Sienna Root - A New Day Dawning

The act of distillation is to extract the essence of something, condensing it down to its most pure state. When referring to whiskey, the distillation is done in a big pot and Scotch whiskey is distilled twice, producing an end result that is pure and smooth. The Irish go for three runs of distillation, creating something that achieves perfection.

When referring to riff-massive, huge '70's rock, the distillation is done by a band called Sienna Root, and the end result is some of the smoothest, purest, pure groove '70's rock you can imagine.

A New Day Dawning is Sienna Root's debut album from 2005, lovingly reissued by Rockadrome Records, and I'm going to dispel any suspense about this disc right away: this album will definitely be on my year end list for best release fo 2009. Yeah, I know, technically, it was originally releases in 2005. I don't care. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite albums I've heard all year and one every fan of big-groove retro-classic rock should own.

Sienna Root is a triple-distilled essence of huge 70's rock, passing Blind Faith, Cream, Deep Purple MKII, and a touch of the Allman Brothers through the distillation chambers, then combining the purest, most essential elements of those bands into one glorious concoction. And this mixing isn't done haphazardly, bringing in some expert musicianship, tasty wah'ed guitar solos, massive crunchy riffs, flaming hammond organ runs and vocals that more than remind me of the soulfullness of a peak-era Steve Winwood. We have a master's hand at work here, gently mixing, combining the elements. Each song is familiar in all the right ways, yet totally new and fresh, totally Sienna Root. It is everything you've ever loved about classic rock, distilled down to it's most essential essence and served up for you in a shimmering crytal glass. Smooth and pure and perfect.

"Coming Home," starts us off right out of the distillers still, immediately revealing all the tastes and textural pleasure that awaits us. Following a stuttering, accelerating drum intro, the mother of all '70's riffs is unleashed, massive guitar sound and bass plowing through the hammond organ washes. Oh, my God! Is that good! Just about as perfect and driving a riff as I've heard in eons. I defy you not to feel that groove, let it invade you, guide you, move you. Then, just as suddenly, the riff mutates and drops out, revealing the golden-throated vocals of Oskar Lundstrum. Like Winwood presiding over Blind Faith, his tone is stunning, his heartfelt soulfullness real. Listen as a stunning Clapton-esque guitar solo wails through the verse break. Marvel as the song works it's way back to that all essential groove. Cream is here. Blind Faith is here. And they work together perfectly. I'm gushing, I know, but fuck it. Prop me up in a corner and call me a school girl, this song moves me in all the ways classic rock is supposed to. And I'm still grooving.

"Just Another Day," bursts out next providing the perfect 1-2 punch to start the album. Blind Faith is still here but now it's brewed with serious dobs of classic MK II Deep Purple. Huge organ runs, searing guitar parts, impassioned vocals. Listen through the chorus, as the high-toned ghosting harmony vocal and the lead guitar mirror the lead vocals. Damn, that's good. So much emotion is revealed in that tiny passage, so much honesty. Young bands could study this song for years, discerning craft and intention. Big looping, Purple riffs drive the song forward to a gorgeously toned solo. Bass and drums never miss a step. This song rides, it grooves, it simply rocks with a triple-distilled perfection.

"Shine," another album standout keeps the Purple-vibe going strong, through a ballsy, blues-adled riff that picks up in intensity of the Allman Brothers as the song progresses. Again, you can't beat the southern soul in the vocals, adding that perfect pairing of honesty to the rock. This bluesy feeling is taken to a whole 'nother level with "Fever," a mid-temp pure out blues smoldering burner. A hint of Traffic peeks in through the middle-section keyboard solo, tripping over a slow and steady, bass-heavy groove. Then the guitar comes searing back, wailing like a man crying at at funeral. Beautiful, simply beautiful.

Then, lest you think the album is becoming a downer, "Above the Trees," rocks and grooves with a swaggering southern sidestep. Drums pound like an oncoming stampede while the band veers off into a gentle, swirling psychedelic excursion. Nothing too trippy here. Nothing inaccessible, just nice Cream-ified jamming.

I'm not going to dissect each track, but I'd be failing all waveriders if I didn't at least toss a mention to another one of the standout tracks on an album full of standouts. With it's huge keyboard-laden sound, and impeccably tight start-stop riffing, this song is one intensely groovy blast of '70's hazy smoke-obscurred sunshine. Like an onrush of Purple or maybe a touch of some of the finer Uriah Heap, it's another case where the end result is much greater than the sum of its parts.

I've listen to this disc non-stop at least eight times and I don't see myself stopping any time soon. Like the band's the boys used as building blocks for their music, their sound is timeless and classic. It's an album that only a hyped-up Ritalin-fixated, ADD child with the attention span of a gnat could get tired of. But if you're the type who like to dig into an album, I mean really dig into an album, with knife and fork at the ready, set to feast on all the flavors and textures laid out before you, A New Day Dawning will hold a reverred place in your collection.

Triple distilled indeed.

--Racer

www.myspace.com/sienaroot

Ripple News - Buffalo Is Gone - The Passing of Norton Buffalo

It was 1976 when the Steve Miller Band played the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on the Fly Like An Eagle tour. A thin-framed, long-haired apparition, with no discernible instrument, stepped to the forefront, pulled out a mouth harp and blew a hypnotic soulful rendition of "Mercury Blues." It wasn’t Steve Miller that hooked me on the Steve Miller Band – it was Norton Buffalo. Steve Miller called him his “Partner in Harmony.”

Buffalo’s talent was bigger than one band, even though he remained a Steve Miller Band member for 33 years. He was one of the foundations of rock, blues country, folk and Hawaiian harmonica – every bit as good as, and maybe even better than, Charlie Musselwhite and J. Geils Band’s Magic Dick. Norton Buffalo played on over 180 albums with such greats as Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins, The Doobie Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band, Johnny Cash, Kate Wolf, Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, David Grisman, Bob Welch, Juice Newton, Judy Collins, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Maria Muldaur, Elvin Bishop, his long time duet partner bluesman Roy Rogers and Hawaiian slack key guitar virtuoso George Kahumoku, Jr. At the very least you probably heard him blow on the Doobie Brothers Grammy award winning LP Minute By Minute or saw him act in Bette Midler’s thinly-veiled Janis Joplin biopic The Rose. The Grateful Dead also frequently played his song "There Ain’t No Bread In The Breadbox." His music and style defy genre classification.

In 1987, an up and coming harmonica player confronted Buffalo after a concert at Harrah’s in Reno as Buffalo was relaxing at a bar after the show. The young musician excitedly said, “Hey Norton, just about every harp lick I know I stole from you." Buffalo responded, "hey man, I tell ya what, I give my licks to you so you don't have to go around say'n you stole 'em from me." Then a smile came over Buffalo’s face and he followed that with, "but if you end up play'n them better than me, well then you stole 'em."

I met Norton four years ago during a free concert at the California Maritime Academy. He had just returned from a tour of China with blues guitarist Roy Rogers at the request of the Smithsonian as part of a cultural music exchange. Neither Roy nor Norton spoke Chinese and had to rely on their Chinese interpreter to advise their audiences of the names of the blues songs they played. According to Norton the interpreter asked for the name of the first tune they were going to play so she could announce it to the audience. Norton told her it was "Shake Your Moneymaker." The interpreter then went on stage and announced the song and was met with raucous boos. Apparently the interpreter had translated "Shake Your Moneymaker" as "Shake Your Capitalist Tool."

The essence of Norton Buffalo can be found in the 1991 Blind Pig Records release of Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo entitled R&B. It is just Rogers and Buffalo playing unadulterated acoustic rhythm and blues. The arrangements are sparse. You can hear the distilled musicianship of a harmonica great. It is smooth yet haunting, quiet and agitating. From the tongue in cheek lyrics of "That’s The Last Time" to the mournful sorrow of "Tender Heart" you realize there is a fire smoldering just below the surface. It is when the singing stops and Buffalo blows the harp, accompanied by Roy Rogers tasty blues guitar, that you understand this is not just music - it is the angst of Buffalo’s soul poured out in metered rhyme.

On October 30, 2009, at fifty-eight years old, Norton Buffalo died from a cancer that was first diagnosed in September 2009. A memorial tribute benefit concert will be on January 23, 2010 at the Fox Theater in Oakland starring the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers, with special guests Huey Lewis, George Thorogood, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt.

The following lyric appears in Norton Buffalo’s song "Long Hard Road":

Through all of my life
My fame and my riches
Something's been missing
That I could not find
But this here's a train
A train to glory
Soon I'm gonna have me
Have me peace of mind

Goodbye Mr. Buffalo. We will miss you. We hope you have found that peace of mind.

--Old School

John Frazier and the 8 Year Olds – Boogieman

Generally, I tend to like weird. By weird, I simply mean something that’s different than the status quo or something with a unique twist on the usual. That’s what weird is, right? Outlandish and bizarre is a whole separate category and I can get into that in later reviews. But for now, let’s discuss John Frazier and the 8 Year Olds. This band, for all intents and purposes, is weird . . . weird in that they approach their craft from a different place than you or I might do. Part rockabilly, part punk rock, part I don’t know what, Frazier leads his band of merry melody makers through fourteen tracks of exciting and instantly memorable music, fourteen tracks of music that will make you tap your toes and crack a smile. . . maybe even a chuckle a little. Boogieman is not only worth your time, but worth your hard earned dollars and cents.

Part of what makes Boogieman so compelling is that, on top of its inherent weirdness, it’s musically complex and thought provoking. Listen to the opening song, “Road Rage,” and hear how the distorted guitars play loose and wild over the bass line. Then you have the vocals, which come across more as a narrative than singing, before the haunting strains of a violin pierce the musical atmosphere. Ultimately, it’s the riff that kicks in around the 1:00 mark that makes me stop and nod my head in approval. The violins weave around the melody and lift the rest of the instruments above being cliché, almost giving the song a prog-rock vibe, and sounding almost schizophrenic in comparison to the opening of the song. By the time we get to the second verse, John Frazier’s vocals elevate from the more narrative and monotone approach to capture a bit a manic adventure and emotion. I can’t get enough of this song. The energy, the musicality, the raw emotion to the whole tune makes me reach to my music player of choice and hit replay. Damn awesome song!

Then, Frazier and company lead us in a completely different direction. “One Night” sounds like a combination of Roy Orbison and Cake. Clean guitar tones strum out the verse and Frazier’s voice has that haunting Orbison tone of loneliness and inner torture. Check out the guitar work throughout this track. The subtle strumming at the beginning, the virtuosic hammer-on’s, and then the way Frazier drives the pick through the strings. This song is a credit to the recording as much as it is the playing. The notes vibrate and shimmer across the musical landscape. On top of all of the musical intrigue, the lyrics are cool and instantly memorable due to the highly infectious melody. “One Night” is an interesting contrast to the next song, “Some Knew Truth’” which is a straight up, high energy, hard rockin’, quasi-punk-y piece. Filled with great guitar tones (I’m hearing an acoustic strumming in the background) and a locomotive beat, “Some Knew Truth” makes it three songs in a row that gets me right in solar plexus.

“Back Home” features that narrative-type vocal performance from Frazier once again, and damn it! I love the non-chalance of his vocal approach! The composition and arrangement of this song is so damn cool . . . violins are littered throughout the track, various guitar tones are employed to gain maximum affect, the rhythm section keeps the whole thing together through the odd breaks and time changes. And then, finger picked notes of an acoustic guitar of “The Same Shit” meander from the speakers. Accompanied by the strained notes of the violins, this song picks up tones of some bizarre alt-country vibe, but then, as seems to be the M.O. for John Frazier, the song goes in a different direction. The lyrics tell a great tale of a friend, who’s gender is cleverly masked apparently is really no real friend at all. The phrasing kills me! At the end of the second verse, after Frazier has recited the incredible journeys of said acquaintance across the U.S., he simply states, “I don’t believe it,” in such a tone that I can’t help but crack a smile and giggle a little. It’s perfect! So many times I’ve heard that same voice in my head after hearing the farflung tales of “friends!” Is John Frazier the voice of my own inner monologue? I can get behind that.

The band changes things up for “Life of the Party” as the female vocals of violinist Pinky Weitzman takes the lead role. The tune is more somber sounding as the vocals are of the more narrative style and almost sound like the singer is bored. But, that’s the great thing about this particular performance! It’s hard to tell if the narrator of this tale is being sarcastic about being the life of the party or simply is that tired of being that person. Again, it’s a cool song for no other reason that it makes one stop and question the singers intentions, and if music has the ability to make me care that much as to why this person is unhappy or bored or apathetic about their position at a social gathering, then the song has power.

Finally, for an upbeat, groovin’ tune, John Frazier delivers “Pushing the Fat.” I’ve listened to this song about a hundred times now and I still don’t have a clear understanding as to what the phrase “pushing the fat” really means, but one thing is clear. This song has movement. It’s got bounce. It pushes the fat. Driven by a great bass line and accented by Weitzman’s violin work, Frazier delivers a funky fresh tune that can only be about sex. This one hits on a primal level. The level that gets the bones clickity-clacking, the abdomen gyrating in one direction or another, y’know . . . it’s accessible enough to dance to, but dangerous enough that you wouldn’t want to bring it home to mother.

Boogieman is as addictive a listen as I’ve had all year. Even as I’ve had other discs lined up and ready for review, Boogieman has found its way back into my player for additional spins just for the fun of it. I’m certain that I wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I do, but that’s the funny thing about expectations. They’re meant to be surpassed. John Frazier and the 8 Year Olds have become my new go-to band to eradicate the doldrums of the day. Instantly catchy songs packed with an odd melodic sensibility, fun lyrics, upbeat and powerful music and instrumentation . . . the album has everything that I need to complete a good road trip or a simply jaunt to the corner market. Love ‘em, love ‘em, love ‘em! - Pope JTE

www.myspace.com/johnfrazierandthe8yearolds

www.john-frazier.com

A Sunday Conversation with My Sleeping Karma

Swirly, spacey, transcendent, and altogether a near-spiritual experience. Yes, I'm describing the first time I ever heard My Sleeping Karma's brand of pyschedelic stoner rock. Mesmerizing is another word that leaps to mind. Naturally, we were thrilled when the guys stopped by the Ripple office to chat, light some incense, and become one with everything Ripple.

When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. What have been your musical epiphany moments?


Well, we are four guys in the band and each one of us sure had his epiphanies when it comes to music. Funny thing is that we all grew up under the same influences. Back in the days, we put our ears mainly on metal and rock'n' roll bands like Maiden, Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, etc. Later, in the early 90s, we discovered a band called Kyuss that simply blew our minds off. 35007 was another great listening experience as well. Actually there are too many important bands out there to name them all. Our latest epiphany was probably the new Chris Cornell album. Quite revolutionary, in a disturbing way ;-)


Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

Funny that you speak of lyrics :-) We usually start jammin' from a riff or bassline. When it feels good we are trying to shape things up and structured them. Details and melodies are added in the last sequence of the songwriting process. So it's pretty much like everyone of us is working out his own part of a song. Luckily, we all know how it should sound like which makes a lot of things easier.


Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

Basically life. Nothing else that inspires you more with new ideas and people every day. Music as well, which sums up life in every particular. The ideas of Buddhism and Hinduism are important spiritual influences for us. It's like a place to sooth your soul. Last but not least our families and friends of course.


Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?

My Sleeping Karma combines aspects of chill and rock. It's psychedelic, organic music with a major focus on the groove and the melodies. Emotional, stirring, sedative and melancholic - the shape of aphasian landscapes in your ears.


What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

That is pretty much leading to the previous question. We'd like to give our audience a spiritual time using the devices we just specified before. Everyone should draw his own conclusion and find the spiritual message for himself in our music. That is all we intent to do and what is making us happy.


In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?

When your focus is mainly on instrumental music, you have to work out things differently as if you are using vocals. Structures and time changes for example are much more important. Of course you start with the basic idea, as we mentioned before, a riff, a bassline or a melody. Simplicity or complexity doesn't really matter in this context as long as it conduces to the music. To "karmarize" a song, we are playing a lot with dynamic devices to lead a song to a climax or to let it calm down again.



The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living? What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?

We don't really recognize something like the brutal side of the business. All of us Karma guys are 30+ of age and therefore we don't feel like being the next big thing. Due to the technological possibilities we are in a position to record and produce our very own music without any compromises. Apart from that, the whole stoner and psychedelic rock scene, which is quiet important for us, is still very familial. We've met so many good supporters of the years and that made a lot of things much more easy. These people and the fans that come to our shows are motivation enough to ride on.



Come on, share with us one of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?

We played at Swamp Room Mania in munich last september, a festival organized by Stefan Koglek of Colour Haze. We had a great time and got wasted after our gig. Suddenly two of us started to sing Manowar songs and we all sang along. It ended up on My Sleeping Karma performing "The Warrior's Prayer" (spoken word tale from the album Kings Of Metal) when Stefan entered the backstage room. He got highly irritated and the expression on his face was priceless! :-)


Your music is deeply spiritually based, rooted in Buddhism. How did this come about?

When you reach a certain age, you start reflecting your life and there are basic ideas in Buddhism that we feel very comfortable with. The spirituality and the way to comprehend life are fascinating. Though far from being real Buddhists, we are trying to follow that path.



What makes a great song?

That can be summed up to one expression: Emotion. If it's in the melody, the sound, the lyrics or whatever - everyone has to find out for himself.


Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

The first song we ever wrote was probably "Hymn72." It was originated when Seppi (guitar) and Matte (bass) started jammin' before we came together as a band. It was an uptempo song, but it obviously showed up the direction we wanted to go. When we started with My Sleeping Karma we discussed what to do with the song and everyone adds his ideas to it. The song title leads to Seppi's year of birth. That's the pretty unspectacular story of "Hymn72" ;-)



What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

You mean like a certain song? That's a tough question, because everyone of us probably has another favourite. We are especially proud of our second album Satya. We had more time to optimize the sound and melodies and feel like it is perfect to represent what My Sleeping Karma is all about.


Who today, writes great songs? Why?

Wow, there are a lot of really great bands out there. When you look at MySpace you feel like if the world consists of tons of good musicians only. Anyway, it's always the bands that start something of their own, adding new ideas to stamped out trails. There is this band from the united states with roots in England and iran - *shels. Those guys really impressed us by combining the brutal aspects of Isis with melancholic landscapes of the likes of Sigur Ros. Yet they pretty much have their own sound. *shels will release a new album soon and we can't wait for it. Check them out if you haven't!




Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Vinyl, because of the warm sound and the artwork. CD's and MP3's changed the whole industry, made it more easy for the regular fan to deal with music. But there is nothing like holding a vinyl in your hands. It has more of that artist aspect. It's like the difference between book and ebook. By the way, both of our albums are going to be released on vinyl this month.



At the Ripple, we travel a lot. When we come visit you, what's the best record store in your town?

That would be Echobeat, located in the center of our hometown Aschaffenburg.

Ripple News - The Ripple Effect to sponsor HYPNO5E headlining the METAL AS ART Tour w/ Revocation, The Binary Code

French experi-metalists HYPNO5E have just announced their headlining run through the US on the METAL AS ART Tour with Revocation of Relapse Records, and The Binary Code. The METAL AS ART Tour marks HYPNO5E’s second tour in the US, and expect the band to play a little bit of new material live this time around.

HYPNO5E’s Emmanuel Jessua (vocals, guitars) comments: “We are very excited to come back to the USA to tour with Revocation and The Binary Code. Our first tour in the USA was really amazing, and we can’t wait to tour again! Come and check us out in your city.”

The METAL AS ART Tour has a whole host of sponsors including The Ripple Effect. That's right, we're sponsoring our first tour!!!

Joining us in this mad metal endeveor are Ultimate-Guitar, MetalSucks.net, SMNnews, Metal Injection, Killer Tours, Metal Review, Team All About The Music, Tones Of Death, and Ed Stone Rockwear who’ll be giving away exclusive Metal As Art t-shirts to two lucky winners at each show.


HYPNO5E’s debut full length, Des Deux L’une Est L’aure, can be streamed in its entirety here.


Confirmed dates are as follows

1/6/10 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Knitting Factory

1/7/10 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock

1/8/10 – Buffalo, NY @ Broadway Joe’s

1/9/10 – Akron, OH @ Annabells Bar and Lounge

1/10/10 – Mt Clemens, MI @ The Hayloft

1/11/10 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (FREE show!!)

1/12/10 – St. Louis, MO @ Fubar w/ LYE BY MISTAKE

1/13/10 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge

1/14/10 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory

1/15/10 – Dallas, TX @ The Lounge on Elm

1/16/10 - TBA

1/17/10 – Austin, TX @ Red 7

1/18/10 – Amarillo, TX @ War Legion

1/19/10 – Gallup, NM @ Juggernaut

1/20/10 – TBA

1/21/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Ultraviolet

1/22/10 – Ramona, CA @ Ramona Mainstage

1/23/10 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Parish

1/24/10 - TBA

1/25/10 – Portland, OR @ Ash Street Saloon

1/26/10 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven

1/27/10 – Spokane, WA @ The Cretin Hop

1/28/10 – Boise, ID @ Gusto’s Bar

1/29/10 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Outer Rim

1/30/10 – Denver, CO @ Old Curtis Street Bar

1/31/10 – Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge

2/1/10 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews

2/2/10 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room

2/3/10 – Nashville, TN @ The Muse

2/4/10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Dirty Jacks

2/5/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Sidebar

2/6/10 – Trenton, NJ @ The Championship



Raving Reviews about HYPNO5E


The Ripple Effect -

“Experimentally proggy, technically over the head, and brutal all at the same time, these guys hear music in their own unique way and aren’t afraid to stretch their sound to distant and, as of yet, unimaginable dimensions... This is the type of album that will make you question all that you know, or think that you know, about music… ”


Metal Underground -

“From breakdowns behind classical female vocals to gut-wrenching screams and syncopation, the band covers more ground than Rambo ripping through a jungle… A surrealistic venture through several genres of haunting ass-kickings, because this is an album meant to frighten, impress, and envelope the listener.”


Rock Freaks -

“Sludge, death metal, electronica and dark ambiance meet under the umbrella of progressive rock to envelope the listener in an oppressive, obscure soundscape that juxtaposes the beautiful with the grotesque in a seldom-heard-before way.”

An Electrifying, Eclectic Edifice of Ebullient EP's

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth/ Mico de Noche - Split 10"

I don't care what you say, Tony Reed is the Stephen King of the music world. I don't know when that cat ever sleeps!

On top of his raving retro-seventies band Mos Generator, his much-more-than-a-side-project, blues-rock rave-up Stone Axe, Reed somehow managed to find the time to either engineer, mix and/or master each song on this bludgeoning 10" split vinyl ode to sludge and the mother riff.

But this isn't a review of that maniac Reed's work, it's a review of of the bands on this split and their assaulting homage to pummeling stoner-fied, doom-laden metal. Brothers of the Sonic Cloth start this beast off. And I do mean beast, smoke-billowing-from-nostrils, drool-dripping-from-bloody-doomy-tusks, beast. BOTSC are the resurrection of Tad Doyle, of the Seattle legends Tad, and let me tell you, things couldn't have gotten darker inside Doyle's musical brain. "Fires Burn Dim in the Shadows of the Mountain," is simply a YOB monster of a track, trudging down that mythical mountain in massive thudding footsteps of forest clearing doom and metal. The mayhem BOTSC create in the first few minutes is so violent it seems immoral. Crashing drums, like boulders falling from the cliffs, ride through gargled vocals and a bottom end so low they're having seizures in China. This would all be a bit deadening if it wasn't for the dynamite breakdown of scratching guitar midway that sends the song veering down a whole 'nother path. Still as heavy, texture layers through the drumming, the guitar lightens, adding tone to the riff. Headbanging is a must.

From there, the song is simply a trip. The bombast dropping away to a plodding bass line and drum interlude with a bluesy, near doom-jazz feel as the guitar slices in. Disembodied female vocals, trippy guitar lines, violins layering on atmosphere, lava floating in wildly distorted lamps. Like the squonk, a mytical creature that dissolves in it's own tears, the slow fade of an ending reflects how BOTSC are consumed by their own heaviness. Epic indeed.

Mico de Noche use their side to blast away any dust that may have gathered on your speakers in the time it took to flip the disc over. Already labeled one of the area's Top Ten Metal Bands by Seattle Weekly, Mico de Noche unleash an epic undertaking of thrash, doom and sludge the type of which can mar the minds of young children for life. Like taking a cannon blast to the chest, "Misanthrope," zeroes in on your nerve center with their pounding, blistering take on thrashy stoner fuzz. Impossibly heavy, with vocals that vaguely remind me of a zombie I saw last Halloween, singing between bites of human flesh. This is unrelenting, riff-massive rock and roll. Dig the acid-feedback guitar solo midway, nearly buried in the ongoing onslaught of the main riff, bass, and drum attack. "Ganges," plows a more traditional riff-angled sludge-and-groove structure but does nothing to sacrifice the heaviness. Tuneful, yet frighteningly violent, I swear I had this song in my head as the sound track to some nightmare I had one night. Add in some guitar work as thick as leftover syrup and we're talking as good and heavy as scuzz-bucket stoner metal gets.

Obviously, there's something demented in the water up Washington way. We can only hope and pray more bands take a drink from the cup.


Balance and Composure - Only Boundaries

Let's start this review off straight. I hate emo. Can't stand it. The constant whine of the snotty-nosed punks makes me want to reach for the closest AK-47 and start shooting randomly, preferably in the direction of any mopey teen-aged boy wearing eyeliner.

Ok, we got that out of the way. But what does that have to do with the current EP being reviewed, you may ask, or has Racer finally blown a head gasket and began rambling incoherently, soon to be needing a straight jacket and padded room where he can't hurt himself? Well, the answer to the second half of the question that might be true, but the answer to the first half is simple. Don't make the mistake I did and think Balance and Composure's deliberate new E.P. Only Boundaries, is an emo album.

It's not, it's really so much more.

Combining a post-hardcore crunch, a post-punk atmosphere, an indy rock sensibility, and, yes, a bit of the emo, nasal-tinged vocal, Balance and Composure step up to the plate with this 18-minute, four-song E.P., and knock this screaming baby out of the park. Discordant guitar chords, chugging riffs, and explosive, heart-on-the-sleeve vocals charge these songs through moments of near-cacophony alternating with moments of deeply introspective beauty. Somehow, nothing about about this is all supposed to work so well together, but it does. Toss in the fact that the band has an average age of only 19, yet still comes across this complex and confident in their craft, and we've got a band to watch for years to come.

"I Can't Do This Alone," stats off with a tribal rhythm a la Killing Joke, before the guitars squeal in amongst a sea of feedback and effect. Bass rumbles with deliberate intention. The vocals at first are a bit alarming, atonal and piercing, but as the ear settles, the whole thing begins to make sense. As the song picks up speed and frenzy, guitars chugging with velocity, the stark beauty in the song is never lost. Listen for the glorious harmony vocal in the chorus. It's so fucking subtle, but damn, it's good. After the chorus, the boys break it down with a passage of complex beauty before that voice rips it all apart in another moment of plaintive yearning. Really, nicely done, and a song that matures and grows with each listen.

"Only Boundaries," was the song on the E.P. that caught my attention immediately. But I'm like that. Anytime you toss a bass line at me that resonates and propels the song like a booster on a rocket, I'll be listening. Chiming guitar steams across the top leading to the dual gruff and cleaner vocal verse. Choppy and punchy, the choral break drives the song forward with powerful fury, before it all drops back out to that bass line. We're not talking Nirvana-raping, slow-fast-slow shit here, this is dynamic songwriting with an ear for textures and pacing, complexity and simplicity, all evident in one song.

I won't belabor going into the other two tracks, but know that this disc really surprised me. What I initially thought was going to be another torture of emo muck, turned out to be an engrossing, slightly unsettling ride down the post-hardcore railway. You may want to get a ticket for that train yourself.

--Racer