Haste the Day Blue 42: Post-Hardcore to Metalcore Transition

I know I promised more on the previous post (Broken Lungs), but I suggested this to Flenker yesterday and thought I'd share with everyone...

A couple of years ago in one of my music theory courses, I asked a buddy of mine, Zack Burch - Crooks, what his top five favorite hardcore breakdowns of all time were.

(I was in a band at the time and wanted to add a breakdown of sorts to one of our songs, and was hoping to do it correctly...or with some legitimacy anyway. Zack and I had been in a pirate-themed hardcore [Piratecore] band with some other friends - one being the eventual bassist of the band I was currently in - called "Scurvy," so I thought he'd be a good reference. Don't know if it worked, but you can check out Disected for yourself and let me know... Just for the record, our piratecore, Scurvy practices led to a lot of Marshmallow Mateys consumption...)

A couple of days later, Zack came back with a CD and said, "Dude, I couldn't get it down to five. So there's like 8-10 here."

After we listened to selections from the CD with Dr Check and our theory class (including analytical contributions from three members of Insignifica), I headed home with the CD and studied.

Haste the Day's Blue 42 hit me the most.

After listening to the song enough, I started to realize there was way more than it originally led on:

Blue 42 was a perfect example of a bridge between Post-Hardcore and Metalcore genres. The "sasquatch" of the Metalcore evolution...if you will (ha, ChristianMetalcore, evolution...? Yeah, I know...).

If you want to follow along, you can read below while listening:



Anyway...you hear it first develop in the guitar work. The song opens with Metalcore in your face. Then the first verse hits about 50 seconds in, and the Post-Hardcore guitar work starts up, emphasized by the stylistic change in drum work behind it.

After an intense interlude, we return to the opening theme of the song for a few bars. Then the transition begins: the second verse's beginning is marked with the re-entry of the post-hardcore riff (in the first verse) over the opening metalcore theme.

The guitar work then moves over more into post-hardcore with some fast, palm muted bar chords and the drums change. Then the guitar solo comes in straight out of pop-punk heaven (no pun intended this time) and just to drive the point home, the vocals and drums switch (again), completing the shift from metalcore to post-hardcore.

After a short pause, we return to metalcore and enter the essence of all good hardcore/metalcore music: the breakdown. As Zack picked this as on of his ten best, and I've selected it as my favorite of the ten, we can only assume it's a good 'un. (I can hear a relation between Disected and Blue 42's breakdowns at least...)

This is Haste the Day's Blue 42: today's lesson in metalcore evolution.

PS - Who cares if you can't understand what he's saying? I didn't mention lyrics other than to mention...they weren't mentioned...? =) The song kicks ass on its own. Oh, and Flenker agreed...

Broken Lungs: George Tabb and Thrice

"A fire burns beneath Manhattan
Still we breathe with broken lungs
We act like none of this matters
Is that what we meant, when we said that we’d sing what must be sung?"
- Broken Lungs by Thrice

I have a coworker from New York who currently resides in Connecticut. Willow comes out on business and we catch up on the smoke dock during the day (being the only two smokers in our department).

One day, at a happy hour after work in her honor, we were out talking over a cigarette or two (like we do) and she said, "You remind me of my friend George. I'm going to send you his book." So she did. And she sent me his second as well...at the same time...as well as two the Who albums that had come up in conversations...but that's just too much for one post... =)

Anyway, I was in the middle of another book at the time, but it was one that required a lot of my attention. So, it was 8:00, too early for bed and too late for getting crazy on a weeknight...so I grabbed George Tabb's Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich. And I read it. Cover to cover. In one night. All 162 pages. And I'm no reader...

It was fantastic. Here is an excerpt from my email to Willow the following day at work:

"I loved the first book by George. I really related to a lot of it (without the abusive history part), but the embarrassment and being the shrimp while trying to stand up for yourself was very similar. I read it cover to cover last night. Didn’t plan on it. Just couldn’t put it down.

Thanks again for the package. I’m looking forward to book two. I’ll probably get to it next week sometime. Then you have to tell me more stories about George and we have to talk about the Who albums. =)"

That about sums it up. Obviously, I recommend purchasing Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich by George Tabb. (Read this far and still don't know who George Tabb is?)

This is where it becomes interesting...

I bought Thrice's Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV the week before. I really, really enjoyed the song Broken Lungs and decided to look up the lyrics.

A week later, I was reading George Tabb's book with an introduction written by John Strausbaugh. Which included information contained in the following video:



Yeah...remember me saying music tastes are primarily social? Here's the video for Broken Lungs:



What are the chances that two coworkers from halfway across the country would (unknowingly) share stories of broken lungs over cigarettes? Life is fantastic sometimes...and ironically cruel.

And I haven't even gotten into George's music or music history...or John Strausbaugh's books...how I was turned on to Thrice's music/other examples of them...or those two Who albums that Willow sent!!...or the fact that I watched Alex Jones' Martial Law 9-11: Rise of the Police State a few days after I read the book...or the Gogol Bordello/Everything Is Illuminated coincidence that started this whole thing...

Point is, if you don't think music is a part of everyday life...I don't know what will convince you.

I'll look into writing and developing more off of this post this week. For now, enjoy Broken Lungs by Thrice and read about George. If you only click on one link in this article, better make it this one:

9/11 Disease: Please Help George Tabb

I'll leave you with one of my favorite Nostradamus quatrains (translation and analysis by Erika Cheetham in 1973):

"Earthshaking fire from the center of the earth will cause tremors around the New City. Two great rocks will war for a long time, then Arethusa will redden a new river.

Attack on New York?

An explosion in the center of the city of New York making the land tremble, or could tour here mean towers or skyscrapers? The two great rocks are the immutable great powers who will eventually open war. Ingenious commentators interpret Arethusa as coming from Ares, God of War, and U.S.A. The new river is presumably blood."

Thanks for listening...

Yes We Can: Obama Tune by will.i.am

In light of the election on the 4th, I felt it was a good time to give a political listening suggestion. I'm not going to say who I voted for, this is not a political blog. The point is to listen. So, this is Yes We Can by will.i.am.

Like Obama or hate him, you can not deny his public speaking abilities. This is a great example from his speech on the eve of the New Hampshire primary:

"...we have been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unliekly story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." - Barack Obama

I think all Americans can gain pride in these words. It remains to be seen if these hopes become realized, but we're on our way to finding out.

Regardless, his words have sparked optimism in this pessimist...

Weinland: Take Two

Weinland's session with Daytrotter has been posted: A Cold Breeze Offers A Warm Kiss. I'm a little late in alerting everyone, but there it is. I still think my favorite song of Weinland's is Sick As A Gun, but you be the judge.

If you are confused as to who these guys are, you can read my previous post on Weinland.

As a bonus, here's their La Lamentor video:

Deftones: Chino could be the sexiest singer I've heard

although this has a kinda of dark meaning to it and the lyrics are limited..i think its very sexy.
- SongMeanings (haley23lane)

I recently told two coworkers of mine that I think Chino Moreno is one of the sexiest singers I've ever heard. I can only guess that many of you reading this are probably raising eyebrows as well...

I'm not saying all deftones (myspace) or Team Sleep (myspace) songs are great for setting the mood, but I can think of a few I'd pick.

Digital Bath, in particular, is easily in my all time, Top 5 sexiest songs. Between Chino's whisping, cracking vocal lines and the steady, slow tempo with hard driving guitar lines and screams...I think you get it...

I always took the song as being very sexual. Particularly the last verse:

You breathed
Then you stopped
I breathed then dried you off
And tonight
I feel like more

Here's Digital Bath, give it a listen:



So, I wanted to see what the meaning was behind it and looked up the Digital Bath lyrics. It appears that I'm in the ballpark, but there's a much darker side to the song than originally anticipated.

A little disturbing? Yeah, to say the least. Still sexy? Def-initely. Either way, I'm not exactly going to be focusing on the lyrics in this listening situation...

Here's a short list of other Chino songs to consider (lyrics and meaning aside):

•pink maggit
•Dai The Flu
•Cherry Waves
•Change (in the house of flies)
•Ataraxia
•Ever (Foreign Flag)

On an unrelated note, I'd like to address another defotnes conversation that seems to pop up from time to time. I hear (often enough to address it here) people say, "I'm just not into the deftones that much." Usually this follows them listing a bunch of other similar alternative or hard rock bands.

My answer is alway the same. The deftones give us a bunch of different genre flavors. Particularly in modern genre favorites. It's alternative, heavy, hard rock with rap flavors, hip-hop beats, and soft, driving rock ballads. Not to mention a drummer that has some of the best snare work I've heard and utilizes his kit to maximize each songs impact. Those drums meld everything together and push emphasis on the important parts without taking away from the primary idea. That's such a tough thing to do. I know very few who can do it correctly.

So, listen to the deftones. Enjoy their variety. Everyone complains about each song sounding the same on an album, so stop complaining and embrace the ones that don't.

That's all for today.

Buy deftones and Team Sleep music:

•deftones
•Team Sleep

Darkroom Music

"(Darkroom) play the kind of well-orchestrated music that sounds big and bold, where you want to tell the world "this is my band" and head to every show you can afford. I am very impressed by the songwriting, and combined with their music, Darkroom are a group that should rightfully be in the pop and rock spotlight."

- musicforamerica.org

Kyle Wallen was playing down at Skinless Productions Gallery and I wanted to make sure to stop in and enjoy. Kyle never fails to disappoint and, I swear, keeps getting better and better. Don't believe me? The links up there...^

To cut to the chase, Darkroom (Facebook | Virb) was in from Winona Lake, Indiana. Luke approached me early in the evening asking about the stage setup (how many inputs? what kind of cabling? etc.). We ironed out the details and the rest went like clockwork.


Darkroom - Suggested Listening on Vimeo.

As you can tell from the video, they had the same "Weinland effect."

I go down and help out with the gallery from time to time. Basically, if I'm in town, I'm there. I don't check too much into who is going to play ahead of time. This makes it fun for me. There's such a variety of talent that graces that tiny, intimate stage and I'm not genre picky. As you've seen from these other posts, I enjoy a lot of the people I meet there and really enjoy the music. Darkroom was no exception.

Good luck to you guys and thank you for the enjoyable set.

Buy Darkroom Music

• A Curious Excavation

the Gunshy

"If Matt Arbogast's debut as the Gunshy wasn't enough to catapult him into the storytelling ranks of Destroyer's Dan Bejar and Silver Jews' David Berman -- those kings of self-referential literariness -- his sophomore LP, Souls, will."
-Julia Simon, Spin Magazine Staff

I met Matt Arbogast in October of 2004. I remember because it was a few days before my Grandfather passed. My roommate and I headed down to see some friends of friends' band play and the Gunshy (myspace) was opening.

Every once in a while you see someone who is so good live you forget there's not a full band behind them. You forget that there's a beer in front of you. You forget to breathe. The Gunshy (this particular time: Matt by himself) managed to deliver one of these evenings to me.

I didn't realize I enjoyed the music as much as I did until I noticed that I wasn't breathing while he was playing. His lyrics were so powerfully descriptive while remaining humble. His chordal structure kept me wanting more. This was his "No Man's Blues" tour. I fell in love with the music immediately.

Near the end of the show, Matt asked if there was a floor or couch available to him for the evening. My roommate and I offered to have him crash with us as I bought as much of his stuff as my cash flow would allow.

We treated Matt to a frozen burrito and let him crash on one of the three couches in the living room. It wasn't much, but he was kind enough to trade with stories from the road. We had a pleasant evening passing around tales and sharing some laughs.

In the morning, we left for class and work and Matt had moved on when we returned. I still have the note he left thanking us for our hospitality. If I had a scanner, I'd put it up.

The point of all of this is that he is back on the road again for a long tour. Like he frequently does. There have been albums released since then. You should all go see him perform. It's a fantastic experience.

Without further ado, here's the Gunshy:

• The Gunshy on Daytrotter


• Buy Gunshy music

What is Suggested Listening?

Seriously?...it's suggested listening. I'm suggesting listening for you.

You know what I mean. Why would anyone care?

The blog was started because I often get questions from people about what I'm currently listening to. This way, if I mention something that the other person is interested in, I can just point them to this page. It's a way for the people I interact with to not have to carry a notepad and pen in their pocket everywhere they go...like I do.

Often times it will be bands on their way through town while on tour or friends of mine from far away places. It makes it easier for everyone. I try to provide a place for friends to be able to listen to the songs I want to point out for a particular artist, while providing information for them on how obtain their own copy if they like it. Or they can just come back and listen to it again here. Or even better: send the link to one of their friends.

I have to elaborate on that though. While Suggested Listening will continue to go in that direction, side motives have developed as well. I've always wondered why we like the music we like. There have been in depth, scientific books released on the subject, but I still believe a majority of what we listen to is social. Consider this a bit of a social experiment that doesn't really have an ending.

Besides, it's a good way for me to keep track of the groups I run into locally as well...a journal if you will. I believe the industry term is: personal blog.

So forgive me if I like to give an occasional back story. The back stories are simply my side motives showing themselves from time to time. So, unless you know me, you probably shouldn't care...

So, if we don't know you, why am I reading this?

That's a good question. You're looking for something new to listen to and typed a phrase in a search engine that led you here.

What makes you a credible source for music suggestions?

What makes anyone a credible source for suggesting music? Music is all relative. I just said your likes are mainly socially defined.

To answer without a question: I have a degree in music. I've been a live on-air DJ (though I don't know if I'd say I was any good). My degree focused on music technology, but I grabbed enough from theory and instrumentation courses to hold my own. Plus, I run sound from time to time and like to do some writing of my own on occasion.

That being said, none of that makes me any more credible than the next person. It doesn't matter. If you like the music I'm suggesting, you'll keep coming back to check out more.

You don't update this very often. I'm sure there are more things that you are listening to than what is listed here...

I get lazy when I'm not paid for something...deal.

the Heavy

"Picture Tom Waits fostering the Rza while John Bonham and The Parliaments host a gargage sale for Chester Burnett, Willie Mitchell and the Stooges........ That kind of thought will get you into a whole heap of trouble and mess, as we found out." - the Heavy

Seriously, what can I say? Check out the Heavy. I'm not writing anymore, this song is freakin' awesome.

El Olio Wolof

"From the Central Californian town of Merced comes El Olio Wolof, invoking majestic kingdoms where Shel Silverstein's brand of playful poetics meets the ebb and flow of dusky indie rock." - El Olio Wolof

Zac messaged me to see if I would be around to run sound on the 3rd of July. So I looked up who was playing on myspace and realized why the inquiry was sent. This was not your average band.

El Olio Wolof's sound instantly hit me with a full wave of accordions, keys, vocals, flutes, and more. I try not to make a rambling review on any of these postings (the point being to check out the band for what it does: music), but there's a bit of a back story:

You see, El Olio Wolof had the 4th off. The 5th was at the 400 in Minneapolis and they were debating their next move. I was given a copy of their latest album after the show by Brian (their killer accordionist) for running sound. I said my goodbyes, farewells, and thank yous as I left with their amazing album "A Tedious Task" in my pocket. Guilt sets in when there's a band worthy of supporting and you just don't have any money to help out.

The next evening was Skinless' "America Fu@$ Yeah" 4th of July, First Friday extravaganza. There were three bands booked for the evening. I called to see what time everything was starting up and to my suprise, El Olio Wolof had decided to spend the 4th of July with us in Kansas City and play an impromptu second set.

I stopped by the ATM, pulled out some cash, swung down to the gallery, changed one or two things with the mics, and voila: an even better show than the evening before(I know, it doesn't seem possible). After their performance, I passed along enough money to buy them a couple of gallons of gas (might have gotten them out of the city). We talked over a couple of smokes while I learned about the city of Merced and it's Hmong population.

After working the rest of the evening (more on this to come in a future post!), I once again bid adieu to the band. Upon shaking RC's hand he summed up their stay with the following (and I quote loosely):

"We meet wonderful people on the road all of the time; never to see them again. I hope we see each other again someday."

With that, I was off. Point empathized. And a fitting way to end this tale.

What does any of this have to do with the music? I don't know. But you will listen...and you will enjoy.





El Olio Wolof LIVE @ the pink Mailbox in Isla Vista on 12-08-07 from ZackwolK on Vimeo.

Reviews:

• "Their new album is entitled A Tedious Task, ironic when thought of in context to the act of listening to their music, which feels anything but tedious. It feels quite like the perfect use of time. Their songs weave stories as complex as fairy tale spells and as simple as apple trees growing from seed."
  - the Bay Bridged


• "Immediately the first song I heard took over my ears as nothing had in a long time. Who would have thought a song about a fire-breathing dragon could have such power; it was passive circus music, it was eclectic originality, it was non-pompous indie rock. The only way to categorize it properly would be to put it in the same category as Sgt. Pepper’s, which is a category all to its own. When the organs and accordions drew silent, I frantically grabbed a pen and the first scrap of paper I could find and wrote down what the DJ said, or I thought he said. “El Olio Wolf…El Olio Olof…El Olio…what?”"
  - wordsmithlind

Buy El Olio Wolof's A Tedious Task

Weinland

"La Lamentor delivers an impressive set of dusty folk rock ballads that easily recall the quieter side of Neil Young and maybe even some Elliot Smith. It only took one listen for the addictive melodies of lead singer/songwriter Adam Shearer’s best tunes to find a new home lodged inside my head." - Pop Headwound

I had the pleasure of running sound for Weinland (myspace | vimeo) at the Skinless Productions Art Gallery in June. The audio rig at Skinless is small and I pretty much just run vocals and an occasional line in or two.

The point is that Weinland sounded fantastic. Their levels were even across the board. To me, it's a sign of a good band when everyone knows where they fit without needing any help from the sound guy. I just raised the vocals and cello so that they fit in.

But, don't take my word for it. Here are some videos for your viewing and listening pleasure:



Weinland and The Portland Cello Project: "God Here I Come" from Douglas Jenkins on Vimeo.




Weinland with The Portland Cello Project: "La Lamentor" from Douglas Jenkins on Vimeo.


Douglas Jenkins of the Portland Cello Project joined their tour prior to the show. I'm so glad he did. Hopefully the video's can illustrate why.

So go see Weinland play. Tell them, "Chris says hello." They'll tell you stories of the road and be happy to share their time with you. They have super cool t-shirts as well. Thank you guys for a fantastic show and the chance to meet some wonderful people. Best of luck to you all.

Reviews:

• “Sick as a Gun” and “The Devil in Me” both document drunken power games (or the past-times of those who dig drama) and seem set during the yesteryear when drama was an even better game of chess because the advent of cell phones hadn’t introduced its expedited means of conflict-resolution. Consider the following: “Don’t pick up the phone, I’d rather think there’s no one home / And I will leave my voice, and never tell you where I’ve been” (“Sick as a Gun”); “He knows he’ll always love her so he carves it in his arm / Hoping she will call him and break his fucking heart” (“The Devil in Me”). Land lines? Enough time in between calls to get a tattoo? That was another world, one where romantic disputes weren’t solved by deleting friends on MySpace. Such mind games may have been inspired by Weinland’s six-year tenure working with emotionally-disturbed adolescents. Weinland himself has noted that much of the content on this LP was written in the studio while recalling personal stories or everyday struggles.
  -by David MacFadden-Elliott on Crawdaddy!
  


• Having spent most waking and sleeping moments on the road since late March in service of supporting its sophomore LP "La Lamentor," the Portland-based sextet Weinland staged a triumphant return to its native soil in front of a packed, energized crowd at the Aladdin Theater on Saturday night, bringing fellow Stumptown indie purveyors Norfolk & Western and A Weather along for the ride in a terrific all-local bill.
  -by COREY duBROWA on www.oregonlive.com
  

Buy Weinland Music

• La Lamentor


• Demersville

Gotye's Refreshing Sound

"Variously described as (i) a reclusive hunchback with a penchant for blue cheese and a horrible flatulence problem, (ii) a leading Soviet authority on ancient and early modern Russian political, economic and social history or (iii) a debilitating affliction of the neck (resulting from a childhood inattention to spelling), in actual fact, Gotye is just a young Australian fellow named Wally De Backer who makes music in his bedroom."
-www.gotye.com

Wally De Backer's solo musical wonder, Gotye (myspace), is...well, frankly so good I'm at a loss for words. Apparently, critics agree, as he was the recipient of 2007's best male artist ARIA (beaten out on other nominations by another amazing Australian 2007 release - Silverchair's "Young Modern"). If you are a fan of rich instrumentation, or simply enjoy catchy lyrics to sing along to, this man delivers with rich orchestration and a sound that gives shame to any of the genre's that it emerges from. I have yet to hear a track from Gotye's latest release "Like Drawing Blood" that wouldn't stand on it's own as a single. You're already here, watch the videos and listen for yourself. You WILL be missing out if you don't click "play" on all of the videos below...

Reviews:

• "The result is one of the most diverse and pleasing musical experiences you are likely to come across. It's not quite rock, it's not quite dance, it's not quite chill, it's not even blues - in fact, trying to define a genre for "Like Drawing Blood" is about as easy as pronouning the name Gotye itself. But it's so rich with sincerity and melody, genre seems almost irrelevant."
  www.webwombat.com


• "...Like Drawing Blood is an important album, not only for its music (which grooves and croons its way into your heart) but for the encouraging fact that it’s at least a contender, and that this fiercely singular Australian musician could really get somewhere based upon the strength of his music."
  www.popmatters.com


• "The other big standout-- "Heart's a Mess"-- sounds a lot like its animated video looks. In the video, long-legged machine-creatures stalk a ravaged mechanical countryside in the moonlight and ultimately float off into space. A simple but effective organ figure balances De Backer's softly delivered verses with an off-kilter counterpart, egging him on to the song's climax, where he rises to a full shout on the lines "It makes no sense/ But I'm desperate to connect." Judging by the sounds here, the connection isn't going to happen anytime soon, and he'll probably be wandering in the moonlight for quite a while."
  www.pitchforkmedia.com

Buy "Like Drawing Blood"

Skinless Productions Art Gallery

"Skinless Productions Gallery, a new and exciting take on the fine art world."-insert name of famous person who has not seen our gallery yet-. Coming in February of 2008 Skinless Productions Gallery aims to be an outlet for all things creative. Zac Eubank and Ben Bloss have taken on the task of living in and running the space."
-Skinless Productions

On February 1st, 2008, the world was shaken by the Skinless Productions Art Gallery Grand Opening weekend. For those of you that don't know, Skinless Productions is located in downtown Kansas City's Crossroads Art District. It's a great collection of art galleries over a few city blocks.

The opening weekend featured live paintings auctioned for the HALO charities, some music acts, and, lets not forget, artwork from Warrensburg artists.

Since then, Skinless Productions has had the pleasure of working with national booking agents to land fantastic music acts. This is a wonderful sounding space that is easy to run sound for due to the layout/architecture of the room.

There is talk of a David Lynch show this fall. They are currently deciding on a month to display his artwork. Join the mailing list below to stay in the loop.

Skinless Productions was the winner of the Directors Choice Award 2005 Cinemerge film festival and winner of the Cinemerge 2005 48 hour video challenge.

I guess I'm not too good at selling things, so I'll let their video do the promotion for them:


Schedule of events June 16th through June 21st from Zac Eubank on Vimeo.

• Skinless Productions Art Gallery [myspace]
  


• Join the mailing list
  


• Directions to the gallery