BTBAM Raises The Metal Status Quo Once Again

Between The Buried And Me- The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (Metal Blade Records, 2011)

I became a lifelong fan of Between The Buried and Me (aka BTBAM) in 2007 when they released their Homer’s-The Odyssey-sized epic, Colors. Every day for two months I listened through the entire album during my 40 minute commute to and from YSU.  What must be understood is that Colors is is much more than a great metal album.  Rather, it’s a brutal, 1 hour 6 minute, hyperbolic, genre-challenging instant classic.  The follow-up The Great Misdirect, while impressive, wasn’t able to live up to the glory of its predecessor.

So when I heard that BTBAM was releasing a new EP, I certainly felt skepticism.  Not that I doubted the band’s abilities, but I was concerned that their career may have peaked at Colors.  Alas, I was wrong.

With the release of their newest EP came evidence that BTBAM are indeed on the path to becoming metal legends.  The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues contains only three songs, but that isn’t saying much given the average length of each is about ten minutes. Aside from lengthy compositions, however, BTBAM keeps it pretty traditional (in a death metal sense) compared to their last album.  There is only one gypsy-style breakdown (see last two albums) and there are no acoustic passages.  Even the clean vocals are kept at bay.  Instead, The Parallax relies on intensity and brutality.  It’s still progressive, but in a different way.  Before, BTBAM was progressive because they tackled many styles, often in a single song, and often without any precursors.  On the new EP, they embody progressive by creating complex rhythmic patters (even more so than before) and approaching simple concepts from various angles.

Most of the time, the simple concepts are in the form of incredible guitar riffs.  A good example would be at one minute and nineteen seconds into the song “Augment Of Rebirth.”  Drummer Blake Richardson is critical to here.  He plays both with and against the riff; and in both the foreground and the background of it.  What results is metal ecstasy.

In another notable part of the album, near the end of the opening track, guitarists (Paul Waggoner and Dusty Waring) recreate the orchestral introduction as a dissonant, electric guitar arrangement.  The entire EP is like that, filled with clever interpretations of brutal and adrenaline-pumping ideas.

But at the end of the day, The Parallax is awesome because it’s the perfect combination of Between The Buried And Me’s brutal roots and their progressive originality.  Many fans (myself included) have been impressed with, but also irritated by, the band’s wacky stylistic evolution.  If you are like us, this EP is what you’re looking for.  It offers only the best of BTBAM- old and new.

Best Tracks: All

For Fans Of: Protest The Hero, Rush, Dream Theater, Meshuggah

Rating: 4.5/5

Pretty Lights (sounds better than his stage name does)

Pretty Lights- Filling Up The City Skies (Pretty Lights Music Records)

Derek Vincent Smith (better known as Pretty Lights) is probably the most badass Producer/DJ/EDM artist (on his twitter he describes himself as “electrohiphopsoul”) to hit the scene since he adopted the stage name in 2007.   His music is as distinct as Justice, as intoxicating as Girl Talk, and has quickly become internationally celebrated (Pretty Lights opened up for DJ Shadow in the UK in June).

While he is a machine when it comes to pumping out new music (three EPs just in 2010), I’ve decided to examine his older work.  Filling Up The City Skies is his second album and a two-disc opus.  Wisely, he separated the more relaxed and groovy songs from the harder hitting, danceable songs.

It seems he titles his songs based on the most prevalent samples in each one.  The first track, “Change Is Gonna Come” starts with an awesome sample of the Otis Redding version of… well, “Change Is Gonna Come.” The rest of the track, (and first disc, actually) is filled with chill, semi-downtempo, soul-inspired hip hop beats.  Perfect music for any relaxed intoxicated setting.

Disc two is a different story.  It’s also perfect for an intoxicated setting, but a much rowdier one.  Psychedelic from beginning to end, the second disc is the kind of music you hear at a club or hippie music festival filled with “alcohol”-fueled audiences engaging in group gyration.  If that’s not your type of thing, it’s understandable.  But don’t judge the music by its audience.  This party music is awesome. Each track has countless layers full of retro soul samples, warped-sounding synth parts, clever bass lines, et cetera.

And what’s great about Pretty Lights is, as I said, he is always putting out new music.  Each album is a fresh step from the previous, meaning that fans should always be on the lookout for new material.

Best Tracks:

Disc 1- “The Time Has Come” “Solamente”

Disc 2- “How We Do” “Who Loves Me” “More Important Than Michael Jordan” “Aimin At Your Head”

For Fans Of: DJ Shadow, Justice, The Glitch Mob, Girl Talk

Rating: 4/5

Radiohead Playlist

I just finished writing my article for the Fall Edition of Cigars In Review Magazine and it includes a review of Radiohead’s 2011 album King of Limbs.  When I began writing the review I entered a Radiohead “kick” that spanned their entire discography.  Listed below are the contents of a playlist I created highlighting my favorite Radiohead songs.

1.  ”Lotus Flower” -King of Limbs (2011)

2.  ”Knives Out” -Amnesiac (2001)

3.  ”15 Steps” -In Rainbows (2007)

4.  ”Electioneering” -OK Computer (1997)

5.  ”Nude” -In Rainbows (2007)

6.  ”There There (The Boney King of Nowhere.)” -Hail To The Thief (2003)

7.  ”Reckoner” -In Rainbows (2007)

8.  ”I Might Be Wrong” -Amnesiac (2001)

9.  ”The National Anthem” -Kid A (2000)

10.  ”The Bends” -The Bends (1995)

11.  ”Airbag” -OK Computer (1997)

12.  ”Morning Mr Magpie” -The King Of Limbs (2011)

13.  ”Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)” -Hail To The Thief (2003)

14.  ”Karma Police” -OK Computer (1997)

15.  ”Idioteque” -Kid A (2000)

16.  ”Jigsaw Falling Into Place” -In Rainbows (2007)

17.  ”You And Whose Army?” -Amnesiac (2001)

18.  ”Litte By Little” -The King Of Limbs (2011)

19.  ”A Wolf At The Door (It Girl. Rag Doll.) -Hail To The Thief (2003)

Enjoy!

First Post!

My first post happens to be (since I haven’t actually blogged about anything yet) a copy of my first published article with Cigars In Review Magazine.  Take note that the albums I review in my published work are more mainstream than the albums I plan to discuss in my blog.  Either way, enjoy:

The Black Keys- Brothers [Nonesuch Records]

By Bryan Infante

“Brothers,” the LP that has grabbed the Black Keys four Grammy Nominations, is certainly one of the buzzworthy albums of the year. While it is trendy among twentysomething indie circles, it is certain to grab the attention of blues and classic rock enthusiasts in general.  The album, though typical in structure, finds itself truly captivating because of mood and style.  Written by only two individuals, Dan Auerbach (Vocals, Guitar) and Patrick Carney (Drums, Production), “Brothers” sounds like a Pink Floyd-inspired blues rock album that was produced in the vein of the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

The 6^th studio album by these garage rockers is barely flashy and mostly raw.  Tracks such as “Black Mud,” “Sinister Kid” and “I’m Not The One” are the most blues-oriented, each possessing the harmonic sensibility of a pop song while being inundated with hard grooves from Carney and inspired vocals from Auerbach.  Moreover, even the more commercial tracks on Brothers’ succeed due to the fact that the lyrics convey a sense of modern and authentic hardship has yet to be captured by other blues bands of the same variety.

The best song on the album, “Unknown Brother,” which was written about Auerbach’s late brother-in-law who he never met, draws from 50s-era love ballads to perfectly capture the agony felt by the clearly afflicted vocalist.  “We’ll smile like pictures of you as a boy before you retire to heavenly joy,” Auerbach sings, creating a perfect vision of his hollow sentiment.

“Brothers” is recommended for any individual who is interested in modern rock or simply wants to hear some authentic blues tales.  Two different bonus tracks are available for the album, one (called “Ohio”) through theblackkeys.com and one  (called “Howlin’ For You” [feat. Prins Thomas Diskomik]) via iTunes.