Verse En Coma – Rialto

Here’s a full length version of my latest FACT review. I initially picked it up because I was ordering the Jesu/Battle Of Mice split from those fine people at Robotic Empire (surely that’s good for a freebie) and the blurb for this caught my eye. I have to admit to major ignorance on City Of Caterpillar (one of the bands from whose loins VEC has sprung), outside one song I downloaded and thought was great. I must get their one and only album. Anyway, Lea asked me to review something and, given that I had listened to this loads and the Jesu no times – I decided to review this little blighter.

Just a quick note on shipping. Too often does a label just plonk the whole shebang in a mailer and send it off without thinking. This more often than not (increasingly so given the burgeoning market of heavyweight records 180g+) results in your disc shuddering about in transit damaging your inner sleeve, and sometimes the outer case. Remember? Robotic Empire is a label that ships your record in the inner sleeve, outside the case, but within the plastic outer-wrap. The result was a record and sleeve(s) in perfect condition: this is grand not only because the label saw fit to include a CD of the recording in with the vinyl copy, but because everything I have bought bearing the brand of R.E. has looked absolutely lovely. Anyway, the review:

Verse En Coma – Rialto (Robotic Empire, 2008)

There was once a band from Boston (technically Methuen I think) called Cave In. They released an album, Jupiter, in late 2000, which was brilliant. Before that, though, they were merely very promising. They released an E.P., name of Creative Eclipses, which had one staggering song, some good ones and some experimentation.

I was all set to write a state-of-the-scene address for 2000, as I misguidedly thought this Verse En Coma E.P. was an old lost recording that never saw the light of day. It transpires Rialto is actually the new release of a band formed from the various ashes of PG.99, City Of Caterpillar and Malady, though the songs were written in 2005, the recording made in 2006 and mixed at the start of 2007. This is all quite odd, as I was rather more enamoured of it when it was from 2000.

Rialto really does sound like mid period Cave In, during that window in which the latter had stopped being Noisecore, and before they signed to RCA. That is a good thing to recall when it means strong vocal melodies (with a striking vocal-timbral similarity to Steve Brodsky, to boot) and those rather year 2000 high pitched guitar screes. You know the ones: Godspeed were big fans of using them to draw sweeping chalk lines over their violin-and-drum dust storm backdrops.

This is less of the twenty minute epics, and more about draping that aesthetic onto more traditional five minute skeletons. At times this search for the dramatic reminds of The Arcade Fire, but an abstract Arcade Fire that doesn’t actually sound like a Stars in Their Eyes contestant attempting to ‘be’ the Waterboys. But it does sound like a hidden gem that lay under rather more years of dust than it actually did: it’s a bit dated in a Garrison-on-Kranky sense, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

This review may appear to bear the sheen of negativity; it is with this in mind I clarify that the five songs on here are of high quality. Emotionally affecting in a way bands such as These Arms Are Snakes only occasionally are, Verse En Coma comes through repeat listens with flying colours. One only hopes a full length album is not as long in gestation; if so the quality here makes investigating related bands like Darkest Hour a tempting prospect.

***

They also took the time to answer a few questions, which was nice. Given the fact that there were references to Ryan, Brian, Kevin and Jonathan, I came to the conclusion it was guitarist Jeff Kane. So thanks Jeff! Whatever the identity, he answered questions about the genesis of the record, influences and taste. Sadly this info arrived too late for publication, so I reproduce some of it on this modest blog, hoping it is okay with the band.

‘For the most part the songs were written around the same time, in the Spring/Summer of 2005. 3 of us were previously in the band Malady….much of the Rialto EP is later Malady material that was never finished.

I think we did the initial drum tracks for the record in May or June of 2005 with Ryan Parrish. Myself and Kevin were in the band City of Caterpillar with Ryan from 2000-2003. We’d always loved playing with him but his schedule with Darkest Hour made it difficult to get much done.

We had known Brian Markham from our time living in Richmond, VA. We loved his vocals in his previous band You are the Drum and knew we wanted him to sing on the recording. He was living in Seattle at the time so we sent him rough mixes of the record and he began working on vocals. I dont think we actually got together and recorded vocals until around May 2006.’

He went on to mention he had not yet seen a physical copy of the record, which must have been frustrating considering (a) the time spent making the bally thing and (b) some idiot in northern England has it in his grubby mitts already. He went on to describe the difficulties in operating as a band whose members reside so far apart, and work in bands of varying commercial success:

‘We also knew that it would probably be impossible to be an active band with the people we chose to make the record with.

We still have hopes of someday touring and playing shows, but with everyones current life circumstances it is unlikely. In the past 3 Jonathan and I have had babies. Ryan is continuing to tour non stop with Darkest Hour. Brian is living in New York now playing in a band called Ancient Skies.’

Regarding my comparisons with turn of the century Cave In: ‘To my knowledge none of us are that into Cave In.’ Fair enough then.

I asked about a tour, because I reckon these songs would take on another dimension in the live arena, and they would fit perfectly in with the imminent These Arms Are Snakes/Russian Circles tour. ‘We dont have any plans to do touring anywhere’, I was told. ‘We have gotten more interest in Europe for doing tours than in the states. Our previous bands City of Caterpillar, Malady, Haram, Pg. 99 etc. always seemed to have a much better follwing in Europe…..dont know why that is. We’d love to go….we’ll try to make it happen.’

Fingers crossed! I’ll see what an idiot picking his nose in Leeds can do with no knowledge of tour logistics. It’d be a fun experiment. So watch this space for developments, both of the tour and seeing if the band manages to release anything else. Many thanks to Verse En Coma for taking the time to correspond with little ol’ me. Check ’em out!

Smack Dab in the Middle of the Blue

It’s a tad later than I had planned (wait til I post my Wimbledon thoughts, as the US Open is in its closing stages! Next week: my opinion on the Flight of the Navigator premier…), but I feel I have to say something about the second half of Usain Bolt‘s immaculate Olympics performance this summer. The experience was bitter-sweet; herein I shall tell you why.

Energised by Bolt’s 100m performance, I was intensely excited to see what he could achieve in a sprint over twice the distance. While his performances in the rounds leading up to the final were great without being eye-popping (he was even caught in one race), there was always the knowledge that the Jamaican had far more in him than what he had shown; just as in the 100m rounds.

So I set the Sky+ to record the Olympic programming and told all relevant colleagues that if they happened to see any news sites (local government workers, surfing the net? Heaven forfend), not to tell me. The day wore on and excitement built. Then I received an email from what can now only tenuously be referred to as a ‘friend’, informing me that ‘Usain has done it again’. I thanked her for this information, to which she retorted she was expecting me to watch it live on my iPhone*

Full disclosure for my dear reader: with nothing left to lose, I downloaded Flash 9 and got it watched. While I was immensely soured, no amount of spoilerage could fully eclipse the performance Bolt put on in this final. I don’t want to get too deep into analysis, as Michael Johnson put it perfectly well, but the facts are Bolt had a great start – which he didn’t in the 100, and he tried his hardest for the duration. I freely admit I underestimated his ability in that other post. Like Iain commented, Bolt winning gold was something of a foregone conclusion; the question of breaking the record was really something for which Usain currently lacked the answer.

Johnson theorised his recent focus on getting up to speed on the 100 would negatively affect his speed endurance. I wasn’t sure about that, as he seemed to have a surfeit of energy and adrenaline after winning his first gold. My issue with Bolt breaking Johnson’s record of 19.32 was the perception that it was a bridge too far. At risk of repeating myself, it is one thing to break ones own record; to improve on your personal best in a sprint by a third of a second is insanity. And that is just what he did.

I overlooked how much Bolt wanted to prove a point in the 200. I should have paid more attention to the pre-Olympic rumours that he was thinking about not entering the 100m competition purely so he could focus on the 200. (How ordinary would the 100 metre competition – and arguably the track and field programme – have been without the initial shock of that 9.69? Without looking: who would have been the current fastest man in the world? Exactly.) I freely admit to not being the biggest swimming fan in the world (childhood trauma), but I find the achievements of Bolt far more impressive than those of Phelps, awesome though the latter clearly were.

I’m still floored by those two performances (after those, the 4×100 really was a foregone conclusion). Michael Johnson – greatest pundit in the world – was admirable in his reaction to the loss of a record he surely thought would remain intact for a lifetime. Then again, as he said: ‘It’s not like I wake up every morning saying to myself “at least I have the 200m record”…’; when Jonathan Edwards challenged him on his own remarkable athletics record, the American wryly added ‘I still have another one anyway’. Interestingly, Johnson has actively encouraged Bolt to go for the 400 metre crown. And why not? He has shown he is the greatest ever at 100m and 200m. He has shown he can sprint for days. He has already taken one of Johnson’s records. I suppose the thinking is that if someone is to take that 400m record, Michael would rather it was a genuine phenomenon than some jabroni having a lucky day.

Part of me thinks it’s also a case of one-upmanship. Johnson had expressed his boredom at the pre-athletics segment of the Olympic games this year; Bolt gaining the 400m record would be another piece of evidence to cite in the abstract battle between Bolt and Phelps. Frankly, the differences in diet are enough for me. While pants were exploding worldwide at – ooh – just how much Phelps eats for breakfast, we had Usain professing to eat some chicken nuggets, have a nap, then some more nuggets before shattering the 100m record with ease.

Now there is your freak of nature. I think that’s all I have to say on this particular topic. Famous last words, I know.

* Side effect of having the iPhone: Able to check gmail at the touch of a button, it is also really impressive if you stick lossless music files on a 16gb model with, say, my new Audio-Technica headphones. However, while it is an immensely fun toy, spiteful non-owners get all sarcastic when it cannot do something. ‘No live streaming of broadcast telly on iPlayer? How shit’ etc.

Jaguar Love – Take Me to the Sea


Described to this writer as ‘Blood Brothers go emo’, Jaguar Love’s debut record is actually only ’emo’ in as much as Blood Brothers were: this is to say not very. Former ‘Brothers Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato are joined by erstwhile Pretty Girls Make Graves member Jay Clark in a multi-instrumentalist melange.

Many old fans will be turned off by what may seem ‘selling out’, the celebratory chaos of ‘Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck’ and ‘Trash Flavored Trash’ consigned to history in favour of largely normal (for them) rock songs. So, was the change warranted, or is this an attempt by the trio to grasp for that shiny brass ring?

Marmite-unmistakeable are the vocals of Whitney. While he still squeals and raves as only he seems able, this is occasionally tempered to suit the more traditional structures on Take Me To The Sea. At times he recalls last BB producer Guy Picciotto, fitting as Guy always seemed to present the more fiery side of the Fugazi vocal Yin and Yang.

The Jag Love approach to writing pays off well, actually a logical progression considering BB swansong Young Machetes was slightly further along the sobriety continuum than what immediately preceded. Opening track, and initial single, ‘Highways of Gold’ eases us in, establishing that this is less frenetic than, say, Crimes, but ensuring we know who is involved. The song rocks with an impressive solidity thanks to guitarist Votolato.

It is quite clear that hooks are the order of the day; repeat listening is rewarded (or cursed) by melodies that bounce around one’s cranium long after the record has finished. This practice is taken to its fullest extent on the ballad ‘Georgia’, which is presumably not an anti-Abkhaz piece. Satisfyingly lengthy, there are melody and changes aplenty on what could be a number 1 single in an alternate universe (where Boards Of Canada is the Beach Boys).

While some tracks rather meander, closing brace ‘The Man with the Plastic Suns’ and ‘My Organ Sounds Like…’ are possibly the strongest songs, distilling the quicksilver neo-prog of Mars Volta into far more manageable chunks. its forty-two minutes are the perfect length for the music, promising big things for the future while satiating present hunger.

***

Haven’t really listened to it since writing this review under duress. Good album though. I’d just like to mention my sadness at both the untimely end of Be Your Own PET and my inability to see them perform on their current, final, tour.

Speaking of final tours, I would like to mention the time I saw Blood Brothers. It was great, lots of energy for once. Both singers were pretty hot, too. Anyway, great show; felt like a party. Kind of had to end after that, as there weren’t many things they could do to top that level of performance and quality. It was therefore sad to see them go, but I was content. Unlike the BYOP split. That was out of order. And sorry for all the fragmented sentences.

Seriously, get it watched again. If you’re in the UK.

Then watch Michael Johnson’s reaction. Nearly as awesome.

I have now just about pulled my eyes away from Bolt for long enough to know who else medalled. I have also been looking at the history of the 100m record. I was just slightly young to have been gutted by Ben Johnson’s cheating (though I remember the race happening), but how upset must athletics fans have been at that time: a decade after that most controversial of races, and the record was only 9.84, compared to Johnson’s steroid-filled 9.79. The wait for Greene, then Powell, must have been agonising when millions had already watched a man run that fast.

How insane was it that, even though Johnson destroyed the field on that fateful day, once he was stripped, Carl Lewis’s relatively meagre 9.92 silver medal performance was still the new world record. Fast race.

And even though Bolt essentially walked to the finishing line of his 200m heat today, I still don’t see him breaking that magical 19.32. Mainly because he has said he would rather win than get a record. Increments, people.