Israeli prog metal outfit Orphaned Land lose their touch on All is One

All is takes is a few good listens to All is One to realize this isn't the same old Orphaned Land we've grown to know and love. Part of the change is literal, following last year's departure of guitarist Matti Svatizky. But it's also clear the band have truncated their tunes, eschewing their typical long, winding, progressive song structures in favor of more condensed tunes that are much shorter on average. This can often be a winning approach if a band is able to cut out the fat and streamline their sound, but there is also the risk of losing what makes a band stand out. The songs on All is One may be shorter, but it hasn't helped their focus. And to make matters worse, these cuts lack punch.

The first two tracks on their previous album, The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR, showcased perfectly how to forge a short, hard hitting blast of heavy metal, and then transition it into a more extended, progressive piece full of atmosphere and great instrumentation. All is One, however, discards that sense of variety, and is instead clogged with sterile five to six minute tracks that start off strong but lose their moxie as they progress. And to make matters worse, the album presents one of the most half baked and cliched representations of the Middle East in possibly ever. The first half of the album is hilariously over-reliant on delivering a Middle Eastern/Egyptian sound, even in comparison with their earlier works.

It seems as if their goal is to make damn well sure you know they're from the Middle East. Album opener "All is One" leads in with overly dramatic choir vocals, setting up vocalist Kobi Fahrl to make reference to the blazing desert sands in the album's very first line. In most cases, allowing your environment to color your music can be a positive, but here it very quickly begins to sound artificial. The only saving grace is that guitarist Yossi Sassi Sa'aron can typically be depended on to deliver a dazzling solo whenever the music gets stale.

Musically, this album is probably the most accessible of Orphaned Land's career and seems focused on moving away from many of the band's traditional elements. This may disappoint metal purists, but it really isn't a bad thing. At least in the context of this album, it's not where the real problem lies. Many of the songs are bolstered by a prominent orchestral sound, along with plenty of acoustic folk elements. "Let the Truce Be Known" is accented by mellow flute and a martial drum line, while the acoustic stylings of warm hearted power ballad "Brother" sounds like the band's take on Opeth's "Harvest."

"Fail" is easily the most metal song on the disc, with Kobi Fahrl's deep death vocals. He pulls them off very well considering that he usually sticks to clean vocals, but the material itself is dripping in cheese. An overabundance of spoken word vocal sections lose their initial impact quickly, but at least the guitar parts are melodic enough to keep things interesting.

The latter half of the disc tends to falter somewhat. Instrumental "Freedom" starts off strong out of the gate but loses quickly loses steam. Its attempt to marry heavy metal guitar with Latin infused acoustic rhythms is a well conceived design, but the song suffers from lack of distinctive riffs outside of the opening. This is the general problem with many of the later songs on All is One. Many of them open with powerful, distinctive riffing but become more generic as it goes along. The gypsy beat of "Shama'im" can't save it from mediocrity, while "Ya Benye" suffers from awkward vocals and doesn't accomplish much of anything from the first note to the last.
All things considered, All is One is certainly a listenable record with a pleasing overall sound, but that should be a matter of course for a band as accomplished as Orphaned Land. The biggest sin still comes down to just how cheesy the entire affiar is. They miss a golden opportunity here. If, say, Orphaned Land were a metal band who just so happened to be from Israel, interpreting the contours of today's metal scene through the lenses of guys who grew up in one of the most volatile areas of the world it could be genius. And for the most part, that's what we got out of the early part of their career.  

Sahara fascinated with its dune blasted black metal, and for once gave us a black metal record that wasn't inspired by some permanently frozen forest in Finland or Norway. But on All is One, Orphaned Land push the Middle Eastern tropes to such an extent that it almost comes across as caricature; nearly every song on the record sounds like it could be on the soundtrack to a Mummy movie starring Bela Lugosi. The biggest shame of it all is that it obscures the fact that Fahrl rightly brings up some very pertinent and serious issues that have historically plagued his native Israel. And this is, in fact, the biggest failing of All is One; it takes a sound influenced by one of mankind's cradle of civilizations, and distills it down to little more than a gimmick.

Score: 71/100
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Related posts:

Orphaned Land - Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR album review
Orphaned Land live at The Masquerade, Atlanta
Interview with Orphaned Land guitarist Yossi Sassi Sa'aron

Totally Unauthorized 2013 4th Quarter Playlist: October - December

With the final installment of the quarterly playlist for 2013, the overall list for the year is now complete. And what a year it has been! 2013 has refused to go into the night quietly, pumping out amazing tracks even in the typical November-December dead period. This should give you a head start on stocking stuffer ideas for anyone interested in keeping up with the best of today's contemporary sounds. And to make the list complete, I have provided links to the first three sections of the list, covering the other parts of the year. Happy Holidays!

 

1ST QUARTER PLAYLIST: JANUARY - MARCH

2ND QUARTER PLAYLIST: APRIL - JUNE

3RD QUARTER PLAYLIST: JULY - SEPTEMBER

SLEIGH BELLS - SUGARCANE

Sleigh Bells may be best known for Derek Miller's headbanging guitar antics, but "Sugarcane" demonstrates Alexis Krauss's ability to headline a song on her own terms. Her breathy, airy voice leads the listener through an infectious melody, while the buzzsaw guitar riff lends an ample amount of energy. 

DANNY BROWN FEAT. PURITY RING - 25 BUCKS

The low, bassy, hip-hop styling of Purity Ring's production have always begged for the presence of a bonafide emcee, and Danny Brown is here to save the day. Corin Roddick's production provides a new perspective to Brown's bleak tales of street life, while Megan James delivers a smooth but dissonant hook.

VV BROWN - IGNEOUS

Janelle Monae released a popular album this year about an android. But VV Brown's latest sounds as though it actually could have been made by an android. "Igneous" packs a sneering, acidic edge and presents a bold, breathtaking representation of her mystical, whimsical, and highly conceptual space age pop music.

PUSHA T FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR - NOSETALGIA

If you haven't paid attention to rap for awhile, here are two vibrant names to look into. If you have, you can barely escape mention of them. Pusha's flow is laid back but clearly focused as he delivers an intimidating verse. Not to be outdone, Kendrick rips into a tale of how he rose from the streets to find his own success.

PEARL JAM - GETAWAY

Crunching, guitar driven rockers are Pearl Jam's bread and butter, and the opening track from their 10th album, Lightning Bolt, is one of their best in years. Jeff Ament's grooving bass, Eddie Vedder's questioning of the accepted order, and a litany of solos firing off here and there create a tasty rock and roll confection.

PELICAN - DENY THE ABSOLUTE

Although it gets off to a rollicking start, Pelican's vision unfolds slowly but deliberately. Once their full vision of ravaging instrumental metal is laid out, however, you will come to appreciate the boundless sense of direction with which this band operates. That the song has such a badass title is just more points in its favor.

PAUL MCCARTNEY - NEW

Everything about this song is Paul McCartney doing what he does best. It's very simple and straightforward pop/rock with crunching guitars, great harmonies, and a boundless sense of optimism, but what seals the deal on "New" is McCartney's undeniable sense of charm and charisma.

 

ARCADE FIRE - REFLEKTOR

Everything about this song delivers chills. It builds as it goes, contrasting Win Butler's airy vocals with Regine Chassigne's French language verse, before adding in some dramatic guitar work and piano that will make the hairs on your arms stand up. Butler's desperate pleas near the track's close could not be more perfect.

M.I.A. - BAD GIRLS

It may be unfair including this song on the list, as it was first released in early 2012. Yet "Bad Girls" is easily the most infectious cut from her newly released Matangi album. She stays true to her world music influences, but the main meat of the song is carried by a series of catchy hooks soaked in her irresistible accent.

CUT COPY - TAKE ME HIGHER

When you hit play on a Cut Copy album, you can always be sure a good time is about to ensue. The Australian dance outfit keeps things festive on "Take Me Higher," the third single from their third album "Free Your Mind," but the dazzling outro to this song ranks as one of 2013's most dancable moments.

CHILDISH GAMBINO FEAT. JHENE AIKO - PINK TOES

Donald Glover may be searching for his identity as a rapper, but he has great production to help him find his way. This song is very flowery; it feels like sitting in a garden orchard somewhere. It's the musical equivalent of drinking raspberry lemonade. Aiko's vocals, meanwhile, are pristine, calming, and totally groovy.

BURIAL - COME DOWN TO US

The work of Will Bevan has always been dense, wandering, and haunting, but "Come Down to Us," from his Rival Dealer EP, shows something more. It sounds at times mythical and Eastern, and at other times uncharacteristically warm for his standards. It ends with Bevan's thought provoking anti-bullying plea. 

Whiskey Gentry and Animal Collective = scatterbrained weekend

I saw two shows last weekend, which leaves me in a bind. Which one do I cover for my monthly concert review? Why not both? Let's start with The Whiskey Gentry, who rocked Atlanta's Variety Playhouse Saturday night. There was a strong Christmas theme, due in part to the fact that this show was their 5th annual Merry Y'all Tide Celebration, which apparently they do in their hometown of Atlanta every year in December.

Blair Crimmins and Michael Smith find themselves in the holiday spirit.

Their basic sound is that of country mixed with folk, but what caught my attention with this band is they mix in gypsy/punk influences into the music. It's not exactly woven into the actual sound, but their demeanor on stage and the way they interact with one another has an almost punk mentality to it. And they're all practically virtuoso level on their instruments. There was a violinist, a mandolin player, a guy who played a banjo-tar, and they would all go nuts on their instruments cranking out crazy solo after crazy solo. There's a southern vibe to it to be sure, but it's almost as if New York or Boston was trying to emulate a Southern hoe-down.

Whiskey Gentry singer Lauren Staley rips it up.

It was also cool that they alternated singers. Lead singer Lauren Staley is a typical country/western girl, who
did have a great voice, but they let the violinist sing for one song and he impressed with his great, smooth tenor. They also had a big, unshaven guitarist who looked like he could have been from the Dropkick Murphys, who sang a song about New York in a rough bristling voice. The diversity of this band was incredible. Of course they did have their winey country tinged songs. There was song about getting drunk and making out with strangers, which was supposed to be a tribute to one of the singer's friends, and there was also this smartass song she wrote in response to one of her bandmembers who said she hadn't been writing enough songs.

But there was also the fact that this was apparently some sort of jubilee, and as such the band had several guests, all from other Atlanta area bands, that came out with them onstage periodically. There was a guy that looked like John Lennon who came out and sang a Christmas Carol with Staley, there was a lady who came out and did backup vocals on one song, and even a guy who came out and started playing crazy harmonica. During the encore, everyone came out on the stage, including Blair Crimmins, the opening act, along with his entire horn section. All told there were 15 people on stage at once all going nuts and singing, while confetti was raining down all over the stage. I'm not even from this town, and I was still feeling the vibes.


Animal Collective, on the other hand, was a completely different experience, for more reasons than the obvious. To be honest I was not really into this show. A few songs I liked, but as a whole I don't feel much of a connection with most of the material they have been playing on this tour. The setlist, which is dominated by their latest album, Centipede Hz, and tunes from a few obscure EPs, don't show off the band at their best. It's too noodly, too trippy, and spends too much time floating and wandering around without making much of an indelible impact. Opening with "Applesauce" was cool, but other cuts like "I Think I Can" and "Pulleys" just float around with too much abstract silliness and ambiance, that sound like it would be suited to sync up perfectly with an acid trip, but not everyone is into that.

Deakin of Animal Collective sets a dreary mood.

With their fanbase expanding, Animal Collective seems hard pressed to hold on to their status as the leading drug band which is what they seem to be trying to do. Merriweather Post Pavillion and Strawberry Jam are filled with great, challenging material that shows off various different components to the band than what they've played live recently, but judging by their setlists it's like they're trying to do as much as they can to disown those albums. It's like they're trying to maintain their indie/hipster cred by downplaying the fact they now have a successful/more accessible record and are trying to act like it doesn't exist. I respect they aren't selling out but it feels like they're going a bit far.

Certain songs did sound a bit different, which is a nice change. I didn't even really recognize "Lion in a Coma" until one of my friends pointed it out after the show. I did notice the song's trademark bouncing didgeridoos but wasn't sure if they were just trying to work those into the mix for some other song. The middle section of "Brother Sport" was also quite different from the recording, which was cool. I also appreciated "Amanita." The closing refrain of "I'm going to come back and things will be different/I'm going to bring back some stories and games" captures the childlike wonder that the band so masterfully captured during their early career. 
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Related post:

Animal Collective - Centipede Hz review

Laura Marling's dazzling guitar work and personality delights Nashville

British folk singer Laura Marling is only 23, but already has four albums to her name and is threatening to shake up the modern folk scene. She was kind enough to treat Nashville to a taste of her talents at a Nov. 11 show at Marathon Music Works. It was eminently obvious that she was well practiced on guitar, showing off dizzying picking patterns that gave her sound a unique timbre. She would stop fairly frequently to tune and retune the guitars. This would cut into the flow of the show somewhat, but she had a knack for covering it up with wonderful self deprecating humor. She commented on how each guitar has its own personality, and said the guitars she was working with had the personality of toddlers.

Her latest album, Once I Was an Eagle, opens with a stunning five song suite that all runs together, and she opened her show with this same five song run. It ended in jaw dropping fashion with "Master Hunter," an assertive and defiant tune that is unquestionably one of the best of the year. In contrast, "Alas I Cannot Swim" was delivered with a sense of cute, childlike wonder but also speaks to very adult themes that many can relate to.

Near the set's close, she preformed a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "For the Sake of the Song," which was humorously cut off by the blowing of train whistle coming down the track outside. Startled, Marling stopped right where she was and then stitched in a quick impromptu ending once she resumed. It was a cute moment which communicated that she's not some superstar or diva; at the end of the day she's probably not all that different from you or I other than the fact that she's crazy talented. It made her feel warm, and even more relatable. 

Laura Marling hand crafts every moment to make sure everything  is just right.

The Knife's Shaking the Habitual is an intimidating but rewarding listen

It's hard to decide which is more en vogue in 2013 -  electronic duos releasing comeback albums, or electronic duos releasing albums somewhere around two hours in length. The Knife decided to do both. Shaking the Habitual is their first proper album in seven years, and is part the year's theme on comeback records -- fellow electronic duos Boards of Canada and Daft Punk released long awaited followups this summer. Nor are The Knife alone in putting out a double disc album of experimental electronica -- Autechre beat them to the punch with their dual album Exai in March.

What we can ascertain is that The Knife will be pushing their boundaries much farther than any of those groups, and creating art that possibly few would dare to attempt. Their crowning achievement to date, 2006's Silent Shout, struck the perfect balance of weirdness to pop accessibility, and spawned an underground sensation. Shaking the Habitual, on the other hand, veers sharply in a much more abstract and arty direction.

The Knife have not opted to merely plunge down the rabbit hole; they have grabbed hold of the vast network of tunnels, shaken it up, turned it upside down and rearranged everything about it until you barely even recognize it as a rabbit hole. There's also an underlying political influence that runs under the surface but is never specifically addressed concerning an unwillingness to accept progressive values in their native Sweden. It's a presence that informs the record, albeit mostly indirectly, but provides a noticeable edge into the music. Yet ultimately, what makes Shaking the Habitual one of the standout records of the year is that the band continues to exercise their firm grasp of fundamental music principles while presenting a view of the spectrum that few have ever managed to attain.

Although Silent Shout was extraordinarily visionary, it was still based on the general idea of pop based song structure, but Shaking the Habitual shows their ability to break away from that format to create works that are much more experimental, progressive, and free flowing. There are still some pop based formats to be found, but The Knife are no longer bound by that framing mechanism. This is the album's true triumph.

The first five songs, with one notable exception are all reasonably accessible. "Full of Fire" is easily among the most ambitious compositions in the band's catalog. It starts off with an infectious drumbeat and some bird-like scratching and screeching that makes the listener feel like they just stepped into the world's most exotic nightclub. Yet Karen Dreijer Andersson's vocals become warped and tormented as it progresses, as elements of sexuality, and warped weirdness continue to develop and persist over the track's 9+ minute run time.  "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" sounds like it could be a boss fight on a JRPG taking place in space, while "A Tooth for an Eye" and "Without You My Life Would Be Boring" are more abbreviated pieces that wouldn't sound out of place on Silent Shout.

Yet as the album progresses it gets even weirder, as unlikely as that may seem. "Networking" shows off Olof Andersson's deep sense of experimental production work, with tingling synths that play on the fears of our subconscious by backing them up with the sound of swarms of bees buzzing. There are only a couple songs here that are rather peculiar and don't warrant more than a listen or two in most cases, but still leave an indelible impact due to their unusual nature. "Old Dreams Waiting to Be Realized," is an 18+ minute piece that relies heavily on drone, yet is also filled with plenty of faraway eerie metallic clinking and clanking that creates a feeling of isolation and desolation. Sort of like Godspeed You! Black Emperor but even icier and bleaker. The other track is "Fracking Fluid Injection" which is 10 minutes of really weird scratching sound and is barely listenable. Listen at your own risk.

Shaking the Habitual is admittedly a dense and difficult listen, at least on your first few playthroughs. For many the exterior may be too intimidating to break through, but if you do you'll find an album full of great ideas, creativity, and a willingness to buck the establishment. The Andersson's think for themselves and release a record that's catchy, listenable, and free flowing. The greatest thrill of this album is that you never know where it's going to go next.

Score: 89/100

The Electric Lady Janelle Monae pumps high voltage into the Ryman

Midway through her Sunday night set at The Ryman, Janelle Monae hoisted a black and white striped stick and jabbed it in the air in the direction of two of her crew members, mock knocking them out right on stage.

They weren't the only ones Ms. Monae knocked flat by evening's end.

On a night when lightning cracked and rain poured down in torrents, it came down to Monae to thunder across the Ryman stage and dazzle what was undoubtedly one of the most vocal crowds this building has seen in a long time.

Janelle Monae's spirited performance lit up the auditorium.

The secret to Monae's success is her innovation. Most artists, at only two albums in, are still perfecting and tinkering with their ideas on stagecraft. There's little doubt Monae will keep evolving as well, but as this point in her career The Electric Lady tour is boasting some impressive visuals and outside the box thinking. The set began with a guy in a white lab suit guy announcing that Monae was an android who was a patient at their institution, and explained that sometimes they let her out to free roam. They wheeled her onstage strapped to a dolly wearing a straightjacket, Hannibal Lecter style.

Once unbottled, Monae was a firecracker. She's a very expressive performer, employing dramatic facial expressions as well as plenty of high powered dancing and shuffling around. Opening number "Givin' Em What They Love" gave Monae an early crack at showing off the dynamic power of her pipes, as her voice gloriously pierced through the Ryman's airspace whenever she hit a high note. Later, she punctuated an energetic performance of "The Electric Lady," by leaping into the air at the end of the final verse.

The only thing that could have made the set better was if it was more tightly constructed. Each song is full of so much energy, then after a good portion of the songs the lights would go out for two or three minutes while they would presumably tinker with some piece of equipment or Monae would run for a costume change. It would be better if they could keep it freer flowing.

Monae shows off her dexterity while her guitarist busts a move.

Yet as it turned out, the main set was not even proper preparation for what was coming. The big jaw dropper came during an extended mix of "War of the Roses," which lasted upward of 20 minutes. After finishing the main part of the song, the bassline kept going while Monae broke out her zaniest antics of the evening. She moonwalked, broke out some more dance moves, led the audience in a call and response sing along, Cab Calloway style, initiated a contest to see who in the crowd had the best black and white colored outfit, and even tried to sneak away from the lab suits by hopping offstage and traversing through the crowd for a bit.

She tied it up neatly by closing with "What an Experience," an emotional gospel tinged piece, in which she selected a winner in her costume contest from out of the crowd and invited her to come up onstage, along with a small girl from the audience. Monae packed a killer setlist, an electric sense of showmanship, and threw a few curveballs out there to give a bold and breathless performance. Her sense of innovation is leading her to do it ways that may take even seasoned concertgoers by surprise.
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Related post:

Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady album review 

Sleigh Bells live act rattle concert venues down to their foundations

Let's admit something. Sleigh Bells' latest album, Bitter Rivals, is easily their least successful to date. In comparison with their first two records, the reviews were worse, the buzz was negligible, and it seemed most listeners have already forgotten about it.  Seeing that Sleigh Bells stock is at a low ebb, it naturally cast a shadow of doubt as to just what could be expected from their latest tour. It was a fair question going in, but if there are any doubters left after their demolition of Nashville's Marathon Music Works Friday night, be ashamed of yourselves. The studio albums (outside of Treats) may bear their fair share of dank tracks, but the Brooklyn noise/hardcore/pop duo have been regarded as a killer live act since their inception, and nothing about that appears to be changing anytime soon.

Alexis Krauss's infectious intensity spread through the crowd like a disease.

Intensity and badassery are two buzzwords that get thrown around a bit when discussing Sleigh Bells live shows, but let's expound on that. Guitarist Derek Miller spent time in a hardcore band, and being that he's the chief influence on the band's sound you can expect a hammering assault of guitar riffery along with an level of energy comparable to, if not on par with, a hardcore show. The other half of the equation, singer Alexis Krauss, has pedigree as the frontwoman of a girlpop group, and as such she knows how to play to a crowd.

Guitarist Derek Miller lays a smackdown.

She kicks, yells, jumps, screams, drops to her knees, lifts the mic stand, and does generally whatever to get the crowd into a frothing frenzy. She even hit the stage in style, donning a dazzling tiger print robe for the first couple of songs. On initial blush, Joan Jett and Brody Dalle of The Distillers seem apt comparisons in terms of their charm and magnetism, but whereas they championed rough, motor oil style vocal deliveries, Krauss has a voice that is much smoother and cleaner.

The setlist showed off the best material from Bitter Rivals, but also made sure to show proper respect for Treats, their 2010 debut and still their most successful album to date."Riot Rhythm" and "Infinity Guitars" were ultimate headbanging moshing anthems covered by plenty of fuzz, while the heavy, plodding rhythms of "Born to Lose" represented a somewhat slower paced approach for the band -- at least by their standards. The new material continues in the same hard hitting vein they've always been known for.

"Sing Like a Wire," "Minnie," and "Bitter Rivals" felt perfectly natural being played alongside their older material. The biggest deviation took place on "Young Legends," which comes across as their take on a Disney pop song, and is covered in Krauss's distinctive fingerprints. She ended the night by diving over the railing and crowd surfing during the final song, "A/B Machines." Sleigh Bells hit like a bottle rocket, and never let up for the duration of their set. They played just long enough to cover the essential tunes in their catalog, yet short enough to leave the crowd screaming for more.
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Related posts:

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals album review
Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror album review