New Band To Burn One To: Pauwels

Every now and again we like to throw you up a bit of a curve ball with the bands we’re introducing you to. While still keeping to our core aesthetic of keeping everything HEAVY, a slight side step away from the stoner/doom/sludge bands can be a needed booster, and today we’re bringing you a beast which in all parts excites, scares, confuses, and dazzles in equal measures, rotating in order part way through most songs. Today’s New Band To Burn One To is Strasbourg’s (France) Noise/Post-Rock troupe Pauwels, bursting your eardrums and snapping your neck.

The French instrumentalists are Jeremy Ledda, Bob K, Sebastien Pablo Hermann, Marlon Saquet, and Jovan Veljkovic, and together they make one hell of a noise, frenetically switching from guitar shredding to blissed out technical elements, through counteracting time signatures, flowing along a sound which never lets you settle nor rest for long on your laurels, before it’s removing your face once more.

The band have just released their second EP, Elina, sounding like Cloudkicker if he was brought up on the Noise bands of Melvins and Helmet, while still holding a desire to stray into post-rock wastelands, bringing the youthful Math-rock attitude along to boot. The important thing that Pauwels achieve is never straying far from the realms of making actual songs, their basic sound is instrumental music with chorus and verse, just perhaps not necessarily in the accepted normality of what is perceived as a “song”; but who the hell wants to be normal anyway?

Pauwels are one of those bands that you just can’t predict, not where their sound will take you, not what will come after the next chord change, or for what label to tag them under. The band are an exciting addition to an often underappreciated genre. Trust us, you will want to keep an eye on Pauwels.

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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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LP Review - "Oceans Into Ashes" by Maeth

Maeth are different. Very different are Maeth. They sound like themselves although if a category they must be placed then it'd be post metal, sludge, doom, progressive, heavy metal, ambient, drone and psychedelic etc; for they are all those sounds plus more and often all at once. My jaw rested firmly on the floor while I sat bolt upright staring in a wild gaze at something, I don't recall what, while this incredible noise oozed into my ears and left me feeling cleansing waves of vibration surging up and down my spine.

Maeth follow their brilliant debut "Horse Funeral" with a masterpiece of experimental metal that, if you appreciate such infinite potential metal explorations, will leave you as stunned as I am at what I'm hearing, for the third time today. What Maeth have created with this album is immense in its variety and it contains everything I like to hear all blended together like a master artist does with paint, palate, brush, canvas and easel. "Oceans Into Ashes" is a veritable feast of sound with each metal morsel being as equally sumptuous as the last.

It opens with the 2.5 minute "Prayer" with seagulls, a small motorboat that passes by and gently soothing acoustic guitars that drift into electronic take-off's and then we're taken straight into the triumphant post rock and metalisms of "The Sea In Winter" which hints just a little at the journey that lays ahead.

Then comes "Nomad" which for me was 10 minutes 50 seconds of sheer amazement. This track has everything and everything is played so well and sounds so good that I had some kind of auditory orgasm.
It opens with a feedback drone that leads to soul stirring guitar twangs and a phasing electronic buzz until a bash of snares launches the track into double fist raising metal surges and hugely satisfying post rock finger work. Things suddenly twist into a weird almost prog sludge that boarders on math metal until it morphs into crusty sludge in the style of Downfall of Gaia, Monachus and Fall of Efrafa. Thunderous tribal drums then lead to drifting drones and chaotic and mystical tribal pipes that build an uncomfortable tension towards jagged rhythm'd post metal and eventual heavily crushing doom that ends in pleasant guitar soothings. Phew!

What follows then is an epic journey that will leave you all starry eyed and full of wonder at how life enhancing our united musical preferences are and Maeth celebrate this with an album packed full of the most pleasing of metal in all its many morphing forms. I would only be doing Maeth and this album a disservice if I were to review each track in turn so I urge any that read this to delve into Maeth and be ready for explorations in metal that will leave you stunned. If not then you're not paying attention. "Oceans Into Ashes" is a long album at 11 tracks with 6 of them running close to or over 10 minutes each but at no moment did I lose interest at all in the 3 sittings I have had with it so far today.

This album will definitely be on my best of the year list.

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Album Review: Lightsystem - Lost Language

Progressive Rock has become a very confusing genre of music these days. The idea of being “progressive”, is to be ambitious, experimental, usually composed by the musicians of the musically elite. Lightsystem fits that description. This is ultra modern, heavy prog rock. The influences of bands of the 1970’s such as King Crimson or Rush are there, but this is further down the road in the evolution of the genre. The songs go in extended movements, like classical pieces. The guitars are angelic and airy while the rhythm section plays through a plethora of odd time signatures and patterns. The instrumental jams are as interesting as the songs themselves, of which there are a lot of. The vibe of the album is like a musical score to fit a science fiction road movie. It’s apocalyptic, chaotic at times, but always composed. 

Lightsystem hails from Los Angeles, California. I haven’t heard a band this impressive from L.A. in a long time. Actually, I haven’t heard a band this good from anywhere. They are ‘overachievers’ in their musicianship as well as their songwriting capabilities. Lost Language opens with a track called- “Glossolalia”. At first, there are chiming guitars and repetitive motifs similar to the Daydream Nation days of the 90’s. Bands like Sonic Youth and Polvo come to mind. It blends into a futuristic ambient backdrop setting for the mood of the album when vocalist Danny Byrne comes in. “Plurals” is a ferocious hard rocker to kick off the album, entering unknown territory with wild guitar arpeggios over  tribal drum grooves, rhythmic beats Jimmy Chamberlain would play. Notable tracks are the instrumental "Untold" which is predominantly synth driven with different sounds of feedback and noise coming in and out. “Mirrors” is outer-spacey, droning in luscious minor scale riffs. The rhythm section is minimalistic, very interesting in the way they use the ‘less is more’ theory, especially after presenting their musical prowess for most of the record. They make minimal sound maximal. I like how the rhythm section plays as much an important role as the lead vocal melodies. Byrne’s vocals are softer than the typical heavy prog singer, making them unique and different from the screamers, whether a band like Soundgarden or Dream Theatre in comparison. His voice is closer to Roger Waters or the British psyche folk singers of the 1970’s (e.g. Tim Buckley, Michael Chapman). But it’s new, a personality unlike any of the singers of today. I love the mix of atmospheric movements and high energy rock songs, which seems to be their thing when listening from start to finish. 

I would purchase this album if you’re into musicians‘ music, or experimental psychedelia, or modern progressive rock, as they suit either category quite well. Art rock, or landscape architectural rock, whatever you call it, it’s intense, intelligent and emotionally moving. They clearly have a vision of their own, placing them apart from the 'new prog' you hear about today, The Mars Volta or Coheed and Cambria. Lightsystem is paving their own way and who knows, might inspire a significant change in the genre to move even more forward theoretically and instrumentally. Years from now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were conducting an orchestra to go along with this music.

Band Members:

Danny Byrne: guitar/vocals/electronics 

Jason Greenly: bass/electronics 

Matt Johnson: synth/keys 

John Kyle: drums/electronics

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