[April 21, 2012] MBC Music Core Highlights + Commentary

Today's show featured comebacks from Girls' Day and Supernova, and goodbye stages from CN Blue, who I'm not recapping today, and SHINee.

And before we start, I just really want to thank you all for the support you've put in to the return of these recaps, all your comments and the discussions you engage in because of my posts somewhat drive me to keep writing these recaps. To know that people still actually take time to read my work means a lot to me. But enough of the mush.

EXO-K - "MAMA"

I've half-figured out and made sure of why EXO look so stiff on stage -- it's because they've overdoing it, to the point where, again, they don't enjoy it. While I understand that it's natural to over think performances, and it's actually for that reason that I stopped performing, EXO are supposed to be in it for the long run. Or at least that's what I assume. If they themselves cannot start genuinely enjoying their performances, then their audience won't either.

BTOB - "Insane"

Now the problem with BTOB has something to do with dynamics again. There are seven of them on stage, but it seems like there are more, like the stage is crowded, because they're not moving as a group. Their vocals are fine, their song is so-so but fits them, but they have to work on their group dynamic.

Spica - "Painkiller"

Their vocals were ever so slightly slipping today, but nothing majorly bad and/or painful happened, and the song is still as bland as it was yesterday, despite the girls' efforts.

Girls' Day - "Oh My God"

I'd love to say that their vocals were actually consistent and that I just really hate them, but then... what vocals? They sound like three year-olds begging you to buy them something. All of them.

SISTAR - "Alone"

In fairness to SISTAR, Soyu (is that her name?) sounds a lot better, and thus that much more relevant today. At least Hyorin's not the only one properly carrying the melody during live performances anymore. Other than that though, I practically fell asleep during today's performance. The song itself is a song that needs to be carried with both grace and attitude, and while SISTAR do have attitude, it's not coupled with grace, so it just becomes boring.

Supernova - "Stupid Love"

When Supernova were promoting "On The Days I Missed You", I adored them. They were a b-list group with lots of potential, and above all, brilliant material. It was a shame that they weren't more famous in Korea. However, this time around, it seems like they've degraded, and now they're just another b-list band with sub-par, generic material. "Stupid Love" sounds a BEAST reject, rejected because it was too cheap, even for Cube. And it's obvious that this song doesn't fit them, because they can't sing it live. It's not that they're completely untalented, because they're actually all pretty okay, and Sungje reminds me of a cross between a young Hyesung and a young Jaejoong, who are both gods in their own right, it's that they need good material or else they'll just disappear in the sea of b-list acts.

4Minute - "Volume Up"

So I see we're still turning the backing track way too high during the parts that matter, huh, Music Core? The performance itself was consistently okay today, and if there's one thing 4Minute knows how to do, it's carry a song with the right kind of attitude.

SHINee - "Sherlock"

I liked the camera effects they put in today's performance, a lot more than the spinning cameras everyone used to use. It's subtle and tasteful, it wasn't over-the-top and that sense of "live" still remained. Vocals were consistent today -- again, not as powerful as I'd like them to be, but good enough for me not to be in any pain.

Shinhwa - "Venus"

In all honesty, for the songs that Shinhwa are doing now, Minwoo should take over lead vocals. While Hyesung's voice is godly and we should all worship it, it's very picky, and rather shaky live. They need a lead singer who can not only sing well, but who is versatile and stable enough to carry the band, regardless of what kind of material they get. But that's just me. On the performance side, again, they are so good at performing that it looks effortless, it feels effortless, and they have total control over the audience.

Jason Serious - Undercover Folk

Folk music is just that - the music of common folk.  The life of the vagabond, wanderer, hobo, itinerant farm worker, equipped with an old acoustic guitar, travelling the country, seeking temporary work, telling it like it is - that is the origin of folk music.  It is simply about folks’ daily lives and concerns.  It is the music of the downtrodden and has historically gained popularity during difficult times.

Slavery and the Civil War brought folk to the forefront with popular tunes like Down By The Riverside and We Shall Overcome.  It experienced a resurgence in the 1930’s during the dust bowl and Great Depression giving birth to such artists as Woody Guthrie.  It also started to compartmentalize.  Bill Monroe’s music slowly became a separate genre - bluegrass - although it started as folk.

In the 1960’s folk again became music for the masses with its protests of injustice and reflections on the human condition.  Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Band, The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, CSN&Y, Poco, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and a legion of others resurrected the folk music of the past and wrote new songs that modernized it to appeal to a much more urban audience.  They also used it as a medium for political action as a focus for populist unity with power to influence government and politics.

The Country has been at war for over 10 years.  The middle class has lost its jobs and homes.  Monied interests buy their influence in Washington, D.C. and State Capitols and seek to control what the rest of us see, hear and do. It is no small wonder that folk music is again experiencing a resurgence. 

Jason Serious’ latest album, Undercover Folk, consists of ten tunes that bring folk music into the 21st Century.  Serious is an amazingly talented songwriter.  Like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and the stellar folk talents that came before him, Serious can write a song that moves the listener in time and place.  He can evoke passion - from hope to hopelessness, from injustice to anger, from desire to love.   However. his is not protest music. It is music of, about and for the common man.
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Instrumental accompaniment is simple and traditional, yet eloquent and elegant. Guitar, violin, drums, horns, piano, banjo and violin all are sparingly applied.  The album also takes folk in an unexpected direction merely by Serious’ choice of sidemen to play with him.  The country-folk tinge is actually played primarily by Europeans.  It makes the music that much more inclusive and, quite frankly, beautiful.

Songs like Met Jack Kerouac combine an old time shuffle with amazingly fun lyrics and a wonderful Dixieland feel. Purple Eyes, with its interesting harmonies, tells an engrossing story of loss, anxiety and life. On A Tide is as close to a protest song as Serious gets and, really, it requires extrapolation to see it as such.  The album ends with Buckets of Gin, a slow drunk shuffle. It is the folk song equivalent of a late night Tom Waits ballad.

The album is like putting on an old coat.  It is comfortable and warm with wear showing around the edges.  Each time you put your hand in a pocket you pull out something familiar and you are excited by the rediscovery. Although the jacket may not be fashionable right now, it once was and will be again,  Undercover Folk will give you a chance to search your pockets and your soul.

- Old School

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[April 20, 2012] KBS Music Bank Highlights + Commentary

Significantly less major comebacks this week, and actually the only idol comebacks were from 5tion, who I'm not going to cover on today's recap, and Girls' Day, who are all lower-profile idol groups. But, it was still a pretty good show, what with 4Minute and SISTAR getting used to stage again, Shinhwa being around, and SHINee and CN Blue leaving with a bang, CN Blue in particular.

Credit for the videos goes to shu35151224@YouTube. (Other videos to follow)

EXO-K - "MAMA"
The good thing is, at least their vocals are that much more bearable this week -- I'm glad they're showing signs of improving, at least in terms of vocals. However, as I was watching the performance today, they're not only stiff and ungraceful, they're also still very all over the place. You can argue that the choreography itself is very edgy, but the way they present themselves and move on stage has no grace whatsoever. They're not yet at the point where they look like they're enjoying the stage.

NU'EST - "FACE"
I like NU'EST, I'm confident enough to admit it. They have emotion, they have grace, and again, they can pull off their material. Heavily choreographed, yes, but this early on, they know how to show that they genuinely enjoy being on stage. Another consistently strong performance today, and an absolute pleasure to watch, for rookie standards.

Spica - "Painkiller"
Strong vocals, good stage presence and delivery, but really, these girls need a much, much more interesting and powerful single to match what they already have in the bag.

Girls' Day - "Oh My God"
It's been a year since they last had something new out, and I still feel like strangling all of them, AND their song. Looks like my "well talk when you get decent" line will never get done, because I doubt they're gonna get decent within the next few years. They don't even sound like they're singing, it's more like they're talking.

SISTAR - "Alone"
And I see we're back to tacky gold dresses to match the cheap choreography this week. Really, the dresses are so distracting because not only is there a huge slit in front, it's also a really awkward length and bad, stiff material, so when the girls dance it makes them look fatter than the sticks they most probably are. That said, considering that Hyomin has been sick for ages now, the vocals were pretty okay, and at least the other girls are singing too.

4Minute - "Volume Up"
Is it just me or was today's performance flat? I mean in terms of vocals everyone, Hyun A maybe a bit, was consistent, and Jiyoon's high notes were pretty much spot-on, but as a whole they lacked intensity, and the leader's middle 8 was of no help to break the lack of intensity. They carried themselves well, but it just lacked that spark.

SHINee - "Sherlock"
Honestly? Today's performance wasn't their best, but it's a lot better than when I first saw them perform this. All-around strong vocals, and the stage presence is just overflowing. It was an enjoyable performance.

Shinhwa - "Venus"
The purple outfits are... interesting, to say the least, but distracting, especially the unlucky members who got purple pants to match. Not as distracting as SISTAR's outfits though. The way they carry themselves on stage is really something else, the song is as choreographed as everyone else, and even without prancing around stage, they hold the audience in the palm of their hands -- the fan chants are so, so loud, and everyone revels in the performance. It's such a joy to watch a Shinhwa performance, it really is.

CN Blue - "In My Head" + "Hey You"(WINNER)
No big breakthroughs in today's performance, just the same old complaints. First off, I know they're not really playing, and that itself is a problem, but really, couldn't you give off some semblance of them being a band like say I don't know, putting them near each other so they can mock-hear each other? In other news, Jonghyun sounds more and more amazing each time I hear him.

Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity

So here's my thesis:

Death/grind is the new thrash metal, updated from around 1985, to now:

it's sophisticated in terms of musical structure, rapid key changes, and challenging melodic (riff) formations-- it's hard to play, yet blisteringly furious (i.e., aggressive and fast)... a great balance of savagery and technical ability: witness Danny Lilker's definition: technical and yet intense....

So, I got the advance copy and promptly burned into onto a blank CD and played it at jet-engine volume on my Tank-like If Outdated Speakers ©... because I know one thing, and I know it well:

Death/Grind, as a genre, is useless played at anything less than loudest-sound-possible (194 Db) volume: that's where it's made to be.

Like extreme forms of free jazz, this music is meant to permeate you, to absolutely be your everything for the time you're listening to it-- or to be nothing.

This is the complete opposite of background music.

BUT: give it the chance, and this will OWN you. It's perfectly, ridiculously extreme in that Death/Grind way, but is also full of surprises and tiny evolutions and tempo, key and texture changes enough to keep your cerebellum interested, while your reptile brain writhes in ectothermic ecstasy....

There's sweep-picked solos, blast beats, breakdown (all while being respectably detuned), blah blah blah-- you like extreme metal?

Monolith of Humanity is worth your while.


--Horn

[Monolith of Inhumanity is released worldwide on Metal Blade records on May 8, 2012.]

VoiVod - To The Death 84

 

Jeezus, I forgot all about this VoiVod demo. It's been over 25 years since I last heard it and just as long since I even thought about it. I feel so ashamed since I think about VoiVod a lot, especially about how much I love their first album War & Pain. When Metal Blade reissued it in 2004 as a deluxe 3 disc version for it's 20th anniversary I was happily reunited with the live Morgoth Invasion demo from December 1984. I never spent much time with the 3rd multi media disc, which contained some of the material from the To The Death demo. I could have spent the past 8 years listening to this stuff!

Oh well, my mistake. So here it is in 2012 and Alternative Tentacles has put out To The Death in all it's belligerent 1984 blood, guts & beer glory. A lot of VoiVod fans prefer the later albums that are a bit more refined but I've always been partial to the early ones. Their early material is some of the most abrasive metal ever committed to tape and this demo is even more obnoxious than War & Pain. The fidelity is actually pretty good for a demo. Personally, I'd prefer a bit more tape hiss to give it that dubbed a zillion times sonic wash, but I can always do it myself on my own deck. All of the instruments are audible and Snake's guttural vocals are plenty loud so you can enjoy his broken English lyrics delivered with his thick French Canadian accent. The real highlight of this album is Piggy's incredible guitar playing. Man, he smokes! He was probably around 25 years old at the time of this recording but his playing style is fully formed. The riffing is just killer. It doesn't sound like there are many overdubs and he really gets wild on the solos. A true one of a kind musician. God bless Piggy. RIP.

All of the songs from War & Pain are present and are even rawer than the ones that were originally released on their debut album. Things get a little loose at times but what do you expect from a bunch of dudes drunk on Canadian beer playing at skull crushing volume. They were probably banging their heads harder than you ever have, too. You also get a great version of "Slaughter In A Grave" that turned up on the second album and a frantic cover of Mercyful Fate's "Evil." And there are not one, but two Venom covers! "Bursting Out" is a perfect showcase for Blacky's "blower" bass and they use "Buried Alive" as an intro for "Suck Your Bone." Totally metal. Not for the weak or timid. Only for those who live to the death forever!

--Woody

Knife – 6 song EP

This may be less a story about a solid band than about a great city close to my heart.  And it’s not because the band is less deserving.  It’s because the story of the city is tightly interwoven with the raison d’etre of the band.

The city is Detroit.  The band is KNIFE.

You’d have to be living under a rock to be oblivious about the incredibly hard times D’town’s endured over the last several years, even before the bottom fell out of the auto industry in 2008.  Boarded up factories.  Boarded up schools.  Boarded up hotels.  Boarded up neighbourhoods.  The economic devastation is staggering.  It’s enough to break your heart .  Their heart.  But in the midst of this bleak wasteland there’s still hope.  They’re fighting back.  Pockets of vibrancy and vitality fueled by the driven, focused and resilient SOB’s that call Detroit home.  Despite the desolation and adversity, they’ve kept their eye on the prize and never wavered from their “damn the torpedoes” point of view.  They didn’t let their dire circumstances affect their outlook on life.  Bottom line is, Detroiters are good people and they know how to fuckin’ rock.

Such is KNIFE.  Like a firey Phoenix rising up from the ashes, Knife embodies the same resilient attitude of their hometown in everything they do – their music, their lyrics, their performance and their in your face, fuck you attitude.  They play with heart after a full transplant.  Knife fearlessly leaps headlong into the moshpit of hard times doing it their way come hell or high water.  Just like how D’town has always done it.  They don’t fuck around.  It’s their way or the highway.  A bastion of artistic freedom in an over regulated, politically correct conformist world.  They cut straight through the bullshit.

Knife has shared the stage with heavy weights like Tool, Intronaut, Fu-Manchu, Black Tusk, Hellmouth, Easy Action and Lo-Pan just to name just a few.  When bands of that calibre are paying attention it means it’s time for the rest of us to sit up and take notice.  Wakey, wakey waveriders.
An enhanced Teedified edited version of their smart bio says it best:  “Knife is a sonic colossus.  They cast a huge, riffladen shadow over the metropolitan Detroit area. This beast is devouring the city block by block and venue by venue.  Drawing on their eclectic heritage, Knife coalesces around the riff much like their forefathers did in Black Sabbath.  You can trace their auditory bloodline to pioneering bands like Rollins Band, Crowbar, Danzig, Kyuss and Led Zeppelin as well.  Knife powers forth an inimitable, stand alone and individual reinterpretation of the music that fuels them.  They are a razor sharp conduit of doom, brooding anger and the powerfully destructive side of mother nature.  You can hear the history and soul in their craft.  And yet the band is intent on carving out their own unique brand of heavy blues quite unlike anything we’ve heard before.  Their metal is tempered with mature hooks, cast iron song writing and articulate, soulful solos that firmly plant them in a whole other arena”.

The bio continues:  “Knife is pedigree.  When you put five masters of their respective crafts in a Detroit cellar together, you’re gonna get something that stands out from the tepid bullshit people try to pass off as music these days.  You’re gonna get something sincere, something with perspective and something that will cut your goddam head clean off your shoulders.  Knife isn’t fucking around”.
They sure aren’t .  They’ll gut your earholes.

As we all know, Detroit has a long line of legendary, original pioneering rock acts - MC5, Iggy Pop & the Stooges, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, The Muggs… the list goes on.  Knife continues that musical legacy/dynasty.  They’ve captured  a hybrid sound that’s as varied as their musical heritage.  “Each member draws from a wide range of experience in the punk, blues, stoner, metal and rock scenes.  From playing in Andrew WK’s early death metal band Kathode to rocking in Seduce.  From pioneering Michigan metal band Thoughts of Ionesco to seminal punks The Meatmen.  From LA’s Mother to Detroit’s Speedball. From crust punks Nema to the wrecking ball that is Year of the Pig.  From Heresy to the Holy Fire”.  I think you’re getting the big picture.

Make no mistake.  This is no bullshit, balls out, hEAVy ass, blue collar machine shop metal folks.  But not machine shop in the meathead sense.  Machine shop in the master class sense.  It’s what these bad ass steel mongers are conjuring up in that cold, hard, dark, dank space that’s putting a dent in the collective earholes of rockdom.  They’re creating tightly torqued high octane sonic power plants with monster thrust from molten iron, pressed and rolled, bent and banged through grinder sparks and acetylene blow torch licks forged out of their massive, swaggering riffs and smothered in a undercoating of audible rust.

Standout tracks include THE MESS… a brazen, bitchin’, frothing-at-the-mouth chugfest that spawns a rabid, full throttle hounds of hell gate charger reminiscent of some top shelf stoner bands like House of Broken Promises and Canadian east coast behemoths, Iron Giant.  THIS FIELD WAS MADE FOR KILLING… when was the last time you heard slide guitar in a freakin’ metal song saddled right next to a scorching Tony Iommi-esque solo?  How about never.  And the thundiferous OUTRIDER?  Who wouldn’t want to be in the mosh pit for this bad ass mutha.

Jeff Uberti from the band Hellmouth summed Knife up best.  “Their songs are thick and contain just the right balance of pure rock fury and sludgy heaviness to make the most discerning head bang”.  Couldn’t agree more.

Knife are Eric Blanchard on guitar, Nathan LeLandais-Miller on bass, Curt Massof on vocals, Chuck Burns on guitar and John Lehl on drums.

~Teeder


http://knifedetroit.bandcamp.com/

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D639BC218AB0DF6

Zero Barriers To Entry - Featuring Brother Ali and Adam Warrock & Mikal kHill

Brother Ali - The Bite Marked Heart EP

Waveriders, can you say smooth operator?  Good, I knew you could.  If you were not aware there has been a change made to our language.  Smooth operator is now spelled Brother Ali.  Not that anyone remotely familiar with Brother Ali doubted how smooth he can be on record, but with the release of The Bite Marked EP the whole country now has to concede the point.  This free seven song EP was released the day before Valentine’s Day, and it is as smooth as the surface of an undisturbed pond.

Brother Ali is one of those artists that made an immediate impact upon me when I first heard his music.  It’s been five years since I decided to pick up a copy of his album The Undisputed Truth, and I’ve never looked back.  This man is not only a great lyricist.  He’s a storyteller of the highest order.  His always honest, sometimes scathing lyrics connect with the listener in a trustworthy manner that I find to be quite rare.  No matter whether he rhymes about personal triumphs and failings, or weaves a compelling piece of fiction highlighting a specific societal ill the listener can always tell that what they are hearing is coming straight from the heart.  Brother Ali will connect directly to your emotional core.  If you remain unaffected, you’re purposely not paying attention.

The Bite Marked Heart EP, in comparison with his other releases, is singularly focused.  You won’t find the next club anthem here.  The music varies from mid- to low-tempo and sounds very elegant thanks to the exemplary production work of Jake One and Ant.  All seven of the songs on the EP, in one way or another, address the same issue.  Thanks to a Facebook link I found a wonderful interview on www.rubyhornet.com where Brother Ali explains his concept.  He states that, “the idea of the Bite Marked Heart is that we’re dealing in the world of human interactions with imperfect human beings interacting with each other and trying to make a world that’s conducive to living in a dignified way.  The idea of the Bite Marked Heart is that when we’re in love with somebody, we’re at the most vulnerable, the most naked, and we open ourselves up to each other almost completely or as much as we do with anybody. Then we proceed to hurt each other and get hurt.”  His explanation continued on, but I think you waveriders get the gist.

Folks, do yourselves a favor and download The Bite Marked Heart EP.  It’s fantastic and it’s free!  That is one terrific combination if you ask me.  What are you waiting for?  Go now.

Get It Here- http://soundcloud.com/rhymesayers/sets/brother-ali-the-bite-marked

Adam Warrock & Mikal kHill - The Browncoats Mixtape

Thank goodness for revelations brought about from attending live concerts!  A few weeks back I witnessed a tremendous hip hop show.  That show marked the first time I had seen Adam Warrock.  Actually, that was the first time I had heard more than a guest verse from the man.  He was good waveriders.  Very good.  But that’s not what we’re talking about right now.  No, we’re talking about an important piece of information that Mr. Warrock casually dropped during his performance.  It turns out that working with another artist named Mikal kHill he released an entire mixtape dedicated to Joss Whedon’s television show Firefly and its related film Serenity.

How in the name of (insert whatever you believe in here) did I not know about this until now?  I wholeheartedly love Firefly/Serenity!  Wait, I’m not sure you read that correctly.  I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY LOVE THAT SHOW!  It easily ranks as one of my favorite shows of all time.  In fact, if you’ve ever seen the show it is incredibly likely that you feel the same way.  Firefly is a property that inspires great loyalty in its fans.  People like yours truly.  When I discovered that I was unaware of the existence of this mixtape I felt like slapping myself.  Hard.  It doesn’t matter that the mixtape only came out a few months back in September of 2011.  The fact that I didn’t know about it until after its release is galling enough.  What makes this situation worse is that The Browncoats Mixtape is superb!

Clearly I am not an impartial observer, but for arguments sake let’s assume I had never heard of Firefly.  I would still think this mixtape is pretty spectacular.  Adam Warrock is a charismatic, precise lyricist.  His words often feel like they carry great weight thanks to his sincere delivery.  Also, whether it is done on purpose or not, Mr. Warrock’s wordplay is very deliberate.  It is abundantly clear that these lyrics were contemplated over and carefully constructed to achieve maximum effect on the listener.  On the production side of things, Mikal kHill utilizes samples taken exclusively from the TV show and movie to create a unique sonic tapestry that blends contemplative folk music with modern beats.  Most songs have a laid back swagger that is downright infectious.  If I were forced to choose a favorite song it would have to be “River”.  That track is utterly captivating!

Waveriders, go download The Browncoats Mixtape immediately.  It is free, and it is marvelous!  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to listen to it again.

--Penfold

Get Here- http://www.adamwarrock.com/browncoatsmixtape/