Moirae - Eternitarian (2013)

Eternitarian is Moirae's first full-length release, and after more than three years of working together as a band, it is clear that this album marks the band hitting their stride with a unique mix of calculated fury and grace.

Artwork: Aric Meerbott, guitarist of Moirae, handles all graphical aspects of the band, and Eternitarian's artwork is perfectly matched to the ethereal, evocative feeling that the album gives throughout. What's more, the cassette release of Eternitarian has subtly different artwork, reworked to fit and flourish in the rectangular cassette case.

Structure: The album is a seven-track narrative (for a full explanation of the narrative, see our interview with the band) where the songs simply flow as chapters.

Sound: Nailing down each flavor mixed in this album is like reading the menu at the Boll Weevil. "Tomato apple soup . . .?" However it sounds, it works - and works well. The opening track is simply a wash of beautiful chord shapes, dense with the serene atmosphere that returns frequently throughout the entire album. The inertia picks up immediately into the second track, and the interesting blends of post-hardcore progressions, complex meters and interestingly structured chords creates a unique feeling that characterizes Eternitarian - song after song, you will be surprised and pleased with the blending of styles that consistently succeeds and improves upon itself. Shoegaze lays with post-rock, sludge and hardcore bed down together, etc. The best part of this release is the production quality - each nuanced note, each chord and rhythmic stroke comes through perfectly. The louder you play it, the clearer it becomes.

Lyrics: Eternitarian is an epic story told in vibrant prose from beginning to end. The lyrics read like a Terry Brooks novel or a screen play to a Tolkien film - evocative, purposeful, and plot-driven.

Significant Facts: At their October 27th show at Sector 7G, vocalist René approached a cell phone-using attendee directly in front of the band, touched the cell phone and said, "Please put that away, for me," folding his hands, all while the band behind him was playing full speed ahead.

For Fans Of: Isis, Mastodon, Slowdive, Beloved, Between The Buried And Me

Favorite Lyrics: I've been known by many names
But I won't be known as the Destroyer
I've been known by many names
But you have known me as God

Favorite Track: Farewell

1. Postmortem
2. Farewell
3. Ascent
4. Solivagant
5. Phantom Limb
6. Second Turning: An Awakening
7. Eternitarian

Rating: 4.5 / 5 

Buy: Merch site coming soon!
Listen: bandcamp /// facebook
Interview: October 27th

-Brian

Interview with Moirae

- How did the band form?

Aric: I met our drummer Davin toward the end of 2009. I showed him a record that my old hardcore band had just put out. I'm sure he wasn't impressed, but we kinda hit it off and decided to jam together that same day. I guess we dug what was happening in the room and decided to form a little outfit. Davin had already been playing with our bass player Joel in another band so he brought him on board right away. It was a similar situation with our vocalist Rene. He had been in bands with me in the past and we thought he was a good fit. We had another Guitar player at first who eventually quit, at which point we e-mailed our current guitar player Danny with some demo recordings and he joined us pretty immediately. The group came together pretty easy.

- How is “Eternitarian” different than your earlier releases?

Davin: It's pretty different in its song writing, and the quality at which we recorded and mixed it. Our lead guitarist, Danny, also added a ton of dreamy colors and textures that weren't as much of a thing in our earlier songs. We're all pretty happy with this one!
Danny: I wanted to convey a sense of other-worldliness in contrast to Antemortem’s more grounded, earthly vibe, so we expanded the melodic context in that direction and added the shimmery reverb effect that’s been a growing part of our live sound for a while, now. There’s also more singing, which stems from the desire to have a variety of voices and vocal textures present in our music.

- What’s the message being conveyed in Eternitarian?

Danny: It's a continuation of events that occurred in the previous release, the song "Ouroboros Severed" in particular. Eternitarian is about a man who dies and searches for his lost love in a strange, dreamlike realm (Postmortem, Farewell). He spends entire eras traversing this realm and it's only fixture, a massive tower, long enough that he begins to learn of it's true nature and nearly forgets his purpose and prior existence, left only with the feeling that a piece of himself is missing (Ascent, Solivagant, Phantom Limb). Finally the two are reunited in the end (Second Turning), and they are revealed to be two halves of the great will of the macrocosm (or God, if you're into it), separated and made to live the lives of men. As the two reunite, they begin the process of creation anew (Eternitarian). There really isn't a single message that we had in mind for this release, but there are very honest expressions of personal loss and hopelessness collectively woven into the music and fiction. I think our goal was more so a kind of escapism. We want people to feel like they’re being taken elsewhere, watching these moments unfold, experiencing something universal.

- What was your favorite part of the tour from Miami to Augusta and back?

Davin: Playing at the Backbooth in Orlando, FL. We spent all day traipsing around the downtown area checking out cool bars, and some art galleries along the way. That, in addition to an incredible pre-show barbeque AND a fun-ass show. Pretty good, not too bad.

- What was your least favorite part of the tour?

Davin: Definitely the regularity of people owning cats in the places we stayed at. Most of us are pretty allergic. But in the scope of things, all of the people that put us up were saints to do so, and we couldn't be more grateful for their hospitality.

- What was your favorite show of the tour? Why?

Danny: For me, it's a tie between Gainesville and Augusta. Gainesville had one of those "you had to be there" moments: after the last band played, Rene and I surprised everyone with an impromptu stoner/doom set, slow as molasses, featuring members of both touring bands playing drums, myself on guitar, and damn near everybody there on vocals. The Augusta show was just fun all around, great people, sick bands, great vibes. Three of us came out of mosh retirement, and I had a pretty gnarly case of metal neck that weekend which is usually a good sign.

- What was your favorite show you've played thus far? Why?

Davin: We played this show about two years back at a nearby club/bar called Rumors. Since it was closer to our homes, a lot of our friends and family were able to make it out, which is refreshing to say the least. And did I mention that all of the bands were paid handsomely?

- Are there any bands that have influenced you guys?

Danny: We're all over the place. Some of our collective favorite bands are Mastodon, Envy, Isis, Opeth, Boris, Alcest, Meshuggah, Converge, Sigur Ros, Deftones, Torche, and Mars Volta. Personally speaking, I'm also hugely influenced by Moonsorrow, Swallow The Sun, Jesu, My Bloody Valentine, classical composers (Chopin is my absolute favorite), and old video game soundtracks, particularly the Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross games.

- Are there any bands local to you that you think our readers should know about?

Danny: Cave of Swimmers, Nixa, Tetragrammaton, Shroud Eater, Ether, Holly Hunt, Orbweaver and our bros in Suns of The Morning Star, all really badass bands. I'm kind of a hermit and it surprises me all the time that we have all of this sick music going on right in our back yard.

- You had physical copies of your music at your show and you also have your music up on bandcamp. Do you worry about people illegally downloading your music? Do you think that digital music sales will eventually replace CD/Record sales?

Danny: Truth be told, we really just want it to be as freely available as possible. Bandcamp has a limitation on free downloads, so we started giving away the digital album ourselves to make up for it. The option of donation or digital purchase is there for those who wish to do so, and we're ridiculously thankful to those who have. That said, I think many people, myself included, still appreciate the idea of having a physical product, art, liner notes, that whole deal. I don't think digital will replace physical products so much as digital has already become a standardized method of distribution which is supplemented by the continued existence of tangible products (which allow for the ability to enjoy the music in the absence of a computer or MP3 player, for example). Should the demand become more apparent, we'll be working towards getting CDs and eventually some vinyl pressed for this and future releases.

- When I spoke to you guys at the show in Augusta, you didn't have a merch site. Any changes to that?

Danny: As soon as we're done getting readjusted to real life, we'll be getting our asses in gear and fixing that asap.

- Does Moirae have any future plans? Any upcoming tours or releases? What should we look forward to?

Aric: Next thing on the docket for us is releasing a split in early February with the band Hoffa HQ. We are currently tracking for that as we speak. We're also simultaneously plotting/booking a tour with Hoffa for February. More info on that will be available as time passes on our Facebook and other pages. After the tour we'll start recording our next full length which we already have a lot of material for.
Danny: Our side of the split will feature a song slated to be on the new full length and a brand-new-as-fuck song, as well as a nice surprise for you headbangers out there. Prepare your finest trousers.

The Handshake Murders - Usurper (2007)

Usurper is the follow-up to 2006's Essays on the Progression of Man: What Time and Earth Would Not Bury. With the word-count down and the complexity increased tenfold, Usurper is a rare gem of an album that combines the unbridled heaviness of Botch with the juggernaut momentum of Coalesce - throw in the inspiringly dark artwork of this band's guitarist, Bryan, and the mechanical stream-of-consciousness lyrics of vocalist Jason, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

Artwork: Each page of the album bears images similar to the cover - human, yet disturbingly mechanistic. Viewing the artwork, one would regularly ask "Is that real . . . ?" and gawk at the images. Some pages have words written across them taken from the adjacent song's lyrics, in the same all-lower case no-grammatical marks style of the pages and pages of darkly poetic lyrics. Without employing the standard gory scare tactics of metal, The Handshake Murders stir deep emotions by creating an entire world through inspiring image, lyrics, and sound. This album gets an A+ in the art department.

Structure: The album changes rhythm often enough that no individual track has a consistent feel. There are four songs grouped together, and another group of six, separated by what sounds like a lecture being given with the band playing sporadically over it. The album begins in a similar fashion to Coalesce's Give Them Rope, with an isolated vocal being increasingly supported by the devastating throes of the band's fury. "Fifteen minutes to failure to collapse until I impose my contortion" and then it all begins. How appropriate.

Sound: The entire album carries a darkly mechanical sound that is made slightly unsettling by the band's propensity for switching time signatures or completely changing grooves with little to no notice. The atmosphere is dark and brooding, regularly lashing out with an unbridled rage that would be found less and less in following years with bands trying to hock this complex sound. The Handshake Murders do remind the listener of bands like Coalesce and Botch, but with a distinctly different approach that simply doesn't care what is in its path - this album charges through its entire length without regard for injuries or casualties.

Lyrics: This album is one manic-depressive run-on sentence. The lyricist can't be faulted for grammatical errors because he didn't even try - every song is a long string of ideas that evoke strong images of mechanical nightmares and savage bitterness.

Significant Facts: Personal note, these guys were playing "Apostate" when I walked into my first show, the Velociraptour in 2005 at the New Brookland Tavern. Also, the song below was written toward a person who led a destructive/controlling relationship with the vocalist's sister for years. (If you ever got to see the band before they broke up in 2011, you would most likely never, ever consider antagonizing the vocalist without a death wish.)

For Fans Of: Coalesce, Apiary, Botch, Norma Jean/The Chariot

Favorite Lyrics: know that your only power of me is that you could push me to kill you so come with your games and your screams of superiority your perfect victim routine hasn't worked on me in years silver-tongued Judas I am your highest enemy possessed of angelic vengeance you've got one foot in the grave choking on your arrogance now suffer the blows of my aggression worth all her tears turn around I'll rip your throat out die a coward

Favorite Track: Painted Contortionist

1. Into the Mouth of Fear/Dissector
2. Bloodlines
3. Painted Contortionist
4. A New Enemy
5. Error
6. Mind Bender
7. How to Kill
8. A New Human
9. Apostate
10. Myopia
11. Of Cult and Atrophy

Rating: 8 / 10

Listen: Last.fm /// Reverbnation /// Myspace
Merch: designs

-Brian

Memphis - A Place In The Wilderness (2006)

Memphis is the project of two lifelong friends, Torquil Campbell (of the Canadian group, Stars) and Chris Dumont. Many of their friends played as studio musicians on the album but all songwriting credit belongs to Torq and Chris.

Artwork: The cover looks as dreamy as the whole album sounds, looking down at a big city with your eye on a carousel. The whole album could be summed up in the cover design - it's simple, but it works.

Structure: Each track stands on its own as a whole song, and the album is simply ten songs that the two friend wrote together. There doesn't seem to be an overarching concept lyrically or musically, other than the light atmosphere throughout, but the tracks do flow from one to the next very well. This is an album you can put on, let play from beginning to end, and enjoy the whole thing.

Sound: This album was recorded in Montreal in the dead of winter, and each track gives a distinctly dreamy and nostalgically cozy feeling to the listener. The style is consistently minimalist, delivering only the most necessary sounds and exercising both members' maturity in being reserved and not heavy-handed for the sake of the experience of the album. There are no jarring notes, no out-of-place guitars, no heavy drumming. The album begins as a warm trickle, flows strong but under control, and ends softly, getting its point across without ever raising its voice. Also, listen to three or four songs and you will hear the words "dream" or "dreaming" more times than you would on an entire Between The Buried And Me album. The repeated use of dense imagery works to the album's advantage, partly through word choice and partly through delivery. Both the music played and the words sung feel like a cozy blanket on a cold day.

Significant Facts: Chris Dumont worked on the carousel in Central Park in New York, and there is a clearly emphasized carousel on the album cover.

For Fans Of: Widowspeak, Tram, The National, Pity Sex

Favorite Lyrics: Sweep the floor now and take down the curtains
Let the light flood into the house
Open the door, let the wind blow
Let all those dead hours stumble out
Watch as the run towards the sea
Until they diminish to nothing

Favorite Track: Time Away

1. I Dreamed We Fell Apart
2. In The Cinema Alone
3. Incredibly Drunk on Whiskey
4. Time Away
5. A Ghost Story
6. A Little Place in the Wilderness
7. I'll Do Whatever You Want
8. Swallows and Amazons
9. In The Highest Room
10. The Night Watchman

Rating: 4 / 5 

Buy: CD /// iTunes
Follow: facebook

-Brian

Western Medication - The Painted World 7" (2012)

Artwork: A non-objective representation of aquaphobia? An abstracted desert skyline? Maybe it's a hummingbird.

Structure: This being punk, no song is follows the verse-chorus-verse-chorus exactly, but because of the heavy rock & roll influence present throughout the entire record, there is a coherent flow to each track, in, out, and during.

Sound: If you've ever wondered what "post-punk" sounded like, this is it. Relentlessly upbeat drumming, fuzzed out guitars awash in spring reverb, and Brit-influenced singing half-buried in the wall of sound completed by a bass played way too hard with a pick - this is it, and it is good. Listeners might be put off, though, by the almost completely unintelligible vocal style and mix.

Significant Facts: This band is local to where I spent four years in college, and played a free show on Record Store Day at a hidden gem of a record store, The Groove, in Nashville.

For Fans Of: The Ruts, Catholic Discipline, The Cure, The Smiths

Favorite Lyrics: The painted world turned gray today.


Favorite Track: Big City

1. The Painted World
2. Big City
3. Problems in D.C.
4. 50 Ft. Dive

Rating: 4.5 / 5 

Buy: 7" /// Cassette
Listen: Blog /// facebook /// last.fm
Merch: Jeffery Drag Records

-Brian

Overanalyzing Leafboy (2005)

This drawing has been my most prized possession since I drew it when I was 15. Samantha (co-author of this blog) and I were talking one day about the one thing we could save from a house fire, and this drawing was my answer. I don't think it has any incredible artistic value, honestly. It's not a masterpiece of execution and technique, but it is the first time I ever felt a certain way and laid it on paper perfectly, and with him being our mascot, I thought that for our first publication, I would take a moment to explain him.

I have been underweight since birth. High metabolism combined with a relentless drive to do things physically has kept me thinner than I'm comfortable with being. I was uncomfortable with my body - Samantha deals heavily in social science issues regarding body image/identity and could probably explain it more effectively. Leafboy looks like I felt, made of leaves and liable to blow away or crumple with the next breeze. The flat expression and empty eyes were indicative of the isolation I felt from my peers. I had recently ventured into the local hardcore scene and discovered that I didn't fit in there even more than I didn't fit in at my high school. I played in bands and had a studio in my house, so I was around the cool kids, but when the show was over, I went home alone. Leafboy is an onlooker, on the outside looking in. He's unattractive, emaciated, pensive and sad, and so was I.

I think an encounter with him would be pretty horrific. He would sound like rustling leaves when he walked, a horrible rattling when when he spoke, and you could always see through his eyes. Most of the reason that he means so much to me is that I look at him now as a freeze-frame of 2005, and as my life and outlook have changed so drastically for the better since then, I can look at the unsure expression on his face and know that things have turned out much better than expected.

-Brian