Cassowaries/Pssprtt “A Ghost With Teeth”

Cassowaries / Pssprtt
A Ghost With Teeth
(I Know A Lot About Magic;2008)

I’ll start off by explaining that I’ve been sitting on this mini-CD for a very long time. Since Ryan Carter, hereby referred to as Cassowaries, sent me this little EP that he shares real estate with Pssprtt on, both artists have gone on to grow and change as musicians tend to do over time. That being said, this review could be completely moot, and I’m only continuing on with sharing my opinion because of this website’s insistence that everything sent in will be reviewed. The real point I’m trying to make is this: despite the word’s I’m about to write you should check out these two artists yourself and hear what they’ve been doing since this split EP. Awesome. Enough disclaiming.

A Ghost With Teeth, on first listen, doesn’t sound like the work of two separate musicians. Both Cassowaries and Pssprtt (aka Eric James, who’s since changed his moniker to Phantom Youth) sound so heavily influenced by the reverberated compositions of Panda Bear, White Rainbow, and others of the psychedelic/ambient/”experimental” nature that discerning the two was difficult. In fact, I had to request additional liner notes in order to ascertain who actually made which songs. As I listened to the split EP more, referencing the additional notation I requested all the while, I was able to make out some slight differences. The three songs contributed by Cassowaries are driven more by distant beats and warped samples while Pssprtt’s chunk of music is more of a vocals-and-guitar-in-a-massive-hall sort of affair. The distinctiveness of each artist is strong enough to warrant personal separation, but the sounds they seem to emulate all rest on the same sets of shoulders.

The songs heard on A Ghost With Teeth are mostly 2 minute experiments, save a 4 and a half minute mini-epic each. No track stands out greatly from the others in terms of sounds or composition, but each have their moments. I’d say the EP is a nice introduction to both North Western musicians, anchored with equally positive and negative aspects. This doesn’t sound too much like a review, more like an artist’s bio, but I prefer it that way in this case. You’ve got some references now, a little bit of opinion, and you’ll find some links pretty soon. This time around I’m leaving you, the reader, to make final decisions based on your own critical thought. Thankfully, you’ve got some free download options care of the release’s label, I Know A Lot About Magic. God bless the internet.

- Patric Fallon

http://www.myspace.com/cassowaries
http://www.myspace.com/phantomyouth

Loose Shus “Demos”

Loose Shus
Demos
(self-released; 2008)

Save for a few horrible frat houses in the midwest or even some godforsaken trailers in the deep south, if you put on Michael Jackson’s Thriller at a dance party people are going to have a great time. There is something in the uninhibitedly inhibited sounds of late 70’s and early 80’s dance music that just keeps bringing everyone back for one more listen. Contemporary producers like Chromeo and Kavinsky know the beauty to be found in these sounds, and they’ve given us quite a twirl with their revitalized revivals of the golden age of dance music. If you have room for one more, please lend your ears to San Francisco’s Loose Shus. He’s got a few extra steps to show you.

Through a smooth blend of vintage samples, recreated classic synths, and overtly consistent sexual energy, Loose Shus calls you to move with his revived brand of motorik disco. His style could seem contrived and tired if not for it’s utmost purity of influence and genuine dedication to reliving the biggest decades of dance through music. Those aspects gain my musical respect, but it’s the epicly-written-yet-immediately-enjoyable songs that capture my love. Whether you’re being carried along by the bouncy bass line of “Taurus” or the squealing synths of “Six Minute” Loose Shus doesn’t wait til the destination to drop grooves on you; the whole journey is a well-crafted dance experience. Even on the CD’s closest cousin to a slow jam, my personal favorite, “mmmm hmmmmm”, we’re moved by a solidly mellow beat accompanied by a soft, whistling synth. No matter what he does in his music, Loose Shus’ motive is consistent and clear; put your feet and your pants on the dance floor. Won’t you listen?

- Patric Fallon

http://www.myspace.com/thedmv

Maus Haus “Lark Marvels”

Maus Haus
Lark Marvels
(Pretty Blue Presents; 2008)

Maus Haus is a band, like many others these days, that not only embraces technology, but also utilizes the medium to craft their sound with ingenuity and precision. Their debut album Lark Marvels succeeds in being an interesting and all together rewarding listen because of the bands’ reluctance to hold back their plethora of seemingly endless musical ideas and the technical abilities they use to harness them. Chances are that throughout any given song you couldn’t count on two hands the different instruments and sounds used to drive Maus Haus’ music home. This kind of instrumental decathlon songwriting brings to mind artists like Menomena and Architecture in Helsinki, but one word can easily break Lark Marvels away from those other bands and their music. Tension.

With their off-kilter timing and penchant for ambiguous melodies, Maus Haus envelops the listener with a sound that radiates a strangely cool urgency. More often than not there is no light at the end of their enjoyably dark tunnel. This technique works greatly in their favor, giving that much more importance to the brief yet brilliant moments of release. Sometimes the contrast of their cacophonous tension, minimalistic clarity, and upbeat grooves is jarring, but primarily it goes to support the large number of ideas at work in Lark Marvels. The quick switch between electronic slow burner “Irregular Hearts” and the neo-punk follow up “Reaction” sounds almost like the changing of albums, but that’s just Maus Haus; everything the members love about music quickly and expertly mashed together with loving skill and finesse.

Despite the strange powers at work in the music, Lark Marvels is populated with  surprisingly accessible songs. “Dead Keys Drop” opens with one of the coolest grooves I’ve heard all year, and the song’s sing-a-long refrain, ‘Your speed is not like our speed/La La La Laaa/La La La La Laaa Laaa/Ride the bullet like a banshee/La La La Laaa/La La La La Laaa Laaa’, is a prime example of the hidden catchiness found all throughout Maus Haus’ debut album. After recieving this music for review I spent somewhere over a month getting to know Lark Marvels. In taking my time I’ve discovered a lasting album from a band that I’m sure will be populating the independent music community’s “Best of” lists in years to come.

- Patric Fallon

http://www.myspace.com/maushausmusic

Casey Chisholm “October Rest”

Casey Chisholm
October Rest
(Ascension Records / Pretty Blue Presents;2008)

I’ll be honest. When I recieved October Rest in the mail I was in absolutely no state to objectively listen to and review the kind of slow and loving music that Casey Chisholm recorded for the EP. I was dealing with my own heartbreak and couldn’t separate what Casey was playing and singing about from what I was going through in my personal life. I almost decided to not review the CD myself until I realized that October Rest was precisely what I needed to help mend my wounded soul. This isn’t music meant to drive you deeper down, this is meant to lift you up! This music isn’t made to perpetuate the feeling of love lost, this is here to remind you of the love you’ve found! October Rest is an upper dressed in downer’s clothing.

The kind of positivity found in Casey’s music is a rare breed these days unless it’s shrowded in religion or a creedo of some sort. Instead of finding his happiness in a lifestyle or a higher power he celebrates life because of the people he has a chance to share it with. My favorite example of this is a lyric from the song “Alive” that goes ‘Isn’t it nice that you and I will go through life/At the very same time/Isn’t it nice we both laugh/We both cry’. That kind of genuine sentiment is what I find so alluring about October Rest, but the music is just as equally wonderful.

The sounds here are primarily electronic, reminding me of early M83 in it’s grander moments and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in it’s more personal moments. Though synths and drum machines are the meat of the songs, Casey also utilizes live guitars, percussion, and ambient room recordings that all compliment the core of the music quite well. One of the best moments comes about midway through the EP’s longest song “If Only” when the chorus of synths and vocals slowly gives way to a parade of distorted synths, reverbed percussion, and harmonic guitars. This ending goes on for three minutes, and not once do I ever want it to stop. October Rest is a short listen, but you feel that Casey showed you everything he needed to in those 20 minutes. I look forward to hearing what he has to share in the future.

- Patric Fallon

www.myspace.com/caseychisholm