Album Review: of Architects ‘demo.’
Some of my favorite current music originates with a one-man band. Youth Lagoon, Atlas Sound, and Toro y Moi are the first artists that come to mind. While some of these artists expand their sound by adding a backing band, the foundation is set for me from the initial one-on-one introduction. The music is stripped and the message is personal. There is a special appreciation by discovering one artist who creates a project, by himself, from beginning to end. I get the same feeling when I am reading a good book. After turning the page on chapter 3 I begin to hear the author speak to me on a personal level. The themes become more powerful and the experience becomes more intimate. Oftentimes, we fall in love with these books because of their names or covers. When this shot in the dark selection hits a genuine level of satisfaction, it overpowers me with emotion.
The writer I am referring to I hardly know anything about. A quick link introduced me to of Architects and his project demo.. His name is Adrian, he is from Chicago, and he plays guitar, bass, and percussion. That is all I know about him. As I listen to demo., I not only hear themes of pain and regret, but more importantly I am struck with the sound of desire. Adrian is borderline anonymous, but shares more with me then I deserve. In the song “spirit desire.”, Adrian discloses his fears through out the entirety of the track. Lines like, “I get scared that you’ll leave me soon even though we call each other every afternoon, it’s true” make me feel like I hold the key to the darkest bowels of someone’s inner thought. This is someone I know hardly anything about.
The mystery behind Adrian’s of Architects project will not cause me to go digging any further for information. This is a patient man that is sharing more than we deserve. The acoustic, lo-fidelity framework behind his message is brilliantly put together. Adrian uses “Elephant” as his sounding board as he pulls out his electric guitar. The distortion mixes perfectly with the agony coming from his voice. This is certainly the loudest track on the record and has me wondering whether this album about one love or many? I am not sure, but I am confident in saying the girl in “Elephant” is about the one that slipped away. A painful experience that I am honored to hear.
Of Architects is a dark enigma that wants to be heard, but maybe only once. I am not sure if Adrian will arise and put down the final piece of his puzzle, but I do not think it matters. He is one man that has given us a sneak preview into his darkest secrets. This is a beautifully painful donation for those who will listen.
Connect with of Architects via Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Brett McGrath
Album Review: Magnetic Island LP
Brooklyn, NY’s Magnetic Island dropped a self-titled LP yesterday. The release is their first full-length effort. The band weaves distorted guitars, resounding percussion, and melancholy vocals, building them up until they’re ready to break. Fortunately for the listener, the sound never breaks and Magnetic Island continues to ride this unlikely wave. In this writer’s humble opinion, the band hits the equivalent of an auditory home run. Exhibit A: “Whatever You Wanted” – an instrumental eargasm of Strokes-like proportions.
As with most things worth making, this debut did not arrive without its fair share of tears and toil. The release date was initially scheduled for the fall, before distance caused a delay. Magnetic Island recorded the bulk of the material with Pete Weiss at his Athens, VT studio, before returning to their original home base of Brooklyn. This led to a lengthy process of phone tag and email exchanges for the mastering phase of the project.
Whatever disrupted, long-distance accident created this album, it worked. The delay of a release can often lead to overthinking and tweaking of songs until they wind up shells of their original selves. This doesn’t appear to be the case with Magnetic Island. They just needed time for the stew to boil and the flavors to meld. Exhibit B: “When You’re Finished” -a dense, dark, guitar-driven track that hits with the force of a freight train.
On the first few listens, Magnetic Island has inserted its name into the conversation of front-runners for my favorite new artists of 2012. That being said, it’s early yet and I excite easily. Only time will tell whether their debut LP will be one that I carry with me throughout the year. One fact is certain, I don’t plan on putting it down anytime soon. For my closing argument, I leave you with Exhibit C: “Acadia”
Now, go buy the damn thing via Magnetic Island’s Bandcamp page. A digital download will run you $5, or double your investment for a signed copy of the CD. Who knows, it may be worth something one day.
Connect with Magnetic Island via Facebook | Twitter
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 
Winter is the Season of Love Songs
The dream is over. Winter is here. Not the moderately enjoyable, holiday laden, over imbibing happy days of winter. The fuck me, it’s frigid why the fuck am I driving to work in the dark winter. That special time of year when your back clenches up like the spring of a Chinatown wristwatch, ticking closer to dysfunction with each passing second.
If you’re me, this is not the time to dust off The Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffet, as if the mere strum of the ukulele will teleport your spirit to the beach. No thanks. I would rather listen to a band or artist that articulates the bitter, harsh – often lonely winter months. It should be stark. Fragile. Haunting at times. It should sound like Mountain Man’s Made the Harbor.
Everyone always talks about spring fever, but winter is where the real yearning for love originates. Life is easy in warmth. Navigating a week without sunlight proves tough. It just so happens that spring lies at the end of winter and suddenly the thin, invitation of an April dress is enough to knock a man over. Words like wind chill and frost bite make an intimate evening beneath the covers feel like a necessity more than a want. The outdoors are a lover all their own, it’s the emptiness of a drafty living room or a frosty mattress feels like an unwarranted punishment.
“Boots of Spanish Leather” could never have been written without the jarring winds of a New York City winter. The heartbreak proves more palatable picturing Dylan shuffling through snowy streets while his love sails toward sunny Spain. “My spirit is in shambles and my feet are cold. Send some boots you soulless, selfish hell cat.”
In the same way, Van Morrison seems unlikely to ever have penned the incomparable “And it Stoned Me” without the warmth of summer, when a brief rain proves more opportunity than hassle – a welcome relief and healing. The bouncy piano line and floating acoustic guitar sound destined for nights where mosquitoes swarm the solitary light outside a screen door. Love is less essential on days like this, when an icy beverage can be as satisfying as a lengthy embrace.
Weather constrains and shapes an artist as much as any influence imaginable. The claustrophobic aspect of winter forces us to create for ourselves. The beauty of the outdoors has vanished and the artist is left with a blank, snowy canvas. I’m excited to see what songs winter inspires this year. What will the winds blow our way this time?
Written by Rob Peoni