Category: Albums & EPs

PERFORMER MAGAZINE – Record Review: Sentinel, For Days Deep


Sentinel | ReverbNation | MySpace

Check out my Performer review for Sentinel’s previous album, Kites Without Strings, here.

RECORD REVIEW: Sentinel
For Days Deep
By: Keane Li

Oakland dream pop quartet Sentinel’s For Days Deep marks the band’s fifth release since forming in 2001. Evolving with unexpected line-up changes within the past year, the band was forced to deconstruct, reevaluate, and ultimately rebuild their sound from the bottom up. While their previous release, Kites Without Strings is varied and eclectic in comparison, like a series of different ideas connected, For Days Deep offers a matured conciseness and a crisp quality that adds clarity to their already very warm sound. Says vocalist and bassist Tarabud, “We progressed as a band by being open to much more experimentation and raw moods; spending many afternoons tinkering through ideas over and over again, allowing space for those happy mistakes.”

The album opens with “Kinda Light Up,” quickly exhibiting Sentinel’s pulsating guitar and lush vocal harmonic qualities. The trademark Sentinel echo and reverb are there, creating a wistful soundscape consistent with their dreamlike sound. Within their robust ocean of audio are a few particularly remarkable moments: the strong guitar riff in “Finale,” reminiscent of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name,” provides a very catchy push forward for the song; and on “As the Crow Flies,” a strong chorus melody dramatically dips down into the crux of its lyrics. “I know the breeze of your stormy seas,” sings Tarabud before the song re-enters another driving verse. As a whole, the pop sensibilities in For Days Deep – the quick emergence of verses and danceable rhythms – make the record easily digestible and readily enjoyable for a wide variety of listeners. (Self-released)

(link to review…)

PERFORMER MAGAZINE – Tasso – Gower


Tasso | MySpace

Tasso – Gower
Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Cat Tasso
Engineered & mixed by Manny Nieto at Manny Nieto Studio
Mastered by Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering

Tasso’s debut EP, Gower, marks frontwoman Cat Tasso’s departure from her previous band, the May Fire. The Chilean guitarist and vocalist, now based in L.A., presents a polished rock EP with the assistance of studio engineer Manny Nieto, known for his work with the Breeders and Darker My Love. Teamed with drummer Franky Martinez, the duo effectively creates a large atmosphere of sound. The result is a collection of controlled freneticism, a display of raw and emotive rock anthems.

Gower opens with Tasso’s robust single, “Don’t Love Me (I Never Will).” Her conversational lyrics work well with the thrashing instrumentation, indicative of the track’s rebellious tone. The song’s steady, pounding rhythm appropriately mimics a beating heart as Tasso sings about a relationship where love is absent. On “Shine,” Tasso introduces vocal harmonies, adding an additional layer of depth from their previous track. Guitar and drums dance around one another in a form reminiscent of the White Stripes or Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s unapologetically rock – rough and ready. The passion and fury from the drums, in both Tasso’s recorded work and live performances, can be easily heard on this track. Martinez offers a hard-hitting quality that reverberates with a tight timbre. “Wish I Could Stay” offers a strikingly gentle transition from Tasso’s previous tracks. As the title suggests, the song fits the tone of a lullaby, a bittersweet and quiet conclusion to an otherwise ruckus night. The EP concludes with “Gloomy Days,” a track that exhibits both the volatility and slow shuffle of a stormy day. Solemn vocals sweep across syncopated beats in the verse, leading to a saturated and very harmonic chorus. It’s a haunting end to a heartfelt audio journey.

As a multi-textural expression of emotion, songs often become simplified and more conciseduring the developmental career of an artist. This is evident on Gower, as Tasso’s long experience rocking from clubs to stereos across multiple Americas has led her to create music as raw and chaotically refined as life itself. (self-released)

– Keane Li (more…)

Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree / Finding Neverland…


Goldfrapp | MySpace

I recently picked up the special edition release of Goldfrapp’s Seventh Tree. Unlike their other albums, Seventh Tree utilizes more organic, gentle instrumentation, a foray from their previous disco synth-pop endeavors. It’s really the perfect blend of wistfulness and ambience. While several tracks are jovial and bouncy, fans of their previous releases may need some getting used to. It’s more Bowie and Beatles than Madonna or Minogue. Anyway, I love it.

One of my favorite tracks, “Happiness,” comes into my life conveniently as I find myself playing psychologist to a few of my friends. I’m brought back to the days when I was sorting my own mental innards… back when I feel I came upon the secret to true happiness.

A few months ago, a good friend of mine asked me to write an essay on happiness for a book she was publishing. I was in Vancouver at the time and had plenty of time to reflect, so I wrote what I felt to be a good summation of the most important lesson I ever learned. I don’t want to give away the whole essay before it’s published, so here’s a key quotation:

I try my best to discard inaccurate visions of the future and exist in the present. No one knows what will happen, after all. All I can do is stay open for anything. I just have a pretty good feeling about things. That’s what happiness is, I think. It’s high hopes and no expectations…

It’s a blue, bright blue Saturday.

Festizio Acoustic Demo from 2007

I just found the last copy of an unreleased acoustic demo I recorded in 2007. I made a few copies and shared it with some friends, folks at the local coffeehouse and my mom. It’s all acoustic and includes three tracks. The first song was only performed once. The last song you may recognize if you’ve ever seen us play or own our studio album. The second song I can guarantee you’ve never heard before.

1.) Today
2.) Til Lights Send Me Home
3.) Beautiful

Let me know what you think in the comments.

Festizio in the New Issue of Performer Magazine (Twice!)


http://www.performermag.com
http://www.myspace.com/westcoastperformer

Two mentions and listed on the front cover! Not too shabby for our debut in a nationally distributed magazine. Even better, our album appears next to our good friend, Mikie Lee Prasad, a great local musician who we both know and love. The amp review below even features Dangermaker, a band we’ve performed twice with already. The mentioned show was our most recent at San Francisco’s Grant & Green Saloon in North Beach. And yes, that’s a picture of me next to the amp :)

Download a digital copy of the magazine.

Disclaimer: Although I write for Performer Magazine, I had no influence over our album review and our inclusion in the gear review was by request of the National Editor to test the practical usability of the amps.

Paolo Nutini – "New Shoes" / Revisiting the past through pictures of old shoes…


www.paolonutini.com
www.myspace.com/paolonutini

I’ve enjoyed Paolo Nutini’s 2006 debut, These Streets for some time now but only recently felt compelled to write an entry on it. Overall, a fantastic set of songs, it’s gotten me through many an introspective day with bittersweet tracks like, “Last Request,” “Rewind” and “These Streets.”

As I was going through some old Yelp pictures, I saw a photo I took of my own shoes. I was instantly brought back to that day, what I was feeling and how different things are now. From this inspiration, I’ve revisited a collection of past moments, as told via shoe, to serve as a reminder that it’s about time I grab a new pair…

☜ For the past four years, I’ve pretty much only worn Onitsuka Tigers. I still remember the first pair my ex-girlfriend gave me back in (what must have been) 2005. They’re affordable, stylish and really lightweight. They don’t provide adequate cushioning for the avid walker, as I discovered in Boston two years ago, so I enhance them with inserts. A simple adjustment and it feels like I’m walking on clouds. (2 minutes ago)


Some friends of ours are hosting the Pig Eat Fest to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank at Lake Merced. Two giant roasting boxes are filled with large, free range, local, sustainable, organic, et cetera pigs. I eat more meat today than I have in awhile. (07.11.09) ☞


















☝ It’s Memorial Day Weekend. My original plan to fly to New York and spend the night wandering before flying back the next morning is foiled by the fact that all my friends there aren’t in town. Instead, my Family Plan sis, Tinna and I drive to Fort Bragg and leave our names (“keaneiscool“) in the sands of Glass Beach. Promptly after, Tinna shows the world that Keane, in fact, is not cool by stomping my name into sandy submission. (05.24.09)

I have to go to work on a Sunday?! Luckily, a couple of friends are coming along. We inadvertently discover the How Weird Street Faire right outside my office. It’s a nice surprise to spend the afternoon dancing in the streets with the slightly less ordinary. (05.10.09) ☞



















☜ This is Truffles, a friend’s dog. We’re at Crissy Field, celebrating a birthday with a sunny view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I walked a long way here, not realizing how far it would be from my place, but was able to snap a lot of great photos along the way. (04.18.09)



Those of us far from home can always find warm comfort in Dolores Park during the holidays. And nothing says, “Happy Easter,” like beer swigging hipsters getting high on a Sunday afternoon. I’m pretty sure there’s a goat here too. There’s always a goat at Dolores Park… (04.12.09) ☞




☜ It’s February. My Italian friend, Veronica, hasn’t been to the Museum of Modern Art yet, so we decide to visit today while she is in the city. The special exhibit is one that requires participation. Goggles, gloves, nets and brooms – we try them all. After, I leave with a poster of a lone bird that I decide to hang on my bedroom wall. (02.08.09)



☜ I am in Hawaii. It’s just before Christmas and I’m visiting the Honolulu Academy of Art with my mom. It’s quiet and beautiful. I keep myself occupied by capturing photos to bring back as a gift for a friend. They are, to me, both elegantly sweet and sad. It feels like I’m stuck in time, with growing feelings that will eventually consume me for the rest of the following year. (12.20.08)



☞ I quit my job at the Federal Reserve Bank a month ago and have been backpacking down the East Coast since. I’ve been to Boston, New York, DC, Virginia Beach and Greensboro. Now I’m in New Orleans, on a ferry between the French Quarter and Algiers. I do not know that I will get an internship with Performer Magazine a month from now. I do not know that I will join The Conversation Group a month later. I do not know that I will get laid off from that same job two years after I start…

I do not know…

And thus, I do not care. (08.21.07)

WC PERFORMER – Fleeting Trance – 17


www.fleetingtrance.com
www.myspace.com/fleetingtrance

Fleeting Trance – 17
Produced by Manasseh Bernal & The Transient Society Of Dreamers & Believers
Engineered by Alex James Muscat & Dave Tweedie
Recorded by Alex James Muscat at West Lake Studio in Daly City, CA & Students On Meth at Expressions Center For New Media in Emeryville, CA
Mastered by Phil Void at West Lake Studio in Daly City, CA

The organic sound of strings, reeds and melodious harmonics lie deep within the heart of soulful Americana. Playing true to form, Oakland’s Fleeting Trance adds a set of seventeen fresh tracks to this timeless genre with the release of 17. Utilizing often off-kilter vocals with just the right amount of rasp, frontman, Manasseh injects rootsy angst over pristine instrumentation, where guitars jangle and keys shimmer at their highs.

What is perhaps most remarkable about 17 is the fact that it never gets tiresome. Fleeting Trance succeeds in crafting an album with absolutely no filler, where more is definitely better. A particularly outstanding number is “She’s Got Music.” It’s a lighthearted, horn-driven stroll of a song, with optimistic lyrics and uplifting melodies enough to inspire any listener to find cheer even for a second: “She’s got music in her soul / When it touch me, make me lose control / Life makes no sense at all but with some help I’m gonna watch love grow.”

“Four Leaf Clover” is a poignant track that erupts with a ticking momentum of steady intervals. This is appropriate as the lyrics are drenched with the concept of movement: “We’ve got rhythm, we’ve got rhyme / We’ve got nothing left but time.” Vocals burst with warm and jagged qualities reminiscent of Counting Crows.

The band displays its quiet side on “Crayon,” an ambient track painting a big and spacious scene despite it only containing two unique verses. It summarizes the qualities that make the band so effective: the creation of something large and meaningful with everyday situations presented with uncomplicated sounds and lyrics. It’s the culmination of many simple yet effective parts that makes Fleeting Trance’s 17 such a universal experience. (Last Stop Records)

– Keane Li (more…)