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The Harry Heart Chrysalis is ready to spread its wings

9 Jan

The Harry Heart Chrysalis

Does anyone miss Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros? They have the perfect name, with a perfect background story. After “Home” was featured in a commercial, they rose in popularity, and I’m sure had some people (me) shaking their heads at a band name that reminds of an egotistical power rock band. Alex Ebert plays the part of Edward Sharpe, a Messiah character he created in a story he wrote while in rehab. Decidedly not about ego, but rather a rebirth, (or resurrection, if you will) of Ebert during a dark and troubling time. I really admire Ebert, and treasure one of his solo tracks, “Truth.” (The version featuring RZA is also great, if only for the incredible, half-hearted rap-singing RZA does toward the end of his verse.) I found a song sonically similar by The Harry Heart Chrysalis, rhythmic and lyrically rich, though “Ninety Six” has a much different message.

The guitars give us our first impression of “Ninety Six”. The strums are quick and even, and the mandolin-like riff bounces with frontman Harry Heart’s vocals. Ebert has a similar sing-song rhythm, punching the lyrics at the end of each line. Where Ebert’s “Truth” battles inner darkness, “Ninety Six” embraces raw sexuality and insecurity. (Check out the lyrics via the Bandcamp version of the track.) Their previous efforts tended to be lighter than “Ninety Six,” which suggests that The Harry Heart Chrysalis is prepared to give us deeper meanings and more fulfilling stories. And with a name as mysterious as “Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,” I think they will be well-received.

You can download “Ninety Six” for free via the embedded track above. Find more information about The Harry Heart Chrysalis on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

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Top Ten Albums of 2014 – #1: 0 by Low Roar

27 Dec

low roar

How many of you have bought an album this year? If you did, you probably bought it digitally. If not, there’s a solid possibility that you are instead a vinyl enthusiast (read: purist) and you got something on wax. But the chances of either (I won’t even bother talking about CDs) were slim. Slowly, the album is becoming less and less important, but I implore us all to reverse this trend. A well-constructed full length album is the holy grail, and Low Roar has delivered 2014’s best with 0.

Combining lyrics, sounds, and rhythms is simple enough that even a celebrity teen mom can do it. Doing it well is a whole ‘nother ballgame. There is a profound effect from 0 that hits from all sides, right from the start. The debut track, “Breathe In,” is a full seven minute, slow-burning epic, enrapturing from the very beginning. The length is important, mostly because it sets this album apart from the rest of the pack; too often do songs stop short before reaching their full potential. This is not to say that all of 0 requires your undivided attention to appreciate. Take “In the Morning,” which comes in under a minute and a half; it proves that emotion in a message can be palpable, no matter how long it takes to say it:

“I want you to know

I need you to know

I love so much more each morning.”

To read more on my opinion of 0, check out my review from earlier this year, and be sure to check back in with the Music Court for more Low Roar news in the coming weeks.

It is a shame that we have stopped listening to albums. Are we too lazy to give an hour of new sounds a chance? Ruminating on a compilation of one artist’s musings, in the order that they have carefully curated, makes us think critically about what it means to be a true artist. Unfortunately, as with the growing ease to create music, we have an epidemic of everyone being a critic, and dismissing new music from completely unknown artists as quickly as they will laud a new track whose claim to fame is not having any treble. Instead of allowing ourselves the opportunity to internalize something we’ve never heard before, we opt for something easier, something that we don’t need to think critically about. Music is too large a part of all of our lives to waste it on tunes that we’ve heard before, and that we don’t even really care about. If you care about nothing else from this truly disappointing year, care about Low Roar, and pick up a copy of 0 today.

Find more information on Low Roar via their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

Top 10 Albums of 2014 – #3: SCOTLAND by Ghost Cousin (INTERVIEW)

21 Dec

ghost cousin

I wrote about this album a few months ago, and as you could probably tell, I absolutely loved it. Now I’m here to recognize it for being one of the best albums of the year*. Instead of just rehashing all the praise I have already given it, I was able to interview the group in order to give us a little insight into Ghost Cousin.

SCOTLAND is out now; buy it on Bandcamp. For more information on Ghost Cousin, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud. Continue reading →

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Top 10 Albums of 2014 – #5: Tremors by SOHN

19 Dec

sohn

A poppier iteration of James Blake, SOHN stole my attention throughout the whole month of April when Tremors dropped. It endured all year, and now here it is, the fifth best album of the year. Because love lost is more than just painful, it’s poetry.

This album does not overwhelm. It remains steady and engaging, but somehow managed to take hold of all my senses as I listened to it. The vocals are soft and endearing, and the lyrics are polite and honest. For all the reasons that it shouldn’t be an album to bother listening to, it becomes an album not to miss.

The opening track, “Tempest,” displays his favorite mixing technique of layering cut melodies over one another to create a rhythm for the song to follow. He adds in gentle lyrics and a bass line, and even some drums make the song danceable. And then he strips it down again, just to enjoy the echoes in the background with the original rhythm. And the rest of the album follows. “The Wheel” makes it very clear that, although his lyrics can seem simple and cliché at times, they work with all the emotional levels of music behind it. “Bloodflows,”my favorite track on the record, gives the appeal of focusing on SOHN’s heartbreak with an average, even banal melody behind the vocals, then breaks my own heart with the riff halfway through the song.

Tremors is not an unexpected album but it pulls no punches. Like your favorite Radiohead album, you are unable to focus on anything but SOHN as the tracks wear on. A beautiful snapshot of the status quo, Tremors is one of 2014’s best albums.

Tremors is out now. For more information on SOHN, visit his website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Soundcloud.

Top 10 Albums of 2014 – #7: Photay by Photay

17 Dec

photay

What a year for Aphex Twin. Syro in its own right is an instant classic, making it onto many of these top ten lists that are going around. He also released a set of tracks that could easily have made up another double-album on his Soundcloud. I’m sure it took a load off, finally releasing material he had written and been working on since the 90s. Coincidentally (or serendipitously?), it was also a good year for longtime fan, Evan Shornstein. As well as probably celebrating new Aphex Twin, Shornstein, under the moniker Photay, celebrated his own (mini) album release.

The eponymous record begins with a detox. I found this ironic, because, rather than have signs of painful withdrawal, the track builds up and foreshadows what is ahead. Then I realized I wasn’t cleansing myself of the toxins of the music, I was using the music to cleanse myself. I let Seafloor lift me up during “Deconstruct”; the sassless horns were my scripture. The brass on the entire album is stunning, complementing the smart basslines and beats. I shuddered at the static tickling my eardrums. “Illusion of Seclusion” is the vinyl finale, promising a wondrous infinite unknown. But the digital bonus tracks won’t just leave it there.

The final three tracks are their own act, all part of the epilogue. It is the evening in a dusty town, where you can hear fun being had without you. You let your nostalgia warm you. (But the seclusion is an illusion.) You are invited inside to dance, and suddenly there are people around you, so many people. You had no idea this many people could even be near you, how many people are there? How small are we in comparison?

Photay (the mini album) is out now via Astro Nautico. (Photay is also a full length release available on his Bandcamp.) For more information on Photay, follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

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