Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Motherfish #14- Once, Twice, Thrice a Lady

Album of the Week

Today’s review is up late because contrary to popular belief; I do have a level of responsibility as a student. Work got a little out of hand this last week, but don’t worry! You still get a great review today. Plus more. Science is a big part of my life. I’m very interested in quantum physics and current theories on the subject. I don’t understand most of the math, but that’s ok, it’s the concepts that I enjoy reading about anyway. Regardless, I like to try and keep updated on a lot of current research and science related news stories (read that as “I’m a huge geek with no life and no girlfriend”). Something that’s caught my eye is a proposed theory on a new model for the universe. It’s a donut. What? Ok, well this idea isn’t necessarily new, the article I read was from March 11, 2003. But that doesn’t make it any less interesting. The idea of a finite universe drastically alters the most widespread theory on the creation of the universe, the Big Bang Theory. The BBT is modeled after a spherical, ever expanding infinite space, whereas the evidence supporting the donut model suggests much more of a definite shape. The idea is that if you actually keep heading in a straight line, you’ll end up back where you started, and when we look out into space, we’re seeing what basically amounts to being surrounded by mirrors. What’s most exciting about this, to me at least, is that it lends some credence to String Theory; so far the best candidate science has for a unifying theory of everything. Way to go, Science! Keep making that juice! On to the music:



Yellow & Elephant by Eye Alaska

What we are looking at here today is a band where every member has a giant set of balls. Eye Alaska’s got a unique sound that simultaneously offers throwbacks to 70’s lovemaking jams and modern post-rock. Is that even possible? Obviously if I wrote it than it is. I never lie. Eye Alaska has a little celebrity power working for them, Chase Kensrue is on guitar, piano, and throws down some vocals. Kensrue… That name… Thrice? Yes, Chase is the younger brother of Thrice front man Dustin Kensrue. Don’t expect any of big bro’s throaty vocals or chugging drop B guitars. EA’s sound is much smoother, with all of the tracks featuring airy synths and often some strings or some horns. They create the perfect environment for lead vocalist Brandon Wronski’s almost theatrical tenor voice. The man can sing, that’s fer sure. The album is pretty piano heavy and because of the nature of the instruments used, many of which were electronic, it required a lot of post-production. A lot of people are adverse to what’s often called the ‘over-produced’ sound. You know, the kind of band that you KNOW sounded like garbage when they were recording because you’ve seen them live and they honestly sounded like a trash compactor full of bones made out of a combination of raw macaroni and screaming children. Or, something. Anyway, in the studio they slap some violins and random choirs in the background and BOOM BUST insta-success. That never works, but a lot of studios like to think it does apparently. Anway, Eye Alaska doesn’t sound like that at all, but if you have a propensity to shy away from highly digital music, then EA may not be for you.

Eye Alaska is currently in the studio recording the first full length, so what I’m working with right now is a five song EP chock full of glory. I really love EP’s because I love to be teased. It’s that feeling you get when you’re super hungry and you order Chinese food and while you wait you eat that tiny bit of chicken and broccoli in your fridge. You just want more, and you know it’s on its way. EA takes this to heart and serves up an EP full of songs which really get me excited to hear the band’s full length when it finally hits shelves sometime this year. I mean, the flipside is I could be setting myself up for another traumatic heartbreak when the album is released and it doesn’t meet the ridiculous expectations I blindly set way too high because I’m delusional and live in a fantasy world where every album I buy is exponentially better than the last. Wouldn’t that be great? No, because then I’d be wasting my time here. And your time. Sorry, I got distracted. If you haven’t figured it out, I believe Eye Alaska is headed in good direction with the words “POTENTIALLY AWESOME BAND” made of red balloons and boldly displayed above their tour bus. Even though there is that possibility of failure, I look at Yellow & Elephant as what EP’s should be, an introduction to the band. There isn’t too much variety on the album stylistically; pretty much the only thing they change between songs is the tempo. But Eye Alaska brings a unique style to the table so it doesn’t sound worn out or tired. You don’t mind that the songs are similar because they don’t really sound like anything else out there.



So that concludes today’s late post. The whole sciency thing at the beginning may or may not happen more often. Since I’ve only been posting here for a few months, I’m still playing around with a lot of different elements of the site. Some things turn out great, like the inclusion of the youtube song samples. Others, like me including something interesting about science I read as opposed to a random story at the beginning, may ultimately be the end of me. Who knows.


Speaking of youtube:

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