Tag: Dalek

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

David Nord is a jazz-trained composer and guitarist, who’s passion and interest in hip-hop and electronic music brought about a major evolution of his work, leading him to mesh the two styles in a way that allowed him to explore the possibilities of an alternate musical vocabulary and a new creative outlet, his solo recording project spoony bard, a project that derives it’s name from the final bit of dialogue in Final Fantasy IV — and it’s beloved by gamers because it’s both a goofy and terrible translation. In any case, as Nord explains in press notes, “Just playing jazz wasn’t cutting it anymore. I started hearing the L.A. beat scene stuff that was coming out and got inspired to really dive deeper into synthesizers, sampling, music software, etc., while also continuing to hone the harmonic and melodic approach that I had developed as a jazz musician. And as you’ll hear on the swaggering “vibe/void” off his spoony bard debut, Dweeb, Nord’s sound clearly draws from Flying Lotus, Dalek, DJ Premier, Aphex Twin, Head Hunters-era Herbie Hancock, old school drum ‘n’ bass electronica, and others, thanks to layers of glitchy synths squiggling and undulating electronics, sinuous bass and tweeter and woofer rocking 808 beats — all diced and chopped up, but paired with self-deprecating yet deeply introspective and honest lyrics delivered in a flow reminiscent of Atmosphere’s Slug. Interestingly, with “vibe/void,” the song’s narrator talks about a familiar experience to most creative types, who are forced to work a day job to survive — the feeling as though they’re leaving their creativity and individuality behind forever, for a pay check and a humdrum, office drone life. And throughout the song, the song’s narrator is desperate to escape, to get his life together and do everything within his power to live the life he’s long dreamed of. Shit, maybe some of us should take his advice, huh?

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Brian Purington (guitar), Chris Hackstie (electric and pedal steel guitar), Earl Bowers (drums), James Alexander (viola), Kirk Latkas (keys) and Scott Telles (bass), the Austin TX-based prog rock sextet my education have four previously released albums — 5 Popes, Italian, Moody Dipper, Bad Vibrations, Sunrise, and A Drink for All My Friends with material off those albums being remixed by  members of Kinski, Pelican, Red Sparowes and Dalek — and the members of the band released a remastered editor of their full-length debut back in 2013. And adding to a growing profile, the band has played with a number of national and internationally recognized bands including A Place to Bury Strangers, Kinski, Bardo Pond, Dalek, The Black Angels, The Sea and Cake, Warpaint, Alexander Hacke and Algis Kizys, The Psychedelic Furs, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, This Will Destroy You, Sleepy Sun, White Denim, Radar Bros., Eluvium, Sian Alice Group, Don Caballero, Trans Am, Maserati and The Red Sparowes among others.

The Austin, TX-based septet’s forthcoming full-length effort Schiphol is reportedly influenced by the band’s relentless North American touring schedule, which they began back in 1999 and by a grueling tour across Europe in which they played 20 shows in 21 days. And as the band, along with producer Mike McCarthy, who’s best known for his work with Spoon, . . . And Know You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and Patty Griffin, began working on the material that would comprisgggge Schiphol, the band began recognizing that a series of themes would seem to repeatedly come up with their latest mat rial — expressing feelings of paranoia, longing, fear, the desperate desire to escape and an overwhelming sense of statelessness, of being on the road and forgetting where you were from or what home was like. Schiphol‘s latest single “Open Marriages” is a moody and cinematic track in which shimmering guitar chords, an angular and propulsive bass and an expansive sound structure familiar to Remember Remember,  Mogwai and others.