Bloody Knives at The Pedicab

There aren’t many options for listening to good music in San Antonio, so when I found out Bloody Knives were playing at a local jip joint in Southtown, I was “’bout it”.  Slammed some rum and coke, took a bit more for the road, then made myself as comfortable as possible in one of the smallest back seats in which my long legs have ever been crammed.

Newly outfitted with synth/samples guru Jim Moon, Bloody Knives’ co-founders Jake McCown and Preston Maddox shattered eardrums with their unapologetic rock that feels as much “shoegaze” as it does thrash.  Preston, the band’s towering frontman, whose innumerable curls whipped around his head as he unleashed a dizzying battery of notes per measure, punished his bass instrument throughout the set’s duration, trying desperately to rip it from its strap, slamming its strings against the black pickups.  The urgent way his fingers walked up and down the fretboard produced hectic melodies akin to the final frenzied seconds of any given level on NES’ Super Mario Bros.

Then there was Shoeless Jake McCown who tried to bust his drum heads and crack his cymbals during every song.  His driving tempo was so energetic that even the hodgepodge of b-boys in the back had to stop and listen.  In its entirety, Bloody’s set flowed smoothly with webs of atmospheric noise unifying each song, filling what are usually awkward silences for bands, or inappropriate opportunities to introduce each band member and the instrument that member plays.  Whether it was courtesy of groaning feedback from Preston’s bass, or diving knob turns from Jim’s table of gadgetry, the songs maintained a soaring, psychedelic-tinged theme that grabbed up the audience in a tight grip and only let go when Jake put his shoes back on.

Drop Nineteens – “Mayfield”

© Turlach MacDonagh 1992

Every now and then,
I like to remember when…
Favorite bands, and the
mem’ries they evoke.

Drop Nineteens are no exception.  And while they’re certainly “Remember when”-able, I decided to take things a step further with this under-rated Boston stand-out (albeit, largely in the UK) to give you more insight, and to leave you with a gift.

The quintet formed around the on-set of 1990 and was only visibly active in 1991 with their self-released full-length, Mayfield.  Initiated by former classmates, Greg Ackell (vocals, guitar) and Chris Roof (drums), Drop Nineteens rounded out their deeply layered sound with the addition of Paula Kelley (vocals, guitar), Steve Zimmerman (bass), and Motohiro Yasue (guitar).  They took their cues from bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Th’ Faith Healers, becoming one of few American bands of their era to do so.  As such, Drop Nineteens soon became highly visible to British press who were moved by two 8-track demos the band released; however, 19′s weren’t formally recognized on UK album charts until they signed with Caroline Records (Hut in the UK).

In 1992, the release of their second full-length – the first on Caroline – brought them slightly more fame.  Delaware, still a highly reputable album today, earned Drop Nineteens college radio airplay, positioned them on indie albums and singles charts, and ultimately became the last work the original lineup would compose together.  By their 1993 follow-up, National Coma, Kelley, Roof, and Yasue would leave along with much of the magic.  Although Drop Nineteens fans argue National‘s appeal, the album clearly lacks the allure of Delaware and Mayfield, which made the group such an indie forerunner.

You can still find Delaware in digital and CD formats online – and even check out this killer video for “Winona” – but Mayfield has become something of an indie treasure considering its DIY treatment and subsequent out-of-print status.  I found some badly dubbed YouTube videos of the album’s songs, but nothing to really call my own.

Until my research one day yielded a poor little blog that looked like it had seen better days.  Dubbed “Willfully Obscure”, the blog contained a Drop Nineteens post, a link to all Mayfield‘s lo-fi glory, and a complete track listing.  I will warn you in the same fashion as “Wilfully Obscure”, however:

“If [sic] helps to have an appreciation of Delaware before delving into this cassette-derived set…”

In other words, check out the video for “Winona” above first, or head over to Drop Nineteens’ Myspace page for some other tunes before immersing yourself in the gritty swirl of Mayfield.

Anne – “Mixtape One”

Several months ago, I wrote about a Portland, OR band called Anne that made Jim the indie expert express himself in a mildly coherent way by comparing the band to “My Bloody Valentine and Nickelback with a splash of Coldplay”.  Try as I might, I listened to the tracks over and over to see exactly where those influences existed within the songs, if at all, and just couldn’t wrap my mind around it (sorry, Anne, if you’re going for the MBV/Nickelback approach via Coldplay, but you’re failing miserably).

Anne is no MBV - not because their music lacks integrity, but because they’ve carved out a musical identity independent of MBV’s appeal – but on the bright side, they’re also no Nickelback or Coldplay (because their music doesn’t lack integrity).   At any rate, Anne have released more material that will likely make Jim return once more to share the depth of his musical knowledge with us.

This four-track mixtape, which they’ve simply called Mixtape One, is a follow-up to the demo tracks they previously released.  Still awash with ethereal guitars, Anne add synth, augmented song structures, and more prominent vocals to suggest a mature pop feel for this effort, kinda like they crafted the tracks with cinematic scenes in mind, although not in an empty-for-the-sake-of-commercialism kind of way.

Mixtape One glows with a fuzzy sparkle that takes understated, low-key songs and elevates them to wider consumption levels.  The compositions are, overall, lush, complementary, and well-developed.  Anne’s Mixtape picks up exactly where their 2010 demo, except for raw “Summer Babies” and “Punk Bike”, left off: smooth vocals, the ocean surf sound of buzzing guitars, and the warm personality of infectious drum beats.

Two of Mixtape‘s tracks stand out the most, “Stripping” and “Perfect Teeth”.  Indicative of West Coast charm, they lull like the pacifying glare of  sun-speckled wave tops swept over by the directionless flight of soaring, singing gulls.  Anne have recently signed on with ATX’s Withdrawal Records and plan to release a 7″ EP as well as a 7″ split with Memphis band American Gods.  Check out “Stripping” below or download Mixtape One for free.

…you thought you had more style than a quartet of British blokes?

Ride is a shoegazer favorite hailing from Oxford, England.  They formed in 1988 as innocently as any school-aged boy’s band until they caught the attention of Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records. The early 90′s brought the EPs Ride, Play, Fall, and Today Forever, which didn’t amass a lot of interest, but became crucial to the band’s early popularity.  Their first full-length, Nowhere, provided the momentum they needed, launching them onward to three acclaimed follow-ups, Going Blank Again, Carnival of Light, and Tarantula.

Ride definitively produced the ever-so-popular wall of sound indicative of the shoegaze community, becoming pioneers in the art of crafting the style that is still so highly-sought today.

Leave them all behind.