Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

 
Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing

           Summer is winding down, and that can only mean that the back to school angst that surrounds the end of August is surely approaching.  So rather than tag someone’s garage or slash a tire, why not listen to some ballsy guitars?

            Manchester Orchestra’s 2009 release Mean Everything to Nothing is still just as relevant as it was when it was released.  It has the right amount of bite, thoughtfulness, and wanton twenty-something coming of age lamenting to be your end of summer sonic companion.  The second studio album from Andy Hull and company is filled with hooky riffs that will make you air guitar all the way back to your dorm room, and while your suitemates are listening to synthesizers and programmed drums, you can sit pretty knowing these Atlanta GA based rockers are the real deal.

            They’re later releases (Fourteen Years of Excellence, Simple Math, and Live from Park Ave *Record Store Day Exclusive*) are all on sale at lakeshore.  Mean Everything to Nothing is a solid starting point, and a good car ride back to campus worth of late 2000s indie rock.

Buy Everything to Nothing 

Mars Volta - Noctourniquet

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 Mars Volta,  the El Paso duo consisting of At The Drive in Alums; Omar Rodgriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala released their final album (as The Mars Volta) on March 26^th 2012.  The band has a reputation for experimental sounds that sometimes run on longer than their songs with traditional structure.  In the past the band has gone through varying degrees of self-indulgence on their studio albums.  It seems as though they went a slightly different route with Noctourniquet.  Forsaking the shoe gaze-y acid induced noise tracks for more strait forward song form, it feels like the bands most cohesive album yet. 

            There are still the bizarre instrument tones that we have come to expect from the band, and just as many interesting sections and “oh…WHAT?” moments as previous albums, but more concise and to the point.  It seems like The Mars Volta had something to say and came right out and said it, rather than hiding behind the veil of guitar feedback and reversed vocal tracks.

"It's about embracing life for what it should be. There's a view of the elitist lifestyle - that being an artist is unattainable. I'm trying to write this story that reminds people that we're all artists." According to Zavala.  The band says the album is based on the children’s nursery rhyme Soloman Grundy and the Greek myth of Hyacinthus.  It is this aspect of the band that has always attracted me to their music. I think the Mars Volta would be hard pressed to release something that wasn’t a concept album, but that isn’t a criticism, in fact it is consistently impressive. 

Listen to the album in headphones for a special sonic treat.  We can all be heartbroken at the loss of one of the decades most interesting bands, but we can all look back with fond memories thanks to a satisfying farewell with Noctourniquet.

Buy it Now and get your free Mars Volta Lithograph 

Sound City

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Sound City, the Dave Grohl documentary about the San Fernando Valley recording studio that shut down in 2011 is a music nerd’s dream.  The film chronicles the rise and fall of Sound City, as well as showcasing the Neve 8020 analog mixing console (which is mind blowing and drool worthy).  So here is what you should do.  Turn off your phone, turn on your sound system, turn it to 11, and then take in the awe inspiring depth and scope this documentary covers.

“Now that everyone is empowered with these tools to create stuff, has there been a lot more great shit coming out? Not really. You still have to have something to do with those tools. You should really try to have something to say.”

-        Trent Reznor

Buy The Film! 

Buy the Sound City CD! Get a free Lithograph with purchase 

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Dr. Dog – Be The Void 

            Longtime indie-rockers Dr. Dog are at it again.  With a new album slated to release in October of this year, I decided it was time to take a look at their back catalog.  Upon listening to Be The Void I got even more excited for their upcoming release.  This band has history, and is always an integral part of the engineering on their studio albums, and has a characteristic sound that could be compared to anything off of The Flaming Lips’-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.  The thing that has always attracted me to Dr. Dog’s music is the way they take these dirty guitar and bass sounds and blend them into this amalgam of sixties grunge without sounding cheesy or dated.  To me, their sound is more modern than a lot of electronic bands, not only from a recording standpoint, but also from a songwriting standpoint.  On the song “Warrior Man” the guitar hooks have such an impact that despite the somewhat silly lyrics, the song shines as a testament to DIY artists across the world.  Dr. Dog is an example of a group of musicians that have remained true to the sonic realms they set out to explore, and pushed on past the boundaries that could have limited their sonic growth to become something more.

Buy Your Copy NOW