Black Bluebirds - Like Blood for Music (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://blackbluebirds.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlackBluebirds

Written by Wendy Owens, posted by blog admin

This is an album that, despite its often distorted texture and unusual vocals, has an infectious quality. Like Blood for Music from the Minneapolis power trio Black Bluebirds is a condensed, yet often epic and expansive, ten song collection packing punch on even the softest numbers. Daniel Fiskum’s vocals dominant the recording, but he’s often accompanied by second vocalist Jessica Rasche to spectacular effect. There’s some uptempo tracks on Like Blood for Music, but many of the songs on the album invoke a deliberate and cinematic air that never strains to make an impact on listeners. Guitarist Simon Husbands and drummer Chad Helmonds form the other two corners of this power trio, but you can’t readily label the band as some derivative outfit hanging onto clichés often going along with that configuration. Instead, Black Bluebirds makes its own path while still relying on great fundamentals.

“Love Kills Slowly” relies a lot on Simon Husbands’ memorable lead guitar to make its most colorful marks and the combination of Fiskum and Rasche’s singing reach a peak of sorts with the very first number. Her voice isn’t used in quite the same way on the album’s second number “Strange Attractor”, but she has an effective presence nonetheless. The comparatively less cluttered arrangement has a sinewy power we don’t hearing in the first song, but nonetheless leaves it mark on listeners. “Life in White” shouldn’t pass people by as its one of the album’s more potentially underrated numbers, but Like Blood for Music takes a successful turn invoking acoustic sounds on an album where we wouldn’t necessarily expect that at this point.

“Battlehammer” is another of Like Blood for Music’s rockier numbers and unreels in such pyrotechnic fashion primarily thanks to Simon Husbands’ guitar pyrotechnics. He’s never a flashy player, however, and each of those moments across the span of Like Blood for Music makes great sense. One of the album’s undisputed high points comes with the song :”House of No More Dreams”. Despite the possibly overwrought implications behind the title, the song never descends into bathos and instead Fiskum’s lyrics give us a glimpse of some underrated poetic chops. The vocal for “Hole in the Day” gives a new spin to the album’s sound so far without ever venturing too far afield of Black Bluebirds’ musical DNA. “Don’t Fall In Love” continues striking the same fatalistic note that’s characterized much of the release from the start and definitely has added emotional firepower thanks to the contributions of second singer Jessica Rasche. The album’s genuine climax comes with the track “My Eyes Were Closed”, but it’s never self conscious and, instead, realizes the band’s cinematic ambitions in a way that solidifies their claim to present excellence while pointing a way towards the future. Black Bluebirds’ Like Blood for Music is definitely entertaining from the first, but gains even more from the added touch of personal statement fueling each of its ten songs.    

Joe Olnick Band - Downtown (2017)

OFFICIAL: https://www.joeolnick.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JoeOlnickMusic

Written by David Shouse, posted by blog admin

The funk genre lies relatively dormant these days with new artists and acts tough to come by.  I’ve heard a few but other than Alabama prog-funk rockers CBDB, there really hasn’t been that much stuff catching my ears anymore.  I’m a big fan of the genre and it sure is frustrating to have such difficulty discovering new groups.  Well along comes the Joe Olnick band to turn that problem on its head and me on my ear.  Downtown is this airtight unit’s SIXTH record overall…where the heck have I been?

Downtown wastes no time in getting to the point as the title track throws down some heavy, hook-y instrumental funk that’s got no b.s. and showcases a trio of kick butt musicians doing what they do best.  Bassist Jamie Aston catches a boogie woogie, wackachicka 70s lick and engages in perfect rhythmic harmony with his skin-slapping cohort Jamie Smucker who oozes class and quality with every jazzy cymbal splash and a barrage of swift-handed attacks on the snare.  Guitarist/composer Joe Olnick rockets his way across the fretboard; bluesy, FX-pedal goose guitar leads rock and roll their way into extensive, expressive solos and tasty licks.  This is just full powered soul funk that teeters and eventually levels its balance into a supreme mixture of jazz, funk, rock, blues and total catchy goodness.  Sharing a similar mindset, several tunes offer up a congruent yet noticeably different variation on a funk them; “Philadelphia Moonlight (Part One)” utilizes multi-tracked guitars for a clean/distorted double trouble blitz that’s totally settled into a mid-paced glory, “Food Truck” rocks harder and deliberately while allowing the bass to provide its own lead instrumentation and Olnick serving up five-fingered fretwork that nails some exotic high-flyer solos and “Rush Hour” is the kind of old school 70s funk n’ jazz that’s so damn good it could even appeal to fans of the almighty George Clinton and P-Funk. 

Elsewhere the album calls the dealer’s buff and takes free-wheeling chances and gambles with the stylistic side of the coin for the construction of some tunes that are totally different than anything else on the record altogether.  “Parkside” eventually delivers the rockin’ funky grooves but employs a lengthy, meditative first half that’s weird and angular in the way that late 80s/early 90s New York City noise-rock is and its companion piece “Philadelphia Moonlight (Part Two)” is a creepy odd man out cut that features guitar noise, a singular cymbal burst, an individual bass notation and creeping keyboards…it’s a total no-wave approach and there’s really no describing it.  Even crazier, closer “Sports Complex” is a fierce, voracious blend of hard rock and scraping noise-punk that still manages to push the fact that this is a funk/jazz band through and through… a really weird one but a funk/jazz band nonetheless. 

Downtown is a great record.  It’s great because Joe and the boys manage to merge tradition with trailblazing thanks to a refreshingly original approach to the genre that’s never afraid to step outside of its confines.  I could see anyone from fans of Coltrane to Clinton getting a rise out of this instrumental nuthouse.  Joe Olnick’s discography is well-worth checking out if you find yourself caught up with this album; recommended.      

Slow Burning Car - Defection (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.slowburningcar.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SlowBurningCar/

Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin

Slow Burning Car offers up a 10-track, hard rockin’ groove fest on their 4^th record Defection.  This twin guitar, energetic group mixes grand melodies with a rough, unpolished edge that is sure to ignite a spirited little mosh-pit at one of the band’s many concerts.  With airplay on 130 stations, this Los Angeles bred quartet has made quite an impact since their inception. 

The aesthetic Slow Burning Car settles on is as follows; not too heavy but certainly not too light.  Songs toss and turn between punk-fed melodies with a lot of pop phrasings and white knuckle guitar heroics where riff and rowdiness are king.  Lead-in number “Alpha Duplicor” is a prime example, the cut settling into a meaty, drop-D groove that allows the 2^nd guitarist to add leads and insert melodic indentations.  Bassist/vocalist Troy Spiropoulos constantly pushes the riffs into action with his bouncy, clearly felt bass lines lifting up from underneath as his voice’s well-contained anger never crushes any of the melodic intentions.  “Soul Crimes” is just as loud but ups the pacing by several clicks and weaves some harmonies into the vocals.  They’ve got a cool, breezy punk vibe that culls from goodtime punkers like Pulley or even Avail.  The mix of hard and soft mainly, not the exact dynamics of those bands; that’s one of Slow Burning Car’s biggest strengths, the fact that they really only sound like themselves. 

“The Orb” uses punk as a foundation but messes with some new wave, FX-dabbed vocal harmonies in the chorus.  It’s an unusual track from the beginning.  Drummer Adam Idell smashes out the intro solo with a syncopated, madman fill and the tune goes tumbling into down tuned riffs and angry, rhythmic vocal jabs.  They combine at least three different elements of genre and mash them up into a seamless barrage of sound.  “Devil in the Room” has got the kind of pop punk smarts that could easily land these guys a record deal with Epitaph; it’s no-nonsense and harder than the stuff that radio plays.  “The Sunday Derby” might stop for some catchy lyrical turns of phrase but this song feels like some twisted, gussied up version of really rocked-out 90s indie that is sandwiched in by another couple chord rocker, “You Can’t Stay Here.”  “Bedtime” is a fine acoustic guitar ditty, a sort of couplet alongside the equally sublime “Chrysanthemum.”  Just when you think the record is going to settle into a singular vibe, the band again pitches a curve in the form of “Polar Warden,” a psychedelic rock piece with a tapestry of loops, sound FX, molten bass riffs and sporadic vocals floating like vapor from your stereo speakers.  “Clouds” brings the album home with some epic, skyward guitar riffing, overcast drumming and stormy low-end yielding an emotionally stirring hard rocker that couldn’t have found better placement as a final number. 

Defection is really in its own league as an album.  It’s fresh, original and pretty rocking with a challenging songwriting approach that skips across several rock genres.  You can tell the band really enjoy and get down on their sound and this plays out to the listener’s advantage while listening to the record.  This album rocks hard and is a lot of fun; well-worth a buy for rock, punk, indie, grunge, and even hardcore fans. 

Thomas Abban - A Sheik's Legacy (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.thomasabban.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ThomasAbbanOfficial/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thomasabbanofficial/

Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

Minneapolis guitar rock titan Thomas Abban may only be 21 years old but his first record A Sheik’s Legacy rings of a grizzled, hardened legend of the stage and studio.  This 15 song shambling beast of a debut feels like an album from a man AT LEAST twice Abban’s young age.  The enigmatic rock n’ roller of Welsh/Ghanian heritage also paints his face with strange symbols around his eyes and on his arms for performances and his music also possesses a wild, alien quality that is a wonderful yet rewarding challenge for reviewers, concert goers and listeners alike. 

“Death Song” comes off like a musical suite; several distinct passages are incredibly lush as they unfold in a storm of orchestral themed, multi-layered guitars parts from acoustic to electric, jazzy strutting bass lines, wild African vocal screams and chants, Abban’s breathtaking falsetto melodies, tom-tom leaned drum patterns that are gloriously wild and untamed…all wrapped up in a total package by the magical, darkness-charged lyrics.  By the time the song is over, you feel like you’ve listened to an entire album.  There are that many peaks and valleys in “Death Song.”  “Symmetry & Black Tar” further ascends the lofty ambition of the opening track by expanding on the same theme but consistently ratcheting up the tempos of the acoustic guitars while rifling off some deadly lead guitar sizzle played at a mountainous volume.  Abban’s vocal range empowers the ears and soul as he goes from trembling lower notes to sky high shrieks, as unusual facets like clavinets add a Spanish feel and classical strings whip up some truly provocative texture washes. 

A 4 second piano intro morphs into a hammering, arena destroying guitar riff during “Fear’s” no b.s., hard-rock assault.  Proto-metal progenitors like Led Zeppelin, Free, a fledgling Judas Priest and Bloodrock all made legendary albums completely culled from a similarly tattered, warts n’ all approach derived from the blues.  Thomas also has the danger in his voice to dive headlong into such material; he shows it in spades here and carries it over into the immediately following, gluey grooves of “Aladdin.”  The lyrical content switches to grand Arabian fantasy while the preceding “Fear” came from what seemed to be a very personal experience.  Just like the music, Abban’s wordplay and vocal delivery are constantly fluxing in a way that just cements your attention span to the stereo speakers.  For more big riffs, the shack shakin’ earthquake of “Uh” and the late game power-blues climax of “Black Water” practically declares Thomas Abban as a new age proprietor of the groove alongside names like Jimmy Page, Joe Bonamassa, Tommy Bolin and Steve Gould.  You even get a lead-loaded, spacey, up-tempo freak out as the acidic “Born of Fire” is no stranger to blasting volumes. 

Then just when you least expect it, Thomas will anchor the album’s mood to a totally different aura altogether.  There are largely acoustic numbers that meld folk-inspired harmonies to gritty blues or southern-fried country grace.  These traits appear in all sorts of mix n’ match road swerves on husky, dusky tunes like “Don’t You Stay the Same,” “Let Me Tell You Something,” “Lord” and the swift, harder-charging “Echo.”  Then these schematics will disassemble some of their darker qualities into bewildering, bewitching tenderness during “Horizons,” “Sinner” and “Irene’s” triumphant, heartfelt melodies where Thomas’ voice shows just how soft, subtle and contemplative it can get. 

A Sheik’s Legacy is nothing more than a triumph of breaking down genre walls.  Rock n’ roll is one of the biggest features but there is so much going on here that it’s impossible to truly nail down Abban’s sound.   This is a one of a kind record that no serious music fan should miss.