Amid the slew of new releases from Temporary Residence are two records that don't seem to fit into the idea I'd had of where the label's interests lay. Granted, TRL hasn't exactly been releasing the same record over and over. Their diverse roster includes not only the many varied bands included in the Travels in Constants and Sounds of the Geographically Challenged series but also their "real" records by Tarentel, Bonny Billy, Wino, Killowatthours, Kammerflimmer Kollektief and Cerberus Shoal (to name a few). However, eclectic funk and grandiose instrumental metal still come as a surprise.
Nice Nice's album Chrome offers 16 tracks of whiplash inducing ADD, aggravated by some huge jumps in style. The ambience and gentle drum programming of "See-Thru Plastic" in no way prepares you for the following track--a jarring Lightning Bolt-esque "Chez Clix." The last track floats leisurely in a deep groove created by a strange low-end bubbling loop. The razor sharp guitar solo of "Nein" cuts through the driving rhythm, and falls into a heavy and slowly shifting drone segment. One of the most important things about this album is that it was all recorded live, with no overdubs. Considering that, I think Jason Buehler (the guitarist) should be touring around the country doing seminars for Line 6. Because, really, he's absolutely incredible at using his looping pedals. Throughout, funk rears it's head. And, in this case, it gets ugly. Instead of sounding exciting or rough, it all too often sounds like Primus. While this is bad, they have made it much easier to take by interspersing a healthy amount of destruction and weirdness throughout. For example, "Pulp" is made much more enjoyable by the fact that it is offset by the Windy & Carl-ish "Thank You" immediately beforehand. This album took amazing skill to create, but approach with caution.
Nightfist are supposedly just out of high school. The story is that they know nothing of the new indie rock breed of ironic metal bands, such as The Fucking Champs, C Average, etc. They're sincerely making music like the bands they love (Dream Theater, Queen, Metallica, etc). Their EP is aptly titled Epic. The music captures all of the pomp, thrill and excitement of their heroes. It is opened and closed with spoken word of a kingdom saved from ruin by a mysterious figure (Nightfist). Though I do still enjoy this a little bit laughingly, I am greatly impressed with the songwriting and musicianship here. These kids aren't hacks. They know what they're doing and they're really good at it. They take chances and pull off some heavy handed stuff with enough bravado that it plays into their hands.
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