Regarding Reviews for "One Wing" by The Chariot

    One of the most consistent accolades that I have read about The Chariots fantastic new album One Wing is something along the lines of " For the first time in its nine years as a band, The Chariot has finally released an album that matches the chaotic nature of its live show ". That's the first line from Drew Beringner's review of the album on Absolutepunk.net. While for the most part I agree with his positive review of the album, his, and many others assertion that this album finally captures the chaos of their live shows is confusing to me. From my point of view, if you think any of the albums that the band has released since their debut hasn't matched the reckless, live intensity the band is so intricately linked to, then you haven't been paying attention.
     The first time I saw The Chariot was September 13th 2005 at Alley Katz (now Kingdom) in Richmond, VA.  They played with The Red Chord, High on Fire, and Every Time I Die (weird). I went with a buddy of mine who I was in college with who was excited to see Josh Scogin's post-Norma Jean project live. He'd let me burn a copy of "Every thing is alive...", an album that I still to this day haven't listened to very much.
It was only my second time seeing Every Time I Die (the first time being a little over a year before at the very same venue). I was still relatively new to heavy music, especially concerts at the point, but I remember having the same experience while watching The Chariot unleash their now trademark madness in the small venue. There was something that I wasn't getting. As I watched the band shuffle and swing like creatures attempting to escape their puny human flesh-sacks, I realized that there was something going on with this band that I currently did not have the capacity to appreciate. Flash forward...
      Having seen The Chariot numerous times to date, I credit their abrasive and unrelenting sound with propelling me further down the rabbit hole of heavy music. Over the years I grew more and more fond of The Chariot for their recorded music, and not just for their live performances. Maybe it's because I saw them live before I ever really listened to their albums, but I've always been able to establish a very clear connection between the intentional chaos of their recorded music and their live shows.
Though One Wing certainly features more stylistic changes, the unassuming shifts in their albums have always mirrored the unapologetic, staccato bursts of passion and energy that make them so entertaining to watch live; not to mention, the shifts in "One Wing" often find the band employing fairly unexplored, and softer (though certainly not unwelcomed) sounds. Sure the "Atlanta" at the 1:40 mark in "and" takes you by surprise, but is it anymore surprising than the longer sample in "Calvin Makenzie" from Long Live? Does the sludgy groove of "Tongues" make you more afraid that Stephen Harrison is going explode through your speakers and play the riff from on top of your head than the swirling, and swelling, and ultimately exploding intro to The Fiance's opening track "Back to Back"? Not for me.
      Lest it seem like I'm trying to downplay the quality of One Wing, I assure you that is far from my goal. It's probably my favorite of their albums. They've managed to create a rabid following by releasing albums that while good, are best seen in a live setting; a difficult task for any band in any style of music. One Wing holds the distinction among The Chariot records of being the most musically fleshed out, dare I say the most easily accessible and most easy to listen to. Is that a criticism? Absolutely not. Is it a condemnation? Hell no. If anything this just proves that Scogin and company have been holding back from us. Rewarding long time fans with an album that showcases the bands versatility, and creativity, while opening the door to an entirely new crowd of folks who have yet to experience (and it IS an experience) The Chariot.
     When I last saw The Chariot live a couple of months ago, Scogin told the crowd mid-set "People call us The Chariot, we just call it freedom.", and with the release of One Wing that's certainly never been more true.

I've never posted anything on this blog about filesharing, downloading, or any other method of less-than-legal music obtainment. While I may have pointed the way to a leaked album or two, it's always followed up with a recommendation to purchase the album if it's something that the downloader enjoys.
However, this post by UGA professor David Lowery is too good not to talk about. It's an open letter to Emily White of NPR, correctly calling into question her, as well as an entire new generation of music "fans". The link to the article is here. Thanks to Absolutepunk.net for the tip.

Who is Bonny Bear?

More somber than I normally like my Friday tunes to be, but this is too good to be missed. Thanks to Absolute Punk for the heads up.

More New Meshuggah!

I like this one a lot more than the first track they released. More analysis after a couple of spins.

This Makes Me Unspeakably Happy

I Want to Watch Emmure Suck its Dick...

It of course referring to this new Meshuggah track! And of course the dick sucking referring to this.

iamaleak by gregoriev_suckalotsky

Not the best thing Meshuggah has ever done, but to fret about such a thing would to forget that it's fucking Meshuggah. 

This only makes me want to hear more. 

I Interviewed Legs from Every Time I Die Today...

Much more on this later...

Footage From That He Is Legend Show I Could Have Gone Too...

As it does in these days, footage has emerged from one of the two He Is Legend shows that took place recently in North Carolina. I had plans to go to the show in Chapel Hill last Friday, but after I learned that the showtime was 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m, that there was no way I could reserve tickets, and I had waited too long to try and crash on a friend's (who has a totally rad nu-grass band by the way) couch, I decided against going.

Now I kind of feel like an idiot...



I'm so glad the dudes are back.

Averman Announce Studio Time and Show's

Averman's facebook page was alight with information about recording time booked in Hampton, VA and a show at The Jewish Mother with Hostage Calm and I am the Avalanche.

Oh, You're A Fan of Playlists Are You?

So check it out. Scott Vener was the music supervisor on Entourage, How to Make it in America, and the new 90210. Now I'm not a fan of two of those shows, but if you've watched any of those shows, then your most likely in agreement with me that the music is usually pretty outstanding.  Vener (AKA Broke Mogul) has created a Share My Playlist filled with 528 tracks.
Say what you want to about the shows, but anyone who puts Commodores, Tom Tom Club, Massive Attack, Bright Eyes, and UGK on one playlist can be my friend.  Not to mention all the artists that you have yet to discover thrown into the mix. It plays through Spotify and Rdio, and will be running through my speakers the rest of the afternoon. Do yourself a favor and check it out here.

This Could Seriously Make Your Day

Just in Case you Forgot...

The Devil Wears Prada, Every Time I Die, Letlive., Oh, Sleeper month long tour

Man...


Every Time I Die are not fucking around with this years tour circuit. After announcing late last night / early this morning that they'll be on tour with the aforementioned bands, it appears that with warped, and their run with Stray From the Path, they're booked till late August. 
I guess they're having to cancel their one German tour date in Hanover...sorry Germans....
While I've never really gotten into The Devil Wears Prada, and I honestly have a hard to believing that Oh, Sleeper are still around; Letlive. is a seriously awesome band that is worth checking out. I've been giving a decent amount (though not enough) of spins to Fake History and have been really impressed with how they manage to sound original in todays over-saturated, blended-to-a-fault-perhaps-more-often-than-not world of heavy music. Thanks to Absolutepunk for the heads up on the tour. Dates and videos for ETID and Letlive. below!
 3/9 @ The Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL
3/10 @ The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
3/11 @ People's Court - Des Moines, IA
3/14 @ Knitting Factory Concert House - Reno, NV
3/15 @ Hard Rock Cafe - Las Vegas, NV
3/16 @ The Glass House - Pomona, CA
3/17 @ Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
3/18 @ TOP DECK - Farmington, NM
3/20 @ Emo's East - Austin, TX
3/21 @ Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK
3/23 @ Rocketown - Nashville, TN
3/24 @ House of Blues - North Myrtle Beach, SC
3/25 @ Lincoln Theater - Raleigh, NC
3/27 @ The Norva - Norfolk, VA
3/28 @ Crocodile Rock - Allentown, PA
3/30 @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel - Providence, RI
3/31 @ The Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY
4/1 @ Egyptian Room, Murat Center - Indianapolis, IN