Rick's Mailbox Volume VI: It'll Blow Your Mind
Posted 08/11/2009 12:46PM by Rick Gebhardt as Rick's Discoveries
Being an editor here at Decoy, I get a fair amount of mail from bands, labels, PR companies, and other random sources. Most of the mail comes in the form of packages containing CDs for bands that want reviews, coverage, or just a mention somewhere in some publication to get their name out. It would be impossible for us to review every album submitted to us, and I think many bands know that, but I sometimes feel guilty letting things slip through the cracks, especially since people no doubt went out of their way to send something my way for consideration by Decoy. In the spirit of trying to get the word out there for artists who might otherwise not get much coverage elsewhere, let’s dig into my mailbox and see what interesting submissions have come through lately.
Black Feather (artist profile)
Listening to Silhouette, it’s really odd to hear such an intricate marriage of dream pop and depressing shoegaze. At one moment you have airy vocals over twinkling percussion and light melodies… intertwined with distorted and downtrodden guitars. At other times you have a sonically built shoegaze structure adorned with happy and upbeat flourishes. Black Feather keeps you oscillating between emotions, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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Saxon Shore (artist profile)
Any post-rock junkie should have heard of Saxon Shore by now. Playing a mix of music that sounds like a vocal-less Sigur Ros or a more happy version of Explosions in the Sky, the band’s latest, It Doesn’t Matter, should, in fact, matter for post rock fans. This sees the band at their most mature and focused. Instead of needlessly drawing out song lengths like most post-rock artists do, the majority of the tracks on this album are under 5 minutes in length, very lean and concise.
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Nathaniel Sutton (artist profile)
Sutton’s form of quirky low-fi synth rock isn’t going to be for everyone, especially when there are 15 often same sounding tracks on his latest, Starlite. What’s really odd is it feels like Sutton is pulling influences from all over the place and trying to cram them into various compositions. There’s elements of Type O Negative, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, and a few other gothy, depressing bands melded onto keyboard and synth heavy tracks that feel sparse in nature. Maybe with some more lush instrumentation and fat trimming Sutton could pull together something a little more developed and interesting.
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Unit F (artist profile)
Mix some old school Anti-Flag with a little more old school Anti-Flag and then add a dash of old school Anti-Flag and you’ll have a solid idea of what to expect from Unit F’s American Shutdown. Everything from the grimy production to the political leanings to the awesome sing-a-long choruses to the musical approach of Unit F screams Anti-Flag, which could be a great thing for those fans who have been disappointed by where Anti-Flag’s career has taken them.
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Bad Sister (artist profile)
Wow. This is some truly horrendous shit. Someone forgot to tell Bad Sister that the 80’s ended nearly two decades ago. Because Rust Never Sleeps feels like a set of b-sides from a D-list 80s hair band. All of the bases are covered—cheesy lyrics, even cheesier keyboards, power ballads, hollow guitars, and a completely over the top writing style. Do people still buy this type of music? I have a hard time thinking so…
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Hasikara Smile (artist profile)
This band really deserves note for going above and beyond when providing a review copy of their album. Since their debut album, Elephant Gun, is a digital only release they could have done what many bands do, which is just send a CDR with tunes on it, but instead they gussied things up. Their CDR came in a jewel case with a handwritten and handcrafted back insert, which is cool, but even cooler is the CDR itself—the band decorated it with color markers making it stand out and look really cool. Anyhow, kudos for going above and beyond. Hasikara Smile play a brand of glitchy indie rock with post-hardcore influences that incorporates many different song styles. Going through the album, you’ll be confronted with many different sounds and approaches, keeping you on your toes and making you pay attention.
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Circle of Fate (artist profile)
Remember Drain STH? Circle of Fate sure do. Sounding very similar to Drain STH, Circle of Fate play a grunged out form of hard rock that hearkens back to the late 90s and early 2000s. Even though the band sounds somewhat dated and a little derivative, there are actually a few cool songs to be found on their album Back to Life. Being that this is an independently released album, however, the production is a little rough around the edges, but even through the murky mixing, lead singer Michele Caruso’s vocals lead the way and should be a nice draw for the band.
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Minor Authority (artist profile)
Minor Authority is a one-man punk band, although Punk Side Up was recorded with a little help from Nate “B.W.” Harris’ friends. Honestly, there is no other way to describe this band than to call them old-school DIY punk. Mohawks, studded jean jackets, piercings, and ratty jeans all come instantly to mind as I track through Punk Side Up. There’s also a snotty positivity emanated by the band, which may not be something they’d necessarily want pointed out, but it keeps things fun!
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
Minor Authority is sick a shit. I've had Punk Side Up for a few weeks it's great.
Minnesota
Yeah, they're probably my favorite out of this group. Unit F is pretty rad too.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Spokane, Washington
i was needing a new post-rock fix, and saxon shore sounds pretty good! thanks for the heads-up rick.
current listenings:
Of Virtue - "Heartsounds"
Capsule - "No Ghost"
Century - "Red Giant"
James Vincent McMorrow - "Early In The Morning"
Blind Pilot - "We Are The Tide"