Big In Japan functions as not just a side project or offshoot of the long-running Baltimore quintet Lake Trout, but as effectively a subset of it — all three of Big In Japan’s members also play in Lake Trout, and even the two musicians in the latter who aren’t members of the former have sat in with Big In Japan during live shows. Still, Big In Japan have now been doing their thing, with on-again off-again live residencies full of low key improvised grooves, for over a decade themselves, and have grown into a distinct entity. While Lake Trout focused more and more on song-based studio creations, Big In Japan remained exclusively a live concern, only issuing live recordings as albums.

[See post to listen to audio]

Live At 8×10 2009 was released for free by The Biggest Label Ever, the same website that issued Lake Trout’s recent live album. With numerous improvised pieces edited down into a handful of untitled tracks, the structure is identical to Big In Japan’s debut release, 2001’s Goodlove Sessions Vol. 1, but the formal similarities highlight the differences in content. Big In Japan may still be playing at the 8×10, the Federal Hill club that’s been their stomping grounds since the ’90s, but musically they’ve continued to develop and diversify their sound away from the jazzy flute riffs and drum’n'bass rhythms that used to be their signature.

“Untitled 05” is the record’s real gem, with a busy but restrained rim-tapping rhythm foregrounding some evil synth bass and spooky, ethereal vocals. On the flipside, though, “Untitled 06” is vintage Big In Japan, with the bass guitar thumping out relaxed whole notes over a tight, funky beat and a repetitive synth pattern. Still, Live At 8×10 2009 sometimes feels a little too edited down at only 33-minutes, and some tracks, like “Untitled 03,” which starts out with the album’s most raucous noise but quickly peters out, feel like they’ve been cut too short. They do get credit, however, for leaving you wanting more, and “Untitled 07” ends the set on an offbeat note, with what sounds like a harmonica solo, albeit one run through enough delay and distortion effects to make it all sound thoroughly Big In Japan.

Mr. Moccasin came in last week for a microshow. They stripped down to a four-piece. Hanna on vocals, Jared on guitar/vocals, Chris on guitar/stylophone and Christiana on drums/vocals.

The band totally brought it. And brought something a little different than their typical live show including a stylophone and a few new tracks fresh off their killer music making machine. An awesome time was had by all. Highlights include Black On Black, Himalayan Marmalade and Ari Schenck’s Ah Well.

Technical info: Hanna vocal: Sennheiser 441, Jared guitar: Cascade Fathead Ribbon, Jared vocals: AT 3060 Tube, Chris guitar/stylophone: Cascade Fathead Ribbon, Christiana vocals: Sennheiser 421, Snare: SM57, Overheads, SM81s.

Download MP3s – 48.8 MB

Kadman’s first record was one of the first Baltimore records I heard after I moved here a bunch of years ago. It was simply not anything I had heard out of Baltimore. Or what I thought “Baltimore” sounded like (little did I know!). I thought this band was incredible. There was something different about them. I’ve still yet to find a band here in Baltimore that sounds like them. That said, I am drawn to bands that think outside the box and do things differently. That is one reason why we worked so well together. We did a mini-EP last year (that will hopefully someday see the light of day), but I felt like we could do so much more together. I was happy when Dave (the singer/guitarist) came to me to produce his sophomore effort.

Anything
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This record went through a few stages. We scrapped the drums a few times, muted a ton of guitars, re-tracked bass tracks, wrote one song in the studio, I played theremin, re-thought the vision and then rinsed and repeated. It was a four month process from start to finish but felt like one. Dave was a great musician to work with. I’d ask him to “add this pedal” or “let’s try this room mic over here” or “hmmm, this section really doesn’t need that acoustic guitar in the chorus” and he wouldn’t flinch. Of course, Dave brought his own thing to the table as well. He’d bring in a keyboard part or a drum idea or a harmony. It was a two way road in building this record.

Mountain Song
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Dave put together a solid and vibrant band for a rather subtle yet dynamic sound. Frank Corl, the drummer, came from more of a pop/rock background but really understood the nuances of Dave’s music. He really put forth the art of the snare. We ended up using a half dozen snares on the record. James Bahleda came from an electro/goth background. But he is this beast of a bassist who can not be stopped. Be it on upright or electric. There are some lines he put down that still amaze me even after the umpteenth listen. And he has good taste in Scotch. Last but not least, I brought in Dawn Dineen and E.Joseph to sing on a few tracks. Dawn duets with Dave on one song called “An Army Rises.” E. Joseph and Dawn are both amazing singers and writers on their own. Both due out for another record soon, as well!

There are really few words to describe the record, it should speak for itself, but I’ll try. It’s a record of nuances. It’s intense – it’s acrobatic – it’s very different than their last – it’s dreamy, it’s loud, it’s quiet, it’s dense. Enjoy the samples!

Little Darling
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As 2009 came to a close, it became clear that More, the third album by Double Dagger, was one of Baltimore’s most acclaimed albums of the year, on both a local and national level. Unfortunately, I’d been attempting since its release in May to identify the album’s appeal, to no avail. The power trio’s Thrill Jockey debut, recorded in a vacant space above the Current Gallery, is as raw and loud as the band’s popular live shows, but for whatever reason, it took a while for me to warm to it.

[See post to listen to audio]

Ultimately, it was the More’s second track, “Vivre Sans Temps Mort” that provided my entry point to appreciating the album, with its slow burn groove stretched out over five minutes in contrast to the album’s faster and shorter songs. But of the latter, the frantic groove of “We Are The Ones” is another highlight, bringing to mind Stay Afraid-era Parts & Labor.

Still, I remained frustrated that Double Dagger’s commitment to their punk roots has manifested itself in vocals so perfunctory, and at times inaudible, that I almost wish they were just an instrumental band. Songs with titles like “Surrealist Composition With Your Face” and “Helicopter Lullaby” probably have interesting lyrics, but I can’t make any of them out given how low the vocals are in the mix on More, and “Half-Life” packs the album’s catchiest riff, but the vocals that accompany it completely skirt the melody. Double Dagger are definitely a band to watch, but I’ll be waiting until the next album to see if they make something more up my alley.

Baltimore producer, King Cakemix, came back to Mobtown this month to master his next release with us. Here are two of my favorite tracks. A catchy dense track and a dancy club hit.

Where Do We Go?
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Next Girl Will
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J.E.L. recently came back to Mobtown to record a live in- the-studio EP. Killer jazz, no filler. Jay Seay on trumpet, Ezekiel Roebuck, Jr on piano and Larry Stokes on drums. Here are two of my favorite cuts:

Red Clay [Freddie Hubbard]
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Cherokee [Ray Noble]
[See post to listen to audio]

[See post to listen to audio]

The self-titled debut album by Baltimore quartet We Read Minds is scarcely more than a half hour long, but its very first track announces itself as something more epic and ambitious than you might expect. The 6-minute “Of The Nest” features a winding, unpredictable structure and a number of disorienting shifts in rhythm. But on another level, it’s also consistently midtempo and accessible, effectively establishing the band’s keyboard and guitar-driven sound. The brooding, groove-driven songs of We Read Minds seem to take a number of cues from a band they’ve opened for, Lake Trout, which is refreshing given that the latter is one of Baltimore’s longest running and most popular live bands, but hasn’t ever seemed to have many kindred spirits or followers in the local music scene.

“Rely On The Moon” feels very much like the album’s centerpiece, perhaps in part because the spare 90-second track that precedes it, “Bastian,” serves as a mood-setting intro for the driving, piano-heavy song. But after “Rely” thunders in, it also offers some of the album’s most impressive musical ideas, including the intricate percussion on the song’s bridge, and functions as an excellent showcase for frontman Justin Gilman’s appealing voice, which brings to mind both synth pop singer Kenna and Jellyfish’s Andy Sturmer.

For all of their ideas and occasional flashes of strong songwriting, however, the band still gets somewhat stuck in the post-Radiohead doldrums with a consistently gloomy mood and a lack of fast tempos to break up the monotony. The album’s final track, “The Difference,” shows how much more We Read Minds still need to grow to catch up to its ambitions, with awkwardly employed drum machine textures and rhythmic shifts that nearly stop the song in its tracks. That “The Difference” and the album’s other weakest song, “The Colour,” are both reprised from an earlier EP, however, suggest that We Read Minds are a young band that’s still finding its footing and improving with every new song.

1. Angela Desveaux – The Mighty Ship (it’s just beautiful and great on vinyl)
2. The Arcade Fire – Funeral (if you don’t respoond to ‘wake up’ you could be lifeless and dead)
3. Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham – L’avventura (again, it’s a beautiful record)
4. The Dismemberment Plan – Change (my dc friends make their perhaps last and greatest record)
5. Mike Doughty – Rockity Roll (no over-thought tunes. i wish this was longer.)
6. Duffy – Rockferry (what a voice!)
7. Eno and Byrne – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (two of my favorites yet again on a record together this time writing great songs)
8. Godspeed You Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven (the soundtrack to the first have of the decade for me)
9. Kanye West – Late Registration (that kanye certainly has something to say)
10. Kadman – Sing To Me Slower (if dave never wrote another song other than diesel and honeymoon’s end, we’d be ok)
11. Keane – Perfect Symmetry (stellar pop)
12. The Killers – Hot Fuse (see above)
13. Leisure Icons – Leisure Icons (angular mathy locals that has been in heavy rotation here)
14. Low – The Great Destroyer (dave fridmann + low = happy mat)
15. Luna – Rendezvous (i used to put my daughter to sleep to this record)
16. Mouse On Mars – Idiology (Mmmm, stomp pedals)
17. N.E.R.D. – In Search Of… (more drums please)
18. The Octopus Project – Hello Avalanche (my band opened for them this summer. i can’t stop playing this record)
19. Parts and Labor – Stay Afraid (new york’s finest)
20. Saint Etienne – Finisterre (sarah cracknell’s voice is to die for)
21. Sam Prekop – Who’s Your New Professor (i love the beats on this record)
22. Katy Perry – One of the Boys (good production, songwriting and a pretty face don’t always equate to crappy pop music)
23. Prince – The Rainbow Children (prince did have some good records this decade, and this is his finest)
24. Rod Lee – The Official (rod is a genius and you’ll be hearing more about baltimore club very soon)
25. Shakira – Fijación Oral Vol. 1 (that shakira can do anything)
26. Sigur Rós – Takk (birthing sounds)
27. Austin Stahl – The Things You Carry (austin can write about heartbreak like no other)
28. Radiohead – I Might Be Wrong (one of my favorite live albums ever and i am not a huge radiohead fan)
29. Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous (jenny lewis.)
30. Justin Timberlake – Justified (pharrell williams is one sick drummer, JT is someone who i’ve yet to get sick of)
31. Tokio Hotel – Schrei (they were everywhere in europe. who cares if they play their instruments.)
32. Trans Am – TA (my dc favs… they can do no wrong)
33. Wendy and Lisa – Girl Bros. (see above, they can do no wrong)
34. John Zorn – Live at Tonic 2001 (john zorn would be in the supergroup in my head. acharei mot is my jam in this set.

D-Boi recently came in to mix a record with me. He’s been working with 3rd Infantry down the block from us. He’s down to earth and writes great hooks. Rumor has it, the track is going to make it’s debut on 92Q in the next few days. Just a rumor. Enjoy this track!

I’m Back
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It’s taken me a few days to digest last week’s microshow with Yeveto. Despite Amy’s “bregnancy prain”, Russell’s 64k memory and Ben’s proposed digital drum kit, Yeveto put on a stellar show. Spinal Tap was known for their “punctuality” – Yeveto should be known for being the most well-rehearsed. And in the best way possible, between arrangement, setup and performance. I can’t thank them enough for being such a well-oiled machine. Oh and playing incredibly moving instrumental experimental film music! Thanks!

Technical info: Cello DI: REDDI, Cello amp: 421, Guitar amp: Fathead Ribbon, Banjo: Sennheiser 441, Moog & Korg synth: Alto DI, Snare: C3, Floor Tom: 421, Drum Overheads: Shure SM81

Download MP3s – 64.62 MB