Athenaeum Mini-Concerts
Super Groupie
Just Another Sign of the Apocalypse
Super Groupie, did you really think we wouldn't notice that the girl on your CD label is, in fact, Swedish singer Lykke Li? Because we did. But that's not the only confusing thing about Just Another Sign of the Apocalypse. Its mixture of lo-fi chillwave and profane club rap makes this one a head-scratcher. It's not a complete failure—at its best moments, it sounds like forward-thinking acts like Main Attrakionz. But they don't quite have the formula right just yet. Hey, at least it's not witch-house.
—Jeff Terich
Sweeteverafter
My Death
I
imagine Sweeteverafter gets some gratification from playing these
unnecessarily dramatic, self-examining Goth-rock songs, and I'm sure
there's an audience out there for it. But I'd rather not listen to them
work out whatever painful issues they're trying to work out.
Self-examination is best served with some humor and a degree of distance
(see: The Smiths, Magnetic Fields, David Bowie). It also helps if the
music is pleasant to listen to.
—Aaron Carnes
Switchyard
The Secret Life of Spiders
Switchyard's
Rachel Bellinsky sounds like a watered-down version of an artist who's
playing the Milquetoast Stage at Lilith Fair. No aspect of her music
sets it apart from the mediocre landscape in which it so plainly exists.
She's a Paula Cole without the cowgirl passion, a Lisa Loeb without the
cat-eye glasses, an atheist Joan Osborne, a Fiona Apple without the
crazy. For some people (read: listeners of KYXY-FM), this safely
composed, mind-numbing collection might be the perfect addition to their
already lackluster day—just toss it back with another handful of
benzodiazepines. www.myspace.com/switchyard
—Justin Roberts
Talk Like June
Untitled
Lead
singer Suzanne Harper has some impressive pipes, her band can play and
it was a pleasant surprise to realize that "Hallelujah" wasn't a Leonard
Cohen cover. But let's not fool ourselves—this "Southerock" band is
really just copying top-40 country, and that's unconscionable.
—T. Loper
Temblad
Mockery of the Fanatic
This
is perfect music for repeatedly punching someone in the face, ritual
sacrifice or preparing to jump out of a speeding plane into a volcano.
The fact that the chaos contained in these four tracks is made by two
dudes makes it that much more impressive.
—Scott McDonald
Tonto
2 Song Demo
There's
not a whole lot to go on here, but the two synth-y pop gems on this
demo sound like the beginnings of something cool. Get these guys some
better keyboards and recording equipment and they could be opening for
Jamuel Saxon in no time.
—Seth Combs
Trap Gold
The Chooser EP
The
title tune showcases everything that's right about this four-track EP:
It's a post-punk anthem with jangly surf-rock guitar, snarling vocals
and a driving yet danceable beat. Much cheesier is "Hey Boy" in which the
singer invokes Aretha Franklin by spelling out "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." This
band still has huge potential, though.
—Andrew Scoggins
Two Eyes Meet Redux
Energy Block
With
its twinkling synths, spectral guitars and programmed beats,
experimental dance project Two Eyes Meet Redux would sound right at home
on your old CD soundtrack to The Matrix. This new four-song EP
(available as a free download on their Bandcamp page) has enough
deep-set grooves and gurgling bass for club fans to get their grind on
to, but non-electronic devotees will be as lost as moviegoers were
during the Matrix sequels.
—Chris Maroulakos
Uniform Victor
UV
Thirty
seconds into Uniform Victor's demo, the harmonized shouts kick in and
you realize: Damn, this would've been a fun band to see live—in 1995.
"Just a Little Bit" would've fit nicely on the Empire Records or Mallrats
soundtrack, while "Sage" is a longer, heavier, jammier trip that almost
(and unintentionally) works as an alt-rock tribute medley. The final
track, "My Life" needs to be junked altogether for ripping off the iconic
lead riff of The Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored."
—Dave Maass
Warring States of Mind
You Shame Me?
Backed
by sludgy grunge riffs, vocalist Kevin Knecht pulls his best Eddie
Vedder impression on You Shame Me?, on occasion letting out squeaky,
cringe-inducing falsetto yelps. The guitar work here is solid, but the
songwriting comes off as predictable. In all, Warring States of Mind
successfully compiles all the worst parts of '90s alt-rock onto one
disc.
—Andrew Scoggins
EXTRASPECIALGOOD
Trouble in the Wind
No Work Dancing
I was kinda hoping that these guys sucked, as their name is perfect for a creative slam. No dice. The skilled quartet filters things like Talking Heads and The Walkmen through a tattered Calexico cheesecloth, turning the 11 tracks here into dusty and original gems. Hard to classify and solid throughout, “No Work Dancing” deftly blurs the line between trainhopping sing-a-longs and quirky accordion rock without ever coming off as pretentious or straining. Nicely varied yet cohesive, it’s difficult to imagine this album benefiting from anything other than people taking the time to check it out.
—Scott McDonald
Wicked Randall
4 Song Demo EP
All-American
patriot tunes for the post-9/11 redneck Ratt fan. "Lost My Mind" is just
him rhyming the word "rhyme" with itself for a minute-and-a-half, and
I'm pretty sure the song "Panama City Blues" is a rape anthem.
—Sammi Skolmoski
Normandie Wilson
“Saturday Night Girl” 7-inch
On
this two-song 7-inch, singer-songwriter Normandie Wilson plays the kind
of Burt Bacharach-tinged '60s pop that you'd listen to in a
mid-century-modecondo. The title track sets a vintage mood with a
bossa nova beat, brassy trumpets and cool piano. Musically it's a fun
listen, but Wilson falls short with her breathy-cool vocals. She does
much better on B-side "Paper & Pencil," which features just her voice,
piano and flute. It's her best Dusty Springfield impression, but it may
be relegated to the airport lounge.
—Alex Zaragoza
Scott Wilson
Yoga Girl
It's
hard to take seriously any artist who writes a song called "Yoga
Girl" or lyrics like, "I hope you sit right next to me / I've seen you in
a magazine / I hear you're in a movie." I could maybe put up with these
terrible lyrics if the music were painfully earnest or maybe just
avant-garde. Instead, Scott Wilson gives us the kind of funky,
distortion-laden alt-rock groove that was popular, briefly, in the
'90s and sucked back then, too.
—Aaron Carnes
Zillion Happy Volts
Tracks
Heavy
as all hell, this three-piece harks back to the ear-shredding spirit of
The Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid. Vocalist Davit Buck sounds as if his
throat is lined with sandpaper. Niiiiice. Even the crazy, completely
improvised track "Bruise" totally works. This isn't for the faint of
heart, but for those willing to take the plunge, it's heavily rewarding.
—Dryw Keltz
Zombie Surf Camp
Reefbiter
This
one comes with a couple strikes against it: 1) Not a demo. 2) Not new.
Dig the '60s surf vibe, but not so much when they slow it down and the
vocals get super-douchey. Surf-rock doesn't mesh well with flyover rock.
Strike three.
—Jim Ruland
Got comments? Email our music editor, peterh@sdcitybeat.com, or follow him on Twitter at @peterholslin.
