Review: Wizardzz - Hidden City of Taurmond (2006)

It might seem easy to predict what Wizardzz are going to sound like, given that they're a keyboard and drums duo on Load records featuring the bassist of Lightning Bolt. But if you're expecting pummeling noise rock, you've got another thing coming, as Judas Priest would say.

To be sure, there are some pretty freaky synth tones here, and the drummer (Lightning Bolt's Brian Gibson) definitely kicks up a racket, but despite this being a power duo making fringe rock music, there are few outright similarities to the Bolt or other Load labelmates.

Wizardzz are surprisingly felxible and subtle for a duo. While video game music is definitely a contributing factor to their approach, it's only one of many, and they don't sound nearly as proggy as a name like "Wizardzz" might lead you to believe. In fact, ambient music seems to be as much an influence as anything. And the drumming primarily sticks to tight, muscular beats, but there's enough detail and variation to keep things interesting.

In general the album moves from the more accessible and melodic compositions towards the more abstract ones, but rather than losing momentum, it actually picks up steam as it moves away from the video game tunes. The end of the album has a number of longer ambient jams, wisely alternated with shorter songs to keep things moving. The jams, which are really the heart of the album, sport changing textures and very atmospheric layers of keyboards. Most of the songs ratchet up the intensity this way, but instead of peaking they move into a plateau of intensity and stay there for several minutes. Wizardzz have a knack for getting you into a mental zone that not only paralyzes, but also tickles one of your music-related endorphin glands. Not bad.

oum kalthoum

chris hooked me up with this music. i'm on my first listen and it's super-fascinating. one hour-long track, a live performance, a ravenous crowd going nuts for drony meditative egyptian music. i wish i were international. is this what your review's gonna be about?

Of Montreal.... (Psuedo-album review)

I'm going to preface this entry with the story of the sad plight of the Subterranean Underground. I may not be hip or cool or wealthy enough to live in a city where new music arrives by the buschel, however I think that may give me a unique perspective. While in Bozeman, I tend to listen to a lot of pod casts and occasionally see live shows. I think that will be the focus of my entries, rather than review albums, I'll review sets of music by an artist.
The first foray into this realm of audio criticism is the podcast I heard from KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic featuring "Of Montreal." (I'm also a huge fan of Sounds Eclectic which recaps Nic Harcourt's play list from the week).

Citing the influences of Gabriel Byrne and Talking Heads and Brian Emo, I think Of Montreal takes those roots and blends it with a some Elvis Costello and Postal Service.

So I recommend checking them out because I can just put a link here. You can go listen for yourself.
Yeah that's a cop out but considering that it took a full month to write this, it should be ok. Right?

Pizza Show and Blood Tests

[originally posted by RB]
It isn't as bad as it sounds. The cast and crew of The Pizza Show are not required to get blood tests. That was just what this entry is about.
Firstly, the whirled premier episode of the Pizza Show is Friday night at 7:30 on Bresnan Cable 22. Unfortunately that is only Bozeman and Big Sky... maybe those of you in Manhattan (MT).
Secondly, I hate getting blood stolen from my body. I had that today. Not fun. So you can also rest assured that I won't be spreading tetanus, pertussis, or Hepatitis B through J (I hear J is only mild discomfort in the elbow).
Now you're almost up to date on my medical history: balls rubbed, not gettin' Hep soon, I hope to have a pretty normal cholesterol score.
Have a great F'in weekend.