Sunday, August 19th, 2007
Sunday Cleaning – Volume 75
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Maserati / Inventions For The New Season (Temporary Residence)
It’s probably not a stretch to suggest that the members of Athens, Georgia’s Maserati are into cars. Beyond the band name, their new album could be the soundtrack for the car selection screen in Gran Turismo or whatever the gold standard is for video game console car racing titles is. It builds slowly but urgently, and when it finally explodes out of the pole position it leaves nothing but the tang of exhaust and a cloud of dust. At first listen you might want to lump them in with the instrumental post-rock herd but no other act has this much groove and propulsiveness under the hood. Thundering, psychedelic and hypnotic, Maserati is like their namesake – loud, fast and cooler than you. MP3: Maserati – “12/16” |
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Minus The Bear / Planet Of Ice (Suicide Squeeze)
I don’t know why but I was always under the impression that Seattle’s Minus The Bear were a heavily electronic sort of rock band. And to be sure, there’s definitely a technological sheen that pervades their third record but it’s still very much a guitar rock record in the Pinback vein. The similarities are mostly drawn from Jake Snider’s vocals and the combination of complex rhythms and proggish song structures without sacrificing pop accessiblity but Minus The Bear are less tense and skittery and lean more towards – but don’t quite reach – danceable territory while throwing in some classic rock moves for good measure. Some of the production/mixing touches make for cool ear candy but I couldn’t help feel a bit disappointed in how conventional it all sounded. The record is out on Tuesday and they will be at the Opera House on October 1. MP3: Minus The Bear – “Dr L’Ling” |
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8/19/07 2:40 pm
Agreed, Maserati most likely is louder, faster, and most importantly cooler than lots of things.
8/19/07 7:35 pm
Wow I really like this band Minus The Bear, going to try and get ticks to see them in October there.
8/20/07 1:16 pm
Minus the Bear emerged from the ashes of Botch. Being a Tacoma local, I’m crazy proud of those boys, and with each successive record they get closer to getting their due!
8/21/07 10:50 pm
the car motif continues as maserati joins up w austin garage punk trio iKiLLCaRS @ chicago’s empty bottle on sept 19. iKC’s broody rock picks up into a gritty almost pop-punk sound with tunes off their first EP, but then they hit you with a sonic coolness, that is both dark and swingy. they’re in the studio before they leave on tour with Chris "Frenchy" Smith, in his lair, The Bubble, home to a slew of great Austin recordings (Zykos, Faceless Werewolves) as well as a few national acts (Meat Puppets, Built to Spill).
Check out more iKiLLCaRS here — http://www.myspace.com/ikil…
8/22/07 7:57 pm
Go Maserati, these guys are awesome, some of the best music I’ve ever heard