1 non-horrid album cover out of 2 ain't bad.

i've tried starting a "regular feature" here on the blogulator before, always with no follow-through. here's another attempt partly inspired by fellow blogger ijfp's latest post and my general urge i get to write about the music i'm currently listening to after i finish my top 50 songs list:

"bronson" by calla

while it looks like a mid-90s goth-metal album by its cover (fear factory, anyone?) and it might be morose in tone, calla's new effort has all the ignorable qualities of an indie-rock record that you can either just have on in the background and not hate/love. however, one track clearly stands out among the muddle. "bronson" reminds me of everything that's right with mope-rock and how it is indeed okay sometimes to be "just another interpol soundalike." especially when the melody drives home like it's under your skin, but not quite ready to burst out and commandeer your content.

long knives drawn by rainer maria

once considered a decent-but-nothing-outstanding 4th lp by a band i had come to love throughout high school/college, coming back to this album has made me realize how much i miss them. their 5th and final cd, which came out last year, i could care less for, but long knives drawn is really just as much a masterpiece as the 2 that preceded it (their first cd has only one notable track). frenetic and charming live, every song makes me want to shout along with lead singer caithlin's yearning voice, straining my vocal cords as i realize the person next to me at the stop light is looking at me like i'm a freak. doesn't matter, cuz these repetitive and yet never-boring verses and choruses make my day better, if only for 3.5 minutes at a time. key tracks: mystery and misery, ears ring, the imperatives

most should probably know this, but i thought i'd also offer a reminder of my never-ending obsession with instrumental music that is contained and controlled by now like photographs, a weekly radio show i co-host with the aforementioned ijfp, and all updates on new instrumental obsessions can be found here.

This entry was posted by chris, on Saturday, March 03, 2007. You can leave your response.