Monks of Mellonwah: Turn The People

Monks of Mellonwah are a Sydney based band with a predilection for surreal album covers and a penchant for off-kilter band names. They have been advertised as being heavily influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin and Australia’s very own AC/DC. And if Australia’s answer to John Lennon is Tame Impala, than Monks of Mellonwah are at least a posited response to Aussie’s best export since Vegemite.

Monks of Mellonwah established serious buzz in 2010 with their EP Stars Are Out. Within months the standout track “Swamp Groove” made the rounds of Aussie radio outlets.

“Swamp Groove” had all the makings of a killer rock track. There is the catchy riff, lyrics rife with sexual longing, nice use of backing vocal harmonies and an extended bridge populated with loud whirling guitars. Their combination of danceable groove and free spirited rock landed the band some big label attention. Monks of Mellonwah went on to win several awards and set out on a world tour.

They may just be the most acclaimed band you’ve never heard of.

On Turn The People, the group’s proper debut, Monks of Mellonwah hit hard. With production work from Kieth Olsen (Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead) the album is far cleaner then their previous work, but it may be this pristine aesthetic that makes the group less interesting. Where Stars Are Out won our ears with its raw candidness, Turn The People sounds sterile. It is like walking into your favorite bakery and smelling… nothing. It’s clean as a hospital, which is comforting, but that appetizing scent of bagels and cupcakes upon entry? Gone.

This is clearest in the utter lack of catchy riffs. Standout track “Vanity” is the only time that a sound attempts to nest in your brain. This phenomenon is due mostly to frontman Vikram Kaushik’s fast paced flow. Kaushik is far and away the band’s not-very-secret weapon on this release. He shows a talent for creating bouncing lyrical landscapes here and all through the record.  

However, unlike Kaushik’s improvisational performance on Stars Are Out that had him pining within the sweet spots of guitar rage, on Turn the People he is recorded high in the mix, drawing attention to his vivid imagery. His delivery is urgent and rapid at an almost rap-like speed.

No other time is this quick stream of consciousness as apparent as on “Pulse.” Vikram jumps twitchingly over a daunting bass propelling the dark imagery that is his calling card on this release. He stops jerking just long enough to allow the band to catch up. The track ascends to a don’t-look-down height, and it is impressive that they are able to fit so much into four and a half minutes.

At other times though, their need to fill up the mix is their undoing. Many of these songs ascribe to the prog-rock philosophy of “more is more.” While none of the track clock in much longer than “Pulse” some of them sure feel like it.

“Alive For a Minute” is one of the best songs on here. It is danceable and tastefully uses a vocoder to give the refrain a tinge of modernity. But, the band blares through a minute long outro that would probably be great live, but taxes the listener.

Still, the greatest deterrent to the bands aesthetics is not their prog-y tendency, but their lyric’s off the radar content. Monks Of Mellonwah songs explore the haunted forests and decrypt tombs of rock. Opening track “Ghost Stories”, which begins with a completely unnecessary synthesizer intro of the same name, sports the lyrics “Saw the lightning/Bolts and they were/Scared away/It's cataclysmic.”

On “Tear Your Hate Apart” Kaushik mournfully bleats lyrics like “I was lying there that night/ when your daddy fell and died,” or the heartfelt (?) “Bless you perfect child/ your eyes brighten all our days and nights.” Which gives you a good idea of the sort of atrocious junior high emo sentiment to expect from this release. The content of which is more accustomed to self-proclaimed outcasts, Muse.

And it is worth nothing that many of these tracks bring up the same feeling of “What are these guys raging against?” that many felt during Muse’s self-congratulatory Uprising phase. As far as I know, Muse wasn’t attempting to carry the torch of some counter-culture resistance. And even if they were, the revolution of this era is not one that will be televised; but rather screenshot, posted, Liked, and Shared. This is a key factor that has made similar revolutionaries Eminem, Linkin Park and Muse feel stale and out of touch. If MoM wants to enlist to that corps; well, it’s their hard rockin funeral.

And the group attends said funeral with gusto. “Tear Your Hate Apart” is a synth heavy ballad pleading to (wait for it) tear up your hate so it doesn’t weigh you down… or something. The track once again showcases MoM’s fascination with the synthesizer, putting it in everywhere they can. It is not the first (or the last) time that the group is just short of yelling “LOOK WE HAVE A SYNTHESIZER!!”

And on the topic of trading your guitars for turntables, throughout this album it feels like MoM figured utilizing the synth would give their sound modernity. Which is unfortunate because when Monks of Mellonwah aren’t obsessing over somehow using their synthesizer things tend to work out better. “Sailing Stones” sounds like something Chris Cornell is jealous he didn’t write. The guitars soar here as does Vikram’s confidence. The track is a hard-hitting exultation of success. Vikram exclaims out the gate, “I feel alive like none before, don’t break my fall.” Play this song loud when you drive fast; it’s a wonderful companion.

By the end of the listen one may find oneself wondering what sort of agenda MoM is plugging here. Their image seems to be that of smart indie dance hallers, but their musicality and content suggest something else. Are they attempting to depict a post-apocalyptic epic of Coheed and Cambria proportions? Maybe they are trying to tap into the (albeit, profitable) jockstrap-wearing dregs of the Muse/Linkin Park marketplace? Or are they just vying for a slot at the upcoming Download Festival? Neither case would be wholly sinful on it’s own merits. But in any instance, a reassessment of goals seems to be in order.

Announcing: The Scope

Just started a new wordpress blog. The Scope

Check out the first article. It's a little late to the game but it's about Her.

Phantogram: Voices

Full Stream of Voices

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Phantogram’s newest effort is titled Voices. From the first ten seconds of Phantogram's now classic "Don't Move" it becomes pretty clear that the group’s secret weapon has been Sarah Barthel's tasteful vocal loop samples. Others have come to the same conclusion, and spreading her seductive tone has given them enormous genre crossover credibility. Clocking in at three songs on Big Boi’s ambitious Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors as well as one song on the Flaming Lips noise orgy The Terror the duo have not only spread the love but have also learned to hone in on their own signature sound.

And it’s a good thing too. Back in 2011 the groups less than stellar EP Nightlife had many wondering why they didn’t just make an EP’s worth of “Don’t Move.” Maybe they couldn't?(!) Voices isn’t that album, but it is a lot closer to the winning formula. 

Phantogram is heavier in this release showcasing Josh Carter’s exceptional ability to create lush soundscapes for Sarah to dance through. Carter holds his own as a progressively ambitious producer, creating complex and hard-hitting beats with a crispness that makes it clear why Big Boi took notice. He has certainly upped the production and the transitions in every song hits with crashing catharsis.

This structure is perfectly exemplified on first single “Fall In Love.” The duo create an ear worming melody while fattening the J-Dilla style basslines that made them so interesting to begin with. The break before the chorus raises the listener to the crest of the synesthesiac wave before hitting with all the signatures we’ve come to expect from Phantogram. There are the vocal loops, Carter’s guitar and crashing drums, and Sarah’s singing smashing all at once.

For most of the album the same ingredients are mixed at differing equations creating a satisfying tonal theme while remaining fresh throughout. On “Black Out Days” the fat bass is scaled back a bit and there is more guitar synth creating a backdrop while the track is carried almost exclusively by Sarah’s loops. The “Day You Died” is rife with guitar pop sensibility and builds on more traditional rock tonality. Then there is the sweet serene of “Bill Murray” which beautifully captures the ennui with which we’ve come to know its namesake.

Still the group breaks away to experiment on tracks like “Howl at the Moon.” A sped up drum beat puts Sarah out of her comfort zone forcing her to flow faster than we’ve seen her do previously. It works for the most part, but in the chorus she can’t help herself from singing the elongated sustains that she is known for. It isn’t a perfect experiment but you have to appreciate the attempt.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the record though comes when Josh Carter takes the helm of the vocals. After the triumphant hat trick of “Nothing But Trouble” “Black Out Days” and “Fall In Love” we are led into “Never Going Home.” Listening to the release in full on NPR’s early stream of the album, I was certain I had been somehow booted into an entirely different release on NPR’s First Listen page. When the abrasive track fizzled out, Sarah came back in and settled my fears that NPR was bullying me.

To his credit Carter recalls a certain texture similar to We Are Pilots era Shiny Toy Guns. While “I Don’t Blame You” and “Never Going Home” are produced wonderfully they seem out of place on this release. I would have been interested in these tracks if he had set them on a solo release (JeCartes might work), but in the schema of this album it feels not only disingenuous but, more importantly, off theme.

Which leads to another issue with the record, but is indicative of an overall issue with Phantogram. While the aesthetic the group creates is unarguably unique and ear catching, the songwriting leaves much to be desired. The group is able to create the dark wiry headspace that allows Sarah’s lyrics to not be overtly analyzed but it would be nice to have some new ideas or funny wordplay to mull over. Still, Phantogram has created something victorious in Voices; coming out of the dip in success of Nightlife, they have proved they are capable of ascending the mainstream. 

3 Steps Closer Get Personal On "You Taught Me"

A lot has changed since Jason Pietruszka's band 10 Seconds Later was a household staple in the Jewish Alt Rock community. He is recently married, working at a steady paying job and overall trying to give back to his community. Dude has been taking it easy.

But, as the case may be, domesticity has only allowed him to hone his sound. With his new group 3 Steps Closer, a nod towards the ritualistic three steps taken before reciting the Jewish Silent Prayer, Jason has upped the production as well as the content. While his former monikers were content to play out in the vein of, then megastars, Fall Out Boy and Incubus, 3 Steps Closer is a mature group dealing with issues of family, faith and inner strength.

The new video for "You Taught Me" is nothing short of a mission statement for the groups newest efforts. When I asked Jason what inspired the song he said "It's about family. [It's about having] someone who was always there for you and wanting to be able to grow up and let go of their hand so to speak. While still retaining their lessons and keeping them in your heart." 

The video shows Jason intimately waxing nostalgic about growing up, in a bashed out garage as a backdrop in an attempt to convey the disillusionment of memory and the disorganization of the psyche. At the same time images of a young father and son are tastefully clipped in to bring the idea of continuity to the foray. Pretty touching stuff for a dude who wrote a song about Subway Sandwiches.

Check it out below.

Spoiler Alert: Roee and Noah from almost-made-it pop-punk group Downstream Clash pops up at the end!

Bitch I'm Outta My Coma

Sorry Sorry Sorry for the long hiatus. A combination of work/school stress, bad roommate vibes and a post-2013 malaise in music was the cause. But I guess that is the general situation in the beginning of the music year, no one is putting anything exciting out in January. But February has brought some great stuff. Namely, Speedy Ortiz just released a new EP called Real Hair which I am fully immersed in. News that Thee Oh Sees is out of their 'brief hiatus' is certainly giving me hope. AND I AM GOING TO COACHELLA. Super stoked for that. Might hit up SXSW too since my tax return this year was ridiculous.

It's gonna be a big year.