Art in the Age of Automation - Portico Quartet

Track list:

1. Endless
2. Objects to Place in a Tomb
3. Rushing
4. Art in the Age of Automation
5. S/20005S
6. A Luminous Beam
7. Beyond Dialogue
8. RGB
9. Current History
10. Mercury Eyes
11. Lines Glow

Running time: 50 minutes
Released: 2017

A new purchase now. I was idly casting an eye over what had come out recently when I spotted this I bought Portico Quartet's Mercury nominated debut, Knee Deep in the North Sea at the time of its nomination, thought it interesting but not outstanding and barely thought of it since. That was about 10 years back I think. I spotted this, recognised the name and then got surprised by the write up in a way that made me want to buy this. How good or bad was my decision? Time to find out.

The opening reminds me of LCD Soundsystem (I have that one album, y'know... Sound of Silver, but tired of it fast). That sense quickly dissipates though as the jazzier elements come in. The resonant sounds I remember from my other Portico album are here, but supported by a lusher construction. Layers of percussion, a solid wall of background swell and strings above. I'm quite taken with Endless as an opening track. Today was originally planned for gardening, but a wet week and uninspiring skies put paid to that early. I fill my afternoon with this instead, wimping out of biking in the cold. If the rest of the disc follows this lead, it will be a worthwhile choice.

There is a soundtrack-like quality to the early sounds... TV more than film perhaps, an instrumental where the top end could be suppressed to give a swirling background suitable for many a scene. It feels a tiny bit soulless, actually in places. Cold, lonely and distant despite that constant movement. Cold may be appropriate for grave goods though, so there is that. I am reminded a little of the Cinematic Orchestra, but without the genius use of space and emptiness to give tracks more warmth. As that track ends and we rush forwards to the next the repeated piano chords that gave me the LCD vibe are back, and left to go on longer. Too long, really.

The track gets better when that pattern is broken - or at least harnessed better, less obviously - but it is flat. Again it has the air of a soundtrack - music to accompany something else, not music to drag you in. A little over half way through there is a major shift in direction; I like that, and yet it does not really address my issues with the track. It remains at arms' length, nice enough background but no centre, no heart, no soul. The trumpet which provides the main narrative is decent, but it provides a melancholic lead not really supported by the fast tempo of the drums... and this sort of sad horn against a background of electronics is done better by others. I hope that there are tracks here which expose more warmth and draw. The first impression was bad, that was reformed quickly, but as it settles down into its stride, so far I am finding it a little empty.

The title track has more to it. Deeper, rounder sounds. And a less obvious percussion. They can do it, but it seems they don't always manage to.

I can't quite shake the feeling that I have heard this before... the best moments are reminiscent of the Cinematics, or Molvær, etc. It's a feeling that keeps me from really engaging with the album, even whilst quietly appreciating certain elements. The best tracks seem to be the ones where they employ the deep resonant tones... I can't for the life of me remember the name of the instrument, but I seem to recall that it was one of their gimmicks. This works well for me, perhaps because it harks back to their debut and matches expectation, but I think mostly because that timbre of sound appeals strongly on what is a very autumnal day. It is fair to say I am not relishing the onset of fall and winter, inevitable though they are, I prefer the lighter and warmer months.

There are moments here, though. For all that negativity above, I find the opening 90 seconds or so of RGB a joy. The track goes a little off the rails thereafter - a little bit flighty, all trills in the top end - but after a solid opening that had me nodding appreciably. This tune - those high notes aside - seems to fall just on the right side of background soundtrack vs. engagement. Those around it fall on the other side of that imaginary fence. Pleasant enough sounds but with a blandness to them. I am hearing nice rhythms, I rather like the background soundscapes but those things alone don't necessarily make something good to listen to. The main themes are just a little too absent, lines are there but end up subservient to structural elements rather than being supported by them.

One to go now and it opens brightly, its electronics painting a different, livelier tone. They are soon faded down - not out - and moved behind the percussion as the main element of the piece. The melody doesn't arrive for over a minute, and when it does the horn is a little lost in the forest of beats. Oh, you can hear it cleanly enough, but again it is not the star, not framed and promoted in the way that more practiced hands manage. That may be a deliberate choice on the part of the group (who am I to say?) but it does not really work for me. The rhythm dominates too much. It isn't that wonderful, but it is sharp and punches firmly through the other sounds.

Overall then... an album with a few high points, but primarily a sea of serviceable background tracks. It's a real shame that they don't manage to do just a little more, focus just a little bit differently on one or two of these tunes and they could become really nice pieces. My final impression though is of a largely empty shell or a house without furnishings. The structure was all in place, but the key elements that would make the house a home were absent.

All Hail West Texas (Remastered) - The Mountain Goats

Track List:

1. The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton
2. Fall Of The Star High School Running Back
3. Color In Your Cheeks
4. Jenny
5. Fault Lines
6. Balance
7. Pink And Blue
8. Riches And Wonders
9. The Mess Inside
10. Jeff Davis County Blues
11. Distant Stations
12. Blues In Dallas
13. Source Decay
14. Absolute Lithops Effect
15. Hardpan Song
16. Answering the Phone
17. Indonesia
18. Midland
19. Jenny (alt. take)
20. Tape Travel is Lonely
21. Waco

Running time: 61 minutes
Released: 2002

OK, we have an unexpected repeat now. I somehow missed that a remastered version of this favourite was available, complete with a bunch of bonus tracks and new liner notes by Mr Darnielle. I kinda had to pick it up once I saw it existed. I toyed with the idea of just listening to the new stuff, but... nah. I don't think I'll be able to make comparisons with the prior release because I'd have to listen to each track twice back to back. Just previewing it whilst ripping it sounds clearer in places but that could be kidology. 

This may have been available at the point when I bought All Hail West Texas for the first time; I don't really recall how long I have had, and loved, this material. Still, here I am, with something to listen to...

There is still a crackle at the opening of The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton, and Darnielle's voice sounds properly scratchy. Actually I catch myself thinking that the remaster may have more scratch and interference on it than the original issue. This feels rawer, fuzzier and harder to like, but I suspect a lot of that is rose tinting from the time since I last played the record. The fuzziness is unavoidable in a way that perhaps a flatter mastering tempered. What do I know? Nothing, that's what.

Colour In Your Cheeks is peppy, the riff is a little blurred by the recording but the punchy, separated blocks as it cycles through the keynotes are genius in terms of pacing and framing the track. On this track the vocal fares better - clearer for sure - and this carries over into Jenny, though the clarity here comes from proximity and volume, with the voice blocking out the general fuzz on the track. There is a really nice snap in the post-chorus guitar. Whilst the buzz on the line (as it were) is ever present, the vitality and essence of these songs is immense and immediate. I recently picked up the Goats' latest issue, Goths, and despite the more modern releases having more sophistication in terms of production the songs have but a little of the compel that I feel from these. Maybe that is the younger, angrier nature of things shining through and bringing energy, maybe it is that the creative well ran deeper, maybe I'm just so not a goth that an album of that name couldn't inspire... who knows.

Balance is a fucking awesome track. One of my all time faves. The guitar work guts me, the vocal punches the scar. It rips through me and leaves me happier for it.

Somehow that tune also seems to avoid the interference from the artefacts of recording, but I suspect that's my mind screening it out because of what the song does for me. In any case, I notice the buzz back hard on the follow up, which has a softer tone - what with dealing with new parenthood and all. At times it feels like the tape hum is being employed as a bassline, at others the frequency is subsumed by the lower thrum of Darnielle's guitar.

In truth I am not sure what the remastering adds (or removes) - no surprise there - but I am really looking forward to the new tracks. This is a first listen, albeit one where the first 66% is familiar. There is a nice clarity to the strumming on The Mess Inside, a rougher edge to the emotional, almost shouted vocal. The melody supports that emotion well, the lyrics demand it, and the track is powerful as a result.

Summer is gone; travel schedules have been messed up, it's raining heavily (or was until recently), and I've been feeling lonely of late. Making space for this listen is a good enforced stop and take stock. The songs on this disc are ones where paying some attention yields rewards, but they are also familiar friends by now. Walking the line between giving my ear, relaxing into the familiar structures, and actually commenting on things is a tricky one. I realise that I didn't really comment too much on things with the original listen - there is a bit more here already than on that post - but I don't necessarily feel a strong need to say much about these tunes. Yes, this album is a strong favourite, and one that I could evangelise about to someone I thought might appreciate it, but I have long since backed off from spreading the word into a soundless void, and on the off-chance any human being stumbles over this post then the only ones who read it will be familiar with the work anyway.

Ugh - that last sentence is my mind in a microcosm right now. Wrapped up in self admonishment and self pity. That's what I started the listening to push back against. Funny how bringing it up worked as a sort of focusing device, and not in a helpful way.

For what it's worth, I haven't really got any more fond of Blues in Dallas than I was originally.

The plus point of that observation is that we are almost onto the bonus tracks, the things I haven't heard yet. There is a little bit of trepidation there - I might be building them up too much, putting too much wait on their being contemporaries of the original set. They will be of interest, at least - even if they disappoint.

There is a lovely road trip image associated with Source Decay, partially from the lyrics, partially from memories of driving to it - even if that driving was on my regular commute. They are nice images, those memories - fields between villages, few cars on the road. They're probably not reflective of the actual journeys. I find myself drifting a little, then refocus my thoughts. I suspect that the remaster concentrated on cleaning up the guitar parts, because this is always pretty clear. The hums, thrums, and fuzzes from the recording are ever present, but they generally affect the voice more. In all - I don't find any significant differences in the fourteen original tracks.

There is some dead air before the bonuses begin - silence on the end of Absolute Lithops Effect. Then some oddities. Then Hardpan Song. First impressions are that it is sort of bland. Darnielle speaks his way through his lyrics as much as anything, and whilst there is clearly some urgency in the guitar work the riffs  don't have the immediate pull that they might have. That, though, is remedied on Answering the Phone - which harks strongly back to The Mess Inside, but veers into darker sounds rather than raw emotional ones, with lyrics to match. The sound here is raw, much more so than the previous tracks, but that doesn't seem to be universal to the bonuses as the next song doesn't have that same feel.

This track is busier, faster guitar work - fitting more notes in, rather than genuinely maintaining a faster pace. Its a nicer song for it. The strumming has a depth and melody to it that is often lacking on this album, and provides a welcome change. These bonuses are short numbers on the whole, racing by before I can really coalesce any worthwhile thoughts. I'll settle for a nod that they do, generally, fit with the tone of the core. That is helped, I guess, by one of the new ones being a re-recording of Jenny with a few variations in guitar and different pacing in the vocal in a couple of spots, but it definitely applied before that tune hit.

It still applies to Tape Travel is Lonely, though only just. There are definitely common elements here, but this song feels different in vocal style and lyrical focus. Less personal somehow - meaning less about people more than anything else; the track also ends abruptly, a little oddly. Then I am on the final stretch.

Last track Waco ends abruptly too, and the room falls silent. Run out of tape, John? Overall I am glad I bought this, and whilst I could probably cut the original album at this point I don't feel inclined to as having both gives more chance for those songs to come up! I might make a gift of the original hardcopy though, try to find someone to induct into the world of The Mountain Goats.

Collected - Massive Attack

Track list:

14. Live With Me

Running time: 5 minutes
Released: 2006

This is a singleton, because I bought this just for Live With Me, having all the other tracks from the compilation on their original discs. This one track made a huge impression on me when I first heard it, combining Massive Attack's core sound with the wonderful vocals of Terry Callier.

The strings have a mournfulness to them, and the beat is ominous. Callier's light but soulful voice offers a counterpart, but the lyrics are possessive, obsessive. It's a creepy track in a certain light - though probably meant from a protective, loving standpoint the atmosphere is darker than that.

I didn't but the single track back in 2006; I bought the whole 20+ track greatest hits for this one song; I scrubbed the rest from my library as duplicates long ago. I don't regret the purchase one bit. Callier's voice sets things off perfectly for me and I rather like the dark moodiness of it all despite the creepier interpretations. I do think it has dated some in the last decade, but it's still a darn fine tune.

Interlude: eagleowl and thoughts they inspired

Sometimes I have a strong need to share beauty. Most of those times I have no-one to share it with, not anyone likely to appreciate it, anyway. Right now I am sloughing away my evening listening to eagleowl and musing on:

1. I rather wish that they would release more (but I suspect this is unlikely)
2. They strike a chord with me so completely that it is hard to put into words
3. I wish that I could explore that with someone
4. If I could only save songs from one artist in my collection it would be these 22
5. Space and time to myself is great, but sometimes I'd like to have something else

I have been leaning toward elegiac sounds of late. Damien Rice the other night, Eagleowl tonight... strains of loss, of yearning for something other than what one has. How is it that I can find all this music that resonates with me, but not know anyone else who would appreciate it? 

This leads me to another, more depressing, thought. The death of my going to gigs. I have hardly been to anything for a long time... yearly trips to see Bellowhead and/or Spiers & Boden (and later this year Boden on his own, now they have split) but basically nothing else. It's a hole, a big one. Not only am I somewhere that sees little through traffic, but when I do hear about interesting events further away I have none to travel with. Gig-going alone is not so bad, but when you have the hassle of it not being nearby, the negatives are amplified.

To depress myself further, my tastes have been ossifying. I have hit that time in life, I guess when I am exposed to less new stuff and very rarely find new artists of interest. I am still acquiring a lot (more than I am posting of late, but that's not saying much) but it's all from artists and groups that I have followed for a time. That's not entirely true, on reflection. I have taken a couple of punts in "safe" genres where doing so nets you something vaguely reliable - like folk.

Anyhow, enough self-indulgent projecting for now. Time to wrap this up and get ready to wind down the weekend.

The Cold Vein - Cannibal Ox

Track list:

1. Iron Galaxy
2. Ox Out the Cage
3. Atom
4. A B-Boy’s Alpha
5. Raspberry Fields
6. Straight Off the D.I.C.
7. Vein
8. The F-Word
9. Stress Rap
10. Battle for Asgard
11. Real Earth
12. Ridiculoid
13. Painkillers
14. Pigeon
15. Scream Phoenix

Running time: 73 minutes
Released: 2001

Complete change of pace now. Hip-hop. I received this as a gift at some point and held onto it because I seem to recall it having a really distinct voice, and a powerful presence... one that made an impression. I listened to some hip-hop when I was younger, then drifted completely away from it as it slid into glorification of violence and toxic masculinity more than because the beat, voice and backing combinations no longer worked for me.

That first sentence belies good intentions to get some momentum behind these listens again, yet another couple of weeks have slid by since I managed to make the time. In truth time is not the problem, energy and the right mood is. I think I need to just fight through that though... hence doing this post now when I would rather be listening to elegiac dirges than punchy pointed verse.

There is a darkness, but a nice musicality with it, in the backing track to opener Iron Galaxy, an almost DJ Shadow-like pulse and groove to it. Getting it out there early - this format won't do this album justice because of the difficulty focusing on two sets of words at the same time, like keeping track of two conversations in a crowded bar. What strikes me though is the immediacy and accessibility of the composition as a whole. Whilst we go straight into the deep end of really heavy verse and it's all low, slow and threat, the tunes are completely supportive of that and yet at the same time interesting and approachable. There's no barrier to entry, no wall of crass commercialism to bounce off, no over-sexualised, women-as-property video image appearing in my head. The lyrics may contain these things somewhere, but it is not the fist impression or immediately obvious. This feels darker, more serious but, paradoxically, becomes more immediate, appreciable and enjoyable for that seriousness. It is hard core not lowest common denominator, but easier to get than the shallower trashy offerings of others.

There are some nice horns in the background, giving the sound of a more relaxed view of a city at night. The tension that of a pot boiler... a noir film. It fits - those same tensions are explored in the explicit lyrics. The delivery is interesting, but its the compositions that keep me hooked. Who says you can't rap over interesting music rather than transparent beats? Not these guys, for sure.

There is definitely a danger here... violence implicit and explicit throughout. Threats and nastiness. It jars a little but it doesn't come across as glamourised or trivial, not used idly. The tracks that make that the focus feel weaker somehow, but still not the turn off that I might have expected. Mostly this comes down to the fantastic arrangements, vital beats and tension-strewn top ends. Snappy electronica. I could almost see myself listening to this as an instrumental album in places. I think if the lyric was removed you might notice the empty spaces in there, but you might also end up with a smooth if grungy electronica; a little overlong, I suspect, but serviceable.

A couple of distractions pulled me out of the zone created by those grooves and I find myself on the outside bouncing off Vein. It just goes to show how fickle or fragile our relationship with music can be in the moment. I have been skipping past several tracks I love in recent days, searching for things more suited to mood. Yet if you give the tracks a chance to start they can suck you in... the ambience of The F-Word drag me back in forcefully, the backing here is amazing and synergises with the accents of the MCs in a perfect storm. I am less enamoured of the actual lyrics but the sounds - the sounds are great.

My mind has blanked. Words failing me. Thoughts not establishing themselves. 73 minutes of this is a lot of album, constantly switched on. I am, what... two thirds through now? No, less. I feel a little like I have been bludgeoned. The easy access I spoke about earlier? That seems to have shut down and we are into deeper, darker water now. There is less going on in the arrangements, more focus on really punchy, incessant rap. It's not fast per se, it doesn't stop to breathe - only giving space in the brief changes between tracks - and the voices are hard, edgy and grounded.

I find myself tuning in and out more, my ears pricking up for moments rather than tracks. The opening of Ridiculoid provides an interesting contrast to what came before it, but once the pattern for the number is set, the interest wanes a little and I let the (here genuinely quick) vocal delivery wash over me, my head a blur of... something? It's all too muddled to describe, so I blank it. I should note I don't count this against the quality of the offering. If anything the relentlessness that has forced that shut down is a mark in its favour. It doesn't pull punches, and I am starting to feel punch-drunk.

It is midday on a Sunday in early September, I've done nothing strenuous for 2 days and I feel beaten up.

Painkillers ends in an odd way. Beeps like a countdown timer, then an instrumental outro, long after the MCs have stopped. Its nice enough but it feels out of place on this album, a window and some space in what has been a very tight, full on experience. The opening to the following track, Pigeon, carries that sense to it too, and even after the vocal begins there is more air here. Apt. The voices have softened, the tone of the piece more optimistic, as characterised by some longer horn notes and the time between verses. Even my beat up ears are able to actually enjoy this. In places it is stripped right back - bass, drums and voice, in others you get the top end that gives that airiness and openness. I am not sure I would classify it as best in show, but Pigeon feels like exactly the right thing at the right time, an antidote of sorts to what came before. It kinda feels like it should be the closer, but there is one more to go.

Spacey.

What's that? Well, there is a Vangelis-like tinge to the electronic, space-like sounds that begin out final track (how's that for a random tag combo). That sense doesn't survive the opening of the lyric but it does fill me with a little mirth and give the track a lightness that means that whilst it is definitely tenser, more compact than Pigeon, it doesn't destroy that sense of openness created by its predecessor. I'm not so keen on the repetition of the track title, Scream Phoenix, in the vocal, and it feels like it should shut down after 3 minutes rather than run the extra 2 of instrumental that we have tacked on here.

Closing thoughts on this one are that it is probably the best hip-hop album I have ever heard, not that that is saying much. It is engaging, it is brutal, it is interesting. I prefer, though, to engage in smaller doses. An hour and 13 with no break is too much for me. I suspect the impact is lost a bit as a change up in a shuffle, but the impact here was too big to be truly enjoyable by the end.