Unwound - Live Leaves (Album Review)

 

Unwound - Live Leaves

(2012)


My copy: 2022 ten year anniversary reissue on red autumn vinyl by Numero Group


I had the extremely fortunate experience of catching Unwound live in NYC for their 2023 tour. The years have not slowed Justin Trosper (vocals and guitar) and Sarah Lund (drums) down one bit, and they sound just as good now as some of the performances on this record. Original bassist and founding member Vern Rumsey sadly passed away in 2020, but if you are looking for a piece of Unwound’s live sound featuring all three original members then look no further than Live Leaves. 

Live albums are tricky for me, I had once heard a live Guerilla Toss album before hearing any of their recorded material and thought it was awful, but upon browsing their catalog and returning I was able to really get into the live versions. I imagine Live Leaves would have a similar effect on those who are not already fans of Unwound. That’s not to say that this album is bad - in fact many of the performances are amazing, faithful and shaken up just enough to justify a fan grabbing this record. The core issue is that when out and about, I’d nine times out of ten prefer to just listen to the studio versions of most of these songs. The recordings are taken from a slew of gigs on the band’s final (formerly) tour in 2001, the gatefold features a forward written by Justin Trosper in which he laments the cancellation of the international portion of the tour and how difficult it could be to recreate some of the songs live (it’s comforting knowing a band like Unwound are humans who have technical issues too).

I am a massive fan of Unwound’s final album: Leaves Turn Inside You, and as the name suggests, Lives Leaves mostly includes material from the aforementioned album. The nearly ten minute “Terminus” is painstakingly recreated to incredible results, as well as other fan favorites such as “Look a Ghost” and “October All Over” (an excited fan can be heard screaming “YES” as “October All Over” starts up). Unwound did pull out all the stops on this tour, with Justin occasionally playing sax (“NO TECH!”, “Valentine Card”), key and electronic performances by original drummer Brandt Sandeno and lead guitar work by David Scott Stone. 

The band also pulls out an eclectic mix of older tracks such as “Lifetime Achievement Award,” “Corpse Pose,” and “Arboretum,” the last of which shines the most for its spot on vocal performance. “Below the Salt” is one of the stars of this record, borrowing from slowcore and post-rock with a newly reimagined outro that builds in a similar fashion to “Terminus.” Unfortunately, the audience can be heard chatting through most of “Below the Salt” so if this bothers you, it may spoil the track. The addition of new electronic sounds and saxophone on “NO TECH!” and “Valentine Card” are hit or miss, they add an interesting new layer to these classic songs but in a way peel back some of the tense post-hardcore energy that the recorded versions have.

Overall Live Leaves is a wonderful treat for those of us that are already obsessed with Unwound, with a swath of new sounds to bathe in and samples that add new elements to songs you’ve likely heard many times before. If you are new to Unwound, I’d recommend at least checking out Leaves Turn Inside You before diving into this record. 

Copies of this are still readily available, and last I checked only go for 20 to 30 dollars on Discogs.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (Album Review)

Image
  Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (2023) My copy: 2023 limited press on orange transparent vinyl by Warp Records. Having built a strong reputation across a multitude of electronic projects, Daniel Lopatin now cashes in on his modern influence to compile what is likely his most ambitious project yet. Spanning over an hour, Again picks up where 2017’s Garden Of Delete left off, for better and for worse. Even with lush string arrangements and big-name features, Lopatin is unable to prevent Again from falling victim to some serious bloat. Anxiety immediately unravels in the orchestral “Elseware” though this introductory track quickly straightens out into a beguiling arrangement that is unlike any “typical” Oneohtrix track. The ritual “Again” then dives headfirst into Lopatin’s usual world of chittering robots and droning vocal mimicry. Things begin more explorative - descending into the depths of some synthesized hell before fading and restarting. Acoustic flourishes fester alongside...
Read more

Ovlov - Am (Album Review)

Image
  Ovlov - Am (2013) My copy: 2023 repress on purple/clear galaxy vinyl by Exploding In Sound Records Connecticut's Ovlov got their name by inverting the car brand “Volvo,” which immediately conveys the sort of nonchalant, heart-on-our-sleeve ethos that flows through their slacker (but not too slacker) style of indie shoegazing. Their full-length debut was happily snapped up by Jersey’s Exploding In Sound Records, which makes sense given the band’s proclivity for feedback squeals and heavy bass/guitar combos.  Out of the shoegaze resurgence of the 2010’s, Ovlov rejected the idea that their music had to be devoid of clear pop appeal, which is probably the reason for their most common comparison (to Dinosaur Jr.) along with frontman Steve Hartlett’s sedated, nasally croon that just barely crests over the waves of distortion. Ovlov also borrows the guitar hero sensibilities of J Mascis, though here on Am the solos are usually sloppy and crazed enough that they make for effecti...
Read more