Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

I was never 100% down for most of the bebop I played when learning how to not suck at jazz guitar, so it was refreshing to end my college jazz career on a performance that featured Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" and Wayne Shorter's "Mahjong." I have more of a natural tendency towards modal jazz both in my soloing style and in personal taste, and I've been relistening to Maiden Voyage nonstop recently. Look to see some more jazz based posting in the coming weeks. No reviews for any of these because I'm lame and only have reviews for poopty contemporary music. But ya, check out this album, it's unbelievably fresh and it's 40 years old.

Maiden Voyage [1965] - Download - Allmusic Blurb

Nahvalr - Nahvalr

Nahvalr's self-titled album is the second release for Enemies List records, home of Have a Nice Life. Nahvalr is a self-proclaimed "opensourced black spiritmetal" project. What that means is highly ambient and fuzzed out black metal where anybody can contribute. Yes, anybody. If you have an aiff file of some evil sounding guitar riff you wrote when you were 14, send it in and Tim and Dan will work it (tastefully) into the music. The results are interesting and nicely mixed together, but the music is dense, difficult, and incredibly elusive. Also, next on the list for Enemies List is a project called Giles Corey, a solo work by Dan that is more in the spirit of HANL than Nahvalr that will likely be recorded and ready early 2009.

Nahvalr [2008] - Download - Review

Extra Life - Secular Works

What happens when you mix Dirty Projectors, pre-tonal Western classical, math rock, Zs, Kayo Dot, and a ton of other non sequitir influences? Apparently Extra Life's Secular Works is an appropriate answer. This album is by far the most challenging (and confusing) album I've heard this year. The album has been met with positive but non-committal reviews that praise the album for its originality but can't wrap themselves around the breadth of the ideas.

Secular Works [2008] - Download - Review

Feral Children - Second to the Last Frontier

There's always one indie band every year that "does it right." That is, they're not trying too hard, are good songwriters, and generally know how to play their instruments / are good at production. It's looking like Feral Children will take the cake this year. They sound like a combination of The Blood Brothers, Modest Mouse, Animal Collective, and Meneguar. Enjoy the midtempo jams.

Second to the Last Frontier [2008] - Purchase - Review

...Who Calls So Loud - ...Who Calls So Loud

Funeral Diner was a great band. Portraits of Past was a great band. If we are to learn anything from Matt Bajda's career, his new group ...Who Calls So Loud (a Charles Dickens quote of all things) will be pretty rad. Their sound is not far removed from Funeral Diner, but these guys are less into the expansive song structures and have some more concision to their blend, though they can open it up from time to time. I was hesitating posting this only because I thought I was going to review it a few weeks ago, but I got lame. In short, album rules and will be enjoyed by all skramz fanz. Enjoy.

...Who Calls So Loud [2008] - Download