The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 07, 2004, Page 7, Image 7
BY JORDAN REDMOND
THE GAMECOCK
UNEARTH - THE ONCOMING
STORM (METAL BLADE)
Chances are you know a fan of
the burgeoning metalcore scene.
Standard male fashion includes
tight black T-shirts, girl pants and
good hair. If this description rings
a bell, your friend is likely a fan of
Boston’s Unearth. Already one of
the most popular bands in the
genre, Unearth’s Metal Blade de
but (and second full-length album)
is hands down one of the finest
metalcore albums ever recorded.
What sets Unearth apart from its
contempo
raries is at
tention to
crafting in
telligent,
well-bal
anced songs.
The center
piece of
many metal
core songs is
the “break
down,” a bru
tally slow
passage of
the song that incites fist-throwing
and spin-kicking in the pit.
Unearth utilizes a breakdown like
none other, balancing it perfectly
within a song structure. “The
Oncoming Storm” is a monster
gathering in the distance, poised
to become one of the most appeal
ing heavy’ music albums in recent
memory.
THE ALBUM LEAF - IN A SAFE
PLACE(SUBPOP)
Jimmy LaValle is a man of
many talents. He was a founding
member of the spazzy, art-hard
core outfit The Locust and does
time playing bass in the melan
choly indie-rock band The Black
Heart Procession. The Album Leaf
is LaValle’s pet project, however,
and this record is the centerpiece
of his canon of work. Recorded in
Iceland at Mosfellsbaer Studio at
the invitation of Sigur Ros, “In A
Safe Place” echoes the wondrous,
otherworldly
landscape in
which it was
so delicately
crafted.
Songs like
“Thule” and
“On Your
Way” are the
sonic equiva
lent of sitting
by a cozy
fire, gazing
out the win
dow into a
seemingly endless, icy, moonlit
field. Luminescent keyboards,
cavernous guitars and glitchy
drum programming are aided by
cello, violin and even vocals on a
few tracks, a first for The Album
Leaf, provided by Pall Jenkins
(Black Heart Procession) and Jon
Thor Birgisson (Sigur Ros). This
is an album of astounding beauty
that will warm many hearts come
winter.
WILCO - A GHOST IS BORN
(NONESUCH)
Wilco is a band that gamers fa
natical support. As a part of the
seminal alt-country group Uncle
Tupelo, mastermind Jeff Tweedy
already had a built-in fan base, but
with every successive Wilco
record, the band’s sound has be
come increasingly experimental,
often appealing to the curious in
die-rock crowd. A little documen
tary called “I am Trying to Break
Your Heart” has also done well to
promote the uncompromising cre
ative vision of Tweedy. “A Ghost
is Born” is the band’s second ef
fort recorded by, and undeniably
influenced by, producer and
“fifth” Sonic Youth member Jim
O’Rourke. The result is easygoing
indie pop with a ghostly quality.
There is a heavy emphasis on pi
ano, often calling to mind Billy
Joel or Elton John. Where this
record fails is in the forced, un
necessary experimental noise
tracks doubtlessly urged on by
O’Rourke. Ignoring the awkward
ness created by needless studio
meandering, this album is a solid
but far-from-spectacular collection
of dark pop songs.
Wild. i a ghost is bin n
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
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www.palmettobargains.com
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