Parenthetical Girls | A Review of Their Charismatic “Christmas” Album

Sick of Bing Crosby, how about some experimental baroque pop for the holiday season. Portland’s own Parenthetical Girls have released a Christmas album. Most Christmas albums are generally wholesome and feature whichever band singing familiar Xmas music. Parenthetical Girls’ Christmas album is a lot more interesting than that, but you wouldn’t want to play it as background music at a family holiday gathering. Don’t be put off though there are a lot of Jingle Bells ringing throughout this album. You can really notice them in Last Christmas, pt II, which is an interestingly sung track that sounds like Brian Molko (Placebo) singing a Christmas carol, but it’s not.  So, if the radio’s incessant playing of Jingle Bell Rock is pushing you into a homicidal rage but you still crave Yule Time music try Parenthetical Girls Christmas.       

Bardo Pond | A Review of Their Self-Titled Album

Bardo Pond originated in Philadelphia, PA. in the early 90s and have made it to the eighth album mark with their first Self-Titled LP. For an eighth album this LP doesn’t feel stale at all, it has the tone of a freshmen work matched with the depth that can only come from seasoned musicians.  Some of the tracks devolve into a kind of free flowing melodic entity that never really goes anywhere but entrances the listener like a moth caught by the glow of a flame. The musical style of Bardo Pond leans heavily on a psychedelic rock influence. It seems that the band can’t get enough time to explore the musical interludes of some cuts from the album, such as the track Undone which spans a whopping 21 minutes. But these extended instrumental portions of the album that are stuffed with heavy droning guitars rattling out distorted riff after riff, lend to the album’s esoteric quality. The extended instrumental parts noticeable in this album might remind people of a relative newcomer to the psychedelic game, namely British Columbia’s Frog Eyes. They too do not shy away from the ever expanding sound.  The music just keeps going, interrupted only for the briefest of moments by delicately laid out lyrics provided by Isobel Sollenberger. Bardo Pond’s new album might prove that eight and not seven is really a lucky number. This is definitely one album to check out.    

My Grey Horse | The Saltway EP

The English band My Grey Horse has recently released their second EP entitled The Saltway. The five-piece band consists of three Butler brothers John, Peter and Oobah the rest of the group is made up by Tom Mott and Joe Nickln. Just like the band’s first self-titled the four tracks that populate EP The Salway do not disappoint. First things first, the album art for this EP is fantastic. The band doesn’t seem to shy away from its equestrian related name, popping a prominent grey horse on the EP’s cover. The image looks like it was pulled from the LSD induced hallucinations of marionette theatre worker.  

The first cut is Johnny Edson and it starts off as something similar to Modest Mouse but evolves into something else altogether.  This song really draws its energy from the drums and less from the vocals; it all ends though in a slow burn resolution. Track two, Smiles Free is more of a straightforward punk rock number, the vocals are suitably inaudible and all of the instruments rattle off in haze to a melody appropriate for fast driver’s ambiance. Tug of Warcraft and Waste of Air close out The Saltway in a strong way. Both tracks have more of a You’ll Never Learn feel, a track from the band’s previous effort.

So, how does this new EP stack up against My Grey Horse’s first one? The answer is, nicely.  EPs are always a taste of what’s to come and The Saltway is hopefully just that.

Prediction: The cover of My Grey Horse’s first full length album will feature a giant top hat wearing grey horse working a troll marionette.     

The Bees | Every Step’s A Yes A Review

The U.K. band The Bees released an album this past fall entitled Every Step’s A Yes, and it has gone rather unnoticed across the pond. This was the band’s fourth full length release. Their sound is a lighthearted combination of folk and garage rock with a retro vibe. For some cuts off of Every Step’s A Yes there is a definite reggae influence, this blend of styles makes for a wonderful variety from one song to the next. The tempo is fairly mild throughout the album and creates a relaxed atmosphere. It’s not surprising that The Bees haven’t made a real mark in the States. It seems that more and more bands have begun taking their cues from past artists, especially from the 60s and 70s of late. It’s not a bad thing, but there is an influx of albums with a similar style to The Bees. Matt Costa’s recent album harkens back to the glory days of rock and roll. Dawes début album from last year was a case of reboot rock fever if there ever was one. Mini Mansion, Dr. Dog, Timbre Timbre, they are all in a similar, slightly more psychedelic boat with The Bees. It’s hardly a bad boat to be in, but it is getting a bit crowed.

Nonetheless, this The Bees album is worth checking out if you are at all interesting in any of the other artists mention. So, if you just can’t get enough of this vain of music, Every Step’s A Yes is right for you.
   

Dead Ghosts | Taking a Look Dead Ghost’s Self-Titled Album

As a band that calls Vancouver B.C. home, Dead Ghosts must have a lot of American fans saying; “Your Vancouver B.C., I want to go there so badly.” The reply tumbling around in the back of their heads must sound something like, thank 2010 Winter Olympics, you’ve turned my city into the Canadian version of Paris, France. Everyone says they love those cities and want to visit, but they couldn’t name three other cities within those countries if their life depended on it. As for Dead Ghosts’, is actually as interesting as people believe their city to be.

Dead Ghosts have a style that mixes Beach Boys guitar riffs with drastic fuzz of an over spun record. This makes the lyrics of each track off of their self-titled album mostly indecipherable adding to the band’s enigmatic style. Some tracks, like Getting Older, burst out of the gate with an energy similar to that of John Lennon singing Twist and Shout. While others have more of a Deer Tick vibe, with a country melody as the backbone of the song yet still maintain the constant static distortion. This is the best album to come out of Vancouver B.C.’s indie music scene since Frog Eye’s released Paul's Tomb: A Triumph earlier this year.