Album Review: Animals as Leaders-The Joy of Motion

It's truly amazing to see how far Animals as Leaders has come in popularity since their formation in 2007. In an era where instrumental music is seemingly a niche genre, Animals as Leaders has picked up a large and rabid following that is only growing as time goes on. Their third full-length studio album, The Joy of Motion, continues to strengthen their reputation as instrumental music juggernauts.

The Joy of Motion is the next logical step for Animals as Leaders as a band. The music is rooted in the same blueprint that made their first two albums successful while also managing to expand their musical arsenal. The songwriting on The Joy of Motion marks a giant leap forward for the band. They've never written material that is this layered in the past. Guitarists Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes focused more on song structure here than simply just showing off their technical proficiency. The increased focus on melodies and atmosphere make the face-melting technical solowork on tracks such as "Mind-Spun" and "Physical Education" that much more satisfying. Numerous tracks on here including "Another Year", "Para Mexer" and "Air Chrysalis" never even enter flashy technical territory; relying completely on melodic passages to drive the songs. The more subdued songwriting exposes just how fantastic the band is at writing low-key, acoustic-driven sections to break up the meatier side of their sound. Abasi and Reyes also incorporate some Latin and jazz fusion influences into the fold; giving Animals as Leaders a new facet to make their music that much more expansive. Animals as Leaders have always been brilliant musicians, but the experimentation on The Joy of Motion has managed to bring them to the next level of musical excellence.

The production from Periphery guitarist Misha "Bulb" Mansoor gets the most of Animals as Leaders' sound. I was originally skeptical with Mansoor being behind the boards after the mediocre work he did on Animals as Leaders' debut record, but he does an excellent job here. The guitars sound crisp, the drums never get buried in the mix and the keyboards/electronics don't sound stiff like they did on Mansoor's previous collaboration with the band. Mansoor shows a lot more confidence and polish in his  style on The Joy of Motion than on any of his previous efforts as a producer. Animals as Leaders should only work exclusively with Mansoor in the future because they've never sounded clearer or tighter from a sound mix standpoint than on The Joy of Motion.

The Joy of Motion is without question the strongest material Animals as Leaders has crafted to-date. The music is simultaneously the heaviest, most experimental and well-rounded material of their career. They're no longer an act that exclusively centers around Abasi's virtuoso guitar talents; they have some absolutely gorgeous melodies and, are able to create a unique mood with every piece of music they write. The Joy of Motion sees a band that already had a boatload of talent get even better by adding more depth and variation to their sound. The Joy of Motion is a record that beckons for all instrumental acts currently out there to step their game up. Animals as Leaders are the undisputed kings of the genre and it's going to take a monumental effort to knock them off their throne.

4/5 Stars
 Standout Tracks
1.Mind-Spun
2.The Woven Web
3.Physical Education     

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #42

42. Alice in Chains-Black Gives Way to Blue (2009)

There was a lot of skepticism about how Alice in Chains would sound without Layne Staley at the helm. The band took their time to find a new vocalist and record new material after Staley died of a drug overdose in 2002. 14 years after releasing their last album with Staley, Black Gives Way to Blue saw the light of day, and blew away any expectations that were set for it. Black Gives Way to Blue wasn't just a competent Alice in Chains reboot without Staley; it was every bit as good as most of the material they recorded in their heyday. Even after a lengthy hiatus, guitarist/co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell didn't show any rust by composing an album that is chock full of the grunge-metal anthems and moving ballads the band became known for in the '90s. While Cantrell's songwriting was sharp as ever, the unsung hero of Black Gives Way to Blue is new lead vocalist William DuVall. DuVall had to live in the shadow of one of the greatest vocalists in the history of rock music and still managed to deliver the goods on this record. DuVall sounds eerily like Staley on a lot of these tracks ("Your Decision" and "A Looking in View" especially) while also bringing his own unique flair to the mix. DuVall does the damn near impossible by keeping this iconic band in top form after losing such a pivotal member to the group. Staley must be proud of what his bandmates were able to do with Black Gives Way to Blue. Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez kept Alice in Chains alive and well by picking the best possible replacement vocalist and not diverting from the type of music that made them iconic in the first place. Aside from Dirt, Black Gives Way to Blue is the most complete and satisfying record in Alice in Chains' discography.

 

Standout Tracks

1.Acid Bubble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adojS5sQNJw

2.A Looking in View http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD45VEDgST8

3.All Secrets Known http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0PnJq3Bitc  

50 Most Underrated Albums of the '2000s: #43

43.Municipal Waste-The Art of Partying (2007)

Virgina metal act Municipal Waste had already become a fixture in the underground scene when they released The Art of Partying in 2007. Their 2005 release, Hazardous Mutation, was met with acclaim from critics and audiences alike thanks to their punk-influenced take on the traditional thrash sound. Hazardous Mutation deserved all the praise that was bestowed upon it, but I felt like The Art of Partying was where Municipal Waste really hit their peak. The Art of Partying took all the chaotic energy from Hazardous Mutation and applied it to a concept record about you guessed it... partying. The result is a ridiculously catchy and intense record that's just an absolute blast to listen to. Its been seven years since The Art of Partying was released and it still manages to bring a big smile to my face every time I put it on.

Standout Tracks

1.Sadistic Magician http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdAAF1JcmXI

2.A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Destroyer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21UKaokV6oA

3.The Inebriator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGcreodvxw   

Concert Review: Protest the Hero-- Cambridge, MA-- April 5th, 2014

The Middle East in Cambridge, Massachusetts was treated to one of the best tour packages in recent history as Protest the Hero, Battlecross, The Safety Fire and Intervals rolled through town last night.

Intervals opened the evening. The band recently shed their instrumental tag by picking up Mike Semesky (formerly of The HAARP Machine) to handle vocal duties. While the transition from being an instrumental act to a traditional progressive metal act with vocals is daunting, Intervals handled it very well. Semesky's soothing vocal style fits the mold of Intervals' music perfectly. Despite the addition of vocals, the instrumentation is still the aspect of Intervals' music that stands out the most. Guitarist Aaron Marshall is a virtuoso talent with his ability to organically shift between intricate soloing, beautiful melodic passages and heavy grooves on a whim. Marshall is right up there with Animals as Leaders' Tosin Abasi and Revocation's David Davidson as one of the best guitarists in modern metal. Intervals was an impressive start to the evening and I expect them to absolutely explode in popularity over the next couple of years.

The Safety Fire was up next. Their newest release, Mouth of Swords, was a substantial improvement over their debut Grind the Ocean- which had some promising moments musically, but was dragged down by poor production and grating vocals. Just like their recent studio output, The Safety Fire have also come into their own with their live show. Their music is incredibly melodic for a young progressive metal act, making them standout amongst a lot of their peers who have more screaming and heavier guitars in their respective sounds. This melodic edge is especially interesting live as the subtle instrumentation really showcases the vocal ability of Sean McWeeney. McWeeney has a striking vocal range and is able to hit every single note he sings on the record in a live setting. The high notes on "Beware the Leopard (Jagwar)" seemed like they were nearly impossible to hit live, but McWeeney hit them with ease and held them for longer than on the studio version. The Safety Fire's music really hits the next level in a live environment. Between this performance and the stunning progress they made as musicians on Mouth of Swords, I can't wait to see what direction The Safety Fire goes in with their next release.

Battlecross was the next band up. They were kind of the odd man out at this show as they have a much more abrasive sound than the other bands on the bill. I don't know if it was because they were so different from the other bands on this tour or if the overwhelming heat of the venue had got to me, but Battlecross was monumentally better than the first two times I've seen them. From the second the intro to "Force Fed Lies" came in, the entire band was on a tear for the duration of their 40-minute set. Vocalist Kyle "Gumby" Gunther continues to improve as a vocalist each time I see them. With the relentless touring schedule Battlecross has, you would expect Gumby's vocals to suffer in the process, but the exact opposite has happened as he's become supremely confident in his style and delivers his vocals with much more finesse than when I first saw them a year ago on Mayhem Fest. The band also seems to really be in the zone with Shannon Lucas on drums. Lucas recorded the drums on their newest record War of Will  after longtime drummer Mike Kreger left the band in late 2012. The band has been using various touring drummers since starting the touring cycle for War of Will while they continue their search for a new permanent drummer, but no one has been more talented or had a better chemistry with the band than Lucas. I've been a huge fan of Lucas' playing since his days with All That Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder so I really hope Battlecross can lock him down as a permanent member. Battlecross is one of the most polished and energetic live acts I've ever seen and I really hope they start to get the recognition they deserve in the scene.

After a bit of a wait, Protest the Hero closed out the evening's festivities. I'd been waiting to see them headline for a number of years and they did not disappoint in the slightest. The entire band was able to match the mind-boggling technicality of their studio material live while vocalist Rody Walker was spot-on with both his clean singing and growling vocals. The setlist played heavily on their  "hits" (including "Sequoia Throne", "Blindfolds Aside" and "C'est La Vie") from their first three records Keizia, Fortress and Scurrilous. Their older material is very strong live and the way they sequenced the songs(especially in the second half) gave the set a very cohesive and natural flow.  While the music is excellent, the most entertaining aspect of a Protest the Hero's live shows is the between-song banter from Walker. Walker could have honestly had a career in comedy if music hadn't worked out. He is able to play off anything anyone in the crowd yells at him and turn into a bit of improvisational comedy gold. Gems from this show included a rant on how you couldn't be a real Star Trek fan if you liked the new films;  chastising some kid in the crowd for trying to have a conversation with him mid-song;  and of course, venting about how the Boston Bruins eliminated his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs with an improbable comeback victory in Game 7 after someone in the audience started a "Let's Go Bruins!" chant. The only thing that prevented this from being the best performance of the night was their failure to play any of the strongest material from their new album Volition and only playing a mere 50 minutes for a headlining set. Nitpicking complaints aside; Protest the Hero put on an excellent show and proved their place as the greatest Canadian entertainment export since Tom Green.   

Scores
Intervals 8/10
The Safety Fire 8.5/10
Battlecross 9.5/10
Protest the Hero 9/10

Setlists
Intervals:
Alchemy
Ephemeral
The Escape
Mata Hari
Automation
Moment Marauder

The Safety Fire:
Red Hatchet
Mouth of Swords
Huge Hammers
Beware the Leopard (Jagwar)
The Ghosts That Wait for Spring
Glass Crush

Battlecross:
Force Fed Lies
My Vaccine
Beast
Ghost Alive
Never Coming Back
Flesh & Bone
Get Over It
Kaleb
Push Pull Destroy

Protest the Hero:
Hair-Trigger
Underbite
Sequoia Throne
Clarity
A Life Embossed
Bury the Hatchet
Mist
Sex Tapes
The Dissentience
Blindfolds Aside
Bloodmeat
C'est La Vie

Quick Movie Reviews: Gravity, Bad Words and Divergent

Gravity: Well color me shocked; I actually really liked Gravity. None of Alfonso Cuaron's previous work had really clicked with me so I didn't really expect anything at all out of this and I ended up being very pleasantly surprised. The highly-touted visuals are truly breathtaking to behold and do a great job of helping set the film's bleak tone.  Gravity isn't just a mindless visual spectacle, it's a consistently tense and harrowing survival tale. Sandra Bullock delivers a sensational performance in what is essentially a one-woman show. Bullock perfectly conveys the bevy of emotions of someone who is left to find a way to survive all alone in the empty abyss of outer space. Out of all of the 2013 Best Picture nominees I've seen so far, Gravity is without question one of the best.
4/5 Stars

Bad Words: It's official, Bad Words is the feel-bad movie of 2014. Call me sick, but I honestly find it refreshing that a comedy has come out and stuck to its mean-spirited humor throughout. Even the obligatory "happy" ending has a morbid bite to it. Jason Bateman gives arguably the strongest performance of his career going against his typical nice guy formula as Guy Trillby; a 40 year-old jackass who finds a loophole in the rules and tries to win a spelling bee. Bateman is brilliantly matched by Kathryn Hahn as the bitter journalist/reluctant love interest that is sponsoring Trillby's endeavor to win the Spelling Bee and Rohan Chand, as a young loner contestant who ends up befriending Trillby. Bad Words is a quick, breezy and hilarious tale that is a must-see for fans of dark comedy.
4/5 Stars 

Divergent: In the cannon of young adult adaptions, Divergent is certainly one of the stronger ones. The film is never dull and does a good job of setting up the story arc (which is far too complex for me to explain in a brief review) for future installments. Above all, Divergent is a great platform to expose the talent of Shailene Woodley to the masses. She has absolutely shined in every film she's been in thus far and her work here as the heroine Tris is no exception. There are some intricacies within the story that are a bit confusing for non-readers of the book like myself, but they aren't so frequent that you ever become truly lost with what's going on. Divergent is a promising albeit not strikingly original start to the next major young adult dystopian franchise.
3.5/5 Stars

Movie Review: Noah

Director Darren Aronofsky has made a name for himself as a visionary over his 16-year career. From Requiem for a Dream to Black Swan, Aronofsky has developed an identity as one of the most visceral and unforgettable filmmakers of all-time. Aronofsky has brought his unique artistry to a tentpole film for the first time with Noah: a highly unconventional and sure to be polarizing take on the famous Biblical tale of Noah's Ark.

Aronofsky really puts his own stamp on Noah's Ark; which in turn has generated a lot of controversy amongst the religious crowd. The Bible may be a sacred book, but it's ultimately like any other book adaptation in which the film takes creative liberties and differs from the original text. As someone who's never read The Bible or been through religious education classes, I can't nitpick the details of the story. What I can say is that there is nothing presented in Noah that is condemning Christianity or portrays the characters as evil, godless people. Like every literary adaptation, if you're going in expecting every word and scene from the text to appear on-screen, you're going to leave the film with a lot of gripes about it.

My ignorance towards much of the details of the source material may be why I found Noah to be such a striking piece of work. The film grapples with themes of life, morality and redemption with staggering power. Aronofsky seamlessly weaves these deeper themes into the narrative of Noah's journey, giving the events of the film that much more of a purpose.

At its core, Noah is the examination of a man that has a daunting task placed on his shoulders. Noah is portrayed not as a godlike figure, but as a flawed man. The inner conflict Noah is facing is explored at great length as he wrestles between doing what God asked of him in "The Prophecy" and how he personally feels about every man but him being killed in The Great Flood in order to rid the world of sin and start over is fascinating to watch. Aronofsky's choice to portray Noah in a not-so-perfect light is refreshingly bold. It brings a certain level of humanity to a character that is viewed as such a flawless entity. A man tasked with saving humanity by cleansing a vast majority of the current population is no easy task and, something that all humans would have a hard time grappling with. Aronosky chooses to show Noah crack and question his loyalty to God and the vision that he has for humanity. By capturing the human element of the story, Aronofsky makes this so much more than just a religious-based film, it's a film that captures the complexities of mankind and the struggles that we face every single day of our lives.

Noah's power is driven home by a supremely talented cast that's in top-form across the board. Russell Crowe gives his best performance since his Academy Award-winning turn in Gladiator as Noah. Crowe lights up the screen with every single scene he's in making Noah a flawed hero that the audience can relate to. Emma Watson stands out amongst the supporting cast-which also includes Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Connelly- as Noah's stepdaughter Ila. Watson shows an incredible emotional range here that she hasn't shown in any of her previous work. Between this and her great work in The Perks of Being a Wallflower in 2012, Watson has shown the skills to achieve longevity in this business that many child stars lack.     

What Aronofsky is able to accomplish with Noah is truly remarkable. He is able to make a thought-provoking film that simultaneously celebrates faith and questions the content of The Bible. There is a lot to take in throughout Noah, but the film never really becomes overwhelming with all the dense ideas it presents. Regardless of your religious beliefs, Noah is a film that demands to be seen by all audiences. No matter how you feel about the film, you will leave the theater thinking and/or talking about it at length.

4/5 Stars  
 

April in Film

This April has a bit more of a early-summer feel to it with a few tentpole films on top of the typical mid-level fare that April spawns. Here are my thoughts on the entire crop of April's wide releases.

Films I want to see:
3.Transcendence (4/18): The concept of Transcendence is undeniably fascinating and mind-bending; which isn't much of a surprise for the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer Wally Pfster.  It's also good to see Johnny Depp leading a non-quirky vehicle for once and, Cillian Murphy finally re-appearing on the big screen.

2.Captain America: The Winter Soldier (4/4): The first Captain America was one of the most forgettable entries in all of Marvel's vast filmography. Despite my opinion on the first one, I'm still pretty excited about the new installment,  The Winter Solider. All the footage I've seen from it looks much better than its predecessor plus the early reception has been overwhelmingly positive.  

1.Draft Day (4/11): I'm probably the only moron that's super excited about Draft Day. I nerd out about the NFL Draft every single year so the fact that they're making a film centered around the drafting process is absolutely awesome news to me. The talented cast including Kevin Costner, Frank Langella, Jennifer Garner, Chadwick Boseman and Denis Leary only sweetens the deal.

Films I'm not sure on:
Oculus (4/11): Oculus doesn't look too out of the ordinary for a supernatural horror film with a concept involving a murderous deity haunting a home and a trailer loaded with cheap jump scares. That being said, the reception on the film festival circuit has been through the roof praising the film's creativity and eerie atmosphere. Hopefully Oculus can be like The Conjuring last year and actually live up to the hype surrounding it.

Rio 2 (4/11): The first Rio was actually a decent film, but the sequel really doesn't look all that great to me.

Brick Mansions (4/24): I'll probably end up seeing Brick Mansions because it's the last film Paul Walker completed before he passed away. The only reason this isn't a must see for me is because Luc Besson is responsible for the screenplay and, his current streak of writing poor films is a bit discouraging.

The Other Woman (4/24): I can not even begin to explain why The Other Woman doesn't look awful to me. I'm mildly ashamed of myself that I haven't written off seeing this yet. Damn you Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann for clouding my judgement with you're collective attractiveness!

The Quiet Ones (4/24): The Quiet Ones is another not-so-original looking horror film being released this month, but the really creepy atmosphere the trailer gives off could make it worth a watch.

Films I have zero interest in:
Heaven is For Real (4/16): Christian-based inspirational dramas just don't do for it me.

Bears (4/18): I'm sure if you love cute animal films, Bears will be a great time at the movies. I'm just not one of those people who enjoys these types of Disney animal documentaries.

A Haunted House 2 (4/18): The existence of this film just makes me sad because the first two Scary Movie films that the Wayans' brothers were behind were very funny. With the existence of the Haunted House films, I now know that Marlon Wayans was not responsible for a majority of the good gags in Scary Movie 1 or 2.