FRESH BAKED
in NYC
Quiet Loudly
Soulgazer
2009 | BNS Sessions
B

On the first track off Quiet Loudly’s new album Soulgazer, a playful guitar interlude is followed by a Crazy Horse-like sludgefest. The next track “Lift this Mountain” plays with the same guitar stylings, but this time Buckley-esque vocals are accompanied by an organ and washes of blues distortion. This eight-minute-plus journey even pulls out the brass to battle it out over some hi-gain scale work and riffage galore. Spare a few shorter songs scattered throughout the album, like “Mountain,” most tracks are well over five minutes – the band seems to find its groove best in lengthy, improvised allusions based around one or two deliberate and effective chord structures. Despite the shoegaze tag floating around some of their promotional material, this album is all soul blues, never more evident than on “Church of Mud,” which finds singer Max Goransson writhing in agony against those spectral organs and horns until more heavy guitar play eventually closes the song.
More on Quiet Loudly | Soulgazer

FRESH BAKED
in NYC
Werewolves
Fire/Water
2009 | BNS Sessions
B-

On first thought, making an EP with just two songs named “Fire” and “Water” seems overly simplistic. But I guess with both being so universal, there are a lot of thoughts and feelings that can be associated with the two opposing elements. It would be great if, like a school paper, we could assign this concept to musicians of our choosing – see how Aphex Twin’s and AC/DC’s versions would compare. But until we have government-enforced mandates for bands, Werewolves’ Fire/Water EP will have to do.

For those wondering what Werewolves sound like, the band has had a lot of esoteric labels slapped on it, such as “bliss groove,” “space rock,” and “noir pop” to name a few. But to keep things simple, I think a fitting description would be “avant garage” – they love guitars, bass, and drums, but they also love Phillip Glass and John Cage. Their sound is in a similar vein to the Velvet Underground’s combination of the two estranged genres. But while the Velvets focused on putting the noise and daring of the avant-garde in a pop context, Werewolves focus more on incorporating the atmosphere of Minimalism into messy, raw rock.

Keeping to this line, “Fire” produces a seven-minute jam from two chords – playing more on dynamics than on the notes themselves. Eventually, the fills and solos flesh out, but the main attraction is the build of tension and energy that makes the song resemble its name. It’s catchier than maybe it means to be, the groove’s natural feel keeping it from being stale or pretentious. And even if the vocals are mostly monosyllabic and indecipherable, they bounce around nicely and add to the rises in tension with shifts from moans to yells. It may not be the best party track, but “Fire’s” rare success at being simultaneously atmospheric and lively gives it a lot of charm.

“Water,” on the other hand, is nothing but atmosphere – it fits its title perfectly with disjointed chimes and keyboard floating on a long wave of feedback. Unfortunately, this also has the effect of making it a bit dull. To its credit, it does have a strong calming quality – the sort that would suit meditating or taking a bath. But Werewolves devotion to Minimalism here is a double-edged sword: it produces rich moods that keep the sound unique, but inhibits the track from being entirely engaging. Still, a sincere and skillful effort from this Brooklyn-based band.

Fire/Water was recorded during a three-hour session at Grand Street Studios in Brooklyn, NY and was released as a limited edition of 400 on 7” wax coloured vinyl. Contact Rachel Yankelevitz (Rachel@farmhousepr.com) for a copy of the album, or  stream it on the Farmhouse PR website.

You can also catch Werewolves live as part of JezebelMusic.com’s June Feature Show on June 11 @ Public Assembly!

by Geoff Anstey

FRESH BAKED
in NYC
Gunfight!
Hide Your Empties
2009 | BNS Sessions
A

Gunfight! released their debut album, Hide Your Empties, on BNS Sessions just two weeks ago. And, already, the local press is all over it. From start to finish, all five songs on the EP are in top form. Feeling rootsy, but fresh, the tracks come alive with their own take on what it means to blend country and punk. The lead track, “Empties,” has singer Drew Mintz making accusatory howls in third person, “We know better than you,” disabusing anyone who cares to think they can party harder than the four Bushwick boys. For those with the gall to attempt outdoing these gentlemen over a bottle of whiskey, they might match themselves against “Vaccine,” a sweet bluesy ballad about love, lust, and liver destruction, delivered in a cooing, guttural growl. The final song, “All You Need,” is most damning of all those pretty young heartbreakers – “All I want to do is break your heart/All I want to do is see your heart in two,” Mintz wails over the band’s spastic, yet driving jams.

Whether their picking up a bottle or putting down a pill, there’s no time for interventions on Hide Your Empties, now available digitally through iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Napster and others digital outlets. You can also pick up a physical copy through Cargo Records or directly through BNS Sessions.

And be sure to check out Gunfight!’s characteristically raucous and rowdy live show when they take the stage as part of JezebelMusic.com’s own Feature Show, on Thursday, May 14 at Public Assembly.

by Gordon Sharp