Benjamin Francis Leftwich- Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm

What is the best birthday present one may get? The album of someone you have been following for quite a while.

Pretty much since I have been writing for Ripple, Benjamin Francis Leftwich has popped up in my inbox periodically and I have grown to love him. So, imagine my joy when Racer manages to talk nicely and get me his album!

Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm now sits next to Priory in my favourite albums of this year. Much for the same reasons too- they are both beautifully constructed, connect with me, and have a deeper overall meaning.

Before we start I should just mention Benjamin Francis Leftwich has the most beautiful voice. It is so clear, in tune, just wonderful to listen to and his music just really supports that. I am in no way saying that the music is the background, and could be easily discarded- quite the opposite! You can simply not have one without the other without a feeling of hollowness. It is surprising to realise this is a debut album, because it is so polished- I can see no place for him to make this better next time round.

Every song on the album is amazing, but to avoid sounding like an old record repeating myself constantly, I will take you through a few favourites...

“Butterfly Culture” is a stand out on Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm. With the fingerpicking, sweet guitar, slow movement and lyrics matching up and pulling together a beautiful song. 
“The girl in that dress,
Will undress,
And distress you with the way that she moves”

“Atlas Hands” is what I believe one of the better known songs is, so I thought I would share it with you. (see youtube video)
“I will remember your face
'Cause I am still in love with that place
When the stars are the only things we share
Will you be there?
I've got a plan
I've got an atlas in my hands
I'm gonna turn when I listen to the lessons that I've learned”

“Shine” has a faster pace than the other songs, making it a nice change mid-album. The lyrics don't miss a beat, maintaining the simplicity and elegance.
“That I’m the one who has got your back, now turn around and don’t be sad
I hope you find the love that’s true, so the morning light can shine on you
I hope you find what you’re looking for, so your heart is warm for ever more”

The albums namesake “Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm” is hands down brilliance. The standard elegance in the guitar mixed with a lyrical line that has an honesty in it. It is all polished off with violins that add an extra dynamic to the melody.
“This is this the start
You got a cold heart
Don't you want to spend more time round here?”

Overall Last Smoke Before The Snow Storm is really a wonderful debut from Benjamin Francis Leftwich, it will be interesting to see where he takes things next.

-Koala

Horn's microreviews for you, the diligent consumer - Featurng Summon the Crows, King Giant, Trippy Wicked, Dark Angel, and Wormrot,

So here's the plan:

Recently, reading an article on another site we'll call... Grapefruits Impossible to Perceive With Your Eyes, I came to the worrying conclusion, stolen from said site, that perhaps music criticism is nearly unnecessary in the era of the internet. After all, if you want to judge an artist's music, you just find it on a site and listen for yourself-- you don't need a critic to spare you the financial risk of shelling out for a record you could end up hating.

Then it hit me: what you DO need from critics is enough of a nudge to know what to check out in the first place-- because that's the other side of the double-edged sword of the internet: while you can check out whatever you want, there's roughly a billion more things to check out.

You need less of a critic, and more of a Herald-- one who points you in the right direction and THEN lets you do your own judging.

So.

Here, in tiny/ sound byte/ on-the-go form is what boils down to psychedelic ad copy-- for you to quickly decide if even investigating an album will be worth your time.

Here are a series of shamanistic near-haiku: brief, transient as sand, ephemeral as tea leaves in the bottom of a pint. The visions of one specific seer, to guide your purchases and/or illegal downloads.

Who says the incredible, chaotic, undetermined, endless and eternal can't find niches in a consumerist, material-driven, commodity-based, filthy-lucre society?

So here, then, are your "blasts of leaden verse about leaden riffs, the nitroglycerin shrieks of advertising," in concentrated (i.e., psychically mainlinable) form.


Summon the Crows - One More For the Gallows

Very Southern Lord, very Disfear/ Kvertllak/ Nails, but with more snappy songwriting/ usually sounds like a Metallica cassette b-side, i.e., NWOBHM, but without clean singing/ "Trojan Whore" has a great riff at 2:15....

It's a detuned, slightly more modern version of every band Metallica covered on their cassette b-sides, The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited, and Garage, Inc.-- Budgie, Misfits, Diamond Head, Sweet Savage, and most obviously Discharge.

Brief songs, and the whole album's 25 minutes....

"Beasts of the Night" starts so much like "The More I See" you'd almost mistake it for that. But don't mistake the riffs baby. And not "doom" riffs, not Sabbath, but punk/ thrash riffs, downpicked over a groovy 4/4 beat....


King Giant - Southern Darkness and Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight's - Movin' On:

Southern rockish, Monster Magnet lite; although "TWatCHofK" get some originality credit: I've never actually heard the musical term for song sections said during the song before-- and during "Not What You Know" we get a scream of "Bridge!!" right before, that's right-- the bridge.

King Giant's "Mississippi River" sounds like Tom Waits on sludge and is worth getting in and of itself.


Dark Angel - Darkness Descends:

The live version included here of "Perish in Flames" is awesome-- at around 1:00 a second guitar suddenly enters on the left channel, and whether it was intentional or not, it sounds great, as does the longer version of the song. The whole album reminds you what true speed is-- there's a genuine sense of velocity, one that blast beats can't adequately convey; 27 years later, listening to Dark Angel still makes me think, "Fuck, they are fast." And unlike blastibeaty black metal, the vocals here try to keep up with the velocity of the drums, too fast here to even actually sing, they must just speak rudely.... it slows down temporarily, but only to accentuate the speed when it inevitably returns....



Wormrot - Dirge:

"Puckish," not threatening (unlike say Rotten Sound or Phobia), Wormrot are the most together garage band ever, and they fire at you strangely satisfying grindcore in standard tuning: there's a "clean," live, direct sound, one buzzsaw-like, and it makes Wormrot sound like Agnostic Front on the Joker's Smilex toxin... highlight is "Principle of Puppet Warfare," but if you like one, you'll like all. They're really just movements of a long single song. It's almost (more so than other grindcore) thrash metal (which makes sense, seeing as it came from hardcore/punk) gone completely off the rails, coming apart at the seams, like they've gotten going to fast to slow down and they've lost control. Except they never quite do. And despite the velocity and screaming, they sound like they're having fun.

More to come!

--Horn

XII Boar – XII

This is the 2nd installment in my random reviews. Racer sends me tons of stuff to check out and unfortunately I don’t get to hear all of it in a timely basis so once a month I pick something completely at random and write it up. The only rule is listen first, look at promo material later.

August’s victim is a UK based outfit called XII Boar and their new 4 song demo simply titled XII. Track one starts off with a blast of feedback, the drummer counts the band in and we’re off into the void of a metal rendezvous. I chose wisely! XII Boar describes themselves as a stoner/sludge hard rock band and who am I to argue? The first song is called “Trainwreck.” Fast n furious that brings to mind Entombed and Cathedral with a little bit of early Venom and Bathory thrown in. Production is crude but suits the music very well and the vocals are guttural but not completely buried in the mix.

“Beg Borrow Steal” is up next and is slower but more pissed off sounding. Especially when the singer yells “God damn! Fuck yeah!” I would gladly salute that in concert with my can of beer. About a minute in the band shifts into a faster tempo jam that sounds like it was inspired by Black Sabbath’s “Behind The Wall Of Sleep” then slows down again for a bass break and a “Snowblind”ish guitar solo. These guys cram a lot of riffs into a 5 minute song. The song “Sludge” is pretty much how you would expect it to sound. Heavy and sludgy but faster than a lot of bands that play in this style and they’re done in less than three minutes. The last song “Skol” is a killer pillaging machine of riffs with some excellent cowbell during the “Supernaut” drum break. Each of the instruments take turns trading solos before the vocals come back in and a very heavy jam brings things to a conclusion.

XII Boar play a little too fast to be considered doom metal, but have enough slow and heavy stuff to satisfy that audience. They also bring in a much stronger classic rock influence of Motorhead speed and Blue Cheer fuzzed up blues riffs to reach the grizzled old timers. Lucky for me I picked this one at random. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from these guys. You can download the entire demo at their website. Check ‘em out.

--Woody

http://www.xiiboar.com/

The Black Metal Butterfly Effect 2 - featuring Of Wrath And Ruin

Sam, Bradley and I winked back into existence in the middle of my basement.  After the transit disorientation faded I took inventory of myself and happily discovered that I was one hundred percent intact.  It was exactly one week since we had travelled in time back to the year 2010 on our mission to alter musical history.  Personally, after discovering Ghostfog, I viewed our first foray into the past as a smashing success!  I firmly believed that when we returned to our own time the landscape of popular music would be wholly changed. 

“Phillip where are you?”
“I’m over here on the couch Penfold.”
“Ah, yes.  I see that now.”
“How was your trip?”
“Oh Phillip, it was great!  We accomplished so much, or at least I think we did.  Tell me the name of the biggest black metal band in the world.  I need to know!”
“Ummmm, there really isn’t one.”
“What?!?”
“Yeah, people don’t really listen to black metal in 2150.  Penfold, you know good and well that the four of us are the only real black metal fans left in the world.  Why rub it in?  As far as I can tell, you guys did not accomplish much of anything back in the past.”

In my haste I had forgotten that Phillip, having not gone back in time with the rest of us, would change along with the rest of the world based on our manipulations of the past.  Of course he would not observe any differences in the world around him.  Only Bradley, Sam and I would be able to spot changes but I was too impatient at the moment to explain anything.  I needed information!

“Phillip.  Quickly, tell me when black metal began to decline in popularity.”
“Is this some kind of test Penfold?”
“Not really Phillip, but you have a knack for remembering such things and I’m feeling awfully forgetful at the moment.”
“Ha!  You’re right about that.  I do have a good memory.  Well, in the early part of 2011 there was this big electro/black metal dance craze that swept the dancehalls of Germany and spread quickly to the rest of the world.  Unfortunately the craze died off after a year or so, and the wave of popularity black metal was enjoying dissipated.”
“Say no more Phillip.  Bradley!  Sam!  We’ve got more work to do!”

I walked over to the time machine, set the destination dial to June 14, 2011, and told Phillip to hit the ‘go’ button.  A few moments later Sam, Bradley, and I once again blinked out of existence.  My goal for this second trip was twofold.  One, I wanted to extend this dancehall craze that Phillip told us about.  And two, I wanted to find a band or artist who would excite people outside of those dancehall fans.  Thankfully, no sooner had we arrived than we stumbled upon exactly the right band for the job.

Of Wrath And Ruin  Conquering Oblivion

Oftentimes I wonder.  Would black metal vocals fit well on top of whatever music that I’m currently enjoying?  Sometimes my answer is yes, and sometimes my answer is no.  With these thoughts running through my mind, it was a happy coincidence that I came across Of Wrath And Ruin.  This is a band that clearly asked themselves the same question, and had the wherewithal to follow through musically to discover the answer.  What we waveriders end up with is one enticing metal concoction.

First of all, let’s discuss what kind of music functions as the baseline for this experiment.  Of Wrath And Ruin play a nice mixture of traditional heavy, power, and progressive metal.  Listening to their songs I’m often reminded of Iron Maiden and Dream Theater.  You have frenetic dueling guitars coupled with propulsive drumming.  Add to that the highly emotive, powerful, clean female vocals of Laura Tyburski and you have an enjoyable offering.  But wait.  This band decided to make one important addition that would make them distinct.  That’s right waverders…black metal vocals.  This music takes on an entirely different character with the impassioned growling from lead vocalist Pat Brose.  It’s different, and it’s good!

“Forever Unseen” sets the stage for what’s to come getting the blood pumping with intricate guitar lines, structured yet frantic drum fills, and keyboard flourishes to help set the proggy mood.  The black metal vocals may take a minute to get used to in this context, but trust me, they fit right in.  The other songs on the album are all solid but my personal favorites are the chug-tastic “Shame Is The End”, and the seemingly bipolar “Waters Of The Corrupt”.  Also if you need a break from the speedy metal, try on one of the two beautiful instrumentals, “Sapphire Sea” or “To Walk Alone”.

Very nice.  Very nice, indeed.  All of you waveriders seeking something a bit different from the progressive/black metal norm need look no further.  Of Wrath And Ruin has arrived.

--Penfold

UK's Grifter Release Digital Single - Exclusive Premeire On The Obelisk

 

So far the reviews have been unanimous.  The Soda Shop has proclaimed that Grifter "comes at you swinging like a heavyweight champion full of jabs and riff-a-licious uppercuts."  Dangerdog promises that "Grifter delivers the goods: heavy, groove-laden rock," and Planet Fuzz simply announces that Grifter's self-titled debut "fires on all cylinders, full of hooky boogie rock.  Sounding dirty and raucous, the perfect soundtrack to a night of debauchery."

Now's your chance to hear what all the fuss is about as Ripple Music has teamed up The Obelisk, one of the world's leading sites for oil-stained, heavy rock and roll, to host a sneak peak of the new Grifter single "Unwelcome Guest". That's right!  Pop on over to The Obelisk right now, and get your taste of the full-throttle rawk and roll of Grifter's debut full-length and see why Metal Minute warns that "their booming cadence carries the subliminal wafts of diesel, garbage, used condoms and spilled booze."

Then prepare for the world-wide release of the Grifter self-titled CD on Tuesday, October 4th. Originally formed in 2003, Grifter has spent the better part of the last decade spreading their blues-based, riff heavy rock n’ roll message across the UK via live shows and a ton of physical and digital EP’s. Following their nitro-fueled contributions to the Ripple Music released Heavy Ripples Vol.1 double-7" rock bonanza, Grifter is ready to unleash their Harley revvin’ good time on a world-wide level!

And prepare yourself to catch the energy live, as Grifter rounds out the year performing throughout the south of England, and preparing for a tour of UK and parts of Europe.  Maybe we'll even be so lucky as to find the boys hitting the states soon!

Available world-wide October 4th, but you can buy the album now at Ripple Music through the Ripple Music Store.

"Unwelcome Guest" available as digital single at CDBaby.com

The Mattson 2 - Feeling Hands

In 1978 I left Montreux right after the jazz festival and arrived by train in Grindelwald.  I was backpacking in the Bernese Alps and planned to stay in hostels. I came to Grindelwald to view the north face of the Eiger.  I exited the train station and hiked down Dorfstrasse to the Mountain Hostel, a gingerbread alpine inn. 

As I neared my destination across the street stood a blonde-haired man in sunglasses, shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops, with a well-used and waxed surfboard under his right arm.  I grew up on the beach in Southern California and immediately yelled out the first thing that came to mind,

“Hey man, where are the waves?”

We talked.  He said he was on a one year holiday from Australia, that he had just finished surfing in Sri Lanka and, now, was slowly making his way to Amsterdam by train.  He had just arrived and had yet to find a place to stay so he was still carrying the board.  We both checked in at the hostel and went out for some beer and darts at a local bar.

The Mattson 2’s release Feeling Hands rekindled memories of that bizarre random encounter.  In a way my whole experience was an apt synopsis of The Mattson 2 album.  Feeling Hands is a majestic cross of landlocked instrumental surf and jazz music. Identical twin brothers Jonathan (drums, hand claps, percussion) and Jared (guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, synthesizer, electric bass, hand claps) Mattson, two San Diego beach rats with a love of jazz, channel The Ventures, Larry Carlton and Earl Klugh, mash them all together, and create a unique and enticing sound.  It is surf music brought to terra firma.  To accentuate the point freestyle skateboarders and musicians Ray Barbee and Tommy Guerrero help out on two tracks “Chi Nine” and “Give Inski’s.”

This is a sound synthesis album and it succeeds in a way very few such albums can.  Think a nuanced Dick Dale meets Chet Baker on his way to grab some breezy George Benson.  It is honest, clean and refreshing, Give it a listen. You won’t have to ask where the waves are.  You will be riding one.

- Old School


THE MATTSON TWO from EMBRY RUCKER on Vimeo.

A non-Sunday Conversation with Roll Acosta

What have been your musical epiphany moments?

Jake: I usually have musical epiphany’s randomly. Sometimes I’m at work, in the shower, and most appropriately during a practice or jam too. But I’ve accepted inspiration is everywhere. Not just black and white.

Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

Jake: To be honest, most of the songs I write are usually based off of a riff first. However, every once in a while, I just start writing words and take that route.  Everything works itself about after about the third time I play/revise everything

Who has influenced you the most?

Jake: This is a tough question. I have so many influences in soo many different ways, songwriting wise- Glen Hasnard, voice-Robert Plant, stage presence- Freddie Mercury, the list can go on and on really for days.

Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

Jake: Most new inspiration comes from simply listening to many different types of music. I like hearing new ideas or just an arrangement of a song I’ve never heard before. If I can’t find a different source of stimulation, creatively, I’ll actually vehemently seek out new music.

Genre's are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?

Jake: I’d say we’re a new age soft rock alternative. We have elements of folk and indie because of the way we work and write, but overall we use pretty simplistic raw instrumentation to create a bigger sound.

What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

Jake: My musical intention is really to be able to give the audience great music, write that music, and perform that music to eventually live full time. Don’t really need to be rich, just want to play my music.

Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?

Jake: We definitely have some secret practice tracks where I mumble words, or really get off topic.  For example, a song that we play called “Armistice” was originally dubbed Carburetor Song, because I kept mumbling those words.

 What makes a great song?

Jake: This is very open to interpretation, but I think a great song is a song that can connect to more than one audience and usually span across at the least a generation of satisfied listeners. I’m sure not all would agree, but most classic rock and soft rock tends to fall into this category.

Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

Jake: I’ll tell you that it was not as interesting as what I write now. I definitely wrote some grade A bologna, mostly because I was learning and developing my songwriting and overall ability to listen and arrange accordingly. I think the first song I wrote had like three Goo Goo Dolls style chords, jeez.

What piece of your music are you particularly proud of?

Jake: I am most proud of my professionally recorded material. I feel like when I created music for my groups in a real studio with real great hardware, mic’s, etc. I knew that I had to rise to a certain level and bring it on each take.

Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?

Jake: I think right now bands like Airborne Toxic Event, Swell Season, Phoenix, Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, Muse, and tons of others actually have some very intense and relatable lyrics and songwriting in spades.

Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Jake: I actually prefer either digital or CD. I feel like most Vinyl can be a novelty in the US. So if I lived somewhere I else, I might think differently.

Whiskey or beer?  And defend your choice

Jake: I can’t have both…?

We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?

Jake: Roll Acosta is native to Tucson, and I think the best place to look for music is either the Chicago Store downtown, Zia Records or online.

Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?

Jake: I guess I would say just listen to as much music as possible. We are in an age now where we can pick and choose, so don’t get stuck on one group. Explore it all, and in the meantime I’ll keep working to make sure you have more to listen to.