Blue Cadet-3: A Music Blog by Josh R.

  Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (2000) My copy: 2018 reissue by Constellation.  Appearing three years after their immersive debut, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven is veritably iconic amongst modern post-rock albums. The Canadian nine-piece expand and extrapolate on nearly every aspect of their prior two releases, and while their sophomore more-than-full-length release is immense in scope, it set a dangerous standard of complacency within its genre, spawning dozens of lazy clones (see Explosions In The Sky, etc.).  The record is made up of four longform pieces that are composed of several smaller movements. “Storm” is the first collection, starting quiet and out of focus with clean guitar and horns: quite the contrast to the gloomy drone that opens their debut. Everything moves slowly and carefully with purpose, rising steadily like a machine warming up as string arrangements and easy-going drums lumber abou...

  Tropical Fuck Storm - Braindrops (2019) My copy: 2019 press on neon magenta vinyl by Joyful Noise Recordings. Braindrops would be Gareth Liddiard’s second full length with new project Tropical Fuck Storm following his last release with The Drones in 2016. Preceded by the band’s debut only one year prior, Braindrops simultaneously tightens up the compositions while unleashing newfound destructive waves of noise across nine maze-like tracks.  The guitar is hazy and smoky, with vibrato adding uncertainty to each careful strum. “Paradise” stumbles about like a drunk trying not to make too much noise in the dark, with brushes contributing to the quiet rise and fall of the percussion. The bombast on this track mostly comes from the vocals: here Liddiard’s voice is backed by his wife Fiona Kitschin as well as guitarist Erica Dunn at times. The backing vocals often appear seemingly at random, sometimes fully filling out harmonies or simply doubling specific lines. “The Planet Of...

  Siskiyou - Not Somewhere (2019) My copy: 2019 press by Constellation. Siskiyou is the main creative outlet of singer-songwriter Colin Huebert, with a self-titled debut that appeared via Constellation in 2010. Nearly ten years later, Not Somewhere filters candid emotion, witty lyrics and occasional sound experiments through a down-to-Earth offshoot of indie-folk.  The album is mostly composed for nylon-string guitar, with smooth riffs opening the album on “Stop Trying.” Huebert’s voice here is subdued and cold, adding emotional elements as drums rise over subtle drones. The song fades away into a captivating ambient loop, which is cut from the more rambunctious reprisal that comes near the end of the record. “What Ifs” sways with a drunken swagger, but is turned serious by dissonant piano. The tone is akin to Sun Kil Moon though with a band leader who is less of a rambling dad and more a down-on-his-luck poet. Guitar arpeggios gently accompany the whispered vocals of “Tem...

  Swans - The Great Annihilator (1995) My copy: 2017 remastered reissue by Young God Records. Early 90s Swans releases often divide up their audience. Some enjoy the addition of more melody, wider arrangements of instruments and thicker production while others stand firmly by the aggressive, experimental side of the band’s work. The Great Annihilator is often overlooked entirely, as it came just one year before what is likely their most famous record. While The Great Annihilator does have some wild inconsistencies and flat production, the general goal seems to be to tighten the harshness of early Swans into a more digestible package.  The brief instrumental “In” showcases how wide and cavernous the sound of the record is: with howling ambiance and warm but flat bass. Bells clatter and voices chant before everything concedes to a sample of a child laughing. “I Am The Sun” is one of the more chaotic tracks, with abrupt announcements broken up by silent rests. Michael Gira’s ...

  Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000) My copy: 2010 special edition remaster by Epic and Legacy. Following the emotional zenith of The Lonesome Crowded West, Modest Mouse had finally secured themselves a major label contract. Their third (official) full-length would receive a massive boost in production value at the expense of some of Brock’s signature aggression.  Things are immediately dialed back with the twinkling clean guitar riffs on “3rd Planet” though there are occasionally powerful yelps and stilted, angry chords. The sound is dialed much further back on “Gravity Rides Everything,” where the cool and mature approach becomes a detriment. Apart from some reversed guitar lines and catchy vocal melodies, the track is mostly mundane. “Dark Center Of The Universe” pushes too far in the opposite direction, coming off as a hi-fi parody of earlier Modest Mouse: there are once again good vocal harmonies that attempt to save the song, but it is mostly a forgettab...

  Girl Band - The Talkies (2019) My copy: 2019 press by Rough Trade. Nearly five whole years since their full-length debut, Girl Band unleashed the apocalyptic symphony of The Talkies : an album made out of violent shouts, dissonant howling guitar and pounding low-end frequencies. As otherworldly and ambitious as this transmission is, a lot of its more colorful moments are undercut by nebulous production choices.  Deep breathing and low, looped synth radiate tension on “Prolix.” As the breathing becomes more and more labored, the seeds of dark themes are firmly planted. “Going Norway” affects the cymbals to sound closer to static while the vocals spout off with an angsty charisma.  The bass tones have been given the utmost care across the whole record, with thick syrupy walls of low-end carrying the mostly soupy mids and highs. What’s amazing is their ability to separate the sounds from the identity of the instruments: layers of shrieking noises could either be tremol...

  Mount Eerie - No Flashlight (2005) My copy: 2015 remastered reissue on white vinyl by P.W. Elverum & Sun, LTD. 2005 brought singer-songwriter Phil Elverum fully into his new world recording under the moniker Mount Eerie. No Flashlight was one of the first full-length releases under the Mount Eerie name, and strips Elverum’s sound back into careful vignettes of warm acoustic guitar with conceptual lyrics. No Flashlight seeks to emulate the feeling of being in the woods at night, from dark campfire songs to drone pieces with words that explore mysticism in nature.  “I Know No One” is immediately emotional, with muted hand percussion and deep drums ringing out in the background. The acoustic guitar is sparse as if it is carefully considering its movements. Accordion wheezes between vocals that sound as though they are on the verge of crying. The album is warm but moody, and often restrains itself from breaking out into an obvious melody. Unfortunately too many songs mea...

  Sonic Youth - EVOL (1986) My copy: 2015 remastered repress by Goofin’ Records. EVOL is the first album in a trio that is potentially one of the most famous runs in alternative music (it is followed by Sister in ‘87 then Daydream Nation in ‘88). Sonic Youth would begin to grip the proverbial handrails, toning down some of their harsher elements to focus on more engaging movements: these were still noisy songs rooted in industrial tribalism, though now with more pronounced melody and composition.  “Tom Violence” drops in with swaying crystalline guitars and a dangerous romance in the vocals that is only tethered by the bass and drums before eroding into noise guitar. The freshened production allows for more immersive cacophonies, from siren sounds to death-rattle moans. “Shadow Of A Doubt” is a shockingly tender mesh of harmonics, with drums that build and recede like the breath of an inexperienced lover. Kim Gordan whispers nervously; wrapping listeners in her anxious des...

  Modest Mouse - Everywhere And His Nasty Parlour Tricks (2001) My copy: 2015 reissue by Epic. Following the success of their first major label release, The Moon & Antarctica, Modest Mouse swiftly followed with an EP that collected scrapped songs as well as the Night On The Sun EP. Everywhere And His Nasty Parlour Tricks showcases a transitional phase in the career of Modest Mouse: some tracks are a success and some pale in the light of their earlier work. The record kicks off with guitar twang and soft, shimmering riffs highlighting the band’s mutation into a softer, more contemplative version of themselves. The focus is now on a wide array of production tricks and effects, which does create an interesting atmosphere now with Isaac Brock’s vocals relinquishing to falsetto harmonies and more resigned singing. There are now synth drones where raging distortion or crackling feedback normally would have gone. “Night On The Sun” dives more into the drunken side of alt-country w...

  Faust - Faust (1971) My copy: 1979 reissue on clear vinyl by Recommended Records.  While bands like CAN, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Amon Duul II, etc. all had a head start during the onset of kraut-rock in the late 60s, Faust’s first self-titled record rocketed the genre to its end-point in one fell swoop. Released in 1971, Faust is a transcendental barrage of otherworldly sounds, with powerful jam sessions sprinkled throughout.  “Why Don’t You Eat Carrots” ushers newcomers in with a low, curious drone before static noise launches the song into an abyss of panning radio transmissions. Bi-polar piano takes the reins, treading a thin line between dissonant and ecstatic before the track erupts into what could only be described as menacing festival music. The energy is that of twisted glee, as discordant notes, lethargic percussion and hazy horns maintain an alien atmosphere. A harpsichord furthers a medieval sense of malice. Things become psychedelic with echoed voice...