Arcsin(100) – Fine Gutters 8.5

                Arcsin(100) have heart. I’m reminded of the best of early grunge and indie pop while I get this through my head. My closest comparison would be early Sebadoh. However, perhaps everyone might not be familiar with Sebadoh or other forms of the stripped-down, emotional sound Arcsin(100) employs. Think of this album as “Shaggy Dog” rock.  

                 This is a sprawling album. An album with 24 tracks can be daunting. Don’t let it be. Really there is every reason to enjoy it. Each song is well-done and themes pop in and out of the album. Having themes means you can grab a couple songs and realize how well they fit together. 

                “Newton” starts things off. In the beginning, it sounds reminiscent of a band off the Siltbreeze label, with the loudness and distortion. Remember the short-lived genre “Shitgaze”? Well, Arcsin(100) remembered it well with this song and a few others on here, specifically this one and the fuzzy “Realize Nothing”. 

                Most of these songs are more acoustic-based. All are lo-fi. I don’t think Arcsin(100) could keep the same level of intimacy if they choose a higher-fidelity format. With their approach, they manage to remain a bit closer to the listener. Having silly lyrics certainly helps as well.

                Due to the many songs, I have a few sections which I particularly enjoy; specifically “She got hit by a Car” to “NASA”. “NASA” has some silly-sweet lyrics. My favorite line from NASA has to be the smile inducing “It’s the future/and everyone hates Earth”. As I was called a ‘spacey kid’ for more times than I can possibly count I enjoyed the day-dreaming hopes of the singer. 

                “The Light Lines” to “00110” would be my other favorite section of songs. “Diesel Engine” is the best song on the album for me. While I listened to this I lay down on my bed, sweating doing nothing. Arcsin(100) wrote the song specifically for that purpose. I’m certain of it. 

                I’m always excited when I stumble upon something this instantly enjoyable. You don’t have to do any elbow work. Jeff Lownsbury has already done it for you. This is fantastic.

Cactus Cooler – Volume I 7.6

                Imagine discovering a tape thirteen years after it had been recorded. You’d realize you’re uncovering a time capsule. Whatever is on the tape hasn’t worried about music trends for a while, if ever. Tapes represent a kind of sweet love, a cottage industry of care. 

                Cactus Cooler reminds me of the “Anti-Folk” movement. All the humor and warmth I remember from that painfully short-lived and explored genre is present on this tender release. Christian Filardo uncovered this rather strange collection of songs. Thankfully he’s decided to share them with the world on his label HolyPageRecords.

                None of them are particularly long. Brandon Shimoda (the man behind this project) appeared to understand the phrase “Brevity is the soul of wit”. With most songs under two minutes, they don’t overstay their welcome. The lyrics are silly and melancholy. 

                Silliness and melancholy is displayed in full effect on the song “Santa Loved You”. Hearing “For Santa loved you like a mother/Oh Santa loved you like a brother/Oh Santa loved you more than any other” are probably the sweetest lyrics I’ve heard in some time. Is it twee? It probably is. 

                The sweetest songs are “Whale of a Friend” and “Animal Wishes”. “Animal Wishes” has better fidelity than most of the songs, though that’s not saying much. Brandon’s voice takes some getting used it, as the high pitched quality could bother some listeners.

                Really though, this is an extremely enjoyable little gem, left alone for far too long.

Bikeuala – Brand New Pants 8.0

             Bikeuala may be considered ‘pure sonic fun’. I can literally hear the fun they had recording this collection of 18 songs. Each one has its own personality. A few themes and sounds are present in most of the songs giving it a near-theme. But really, the best way of enjoying these 28 minutes of packed-tight fun is to lose your mind among the sounds. 

                Whoever is on that drum does a fantastic job. On nearly every track, the drummer makes his presence felt on the dance track “Mis Lady DJ” or in a more frenzied way “Bugs”. At no point does the drummer appear to get much of a break on the album. Even at the quieter moments, there might be a gentle brushing, but he’s always there, waiting to explode into torrential downpour of rhythm and noise. 

                A few times I’m reminded of “Home Movies” the show while I hear this album. Part of that reason might have to do with the pure joy contained, in fact overflowing from each track. The sheer amount of energy and sincerity, however silly, has a similar feel to that show. While it may appear on the surface to be a bunch of guys (Tom Filardo, Edward Chrichton, and Gregory Campanile, to be specific) goofing around, there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye. 

I find the positivity to be a very good thing. Experimentation can be a warm, emotional positive thing. Bikeuala proves this in spades. While they experiment with the idea of what a pop song is, they give off a vibe similar to Canada’s “The Unicorns” but with less singing. The few times you do hear singing is usually to emphasize the mood.

Sometimes through the course of the album you get the feeling several bands are within this one bands. There’s the mellow indie band, there’s the frantic stomping goodness one, and there’s the ambient, reflective one. Considering they only have 28 minutes, that’s no mean feat. Best part of this album is it is all for free right here.

Phoenix Sons – Suburbia 8.1

             

             Phoenix Sons may be the most addictive thing I’ve heard from HolyPageRecords. Written by Ian Jamison and Jayson Cappo, it is really engrossing. You’ll need to get through the huge dollops of humor thrown onto here. In their little blurb, they talk about classically trained musicians exploring pop music. No, that’s not entirely correct. Think instead of the most hot and bothered forms of pop.

                “From Flagstaff” sounds like a parody of 70s progressive rock and the overly ridiculousness of dramatic singing. Somehow, by it possessing some unfathomable amount of irony, it manages to be somewhat endearing. They are fairly good musicians, and little flourishes here and there remind you these are two people who know their goal.

                By far the best song is “Suburbia”.  It starts out with “Hey mom can I borrow the car” as a thumping beat begins. Words fail me in describing in what’s going on here. The beginning reminds me of Electric Light Orchestra left out in the hot Arizona sun with its mind fried, unable to make sense of anything going on. Beats so loud and absurd are layered on top. Violins come into the chaos and slowly things reach a noisy crescendo. Eventually things only to build up again into a sweeping set of chords as piano and violins end it. Try as you might, it is pretty hard to extract this out of your head. It’s something that’s just has so many things going on you’ll fail to make sense out of it. While you could see it as stupid, it’s a surprisingly inventive song.

                “The Top” is the weak point on this EP for me at least. “Him & Her” is the sobering end to this song. Devoid of a lot of the noisier aspects we saw earlier on the record, it shows they can write a genuine, touching song besides the lurching madness displayed on most of the EP. At moments it sounds like a long lost Ben Folds song. Yeah, it is that strange.

                Obviously this isn’t everyone’s taste. Veering around all sorts of genres, it can be a lot to understand in only 16 minutes. It possesses a charming quality underneath all the silliness which allows it to rise above being merely a joke.

If the above intrigued you, I’d recommend downloading it for free right here.

Girlhood – Epilepsy Overview 7.7

               Edouard Urcadez’s solo project focuses on some heavier, noisy sounds. The second release in the cryptic weirdness of the ongoing experiment called “HolyPageRecords” it is surprisingly moving. I found it moving for the huge amount of patience Edouard employs in the pacing and sounds he uses. Usually noise artists are keener to explore pointless aggression, but his ability to infuse a kind of longing, a certain tragedy, is a nice flair. 

                “1995” introduces things with a rather calm approach. As an introduction, it works well, but by being the calmest track of the bunch, it doesn’t really prepare you for what’s going to come. For whatever reason, the sounds of “No Ammo” remind me of a lo-fi Salem. Maybe it’s the blurred lyrics, or the most straightforward beats you find on the album. It might also be the menacing feel of the bass as it hits, distorting things virtually beyond recognition.

                Sometimes though there’s a song in an album which kind of serves as a “thesis statement” or “artist’s intent” and explains everything. For me, that song was “Body Heat”. On here, Girlhood gets into a good mixture of longing and tenderness. The song begins off quiet and slowly builds. Rather than just have it blast off into noise, he keeps its barely restrained, allowing the slight changes in rhythmic impulses do more speaking than any increase in volume could hope to achieve. 

                After that song, everything else on the album starts to make sense. Even the closer “Victimize” presents more tragedy than outright violence. It’s a good, noisy, but oddly endearing end to this rather bizarre EP. Get it free here.