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BAMBARA
Bambara
Emerald Weapon
The eponymously titled debut
release from local three-piece Bambara
is pretty damn good. Though the band
has been playing together since early
2001. it wasn't until October 2007
that the boys finally emerged from
the shadows and began playing out.
opening lor the likes of A. Armada and
Cinemechanica. This newest ottering
sounds emotionally charged and musi
cally mature alter six years of honing
their cralt.
What unfolds from the speakers
is an engulfing and often engaging
blend ot aggressive post-rock and
psychedelic ambience. The noticeable
influences ol oands like Fugazi and
Slowdive are hard to miss considering
all the dissonant chords and luzzed-out
guitar melodies. Though at times the
music itselt can be sparse, lead singer
Reid Bateh more than makes up lor
it with his startling voice, sounding a
bit like Jim Adkins channeling Cedric
Bixler-Zavala. One such example of
this would be the hauntingly gor
geous “Morning Dye" where the
quiet instrumental provides a hushed
background against Bateh’s rising and
falling falsetto before lunging into a
ferocious assault of pummeling drums,
thunderous bass and blistering guitar.
"Someone's Ghost” is another surpris
ing gem; a rather jazzy melody super
imposed over atmospheric noise, tribal
drumming and anthemic lyrics.
Judging from this debut release.
Bambara would certainly put on a hell
ol a show. The production on this
album leaves nothing to the imagina
tion; in fact, this recording could've
been a live show and no one would be
the wiser. All in all. Bambara's debut
album is amazingly good; 10 tracks
and all of them cleverly arranged and
musically intriguing. This will mqke
someone's “year-end" list!
Charley Lee
SLEEPY HORSES
The Golden Light EP
Independent Release
Though Sleepy Horses perfor
mances have diminished in frequency
over the past two years—personnel
shifts and personal crises will do that
to a band—the group has always
put on a forceful live show, with Nic
Goodson’s caterwauling layers ol
guitar feedback and dusty. West Texas
aesthetic. The soundsystems of Athens’
smaller venues, though, often turn that
textured complexity into one inchoate
din. The Golden Light, Sleepy Horses'
new seven-song EP. gives bandleader
Nic Goodson lull control over how his
music’s presented, and his delicate
moments gain equal weight as his
noisesome, shcegaze-influenced ones.
“Sleep." for instance, balances emo
tional lyricism with the sometimes more
direct emotions of a searing guitar.
The seven-minute instrumental
track “NYC" moves the band into some
truly epic territory. The slow-build
thunderstorm of percussion and ring
ing. arpeggiated guitars points back n
to the mellower moments of earlier
this decade when post-rock bands
like Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black
Emperor let their ferocity subside—
momentarily!—before unleashing
some noisy, noisy six-string majesty.
Sleepy Horses’ 2006 debut
Somewhere Out West, Lonesome for
You ms a cohesive, sprawling state
ment of geography and influence
Where that album occasionally faltered,
though, was in not taking enough
chances for indulgence in Goodson's
more adventurous tendencies. Maybe
it was Goodson's shedding of his old
lineup and recruitment of new backers,
maybe it was last year's near-death
experience after which he wrote these
songs. Maybe he's just growing in
depth as a songwriter and confidence
as a bandleader. But when he has his
band rip into lull gallop, as on “Say It
Out Loud,' it’s clear this is a revitalized,
focused musician.
The Golden Light EP is available
tor tree download at the band's website
www SleepyHorses.net. It's worth much
more than that.
Chris Hassiotis
MICHAEL ZAPRUBER
Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope
SideCho
Michael Zapruder (if that as his real
name) is a music curator for the web
site Pandora. I mention this because it
lends him some appropriate credibility.
Listening to this disc, it's apparent that
this guy likes to listen to music. This
particular offering had me thinking
Frank Black. Andrew Bird. Sonic Youth
and Ween at times. And it all sounds
natural and appropriate; I say they’re
all peers.
Most of this album is upbeat, offers
a well-produced “full" sound, and
features some really nice poetry in its
lyrics. The couple of piano ballads are
also pretty enjoyable on a slow day.
“Black Wine” and “Bang on a
Drum' are probably the most ambitious
tracks here—the former a manic but
repetitive waltz clocking in at just under
nine minutes; the latter a crisp, original
pop song featuring a spazzed-out sec
tion of percussive chaos that seems.
totally out ot place, but is a pleasant
excursion, nonetheless.
Zapruder's voice is a fuzz-edged
baritone, and though I wouldn't call
him a “great” singer (his range is
somewhat limited), he is definitely
pleasant to listen to as he uses what
he's got effectively. I recommend this
one for pop fans. It’ll move you, and it
ages well. It’s neither too aggressive
(tor the cautious) nor too “usual" (lor
the scrutinizing).
Tony Floyd
THE EMPTIES
The Empties
Slush Fund
Sometimes a band that rocks
live just can’t carry the same power
and excitement ot a show over to its
records. Maybe it's a lack ol recording
skill or just general album jitters, but
The Empties' new self-titled release
does not do the band justice, and that’s
a shame. The Empties’ live shows are
fun and pretty energetic, but tor some
reason their album is just okay.
A lew gems shine on the otherwise
average-sounding album. “Oh My
God" is an insanely catchy tune that
only takes a lew listens before you've
memorized every lyric, and I found
myself humming "Don't Be a Bad
Child" constantly, ft there is one thing
The Empties can do. it's write a catchy
hook. But that catchiness is the same
thing that works against them.
The Empties have a tendency to
repeat themselves. A lot. While lyri
cal repetition is great lor a hook on a
song or two. it gets ridiculous when
the whole song is nothing but a single
verse and a chorus repeated over and
over. Melodically, almost all the songs
sound incredibly similar. When you
can’t tell the difference between two
of the songs on the same album, that
might be a sign you need to drop one.
It you’re looking for innovation or
deep introspection, this is not your
album. II you are looking for a decent
record to listen to when you've worn
out everything else. The Empties
should be at the top of your pile.
Jordan Stepp
THE CURE
4:13 Dream
Geflen
No. it’s not another fart from the
anus of pointlessness. It’s a new Cure
album! But good arguments could be
made for either. It'll come as a surprise
to exactly no one that 4:13 Dream is
anything but a revelation. It's just the
sound of a band innocuously going
through motions that are 20 years past
fresh.
The album starts out as solidly as
any late-era Cure can claim to be. Their
patented brand ol darkly lush fantasy is
established competently at the outset.
The stately lullaby “Underneath the
Stars' is all velvet romance while the
thick swirls ot “The Only One" and
"The Perfect Boy’ coast on the dreamy
pop rock they've been honing tor eons
now. With the exception of the sinewy
and poignant “The Reasons Why," the
rest are less memorable iterations of
their latter-day aesthetic.
Unfortunately, style is alt they have
to sell anymore. It's been this way lor
so long that it’s difficult to remember
how hugely definitive of a band they
were. While many ot today's young
guns who are obviously influenced by
them are interesting. The Cure has long
since been. No longer even a parody ot
themselves, they’ve become a shallow
mutation, a toothless, cumbersome and
boring beast ft you like things fat-cat
comfortable, the blunted excess of this
album is all you. Otherwise, spare your
time and dig up that old vinyl ol Head
on the Door. Maybe it'll offset all the
damage Robert Smith has been spend
ing years inflicting on his own legacy.
Bao Le-Huu
MURS
Murs for President
Warner Brothers
I love that this dude's major-label
debut (but seventh record overall) is
easily his best. The LA-based emcee
has been running with the stubbornly
indie Definitive Jux crew for years,
and as he stood alongside these rap
pers who would pride themselves on
being overly abstract, you'd look at the
ever-straightforward Murs and be like.
“Why is this dude making sense?’ He'd
had years ol fruitful collaboration with
Slug (of Atmosphere), but where his
Caucasian companion experienced an
explosion of success. Murs remained
an emcee's emcee, perpetually slept on.
And so now that he's been given some
expanded spotlight, a record on Warner
Brothers with all the will.i.am and
Snoop Dogg spots that come with it,
here it is: Murs' best album, easily.
Now, the fact that this “best album"
needs to be chiseled down from a full
hour of music—down from 15 tracks
to, say. 12—is, to me. negligible.
Rap albums wouldn't be rap albums
if they weren't obnoxiously overlong,
and plus, that's what the “Skip" button
is tor. Fortunately, it doesn't come to
that very often on Murs for President.
Murs. n6 Nick Carter, is unrelentingly
positive without being preachy. He's
like the upbeat dude you know who
you always look forward to running
into on the street, always armed with
a trenchant observation that ends up
on the brighter side ol any given situ
ation. And the best part is. I'd say this
record is 90 percent cornbatl-free; it’s
the long-awaited flipside to coke-rap’s
chilly colder-than-thou stoic pose. Add
some production from 9th Wonder and
it's like... c’mon. Give this guy his due!
Jet! Tobias
30 FLAGPOLE.COM • DECEMBER 10,2008