REVIEW: bauwaves – “u r everything”

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You will see a lot of SST Records references when people talk about Bauwaves. I hate starting with that kind of reference, but it is very apt. From a musical and production standpoint, there is more than a little Hüsker Dü and Dinosaur Jr influence to this band. Most of the songs on u r everything would definitely fit on a playlist of stuff from Flip Your Wig or You’re Living All Over Me. Maybe throw some Lemonheads in there too. If that sounds appealing to you, go listen to the record. It can really be that simple. But, as always, I need to make everything a whole thing.

One of the greatest parts of early alternative rock was the way bands were willing to take chances. More specifically, that they allowed themselves to be vulnerable in a way that punk didn’t necessarily allow up to that point. Punk was still young, and in the throes of the nascent hardcore scene. The genre still had an angry, nihilistic edge to it. Alternative rock came out of that, but made some changes. Sonically, the music was still punk. Lyrically, it was something a bit different. The lyrics were more personal. The bands were able to express other emotions. It’s that tradition that Bauwaves is part of.

u r everything isn’t a fun record. It’s not a happy record. In fact, it is a profoundly sad record. These songs are Lew Houston telling you exactly what he was going through in detail. It’s a record about depression. It’s a record about angst. It a record about knowing that you are fucking up your life, but you just can’t seem to stop. That is what makes the record so goddamn engaging. You are listening to someone using music as a way to deal with trauma. It is a record of catharsis. You can hear this all over the record, but I think “Years Later” and “It Ain’t Real” are the strongest.

On their debut, Bauwaves make a 30 year old style sound fresh and vibrant. This style of alternative rock has largely fallen out of fashion, but it’s nice to see some people still care. Bauwaves are students of the genre, and they have added a great piece to the overall canon.

bauwaves
Salinas Records
Bandcamp
Buy It

REVIEW: P.S. Eliot – "Sadie"

Alright. Let’s make this one count. After the last poorly written review I wrote for P.S. Eliot, I think maybe I can redeem myself here.

Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds was a great record. It maintained a certain level of punk edge, but mixed in some old indie pop jangle. There were a few flaws here and there. In the end, it was a solid record. The band’s latest release, Sadie, is more of the same. While it does suffer from some of the same flaws on occasion, it feels like the band played to the strengths more often than not.

The album opens with “Talk.” It is a quick, upbeat number. It does a great job setting the tone for the record. This record seems a little faster than the last one did. As a result, there is not as much run together for songs. Each songs has little flairs that differentiate it from the one before it. The title track is the third song in, and is a great example of how great Katie Crutchfield’s voice really is. The same is true for “Diana,” which is the slowest (and longest song) on the record. While the former is very poppy, the latter is very subdued. The vocals are soft, the instrumentation is more sparse. They are two songs that show how solid this band is, but in two different ways.

The problems I had with the prior full length have disappeared, mostly. The production sounds a little cleaner. The album as a whole breaks away from being too mid-tempo and monotonous. The vocals sound a hell of a lot clearer. I had been bothered a touch by how slurred and hard to make out the words were on the previous full length. On this one, save for the opener, this is not really an issue. As far as production, my one issue is that vocals, first guitar, and drums are really high in the mix. The second guitar and bass kind of get lost a bit. Not a deal breaker, and not uncommon for the genre.

Stand out tracks would be “Cross Eyed,” “Sadie,” “Pink Sheets,” and “Shitty And Tragic.” Minor gripe being it seems a bit front loaded, but that is really more an arbitrary call anyway. Lyrically, the band remains spot on. Over all, this record will not disappoint. It is a mish-mash of punk, indie pop, and power pop. Three great things that go great together. Kind of sounds like the ’90s? Shit, just check it out.

Official Site (Blog. Not updated since January. So, maybe not?)
Buy It @ Salinas Records
Official Download @ If You Make It

REVIEW: P.S. Eliot – Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds

General opinions would call this band “pop punk” or “indie.” I lean a little more towards the latter than the former. It is pop punk-ish, but it does not follow the rigid constraints of that genre. It has punk edge, but is not afraid to let the songs draw out, or throw in some actual musicianship. They steer clear of the whole “punk riffing” thing. It has a certain level of lo-fi production, which keeps the punk (and possibly even garage) influence. Generally, it stays pretty midtempo, there is some good fuzzy guitar noise. But, it takes the influences and makes it something else.

The vocals are what makes this record stand out. There are some verses where the lyrics do not fit the rhythm of the music (re: Hail Mary and Incoherent Love Songs). This does not make it sound bad, it almost has kind of a Willie Nelson thing. Yeah, there might be a few awkward syllables, but that is how it is supposed to sound. If you know what you want to say, sometimes you have to get a little off rhythm. Also, for the vocals, there are some great harmonies on this thing. There are some choruses that sound like they have old 1960s girls group influence. Even the first song in, you know these vocals were not going to fuck around.

That is not to say it is a perfect record. I think there were a few sequencing things. The song Tennessee is great, but it is kind of a slow song. It seems like there were better “side one, track one” songs. But, that is a minor flaw (I would have put Hail Mary as the first song [for anyone who gives a fuck about my dumb opinion]). Another flaw is something that tends to happen with these more indie/punk hybrid bands. The songs kind of fade together. While each song is enjoyable, a record with mostly midtempo songs and fuzzy guitar sounds eventually runs together. The last little issue I have is also a point I said I enjoyed earlier. Which is how sometimes the vocals get offtime. I count that as good and bad. It is good because it sounds interesting, but it is bad because there are sometimes the vocals are slurred and unclear at times. And that sounds, well, not good. It is a double edged sword. It sounds great most of the time, but sometimes bad. I had to read along with the lyrics, but even then, some stuff was hard to understand.

All in all, I will give this a 4.5 out of 5. Not perfect, but pretty fucking great.

P.S. Eliot blog
BUY IT (Salinas Records)