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AUGUST 31
The Vibratones
' 1 t i
i ■ . : • .
SEPTEMBER 7
Classic City Soul
Wednesday Nights 6pm
2020 Timothy Rd.
Athens, GA 30606
706.549.7700
ANDROCLES
AND THE LION
As Far as Blindness Could See
Independent Release
The three-year-old band took its
time releasing its debut, As Far as
Blindness Could See, but various
changes in lineup and location give
the result a context of mature patience.
The seven-song EP is a studied, care
ful construction of layers that sound
anything but belabored At first listen,
the post-rock instrumentation, the loll
ing, echoing vocals and the mini-epic
statements feel a little dated Singers
who slowly and casually observe micro
details to express macro disappoint
ments and joys suggest an it's-so-
meamngful kind of sadness that current
music seems to be leaving behind for
the moment
But everyone knows that first lis
tens can t be trusted The name of the
band refers to a fable about the impor
tance of doing the right thing even if
the reward is not evident, of relinquish
ing one's mythical control over one's
fate and allowing life to come without
getting in the way The songs are titled
with eternal, peaceful ideas, such as
Forgiveness." ‘Eulogy." "The Creek
That Ran Behind Our House" When
the songs are reinterpreted through
the fable, the singers suddenly do
not sound bored at all—they sound
content to understand nothing about
everything. It's as if they re telling their
own fable of which the moral is that life
is not always a party and not always a
hassle, and that one sees further when
one stops looking
Sydney Slotkm
GRIPE
The Future Doesn't Need You
Independent Release
One of my favorite Athens records
of the year is already an artifact The
Future Doesn't Need You. recorded
earlier this year, features founding
lead singer DJ Pommerville, who has
left the band for other pastures So,
beyond a handful of shakily recorded
live videos, what's left of fhis era of
the band is this 10-track face slap of
an incredibly creative, genre-literate
album It's nigh impossible for any
group to carve a distinguishable sound
within the decades old arena of grmd-
core/powerviolence Gripe doesn t tear
down the walls—the cornerstones of
this sound are present—but they have
successfully shifted the perspective
from one of rote acceptance to one of
new possibility
Nine of the 10 tracks run less than
two minutes, some less than a minute
The relatively epic-length History of
Violence." clocking in at two-minutes-
and-one-second long, sneaks a fat
Black Sabbath bass rift in the middle,
which may be the band's smirking nod
to what, for them, is a ploddingly long
track Pommerville spits seethingly
misanthropic lyrics, albeit at mostly
obvious and predictable targets
However, as John Lydon sang in 1986.
"Anger is an energy" and. of course,
this can be creative or destructive With
Gripe, so far. it's the former
Gordon Lamb
ADAM NEWMAN
Not for Horses
Rooftop Comedy Productions
Like any record, a decent comedy
album needs to invite multiple listens
And Adam Newman's Not tor Horses
does just that
Newman's style is highly narrative,
and he seamlessly works in his punch
lines His fantastic storytelling tunny
audience interactions and uncanny
knack for improvisation make for a
focused yet casual tone The tracks/
bits "Late Shift' and The Worm" refer,
respectively, to Newman's experiences
working as a grocery store clerk and
substitute teacher here in Athens
My only criticism concerns the
last bonus track. It's supposed to be an
ironic impression of two douches from
New Jersey—an act that Newman and
his collaborator Trevor Williams call
"The Nice Brothers .’ I get the joke, but
it lasts way too long and is just damn
anr /ing To their credit, Newman
and Williams do fantastic douche
impressions.
The album's best bit is one about
the "Fresh Prince" theme song—
mainly because it’s such a funny topic
to go m-depth about (and Newman
goes very in-depth). His unique take on
pop culture, hilarious personal anec
dotes and flagrant irreverence make
Not for Worses worthy of repeat spins
Kevin Craig
VESPOUNA
Vespolina
Independent Release
“I wrote a song about writ
ing songs." Daniel Aaron sings on
Vespolma's debut album on a song
titled, tellingly, “The Song." Here.
Aaron addresses explicitly what
is apparent throughout the album
that each song, to varying degrees,
acknowledges the act of songwriting
This approach may represent a self-
conscious engagement with form, but
too often it gives a bland, paint-by
numbers quality to the record
Aaron clearly understands
songwriting conventions, particularly
country music's admiration for the
clever turn of phrase and the extended
conceit Impressive wordplay marks the
first two verses of opener “Between You
& Me." but the descriptions of heart
ache and loss that follow are frankly,
generic There is no joy in Vespolma's
treatment of these conventions, nor
is it complex enough to offer any real
commentary
The music is more than well-
executed and good enough to salvage
the lyrics’ lack of specificity This is
poor consolation, however A chorus
crescendos into a plaintive violin
solo, but the emotion this evokes feels
canned, your response seems as pro
forma as the steps the band has taken
to produce it. The album is a highly
enjoyable listen, but that enjoyment
comes with a twinge of uneasiness
Marshall Yarbrough
EFREN
Rise on Up and Melt
Slo Pro
I was first exposed to Efren when
I witnessed the band's opening set
before Pink Floyd tribute band Pigs
on the Wing at New Earth. Though
Efren's music is steeped in folk and
Americana. I could instantly see a
Floydian similarity, with intros and
instrumental breakdowns that got
wildly atmospheric and psychedelic.
Compared to 2009's Thunder and
Moan, Rise on Up and Melt contains
far more of that Floyd influence—most
notably the epic "Mr Greene"—but the
emphasis remains on dark storytell
ing and gentle acoustic patterns Still,
the airy elements shine through the
delicate framework with washes of
reverberated guitar and organ permeat
ing tracks such as "Like a Coat" and
• “Dress Blues," and vocal harmonies
adding majesty to "Frogbird"
Lyrically, the tone is brooding
and somber, as bandleader Scott Low
weaves tales of isolation, despair
and remorse around mostly subdued
instrumentation. The energy does rise
to a boil in places, as in Over Our
Borders." yet it never quite explodes
The anger beneath the surface is pal
pable. but the skeletal acoustic guitar
and the drone-like textures make you
dig for it on your own
Low's voice has a druggy, almost
monotonous quality It's really the
hypnotic instrumention that pushes the
music into the ether, and the spacey
elements serve as coloration for the
haunting folk songs scattered through
out the album, which makes Rise on
Up and Melt a sharply focused affair.
John Barrett
MARK TULK
Central State
Small House
Mark Tulk wants people to dig past
the surface Beyond the deceptively
stark album cover art you'll find, inside,
a sleeve featuring a terrifying shot of a
cemetery with thousands of unmarked
graves This unsettling photo is a direct
tie-in to the theme of Central State,
it’s a ride through a gothic musical
landscape that has as much beauty and
clarity as it does artsy weirdness
Tulk. who plays every instrument
on the album except cello (handled
by his wife Niki) and bass (Joshua
Stamper), sings with a sort of calm ten
sion that never turns abrasive but also
doesn’t fully smooth out
More specifically. Tulk was
inspired by Central State Hospital, an
insane asylum in Milledgeville—and
the photo of the graves was taken in its
cemetery. As such, the mostly piano-
driven music maintains a ghostly,
haunted feel Even in its melodic
moments, otherworldly elements
abound, as in the bleeding drone tex
tures of "Rain." The back-to-back "Over
You Go’ and “Fellowship Cult Blues”
provide a noted contrast in tone, both
oddly jaunty Elvis Costello-ish pieces
that briefly let up on the gloom
John Barrett
People
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FLT
FLT RSK
People and Places
Independent Release
On their debut album, the mem
bers of FLT RSK are in propulsive
sync, slipping in and out of electronic
subgenres like warm baths via some
bizarre form of musical osmosis The
IDM raver Mishka" is an early stand
out. and the hip-hop flavored "Mass
Transit" is sure to get the dance floor
jumpin', but this group can just as
easily dial things back as is evidenced
on more ambient, experimental tracks
like “The Realm." Adding to the digital
gumbo. the band also brought in Lera
Lynn, who lends her plat num pipes
to the soulful, smoldering, trip-hoppy
“For Real." and had Atlantan MC
Priceless the Kid put his two cents in
on the club jam “Fe zed." Indeed, where
other electronic acts aim to put you in a
trance. FLT RSK takes you on a journey,
and it's one well worth taking.
David Fitzgerald
FLT RSK is playing at New Earth
Music Hall on Saturday. Sept 3
12 FLAGPOLE.COM-AUGUST 31, 2011