Radio Zuckervati

A little while ago, I received a press kit from Jeff at electron love theory (yup, all lowercase), a Seattle-based band featuring songwriter/producer Jeff Leisawitz, Gaetana Gravellese (and others on vocals), drummer Moses Gershbein, and a host of other studio vocalists. They're pitched as a moody electronic pop band with haunting vocals and funky rhythms.

From their website:

electron love theory was recently named 'best independent electronic artist in the world' on artistdirect.com by an international audience of fans and music industry types.

They've made a lot of appearances in popular media as well:

electron love theory has placed music in numerous television, film and corporate media projects. clients include MTV, VH1, Fox Sports Net, Standard Films, Ogilvy, Real Networks, Microsoft and many others.

I also liked them enough to mention them on my website previously, though I only had access to a few of their songs at the time. With this new CD, Colors Of The Galaxy (Electron Records), I got to listen to a good sampling of their music. So why not write a review?

Well, for starters, the samples I first received ("Perfect Lie", "In Your Galaxy", and "My Own Worst Enemy") represent a good cross-sampling of the whole CD. Unfortunately, I only really listened to the first song on the list before snapping them up and requesting a CD -- that's my fault, for jumping the gun.

Don't get me wrong, the music is fine, well produced, and generally fun to listen to. The problem appears to be some kind of internal consistency to the genre of "moody electronic pop band", or rather, the lack of. I was expecting the bulk of the CD to be heavy on the electronic/synth, and more downtempo, chillout in style, with some moody vocals. This was not entirely the case.

There appear to be 5 distinct categories of music on this album:

• hypnotic synth-based pop
  
• slow brooding funk
  
• poppy, funky, flirty techno new country
  
• classical style country/folk
  
• teenage pop divas
  

From there we transition into slow brooding funk (not something you normally associate with funk). "Into The Moonlight" has the classic electric backing bass associated with late night television cop dramas, and some good brooding vocals (by Gaetana Gravellese), and it sounds distantly like a cover of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle".

To sharply contrast the brooding techno is more of a sassy, funky new country sound. "Puzzle" and "In Your Galaxy" start off in the right direction, but quickly evoke the ghosts of Sheryl Crow and Victoria Williams. The techno fades into the distant background, leaving the vocals to overpower the songs. By the time "Your Love Is Bringing Me Down" comes around, we've switched to almost pure folk music, with guitar and tinny backing cymbal brushes, with no techno influences (save the occasional synthetic tom-tom).

Most of the CD contains music that suggests the typical sounding pop divas that teenage girls listen to. This isn't an insult, but rather an acute observation on some of the most successful music being produced these days. And ELT seems to be aware of it:

with comparisons to artists as diverse as dido, morcheeba, portishead, everything but the girl, frou frou, alanis and gus gus, the theory's musical fusion of electronica, pop, rock and groove reflects the hope, pain, love and sadness of the modern world. crafted with pop smart hooks, clever songwriting and heartfelt lyrics, these songs stick in your head and resonate in your heart from the very first spin.

'Nuff said -- "pop smart hooks" reflecting the "hope, pain, love and sadness of the modern world". Very true. "Stirring Worlds", and "Change Direction" really play to that demographic. I'm pretty sure "Come A Little Closer" was used on an episode of Dawson's Creek, or possibly Judging Amy.

Honestly, much of the CD was not for me, but it's all good. At some point, all the techno influence gets stripped out, leaving mostly just the teenage pop behind. I was expecting more of the techno/synth stuff, especially since their press release stated that "with the release of 'colors of the galaxy' electron love theory gets back to its roots of hypnotic synth-based pop songs". But if you're looking for a soundtrack to your female sophomore college lifestyle, this is easily one of the bands you should load on your iPod.

Posted by zuckervati at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finally, a southern band that Neil Young would like.

Misty Dawn, Western Civ's Manager/ Life Long Friend says all band members were "born and raised in North Alabama," but adds: "don't worry, there is no southern rock influence here." While it's hard not to be influenced by those bands from your area, these guys are from famous Muscle Shoals, which means their influence could be any or all of the big rock, R&B, jazz, blues, and soul groups from the 60s and 70s.

Muscle Shoals, Alabama, once known as the Hit Recording Capital of the World was the place to make hit records, throughout the 60s and 70s. Artists such as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Duane Allman, Jerry Reed, and many others made music there. The town was even mentioned in "Sweet Home Alabama," the song in which Lynyrd Skynyrd disses Neil Young -- sort of light-hearted getting back at him for his "Southern Man" song. Apparently, Skynyrd were big fans of Young. If this is true, then Western Civ is the lynchpin between all the good things about Alabama, and all the good things about grungy Canadian rock icons.

Their current release, an EP titled "Regent Kingfish Slumberpad" tells us there's little southern rock anywhere to be found. More likely is the influence of the late 90s indie (and possibly even east coast Canada) sound. Stick this CD next to your Archers of Loaf, Pavement, and early Sloan albums.

The cleverly-titled "There's No I in Team (but There Is a Me)" is a tragically short tune, with shrill voices and weedly guitar flourishes, reminiscent of Sonic Youth. It's a completely different approach from "Of Her Many Newfound Splendors" and its catchy guitar riffs. There's a moody, mournful solo in this song that's classic 90s rock. I feel like I'm back in University with this song. I'm having a flashback about running nude around campus. Whoa.

They run the gambit of different grungy styles from distorted guitar, to feedback, to barely audible lyrics, but it all seems to be done intentionally, and with some merit. "Got the #" throws loads of feedback into the background, providing a backing drone for the song. This was the first song I heard from Western Civ, and the one that reminded me instantly of Pavement.

Of all the tunes, "Stingray Blanket" has the most potential of the EP, and is complex, layered, and sounds well-produced. It's a sad-sounding ballad, something that you can see Sarah McLachlan covering as some sort of tribute.

If the EP is any indicator, their full album, "Remington Steele Magnolias," is likely to be an excellent surprise. Expect it in March/April 2007.

Western Civ may not spend much longer in Muscle Shoals. Misty tells me that "honestly there is a good deal of music starting to flow from the Muscle Shoals area," but "now the studios strive to keep the doors open and the musicians are having to leave the area to get noticed." The news is that the entire band will be moving to Chapel Hill, NC.

Check them out on their website, http://www.westerncivrock.com/.

Posted by zuckervati at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://www.vitalymusic.com

This guy's got a nice sound. Very produced, very polished. Very "New Agey". Sort of an electronic soundscape genre with some 80's synth effects in with a melodic electric piano melody. It's something that you'd expect to hear in a the sad part of a 1989 relationship movie soundtrack. Or perhaps a "couples" porn film. The particular track I'm referring to is one entitled "Far Voice", and is available in his electronic marketing package. It's hardly energetic, but more of a soothing, atmospheric rhythm which would make you drive off the road if you played it in your car.

I'd be interested in hearing more from Vitaly, especially if he can move into something with more of a beat. This sound could be easily translated to some progressive trance or chillout themes.

I particularly like that he offers mp3s on his website. They're fragments, sure, but at least they're not streaming Real media files. I would have preferred to see full mp3 files (with a minimum 128k quality), but ... well what can you do?

Here's a little something from his bio:

     "After high school Vitaly studied at Tomsk University of Automated Control Systems and Radio Electronics (Russia). There he started discovering the mysteries of audio production through establishing a small studio and recording his friends.

     "Having graduated from university Vitaly began working for a company producing musical gear. It was a great chance to materialize his ideas into the design of studio equipment. However he soon realised that while he had love of technology it limited his true passion for developing experimental music. He started spending all his spare time in a studio. After two years he left the company and dedicated himself completely to making music. As a result in 1994 Vitaly formed his second band which soon released a synth-pop album.

     "In 2002, Vitaly emigrated to New Zealand. Eclectic by nature, he has never restricted himself by listening one music style being interested in everything from classical to hard rock. Consequently fate was to provide a big surprise, again! This time the genre was hip-hop. Inspired by acts as Alphrisk, Savage and Mareko, Vitaly has since produced some original works which combine the best elements of dark ambient and hip-hop. Collaboration with one of New Zealand's finest DJs (DJ CXL) has led to the birth of a new direction in electronic instrumental genre."

Posted by zuckervati at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, I'm on a bit of a rant here. So be warned.

I was just listening to some of DJ Methodikal's work. His website is here at (http://www.methodikal.com), and he offers some drum loops and Adobe audition files for download. Some pics, and a promotional video. The usual stuff. And he's got a link to a store where you can buy his music.

Musically? He's OK. Nothing particularly innovative, to be sure, though I was only able to listen to a single MP3 in his musicSUBMIT file, "swept away (The Malcom Young edit)". Some hypnotic breakbeats, mostly looped drumbeats, stuff you can make on your computer, using Cool Edit. I'll bet he's using Cool Edit, or something. He appears to know how to put music together in a way that's acceptable and appealing. I'd sure like to hear his other stuff. But I'm not going to download any illegally, and I'm not going out to buy any just yet.

I'm not sure why Methodikal's ranting about people downloading his MP3s without paying for them, especially when his rant is a little hypocritical -- he points out how many MP3s are on his own machine. At least he recognizes that, and makes fun of himself:

   "so i was in the midst of an eight-hour tantric orgasm when i realized - my mp3 karma is alright, thank you very much. because my own mp3s are downloaded thousands of times a month while my "record sales" are in a bit of a "slump". damn you china! damn you bittorrent! damn my own damn self for giving the milk away for free! if those thousands of downloads were going at iTunes prices, my pockets might be a grand a month deeper than they are now. but they ain't...so who's got the new otto record for me?"

Sure enough, one way to make yourself known out there on the Interweb is to get your music out there. If people are downloading it, your name (as long as it's somewhere on the ID3 tags) is getting around. However, if you really want to get your music and your name known, make sure the reviewers have copies of your music so they can listen to it. An electronic press kit with some full MP3s will get you out there and will encourage reviewers to look at you seriously.

I looked around on his website, and there doesn't appear to be any links to samples of his music. Not even a fragment of a song on embedded Real Audio (not that I would ever suggest any kind of streaming embedded music on a website -- yeesh). So, the only link to any kind of music is the one that came on the musicSUBMIT email.

So that's the kind of review you get. Terse.

Posted by zuckervati at 06:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey there,

We've set up a special blog on Radio Zuckervati, dedicated to getting music reviews and stream information out to whoever wants it. We figure this is one more way for music artists to get their information to the masses.

And it appears to be working. Lately, we've been getting a lot of submissions -- too many to sift through. That's why the folks behind Zuckervati Industrial Concern have enlisted more outside reviewers to help cover the load. We've even added a music submission boilerplate, just in case you want to send us your bios and mp3s for rotation on our playlist.

We try to reply to everyone that sends stuff to us -- heck, we're flattered that you take the time to do so. It may take a while to sift through the pile of submissions.

We can't promise favourable reviews all the time, but we will tend to review stuff we would want to listen to. We promise to listen to everything you send us. We will add the best ones to our playlist. And we'll write reviews for the best ones and maybe some of the worst ones. At either extreme, you will probably get some added publicity.

Posted by zuckervati at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)