Cling .|: Beyond Your Dreams (Video Review +)

In 2006, I critiqued Cling... 

Cling ~ "Sonic Spells" EP
Sonic Spells" is extraterrestrial aping electro-pop. Much like my prior victimization in several alien invasions, curiosity pushed me toward Cling, but slowly drained my life force (sorry, no probes). Cling are Susi Lavender (lyrics and vocals) and Gerald Patient (programming and production). The UK duo adds deliberate & liquidy cadences with heavily distorted warble. Before you form an opinion that Sonic Spell is an AcidPro-like production … their sound, on balance, renders quality programming/productions primed for college radio.In small strips, their output is absorbing. Over the course of a full length record, though, Cling's the similarity of the arrangements (particularly with non-remixed song versions) and tepid compositions troll along. The one exception is the finale. "Haunt You" (Trance Mix) works wonderfully as a Poe-like pulser. It startled me from my zombie-like hold and allowed me slip away from Cling's Sonic Spells invasion somewhat elated.

It felt like I cannonballed into SNL's "Deep House Dish".


Even though my review was harsh, Cling responded with grace. It stuck with me (even though I have the foggiest idea what was written). 

Cling just emailed me their new video the other day. Since I changed my website and stopped using my name, it is impossible for them to realize that I was the jackass that wrote them up in the past.
___________________________________________________


Their following is impressive. In less than a week "Beyond Your Dreams" amassed 4,000 views. Most indie artists have a hard time cracking 1,000 months after posted on YouTube. They even have a 264-0 like vs unlike rating -- the most I have seen without a thumbs down!

Apparently, with this track, Cling invented the genre, "chillstep". Gerald figured out how to coordinate a template to boost instead of drag Susi's hypnotic vocals. I did not think he had a chance.

Cling's vocal approach has over-saturated the market for many years and it is almost impossible to make a record sound good without being a total ripoff of another act. Gerald's perseverance and production wizardry has paid off. "Beyond Your Dreams" represents his stunning evolution. Also stunning is the track's representation in video.

There is nothing that appears indie about the "Beyond Your Dreams" music video. It is exquisitely shot and elevates the sonic experience. The intent of a music video is to quickly entice fans and potential fans stumbling on to it. Cling does so without cheap gimmicks like Goldfrapp [a relatively similar artist whose ELO ripoff is given a peculiar Satan visits Xanadu treatment] ...


If "Beyond Your Dreams" is not an aberration and represents Cling's current incarnation, then they have found their groove and will undoubtedly expand their audience.

Check out Cling's MySpace page!

(FYI: They frequently offer FREE downloads!)

Zen Boy and Karma Girl .|: Who They Are and How They Came to Be!

Zen Boy and Karma Girl represent folk music for the .mp3 generation. Their shtick revolves around being aliens (the outer space variety) commissioned to croon original folk compositions penned by their supercomputer. Yep, the conceptual package is absurd, but …

You would expect the sound to feature a lot of synth, maybe a robot voice here and there and random noise. Time to squash those preconceptions, Zen Boy and Karma Girl are a hybrid of traditional sing-along folk and early Belle and Sebastian. Who They Are and How They Came to Be! focuses on basic acoustics, quirky neo-classic melodies and precious harmonies.

Most neo-traditional folk groups don't croon about wearing the other gender's undergarments ("Copy") or dating a superhero ("Wonder Woman"), portray themselves as extraterrestrials or, most importantly, reach the musical heights that they do. Outside kitsch promotion, they are best represented by tremendous songwriting and storytelling.

At their best, Zen Boy and Karma Girl spin gold with melody, render helpless with delicious harmonies and cause a smirk and thought with provocative off-kilter lyrics. Highlighted examples include: “Copy”, “Two Monkeys”, “Wonder Woman” and “Madison”.

Make sure to check out this dynamic duo of next gen neo-traditional folk. Who They Are and How They Came to Be! capitalizes on their unique symbiosis.



 "Two Monkeys"

Maxwell Street Klezmer Band .|: Old Roots New World

Recently, I was introduced to klezmer music via Lori Lippitz's generous submission. Unknown at Old Roots New World receipt, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band is perched in the forefront of the Neo-Klezmer Movement. Yiddish Swing, jazz and early 20th Century pop are funneled through Gypsy big band arrangements -- consider music inspired by The Fiddler on the Roof performed with Squirrel Nut Zippers' grandiose yet loose technique.

Nearly every track is predominately instrumental. When vocals fade in, they are theatrically cabaret (and foreign). Those combined elements usually tend to create intolerable casual auditory experiences. However, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band's playfulness, grit, eclecticism and mojo blend into a snappy experience. Old Roots New World is extraordinary in its omneity rather than as individual tracks. However, worth crediting, is the amazing 17 and a half-minute closer, “Klezmer Rhapsody for Violin” -- the opus builds from almost a baroque introduction to what I swear was a trampy appropriation of “Hava Nagila” (or at least used as an inspiration) at the 12 minute plus point.

For the past couple of days, repeated spins of Old Roots New World are habit forming. Even though the music is Yiddish, it is also historically American; the cd feels like a recorded glimpse of a superb Brooklyn festival performance featuring immigrants celebrating the anticipated opportunities that awaited them in this ‘fabled’ land. With that, imagine what sensory maneuvers Maxwell Street Klezmer Band could relate live!


(a video that I edited for the band)

Elvis is for Dummies (An Amazing Elvis Presley Resource)

Check out my sister blog. It includes over 500 songs in a 1-10 song with MANY videos posted in the blog. In fact, he is 58 10/10 cuts and every video is included (with likely many songs never heard and A MASSIVE % of live renditions). There are nearly 250 videos in all!


Click here -- what the hell are you waiting for?

RuPaul .|: Red~Hot

[All blog entries with the "Boombox" label are indie artist reviews submitted to former websites. With this blog, I will only include artist submissions. This review was original published in 2004.]



I was tempted to pen this review before I even listened. It's not too complicated -- RuPaul is a one-trick neutered stallion. She cannot carry a tune. Her brand of dance-pop is a production cover for the hopelessly untalented. Her career is based on calculated marketing that I despise. However, listening to her CD and its unabashed straightforwardness made me realize that she was no Britney.

You may remember her from her anthemic crossover hit, "Supermodel (You Better Work)", the VH1 television show or Paris Hilton-like celebrity -- anything resembling gay pop or dance, Diana Ross (of the last 20 years) or RuPaul bounds to the forefront of your expectations. Considering her past and that more than a decade passed since her isolated mainstream success, she has big heels to fill to justify continued minutes of fame or its credibility.

Researching the submitted text, I noticed her supporting roster was very impressive -- it even includes Siedah Garrett ("Man On the Mirror" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" with MJ) and a monolith of production hands. Rather lengthy for dance pop, Red~Hot spans 14 tight tracks (most fix between three-four minutes) and two skits. My mind rolled as a noticed that one of the songs included a cover of the (allegedly) queer-revered Depeche Mode's 'People Are People'.

The renders all feature big dance beats and a virtual grab bag of production tricks ranging from the early 1990's thru present. Listeners that frequent the dance genre, would find at least a portion of Red~Hot gadgetry generic. Lyrical fans would gasp at the cliche-saturation content, but should, in turn, appreciate her surprising honesty and substance. Her aforementioned vocals have not improved, 'she is what she is' as a crooner -- she realized this and (for the most part) kept the tempo rolling. RuPaul's strengths are intangible and relate only modestly to technical aptitude.

The artist has super-human charisma. All known sides of her personality are spread thickly throughout Red~Hot. RuPaul's enthusiastic versions of candor delete any concept of commonality pressed with the CD's shortcomings.

Classic RuPaul, "Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous" is frank and genuinely fun single that resembles the 'ear worm' quality of her earlier hit, but is edgier and meritorious dance (not just novelty). Other songs that have like potential include: "Coming Out of Hiding"; "Are You Man Enough?" and "Kinky/Freaky".

Bruhn .|: Pull From This End

Bruhn sent this boilerplate email earlier in the month:

"Hello Die Music Die,

 We’re an indie rock band from Portland OR by the name of “bruhn”. We just finished our first full-length album called “Pull From This End” and are now in the process of promoting our record. We’re hoping to get a review and write up. We would love for you to give us a listen. Any and all feedback is appreciated.  We will attach our song “Hollywood” to the email.

You can download a free copy of our album at ...
Thank you for your consideration.

Take Care.
bruhn"

Many music critics are overwhelmed with such emails. In fact, it represents an alarming majority of submissions. They populate my "Spam" folder. To address this nuisance, I randomly plucked bruhn's for reviewing "Pull From This End". Instead, crankiness took over ...

Damn. Damn damn. Damn damn damn! My bias shows like a tramp stamp on a skank.

I cannot adequately review music when this feels like the internal dialogue of a band that submits music spam ...
"Here buddy, I'm throwing this out ... just hoping some idiot will like it and give us free press. If not, well, we don't give 1/2 a shit (maybe a 3/4 on a good day). If you dig it, cool. Still, whatever ... it's not like we're personally invested. We'll digest it, if it's good and share a 1/4 shit with you (if you're lucky)."

"Pull From This End" is hazy, cool and completely throwaway -- it's part of the new wave of dream pop. It is a solid "B-" album. There is nothing mindblowingly good or bad about the record. Appropriately, it kind of sounds like the artists are sleeping with their instruments and mics. The cover art is just as inspired. I guess I can term their overall effort as "emailing it in".

Say what you will about mailing it in -- at least it requires a person to get out bed. A person can  "email it in" from the can. 

The truth hurts, but this is what most music reviewers think. I know that bands don't think of it in those terms; considered are the dollars and time emailing saves. An email does not replace the feel of a new CD and the realization that a struggling indie band gives enough of a damn to spend $2-$3 with the hope of getting their music reviewed. When I think about the time, cost and effort put into their self-publicity, it encourages me to really listen and give a fair shake.

Nothing impresses on me more than an artist, outfit or indie label that will write a letter, put in a CD and throw in a key chain or something when cash is virtually nonexistent. These days, it's rare to even earn enough in the business to eek out a living.  Unless someone emails something that is extraordinary, I cannot justify pissing in the face of the gambling artists that deserve press.

Snareburst .|: Beta

Qualification out of the box ... I hate reviewing electronic music (referenced in an earlier blog entry)! Snareburst's sound is described as "Electronica Psychedelic Dance".

J. Shepherd (from Intolerance Records) asked me to give this a chance and that I would like it more than "Alpha (Demo)". I could not find my review for the CD and don't recall listening to it. It is possible that it made promoted PTSD, so I chose to bury it deep into my subconscious. In my lifetime, there are many such musical beasts in my mental jungle.

Snareburst is musical terrorism. After listening to three songs, I got Nam flashbacks. I never even went to Vietnam! What the hell is going on here? I have a pulsating headache and blood is dripping from my eye socket. Unfortunately my ears are in tact.

This is the last time I try something like this. I need to promise myself that if I put the CD in and can't get past 45 seconds of the 1st track, I just need to burn the motherf@Y&#(. Seriously, I'm butthurt over this.

I held on to this and listened to it five times to see if it would grow on me. It did not. I became more enraged each listen. I have nothing positive to write about this except that I can provide the band's new T-shirt image of of I survived Snareburst and I don't want to effing talk about it or (better yet) a mutant Ipod suffering from PTSD ...

The evil belches of sound were so damning that it made their one non-offensive track, "RGB"  tolerable. Here's its lulzy video ...



Somehow they are grabbing gigs, so there must be massive marketing or sadomasochist musictards that enjoy going deaf and seeing others cry, convulse and croak. The gigs may be filled with undercover Pentagon officials looking for zee next level weapon against terror. Like the old saying, you can only fight terror wuth blaring Snareburst (or something like that).

Another custom niche for "Beta" are YouTube Poopers. Anything on a Snareburst record can inspire video fail like this ...


My kid told me that I shouldn't write anything mean because Intolerance Records packaged this in an awesome hoodie. He quickly retracted after one minute of listening. Maybe quasi-sane and sober people aren't Snareburst's target audience.

I appreciate that they are aiming to perfect a niche for folks with curious music fetishes. If you create something unique, there is always an audience for it. Snareburst does carve a sonic path. I can belittle the "Beta" all I want, but opinions are subjective. Even then, I admire "Beta" for bringing something gonzo to the surface.