The Answer Is In The Beat

Staring Problem “Ghost” b/w “Lifelines” 7″ (Modern Tapes, 2016)

February 25, 2017 at 12:47 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This Chicago-based group were one of the biggest surprises for me at Barely Human Fest. I hadn’t heard of them at all, but they’ve been around for a while and have released a few tapes and 7″s already. Really hypnotic, dreamy post-punk which just hits the spot. This single came out a few months ago, and it’s two of their more uptempo tracks. Dark and driving but not super gloomy. Vocals are pretty distant and ghostly (fittingly enough), and the bass guitar is strong and upfront. Pretty straightforward but it does its thing really well. I think the B-side might be the winner here, but they’re both excellent. Listen/buy on Bandcamp.

Dregs One & Brycon: Invasion of the City Snatchers (Gurp City, 2016/Megakut Records, 2017)

February 25, 2017 at 12:32 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Powerful, highly focused album from a San Franciscan hip-hop duo. They waste no time on this brief, potent album; every song and interlude offers profound insight on inner city struggles, racist cops, and people from the outside who could do something to help, but don’t. It’s straight-to-the-point and truthful, but it’s not imposingly serious or angry, or pointing fingers. It’s still hopeful (especially on tracks like “Say a Prayer”) and they still seem intent on creating songs that are easy to vibe to. Musically, it stays true to the golden era — jazzy loops, breakbeats, smooth flows, sharp lyrics. It’s refreshingly gritty and unpolished rather than commercial-sounding or trendy. Near the end of the album is “A San Franciscan Eulogy”, an a capella freestyle poem performed live on the streets, backed only by turbulent wind and clanking bottles. Listen now on Bandcamp.

Caracoa: New Middle Passage CDr (Inam Records, 2017)

February 18, 2017 at 4:17 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This is the first release from Caracoa, and while not much info is provided, it’s on Inam Records, so it most certainly involves Ryan Huber. It continues with his recent style of droning loops and clicky techno beats, sometimes approximating a punchier yet lo-fi version of the early Kompakt sound. Tracks such as the title cut seem to have some sparks shooting out from their crunchy, stamping rhythms. The tracks don’t generally seem to progress too much, or too far. They establish a pattern, add minor variations, and abruptly end after a few minutes. “Purge the Common” is a little slower and heavier than the rest, and there’s a few lighter tracks like “The Devil Runs Toward” and “Usurious”. “Oars in the Water” seems to be a distant bongo loop, although it’s hard to tell if the beats are actually repeating themselves, maybe there’s minor edits/alterations or it’s not a loop at all, but actually being played live. Free download at Bandcamp.

Guru Guru Groove Band: The Birth of Krautrock 1969 (Purple Pyramid, 2016)

February 9, 2017 at 8:34 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This album contains previously unheard early recordings by the band that became Guru Guru, recorded in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The presence of the word “groove” might make you think this is going to be some sort of mellow hippie jam session thing, but it couldn’t be further from that. This is harsher, noisier, and more chaotic than any other Krautrock you’ve ever heard, very much paving the way for… well, a lot of things. Industrial, Japanese psych, the Boredoms, This Heat, you name it. Of all the well-known bands commonly associated with Krautrock, only Faust seemed to reach the same levels of madness as this album. Rusty saxophones, never-ending echo chambers, so many amps plugged in that they short circuit the rest of the block. At some points, they screw around with tape effects, making it feel even more discombobulated. 7 is a killer drum solo from Mani Neumeier. The final track is a long jam called “Space Ship Live” that sounds pretty bootleg-y, and it doesn’t get quite as off the ground as its title suggests. For the most part, though, this album is utterly mind-melting.