Sound Bites
Brainiac 'Shocks' with fusion, Swell 'Thinks,' in new releases
Electro-Shock for President
(Touch and Go)
In the current trend toward
all things electronic, many bands will try to fuse synthesizers with rock
music in a manner that hasn't been attempted since the days of Pere Ubu or
Roxy Music. And while many of these efforts will probably fall flat,
Dayton, Ohio's Brainiac proves that electro-rock has a hopeful future with
its latest release, Electro-Shock for President. This six-song EP shows
the band experimenting with an all-synthesizer approach to loud and angry
rock that, despite a few weak points, Brainiac manages to pull off.Tim Taylor's blood-curdling
screamed vocals on the opening track, "Fresh New Eyes," are definitely
attention-grabbing, though the song's distorted beats and raw synthesizer
buzzes almost place Brainiac in Trent Reznor's world of industrial pop.
Moments like these make one wonder whether a rock band like Brainiac really
has any sense of history in regard to electronic music or if the brainiacs
think it all started with Reznor's appropriation of `80s industrial music.
But that's only a momentary
diversion, and "Fresh New Eyes" is just too entertaining to dwell on these
details."Flash Ram" features
robotic, vocoded singing that sounds like it came straight off Neil Young's
1982 electronic album Trans, and lyrics to match--Flash ram /
Flip the switch and you'll burn me again. "The Turnover" is a short
and slow number that is utterly forgettable, but the last track, "Mr.
Fingers," finally brings back the energy of the opening track with Tyler
Trent's pounding lo-fi drum beat and the lyrics I confess I'm loving
your architecture / Is that why your brother had me arrested?In between these songs are
two brief instrumental pieces ("Fashion 500" and "For My Beloved"), which
reveal a possible fascination for Faust, without that band's sense of humor
and great songwriting. So with these tracks taken
into consideration, Electro-Shock for President is almost more a four-song
EP. Though Brainiac definitely gives us something to look forward to, it
might be wise to wait for the full-length album. B--Morgan Keep / Music Editor
* * *
Too Many Days Without Thinking
(Beggars Banquet)
How would we get through
life without the little, sometimes forgettable, pleasurable moments? Things
we don't really think about until we're doing them and then we immediately
think we should do this more often. The little moments that we don't talk
about doing, but help us finish the day. For some, it could be drinking a
cool glass of lemonade on a hot and breezy summer day. For others, it could
be a stroll through the park, a viewing of a favorite childhood film, or
just listening to cherished record once again.Swell's Too Many Days
Without Thinking conjures up these kinds of moments. No, not in the lyrics, for
David Freel's analyses on this album take frighteningly real looks at the
deception of relationships and what we all fool ourselves into thinking
about our own lives. On one track Freel can't
figure out why he stayed in a relationship ("Throw the Wine"), and later
can't figure out why he's attracted to someone ("Make Mine You"). Maybe he doesn't want the
trouble of finding someone new, or maybe he just wants to convince himself
of something that isn't real as he sings Having less of what we came for
/ Having more of what we like. He doesn't know, and neither do we. Then
later, he regretfully looks down on someone else for sticking with a bad
partner. It all comes together on
the album's climax, "(I Know) The Trip." In this song, Freel thinks he has
everyone else figured out. "(I Know) The Trip" is like
a long bus ride, where one might instantly draw up lives for everyone
around themselves based solely on physical features. But, Freel realizes
everyone around him is criticizing him and he struggles to see exactly
where he fits in. He admits he was "rich and jealous to start," as is
everyone he's criticizing. The feel of the album is
like recalling a sometimes forgettable, yet pleasurable, moment. Freel's
vocals entice the listener to pay more attention, and even when he
screams--as he does on the chorus of "Throw the Wine," when he comes to the
realization that he let his relationship linger too long--he's shouting at
a whisper. The guitars swirl in and
out as if they were being pushed along by a slow moving fan. Even when
Swell reaches the occasional powerful chorus, the lead guitars echo like
they were being slammed with feathers. Swell slowly circles around
the listener, but never lets us get too close. We leave wishing we could
have more, and we put the album down, telling ourselves we'll have to
listen to it again someday. After all, it was enjoyable. But before we've filed it
away, we've forgotten exactly what it was that made us enjoy this album. In
a way, it's kind of mysterious, which is never a bad thing. The songs are never really
conventional, yet never really experimental. Swell seems to be stuck
somewhere in-between the world of independent rock and commercial rock.
This is best demonstrated
by the song "When You Come Over," whose opening recalls even the toughest
Guided By Voices segment, but then switches into a dusty storm of guitars
and drums--each follows its own path down completely different directions.
Swell's Too Many Days
Without Thinking is a pleasurable album, but honestly, it isn't something
we'll remember or hum in the middle of a workday. So, buy it used and enjoy
it, or maybe you'd rather indulge yourself in an ice filed glass of
lemonade. B--Todd Martens/Staff Writer