous and fluid constantly keeping the beat, staying relevant, and more over always adding something new to the mix. 12 minute epics like the first track Answers really do benefit from the fullness of Pompou’s drums. Meanwhile fellow bandmate Mat Endress handles one of the more experimental aspects of the album: the sound effects. I was curious, when Riggen contact me, how the effects would affect the “raw” sound Alex envisioned. Turns out it only helped the band as the effects really do add to the experience. I would liken them to that of Mastodon as being one of the more progressive aspects of the album and the part that really ties everything up. All this alongside Riggen’s riffs make Murnau a band to keep an eye on.

The lyrics I would also liken to Mastodon or Megasus. They are very dark and it’s clear the band likes to explore dark places. They’re well written but I would argue not essentially the primary focus of the album. That said if they were they could easily stand on their own two feet.

As a whole Murnau the album is a very positive starting point for the band. While I could detect some inconsistencies with the voice which starkly contrasted the album (sometimes positively, sometimes negatively), and while the experience is by no means for the thinly skinned, it feels like the band is at least 65% of the way there. The composition is brilliant, the rawness fits the band well, and overall this does not seem to me like a band that plans on going anywhere else but up and forward. And with an entire album for free I find it hard not to engage in the forming roots of what will hopefully become a fine addition to the metal community for years to come.


Personal favorite tracks: Shadows, Static, Answers [Why link individual tracks? Download the whole album for free here]

Summary for lazy people: A fine debut for Murnau. Some birth pains for sure but overall Murnau looks to be going places.

Xzyliac



Album: Bleach
Artist: Nirvana
Label: Sub Pop Records
Released: June 15, 1989
Genre: Grunge
Sub-genres Vague hints of Metal, Punk and straight-up Rock
Sounds like: The birth of a phenomenon.

Everyone knows who Nirvana is. Your mom, your sister, your sister's pop-obsessed Miley Cyrus worshipping friend, that poor girl's mom...they all know who Nirvana is. And who's surprised? The trio of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl pretty much took the world by storm once Nevermind hit in '91. But how many people know what they sounded like before that? Before Courtney Love, before the Gen-Xers, hell...before Dave Grohl? Allow me to take you back to a simpler time, when flannel wasn't exclusive to butch lesbians, when records could be recorded for $606.17 and become Platinum sellers, when hair metal was starting to lose it's grip on the world. The year is 1989. Welcome, to the world of grunge.

The album starts out simple enough with “Blew”, which on it's own is enough to throw any person who knows Nirvana for their radio presence alone for a loop. It's heavy, it's plodding, and, despite Kurt openly professing that he “Didn't give a flying fuck what the lyrics were about” on this album, still comes off as catchy in it's own quirky way. It also shows off Kurt's surprisingly versatile guitar skills, something most wouldn't know him for, but the solos on this album are remarkably well done for someone who himself has said can't play guitar worth a shit. Next up we have “Floyd The Barber”, another heavy, driving song that at times sounds more metal then grunge. We now come to “About A Girl”, which may possibly be the only well-known song on this album, if only for the acoustic Unplugged In New York version released near the apex of the band's popularity years ago. Personally though, I find the original to be a much better track overall. The song really benefits from the biting beauty that the acoustic version lacked and, once again, Kurt shines through with some unexpectedly well-placed, if slightly formulaic guitar work.
Around this time the album goes from being great to flat-out amazing in my eyes, as “School” begins to relentlessly beat your ass with possibly the heaviest hook ever to come out of Kurt's guitar and some powerful beats from both then-drummer Chad Channing and bassist Krist Novoselic. It would be my favorite song on this album if not for the next track, “Love Buzz”. A cover of a vaguely obscure Dutch rock band named Shocking Blue, this song instantly gets you with a catchy bass hook before some impressive noodling from Kurt (Why did he say he can't play a guitar again?) and one of the best vocal performances he's ever given. They easily take the song, make it their own, and turn it into something amazing. The next track, “Paper Cuts”, continues the slow, driving, heavy sound of Floyd The Barber while coming off as very Alice In Chains-ish at the same time. If I had to pick it'd be the only 'off' song on the album...it's just a little too slow for me. Luckily “Negative Creep” immediately wakes you back up with a ridiculously loud, fast, angry thrash-like romp of insanity. Crank this song up and see if you can keep still.

The next two tracks, “Scoff” and “Swap Meet”, go back to the plodding heavy approach for a bit before returning to speedy aggression with “Mr. Moustache”, a song that would honestly be more at home on a punk record then this one, but is still a good song all the same. “Sifting” comes next, which would be best described as the album's typical 'slow song', except replace the typical slow song lyrics of love and happiness with hatred and a chorus of “Don't have nothing for you”. “Big Cheese”, the next track, brings the tempo up while sounding like it could be an early Stone Temple Pilots single, only more angry...though that's definitely not a bad thing. Finally we have “Downer”, a song that is anything but. Clocking it at 1:43, it's a rather peculiar way to end an album- fast, ridiculous, and rambunctiously crazy. Think of it as a grunge impression of The Ramones, only on steroids. I might like this song a bit more if it was towards the middle of the album, but it's definitely not a bad track.
So, let's return to 2010 here. Yes, the album sounds nothing like the mainstream Nirvana that most people know and (arguably) love, but is that really a bad thing? Though Nevermind and In Utero may have proven to be the more popular albums of their three studio efforts, Bleach will always go down as my personal favorite. It's got bite, it's got style, it's got something that the other two, while still great albums in my eyes, just simply lack. From start to end the album impresses and manages to make you question what grunge really is, not to mention show off just how talented the band really was, even without the Chuck Norris-like musical Jack Of All Trades Dave Grohl. You like Nirvana? Listen to this album. You like grunge? Listen. To. This. Album. You like your music raw and intense? LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING ALBUM.

Personal favorite tracks: Love Buzz, School, Negative Creep, Blew

Summary for lazy people: The beginning of the biggest band in the early 90's is easily their most intense album, period. Pure grungey goodness from start to finish.

-vApathyv




Album: Computer World
Artist: Kraftwerk
Label: Kling Klang
Released: May 1981
Genre: Electronica
Sounds like: If Skynet wrote a concept album about living with people rather than killing them.

In its earliest incarnation circa 1970, Kraftwerk were a group of guys who experimented in sound and performance art using solely electronic instruments. Combining minimalist sounds, repetitive beats and stark lyrics, Kraftwerk created a sound that has been emulated countless times. It has provided influence during the development of hip hop and techno and has been cited directly by bands such as Joy Division and Depeche Mode. What started as performance art collaboration eventually evolved into one of the most influential musical forces of their generation and beyond.


Computer World examines the rise of computers in society. From the integration of technology on a global scale to finding love through and with technology, this album runs the gamut, both thematically and aurally. The opening track Computer World sets the tone for the rest of the album with a light, almost playful electronic beat pulsing on while the lyrics switch between a human voice singing the names of multiple police enforcement agencies across the globe and a speak and spell saying things like “business”, “numbers”, “money”, and “people”. The juxtaposition between the softness of a human voice and the stilted cadence of the electronic words sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is the first embrace of man and machine; the beginning of a symbiotic relationship that the rest of the album will explore. Also, Kraftwerk used a fucking Speak and Spell to create music and that is awesome.

The rest of the album takes the listener on a journey through the mind of Kraftwerk’s computer brain. Songs like Pocket Calculator and Numbers are fun and upbeat with Pocket Calculator having my favorite line of the entire album, ”I’m the operator with my pocket calculator.” It’s computer happiness; the sonic equivalent of binary code that makes you smile. The album comes together with the track Computer Love. It is a soft, beautiful love anthem from Kraftwerk to their silicon counterparts and stays in your head long after the album has ended. Kraftwerk’s legendary sound and creative genius shine on Computer World. If you are a fan of electronic music in any form, check out Kraftwerk and experience how it all began.

English Language Release
1. Computer World – 5:05
2. Pocket Calculator – 4:55
3. Numbers – 3:19
4. Computer World, Part 2 – 3:21
5. Computer Love – 7:15
6. Home Computer – 6:17
7. It's More Fun to Compute – 4:13

Summary: From the progenitors of electronic music comes an album that looks at how man and machine come together to build a better tomorrow.

Personal Favorite Tracks: Computer Love, Pocket Calculator, Home Computer

-Occams electric toothbrush



Album: The Hazards of Love
Artist: The Decemberists
Label: Capital Records; Rough Trade Records
Released: March 24, 2009
Genre: Indie
*Sub-genres Folk rock, synthfolk
Sounds like: If Tunng made a folk opera with some serious electric guitar

I’ve been wanting to review this album for a while now and with another week of awesomeless new releases it seems like as good a week as any. My history with this one goes back pretty far. Back to last February when The Decemberists performed what has remained my favorite song of their The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid. It’s a track that instantly hooked into me with it’s eclectic mix of folk and rock. The riffs were hard and the folk was fresh. Problem was I never caught the name of the song and I searched for quite some time until this past January when I had to scratch the itch and after wading through what I am sure was a hundred or so songs I finally found it and picked up the album instantly. I was not let down.

The first thing that hits you when you listen to The Hazards of Love is the feeling of the folk side of it. It has a very baroque feel to it but with modern twist like synth and young vocals that are probably the better of their modern day peers. Not whiny but certainly very 21st century-ish. The album, which is a rock opera by the way, has very distinct parts to it. In the first third it is very light and romantic, in the second-third it is heavy, chaotic, angry, dangerous, and climactic, and finally in the third it is somber and restful. The differences are striking but consistently amazing.

Which I guess is a nice little segue into the composition. It has a delicious slice of every piece of pie it advertises. Heavy electric guitars with fantastic riffs, soft and beautiful acoustic guitars, harps, drums, those funky red piano thingies, there’s a choir…you get. It’s an opera and any and every instrument needed is present and accounted for to really create a swirling sense of atmosphere. In short: the instruments are fuckin’ awesome. What I’m gonna go into detail about is the voices because there are a lot of them. Let’s see there’s that guy from My Morning Jacket (Jim James), that chick from Lavender Diamond (Becky Stark), that other chick from My Brightest Diamond (Shara Worden), a choir, and Decemberisits lead singer and all around sexy beast Colin Meloy. Together everyone becomes the cast of a truly magnificent performance with each voice adding to the collection of ranges and contrast that any opera is known for.

The lyrics are astounding and the story they tell is actually pretty damn good. We follow our protagonist, a shape-shifting forest wutchamacallit who falls in love with this chick and his mom is the queen of the forest and he kills his kids. It’s basically like The Little Mermaid (Disney’s) with a funky colonial America twist and a playful brutality. The lines that deliver this story are incredible. Here’s a piece from The Rake’s Song:

Charlotte I buried after feeding her foxglove
Dawn was easy: she was drowned in the bath
Isaiah fought but was easily bested
Burned his body for incurring my wrath

Or this from The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid:

How I made you
I wrought you, I pulled you
From war I labored you
From cancer I cradled you

Beyond being well written lyrics the delivery of these lyrics really do sell their emotion and power.

The Hazards of Love succeeds wholly both as an album and as a story and receives from me personally recommendation of the highest caliber. If you like good music, and you don’t have a bias against folk, and especially if you like musicals or operas, this is an album you’d have to be heartless to not enjoy.

Personal favorite tracks: The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid, The Rake’s Song, Isn’t It A Lovely Night

Summary for lazy people: Incredible. A shining example of the perfect album. Succeeds both in its music and it’s concept.

-Xzyliac

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Happy weekending everyone and keep a look out for our reviews of The Runaways this Sunday!