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the snacks the deli’s CD reviews Black Apples Black Apples EP Black Apples ended 2010 with the release of their self-titled debut album, perfect for lovers of underground rock-n-roll, or fans of bands like The Velvet Underground, T. Rex, or The Seeds. These Echo Park natives take the influence of gritty, New York City style rock and combine it with the psychedelic garage sounds of the West Coast. The record begins with the song “Suzanne”, with falsetto that climb up to crashing symbols, echoing guitar, and deeper singing. Following is “Buffalo”, an angst- rock pop loud rock folk melody/soft electronic noise psych rock ambient dance lo-fi/DIY other influences hip hop good! prime LA music Black Kettle Black Kettle Taking the plunge half a year ago to relocate to Los Angeles, it couldn’t have been a better choice for Black Kettle’s Keeley Bumford and Kailynn West. The four tracks on their debut EP, recorded at Sound City Studios, showcase the duo’s penchant for writing glowing pop music. Things begin with “Spineless” a song about just that, growing a backbone, introduce Bumford’s focused vocals while West’s staccato guitar hits and backing vocals round things out. Things take a thematic u-turn with “Paint the Town”, the first hint that this EP has a dual personality between the silly and sincere. The piano driven melody carries over lyrics like “Tonight I fly solo, wearing my best dress like a funeral suit,” revealing a song about a lonely night on the town. The synth hook in “Hott Mess” pulls you into a plea to choose love over lust. The EP closes with “The World Remained the Same”, a darker ballad about love, loss, and reconciliation, gently builds near the end into a layered chorus before resolving away. It’s the kind of album you’ll be singing along to in no time. (Angelo Lorenzo) www.blackkettlemusic.com LACO$TE The Paradox of Time EP When a band describes itself as “sextronic electrogator”, it is safe to assume that the music will have the characteristics of trouble. On the EP The Paradox of Time, the three band members of LACO$TE sound like they had a play date inside of an abandoned metal factory or traveled to an alternative steampunk world. The rhythmic vocals by frontwoman X are reminiscent of Eleanor Friedberger, only placed over sinister electronic beats and jangling sounds. Being artsy and experimental triumph attempts of a glossy electronic song for the clubs. Rather the 7-minute track “Worm Song” sounds like it came out of a weird ’80s sci-fi film featuring the deep voice of an overlord speaking over fuzzy space sounds and keyboard tones that are meant to intimidate a nation. “Cellie” is a lot more spunky with sounds that resemble space invaders and a heroic figure jumping from level to level in a video game. While the songs contain interesting elements, there are times where they fall flat due a lack of energy. The music of LACO$TE is not something that will be immediately relatable to most music fans, but can become glorified in an ironic way. (Karla Hernández) www.myspace.com/lacoste Arctic Circles Funeral at Sea After the breakup and dissolution of Finch last December, bassist Daniel Wonacott dived head first in group Arctic Circles. Shortly after in January came the release of their debut album Funeral at Sea. The opening track “Forever Drawn Together” is a sweetly prolonged intro before things pick up with “Putting the Pieces Together” where laid back tenor lyrics play counter to more rock influenced drums. The title track “Funeral at Sea” laments the loss of a lover with mournful wailing guitar work. “When You Know It’s Over” gently layers a keyboard bed, tom heavy drums, sparkling vibrato guitar chords, and swelling vocal work before turning the lights off and closing up shop on the album. While the songs stay close stylistically, the melodies are lush and the vocals are unique. It’s a collection of songs that will wind you down and envelop you like a warm blanket. (Angelo Lorenzo) www.arcticcircles.net Other Mountains Fernweh Other Mountains’ new fulllength album Fernweh really hit home for me. The songs scrape the deeper parts of the heart and soul, in ways I can only compare to that of Sigur Rós or Explosions in the Sky. The album starts with twinkling keys and climbing violins, throwing you straight into the overall mesmerizing feel of the record. The faster paced “Mure” ends with crashing cymbals and the instruments seem to scream in your face. The falsetto floating over haunting piano keys in “Swann” create a dark, eerie element. Their music puts you into a trance, so it’s easy not to notice the lyrics right away. The closer you pay attention, the more you notice how well-written the words are, in an almost Shakespearean way. “Say aloud before you go: ‘Oh, the heart could it think, it would surely stop beating. And the mind could it feel, it would surely stop reeling.’ I’m yours. I’m still yours. You are heaven. You, our heaven. There is life before death, I know.” make up the track “Hopscotch”. I’ve had this nostalgia for the kind of music I grew up with, back to the days of Saosin or adolescent Bright Eyes, and this album fills it. (Jenna Putnam) www.othermountains.us Satellite Ring The Bells EP With its music already featured in an episode of “One Tree Hill,” Satellite is a band that has the potential to follow in the rock pop success of bands like Plain White T’s and Snow Patrol. The band’s EP, entitled Ring the Bells, solely maintains a reflective tone made specifically for late-night drives. With little dynamics on songs like “Say the Words” and “Silhouette,” primary songwriter Steven McMorran plays it safe while on “Saving Us Tonight,” McMorran does a good job of reflecting a person who is tired of putting all the effort in a relationship, but still holds a desire to make it all work. The emotions are emitted so strongly that the music comes off as, while well done, low-spirited. For a certain mood, some music aficionados will enjoy Satellite. However, it lacks those moments and special touches that would have made this album truly memorable. (Karla Hernández) www.satellite-music.com ridden tune with a bit of a fun punk edge, and surf guitars on speed. “Winter Is New” is a slower song full of triangles and reverb bouncing off the blues of winter love. “Wild Things” has an old school skate-thrash feel with chimes of the xylophone in the background. The echoing 45 second interlude of “Arctic Cowboy” throws you right into the mood for the second half of the 12 track album. “Give Me Silence” is a slow, trancy piece, progressing into a more intense finish. Clearly Beatles-inspired, “Coming Home” paints a vibrant picture of a warm, California summertime during the 1960s. The album finishes with the nostalgic “20 Years At Sea”, perhaps their most universal sounding song about escape, and how sometimes getting lost is the best way to finding yourself. (Jenna Putnam) www.myspace.com/theblackappleband AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony Aaron Bruno returns as Awolnation for his second release, and first proper full length, Megalithic Symphony. While three songs return a bit more polished, “Burn It Down”, “Guilty Filthy Soul”, and “Sail”, Bruno takes advantage of the legroom and shows his prowess across the eight new songs. The title track “Megalithic Symphony” and the following “Some Sort of Creature” are intro tracks at best, the former showing off a minute of swirling melody while the other shows a bit of humor. Things kick in to gear with “Soul Wars”, an electrified track that James Brown would be proud of. Deeper in we find “Kill Your Heros” where Bruno’s lyrics talk about carving your own path in life over synth and deep hip hop drums. “Not Your Fault” is my candidate for his next single. The verses are groove-laden and straightforward, before they explode into the chorus’s way too catchy hook. The 14-minute epic “Knights of Shame” somehow blends ’90s R&B, industrial synth work, singer-songwriter melodies, and contemporary hip hop. Beck and Electric 6 had a wonderful baby called Awolnation. (Angelo Lorenzo) www.myspace.com/awolnationmusic Lelia Broussard Masquerade Lelia Broussard is known for her witty songwriting and quirkily beautiful voice. Her recent album, Masquerade tells the tale of a 20-somethingyear-old’s journey from the bright lights of New York City to the blinding sunshine of LA, where Broussard herself resides. While the more soulful feeling “Shoot For The Moon” gets underneath the surface of society and the lies we are told on a daily basis, “Satellite” keeps things light-hearted, telling the story of a lovesick robot looking towards the stars. “You’re Not Fooling Anyone”, about being blinded and fooled by a former lover, really hits home and is something that most everybody can identify with. The sassiest track has to be “Hipster Bitch”, about all those hot-as-hell Williamsburg or Echo Park girls that guys lose it over and girls hate. With the lyrics “She claims she can write poetry like Dylan/I said ‘You crazy girl, are ya out your damn mind?’/She dances all night to the sound of his guitar/Under psychedelic lights doin’ lines at the bar/But she can drink Jim Beam with the boys…”, it’s easy to say that the album is anything but boring. Thanks for choosing the West Coast Ms. Broussard, we all appreciate it! (Jenna Putnam) www.leliabroussard.com the deli LA_14 winter 2011
kitchen recording equipment news SoundToys Native Effects Bundle www.soundtoys.com Review by Zach McNees saturation modeling plug-in. All of these plug-ins work in the formats listed above except Speed which functions like many other pitch and manipulation as a non-real time AudioSuiteand Logic Pro Time Machine-compatible plug-in. SoundToys plug-ins are deep with complex functionality and intricate features that will keep the pros busy for hours. For those who may not be as technically inclined or experienced as mixers, not to worry—SoundToys plug-ins feature a huge array of presets that will allow even first time users to find the sound they’re looking for quickly and easily. The bundle includes 8 plug-ins: EchoBoy, FilterFreak, PhaseMistress, Tremolator, Speed, Crystallizer, PanMan and Decapitator. For the past several years, SoundToys has been at the forefront of the revolution to accurately replicate many of the most recognized hardware FX units for use in the box. The Native Effects bundle by SoundToys is a Native-only plug-in package for use on Mac and PC and retails for $495. It comes with installers for VST, AU, RTAS, and AudioSuite and is compatible with Pro Tools LE 7, 8 & 9, M-Powered, Digital Performer, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar and Live. The bundle includes 8 plug-ins: EchoBoy, FilterFreak, PhaseMistress, Tremolator, Speed, Crystallizer—the six most popular and widely used plug-ins in the Sound- Toys family—and the all new PanMan rhythmic auto-panner and Decapitator analog A great example of this is the ability to sync time-based FX to the MIDI tempo of your session and adjust the timing properties of the effect musically such as ¼ note and 1/8th note. Hugely helpful to those who are more musically than technically inclined. One of the great things about SoundToys plug-ins is their ability to accurately emulate some of the things we love about our analog gear. A simple example of this would be the input and output control sections, which—just like their hardware counterparts— allow for easy gain staging and gentle overall adjustments to your effects. This is particularly useful when you want to gently overdrive a particular effect or conversely to back off a bit. Most surprising and impressive about SoundToys products is how they inspire me to find ways to improve on my tracks that I hadn’t even considered until I began experimenting. For an in-depth review of each and every plug-in in this bundle, visit www.sonicscoop.com. Steinberg Cubase 6 www.steinberg.com Review by Paolo De Gregorio Cubase has fueled my musical creativity and assisted my recording sessions for 20+ years, while anticipating many trends and creating industry standards like the VST and ReWire systems. It’s been an exciting and jaw dropping experience to see it grow from a rather simple MIDI sequencer to the current fully featured Digital Audio Workstation. As expected, the new Cubase 6 supports an unlimited number of tracks up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, and offers flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation. One really exciting feature of this new version is the new toolset for multi-track editing, which will make life much easier for all those who record (and spend hours editing) multi-track performances of drums, guitars and/or even vocals. This new feature not only offers multi-track transient, tempo detection and drum re- placement functions, but also multi-track phase-accurate audio quantization—and you should know by now how crucial phase is in the recording realm. Also, the new take-comping system provides a fast and effective way to paste together the best parts from various takes and effortlessly build the perfect one. For extra audio editing options, the AudioWarp system allows time-stretching and pitch-shifting in real time, including automatic tempo detection, and VariAudio lets you treat audio tracks’ pitch as if they were MIDI instruments. Speaking about MIDI, Steinberg has put some serious thought into re-thinking the way MIDI editing should work. Cubase 6 introduces a new system called Note Expression, featuring “note by note” MIDI editing, which in a few simple words makes MIDI editing way more musical and intuitive. Cubase 6 also comes with exciting new virtual instruments and effect processors, including HALion Sonic SE, a streamlined version of Steinberg’s HALion Sonic VST workstation, LoopMash 2, the second incarnation of this beat-mangling tool, and a built-in set of virtual stomp boxes called VST Amp Rack. This only scratches the surface of this DAW’s features and potential, if you are interested in knowing more about it, visit www.steinberg.com. the deli LA_15
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