The Torn ACLs - Real Risks

File Under: The Torn ACLs

The facts:

1. a pop band from Seattle, Wa.
2. There are four men in this band.
3. They are - WILLIAM CREMIN
                           - MILES RANISAVLJEVIC
                           - JASON TABERT
                           - TIM MCCLANAHAN
4. Real Risks is a 5 track EP, released on 7.13.12 on CreeperSpeak Records
5. The Torn ACLs played as part of the final day of Goat's Head Fest, here in Portland, where they were nice enough to give me a copy of this disk, for review. 

The speculation: 

1. They remind me of Death Cab For Cutie. A lot. They write sharp, clever pop songs with clear ringing guitars, heartfelt slightly whiney vocals and sweet, sweet harmonies. There is a tradition of emotional, bookish white boys making edgy pop music. It goes from The Smiths through Elvis Costello to Belle and Sebastien. We tattoo our hearts on our biceps; we take up smoking and never look back.

The thing many don't realize is there is a punk rock attitude to this polished prettiness. Its the rebellion of people who have decided to become intelligent and tasteful to smite their enemies. They rise above, and often times it is the record collections and the all ages hardcore shows that make sanity possible. Serge Gainsborough as Holy Grail. Jacques Brel serves as psychopomp to a better world; chic vintage furnishings and pretty women. Insomnia and intoxication. 

When i'm reviewing a record, the first question i ask is 'What is this object's reason for existing?' Why have its creators decided to make this tiny painting/sound collage and ship it out into the stratosphere? With Real Risks i get the sense that The Torn ACLs are attempting to perfect a formula. Its like they listened to The Photo Booth and Castaways and Cutouts a ton, and been like, "We can do that!" In many ways, they succeed. The vocals are rich and resonant, the guitars shimmer and sparkle and cut. The whole transmission seems intact. This is impressive, considering that they recorded the EP themselves, and had it mixed at Park Audio, in Nampa, ID. It is not easy to get a big studio sound yrself, trust me. The five tracks are over in a flash, and leave you hitting repeat. The kind of thing that'll stay in yr car for a month. A soundtrack to a season; maybe that's why they've made it. I can definitely say that this document is appropriate for the Northwestern summer; the creamy cerulean of the cityscape on the cover, the breezy guitars. A prime score for porch dwelling and skygazing. 


So here's the thing, i'm going to cut you off at the pass. A certain type of hipster will rain down scorn and derision on this 4 peace. They are emulating their inspirations; they are refining a formula. You have heard shit that sounds like the Torn ACLs before. Is there anything wrong with that? I've heard shit that sounds like The Beatles, before and since. I still like The Beatles. I still like people that sound like The Beatles. You've got to peer beneath the varnish, kids. Can't just react and respond. Watching The Torn ACLs play live, their sound was dialed in and they seemed to know what they were going for (even if the guitars were a touch too loud, a mistake that 90% of bands make, especially in small rooms.) On top of that, they were gracious human beings, stoked to be working their craft. Generous and optimistic. They got smooshed last minute into the Goat's Head fold, and they were totally cool and easy to work with.


They're pretty new, and exactly the kind of thing we like to promote here at J's Heaven. I look forward to when they start breaking new ground and record their Trout Mask Replica, although maybe they never will. Maybe it is impossible to say something new, at this juncture. I don't really care. I like music as much as i ever have, and i don't judge folks for sounding like other folks. A million points of bright white light.


If you were not one of the 15 or so people that got to see The Torn ACLs at Ella Street last Sunday, you get another shot, tonight at Backspace. All ages. http://www.facebook.com/events/424555030921385/


Real Risks is available for 3 bucks, digitally, and five dollars for the CD, which is really rather lovely and sounds great. 

bandcamp

FB

Kinski - Down Below Its Chaos

Saw these guys open for White Hills at Mississippi Studios the other night. I used to see them regularly, back in Chicago, opening for Acid Mothers Temple and other psych freaks. I remember always being impressed with the thick rich sonorities of their climactic live sets, frequently bowing guitar and bass. They seemed like the missing link between megalithic shoegaze, like Jesu or Nadja, with classic flying saucer psych rock, the kind of stuff they cream over at the Ptolemaic Terrascope.

I went in expecting to be mesmerized, yet Kinski succeeded in blowing my mind, anyway. They were totally fucking flaying on a Tues. night, pummeling and thrashing away, building radioactive dust-devils of guitars and feedback. The drums sounded like leaden cathedrals, while the bass creaked like a tall ship lost at sea. Most importantly, their set seemed like a paean to the mighty RIFF! Satisfying, solid rock 'n roll, catchy despite the fact that there was hardly any vocals at all.

Down Below Its Chaos is the band's most recent outing on Sub Pop. I am dusting it off and exposing to the cold cruel sunlight to raise awareness of this mighty band, and to whet yr whistle for their upcoming album, which is due out sometime this year. In this day and age of over-exposure and ennui, someone has to champion the cause of solid bands that have persevered over years, solidifying their craft. There is no replacement for experience, and Kinski have clearly refined their pallette over the 14 years of their existence. Their songwriting is strong and swift, pointed and clear. Like a stick in the eye. They have mastered the tools available to a predominantly instrumental rock band, but never succumb to post-rock cliches or metalcore melodrama. Their jams will shift on a dime, and where you expect a 4 to the floor drop, they will launch into bowed bass drones and sci-fi electronics and THEN drop you on yr head. It works three times as well, and the precision with which they execute their changes borders on telepathic.

I got into this reviewing racket to try and learn how to write songs. That was it, all these words, all these years, these millions of records and billions of songs, for the simple bloody goal of trying to write a fucking good song. I have been seeking clarity and focus, looking to strip down inspired music to the base essentials, and distill its essence. Its like audio alchemy. Seeing Kinski and White Hills the other night was like beginning a new chapter. I was caught up, again, in the youthful excitement of tight, sharp riffs and multiple instruments blasting away in unison! I have always been a headbanger at heart, and watching Kinski rock Mississippi Studio's barn-like stage rekindled a spark in my heart for endless two-chord jams.

These guys are truly something special, levitating above the legions of bearded Kyuss clones. Their tone is superb (Down Below Its Chaos was recorded by Randall Dunn in Seattle, who has also worked with Sunn O))) and Earth) and their song-writing instincts are spot on. The 9 tracks blaze by like a dream of golden pyramids, from which you hope never to wake. Either re-discover a cherished relic, or discover a new favorite!

If you live in Seattle, and you see this in time, Kinski will be playing at the Comet Tavern w/ Low Hums and Terminal Fuzz Terror. Go support yr hometown heroes.

Down Below Its Chaos

Home

FB

Graig Markel - s/t (2012, Recovery)

I became aware of Graig Markel when i saw his band Dead Ship Sailing, at the Ella Street Social Club, in Portland. Apparently he liked the review i wrote of the show, (over here), and was kind enough to get in touch, and to send me a real, honest to goodness vinyl record of his new solo record!

Dead Ship Sailing sounded like The Jesus and Mary Chain being backed by suicide, so imagine my surprise when i unsheathed the vinyl to find a bare-bones, intimate acoustic record. Citing influences such as Nick Drake and Bruce Springsteen, circa 'Nebraska', these 10 songs make me feel like i'm driving through the prairie, in the middle of the night. Its probably winter out, the car window frosted and crystalline. Maybe you can see yr breath?

If you go into this record, thinking about the influences, about the labels, 'folky', 'lo-fi', 'blue-sy' you will miss the point. It will stream by you like headlights headed in the opposite direction. The devil is in the details, here, and when you slow down enough to get to know this collection of confessional ballads, there are treasures to be had, wisdom to be gained. Its like the quiet person at the party, off by themselves, who turn out to be a world traveller. Or perhaps a mystic.

Upon close examination, living with this record over the span of a couple of weeks, using it as company and a crutch to get through lonely nights, his craftsmanship and attention become apparent: the way he swaps out lyrics, rearranges structure, nuances and intricacies that reveal a tasteful ear and years working in the music biz. Graig runs a recording studio in Seattle, Wa. and this whole record was recorded to an analog tape deck. Its got tone out the tailpipe, the guitar playing is nice, not flashy but tasteful, and again, there are nuances that show a talented songwriter, odd discordant chords and subtle overdubs. Add pedal steel licks and the occasional piano stabs to fill in the cracks, and you are left with a nigh-on classic!

The consistent mood and tempo, the tenor of the vocals, create a hypnotic lull, but don't let it lull you into complacency. You can put this record on repeat, you can leave it play for hours and hours, and just let it create a mood, let it stain the air like late-afternoon sunshine.

Highly, highly recommended!

You can preview it over here
GraigMarkelMusic.com

i would also like to plug for the vinyl, gorgeously packaged in a raw paper sleeve. It looks, and sounds, amazing!!!

Also, if you are around Seattle, Dead Ship Sailing is playing at The Comet, on Capital Hill, on February 17th.