Brice Plays Drums - I Laugh at Your Greener Pastures I-IV (2011)

Great, intricate record that is 4 tracks, and one epic 30 minute suite of sorts.

Great organ. This record has these little memorable sections that often seem well worth the buildup to. 30 minutes long, but I would say it hardly feels that long at times.

They also played at the "Progasm" a few weeks back at the 400 Bar and played this whole thing live. I guess they spent the better part of 2+ years writing the whole thing.

Cavil at Rest and Kaddisfly come to mind, also names like Call Florence Pow, Santana and The Mars Volta (mainly the keys/organ arrangements).

The production isn't huge or anything, perhaps even low-fi, but I think it suits the music well for that reason. Less being more in terms of production.

Definitely a grower as well, as it's an album that new things are heard each time, and those things are often things to like.

Lyrically, things about humankind, evolution, space time, existence, etc are explored in a vague, almost naive way (naive being interesting in a sense, not ignorant or negative).

I'll add/edit more of this soon; hopefully later today. But I shouldn't forget just how these guys are another Minnesota band doing prog, and in some ways doing-it-in-their-own-way. Which supports how good a music scene we have here in Minneapolis/St.Paul. Even if Porcupine Tree and Between the Buried and Me don't come here often anymore, there's a ton of great in-state bands to satisfy me and many other open-minded/forward-thinking music fans.

I also should add, they possibly have another record in the works, even coming later in the year if the finances and time allow. This is sort of a Mini-album, and the 2 shows I've now seen them, they have played some other songs they are looking to record.

But for now, this is definitely one of the best local releases of 2011, and better albums in general.




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Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (Pukefork Media 8.4/10)

8.4/10

fuck it. A whole meltdown was just lost. It's probably better this way.

The 8.4/10 might be a bad sign as a lot of the best, loved music ends up much lower than that. And the review is embarassingly difficult to understand, like more or less all pukefork reviews.

They gave Apes and Androids Blood Moon 7/3/10. That sure helped them, huh.

Cavil at Rest - Orion Way Reviewed June 23, 2007



rateyourmusic review
A California-based band I was introduced to at the very start of the year and I never tired of their music. This EP or really a combination of previously released EPs on one disc, is without a bad song. A group which excels at writing happy, poppy, catchy songs. "Who's There" they actually made a video for, but they are as far as I am aware, an unsigned talent. They certainly have the potential to catch-on big if given the right exposure. I love the barbershop type vocal-harmonies they do especially. The track "Let Down Your Guard" has this great echoing chorus There's-no-decide-ing-which-side to-air-on" which gets in your head. "It's Still Not as Bad" has a great upbeat crescendo. repeated phrase "It's alright...Standing next to you."

"Sun Hands" and "We Could Love" are classics. The latter having this gorgeous piano melody with vocal-chanting that is highly goose-bump worthy and maybe their greatest moment. "The Flower of Rhodes" has an awesome melody which reminds me of Happy- Kaddisfly. "Tidal Killer" and "All Is Well and Good" you can notice some great elements of Jeff Buckley and Phish. The closer "House on Stilts" has this warm, fun, happy, like Jellyfish vibe. It's a cliché to say, but they really are greater than the sum of all their parts. Their songwriting is just so strong and positive, I can't say enough good things about this band. Why their 1st full-length LP is quite high on my list of upcoming records. If it's anything like this full-EP, no doubt it'll be something I'll (and hopefully many others) will be into.

maybe some of the indie lemmings will check this equally impressive collection of songs.

I'm starting to turn out to be right. 89.3, Sound Opinions, Radio K, Citypages..ya'll can't ignore that. Now ya'll should listen to me about dozens more artists who I am right about as well. In a FAIR WORLD THEY WOULD.

Bend Sinister for example, just won $50,000 in a contest in Canada. Gee, was I not right about them too? I believe I was ahead of the curve with them as well. Perhaps in a year or 2, they'll be at least a percentage closer to where Local Natives are about to be, visibility-wise.