The Rock Blogger

Please take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice of our brave veterans (and currently serving soldiers) and on the horrors of war that inflict all of us. We can never take any of our freedoms for granted. Godspeed.

Titus Andronicus. The Airing of Grievances. 2008. 4.5 stars.

What a great debut from this New Jersey band. The Airing of Grievances is a raw, noisy and spirited indie rock album that has shades of The Walkmen and early Trail of Dead. Not only are these songs emotionally charged, reflecting the caustic frustrations of the suburban soul, they also incorporate bombastic piano, horn and brass flourishes. By blending the orchestral with the lo-fi, Titus Andronicus have produced a truly epic work of art-punk.

Amid the fuzz, crackles and screams of this record are great driving melodies that provide a beautiful backdrop for all the youthful, existential aggression. As the grandeur of these songs take hold, the rabid howls of our angst-ridden frontman take on an anthem-like quality. Its music to live (precariously) by. The urgency of this record is damn impressive as the band rails against their own vices, thwarted ambitions and the crooked establishment reigning over them. Despite its expansive construction, the snarly punk-rock attitude survives.

Sure, the production of this album constricts its otherwise massive sound, but it still serves to express the grit and energy of these songs. Like their contemporaries Time New Viking and No Age, Titus Andronicus push the noise-rock genre to arty extremes, while also bringing philosophical eloquence to the table. While certain segments of this album could be a little more polished and refined, for the sake of lyrical clarity, the entire work still stands tall in all its rattled glory. This is punk rock for the Camus set.

Titus Andronicus - “Titus Andronicus”

Behold..the Arctopus. Skullgrind. 2007. 4.5 stars.

Skullgrind is a maddeningly technical metal album that embraces mathematical riffs and progressive rhythms. As a completely instrumental work, Skullgrind’s complexity is powerful and enveloping. Genres bleed into each other as the band burns through their spiraling structures, with spastic touches of jazz, doom, and progressive metal coming through. The whole experience is hypnotic and exciting, with incredibly intricate solos and shifting time signatures ripping through your perceptual faculties.

Such a calculated sound may initially seem cold, detached and emotionless, but the fervor in which it is performed is convincing proof of life. From the percussive rolls to the wiry guitar lines, Behold…the Arctopus is all about intensity, even if it is filtered through a mechanistic prism. Like the cover art demonstrates, Skullgrind is about the fusion between the organic and the technological, an aesthetic not unlike the grim artwork of HR Giger or the post-human visions of late 90’s science fiction. With these thematic touches, the searing technicality of this record is less intimating as it is intoxicating.

Behold…the Arctopus may sound inhuman, but it is certainly an effective progressive-metal project. It successfully weaves free-form techniques from jazz and avant-garde traditions with arty futurism and insane precision. Like a delirious scribing from some idiot-savant, Skullgrind is undoubtedly impressive despite its uncanny nature. A celebration of all things cybernetic and hyperactive, this release confirms the vitality of progressive-metal as it slithers its way out of the underground.

Behold…The Arctopus-Skullgrid/Canada

I’m coming back, to the sounds of my city
This time here was relative
Stretching out the calender grid
Since they can’t fit feelings in such tiny little boxes

Constantines - Young Lions

Broken Social Scene - Cause = Time

Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights

Radiohead - The National Anthem (live)

I thought about posting the Star Spangled Banner, but I like this song better.

Photo by Sorina Dragusanu

The autumn chill is setting in and the long nights are slowly creeping over. Orange and brown strewn across the cracked road, menacing grey clouds lurk over the river. A strange quiet is beginning to fall as the sounds outside become more isolated, more distant. In my head are the soft lumbering tones of seclusion, a beautiful resignation.

Nest - The Silvershade Lynx

Agalloch - The Lodge

Ulver - Høyfjeldsbilde