A few weeks ago, our friend, contributor, and Smile Politely Radio host, Jason Brown, came up with the idea of capsule reviews for local albums that could get overlooked on the site. So today, we’re starting our new monthly capsule review series, B-Sides. There are a ton of releases in the local music scene here in our cities, and inevitably, some of them get overlooked as featured articles in our magazine. This sometimes happens with B-Sides too; they’re easy to overlook because of how imporant an A-Side may seem. And this is unfortunate because, hell, many times, a band’s B-Side is more interesting than the A-Side. It’s kind of the game you play with releases. But we want to give some attention to worthy releases that might not have received a full-fledged review from us. So we’ll be covering them every month through this new series.
If you want your release featured in B-Sides, drop us a note. We’ll be sure to look at it.
Disclaimer: We realize a few of these were released on Record Store Day (April 20, 2013) or close to it in the month of April. We think that is okay for this month since we’re just starting out the series, and we still feel like these are worth the mention. — Patrick Singer
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Goblin Colors — ChambersWhat’s most striking about Goblin Colors’ record is that you haven’t heard it. I don’t believe that anyone has heard it. I only say this, because if they had, they would be running down the street, telling everyone about how absolutely amazing it is.
Chambers is a psychedelic suite with instrumental passages interspersed throughout. It is a patient record, and comes with great rewards. The tones involved are otherworldly and transport the listener to a place totally unfamiliar. There is weight and weightlessness. There is a certain existential nausea induced by the depth and trajectory of these songs. They sound like a dark and cold place, yet hidden within is a warmth and glow that keeps one calm amidst the depression and fear and anxiety and violence of the world about us. Goblin Colors will be a sorely missed live act in Champaign, but thankfully we have this testament to their overflowing creativity and musical character. — Isaac Arms
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Dino Bravo — Planet Madness EP
Planet Madness is the second EP from Champaign-Urbana’s premiere wrestle-rock duo, Ivan Catron and Jake Mott. Whereas their debut felt like they had something to prove and a chip on their shoulder (perhaps from all that weight of being unbearably badass), this release very much feels like Macho Man Randy Savage opening his arms in a Jesus Christ pose in the middle of the squared circle to bask in all the love and all the hate. They are comfortable, yet still working hard; they’ve established their own unique sound, yet are still unpredictable. In addition to simply sounding much clearer and more defined both in the recording and in the performance, this EP has a beautiful lead track soaring throughout, helping give texture and melody to the barrage. These songs are riff-heavy and just plain HEAVY heavy: worth buying a tape deck just to get their cassette. — Isaac Arms
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I’m not usually a fan of women-fronted rock bands unless the woman kicks major ass. I need lead singers with strong, rough, hard voices who belt out rock like they’d die if they couldn’t (Etheridge, Benatar, Joplin, Love, Auf der Maur, Jett). So I admit that when I heard the first words in the first song of Mille Nomi’s first EP, The Humans, I was skeptical. “Oh no,” I thought, “Sweet, girly vocals! Gah!”
But I hung in there and I’m glad I did. Ashley’s vocals are nowhere near “girly.” They’re lovely and strong (almost husky in some places, and that’s a good thing), and she — along with the entire band — has a mature, emotional approach to the songs.
I do admit that I’m not much of a fan of “V O T,” but the first three songs on The Humans are great, especially “Humans.” They’re melodic, fun, catchy, while at the same time, kicking major ass. — Tracy Nectoux
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Digital Shades — Blush Response
This album, by the artist formerly known as Digital Shades and now answering to Betamax Babes, is a hazy and swirling instrumental landscape. Recorded onto VHS tape using vintage drum machines and synthesizers, Blush Response is both foreboding and cathartic. It’s work to listen to, as early tracks bathe in synthy dissonance and creeping sonic unease, but the album rewards the persistent listener. The artist, in a short statement, said that he felt pulled between “music you could daydream to” and “tunes that are good for robbing a bank.” Blush Response falls somewhere in the middle. It has its genuinely arresting moments of action, but they stand out only because they are surrounded by the dark ambient sounds of the rest of the work. This is not just a collection of songs, but a de facto album, meant to be heard and appreciated as an entire piece of sonic art, and it is absolutely one worth losing yourself in for a while. — Kirby Jayes
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Young Blu / Jay Moses — Green Tea X Green Trees
Young Blu and Jay Moses team up on Green Tea X Green Trees for a solid effort, blending styles at some points and staking out their own identity at others. Each rapper’s approach is on display but never overwhelms the other performances on the album, lyrically or stylistically.
Lyrics come through loud and clear as the beats are full but kept out of the way; they never overwhelm the performances but support them. There could be room for additional layering of sounds and samples on some of the tracks without approaching Kanye-knockoff territory (or worse, excessive use of production that detracts from the lyrics), but both Young Blu and Jay Moses are served well by the solid foundations from producers H. Kal El, Errytime Tee, Eric Surreal, CMPLX, and 2-6. Across the album the production level is high — lyrics are clear, beats never hiccup or jump, and the flow from track to track is steady and solid. Guest performances on “Bad Girl,” “Ghetto Gospel,” “Weight,” and others all add to their respective tracks without taking the light off the album’s main stars.
Highlight tracks include “You Obviously Lack Originality,” slow-jam styled “Fresh Fruit & Moscato,” and the uplifting philosophical lyrics of “King.” If you’re in to homegrown rap that sounds like the real deal, give this one a spin. — Jason Brown
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Enta / Strangers Now — Split EP
This split 10″ with St. Louis’ Strangers Now fits three songs into a concise twelve minutes. Multiple guitar layers enhance the uphill climb of “Become”, while “Ghoulish” utilizes 6/8 and flirts with screamo territory. The closing “Unchanged” lays busy guitar and well-recorded vocals over an avalanching drum line for the highlight of the EP. While the short duration left me wanting more, the Strangers Now tracks on the opposite side are great in their own right. — Ben Valocchi