There is a true weariness in “Repine,” which ostensibly serves as the centrepiece of the script-flipping Keep You record. It’s the clearest in the pained, aching vocals, but it weaves its way through the bristling guitar patterns and the emphatic thud of the verses’ half-speed drum flams. A beacon of light peers through in the song’s refrain, in a manner befitting a crack in the roofing allowing for a ray of sunlight to emerge from the darkness. “Your wick won’t burn away,” it chants. It’s a hope against hope, and one prays that it resonates with the truth. Somehow. Someway.
Band Members
Kyle Durfey, Chad McDonald, Michael York, David Haik, Zac Sewell
“Repine” by Pianos Become The Teeth from the album ‘Keep You,’ available now!
At age 18, Brooklyn-based Baltimore kid Lindsey Jordan has already been through a whirlwind word-of-mouth rise through the underground, a round of breathless media exaltation, a SXSW star tour, and a label bidding war that landed her band Snail Mail on historical indie-rock pillar Matador Records. So what does everybody see in her? Debut EP Habit is pretty much all we have to go on so far, but it presents Jordan as a natural, a songwriter capable of spinning magic from a few guitar chords and howled phrases. Her lo-fi guitar ballads glimmer in their grime, wringing uncommon beauty from indie rock’s basic toolkit. Imagine Waxahatchee under the influence of both Sonic Youth and actual youth, and you’ll begin to understand what all the fuss is about.
On new single “Charisma,”Pianos Become the Teeth move even further from their screamo roots than they did on 2014’s great “Keep You”, and the cleaner approach continues to work wonders for them. Keep You was a devastating album that revolved around the death of singer Kyle Durfey’s father, but “Charisma” sounds just a bit happier. It’s brighter and a bit more tender sounding, but not at the expense of how powerful Pianos Become the Teeth have always been. Kyle’s voice still soars, drummer David Haik is still out of this world, and the guitars still shine with the beauty of a post-rock band and the ferocity of a hardcore band. If the rest of the album is on this level,
Band Members:
Kyle Durfey, Chad McDonald, Michael York, David Haik, Zac Sewell
Jethro Tull excellent deluxe reissues continue with a 40th anniversary five-disc edition of 1977’s Songs From The Wood due to be released next month. After a couple of albums recorded in Monaco, JethroTull returned to Morgan Studios in London to cut their tenth studio set, “Songs From The Wood”. The comforts of home brought out the best in the band, and frontman Ian Anderson had a new country estate – and a book of British folklore given to him by the group’s manager – to inspire lyrics rooted in England’s past. While progressive and hard rock elements remain, acoustic and folk-based music plays a stronger role on the 1977 collection, highlighted by such songs as “Ring Out, Solstice Bells,” “TheWhistler” and the title track. Masterfully performed and skillfully arranged, “Songs From The Wood” made the Top 10 in the U.S., and it remains a favourite among band members and Tull fans.
This celebration of Jethro Tull’s tenth album follows a similar pattern to previous reissues, with the first disc containing a Steven Wilson remix followed by some ‘associated recordings’ including the previously unreleased Old Aces Die Hard and Working John, Working Joe.
CDs two and three offer 22 track live tracks, recorded on the Songs From The Wood Tour across two American dates, (Boston on 6th December 1977 and Maryland on 21st November 1977). These unheard tracks have been remixed to stereo by Jakko Jakszyk and are completely unheard.
There are two DVDs in this set. The first contains a 5.1 surround sound mix (DTS and Dolby 5.1) and 96/24 LPCM stereo versions of the both the original and Steven Wilson remixed version of Songs From The Wood. This DVD also features selected associated tracks, as well as various quad mixes and flat transfers.
The other DVD contains video footage from that Maryland gig of 21st November 1977. These visuals apparently come directly from the film that was played on the big screens in the venue and has never been seen since! The audio has been mixed to stereo and 5.1.
As before this is presented as a ‘bookset’ and has 96-pages of writing on the album including a track-by-track annotation of the album and associated recordings by Ian Anderson.
This five-disc deluxe edition of Songs From The Wood will be released on 19th May 2017 with vinyl and standalone CD versions to follow in July. Great value as usual – as well as the links below it’s available fromBurning Shed for less than £20.
The Fat Angel Sings 