Lee's Top Ten of 2013

Bottomless Pit: Shade Perennial

This is their third release and my favorite. I love Steve Albini's production work. The band sounds heavier than before. Andy Cohen plays at his most aggressive and Tim Midgett never runs out of riffs for that baritone guitar or whatever the hell he plays. They're one of the better current rock bands in this country and still, as former members of Silkworm, leading scholars of the Travis Bean guitar legacy.

Primal Scream: More Light

This was the best album of the year. It's every genre of music rolled in one. French soul pop or free jazz, anything and everything. They are the best of the British experimental bands. Bobby Gillespie is one of those rare performers that grows more evil with age, and defines the cutting edge musically. No band has mixed psychedelia with anarchy as perfect as this one.

Polvo: Siberia

Still ahead of their time, Polvo's one of the coolest guitar bands ever. This was a better album than the last. They're in a sweet spot musically, it's just no one hears about them. When the world feels out of tune, that's when their music feels so right. Post-Rock takes on different forms, but the essence of the genre, would be Polvo.

The Flaming Lips: The Terror

The Flaming Lips are in their progressive rock phase. The more psychedelic they get, the heavier and darker everything gets. It's very percussive, reminiscent of 1970's Hawkwind and Pink Floyd. People say they're America's answer to Radiohead, opening new doors sonically, but they're more than that. They're visionaries that actually perform the music as concept albums, along the way of the prog bands of the 1970's (e.g. YES, King Crimson, Genesis) The Lips are constantly reinventing themselves to avoid being stereotyped and dated. Few bands have remained this innovative for as long as they have and this particular album could be a peak in their career.

 My Bloody Valentine: m b v

One of the biggest comebacks of all time. If you're a fan, it was worth the wait. Side 1 is similar to the "Loveless" sound, floating atmospheric music that your ears melt into. Kevin Shields' guitar work is always fascinating and hypnotic. Side 2 is more rhythmic, with tape loop sound-effects and odd repetitive drum patterns. This is the most apocalyptic My Bloody Valentine, and they were already creating the soundtrack to the end of the world in 1988.

  

HBS: In Deep Owl

Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden made a wild solo album this year. It's totally unpredictable, lo-fi/hi-fi avante-garde acid rock with acoustic tracks in weird tunings. He wrote a lot of the best Soundgarden songs if you check the credits. He has his own thing, a unique style of songwriting and after listening to this, you can hear his influence on Soundgarden albums. He's like a demented Frank Zappa without the orchestrations and his throat is ripped apart, raw like Mark Lanegan or Tom Waits.

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust: Last Night On Earth

A perfect sophomore album. It's a mix of rockers and acoustic songs, but the band sounds new, coming off the Sonic Youth break up. Lee Ranaldo proves he can stand on his own as a lead singer songwriter and there are guest appearances all over the album from the John Zorn fusion scene of New York City. 2013 wasn't a great year for this type of music; grunge or indie-rock, whatever it's categorized as, but it feels timeless and original. Out of all the members of Sonic Youth, Lee Ranaldo's making the best music now, and some might say the best of his career.

Black Sabbath: 13

I was psyched for this album to happen. Bill Ward or not. I don't think it's a bad album. Is it a classic? Definitely not. But it's raw and I love Tony Iommi's guitar solos. Rick Rubin did not fail us. The band rocks out 'enough', for a bunch of mediocre songs, what did anyone think it would sound like? Expectations were unrealistically high for this one. If you strip it down to the bare riffs and Ozzy's natural vocal tone, you have the core of the original Black Sabbath. They just didn't have another "Paranoid" in them. Why would they? They're 100 years old. If this album means anything, it's a reminder- Black Sabbath is still the ultimate stoner rock band.

Joel Phelps and The Downer Trio: Gala

Joel Phelps has been around since the 1980's. He's an overlooked songwriter who's prolific and consistently good in his releases. "Gala" is a dark rock record with alt country and folk influences. Some of the songs sound like Townes Van Zandt if he were fronting a loud rock band. His music is personal and sincere. Phelps' voice can be overly passionate for some, to others dynamically impressive. This album took years in the making, and sounds like it. It's very intense and in your face lyrically and emotionally.

Mark Lanegan: Imitations

It's a mood record, like those old Serge Gainsbourg cover albums. It sounds like his style of songwriting, whiskey soaked vocals over swampy blues, but a collection of obscurities. When most singers do covers like this, it's in Vegas for money. But Lanegan's not cashing in. I think he's coming from a more soulful place, when cover albums were focused on the performer. His distinctively haunting voice is what makes this album great. I've always thought of him as one of the few that can cover a song better than the original, because he can sing anything cooler than anyone. That's Mark Lanegan.

Album Review: Polvo - Siberia

Polvo were always the masters of the unexpected. There is not one genre to place them in. No other band sounds like them and they never move backwards. Their albums always continue to surprise. Weird musicians being weird can be entertaining, but it’s rare to find a band this weird and passionate about their songs. They write songs that hold a perfect balance of unpredictability and emotion. Siberia is their second album since their hiatus and a better and more focused record than the previous- In Prisms. A band this cerebral would take a record or two to get back in the swing of things. These tracks are smoother, the overall vibe of the album is concise and the vocal melodies are some of the best of their career. 

It opens with “Total Immersion”, a song reminiscent of the Celebrate the New Dark Age record. They are in top form with zany dueling guitar riffs, wild drum patterns, and innovative melodies. Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski sound the same. Their voices haven’t changed much over the years. This is one of their darker records, although there are some catchy melodies throughout, but the underlying vibe is a heavy dark tone. 

“Blues is Loss” continues with the signature Polvo sound of the 90’s, very progressive, much like the critically acclaimed Exploded Drawing. This is a whole different kind of prog than Rush or Yes, and they’re not exactly like their detuned peers Sonic Youth, who they have been compared to in the past. The band seems to be in their own world musically. One can argue that the music isn’t influenced by anything at all. It’s hard to pick out any specific influences or similarities. So why is this better than the last Polvo record? The next song is one example. 

“Light, Raking” begins with a John Bonham type hard hitting groove that leads into a new wave synth chorus that’s the catchiest song the band’s ever released. But the fact that it’s poppy does not stop them from tripping you out with other-worldly sound effects and complex compositions. None of these songs have simple song structures. It makes you wonder how long do they actually take to write this music. Does it come quick to them? Do they spend years? Bottom line, they have honed in on a sound that only they can execute. 

The highlight of the album for me, is an acoustic track- “Old Maps”. They are not known for recording much with acoustic guitars, but this song is so unique sounding, I’d love to hear acoustic renditions of all their songs. There are some interesting time signature changes with cymbal washes and chimes rolling over the music. It really does sound like they spent more time on this album than the last, or perhaps they had to bang In Prisms out to get their full-on mojo back. In summation, this is one the best Polvo albums in their discography. It will grow in your brain the more times you listen, and it will thrive and get better every listen. Making boring music is not something this band does, whether you get it or not. And if you’ve never heard Polvo, open your mind and see what’s intriguing about them. The reward is worth the curiosity of time invested. And like other bands of this breed of pioneers, a new Polvo album will make you want to go back and revisit their other records in a new light. Perhaps someday, they will achieve the notoriety they deserve in the mainstream. Till the rest of the world catches up, they remain a cult band for listeners with elite record collections and exquisite taste.

The members of Polvo are:

Ash Bowie - Guitar, Vocals

Dave Brylawski - Guitar, Vocals

Steve Popson - Bass

Brian Quast - Drums

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