Audio By Carbonatix
Welcome to Staff Trax, the weekly feature here on DC9 where we shed some light on
the music we’ve been enjoying of late, regardless of the touring or
album release schedules that tend to bear the focus of most of our
coverage. Consider it a chance for you readers to get some more insight
into our own personal tastes. Maybe you’ll find something you like, ya
dig?
Typhoon — Starting Over (Bad Habits)
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The Philistines Jr. — “Twenty Miles to NH”
Brothers
Peter and Tarquin Katis have been making experimental pop music under
The Philistines Jr. moniker since 1990. Hailing from Connecticut, the
band has received some critical buzz, but has never broken out of cult
status. Such non-success resulted in the Katis brothers putting the band
on hold and going on to other projects. Some might recall Peter’s
name–he has produced efforts by Interpol, The National and Jonsi. And
those successful production stints have allowed The Philistines Jr. to
come out of hiding and release a brand new effort, the fairly remarkable
If a Band Plays in the Woods…? Sounding more confident in the
recording studio, the Katis Brothers have created a record that is much
more accomplished than anything they’ve done in the past. Echoes of Yo
La Tengo, Sparklehorse and Brian Eno appear in songs like “The Bus Stop
Song” and the spooky, Halloween-themed “Twenty Miles to NH”. No word on a
tour, but if there is one and if it comes close, I will be there. –Darryl Smyers
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I
was in Portland this past weekend, where I had the pleasure of
stumbling across the above band. An 11-piece not altogether unlike Fort
Worth’s Own Telegraph Canyon,
albeit of a more twee nature than Telegraph’s sometimes rowdy
alt-country leanings (as, I guess, can be expected of each’s geographic
backgrounds), Typhoon’s sound isn’t unlike what you’d expect given its
name. Using a wide range of instrumentation, the band’s baroque
folk-rock washes over its listeners at different paces–sometimes
softly, and other times, crashing over you in waves. It’s a pleasurable
combination, for sure, and one that the band employs quite well on its
debut, Hunger & Thirst, released earlier this year on upstart indie Portland label Tender Loving Empire. Well worth the listen. –Pete FreedmanKylesa – “Tired Climb”
Here’s a good way to grab my attention: a metal band that doesn’t strictly play within metal’s boundaries, has two drummers, and is labelmates with the Dillinger Escape Plan. While I’ve mixed up their name with Kyuss before, I think it’s safe to say that after the band’s upcoming album, Spiral Shadow, from which the above song is culled, I won’t make the same mistake with Kylesa, which plays the Palladium on Saturday night. –Eric Grubbs
This is one of the few albums from our mailroom that I’ve gone back to rather frequently since I first gave it a spin. While it’s perhaps too easy of a comparison given their splendidly smoky growls, Cook’s work will no doubt appeal to fans of Lucinda Williams. Don’t let that dissuade you, though, Lucinda-haters: Cook’s voice actually contains a great deal of warmth and displays plenty of timely, delicate flourishes. And her overall body of work waltzes through far more diverse terrain than your average singer-songwriter or alt-country act does. Soul, blues, pop and straight-ahead rock are all here for the soaking in. –Kelly DearmoreFences – “Girls With Accents”
Chris Mansfield sings “I’m fucking up / I’m fucking up everything” in this new single, albeit a little too somberly, a la Conor Oberst. But, apart from that, he seems to be a largely original product with a broken mold–and one hell of a collection of face tats. (Yikes.) His new CD has wonderful potential to soar on uncensored/satellite/Internet radio–and maybe even on commercial/terrestrial readio if they don’t botch the “clean edit” too badly. A special bonus tidbit: Fences’ new CD is produced by Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara fame. –Alan Ayo
