Review roundup

I've been writing a lot of reviews for other publications, and I have a few more coming out in the next few weeks. Metal Bandcamp published my review of what is probably my favorite release of the year so far, Oranssi Pazuzu's Värähtelijä.

Other Reviews
Metal Bandcamp: MAKE, In Pursuit.
About.com Heavy Metal: Black Cobra, Imperium Simulacra
About.com Heavy Metal: Conny Ochs, Future Fables

Review: Kadavar's "Berlin"

German retro-rockers Kadavar have always sounded like the band who got kicked out of the commune for being too bluesy (and maybe too good), got sucked into a psychedelic space warp, then plopped right back down in Berlin just as it became the coolest city in Europe. Unlike other bands that have adopted the retro-rock mantle, nothing about Kadavar ever feels contrived. Read the rest of the review at About.com Heavy Metal. 

Future Kings of Nowhere CD review

Thanks to Kim from 307 Knox Records for passing along this CD by Durham's Future Kings of Nowhere. Thanks also to Kim for putting the bug in my ear that they remind her of Billy Bragg. Musically, I didn't hear it at first, though listening to Billy in comparison gave me an "a ha" moment. More than anyone, though, FKON reminds me of The Jam, with "I Want You" reminding me subtly of "Town Called Malice."

Lyrically, Shayne O'Neill's clever way of dissecting relationships is up there with such Bragg classics as "Must I Paint You a Picture" and "The Marriage."

Sometimes, though, O'Neill can get a little carried away, such as on "10 Simple Murders," a cow-punk western so gory that I just can't listen to it. The song does, however, feature some nice saw playing by Catherine Edgerton, who, along with Kym Register, is also in Midtown Dickens. Any song with a saw is at least half OK.

Ex-Members reviewed in Pitchfork

Check it out.

Totally digging Filthybird

Never heard of Filthybird? Neither had I until a few days ago, even though both Grayson and Grady have given them props. That shows I need to start checking out something on the Web besides TMZ. Filthybird is a Greensboro woman-led quartet, with a new CD out on Durham's Red String Records, which has also released a CD by The Nein, among others.

I put on their latest CD, "Southern Skies" early this morning, and literally can't stop listening to it. Singer/keyboard player Renee Mendoza has a smoky-sweet voice and a passel of emotionally rich lyrics. Check out "The Gospel as Judas Told it to Me":
I was born to sing. It's all I know to do. It takws all I've got to do the things I know I should do. My mother was born to sing, and her mother too, but they lost their voices singing in a world that was cruel.

Mendoza's mother, it turns out, was a member of a Texas garage-rock band called Southern Skies, and the CD includes a song written by her -- "Sing." I didn't even have to look in the CD booklet to recognize former Geezer Lake trumpeter Chris Clodfelter on this song.

Filthybird has been compared to Cat Power, and that's not really a wrong comparison, but personally they remind me of two of my favorite female-led bands, lyrically, vocally and musically: Midnight Movies, because of the husky, breathy vocals and dark psychedelica; and Geraldine Fibbers for the lyrical trippiness and vocal androgyny. Seriously, I wasn't sure until looking at the credits if it was a man or woman singing.

Musically, it's a little jangly, a little swampy, a little psychedelic. Effects-laden and a little trippy. Good stuff, but the vocals are what makes it shine. "Fightsong" is the best song, though "Warm Womb", "Sing" and "Sunshine" give it a run for its money.

Check out the Pitchfork review of the new Rosebuds CD

They gave it a 7.7. Read it here.