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CHRISTOPHER
(WITHOUT HIS UVBR)
Mon Voyage
Independent Release
This 14-track cassette was
recorded when Athens musician
Christopher Ingham ol local duo
Christopher's Liver was living in New
Orleans lor a while in August ol 2007
Featuring Ingham alone with a
ukulele (which I generally lind to be
a lairly irritating instrument due to
its-high pilch) and occasional other
instruments. Mon Voyage is a treat
specifically because it succeeds where
so many other home-recorded items
don't: its low-fidelity contributes to
the intimacy ol the whole affair rather
than hangs around like an unfortunate
side effect.
Ingham's almost-whispered
singing evinces late-night recording
sessions in a shared home where one
must be very careful in the wee hours
not to disturb the others.
Easily the most distinguished
track on Side One is the instrumental
“One For The Domino," which is as
authentically mento/ blue beat as
you’re likely to get from a guy living on
the mainland
Immediately after this. "Slides’
manages to carry the same mood while
not sounding even remotely similar.
Its echo unit doubling of a single
guitar string layered over single down-
stroked guitar chords could've done
with a couple of minutes more, but,
perhaps here, brevity really is the soul
of wit.
Side Two begins with the tenderly
gorgeous "Here I Sit.” which stands
alone as the only song written about
Hurricane Katrina that nas any emo
tional impact on me.
Ingham is wise beyond his years
here, as he sings. "I thank you / For
all the things you taught / Taught me
homes must be rebuilt / It's not houses'
fault"). All I wanted to do after hearing
it was walk around my neighborhood
with a tape player and tell people
“You've got to hear this!” Although Side
Two also includes five other songs—
including "How Do You,'' which cuts
off (literally, the tape ends) right when
the lyrics say “The speed of sound"
to wondeTul. even if unintentional,
effect—“Here I Sit" is the root of the
entire collection.
Mon Voyage is the audio equiva
lent of a visual artist provided with
only pen and paper creating something
beautiful, charming and. in places,
necessary On this simple little cas
sette, Ingham is that artist
Gordon Lamb
Christopher 's Liver is playing at
Farm 255 on Wednesday. Jan 30
MURDER MYSTERY
Are You Ready for the Heartache
Cause Here It Comes
Independent Release
Not that I'm looking to say some
thing unflattering about any band
whose album I review, but it is dif
ficult to find anything negative to say
about the band Murder Mystery and
its first release Are You Ready lor the
Heartache Cause Here It Comes The
album isn't flawless, but its youthful
enthusiasm is contagious. Murder
Mystery is not attempting to make a
grandiose stalemenf with its music. The
lyrics are playful and almost classic in
their subject matter (love). In fact, judg
ing by song titles alone, many of fhese
tracks would fit right in place on a Stax
soul recording (“Think of Me," "Baby,
You Can Write Me a Letter," etc ).
Playful lyrics and jaunty melodies
make this album a very listenable one
The singer sounds a little bit like David
Berman of The Silver Jews, while the
music occasionally resembles a less
orchestrated (and significantly less
twee) version of Belle & Sebastian
Granted, there are no jaw-droppers
on Are You Ready, and the group often
fails to add the dynamics necessary
to transform good songs into great
songs, but then again, this is appar
ently Murder Mystery's first effort
From here, though, the band needs to
capitalize on the promise exhibited on
the recording I'm willing to bet that at
this point. Murder Mystery's live shows
eclipse the studio efforts and overall.
Are You Ready is worth the price of
admission.
John Seay
Murder Mystery is playing at the
40 Watt Club on Monday. Jan 21 See
The Calendar' for more mlo
»*/*.■> / run fiC*K
PAPER TANKS
Paper Floats EP
Superfluous Umlaut
Paper Tanks play that sort of
unplugged-but-with-electricity indie-
rock that’s difficult to pull off. A rela
tively new act in town, the trio (though
Paper Tanks' MySpace page lists seven
contributors, including members
of Long Legged Woman) is set to
potentially make a name tor itself. The
songs here are modest, fragile little
things, like moths in your hand. There's
that moth-dust as well, as the pioduc-
tion is blessedly hollow and grainy (is
that you, Justin Flowers, LLWing the
mixing board 7 ), giving the tracks a
wispy feel that still nas meat enough to
Ilex songwriting muscle.
“Floating" brings to mind Stephen
Malkmus home in bed with the flu
"Got a Map' is more along the lines of
the New Pornographers, but again with
the walls stripped bare and just .he one
naked bulb dangling.
In spite of this thinness, the buoy
ant melody shines through I don't
want to imply that Paper Tanks aie
thin, although I'm piling on metaphors
that do just that. If the EP were shin
ing with big production and buzzing
power-pop, it probably wouldn't work
Tne sleepiness is the glue that holds
it all together Paper Floats won't turn
our music scene on its ears, but there's
enough charm and grit here to make it
taste just right
Michael Wehunt
Paper Tanks are playing at the 40
Watt Club on Wednesday. Jan 16
SIX ORGANS
OF ADMITTANCE
SMtXT fRGK*
rHE AS* ?
SIX ORGANS OF
ADMITTANCE
Shelter from the Ash
Drag City
Shelter from the Ash marks the
10th album from singer-songwriter
Ben Chasny. Six Organs of Admittance
is the music of just one man, but on
this particular record. Chasny enlisted
the help of musicians Matt Sweeney.
The Fucking Champs’ Tim Green.
The Magik Markers' Elisa Ambrogio,
and Chasny's bandmate in Comets
on Fire, Noel Harmonson. Shelter is
an album at odds with itself. It's elec
tronic and acoustic, it's minimalistic
and abundant, it's psychedelic and
monochrome, it's as equally menac
ing as it is abating. The album opens
to a wall of drone and layered guitar
before becoming immersed in ambient
soundscapes It's an aural trip where
every accompaniment has been stra
tegically placed, every part specifically
arranged, and only Chasny knows
the destination. Shelter from the Ash
battles and dissects treatises on love,
isolation, despair, hope and familiarity,
but Chasny leaves it up to the listener
to derive conclusions
Chasny shuffles between airy
psychedelic folk and melancholy
post-rock, taking (he listener on an
enigmatic spiritual journey that pro
fesses emotion without having to say
a single word “Coming to Get You" is
scary, period It's one of the few songs
with lyrics, and though it's comforting
to hear a human voice break up the
ominous dissonance, hearing Chasny
intone I'm coming to get you" makes
one want to run the other way
"Final Wing" is the longest and
most fatiguing track on the album,
bathing the listener in drone before
finally becoming lost in guitar reverb
and pummeling drums. The title track
serves up a maddening melody that
slowly builds and builds before it halts
to an abrupt stop The final result is an
album that's as effective as it is con
founding, and. for some, it'll take them
on a journey that'll lead them some
where. and lead others nowhere
Charley Lee
Six Organs ol Admittance is play
ing m Atlanta at The EARL on Monday.
Jan. 21.
KILLICK
flu//"**
Solponticello
No, I'm not being a prude by
censoring the word “bullshit." The
new album by now legally-named
Killick (that’s right, Hinds has officially
changed his name) is actually titled
Bullasteriskasteriskasteriskasterisk.
Yet again, someone has taken it on to
build the Athens weirdo extraordinaire
a bizarre permutation of musical
instruments.
Best known in the past for a solo
cover of Slayer's Reign in Blood per
formed on his H'arpeggione. Killick
has been very busy as of late, turning
Zepubicle (which has also recently
dropped a full-length) into a seri
ous band and raising his new "Big
Red" to instrumental adulthood The
H'arpeggione is essentially an inter
species romance between the guitar
and harp, made from papier-mSchb and
wood. The instrument—all 38 strings
of it—is capable of churning out some
truly unique sounds
By now we've gotten used to the
blended sounds produced by the man
formerly known as Erik Hinds, so the
question is. what does the only Big Red
in existence have to offer us?
Considering the wide range of
timbres the harp guitar, which is played
upright on a spike, can aspire to. the
answer is simple: quite a lot.
Recorded in one take, Bull"” is
hard to swallow if you don't have an ear
for improvised music
The 12 tracks jump from a sort of
tree-jazz aimless picking and strum
ming to Spanish classical guitar to
deliberately obtuse and harsh sections
to Eastern sunrise music
It's a lot to absorb, but very fortu
nately, it's worth being a sponge here
"Fight Day" is perhaps the closest
thing to pretty here, but even so, Killick
spends time between the melody's lines
rubbing the strings and making the
wood creak and moan with fascinating
results
Many people scoff at this sort of
music, and at first listen, it indeed
seems like anyone could tap and slap
randomly and garnei praise But the
proof is in the tenth listen, when it all
starts to unfold into an unrehearsed but
still intricate play.
It's easy to get caught up in the
fact that Killick plays instruments that
no one else does, and thus forget that
he’s a crazily inventive musician with
a lot to say.
Michael Wehunt
Killick is playing in a duo with
Tatsuya Nakatam at the Flicker Theatre
& Bar on Monday. Feb 18.
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