BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - Feb. 2016

fact, that after returning to Tall Tall Shadow, I
had actually forgotten that most of that record
is purely acoustic folk music. The arrangements
on Good Advice are mostly keyboard centric,
but with newly prescient drums and, of course,
a reshaped focus on Bulat’s unique and subtly
powerful voice. The song writing has also been
given a pop facelift. There is less narrative
and more attention to lyrical hooks, but this
actually sharpens the sentiments of individual
tracks instead of dumbing them down. The
standout track here is most certainly the single
“Infamous,” whose quick and exciting chorus
rivals those of U.K. juggernaut Florence and the
Machine, but whose string-accented denouement
has depth beyond its radio-playability. If
she’s trying to convince us that she’s outgrown
her folk roots, Basia Bulat’s Good Advice is
pretty convincing.
• Liam Prost
Church of Misery
And Then There Were None
Rise Above Records
Music doesn’t get much doomier than Church
of Misery, the ‘70s worshipping brainchild of
Japanese bassist Tatsu Mikami. He’s singlehandedly
kept the cosmic blues fire burning since
the band’s 1995 inception. Their new album,
And Then There Were None, delivers seven
uncompromising slices of miasmic pentatonic
sludge.
Mikami assembled scene heavyweights from
far-flung corners of the stoner rock galaxy to
reanimate his bleak vision. Collaborating for
the first time with non-Japanese players, it’s obvious
why Dave Szulkin’s thick-as-a-brick tone
and the vintage swing of Eric Little’s drumming
impressed the mastermind. Former Cathedral
bassist Scott Carlson handles vocals, and he’s a
dead ringer for his ex-frontman and Rise Above
Records label head, Lee Dorian. Like Church of
Misery’s previous output, the album chronicles
morbid tales of real life murderers. Lyrics like
“As I release you from your affliction, stare
down upon you as you slowly fade” won’t convert
nonbelievers, but that’s hardly the point.
Two eight-minute trudges bookend And
Then There Were None. The opener, “The Hell
Benders” emerges from psychedelic vapors
and transitions into a bouncy riff à la Sleep’s
“Dragonaut.” The monolithic riffs of “Murderfreak
Blues,” the album’s final track, spotlight
Mikami’s fluid wah-drenched basslines. Along
the way, Church of Misery churn out plenty
of proto-metal and even a few traces of
NWOBHM. And if Carlson’s mournful cries lack
Ozzy’s melodic gifts, they certainly convey the
madness of the material’s protagonists. Mikami
knows it’s rough living on terra firma with a
headful of haze; these riffs are his antidote.
• Ari Rosenschein
Crew Love
Based on a True Story
Crew Love Records
Crew Love Records is a nebulous collection of
around 10 artists and producers based in New
York City. Partnering with Berlin label !K7, the
fresh imprint’s roster is starting off 2016 with a
compilation release, titled Crew Love: Based on
a True Story. Well, actually the “Crew,” which
includes artists like ex-Dirtybird affiliate Nick
Monaco, Boston duo Soul Clap and San Francisco’s
dance pop trio PillowTalk, is trying quite
hard to make sure that project isn’t described
as a compilation.
Instead they emphasize the fact that the
album is in fact an album, made collaboratively
by the label’s roster of 10 acts, containing a
Basia Bulat
total of 17 members. Despite the large size of
the group, the album feels much more cohesive
than your average label comp. The collaborations
have also resulted in a large amount
of dance floor-friendly experimentation from
the artists. There are your requisite house
records, but there are also slinky slow jams, like
“Memories of Mallorca,” Slow Hands & Tanner
Ross’s contribution to the album. The song is
not unlike Junior Boys’ or Jai Paul’s best work,
brimming with equal parts vulnerable emotion
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2016 | 49