New Band: Why?

In this new open-minded attitude I'm trying to adopt, I decided to take some baby steps and dabble into some alternative/indie/hip-hop. At first it might seem at little ambitious to fuse such genres together, but I really enjoyed the product; that is, product of Why?

Now for the music (haha, it's becoming a bit of a catchphrase!). The following are the albums I have sitting in my library:

1. Elephant Eyelash

2. Alopecia

3. The Early Whitney EP

4. Miss Ohio's Nameless

5. Rubber Traits EP

6. Sanddollars EP

7. The Hollows

All in all, it's a fairly impressive discography if I might say so. In particular, Elephant Eyelash contains some interesting experimentation that doesn't particularly have an orthodox feel for a hip-hop/indie record. They are eager to chop from lo-fi, avant garde, prog, rock...so I guess it's suiting that they're signed to AntiCon Records.

Lyrically they also stand out from the crowd. The traditional lyrical rulebook for hip-hop is thrown out the window for a more refreshing taste of a genre that seems to frequently be coming under the spell of generic 'homeboy' type clones.

Apparently there are several projects by the members of the band, so I'll have to locate a few records by 'em and write up some reviews.

3.5/5.

Several Albums

Since my fairly recent foray into the wonderful world of blogspot, I've been discovering several unheard of and fantastic-o math rock/noise bands. So, for this entry, I will dedicate my discoveries solely to obscure music.

How To Survive a Sneak Attack by Wild Catting. These guys are very much unheard of from Michigan, and you'll probably only be able to find them through blogspot. They've got some really cool noise/post-rock ambiance about them combined with strong mathy jams. I really enjoyed this. All of the song titles are verbs, which I also thought was pretty cool. 3/5.

Victorialand by Cats And Cats And Cats. Watch these guys; they're going places very quickly. I found this to be a lyrical standout with melodic backings that make me want to drift off to a faraway land (in a good way, of course). Like the Wild Catting album, I'd class it as post-rock/math rock, just because of the complex riffs and melodic vocals. I can't really emphasise just how great the vocals are on this band when combined with strong sampling effects. 4/5.

Of the Body Prone by Ahleuchatistas. Here's some real good avant-garde stuff right 'ere kiddies. I found this long EP/album to be tightly composed, topped full to the brim with impressionistic textures and completely unpredictable with spontaneous changes in time signatures and direction. Think early Captain Beefheart. 3.5/5.

Demo by Zorch. I really didn't enjoy this, at all. They are just too reliant on sampling/laptops. It seems too forced, too fake and a pitiful attempt at being 'cool'. 1/5.

Church Gone Wild/Chirpin' Hard by Hella. Another one of Zach Hill's musical endeavours, I really like this guy. His work is becoming increasingly popular, and here in this dancetastic math-rock collective, I can see why. This album is incredibly technical and intricate, yet highly spastic and eccentric. I love how they can minimally arrange this album and retain a highly idiosyncratic melody. 4/5.

I think that's enough for you, all two of my loyal readers. Now go forth, and spread the seed.