Review: Tyler Hanan [2/28/13]

Iceage tore their way into the music foreground in 2011 with the help of stories telling of wild live shows and on the back of New Brigade. The youthful Danish punks channeled age-old teenage rebellion, anarchy, angst, and apathy with a post-punk assault that was equal parts angry, apathetic, and atmospheric. What made their sound so interesting was not the riffing guitars or raging aggro male frontman (though these were present, in their own way), but the continuous, chilly sonic crush that pervaded every song.

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“Living With You” (Laurel Halo remix) - John Cale

“… which is nearly seven minutes long, is somehow both placid and disconcertingly busy, as berserk electronic pings jump all over a spare and mournful piano figure.”

That’s how Stereogum’s described NSB-favorite Laurel Halo’s remix of John Cale’s 2012 track “Living With You.” It also functions as a descriptor of many of my favorite artists, for I am nothing if not predictable. If I wasn’t already in love with the work of Laurel Halo, that description would have me on this track in a way that could fairly be equated with the internet’s reaction to a new My Bloody Valentine record.

It is a nice piece to lose oneself in, though - a nice little world of deep sea bass and electronic shenanigans, abstractly expanding into pretty piano territory and other droning goodness.

- Tyler Hanan

“Loving You Down” - Bells Atlas

After enjoying their first song “Video Star” so much, I was more than happy to see a brand new track from Bells Atlas in my inbox. This second single leads off with a thumping beat that gives way to some smooth work on the mallets and singer Sandra Lawson-Ndu’s lyrics of the consequences and complexities of a failed love. This track again displays a knack for imagery and observation as she sings, “She accepted your adoration though / She could justify boundaries in her heart.” The debut EP from Bells Atlas drops on March 11 at their Bandcamp.

- Kevin Tappin

“So Blue” - Low

Well then, this is quite lovely. I’d like to think my being ripped from the heart of Minnesota at an early age is permissible as an excuse for continuing forward in life with only a partial appreciation for the legendary Low, but almost two decades of time to recover from the relocation is probably more than enough. 

Songs like this, though, will hasten a long-delayed deep dive into one of the more revered slowcore discographies. The construction is magnificent; the song is dynamic and all-encompassing with its soft, insistent beat and flawlessly executed, piano-abetted crescendos. It’s soft yet powerful. Theodore Roosevelt would’ve loved this.

The band’s new, Jeff Tweedy-produced full-length, The Invisible Way, comes out March 19th on Sup Pop Records.

- Tyler Hanan

“Garage Sale Kids” - Ameriglow

Ameriglow is the project of Greensboro singer-songwriter Jacob Darden, a jaded musician who holds all the millennials in his grasp with his new song “Garage Sale Kids.”  In his new project Ameriglow—named for our screen laden age—Darden takes out his frustration on topics within American culture like the purity of children, federal loans for college, and the general weariness of the day-to-day life as an artist.

Imagine Mac Demarco without the cheer or conceptual slack, and you have Darden’s biting criticisms. Darden is tragic and disconnected on his first single, but the joyous thump of “Garage Sale Kids” marches all over his sardonic tongue. Ameriglow’s debut, Anti-Americana, Speaking to the unconscious mind of the Southwest, will release on Darden’s new label Backlot Records sometime in the near future. 

- Kyle Minton

“Don’t Get Any Closer” - Eluvium

I haven’t much to say on this most tranquil of tracks. “Back to basics” comments, career recaps of ambient talent Matthew Cooper, all have been made already today. This delicate nine-minute piece is simple in structure, with gorgeous results. Plaintive piano overlaps subtle, shifting drone pieces to maximal hypnotic effect.

This is the first single of the Nightmare Ending, a double album to be released May 14th via Temporary Residence Ltd. The aptness of the title, the potential for bad puns relating it to the song title, are so easy that not even I dare touch them. Don’t mind that, though - just listen.

By the way, Jeannie Lynn Paske - that is some nice artwork indeed.

- Tyler Hanan

“Nobody” - Julia Brown

“With all of our respective bands currently working to promote records of our own, we thought it would be nice to come together and try to use any attention that we’ve recieved as bands to help give back to the community. Thus, on Valentine’s Day of this year, Modern Baseball, Old Gray, Julia Brown, and The Hundred Acre Woods have decided to release a four way digital split, donating any and all proceeds to V-Day, a global charity to end violence against women and girls.” 

-Cam Boucher, Old Gray

So proclaims the bandcamp for the “4-way V-Day split” [link], and isn’t that reason enough to contribute? Now, unsurprisingly, the Julia Brown song is the one we clicked “share” on - we’re as excited for that new album as anyone (five days!).

The other songs on this Topshelf Records are similarly worthy of attention, though, whether  one prefers the slow, somber, violen-ed Old Gray track, The Hundred Acre Woods’ earnest, banjo-powered crooner, or Modern Baseball’s intimate, stripped-down contribution. So, whether it be for V-Day or Old Gray, give up a dollar or four for if you like the music - even if we were a bit late in telling you about it.

- Tyler Hanan

“So Very Strange” - Úlfur

This exquisite bit of audio comes by way of Western Vinyl’s lates signing, Úlfur. Úlfur, besides being of Swords of Chaos, is a member of Jónsi’s touring band - and this… this is simply a wonderfully stark, iced-over piece from his album White Mountain, due out in March. “So Very Strange” is distant and dire while being very up-front and bare. It’s six-minutes of spine-tingling, armrest clenching attentiveness. There’s also lot of synergy and connectivity that can be remarked upon here between the art, the music, and the words, but it’s all quite overt and without need of an explanation or the usual bad joke. Partake, and take note.

- Tyler Hanan