Kill Rock Stars

1,000 Years

mandy — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Corin Tucker has been actively involved in music since the early 1990s when, as a teenager, she launched the riot grrrl band Heavens to Betsy. Around the same time, Carrie Brownstein was heading up queercore outfit Excuse 17. Eventually the two joined forces to form Sleater-Kinney in 1994.

Drummer Janet Weiss (Quasi) jumped on board with the 1997 album Dig Me Out. During their career, Sleater-Kinney released seven albums to ever-increasing critical acclaim—they were named “America’s best rock band in 2001 by “Time” Magazine—before it all came to a screeching halt with their declaration of an “indefinite hiatus” in 2006. I was one of the many fortunate souls to attend one of their last two concerts at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR that August; it was easily the best show of my life.

Since then, we die-hard Sleater-Kinney fans have gobbled up whatever scraps these three have tossed our way. Weiss continues to work with Quasi, and has also been behind the drum kit of Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. Brownstein has been all over the place. She wrote the NPR music blog Monitor Mix and joined up with Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) to form the comedy duo Thunder.Ant; the two will star in the IFC original series Portlandia, starting this month. She and Weiss have also hooked up with Mary Timony (Helium) and Rebecca Cole (The Minders) to form the band Wild Flag.

And Corin Tucker? In the midst of Sleater-Kinney, she married filmmaker Lance Bangs and had her first child. Post-band-breakup, she had a second child, then started working on new songs. This led to the formation of The Corin Tucker Band and the release of 1,000 Years on Kill Rock Stars, one of her alma mater labels. Tucker claims that 1,000 Years is a “middle-aged mom record.” In my opinion, it both isn’t and is.

It’s not an overt “mother album,” replete with songs about the transformative power of motherhood. There are hints at that, with lyrics on the title track like “who is that zombie/that is wearing Mama’s clothes?” Still, this is musical territory that has already been well-covered by other artists (including Sleater-Kinney, with album tracks and B-sides from 2002’s One Beat). Conversely, this is a “mom record,” insofar as it reflects the stereotypically more mellow—or at least more exhausted—stance of the middle-aged working mother.

Tucker is notorious for her astounding voice, known in operatic terms as a “spinto soprano” or a “dramatic soprano.” It was put to ferocious use in Sleater-Kinney, a band whose music addressed such topics as domestic violence, music industry sexism, and American politics. That vocal power rears its head only once on 1,000 Years, smack-dab in the middle of the album with the single “Doubt.” When Tucker belts out the line “Break up with the boogie/break up with the beat/but I just can't forget what it means to me/I tried, I tried/but I couldn't leave,” we hear that passionate devotion to her craft, and for a split second, share in what feels like her triumphant return.

Prior to and after that moment, however, a kinder gentler Tucker prevails. Overall, her voice could be characterized as a sweetly tamed keening. These songs exemplify lush, folksy, indie rock, full of handclaps and woodblocks, sleigh bells and string sections, with just a hint of psychedelia in the guitars. Personal favorites include “Half A World Away,” with a rhythm that sounds like Cut-era Slits, mid-career Raincoats, or The English Beat; and “Pulling Pieces,” perhaps the most telling track on the album aside from “Doubt.” There’s a bittersweetness to “Pulling Pieces,” especially with lyrics like “Tell me why did you close the door?/I can’t get in to where I’m supposed to go/I’m just a shadow of what I used to be.” I really wish I didn’t agree.

Written by: M. Brianna Stallings, January 10th 2011

1,000 Years

alicia — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

By The Corin Tucker Band

Kill Rock Stars

It is kind of strange listening to Corin Tucker with a bass player, and without the backing of Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss in riot grrrl band Sleater-Kinney. Admittedly, at first I found myself missing Brownstein’s guitar chops, and the rhythmic awesomeness of Weiss. This isn’t to say that Tucker is a guitar slouch, by any means, just that Brownstein is one of the best living guitarists out there, and Weiss delivers an amazing syncopated punch that other drummers just can’t match.

And so perhaps it is a bit unfair to compare 1,000 Years with the previous work of Corin Tucker with Sleater-Kinney. The truth is, though, that S-K defined my adolescence. For me, at least, Tucker will always be linked to my seventeen-year old self. As an example, is there any Sopranos fan out there who was able to watch Where the Wild Things Are without conjuring images of Tony driving down the New Jersey Turnpike? But, the fact is that Tucker is plenty talented without the backing of her former mates. Frankly, with the strength of her new tracks and musical cohorts, I (almost) don’t even miss Brownstien and Weiss.

There have already been many reviews of this album, talking about the relative restraint of Tucker’s voice as compared with her time in S-K. It’s true the operatic bellow is turned down. But damn if she still doesn’t have a fantastic set of pipes and a range that is a bit easier to appreciate without the characteristic aggressive ululations of her S-K days. I should mention that while she is a bit more restrained in places, (such as on “Dragon and “Miles Away” where there are way more violins and acoustic guitars than ever appeared on any S-K album) she nonetheless has moments of uptempo howl on tracks like “Doubt” and “Pulling Pieces” where she sounds quite a bit like circa-1997 Corin Tucker.

I suppose what defines her new band is the focus, which is squarely on Tucker. S-K had Tucker, of course, but there was also the oomph of Weiss’ drumming prowess, along with the meticulous guitar mastery and vocals of Brownstein to make each album feel like a grand exercise in teamwork. 1,000 Years feels more like The Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape.

There is absolutely no question that this album is Corin Tucker’s, just like there was no doubt that Dave Grohl was the one responsible on his album. Tucker’s band does an amazing job of emphasizing Tucker’s vocal talents. “It’s Always Summer” and “Handed Love,” for instance, contain fairly little in terms of instrumentation, which isn’t terribly necessary anyway with the power of Tucker’s voice.

I am a huge Sleater-Kinney fan, but I have already grown to accept that they are no longer together. I would be upset if Corin Tucker was trying to recreate S-K in her new band. But thankfully, that is clearly not the case on 1,000 Years, but I actually wish she pushed herself a little bit more outside of the S-K comfort zone and into some more daring territory. Sure, she’s far more restrained here than on The Woods, but the giant shadow of her former band still looms.

Written by: Emily S. Dunster, January 9th 2011

Marnie Stern

brittany — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Marnie Stern

Kill Rock Stars

The buzzword on Marnie Stern's self-titled third album seems to be "introspective." Frankly, this descriptor hardly seems indicative of a sea change if we've been paying attention to her lyrics.

Sure, In Advance of the Broken Arm and her breakthrough sophomore effort, This Is It And I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That, pack a mean sonic wallop. But her second album could have been retitled The Tao of Marnie. It was especially festooned with at-times profound statements and affirmations about the creative process and the human condition. Just because she pitched her nasal voice in a giddy upper register and her fingers were flying across the frets of her electric guitar didn't mean she wasn't doing some soul searching. Even if she didn't announce what the songs were about didn't mean she wasn't in them.

What I think the main difference is between her prior work and the new album is less reliance on creating a sense of immediacy. Previously, her music foregrounded indelible guitar riffs played loud and often executed with superhuman speed. The sound here is more meditative, with less emphasis placed on hooks instead of hypnotic passages that build as they repeat or are broken up by unexpected melody lines. The lyrics, though still introspective, are more clearly applicable to Stern's personal experiences. Much of this is attributed to the opening track. "For Ash" is a song dedicated to an ex-boyfriend who committed suicide and the process of writing it helped Stern out of a creative dead end.

This sense of loss, remembrance, and reflection informs much of the album's content, shifting Stern's ability to channel musical catharsis through her guitar playing. This is evident on songs like "Transparency is the New Mystery," "Risky Biz," "Gimme," "Cinco de Mayo," and especially the haunting closer "The Things You Notice." While Stern and drummer Zach Hill's playing is no less muscular, it possesses the control to vary tempo or decelerate while maintaining buoyancy and ramping up suspense.

But Stern's characteristic playfulness and prowess over a face-melting riff equally defines the album which bears her name. Songs like "Nothing Left," "Building a Body," "Her Confidence," and the pointedly titled "Female Guitar Players are the New Black" could easily slide in to the tracklists of her earlier releases.

However, that they weave seamlessly into this album suggests Stern's steady artistic progression. It also suggests that inward thought can yield some mighty external results. This album may not capture your full attention on first listen, but I'm confident it contains enough interesting ideas to invite many returns. As Stern continues to hone in and balance introspection with formidable instrumental performance, we may get the pleasure of discovering that they aren't disparate concepts. Here, they seem to be in service of one another.

Written by: Alyx Vesey, October 5th 2010

Roman Candle

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Elliott Smith

Kill Rock Stars

Some might think this is another round of Elliott Smith’s posthumous work but it’s actually his first album. Kill Rock Stars has re-released and remastered Roman Candle, which was originally released in 1994 on the Cavity Search label. It’s self-recorded and Smith played all the instruments. The album is short, only thirty minutes, but in these eight songs you can see how Smith’s great career started. Smith’s soft melancholy tone is present in the lyrics as one would expect, and the fact that it is a completely self made album doesn’t take away from the quiet fury of his music. The album doesn’t sound like a first album, but rather like a bold, bar-setting collection of fine folk songs.

Contrary to its name, the album doesn’t offer nine individual explosions of balls-of-fire-songs. Each one has spark, but the album as a whole has more of a combined, melded flow. The title track is the most upbeat and maintains its quick layered guitar rhythm throughout its three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. It’s by far the most ball-of-fire of all the songs but creates a nice opening to the album. The rest of the disc follows the classic Smith alternative folk style of beautifully harmonized vocals laid over ear soothing guitar-driven melodies.

Some tracks are delicate ballads like “No Name #3,” a dark lullaby with words like “Watched the dying day blushing in the sky/ Everyone is uptight, so come on night/ Everyone is gone, home to oblivion.” But the fragility melts away in the penultimate and longest track “Last Call” where Smith turns up the amp and adds some grit to his guitars as he sings: “You’re a tongue less talker, you don’t care what you say/ You’re a jaywalker, and you just, just walk away/ that’s all you do.”

This first album is particularly special because it marks the beginning of Smith’s incredible, and unfortunately, short career. Lucky for us, he made five more after Roman Candle, each marking Smith’s evolution as an artist. Roman Candle holds its own in the Smith canon as a first testament to his talent, and his will and need to express himself with music.

Written by: Sara Custer, July 5th 2010

Live Recordings, TV-clips, & Roadmovie

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:01:00 +0000

By Kleenex/Liliput

Kill Rock Stars

There is no doubting the strong influence the (mostly) female Swiss band Kleenex (later renamed Liliput) had on current feminist post-punk rock movements like Riot Grrrl. Their brief period of activity was between 1979-1983, (in which they went through many line-up changes), but the band’s music is anything but dated, standing the test of time and a testament to their innovative and influential sound.

Live recordings aren’t always the best representation of a band’s sound—especially when it comes to avant-garde punk music—when even studio recordings can be a bit grainy and under-produced and aurally challenging (rightly so, as it is punk rock!). What live recordings often capture is the spirit of a particular time serving as documentation and historical reference. This is important for all music, yet especially so for obscure, underground bands that helped shaped musical history but have the potential to fall through the cracks. This is why the Kill Rock Stars CD/DVD release of Kleenex/Liliput’s Live Recordings, TV-Clips, & Roadmovie is an important one.

Compared heavily with The Slits, Kleenex/Liliput have a similar tribal/mid-paced punk sound, with funky bass lines, trebled slightly out of tune guitars, sometimes saxophone, and layered female vocals ranging from the nonsensical baby gibberish to the strong, shrill, and assertive (think Kathleen Hanna of Le Tigre and Bikini Kill). If you have not heard their music before, then a better introduction would be the Kill Rock Stars 2001 re-issue of a double CD containing all of the band’s studio recorded songs.

This current release, which contains two live shows, one recorded in Biel in 1979 (when the band was Kleenex) and one, as Liliput, recorded in Zurich in 1983, has that grainy archival quality best reserved for established fans and music history buffs. Not that the sound is terrible; I was actually surprised at the quality, which is another testament to the band’s awesomeness—sloppy enough to be punk rock, but still bearing the hallmarks of good musicianship, and what would have been an awesome live show. The accompanying DVD contains three songs from when the band was Kleenex in 1978 and three from when they were Liliput. It is again interesting to watch as historical documentation, but to be fair, some of it can be found on YouTube.

Overall, this is an excellent and important release from Kill Rock Stars. You will definitely gain feminist punk points having it in your CD collection, but you probably won’t bust it out as often as the aforementioned discography.

Written by: Jyoti Roy, June 4th 2010

From A Basement On The Hill

admin — Sun, 09 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Elliott Smith

Kill Rock Stars

My indie cred—if you want to call it that—is this: I was at one of Elliott Smith’s last shows. At the Northwestern University A&O Ball in 2002, Smith attempted to open for Wilco, fumbling with his guitar, breaking a string, complaining that his hand fell asleep, and never really finishing a song before trudging off stage an hour later. My friends and I were so angry and disappointed. “Is he on drugs?” If only we’d known the truth. If only anyone had known what was to come. A year and a half later, Smith committed suicide by stabbing himself in the chest.

I love Elliott Smith's music. I’m a sad former college radio nerd who grew up at the height of his popularity. “Miss Misery” is undoubtedly one of my favorite songs, in part because I love any movie shot in Boston and featuring under-the-radar music. But after he died, I couldn’t bring myself to listen to From a Basement on the Hill. Tragically, I’m a pro at handling death in the short term, but posthumous releases sort of freak me out. What’s done is done, right? What does it mean if the artist isn’t here to be a part of the production or release of his or her work? Only recently did I pick up some posthumous 2Pac and feel good about it. A decade later, I apparently come around.

Kill Rock Stars, arbiter of northwestern indie cool, recently got the rights to the 2004 release from ANTI-. Anyone who got a first listen in, well, the past five years, knows that this album is beautiful but sad. Songs like “A Fond Farewell” are reminiscent of XO. Others dabble in noise rock with strange layers of buzzing and bird noises attached. The album, sort of like Smith’s life, feels like a celebration on a rainy day. You could try to be the happiest person in the world, attempting revelry with friends, but inevitably, there will be a dark cloud on the horizon. That’s just how some of us are made.

Such a large percentage of From a Basement on the Hill deals in morbid fare: goodbyes, being a fuck up, memories, drugs, feeling lost, trying to keep it together. I’m not the first to say that it all feels foreboding, even now that we know the end of the story.

But you don’t listen to think back in sadness. You listen to remember why you ever listened at all. Elliott Smith made incredible music during his short time on Earth. If you’re as silly as I was—to largely overlook this album for the last few years—go grab a copy and remember the good times with the floppy-haired guy with the acoustic guitar and mellow voice. And if you never discovered Smith while he was alive, you still have time. Take advantage.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, May 9th 2010

American Gong

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Quasi

Kill Rock Stars

Did adding Joanna Bolme on bass somehow ruin the “purity” of the Quasi sound? I would suggest not. Although it would be impossible to argue that their music was thin before, Bolme’s bass adds a perfect oomph without taking away from the chemistry of the duo that already existed. Bolme, like both Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss, is a music veteran, playing with bands like Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, as well as working with Elliot Smith and producing what is probably Quasi’s most critically acclaimed album, Featuring “Birds.”

A big reason Quasi never sounded thin is drummer Janet Weiss, who is absolutely and completely underrated as one of the best drummers in the business. Perhaps her drumming is bit less bombastic and intricate with Quasi than when she was with Sleater-Kinney, but her calculated triplets and chunky bass drum thumps are scaled back just enough to work perfectly with the sweetness of Coomes’ voice, and she still turns on the heat when necessary. She makes me wish that she was in the White Stripes, instead of Meg White, because as much as I love the White Stripes, Meg White’s drumming is on the lean side. I think Weiss’ style would work perfectly with Jack White, and then they could commence to form The Greatest Rock Band That Ever Existed and take over the world.

American Gong basically continues with the Quasi sound of the last two decades, which is part Beatles, part country blues, and even part Flaming Lips. They’ve still got some of that country-blues-rockabilly on songs like “Rockabilly Party,” but are a tad more Sonic Youth and a smidge less Reverend Horton Heat overall on this album than on some of their others.

There can be no question that their music references other bands; I had to smile at the song “Black Dogs and Bubbles,” which has a lick that sounds quite a bit like the Beatles' jam session that is “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” And just to make sure you didn’t miss the suggestion, it cuts off abruptly at the end just like the Beatles’ song does. It’s just reminiscent enough to be a happy homage rather than a cheap rip-off.

Quasi still writes songs that are sneakily catchy. I get “It’s Hard to Turn Me On” stuck in my head every time I listen to Featuring “Birds,” and I’ve had “Bye Bye Black Bird” and “Repulsion” repeating in my ears since the first time I listened to American Gong. Their classic rock and country riffs are perhaps less apparent on this album than on The Going Gets Dark or Hot Shit!, but Quasi is still there, writing happy-sounding songs with sadly psychedelic lyrics that still somehow manage to laissez les bon temps rouller.

Written by: Emily S. Dunster, March 9th 2010

Know Better Learn Faster

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:59:00 +0000

By Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

Kill Rock Stars

“Messy” and “complicated” could very well be the two best words for defining romantic love. As suggested by the title of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down’s latest record, Know Better Learn Faster, the brokenhearted masses could easily avoid painful relationships if they were just plain smarter and quicker learners. Alas, we as humans aren’t always the best decision makers, and as a small consolation, that’s why we get great break-up albums like this one.

On their second release for KRS, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down offers a varied record that is mostly energetic but also studded with a few mellow tracks. Drummer Willis Thompson, bassist and keyboardist Adam Thompson, and singer and guitarist Thao Nguyen have struck a fine balance of pacing on this album, avoiding any clichéd or sappy songs. The music itself is so lively that Know Better Learn Faster can be listened to at any time and in any mood.

Complementing the vibrant music are Nguyen’s capable songwriting abilities. She has a knack for quirky, attention-grabbing one-liners. On “Trouble Was For,” she opens the track by sultrily singing, “Everybody please put your clothes back on/We must see what the trouble was for,” and on “Body,” Nguyen pointedly asks, “What am I, just a body in your bed?”

“The Clap” gives the album an ominous and threatening opening. It’s a half-minute track complete with hand claps and layered vocals that repeats, “If this is how you want it ok, ok.” Sonically, this is as dark as the album gets, and while other tunes on Know Better Learn Faster are slowed and melancholic, none seem as chilling as the opener.

In most break-ups, there always seems to be a period of longing for the other to come back. This is a theme that is brought up frequently by Nguyen, like on “When We Swam,” where the plea is sung to “bring your hips to me,” or again on “Body,” where Nguyen makes a desire known by asking, “Won’t you reach for the body in your bed?”

But like Nguyen’s voice, which is strong and full-bodied, there’s a sense of resolve throughout the record to accept that the relationship is truly finished. On “Good Luck and Goodbye,” Nguyen sings, “Take care of your neck and spine and good luck and goodbye,” as if she is giving a reminder to learn from the past and to protect yourself from letting a relationship break you apart.

The dance-inducing “Easy” closes the album. It begins with Nguyen reminding us that “sad people dance, too.” It’s a great way to end this enjoyable album. Thao with The Get Down Stay Down leaves us with the knowledge that break-ups are never easy, but somehow, falling in love is still worth it.

Written by: Beverly Jenkins-Crockett, January 9th 2010

Live Session EP

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:33:00 +0000

By Deerhoof

Kill Rock Stars

You either have that friend, or are that friend: the friend who tells people about obscure artists that seem weird or off-putting, but always become familiar with time. These bands usually rise from unknown to an only quasi-obscure status within about six months of your introduction, making your friend appear to have some magical intuition or inside information. For me, that friend is Israel.

We were in Israel’s green Subaru in Lincoln, Nebraska when I first heard the child-like Japanese/English ramblings of a mystery band, and I asked who it was. He said it was Deerhoof.

Drums are thrashing, guitars are humming and squealing, Satomi Matsuzaki is singing like a six-year-old in the bath. From the Live Session EP, the fifth song, "Basketball, Get Your Groove Back," seems like the zenith of the album’s fitful and fanciful lyrics. Reminiscent of stumbling into an Asian clothing store to find t-shirts that exclaim, “I’m If!” or “Boy girl smile love,” Satomi’s insistent and staccato, “Basketball, basketball, basket--b-ball, b-ball, b-ball/Escape!/Bunny jump, bunny jump, bunny, bunny, bunny jump” is both funny and awkwardly endearing.

While many of the compositions give a sense of being erratic, and jerk like a rusty skeleton, they hold a mysterious and driving beat that makes them incredibly catchy nevertheless. A great set of six songs to flail, clean, or mutter incoherently along with, Deerhoof’s Live Session EP is oddly enjoyable and comes with a four-star rating from yours truly.

Written by: Tatiana Ryckman, May 15th 2009

This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That

admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:02:00 +0000

By Marnie Stern

Kill Rock Stars

Marnie Stern was brought to my attention by one of my favorite shredders, Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females. This could not be more appropriate as Marnie Stern is also a shredder. I could not help but be intrigued by this album. The cover art (by Bella Foster) grabbed me immediately with its watercolor and pencil styling of dreamy forest imagery recalling Henry Darger. The album’s curious title, This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That comes from a 1960 Alan Watt piece, This Is It.

This Is It... begins with just a nondescript clicking and Marnie Stern's elfish voice repeating eerie phrases "defenders get on to your knees..." in "Prime." On first impression, Stern’s voice is can be compared to Joanna Newsom's quirky vocals. At forty-two seconds in, the beat drops and the song really begins, exploding into a panicky cacophony of guitar and drums.

The album is definitely a psychedelic freak out. Stern pairs up again with Zach Hill of Hella, who also appeared on Stern’s 2007 debut album, In Advance of the Broken Arm. Stern's intricate and erratic guitar riffs can only be followed by someone with the impeccable timing and precision of Hill. I would argue that he is the most appropriate drummer for this album.

Bassists John Reed Thompson and Jonathon Hischke demonstrate the ability to follow through on Stern and Hill's compositional aesthetics. Stern’s creative riffs and unique voice call to mind Deerhoof and Erase Errata, in the best ways, which should be extrapolated to mean you can definitely dance to this. At times I am even reminded of The Beatles' more trippy songs. Tracks like "The Crippled Jazzer" are super-driving, making it clear that Stern is well-versed in the art of inducing head-banging as well.

This Is It... will definitely satisfy your need for weirdo psychedelic jams. It is exciting to hear someone going down a completely original route with what seems like no pretense at all; this is hard to find especially in New York. And I'd also be lying if I said I weren't excited that Marnie Stern recorded this album herself.

Written by: Kate Wadkins, January 16th 2009

Offend Maggie

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:29:00 +0000

By Deerhoof

Kill Rock Stars

Some people find Deerhoof unlistenable, with sometimes manic, screeching vocals over strange instrumentation. Some critics think they're twee, and some think they’re the best of noise rock. Most cannot slap a genre label on this expectation-bending band. There is occasional yelling and human-made sound effects, "Beep beep!" You have no idea where the songs will go, or when they will end. The lyrics may not sound like English, and while they are, it is not guaranteed that they will make sense.

On Offend Maggie, Deerhoof are in their typical bizarre, hyperactive form. The production quality is through the roof, making this album perhaps more accessible than their earlier releases, though the madness of their style is retained. “Fresh Born” is a series of words associated with baby animals, repeated. "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back" also has a repetitive chorus of, "Rebound! Rebound!" "This Is God Speaking," which can hardly be classified as a song, is a series of distorted, Charlie Brown adult-type sounds with some clanky piano notes covering the incomprehensible groans. Only one of the fourteen songs clocks in over four minutes, and the album artwork—a cover image of a faceless man wearing headphones, parallel black and white lines inside—is disturbing and wonderful.

Yet some of the tracks here are almost ballads, melodic at times, consistently beautiful if consistently weird. Opener "The Tears of Music and Love" lives somewhere in between avant-garde awkwardness and loving harmonies. "Purple Past" sounds like it could be found on any number of other indie rock records, save the stylings of Deerhoof's signature vocalist, Satomi Matsuzaki. "Family Of Others" is reminiscent of Animal Collective with its woodsy appeal and quick switches between crooning and staccato onomatopoeia. The title track is perhaps the most appealing song and even amid its goofy lyrics of "Ring ring! I hang up!" it remains almost quaint, switching between something lyre-like tinkling and heavy electric guitar.

If you suffer from migraines, hate strobe lights, and think noise rock is for annoying hipsters, you will likely hate Deerhoof. Offend Maggie is nevertheless their most enjoyable record to date, and it is some of the most approachable noise pop on the scene.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, January 1st 2009

New Moon

admin — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:51:00 +0000

By Elliott Smith

Kill Rock Stars

In my Alabama high school, our English teacher had us select writers to do a report on. She carefully went down the list announcing a name with a short one-line bio to quickly introduce the writer to the class. My hand shot up to claim Sylvia Plath when I learned she committed suicide in her thirties; I was morbidly intrigued. In preparation for that school report I remember sitting in the library with headphones on listening to a BBC recording Plath made of her poem "Lady Lazarus." I can still hear the tone in her voice when she announces: "I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it…. And I a smiling woman. I am only thirty. And like the cat I have nine times to die…. The second time I meant To last it out and not come back at all…. Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say I've a call." At the time I couldn't help but read into every quiver as evidence that Plath knew she was going to take her own life shortly after writing and recording this poem.

I approach Elliott Smith's posthumous release New Moon with the same ears; with song titles like "Going Nowhere," "Whatever," "Almost Over" and "Big Decision," I thought I would hear something in the lyrics that would announce his early death in 2003 (which was first reported as a suicide, though the evidence is still inconclusive on whether or not the two stab wounds were self-inflicted). Epitaph Records released an album with some of his newer material in 2004, but in New Moon, Kill Rock Stars offers a 24-song double-CD with material he recorded between 1994 and 1997. The CDs offer more examples of his songwriting brilliance, using acoustic guitars and simple recordings that are the basis of his earlier work. I never really got into the overly produced stuff he put out after leaving Kill Rock Stars, so this CD offers a great look backwards at a sound that was so familiar to me in college. There are no big surprises on this album, but fans will enjoy these previously un-released tracks.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, July 10th 2007

Moments in Movement

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:50:00 +0000

By Macromantics

Kill Rock Stars

Formerly Romy Hoffman, Australian rapper Macromantics has released a debut hip-hop album that will keep her listeners guessing from track to track. After discovering hip-hop on a 1995 American tour with her pop punk band Noise Addict, Miss Macro spent the next few years fine-tuning her solid rhymes and traditional beats. It’s when she veers from the traditional path, however, that the album is at its best. From the time-honored intro touting her abilities as an emcee to "Locksmith," on which she and Sage Francis intersperse rap with a collection of robotic-sounding voice recordings, to the ethereal "Love Thyself," Miss Macro keeps each tune fresh and unique.

The album’s overall feel is dark and eerie, keeping in step with the grimier hip-hop coming out of many parts of the world, most notably England. Pop culture fans will particularly appreciate the references that weave their way through the album; some obvious, some inferred. Name drops include Susan Faludi and Corey Haim, to name a few, and "Apple Crumble" is so infused with a nostalgic roller rink sound that it would tempt any listener to strap on a pair of roller skates.

Written by: Becky Ramsey, May 14th 2007

In Advance of the Broken Arm

admin — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 18:23:00 +0000

By Marnie Stern

Kill Rock Stars

Who wouldn't be interested in listening to a female musician who is described as playing guitar better than “you, or me or probably ninety-nine percent of the people who have ever looked at a guitar?" From the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Marnie Stern was signed to Kill Rock Stars after sending in a demo tape. In Advance of the Broken Arm is Marnie Stern's debut album and includes songs she wrote in her bedroom over a two year period, with production and drum work by Zach Hill.

Marnie Stern certainly does shred. After receiving the album, I did what I usually do with new music. I listen to it sitting. I listen to it while I bustle around the city. I listen to it when I am feeling tired, and when I am full of energy. In Advance of the Broken Arm satisfied me in each of these listens. Her music is so rip roaringly catchy that you can't help but move your body to it in some way. There are layers of guitar work that compliment well her riot grrrl-like voice. My favorite aspect of the album is the lyrics; they are simple, but beautifully poetic.

On one of my favorite tracks, “Patterns of a Diamond Ceiling,” Marnie sings, “I am not looking to find a pot of gold” and “the picture in my head is my reward.” I would say the picture she creates in this album could be your reward if you take a listen.

Written by: Lesley Kartali, April 13th 2007

C.Y.S.L.A.B.F.

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 03:10:00 +0000

By Mika Miko

Kill Rock Stars

Mika Miko’s C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. is a great example of what modern punk should be. It’s an energizing, loud amalgamation of sounds that many parents would apply the term “noise” to. Whether you’re a frazzled urbanite 20-something or a teen rocking in your parent’s garage the entire album does well in rhythmically pleasing your inner (or outer) rebel.

The production quality left something to be desired. Many times I found myself straining to hear the vocalist over the music. On the bright side, it gives you a nice “live” feeling if that’s your sort of thing.

The lyrics of the album matched perfectly with the musical style. Youthful and energetic words populate and dance with the mental images of teenagers skating down the street, protesting injustice or just hanging around partying in their bedrooms. All in all, Mika Miko’s latest leaves you satisfied and wanting to hear more.

Written by: Nicholas Johnson, March 4th 2007