Between the Buried and Me - The Silent Circus

In the days of my youth, I was not impervious to the influence of my friends. As such, if they were listening to crap, I was probably listening to crap too. Most of the music rolled off as soon as it hit me; this facetious bombardment of new wave metal -- known more commonly amongst my peers as "hardcore". I toyed with this sort of music for several years, trying to find more than mere amusement at the expense of these overzealous, out of control hipsters prancing about on stage taking themselves way too seriously. Yet every band I encountered from A to Zao seemed the same: pretentious, overbearing, loud, and unoriginal.

Between the Buried and Me is almost no different. I say almost because, unlike every other hardcore metal band, they managed to leave a lasting impact on me. So much so that years after listening to The Silent Circus, I can still turn it on, crank the volume, and indulge. Sure, there are other bands like them that I can still revisit, but most are rather laugh inducing. The Silent Circus is a record I can take seriously, but only because the band who made the record isn't taking themselves too seriously.

With songs titled things like "Ad A Dglgmut" (which I take is total gibberish) and "Destructo Spin", it's obvious that the band is just straight up having fun with themselves. There are passages of music that are almost "WTF" inducing as time signatures shift all across the board in merely 30 seconds. It's a head-spinning display of technicality that serves almost no one but themselves. And of course, let's not forget the secret track, which is probably both the funniest and most ingenious parody of anything metal that I've heard this century. And come on, a SECRET TRACK? Who does that? That is so Christian ska band. I remember the first time I listened to the album front to back I was doing something else (playing Tribes 2, probably) when this song cranked in out of nowhere. I remember landing on the floor laughing my ass off at just the idea of it. What was this scream-laden heavy metal band doing in secret track land?

Then there are passages of overt melancholy like "Reaction" and "(Shevanel, Take 2)" that are almost so groan-core that you wind up missing the adrenaline sack-tap that is the rest of the record. I think they might be mocking bands that write songs to raise your lighter to, but it so closely boarders genuine that it's really hard to tell. Either way, lyrics like "My head will not rest on this pillow" -- crooned over lightly strumming acoustic guitars -- are absolutely hilarious. This midway repose is, thankfully, only two and a half tracks long, and then the madness fires back up again as if it were never gone.

The madness, however, is a bit more than simple guitar chugging in Drop-D. There's enough powerful guitar solos and melodic shifts involved to qualify it as actual music. That doesn't necessarily mean it looses the ridiculous qualities of most hardcore music. There are still plenty of breakdowns for the dance happy, and there are still completely ludicrous drum passages that only a subhuman could accomplish. Songs like "Coulrophobia" and "Mordecai" are almost ethereal in velocity and volume, and "Aesthetic" has one of the best breakdowns I can probably think of.

If you're not into the whole metal/hardcore scene, this record -- or really any record of the genre -- is going to be hard to recommend. But for the curious, I would say that metal aint gonna' get much better than The Silent Circus. It has everything a metal album should have -- including moments that occasionally give me the giggles.

Random Nothings:

- According to the Wikipedia entry, the secret track is called "The Man Land".
- The grunting during the breakdown of "Aesthetic" becomes increasingly fun to imitate each time I try.
- The reissue has a live DVD of them performing included. Thrash mobs abound I'm sure.

Animal Collective - Feels + Fall Be Kind EP

I'm a little late on the Animal Collective bandwagon. That sentence was like a pun and three-fifths, I think. Anyways, hearing Merriweather Post Pavilion was my first experience with the band, and I was thoroughly impressed. I'm not sure it deserves quite the accolades it has gotten from some of my more esteemed peers, but it did make me want to explore their previous recordings. I struggled through Sung Tongs, but at least I can say I gave it a chance. I think perhaps had I grown into Animal Collective as they released these records it might have been different, but who's to say. Strawberry Jam was fun - sharp, edgy, transcending fun - but it leaned a bit more towards the MPP sound they would create later. Whereas Feels...Feels is a bit different. Feels makes you believe that this is a band that could do anything, and odds are they'll try.

The album is positively wet with luscious sound to the point where it almost transcends the feelings music usually leaves us with. It buzzes and hums like electrical sparks in water puddles. It moves -- if it's possible for music to physically move -- with life and color that so few albums can seem to achieve. The delivery goes from coarse and overt to smooth and subtle, constantly shifting through organic and artificial textures. The music personifies even further as it doesn't tender to wait on us to listen. It pushes forward, holsters our attention, and then retreats into self reflection. It literally feels as though it is a living, breathing thing with a personality and feelings. Something about that heightens the stakes of the album and makes you actually care about the music.

This is something that has been severely lacking in the music world. Sure I'm listening to your record, and I enjoy the hooks and the musical grandeur, but why should I care? Should I care because you ask me to? Should I care because you're the latest and greatest up-and-coming indie band and you have a killer merch table? Lucky for Animal Collective, they are one of the greatest up-and-coming indie bands around, but that's probably for a reason. They make music that's worth caring about. It's obvious they put their hearts and souls into the music because the music itself has a heart and soul. It's not a perfect creation, but then what living today is perfect? If anything, it makes the experience all the more real, and you can almost imagine the music being crafted by three mad scientists in lab coats (and if you've seen Animal Collective live, it aint far from the truth).

I will admit, this isn't exactly an instantly accessible record -- especially if you haven't heard any of the bands' other material. But I think that if you open your mind and your heart to it, and really take it in, Feels has the potential to be a truly wonderful experience for the listener. I mean if nothing else at least it's not some obnoxious Lady Gaga song about muffin tops or whatever.

Now on to the Fall Be Kind EP -- I have a tendency to do this thing where I burn a CD, and since there's just so much space left on most discs, I like to *squeeze* an EP on there to fill the void. And what better mash than Feels + Fall Be Kind EP? It is quite a good combination. If you listen to them back to back, you'd be surprised how well they mesh together. I've even been fooled into thinking there was a sixth song on Fall Be Kind only to realize it was just "Did You See the Words" on my iTunes playlist.

Anyways, the Fall Be Kind EP has so much to offer in such a short amount of time. It makes you wish that this were a full album. Well, what you really wish is that there were a full album release coinciding with this EP. Something I can't stand is when bands make EPs that have nothing more than a few songs from their upcoming album and a few remixes or something. AC is smart here and gives us songs that fit together as cohesively as an album, only shorter. And I doubt that any of these tracks are going to be remixed or rebirthed on Untitled Animal Collective Album (TBA). Which is, needless to say, comforting; realizing that this is a work all its own allows us to treat it as such, and not *just* a smash-in tag-along to Feels, MPP, or Strawberry Jam.

Not that the album necessarily covers more ground than any of the albums. I think more than anything it's a supplementary work to add depth to their already existent catalog. This added depth doesn't just benefit the hardcore fans either. I think anyone new to Animal Collective could easily grab this EP as a starter and immediately know what they're in for. Besides, isn't that the whole point of EPs -- a quick release that gives people an affordable way to give the music a try? Plus with tracks like "Graze" and "Bleed", what a magnificent way to start the Animal Collective journey. You get a really good variety of moods and tones from a very small amount of songs, and yet it still blends and runs together brilliantly. I may be getting ahead of myself, but for my money AC is the best band out there to make their music so deliberately for the benefit of the listener without diminishing upon their craft.

Party Down - Willow Canyon Homeowners Annual Party

Party Down has been cancelled. The show is over. Adam Scott has moved on to Parks and Recreation. Jane Lynch is wrapped up in Glee. There are immensely bigger shows for these actors to move on to. But are they better? I have no idea. What I plan on doing here is finding out what Party Down is worth compared to what I know of these other shows. And while the Starz network isn't really in people's cable heavy rotation, it is heavily carried by Netflix -- affording me the opportunity to watch through both seasons of this very short-lived, summer-filler-type show.

The pilot episode really does a wonderful job setting the tone for what this show is going to be about: Ken Marino is the typical overachieving boss, Ron Donald. He manages a team from the "Party Down" party and catering service. He and his employees dress in "crisp" white button-downs with bright pink bow ties. It's obvious from the first scene that he tries too hard, but also means well. His employees are struggling Hollywood wanna-bes. Adam Scott plays Henry, who is back from an eight year hiatus, after his one hit wonder acting career floundered. Kyle is an actor looking for his big break. Roman is a screenwriter who writes "hard science fiction". Casey is a burgeoning comedian whose marriage is faltering due to her desire to pursue big auditions. Constance is...well, Jane Lynch working for a party and catering service.

The party they've been hired to put on is being thrown by the Willow Canyon Homeowners Association. While the hosts are obviously having marital troubles and are in no mood to host such a function, the Party Down crew blindly try to lift spirits; not out of sympathy, but because it is their job. Ron is out for a winning comment card. Henry is out to impress Casey, who can't even remember his name, but does remember him as being "that guy from the thing". Constance is just one of those ignorant rays of sunshine who brings optimism where optimism should never be brought. She may know the score between the hosting couple, but she obviously chooses to ignore it and keep a smiling face through it all.

One of the strengths of this show is its realism. While some of the events at the party aren't entirely realistic, the mood of the party drastically shifts as the night progresses, going from a normal, well-to-do Homeowners Association get-together into a total train wreck of alcohol-induced shenanigans and hook-ups. The entertainment is boring, and the drinks are kept to a minimum, which does no favors for the guests or hosts. Henry accidentally inspires Gordon, the male host played here by Enrico Colantoni, to go for his dreams. He in turn jumps naked into the family swimming pool, shouting about "ordinary fucking people" (as Roman notes several times throughout the episode, this is a reference to Repo Man). The feud between man and spouse also becomes apparent when Gordon's wife proclaims, "No one wants to see your penis, Gordon. No one."

Meanwhile Kyle and Roman have a feud of their own as Roman fakes a casting call from a director Kyle just auditioned for. Constance plays along, but probably more for her own personal amusement than to insure Roman's prank succeeds. In the end, Kyle winds up with a shaved eyebrow and a thirst for vengeance.

Casey's husband shows up to the party, fueling the fires of tension growing in their marriage. A break-up is almost inevitable to heighten romantic tension between Casey and Henry, but no break-up takes place this episode. It's funny to me though that at one point in the episode, Casey is leaving forever, and then in the next breath she's sticking around. It kind of points her out as either flaky or very impulsive. Or it's just the writers trying to screw with us. If it is just that, I hereby put these writers on notice, because that is one really weak moment of dialogue in an otherwise flawless episode.

A flawless episode that also happens to be freakin' hilarious. The funniest moment is probably the end, after the credits start to roll, of Henry delivering the one and only moment of glory from his acting career -- a catch phrase from a beer commercial. "Are WE having FUN YET?!" he says in character, as a sexually voracious woman from the party is giving him a *hand* in the front seat of his car. There are many other funny gags, especially those that involve Constance trying to liven the mood. I expect this show's humor is right up my alley, and I think that any working class stiff would probably agree with me. Expect more reviews of Season 1 and Season 2 in the coming weeks as I get time to watch more episodes.