Coalesce – Ox EP

This companion to the full length release, Ox, stands on its own quite well. The EP moves a bit slower than the full-length version to help show that they are delivering a different product all together. The EP includes more instrumental tracks (about half) which result in a laid-back, relaxing feel at time; making the transition much more noticeable when you get sucker-punched by the other half of the album. Which leads more towards heavy than technical. The track, “Absent In Death”, blends the melodic and the heavy well, while lyrically, the title of the track is repeated over and over again while the track fades out, ushering in, “Through Sparrows I Rest”, which is stylistically the most similar to what Coalesce delivers: heavy thrash blended with a lot of technical elements. Notable as well, the final track, “Ore to Death”, closes the EP opposite of the beginning. You can expect a high production and sound standards, allowing you to listen to the EP and Full-length back to back if you want to satisfy a healthy appetite of their sound. The EP leaves me wanting more, so that’s what I find myself doing.
The artwork and packaging are both simple and something more at the same time. The same design as on the full-length, but on white this time.They once again leave something hidden on the background, they use a light reflective silver ink to show the topography of the moon. Another way of thematically linking the two Ox releases. I can’t wait to hear more from Coalesce, as they rarely disappoint.

Score: 4.5/5

Favorite tracks:

• The Blind Eye
• Absent In Death
• Through Sparrows I Rest

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Coalesce is a band that has been proven volatile enough to break up and get back together more times than this robot can count, and yet, still record some of the best hardcore metal this decade. This album shows what happens when they get back to it after a few years on hiatus with a slightly modified line-up, the results are amazing. The album is as deceivingly technical as Botch, but also as straight forward as Norma Jean. From the opening drum peel that blasts straight into the heart of what the album is going to deliver, followed by a one-two punch to the face with unknown jabs coming from all directions. The joy of listening to this album was in the unpredictability.  I couldn’t really tell where the songs were going next, there was  no cookie cutter format here. This wasn’t found in just timing or riff changes, but even some of the backing vocals lent to the variety. The song, “Wild Ox Moan”, starts with them showcasing their musical abilities; sounding like a Beatles song with clean vocals sung through lots of reverb and a simple guitar, until they break back in with their proven fashion. Coalesce were even kind enough to give the listener a few moments to breathe with the melodic instrumentals,” We Have Lost Our Will” and, “Where Satires Sour”.

I was happy that the pacing of the album never falters, it’s heavy without being overbearing and melodic without losing any focus or direction. Production and engineering are done well, as everything is clear, leveled, and sits well next to each other. The die cutting of designs into the lyric book was a juxtaposition against the seemingly simplistic cover art. Which is also deceptive because it looks like it has a topography chart spot glossed on the black background behind the design. Everything about this album isn’t as simple as it seems, showing through sounds and visuals the depth Coalesce offers.

Score: 4.5/5

Favorite tracks:

• The Plot Against My Love
• The Villain We Won’t Deny
• In My Wake, For My Own

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Image in Post Caption Taken by: Philip Lethen

A man so prolific, yet he remains unknown. His name is attached to more releases than I can even imagine; be it performing, producing, mixing, re-mixing or just given thanks. You could practically play the six degrees of J.G. Thirlwell within the music industry he’s touched so many people and projects.As he gains more public notoriety with his scoring of “The Venture Bros.” on The Cartoon Network. This robot hopes that this will get some more people to pay attention to the genius output he’s been giving us for years. His various projects throughout the years have given sound varying from: ambient noise, rock ’n’ roll, big band swing, and even a full orchestra. This was one of my long time dreams to conduct an interview with J.G. himself, and he graciously took time out of his busy schedule to answer all of my questions with very thoughtful answers and even breaking exclusive information. Without further delay an all new interview with J.G. Thrilwell.

Photo By: Taylor Crothers

Juke-bot:

First off, I noticed you have set the title for your new album to be ‘Hide’, how far along is the album? And what is the sound shaping out to be like?

JGT:

I think it is very different again to what I’ve ever done… I have been working on it off and on for a few years. It’s shaping up to be perhaps the best album I’ve made. The melodies are challenging, with strange dissonance and the arrangements are quite complex. Some parts are operatic, some might be described as symphonic psychedelia. Dynamically it’s very varied and it has some swooping beautiful parts and sometimes is a little more abstract; sometimes very bombastic. It is a concept album that I began under the reign of GW Bush and some of it is imbued with a sense of dread and anticipation. I have most of it composed but I’m still working on overdubs and mixes.

I’m also working on a new Manorexia studio album, which I am mixing in both stereo and surround sound. I’ll be releasing those two albums on Ectopic Ents.

I’m also working on a new commission for Kronos Quartet which is based on the desert. I travelled to Oman in February and recorded the singing sands, a natural phenomenon where the dunes create a moaning sound when the sand grains slide down. Parts of these recordings will be embodied in the work. It premieres at Carnegie Hall on March 12 2010.

In December I will also be recording an album of Manorexia chamber arrangements, which I have been performing live over the last few years, and that will be released in 2010 on Tzadik.

Juke-bot:

From the way you describe ‘Hide’ shaping up, it sounds very interesting. Is there any chance of you playing any of those songs in a live setting? Mini-tour or a grand live show like Love was given?

JGT:

I’d actually like to present it in a theatrical setting but here are no plans for that as of yet. Its swimming round in my head. However I am hoping for a different big show in summer 2010 – details will be released when it’s confirmed.

Juke-bot:

When ‘Hide’ comes out next year it’ll mark the 30 year anniversary of you using various forms of the Foetus moniker. That’s a long time, and more impressively you seem to never run out of ideas and keep things fresh. Where do you come up with your inspirations for all of your various projects?

JGT:

I have a pretty thirsty mind, and I like to challenge what I have done before.
I suppose I am also a cultural sponge and some of what I am interested in has a way of infecting what I am working on, consciously or not. The conclusions that I reach often take very circuitous routes and they come from a subconscious place. Maybe in a few years they’ll make more sense.

Juke-Bot:

Lyrically your style and delivery has changed a bit with your recent releases, what would you account the changes to? The old style wouldn’t fit with the new music, or has your point of view shifted a bit or something else entirely?

JGT:

My lyrics have perhaps gotten more direct. Not that they weren’t personal before but that was shrouded in a lot of “wit”. I’m not writing in the same style I wrote in 1983, or 1995. I also have been experimenting with different styles of writing, from spontaneous improv to spam cut-up and different styles of singing. When someone tells me my work is moving that’s the highest compliment.

Juke-Bot:

I’m excited for the new Manorexia album; I’ve been waiting a long time, like so many other people. How would you say the new album compares to the two previous Manorexia albums? How far along is the third album, and how does it compare to the previous two recordings? Also will the live album contain any of the new tracks performed on it?

JGT:

The third Manorexia album is almost all composed but not finished and mixed. I’m doing a version in 5:1 surround sound too, so those mixes will be done after the stereo mixes. It’s different from the other two; it’s tighter and more heavily composed. Probably influenced by some of the composing I’ve been doing for other ensembles. It maybe steers closer to the contemporary classical world at times. It’s still very evocative and cinematic. But it’s a little denser than the other two and there are more discreet pieces, but also things you’ve never heard from Manorexia.

Juke-Bot:

I’m not going to lie, the thing that got me most excited out of all of the things you told me, was of your new commission for the Kronos Quartet, and that brought up a whole slew of questions. How did you get asked to commission your first piece for them?

JGT:

David Sefton at UCLA, who commissioned the Steroid Maximus big-band project, turned David Harringtron of Kronos Quartet onto Manorexia. He loved it and contacted me. We got together when he was in NYC and he came to my studio and I played him a bunch of stuff. He was excited by what he heard and asked me to do a composition for them. But that still didn’t come together for a couple more years.

Juke-Bot:

Do they have any plans to record and release either piece? About how long is your new piece for them shaping up to be?

JGT:

I don’t know if Kronos plan to record the pieces yet. The new piece looks like it will be about 12-15 minutes, Nomatophobis was about 12 minutes. We will be rehearsing it in Feb 2010 and it will premiere on March 12 at Zankel Hall, which is part of Carnegie Hall in NYC.

Photo by: Sebastian Mlynarski

Juke-Bot:

How does writing for them compare to the writing process you take for the things you release under your own monikers?

JGT:

I write with a string quartet in mind. On my own work there is no restriction on the instrumentation. But with a quartet you have a limited amount of voices. And I write within the range of the instrument. But Kronos are top notch players so you can write creatively – they are extremely expressive players.

Juke-Bot:

Moving on to another project you’re involved in, how did you get the job scoring the Venture Bros. cartoon? Has doing the score affected your other projects in any way or the other way around perhaps?

JGT:

Jackson Publick approached me after he had heard a Steroid Maximus album. They wanted me to score the pilot. I wasn’t so sure, and instead they licensed tracks from Steroid Maximus and Manorexia to score it. The Cartoon Network liked and picked up the series. At that point they came back to me and asked me again if I’d be interested in scoring the series – and I thought I would challenge my rigidity and do it. It was a challenge. It was difficult at first as I hadn’t figured out a musical vocabulary for the show and characters, or working methods, so I was a lot slower. But doing so much work in such a short period has made me a lot better. And as time has gone by, I have built up such a large library of cues that I can re-purpose, re-arrange and extend some older ones in each episode, so that I can spend more time on the new ones that I create. I’ve gotten much better at switching with the action, and Jackson keeps throwing emotional nuances at me that he wants me to illustrate – which some times happen every bar.

Juke-Bot:

Do you still pull stuff from your older releases while doing the score for the show?

JGT:

No, actually everything is done from scratch and written specifically for the show. I often re-fashion themes I’ve already written though, and they recur in different forms.
Some themes have sections that never appeared when they were originally used in the cartoon and they may pop up years later. Jackson is good at remembering cues that I’ve written and forgotten about and sometimes something from the first season might reappear thoroughly overhauled.

Juke-Bot:

I know that you’re a fan of the Simpsons (or were), what do you think of the Venture Bros.?

JGT:

I think it’s a good and often clever artful show with high aspirations. I like that it progresses, the animations have gotten better and it has a deep web of mythology. I find some of the characters grating, especially when I have to hear their voices and gags over and over as I work on it. My favorite character is Brock Samson.
I tend not to watch the finished episodes as I never feel the score is mixed loudly enough – a common gripe of soundtrack composers.

Juke-Bot:

Any plans on doing a Volume 2 soundtrack for the Venture Bros.? Or presenting any of the music in a live setting?

JGT:

I would like to do Volume 2. It depends on whether Williams Street (Cartoon Network’s label) wants to pick up the option. I have the material but I have to spend a couple of months reworking and mixing it and preparing it for release.

Juke-Bot:

There have been lots of rumors about you doing a compilation of the 7 inch’s and some of the 12 inch’s from your way back catalog; is there any truth to this? Also in an old interview you spoke of doing a Box of Excellence 2, any hope of that coming about these days, possibly to hold all of the website only releases?

JGT:

Yes it’s true it will probably emerge in 2012 along the lines of LIMB as a deluxe package with early singles, radio sessions and rarities with a DVD of raw live material. As for The Foetus of Excellence 2, I don’t remember ever planning that. But stranger things have happened.

Juke-Bot:

Is there anything new coming from your Baby Zizanie project with Jim Coleman? Or possibly releasing it state side on vinyl or CD?

JGT:

We made a new piece as a tribute to Jodorowsky which was intended to be released in a project to accompany his remastered films but it never came to fruition. Baby Zizanie may yet rear its head in some form or another one day, but no plans currently. An anthology? Possible.

Photo by: Anne Katrine Senstad

Juke-Bot:

Let’s move onto your artwork. What inspired the Foetus international series of shirts? Will the final Japanese one follow the same color scheme of red, black and white?

JGT:

I thought t-shirts would create an interesting new canvas for me. I like the idea that they are fleeting limited artworks, and using a different platform.
The Japanese one will be red and white on a black shirt, so yes, continuing that color palette.
By the way the Japanese isn’t the last one in the series. The series is in sets of three. After the Japanese shirt I’ll be making a Manorexia shirt. Then the next set of three in the International Series will be Hebrew, Chinese and Korean. I might be adding colors in the next series, but I haven’t decided, as I designed them yet.

Juke-Bot:

You do all of the artwork for your releases, sans Gash. Do you go into the creative process for the art in the same way you go into the recording process or does the music inspire your artwork? Have you ever considered selling a series of prints through the Shoppe?

JGT:

I’m not necessarily trying to mirror the music with the artwork. I don’t know where it comes from, my obsessions from the time. I usually think about it for a long time and ideas start to emerge. I’m working within certain parameters as there is a thread to the sleeves I’m working on for Foetus-the red, white black color palette. I have deviated from this palette on my non “primary” albums (e.g. remix albums etc) but now have decided to stick with red white and black for all Foetus releases as they look so much better en masse, and I like the unity of a body of work. I have thought about making lithographs. I’m interested in making a book too.

Juke-Bot:

You were once on a major label, Columbia Records, and now you have no label at all and you do most of the distribution yourself. Do you find this more rewarding or are there times you wish you could have that blanket back to where they would attempt to promote and distribute things for you?

JGT:

It’s not true that I don’t have a label. I have my own label, it is Ectopic Ents. Over the last ten years are I have licensed some Ectopic projects to other labels (e.g. Steroid Maximus to Ipacec, Foetus to Birdman, Nois-o-lution and Thirsty Ear), and others I have distributed purely by mail order. Some of those mail order items are sneaking into retail now via Carrot Top distribution.
Ectopic now has digital distribution to all the major outlets (Itunes, Amazon, EMusic, Rhapsody etc) as well as thru my own site, www.foetus.org
This is how I began, with my own label Self immolation records in 1980, but I have always worked with many different labels and distributors. Self Immolation morphed / was swallowed into Ectopic Ents in about 1995. Self immolation remains the name of my recording studio.
Promotion is difficult as everything I do seems to fall on deaf ears as far as mainstream media is concerned (e.g. Pitchfork, Spin etc), although thankfully The Wire actually pay attention to what I do. That blanket you describe is not always so cozy.

Juke-Bot:

What is your greatest accomplishment? And on the flip side what are some regrets you might have?

JGT:

You’re not supposed to have regrets because if I didn’t take the course I had, I wouldn’t be where I am today!
Apart from certain girls I wish I’d slept with, I’d say I wish I had developed Butterfly Potion into an album, that was a good sound and creative time and I wish I’d taken it further. I wish I had come out of my chemical daze earlier; there are a few wilderness years around 96-97.

Greatest accomplishments – - possible fronting the 18 piece band in Los Angeles, or having Kronos quartet play my work.

Juke-Bot:

And finally you’ve been like a permanent fixture on the music scene since you’ve made your way in, what words of advice would you offer to someone just trying to make their way in?

JGT:

“Permanent”, that’s a laugh. When you are a self employed artist nothing feels permanent, it’s always walking a financial tightrope, especially in the age of the internet, where the artist is reduced to content provider. I am a lifer in the business of sound and music. I couldn’t think about what I’d say to someone trying to make their way in. It’s very crowded! One finds one’s own path. Innovate, there enough imitators. My goal has always been to please myself, and it just so happens that along the way other people have enjoyed it. I’d say you better be passionate about what you do and don’t expect luxuries like health insurance.

For more information on any and all J.G. Thirlwell related projects and releases check Foetus.org regularly.

For this review I’m only going to review the new material because the deluxe edition is simply The Fame again with a few of the bonus tracks from the international release.

Let’s begin with a precursor I’m not a huge Lady GaGa fan, but I do appreciate good catchy music when I hear it. The eight new tracks put forth give pretty much the same thing Lady Gaga’s has stuck to stylistically. The new e.p. is pretty much an extension of her first major release.

The first single Bad Romance is a perfect example of this, it’s along the same vein as her other songs that anyone can readily identify. It’s got that extremely polished sound, almost over produced in a way. Catchy as can be though, as are most of her songs.

There is one track that stands out from the rest, Speechless, not only is it musically different, but you can plainly her Lady GaGa’s voice which is really good. From that you can tell she doesn’t need the auto-tuning that is becoming so common place to give most new pop singers that added appeal to the market. The song reminds me of Again and Again from The Fame, but more ballad like.

The song Teeth is a bit different as well, when the steady beat and jazz feel hit, I thought I was listening to Christina Aguilera. Every song on this E.P. could be a single, sadly, this keeps the music pretty stylistically locked. In so many ways it almost seems that Lady Gaga is the new Madonna. Not a clone, but a new, re-imagined, Madonna. With that being said I would like to hear a new full length album with new sounds and ideas.

Score:

3.5/5

Favorite Tracks:

Speechless
Teeth
Bad Romance

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The Blood Brothers in conjunction with Epitaph Records have gone back and reissued their last four full-length albums which excluding “March On Electric Children”, include extra content. For those who don’t know who The Blood Brothers are or what they sounded like, imagine a punk band being fronted by two singers that range from off-tone singing, to straight out screeching when necessary. To cover these re-issues I’ll start with the oldest and work my way forward.

March on Electric Children (Reissue) is sadly just a reissue for all of you who missed it the first time around. The record still contains some of my favorite songs by them, Siamese Gun and American Vultures. This album is as solid as a re-release as it was when it first hit shelves.

Burn Piano Island, Burn, however, originally released on the now defunct record label Artist Direct and produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot and so many other metal bands). First of all, bringing in a producer like Ross Robinson forced the quality forward, he didn’t change their sound, he only made it stronger. Although this is great album in it’s own right, it’s made better with the content from the Ambulance vs. Ambulance single from the UK including the music video. If that’s not enough it comes with the DVD release Jungle Rules Live, also released originally on Artist Direct and very out of print until now. A good deal to say the least if you’re missing either part from your collection. Notable tracks include, Ambulance vs. Ambulance, The Salesman, Denver Max.

Then the band topped their previous work with “Crimes“, which is my favorite release from the Blood Brothers to date. It just showed them growing, expanding and refining their sound, while remaining true to themselves and the music. The reissue gives you a second disc of material to mull over. The first five tracks are from their E.P. “Love Rhymes with a Hideous Car Wreck”,if you already have that E.P. don’t throw it away quite yet as one of the tracks doesn’t appear. namely their remix of the song “Anthrax”. From track five on they placed live material from the Reading Festival 2005. All of them are soundboard recordings, and are mixed very well (but where’s Beautiful Horses and Crimes to fully recreate the show?). Also on the bonus disc is the video for Love Rhymes with a Hideous Car Wreck. Notable tracks from this release are: Crimes (my favorite), Teen Heat – Live (Reading Festival 2005) [Bonus Track], My First Kiss At The Public Execution, and Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck.

Rounding out the releases is their final album, “Young Machetes (Deluxe Reissue)“, continuing to change course they moved back a bit to their louder punk sound and yet still managed to keep the album as catchy as Crimes was. The Bonus disc gives you the three remixes that were featured on the two singles, in order, Set Fire To the Face On Fire and Laser Life, and then gives you six live radio show recordings from KXLU in 2006. Needless to say it’s interesting to hear any of their songs live, especially with decent recording. You also get the videos for the tracks Laser Life and Set Fire To the Face On Fire. Notable tracks: Spit Shine Your Black Clouds, We Ride Skeletal Lightning, and Laser Life.

I just want to say thank you to Epitaph for re-issuing all of these albums, and giving some people a chance to catch up on what they missed or better yet a second chance for others to get into them. If you don’t have these yet, now is a great time to pick them up and get a lot more for the original cost. If you’ve already got everything by them check out some of their new projects the members have gone into like: Jaguar Love, Past Lives, Weekend, Neon Blondes, Head Wound City, Gajamagic (and anything their drummer was involved in).

Score:

4.5/5
The Blood Brothers were and are genre defining.

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Apologies for the earlier post, it was written in a slight rush and apparently I forgot how to speak my own Language.

In response to those who disagree with the score, I think I was generous, the more I listen to this album, the more I think I should lower it.   An album deserving a 5/5 would be genre defining, “Colors” did this. This album did not.

What do you get when you take fantastically talented musicians who try to show that they’re all deep and talented on the same album? A mixture that leaves only a taste, and has you wondering why certain pieces are over the top, and others buried.

The times when BTBAM are trying  be deep come off wrong. The slower melodic songs on the album seem almost like they are trying too hard to achieve what they want to give us. On the other hand, the long tracks show them doing what they do best, fusing genres and styles together with the best of them. You get the heavy metal-core vocals matched over solos or a jazzy styled picking, returning to the heavy breakdowns.

During the heavier songs they slow down a bit and put some melody in there, but the balance of the song is apparent when they do it. None of the slow tracks show a balance, they just kind of drag. It’s easy enough to skip the slower songs. But once you skip ‘em, you’ll have to handle the length of the heavier tracks, the shortest is just over nine minutes long, the longest just over seventeen minutes. The album is, after all, only six tracks. Four long, two short.

If BTBAM is your bread and butter you won’t be disappointed, however, I don’t predict this album grabbing new listeners.

Score – 3.5 / 5

Favorite Tracks:

• Obfuscation
• Fossile Genera – A Feed From Cloud Mountain (my true favorite on the album)
• Swim To the Moon

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I love when a band has the prowess and skill to let their music speak for themselves, Pelican do this amazingly well, they kind of have to, they don’t have a singer. (With an exception, but I’ll get to that later) The album opens with an upbeat track, the warm tones from the guitar speak volumes to set the scale from the record to balace off of the heavier moments. This is not their heaviest record, but nothing has been as heavy as their first release (also an amazing record). The Creeper comes close though. The album moves in a similar fashion throughout, until you get to the last track, then a voice appears. The song Final Breath closes out the cd, in a way I never expected, the melodic vocals over a track that reminds me musically of the opening track. And it fits, it fits really well. I say bravo to them for doing something different, and crafting it to the album perfectly. The oveall mixing and sound on the cd is great as well, which only helps them sell their music as their voice, and when they add voice it only adds punctuation to the mix.

Score – 4 / 5

Favoite Tracks:

• The Creeper
• Specks of Light
• Final Breath

It’s amazing how the years pass, and without thinking about it some things remain as good as they were the day they came out. This album is a great example of how that is. The big difference this time around is the sound quality! The tracks have volume to them, and I’m not just meaning i turned it up really loud. The bass has a fatter tone, the drums are no longer thin and lost to the back. It’s like hearing the grunge sound with new ears, you can definitely see what technology and more money invested in the mastering process can do. The album comes with expanded liner notes and bonus tracks, well not really tracks so much as a live show tacked on to sweeten the deal. The main disc was the same (with greater quality) and the live show won me over on the packaging. It’s a soundboard recording from a Portland show way back in the day. The quality on the show is amazing as well, plus they played songs that weren’t on Bleach, so you get the true feel of their shows from back then. They also picked a show where they made a few mistakes, which I find impressive because it gives a view of how their shows really were. I wish venues in my town could mic and mix sound like this, I might actualy see shows if they did.

Score – 4.5 / 5

Favorite Tracks:

• Negative Creep
• Dive (Live)
• Blew (Live)

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All I can say is wow! Now I know this style of metal is not for everyone, but if you fancy yourself a metal fan then you should have this album. From the opening of the cd, they grab you by the throat and don’t let go.. They show more technicality on this album than I’ve heard in a very long time. The song writing is dang near flawless, and the production is there to match. It’s not your typical riff, chorus, breakdown, repeat song structure like so many others in this genere do. Literally what I expected to happen rarely did, sweeping from the left to right channels and back together to emphasize breakdowns. The record flows fantstically, the thrash points countered by the quick solos or amazingly well done guitar sweeps finished by a pinch harmonic. The drumming is, well also amazing. I wonder how much was beat replaced or actually played in the studio, but either way, if he can play it live like that, I want to be there. The vocals are as they always have been for The Red Chord, if you’ve not heard them yet think of a really good mid-to-low-end metalcore singer. It’s nice to see something with overall quality from a tired and saturated scene.

Score – 4.75 / 5

Favorite Tracks:

• Hour of Rats
• Tales of Martyrs and Disappearing Acts
• One Robot To Another

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Bring on the hardcore……instrumentally this album is fantastic. It’s converge at their finest, fast thrashing riffs, good breakdowns, with their usual production value given to all aspects within. The vocals are somewhat different, opting for the more popular shout rather than the all out scream, the yells stand out in front while they bury the screams in the back. I’m a big fan of Jane Doe, that was the pinnacle of their writing process everything met perfectly on that album. This record is still better than most that have come out for this scene all year, so don’t fret that they ‘ve lost their edge or have changed for the worse. It is them doing what they do now.

Score: 3.5 / 5

Favorite Track:

• Reap what you sow
• Wishing Well
• Cutter

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