· THE HOST — RECEIVE
This Cincinnati four-piece became one of the “you gotta hear these guys” new bands of 2006, thanks to impressive live shows and song leaks on their MySpace page. The Host’s debut release, the five-song Receive, lives up to the hype. Featuring former members of Levelnine and Dropshadow (both of whom displayed a more far-reaching, imaginative take on Hard Rock than most of their local peers), The Host make sweeping, majestic Rock music with hints of Metal and Prog. Singer Chris Charlton has some pretty impressive pipes, guiding the band’s songs with a soaring, elastic voice that recalls Cedric Bixler of The Mars Volta, while the echoing, cascading sheets of Tim Kindberg’s Edge-like guitar-playing evokes the depth and ambient textures of groups like Deftones and Tool. The rhythm section is equally effective, providing a big and dynamic backdrop. The songs on Receive twist and crawl, avoiding rote verse/chorus/verse structuring for the most part to create something more engaging and stream-of-conscious. While inherently powerful, songs like “On to the May” and “She Came with the Frame” have a hypnotic magnetism, as riffs wash over your ears like crashing waves and Charlton’s voice sounds like a Siren, with its memorable, high-ceiling melodicism. “Red Smalltalk and the Lava Rose” follows a similar tact, but is infused with a tweaked verse section that takes an almost Ska-like rhythm and turns it inside out. Receive contains some really absorbing material that already seems fully-realized and, overall, it feels far from a first effort. I can’t wait to hear where they take it from here (I might not have to wait long; another EP is already in the works).
The Host hosts a CD release party Saturday at The Poison Room with guests Noctaluca, The Middle Fork and My Goodness Gracious. (thehostband.com) Grade: A
· NORUST — COAL TRAIN EP
Remember that TV show, James at 15, from the ’70s? Don’t worry if you don’t; it was pretty lame. Anyway, I only bring it up because, while listening to Coal Train by Northern Kentucky’s Norust, all I could think of was “My Morning Jacket at 15.” The band seems to have many of the same ’60/’70s Classic Rock influences as MMJ (Allmans, Skynyrd, Neil Young), but Norust still appear to be in the incubating stage, as none of the songs seem developed or solidified. The group often sounds like they’re still in the basement, fleshing the tunes out. There are sporadic moments of promise — some of the guitar work is creative and interesting and the vocals sound great until the singer pushes beyond his range (which is too often). “Took Too Long” encapsulates the best and worst of the band in one song there’s some sweltering dual guitar soloing at the end and more whispery vocals at the start. But then the meandering starts and the song rambles on near the 10-minute mark, sounding like an extended live version of “Simple Man” that you just want to end. The roots-rockin’ closer “Come On Home” is also promising, but the vocals fall distractingly out of key in parts. Overall, the recording seems rushed, which is fine if you’re just trying to get some ideas down on a demo. But as an official “release,” Coal Train feels sloppy and under-thought-out. Perhaps the band was trying to capture a “live feel” (to their credit, Norust is a pretty strong live entity). Coal Train goes to show that “warts and all” isn’t always the best thing when it comes to putting together a CD. Norust is the Southgate House’s Artist in Residency for January, playing the club’s Lounge stage every Wednesday this month. (norust.net) Grade: C-
· RUBY VILEOS — THE FALL OF THE MOTOR PEOPLE
Combine one of the best singers in the city with one of the most creative guitarists and one of the tightest rhythm sections. Add to that a general sense of off-kilter, eccentric creativity and, yeah, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to end up with something pretty spectacular. Thus has been the case with Indie faves Ruby Vileos over the years. With their first release since 2004’s long-player, This Is The Day, The Fall of the Motor People is a seven-song collection that showcases the best aspects of the band, from its more atmospheric side (the cavernous “99”) to up-tempo buzzsaw Pop (the almost Punk-spirited “Back Right Now”) to trippy experimentalism (the eerie, layered “a cappella” “Cat Fight”). Recorded in Virginia by ex-Sparklehorse/current Hotel Lights guitarist Alan Weatherhead, Motor People sounds amazing, with the spaciousness giving the songs a lot of room to breathe, bringing the band’s etherealness a bit more into focus. Whether abstract or direct, vocalist Ali Edwards cribs some of her best lyrics yet here; on “Monsters,” she chokingly sings of a derailed journey into motherhood with lines directed at a lost (or abandoned?) child, like “There is something I must tell you/But I don’t know who you are/I just know that you are out there/Waiting in the stars” and “I would have loved you/In every way.” The wistful “Cat’s Eyes” closes the disc out with fluid elegance, sounding like a Joshua Tree outtake, with its organic, muted rumble and chiming, reverberating guitars, before collapsing peacefully in a heap of backward tape noises. Motor People is a captivating EP, so rich and effervescent if feels like an LP. (<a
· THE HOST — RECEIVE
This Cincinnati four-piece became one of the “you gotta hear these guys” new bands of 2006, thanks to impressive live shows and song leaks on their MySpace page. The Host’s debut release, the five-song Receive, lives up to the hype. Featuring former members of Levelnine and Dropshadow (both of whom displayed a more far-reaching, imaginative take on Hard Rock than most of their local peers), The Host make sweeping, majestic Rock music with hints of Metal and Prog. Singer Chris Charlton has some pretty impressive pipes, guiding the band’s songs with a soaring, elastic voice that recalls Cedric Bixler of The Mars Volta, while the echoing, cascading sheets of Tim Kindberg’s Edge-like guitar-playing evokes the depth and ambient textures of groups like Deftones and Tool. The rhythm section is equally effective, providing a big and dynamic backdrop. The songs on Receive twist and crawl, avoiding rote verse/chorus/verse structuring for the most part to create something more engaging and stream-of-conscious. While inherently powerful, songs like “On to the May” and “She Came with the Frame” have a hypnotic magnetism, as riffs wash over your ears like crashing waves and Charlton’s voice sounds like a Siren, with its memorable, high-ceiling melodicism. “Red Smalltalk and the Lava Rose” follows a similar tact, but is infused with a tweaked verse section that takes an almost Ska-like rhythm and turns it inside out. Receive contains some really absorbing material that already seems fully-realized and, overall, it feels far from a first effort. I can’t wait to hear where they take it from here (I might not have to wait long; another EP is already in the works).
The Host hosts a CD release party Saturday at The Poison Room with guests Noctaluca, The Middle Fork and My Goodness Gracious. (thehostband.com) Grade: A
· NORUST — COAL TRAIN EP
Remember that TV show, James at 15, from the ’70s? Don’t worry if you don’t; it was pretty lame. Anyway, I only bring it up because, while listening to Coal Train by Northern Kentucky’s Norust, all I could think of was “My Morning Jacket at 15.” The band seems to have many of the same ’60/’70s Classic Rock influences as MMJ (Allmans, Skynyrd, Neil Young), but Norust still appear to be in the incubating stage, as none of the songs seem developed or solidified. The group often sounds like they’re still in the basement, fleshing the tunes out. There are sporadic moments of promise — some of the guitar work is creative and interesting and the vocals sound great until the singer pushes beyond his range (which is too often). “Took Too Long” encapsulates the best and worst of the band in one song there’s some sweltering dual guitar soloing at the end and more whispery vocals at the start. But then the meandering starts and the song rambles on near the 10-minute mark, sounding like an extended live version of “Simple Man” that you just want to end. The roots-rockin’ closer “Come On Home” is also promising, but the vocals fall distractingly out of key in parts. Overall, the recording seems rushed, which is fine if you’re just trying to get some ideas down on a demo. But as an official “release,” Coal Train feels sloppy and under-thought-out. Perhaps the band was trying to capture a “live feel” (to their credit, Norust is a pretty strong live entity). Coal Train goes to show that “warts and all” isn’t always the best thing when it comes to putting together a CD. Norust is the Southgate House’s Artist in Residency for January, playing the club’s Lounge stage every Wednesday this month. (norust.net) Grade: C-
· RUBY VILEOS — THE FALL OF THE MOTOR PEOPLE
Combine one of the best singers in the city with one of the most creative guitarists and one of the tightest rhythm sections. Add to that a general sense of off-kilter, eccentric creativity and, yeah, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to end up with something pretty spectacular. Thus has been the case with Indie faves Ruby Vileos over the years. With their first release since 2004’s long-player, This Is The Day, The Fall of the Motor People is a seven-song collection that showcases the best aspects of the band, from its more atmospheric side (the cavernous “99”) to up-tempo buzzsaw Pop (the almost Punk-spirited “Back Right Now”) to trippy experimentalism (the eerie, layered “a cappella” “Cat Fight”). Recorded in Virginia by ex-Sparklehorse/current Hotel Lights guitarist Alan Weatherhead, Motor People sounds amazing, with the spaciousness giving the songs a lot of room to breathe, bringing the band’s etherealness a bit more into focus. Whether abstract or direct, vocalist Ali Edwards cribs some of her best lyrics yet here; on “Monsters,” she chokingly sings of a derailed journey into motherhood with lines directed at a lost (or abandoned?) child, like “There is something I must tell you/But I don’t know who you are/I just know that you are out there/Waiting in the stars” and “I would have loved you/In every way.” The wistful “Cat’s Eyes” closes the disc out with fluid elegance, sounding like a Joshua Tree outtake, with its organic, muted rumble and chiming, reverberating guitars, before collapsing peacefully in a heap of backward tape noises. Motor People is a captivating EP, so rich and effervescent if feels like an LP. (rubyvileos.com) Grade: A
This article appears in Jan 10-16, 2007.
