CD Review: Able Thought’S Serene in Limbo
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CD Review: Able Thought’s serene In Limbo Local one-man band Able Thought brings a dose of tranquility to the Providence music scene with his latest album, serene In Limbo. People like Andrew Bird and Kishi Bashi have made looping an art form and removed the need for a backing band to produce a full sound. Able Thought uses a loop pedal — I’m assuming — to create his own brand of atmospheric, low-fi folk. What’s striking on first-listen is the use of a nylon string classical guitar as a specific choice. Where folk musicians usually swear by the metal strings, Able Thought embraces the nylon, giving serene In Limbo a signature sound. The guitar playing sounds like a mix of fingerstyle and traditional picking that works well, especially in songs like “In Limbo” and “Places.” But the ambient quality that attracts people to this kind of music has a way of mashing the songs together and making it hard to differentiate one from the next. The level of manipulation makes me wonder if they’d be recognizable played with no effects. To be fair, this gripe is more of a comment on the musical style; I have been accused of not being able to enjoy “chill” music, but many artists these days seem to be drowning themselves in ever-increasing levels of reverb. Maybe the best way to describe the sound is by simply recalling the name of the album. You feel like you’re floating in limbo in some echo-y, open forest. With tons of reverb. Much of the lyrical content also works to give the album a detached feeling, like in “From Space:” “Breathe, breathe quickly, the air around us sings / fall, fall with me, to the ground and to our knees/ this world seems so empty, compared to what this means.” The abstract language, though sometimes hard to hear over all of the studio tinkering, falls into place with the trance-like sounds. For me, serene In Limbo (along with Able Thought’s influences Bon Iver and Youth Lagoon) is something you’ve really got to be in the mood for. But when you want to relax and avoid the 2-4 backbeat of whatever’s hot, sometimes it’s nice to listen to something that isn’t loaded with hooks. And even though the album didn’t blow me away, it’s pretty impressive that this guy can probably recreate all this live without much trouble. You can pick up Able Thought’s serene In Limbo locally. Or check out the band’s website. Album of the Week: Cotillon It’s a new year and 2015 already has a bunch of exciting new releases due out, including the debut full-length from Los Angeles fuzz pop act Cotillon. The moniker of singer-songwriter Jordan Corso, the new album has a cool mix of garage rock and Beatles-style pop with hints of different dimensions on each track. Overall, Cotillon’s debut absolutely rocks with jazzy horns, steady beats and a lo-fi sound, and a Lou Reed-esque charm that’ll hook you like a fish on a line. One crazy thing about this album is that it was tracked at East West Studio 3 in LA, which fans might know as the place where The Beach Boys recorded their landmark album Pet Sounds. The vintage tones from Cotillon’s album show the production quality doesn’t fall far from the proverbial tree. No wonder why it’s being released on the underground indie rock label Burger Records — there’s a distinct vibe that mirrors The Velvets. It’s weird, mellow and emphatic at the same time — hard-hitting while making your ears feel that they’re being seduced by a feather. So far this year an artist decided to make dentures that look like David Bowie’s teeth that you can buy for $15,000. Looks like we haven’t wasted much time continuing the craziness of 2014. To take a break from the sickeningly entertaining madness, check out the top tracks from my Album Of The Week. Will it get weird enough for you? Let’s hope so. One track that really gets me is “Infection.” A mix between the early material of Guided By Voices and Jay Reatard, this is the most danceable song off of the album. Another groovy one is “Call Me Up.” This has those horns in it that complete the chorus brilliantly. Starting it off with a classic rock style riff that reminds me of The Allman Brothers’ “Melissa,” “Holding You Back” is a lovely number that will have your heart swooning. Cotillon will perform at Noise Pop 2015 at the Great American Music Hall in San Fransisco on Feb 25, but let’s hope Jordan and his band hit up New England to do a show here soon. Until then, grab a copy of Cotillon’s debut when it comes out on Jan 26. It’s a rad record that you shouldn’t ignore. Cotillon’s BandCamp: cotillon.bandcamp.com Slipknot and Korn at Mohegan Sun – Prepare for Hell Tour On Dec 5, heavy metal titans Slipknot brought their “Prepare for Hell” tour to Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegan Sun Arena with nu-metal veterans Korn. Slipknot has been around for 19 years (actively touring for 15) and Korn for 21 years. Two bands with that sort of longevity drew a packed arena full of a few different generations of fans. Korn had just about a 50-minute set, packed mostly with their older hits like “Freak on a Leash,” “Shoots and Ladders,” “Got The Life,” and their first breakthrough single “Blind.” The crowd was electric from the moment the intro tape started rolling, and stayed that way until after Jonathan Davis thanked the crowd after the last song. Being around for a couple decades and maintaining almost as big of a following as your heyday is pretty awesome, and being a huge Korn fan myself, I was pretty excited to see these guys for the second time this year. They surely did not disappoint, and having Brian “Head” Welch back in the band after an almost 7-year absence was great to see. They seem a lot more like the old band from the early years, stepping back from the recent dubstep metal hybrid mumbo jumbo they put out during Head’s absence. If you missed them on this tour, be sure to keep an eye open for the next time they come around. Touring to promote their new album .5 : The Gray Chapter, Slipknot took to the stage at just about 9;30, with an overly anxious crowd waiting for the curtain to rise, flooding the arena with “SLIPKNOT!” chants. As the intro tape played (also the intro track “XIX” from the new album), the crowd shook the roof of the arena with cheers and singing along to the chant-like lyrics of the intro. Then “Sarcastrophe,” another new song, began with Jim Root playing a clean, almost mellow intro on guitar. Then some light tom rolls from the drummer, and the curtain began to rise. The song then exploded with Mick Thomson striking some seriously powerful chords to get the crowd going. As frontman Corey Taylor stepped to the front of the stage, I couldn’t tell what was louder — the music or the crowd. This band has some of the greatest set openings I have ever seen. This tour is also a proving ground for two new members on drums and bass, yet to be officially named, but believed to be Alessandro Venturella on bass, and Jay Weinberg (son of Max Weinberg of the Bruce Springsteen E-Street band) on drums. From what I saw, they definitely held their own, and there seems to be chemistry with the other guys on stage, which is a good sign. Slipknot played for well over an hour, and didn’t lose the crowd at any point in the show. The sound was on point, the members were on point, and they were entertaining as well. With a great stage setup, much like a carnival, and plenty of pyrotechnics, this was one of those full package concert experiences. With four songs from the new album and the rest being songs from every single other album in their catalog, there was something for every maggot (nickname for Slipknot fans), old and new. Corey Taylor was certainly impressed with the crowd that night, stating that he isn’t easily impressed, but we managed to do it. Truly grateful for the fans, Corey made that known as well. It’s great to see that kind of connection between musician and fan this day in age, where many other musicians in this and other genres seem to lose sight of who makes them who they are and supports them. For nine guys in weird or creepy masks, they’re pretty humble and appreciative. I highly suggest giving Slipknot a look next time they come around and picking up their new album, which is a hybrid of their first three studio albums. It also debuted at number 1 on Billboard, and got them yet another Grammy nomination, so if those aren’t enough good reasons to buy it, then I don’t know what would be. Great band, great new album, and hopefully, more great shows to come. Top 10 Providence Shows of 2014 Every year in Providence, there are plenty of unforgettable shows that’ll leave you in a state of astonishment and bliss. Nights of excitement and energy that seem to never leave you.