The Martlet

Volcano Choir
Unmap
Jagjaguwar

Volcano Choir is a partnership between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and the instrumental group, Collections of Colonies of Bees, but from the first song off their album, Unmap, the Bees don’t really show up.

With its cut and spliced acoustic picking, and Vernon’s ghostly moans, opener “Husks and Shells” could easily slip into Bon Iver’s repertoire. From there on out, however, it’s a fully-collaborative process, with the Bees pushing Vernon into new some territory without sacrificing his lost-in-the-woods feel.

The album’s second track, “Sleepymouth,” is a slow simmer to an epic roiling finish with clattering drums and an indecipherable choir of voices. The third song, “Island IS,” changes it up again with a foot tapping, near techno beat that sets the pace and doesn’t let up, propelled further by Vernon’s rhythmic vocals. It’s a definite highlight of the album.

The next two tracks, “Dote” followed by “And Gather,” are mellow, tranquil pieces full of ringing and humming and it’s after those tracks that Volcano Choir strikes its first and only stumbling block, “Mbira in the Morass.”

It opens with some creepy piano and Tom Waits-esque xylophone and doesn’t do much. Apparently Mbira never gets out of that morass; the song is bumbling and can’t deliver.

They saved the best track for near the end. “Still,” a remaking of Vernon’s auto-tuned masterpiece “Woods” off Bon Iver’s Blood Bank EP. The vocals are left intact; instead, the Bees add some instrumentation in the form of gongs and booming drums.

It’s hard to improve on perfection, but they did it, taking the stripped-down beauty of “Woods” and making it a more rounded, satisfying listen. Many people wish Vernon would quit screwing around and put out another Bon Iver record, but Unmap stands alone as a solid piece of work and not just a throwaway experiment.

Grady Mitchell

The Bird and the Bee
Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
The Blue Note Label Group

Get ready for something you’ve probably never heard before.

This duo out of California provides a unique sound that will blow you away.

The bee, aka Greg Kurstin has produced albums with indie rock and synth sensations like Lily Allen, the Flaming Lips and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And it’s clear the production on this album is outstanding.

The bird’s (Inara George) vocals can be compared to those of Feist or Adele, but without the soft guitar or piano in the background, making her sound a unique experience.

For only their second full-length album this is truly something fantastic.

There are so many layers to every track on this album and each song is distinct from the next, from the ballad of “Ray Gun” to the upbeat “Love Letter To Japan.” Each song is a great utilization of every musical element.

The track “Diamond Dave” is a tribute to the former lead singer of Van Halen, David Lee Roth. It speaks of the turmoil the lead singer went through as she followed Roth’s path through the music scene.

She states triumphantly, “I will always love you.” But the lyrics to this song aren’t the only thing that are a little out of the ordinary. The track uses synth and chimes throughout giving it a pop feel.

The Bird and The Bee use a great combination of sounds in their album.

Their use of dissonance and catchy hooks will have you listening and cringing, but always begging for more.

I would highly recommend this CD to anyone out there. You’ll find a track on it that you are bound to like.

I know I’ll be blasting this out of my girlfriend’s car, whether she likes it or not.

Jason Stasiuk

Megan Hamilton
See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard 
Familiar Music

Released in early April, See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard is Megan Hamilton’s third full-length CD, and her first recorded in a professional studio. With two CDs in 2006 and 2007, Hamilton has picked up a lot of acclaim throughout eastern Canada and she even ventured as far south as Alabama, Kentucky and Texas.

SYMBITS combines a unique mix of country, rockabilly and folk. The third track, “Cat Tail Legs,” provides you with a driving beat and Hamilton’s vocals soar going into the chorus.

It’s a fun song that bounces along at a comfortable pace, throwing in a guitar solo, which one would think to be uncommon for this kind of song. But it fits well and there are a few more that pop up on the CD.

Hamilton has a voice that’s hard to compare to anyone else. She is reminiscent of Adele, with a little Sara Barielles and Sarah Slean. Her voice has a bit of a haunting quality to it and part of it does have to do with the mixing and the harmonies.

“Wherever You Are” is a good example of how producer Mark Vogelsang captures these harmonies.

The best song, strictly for lyrical content, however, is probably “I <3 Computers,” with such lyrics like “My floppy disk appreciates your hard drive.”

Oh the innuendos.

Hamilton isn’t afraid to be a little dissonant and to stretch some boundaries vocally.

See Your Midnight Breath in the Shipyard is a rather laid-back record that would be suitable for background music during dinner or a late night. If you love female solo vocalists, you might want to check this one out.

Jason Stasiuk

CKY Carver City Roadrunner Records

CKY, often called Camp Kill Yourself, is a quartet hailing out of the U.S.A. and have come forward with their fourth studio album, Carver City.

After a few member changes and an equal amount of record company changes, the band has finally settled.

Some may be surprised to know that Jess Margera, brother to Bam, is the drummer. Because of this connection you will find many of CKY’s songs on the Jackass soundtrack, as well as videogames such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Now that’s really helping a brother out.

The associations with the band give you a good idea of what kind of music CKY plays. Itunes labels them as “rock” but I would have to suggest that they’re somewhere closer to the metal side of the spectrum.

Carver City comes in at 42 minutes in length, with 11 songs for your pleasure.

I was surprised how much singing was on this CD. I was expecting more unintelligible screaming and growling. Carver City is a good mix.

“Imaginary Threats,” the fourth song on this CD, was the first to catch my ear. It immediately reminded me of “The Hand That Feeds” by NIN.

Carver City is a well-rounded CD but I’m not really sure if they can truly be considered metal. It is accurate that there are a lot of stylistic metal guitar riffs, but the drumming throughout the entire CD gives off a little bit of that dance feel.

I wouldn’t recommend Carver City to a strict metal fan, but those who want to move into a little bit heavier stuff but aren’t sure where to start, this would be a good stepping stone.

 Jason Stasiuk