Author: William Ruben Helms

William Ruben Helms is a Corona, Queens, NYC-born and-based African American music journalist, freelance writer, editor, photographer and founder of the DIY, independent music and photography site, The Joy of Violent Movement. Over the course of the past two decades, Helms’ writing and photography has been published in Downbeat, Premier Guitar Magazine (photography), Consequence, The Inventory, Glide Magazine.com (words and photography), Publisher’s Weekly, Sheckys.com, Shecky’s Bar and Nightlife Guide 2004, New York Press, Ins&Outs Magazine, Dish Du Jour Magazine, Aussie music publication Musicology.xyz (photography) and countless others, including his own site. With The Joy of Violent Movement, Helms specializes in covering music with an eclectic, globe-trotting, and genre-defying perspective that’s deeply inspired by and informed by his birthplace and home, arguably one of the most diverse places in the world. Since its founding back in 2010, The Joy of Violent Movement can proudly claim readers across the US, Canada, the UK, The Netherlands, France, Australia, and several others throughout its history. https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com/shop https://www.instagram.com/william_ruben_helms Twitter: @yankee32879 @joyofviolent become a fan of the joy of violent movement: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement support the joy of violent movement on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement hire me for headshots, portraits and event photography: https://www.photobooker.com/photographer/ny/new-york/william-h?duration=1?duration=1#
Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: El Dusty Returns with Another Swaggering and Hyper Modern Take on Classic Cumbia

Olivera’s latest single “La Chusa” is a collaboration featuring Camilo Lara and Toy Selectah, which as Olivera explained to Univision in a recent interview, derives its title “from a South Texas Chicano folk story about this owl [in some Spanish speaking countries lechuza means owl] with the with the face of an old lady that stands on top of your house and scares kids into acting good. When I was a kid I was petrified of it!” Sonically though the song is comprised of a classic and beloved Columbian cumbia track, Los Hermanos Tuirán’s “La cumbia de la cordillera,” a track that’s not only about a bird on a mountain, and note even remotely related to El Dusty’s title, but it has also been used by sound systems and global bass DJs in Columbia and elsewhere. Interestingly, the track is a buoyant and swaggering track, full of tweeter and woofer rocking beats and bass paired with a joyous and mischievously anthemic hook that will make you get off your ass and move.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of 1969’s Hot Buttered Soul, the legendary Isaac Hayes quickly developed a reputation as being one of Stax Records‘ boundary pushing, bleeding edge funk and soul stars. At a time when most soul, R&B, pop, and rock songs were an extremely radio-friendly three minutes or less,  Hayes crafted expansive, mind-altering and epic compositions that bridged psych rock, funk, soul, early disco, rock and jazz — and routinely captures him and his backing band catching and holding onto a groove and taking it as far the groove would take them. Just as a few examples for those not familiar, the aforementioned Hot Buttered Soul consists of only four tracks with album closer “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” clocking it at 18:42; “I Stand Accused” and “Something” off 1970’s The Isaac Hayes Movement clock in at just under 12 minutes; and “The Look Of Love” off 1970’s . . . To Be Continued clocks in at a little over 11 minutes.  And this was before Hayes accepted the unique assignment of writing the beloved soundtrack for the seminal and canonical Blaxploitation film, 1971’s Shaft.

However, “Do You Thing” off the two LP Shaft soundtrack may have arguably been the longest song he ever wrote, as it actually took up most of the second LP’s B side, as the expansive groove before ending with the overdubbed sound of a record player needle violently scratching across a vinyl; however, interestingly enough, Hayes and his backing band The Bar-Kays had recorded an additional improvisational 13 minutes that sonically possessed elements of free jazz, jazz fusion and psych rock that had been consigned to the vaults  . . . that is until the folks at Now-Aagin Records stumbled upon it and decided that they needed to release the full 33 minute version of the song, from the 2-inch tape masters on the greatest day of all for audiophiles — Record Store Day.

Including with the vinyl release is a booklet detailing the history of the never-heard-before version of one of Hayes’ most famous and beloved songs. To celebrate the upcoming release of the 33 minute vinyl check out a 22 minute version of “Do Your Thing” that ends with wild peals of discordant noise featuring feedback, strummed guitar chords eventually played through wah wah pedal, shimmering and soaring organ chords with musician studio chatter before a quick fade out.

Spotify Playlist by William Ruben Helms

 

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So last evening, the folks at Speak Into My Good Eye (SIMGE) in partnership with The Footlight had the first of a monthly series dubbed Blox Cord in which three other Tri-State area-based writers/editors/bloggers are invited to curate a live showcase of locally-based indie music. And each writer/editor/blogger did a short DJ set in between sets.

Sponsored by Narragansett Beer and Austin Eastciders, the inaugural lineup included:

SLONK DONKERSON // (SIMGE)
Fruit & Flowers // (CoolDad Music)
Leland Sundries // (Elmore Magazine)
The Vaughns // (The Joy of Violent Movement)

And there was a there was a happy hour with  Narragansett and Austin Eastciders drink specials and giveaways that was DJ’d by up-and-coming producer DJ DeModa.

Check out some of the songs that I wound up playing as part of my showcase, as well as a bunch of shows I would have loved to play if I had more than my allowed time.

 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: The Trippy and Hypnotic Sounds and Visuals of Bonobo’s “Kerala”

January 13, 2017 will mark the release of Green’s sixth Bonobo effort Migration, and his first full-length release in four years. Fittingly as Green mentions in press notes, the material thematically speaking focuses on migration. “It’’s interesting how one person will take an influence from one part of the world and move with that influence and effect another part of the world. Over time, the identities of places evolve,” the renowned British producer and electronic music artist remarks in press notes. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that the material possesses a transitory nature — some of the material, including the album’s first single “Kerala” was initially composed while on the road and then was road-tested and revised during Stateside DJ sets. And the album’s guest spots feature a number of artists, who have emigrated themselves, including Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based vocalist Michael Milosh of Los Angeles-based indie pop act Rhye, who recorded his vocal tracks while in Berlin, Germany; Australian-born, Brooklyn-based global, indie pop sensation Nick Murphy, formerly known as Chet Faker, who bonded with the British producer over a shared love of disco; Florida-born, Los Angeles-based Nicole Miglis of Los Angeles-based act Hundred Waters; and the New York-based Moroccan collective Innov Gnawa among others. Adding to the album’s transitory nature, Green also employs the use of found sounds that include a Hong Kong elevator, rainfall in Seattle, an Atlanta-based tumble dryer and a New Orleans fan boat engine.

As for “Kerala,” the single manages to further cement elements of Green’s signature sound while expanding upon it as shuffling and skittering 808s are paired with gorgeous yet arpeggiated and knotted strings. And the song builds up until Green drops a cut and layered vocal sample from Brandy that gives the composition a bit of soulfulness and swooning euphoria while possessing a shimmering and cinematic quality.

Directed by video collective Bison, who has produced videos for Jon Hopkins, London Grammar and Rosie Lowe and starring Gemma Arterton, the video compliments the shuffling and trippy nature of the song by creating slowly staggered looped effects in which Arterton is haunted by both terrors unseen by everyone else around her — until the camera pulls out to see an unidentified flying object hovering at the horizon.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Bay Area music scene veterans Ethan Miller, a member of Heron Oblivion, Howlin Rain and Comets on Fire; Chris Johnson, a member of Drunk Horse, Andy Human and the Reptoids; and Josh Hynes, a member of Nudity, the Oakland, CA-based psych trio Feral Ohms have developed a reputation for crating some of the Bay Area’s heaviest and hardest rock since their formation in 2011.

John Dwyer’s Castle Face Records will be releasing the band’s highly anticipated debut (and) live album Live in San Francisco on Friday, and as you’ll hear on “The Glow,” one of the barn-burning singles off Live in San Francisco, the band’s sound consists of loud, fuzzy, power chord-based psych rock that’s fittingly feral, explosive and mosh-pit friendly.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past couple of years, the Brooklyn-based electro pop duo denitia and sene have become won the attention of this site and the rest of the blogosphere for Brian “sene” Marc’s hyper-modern and slick production work, which effortlessly meshes elements of electro pop, hip-hop, funk, minimalist electronica, underground and advant garde pop paired with Denitia Odigie’s ethereal yet soulful vocals.

The duo’s full-length debut was both critically and commercially successful as the album landed on the Top 10 of iTunes R&B charts and the duo was profiled the New York Times, for their participation in a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist collective.  However, since the release of their debut, the duo have been busy with individual creative pursuits as Marc is part of the cast of Netflix‘s Luke Cage, has starred alongside Emma Roberts in Nerve and a lead role in White Girl while Odigie’s solo recording project ADESUWA received attention after the release of the Air Light EP earlier this year.

Interestingly the duo found time to write and record the material that would comprise their forthcoming sophomore effort, love and noir, which is slated for a November 18, 2016 release. Last month, I wrote about the album’s second single “open wide.” That single featured a chilly, subtly industrial production paired with a sultry sensuality as that song’s narrator swoons over her object of attention and love.  The album’s third and latest single “favorite.” features a sleek, contemporary production consisting shimmering synths, stuttering drum programming, wobbling low end, a distorted vocal sample as the song’s melody and finger snaps paired with Odigie’s easy going and soulful crooning in an airy song that gently dips and swoons, and evokes waking up next to a lover, after you’ve made love and sighing happily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rodes Rollins is  Boulder, CO-born pop artist, who has spent time living abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina and now currently splits her time between New York and Los Angeles. Her latest EP Young Adult was produced by Alex Goose, who has worked with Kevin Gates and Weezer, and the material on the EP is largely inspired by her experiences living about while also thematically focusing on the fleeting nature of beauty and youth — and as a result, as you’ll hear on the EP’s latest single “Young & Thriving,” the material possesses a wistful sense of nostalgia, acceptance and wonder over the circumstances and people that inform and influence one’s life. And it’s paired with a sexy and subtly Spaghetti Western, psych pop sound reminiscent of Betty Black.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Over the past year or so, you’ve likely come across a handful of posts on London-based indie pop duo Ten Fe. The duo of Ben Moorhouse and Leo Duncan won the attention of the blogosphere with the release of anthemic singles “Make Me Better,” and “In The Air.”  Last month, the duo released the brooding music video for their ambient, R&B-leaning, plaintive yet restrained single “Turn,” off the duo’s forthcoming and long-awaited full-length debut Hit The Light, which is slated for a February 3, 2017 release through Some Kind of Love Records/[PIAS] Recordings.

Recorded at Kompakt Records Studios in Berlin with Ewan Pearson, who has worked with Jagwar Ma, M83 and The Rapture, Moorhouse and Duncan’s full-length debut reportedly finds the duo’s effortlessly meshing contemporary electro pop, Americana and the classic Manchester sound while thematically speaking, the material focuses on renewal and possibility.  The duo’s latest single and their full-length debut’s second official single is the album’s opening track “Overflow,” is a shimmering 80s-inspired synth pop/New Wave track, complete with a tight motoric groove that lyrically focuses on a lost love. And while naturally being a bit wistful over the past, the song possesses a profoundly optimistic bent that reminds the listener that heartbreak is a reminder that you once knew love and will have it again many more times over.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

If you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year or so, you’ve come across a handful of posts featuring the Brooklyn-based experimental/psych pop act Pavo Pavo. Deriving their name from the name of the southern constellation Pavo — Latin for peacock —the members of the band Eliza Bagg (violin, synths, vocals), Oliver Hill (guitar, synths and vocals). Nolan Green (guitar, vocals), Austin Vaughn (drums) and Ian Romer (bass) can trace its origins to when the members of the quintet were studying while at Yale University, and since then individual members have collaborated with the likes of Here We Go Magic, John Zorn, Dave Longstreth, Porches, Olga Bell, Lucius, Roomful of Teeth and San Fermin among others.  Adding to a growing profile, their “Ran Ran Run”/”Annie Hall” 7 inch was praised by a number of media outlets and blogs, including  Stereogum as being “weightless pop music that sounds like it was beamed down from a glimmering utopian future.” And while nodding at 60s psych pop and 80s New Age, just underneath the glimmering surface there’s a hint at unease, anxiety, rot and dysfunction.

Now, as you may recall the band’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, Young Narrator in the Breakers is slated for a November 11, 2016 release through Bella Union Records and thematically, the material according to the members of the band describes both the magic and panic of adult life — with the understanding that much like a getting caught in a vicious breaker, you have to stop fighting and ride it out until you can get to shore safely. Interestingly, the album’s latest single “Ruby (Let’s Buy The Bike)” consists of gorgeous falsetto boy/girl harmonies, a strummed and slightly ragged guitar-led melody, off-kilter percussion and soaring synths, and the result is a gorgeous and trippy acceptance of time’s passing and a swooning love song to a beautiful motorcycle named Ruby that the song’s narrator stumbled on to at a bike show. Part of the song involves the hopes and plans the narrator has for the bike; some of which picturing himself riding around on the badass bike, potentially getting into a gruesome accident and dying — but saying “man, for the bike, it was fucking worth it.”