a week in EPs day #5: land of talk - applause cheer boo hiss

i mean, after this and this, were you honestly expecting something else? i don't think it could be much clearer than land of talk is one of my new favorites, and that applause cheer boo hiss is one of the best albums i've heard this year (it was released last year, but i was slow getting on the wagon). i know i've dumped a lot of land of talk on you lately, but bear with me, and if you glossed over the last posts cuz you're not a fan, let me try and change your mind.

land of talk's sound is huge - much bigger than the three people in the band. that much is obvious at first blush, the captivating "speak to me bones," the album's first and most engaging track. what a hell of a way to introduce your sound - a long, distorted note, backed by a steady, sparse drum beat for eight measures, and then to introduce a new riff, under the old one, so that you would never think there was only one guitar player, who also does double duty as vocalist. lizzie powell fronts the trio, and is obviously the main creative force behind their sound and success. her voice is given a bit of echo in production, which definitely adds to its allure, but their powerful live shows prove that she can sing on her own two feet. her voice is husky without being sensual, raw and untrained - the depth of her range complements land of talk's heavy sound perfectly. powell's voice and lyrics are like a skinned knee - it's not deep enough to hurt, but you can still see the blood oozing through. the anxiety of her voice propels "speak to me bones" through all of its three-and-a-half minutes, and the deliberate abruptness of her guitar, coupled with the constantly resounding cymbals and accelerating tempo, increases the feeling of unease in the music. land of talk may be one of the few bands that presently, obviously traces its lineage back to grunge and riot grrl rock of the early 90s - everyone else seems in a big hurry to forget that time. even if applause cheer boo hiss is nothing else, however, it is proof that we all need some distortion in our lives.

after the pummeling onslaught of "speak to me bones," land of talk's bold foray into the collective consciousness, powell & co. turn the angst down a tad for "sea foam," probably the closet thing they have to a single (and that's stretching the concept). powell sagely advises her listeners not to drink when they're tired, and the music mimics the lethargy of her voice, but only for a moment. before the one minute mark, the rhythmic jitters are back, and the first evidence for harmonizing with it. i am always amazed when vocalists manage to sing and play guitar at the same time, and powell's instrumentation, both here and throughout the album, is so deft that her multi-tasking alone should induce admiration. she is an immensely talented guitarist and songwriter, writing compelling verses and equally commanding choruses, but my favorite parts of land of talk songs always seem to be the bridges. i don't know what it is, but their bridges are so fucking good, especially in "sea foam." it practically makes the whole song, the quick and flawless time and key change that transforms the song from a head-nodder into a hip-mover and foot-stomper - the best thing is, all of their bridges are this good.

land of talk's musical savvy and ingenuity alone would set them apart from many bands, so the quality of powell's delivery is like icing on the cake. as i said above, the tenor of her voice complements their dusky, nearly lo-fi sound extremely well, but songs like "summer special" and "all my friends" are even better because of powell's words, and the way she sings them. "summer special" has the lyric "look at those girls / so young so young / still piss their pants," which catches any casual listener's ear, delivered in powell's blase, matter-of-fact voice. "all my friends" on the other hand, has less out-and-out enjoyable lyrics, but it does have applause cheer boo hiss's sole curse - powell drops the f-bomb in every chorus. "all my friends" has a sweet-ass breakdown in the middle of the song that features some of the dirtiest guitar work on the whole album, and the slight distance in the vocal production makes the whole song sound rawer than the music alone would.

applause cheer boo hiss is seven songs long, which has led to it being called a "mini album," but i don't really buy into that. my definition of an EP is any musical work that isn't a single and is less than 30 minutes, and applause cheer boo hiss comes in just under the wire. like woman king, applause cheer boo hiss is more than a conventional EP, perhaps, though i would suggest that almost every EP i've reviewed this week falls into that category. land of talk's charisma is crystal clear on every song, and this is a case where more of the same is never a bad thing. "breaxxbaxx" and "magnetic hill" are the physical heart of the album, the fourth and fifth songs, the real aural meat. while both are excellent, neither is truly a standout - i'm trying to delicately describe these two songs because i don't want you to get the wrong impression. if this album was released this year, it would definitely be in my top list, despite the fact that i'm have trouble keeping "breaxxbaxx" and "magnetic hill" separate in my head. they are excellent songs, and whenever i listen to them, i enjoy them, but there isn't anything different between them and the rest of applause cheer boo hiss. powell's voice is just as rough around the edges and the music is just as distorted (and the bridges are just as good), but they are somewhat indistinguishable for me. it doesn't affect my overall appreciation for land of talk (obviously), but it's still tricky. my suggestion if you haven't heard them yet: go buy the album, and you decide. it's pretty fucking worth it.

land of talk - "sea foam," "all my friends" - buy applause cheer boo hiss here.

land of talk @ soundfix, 7/15/07

land of talk two times in two days! a dream come true. after hearing my fave new distortion rockers at citysol on saturday, i found out about their instore appearance at soundfix, so i hustled on over there to see them again (why not, eh?). though the sound was not so good this time around, one can't really complain - after all, the bar/soundfix lounge probably wasn't built for bands with the kind of big sound that LoT has. however, land of talk amazed and pleased me again, and i'm now doubly anxious for their full-length, which has no announced details yet (with all their touring, i doubt they've even hit the studio yet). the set was shorter than at citysol, with fewer "hits" (i.e. songs off applause cheer boo hiss, which fucking rocks) and more new songs. i was a little sad not to get another kick-ass rendition of "all my friends," but we got what i believe is a rare performance of "street wheels," in addition to "yuppie flu" and "young bridge," like the day previous. a special treat was the set closer, "death by fire," the b-side to their recently released 7", and guaranteed to be on their next album. unfortunately, my camera died just as "death by fire" started, so there are no movies of that to share, but i've uploaded a version from the lullabyes show for your listening pleasure. i did get some movies, which i'm in the process of uploading to my youtube account, and i've put "breaxxbaxx" below for your viewing pleasure. as always, your pleasure is our foremost concern, here at mammoth HQ.

i got a chance to talk (read: ask for autographs) from the band after the show, and i learned that the present drummer, eric, only joined LoT some three months ago, but that he's here to stay. for my part, i thought eric was an excellent drummer, and really led the band in being a little more relaxed and organic at the soundfix show, laughing and changing beats mid-song, mindful of the heat and the just-there-for-a-good-time crowd. both land of talk performances have been great, and i won't get tired of their music anytime soon.

land of talk - "death by fire." it's a live version, so there's some (understandable) dead air at the end of the track, but don't let that deter you.

land of talk - "breaxxbaxx." buy applause cheer boo hiss here.

citysol @ stuyvesant cove park, 7/14/07

first off, citysol itself was a really great time. it was a beautiful day (as o'death's greg jamie commented about three or four times) and solarone (the sponsoring organization) had set up some cool things. there was this really neat semi-enclosed food/beer space which seemed to be made solely of prefabricated wood pieces and zipties, an art exhibit (maybe?) with lots of white shirts flapping in the wind, lots of earth friendly retailers, including a lady who only made bicycle art that i wanted to buy but was too expensive, and an action booth where you could sign petitions and write letters to your assemblyperson about congestion pricing.

by the way, if you're reading this and it isn't july 16 yet, and you live in new york, please please please call your local representative and urge them to vote for congestion pricing. it is a super critical issue, especially for those of us who bike, and will bring a lot of needed tax dollars to new york, as well as cut out a lot of the smog. if you have an email address that ends with an .edu, you can sign up to read the new york times for free online, and read this article by ken livingstone, mayor of london, who imposed congestion pricing on an unwilling public some years ago, and now the measure is supported by over 2/3 of all londoners. here is a link to a photo of the flyer transportation alternatives is handing out, with all the benefits of congestion pricing, and the phone number of sheldon silver, speaker of the new york state assembly, is (212) 312-1420. i sincerely urge everyone to call him to urge him to vote for congestion pricing. thanks.

back to citysol. just a quick disclaimer - if you're looking for a les savy fav review, i can't help you. i arrived just as OCDJ was ending, so i can't tell you much about his set, except that he wore some strange muppet-esque mask over his face. but o'death - o'death was fucking awesome. i'd been waiting to see them again after the art brut show they opened, and they've only gotten better since then. frontman greg jamie told us they had just returned from europe (where one assumes they did fairly well), and they had a brand new bunch of stompers for us. now, i'll be honest - i haven't bought head home yet, but it's not because o'death doesn't kick ass - i think the production is really lousy, so i'll stick with seeing them live until their next album. as a result, i don't know most of the song titles, beyond what i've been able to glean from the hype machine. but names are neither here nor there, especially because you can hardly understand a word from greg jamie's lips. the songs are straight-up country stomp/appalachian death blues, and all of o'death looks the part, from drummer davd rb's wild eyed devil glare (especially with chain wrapped around his neck) to bassist newman's proudly displayed beer belly and armpit tattoo ("rats get fat while brave men die"). everyone has some bit of facial hair, and every one looks as if they could be carted into town to be hanged for some egregious offense when the sheriff comes to town. i was in west virginia once, when i was younger, and i was actually rather disappointed that all of its inhabitants didn't look one lick like o'death. maybe i was in the wrong (or right) part of town.
o'death's sound, so tame on the album, is blistering live. all five band members turn red in the face as they all yell into whatever microphone is nearby and kick their heels up in the middle of songs. a cup of whiskey was being passed around, which no doubt aided their performance. their entire set was outstanding. what was ostensibly their set closer, "nathaniel," started off as a slow dirge, jamie's vocals fleshed out by four riotous others bellowing sounds that weren't quite words, yet the song quickly sped up into a rampaging anthem that would not have sounded out of place in 1933 campfires, sung by men preparing to shoot it out with g-men. each and every o'death song is like having a bottle broken on your face, or feeling the white-hotness of a bullet in your side, or some human sacrificial ceremony, a raw, unblinking look at the grim actualities of life, where the first person to blinks loses. o'death is raw, desperate - they call their own sound "blackgrass" - the sound of men who have nothing to lose, singing about the things they've lost.

each time i've seen o'death, i've been struck by the simple, yet potent, d.i.y. punk aesthetic they proudly wear. greg jamie's guitar is 100% acoustic (you can see the mic cord running into it in the photo), fiddler bob pycior's bow was in tatters before the set ended, and drummer dave's kit consisted of a bass drum, two floor toms, a plastic bucket, and a ragged, jagged cymbal with pieces carved out of it. on more than one song, he used a chain to coax the right sounds out of his drums. greg jamie did not wear shoes at all during the set.

o'death's sound is one of carefully calculated anxiety - playing in minor keys; quick, nervous fiddle parts; arbitrary wails, as from a dying man, inserted in the middle of songs - the speed of their songs alone would create a deep feeling of unease in anyone, except that they are all so joyful in their performing. on songs like "adelita," they all stood up for a mid-song stompfest onstage, to bellow with equal parts of joy an sorrow for what has been and what could have been. the real set closer was an acapella rendition of a folk hymn, the name of which i (stupidly) neglected to write down. i know, shame on me. anyway, during said folk hymn, the four in the front - jamie, newman, pycior, and banjo/ukelele-ist gabe darling - dropped their instruments to caterwaul around the stage and belt out the lyrics at the top of their voices. however loud they were, it would not surprise me to learn that the only member of the band to lose his voice yesterday was davd rb, the drummer, who let out more than intermittent woops, as was most noticeable in "down to rest." o'death played one of the new songs from their daytrotter session (still untitled, as far as i know), and you can download all four songs here, and i would definitely recommend that you do.

in short, an o'death performance is not to be missed, no matter what. fortunately, they have some shows coming up, including an in-store at soundfix a week from today (the 22nd) and they're playing spiegeltent for the second year in a row on august 29. you can buy head home from ernest jennings here. there's also a video of "only daughter" below, and all of my videos from yesterday here.

the besnard lakes sucked. i don't like their music at all. what kind of band actually NEEDS three guitarists? also, it was like 4 times too loud. let's move on.

land of talk. good god, i've been waiting to see land of talk pretty much since brooklynvegan called applause cheer boo hiss, their 2006 ep, one of his favorites of the year. i just found out that they are playing soundfix later today (3pm), so i'm gonna put the pedal to the metal, so to speak, and kick the ass out of this post so i can make it down there.

land of talk fucking rocks. until i saw a video for "sea foam" they recorded for aol last week, i had no idea they were only three people - they sound much louder than that. they lived up to everything i had hoped for yesterday, and with only a seven song ep to their name, they played all my favorites (check the video for "all my friends" below and five (jeez) others at my youtube page). writing about land of talk reminds me that i may have spoken too soon in my built to spill post about the death of distortion, because land of talk has it in spades.

frontwoman/guitarist elizabeth powell masterminds every song, skillfully alternating between burrowing heavy chords and sharp individual notes, all while singing huskily into the mic. what sets land of talk apart from all the other canadian bands (seriously, they're like a plague!) is how fucking hard they rock (that, and they don't have 12-15 members). powell's voice is dynamic, able to sound entreating, commanding, naive, and ancient all at once. but in addition to powell's obvious singing/lyricist skills, she is quite the songwriter. no land of talk song is complete without jarring, frantic chords played against quick bursts of needled melodies, or off-tempo crashes followed by darting notes.
in addition to basically every song from applause cheer boo hiss, land of talk favored us with some new songs, which you can download at lullabyes. the new "some are lakes" was, as powell disclosed, was virtually written by her father, with the lyrics taken from a letter he had written to her mother. "yuppie flu" was another strong new one, as was "young bridges," a song about misheard lyrics. and speaking of misheard lyrics, i was able to clearly hear some in "speak to me bones" that had been mixing me up - a slight mistake, to confuse "stop spitting on girls you love" with "stop hitting on girls you love," especially because they're sung back-to-back, but i was pleased to hear the difference at last.

land of talk are studious performers, as is evinced from powell's fastidious tuning between each song, and it paid off. their energy was high and their personal enjoyment was obvious. powell seemed to go into a trance when she played, her eyes focused on some point in the distance, and when land of talk gathered in front of the drum kit during instrumental sections, she rarely turned towards the audience, but i don't think it's stage fright. it seems more like that miss powell gets into the zone when she plays, and nothing is going to take her away from that special place she goes to. land of talk's set was rock-solid, and i'm thrilled as fuck that i have another chance to see them today. i encourage you all to go out and see them (again) at soundfix at 3, and pick up a copy of applause cheer boo hiss while you're there. i bought my copy last night.

land of talk's sound is a descendant of dinosaur jr. or sleater-kinney, but powell adds a new level of dynamism that neither of those bands (love them as i do) have. land of talk are simply master songwriters who know their sound dynamics, the power of abrupt changes in sound levels, though they certainly know a thing or three about the importance of tempo and key versatility - in short, all the elements of songwriting that keeps music alive and fresh even after listening to it for month after month. having learned much from punk and grunge, land of talk has improved on it. their future will be bright, and, hopefully, i will be standing in the front of the crowd to see as much of it as possible.

buy applause cheer boo hiss, released by the rebel group, here.

o'death - "only daughter"


land of talk - "all my friends"