Culture Greyhound

Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.

30. One Wolf – S/T

Yesterday Daniel Markham released a solo EP of new material, straying far, far away from the alt-folk background of his primary songwriting venture One Wolf. Those of us who have seen the band perform live saw the transformation coming a long time ago. The sound of a One Wolf album and a One Wolf show are two different animals. One is quiet, reticent, calculated. The other is high-energy, eventful, fucking LOUD. As Markham currently makes steps to combine the two with his newer songs, we should step back and dust off his finest creation – One Wolf’s debut album.

Deviating from the straightforward alt-country of previous project Waiting to Derail, Markham, along with drummer Zach Davis and bassist Brad Ivy (Sammi Rana joined the band later), amp up the diverse instrumentation, abstract lyricism, and, most importantly, the power of a simple hook. “Don’t Take It Personal” is a Cobain-esque passive-aggressive ode to shitheads in a redneck bar, many of which One Wolf has reluctantly played in. “H(A)unted” is the album highlight, a lamentation on self-identity. “Roads” is a timeless commentary on lost love and moving forward, strung together with a naturally beautiful melody. Here, underneath all the confusion, we find optimism in Markham’s lyrics, as in the two-stepping affair “Close Your Eyes” and the surreal “Sleeper.”

Keeping to traditional melody, yet remaining progressive in texture, Markham and the rest of One Wolf created the blueprint for how they would approach this album’s sequel, and how Markham currently tackles his newest efforts. Overall, it makes for a remarkable listen, one that cannot be duplicated, and an album only a fool would pass up. Years later, One Wolf’s debut is still Markham’s finest work, and one of the best Hub City creations of the past decade.

Listen to One Wolf on Spotify.

Daniel Markham’s solo ventures have been significantly darker and Deadsy-er than his alt-country leanings in One Wolf material. We first heard this turning point in the band’s second album, and then last March in Markham’s Demonstrations album. And now, in the six-song Hexagons, Markham, now residing in Denton, has turned the knob up on the sustaining, thunderous guitar sound. Still, those trademark Markham traits remain – lyrics signifying love and loss, alienation, and pensive lamentation. And let us not forget about the strong affinity for crafting an infectious melody. All in all, it’s refreshing to hear that familiar voice delivering new creations. Hopefully we won’t have to wait as long for the next batch.

BLEACHED – SEARCHING THROUGH THE PAST from Molly Schiot on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Cloud Nothings – Stay Useless
The-Dream – Rockin’ That S***
Cloud Nothings – Fall In
The-Dream – I Love Your Girl
Daniel Johnston – True Love Will Find You In the End

Cloud Nothings’ sophomore album Attack On Memory is exactly that, according to leader Dylan Baldi: it’s an attack on the former memory of the band. It’s more raw, angry, and even more unpolished than the self-titled debut. Perhaps that’s the influence of producer Steve Albini, but Baldi’s songwriting is darker, more grand in scope, and more ambitious in delivery. They’ve replaced ooh-wah choruses for increasingly strained vocal work and more minor key arrangements, but try as they might, there’s still plenty of pop material here. This time around, however, the finished product might have more in common with Male Bonding than Wavves. Like Pinkerton did after the more accessible Blue Album, Attack On Memory is slightly flawed, but wholly bold, introspective, and mature. It’s a strong step toward a gradual shift for the long term, warts and all.

Stream the whole thing below. It drops on January 24.

Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory by Carpark Records

Reign of Terror, the sophomore album from Sleigh Bells, drops on February 21st, and the first single “Comeback Kid” follows in the same vein as the blisteringly loud Treats. It’s available for download on iTunes as of today. I can honestly say, after hearing this and the equally impressive “Born to Lose,” I am more stoked for this release than any other currently.

Comeback Kid by Sleigh Bells

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Star Slinger – Chain Dumbin’ (feat. Juicy J, Project Pat, and Reggie B)
Ceremony – Hysteria
Candy Claws – Do You Ever Feel That Way (Starflyer 59 cover)
Kool A.D. – Girls and Women
Arrange – Streams/At Night

As a longtime fan of the Lubbock music scene, I was devastated to hear the news today of the sudden loss of one of the movement’s most important individuals in recent memory. Marcus Chapa was a pioneer, and now he’s a legend. He was an all-in-one, DIY, completely-outside-the-box kind of guy. Promoter, marketer, designer, musician, entrepreneur, Marcus did it all, and he did it for the love of those around him and the art they made. Though I’ve never personally attended any shows at his venue Grandma’s House, I’ve heard of the intimate setting Chapa provided for locals and touring up-and-comers making their way through the 806. I’ve sat and marveled at the ambition of an always-unpredictable Kitten Glitter show. I’ve witnessed the painstaking effort and time-consuming work Marcus brought to his homegrown label Middle Child Recordings. Marcus was quiet, reserved, but always planning for the next big thing – his Facebook page promoted a new fashion project for 2012 called Natural Reflex.

More than a visionary, Marcus was passionate. He loved music, especially the creations of his friends. He was caring, friendly, an undeniable joy to be around. His insight was unique and always fascinating. I encourage you to check out the Middle Child website; his latest Christmas compilation features music from Lubbock musicians past and present. Though the music is mostly from others, the project, the medium, has Marcus Chapa written all over it. It is a testament to his hard work and undying love for the Lubbock underground.

I can’t honestly say I knew Marcus as well as others, and, unfortunately, that is a mistake of mine I’ll never get the chance to correct. I wish I would’ve spent more time with the guy while he was with us. What I do know is, with what little time we spent together, especially those weekends crashing on my floor here in Austin for SXSW and Fun Fun Fun, he was fun, laid-back, and a genuinely happy dude, and it was always a pleasure to have him around. What I also know is, at a time when they shut down KTXT and it felt like the whole Lubbock scene was imploding, Marcus was one of the leaders striving to keep it alive. From what I can tell, he made some serious headway doing so.

My thoughts are with the Chapa family, Rachel Stone, and the friends of Marcus and the Lubbock music community, local and abroad. Death always gives us a glimpse of how many people one person can affect and influence, and you can bet, for Marcus Chapa, that’s a pretty big number.

Watch the trailer below for Shut Up and Play the Hits, a documentary chronicling LCD Soundsystem’s final days. The film follows James Murphy and crew around before their last show at Madison Square Garden. The film will premiere at Sundance later this month.